by  Rachel Reeves

The subgenre of eco-horror exists to remind us that the Earth and natural world were here long before each and every one of us, and will remain so long after we depart this mortal coil. It is horror rooted in the idea that nature does not exist to serve or be controlled by short-sighted humans, and can indeed fight back. Whether it’s killer animals, toxic contamination, mutation, or the general sense that the planet is fed up with our abuse, eco-horror is one of the most enduring and prescient corners of the genre. 

That said, it makes perfect sense that eco-horror began to gain real momentum in the 1970s. While examples of eco-horror existed long before that, Earth Day launched in 1970 as part of the modern environmental movement. The EPA was created that same year amid growing public anxiety over pollution, pesticides, and the compounding damage being done to our air, water, and land. That combo made the decade a fertile breeding ground for stories about nature striking back. You can almost feel the era’s fear of industrial excess seeping straight onto the screen.

Even today, eco-horror still works because the anxieties behind it, unfortunately, never went away. Despite all the advances made in the last few decades, science remains constantly questioned, planned obsolescence keeps landfills full, and extreme weather events are only increasing. 

If you, too, are feeling frustrated and have sympathy for the planet that sustains life for us all, here are 7 eco-horror films to check out, along with where to stream them, to help channel that angst.

The Last Winter (2006)

Larry Fessenden’s The Last Winter blends snow horror with eco-horror, taking place in the freezing, godforsaken Arctic. Starring Ron Perlman, Connie Britton, James LeGros, Zach Gilford, and Kevin Corrigan, the movie kicks off as an oil company’s push into the Alaska tundra taps into something unexpected and very dangerous. The crew soon begins to experience eerie visions, disappearances, and paranoia as the land itself seems to rebel against their presence.

Where to watch: Shudder

Read whole list at BD!

GEP regular Ilaya Chaiken rolls out three remarkable movies
this coming weekend. Q&As to follow.
All films produced in association with Glass Eye Pix

PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNACHICKS + Q&A

DOCUMENTARY, MUSIC, BIOGRAPHY | 2026 | 91MIN

The Lunachicks, an all-female punk band renowned for their unabashed humor and unwavering pro-women ethos, made their mark on NYC’s underground music scene in the ‘90s. A rollercoaster of drugs, romances, and creative conflicts ultimately led to their 2000 breakup, but can love of the music reunite them for one last show? 

Q&A with filmmaker Ilya Chaiken and Lunachicks members Theo Kogan, Syd Silver, Gina Volpe, Chip English & Sindi Benezra following screening. Moderated by Jeanne Fury.

SOLD OUT!

MARGARITA HAPPY HOUR + Q&A

DRAMA | 2001 | 98MIN
SATURDAY, APRIL 25Saturday, April 25
7:00 PM
CAST: Eleanor Hutchins, Larry Fessenden, Holly Ramos, Barbara Sicuranza

Zelda confronts the end of the party in the 1990s starving artist Brooklyn scene, trying to navigate adulthood with a baby, a deadbeat poet boyfriend, a best friend recovering from addiction, and a loft teeming with carousing roommates. A chorus of boozy mom-punks and an incremental series of crises help bring Zelda’s life into focus.

Q&A with director Ilya Chaiken, actors Eleanor Hutchins and Larry Fessenden following screening. Moderated by Azazel Jacobs.

Tickets

LIBERTY KID + Q&A

DRAMA | 2007 | 92MIN
SUNDAY, APRIL 26Sunday, April 26
7:30 PM
CAST: Al Thompson, Kareem Savinon, Anny Mariano, Rayniel Rufino

Derrick and Tico lose their jobs at the Statue of Liberty tourist site due to the 9/11 attacks. As they struggle to survive in the aftermath, courted by Army recruiters and tempted by street life, the two friends pursue divergent paths to an elusive future.

Q&A with director Ilya Chaiken, actor Kareem Saviñon and additional cast members following screening.
Moderated by Rigo Garay

Tickets

Philip Hartman’s 
NO PICNIC

Friday, April 17 – Thursday, April 23

U.S., 1986
Written and directed by Philip Hartman
Starring David Brisbin, Clare Bauman, Judith Malina, Ryan Cutrona, Anne D’Agnillo, Luis Guzmán, Richard Hell, Steve Buscemi
Produced by Doris Kornish
Cinematography by Peter Hutton
Approx. 87 min.

Philip Hartman’s priceless artifact of New York’s pre-gentrification East Village follows down-and-out jukebox operator Macabee Cohn, played with deadpan melancholy by David Brisbin, who wanders the cheap tenements, dive bars, and derelict streets of the East Village in search of a mysterious woman in a striped dress. 

NO PICNIC premiered at the 1986 Sundance Film Festival, where Peter Hutton won the Best Cinematography prize for his gorgeously evocative black-and-white imagery, working with producer Doris Kornish, Emmy Award–winning director Mike Spiller as assistant cameraman, animator Lewis Klahr as boom operator, Christine Vachon as assistant sound editor, with assistance from, among other notables, Jacob Burckhardt and Jeff Preiss. Scored by Ned Sublette, the soundtrack features The Raunch Hands, Fela Kuti, Charles Mingus and Student Teachers.

Hartman co-owned The Great Jones Cafe, which introduced Cajun cooking to downtown NYC, became a magnet for the indie film and music communities, and flourished for 35 years until its closure in 2018. Using his gumbo money, and drawing on the rich talent of the Jones community, Hartman wrote and directed NO PICNIC in the summer of ‘85. Wim Wenders’ company, Grey City, came aboard as executive producer and the film was accepted to Sundance, but still needing $25k to finish post-production, Hartman co-founded Two Boots Pizzeria on Avenue A, now a beloved New York institution. He would also go on to make EERIE (1995), a feature starring Felicity Huffman & Will Arnett.

A FILM DESK RELEASE

by Matt Donato

While Universal has failed to relaunch its shared horror universe for decades, Larry Fessenden’s beloved bloodsucker Habit was released in 1995 and laid the groundwork for his own successful Monsterverse. Quietly, out of the mainstream’s eye, Fessenden assembled his take on the Wolf Man, Dracula, and Frankenstein for a graveyard smash of a crossover that premiered at this year’s Overlook Film Festival: Trauma or, Monsters All. It’s Fessenden’s signatures in totalum: an emotionally torn, low-budget take on the horrors of humanity as guided by cursed creatures. Don’t expect Stephen Sommers’ Van Helsing; more the mumblecore-value, Glass Eye Pix version of a Universal multi-monster classic.

…

Trauma or, Monsters All has a broken Americana vibe to its contemporary commentary, especially in how Cassie’s inquiries dredge up controversy rather than curiosity. In the vein of Frankenstein’s monster being chased by pitchforks and torches, Fessenden tests Talbot Falls’ moral compass against those characters who’ve failed such genre experiments. There’s anger in Charlie’s voice as he confronts Cassie, pre-transformation, and prods about whether she’s proud of her work in print, knowing he’ll have to ditch Adam and start over. There’s a melancholy to Trauma or, Monsters All that nails the title “trauma,” drawing a thin line that separates townsfolk and beasts.

…

The question is simple: did you like any combination of Habit, Depraved, or Blackout? Splendid, Trauma Or, Monsters All is for you! Fessenden’s iconic independent horror voice is on display, as his under-the-radar monster series reaches its crescendo. He creates a world any audience can slide into: a rural creature feature built on humble intentions and honest depictions. Fessenden’s read on Universal’s legendary monsters is his own, drawing on themes of vulnerability and ostracization into our modern hellscape.

Luckily, despite its blemishes, Trauma Or, Monsters All is a minimalist take on fabled figures with plenty to say, and another notch in Fessenden’s ever-mounting legacy.

Read whole review at Daily Dead

Visit TRAUMA project page

From the essential portrait by INSIDE + OUT:

AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, WHAT IS THE MESSAGE YOU WISH TO CONVEY, AND HOW DO YOU CHOOSE A BODY OF WORK OR SUBJECT MATTER TO FOCUS ON?

Bahram Foroughi: I don’t really think in terms of a single message. For me, it’s about capturing something true, something that feels the way it actually was in that moment. That’s what drew me into working with filmmaker Larry Fessenden. Larry’s films live in that space where things aren’t over-polished or forced; they feel human, a little raw, sometimes uncomfortable, but real.

Being around that kind of filmmaking reinforced how I see things as a photographer. I’m drawn to moments that have tension, where something’s just beneath the surface. It’s not about perfection, it’s about truth. Whether it’s on a film set or in a live music environment, I’m looking for that same thing: a moment that feels like it could fall apart or come alive at any second.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW.

Bahram Foroughi: I’m a first responder and volunteer with the Woodstock Rescue Squad, and I previously served as a firefighter in Olive for six years. That experience gave me a real understanding of the challenges first responders face, especially when it comes to dealing with PTSD.

I’m currently working on launching a nonprofit that teaches first responders how to fly fish as a way to manage that stress. It’s something I care deeply about, creating space for people who are constantly operating in high-pressure environments to slow down, reset, and find a sense of calm and balance in nature.

Read more of this intertview with this cherished collaborator since BITTER FEAST (2010)

Beck Underwood snaps Sharif El Neklawy snapping Laëtitial Hollard, Gaby Leyner and Aitana Doyle
at the Overlook Film Festival presenting Larry Fessenden’s
TRAUMA OR, MONSTERS ALL

”Larry Fessenden remains indie horror’s most singular visionary…
it’s hard to imagine any other conclusion for this story
that marries so many of his consistent obsessions.”
—J Hurtado, ScreenAnarchy

✭✭✭✭1/2
“preposterousness and poignancy…
Fessenden’s monster movie does not seem inappropriate in today’s world.
In fact, it seems like an unusually sane response.
Fiction is one of many ways through which we might explore better ways
of communicating with one another,
lest we unleash too easily the monsters from the id.”
—Jennie Kermode, Eye For Film

“Fessenden’s final outing for his “monsters” is smart, sometimes scathing
and is best when exploring how scary selfhood and otherness is.
The world is complicated and that’s how people end up putting others in boxes.”
—Nadine Whitney, In Session Film

by Shelagh Rowan-Legg

A new film by horror indie auteur Larry Fessenden is always cause for celebration, and for those lucky enough to be attending the Overlook Film Festival, they have the chance to attend the world premiere of his new film Trauma or, Monsters All, tonight. And we have an exclusive clip!

An aspiring author gets more than she bargained for when she writes an article for the local paper about her small town’s dark history, prompting unwanted speculation on what monsters may lie within. Overlook mainstay Larry Fessenden returns with the thrilling conclusion to his quadrilogy, a thoughtful and fiercely independent monster mash that can be enjoyed on its own or marathoned with his three origin stories – Habit, Depraved, and Blackout.

Laëtitia Hollard, the big breakout star of HBO hit series The Pitt for her role as nurse Emma Nolan, stars in the film, alongside Aitana Doyle, Barbara Crampton, Addison Timlin, Alex Hurt, and Fessenden. The clip that features Hollard and Doyle, helps set the stage for this dark mystery. I am jealous of those who get the first watch in New Orleans tonight. Check out the clip below.

See post at Screen Anarchy