Entertainment Weekly: Mother Nature gives some oil company employees a very cold shoulder in this Arctic-set film. Ron Perlman, Connie Britton, and James LeGros lead the cast in director Larry Fessenden’s eco-conscious horror fable.
The Last Winter is now available on the IFC Films Unlimited streaming service.
Read Full List HERE
Written by Fessenden and Graham Reznick for Supermassive Games,
this BAFTA winning game stands the test of time!
#1: UNTIL DAWN
Until Dawn’s core appeal is that it gives us enlightened genre aficionados a chance to put our money where our mouth is and finally demonstrate that we would actually be able to hack it in one of those slasher flicks we know so much about. Everyone has watched Halloween, I Know What You Did Last Summer, or Friday the 13th and ruminated on how they would be a much sharper protagonist than those making dumb mistakes on the screen. Always mocking these fictional characters for their errors – like investigating suspicious noises, tripping over in the woods, and failing to pick up defensive weapons – we’re under the impression that our survival instincts are above reproach and that, if we ever found ourselves in a comparable scenario, we wouldn’t falter.
Supermassive Games’ interactive horror movie invites us to test out that theory, by making us responsible for a group of prospective murder victims so dated and stereotypical, that you almost expect it to be foreshadowing some kind of Cabin in the Woods meta-commentary. There’s the rich mean girl, the arrogant jock, the class clown, the awkward bookish type, the aspiring model, the pervy weirdo and, of course, the token final girl. To a certain extent all these characteristics are inflexible and set in stone (it’s not like you can transform the athlete into an engineering major, or make the unbearable comic-relief actually funny) but what you can do is influence their actions, within the parameters of the given personas of course, to facilitate desired outcomes.
For example, you could fan the flames of a hormonal dispute to create entertaining drama, you could deliberately lead one of them to meet a grisly end at the hands of a wood chipper, or – if you want to be super boring about it – you could try to keep everyone alive until the credits roll. The game won’t admonish you either way, meaning that you’re free to pull the strings however you see fit. It’s almost like you get to direct your own horror movie, tallying up the ideal kill count, indulging in your preferred clichés and, at one point, even dictating what form the scares will take. I personally enjoyed discovering just how many gruesome death variations there were for each character, as some of the elaborate fatalities proved to be exceptionally imaginative.
Experimenting with all the different branches is what’s so engrossing about Until Dawn, because it legitimately feels like an open-ended narrative. People can die at the drop of a hat (due to either an obscure decision that was made hours ago or something as insignificant as a failed QTE) and whole environments can be skipped over if you don’t forge the requisite path. Granted, it’s not an especially frightening game – and those sections wherein you sluggishly potter around looking for glistening objects to advance the plot can get a little wearisome – but that doesn’t detract from the overall experience. Because getting to be the puppet master is just way too much fun. – Harrison Abbott
See Full List and Review HERE
We’re always excited to see what’s coming from Shudder each month, and February 2020 is going to be loaded with fresh new arrivals.
Like Me (Director: Robert Mockler)
A masked YouTuber draws fame, followers and a few vocal haters from her increasingly dangerous videos. This trippy, “wonderfully twisted” (per IndieWire) SXSW selection features an alienated Addison Timlin (Little Sister) and a morally dubious Larry Fessenden (The Dead Don’t Die) as unlikely companions on a drug-fueled, neon road trip that goes where you least expect it. Starring: Addison Timlin, Larry Fessenden, Ian Nelson (Also available on Shudder Canada).
Wendigo (Director: Larry Fessenden)
A blue Volvo makes its way through the fading light of a chilly winter evening in Upstate New York. Kim, George and their eight-year old son, Miles, are city dwellers stealing a weekend away at a friend’s country farmhouse. But a fluke accident sets off a chain of events that alters their lives forever and conjures up the ferocious spirit of the Wendigo, a Native American myth made manifest in Miles’ imagination. Starring: Patricia Clarkson, Jake Weber, John Speredakos and Eric Per Sullivan (Also available on Shudder Canada).
Frankenstein: 10 Movies With An Original Twist On The Horror Classic
The most recent release on the list is independent horror darling Larry Fessenden’s 2019 take on the monster. In his 1991 debut feature No Telling, Fessenden dances with the idea of a Frankenstein-like scientist, and now almost 30 years later, he tackles the subject matter head-on. Depraved follows a man stricken with PTSD as he tries to cope by working in a laboratory and sewing a human together. Possibly the lowest budgeted film on the list, there is a meta-layer to the filmmaking with it being a do-it-yourself sort of effort. It’s a strange, and interesting film that can be seen streaming on Hulu right now.
Other Horror Movie Remakes Rob Zombie Should Direct
… his appreciation for that era of cinema might lend him to be an excellent choice for another Dark Universe movie like Frankenstein, which was originally directed by James Whale in 1931 and starred Boris Karloff as The Monster.Though there have been modern interpretations, such as Larry Fessenden’s Depraved in 2019, Zombie would certainly bring more horror (and blood) to the Monster’s tale. It would be even more fascinating if he cast someone like Ken Foree, with whom he’s collaborated previously in The Lords of Salem. The actor’s 6’5″ stature would be imposing and bring some smart social commentary, as Frankenstein’s monster is traditionally played by white actors.
Episode 16: No Signal
(a sequel to Cold Reading)
A trio of paranormal adventurers revisits the scene of a séance
gone horribly wrong a century before, and suffer a similar fate.
Written and Directed by Larry Fessenden.
Featuring Clay McLeod Chapman, Samuel Zimmerman, Roxanne Benjamin, Larry Fessenden
Performed live May 1, 2015.
Poster by Trevor Denham
for more Tales, Box Sets and Swag, visit
www.talesfrombeyondthepale.com
Freestyle Digital Media has acquired North American rights to the romantic horror / thriller SADISTIC INTENTIONS, directed by GEP pal Eric Pennycoff. Featuring Jeremy Gardner, Taylor Zaudtke, Michael Patrick Nicholson and Larry Fessenden.
Available on digital HD on Valentine’s Day!
Get the full scoop HERE
15. DEPRAVED
A veteran suffering from PTSD assembles a monster from various body parts and brings it back to life. Larry Fessenden is a classic name in the horror genre and created one of my all time favorite vampire movies in Habit. This is his take on the Frankenstein legend and has that same real world drama and horror mesh that made Habit so good. It’s nice to see him back and doing his thing in really the way that only he can. Great movie.
See Full List HERE
The Films of Larry Fessenden: Vol 2
Wendigo & The Last Winter
The Films of Larry Fessenden: Vol 1
Habit & No Telling
The Innkeepers
Limited Edition Blu-Ray
The House Of The Devil
Collector Edition Blu-Ray
WENDIGO Figures
From Glass Eye Toyz
CRUMB CATCHER Blu-Ray
From Arrow Video
BLACKOUT BLU-RAY
From Dark Sky Selects
FOXHOLE BLU-RAY
From Vinegar Syndrome
9 Tales From Beyond The Pale
on Amazon!
THE LARRY FESSENDEN COLLECTION Blu-ray
on Amazon!
BENEATH Blu-ray & DVD
on Amazon!
