As another year of horror ends, we reflect on the best this genre had to offer. Usually, that means focusing on those movies that drew the most attention. However, there are also those movies that slipped under everyone’s radars for whatever reason, ultimately causing them to be overlooked. So the objective here is to bring more attention to these releases as horror fans play catch-up.
Like last year, 2023 was a strong year for horror. And these ten hidden gems might have escaped notice at the time, but it’s never too late to discover them now.
Pollen
Image: Ava Rose Kinard in D.W. Medoff’s Pollen.
In the vein of other horror movies about misunderstood outsiders, like May and Love Object, D.W. Medoff‘s first long feature Pollen focuses on an individual whose awkward and unconventional ways make her stand out in society. Although, it wasn’t always...
Like last year, 2023 was a strong year for horror. And these ten hidden gems might have escaped notice at the time, but it’s never too late to discover them now.
Pollen
Image: Ava Rose Kinard in D.W. Medoff’s Pollen.
In the vein of other horror movies about misunderstood outsiders, like May and Love Object, D.W. Medoff‘s first long feature Pollen focuses on an individual whose awkward and unconventional ways make her stand out in society. Although, it wasn’t always...
- 12/29/2023
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
The horror genre has always been an excellent vehicle for metaphors for grief and trauma. After all, what better genre is there to take our emotional monsters and make them literal? We’ve seen a rise in these types of films over the past decade, with particular standouts being films like The Babadook (review), Hereditary (review) and Relic (review).
Daina Reid‘s Run Rabbit Run is the latest addition to this sub-genre but, despite a committed lead performance from Sarah Snook (HBO’s Succession), it succumbs to predictable genre tropes and offers a severe lack of narrative momentum.
On the day of her daughter Mia’s (Lily Latorre) seventh birthday, Sarah (Snook) comes home to find a rabbit on their front porch. This triggers strange behavior in Mia, who begins acting out in more and more alarming ways. From saying that she misses her grandmother, a person she has never met before,...
Daina Reid‘s Run Rabbit Run is the latest addition to this sub-genre but, despite a committed lead performance from Sarah Snook (HBO’s Succession), it succumbs to predictable genre tropes and offers a severe lack of narrative momentum.
On the day of her daughter Mia’s (Lily Latorre) seventh birthday, Sarah (Snook) comes home to find a rabbit on their front porch. This triggers strange behavior in Mia, who begins acting out in more and more alarming ways. From saying that she misses her grandmother, a person she has never met before,...
- 1/22/2023
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
Quentin Dupieux awarded screenplay prize ex-aequo with himself for Smoking Causes Coughing and Incredible But True.
Finnish production Sisu directed by Jalmari Helander took the main award at the 55th edition of Sitges, marking the director’s second time winning the prestigious Catalan genre event’s best feature award after his 2010 selection Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale.
Helander’s third feature also earned best actor at Europe’s biggest genre film festival for Jorma Tommila, cinematography for Kjell Lagerroos, and music for Juri Seppä and Tuomas Wäinölä. Handled by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (excluding Nordics), the Second World War survival...
Finnish production Sisu directed by Jalmari Helander took the main award at the 55th edition of Sitges, marking the director’s second time winning the prestigious Catalan genre event’s best feature award after his 2010 selection Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale.
Helander’s third feature also earned best actor at Europe’s biggest genre film festival for Jorma Tommila, cinematography for Kjell Lagerroos, and music for Juri Seppä and Tuomas Wäinölä. Handled by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (excluding Nordics), the Second World War survival...
- 10/16/2022
- by Emilio Mayorga
- ScreenDaily
Alexandra Park, Sisi Stringer and Harry Greenwood star.
Arclight Films has acquired international rights, excluding Australia and New Zealand, to Sean Lahiff’s Australian horror thriller Carnifex from the producers of Wolf Creek 2 and is introducing it to buyers at the EFM.
The film, now in post after wrapping its Adelaide shoot, is about an aspiring documentarian and two conservationists who venture into the Outback to record animals displaced by bushfires where they discover a terrifying new species.
Alexandra Park, Sisi Stringer and Harry Greenwood star in Carnifex which is produced by Helen Leake and Gena Ashwell from Adelaide-based Dancing Road Productions,...
Arclight Films has acquired international rights, excluding Australia and New Zealand, to Sean Lahiff’s Australian horror thriller Carnifex from the producers of Wolf Creek 2 and is introducing it to buyers at the EFM.
The film, now in post after wrapping its Adelaide shoot, is about an aspiring documentarian and two conservationists who venture into the Outback to record animals displaced by bushfires where they discover a terrifying new species.
Alexandra Park, Sisi Stringer and Harry Greenwood star in Carnifex which is produced by Helen Leake and Gena Ashwell from Adelaide-based Dancing Road Productions,...
- 2/12/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Top Australian actor Damon Herriman and U.K.-Italian star Greta Scacchi join “Succession” star Sarah Snook in horror-thriller “Run Rabbit Run” from “The Handmaid’s Tale” director Daina Reid. The film starts production in Victoria and South Australia this week.
Snook replaced Elizabeth Moss who was previously attached, but who dropped out late last year due to scheduling clashes. Snook plays a fertility doctor whose firm grasp on the cycle of life is put to the test as her young daughter begins to exhibit increasingly strange behavior.
The script was written by acclaimed South Australian novelist Hannah Kent (“Devotion,” “Burial Rites”) from an original idea developed with Carver Films. Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw of Carver Films are producing.
Los Angeles-based XYZ Films is executive producing, financing and handling world sales, having taken over sales duties from STX International which previously touted the project at 2020’s virtual Cannes Market. Storyd...
Snook replaced Elizabeth Moss who was previously attached, but who dropped out late last year due to scheduling clashes. Snook plays a fertility doctor whose firm grasp on the cycle of life is put to the test as her young daughter begins to exhibit increasingly strange behavior.
The script was written by acclaimed South Australian novelist Hannah Kent (“Devotion,” “Burial Rites”) from an original idea developed with Carver Films. Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw of Carver Films are producing.
Los Angeles-based XYZ Films is executive producing, financing and handling world sales, having taken over sales duties from STX International which previously touted the project at 2020’s virtual Cannes Market. Storyd...
- 1/25/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Anthony Hayes’ Zac Efron-starrer Gold has been snapped up by Screen Media, who has taken all North American rights.
The survival thriller was subject to a bidding war following last year’s American Film Market (AFM), out of which the Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company came out on top.
The South Australian-shot film follows two men, travelling through remote desert, who stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found. They hatch a plan to protect and excavate the gold, which sees one leave to secure equipment while the other stays behind to protect the discovery… at all costs.
Starring alongside Efron are Hayes and Susie Porter. Hayes directed from a script he co-wrote with Polly Smyth.
Producers include John Schwarz, Michael Schwarz and Hayes, with executive producers Andrew Mann, Peter Touche, Simon Williams, Paul Wiegard, Will Clarke, Andy Mayson, Nick Forward and Mike Runagall.
The Dop was Ross Giardina,...
The survival thriller was subject to a bidding war following last year’s American Film Market (AFM), out of which the Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company came out on top.
The South Australian-shot film follows two men, travelling through remote desert, who stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found. They hatch a plan to protect and excavate the gold, which sees one leave to secure equipment while the other stays behind to protect the discovery… at all costs.
Starring alongside Efron are Hayes and Susie Porter. Hayes directed from a script he co-wrote with Polly Smyth.
Producers include John Schwarz, Michael Schwarz and Hayes, with executive producers Andrew Mann, Peter Touche, Simon Williams, Paul Wiegard, Will Clarke, Andy Mayson, Nick Forward and Mike Runagall.
The Dop was Ross Giardina,...
- 6/8/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Zac Efron will headline the cast of Anthony Hayes’ Gold, due to kick off in South Australia this month.
Hayes will direct from his own script, co-written with Polly Smyth, and will also star with Susie Porter.
The thriller follows two drifters travelling through the outback who tumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found.
They hatch a plan to protect and excavate their bounty. One man leaves to secure the necessary equipment, while the other man remains, enduring the harsh desert climate, preying wolves and intruders, and battling the creeping doubt that he has been abandoned to his own fate.
Efron has been living in Australia during the coronavirus pandemic. Originally Sam Worthington was attached in the role.
Hayes promises Gold will be “an exciting, gripping and timely tale about greed, humanity, who we are, what we’ve done to the world and where we are heading if we aren’t careful.
Hayes will direct from his own script, co-written with Polly Smyth, and will also star with Susie Porter.
The thriller follows two drifters travelling through the outback who tumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found.
They hatch a plan to protect and excavate their bounty. One man leaves to secure the necessary equipment, while the other man remains, enduring the harsh desert climate, preying wolves and intruders, and battling the creeping doubt that he has been abandoned to his own fate.
Efron has been living in Australia during the coronavirus pandemic. Originally Sam Worthington was attached in the role.
Hayes promises Gold will be “an exciting, gripping and timely tale about greed, humanity, who we are, what we’ve done to the world and where we are heading if we aren’t careful.
- 11/5/2020
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Zac Efron (The Greatest Showman) has boarded survival thriller Gold, which Altitude Film Sales will introduce to buyers at the upcoming AFM virtual market and will co-rep domestic sales on with CAA Media Finance.
Actor Anthony Hayes (Animal Kingdom) will direct and co-star, based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Polly Smyth. John Schwarz and Michael Schwarz will produce through their Deeper Water Films banner (Danger Close: The Battle Of Long Tan), alongside Hayes for Rogue Star Pictures.
The film will follow two strangers traveling through a desert who stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found. They hatch a plan to protect and excavate their bounty with one man leaving to secure the necessary equipment. The other man remains and must endure harsh desert elements, ravenous wild dogs and mysterious intruders, whilst battling the sinking suspicion that he has been abandoned to his own fate.
Shoot is due to...
Actor Anthony Hayes (Animal Kingdom) will direct and co-star, based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Polly Smyth. John Schwarz and Michael Schwarz will produce through their Deeper Water Films banner (Danger Close: The Battle Of Long Tan), alongside Hayes for Rogue Star Pictures.
The film will follow two strangers traveling through a desert who stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found. They hatch a plan to protect and excavate their bounty with one man leaving to secure the necessary equipment. The other man remains and must endure harsh desert elements, ravenous wild dogs and mysterious intruders, whilst battling the sinking suspicion that he has been abandoned to his own fate.
Shoot is due to...
- 11/5/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Zac Efron has joined survival thriller “Gold,” an original film out of Australian streamer Stan.
Shopped to buyers at next week’s American Film Market (AFM), the film turns on two strangers traveling through a desert who stumble upon the biggest gold nugget ever found. When dreams of unimaginable wealth take hold, they devise a plan to protect and excavate their bounty with one man leaving to secure the necessary equipment.
Efron plays the man left behind, who comes up against unforgiving desert elements, ravenous wild dogs and mysterious intruders, all while wondering whether his partner is ever going to come back for him. Principal photography on the movie will begin in Australia this month — where film and TV production has been able to continue relatively unscathed during the Covid-19 crisis.
London-headquartered Altitude Film Sales will co-represent domestic sales on the film with CAA Media Finance. “Gold” will be released...
Shopped to buyers at next week’s American Film Market (AFM), the film turns on two strangers traveling through a desert who stumble upon the biggest gold nugget ever found. When dreams of unimaginable wealth take hold, they devise a plan to protect and excavate their bounty with one man leaving to secure the necessary equipment.
Efron plays the man left behind, who comes up against unforgiving desert elements, ravenous wild dogs and mysterious intruders, all while wondering whether his partner is ever going to come back for him. Principal photography on the movie will begin in Australia this month — where film and TV production has been able to continue relatively unscathed during the Covid-19 crisis.
London-headquartered Altitude Film Sales will co-represent domestic sales on the film with CAA Media Finance. “Gold” will be released...
- 11/5/2020
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Niamh Algar (The Virtues), Tom Felton (Harry Potter), Diana Rigg (Game Of Thrones), Tom Glynn-Carney (Dunkirk) and Ian Hart (God’s Own Country) are attached to star in WWII thriller Burial, which Altitude will launch world sales on at next week’s Cannes virtual market.
Set in the last days of WWII, writer-director Ben Parker’s (The Chamber) sophomore feature will tell the fictional story of a small band of Russian soldiers led by female intelligence officer Brana Vasilyeva (to be played by rising actress Algar), who are tasked with trafficking Hitler’s discovered remains back to Stalin in Moscow.
En route, the unit is attacked by murderous German ‘Wehrwolf’ partisans and picked off one-by-one. Vasilyeva and her fellow survivors must make a last stand to ensure their ‘cargo’ doesn’t fall into the hands of their attackers and be buried forever to hide the truth.
Matthew James Wilkinson (Yesterday...
Set in the last days of WWII, writer-director Ben Parker’s (The Chamber) sophomore feature will tell the fictional story of a small band of Russian soldiers led by female intelligence officer Brana Vasilyeva (to be played by rising actress Algar), who are tasked with trafficking Hitler’s discovered remains back to Stalin in Moscow.
En route, the unit is attacked by murderous German ‘Wehrwolf’ partisans and picked off one-by-one. Vasilyeva and her fellow survivors must make a last stand to ensure their ‘cargo’ doesn’t fall into the hands of their attackers and be buried forever to hide the truth.
Matthew James Wilkinson (Yesterday...
- 6/15/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Natalia Erika Jame adapts the real-world terror of degenerative disease into a supernatural horror film in Relic. Edna, an aging woman, is feared for by her daughter and granddaughter after she abruptly disappears, leaving in her wake the signs of someone struggling with dementia. One day, she inexplicably returns, and a dangerous entity may have come back with her. Editor Sean Lahiff talks about why he so enjoys editing the “darker side of genre films.” Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being […]...
- 1/25/2020
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Natalia Erika Jame adapts the real-world terror of degenerative disease into a supernatural horror film in Relic. Edna, an aging woman, is feared for by her daughter and granddaughter after she abruptly disappears, leaving in her wake the signs of someone struggling with dementia. One day, she inexplicably returns, and a dangerous entity may have come back with her. Editor Sean Lahiff talks about why he so enjoys editing the “darker side of genre films.” Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being […]...
- 1/25/2020
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Following their exciting first wave of announcements, the Telluride Horror Show has revealed its second slate of films, and they are definitely a worthy follow-up to the first wave, with the anticipated titles including Mickey Keating's Psychopaths, Tyler MacIntyre's Tragedy Girls, and many more:
Press Release: The highly anticipated second wave of films and guests, as well as special events and schedule, has been announced for the 2017 Telluride Horror Show, which will kick off on Friday the 13th of October and run through October 15th in picturesque Telluride, Colorado.
The second wave includes the World Premieres of Derelicts and Never Hike Alone (a fan tribute to Friday The 13th), as well as the U.S. Premiere of Borley Rectory and Colorado Premieres of Tragedy Girls, Desolation, Cold Hell, and Psychopaths. Fourteen additional short films have been included.
More guests have been confirmed, including directors Greg McLean (Jungle), Patrick Brice...
Press Release: The highly anticipated second wave of films and guests, as well as special events and schedule, has been announced for the 2017 Telluride Horror Show, which will kick off on Friday the 13th of October and run through October 15th in picturesque Telluride, Colorado.
The second wave includes the World Premieres of Derelicts and Never Hike Alone (a fan tribute to Friday The 13th), as well as the U.S. Premiere of Borley Rectory and Colorado Premieres of Tragedy Girls, Desolation, Cold Hell, and Psychopaths. Fourteen additional short films have been included.
More guests have been confirmed, including directors Greg McLean (Jungle), Patrick Brice...
- 9/29/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Talk about a really long road. News has arrived hot off the wire that Wolf Creek 2 has begun shooting and all the necessary pieces are in place to recapture the bloody magic of the sensational original film! Finally!
From the Press Release
John Jarratt once again steps out as the hauntingly sadistic Mick Taylor in Wolf Creek 2, which began principal photography last week. Shooting in South Australia, the film also stars Ryan Corr (Packed to the Rafters), Shannon Ashlyn (Puberty Blues, Devil's Dust), and Philipe Klaus (Devil's Dust, Rake).
Directed by Greg Mclean, written by Mclean and Aaron Sterns, and produced by Helen Leake (Swerve, Black and White, Heavens Burning), Greg Mclean, and Steve Topic (Crawlspace), the sequel starts production seven years after the original Wolf Creek hit screens internationally.
“It’s really exciting to work with John Jarratt once more to delve deeper into the fascinating character of Mick Taylor.
From the Press Release
John Jarratt once again steps out as the hauntingly sadistic Mick Taylor in Wolf Creek 2, which began principal photography last week. Shooting in South Australia, the film also stars Ryan Corr (Packed to the Rafters), Shannon Ashlyn (Puberty Blues, Devil's Dust), and Philipe Klaus (Devil's Dust, Rake).
Directed by Greg Mclean, written by Mclean and Aaron Sterns, and produced by Helen Leake (Swerve, Black and White, Heavens Burning), Greg Mclean, and Steve Topic (Crawlspace), the sequel starts production seven years after the original Wolf Creek hit screens internationally.
“It’s really exciting to work with John Jarratt once more to delve deeper into the fascinating character of Mick Taylor.
- 1/31/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
The sequel to Australia’s highest grossing R-rated film ever has started production in South Australia after long delays.
Wolf Creek 2 has begun principal photography, again helmed by writer-director-producer Greg Mclean.
It will be a welcome relief to Mclean after the film struggled to get off the ground due to financing issues. In 2011 private investor Geoffrey Edelsten agreed to $5m investment but was later accused of failing to honour his commitment.
In a counter-suit, Edelsten claimed he was misled into being the major private investor.
The film was back on track by September but Edelsten has not returned as an investor in the project.
However the film does see the return of notorious pig hunter Mick Taylor played by John Jarrett, currently seen in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.
Mclean said: “It’s really exciting to work with John Jarratt once more to delve deeper into the fascinating character of Mick Taylor.
Wolf Creek 2 has begun principal photography, again helmed by writer-director-producer Greg Mclean.
It will be a welcome relief to Mclean after the film struggled to get off the ground due to financing issues. In 2011 private investor Geoffrey Edelsten agreed to $5m investment but was later accused of failing to honour his commitment.
In a counter-suit, Edelsten claimed he was misled into being the major private investor.
The film was back on track by September but Edelsten has not returned as an investor in the project.
However the film does see the return of notorious pig hunter Mick Taylor played by John Jarrett, currently seen in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.
Mclean said: “It’s really exciting to work with John Jarratt once more to delve deeper into the fascinating character of Mick Taylor.
- 1/30/2013
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Wolf Creek 2 has started principal photography in South Australia, with John Jarratt once again stepping into the role of sadistic serial killer Mick Taylor. The sequel comes seven years after the original horror feature hit screens internationally and enjoyed great commercial success, despite mixed reviews. Directed by Greg Mclean, written by Mclean and Aaron Sterns, and produced by Helen Leake (Swerve, Black and White, Heavens Burning), Greg Mclean and Steve Topic (Crawlspace), the sequel, with the exception of Jarratt, features a brand new cast of exciting Australian talent. .It.s really exciting to work with John Jarratt once more to delve deeper into the fascinating character of Mick Taylor. We.ve assembled a phenomenal cast and crew who are all working incredibly hard to deliver an even more thrilling ride than the first movie. It.s bigger, badder and should be a wild experience for audiences all over the world., said Mclean.
- 1/29/2013
- by Emily Blatchford
- IF.com.au
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