Horror Headlines: April 6-19, 2020

Return to everyone’s favorite trailer park, revisit an undisputed horror classic, meet the original Tiger King, attend a killer con from home, and more!

While avoiding the plague of the century means most of us are stuck at home, that doesn’t mean we can’t stay connected to the horror content and the community we love. With a little creativity and outside-the-box thinking, filmmakers, distributors and event organizers are finding new ways to keep us entertained — filling part of the void left in the wake of so many cancelled and postponed events, closed theaters, and social distancing.

MOVIES TO MAKE YOU HAPPY YOU’RE STUCK INSIDE: CAMP COLD BROOK

Remember what it’s like to be outdoors (and maybe be glad you’re not) with the horror movie Camp Cold Brook. The film follows a paranormal team, led by TV Producer Jack Wilson (Chad Michael Murray), as they check out an infamous, abandoned summer camp where a mass murder had taken place decades previous. They soon find out they are not alone. This one was directed by one of our favorites, Andy Palmer, who also directed The Funhouse Massacre, which you can check out for free on Tubi.

Watch Camp Cold Brook on Amazon Prime. 

SO YOU BINGE-WATCHED TIGER KING, AND NOW YOU’RE HUNGRY FOR MORE UNTAMED INSANITY? CHECK OUT ROAR! 

Homebound audiences around the world have been mesmerized by the antics of zookeeper “Joe Exotic” in the TIGER KING limited series. But now Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is given you the chance to see the O.G. Tiger King with the re-release of ROAR, the once-forgotten 1981 film that shows what happens when mere mortal humans meet dozens of tigers and lions. Called “the most dangerous movie ever made”, no animals were harmed during the making of the film, but hundreds of cast and crew members abandoned the project and 70 were injured, including the on-camera mauling of a 14-year-old Melanie Griffith.

Alamo Drafthouse is using Vimeo’s VOD platform to bring ROAR to the masses, along with a video Q&A featuring John Marshall, one of the film’s stars.

“ROAR is so singular, so breathtaking… you’ve never seen a movie like it, and there will never, ever be a movie like Roar again,” says Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse founder and CEO. “I’m delighted we’re able to bring it straight into people’s homes.”

Originally released in 1981, ROAR was directed by Noel Marshall, a former Hollywood agent and producer on THE EXORCIST. It stars Marshall, his two sons, his wife Tippi Hedren (THE BIRDS), and his step-daughter, a teenage Melanie Griffith. The film was produced over a five year span on location at Marshall and Hedren’s wildlife preserve in California. A comedy, it follows the adventures of an American family living with lions and tigers on a nature preserve in Tanzania.

Rent ROAR on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/wwroar.

TAKE A TRIP DOWN THE VIDEO AISLE: APRIL NEW RELEASES

In case you missed it, each month we highlight a ton of great new indie releases you can check out from the comfort of your home. This month’s featured pick was The Hunt, described by our writer as “an exciting, funny, and entertaining look at the ideological divisions in the world (and the smug self-righteousness of it) in a rousing and bloody action film.” It comes with a price tag of $20, but that’s still a great deal for the opportunity to watch a film that would normally still be in theaters for at least the next month or so and not even hit VOD until Summer.

You can read more about why recommend this film, as well as several other top releases, including Rootwood and Getaway, right here. Other films we’re excited to check out this month include The Platform (Netflix), Cursed Films (Shudder), Sea Fever, We Summon the Darkness, and Underwater.

JAWS 45TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITED 4K BLU-RAY

Jaws has become a cinematic touchstone for generations of moviegoers and one of the greatest and most influential films of all time. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment celebrates with the JAWS 45TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION available on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever on June 2, 2020. This limited edition Combo Pack with lenticular packaging includes a 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and Digital code of the film along with over three hours of bonus features and a 44-page booklet with introductions, rare photos, storyboards and more from the archives. Dive into hours of bonus features including the making of JAWS, deleted scenes, outtakes from set and much more.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JawsMovie/

GUTTERBALLS 2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY

From cult film director Ryan Nicholson, whose SFX work can be seen on The X-Files, The Outer Limits, Stargate & Andromeda, comes this insanely gory and balls-to-the-wall cult horror classic, Gutterballs — for the first time ever on Blu-ray. A brutally sadistic rape leads to a series of bizarre gory murders during a midnight disco bowl-a-rama at a popular bowling alley. One by one, players of two teams meet blood-drenched gruesome deaths at the hand of a black bowling-gloved masked killer. This alley runs red with blood by sunrise. The special edition features over 40 hours of extras on the two-disc set.

Pre-order from Unearthed Films: https://www.unearthedfilms.com/.

NEWLY REMASTERED GAME, OBSERVER: SYSTEM REDUX, COMING TO NEXT-GEN CONSOLES 

Bloober Team has rebuilt its award-winning cyberpunk thriller, Observer, with augmented visuals, gameplay, and story as Observer: System Redux for next-generation consoles. Considered one of the scariest games currently available, and one the best cyberpunk games coming to next-generation consoles, System Redux is the definitive vision of this horror tale, coming for the 2020 holiday season.

The unique blend of cyberpunk and horror in System Redux features Rutger Hauer in one of his last voice-acting roles (Dan Lazarski/Observer) and the team views the title as a tribute to the late film star. While System Redux is a remaster of the original Observer, it features some completely new, never-seen-before story. Get a first look at some of the new content in the announcement trailer below!

JAX IN LOVE ONLINE PREMIERE

The award-winning short horror film Jax in Love will be having it’s official online premiere this Monday, April 20th, on Vimeo on Demand. Viewers will be able to rent or buy the film with access to features like a Behind the Scenes documentary, as well as the original IndieGoGo pitch video. The film stars the amazingly talented Rakefet Abergel (Superbad, New Girl, Shameless) as Jax, a lonely wanderer searching for a human connection.

“I’m really proud of this film and proud of the recognition I received for my performance in it,” said Rakefet Abergel, who also wrote and produced the film. “I’m excited that it’s finally going to be available for online viewers and I hope you’ll buy it and watch it over and over, like you REALLY like it! Share your 4/20 with Jax!”

Jax in Love is the first film from Rakefet Abergel’s production company, Cyclamen Films. It was directed by Oscar-nominee Colin Campbell. The second film, Boo, which Abergel wrote, produced, starred in, and also directed, has garnered several Best Director, Best Writing, and Best Female Filmmaker awards this past year.

SHUDDER TO UNLEASH Z FOR MOTHER’S DAY

A child’s imaginary friend becomes parents’ worst nightmare in Z, the latest horror film from director Brandon Christensen (Still/Born). The film, which stars Keegan Connor Tracy (Bates Motel), Sean Rogerson (Grave Encounters), Jett Klyne (The Boy), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries) and Stephen McHattie (Pontypool), is the story of Elizabeth, a young mother who begins to fear her introverted son’s imaginary friend, Z, may be terrifyingly real. Shudder will release Z as a Shudder Original on May 7—just in time for Mother’s Day.

THE LAST DRIVE-IN RETURNS TO SHUDDER WITH A VERY SPECIAL GUEST

The long-awaited return of Joe Bob to Shudder is finally here, with the second season premiere happening on Friday, April 24, at 9pm ET/PT. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, it was recently announced that AEW “Le Champion” and Fozzy singer Chris Jericho will co-host the premiere episode.

“When Joe Bob Briggs asked me to come watch a movie featuring butt darts, brain sucking, backgammon for digits, a maniacal mini-Oates AND a dick dog, I said: what time and what trailer park!” said Chris Jericho.

Jericho shared the following video announcing his appearance to his @IAmJericho Twitter account:

Join ME on the season premier of @thelastdrivein w @therealjoebob & @kinky_horror on a April 24 ONLY on @Shudder! Find out how you can get a FREE 30 day trial NOW! pic.twitter.com/x6WmCBFeWK

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) April 14, 2020

The new season of The Last Drive-In is part of April’s “Halfway to Halloween” Month on Shudder. Other highlights this month include the new series Cursed Films, a new season of Australian slasher Wolf Creek and a special collection of the first eight Friday the 13th movies.

FRIGHTMARE HQ BRINGS THE CONVENTION EXPERIENCE TO YOU

FRIGHTMARE HQ is a brand new LIVESTREAM show that aims to bring the convention experience and more to your living rooms and devices. It’s a great way for the horror community to stay connected during this challenging time. It also helps keep rabid fans of Texas Frightmare Weekend — and the second-to-none convention experience — satiated until the popular con (postponed due to COVID-19 concerns) returns in September. FRIGHTMARE HQ is available to stream through Texas Frightmare’s YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook Live channels. The first stream premiered yesterday (Saturday, April 19th), and you can catch it all its glory below.

Subscribe now to get updates so you never miss an episode: https://www.texasfrightmareweekend.com/subscribe-to-the-new-frightmare-hq/. 

SHOUT! FACTORY CABIN FEVER RELIEVERS

To help all of us movie lovers currently experiencing a serious case of cabin fever, Shout! Factory is running a site-side sale of 15% off (excluding pre-orders) to help you pass the time. Pick up some Shout! exclusives and take a look at the titles going out of print this year. They are also running a contest: giving away a $200 shopping spree every two weeks until the isolation ends.