The Vourdalak: "When the Marquis d’Urfé, a noble emissary of the King of France, is attacked and abandoned in the remote countryside, he finds refuge at an eerie, isolated manor. The resident family, reluctant to take him in, exhibits strange behavior as they await the imminent return of their father, Gorcha. But what begins simply as strange quickly devolves into a full fledged nightmare when Gorcha returns, seemingly no longer himself...
Adapted from a novella that predates Bram Stoker’s Dracula by over half a century, The Vourdalak is an atmospheric, unexpected, sensorial experience that will leave you reeling and giddy in equal measure."
Releasing to theaters on June 28th by Oscilloscope Laboratories
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Killer Shorts Screenwriting Contest Announces Season 6 Call For Entries: "Calling all horror writers! The sixth annual Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition is accepting entries from June 1st, 2024.
The Killer Shorts Contest celebrates horror...
Adapted from a novella that predates Bram Stoker’s Dracula by over half a century, The Vourdalak is an atmospheric, unexpected, sensorial experience that will leave you reeling and giddy in equal measure."
Releasing to theaters on June 28th by Oscilloscope Laboratories
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Killer Shorts Screenwriting Contest Announces Season 6 Call For Entries: "Calling all horror writers! The sixth annual Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition is accepting entries from June 1st, 2024.
The Killer Shorts Contest celebrates horror...
- 6/3/2024
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
From venue changes and the pandemic to political backlash and the threat of litigation, Salem Horror Fest founder and director Kay Lynch has never been one to back down. The festival’s seventh annual event, which kicked off last night at Salem’s Peabody Essex Museum, was further proof of her resilience.
After its original headliner, Hocus Pocus star Kathy Najimy, canceled with less than 48 hours notice, the festival’s entire opening night ceremony was restructured. On lieu of the original $50 ticket charge, the program was made free (with the option to make a donation), costing the festival an untold amount of money.
But the show must go on — and it did so in spectacular fashion with horror icon Linnea Quigley sitting down for a live interview, while the Hocus Pocus screening was replaced by The People’s Joker, previously scheduled to be the festival’s closing film.
Kay Lynch
Following...
After its original headliner, Hocus Pocus star Kathy Najimy, canceled with less than 48 hours notice, the festival’s entire opening night ceremony was restructured. On lieu of the original $50 ticket charge, the program was made free (with the option to make a donation), costing the festival an untold amount of money.
But the show must go on — and it did so in spectacular fashion with horror icon Linnea Quigley sitting down for a live interview, while the Hocus Pocus screening was replaced by The People’s Joker, previously scheduled to be the festival’s closing film.
Kay Lynch
Following...
- 4/26/2024
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Film Festival
Zelda Adams, John Adams and Toby Poser’s Fantasia and FrightFest-winning horror film “Where the Devil Roams” will open the fourth edition of India’s Wench Film Festival (Feb. 9-March 3). The festival was founded in 2020 by filmmaker Sapna Moti Bhavnani (“Sindhustan”) to “bridge the gender gap in India by driving opportunities and conversations through the gaze of a woman inclusive of Biwoc, LGBTQ+ women and non-binary in art, fashion, and film powered by tech,” per the organizers. It specializes in the horror, sci-fi and fantasy genres.
The team, which also includes artistic director Uma da Cunha, programmers Heidi Honeycutt who is the co-founder of the women-focused Etheria Film festival, Shelagh Rowan-Legg, director of the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, “The Lunchbox” producer Vivek Rangachari, have curated a lineup of 29 films, including 14 India premieres and 10 Asia premieres.
Highlights include Ariane Louis-Seize’s “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” Jenn Wexler’s “The Sacrifice Game,...
Zelda Adams, John Adams and Toby Poser’s Fantasia and FrightFest-winning horror film “Where the Devil Roams” will open the fourth edition of India’s Wench Film Festival (Feb. 9-March 3). The festival was founded in 2020 by filmmaker Sapna Moti Bhavnani (“Sindhustan”) to “bridge the gender gap in India by driving opportunities and conversations through the gaze of a woman inclusive of Biwoc, LGBTQ+ women and non-binary in art, fashion, and film powered by tech,” per the organizers. It specializes in the horror, sci-fi and fantasy genres.
The team, which also includes artistic director Uma da Cunha, programmers Heidi Honeycutt who is the co-founder of the women-focused Etheria Film festival, Shelagh Rowan-Legg, director of the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, “The Lunchbox” producer Vivek Rangachari, have curated a lineup of 29 films, including 14 India premieres and 10 Asia premieres.
Highlights include Ariane Louis-Seize’s “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” Jenn Wexler’s “The Sacrifice Game,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
‘Tis the season for children to be on their best behavior, so Santa Claus can properly declare whether they belong to the nice or naughty list. The sixth day of Creepmas spotlights a handful of naughty children in holiday horror movies that deserve a lump of coal in their stockings, at the very least.
These horror movies feature kids so ruthless that they draw audience ire and wishes for Krampus to come take them away. The 12 Days of Creepmas continues on Bloody Disgusting, this time with 6 holiday horror movies that put vicious children at the forefront of the terror.
Keep track of the 12 Days of Creepmas here.
Krampus
When Max’s (Emjay Anthony) dysfunctional family won’t stop fighting and nothing goes as planned, he turns his back on Christmas and accidentally summons Krampus. All hell breaks loose as Krampus and his horde of minions punish Max and his family,...
These horror movies feature kids so ruthless that they draw audience ire and wishes for Krampus to come take them away. The 12 Days of Creepmas continues on Bloody Disgusting, this time with 6 holiday horror movies that put vicious children at the forefront of the terror.
Keep track of the 12 Days of Creepmas here.
Krampus
When Max’s (Emjay Anthony) dysfunctional family won’t stop fighting and nothing goes as planned, he turns his back on Christmas and accidentally summons Krampus. All hell breaks loose as Krampus and his horde of minions punish Max and his family,...
- 12/20/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
It's Christmas of 1971, and students Clara (Georgia Acken) and Samantha (Madison Baines) are stuck at the Blackvale School for Girls with their empathetic teacher (Chloë Levine) and the school's resourceful chef (Gus Kenworthy). But while the quartet does their best to embrace the spirit of the season, a sacrificial cult led by Maisie (Olivia Scott Welch) and Jude (Mena Massoud) soon arrives on their front step with sinister intentions that are far more scary than any door-to-door Christmas carolers... although by the end of the night it just might be the cult members who wish they had never crashed the festivities at the Blackvale School for Girls.
Such is the intriguing seasonal setup for The Sacrifice Game, the new movie from director/co-writer Jenn Wexler. If, like me, you loved the subversive scares of Wexler's 2018 film The Ranger, you'll find plenty of macabre moments to enjoy in The Sacrifice Game,...
Such is the intriguing seasonal setup for The Sacrifice Game, the new movie from director/co-writer Jenn Wexler. If, like me, you loved the subversive scares of Wexler's 2018 film The Ranger, you'll find plenty of macabre moments to enjoy in The Sacrifice Game,...
- 12/8/2023
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
‘Tis the season of abundance! Celebrate more being more with director Jenn Wexler’s “The Sacrifice Game,” a campy new Shudder release that imagines what would happen if the cast of “The Holdovers” got a Christmas visit from the Manson Family at an all-girls boarding school with a witchy secret.
Co-written by Wexler and Sean Redlitz, this grab-bag seasonal period flick — shot in snowy Canada and set in 1971 — is more gruesome than scary and takes a handful of decidedly silly turns. Be it fruit cake, stuffed stocking, whatever your holiday metaphor, the fantasy horror adventure of students Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) gifts audiences steadily stranger fun almost all the way through. It’s a genre blend that’s delightful, baffling, and surprisingly ruthless in its decisive direction with a holiday twist that isn’t necessary for the plot but certainly ties the zany concept together.
What begins...
Co-written by Wexler and Sean Redlitz, this grab-bag seasonal period flick — shot in snowy Canada and set in 1971 — is more gruesome than scary and takes a handful of decidedly silly turns. Be it fruit cake, stuffed stocking, whatever your holiday metaphor, the fantasy horror adventure of students Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) gifts audiences steadily stranger fun almost all the way through. It’s a genre blend that’s delightful, baffling, and surprisingly ruthless in its decisive direction with a holiday twist that isn’t necessary for the plot but certainly ties the zany concept together.
What begins...
- 12/8/2023
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Chloë Levine, Madison Baines and Georgia Acken in The Sacrifice Game Photo: courtesy of Shudder. A Shudder release.
In a remote boarding school, a young teacher stays behind to look after two lonely girls over Christmas. One a nearby road, four Satanically-inspired members of a violent gang are driving in search of a prophesised destiny. When these two worlds collide, horror ensues – but not quite in the way you might expect. The Sacrifice Game is the latest work from Jenn Wexler, and it’s one of this year’s most eagerly anticipated genre releases, coming to Shudder this Friday.
Jenn Wexler, director of The Sacrifice Game Photo: courtesy of Abi Lieff. A Shudder release.
The film has been a big hit on the festival circuit. It débuted at Fantasia, and it was there that I spoke with director Jenn Wexler, who is one of the biggest personalities in horror cinema and always bursting with energy.
In a remote boarding school, a young teacher stays behind to look after two lonely girls over Christmas. One a nearby road, four Satanically-inspired members of a violent gang are driving in search of a prophesised destiny. When these two worlds collide, horror ensues – but not quite in the way you might expect. The Sacrifice Game is the latest work from Jenn Wexler, and it’s one of this year’s most eagerly anticipated genre releases, coming to Shudder this Friday.
Jenn Wexler, director of The Sacrifice Game Photo: courtesy of Abi Lieff. A Shudder release.
The film has been a big hit on the festival circuit. It débuted at Fantasia, and it was there that I spoke with director Jenn Wexler, who is one of the biggest personalities in horror cinema and always bursting with energy.
- 12/7/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Last seen in Disney’s Aladdin, Mena Massoud is among an excellent roster of actors in this intriguing alt-horror about cult killers in the 1970s
Putting a festive twist on what at first appears to be a series of Manson family-style slayings before evolving into something more like a home invasion thriller, Jenn Wexler’s second feature is set during Christmas 1971 at the slightly ominously named Blackvale Catholic girls’ boarding school. A couple of misfit students, Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken), remain at the school over the winter break, supervised by their teacher Rose (Chloë Levine) and her boyfriend Jimmy (Olympic medallist turned actor Gus Kenworthy). Neither of the girls are happy about having to stay there kicking their heels, but as events unfold it transpires that boredom will be the least of their worries.
There’s an art to keeping an audience guessing, although different genres have...
Putting a festive twist on what at first appears to be a series of Manson family-style slayings before evolving into something more like a home invasion thriller, Jenn Wexler’s second feature is set during Christmas 1971 at the slightly ominously named Blackvale Catholic girls’ boarding school. A couple of misfit students, Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken), remain at the school over the winter break, supervised by their teacher Rose (Chloë Levine) and her boyfriend Jimmy (Olympic medallist turned actor Gus Kenworthy). Neither of the girls are happy about having to stay there kicking their heels, but as events unfold it transpires that boredom will be the least of their worries.
There’s an art to keeping an audience guessing, although different genres have...
- 12/6/2023
- by Catherine Bray
- The Guardian - Film News
Watching Christmas horror movies is a proud tradition for spooky fiends looking to escape their post-Halloween blues and the agonizing two months of forced consumerism and awful music blasting in every department store. The films in this very specific category are known for subverting the cheer and innocence associated with the holiday, and often focus on characters experiencing isolation because their family situation is far from those depicted in generic Hallmark Christmas movies. Every year, we are treated to new ideas on how to make Christmas creepy, and this year fans should be snuggling up on the couch to view is The Sacrifice Game.
Co-written with her husband Sean Redlitz, The Sacrifice Game is the sophomore feature for director Jenn Wexler, produced by Heather Buckley (who previously worked with Wexler on The Ranger), as well as Philip Kalin-Hajdu and Albert Melamed. The story is set in the 1970s, pulling inspiration...
Co-written with her husband Sean Redlitz, The Sacrifice Game is the sophomore feature for director Jenn Wexler, produced by Heather Buckley (who previously worked with Wexler on The Ranger), as well as Philip Kalin-Hajdu and Albert Melamed. The story is set in the 1970s, pulling inspiration...
- 12/5/2023
- by Chris Aitkens
Director/Producer Jenn Wexler’s sophomore feature, The Sacrifice Game, arrives on Shudder on December 8, just in time to spread holiday fear for the season.
With co-writer Sean Redlitz, Wexler’s latest infuses Yuletide horror with a maniacal Satanic cult set at a boarding school in the ’70s.
Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Olympian Gus Kenworthy, Chloë Levine, Madison Baines, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre and Georgia Acken star.
Bloody Disgusting spoke with Wexler about her devilishly fun Christmas horror feature, where she discussed her influences and ensured a movie titled The Sacrifice Game delivers on the bloodletting.
At the gooey center of a violent, bloody holiday horror tale lies the charming friendship between two teen girls held hostage by a deranged cult. Not only does friendship become the emotional backbone, but Wexler reveals that her horror movies ultimately speak to her childhood.
The filmmaker tells us, “The stories I want to tell,...
With co-writer Sean Redlitz, Wexler’s latest infuses Yuletide horror with a maniacal Satanic cult set at a boarding school in the ’70s.
Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Olympian Gus Kenworthy, Chloë Levine, Madison Baines, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre and Georgia Acken star.
Bloody Disgusting spoke with Wexler about her devilishly fun Christmas horror feature, where she discussed her influences and ensured a movie titled The Sacrifice Game delivers on the bloodletting.
At the gooey center of a violent, bloody holiday horror tale lies the charming friendship between two teen girls held hostage by a deranged cult. Not only does friendship become the emotional backbone, but Wexler reveals that her horror movies ultimately speak to her childhood.
The filmmaker tells us, “The stories I want to tell,...
- 12/5/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Plot: Murderers seeking to summon a demon raid a boarding school on Christmas Eve, holding the few people there captive… then they get more than they bargained for when the demon is revealed.
Review: Five years ago, Jenn Wexler made her feature directorial debut with the very entertaining throwback slasher The Ranger, which put a group of punk-style criminals up against a psychotic forest ranger – and came off like the closest we’ll probably ever get to seeing a Psycho Cop 3. For her follow-up, Wexler has made a ‘70s throwback supernatural horror film. And while The Ranger wasn’t directly said to be set in the ‘80s or early ‘90s, The Sacrifice Game is very clear about when it’s set: December 1971, in the days leading up to Christmas.
Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Derek Johns, and Laurent Pitre play a quartet of murderers who have been racking up a substantial body count this December,...
Review: Five years ago, Jenn Wexler made her feature directorial debut with the very entertaining throwback slasher The Ranger, which put a group of punk-style criminals up against a psychotic forest ranger – and came off like the closest we’ll probably ever get to seeing a Psycho Cop 3. For her follow-up, Wexler has made a ‘70s throwback supernatural horror film. And while The Ranger wasn’t directly said to be set in the ‘80s or early ‘90s, The Sacrifice Game is very clear about when it’s set: December 1971, in the days leading up to Christmas.
Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Derek Johns, and Laurent Pitre play a quartet of murderers who have been racking up a substantial body count this December,...
- 12/4/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The final month of 2023 has arrived, bringing with it a slew of new titles on streaming. While December is dominated by holiday fare, including horror, this month brings notable new releases, unearthed deep cuts, family friendly frights, and a highly anticipated genre epic. So here’s a quick, handy guide for the standout horror titles streaming in December 2023.
These ten noteworthy horror titles will be available for streaming this month on some of the most popular streaming services out there. Here’s when/where you can watch them.
Adam Chaplin – Screambox – Available Now
Kicking off December’s streaming is one of the goriest movies you likely haven’t seen. Necrostorm’s slaughterhouse actioner hails from co-directors Emanuele De Santi and Giulio De Santi, and the film also stars De Santi as Adam. Following the suspicious death of his wife, he investigates her murder and discovers mafia boss Denny is involved.
These ten noteworthy horror titles will be available for streaming this month on some of the most popular streaming services out there. Here’s when/where you can watch them.
Adam Chaplin – Screambox – Available Now
Kicking off December’s streaming is one of the goriest movies you likely haven’t seen. Necrostorm’s slaughterhouse actioner hails from co-directors Emanuele De Santi and Giulio De Santi, and the film also stars De Santi as Adam. Following the suspicious death of his wife, he investigates her murder and discovers mafia boss Denny is involved.
- 12/3/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Earlier this week Shudder sent out word in regards to their programming during the month of December. Yep, the final month of the year is descending upon us faster than Santa's sleigh racing against the rising Sun on Christmas Day. Two feature films are helping cap off 2023 and both are holiday themed affairs. Tyler MacIntyre's It's A Wonderful Knife kicks off the month and Jenn Wexler's The Sacrifice Game rolls in one week later. Find links to our reviews down below. And be sure to check out all the rep programming the rest of the month has to offer. It will make up for all the holiday cheer you will have to endure in the coming weeks. It’s A Wonderful Knife...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 11/23/2023
- Screen Anarchy
"Christmas Killers strike again." Streaming horror network Shudder has revealed a trailer for indie horror film The Sacrifice Game, made by filmmaker Jenn Wexler. This premiered at the 2023 Fantasia Festival & FrightFest London, along with appearances at Fantastic Fest and the Telluride Horror Show. Available to stream on Shudder this December. Set in the 1970s at the ominously named The Blackvale School for Girls. It's bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can't go home for the holidays (so The Holdovers as horror?), but things take a deadly turn when a murderous gang arrives on their doorstep - just in time for Christmas. The horror film stars Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Gus Kenworthy, Madison Baines, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre, Chloë Levine, and Georgia Acken. Looks like your standard group of demented killers thriller with all the usual tropes and lots of yelling and everything else. // Continue Reading ›...
- 11/13/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
I've been eagerly awaiting Jenn Wexler's next film since seeing The Ranger, and thankfully that wait is nearly over, as her next movie, The Sacrifice Game (co-written by Wexler and Sean Redlitz), will begin streaming December 8th on Shudder, and we have a look at the film's official trailer that pits boarding school students against murderous cult members during a bloody Christmas of 1971!
You can watch the official trailer below, and in case you missed it, read Emily von Seele's 5-star Fantastic Fest review of The Sacrifice Game!
Synopsis: "The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It's bad enough that students Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) can't go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives at their doorstep—just in time for Christmas."
Director: Jenn Wexler
Screenwriters: Jenn Wexler, Sean Redlitz
Starring: Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Gus Kenworthy,...
You can watch the official trailer below, and in case you missed it, read Emily von Seele's 5-star Fantastic Fest review of The Sacrifice Game!
Synopsis: "The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It's bad enough that students Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) can't go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives at their doorstep—just in time for Christmas."
Director: Jenn Wexler
Screenwriters: Jenn Wexler, Sean Redlitz
Starring: Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Gus Kenworthy,...
- 11/13/2023
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
You know how everyone is talking about how “The Holdovers” is going to be an Oscars frontrunner? That’s a film about a student who has to stay at his prep school over the Christmas holiday, discovering more about himself and bonding with the people around him. Well, Shudder has “The Sacrifice Game,” which shares the same basic premise of “The Holdovers” but decides to throw in a murderous cult for good measure.
Continue reading ‘The Sacrifice Game’ Trailer: Filmmaker Jenn Wexler Returns With A Holiday Horror In December at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Sacrifice Game’ Trailer: Filmmaker Jenn Wexler Returns With A Holiday Horror In December at The Playlist.
- 11/13/2023
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
The 1970s-set supernatural horror film The Sacrifice Game, the new film from The Ranger (you can read my 8/10 review Here) director Jenn Wexler, is scheduled to start spreading holiday fear on the Shudder streaming service on December 8th – and with that date just weeks away, a trailer for the film has arrived online! You can check it out in the embed above.
Olivia Scott Welch of the Fear Street trilogy stars in the film alongside Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Gus Kenworthy (American Horror Story: 1984), Chloë Levine (The Oa), Derek Johns (The Wolf and the Lion), Laurent Pitre (Under the Banner of Heaven), Madison Baines (1Up), and newcomer Georgia Acken.
Wexler wrote the screenplay for The Sacrifice Game with Sean Redlitz, crafting a story that’s set at The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It’s bad enough that students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take...
Olivia Scott Welch of the Fear Street trilogy stars in the film alongside Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Gus Kenworthy (American Horror Story: 1984), Chloë Levine (The Oa), Derek Johns (The Wolf and the Lion), Laurent Pitre (Under the Banner of Heaven), Madison Baines (1Up), and newcomer Georgia Acken.
Wexler wrote the screenplay for The Sacrifice Game with Sean Redlitz, crafting a story that’s set at The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It’s bad enough that students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take...
- 11/13/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
In my household, growing up, we were not allowed to do anything Christmas-related until after my mother's birthday at the end of November. I still cringe at shops that put decorations up, it seems, at the stroke of midnight on Halloween, and avoid the sound of Mariah Carey like the plague. But I gladly make an exception to watch the trailer Jenn Wexler's Christmas horror film, The Sacrifice Game. The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It's bad enough that students Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) can't go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives at their doorstep—just in time for Christmas. Wexler has already shown a flair for period horror with her first...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 11/13/2023
- Screen Anarchy
From director Jenn Wexler (The Ranger), The Sacrifice Game is headed to Shudder for the holiday season, and the official trailer has come down the chimney this afternoon.
The Sacrifice Game spreads holiday fear on Shudder beginning December 8, 2023.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for Bd, “What begins as something all too familiar eventually gives way to something more satisfying and charming. The Sacrifice Game may be a holiday ruiner for many of its characters, but for audiences, it’s a holiday horror treat.”
Fantasia described The Sacrifice Game as “a gripping and stylish ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy,” filled with both “gore and lore.”
In the upcoming horror movie…
“The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It’s bad enough that students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives at...
The Sacrifice Game spreads holiday fear on Shudder beginning December 8, 2023.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for Bd, “What begins as something all too familiar eventually gives way to something more satisfying and charming. The Sacrifice Game may be a holiday ruiner for many of its characters, but for audiences, it’s a holiday horror treat.”
Fantasia described The Sacrifice Game as “a gripping and stylish ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy,” filled with both “gore and lore.”
In the upcoming horror movie…
“The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It’s bad enough that students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives at...
- 11/13/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
The 1970s-set supernatural horror film The Sacrifice Game, the new film from The Ranger (you can read my 8/10 review Here) director Jenn Wexler, won the gold in the Best Canadian Feature category at the Fantasia International Film Festival back in August. More genre fans are going to have their chance to see the movie in just a couple months, as it has been announced that The Sacrifice Game is going to be released through the Shudder streaming service on December 8th!
Olivia Scott Welch of the Fear Street trilogy stars in the film alongside Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Gus Kenworthy (American Horror Story: 1984), Chloë Levine (The Oa), Derek Johns (The Wolf and the Lion), Laurent Pitre (Under the Banner of Heaven), Madison Baines (1Up), and newcomer Georgia Acken.
Wexler wrote the screenplay for The Sacrifice Game with Sean Redlitz, crafting a story that’s set at The Blackvale School for Girls,...
Olivia Scott Welch of the Fear Street trilogy stars in the film alongside Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Gus Kenworthy (American Horror Story: 1984), Chloë Levine (The Oa), Derek Johns (The Wolf and the Lion), Laurent Pitre (Under the Banner of Heaven), Madison Baines (1Up), and newcomer Georgia Acken.
Wexler wrote the screenplay for The Sacrifice Game with Sean Redlitz, crafting a story that’s set at The Blackvale School for Girls,...
- 10/18/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
From director Jenn Wexler (The Ranger), The Sacrifice Game is headed to Shudder for the upcoming holiday season, and we’ve been provided with a release date this week.
The Sacrifice Game spreads holiday fear on Shudder beginning December 8, 2023.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review out of Fantasia, “What begins as something all too familiar eventually gives way to something more satisfying and charming. The Sacrifice Game may be a holiday ruiner for many of its characters, but for audiences, it’s a holiday horror treat.”
Fantasia described The Sacrifice Game as “a gripping and stylish ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy,” filled with both “gore and lore.”
In the upcoming horror movie…
“The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It’s bad enough that students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers...
The Sacrifice Game spreads holiday fear on Shudder beginning December 8, 2023.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review out of Fantasia, “What begins as something all too familiar eventually gives way to something more satisfying and charming. The Sacrifice Game may be a holiday ruiner for many of its characters, but for audiences, it’s a holiday horror treat.”
Fantasia described The Sacrifice Game as “a gripping and stylish ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy,” filled with both “gore and lore.”
In the upcoming horror movie…
“The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It’s bad enough that students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers...
- 10/18/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Launched in 2022, NorthwestFEARFest (“NWFEARFest”) is back this year with a full line up of 2023’s hottest new horror & thriller fare (along with some retro classics!).
Launched with a 2-night “sneak peek” last October, this year’s edition expands to 5 blood-curdling days & nights of gooey mayhem, with a lineup of over 20 feature and short films that includes some of 2023’s most Buzz-worthy new genre films, and some beloved classics.
Festival Programmer Guy Lavallee says audiences are in for five days of non-stop chills. “From the moment we decided to start this festival, our number one focus was to bring the best new & retro horror and genre films to Edmonton audiences. There’s a huge appetite for horror here – including from our programming team – and we feel like we’ve got something incredibly special lined up for NWFEARFest audiences. I hope everyone is as stoked about this lineup as we are!”
Running...
Launched with a 2-night “sneak peek” last October, this year’s edition expands to 5 blood-curdling days & nights of gooey mayhem, with a lineup of over 20 feature and short films that includes some of 2023’s most Buzz-worthy new genre films, and some beloved classics.
Festival Programmer Guy Lavallee says audiences are in for five days of non-stop chills. “From the moment we decided to start this festival, our number one focus was to bring the best new & retro horror and genre films to Edmonton audiences. There’s a huge appetite for horror here – including from our programming team – and we feel like we’ve got something incredibly special lined up for NWFEARFest audiences. I hope everyone is as stoked about this lineup as we are!”
Running...
- 10/3/2023
- by Sponsored
- bloody-disgusting.com
Horror will once again climb to terrifying new heights later this month with the 14th edition of the Telluride Horror Show! Taking place October 13th–15th in the scenic mountain town of Telluride, Colorado, this year's Telluride Horror Show lineup is brimming with must-see screenings and special events, including It's a Wonderful Knife, Late Night with the Devil, The Sacrifice Game, and Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor, as well as fireside readings by authors Adam Cesare, Gabino Iglesias, and Jeremy Robert Johnson!
Below, we have the official press release with full details on the Telluride Horror Show, and to learn more and buy passes, be sure to visit the film festival's website!
Press Release: Telluride, Colorado – Telluride Horror Show has just announced the line-up for its 14th edition, October 13-15, 2023 in world-famous Telluride, Colorado.
The 2023 Telluride Horror Show will showcase a robust international slate of genre films, including 21 features and 35 shorts from 14 countries,...
Below, we have the official press release with full details on the Telluride Horror Show, and to learn more and buy passes, be sure to visit the film festival's website!
Press Release: Telluride, Colorado – Telluride Horror Show has just announced the line-up for its 14th edition, October 13-15, 2023 in world-famous Telluride, Colorado.
The 2023 Telluride Horror Show will showcase a robust international slate of genre films, including 21 features and 35 shorts from 14 countries,...
- 10/2/2023
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The fourteenth edition of Telluride Horror Show kicks off this month, running from October 13-15, 2023 in world-famous Telluride, Colorado.
From the press release, “The 2023 Telluride Horror Show will showcase a robust international slate of genre films, including 21 features and 35 shorts from 14 countries, with highly anticipated titles including It’S A Wonderful Knife (Tyler MacIntyre), Late Night With The Devil (Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes), Suitable Flesh (Joe Lynch), The Origin (Andrew Cumming), The Sacrifice Game (Jenn Wexler), Where The Devil Roams (The Adams Family), and a special theatrical presentation of When Evil Lurks courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder. Full film line-up listed below.
“As one of the largest-capacity genre film festivals in the world, Telluride Horror Show attracts the latest and best genre films from around the globe and attendees from all over the country for an incredible gathering of horror fans in the world-famous mountain resort town of Telluride. For three packed days,...
From the press release, “The 2023 Telluride Horror Show will showcase a robust international slate of genre films, including 21 features and 35 shorts from 14 countries, with highly anticipated titles including It’S A Wonderful Knife (Tyler MacIntyre), Late Night With The Devil (Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes), Suitable Flesh (Joe Lynch), The Origin (Andrew Cumming), The Sacrifice Game (Jenn Wexler), Where The Devil Roams (The Adams Family), and a special theatrical presentation of When Evil Lurks courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder. Full film line-up listed below.
“As one of the largest-capacity genre film festivals in the world, Telluride Horror Show attracts the latest and best genre films from around the globe and attendees from all over the country for an incredible gathering of horror fans in the world-famous mountain resort town of Telluride. For three packed days,...
- 10/2/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Merry Christmas, friends! It’s that wonderful season of warmth, light and friendship. The tree is trimmed, the snow is falling softly on the ground, and the world is filled with joy and love. And instead of going home this year, we’re spending the holidays at an empty boarding school. And doing demonic sacrifices.
Set in the 1970s, The Sacrifice Game opens as the students of a private boarding school are heading home for the holidays. With the exception of Samantha (Madison Baines), whose step-father tells her at the last minute that they are unable to have her return home this year, and Clara (Georgia Acken), the quiet girl of the class who just doesn’t seem to have anywhere to go. Left with their teacher, Rose (Chloe Levine), the group begins to quietly settle in for an odd and uncomfortable Christmas.
Just before dinner, there is a knock at the door.
Set in the 1970s, The Sacrifice Game opens as the students of a private boarding school are heading home for the holidays. With the exception of Samantha (Madison Baines), whose step-father tells her at the last minute that they are unable to have her return home this year, and Clara (Georgia Acken), the quiet girl of the class who just doesn’t seem to have anywhere to go. Left with their teacher, Rose (Chloe Levine), the group begins to quietly settle in for an odd and uncomfortable Christmas.
Just before dinner, there is a knock at the door.
- 9/27/2023
- by Emily von Seele
- DailyDead
Submarine Entertainment is picking up worldwide sales rights on Chris Skotchdopole’s feature directorial debut “Crumb Catcher.” The move comes just ahead of the darkly comic thriller’s Fantastic Fest world premiere.
Skotchdopole wrote, directed, edited, and produced the movie and Submarine Entertainment, a notable sales and production company, will launch sales out of the festival, which runs from Sept. 21 to Sept. 28 at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas. “Crumb Catcher” was described by Fantastic Fest programmer Anna Bogutskaya as a “chamber piece that melds extreme anxiety with the worst salesmanship imaginable.” The film follows a newlywed couple held captive by an entrepreneur desperate to finance his outlandish invention with a blackmail plot.
With ten years of experience working with Glass Eye Pix, the New York independent genre production outfit led by horror auteur Larry Fessenden, Skotchdopole has amassed numerous credits on several films, including working as the cinematographer on Fessenden’s “Depraved,...
Skotchdopole wrote, directed, edited, and produced the movie and Submarine Entertainment, a notable sales and production company, will launch sales out of the festival, which runs from Sept. 21 to Sept. 28 at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas. “Crumb Catcher” was described by Fantastic Fest programmer Anna Bogutskaya as a “chamber piece that melds extreme anxiety with the worst salesmanship imaginable.” The film follows a newlywed couple held captive by an entrepreneur desperate to finance his outlandish invention with a blackmail plot.
With ten years of experience working with Glass Eye Pix, the New York independent genre production outfit led by horror auteur Larry Fessenden, Skotchdopole has amassed numerous credits on several films, including working as the cinematographer on Fessenden’s “Depraved,...
- 9/21/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival announced an impressive full slate of programming for its 2023 edition, running October 12-19 with all screenings held at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations.
From the press release:
Audiences are in for an unearthly lineup of films and events, including the inaugural Leviathan Award, which will be presented to NYC horror legend William Lustig at a special 35th anniversary screening of Maniac Cop, followed by a post-screening conversation with Lustig.
The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Kier Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s...
From the press release:
Audiences are in for an unearthly lineup of films and events, including the inaugural Leviathan Award, which will be presented to NYC horror legend William Lustig at a special 35th anniversary screening of Maniac Cop, followed by a post-screening conversation with Lustig.
The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Kier Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s...
- 9/13/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (Bhff) announces today the full program for its 2023 incarnation, running October 12-19th with all screenings held at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations. Audiences are in for an unearthly lineup of films and events, including the inaugural Leviathan Award, which will be presented to NYC horror legend William Lustig at a special 35th-anniversary screening of Maniac Cop, followed by a post-screening conversation with Lustig.
The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Keir Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s other spotlight titles include director...
The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Keir Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s other spotlight titles include director...
- 9/13/2023
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (Bhff) announces today the full program for its 2023 incarnation, running October 12-19.
“The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Keir Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s other spotlight titles include director Pascal Plante’s recently announced Utopia Distribution title Red Rooms as the festival’s Centerpiece Film, and Jenn Wexler’s ’70s supernatural Christmas horror The Sacrifice Game as the Closing Night Film.”
Find out more here!
In exciting Lego Star Wars news, the group unveiled one of the largest sets ever made, an Ultimate Collectors...
“The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Keir Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s other spotlight titles include director Pascal Plante’s recently announced Utopia Distribution title Red Rooms as the festival’s Centerpiece Film, and Jenn Wexler’s ’70s supernatural Christmas horror The Sacrifice Game as the Closing Night Film.”
Find out more here!
In exciting Lego Star Wars news, the group unveiled one of the largest sets ever made, an Ultimate Collectors...
- 9/12/2023
- by Lee Parham
- Den of Geek
Summer festival season may be over but spooky festival season was always there, hiding behind the proverbial hedge, waiting to take it's place. Our friends at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival have announced their lineup for this year's edition, happening from October 12th through 19th. Alix Austin and Keir Siewert's Kill Your Lover will have its world premiere at Bhff when it opens the festival. Jenn Wexler's The Sacrifice Game is all set to close this year's event. There are three more world premieres this year. Jaco Bouwer’s Breathing In is their followup to the terrific Gaia. It will be joined by two debut feature films, Aimee Kuge’s Cannibal Mukbang and Tyler Chipman’s The Shade. There is going to be a cool sidebar program this year...
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- 9/12/2023
- Screen Anarchy
Grimmfest, Manchester’s International Festival of Fantastic Film, are delighted to announce their full feature film lineup for 2023. The festival will be returning to regular venue the Odeon Great Northern in Manchester on 6th – 8th October to showcase the best in genre cinema.
Never screened outside of Japan, and believed lost for nearly 30 years, Banmei Takahashi’s 1988 classic, Door, combines deadpan domestic comedy, chilling stalker thriller and baroquely bloody home invasion horror. It finally had its international premiere at Bifan in South Korea in July, and Grimmfest are delighted to be hosting the first UK screening.
Kenichi Ugana’s Love Will Tear US Apart encompasses dark and deadly romance, satiric slasher movie, psychological thriller and even some martial arts mayhem. Grimmfest is delighted to be hosting the UK premiere in Manchester, birthplace of Joy Division, whose music inspired the film’s title.
Mikhail Red’s Filipino psychological thriller Deleter (UK premiere) follows an overworked,...
Never screened outside of Japan, and believed lost for nearly 30 years, Banmei Takahashi’s 1988 classic, Door, combines deadpan domestic comedy, chilling stalker thriller and baroquely bloody home invasion horror. It finally had its international premiere at Bifan in South Korea in July, and Grimmfest are delighted to be hosting the first UK screening.
Kenichi Ugana’s Love Will Tear US Apart encompasses dark and deadly romance, satiric slasher movie, psychological thriller and even some martial arts mayhem. Grimmfest is delighted to be hosting the UK premiere in Manchester, birthplace of Joy Division, whose music inspired the film’s title.
Mikhail Red’s Filipino psychological thriller Deleter (UK premiere) follows an overworked,...
- 9/2/2023
- by Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins
- Horror Asylum
Stars: Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Gus Kenworthy, Madison Baines, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre, Chloë Levine, Georgia Acken | Written by Jenn Wexler, Sean Redlitz | Directed by Jenn Wexler
Directed by Jenn Wexler (who co-wrote with Sean Redlitz), The Sacrifice Game is a mash-up of two reliable horror sub-genres: the home invasion thriller and the summoning-a-demon supernatural chiller. As such, it’s an entertaining and frequently rather nasty slice of horror hokum, with an inventive and fun central twist.
Set over Christmas, 1971 (meaning it qualifies as a Christmas movie), the film opens by establishing that four members of a Manson Family-like demonic cult – sadistic charmer Jude (Mena Massoud), hulking Vietnam vet Grant (Derek Johns), driver Doug (Laurent Pitre) and sexy ringleader Maisie (Olivia Scott Welch) – have been performing blood sacrifices on people after invading their homes. Their next target is Blackvale Academy, an elite boarding school where Maisie first encountered the...
Directed by Jenn Wexler (who co-wrote with Sean Redlitz), The Sacrifice Game is a mash-up of two reliable horror sub-genres: the home invasion thriller and the summoning-a-demon supernatural chiller. As such, it’s an entertaining and frequently rather nasty slice of horror hokum, with an inventive and fun central twist.
Set over Christmas, 1971 (meaning it qualifies as a Christmas movie), the film opens by establishing that four members of a Manson Family-like demonic cult – sadistic charmer Jude (Mena Massoud), hulking Vietnam vet Grant (Derek Johns), driver Doug (Laurent Pitre) and sexy ringleader Maisie (Olivia Scott Welch) – have been performing blood sacrifices on people after invading their homes. Their next target is Blackvale Academy, an elite boarding school where Maisie first encountered the...
- 8/30/2023
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
Our friends at Grimmfest, the genre film festival in Manchester, England, have unveiled the lineup for this year's edition. Grimmfest has already announced Banmei Takahashi's unearthed 1988 classic, Door, Kenichi Ugana's Love Will Tear Us Apart and Raymond Wood's Faceless After Dark would be at the festival. To those three films they have added Isaac Ezban's great fairy tale horror Evil Eye, Jenn Wexler's terrfic sophomore film, The Sacrifice Game, the pitch black comedy The Coffee Table and quite possibly the most unsettling puppet film we've experienced Abruptio. Check the complete lineup below. Full festival passes are now available. Grimmfest Announce Full 2023 Lineup Grimmfest, Manchester's International Festival of Fantastic Film, are delighted to announce their full feature film lineup for 2023. The festival will be returning to regular...
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- 8/19/2023
- Screen Anarchy
Welcome to Give Me the Fear, a new Frightfest 2023 preview series hosted by screenwriter Stuart Wright.
These brief, spoiler-free interviews will – across the entire series – help you to discover the kind of knowledge and experience about how to make indie horror films that they don’t teach at film school.
After looking back at the blood, sweat and tears that went into their creative successes, I ask them one last question: If you could hand pick one person to be in the audience for your Frightfest screening, who would it be and why? I think you going to love the answers this question elicits.
This episode covers Where the Devil Roams, Pandemonium (feat. Quarxx) & The Sacrifice Game (feat. Jenn Wexler)
For more details about Frightfest see https://www.frightfest.co.uk/2023FrightFestLondon/index.html
Powered by RedCircle...
These brief, spoiler-free interviews will – across the entire series – help you to discover the kind of knowledge and experience about how to make indie horror films that they don’t teach at film school.
After looking back at the blood, sweat and tears that went into their creative successes, I ask them one last question: If you could hand pick one person to be in the audience for your Frightfest screening, who would it be and why? I think you going to love the answers this question elicits.
This episode covers Where the Devil Roams, Pandemonium (feat. Quarxx) & The Sacrifice Game (feat. Jenn Wexler)
For more details about Frightfest see https://www.frightfest.co.uk/2023FrightFestLondon/index.html
Powered by RedCircle...
- 8/16/2023
- by Stuart Wright
- Nerdly
Quebec festival wrapped on August 9.
Talk To Me, the horror hit from Danny and Michael Philippou which has grossed more than $31m in North America and close to $50m worldwide, has been named best international feature in the 2023 Fantasia audience awards.
In other key awards Lee Sang-yong’s South Korean title The Roundup: No Way Out was named best Asian feature, while Shigeyoshi Tsukahara’s Japanese entry Kurayukaba earned best animated feature, and
Satan Wants You from Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor took the inaugural Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (narrative or documentary).
The full list of audience award winners appears below.
Talk To Me, the horror hit from Danny and Michael Philippou which has grossed more than $31m in North America and close to $50m worldwide, has been named best international feature in the 2023 Fantasia audience awards.
In other key awards Lee Sang-yong’s South Korean title The Roundup: No Way Out was named best Asian feature, while Shigeyoshi Tsukahara’s Japanese entry Kurayukaba earned best animated feature, and
Satan Wants You from Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor took the inaugural Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (narrative or documentary).
The full list of audience award winners appears below.
- 8/14/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A couple weeks ago, the Fantasia International Film Festival announced the films that won jury prizes at the 27th edition of the show, which recently came to a close. Yesterday, our own Tyler Nichols shared his list of favorite films from this year’s Fantasia festival. Now Fantasia has unveiled the list of audience award winners, with wins going to films like Talk to Me, The Roundup: No Way Out, Kurayukaba, and Satan Wants You, among others. The full list can be seen below:
Best International Feature
Gold: Talk To Me
Silver: Late Night With The Devil
Bronze: Hundreds Of Beavers
Best Asian Feature
Gold: The Roundup: No Way Out
Silver: River
Bronze: Phantom (South Korea d. Lee Hae-young)
Best Animated Feature
Gold: Kurayukaba
Silver: The Concierge
Bronze: The First Slam Dunk
The Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (Narrative or Documentary)
Satan Wants You – This year’s...
Best International Feature
Gold: Talk To Me
Silver: Late Night With The Devil
Bronze: Hundreds Of Beavers
Best Asian Feature
Gold: The Roundup: No Way Out
Silver: River
Bronze: Phantom (South Korea d. Lee Hae-young)
Best Animated Feature
Gold: Kurayukaba
Silver: The Concierge
Bronze: The First Slam Dunk
The Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (Narrative or Documentary)
Satan Wants You – This year’s...
- 8/14/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Summertime might be a bit too early to start planning for Christmas (though it's never too early to plan for Halloween), but one thing you should definitely plan to do this holiday season is watch Jenn Wexler's The Sacrifice Game. The stylish supernatural horror has everything you could want in a Christmas movie: tree lights, gingerbread men, and murderous cult freaks
The Sacrifice Game had its world premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival (though you'll have to wait to read my review later when the movie drops on Shudder). I got the chance to meet with director Jenn Wexler and her co-writer/husband Sean Redlitz to talk about the movie. I was very excited for the opportunity, since I'm a big fan of Wexler's debut feature The Ranger. The two were a bit haggard from only sleeping a couple hours following the after-party of the premiere, but Wexler was...
The Sacrifice Game had its world premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival (though you'll have to wait to read my review later when the movie drops on Shudder). I got the chance to meet with director Jenn Wexler and her co-writer/husband Sean Redlitz to talk about the movie. I was very excited for the opportunity, since I'm a big fan of Wexler's debut feature The Ranger. The two were a bit haggard from only sleeping a couple hours following the after-party of the premiere, but Wexler was...
- 8/4/2023
- by Chris Aitkens
Jenn Wexler's sophomore feature "The Sacrifice Game" bursts with behind-the-camera confidence as a creepy, culty, Christmassy midnighter romp. It's one of those horror movies that aims to make horror fun again, feeling at home on VHS shelves or snuck behind parents' backs for an unapproved after-bedtime watch. Wexler's seasonal genre package is tightly wrapped, keeping the audience in a giddy state of suspense as twists and turns unfold. Shades of cinematic parallels to everything from "The Blackcoat's Daughter" or "The Babysitter" make "The Sacrifice Game" this playfully disturbing road-trip killing spree with a dangerous bite, appealing to the devils inside us hungry for bad-vibes horror served with a crooked smile.
The film takes place over Christmas 1971, at and around Blackvale School for Girls, where students Samantha (Madison Baines) and outcast Clara (Georgia Acken) will spend their holiday break with supervising teacher Rose (Chloë Levine). Bad fortune brings greasy-haired Jude...
The film takes place over Christmas 1971, at and around Blackvale School for Girls, where students Samantha (Madison Baines) and outcast Clara (Georgia Acken) will spend their holiday break with supervising teacher Rose (Chloë Levine). Bad fortune brings greasy-haired Jude...
- 8/1/2023
- by Matt Donato
- Slash Film
Director/Producer Jenn Wexler’s sophomore feature, The Sacrifice Game, continues her streak for unpredictable narratives centered around teen girls. Unlike the anarchic ’80s punk rock spirit of her feature directorial debut, The Ranger, The Sacrifice Game shifts gears in tone and era to examine friendship amidst a demonically charged home invasion over Christmas break. Its narrative turns, characters that challenge perceptions, and slasher-like bloodletting yield a devilishly fun new entry in holiday horror.
Three days before Christmas in 1971, the remaining students of Blackvale, a Catholic boarding school for girls, depart for the holidays. Well, almost all. Circumstances leave teens Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) stuck on the premises under the care of chaperone Rose (The Ranger‘s Chloë Levine) and Rose’s boyfriend Jimmy (Gus Kenworthy). But Rose’s attempts to create a wholesome holiday for her wayward wards get thwarted when murderous cult members Maisie (Fear...
Three days before Christmas in 1971, the remaining students of Blackvale, a Catholic boarding school for girls, depart for the holidays. Well, almost all. Circumstances leave teens Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) stuck on the premises under the care of chaperone Rose (The Ranger‘s Chloë Levine) and Rose’s boyfriend Jimmy (Gus Kenworthy). But Rose’s attempts to create a wholesome holiday for her wayward wards get thwarted when murderous cult members Maisie (Fear...
- 7/31/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
1971 was a difficult year in the US. The country was beginning to realise that it had bitten off more than it could chew in Vietnam, as young men returned home seriously damaged, their rage spilling over into a society ill-equipped to handle it. Culturally, it was still reeling from the impact of the Manson Family murders. Faith in the optimistic dreams of the counterculture was rapidly fading, and high inflation left ordinary households struggling. Jenn Wexler’s latest film, which screened as part of Fantasia 2023, opens with a image straight out of America’s dream of itself: a group of carol singers in chorus outside a warmly lit suburban home. Then the carol singers leave and four new figures approach the house, seen from behind, almost in silhouette. This will not end well.
It’s hard to imagine Wexler making a dull film about anything. She has twice as much energy.
It’s hard to imagine Wexler making a dull film about anything. She has twice as much energy.
- 7/29/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Official Poster Released For Supernatural Horror ‘The Sacrifice Game’ Ahead Of Its World Premiere At Fantasia International Film Festival Ahead of its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival this Friday, Shudder, AMC Networks’ premiere streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, has released the official poster for The Sacrifice Game, starring Mena Massoud (Aladdin, Evolving Vegan) …
The post *New Poster* | Shudder’s The Sacrifice Game Directed by Jenn Wexler appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
The post *New Poster* | Shudder’s The Sacrifice Game Directed by Jenn Wexler appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
- 7/27/2023
- by Janel Spiegel
- Horror News
The Ranger director Jenn Wexler will be raising hell this Christmas with ’70s set supernatural horror movie The Sacrifice Game, and Shudder’s unveiled a stunning new poster by Chris Barnes to prove it.
The Sacrifice Game will world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 28 and will launch later this year on Shudder.
Fantasia describes The Sacrifice Game as “a gripping and stylish ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy,” filled with both “gore and lore.”
Between the description and the new poster below, we’re in for more holiday horror with a supernatural twist.
In the upcoming horror movie…
“It’s bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives on their doorstep—just in time for Christmas.”
Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch,...
The Sacrifice Game will world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 28 and will launch later this year on Shudder.
Fantasia describes The Sacrifice Game as “a gripping and stylish ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy,” filled with both “gore and lore.”
Between the description and the new poster below, we’re in for more holiday horror with a supernatural twist.
In the upcoming horror movie…
“It’s bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives on their doorstep—just in time for Christmas.”
Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch,...
- 7/24/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
A few years ago, I had a lot of fun watching Jenn Wexler’s feature directorial debut The Ranger (you can read my 8/10 review Here), so I’m looking forward to checking out Wexler’s second feature, the 1970s-set supernatural horror film The Sacrifice Game. Attendees of the Fantasia International Film Festival will have the chance to watch the movie this Friday (at 9:30pm) – and in anticipation of the film’s festival premiere, a poster has been unveiled! You can check it out at the bottom of this article.
Wexler wrote the screenplay for The Sacrifice Game with Sean Redlitz, crafting a story with the following synopsis: It’s bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives on their doorstep—just in time for Christmas.
Olivia Scott Welch...
Wexler wrote the screenplay for The Sacrifice Game with Sean Redlitz, crafting a story with the following synopsis: It’s bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives on their doorstep—just in time for Christmas.
Olivia Scott Welch...
- 7/24/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The Fantasia International Film Festival is back for its 27th annual edition, running July 20 through August 9, and it’s bringing one of Hollywood’s biggest stars––in spirit now; he’s officially canceled so as to not cross the picket line of the current SAG-AFTRA strike––to Montreal with a world premiere and career recognition. Nicolas Cage, his new film Sympathy for the Devil, and his Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award aren’t the only draw for this three-week event, though.
You’ve got a spotlight on Korean cinema to celebrate sixty years of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Republic of Korea. There’s the honor of bestowing underground filmmaker Larry Kent with the 2023 Canadian Trailblazer Award alongside a screening of a rare 35mm print of his 1981 film Yesterday. And a slew of world premieres from horror’s best and brightest––a list spanning Larry Fessenden (Blackout), Jenn Wexler...
You’ve got a spotlight on Korean cinema to celebrate sixty years of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Republic of Korea. There’s the honor of bestowing underground filmmaker Larry Kent with the 2023 Canadian Trailblazer Award alongside a screening of a rare 35mm print of his 1981 film Yesterday. And a slew of world premieres from horror’s best and brightest––a list spanning Larry Fessenden (Blackout), Jenn Wexler...
- 7/17/2023
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
The summer festival season is in full swing and it is time to look at what our friends at FrightFest have in store for everyone in London this coming August. Joe Lynch's Suitable Flesh is set to open the festivities this year. Our own Josh caught the horror flick when it played at Tribeca. He likes it. ... the film focuses an exploration of the sensuality and sensation of new flesh. Suitable Flesh fucks. It fucks a lot... I don’t know that there’s been a sexier horror film in recent years, and I’m here for it. Jenn Wexler's sophomore film The Sacrifice Game is high on our list of summer horror flicks to catch. We'll do so in the coming weeks but the...
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- 7/13/2023
- Screen Anarchy
The horror festival runs August 24-28 in London
Joe Stephenson’s Doctor Jekyll starring Eddie Izzard will have its world premiere at the UK’s horror and fantasy film festival FrightFest (August 24-28) as the full line-up is unveiled.
Izzard will play Nina Jekyll, the infamous scientist with a dark alter-ego, in a modern adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s book by placing a woman in the titular role.
Doctor Jekyll is one of 25 world premieres screening at the festival, which takes place at Cineworld Leicester Square in London.
Opening FrightFest will be the European premiere of Joe Lynch’s...
Joe Stephenson’s Doctor Jekyll starring Eddie Izzard will have its world premiere at the UK’s horror and fantasy film festival FrightFest (August 24-28) as the full line-up is unveiled.
Izzard will play Nina Jekyll, the infamous scientist with a dark alter-ego, in a modern adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s book by placing a woman in the titular role.
Doctor Jekyll is one of 25 world premieres screening at the festival, which takes place at Cineworld Leicester Square in London.
Opening FrightFest will be the European premiere of Joe Lynch’s...
- 7/13/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
The UK’s biggest horror and genre festival returns to London this August, with another gloriously gory programme. Kicking off with the European premiere of much anticipated new body horror Suitable Flesh from genre legend Joe Lynch, FrightFest’s 2023 summer event boasts a whopping seventy films across four screens, and this year will return to being entirely under one roof, at the Cineworld Leicester Square.
Among the heavy-hitters in the festivals line-up are Farang, the latest “French blockbuster” from fantasy favourite Xavier Gens, Hitman); Where the Devil Roams, the newest chiller from family filmmaking team John, Zelda, Toby and Lulu Adams; Paris Zarcilla’s SXSW breakout hit Raging Grace and transgender director Alice Maio Mackay’s game changing Australian thriller T Blockers, shot by a predominantly queer, non-binary and trans cast and crew.
Documentary fans will be spoiled for choice, too, with new films on the legacy of J-horror, Brian Yuzna...
Among the heavy-hitters in the festivals line-up are Farang, the latest “French blockbuster” from fantasy favourite Xavier Gens, Hitman); Where the Devil Roams, the newest chiller from family filmmaking team John, Zelda, Toby and Lulu Adams; Paris Zarcilla’s SXSW breakout hit Raging Grace and transgender director Alice Maio Mackay’s game changing Australian thriller T Blockers, shot by a predominantly queer, non-binary and trans cast and crew.
Documentary fans will be spoiled for choice, too, with new films on the legacy of J-horror, Brian Yuzna...
- 7/13/2023
- by Ben Robins
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
FrightFest, the UK’s biggest, best and most beloved community-driven horror & fantasy film festival, returns in a blaze of gory glory to the Cineworld Leicester Square, London, for its 24th edition, a press release announced this morning.
“Running from Thursday August 24 – Monday 28 August, Pigeon Shrine FrightFest is a joyful big screen celebration of genre cinema, offering a carnival of carnage, a smorgasbord of shock and a tableau of terror. This year, over five days, audiences can explore the magic of menace, mayhem and mischief with seventy films programmed across four screens. There are twenty-five world, twenty-three International / European and twelve UK premieres, with fourteen countries represented, spanning five continents.
The festival opens with the European premiere of Suitable Flesh, the latest shocker from FrightFest favourite Joe Lynch, who has created an outlandish love letter to the late, great Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon; a new body horror take on H.P Lovecraft...
“Running from Thursday August 24 – Monday 28 August, Pigeon Shrine FrightFest is a joyful big screen celebration of genre cinema, offering a carnival of carnage, a smorgasbord of shock and a tableau of terror. This year, over five days, audiences can explore the magic of menace, mayhem and mischief with seventy films programmed across four screens. There are twenty-five world, twenty-three International / European and twelve UK premieres, with fourteen countries represented, spanning five continents.
The festival opens with the European premiere of Suitable Flesh, the latest shocker from FrightFest favourite Joe Lynch, who has created an outlandish love letter to the late, great Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon; a new body horror take on H.P Lovecraft...
- 7/13/2023
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
FrightFest, the UK genre festival, has unveiled the lineup for its latest edition (August 24-28).
The event opens with the European premiere of Suitable Flesh, the latest pic from FrightFest regular Joe Lynch. The pic follows a psychiatrist who becomes obsessed with one of her young clients with multiple personalities. The film is co-produced and co-stars Barbara Crampton.
The Sacrifice Game, from director Jenn Wexler, receiving its European premiere, is the closing night film. The festival has described the film as a wild, thrilling ride and a tribute to the beauty and boldness of classic 1970s horror.
This year the festival will host seven world premieres, including Nick Psinakis’s Cheat, Matt Sampere’s Halloween slasher Creeping Death, Raymond Wood’s feminist revenge-fantasy Faceless After Dark, Steven Pierce’s zombie survivalist thriller Herd, and Michael J. Hurst’s wild science fiction shocker Transmission.
Announcing the lineup today, fest co-director Alan Jones...
The event opens with the European premiere of Suitable Flesh, the latest pic from FrightFest regular Joe Lynch. The pic follows a psychiatrist who becomes obsessed with one of her young clients with multiple personalities. The film is co-produced and co-stars Barbara Crampton.
The Sacrifice Game, from director Jenn Wexler, receiving its European premiere, is the closing night film. The festival has described the film as a wild, thrilling ride and a tribute to the beauty and boldness of classic 1970s horror.
This year the festival will host seven world premieres, including Nick Psinakis’s Cheat, Matt Sampere’s Halloween slasher Creeping Death, Raymond Wood’s feminist revenge-fantasy Faceless After Dark, Steven Pierce’s zombie survivalist thriller Herd, and Michael J. Hurst’s wild science fiction shocker Transmission.
Announcing the lineup today, fest co-director Alan Jones...
- 7/13/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
From director Jenn Wexler (The Ranger), The Sacrifice Game will world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival and will launch later this year on Shudder.
While you wait, Bloody Disgusting has been provided with two exclusive first-look images from The Sacrifice Game this week, which you can check out above and below.
Fantasia describes The Sacrifice Game as “a gripping and stylish ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy,” filled with both “gore and lore.”
In the upcoming horror movie…
“It’s bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives on their doorstep—just in time for Christmas.”
Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Olympian Gus Kenworthy, Chloë Levine, Madison Baines, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre and Georgia Acken star.
Shot in Oka, Quebec, the film is...
While you wait, Bloody Disgusting has been provided with two exclusive first-look images from The Sacrifice Game this week, which you can check out above and below.
Fantasia describes The Sacrifice Game as “a gripping and stylish ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy,” filled with both “gore and lore.”
In the upcoming horror movie…
“It’s bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives on their doorstep—just in time for Christmas.”
Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Olympian Gus Kenworthy, Chloë Levine, Madison Baines, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre and Georgia Acken star.
Shot in Oka, Quebec, the film is...
- 7/5/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
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