The Scariest Things

The early eighties gave us a spate of slasher movies. The late eighties gave us their sequels, sometimes once a year. While many will bemoan the cookie-cutter nature of some sequels, a few surpassed or matched their source material. Aliens (1987), Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987), Day of the Dead (1985), and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) were triumphs as franchise offerings. Many will also say that Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) was the best of that franchise… though that may be a fairly low threshold to clear.

Beyond the sequelpalooza trend, studios also returned to some horror roots and gave us rebooted films, tapping into B-movies and improving them a lot. The Fly. The Blob. Little Shop of Horrors. All of those films understood the core value and elevated the material beyond its humble roots. The eighties continued to successfully tap into Stephen King’s catalog, with mixed results. The era starts with Cat’s Eye (1985), Silver Bullet (1985), Stand By Me (1986), Creepshow 2 (1987), and culminates with perhaps the strongest offering, Pet Sematary (1989).

What is largely missing from this era are iconic original content films. Prince of Darkness (1987) may be the closest thing we have to a well-executed original concept, but compared to today’s story-first, character-centric landscape, the late eighties leaned more into raw entertainment. For pure entertainment, it’s hard to beat The Lost Boys (1987) for a fun, sexy take on vampires and a rock-and-roll cool vibe. Apart from Sigourney Weaver’s Oscar nomination for Ripley in Aliens, and the snub that should have given Jeff Goldblum a nomination for The Fly, the horror offerings from this era weren’t exactly trying to garner Academy Awards. They chased the dollars and managed to turn a tidy profit.

Gone were the bleak and despairing themes of the seventies. The eighties delivered killing teenagers as a spectator sport. This time period aimed to give audiences a good time. Even the Romero movies of this time reveled in the spectacle. Gone were the apocalyptic endings. In a way, this was embracing the attitudes of fifties B-movie fare, but with sex and gore as a tantalizing coating. The offerings were pure popcorn fare. Do you want some blood on your popcorn? Sure you do!

There would be a price to pay, however. Eventually, people got tired of the cookie-cutter franchise mentality. Cheering for the villain became routine, and even someone as loathsome as Leatherface would become something of a comic book character. The stories struggled to evoke real fear or emotional connections, and the nineties struggled with reconciling the hangover from the franchise era. Wes Craven was acutely aware of the state of the horror union, so he gave us a meta reading of his own material with A New Nightmare and, eventually, Scream.

Gen-X horror fans still retain warm feelings for their favorites from this time. We enjoyed being scared. The scares were a roller coaster ride, not a lecture. Scattered throughout the eighties are some overlooked gems that defied the stereotype of the times, and The Scariest Things has endeavored to uncover some of these films for you in Episode 217: Horror History – The Late Eighties Franchise Era!

If you want to hear about the early eighties, check out Episode 215: The VHS Era.

… and that’s just scratching the surface!

Slow burn, or as Mike Campbell will suggest: No burn. Liminal horror takes its time and forces you to stare into the corners of the screen. If you watch long enough, maybe something will happen. Then again, maybe not. That’s the gamble of liminal horror. It also makes jump scares that much more rewarding when they do get sprung. This trope bathes in the uncanny valley. Unsettling. Unnerving. Something just a touch off, creating an atmosphere of unease.

This can be with the way people look, or the geometry of the room, or the color of the sky. In this way, liminal horror can be frustrating. And yet, fascinating. Many films that employ this style feel like dreams or nightmares. Characters question the reality of their situation, trapped in a personal hell.

“Liminal horror taps into the eerie feeling evoked by “in-between” spaces, unsettling environments that seem familiar yet uncomfortably off-kilter. Unlike traditional horror, which often relies on monsters, jump scares, or gore, liminal horror creates a more insidious type of fear, drawing on subtle, deeply psychological cues to unnerve and disorient. Rooted in the concept of liminality, this form of horror brings us to places where boundaries blur—between one time, space, or state of being and another—invoking a dread that is both existential and mysterious. “

As an architect, I appreciate how the built environment can confuse, shock, or unsettle someone’s experience. The works of MC Escher, Giovanni Piranesi, and Robert Eisenman all confronted viewers with challenging environments. These designers delighted in the visual stress these deliberately agitating fantastical places created.

Some of the greatest film auteurs have dabbled in liminal space. Stanley Kubrick. Roman Polanski. Robert Altman. David Lynch. And yet liminal horror has launched the careers of some very young visionary directors: Alex Ullom (It Ends), Kane Parsons (Backrooms), and Kyle Edward Ball (Skinamarink) have arrived out of seemingly nowhere (which is appropriate for the trope). This is an era of A.I. and fake news accusations. Who is to believe what their own eyes are telling them?

Don’t expect copious gore or big action sequences in these films. These films also tend to be light on dialogue. The characters often keep their distance from each other. Perhaps liminal horror was born out of the pandemic, when we were all kept apart from each other. Don’t get too close. Dangerous! What these films may lack in adrenaline and bravado is made up for in emotional intelligence. These movies are designed to spark conversations afterward over a cup of coffee.

Conceptually, liminal horror is new to the scene. It’s a buzzy topic, but when you do a bit of research, there are a number of films that fit into this trope, though the word liminal hasn’t been applied to these films until recently.

Liminal Horror isn’t solely a film style either. Liz Williams brings out two very interesting books to consider when thinking liminally. Check out The House of Leaves, a stunning composition that will force you out of your reading comfort zone.

The early eighties is for many, their favorite era in horror. It was a transition time where filmmakers felt they could still push the boundaries of censorship, but a backlash was coming. This is the golden age of slashers and werewolf films. And most importantly, R-rated movies were arriving at home. That didn't just scare audiences, it scared the morality police. The Scariest Things digs deep in this episode to mine for hidden horror gems in Episode 215.

It will be interesting to do an autopsy of 2026’s horror fare when we do our year end assessment. This year’s crop has been notably light on mid-major productions so far. The roaring successes we’ve seen thus far have been from the deep indie filmmakers. Backrooms, Undertone, Hokum, and Obsession. All original titles, and produced for less than $5 million. These are not the type of films you would typically predict would be box office hits. But, they outperformed any reasonable expectation, particularly startling for Backrooms and Obsession, which will have cinema economists trying to figure out the alchemy.

There were only a few major studio franchise sequels this year. All of them capable, but none of them superseding their source material. Scream 7 did very well at the box office, but it failed to make a big impression. Evil Dead Burn was a very violent, very intense outing that didn’t connect in the way its predecessors have. Scary Movie also did well on its $30 million budget, earning $210 million, its long layoff didn’t hurt its popularity, despite the derivative humor.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple was a hit with critics (including our own Liz Williams) but its turn from zombies may have hurt it in the box office, as it probably will not make its budget back. The notable big comeback was Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, which gives horror fans hope that Universal has gotten their monsterverse back on track, and remembered how to deliver a vicious movie with a good story.

Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get out to as many film festivals this year as we would have liked, but we still managed to review a lot of great small indie horror films. Our traditional rotation of SXSW, Overlook, Portland Horror, and Popcorn Frights all provided very interesting films from emerging filmmakers. Even the bigger festival this year were heavy on small indie productions, and there were a lot of good offerings. We didn’t discuss all of them in our Podcast, but you can review a lot of the movies we saw with links on the images below.

There is an emerging trend of release schedules for many of the best independent horror films, relative to the festival circuit. Open at SXSW (Or sometimes Sundance), get some buzz, go to Overlook to validate the buzz, and then release in the early summer. It can be a big momentum builder. Last year it was The Ugly Stepsister (Oscar Nom), and Good Boy that were the big beneficiaries of that combination. This year it was Obsession, Hokum, and Leviticus. Sometimes Panic Fest will factor into the equation, depending on when it runs relative to Overlook.

Popcorn Frights still brought a massive catalogue for viewing, but this year was more reliant on reperatory films. Some of my favorite films this year were horror adjacent, and all of their streaming content was small indie productions. Our favorite local festival, The Portland Horror Film Festival had an unusually large amount of feature films, and the best part was that almost all of the directors participated in the festival. We were fortunate to get interviews with all of them. Check out our Podcasts for the interviews. It was a diverse group of films, and not a dud among them.

Probably the most intriguing film still due out is a new take on Resident Evil by Zach Cregger, the director of Barbarian and Weapons. This is a major tonal shift for Sony. No more Mia Jovovic or Paul W.S. Anderson. Video game translations are usually dubious, and the franchise squandered its potential. It became more superhero and less horror. However, Sony is gambling that with the right creator, it might revitalize the legacy, and Cregger may inject real scares into this franchise for the first time since the original. We shall see. The trailer looks great.

Other Mommy, which arrives on October 9, has some incredibly disturbing visuals. Jessica Chastain stars, and Rob Savage (Host) directs. This uncanny-valley movie came late to my radar and is intriguing. Later this August, the Insidious franchise is issuing Insidious: Out of the Further. Lin Shaye returns, Leigh Whannell writes this, and it has a banger trailer. This franchise has maintained some of the scariest PG-13 fare, but the sequels have been a gradual decline in quality. We’ll see how this goes.

Beware Boiúna might give us the Anaconda movie we wish we got earlier this year, and wipe the slate clean from the Jack Black/Paul Rudd disappointment. It’s R-rated, and features reliable scream queen Jessica Rothe, along with Logan Marshall-Green and Kiana Madeira in the Amazon. The trailer impressed me with the snake’s monstrousness. Another fascinating man-vs-nature survival tale is Whalefall, a terrifying concept in which a scuba diver is in jeopardy of being consumed by a sperm whale if the giant squid the whale has snagged doesn’t kill him first.

Clayface will attempt to bridge the superhero and horror genres, which is no easy feat. Will it have enough horror for horror fans, and will it have enough fealty to the Batman universe to appeal to the comic book fans? Mike Flanagan wrote it, and it promises real R-rated body horror, so it could be very interesting. Lastly, Robert Eggers’ period piece Werwulf is getting the full Eggers treatment, in monochrome and as moody as you could possibly want. Hopefully it will get the stink of the Wolf Man out of our popcorn. Just give me a great transformation scene, please.

Keep an eye out for It Ends, a festival darling from 2025 which is finally getting a limited release this year. It is a brilliant, if melancholy purgatory metaphor. If you enjoyed Backrooms, you should check this film out if you are lucky enough to have it showing in a theater near you. Of course, some smaller films will come out of the shadows and inevitably make our end-of-the-top-10 lists, but this is what we know so far.

Here are all the movies that we have ranked ★★★ or better, so far in 2026.

It took a while, but we are back to our chronology of horror movies. We have picked up the baton and are moving our movie history lessons forward. The seventies were a turbulent period in history. The Hayes Code, now dead and defeated, is no longer. The early seventies started playing around in the margins with movies that pushed the boundaries of what was possible. The advent of the massive summer blockbuster began to separate movies into big-budget and indie-budget films, and horror was part of that trend.

Jaws (1975) and The Exorcist (1972) proved that with the right director, scary movies could bring in big money and be legitimate critical darlings as well. The doors opened for studios to pour big money into movies that would become The Omen, Alien, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Carrie, landmark movies all. Big-name actors with great pedigrees were coaxed into performing in big studio horror projects. Gregory Peck did The Omen. Faye Dunaway at the height of her career did The Eyes of Laura Mars. It wouldn’t be long before Jack Nicholson got cast in The Shining (1980), but we’ll get to that one later.

Having said all that, the studios weren’t quite all-in yet. There were a few pet projects out there. But the domain of the horror movie was still in the dilapidated old downtown movie houses and drive-in theaters. You couldn’t yet rent movies for home viewing. If you wanted to go see independent horror movies, you had to be willing to get down and dirty. The Cineplex wasn’t yet ready for showing off the gory delicacies that were being cooked up in the era when the boundaries between R and X hadn’t been settled yet.

Horror never forgot its roots. You could still make a low-budget movie, with no-name actors, scare some teenagers, and turn a profit. But a guy in a rubber suit wasn’t going to cut it anymore. Real explicit violence and raw visceral horror are now how to make a memorable mark. Following in the footsteps of Black Christmas (1972), Last House on the Left (1972), and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), the slasher film was going to find the sweet spot of low budget and mass appeal. Enter Halloween (1978). Stabbing and spooking were now moving into the suburbs. On a budget of $325,000, Halloween would go on to earn $47,160,000. On a budget of $325,000, Halloween would go on to earn $47,160,000. Hollywood noticed.

The impact of Halloween would be felt primarily in the early eighties, but a few filmmakers picked up on the trend early. The slasher films influenced directly in the wake of Halloween include: Don’t Go Into the House (1979), Silent Scream (1979), Tourist Trap (1979), Driller Killer (1979), Prom Night (1980), Maniac (1980), Friday the 13th (1980), Don’t Go into the Woods (1981), Madman (1981), Happy Birthday to Me (1981), My Bloody Valentine (1981), The Burning (1981), The House on Sorority Row (1982), and The Slumber Party Massacre (1982). All of these films featured a masked killer (usually) and some sort of stabbing weapon (usually), and oblivious teen victims (usually), with sexual activity usually as part of the equation (usually)… and a final girl (usually). That’s the modern slasher template. It didn’t take long for filmmakers to figure out the formula.

Our great directors who would lead horror for the next twenty years were in place. John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, and Wes Craven had their knives out and were ready to dominate the field. This genre still felt fresh. The sequels had yet to take control of the industry, and the concept felt raw and scary. This trend would find its killer’s stride in the 80’s, but this is when the slasher movie came out of the shadows.

While the sixties still had a safety belt on, and the eighties went for the reliable thrills, the seventies was a period that allowed directors to stretch out their ideas. The early seventies also contributed a number of strange films, but it is hard to match the back half of the seventies with the likes of The Manitou (1976), Phantasm (1979), Hausu (1977), and Eraserhead (1977), which brought wildly original concepts to the table.

Religion was a big thing too. Conventionally, there were movies like The Omen and The Exorcist that were, while very scary, using traditional good-and-evil concepts. This era also had a more counter-cultural and artistic interpretation of holy horror. God Told Me To (1976) and The Visitor (1979) were gonzo strange concepts that never found an audience, but were challenging with their takes of what celestial beings might be. What is Jesus, really? For that matter, what is God? An alien? Perhaps.

Truly strange, blasphemous stuff. Perhaps it was all the hallucinogens that were popular of the era. Cosmic horror found truth in a far-out metaphysical moment. It wouldn’t take long for the politicians and the morality police to put an end to such wild concepts. But in truth, the conservative backlash was waiting in the next decade. In the seventies, the liberal notions of acceptable content had plenty of room. That would be coming to an end soon, especially when movies could come home on cable TV and VHS.

Friend of the Podcast Ian Parker joins Eric and Mike to talk about some deep cut movies from the late seventies. We have tried to avoid the obvious stuff and to notify our audience about some curious gems that you might have missed when shuffling through your streaming options:

In a world where gas prices soar past $4.00 per gallon and groceries routinely cost more than $150 per visit, just having a job might not cut it. A minimum wage job isn’t going to pay the bills. Hell, even a white collar professional job might not cover the costs. This is an environment where a paying second side hustle may be necessary. Maybe you need to use your car to be an Uber driver. Or, perhaps you need a side marketing hustle. Perhaps you just need to hang in there a little longer with your primary job in hopes of being promoted to something greater. These are the traps that Grind examines.

This anthology is the brainchild of Brea Grant and Ed Dougherty. Dougherty is a veteran music video director, and Grant is a star actress who has transitioned into a powerhouse indie horror director. (Torn Hearts, 12 Hour Shift, Lucky) Chelsea Stardust is an emerging young director who already has a cult classic feature to her credit. (Satanic Panic) Both Stardust and Grant are featured in my 32 Important Women Horror Directors You Should Know Deadlist. The trio have tapped into something timely and resonant. Horror in the workplace never felt so present.

Here in Portland, with skyrocketing housing prices, a wavering job market, and a general economic malaise, this movie seems to have been channelled for us. Appropriately, the Portland Horror Film Festival featured Grind as one of its featured presentations.

People all over the world are waking up.

The current state of things as we see it — the average American is suffering while billionaires line their pockets, driving income inequality to a level not seen since the 18th century. Workplace safety is declining, worker exploitation is rising, and wage theft is rampant.

Things are bad but people are realizing it. The public’s approval rate of unions is higher than ever — not just in our industry but industries around the country. From hotels to coffee shops to Waffle Houses, workers are fighting for their rights– often against harsh union busting reprisals. This is a historic moment of anger and fear, and these topics are what everyone’s talking about…

…And thus it’s the perfect theme for a horror film. We want to tackle this subject in a fun, scary way that will provide a cathartic release for audiences everywhere.

This is a film for anyone who’s ever hated their job, had a bad boss, or felt taken advantage of at work. In other words, it’s a film for all of us.

GRIND is a WIP. Sound is final. VFX and color are not (which you will definitely notice).

Directed by Chelsea Stardust
Starring: Mercedes Mason as Maria, James A. Janisse as Justin

Maria is a DRGN warehouse employee who is racing through the aisles to retrieve a ring light for an expedited delivery order. Time runs out on her search, and she gets transferred to “Special Gifts.” It’s neither a gift, nor special. This is the opening wraparound connective segment for the anthology. We follow the package to the next segment…

Directed by Brea Grant
Starring: Jessika Van as Sarah, Courtney Pauroso as Molly, Hunter Smith as The Axe Man, and Barbara Crampton as The Founder

Sarah has joined La La Leggings as a downline multi level marketing (MLM) agent in an attempt to earn some extra cash, selling cheap yoga pants online. She is a lackluster sales agent, and her performance reflects it. Her upline partner, Molly notifies her the dire consequences of failing to meet her quota. Notably, one of the contractual conditions of failure is that her husband’s penis will turn into a scrub jay. Yep. Just like it says. It’s hysterical and horrifying, and it’s true! The consequences only get worse from there, and pretty soon, Molly’s reputation is affected. So, Molly comes by to help her pitch stretchy pants. Even combined, the sales are so poor that it summons the immortl Axe Man. (Clad in La La Leggings). They should have sold more leggings!

After the battle with the axe man, a doorbell rings and food has arrived! We now transfer the story from Sarah to Benny.

Directed by Brea Grant
Starring Vinny Thomas as Bennie, Gigi Saul Guerrero as Camilla, and Thor Harris as the Frightening Man

After delivering to the La La Leggings house, Bennie continues his food delivery grind. It’s a thankless job, literally, at times, because he is working for tips. And Los Angeles residents are stingy tippers. Delivery after delivery and it becomes an effort in futility. He gets a mysterious Ghost Kitchen call, where his text message directions instruct him to retrieve a manky paper bag from a locked chest for a preposterously big tip. If it seems to be too good to be true, it is. Bennie is caught in a combination deadly escape room and a time loop, where he is requested to do increasingly risky tasks. If he fails, the delivery resets. As things get weirder and weirder, Bennie has no option but to comply with the bizarre and painful requests.

As is true for most time loops, in order to close the loop, he has to satisfy the requests. He guts through the torturous pain and comes face to face with a bizarre epiphany, whereafter he continues on as a food delivery driver for one last drop… to the DRGN headquarters.

Directed by Ed Dougherty
Starring: Christopher Rodriguez Marquette as Joel, James Urbaniak as Richard, and Rob Huebel as Andy

Joel is a teacher looking for a career change, and has arrived at the DRGN headquarters to apply for a plum job. Andy, a relationships manager at DRGN tells him of the wonderful opportunities at the company. A job that starts at $175,000 and with all the benefits that a high tech job has to offer. However, there is a probationary period, that requires potential new employees to work in The Pit. Joel is skeptical about the offer, but Andy assures him that all he has to do is content moderation for Hatchbook, DRGN’s social media site.

The catch is, the content that has to be watched is some of the most vile and disturbing content on the internet. Watch enough videos, and you can get that big paycheck with the cushy benefits. How many videos? Only a mere 6,750,000. This is a staggering and emotionally taxing amount of awful content to be viewed. Joel is determined to be the rare, and perhaps only person to emerge from the Pit to get the big job upstairs. Andy will do everything to make sure that doesn’t happen. The consequences are corrosive and psychologically devastating.

Directed by Ed Dougherty
Starring: Sharlene Cruz as Kayla, Ify Nwandiwe as Todd, James A. Janisse as Justin, Aubrey Shea as Mel, James Paxton as Crowe, Teri Gamble as Clara, Rob Heubel as Andy, and Vee Nixie as Neptulia

Power to the people! The employees of a Neptulia Coffee shop are forming a union, and going on strike! No more minimum wage, lousy benefits, high job turnover, and understaffed work loads. The crew is a mixed bag of oddballs. Kayla is the committed union leader. Todd is the burly, but geeky corporate supportive shift manager. Crowe is the dimwitted activist wannabe who glues himself to the cashier counter, but now has to pee badly. This strike is doomed for failure.

Meanwhile, DRGN corporate overlord Andy has been tracking the special gift delivery destined for the coffee shop. It’s the same package from the opening wraparound. The delivery is the size of a refrigerator, and weighs a ton. Why would they receive a package from HQ? DRGN is going to bust this strike, with a stealthy option. There’s a toothy monster mermaid in that “gift”, and woe be to the would-be labor organizers. Can the gang that can’t get their act together fight off the blasphemous namesake of their shop?

Directed by Chelsea Stardust
Starring: Barbara Crampton as the Founder and Rob Heubel as Andy

In the back half wraparound, we discover that Andy and the La La Leggins founder are a married power couple, basking in their wickedness and enjoying their domain. A package has arrived at the door, though. A black box. That could only mean one thing: DRGN Gift, which is as we know now, not a good thing. But, why would DRGN turn on two of their power brokers? What could it be? The slightly damaged box suggests it might not be what they think it is…

Grind may be the best anthology I’ve seen since Southbound. The narrative threads and thematic consistency show real intent. The hilarious MLM is the foundation of the movie, as it was generated as a short film that worked the festival circuit in 2025 and was a fan favorite. I saw it at both Overlook and Portland Horror FF last year, and each time it brought the house down. Brea and Ed were able to deftly find similar work-based horror themes that resonanate with the current economic cycle. The hand-offs and transitions from segment to segment really work, and it all comes through as a singular message.

Grind’s level of craft is evidence of the growth in the emerging talents of all three directors. The trio essentially is self-funding this project without the backing of a major studio, but you wouldn’t know it from the production values. Part of this is a testament to independent film making in the 2020’s, with the availability of better equipment, but this movie also had an impressive and huge cast.

Kudos to Jessika Van, Vinny Thomas, and Christopher Rodriguez Marquette for each holding down their segments. These are veteran character actors, and it is great to see them getting to showcase their talents in each of the stories. Thier struggles feel like our struggles. In each case, equal parts frustration and determination come to the fore. I also really enjoyed Ify Nwadiwe’s take as the straight man foil for the kooky activists in Union Meeting. Getting such a big cast on a tight budget is a testament to the filmmaker’s ability to get buy-in from their actors. I hope it bodes well for all of them.

A superior anthology requires balance and cohesiveness in concept, while avoiding so much similarity that it becomes redundant. The beauty of Grind is that it strikes an entertaining tone and maintains it throughout the run of all the segments. Surely a lot of this is because the same writers are involved with all the stories, but the fresh takes that each segment has keeps it surprising. There are some tonal shifts, with two of the segments having bleak endings and two of them ending with the protagonists on top. Ultimately, this satisfies.

For a truly independent film, financed by the directors themselves, this was quite an achievement. A testament to this is the huge cast that they were able to assemble. Aside from Barbara Crampton, there aren’t any big stars in this film. The cast answered the call to good filmmakers, and it pays off. One of the notable performances is that of Vee Nixie, a thin contortionist/costume acting specialist who is becoming the female version of Doug Jones. Her portrayal of Neptulia the mermaid, scrambling around the floor in a full fish suit was truly impressive. She’s a regular fixture at Monsterpalooza, the great horror makeup convention in Los Angeles, so go find her if you are an attendee.

When Grind showed at the Portland Horror Film Festival, it was well into its festival run. There are more festivals to come, and the producers are still trying to get into more. The solid reputations of these filmmakers, plus the positive reception that they’ve been getting so far in their run means that this might end up in a festival near you. It is definitely one to catch if you see it at a late summer festival screening. The content pushes just over the R rated boundary, particularly the multitude of grisly videos shown in the Content Moderation segment. But, this movie isn’t likely to trigger anyone, and the great humor and clever stories make it a good gateway horror property.

Here’s my interview from the green room at the Hollywood theater, directly after having seen Grind at the Portland Horror Film Festival:

Think of this as mid-summer air conditioning by way of podcast. Granted, we considered this episode much earlier in the year, but with so many PHFF interviews, it got pushed further into the summer months! So, let this discussion help cool you with shivers down your spine!

Themes of isolation, where the environment itself adds to the danger of just being outside, never mind the killer or monster waiting for you out there. It’s that extra addition that makes just getting around in a horror movie difficult. Almost every variant of horror is represented with the overlay of freezing temperatures. Serial Killer / Psychopath? Check. Vampires? Multiple times. Zombies? Uh huh. Aliens and monsters? Plenty of them. It’s freezing PLUS scary antagonist.

Frozen horror is often a melancholy affair. With the exception of perhaps Werewolves Within, these movies tend to be quite serious. The colors are desaturated and high contrast. The music is often spare, with hints of wind blowing in the background. The other partner of ice-cold horror is darkness. Many times the location will be in fringe or polar latitudes, limiting the amount of daylight. Characters subjected to freezing to death are different than those burning up in the desert. This is still a constitution check, though It’s less about exhaustion and more about willpower. That, and there might be a vampire waiting for you. They seem to be OK with freezing temperatures.

Also, if you are making this a theme within your movie, you will want to have plenty of the activity outside. There are films that use bad weather to limit the locations (Think Pontypool (2008) or Climax (2018)). For this episode, we want the characters to endure the cold. Get out there! Don’t be a sissy! Just keep moving. That’ll keep you warm.

For this episode, we avoided repeating ourselves with Holiday Horror, particularly Christmas-themed horror, as we have already done that in Episode 114: Ho Ho Horror. Another similar theme, if you like this stuff, is Episode 172: Canadian Horror.

Friday the 69th is a horror parody asking: What if a failing porn studio tried to make a conventional slasher movie? Charming and silly. Not as raunchy as you might expect. This is an interview with the director, Alex Montilla and star Rob Zoppo. Part of the Portland Horror Film Festival slate of films.

Life as a short filmmaker can be an experience in the shadows. Your films are rarely seen outside of film festivals, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This is where most creative minds hone their crafts. Take a simple concept and do it well. Do you have something scary or funny to tell? Is there an idea that has been lurking in the back of your brain that you have to give life to? A short film will give you the opportunity to learn production, editing, budgeting, and team management. It also places you in a community of people who are open to sharing their work with one another. That’s where the round table fits in.

After our discussion, I told the group that, even though I wanted this discussion to be a forum for them to share their wins and losses with each other, I selfishly set up this talk so I could learn more about horror moviemaking. Nine years in on being a small horror press journalist, and I still feel like I am only scratching the surface about what a director has to do. Just how do you do it? These discussions give me more talking points and access to better questions to ask.

The Portland Horror Film Festival is one of the best curated horror film festivals in the country. Not only do Gwen and Brian Callahan select some of the best horror short films for their festivals, but they also provide opportunities for short film alumni to showcase their feature films. One of the questions I asked in our roundtable discussion was, “How many of you are looking to be feature film directors?” All of them raised their hands (with the exception of Patrick Hogan, who has already directed a feature film). For these directors, here is some encouraging data.

This year alone had FIVE directors who previously presented short films at either PHFF or the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and later had their feature films shown at these festivals.

Here is the roundtable discussion. It’s all about the lessons learned. The good, the bad, and the ridiculous. My past experience doing these round tables sometimes put the filmmakers on the spot, and I didn’t want this to be a “stump the directors” exercise. I prepared them with the following questions:

This group really got into the discussion, and had the festival not started up, we could have gone on for quite a while longer. I had a great time, and I believe they did as well.

Directed by P. Patrick Hogan
Starring Crystal Loverro
Portland Horror Film Festival: Winner of the Devil’s Discord (Best Sound Design)

A blind schoolteacher struggles to survive through a nightmarish night when an alien spaceship crashes and unleashes a monstrous predator. This unique horror short film features an all-low-vision cast and places the audience in the POV of a blind protagonist who is only able to hear what happens around her.

“Blindsided is a riveting short horror film that takes a unique narrative approach, providing audiences with an immersive glimpse into the harrowing experience of Maria, a blind woman confronting the most terrifying ordeal of her life. The horror remains unseen, both to her and the audience, heightening the suspense and reminding us that sometimes, the most terrifying things are the ones we don’t see coming…

This is an innovative short film that ventures into uncharted territory within the horror genre. The narrative unfolds in a tranquil neighborhood, abruptly disrupted by a crashing alien spacecraft and the horrifying monster it unleashes into the night. However, what sets this film apart is the unique perspective from which the story is told – the POV of Maria, a blind schoolteacher living alone. Maria’s desperate struggle to evade the otherworldly predator, guided solely by what she hears, will provide an experience unlike any other horror short.

Additionally, to promote diversity and inclusivity, in conjunction with our Disability Authenticity Consultant Vanni Le and Casting Director Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick, all the characters in the film are played by low-vision actors, placing the spotlight on the often-overlooked talent within the low-vision community.

We are very proud of Blindsided and look forward to enjoying it in theaters with an audience who doesn’t know what they are about to experience.”

Written and Directed by Trevor Graciano
Starring: Whitney Garner as “Samantha”, Cody Parr as “Greg”, and Jim Close as “The Maid”

A playful couple test their household chore habits and unknowingly summon a vengeful presence.

“We all carry habits inherited from our parents into adulthood. I grew up in a religious household where some of those habits were helpful, but many were not—and they’ve lingered in ways I don’t welcome. Some habits fade with time, while others remain, quietly shaping us in the background.

This film explores the struggle to break free from those ingrained patterns, and the imaginative consequences of what happens when they refuse to let go.

*It’s really just about how to load the communal dishwasher correctly.”

Directed by PJ Germain
Written by Autumn Palen and PJ Germain
Starring: Brady Gentry, Benjamin Nowak, Bix Krieger, Charlie N. Townsend, Cailyn Rice, Ethan Ahn, Emma Smith Watts, and Erin Rae Kykendall

HIGH SCHOOL REALLY SUCKS… and no one knows that better than best friends Aaron and Keith. So when they set out to crash the last graduation party of the summer, emotions fly high, and the culture clash of teenagers finds them playing a simple game that has dire consequences.

“Before he passed, screenwriter Gil Dennis told me during my time at AFI, “Write what hurts.” That idea has stayed with me; it’s the compass I use when choosing the stories I want to tell.

When I first read Autumn Palen’s original draft of Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done, it hurt. It transported me back to moments in my own adolescence; memories filled with shame, ridicule, and isolation. But what floored me was its third-act twist. It was something I’d never felt so viscerally in a short script. I knew I had to direct it.

What began as a contained character piece evolved into something more personal. I rewrote the script to reflect my own lived experiences, with every character, every event drawn from real moments that left a mark. I wanted to take a character that I felt so intertwined with, and make him someone that the audience would really relate to before reaching the moment where everything changes; the blood-drenched punchline to the twisted joke these high school kids played on each other. I set it during the 90’s, as it was a period of transition for me as an 80’s kid, being on the cusp of the old and new world.

I needed the film to be an exploration of adolescent loneliness which dealt with the complexity of the friendships and social hierarchies that often defined who we were at that fragile age. We weren’t quite kids anymore, but we weren’t adults yet either, so how did we approach the consequences of reckless behavior?

My team and I knew that casting would make or break the film. To capture that truth, casting was everything. I reviewed over 6,000 submissions, narrowing it down to a callback of who I thought could embody the characters. I needed authenticity, so at that callback, I ditched the script and asked actors, in character, to describe moments like first dates or getting asked to prom. It revealed who leaped from the page and became real.

A week before we were to start shooting, my original cinematographer had to back out due to a conflict with the TV series he was currently shooting, and months of planning began to crumble. In the days leading up to whether or not we were going to cancel the project entirely, my long-time collaborator and cinematographer Jeff Billings took on the task. We shot the film over 3 tireless days, and as any director knows, you plan as much as you can; however, the plan eventually goes out the window. So I played a game of pivoting and being malleable myself in order to get what we needed to tell the story.

The film is a testament to all the parts working together for a singular goal, and my hope is that when that first music cue drops, the audience is strapped in and ready to ride the roller coaster to that final frame.”

Written and Directed by Brady Cates
Starring: Halima Kamara as “Michelle”, Collan Simmons as “Felix, and Ron Laprecht
Edited by Luke Oleen Junk, and Hayley Frederick

Michelle is caught in a killer’s sadistic and carefully orchestrated game. With danger closing in at every turn, Michelle must outwit and outlast her relentless pursuer. But as the night goes on, unsettling clues reveal that all may not be what it seems.

This time, it’s the mouse’s turn to catch the cat.

Written and Directed by Casey de Fremery
Starring: Olivia Rose Prince as “Sidney”, Ryan Romine as “Mason”, and Julia Linger as “Commercial Model”
Portland Horror Film Festival: Funny Bone Award for Exceptional Horror Comedy

A woman tries to escape a serial killer using DIY videos, but the internet won’t stop trying to sell her things first.

“My Severed Arm is a horror-comedy about a “final girl” who, after fleeing into a cabin in the woods, discovers that her greatest threat isn’t the machete-wielding slasher outside—it’s the barrage of unskippable ads and paywalls blocking her access to life-saving information. Trapped, bleeding, and desperate to repair the tools around her, she turns to YouTube—but instead of help, she’s ambushed by holographic tutorials and polished commercial spokespeople invading the cabin like digital ghosts.

The film began with a thought I couldn’t shake: what if you had to listen to ads when calling 911? It was a joke at first, but one that felt eerily plausible five minutes into the future. I’ve learned so many practical things through platforms like YouTube, but over time, that access has been buried beneath monetization schemes, misinformation, and endless self-promotional detours. This story is my response to that frustration—exaggerated into a literal life-or-death scenario.

Stylistically, I wanted to evoke the stark, grim energy of Evil Dead or Cabin in the Woods, but undercut it with the absurdity of consumer culture leaking into every moment. That blend of horror and comedy, physical space and digital intrusion, is what drives the tone.

At its core, My Severed Arm is about survival—both in the horror-movie and digital sense. It’s about what happens when urgency meets algorithm, when access to knowledge is shaped by incentive structures that don’t care if you bleed out. The film asks: what good is information if it’s hidden behind paywalls, pop-ups, and promo codes?

But more than anything, I want the audience to laugh, cringe, and feel that creeping recognition that this isn’t the future – it’s the now.”

Directed by Mackenzie Hamilton and Taylor Fuchs
Written by Mackenzie Hamilton
Starring: Sarah Rich as “Quinn”, Ariana Raygoza as “Rosa”, and Nick Dietrich

Tree planters Quinn and Rosa return to camp for another summer in the wilderness. Rosa is newly sober, and Quinn is quietly anxious about how she’ll handle the camp’s hard-partying culture. At the welcome-back party, Rosa is tempted to drink, prompting Quinn to intervene. Shaken, Rosa heads into the forest to clear her head, but doesn’t come back.

When Quinn goes after her, she’s met with eerie signs: strange noises, a mangled deer, and an odd light deep in the woods. As the forest closes in, Quinn questions if there is something else out there.

The woods have always haunted me. Growing up in rural Vancouver Island, I would often cut through forest trails to reach friends’ houses. When it was night, we would meet in the middle of the trail to keep each other safe. Thankfully, we always found each other, but I frequently wondered what if we didn’t? What if something else was out there, waiting in the darkness of the woods?

Into the Stand is inspired by the many times I scared myself on those trails, letting my imagination run wild. Now that I’m older, my fears are centered around more tangible things, like navigating how to let go of people you love when you can’t control what they’re going through. This story is deeply informed by themes of sobriety, codependency, and how the urge to help someone can sometimes lead you somewhere dark.

Ultimately, Into the Stand is a fun horror made in the community I grew up in with friends who helped bring it to life. My husband and I co-directed this short film, transforming the woods on my parents’ farm into a tree-planting camp, and had a blast turning a familiar place into something eerie and cinematic. It’s a scary film that is personal and full of heart, and I’m overjoyed to be telling stories in the places that shaped me.

–Mackenzie Hamilton and Taylor Fuchs

Nurture

Written and Directed by Nick Snyder
Produced by Sam Snyder
Starring: Travis Bilenski as “Ren, and Kailey Rhodes as “Rose”
Portland Horror Film Festival: Winner – Goule D’or Best Short

On a remote Oregon farm, a couple grieving from a miscarriage finds hope in a mysterious flower. But as it heals her, the flower takes root in him. Nurture is a dialogue-free folk-horror fable about love, grief, and the consequences of taking too much from nature.

NURTURE marks my return to narrative filmmaking after years of honing my craft in visual effects, motion design, and commercial work. Inspired by the Pacific Northwest and the quiet mythology of its forests, this dialogue-free folk horror short explores grief through the lens of a nature curse. Where grief deepens love and a curse demands sacrifice, NURTURE examines the dangerous hope that something broken can be restored without cost.

There were 48 short films shown at the Festival, selected from over 500 submissions. Here are a few notable and favorite films that were also showing at the festival.

Directed by Rosita Lama Muvdi
Written by Jordan Monaghan
Starring Jordan Monaghan

“A young woman desperate for social media fame exploits her father’s death to go viral. But the volatile world of internet stardom pushes her to the edge.”

Punchy and poignant. Famous taps into the darkest desires of influencers desperate to get likes. Just how far will you go for a few more “likes and subscribes”?

Written and Directed by Nicolas Lobato and Tiago Tuchu
Starring Richard Abelha, Giselle Batista, and Sai

“A student from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro joins the local drug militia to pay for college and uncovers an NGO linked to powerful politicians that hides dark rituals devoted to the King in Yellow.”

I won’t be surprised if this stunning short film also plays at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. It is saturated in Brazilian culture, mixed with a heavy application of Cosmic Horror.

Written and Directed by Alexandra Hayden
Starring Kevin Grady, Sawyer Fuller, and Bries Vannon

“A dissatisfied woman confronts repressed feelings of malaise after her partner comes home smelling like milk.”

Hysterically gag-inducingly funny! There is a double-punchline gag that brought the house down. Part of the Shorts Gone Wild block at PHFF, where the festival screens the zaniest submitted shorts. This did not disappoint.

Directed by Jude Madonna
Written by Katie Small
Starring Katie Small, Jude Madonna, Brook Hogan, and Tommy Harden
Portland Horror Film Festival Winner: Abby Normal Award: For the exceptionally weird and disturbing

“Lucy is a people-pleasing writer-photographer whose dream of being an artist remains just out of reach. A comment from her boyfriend about her teeth triggers Lucy to make an appointment for a dental checkup for the first time in years with the mysterious yet heavily advertised Big Smiles Dentistry.”

Super clever! There should be more horror movies about trips to the dentist. This made my toes curl and had me in stitches, as well.

Directed by Chris McInroy
Written by Chris McInroy and Carlos La Rotta
Starring Carlos LaRotta, Kim Lowery, and Chloe McInroy

“Carl just wanted to sit down. The chair had other plans.”

I am always a fan of Chris McInroy. He and Carlos do a crazy short film every year. I am in awe of how these guys make deadpan, silly, and super-gory original content. It won’t be long before they release a greatest-hits compilation, and I will be in line to buy it. This spoof on Ikea furniture assembly is a tribute to all of us who have struggled to assemble the Scandinavian furniture at home.

Directed by Kelsey Bollig and Matthew DuVall
Written by Matthew DuVall
Starring: Alex Pena as “Manny”, Siya Maleki as “Diego”, Jack Campbell as “Don Rob”, Michael Manzako as “The Boy”, and Alex Bankler as the Utah Raptor.
Portland Horror Film Festival Winner: Tompe L’oiel Award for Best Special Effects

In the unforgiving wilderness of 1850s Alta California, a dwindling group of gold prospectors encounters a feral boy who forces the men to confront the horrors lurking in the woods and the sins of their past.

This combines two of my favorite genres: Dinosaurs and Westerns. Perhaps not done since The Valley of Gwanji, The Bones Exists shows plenty of raptors hunting cowboys and does so convincingly. Bonus points for showing the most current understanding of raptors as feathered dinos. Munch Munch!

Written and Directed by Raphaël Treiner
Starring Eléonore Gurrey as “Marianne” and Christophe Ntakabenura as “Ben”

Abominable plumbing and violent deaths. MARIANNE, extremely pregnant, and BEN, a plumber and one-night stand, team up to survive an epic night and face the monsters of a building beset by an unknown evil.

I am a sucker for the Trapped in a Bathroom trope, even going so far as to host a Crypticon horror panel on the topic. This film goes to the top (plumbing) shelf. This is Cosmic horror that brings all the icky, goopy, nasty elements you might expect from this theme is on full display. To think that an effective little romance element managed to sneak into the plot, and you have something unusually effective. I love it when the French go weird.

This is an interview of the director of Dracula: The Night Around Us, following its world premiere at the Portland Horror Film Festival. This is a tight, focused film that concentrates on Dr. Seward, Mina, Renfield, and Lucy. Dracula is a looming presence, but us utilized here as a threat rather than the key character. You won't see an arrogant Count, taunting and regally imposing himself on the village folk. This is a modern tale, with strong psychological horror components. Listen, and learn!