Not too long ago, Jay wrote a review of the 1983 film, " The Entity "- based on Frank De Felitta's book of the same name. Well, I figured that since I've read the original book, that I would review that this week... One of the things that horror stories are supposed to do is take the things we take for granted, and use them to make us wonder about how secure our lives really are... Carlotta Moran is a simple mother trying to raise her two children, and make ends meet.  A single, night of violence by an unseen assailant changes everything in Carlotta's life.  Soon, she won't know what's real, what's imaginary- where it's safe, or where it's dangerous.  Is the terror stalking her every night spawned by demonic forces... or is it something much closer to home? I'd seen the cover for this book many years ago, and was interested in that fact that it was supposed to have been based on a real case of sexual spectral assault.  At the tim...

Well come on, would yah? Given it's virtual the worst thing that could happen is a bad connection and a jump scare... In all seriousness, that's what the folks at The Dark Zone are offering us peeps who are stuck at home due to social distancing, and it could be a legitimate fun time. The Dark Zone is an online community dedicated to the paranormal, and they're launching a livestream next month inside the house that inspired The Conjuring. The Heinsen family, who are paranormal investigators, have lived in the home since last year, and promise to livestream their experiences for a week. According to the website, there will be a free preview on May 8, with the full stream beginning May 9. No word yet on how much it costs, but there's a pre-sale discount, and a portion of the proceeds go to unspecified COVID-19 charities. Here's a taste: Sounds like fun, be it spooky or otherwise. Who's into checking this out? Source: The Dark Zone

You wouldn't normally expect to see a movie that combines feral kids and ghosts, right?  Well, 2013's " Mama " is unexpected that way... Years after their disappearance, Lily and Victoria are discovered living in a supposedly haunted forest.  They are taken to live with their Uncle Lucas and their Aunt Annabel (no relation to the doll). But something has followed them from the forest... something that wants the girls back ...

The Basement's primary focus has always been horror, with other genre fair thrown in for good measure. Yes, we've started deviating into more mainstream films, video games and the like, but we're still down for a good horror movie. Some of the best horror movies are haunted-house movies. When done right, they can be a creepy and satisfying affair. Yes, the subgenera can become predictable and even trite, but, like I said, when done right...

One of Mike S's all-time favourite movies is Dementia 13, a cheaply made 1960s Roger Corman Psycho cash in written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Say that five times fast. Can't do it, can yah. The S and I discovered Dementia 13 by accident many moons ago. It was included in one of those DVD packs with something like 50 horror movies in one set, all of them older flicks in the public domain. The movie itself is a decent ghost story/slasher tale that begged for a remake to flesh out the ideas and add a bit of gore.

Ghost stories are one of the hardest things to do visually without resorting to extensive CGI or gore to bring the scares.  Finding a good, solid, suspenseful ghost movie is a challenge for someone like me. Living in an isolated manor during World War Two, the Stewarts find themselves alone and depending on each other to survive the threat of invasion.  Adding to their isolation is the affliction that affects the two children.  One day, they hire some servants... only to find that they'd brought "The Others" with them. Or maybe "The Others" were there all along already...

Ghosts, demons and cultists might not be everyone's idea of good 'ole summertime fun, but the fine folks at Wild Eye Releasing are banking that horror fans like their grue no matter the season. That's right, first-time director Brandon Scullion's Consumption is scheduled for a DVD and Digital release this July.

Several months ago, we brought to your attention a great short film called, " The Timeslip ," directed by the Chance Brothers .  Then, we offered up a bit of a tease about a screenplay for their next project " Something Like a Phenomenon " being entered into the 2012 Shriekfest competition- where it made it to the semi-finals. NOW, we're proud to bring you the first poster for this project. The story is based on the year that Harry Price - a renowned paranormal investigator , spent at Borley Rectory in 1937-1938.  Using an advertisment in " The Times " paper, he gathered fifty volunteers to conduct the investigation of place claimed to be England 's most haunted house .  Was the house truly haunted... or was Harry Price involved in an elaborate hoax? Considering the work done on " The Timeslip ," I (Mike S) for one am looking forward to seeing this movie when it's released.  Not only do I love horror, but I have an interes...

At least that's what the movie is tentatively called. Ghosts, which is from the producing trio behind Paranormal Activity , Insidious and Sinister, was formerly known as Jessebelle. But I think they should stick with Ghosts. Truth in advertising. Saw VI and Saw 3D director Kevin Greutert directs Sarah Snook , Mark Webber and Justified's Joelle Carter (pictured) in the chiller, which opens Jan 10, 2014. What's it about in a nutshell? After losing her fiance in a horrific accident, Jessabelle is forced to recuperate at her father's ruined Louisiana mansion, where she discovers a strange gift from her long-dead mother, and a terrifying presence determined to destroy her. Sounds like fun, and Lionsgate knows and respects horror. As do producers Jason Blum, Paul Young, Peter Principato. The trio has Dark Skies out later this year. More on Ghosts as it develops. Source: Bloody Disgusting Related articles Sarah Snook joins Ethan Hawke's "Daybre...

I admit, as much as I dig the Paranormal Activity franchise, I'm having a hard time getting excited for this latest entry. It's not that I don't doubt it will be good, it's just that this is part four and, well, that's about it really. The film's release is coming up awfully quick -- Oct. 19 to be exact -- and we know little about the plot. I've heard it has to do with the witches that were discovered at the end of the last installment and explains what happened to Katie and the little boy. I doubt most of the footage in the below trailer will end up in the final film because that's what Hollywood does these days. Am I getting too jaded? Paranormal Activity 4 is directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. No word yet if Katie Featherston and her boobs will make an appearance, but we can hope.

I'd be a lot more interested in the upcoming flick The Apparition if it wasn't just another PG-13 horror movie. It stars hottie Ashley Greene (above) and ghost stories can be uber scary. But it's PG-13 . . . so yawn. The two clips below do ensure I will seek it out at some point, likely after receiving a Christmas-present version. Both are effective -- and chilling -- little numbers. No more, no less. The rest of the movie could blow goats. The premise is also promising enough: a young couple (Greene and Sebastian Stan) are tormented by a supernatural presence unleashed during a college experiment. Moviegoers will decide if the movie is hit or miss when The Apparition opens on Friday. Now watch yourself some clips, bitches!

Given all the shit that's been thrown at the screen since The Amityville Horror allegedly happened in 1975 it's refreshing to see someone take a documentary approach to the subject matter. And filmmaker Eric Walter didn't just turn to anybody to feature in the film. He got Daniel Lutz, son of George and Kathleen Lutz, to recount his version of the infamous haunting that terrified his family 37 years ago. Walter promises the documentary will also reveal the horror behind growing up as part of a world famous haunting.  The Amityville Horror became a cultural phenomenon when Jay Anson published his book of the same name in 1977. The haunting, which is said to have terrorized the Lutz family for about a month, is the basis for 10 films that have released between 1979 and 2011. Most of them aren't very good, but Anson's book is decent. No word yet on a release date but, for the first time in years, I'm excited to see a new movie inspired by The Amit...

I'm having a hard time writing this review. It's not that didn't like The Pact -- because I really did. It's important to note that right out the gate. In a way, Nicholas McCarthy's tale is reminiscent of Absentia in that you go in expecting one thing, but end up with something completely different. Yet horror fans will get everything they want out from this movie. It's unsettling, atmospheric and even has a few genuine shorts shitting moments. Leading lady Caity Lotz is just awesome on the eyes and she can act. We even see Casper Van Dien get a knife to the throat (spoiler alert). This is a creepy fucking movie and McCarthy is a talented filmmaker. I think what's thrown me is that I ended up watching something a little different, and that's not what I expected. Originality is so rare in movies these days, even the ones we love to watch in The Basement. This is a Good, hands down. One of our diamonds in the rough!

The bombardment of social media might be turning us all into mindless, isolated drones, but it's also a great way to make contacts and market your films/music/podcasts etc. Case in point, the upcoming horror movie The School in the Woods. I hadn't even heard about Tony Fox's flick until he started following us on Twitter. Now I've got another film on The Basement's radar, and that makes me smile! The Alien Propaganda production follows a group of college kids who venture into the backwoods of Louisiana in search of paranormal activity at an old, abandoned school. Suffice the say, they find it . . . found-footage style. Yes, Shawn and I have pretty much had it with found-footage films, but the format is an easy and cheap way for horror filmmakers to get their projects off the ground. As long as The School in the Woods delivers, we're down. No word on a theatrical release, but the film is due to hit Amazon's Video On Demand in about a month. You can ...

I know, I know. Three posts in one day!?! Are we mad? Or drunk? Possibly drunk on power? Or liquor? Or both? Whatever the reason, I couldn't log off without sharing this preview for the latest wannabe spooky hit to surface in the wake of Paranormal Activity. I'm pretty sure The Apparition is going to suck, but it's got a nicely cut trailer and the presence of Ashley Greene -- she of the Twilight films -- which means every teenage boy and soccer dads are going to rush out and see this. Warner Bros. surely has a huge hit on its hands. The premise behind The Apparition is promising enough: a young couple (Greene and Sebastian Stan) are tormented by a supernatural presence unleashed during a college experiment. Cue mix of trendy found footage and conventional scares. I'm leering of PG-13 horror from a big Hollywood studio, but there are a few moments in the trailer below that promise a shorts shitting outcome, and a couple more that show Greene in lingerie, so I wil...

We admit it, we're pretty big fans of writer/director Christopher R. Mihm here in The Basement. No one has been able to capture on film the look, feel and corny good nature of 1950s drive-in cinema like he has.  Shawn and I featured Mihm's previous work on two editions of the show last season, and there will certainly be more to come once we return to the airwaves for season four. How do I know this is true? Because there's another Mihmverse movie due out in 2012. House of Ghosts is Mihm's first true foray into supernatural horror, and the film has storyline that would make William Castle proud. Read on:  Rich socialites Isaac and Leigh have a tradition of throwing exclusive dinner parties that include unique (and expensive) forms of entertainment. This time, they've booked a spiritual medium who promises to "open a portal to the great beyond" and allow the couple's equally eccentric guests to contact the "afterworld." But...

In some ways this is the most affective Paranormal Activity film of the bunch, with a number of good scares and clever use of special effects. There's chills aplenty and some great shorts shitting moments. I'm a bit puzzled by how it ends and how the filmmakers are going to explain the progression into the other movies, as it's a prequel to a prequel. But I guess that's what Paranormal Activity 4 is all about. Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman -- who made Catfish -- do a great job of recreating the 80s and crafting some convincing horror. That said, if you hated the other Paranormal Activity movies, you'll hate this one. I didn't, so it gets a Good!

There's something about period ghost stories that tales set in the modern era can't quite capture. The spooky corridors, the looming shadows, the creepy old buildings; these are all ingredients of the old-fashioned ghost story. The Awakening has all these things. Looking like a cross between a dozen similar films yet still feeling fresh -- at least from the trailer -- the film stars Rebecca Hall as a "ghost hunter" who travels to a countryside boarding school to investigate rumors of an apparent haunting. Just when she thinks she has debunked the ghost theory, she has a chilling spectral encounter that defies all her rational beliefs. Dominic West of The Wire ("Omar comin') also stars in director Nick Murphy's film, which hits U.K. theatres next Friday. No word on if we're getting a North American release, but The Basement's sources are actively searching out a copy.

It's hard to beat a good ghost story and, judging from the preview for writer/director Ti West's latest effort, The Innkeepers looks to deliver the goods on every level. The film, recently picked up by Magnet Releasing, is due out on VOD on Dec. 30 and hits theatres in February and we can't wait to see it. This looks like a creepy, freaky good time and West proved with House of the Devil that he knows how to scare us. "After over one hundred years of service, The Yankee Pedlar Inn is shutting its doors for good. The last remaining employees --Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy)—are determined to uncover proof of what many believe to be one of New England's most haunted hotels. As the Inn’s final days draw near, odd guests check in as the pair of minimum wage “ghost hunters” begin to experience strange and alarming events that may ultimately cause them to be mere footnotes in the hotel’s long unexplained history " Enjoy the trailer, an...

In the immortal words of Charles Cyphers, "It's Halloween. Everyone is entitled to one good scare." And we've got one of those for you right here. Matthew Solomon created and stars in Anna, a horror short shot entirely, and simultaneously in London and Los Angeles, on Skype. It's a found-footage film about a couple relocating to L.A. only to discover their apartment is already occupied. Lisa-Marie Long, Killebrew-Mason and Sadie Ella Solomon also star. And, if you'll take a gander at the nifty poster to your left, you'll notice the first endorsement from The Basement to ever appear on a movie poster! How cool is that? Very cool! Thank you Matthew. We're honoured to be a part of this special little horror film. But enough chatter. It's time to scroll down, push play, watch and enjoy! I've posted my thoughts on Anna below the embed. Anna is a creepy twist on the found-footage genre that will have you checking over your shoulder by the fi...