Another Sundance Film Festival kicks off tomorrow, bringing a new slate of genre discoveries. While the buzziest horror titles, like A24’s Opus, have already caught the attention of horror fans, Sundance excels at introducing emerging filmmakers and thrilling feature debuts.

Other anticipated horror premieres from the upcoming slate of programming includes Alison Brie and Dave Franco‘s co-dependency horror movie Together, and SpectreVision’s Celtic Faerie horror Rabbit Trap starring Dev Patel. But it’s only the start of the horror we can’t wait to check out at this year’s fest.

This year’s Sundance features horror across all categories, ensuring a robust lineup of genre titles. Here are five we absolutely can’t wait to see.

Dead Lover

Dead Lover, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

The latest by Booger filmmaker Grace Glowicki once again sees the rising indie talent pulling triple duty as writer, director, and star. Expect things to get weird when a lonely gravedigger meets the man of her dreams, only for her match to meet a tragic demise soon after. But this gravedigger isn’t ready to give up on love so quickly, kickstarting a wave of wild and morbid experiments to resurrect her man. If only things were that easy. Glowicki previously delivered a captivating performance and a distinct visual voice with Booger, which is enough to put Dead Lover on our must-list.

Didn’t Die

Didn’t Die, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

A tenacious, snarky podcaster desperately tries to build an ever-shrinking audience amidst the zombie apocalypse in director Meera Menon’s Didn’t Die. An homage to George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead in style and maverick filmmaking, don’t expect a straightforward zombie outbreak here. Instead, Menon captures the anxieties and the mundanity of trying to find normalcy in a world that offers anything but. With an endlessly charming lead performance by Kiran Deol, this poignant slice of life offers a dramedy for the horror fan.

Touch Me

Touch Me, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Writer/Director Addison Heimann’s follow-up to his feature debut, Hypochondriac, continues his exploration of mental health in a distinctly unique way. Touch Me follows two codependent best friends with deep-seated traumas that only fuel their unhealthy behavior. That becomes amplified to a dizzying degree when they become addicted to the euphoric touch of an alien narcissist who may or may not be trying to take over the world. Heimann draws inspiration from retro Japanese cinema, sure to make for a quirky, campy sophomore effort that defies easy categorization.

The Ugly Stepsister

The Ugly Stepsister, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Emilie Blichfeldt’s new take on Cinderella harkens back to the classic fairy tale’s violent roots as it reframes the story from the perspective of stepsister Elvira. Beauty is a brutal business in this Norwegian period horror movie, and the battle for the Prince’s affection leads to gruesome body horror that’s grotesquely medieval. Stunning production design, graphic close-ups of bodily harm, and a wicked sense of humor make this horror fairy tale a must. Even better? Shudder has already acquired The Ugly Stepsister for a 2025 release.

The Virgin of Quarry Lake

The Virgin of Quarry Lake, dark folklore and adolescent angst that pushes simmering self-empowerment to its boiling point.

The first adaptation of celebrated author Mariana Enríquez’s unsettling short stories is already enough to have our attention, but the fest’s description promises an intense feature that places a coming-of-age tale amidst socio-economical unrest. Expect a genre-bender that marries dark folklore with teen angst that feels destined to devastate.

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The feature directorial debut of Auden Bui is developing and taking shape, with Deadline reporting that production on psychological thriller Kodak SuperXX is set to kick off this year.

David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil) and Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) have signed on to star in the film, tonally compared to Nightcrawler.

Deadline details, “the indie is set against an atmospheric Los Angeles and follows Linh (Tran), a quiet woman whose solitary life revolves around her work as a darkroom developer at one of the city’s last boutique photo labs. Her quiet existence takes a paranoid turn when she becomes entangled with a mysterious stranger, whose photographs reveal a dark secret.”

Dastmalchian, as you might have guessed, will be co-starring as that mysterious stranger.

Director Auden Bui said in a statement shared by Deadline this afternoon, “I’m excited to embark on this journey with Kelly and David to create a film that aims to provoke, challenge and hopefully leave audiences both uncomfortable and turned on.”

Tony Rettenmaier (They Cloned Tyrone) wrote the screenplay for Kodak SuperXX.

David Dastmalchian and Jen Iacobino will produce for Good Fiend Films.

Kelly Marie Tran in ‘The Last Jedi’

The post ‘Kodak SuperXX’ – David Dastmalchian & Kelly Marie Tran Join Photo Lab Horror Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This year’s SXSW Film Festival (March 7-15, 2025), taking place in Austin, TX, has unveiled its lineup this afternoon and it’s another insanely packed year for horror premieres.

While the Midnighter section is dedicated to the genre lovers, SXSW 2025 has filled its Headliner section and beyond with buzzy, highly anticipated titles including Flying Lotus‘s sci-fi horror movie Ash, Christopher Landon‘s ode to Brian De Palma in Drop, and A24’s Death of a Unicorn. Also look for Clown in a Cornfield, the film adaptation of Adam Cesare’s YA slasher novel.

Read on for the genre titles included in SXSW 2025’s lineup, and stay tuned for additional programming announcements.

HEADLINER
Big names, big talent featuring red carpet premieres and gala film events with major and rising names in cinema.

Ash
Director: Flying Lotus, Producers: Nate Bolotin, Matthew Metcalfe, Screenwriter: Jonni Remmler
A woman wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station viciously killed. Her investigation into what happened sets in motion a terrifying chain of events. Cast: Eiza González, Aaron Paul, Flying Lotus, Iko Uwais, Kate Elliott, Beulah Koale (World Premiere)

Death of a Unicorn
Director/Screenwriter: Alex Scharfman, Producers: Drew Houpt, Lucas Joaquin, Alex Scharfman, Lars Knudsen, Tyler Campellone, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page
A father and daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties. Cast: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani, Jessica Hynes (World Premiere)

Drop
Director: Christopher Landon, Producers: Jason Blum, Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, Cameron Fuller, Screenwriters: Jillian Jacobs, Chris Roach
A widowed mother, on her first date in years, arrives at an upscale restaurant where she meets her handsome date. But their chemistry curdles as she begins being irritated and then terrorized by a series of anonymous drops to her phone. Cast: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson, Ed Weeks (World Premiere)

Holland
Director: Mimi Cave, Producers: Kate Churchill, Peter Dealbert, Nicole Kidman, Per Saari, Screenwriter: Andrew Sodroski
In this unpredictable thriller, Nancy is a teacher whose life with her husband in Holland, Michigan, tumbles into a twisted tale when she and her colleague become suspicious of a secret. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Macfadyen, Jude Hill, Gael García Bernal (World Premiere)

MIDNIGHTER
Exciting after-dark features for genre lovers and the terminally curious.

Descendent
Director/Screenwriter: Peter Cilella, Producers: David Lawson Jr., Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Caleb Ward
After a traumatic brain injury triggers terrifying visions of extraterrestrials and a newfound talent for drawing, a father-to-be begins to question his reality and becomes obsessed with the need to protect his family from an unseen threat. Cast: Ross Marquand, Sarah Bolger, Susan Wilder, Charlene Amoia, Dan O’Brien, Brandon Scott, Alexandra Barreto, Alex Ruiz, Clare Cooney, Emily Pendergast (World Premiere)

Good Boy
Director: Ben Leonberg, Producers: Kari Fischer, Ben Leonberg, Screenwriters: Alex Cannon, Ben Leonberg
Do you ever wonder why your dog stares at empty corners, barks for no reason, or refuses to go into the basement? Good Boy is the story of a dog who sees everything that goes bump in the night. No talking pets, just terrifying scares. Cast: Indy, Shane Jensen, Larry Fessenden, Arielle Friedman, Stuart Rudin, Anya Krawcheck, Max (World Premiere)

Photo credit: Julie Vrabelova

Hallow Road (Czechia, Ireland, United Kingdom)
Director: Babak Anvari, Producers: Lucan Toh, Ian Henry, Richard Bolger, Screenwriter: William Gillies
Two parents enter a race against time when they receive a distressing late-night phone call from their daughter after she caused a tragic car accident. Cast: Rosamund Pike, Matthew Rhys, Megan McDonnell (World Premiere)

The Home (Estonia, Iceland, Sweden)
Director: Mattias J Skoglund, Producer: Siri Hjorton Wagner, Screenwriter: Mattias J Skoglund, Mats Strandberg
Joel reluctantly returns to his childhood town to help his mother Monika move into a home for people with dementia after she suffers a stroke. She is unrecognizable and Joel becomes convinced that something has followed her back from the other side. Cast: Philip Oros, Anki Lidén, Gizem Erdogan, Malin Levanon, Peter Jankert, Lottie Ejenbrant, Ayan Ahmed, Bengt CW Carlsson (World Premiere)

New Jack Fury
Director/Screenwriter: Lanfia Wal, Producers: Van White, Mariah Morgenstern, Denaun Porter, Lanfia Wal, Akino Childrey
After his girlfriend is kidnapped by a ruthless kingpin, a former cop must seek the help of two unlawful R&B eccentrics to help save her. Cast: Andre Hall, Page Kennedy, Dean “Michael Trapson” Morrow, Paul Wheeler, Ally Renee, Shawn Nathan, Wrekless Watson, Ace Vane, James Markham Hall, Jr., Vincent M. Ward (World Premiere)

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (Canada)
Director: Matt Johnson, Producers: Matthew Miller, Matt Greyson, Screenwriters: Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol
Matt and Jay try to get a show at the Rivoli. Cast: Cast: Jay McCarrol, Matt Johnson (World Premiere)

Redux Redux
Directors/Screenwriters: Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus, Producers: Michael J. McGarry, Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus, Nate Cormier, PJ McCabe
In an attempt to avenge her daughter’s death, Irene Kelly travels through parallel universes, killing her daughter’s murderer over and over again. She grows addicted to the revenge streak, putting her own humanity in jeopardy. Cast: Michaela McManus, Stella Marcus, Jeremy Holm, Jim Cummings, Grace Van Dien, Taylor Misiak, Dendrie Taylor (World Premiere)

The Surrender
Director/Screenwriter: Julia Max, Producers: Mia Chang, Lovell Holder, Julia Max, Ian McDonald, Robert J. Ulrich
When the family patriarch dies, a grieving mother and daughter risk their lives to perform a brutal resurrection ritual that will bring him back from the dead. Cast: Colby Minifie, Kate Burton, Neil Sandilands, Vaughn Armstrong, Mia Ellis, Pete Ploszek, Chelsea Alden, Alaina Pollack, Riley Rose Critchlow, Lola Prince Kelly (World Premiere)

NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
Unforgettable features receiving their World, North American, or U.S. premieres.

Photo credit Bernard Walsh

The Astronaut
Director/Screenwriter: Jess Varley, Producers: Brad Fuller, Eric B. Fleischman, Chris Abernathy, Cameron Fuller
An astronaut believes something extraterrestrial has followed her back to Earth. Cast: Kate Mara, Laurence Fishburne, Gabriel Luna, Ivana Milicevic, Macy Gray (World Premiere)

Clown in a Cornfield
Director: Eli Craig, Producers: Marty Bowen, John Fischer, Wyck Godfrey, Screenwriters: Carter Blanchard, Adam Cesare, Eli Craig
A fading midwestern town in which Frendo the clown, a symbol of bygone success, reemerges as a terrifying scourge. Cast: Katie Douglas, Will Sasso, Cassandra Potenza, Aaron Abrams, Carson MacCormac, Verity Marks, Dylan McEwan, Daina Leitold, Vincent Muller, Kaitlyn Bacon (World Premiere)

The post ‘Death of a Unicorn’, ‘Ash’, and ‘Drop’ to Headline SXSW 2025’s Packed Horror Lineup appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

You never know what movie could be your last.

Shot on an iPhone 12 Pro, Movie Theater Massacre will be released on Digital on February 4 via Cranked Up Films.

In the slasher comedy, a group of employees are working their last week at a movie theater that’s going out of business when a mysterious figure begins to murder people.

Scream queen Linnea Quigley (The Return of the Living Dead, Silent Night, Deadly Night) appears in the film with Jalen Wilson-Nelem, Adam DeFilippi, LeJon Woods, Caitlin Cavannaugh, and Jessie Carl.

The indie film marks the feature directional debut of Ian Courtney, who also served as writer, cinematographer, editor, and producer.

Enjoy the show with the trailer and poster below.

The post Slasher Comedy ‘Movie Theater Massacre’ with Linnea Quigley Was Shot on an iPhone appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As a fresh reminder, there are two different Popeye horror movies headed our way, one of which is titled Popeye’s Revenge. The other one is titled Popeye the Slayer Man, exploring an alternate backstory for the legendary sailor, and Deadline brings us an update this afternoon.

Deadline details in today’s report, “A North American theatrical release is being lined up for Spring 2025 via Vantage Media.” Additionally, the outlet notes, “VMI Worldwide has boarded worldwide sales on horror Popeye the Slayer Man, which will have its world premiere screening in the market at next month’s EFM in Berlin.”

In Popeye the Slayer Man, “a group of friends sneak into an abandoned spinach canning factory to film a documentary on the legend of the “Sailor Man,” who is said to haunt the factory.”

“Popeye the Slayer Man’s dark reimagining of the classic Popeye character not only delivers a fresh take on a beloved icon but also showcases its thrilling storytelling and bold visual style. We’re thrilled to bring this unique and exciting film to EFM, offering buyers something truly unexpected and unforgettable,” said Jessica Russo, COO, Productions and Acquisitions at VMI.

Popeye the Slayer Man stars Sean Michael Conway, Elena Juliano, Mabel Thomas, Marie-Louise Boisnier, Jeff Thomas, and Steven McCormack, along with Angela Relucio (Code Black, The Cabining) and Sarah Nicklin (Nun of That, The Black Mass).

Jason Stephens plays the title role of the murderous Popeye. Robert Michael Ryan (Ouija Witch) directs the film from a screenplay by John Doolan (Remains).

“We went old-school with this movie, using practical effects for the horror,” Ryan teases. “We wanted the film to have a more visceral feel reminiscent of the classic horror films of the ‘80s.”

Watch the previously released Red Band trailer for the Popeye horror movie below.

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