Welcome back to Creepy Catalog’s daily horror digest! Today we have some fun trivia and interesting news about Halloween Horror Nights, but we start with a new body horror movie that started streaming just this week.
Movie of the Day
Today’s movie is Else, a French/Belgian body horror movie. The story focuses on a slightly neurotic man named Anx, and a carefree woman named Cass. When we meet them, they’re in the middle of an awkward tryst that seems to suggest that Anx is much more into Cass (so to speak) than she is into him. However, Cass keeps showing up at Anx’s apartment, even when news of a mysterious illness gets increasingly dire.
It’s not long before the couple get trapped in his apartment by a virus that causes people and objects to merge into each other. It’s a disease (if you can call it that) which passes from person to person through staring into each other’s eyes. If you look at someone, really look at them, for more than a glance, then you’re at risk of losing yourself to the environment around you. As in, if you stay still for too long, whatever you’re touching becomes a part of your body, and you become part of it. This leads to some uniquely interesting survival-horror scenarios that tread the line between silly and unsettling.
I wanted to enjoy Else more than I actually did. The cinematography is consistently great, and many of the visuals are hauntingly beautiful. There are also a good amount of practical effects which add to the movie’s visual impact (there is also CGI which seems to include fractals and possibly some AI). But I never really connected with the story or the overall allegory. That’s a personal preference thing, and I might feel differently if I watched it again while in a different mood. It’s definitively a movie about mood. It’s arthouse horror, which is going to be hit or miss for wider audiences. For me it was a slight miss. Else is streaming as a digital rental on platforms including Prime Video, and it’s on Fandor.
In the News
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort will include a Terrifier haunted house featuring Art the Clown. You can see the video teaser above, and you can look at everything they have planned so far on the Halloween Horror Nights web site.
The feature directorial debut of Tina Romero, the daughter of George A. Romero, has been acquired by Independent Film Company and Shudder. The movie is titled Queens of the Dead, and it is a horror comedy co-written by Erin Judge. It is said to be a tribute to George Romero’s zombie films, but with a “contemporary and queer twist.” (Deadline)
M. Night Shyamalan’s next movie, Remain, has added Ashley Walters, Julie Hagery, Jay O. Sanders, and Tracy Ifeachor to the cast. Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor have already been announced for the movie. The film is going to be a supernatural romantic thriller, and it is currently scheduled for an October 26, 2026 release. (Deadline)
In more casting news, The Backrooms has added Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, and Avan Jogia to its cast. The movie is inspired by the viral YouTube videos of the same title. (Variety)
Birthdays
Celebrating a birthday today is Stephen Lang, born July 11th, 1952. Stephen’s acting resume is extensive, and his most prominent roles in horror movies include VFW (2019) and both Don’t Breathe movies (2016 & 2021).
Also born today, in 1943, is Tom Holland, the director of horror classics including Fright Night (1985) and Child’s Play (1988).
Blu Hunt, born July 11th, 1995, started her professional acting career in television, but her first feature film was the superhero horror movie The New Mutants (2020) as Dani Moonstar. She also starred in the supernatural dating horror movie The Dead Thing which was released earlier this year.
Last but not least, Craig Charles was born on this day in 1964. Craig is best known as Dave Lister in the long-running British sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf, which just so happens to be one of my favorite shows of all time. Red Dwarf has a few episodes that could be considered horror, but he was also in the cult-classic TV movie Ghostwatch. He played himself as one of the hosts on location at the haunted house being investigated.
Events on This Day
On July 11, 1999, Curse of the Blair Witch aired on the Sci-Fi Channel. It was an hour-long (44 minutes minus commercials) pseudo-documentary that gives a lot of background information on Mike, Josh, and Heather, as well as the legend of the Blair Witch. It came out about three weeks before The Blair Witch Project was released in theaters, and it was incredibly effective in continuing the idea that the movie documents real events (there were also missing posters, a web site, etc.). You can watch Curse of the Blair Witch on Tubi.
Also on July 11th, in 1995, Darkman II: The Return of Durant was released on VHS. It’s definitely a step down from Sam Raimi’s original movie, but as a direct-to-video sequel, it’s decently fun. Darkman II is available to rent on Prime Video.
In France on July 11, 2001, Trouble Every Day was released in theaters. As one of the prime examples of the New French Extremity movement of the late 90s and into the 2000s, Trouble Every Day is a must-watch for fans of extreme cinema. You can stream it on Shudder.
Also, released in Japanese theaters on this day in 1992 was Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki. It’s a standalone sequel. And really, it’s a sequel in name only. The story is a bit difficult to describe in a sentence or two, but it involves a serial killer, a weird love triangle, and a fair amount of dream logic. It’s a good time. Evil Dead Trap 2 is streaming on Prime Video.
Thanks for reading!
