(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“In a near-future world, a lonely, physically challenged man purchases a companion robot to escape his isolation, but his own insecurities and a jealous brother threaten his chances of ever finding love.”
 
I’ve written many, many times on SciFiHistory.Net regarding how much I personally enjoy stories involving humans and synthetic people interacting.
 
Though a great many readers firmly believe I’m talking about 1984’s The Terminator – which is a very good film – that Cameron vehicle is a bit too overly invested in menacing robotics to truly tickle my fancy.  Instead, I much more prefer things like the AMC and BBC co-production of Humans (2015-2018) and even its Swedish original Real Humans (2012-2014).  Not to be left out, Russian television also got into the act with a bit more melodramatic and somewhat more salacious incarnation – Better Than Us (2018-2019) – that also showed what life between man, woman, and the average artificial person might look like.
 
Because I’ve seen so many of these series and movies, I can say with great assurance that 2025’s Personhood (aka The Perfect Lover) really isn’t breaking any significant new ground.  While it’s well-written and pretty well-acted, it’s still little more than a modern day variety on the original “boy meets girl” formula.  What it does insert a bit new to the recipe is it focuses on a main character – Waylen (as played by Elliot Harris) – whose lifelong spinal condition has given him a decidedly different exterior: somewhat hunched and awkwardly shaped (again, owed to the actor’s curved spine from what I’ve read), he’s a far cry from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and much closer to Victor Hugo’s Quasimodo.  Most definitely, he not the usual romantic lead, and that is compelling.  Mind you: both the man and this character are perfectly capable of living a full life in spite of the obstacles presented to him, but there’s no escaping the reality that some might at first glance consider him more of a work-in-progress as opposed to work-of-art.
 
Longing to make some kind of connection, Waylen purchases Gala (a stunning Agathe Levi), the dream woman embodiment that’s culturally been at the forefront for decades.  She’s blonde, perfectly fit, knows how to fill out whatever she slips into, and programmed to fulfill whatever wish he desires.  Still, Waylen – whose job appears to be remotely working in computer coding – struggles with identity issues not long after she shows up literally on his doorstep: he can’t relate to someone so perfect, and he’s at a loss to know how to communicate with something he initially views as a well-designed machine.  After he inadvertently ‘damages’ her briefly when he poses too complex a psychological construct for her to compute, Waylen slowly lets his guard down and begins to develop an attachment everyone knows will grow more than physical.  It does; and the two find a measure of happiness, though reality almost always has such promise fleeting.
 
It’s once Waylen’s abusive younger brother gets introduced into the mix – Anders (Alan Emrys) – that things begin to spiral.  Initially, the younger man is attracted to Gala, so much so that he starts hinting to Waylen and her that he’d like to spend more time together.  It’s innocuous at first, but that appears to be because he’s entirely unaware that Gala is a robot.  (Waylen and she agreed in advance to keep her manufacture a secret.)  Eventually, he stumbles onto the truth; and his fascination instead turns away from the sexual and grows even more destructively intimate … by wishing to destroy the healthy relationship those two share out of what looks to be nothing more than jealousy.
 
Curiously, writer/director Richard Jordan can’t quite stick the landing, and I can’t help but wonder if that was by design.
 
While he’s crafted an effort solid at putting all of these various plotlines into motion, his last reel grows a bit confusing, uneven, and rushed.  Rather than have our script’s villain carry out a step-by-step plan to divide and conquer the lovebirds, there’s a wayward swimming pool accident that instead allows the angry young man to carry out a scheme that would both grant Gala her own measure of independence and presumably turn her away from Waylen.  For no reason whatsoever given, Waylen cosmically predicts something like this is afoot; so he rushes home from his hospital bed and (a bit too conveniently) arrives just in time to see his worst fears being set into motion.  Then, Jordan has the feuding brothers reconcile (in a matter of seconds?) just outside the bedroom whilst Gala’s consciousness is being refit by Anders’ hacker/friend.
 
When everything else regarding Lover’s story was so well conceived and tightly plotted, this laziness of a hurried confrontation and the resulting coda – we learn, indeed, that Gala becomes her own woman, apparently doesn’t ‘want’ to be with Waylen, and runs off not only with his car but also his dog (???) – is a disappointment.  It smacks of invention instead of authenticity.  Instead, it almost feels like the whole tale was deliberately meant to have a vague but spiritual ending, one that could then help a speaker take meaningful questions from an inquisitive audience of a film festival.  A quick look at IMDB.com does show that Lover has performed favorably on the festival circuit (presently notching an impressive fourteen wins); while I personally have no issues with those events, it’s been my experience that the tastes of those who frequent such fare rarely agree with those of the ordinary viewing public.
 
Don’t get me wrong: because I like these kinds of films, I did enjoy a great deal of Lover.  It’s a film brilliant with subtle moments, and it’s definitely well cast and handled with surprising deft by Harris, Emrys, and Levi.  They make for a delicate ensemble, one of the best I’ve seen in an independent film in some time.  That needs to be said.
 
Still, I just didn’t care for where it ultimately arrived.
 
The Perfect Lover (aka Personhood) was produced by Lost Dog Films.  DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Vantage Films.  As for the technical specifications?  While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights-and-sounds are quite good throughout: Jordan does make pretty good use of some limited staging choices with the chosen shooting locations, so there’s something to be said for keeping it all efficient.  Lastly, if you’re looking for special features?  Sadly, this is a bare bones release, meaning that if you want to know more then you’re going to have to look elsewhere.
 
Recommended.
 
Clearly, The Perfect Lover isn’t going to be for everyone.  As a Science Fiction film, writer/director Richard Jordan really only scratches the surface of what’s possible in the relationship between man and machine, especially given the budgetary limitations.  As a Noirish Thriller, it’s likely to be weighed and measured a bit lacking in its execution owed to the fact that it never quite goes far enough substantively to make a coherent whole.  Lastly, as a drama, it kinda/sorta reaches a conclusion wherein the tale stops, and one can almost hear your college film professor as the lights come up, “OK, what did everyone think about this?”  While I found it a noble effort – chiefly because I often enjoy minimalist SciFi – I still can’t quite answer the questions and motivations regarding two of the three principle characters, leaving me a bit underwhelmed with its nebulous closing.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Vantage Films (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of The Perfect Lover (aka Personhood) (2025) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review.  Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

​-- EZ

For those of you who missed it, the traditional slasher variety of Horror films experienced a significant narrative upgrade in the 1990’s.
 
The tried-and-true formula basically dumping a bunch of rowdy and sexually-active teens in an isolated environment and watching as they vanished one-by-one at the hands (or knifepoint) of some masked villain just wasn’t ‘bringing home the bacon’ for studios any longer.  Even cornerstone franchises such as Friday The 13th and Nightmare On Elm Street were showing signs of audience fatigue, mostly because the consumer knew what was coming and they weren’t all that interested in revisiting so much of what they’d already been scared silly over.  While intelligent and more adult-themed psychological Horror continued to rack up ticket sales, the plight of the great American young person just wasn’t all that interesting … and that’s where writer Kevin Williamson entered the chat.
 
Williamson’s script for 1996’s impressive Scream cleverly incorporated all of the old establishment tropes – the obvious setting of an impending murder, the predictable victims just passing time until their onscreen deaths, etc. – but twisted up the presentation by essentially having all of players aware of their dire circumstances.  Rather than stop at presenting the cast as victims in wait, Williamson and director Wes Craven opted to make them overly aware in an almost meta sense that not only were they participating in a Horror construct but also there were things they could do that would intrinsically increase their chances for survival.  It became a means with which to both comment subversively on their predicament while also saying something about Horror as a genre; and this new additive has been credited with reinvigorating the slasher film at a time when it had fallen to the theatrical wayside.
 
Almost three decades later, late writer/director Jeffrey Primm – along with co-writer Dominic Arcelin – thought the marketplace ripe for a theatrical homage: 213 Bones – a chiller set in a college town where the signature killer likes leaving bones as a calling card to announce his or her presence – is the result.  But is it a cut above?  It’s a question that’s never an easy answer, especially when one’s dealing with the core problems of being an homage.  Too little of a good thing won’t do the trick, and too much might risk becoming a parody of what worked so well back when meta and Horror first merged.
 
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“College students are brutally murdered by a gruesomely masked attacker. It is left to Sherriff Bracco, Laurie the County Coroner and their teacher, Kelly, to find out who the real bone crunching murderer is.”
 
Generally speaking, I’m no fan of homages.
 
While my list of arguments against them would be exhaustive for a single review, I usually boil it all down to a single metric: most homages don’t stand up well entirely on their own.  By design, they require a certain degree of foreknowledge on the part of the viewer, a foundation that makes enjoyment almost entirely necessary to be ‘in’ on what the magic is.  As such, they’re risk propositions, especially for young and/or untested storytellers; and they might be avoided unless one’s willing to rest a reputation on the shoulders of those who’ve spun yarns before.
 
Now, to his credit, director Primm strays just far enough away from those 90’s inspiration to give 213 Bones a bit of its own identity.  He builds his modest killing spree around a somewhat formulaic central slayer – a predator in vividly dreadful mask – but he spends limited time in glorifying and/or exploiting the victims’ deaths to theatrical effect.  In fact, the Ugly Face Stabber – I’m really not gifted at coming up with names, folks – really has no big, signature scene – Bones has a small body count with pretty tame slashings – and that does develop a greater sense of mystery if even only by omission.  When we’re given so little to go on tactically, it’s incumbent that we keep watching, and Primm does make the affair watchable.
 
However, problems arise from the fact that, equally, there’s really nothing all that inventive, novel, or interesting about the entirety of his cast of characters.  Oh, they’re all reasonably photogenic much in the same way that those 90’s chillers made bank by casting known commodities in their various pursuits: led by a Tom Cruise looking Professor Kelly (played by Colin Egglesfield), the cadre of young and relatively irresponsible corpses-in-waiting look like fashion models each and every one, but they’re not given much beyond basic descriptions to differentiate one from another.  Yes, there’s the rough kid – Clyde (Mason Kennerly) – who suitably acts like the token rebel, and yet we don’t get to see him engaging in much rebellious behavior to really justify the evident label.  Same for the group hottie – Candice (Toni Weiss) – and the rich kid – Brent (Hunter Nance) – and the aspiring genius – Lisa (Luna Fujimoto).  Why, there’s even a token mysterious old guy in the mix – Bob (Dean Cameron) – who looks the part and yet never quite seems written to be anything greater than the façade he represents.
 
Sadly, all of these notable faces – while they might be damn good actors and actresses – are given nothing to do than serve as one piece of a fairly bland and surprisingly bloodless adventure, one that feels like it could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve been little more than a knock-off had it rolled out of production not long after 1996’s Scream all those years ago.  Void of any real flavor – i.e. the name recognition of the cast actually given some incisive dialogue and riveting scenes to align with their fictional identities – Bones feels like nothing more than … well … bones.  No flesh.  No skin.  No substance.  While everyone goes through the motions, there’s just no heart beating at the center of the mystery, and it’s this lost passion that will always make this homage less important than the film (or films) that defined a generation.
 
213 Bones (2025) was produced by Studio Dome and Northwest Package.  As for the technical specifications?  While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds are exceptional across the flick’s 85-minute run-time: the cinematography is quite good, though it couldn’t used a bit more dynamism in a few spots to help ratchet up tension.  (Thrillers of this type of usually overflowing with weird camera angles, but Bones is surprisingly reserved.)  Lastly, if you’re looking for special features?  As I viewed this one via streaming, there were none under consideration.
 
Alas, this one is only Modestly Recommended.
 
The problem with theatrical homages is that often times they’re not original enough to stand entirely on their own; and 213 Bones – while expertly assembled – lacks the necessary substance to be its own animal.  Oh, yes, the cast is fine – a bit nondescript – and the premise is workable – a tad predictable (homages often are) – but it’s almost as if director Primm had all of the right ingredients and yet ignored the fact that sometimes it’s that little something extra – that special sauce, that ancient Chinese secret – which truly brings out the flavor.  What remains is a noble effort, but it likely won’t take home the gold.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Studio Dome provided me with complimentary streaming access to 213 Bones (2025) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review.  Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

​-- EZ

As a critic, I’ve suffered the greatest pushback from readers from not hating what feature productions they find inferior.
 
Besides staying true to my motto of “it’s different strokes for different folks,” I’ve always maintained that films are made for vastly different reasons and it helps to keep that in mind when sounding off on them.  For example, A-list actors and actresses are notorious for crafting their very own vanity projects and flooding theaters with them near to every awards season, knowing full well that a majority of moviegoers will likely pass on seeing it because it smacks of an attention-grabbing vehicle and nothing else.  Eventually, you or I may catch it on screens once the hype has died down; or – more often than not – we’ll wait for it to turn up on streaming or home video so that it isn’t so big an investment.  Similarly, if you’re planning a Friday night get together with some friends, then it’s highly likely you’re going to set the mood with some visual spectacle that goes down easy, is everything but controversial, and might get the gang laughing.  I often point out that back in the 1980’s and 1990’s these pictures were exactly the kind of thing that would get rented over and over and over from the corner video store: even if you’d seen it before, another viewing could be counted on to set your gathering out on the right foot.  Think of it as ‘disposable entertainment.’
 
Media giant Charles Band and his companies of Empire Pictures and Full Moon Features specialize in exactly the style of output I’m talking about.  Generally speaking, these are low-budget B-movies – oft times something one might categorize as a lean knock-off of something that’s been done before – that rarely (if ever) graces the silver screen and instead fondly stakes out the territory of the ‘direct-to-video’ product.  Usually, they’re flavored with a bit of Horror, Comedy, and/or Science Fiction; and the effects work – while efficient – might not be the kind of thing that the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences gives out their coveted golden statues to.  Band’s flicks might be a bit quirky, and a good handful of them have achieved modest Cult status; and yet his is a name only those of us who truly, truly, truly appreciate the full variety of what’s possible in all of filmdom recognize when we hear it.
 
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Five young models go to an Airbnb in the woods for a full moon that comes once every five hundred years. What starts off as the perfect girl's trip quickly becomes a nightmare as a pack of ancient werewolves are awoken by the new moon.”
 
Over the years, I’ve cultivated a great deal of respects for films and filmmakers who know their worth.
 
This isn’t meant as a sleight in any way whatsoever.  The point I make often when discovering smaller and quieter releases that often escape coverage elsewhere on the Information Superhighway is that stories that kinda/sorta know what they are and stay true to that path are few and far between.  While everyone would love to be a part of some big budget production, the tireless work done in B-Movies, independent efforts, and beyond deserves equal praise when all of the I’s are dotted, T’s are crossed, and marks are hit.  Such is the case with director Danny Draven’s latest, Models Vs. Werewolves.  No, it’s not going to change the world, but it might definitely make its lean-and-mean 74-minutes worth living.
 
Nelly (played by Alexa Reddy) and her gal pals – all influencers and/or models – are longing for some quality decompression time and opt to escape to a rural AirBNB that has just enough creature comforts of home to make glamping endurable.  Haley (Sarah Moliski), Nikki (Hannah Hueston), Tina (Sophie Swiszcz), and Eileen (Rebecca Stoughton) are all along for the ride; and each of the ladies brings along her own package – emotional or otherwise – which helps to define what role they play in the contemporary ensemble.  While there may not be a lick of sense anywhere amongst the five, there is the shared desire to hang out, talk about boys, and have a good time.
 
But … as AirBNB’s go, this escape as managed by Judith Barnard Dixon (the great Dee Wallace in an oversized cameo-style part) does have one secret not listed on the brochure: apparently, there is a pack of werewolves that has been dining on wayward travelers to the area.  As the weekend wears on, it becomes increasingly clear that their social media smarts or an unhealthy addiction to essential oils isn’t going to be enough to save all of them, so Models Vs Werewolves unspools as a somewhat low-budget interpretation of the Agatha Christie chiller ‘And Then There Were None’ but with vastly more bloodshed.
 
Screenwriters J.P. Talbot and Hugo Velazco capably set the stage for the Horror/Comedy to work as well as it does: while the construction could’ve used a bit more depth, they clearly knew what they wanted as a foundation and largely stayed true to the course.  On the disc’s commentary track, director Draven admits that he allowed his actresses to engage in a fair amount of ad-libbing here and there; and I suspect a purveyor of as many films a year as I do might make give me the gift of pointing out a weak exchange here and there, ones that felt a bit too similar in style to what the ladies had already done (and said) before.  That’s always a risk when letting the talent run loose; and yet there’s still some obvious unabashed glee to what a few of the women accomplish in their allotted screen time.
 
Additionally, Models Vs Werewolves has a surprising amount of CGI effects work, definitely much more than I’ve seen in other releases from Full Moon Features.  Because there is a variety, there’s also a few bits which are demonstrably stronger than others; but Draven – who also handled the CGI output – manages to maintain some consistency from start to finish.  Yes, some might argue that a few sequences are unusually gruesome, all of it still feels a bit over-the-top and cartoonish, so much so that I never felt the film was anywhere near slipping into a different thematic core wherein the Horror meant anything greater than did the Comedy.  Balance matters, and I think the end result works as intended.
 
Though it’s mostly a forgettable affair (again, that’s not a complaint), the feature’s biggest downfall is that it doesn’t quite end so much as it wraps up some of the dangling plotlines.  Audiences know in this kind of storytelling not every character is going to make it out alive; and, thankfully, most of the demises are handled with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor.  (Whoever thought viewers would ever see Dee Wallace boxing a lycanthrope – the same Dee Wallace who became a werewolf in The Howling – who forced her back up against a wall?  Oh, the cinematic poetry!)  Draven’s focus never shifts from keeping things moving, and I can’t help but wonder what an additional 10 minutes (or so) of content would’ve done for the finale.  Leaving on a somewhat loose ‘punch line’ will never be as noble as typing everything up neatly in a bow; but that doesn’t always happen in the world of B-Movies as much for budgetary reasons as narrative.
 
Models Vs Werewolves (2026) was produced by ReelShort, Full Moon Empire, and Full Moon Features.  DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Full Moon Features.  As for the technical specifications?  While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds are pretty good throughout: as I said above, the CGI work is a bit silly (and unrealistically bloody) in a few spots, but it’s all meant to perhaps match the silliness of the acting.  Lastly, if you’re looking for special features?  Wow.  I was impressed to find an introduction from Charles Band along with some behind-the-scenes stuff, the original trailer, the isolated music score, and a director’s commentary.  It truly is a great package.
 
Modestly Recommended.
 
As I’ve often said, films should know their place; and the stewards who’ve been behind content for Full Moon Features for decades know exactly what I’m talking about.  In that regard, there’s absolutely nothing wrong substantively with Models Vs. Werewolves (2026) – well, nothing a big budget makeover and some script doctoring couldn’t fix – and it succeeds entirely as a reasonably spiffy, passable bit of entertaining schlock at its running time of 74 minutes.  No, it isn’t going to change the world, but this kind of fluff was never intended for such noble pursuits.  It’ll help you pass the time with a gaggle of good-looking ladies, a few good laughs, and some adequate CGI … and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Full Moon Features provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Models Vs. Werewolves (2026) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review.  Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

​-- EZ

From Google.com:

​Stuart Gordon's 2001 horror film Dagon remains a cult classic for Lovecraftian horror fans. The three most significant pieces of trivia surrounding the production include:

1. It is barely based on the short story "Dagon"
Despite being titled Dagon, the movie is almost entirely an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s famous 1936 novella, "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". The producers primarily used the title "Dagon" because they already owned the rights to it. To fit the Spanish production and filming locations, the fictional Massachusetts fishing town of Innsmouth was changed to "Imboca" (a clever linguistic nod, as "boca" means "mouth" in Spanish). [1, 2, 3]

2. A real-life gunpoint altercation inspired a famous line
During the film, the protagonist Paul Marsh famously exclaims that he needs a bigger cell phone after trying to use one as a weapon. This bizarre line was actually inspired by a terrifying real-life event experienced by the film's producer, Brian Yuzna. While driving with his wife, they were ambushed and held at gunpoint. In a panic, Yuzna's wife hit the attacker over the head with her mobile phone and yelled that she wished she had a bigger cell phone to hit him with. [4]

​3. The final role of a Spanish acting legend
​The town drunk, Ezequiel, who provides crucial exposition about the dark history of Imboca, was played by legendary Spanish actor Francisco "Paco" Rabal. Tragically, Rabal passed away in August 2001, just two months before the film made its premiere at the Sitges Film Festival. Because he struggled with the English dialogue, director Stuart Gordon deliberately left much of his heavily accented narration untouched to enhance the eerie, foreign atmosphere of the town. The film features a dedication to him right before the end credits. [1, 2, 5, 6]

[1] https://absolutehorror.fandom.com
[2] https://www.youtube.com
[3] https://tvtropes.org
[4] https://halloweenyearround.wordpress.com
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org
[6] https://moriareviews.com
[7] https://morbidlybeautiful.com
[8] https://en.namu.wiki

DEVOUR
Directed by: Scott B. Hansen (Bad Candy, Until It Hurts, The Asphalt Ballad of Lenny Disco)
Written by: Desiree Hansen (Bad Candy)
Produced by: Ryan Shelor, Desiree Hansen, Scott B. Hansen
Starring: KateLynn E. Newberry (Cape Fear, Clint Eastwood's Juror #2, Hulu's Mike), Gus Langley (Day of Reckoning), Alexandra Lucchesi (Jack Reacher 2: Never Go Back, Bad Candy), Chelsea LeSage (21st Century Demon Hunter), Gaven Wilde (The Righteous Gemstones, Halloween Kills), Heidi Shepherd (vocalist for band Butcher Babies)
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Independent
Distributor: Epic Pictures 
Run Time: 113 minutes 
​​

WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING..

Endorsed by pro wrestler/rock musician/actor Chris Jericho on his TALK IS JERICHO PODCAST

"The wildest horror film of the year" - ASYLUM HORROR

"A vampire movie for the ages soaked in buckets of blood." - CHUCK THE MOVIE GUY

"Full of monsters, tons of blood, and heads exploding!" - WITCHING HOUR PODCAST

"An epic bloodbath of monsters, magic and metal." - HALLOWEEN DAILY NEWS

"Gnarly practical effects straight out of a VHS nightmare." - SINISTER SCRIPTS PODCAST

"One of the most violent vampire movies ever." - COLBY DOES HORROR
​

WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING..

"Human’s constant tonal whiplashes create a film with which the audience never feels safe. This unease is what genre fans thrive on and with Human, Stuertz gives it to them in spades, alongside some truly stomach-turning practical effects that will leave those sensitive to bodily fluids fighting to keep their lunch down." - THE HOLLYWOOD NEWS

"Thoroughly gripping" - FILM HOUNDS

"Relentless." - STARBURST MAGAZINE

"One of the craziest films we've seen!" - FRIGHT CLUB

"This is vibrant, crazy filmmaking, creating a nocturnal adventure so unstable and hallucinatory that the viewer will struggle to pin down what is real.... This popcorn movie, though elevated as a deep look into a woman’s beleaguered interiority, also rocks ." - PROJECTED FIGURES

Los Angeles, CA, October 5, 2026--Scatena & Rosner Films (S&R Films) is proud to announce the North American release of “Marrow”, the latest horror feature from writer-director Mitch McLeod (“Silhouette”), starring Jessica Dawn Willis (“The Woman Under the Stage”, “Death 4 Dinner”) alongside legendary genre actors Danielle Harris (the “Halloween” franchise) and Michael Ironside (“Scanners”, “Total Recall”).
 
“Marrow really stood out to me because of the way it explores our obsession with true crime and how far people are willing to go in the constant chase for views, attention, and relevance”, said Zach Stampone, VP of Distribution at Scatena & Rosner Films. “It takes something deeply rooted in our culture and pulls you into a much darker and more unsettling place. There’s a confidence in the filmmaking and performances that really impressed me. You can tell this was made by a team that knew exactly what kind of film they wanted to make.”
 
Based on a series of real-life police files regarding a stalking in small-town Texas, “Marrow” follows Jamie Foster, a formerly successful vlogger who attempts to revitalize her career by inviting her stalker onto the show—knowing he may be the serial killer responsible for murdering a string of influencers. Although Jamie’s views go up, she begins to realize more than her life is at stake when the stalker’s identity—and humanity—come into question.
 
"Marrow is based on true events surrounding a stalking that occurred many years ago to somebody who meant a great deal to me,” said McLeod. “The idea has been in my head for a while, so getting to sit down with star and co-writer Jessica Dawn Willis and get the ideas on paper and bring it to life on screen has been a truly rewarding experience. I'm looking forward to finally being able to release this horrifying story to the world, and I hope it resonates with them the same way the original story did with me."
 
Alongside Willis, Harris, and Ironside, “Marrow” co-stars Matthew Tompkins (“Sicario), Ashley Spicer, Phil Harrison, Abby Joy, Rrian Rhonda, Kristin Payne, and Vanessa Sun. The film is directed by Mitch McLeod, from a script by McLeod, Jessica Dawn Willis, and co-written by novelist Preston Fassel (“Our Lady of the Inferno; Beasts of 42nd Street”). McLeod and Willis' Absentia Pictures produced alongside Tompkins and Jon Keeyes (“The Cleanup Crew”, “Becky”). 
​​

PHILADELPHIA, PA — October 02, 2026 — More than 130 years after the Borden murders shocked the nation, the story of Lizzie Borden continues to fascinate audiences — and renewed interest surrounding Netflix’s newly released Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is once again putting the infamous case at the center of popular culture.

Netflix released Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story on September 17 as the fourth installment of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Monster anthology series, starring Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden. 

For viewers searching for more Lizzie Borden stories, Breaking Glass Pictures invites horror fans to discover The Lizzie Borden Game, a supernatural horror thriller that takes the enduring legend in a very different direction.

In The Lizzie Borden Game, the legend of Lizzie Borden comes back to life when a group of friends gathers for a secluded Friendsgiving getaway and discovers an unsettling ritual known as “The Lizzie Borden Game.” What begins as a dare quickly turns deadly when the game summons Lizzie Borden’s ghost from beyond the grave. The friends must uncover the truth behind the legend and close the portal before they all get axed. 

Rather than dramatizing the historical Borden case, The Lizzie Borden Game uses Lizzie Borden’s place in American folklore as the foundation for a contemporary supernatural horror story.

“Lizzie Borden remains one of those names that immediately captures people’s attention,” said Rich Wolff of Breaking Glass Pictures. “With audiences once again talking about the case and searching for Lizzie Borden stories, this is a great moment for horror fans to discover The Lizzie Borden Game and see a completely different interpretation of the legend.”

The film is directed by Calvin Morie McCarthy and produced by Calvin Morie McCarthy, Chynna Rae Shorts and Rich Wolff. The cast includes Airisa Durand, Jason Brooks, Laura Wilson, Chynna Rae Shurts, Jessica Noel Thompson and Steve Larkin. 
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Netflix’s new series approaches Borden as a historical true-crime figure, while The Lizzie Borden Game embraces the supernatural possibilities that have grown around her name over generations. The two productions are entirely separate and unaffiliated, but the renewed cultural interest demonstrates the continuing fascination surrounding one of America’s most recognizable murder mysteries.
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About Breaking Glass Pictures:

Breaking Glass Pictures is an independent film distribution company dedicated to bringing distinctive feature films and documentaries to audiences across theatrical, digital, television and home entertainment platforms.

Important editorial note:
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The Lizzie Borden Game is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Netflix, Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, or Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. References to the Netflix series are included solely to describe the renewed public interest in Lizzie Borden.

Philadelphia, PA — October 5, 2026 — Breaking Glass Pictures will release CAMP NIGHT, a new horror-thriller from writer/director Isaiah Russell, on October 13, 2026.

Five friends from Chicago head into the woods for a weekend getaway with their coworkers. What begins as a chance to escape the everyday quickly turns terrifying when the group discovers that the legend surrounding their destination is far from a campfire story.

CAMP NIGHT combines slasher and survival-horror elements with mystery, dark comedy, action, and a story rooted in the consequences of trauma passed down through generations.

Russell says the film is designed to put its characters in an unfamiliar environment and see how they respond when survival becomes the only thing that matters. "The workplace relationships were the catalyst for everyone to agree to go to the woods for this camping trip," Russell said. "However, when they get there, they discover the boundaries of that group dynamic."

The film stars Lonnie Davis, Aniah Davis, Brendan Mertens, Casey Brockway, Dina Aldabbagh, Eric Jacobson, Gavin Zbynski, Marlissa Stalling, Heaven Williams, Kareen Noble, Lawrence Mead, and Tyra Renee.

For horror fans drawn to films like The Cabin in the Woods, Wrong Turn, The Ritual, Get Out, and Candyman, CAMP NIGHT offers a new take on the familiar “friends in the woods” setup, with a deadly legend at its center.

CAMP NIGHT releases October 13, 2026 on Amazon and Fandango, with a Tubi release coming December 10.
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"We are thrilled to bring Camp Night to horror fans this October," said Richard Wolff, CEO of Breaking Glass Pictures. "Isaiah has made a film that respects the genre's traditions while pushing them somewhere new, and with a cast and story this bold, we think it's going to find a devoted audience fast."
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About Breaking Glass Pictures:

​Founded in 2009 and based in Philadelphia, Breaking Glass Pictures is a leading independent film distribution company focused on delivering thought-provoking, inclusive, and impactful films to audiences worldwide. With a diverse catalog spanning horror, thrillers, LGBTQ+ cinema, documentaries, international films, and independent features, Breaking Glass Pictures works with visionary filmmakers to connect unique stories with audiences across theatrical, digital, and home entertainment platforms.