The Dinner Party
DVD | Digital
Directed by Miles Doleac
Written by Miles Doleac & Michael Donovan Horn
Starring Bill Sage, Lindsay Anne Williams, Jeremy London, Mike Mayhall, Alli Hart, Sawandhi Wilson, Ritchie Montgomery
Studio: Uncork’d Entertainment
Not Rated | Run Time: 115 minutes
Release date: June 9, 2020 (Digital/On Demand/DVD)

Plenty of horror movies in recent memory have used the “dinner party” as a plot device to mixed results, and Miles Doleac’s The Dinner Party does bear some resemblance to contemporary horror films like The Invitation and Would You Rather, but that’s only in the set up. After that the film follows with a beautifully shot, super gory, cannibal cult movie with a highly intellectual script, great soundtrack, and slick sense of humor.

Jeff (Mike Mayhall) and his wife Haley (Alli Hart) arrive at a beautiful mansion for the titular event, Jeff hoping to get his latest play produced by their wealthy hosts. Jeff wants things to go perfectly and that means Haley better behave. It’s clear from the onset Jeff is psychologically abusive, and we learn through a series of flashbacks that Haley has a very dark and troublesome past. They are greeted at the door by the obnoxiously playful Sebastian (Sawandhi Wilson) and we soon meet the dinner table of guests including Sadie (Lindsay Anne Williams), Carmine (Bill Sage), who is both a doctor and chef, famous author Agatha (Kamille McGuin), and Vincent (Doleac).

In 2018, a Kickstarter campaign was launched to crowdsource for an all-encompassing documentary about 80’s horror and the fruits of that venture were born with David Weiner’s In Search of Darkness: A Journey into Iconic 80’s Horror. The over-4 hour documentary paid loving tribute to horror’s gaudiest decade and had dozens of 80’s horror legends as contributors. Now Weiner is back to explore another glorious section of 80’s filmdom… science fiction. On Tuesday, April 21st, a kickstarter was launched for In Search of Tomorrow: The Definitive ’80s Sci-Fi Documentary. The film is Executive Produced again by Creator VC and their CEO Robin Block.

Horror is best when shared with friends and there is no better way to enjoy horror with friends than with The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs on Shudder. Back in 2018, a supposed one-time-only return for Joe Bob literally crashed the internet. Soon he was back for a few specials, before The Last Drive-In officially returned last year, a Friday night double feature of horror, complete with Joe Bob’s usually insightful and hilarious commentary, special guests, and of course Darcy the Mailgirl. Perhaps there is no better time, since we all quarantined away due to COVID-19, for Joe Bob to return and save us from the monotony of social distancing, remote learning, and zoom meetings. The Last Drive In’s second season begins this Friday night, April 24th on Shudder.

Felissa Rose has endeared herself to horror fans for nearly 40 years. The New York-born star was just 13 when she got her first role as a shy teen, turned killer in the now iconic Sleepaway Camp (1983). That role, as well as the film’s infamous ending (no spoilers), has stayed with her, launching a career in horror that has garnered nearly 120 roles on IMDb as well as recurring role as “Mangled Dick Expert” on Shudder’s The Last Drive In starring Joe Bob Briggs. Rose makes countless appearances at horror conventions throughout the country, and speaking from experience, there is no one more genuine and pleasant with guests. It was my pleasure to speak with her via telephone last week to discuss her career, current films, and the uncertainty of life in a true horror landscape.

Check out the full interview below.

Shudder Presents: Cursed Films Episode 4 & 5 – The Crow & Twilight Zone: The Movie

Shudder’s new documentary series Cursed Films came to a conclusion this Thursday with two episodes surrounding movies that are notorious more for tragedy than for supernatural cursing. Those films are 1994’s The Crow and 1983’s Twilight Zone: The Movie. As he did with the Poltergeist episode, series creator Jay Cheel interviews people who were on set and worked with actors who died during production of the films. Their stories are harrowing and devastating and make the series a necessity for any horror film fan or cinephile in general. Here’s hoping for a season two.