Horror Highlights: THE HAUNTED SEASON, SURVIVE, THE RITUAL, THE DEMONATRIX

SEVERIN LAUNCHES NEW SEASONAL GHOST STORY SERIES ON SHUDDER THIS DECEMBER: “From boutique label Severin Films and renowned author, producer and filmmaker Kier-La Janisse (Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, House of Psychotic Women) comes new annual series The Haunted Season.

Created by Janisse and executive produced by Severin Films, new episodes of The Haunted Season will arrive on Shudder each December with chilling short form horror tales in the tradition of telling ghost stories for Christmas. Future episodes will be announced each year as the holiday season approaches.

The first of these original commissioned productions comes from director Sean Hogan (director of The Devil’s Business, and author of England’s Screaming and its sequel Twilight’s Last Screaming), called To Fire You Come at Last.

In 17th century England, near a rural village where unquiet spirits gather, a grieving Squire hires three local men to help carry his son’s coffin to a graveyard across the countryside. But as darkness descends upon their journey, disturbing secrets will be revealed. Violence will rise to the surface. And as the hellhounds of local lore howl in the night, this quartet of the damned will discover a realm of supernatural terror that not even dawn – or death – can readily contain.

Mark Carlisle, Harry Roebuck, Richard Rowden, Stephen Smith and James Swanton star in this “chilling” (Nigtmarish Conjurings), “intense” (Bloody Flicks) and “satisfyingly wicked” (Horror Fuel) shocker written and directed by Sean Hogan (The Devil’s Business, The Borderlands) produced by Severin Films and hailed by Starburst as “a great addition to the pantheon of British folk horror.”

To Fire You Come At Last is also available on the recent All The Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium Of Folk Horror Volume Two box set with special features released by Severin Films in the U.S. and Canada.

Volume Two brings together 24 films representing 18 countries for more of the best-loved, rarely seen, thought-lost and brand-new classics of folk horror, most making their disc debuts including the North American Disc Premiere of the Severin Films Original Production To Fire You Come At Last directed by Sean Hogan.”

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Watch the Trailer for SURVIVE: “In SURVIVE, Julia and her loving husband celebrate their son’s birthday on their boat in the middle of the ocean. When a violent storm nearly capsizes them, the family awakes in a desert land. Earth has undergone a tragic polarity reversal, draining water from the oceans. The family must race to safety before the water returns all while battling hungry creatures from the abyss that hunt for fresh flesh.”

Hitting theaters and digital / on-demand on January 10th from Samuel Goldwyn Films, the film stars Émilie Dequenne, Andreas Pietschmann, Lisa Delamar, and Lucas Ebel.

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XYZ FILMS SETS APRIL 2025 RELEASE OF AL PACINO, DAN STEVENS EXORCISM HORROR “THE RITUAL”: “XYZ Films has set Easter weekend April 18th, 2025 for the US theatrical release of the exorcism horror film The Ritual, starring Academy Award-winner Al Pacino (The Godfather trilogy) and Dan Stevens (Abigail), and directed by David Midell. Ashley Greene and Abigail Cowen round out the cast. The film was acquired by XYZ earlier this year just prior to Cannes, and has also sold out multiple, major international territories.

Based on true events, The Ritual follows two priests – one questioning his faith (Stevens) and one reckoning with a troubled past (Pacino) – who must put aside their differences to save a possessed young woman through a difficult and dangerous series of exorcisms. The film is an authentic portrayal of Emma Schmidt, an American woman whose demonic possession culminated in harrowing exorcisms. Her case remains the most thoroughly documented exorcism in American history.

The film was written by Midell and Enrico Natale, and produced by Andrew Stevens, Mitchell Welch and Natale.

“David Midell’s grounded aesthetic is terrifying, authentic and leaves you incredibly uneasy that these events actually happened” say XYZ’s partners. XYZ has recently signed David Midell to its management division.

New sales and production titles from the XYZ Films studio include The Trip starring Jason Segel, Samara Weaving, Juliette Lewis and Timothy Olyphant, which is currently in production; 2024 TIFF Platform title Daniela Forever directed by Nacho Vigalondo and starring Henry Golding and Beatrice Grannó, Full Throttle Mindset starring Josh Duhamel and Lukas Gage, Flesh of the Gods, directed by Panos Cosmatos and starring Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac, He Bled Neon with Joe Cole and Rita Ora, Kill Me with Allison Williams and Charlie Day, Free Fall starring Zachary Levi and directed by Zoë Bell, Sundance title Skywalkers: A Love Story, which sold to Netflix, Blackberry starring Gotham and Independent Spirit-award nominee Glenn Howerton, which was released by IFC Films, Ash starring Eiza González and Aaron Paul and directed by Flying Lotus, and the Netflix Original Havoc, directed by Gareth Evans and starring Tom Hardy and Forrest Whitaker. “

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THE DEMONATRIX: “Written and directed by Jeff Ferrell (Holiday Hell, Dead West) & gothic musician and icon Aurelio Voltaire, The Demonatrix tells the story of a dominatrix (V/H/S’s Hannah Fierman) who inadvertently summons an incubus demon (Skinny Puppy’s Nivek Ogre) during a seance, and joins forces with a priest (Voltaire) to send it back to hell. The film also stars horror icons Doug Bradley (Hellraiser) and Larry Fessenden (Jakob’s Wife.) It features practical creature effects by Norman Cabrera (Hellboy 1&2, Cabin in the Woods.)”