When someone passes in the Jewish Orthodox faith, there is a vigil. A person, known a s a shomer, stays up with the recently deceased to make sure that evil spirits or other nefarious entities stays away so the soul of those who passed may go in peace. The position in modern days is ceremonial, but what happens if demons or monsters do exist in such circumstances? The new movie, THE VIGIL, shows us what just might.Yakov Ronen (Dave Davis) is part of a support group of Jewish folk who have left the Orthodox community in New York City.  When a former member of his temple asks him to do shomer for the recently deceased Mr. Litvak, he agrees to do so for $400. However, he is introduced to the deceased widow who has dementia, who doesn’t want him there. But by the end of the night, he may have something much more worrisome to be concerned about.The film is the motion picture debut of director and screenwriter Keith Thomas. Having played festival circuits since 2019, the movie finally was released in the United States in February to much praise by critics. Dark Discussions takes a look at this supernatural thriller and gives their thoughts.

Vampires are a form of humans that have been reborn into something else. A monster. Something malevolent. But what if you aren’t fully turned yet. And you feel different. Better? Using the vampire as a metaphor isn’t anything new. So when you find a film that has this implication, how well is it done? The new film JAKOB’S WIFE (2021) is the latest in this subgenre of horror film.Anne (Barbara Crampton) is a middle aged woman married to Pastor Jakob (Larry Fessenden). Generally she’s happy but her youth seemed to have disappeared with a blink. When she become in charge of converting an old town property to something useful, a disturbing presence has taken residence within the cobwebbed structure. Soon Anne’s life is turned upside down and her community may be in danger.JAKOB’S WIFE is directed by Travis Stevens, the director of 2019’s GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR. The movie stars two modern horror legends including Barbara Crampton (RE-ANIMATOR) and actor/director Larry Fessenden (HABIT).  Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film and gives their thoughts.

Faux grindhouse films have been a new trend of films since Quentin Tarantino’s PULP FICTION back in 1994; so maybe not that “new” a trend. But generally these throwback nostalgia films are being made by 50 year olds who grew up on such films. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if they were here to stay. The latest, WILLY’S WONDERLAND (2021), arrived on VOD on February 12th, 2021. It immediately received much buzz due to it starring Nicholas Cage.When a quiet drifter (Nicholas Cage) has all four of his sport’s car’s tires destroyed from a police spike strip on a remote Nevada route, he is picked up by the local car mechanic who is willing to fix the situation. Unfortunately the local ATM and credit card machines don’t work nor does the drifter have the cash on hand to pay. So a local business man offers him to clean the local family entertainment center over night. While there, the drifter discovers that his life may be in danger.WILLY’S WONDERLAND was original set for an October 30th, 2020 theatrical Halloween release. But with COVID-19, the movie was pushed back before appearing on VOD. The film was directed by Kevin Lewis and written by G.O. Parsons. Besides Nicholas Cage, he co-stars along with Emily Tosta and Beth Grant. Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film and gives their thoughts.

In 2003, screenwriter Alan B. McElroy created a film series called Wrong Turn about a group of young people having to hike through the West Virginia woods after their cars break down. Unfortunately for them, a trio of inbred mutants hunts them down as food. With the original film’s success, five more were made as the villainous mutants returned for more death and torture. Now in 2021, a reboot written by the original screenwriter has been released.College students Jen, Darius, and their four friends head out for an outdoor adventure on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. When they decide to go view an old Civil War fort off the beaten track, disaster happens. Soon they find themselves confronted by a mysterious cult in the backwoods that they may have wronged. Lost and without gear, all their lives are turn out to be in jeopardy.Alan B. McElroy returns to the film series that he made iconic. Rebooted and with a new type of villain, his screenplay was directed by newcomer Mike P. Nelson. The film received mixed reviews but did get some early year buzz from horror fans. Dark Discussions takes a look at this new addition to a horror franchise and gives their thoughts.

Kevin James is best known for sitcom television shows. He played the “king of queens” and many other roles getting laughs out of audiences everywhere. But what happens when he plays a role that is not necessarily in his wheelhouse. What if he plays a murderer? A skinhead? A criminal and con? And sure enough, that film has arrived. BECKY, a 2020 gruesome thriller, presents him as a character that no one has ever seen him play before.Widower Jeff (Joel McHale) and young daughter, Becky (Lulu Wilson), head out to their lake home. Becky is surprised that her father’s girlfriend and son are there and that he’s planning to get married to her. Still not over her mother’s passing, she storms off to her forest fort to cool down. While there, a group of criminals barge into the lake house. They take everyone hostage and demand a lost key that they had hid on the property years earlier. Crazy violent, BECKY changes tone from a psychological thriller to a gruesome revenge movie. From a script written by Nick Morris, Lane Skye, and Ruckus Skye, the film was directed by co-directors Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion. With so many fingers in the pot so-to-speak, does the film turn into a hodge-podge mess or hold up as an engrossing horror-thriller. Your co-hosts of Dark Discussions take a look at the film and give their thoughts.

Legendary Entertainment and Warner Brothers now have four kaiju movies in their MonsterVerse franchise. Kaiju, giant monsters that rampage through cities, are once again on the big (and small screen) in 2021’s GODZILLA VS. KONG. This was a highly anticipated film where two of the most iconic monsters in movie history go head to head in a major Hollywood film.Cartographer and geologist Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) is hired by apex Cybernetics to investigate the center of the earth. When Kong is endangered from an attack from Godzilla, Monarch decides to move him to Antartica where an entrance to the earth’s innercore may exist. Soon Godzilla’s rampage back on the surface makes Lind and others wonder if there is a greater conspiracy than just angry monsters.Genre director Adam Wingard directs a film based off the screenplay by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein. The cast includes Alexander Skarsgård, Eiza Gonzalez, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, among others. Dark Discussions takes a look at this latest big monster movie and give their thoughts where it fits in the MonsterVerse as well as other recent Kaiju films such as RAMPAGE (2018).

A completely “under the radar” movie entitled THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND appeared on Netflix on March 11, 2021. The film plays out early as an environmental thriller but quickly turns into something much more. Quickly buried among Netflix’s huge catalog, co-host Eric found it and watched it “on the blind.”  When fish begin to wash ashore upon the beaches of Rhode Island’s Block Island, Audrey (Michaela McManus) is sent by the EPA to check out the circumstances. Originally an islander, she stays with her father Tom (Neville Archambault) and brother Harry (Chris Sheffield). Soon her father disappears at sea, and Harry begins to do his own investigation that may show a connection between his father’s disappearance and the animal deaths.The movie was co-written and directed by brothers Kevin and Matthew McManus. After a run at festivals (including Fantasia), the movie quickly received quality reviews from numerous outlets. THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND was even noticed by such outlets as the Austin Chronicle. Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film and are joined by actor Dan Lench to get further perspective.Films reviewed starring Dan Lench and Dan Lench Dark Discussions appearances:Episode 259 – Patient Seven – ReviewEpisode 238 – Patient Seven – InterviewEpisode 339 – The Lurking ManEpisode 209 – Circle – ReviewEpisode 221 – Circle – InterviewEpisode 358 – Dan Lench Special – Favorite Horror MoviesEpisode 453 – The Clovehitch Killer – Guest Hosting 

Brian Bertino, director and screenwriter, hit it big right out of the gate with his instant classic, 2008’s THE STRANGERS. Since then he has done a few other films, all getting fairly good reviews from critics if not favorites of viewers. But in 2020, his latest film, THE DARK AND THE WICKED, immediately gained recognition as another instant classic by many, both fans and critics alike.When a Texas family’s patriarch becomes comatose, and it appears he is going to pass, estranged adult children, Louise and Michael, decide to return to give their regards. Their mother asks them not to come, but they arrive none-the-less. When they discover that their mother’s concerns are not related to their estrangement but to something much more dark, all their lives turn upside down as an evil begins to effect each of them.Considered part of the new subgenre of elevated horror that was coined by snotty critics, the movie has received phenomenal reviews. With its mostly unknown cast, the movie uses the real life sheep farm of Brian Bertino’s family as a brilliant backdrop for its story. Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film and gives their thought.

Originally a short film by Wisconsin filmmaker Hunter Adams entitled JAKE’S CHOICE, the 2014 film DIG TWO GRAVES was an interesting take on a number of subgenres of the thriller and horror genres. Was it a ghost story? Was it a voodoo tale? Was it a cultist film? Or was it really just a thriller? Either way, the movie was did the festival circuit until it finally arrived at theaters in limited release in early March 2017.When a little girl named Jake sees her brother drown at a quarry, she blames herself for his death. As she walks home one day, a group of gypsy men make a deal with her saying they could bring her brother back if she has another lose their life in his place. Knowing the son of her father’s enemy has a crush on her, she begins to weigh if killing another would give her peace if her brother indeed returned to her.As an artwork almost all critics felt the movie was a very impressive gothic thriller. Generally the story was also enjoyed by most. With its low profile, DIG TWO GRAVES was overlooked by many on its initial release, but with a reappearance on Shudder TV, it has gained a new audience. A patreon pick for Dark Discussions, your co-hosts take a look at this very interesting film and give their thoughts.

The new 2021 horror films are now beginning to trickle out. One of them is the latest Canadian made movie THE SINNERS (2021). Originally entitled THE COLOR ROSE during its festival run, the movie has gotten first time director Courtney Paige some notice. Released only days ago, some have said the movie is a showcase for both the director and its leading actress Kaitlyn Bernard who plays Grace.Grace (Kaitlyn Bernard) and her six friends have been named the Sinners by their high school classmates because each has taken on the identity of one of the seven deadly sins. Grace, known as “lust”, decides to lead a kangaroo court against Aubrey (Brenna Llewellyn), known as “pride”, for tattle-telling on the group for improprieties. But when Aubrey goes missing, others in the group begin to turn up murdered. Is their a serial killer come to their otherwise peaceful community.Holly Amber Church, interviewed on Episode 471, who’s worked on numerous films including Open 24 Hours, was the composer to the movie. Besides Kaitlyn Bernard and Brenna Llewellyn, the cast includes Breena Coates, Keilani Elizabeth Rose, Jasmine Randhawa, Carly Fawcett, and Natalie Malaika as the other five sins. Dark Discussions takes a look at this recently released genre film.