Described by Wicked Horror as the most “intelligently conceived take on queer horror…to date,” Spiral stars Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and Ari Cohen as a couple who move to a small town in an effort to find a better quality of life for themselves and their 16-year-old daughter. But despite a nice welcome from the neighbors, nothing is what it seems and sinister forces gather against the two men. Kurtis David Harder directs this genre exploration of societal rejection, ostracization and hate (this is not related, by the way, to the Saw spin-off/sequel still awaiting release).
No Escape aka Follow Me (UK)
Available on VOD and in theaters in the US on September 18
A social media star (Keegan Allen) and his friends head to Moscow for their latest online stunt, but soon find themselves the victims of grisly, livestreamed tortures inside a hidden chamber of horrors. We detect whiffs of Saw, Hostel and, yes, Escape Room here. Oddly enough, director Will Wernick made a movie called Escape Room in 2017 — not to be confused with the 2019 horror hit of the same name. This one sounds like it’s for fans of watching loud, obnoxious young people die in painful agony.
Alone
Available on VOD and in theaters in the US on September 18
John Hyams (who helmed the last two Universal Soldier movies and is the son of 2010 director Peter Hyams) directs this thriller starring Jules Willcox (Netflix’s Bloodline). The latter plays Jessica, a grief-stricken widow who leaves the city and heads into the countryside to cope with the loss of her husband. But things take a turn for the worse when she is kidnapped and locked in a cabin in the Pacific Northwest by a mysterious man, who pursues her after she escapes into the wilderness. We’re sure there’s a twist or two in there somewhere to keep viewers on their toes…
