Table of Contents
Indie horror films are numerous, but often many of these titles get overlooked or simply never acknowledged. I love the presence of horror on the big screen. The number of films from the genre opening in large and small theaters across the globe brings me a lot of joy. However, we can often forget about horror’s history. Believe it or not, Halloween (1978) was not a blockbuster film, or even a hit at first, but it eventually found a growing audience. Let’s continue to expand the horror fandom library and take a look at some upcoming indie horror releases set for June, 2023.
Peppergrass (June 16th)
During the pandemic, a pregnant restaurateur tries to rob a priceless truffle from a reclusive World War 2 veteran in a new revenge horror-thriller from award-winning filmmaking duo Steven Garbas and Chantelle Han, Peppergrass.
“Peppergrass was written to be a bit of a horror genre tour, where the protagonist, Eula, walks the viewer through a heist, survival, and revenge film. We wanted to take apart and reassemble the elements in each act to keep the story fresh and put sophisticated horror fans a little off-kilter. And we wanted to get a giant pig to climb on my car.”
Steven Garbas
Starring Han, Charles Boylan, and Michel Copeman, Peppergrass will be available on digital platforms beginning June 16, 2023, from Terror Films.
Esme, My Love (June 2nd)
SAG Nominee Audrey Grace Marshall (“The Flight Attendant”) headlines Cory Choy’s supernatural thriller Esme, My Love which has been scheduled for a digital release worldwide on June 2 via Terror Films. Stacey Weckstein also stars in the indie horror title.
When Hannah notices the symptoms of a terminal and painful illness in her aloof daughter, Esme, she decides to take her on a trip to their abandoned family farm in a desperate attempt to connect before they have to say goodbye.
“I recognize that women are underrepresented in film, both on and off-screen. And while I didn’t set out with this explicit intention, I am very proud to have made a movie exploring the relationship between parent and child that stars only women (one of whom is a little girl), was co-written and co-edited by women, with cinematography by a woman, and features a score composed by women.”
Cory Choy
Inspired by true events, the film is “rooted in a family’s history and lore”, adds Choy. “Esme, My Love explores the relationship between mother and daughter — a meditation on love, loss, family and magic”.
First Contact (June 6th)
Uncork’d Entertainment will release Wendigo and Monstrous director Bruce Wemple’s First Contact. The creature feature, which features strong practical effects and an outstanding performance by Wemple film-staple Anna Shields, premiered to raves at Panic Fest in April.
First Contact tells of two estranged adult siblings, Casey and Dan, who travel to their late scientist father’s farmhouse to make sense of his incomplete work. They soon learn that their father’s work was far more dangerous than they could ever imagine: An evil entity, buried in time and space for millions of years, has been released and has begun wreaking havoc on the locals. One by one the bodies start to pile up. Now, Dan and Casey must figure out the secrets of this extra – dimensional monster before it’s too late.
“Bruce Wemple’s latest film has it all – a strong script, incredible effects, terrific performances, and brilliant direction. After a such strong response at Panic Fest, we expect the film to do very well when we release it in June.”
Keith Leopard, President of Uncork’d Entertainment
James Liddell, Chris Cimperman, Caitlin Duffy, and Paul Kandarian also star in the pic, which Uncork’d plans to have on digital and DVD on June 6.
The Devil Comes at Night (June 6th)
The Devil Comes at Night, starring American Gods’ Adrienne Kress and Ryan Allen (In the Shadow of the Moon), releases this summer from Uncork’d Entertainment.
Ben, a washed-up boxer searching for his inheritance, must fight for his life when he is trapped in his deceased father’s farmhouse by a cannibal cult. With the help of Amy, the local librarian, he discovers the cult’s leader, Mason, has been hunting down his family for generations. And now his sights are set on Ben. Together, Ben and Amy come up with a plan to defeat the cult once and for all.
The indie horror film, also starring Jason Martorino, Elias Zarou, Shawn Ahmed, Todd Campbell, Dana Fradkin, Ty Andrassy, DL Macdonald, Jeremiah Sparks, and Julie Cohn, will release on digital and DVD on June 6.
Scream of the Wolf (June 13th)
A group of filmmakers working on a vampire movie are attacked by a lycanthrope, the period werewolf indie horror film, Scream of the Wolf, will be released on digital and DVD on June 13.
Making a vampire movie in an old, abandoned house should have been easy, but with the full moon, the nightmare begins. The body count rises as the cast & crew encounter the mansion’s resident werewolf and by daylight, only the lucky will survive. James Fleet, Jay Taylor, and Thaila Zucchi star in a film from Dominic Brunt, best known for portraying the role of Paddy Kirk in the UK soap opera Emmerdale.
The creature design on the film was created by renowned special make-up effects artist Shaune Harrison (“Game of Thrones”). A Mitchell-Brunt production, Scream of the Wolf is written by Pete Wilde and Joel Ferrari, produced by Joanne Mitchell, and exec produced by Pete Wilde.
