An all-girl heavy metal band’s worst gig just got a lot worse.

Epic Pictures and Dread are releasing *Devour* in select theaters and on digital October 13th. The supernatural horror film throws its musicians into a nightmare town controlled by a warlock and crawling with every monster imaginable.

Director Scott B. Hansen (*Bad Candy*) wrote the film with Desiree Hansen, starring KateLynn E. Newberry, Gus Langley, Alex Lucchesi, Chelsea LeSage, Gaven Wilde, and Butcher Babies vocalist Heidi Shepherd. When the band’s van breaks down and they try to help a woman in danger, they quickly realize they’re trapped. The only way out is to fight back using dark powers of their own.

What sets *Devour* apart is its commitment to practical effects. Creature designer Wayne Anderson (*Stranger Things*, *IT: Chapter One*, *Avatar: The Way of Water*) led the OX FX team in creating handcrafted creature suits, prosthetics, and animatronics. No digital shortcuts here, just old-school monster mayhem.

The film has racked up festival wins including Best Feature and Best Director at Freakshow Horror Film Festival, plus selections at Atlanta Horror Film Festival and Days of the Dead. Chris Jericho endorsed it on his *Talk Is Jericho* podcast.

For indie horror fans craving practical effects and genre chaos, *Devour* delivers exactly what Dread promised when they launched the original *Terrifier*.

A slasher film shot inside a real Alabama haunted attraction is now playing in select theaters nationwide.

“Hellbilly Hollow” opened Friday in eight cities after a packed premiere on LA’s Sunset Strip. The film is the first ever shot at the actual Hellbilly Hollow haunt in Vincent, Alabama, a venue that’s been scaring visitors for years with its haunted barn and backwoods hayride.

Director Kevin Wayne got the idea while shooting a commercial at the attraction. Instead of rebuilding it on a soundstage, they filmed on location. Every corner fans recognize from the real haunt made it into the movie.

The story follows paranormal YouTubers who show up to film the night before Halloween. They quickly learn the scares aren’t staged. Killer siblings Tickles, a disfigured clown, and Bull, his manipulative brother, are real, and they’re hunting.

The film stars Kurt Deimer and Kevin Wayne, with an original score by metal drummer Roy Mayorga. Deimer’s Bald Man Films produced alongside Todd Slater of Convoke Media. Atlas Distribution is handling the U.S. release, with Jinga Films covering international sales.

“Hellbilly Hollow” is playing in Birmingham, Cincinnati, Columbus, Jacksonville, LA, Omaha and Orlando. Regal Edwards Long Beach is hosting a public Q&A after the 7:40 p.m. screening Friday.

For indie horror filmmakers, it’s proof you can turn a regional attraction into a theatrical release.

Before Election and Sideways made him an indie darling, Alexander Payne kicked off his career with Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy that ripped into the culture wars with zero mercy. Now Film Forum is bringing back his 1996 debut in a new 4K restoration, running October 30 through November 5.

Laura Dern stars as Ruth Stoops, a drug-addicted woman with four kids already taken away by the state. When she gets pregnant again while locked up, a judge gives her an ultimatum: get an abortion or face a felony charge. What follows is a brutal tug-of-war between pro-life and pro-choice activists, both desperate to use her as a poster child for their cause. Ruth doesn’t care about either side. She just wants to survive.

The film premiered at Sundance in 1996 and introduced Payne’s signature style, sharp satire with uncomfortable truths baked in. Critics at the time loved Dern’s performance, calling her “a revelation” and “weirdly lovable” despite playing someone you probably shouldn’t root for.

Payne went on to earn an Oscar nomination for Election three years later, but Citizen Ruth remains a boldly irreverent first swing. The restoration was handled by IndieCollect, working with Criterion and Paramount. If you missed it the first time around, here’s your chance.

Paweł Pawlikowski is back with another black-and-white stunner. His new film “Fatherland” premieres October 23 at Film Forum in New York, and it’s already racking up serious attention.

The film stars Sandra Hüller (fresh off “Anatomy of a Fall”) as Erika Mann, daughter of legendary author Thomas Mann, played by Hanns Zischler. Set in 1949, they’re driving through a bombed-out Germany after years of exile in the U.S. Mann’s returned as a Nobel Prize winner with celebrity status, but the country he knew is gone. Erika’s coordinating his trip while dealing with her own family trauma, trying to break through her father’s distant facade.

Pawlikowski won Best Director at Cannes for this one. It’s also Poland’s official Oscar submission for Best International Feature. If you know his work, the pedigree checks out. “Ida” won the Oscar in 2014, and “Cold War” scored three nominations including Best Director.

The reviews are glowing. Critics are calling it “a perfectly cut jewel” and praising cinematographer Łukasz Żal’s gorgeous monochrome work. At just 82 minutes, Pawlikowski keeps it lean and devastating.

For indie cinema lovers, this is the kind of restrained, visually striking filmmaking that reminds you why arthouse matters. Film Forum’s the place to see it first.

Jordan Firstman is bringing his feature directorial debut to San Francisco before it hits theaters nationwide. SFFILM just announced a special 35mm screening of Club Kid at the Castro Theatre on November 2, with Firstman sticking around for a post-screening Q&A.

The film made waves at Cannes before A24 scooped it up. Firstman wrote, directed, and stars as Peter, a New York City club promoter whose party-heavy lifestyle gets flipped upside down when a 10-year-old son he didn’t know existed shows up at his door. The ensemble includes Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Reggie Absolom, and Colleen Camp.

“The anarchic humor, incredible ensemble, and unexpected tenderness make this a distinctive film,” said Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM’s Director of Programming. She called out the needle drops as “thrillingly precise” to the characters and story.

SFFILM Executive Director Anne Lai pointed out the fitting venue. “For decades, gathering to see movies at The Castro has been at the heart of San Francisco’s queer culture and history.”

Tickets go on sale to SFFILM members September 22 at 10 am, with general public access starting September 24. General admission is $35, members pay $30. Club Kid opens in select cities November 6.

The zombie apocalypse is back, and this time it’s going bigger.

Prime Video just dropped the teaser for Apocalypse Z: New World, the sequel to last year’s surprise international hit. The film hits the platform October 30, right in time for Halloween scares.

Director Carles Torrens returns to expand the post-apocalyptic universe, this time shifting the action to the Canary Islands, Europe’s last refuge after the TSJ virus outbreak. When a supply mission heads to the mainland, things go sideways fast. The crew gets caught between hordes of infected and their own conflicting loyalties.

The ensemble cast includes Carlos Alcaide, Julia Martínez, and Mónica López. Jose María Yazpik reprises his role as Pritchenko, and Berta Vázquez returns as Lucía. Even Pedrito the cat is back, playing fan-favorite Lúculo.

The first film became Prime Video’s most-watched international original movie, second only to Your Fault. That kind of response gave the sequel room to scale up the action and widen the scope.

Before streaming, New World gets its world premiere at Spain’s Sitges Film Festival on October 10, then screens at Screamfest in LA on October 13.

For genre filmmakers grinding away at zombie stories, this franchise proves there’s still appetite for fresh takes on the undead, especially when you lean into character-driven survival drama.