Katee Sackhoff and Lucy Boynton go up against Javier Botet in Caradog W. James’ Don’t Knock Twice, a film that cements the trend of witch films hitting theaters and VOD over the past year. It provides an interesting series of scares and a healthy dose of atmosphere along with great performances from its leads for a satisfying and creepy tale worth seeking out. The Grue-Crew review the film and reveal their favorite scenes as they struggle with some of the film’s missteps along the way.

Keanu Reeves doesn’t get enough love. His films, while some are iconic, often get dumped upon mightily. However, John Wick (2014) surprised most everyone with an exceptional action film. This week, the Grue-Crew creep outside the horror box to take a look at the extraordinarily violent – and often gory – sequel John Wick Chapter 2. Reeves cements John Wick as a character that rivals Neo and Johnny Utah as one of his best onscreen characters. And the rest of the film lives up to his lead. Awesome!

Dave guides the Horror News of the Week with the announcement that David Gordon Green and Danny McBride will handle the next Halloween movie – with John Carpenter’s blessing – and B-movie nonsense has never been as bizarre as Zombie Cats from Mars. Oh, my! As the year begins, HNR sets its eyes on a number of horror film festivals to attend throughout the year. Up first is Nevermore Horror Film Festival in Durham, NC on February 24 – 26, 2017.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher and Thomas Mariani are back again this week to give you the best in horror as they recap, review and obliterate all that is horror this week! Oh, and don’t forget – Stump the Saint! (Brought to you by Gruesome Magazine)

Horror News Radio
Episode 202 – Don’t Knock Twice (2017) – John Wick Chapter 2 (2017)
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Feature Review: Don’t Knock Twice (2017)

Witches: cant’ live with ’em; can’t live without ’em. Or, well, maybe you can, but the horror genre is, as of late, far better with them in its cinematic arsenal. Don’t Knock Twice is another film in that sub-genre and another film that deserves a far better release than straight to VOD. While not entirely successful (for most of the HNR Grue-Crew), the film does provide terrific atmospher and thrilling chills and scares. To the film’s credit, it ends on a terrific shocker that elevates the film above many of the films of similar tone and story. Full of surprises, great performances, and creepy tone, Don’t Knock Twice is a solid entry for 2017.

What Have You Been Watching: John Wick Chapter 2 (2017)

“Somebody, please, get this man…a gun!” Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King decides to aid Keanu Reeve’s John Wick as he faces every hit-man in New York. The action is incredible, the violence is poetic, and the film is never shy to splatter blood about, liberally. While not technically a horror film in any sense of the word, John Wick Chapter 2 certainly appeals to horror film aficionado’s sense of cinematic joy. This film delivers straight up action and mayhem and should not be missed.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• [00:00:41]: Intro
• [00:03:31]: Horror News of the week
  • [00:03:49]: Halloween by David Gordon Green and Danny McBride
  • [00:11:44]: It Comes At Night debuts a tricky trailer
  • [00:15:33]: Darren Lynn Bousman’s new movie is St. Agatha
  • [00:17:39]: The Quake is going to rock your world
  • [00:20:39]: Zombie Cats from Mars, too insane for words
• [00:25:03]: Support HNR
• [00:25:33]: Feature Review – Don’t Knock Twice
• [00:59:14]: Announcements
  • [00:59:18]: Gruesome Magazine is coming
  • [00:59:45]: Gruesome Magazine Yearbook is coming, too
  • [01:00:13]: HNR is heading to Nevermore Film Festival in Durham, NC
  • [01:01:11]: Other Convention Appearances throughout 2017
    • Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival – 5/19-22, Chareston, SC
    • Genre Blast – 9/8-10, Winchester, VA
    • Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival – 9/22-23, Greensboro, NC
    • Monsterama – 9/29-10/1, Atlanta, GA
    • Nightmares Horror Film Festival – 10/19-22, Columbus, OH
    • New York City Horror Film Festival – 10/26-29, NYC, NY
    • DRAGON CON – 9/1-4, Atlanta, GA
• [01:04:03]: What Have You Been Watching – John Wick Chapter 2
• [01:41:21]: Stump The Saint (w/ Prize from Horror Pack)
• [01:49:39]: Listener Feedback

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

A Cure for Wellness – The Great Wall 

GRUESOME LINKS

• Dragon Con
• Patreon
• Gruesome Tees
• Horror Pack
• Days of the Dead (Atlanta, GA – February 3-5, 2017)
• Nevermore Film Festival (Durham, NC – February 24-26, 2017)
• Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival (Charleston, SC – May 19-22, 2017)
• Nightmares Horror Films Festival (Columbus, OH – October 19-22, 2017)

Gruesome Magazine Spring 2017 is coming! That’s right, the very first issue of an all-new horror magazine from the Grue-Crew behind Horror News Radio and Gruesome Magazine website will land late February 2017. The tag line “Horror Festival Hits – Independent Films – The Future of Horror” reflects the focus of the magazine on the up’n’coming horror film makers and their films in Horror Film Festivals across the globe. Check out the GM page for more details.