You should know the drill by now, but here’s a reminder if you don’t know the routine. In something that may turn into an annual tradition, if the deal extends, that is, Blumhouse Productions is back with its anthology horror series, “Welcome To The Blumhouse,” a collaboration with Amazon Studios. Known for its modestly budgeted but often very successful horror movies, “Welcome To The Blumhouse” so far has given a lot of voice and opportunity to persons of color and female filmmakers. They’re telling horror stories, but they’re often letting them be told in Black, Brown, Latinx, and Asian communities from filmmakers from those backgrounds.
This new round of “Welcome To The Blumhouse” films, four of them coming next month, starting on October 1, seems to follow the same dictum. Highlights include Adriana Barraza (“Babel“) starring in Gigi Saul Guerrero’s wild-sounding “Bingo Hell,” icon Barbara Hershey starring in “The Manor,” “Black As Night” about vampires in the black community, and “Madres” which stars up-and-coming actor Tenoch Huerta (“Narcos: Mexico”), who could be a breakout star when he appears in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” next year. Two films debut on October 1, and then two more on October 8. Details and trailers for all four films are below.
“Bingo Hell“
Release Date: October 1, 2021 (Prime Video)
When a sinister figure threatens the residents of a low-income community, a feisty senior citizen tries to stop him in Bingo Hell, a wickedly original horror movie with a fiendishly funny twist. After 60-something neighborhood activist Lupita (Adriana Barraza) discovers that her beloved local bingo hall has been taken over by a mysterious businessman named Mr. Big (Richard Brake), she rallies her elderly friends to fight back against the enigmatic entrepreneur. But when her longtime neighbors begin turning up dead under grisly circumstances, Lupita suddenly discovers that gentrification is the least of her problems. Something terrifying has made itself at home in the quiet barrio of Oak Springs, and with each new cry of “Bingo!” another victim falls prey to its diabolical presence. As the cash prizes increase and the body count steadily rises, Lupita must face the frightening realization that this game is truly winner-takes-all.
Directed by: Gigi Saul Guerrero
Written by: Shane McKenzie, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Perry Blackshear
Starring: Adriana Barraza, L. Scott Caldwell, Richard Brake, and Joshua Caleb Johnson
Executive Produced by: Jason Blum, Lisa Bruce, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman, Raynor Shimabukuro
“Black As Night”
Release Date: October 1, 2021 (Prime Video)
A resourceful teenage girl leaves childhood behind when she battles a group of deadly vampires in Black as Night, an action-horror hybrid with a strong social conscience and a biting sense of humor. Fifteen years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, a new threat leaves its mark on the Big Easy in the form of puncture wounds on the throats of the city’s vulnerable displaced population. When her drug-addicted mom becomes the latest victim of the undead, 15-year old Shawna (Asjha Cooper) vows to even the score. Along with three trusted friends, Shawna hatches a bold plan to infiltrate the vampire’s mansion in the historic French Quarter, destroy their leader, and turn his fanged disciples back to their human form. But killing monsters is no easy task, and soon Shawna and her crew find themselves caught in a centuries-old conflict between warring vampire factions, each fighting to claim New Orleans as their permanent home.
Directed by: Maritte Lee Go
Written by: Sherman Payne
Starring: Asjha Cooper, Fabrizio Guido, Mason Beauchamp, Abbie Gayle with Craig Tate and Keith David
Executive Produced by: Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman, Lisa Bruce, Maggie Malina, and Guy Stodel
“Madres”
Release Date: October 8, 2021 (Prime Video)
Beto (Tenoch Huerta) and Diana (Ariana Guerra), a young Mexican-American couple expecting their first child, move to a small town in 1970’s California, where Beto has been offered a job managing a farm. Isolated from the community and plagued by confusing nightmares, Diana explores the rundown company ranch where they reside, finding a grisly talisman and a box containing the belongings of the previous residents. Her discoveries will lead her to a truth that is much stranger and more terrifying than she could have imagined.
Directed by: Ryan Zarazoga
Written by: Marcella Ochoa & Mario Miscione
Starring: Tenoch Huerta, Ariana Guerra, Evelyn Gonzalez, Kerry Cahill, and Elpidia Carrillo
Executive Produced by: Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman, Lisa Bruce, Sanjay Sharma, and Matthew Myers
“The Manor”
Release Date: October 8, 2021 (Prime Video)
A malevolent force preys upon the residents of a sleepy nursing home in The Manor, a gothic tale of terror with a modern twist. When a mild stroke diminishes her ability to care for herself, Judith Albright (Barbara Hershey) moves to Golden Sun Manor, an assisted living facility with a sterling reputation. But despite the best efforts of the staff and a budding friendship with fellow senior Roland (Bruce Davison), strange occurrences and nightmarish visions convince Judith that a sinister presence is haunting the massive estate. As residents begin to die mysteriously, Judith’s frantic warnings are dismissed as fantasy. Even her devoted grandson Josh (Nicholas Alexander) thinks her fears result from dementia, not demons. With no one willing to believe her, Judith must either escape the confines of the manor or fall victim to the evil that dwells within it.
Written and Directed by: Axelle Carolyn
Starring: Barbara Hershey, Bruce Davison, Nicholas Alexander, Jill Larsen, Fran Bennett, and Katie Amanda Keane
Executive Produced by: Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman, Lisa Bruce, Sandy King, and Richard J Bosner