gytrash

Recently, independent journalist and author Michael Shellenberger published an article on his subscription news site, Public, alleging that a new, unnamed government whistleblower had come forward.

The whistleblower asserts that a highly classified program exists dedicated to unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), including the potential recovery and reverse-engineering of UAP technologies.

This isn’t the first time a former or current government official has made similar claims.

In 2023, The Debrief was the first media outlet to report that David Grusch, a former Air Force officer and intelligence specialist with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), had filed an official complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) alleging a DoD cover-up of UAP information and the recovery of alien technologies.

According to Grusch, the U.S. government has recovered several vehicles “of exotic origin—attributed to non-human intelligence, whether extraterrestrial or otherwise unknown—based on their unique vehicle morphologies, material science analyses, and distinctive atomic arrangements and radiological signatures.”

Grusch later reiterated these claims under oath in testimony before the Congressional Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs.

However, in Shellenberger’s recent article, the purported whistleblower went a step further, revealing the name of a highly secretive Pentagon “Unacknowledged Special Access Program” (USAP) codenamed “IMMACULATE CONSTELLATION.” Reportedly, this program involves investigating, recovering, and attempting reverse engineering of alien technologies.

While interesting, in the grand scheme of things, this new whistleblower’s claims leave us in a familiar situation—a fascinating story that is nearly impossible to verify. However, this doesn’t mean the underlying theme of these whistleblower claims isn’t worth exploring.

Severin Films is prepping a second boxed Blu-ray Disc set of international horror classics for Nov. 12 release.

The 13-disc All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror, Volume 2 is a followup to the 15-disc original, which Severin says is the most successful boxed set in the company’s history.

Volume 2 includes 24 folk horror films from 18 countries, with more than 55 hours of special features — including trailers, interviews, audio commentaries, short films, video essays, historical analyses and bonus feature-length films — and a 252-page hardcover book of folk horror fiction by such luminaries as Ramsey Campbell, Cassandra Khaw and Eden Royce.

Many of the films have never before been available on disc. The set also includes two new Severin Films original productions: To Fire You Come at Last, directed by Sean Hogan, and the documentary Suzzana: The Queen of Black Magic, directed by Severin Films cofounder David Gregory, which will have its world premiere at the Sitges Film Festival on Oct. 12...

The films include:

• To Fire You Come at Last (Sean Hogan, UK/US, 2023)

• Psychomania (Don Sharp, UK, 1973)

• The Enchanted (Carter Lord, US, 1984)

• Who Fears the Devil (John Newland, US, 1972)

• The White Reindeer (Erik Blomberg, Finland, 1952)

• Edge of the Knife (Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown, Canada, 2018)

• Born of Fire (Jamil Dehlavi, UK, 1987)

• IO Island (Kim Ki-young, South Korea, 1977)

• Scales (Shahad Ameen, Saudi Arabia, 2019)

• Bakeno: A Vengeful Spirit (Yoshihiro Ishikawa, Japan, 1968)

• Nang Nak (Nonzee Nimibutr, Thailand, 1999)

• Sundelbolong (Sisworo Gautama Putra, Indonesia, 1981)

• Suzzana: The Queen of Black Magic (David Gregory, US, 2024)

• Beauty and the Beast (Juraj Herz, Czechoslovakia, 1978)

• The Ninth Heart (Juraj Herz, Czechoslovakia, 1979)

• Demon (Marcin Wrona, Poland, 2015)

• November (Rainer Sarnet, Estonia/Poland/Netherlands, 2017)

• Litan (Jean-Pierre Mocky, France, 1982)

• Blood Tea and Red String (Christiane Cegavske, US, 2006)

• Nazareno Cruz and the Wolf (Leonardo Favio, Argentina, 1975)

• Akelarre (Pedro Olea, Spain, 1984)

• From the Old Earth (Wil Aaron, Wales, 1981)

• The City of the Dead (John Llewellyn Moxey, UK, 1960)

• The Rites of May (Mike De Leon, Philippines, 1976)

AMC’s genre streamer Shudder has picked up North American, U.K., Irish, Australian and New Zealand rights to “Fréwaka,” billed as the first Irish-language horror.

Written and directed by Aislinn Clarke and starring Clare Monnelly, Bríd Ní Neachtain and Aleksandra Bystrzhitskaya, the film — which features both the Irish and English language — recently world premiered at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival, and will have its U.K. premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, 2024. “Fréwaka” will debut on Shudder in 2025.

“Fréwaka” following home care worker Shoo, who is sent to a remote village to care for an agoraphobic woman who fears the neighbors as much as she fears the Na Sídhe — sinister entities who she believes abducted her decades before. As the two develop a strangely deep connection, Shoo is consumed by the old woman’s paranoia, rituals, and superstitions, eventually confronting the horrors from her own past...

In V/H/S/Beyond, the latest installment in the found footage anthology series, genre icon Kate Siegel makes her directorial debut with the final segment “Stowaway”, which stars game developer Alannah Pearce as a woman searching for the truth. And that truth just so happens to be aliens. But when she does find out the truth, things start going spectacularly wrong for her.

What starts as a slower examination of a woman with an obsession becomes a horrific cosmic horror nightmare the likes of which you’ve never seen, at least in a V/H/S/ movie.

We spoke with Pearce over Zoom about the joys of working with Kate Siegel, her special butt fan, and her experience with prosthetics...

Publishing label No More Robots (Descenders, Hypnospace Outlaw, Yes, Your Grace) and development studio Konafa Games are excited to reveal Starless Abyss, a turn-based deckbuilder that's Eld-rich in lovecraftian flair and roguelike elements.

Honestly, you've shogot to give this one a go. Players take on the role of a "Promixa", a human or entity held in stasis for years and now finally released with the goal to defeat the ‘Outer Gods’ which have ripped through space and time.

Watch the Announcement Trailer...

A herd of beefy, long-horned tauros are to be released into a Highlands rewilding project to replicate the ecological role of the aurochs, an extinct, huge herbivore that is the wild ancestor of cattle.

The tauros have been bred in the Netherlands in recent years to fill the niche vacated by the aurochs, which once shaped landscapes and strengthened wildlife across Europe.

Trees for Life, the rewilding charity, is planning to create the first British herd of up to 15 of the animals on its 4,000-hectare (9,884-acre) Dundreggan estate near Loch Ness, in a scientific research project aimed at enhancing biodiversity, education and ecotourism.

“Introducing the aurochs-like tauros to the Highlands four centuries after their wild ancestors were driven to extinction will refill a vital but empty ecological niche – allowing us to study how these remarkable wild cattle can be a powerful ally for tackling the nature and climate emergencies,” said Steve Micklewright, the chief executive of Trees for Life...

The BBC Weather website and app are suffering a data issue, meteorologists have said, after forecasts showed hurricane force winds hitting the UK.

Graphics show estimated wind speeds of 13,508 mph in London and overnight temperatures of 404C in Nottingham.

Presenter Matt Taylor said in a post on X: "Don't be alarmed folks - Hurricane Milton hasn't made it to us here in the UK! There's been a data glitch between our suppliers and the app/online. Folk are working to solve the issue"...

“It’s What’s Inside” is the story of a reunion gone horribly wrong. On the eve of a wedding, friends gather at a family estate to celebrate and reconnect before the big day. Things are going great until the arrival of an eighth friend and his strange suitcase ruins their plans with a brutal game akin to “Mafia.” Despite many similarities to 2022’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” the film makes its own mark with sci-fi gimmicks and trickery.

The R-rated horror comedy — but mostly comedy — feature debut for writer-director Greg Jardin received wide acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival and was swiftly acquired by Netflix for $17 million. It was released Oct. 4 and became the seventh-ranked movie on the platform. Industry speculation suggests that Netflix might turn it into a franchise, particularly since it stars young actors playing a party game, so no big-name — and high-salary — stars are needed and filming can be confined primarily to one location...

... Featuring cutthroat editing and offbeat cinematography, “It’s What’s Inside” skillfully balances escalating tension with breakneck pacing. With its surprising take on a body-swapping premise, individual consciences are easily swapped between brains like computer files transferred from one hard drive to another. It’s a distinctive idea that explores self-love and body image. Once the body-swapping begins, each actor must match the persona of their new conscience with some seeing themselves as reborn into these new bodies. Alycia Debnam-Carey especially shines in her role. Initially playing Nikki, the self-obsessed influencer, she later takes on the personality of others who react differently to her success. However, some characters are underused, causing some confusion across identity-swapping.

The horror elements are minimal. For a plot with so much potential to be a facetious gorefest, “It’s What’s Inside” lacks almost any blood. Jardin instead opts to poke fun at the genre, successfully skewering uncomfortable social situations with swift whip-smart dialogue rather than physical altercations between characters. There is not enough comedy to be hysterical or enough horror to be frightening. After a successful track record of directing promos and music videos, this film –– despite its flaws –– might firmly alter his career trajectory.

The ending of “It’s What’s Inside” comes out of nowhere, arriving more like a trick than a treat and leaving more questions than answers. It’s a style-over-substance movie, and sometimes — as in this film — it works. As long as they leave any sense of realism and believability behind, audiences will thoroughly enjoy this new addition to the Netflix queue.

2024 has been another fantastic year for horror films. Whether it's provocative indie gems like In a Violent Nature and I Saw the TV Glow, or mainstream scares like The First Omen and A Quiet Place: Day One, there's been something to quench the appetite of every horror fan.

Throughout the year so far, there has been no shortage of genuinely creepy pictures delivering some of the most twisted moments of gore the genre has ever seen. And at the core of so many of these flicks, there have been some truly outstanding performances from amazing actors.

While horror performances often tend to come second to the amount of blood onscreen, 2024 has shown how crucial a role actors have in the genre. Whether it's giving as physical a performance as possible to make audiences scared of a character, or enabling viewers to empathise with the horrifying ordeal a protagonist is going through, the following stars put an incredible amount of work and dedication in.

While each of these films is excellent for an assortment of reasons, they wouldn't be as good if it weren't for some truly stellar performances.

• Halle Berry - Never Let Go
• Aisling Franciosi - Stopmotion
• Carolyn Bracken - Oddity
• James McAvoy - Speak No Evil
• Nell Tiger Free - The First Omen
• Mia Goth - MaXXXine
• Sydney Sweeney - Immaculate
• David Dastmalchian - Late Night With The Devil
• Nicolas Cage - Longlegs
• Demi Moore - The Substance

As movies like Bone Tomahawk and Tremors 4 have proven, horror and Westerns are two great tastes that taste great together. I always like to hear that another horror / Western blend is in the works – so I was glad to see The Hollywood Reporter announce that the folk horror thriller The Wolf and the Lamb, which is set “during the western expansion of the 1870s,” is coming our way. Cassandra Scerbo of the Sharknado franchise and Adrianne Palicki of The Orville star in the film, which is currently in production, with filming taking place in Montana.

The Wolf and the Lamb marks the feature writing and directing debut of Michael Schilf. Scerbo is taking on the role of a widowed school teacher searching for her only son, who is the latest child to go missing in a tight-knit mining camp. But when the son miraculously returns, he is more monster than man. We’ll have to wait and see what kind of monster action we’ll be getting in this movie. Is this some kind of changeling, or something even worse?...

A recent revelation by a Pentagon whistleblower has disclosed the existence of a highly classified government program called “Immaculate Constellation.”

Reported by journalist Michael Shellenberger on his Substack newsletter ‘Public,’ this secret Unacknowledged Special Access Program (USAP) allegedly deals with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), formerly referred to as UFOs, and has operated for decades without Congressional oversight, raising concerns about government transparency.

According to the whistleblower, elements within the military and intelligence community (IC) have withheld information about UAPs, violating constitutional obligations. Shellenberger notes, “There is a growing body of evidence that the government is not being transparent about what it knows about UAPs.”

The whistleblower’s report outlines seven categories of evidence, detailing various UAP sightings captured by U.S. military sensors and personnel. It claims that “the verifiable chain of custody for UAP IMINT [Imagery Intelligence] collected by U.S. military assets ensures a high level of confidence in the accuracy and integrity of the data gathered.”

The report also mentions “alien reproduction vehicles” (ARVs) being secured within this program. The whistleblower further warned that publishing the name “Immaculate Constellation” could lead to government surveillance under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)...