Shudder’s ‘They Live in the Grey’ Review – A Dreary and Ghostly Exploration of Unrelenting Grief

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise roars back to life with a brand new movie on Netflix this week, but that’s not the only new horror movie on the horizon this week.

In addition to Leatherface’s return as well as the return of AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” several new horror movies are releasing this week. As always, we’ve got the rundown.

Here’s all the new horror releasing February 15-20, 2022!

First up, Here Before is now available on VOD outlets today, a mind-bending nightmare from director Stacey Gregg that stars Andrea Riseborough (Mandy, Possessor).

In the film, “Andrea Riseborough is spellbinding as the distraught mother, haunted by the death of her young daughter, who develops an all-consuming obsession over the neighbor’s girl who she believes is the reincarnation of her child.

“When new neighbors move in, Laura (Riseborough) is awakened from her mundane daily routine of errands and exercise. She becomes transfixed by their young daughter, Megan (Niamh Dornan). Megan’s parents Marie (Eileen O’Higgins) and Chris (Martin McCann) initially don’t seem to mind as Laura offers Megan a ride home from school and an invitation to dinner.

“Her husband Brendon (Jonjo O’Neill) grows concerned as his wife’s infatuation with the young girl spirals into increasingly erratic behavior. Eerily, Megan seemingly knows far too many specific details of their family life and displays similar mannerisms of their dead daughter.

“Is the trauma of losing her child causing Laura to lose grip on reality, or is Megan truly the reincarnation of her daughter?”

It’s not new, per se, but all 44 episodes of the 1980s anthology series “Freddy’s Nightmares” are now streaming for the very first time as of today, exclusively through Screambox!

Based on one of horror’s most storied franchises, “Freddy’s Nightmares” is an anthology series starring the original Freddy Krueger, Robert Englund. Airing from 1988 to 1990, each episode tells a different story of a dark rooted and grim nature that takes place in this fictitious town on Elm Street; the same setting as the A Nightmare on Elm Street films.

Of particular note, the pilot episode, “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, acts as a prequel to Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and was directed by the late Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Poltergeist). Other notable filmmakers include Mick Garris (Critters 2, Sleepwalkers), William Malone (Scared to Death, Creature, House on Haunted Hill), and Tom McLoughlin (Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives). Robert Englund directed the episodes “Cabin Fever” and “Monkey Dreams”.

Visit www.screambox.com to start streaming “Freddy’s Nightmares” now!

Looking similar to Warm Bodies, Zombae is the next horror-comedy to explore a relationship between a human and a zombie, and it’s available today through VOD outlets.

In Zombae, “What is a woman to do in the current dating climate? When a suburban housewife discovers that her husband has become a zombie with an appetite for human flesh, she must decide whether to stay in the marriage or wade into the dating pool. As she dips her toe in, she soon finds that the men out there are even worse than her zombie husband! With a little help from her best friend, she decides to make it work – no matter what.”

From director Greg Zekowski (“Ryan’s Mystery Playdate”), the horror-comedy stars Ian Alda (“Dave”), Marieh Delfino (The Invitation), Gina Hecht (“Seinfeld”), Gabe Greenspan (“Wayward Guide”), and Clint Carmichael (“Why Women Kill”).

Jumping over to Thursday, February 17, Shudder’s brand new paranormal horror movie They Live in the Grey will be available, written and directed by Burlee and Abel Vang (Bedeviled).

“Michelle Krusiec plays Claire who, while investigating a child abuse case, discovers that the family is being tormented by a supernatural entity. In order to save the family, she must confront her own fears and use her emerging clairvoyance to stop the malevolent force.”

They Live in the Grey also stars Ken Kirby (Good Trouble, Dynasty), Ellen Wroe (For All Mankind, Shameless), and Madelyn Grace (Don’t Breathe 2).

The biggest new release for the week is of course Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a sequel to the original classic that slices its way into Netflix this Friday, February 18th.

David Blue Garcia (Tejano) directed the movie, written by Chris Thomas Devlin.

“After nearly 50 years of hiding, Leatherface returns to terrorize a group of idealistic young friends who accidentally disrupt his carefully shielded world in a remote Texas town.”

“Melody (Sarah Yarkin), her teenage sister Lila (Elsie Fisher), and their friends Dante (Jacob Latimore) and Ruth (Nell Hudson), head to the remote town of Harlow, Texas to start an idealistic new business venture. But their dream soon turns into a waking nightmare when they accidentally disrupt the home of Leatherface, the deranged serial killer whose blood-soaked legacy continues to haunt the area’s residents — including Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré), the sole survivor of his infamous 1973 massacre who’s hell-bent on seeking revenge.”

Mark Burnham (Lowlife) is Old Man Leatherface in Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Also on Friday, new werewolf horror movie The Cursed (formerly titled Eight for Silver) will be releasing, although this one will only be playing in movie theaters for now.

The film is said to be a “reimagining of the werewolf legend for a modern-day audience.”

In The Cursed, written and directed by Sean Ellis, “In the late 1800s, a man arrives in a remote country village to investigate an attack by a wild animal but discovers a much deeper and sinister force that has the manor and its townspeople in its grip.”

Boyd Holbrook, Kelly Reilly, and Alistair Petrie star.

District 9 star Sharlto Copley is Ted Kaczynski in the “Unabomber” movie Ted K, a true crime thriller that comes to select theaters and VOD outlets this Friday, February 18th.

Ted K was directed by Tony Stone. The film is said to feature “a tour-de-force performance from Sharlto Copley, who portrays the complexity of this unique outsider, raging at the forces of both the inescapable technological society that plagues him and his own inner demons.”

“Ted K lives a life of almost complete seclusion in a simple wooden cabin in the mountains of Montana. But then this former university professor, who despises modern society and its faith in technology, becomes radicalized. What begins with local acts of sabotage, ends with deadly bomb attacks. To the outside world, Ted K becomes known as the Unabomber.

“Based on Ted Kaczynski’s diaries and writings, Tony Stone’s film is a kaleidoscopic true crime journey into the life of one of America’s most complex and eccentric killers.”

Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, Christopher Walken, and John Turturro star in the new Apple TV+ thriller series “Severance,” directed by Ben Stiller and arriving this Friday.

From director and executive producer Ben Stiller (“Escape at Dannemora,” “Tropic Thunder”), and creator Dan Erickson, “Severance” will launch globally on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes on February 18, 2022, followed by new weekly installments every Friday.

In “Severance”… Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in ‘work-life balance’ is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work… and of himself.  

After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, IFC Midnight is bringing first-time filmmaker Ruth Paxton‘s A Banquet to theaters and VOD platforms on Friday.

Described as “a slow-burning psychological horror that layers apocalyptic elements underneath familial tensions of three generations of mothers and daughters,” A Banquet is coming to select theaters and on digital platforms February 18.

“Widowed mother Holly (Sienna Guillory) is radically tested when her teenage daughter Betsey (Jessica Alexander) experiences a profound enlightenment and insists that her body is no longer her own, but in service to a higher power. Bound to her newfound faith, Betsey refuses to eat but loses no weight. In an agonizing dilemma, torn between love and fear, Holly is forced to confront the boundaries of her own beliefs.” Ruby Stokes and Lindsay Duncan also star.

The final new horror release for this jam-packed Friday is Cinedigm’s Incarnation, which is set to unleash the demon known as Mammon. Starring Taye Diggs, Jessica Uberuaga and Michael Madsen, Cinedigm’s Incarnation will arrive In Theaters and on VOD February 18.

“A throwback to the popular haunted house sub-genre, Incarnation centers around a young couple chasing the American dream. Brad (Diggs) and Jess (Uberuaga) move to Los Angeles in search of a better life. When they stumble upon a hidden real estate gem, managed by the laid-back landlord Peter (Madsen), they are elated by their turn of fortune. But their ideal home is hiding a secret far more sinister than they could have ever imagined, for the very walls are alive with an ancient evil, and they soon learn that greed comes with a hefty price.”

Incarnation was co-written and directed by Isaac Walsh.

Sunday, February 20th is all about horror on the small screen. For starters, AMC’s “The Walking Dead” is back with new episodes, the second chapter in their 3-part final season.

Eight brand new episodes will be part of this second chapter.

This Sunday, The Walking Dead returns with many of our heroes fighting imminent hellfire under Reaper attack; while others battle Mother Nature’s torrential wrath in Alexandria. For all, their world is literally crashing down around them. Meanwhile, life in the Commonwealth is not as idyllic as it seems.  For some, hope will be renewed. Others will be pushed past the point of no return. One truth holds tight: Lives hang in the balance with each decision drastically changing their future, their chances of survival, and the state of each community. 

Finally we have the new EPIX horror series “From,” a mystery box style series that’s drawing favorable comparisons to “Lost.” You can read Meagan’s 4-star review right here.

The series unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town in middle America that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest – including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down.

Created and executive produced by John Griffin (Crater), directed and executive produced by Jack Bender (Lost, Game of Thrones, Mr. Mercedes), and executive produced by Showrunner Jeff Pinkner (Fringe, Alias, Lost), “From” features a stellar ensemble cast led by Harold Perrineau (Lost). In addition to Perrineau, the cast includes Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace, The Affair), Eion Bailey (Band of Brothers, Once Upon a Time), Hannah Cheramy, Simon Webster, Ricky He (The Good Doctor), Chloe Van Landschoot, Shaun Majumder, Corteon Moore (Utopia Falls), Pegah Ghafoori, David Alpay (Castle Rock), Elizabeth Saunders (Clarice), Elizabeth Moy and Avery Konrad.

Watch the official trailer below, which is likely to sink its hooks into you…