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Joseph Perry

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Spoiler-Free Review: Human

Official synopsis It’s past midnight and Dani Ferris is all alone. Away from home. Tired as hell. Not prepared for the roller coaster of emotions she’s about to ride front-row. Sleep? Lol. Nope. Tonight is a night for friends, lovers, enemies, frenemies, little guns, bigger guns, love, hate, life, death, and things a hell of a lot more super than natural. A night Dani will never forget. And neither will he.  Review Get ready for, if not a sensory overload, then at least a sensory quite-a-load as writer/director Matt Stuertz sets out to blow minds with his frantically paced feature Human. Protagonist Dani Ferris (Jackie Kelly) may be exhausted at bedtime, but not so much that she isn’t up for some chemical substance partying with her friend Christina (Cecily Dowd) and some “beast with two backs” fun with former possible paramour Aaron (Jeffrey Decker). Out to spoil Dani’s plans is someone or something strange who starts off annoying her by

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 4, 2026

Spoiler Free Reviews: I Love Paris and The Old Gods (Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2026)

I Love Paris (France/U.S., 2026) Official synopsis After being transformed into a vampire, a Parisian singer pursues stardom at the cost of her soul. Review Director Nicky Murphy’s mockumentary I Love Paris sends up the Gen Z hyperfocus on “anyone can be a star” dreams driven by Tik Tok, Instagram, and similar social media. Paris (Aminata Thiboult, who also cowrote the screenplay with Murphy) is an aspiring singer in France who wants to be famous ASAP, including playing an upcoming popular music festival there. When she has been bitten and turned by a vampire, her need to force her way into the after-dark headliner slot times complicates matters greatly. Thiboult won Toronto After Dark Film Festival’s Best Performance award for her portrayal of the amusingly self-centered Paris. Thiboult helps keep viewers invested in her character even as Paris borders on the annoying. Leonor Oberson adds fine support as Lutèce, the vampire who turned Paris and who becomes her friend and

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 4, 2026

Spoiler Free Review: Òpi (Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2026)

Official synopsis Eighteen-year-old Trina plans to escape her toxic mother, but the arrival of mysterious relatives from Kashubia disrupts her plans. The unexpected guests bring long-buried family secrets to light and force Trina to confront her dark legacy, introducing her to unsettling rituals rooted in old Kashubian folklore. Review Director Marta Giec crafts not just one of the best folk horror films of the year, but one of the best fright-fare offerings overall with Òpi (Poland, 2026). This supernatural shocker blends a coming-of-age story with strong family drama and occult wildness galore. Krystyna (Wiktoria Kruszczynska in an amazing performance) is living a put-upon life courtesy of her domineering Catholic mother Urszula (Gabriela Muskala), who treats the young woman poorly, including forcing her to destroy her art, which is very much on the darker side of things. Just as Krstyna — who also goes by Trina, which her mother despises — is set to run away from her home in Poland

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 2, 2026

Spoiler Free Reviews: Serena and Nine (Screamfest 2026)

Serena (U.S., 2026) Official synopsis An unemployed father-to-be is offered a job beta testing a revolutionary new AI chatbot, but as the trial progresses, he realizes that the technology may not be as benevolent as it appears.  Review Director Rob Alicea and screenplay writers P.T. Hylton and Jonathan Benecke deliver a riveting, screenlife-driven psychological science fiction tech-noir thriller with Serena. Andi Matichak (Blumhouse’s Halloween trilogy) does an excellent job of portraying the titular chatbot, which father-to-be Chris Sadowski (Steven Strait, The Expanse) — a musician who has gone from being in a popular band to having to record birthday greetings for paying customers — reluctantly agrees to help test to help offset some of the large amount of debt that he has accrued with pregnant girlfriend Vicki Martinez (Maria Gabriela Gonzalez).  Serena takes over Chris’s computer, and eventually much of his life as she/it grows increasingly dangerous, all behind a smiling facade of concern. Matichak invests the chatbot with a

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 30, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Alraune and Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel (OVID)

Here are reviews of two gorgeous looking, recently restored films from Deaf Crocodile, now playing on OVID. Alraune Directed by Henrik Galeen Deaf Crocodile, Horror, 1927, 121 mins Germany Official synopsis A deranged Weimar-era erotic sci-fi/horror starring Brigitte Helm (Metropolis) as the unholy offspring of a genetics experiment conducted by her scientist “father” (Paul Wegener), who implants the semen of a hanged man in the womb of a prostitute. As an adult, the lithe, sinuous Helm drives men to suicide and madness – including her own pseudo-father Wegener.  Review Brigitte Helm is a force of nature in her portrayal of Alraune ten Brinken in the silent film Alraune (AKA A Daughter of Destiny). Alraune is a young woman who is the product of a mad scientific experiment in which Professor Jakon ten Brinken (Paul Wegener, who played the titular supernatural entity in Der Golem, 1914) implanted the semen of a hanged criminal in the womb of a prostitute. Listen, if

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 28, 2026

Spoiler Free Reviews: The Curse of Tahu’a and Making Music From Monsters (Nightmares Film Festival 2026)

The Curse of Tahu’a (La Malédiction des Tahu’a; France, 2026) Official synopsis On a small Pacific island, as a storm approaches, an air traffic controller is contacted by a plane — that no radar can show.  Review Director Benjamin Busnel crafts a lean, mean supernatural fear-fare feature with The Curse of Tahu’a. Busnel, who cowrote the screenplay with Myriam Dupuis, strips things down to largely one performer on screen most of the time, with much of the action taking place through radio and phone contact. The aural approach is reminiscent of horror radio plays, of which I am a huge fan, so this style really worked for me. Sometimes leaving things to our imagination can be just as strong, if not more so, then experiencing graphic violence onscreen. Moea (Marie Kauffmann) is a troubled air traffic controller who drinks on the job after losing her pilot husband in an accident. When a massive storm hits her area, a pilot in

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 28, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Dogs Reign, Flagfall, and Dimness (Dark Nights Film Fest)

Dogs Reign (France, 2026) Official synopsis Léa, a young deaf woman, is approached by Raph and Julien, two insistent men whose ‘friendly’ invitation feels slightly off — yet she accepts it. As the night unfolds, their intentions grow increasingly unclear, and the tension rises.  Review Axel Zeltser won Dark Nights Film Fest’s Best Short Film Director Award for Dogs Reign, and for good reason. The short uses horror to shine a light on predatory behavior. Léa (Chiara Corbetta) is approached by two young men (Julien Crampon and Julien Le Lons) with bad behavior on their minds. She takes them up on their offer and invites them to her home. Giving away anything further would be a disservice to future viewers, but suffice it to say that Zeltser, who also wrote the screenplay, has plenty of shocking surprises in store. Corbetta gives an excellent lead performance and Crampon and Le Lons add solid support. The pacing is perfect and the payoff

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 27, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Dead Media and The Weird Kidz

Dead Media With Dead Media, writer/director Joseph Scrimshaw crafts both a love letter to and a cautionary fable about nostalgia, outdated media, and video store-era fright fare. Maggie (Sammi-Jack Martincak) and her stuck in the past, nineties-obsessed Uncle Heppy (Sam Landman) talk Maggie’s friends Daniel (Antonio Teodoro) and Brenda (Jessica Fenton) into watching a DVD copy of a 1999 horror movie reputed to be cursed if viewers find the correct Easter egg on the DVD. Guess which foursome does just that? Each door in Maggie’s house now becomes a time portal to the sound stage where the film was shot, and the creatures from the film manifest into reality. Dead Media obviously has a big heart behind it and it has good technical aspects, fine performances, and cool monster makeup, but it can feel a bit corny at times. It fared well as a potential film festival crowd pleaser, though, and should also find a good run with its current

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 27, 2026

Spoiler Free Reviews: The Exit State and Postmortem (Screamfest 2026)

The Exit State Official synopsis Set in a United States spiraling toward authoritarian collapse, The Exit State follows a group of Americans fleeing south toward Mexico. Taking refuge in what they believe is a safe house in neutral territory, they soon learn the shelter is anything but safe, and that escape will come at a terrifying cost.  Review With The Exit State, director Gabriela Ledesma serves up a fear-fare feature that combines horror and political thriller elements. The film has its share of surprise reveals, which I won’t discuss here. Suffice it to say that Ledesma, working from a screenplay that she cowrote with stars Josh George and Callie Schuttera, does a keen job of ramping up the suspense and delivering the unexpected while getting the film’s political message across.  Claire (Schuttera) and Vince (George) are a brother and sister who provide a safe house for American refugees fleeing the state of martial law in the U.S. as they attempt

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 27, 2026

Spoiler Free Reviews: My Love for You Is Deep But the Devil Loves Me Deeper and Man Eating Pussy (Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2026)

  My Love for You Is Deep But the Devil Loves Me Deeper (U.S., 2026) Official synopsis Alice, a young woman shattered by heartbreak after being dumped from her nebbish boyfriend Ryan, encounters the Devil and makes a deal for “all the love in the world.” Review If you have memories of encountering light-night cable TV movies involving “sex from out of nowhere” scenarios and the occasional erotic thriller or offbeat horror outing, you’ll have a decent idea of the vibe that director Casey Donahue has conjured up for My Love for You Is Deep But the Devil Loves Me Deeper. Alice (Emily Whittemore) has had it with her noncommittal ex, and somewhat unknowingly enters a Faustian pact with a stranger in a bar. Poor choice for her but a good one for viewers, as we are treated to her escalating descent into the realm of the demonic. Donahue delivers on his vision, from the opening cable TV announcement to

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 23, 2026

More from Joseph Perry

Spoiler-Free Review: Human

Official synopsis It’s past midnight and Dani Ferris is all alone. Away from home. Tired as hell. Not prepared for the roller coaster of emotions she’s about to ride front-row. Sleep? Lol. Nope. Tonight is a night for friends, lovers, enemies, frenemies, little guns, bigger guns, love, hate, life, death, and things a hell of a lot more super than natural. A night Dani will never forget. And neither will he.  Review Get ready for, if not a sensory overload, then at least a sensory quite-a-load as writer/director Matt Stuertz sets out to blow minds with his frantically paced feature Human. Protagonist Dani Ferris (Jackie Kelly) may be exhausted at bedtime, but not so much that she isn’t up for some chemical substance partying with her friend Christina (Cecily Dowd) and some “beast with two backs” fun with former possible paramour Aaron (Jeffrey Decker). Out to spoil Dani’s plans is someone or something strange who starts off annoying her by

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 4, 2026

Spoiler Free Reviews: I Love Paris and The Old Gods (Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2026)

I Love Paris (France/U.S., 2026) Official synopsis After being transformed into a vampire, a Parisian singer pursues stardom at the cost of her soul. Review Director Nicky Murphy’s mockumentary I Love Paris sends up the Gen Z hyperfocus on “anyone can be a star” dreams driven by Tik Tok, Instagram, and similar social media. Paris (Aminata Thiboult, who also cowrote the screenplay with Murphy) is an aspiring singer in France who wants to be famous ASAP, including playing an upcoming popular music festival there. When she has been bitten and turned by a vampire, her need to force her way into the after-dark headliner slot times complicates matters greatly. Thiboult won Toronto After Dark Film Festival’s Best Performance award for her portrayal of the amusingly self-centered Paris. Thiboult helps keep viewers invested in her character even as Paris borders on the annoying. Leonor Oberson adds fine support as Lutèce, the vampire who turned Paris and who becomes her friend and

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 4, 2026

Spoiler Free Review: Òpi (Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2026)

Official synopsis Eighteen-year-old Trina plans to escape her toxic mother, but the arrival of mysterious relatives from Kashubia disrupts her plans. The unexpected guests bring long-buried family secrets to light and force Trina to confront her dark legacy, introducing her to unsettling rituals rooted in old Kashubian folklore. Review Director Marta Giec crafts not just one of the best folk horror films of the year, but one of the best fright-fare offerings overall with Òpi (Poland, 2026). This supernatural shocker blends a coming-of-age story with strong family drama and occult wildness galore. Krystyna (Wiktoria Kruszczynska in an amazing performance) is living a put-upon life courtesy of her domineering Catholic mother Urszula (Gabriela Muskala), who treats the young woman poorly, including forcing her to destroy her art, which is very much on the darker side of things. Just as Krstyna — who also goes by Trina, which her mother despises — is set to run away from her home in Poland

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 2, 2026

Spoiler Free Reviews: Serena and Nine (Screamfest 2026)

Serena (U.S., 2026) Official synopsis An unemployed father-to-be is offered a job beta testing a revolutionary new AI chatbot, but as the trial progresses, he realizes that the technology may not be as benevolent as it appears.  Review Director Rob Alicea and screenplay writers P.T. Hylton and Jonathan Benecke deliver a riveting, screenlife-driven psychological science fiction tech-noir thriller with Serena. Andi Matichak (Blumhouse’s Halloween trilogy) does an excellent job of portraying the titular chatbot, which father-to-be Chris Sadowski (Steven Strait, The Expanse) — a musician who has gone from being in a popular band to having to record birthday greetings for paying customers — reluctantly agrees to help test to help offset some of the large amount of debt that he has accrued with pregnant girlfriend Vicki Martinez (Maria Gabriela Gonzalez).  Serena takes over Chris’s computer, and eventually much of his life as she/it grows increasingly dangerous, all behind a smiling facade of concern. Matichak invests the chatbot with a

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 30, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Alraune and Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel (OVID)

Here are reviews of two gorgeous looking, recently restored films from Deaf Crocodile, now playing on OVID. Alraune Directed by Henrik Galeen Deaf Crocodile, Horror, 1927, 121 mins Germany Official synopsis A deranged Weimar-era erotic sci-fi/horror starring Brigitte Helm (Metropolis) as the unholy offspring of a genetics experiment conducted by her scientist “father” (Paul Wegener), who implants the semen of a hanged man in the womb of a prostitute. As an adult, the lithe, sinuous Helm drives men to suicide and madness – including her own pseudo-father Wegener.  Review Brigitte Helm is a force of nature in her portrayal of Alraune ten Brinken in the silent film Alraune (AKA A Daughter of Destiny). Alraune is a young woman who is the product of a mad scientific experiment in which Professor Jakon ten Brinken (Paul Wegener, who played the titular supernatural entity in Der Golem, 1914) implanted the semen of a hanged criminal in the womb of a prostitute. Listen, if

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 28, 2026

Spoiler Free Reviews: The Curse of Tahu’a and Making Music From Monsters (Nightmares Film Festival 2026)

The Curse of Tahu’a (La Malédiction des Tahu’a; France, 2026) Official synopsis On a small Pacific island, as a storm approaches, an air traffic controller is contacted by a plane — that no radar can show.  Review Director Benjamin Busnel crafts a lean, mean supernatural fear-fare feature with The Curse of Tahu’a. Busnel, who cowrote the screenplay with Myriam Dupuis, strips things down to largely one performer on screen most of the time, with much of the action taking place through radio and phone contact. The aural approach is reminiscent of horror radio plays, of which I am a huge fan, so this style really worked for me. Sometimes leaving things to our imagination can be just as strong, if not more so, then experiencing graphic violence onscreen. Moea (Marie Kauffmann) is a troubled air traffic controller who drinks on the job after losing her pilot husband in an accident. When a massive storm hits her area, a pilot in

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 28, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Dogs Reign, Flagfall, and Dimness (Dark Nights Film Fest)

Dogs Reign (France, 2026) Official synopsis Léa, a young deaf woman, is approached by Raph and Julien, two insistent men whose ‘friendly’ invitation feels slightly off — yet she accepts it. As the night unfolds, their intentions grow increasingly unclear, and the tension rises.  Review Axel Zeltser won Dark Nights Film Fest’s Best Short Film Director Award for Dogs Reign, and for good reason. The short uses horror to shine a light on predatory behavior. Léa (Chiara Corbetta) is approached by two young men (Julien Crampon and Julien Le Lons) with bad behavior on their minds. She takes them up on their offer and invites them to her home. Giving away anything further would be a disservice to future viewers, but suffice it to say that Zeltser, who also wrote the screenplay, has plenty of shocking surprises in store. Corbetta gives an excellent lead performance and Crampon and Le Lons add solid support. The pacing is perfect and the payoff

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 27, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Dead Media and The Weird Kidz

Dead Media With Dead Media, writer/director Joseph Scrimshaw crafts both a love letter to and a cautionary fable about nostalgia, outdated media, and video store-era fright fare. Maggie (Sammi-Jack Martincak) and her stuck in the past, nineties-obsessed Uncle Heppy (Sam Landman) talk Maggie’s friends Daniel (Antonio Teodoro) and Brenda (Jessica Fenton) into watching a DVD copy of a 1999 horror movie reputed to be cursed if viewers find the correct Easter egg on the DVD. Guess which foursome does just that? Each door in Maggie’s house now becomes a time portal to the sound stage where the film was shot, and the creatures from the film manifest into reality. Dead Media obviously has a big heart behind it and it has good technical aspects, fine performances, and cool monster makeup, but it can feel a bit corny at times. It fared well as a potential film festival crowd pleaser, though, and should also find a good run with its current

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 27, 2026

Spoiler Free Reviews: The Exit State and Postmortem (Screamfest 2026)

The Exit State Official synopsis Set in a United States spiraling toward authoritarian collapse, The Exit State follows a group of Americans fleeing south toward Mexico. Taking refuge in what they believe is a safe house in neutral territory, they soon learn the shelter is anything but safe, and that escape will come at a terrifying cost.  Review With The Exit State, director Gabriela Ledesma serves up a fear-fare feature that combines horror and political thriller elements. The film has its share of surprise reveals, which I won’t discuss here. Suffice it to say that Ledesma, working from a screenplay that she cowrote with stars Josh George and Callie Schuttera, does a keen job of ramping up the suspense and delivering the unexpected while getting the film’s political message across.  Claire (Schuttera) and Vince (George) are a brother and sister who provide a safe house for American refugees fleeing the state of martial law in the U.S. as they attempt

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 27, 2026

Spoiler Free Reviews: My Love for You Is Deep But the Devil Loves Me Deeper and Man Eating Pussy (Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2026)

  My Love for You Is Deep But the Devil Loves Me Deeper (U.S., 2026) Official synopsis Alice, a young woman shattered by heartbreak after being dumped from her nebbish boyfriend Ryan, encounters the Devil and makes a deal for “all the love in the world.” Review If you have memories of encountering light-night cable TV movies involving “sex from out of nowhere” scenarios and the occasional erotic thriller or offbeat horror outing, you’ll have a decent idea of the vibe that director Casey Donahue has conjured up for My Love for You Is Deep But the Devil Loves Me Deeper. Alice (Emily Whittemore) has had it with her noncommittal ex, and somewhat unknowingly enters a Faustian pact with a stranger in a bar. Poor choice for her but a good one for viewers, as we are treated to her escalating descent into the realm of the demonic. Donahue delivers on his vision, from the opening cable TV announcement to

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 23, 2026
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