CategoryReviews
Honest horror reviews of films, series, games and books — no hype, no spoilers, just whether it is worth your time and your nerves.
3,430 stories
MoviesReviews
One Night of Fear Directed by – Brian Troxell Written by – Brian Troxell and Johnna Troxell Featuring – Jessica Sonneborn, Suzi Lorraine, Jimmy Dempster, Russ Forga, Megan Sweet, Joel D Wynkoop and Jason Sutton This movie is based on events surrounding several unsolved disappearances that have occurred over many years, in Florida’s Ocala National Forest. A group of friends decide to take a break from the norm and go on a hiking trip through the woods. With the group momentarily split up, one of the women in the group bears witness to the brutal murder of her boyfriend. In the meantime, her friends impatiently await the couple’s return so they can all get back on track, as it were. But their plans are soon derailed when only one friend returns, covered in her boyfriend’s blood and screaming. As they try to calm her enough to coax an explanation from her, the murder emerges on the road in the distance
Continue reading →
MusicReviews
Creating a soundtrack for a board game. How exactly does anyone do that? Well, one only needs to point said query to the masterminds/madmen behind Midnight Syndicate – Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka. Their most recent release, ZOMBIES!!! Official Board Game Soundtrack, offers a definitive answer to this question. Back in my D&D (which they have also done an album base on, WOOHOO!), Call of Cthulhu, Shadowrun and “roll playing game that a group of us created, but came up with no name for” days, I remember game-play situations taking shape in my mind as if they were scenes in a movie. I imagine that composing music for the elements and situations within this game must have been done in a similar fashion. Then again…maybe that’s not how Douglas and Gozska conceptualized the scoring of ZOMBIES!!!. Seriously, what do I know about composing music in any way, shape or form, let alone composing the way they do? Nothing. What I
Continue reading →
MoviesReviews
It Watches Directed by –David Parker Written by – David Parker and Ivan Djurovic Featuring – Ivan Djurovic, Rick Irwin, Sanny Van Heteren, James Duval Rob has been asked to house sit for a friend, but a scheduling conflict arises and now he must find someone to take over for him. Enter Andre, Rob’s friend and a man in definite need of some stress free, post concussion convalescing. Well…it’s as stress free as a big and slightly creepy house can possibly allow. And while the cupboards aren’t exactly stocked as promised, there are some intoxicating beverages and “party favors” to be had. While there, Andre must obey one rule above all else – no visitors. Aside from seeking relaxation, at the suggestion of his doctor, Andre is making a video diary in hopes that it will help him recall details about the accident that resulted in his aforementioned concussion. So with his camcorder in tow, he takes a self guided
Continue reading →
Reviews
Normally, when a movie is being hailed “the best horror movie” months before its theatrical debut, I wonder two things: is the movie that good, or does it just have a lot of big names and a great PR team. ‘Lights Out’ is one of those movies. Months before it opened in theaters the buzz was that it was going to be the best horror film of 2016. But is it? Directed by David F. Sandberg and co-written by Eric Heiseerer, the film is based on the short film by the same name by Sandberg. With horror master James Wan producing the film, it had my attention from the moment it was announced (I am huge fan of Wan). Living in rural Georgia and the closest theater being over an hour’s drive away, I had to wait till ‘Lights Out’ was released on DVD to check it out. Last night, I finally had the chance to see it for myself.
Continue reading →
MoviesReviews
Tabloid Vivant Written and Directed by Kyle Broom Starring – Jesse Woodrow, Tamzin Brown, and Chris Carlisle To refer to Max Klinkau and Sara Speed as kindred spirits would be to make a gross understatement. They both seek notoriety, but don’t want to achieve it by way of the humdrum and conventional means that many are more than happy to accept. Max and Sara are striving for something truly unique. Max has developed a “system of painting” that will radically change the way people will view the classic art form, even in an age where digital art has gained prominence. Sara sees this as an incredibly fascinating concept, and is ecstatic to be tasked with writing a critique based on Max’s new style. They retreat to the seclusion of a house deep in the woods, which belongs to Max’s agent. He explains how the incorporation of an aspect of digital art into a classical form, such as painting on canvas
Continue reading →
MoviesReviews
PIGSKIN Directed by Jake Hammond Written by Jake Hammond and Nicola Newton Starring – Isadora Leiva, Pablo Gonzalez, Isabella Groff, Luke Evans and Julie Moss Laurie Vernon, at first, second and even third glance, appears to be a normal healthy teenage girl. She’s on the cheerleading squad and seems to be well liked. However she has a secret, one that plagues women from their teens all the way into adulthood – she suffers from a low self body image. She causes herself to be sick, her stomach is scarred from where she has scratched herself, and she wraps her abdomen with a bandage in an attempt to cinch her stomach. Such insecurity may be brought on by her attraction to the the football team’s starting quarterback – an attraction that is reciprocated when he finally asks her out. It begins to weigh heavily on her mind, as she considers just how he might view her body if they become physically
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Prom night, for many high school students it’s a night of celebration. However, for one particular group of high school girls, it’s a night for staging a mean spirited prank on another of their female classmates. They find her sharing an intimate moment with a young man in her class when the other girls spring into action. And everything seemed to be going as planned until the young woman, who is the intended target of their mean girl hijinks, is severely injured leaving her permanently disabled. Eight years have passed, and the group responsible for the events of that tragic prom night have been invited to a reunion at a secluded country estate. And while they all seem rather amiable towards each other, some are being quite reticent about how truly awkward this gathering is for them. During dinner the group decides to play a card game where the participants must answer truthfully the questions they are asked. The group
Continue reading →
Reviews
‘Jack Goes Home’, written and directed by Thomas Dekker, will arrive on VOD and Digital HD on October 14th. Rory Culkin stars as Jack, a young man whose life seems to being going great. He has a baby on the way, a good job, but his life gets turned upside down when he receives a call that his mother and father have been in a car accident and his father did not survive. Jack goes home to take care of his mother. His mother, played by horror veteran Lynn Shaye (Insidious), is a strange woman with a cold, mean streak, which Jack clearly inherited. One night Jack discovers a tape of his father telling him to look in the attic, but what Jack finds will change his life forever. ‘Jack Goes Home’ is a dark psychological thriller, filled with more twists than a tilt-a-whirl. The film will have you second guessing if every scene is real, a dream or a
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Pandorica Written and Directed by Tom Paton Starring – Jade Hobday, Marc Zammit, Adam Bond and Luke D’Silva The place is Earth and the time is indeterminate. What is known? An event called “The Great Reset” occurred, thus sending the surviving populace back to a more primitive way of life. A number of generations have passed in the years following the “Reset”, and many communities adapted to a tribal form of existence. One such tribe, The Varosha, are now preparing for the emergence of their new leader, and the elders of their tribe have chosen three candidates from this new generation. The chosen three must journey out with the current tribal leader to face harrowing trials that will prove the worthiness of each candidate. In the end, only one of the candidates can return to serve as the tribal leader. So begins the tale of our three candidates: Eiren, Ares and Thade. Eiren is a strong willed and enigmatic young
Continue reading →
MoviesReviews
The Hollow Written and Directed by Miles Doleac Featuring – James Callis, Christiane Seidel, Miles Doleac, William Sadler and William Forsythe. A young couple are passing through a small town in Cutler County, Mississippi, looking for a place to rest their road weary heads for the night. They seek the advice of a local deputy sheriff, who tells them of a nearby parking locale, known as The Hollow, could be a suitable place to camp for the night. Shortly after arriving, they realize they’re going to have company when another couple parks close by. While they may have banked on spending the night there, it’s unlikely they thought it would be their FINAL resting place. The next morning, the couple and a local girl are all found shot to death at The Hollow. If this wasn’t bad enough, the young woman passing through with her boyfriend just happened to be the daughter of a Congressman from Illinois. Like it or
Continue reading →
More from Reviews
MoviesReviews
One Night of Fear Directed by – Brian Troxell Written by – Brian Troxell and Johnna Troxell Featuring – Jessica Sonneborn, Suzi Lorraine, Jimmy Dempster, Russ Forga, Megan Sweet, Joel D Wynkoop and Jason Sutton This movie is based on events surrounding several unsolved disappearances that have occurred over many years, in Florida’s Ocala National Forest. A group of friends decide to take a break from the norm and go on a hiking trip through the woods. With the group momentarily split up, one of the women in the group bears witness to the brutal murder of her boyfriend. In the meantime, her friends impatiently await the couple’s return so they can all get back on track, as it were. But their plans are soon derailed when only one friend returns, covered in her boyfriend’s blood and screaming. As they try to calm her enough to coax an explanation from her, the murder emerges on the road in the distance
Continue reading →
MusicReviews
Creating a soundtrack for a board game. How exactly does anyone do that? Well, one only needs to point said query to the masterminds/madmen behind Midnight Syndicate – Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka. Their most recent release, ZOMBIES!!! Official Board Game Soundtrack, offers a definitive answer to this question. Back in my D&D (which they have also done an album base on, WOOHOO!), Call of Cthulhu, Shadowrun and “roll playing game that a group of us created, but came up with no name for” days, I remember game-play situations taking shape in my mind as if they were scenes in a movie. I imagine that composing music for the elements and situations within this game must have been done in a similar fashion. Then again…maybe that’s not how Douglas and Gozska conceptualized the scoring of ZOMBIES!!!. Seriously, what do I know about composing music in any way, shape or form, let alone composing the way they do? Nothing. What I
Continue reading →
MoviesReviews
It Watches Directed by –David Parker Written by – David Parker and Ivan Djurovic Featuring – Ivan Djurovic, Rick Irwin, Sanny Van Heteren, James Duval Rob has been asked to house sit for a friend, but a scheduling conflict arises and now he must find someone to take over for him. Enter Andre, Rob’s friend and a man in definite need of some stress free, post concussion convalescing. Well…it’s as stress free as a big and slightly creepy house can possibly allow. And while the cupboards aren’t exactly stocked as promised, there are some intoxicating beverages and “party favors” to be had. While there, Andre must obey one rule above all else – no visitors. Aside from seeking relaxation, at the suggestion of his doctor, Andre is making a video diary in hopes that it will help him recall details about the accident that resulted in his aforementioned concussion. So with his camcorder in tow, he takes a self guided
Continue reading →
Reviews
Normally, when a movie is being hailed “the best horror movie” months before its theatrical debut, I wonder two things: is the movie that good, or does it just have a lot of big names and a great PR team. ‘Lights Out’ is one of those movies. Months before it opened in theaters the buzz was that it was going to be the best horror film of 2016. But is it? Directed by David F. Sandberg and co-written by Eric Heiseerer, the film is based on the short film by the same name by Sandberg. With horror master James Wan producing the film, it had my attention from the moment it was announced (I am huge fan of Wan). Living in rural Georgia and the closest theater being over an hour’s drive away, I had to wait till ‘Lights Out’ was released on DVD to check it out. Last night, I finally had the chance to see it for myself.
Continue reading →
MoviesReviews
Tabloid Vivant Written and Directed by Kyle Broom Starring – Jesse Woodrow, Tamzin Brown, and Chris Carlisle To refer to Max Klinkau and Sara Speed as kindred spirits would be to make a gross understatement. They both seek notoriety, but don’t want to achieve it by way of the humdrum and conventional means that many are more than happy to accept. Max and Sara are striving for something truly unique. Max has developed a “system of painting” that will radically change the way people will view the classic art form, even in an age where digital art has gained prominence. Sara sees this as an incredibly fascinating concept, and is ecstatic to be tasked with writing a critique based on Max’s new style. They retreat to the seclusion of a house deep in the woods, which belongs to Max’s agent. He explains how the incorporation of an aspect of digital art into a classical form, such as painting on canvas
Continue reading →
MoviesReviews
PIGSKIN Directed by Jake Hammond Written by Jake Hammond and Nicola Newton Starring – Isadora Leiva, Pablo Gonzalez, Isabella Groff, Luke Evans and Julie Moss Laurie Vernon, at first, second and even third glance, appears to be a normal healthy teenage girl. She’s on the cheerleading squad and seems to be well liked. However she has a secret, one that plagues women from their teens all the way into adulthood – she suffers from a low self body image. She causes herself to be sick, her stomach is scarred from where she has scratched herself, and she wraps her abdomen with a bandage in an attempt to cinch her stomach. Such insecurity may be brought on by her attraction to the the football team’s starting quarterback – an attraction that is reciprocated when he finally asks her out. It begins to weigh heavily on her mind, as she considers just how he might view her body if they become physically
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Prom night, for many high school students it’s a night of celebration. However, for one particular group of high school girls, it’s a night for staging a mean spirited prank on another of their female classmates. They find her sharing an intimate moment with a young man in her class when the other girls spring into action. And everything seemed to be going as planned until the young woman, who is the intended target of their mean girl hijinks, is severely injured leaving her permanently disabled. Eight years have passed, and the group responsible for the events of that tragic prom night have been invited to a reunion at a secluded country estate. And while they all seem rather amiable towards each other, some are being quite reticent about how truly awkward this gathering is for them. During dinner the group decides to play a card game where the participants must answer truthfully the questions they are asked. The group
Continue reading →
Reviews
‘Jack Goes Home’, written and directed by Thomas Dekker, will arrive on VOD and Digital HD on October 14th. Rory Culkin stars as Jack, a young man whose life seems to being going great. He has a baby on the way, a good job, but his life gets turned upside down when he receives a call that his mother and father have been in a car accident and his father did not survive. Jack goes home to take care of his mother. His mother, played by horror veteran Lynn Shaye (Insidious), is a strange woman with a cold, mean streak, which Jack clearly inherited. One night Jack discovers a tape of his father telling him to look in the attic, but what Jack finds will change his life forever. ‘Jack Goes Home’ is a dark psychological thriller, filled with more twists than a tilt-a-whirl. The film will have you second guessing if every scene is real, a dream or a
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Pandorica Written and Directed by Tom Paton Starring – Jade Hobday, Marc Zammit, Adam Bond and Luke D’Silva The place is Earth and the time is indeterminate. What is known? An event called “The Great Reset” occurred, thus sending the surviving populace back to a more primitive way of life. A number of generations have passed in the years following the “Reset”, and many communities adapted to a tribal form of existence. One such tribe, The Varosha, are now preparing for the emergence of their new leader, and the elders of their tribe have chosen three candidates from this new generation. The chosen three must journey out with the current tribal leader to face harrowing trials that will prove the worthiness of each candidate. In the end, only one of the candidates can return to serve as the tribal leader. So begins the tale of our three candidates: Eiren, Ares and Thade. Eiren is a strong willed and enigmatic young
Continue reading →
MoviesReviews
The Hollow Written and Directed by Miles Doleac Featuring – James Callis, Christiane Seidel, Miles Doleac, William Sadler and William Forsythe. A young couple are passing through a small town in Cutler County, Mississippi, looking for a place to rest their road weary heads for the night. They seek the advice of a local deputy sheriff, who tells them of a nearby parking locale, known as The Hollow, could be a suitable place to camp for the night. Shortly after arriving, they realize they’re going to have company when another couple parks close by. While they may have banked on spending the night there, it’s unlikely they thought it would be their FINAL resting place. The next morning, the couple and a local girl are all found shot to death at The Hollow. If this wasn’t bad enough, the young woman passing through with her boyfriend just happened to be the daughter of a Congressman from Illinois. Like it or
Continue reading →
