CategoryReviews
Honest horror reviews of films, series, games and books — no hype, no spoilers, just whether it is worth your time and your nerves.
3,465 stories
GamingIndieProductReviews
Cococucumber is an indie game studio that’s been making a splash in the ocean of game development with its interesting titles. I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to experience their latest title, Ravenlok. I would like to thank Cococucumber for letting me take a trip through the looking glass with this one. Ravenlok is a Voxel art-style game in the third person where players take on the role of a girl who is brought into a magical world where a prophecy foretold her intervention and bringing peace back to the dark lands that are becoming corrupted by an evil queen. Now onto the game itself. The controls for Ravenlok are surprisingly minimal but satisfyingly simple. The game responds well to a controller (which is suggested for use for PC players, I know, clutch the pearls PC folks.). The game’s soundtrack actually has quite a chill vibe to it, I love how the level song changes its intensity depending
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
MINORE In director Konstantinos Koutsoliotas’ Minore (Greece, 2023), sailor William (Davide Tucci) comes to a small Greek coastal town while on shore leave, searching for someone who has been missing from his life. He befriends tavern server Aliki (Daphne Alexander), and soon the pair must join forces with the rest of the townspeople to battle against strange creatures coming from the sea. This is a winning horror comedy with a strong Lovecraftian vibe. It boasts a sizable cast whose members all give fine performances, and the characters — the screenplay is by Koutsoliotas and Elizabeth E. Schuch (The Book of Birdie) — are written so well and in such an endearing manner that viewers will want all of them to survive the invasion. That’s a rarity in horror and horror comedies recently, with so many unlikable characters in many movies of late with no one to really root for. The creatures look pretty cool and get plenty of screen time
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
Before we dive into the movie review, I think it is important that I tell you about the legend of El Demonio Negro, The Black Demon. It has been said that the massive beast, which has a black top half, is between 30 and 50 feet long, leaving some convinced that it is, in reality, a surviving Megladon. There have been many reports and sightings of the beast throughout the Sea of Cortez near Mexico for decades. The film takes inspiration from the Black Demon’s legend and supersizes it. Warning Spoilers ahead. Josh Lucus stars as a father on a work/vacation with his family. He’s tasked with the job of inspecting an oil rig. But he and his family find themselves trapped on the rusty rig by a massive shark with the Rig’s two remaining employees. They must fight to survive and find a way to escape. Throughout the movie, details emerge about just how big of an asshole Lucus’
Continue reading →
GamingProductReviews
Everything is fine till the Vampires move in. That’s what happens in Arkane Studios and Bethesda’s Redfall. Players have been teased with the game for a while with some fearing it would end up in production hell as a result but here we are and Arkane and Bethesda reached out and gave me the chance to go to Redfall to fight some vampires to which I’m very grateful for the opportunity! Redfall is about an island in Massachusetts that has become overrun with vampires and cultists that allied themselves with them. After the island is sealed off from the mainland and the sun is eclipsed, four survivors teamed up to face the horrors ahead. Now onto the game itself! Redfall‘s controls are basic for an FPS game, so veterans of these kinds of games will have a leg up on the bloodsuckers. Headphones are a must, I know I say that a lot, but in this game there are secrets
Continue reading →
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MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
The Evil Dead franchise began with Evil Dead in 1981, Sam Raimi’s classic starring the oh so “groovy” Bruce Campbell. After several installments, director Fede Alvarez took the franchise in a new, more serious direction in 2013 with Evil Dead, starring Jane Levy. The second installment of the new branch of the franchise has just landed in theaters, Evil Dead Rise. Being the Evil Dead lover that I am, I headed to the theater to see it. I went into it knowing that it would be very different from the first Evil Dead I fell in love with and trying to keep an open mind. This is key for horror fans. You must compartmentalize and see the two branches separately. Evil Dead Rise moves the franchise out of the forest and into the city. It tells the twisted tale of two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing deadites, thrusting them into a primal battle
Continue reading →
ForeignIndieMoviesReviews
Maya (Hannah John-Kamen, whom you may remember from 2018’s superhero romp Ant-Man and the Wasp, but she’s been in an ass-load of other cool stuff) and Jamie (Douglas Booth) are more than ready to get the fuck out of Dodge after being accosted by thugs, so off they trot to the safety and serenity of the Irish countryside where absolutely nothing can ever go wrong. Once there they move into the home bequeathed to J-Dawg by his recently croaked aunt… but the country home comes with a warning; honor the old ways and pay tribute to the mysterious Redcaps rumored to haunt the land every day, or there will be unspecified static heading their way! Of course our heroes forget that shit Day fuckin’ One, and the town drunk is spirited away by those creepy Caps… but of course the body-count doesn’t stop there and before you can say “Guinness” our protagonists are up to their asses in goblins, psychotic
Continue reading →
GamingProductReviews
At first, it looks like a children’s game, and the plot sounds like a fairy tale, but dude, you are NOT ready for what’s ahead of you in Bramble: The Mountain King! After the demo went viral on Halloween 2022, the hype was indeed real for Merge Games and Dimfrost Studios’ dark adventure inspired by dark Nordic tales. I would like to give a big thank you and Tack to Merge Games and Dimfrost Studios for the reviewing opportunity! Bramble: The Mountain King is a dark Nordic adventure following Olle, a little boy who is on a mission to save his sister who was kidnapped by a troll and taken to the Mountain King. Olle then journies through a dark world where dangerous creatures from Nordic folklore stalk the woods. Now onto the game itself! Bramble: The Mountain King‘s controls are relatively simple, I just wish there was a better tutorial system in place at the game’s start. Headphones are
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsShort Films
The Dream Machine Cowriters/codirectors Josef Hermansson Embring and Philip Sterner have crafted a trippy work, Swedish short The Dream Machine. A young man (Alec Toselli) buys the titular device advertised on late-night television in hopes of easing his insomnia, or at least coming to grips with it, but this being a science fiction thriller, naturally using the machine leads to odd consequences. The filmmakers make the most of a small, sparsely decorated apartment, almost bare except for technology circa the short’s early 2000s-setting. The result is a mind-boggling lo-fi mind bender. The Fore-Men Writer/director Adrian Bobb’s The Fore-Men reveals its secrets slowly, and quite satisfyingly so. Sophia Walker and Gabriel Darku give fine performances as they star as what seems to be the lone survivors, at least in their area, of some cataclysmic event that brought the far past and present colliding together. Bobb makes the most of using what viewers don’t see to build mystery and tension and then
Continue reading →
GamingParanormalProductReviews
Not often do I get the chance to check out a game that I’m actually quite hesitant to play after seeing the trailer, but here we are folks. I want to give thanks to Feardemic Games and NC Studio for picking away at my facade of “Pft! I got this!” gaming attitude with Project Nightmares Case 36: Henrietta Kedward. Project Nightmares Case 36: Henrietta Kedward follows an individual who through science and the paranormal is sent into a dream with a psychic connection to a doll with evil energy attached to it that once belonged to Henrietta Kedward, a reclusive elderly woman whose life is shrouded in mystery as well as the paranormal implications surrounding her. While in this dream You will encounter an evil presence that’s well aware of your intrusion and will stop at nothing to kill you. Not onto the game itself! Project Nightmares Case 36: Henrietta Kedward‘s controls respond well and are easy to learn surprisingly
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
If you are looking for a film that is decidedly different from just about anything you have watched recently, look no further than director Isti Madarász’s Hungarian feature Halfway Home (Átjáróház, 2022). This film, which boasts supernatural elements galore, is perhaps the most charming, whimsical consideration of love and death that you are likely to see this year. Kriztián (Péter Bárnai) and Ági (Vivien Rujder) were both rescued from a hospital fire at birth. Kriztián was raised by a witch, which may help him after he is late for a first date — the pair are unaware of each other’s shared hospital story — with Ági. His tardiness resulted in her accidental death. Luckily for Kriztián, he has just landed a new job as a morgue attendant where the dead who have something left undone before their demise wait for a certain period, ascending into Heaven if their desire is fulfilled or meeting with a sadistic demon if it is
Continue reading →
More from Reviews
GamingIndieProductReviews
Cococucumber is an indie game studio that’s been making a splash in the ocean of game development with its interesting titles. I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to experience their latest title, Ravenlok. I would like to thank Cococucumber for letting me take a trip through the looking glass with this one. Ravenlok is a Voxel art-style game in the third person where players take on the role of a girl who is brought into a magical world where a prophecy foretold her intervention and bringing peace back to the dark lands that are becoming corrupted by an evil queen. Now onto the game itself. The controls for Ravenlok are surprisingly minimal but satisfyingly simple. The game responds well to a controller (which is suggested for use for PC players, I know, clutch the pearls PC folks.). The game’s soundtrack actually has quite a chill vibe to it, I love how the level song changes its intensity depending
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
MINORE In director Konstantinos Koutsoliotas’ Minore (Greece, 2023), sailor William (Davide Tucci) comes to a small Greek coastal town while on shore leave, searching for someone who has been missing from his life. He befriends tavern server Aliki (Daphne Alexander), and soon the pair must join forces with the rest of the townspeople to battle against strange creatures coming from the sea. This is a winning horror comedy with a strong Lovecraftian vibe. It boasts a sizable cast whose members all give fine performances, and the characters — the screenplay is by Koutsoliotas and Elizabeth E. Schuch (The Book of Birdie) — are written so well and in such an endearing manner that viewers will want all of them to survive the invasion. That’s a rarity in horror and horror comedies recently, with so many unlikable characters in many movies of late with no one to really root for. The creatures look pretty cool and get plenty of screen time
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
Before we dive into the movie review, I think it is important that I tell you about the legend of El Demonio Negro, The Black Demon. It has been said that the massive beast, which has a black top half, is between 30 and 50 feet long, leaving some convinced that it is, in reality, a surviving Megladon. There have been many reports and sightings of the beast throughout the Sea of Cortez near Mexico for decades. The film takes inspiration from the Black Demon’s legend and supersizes it. Warning Spoilers ahead. Josh Lucus stars as a father on a work/vacation with his family. He’s tasked with the job of inspecting an oil rig. But he and his family find themselves trapped on the rusty rig by a massive shark with the Rig’s two remaining employees. They must fight to survive and find a way to escape. Throughout the movie, details emerge about just how big of an asshole Lucus’
Continue reading →
GamingProductReviews
Everything is fine till the Vampires move in. That’s what happens in Arkane Studios and Bethesda’s Redfall. Players have been teased with the game for a while with some fearing it would end up in production hell as a result but here we are and Arkane and Bethesda reached out and gave me the chance to go to Redfall to fight some vampires to which I’m very grateful for the opportunity! Redfall is about an island in Massachusetts that has become overrun with vampires and cultists that allied themselves with them. After the island is sealed off from the mainland and the sun is eclipsed, four survivors teamed up to face the horrors ahead. Now onto the game itself! Redfall‘s controls are basic for an FPS game, so veterans of these kinds of games will have a leg up on the bloodsuckers. Headphones are a must, I know I say that a lot, but in this game there are secrets
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
The Evil Dead franchise began with Evil Dead in 1981, Sam Raimi’s classic starring the oh so “groovy” Bruce Campbell. After several installments, director Fede Alvarez took the franchise in a new, more serious direction in 2013 with Evil Dead, starring Jane Levy. The second installment of the new branch of the franchise has just landed in theaters, Evil Dead Rise. Being the Evil Dead lover that I am, I headed to the theater to see it. I went into it knowing that it would be very different from the first Evil Dead I fell in love with and trying to keep an open mind. This is key for horror fans. You must compartmentalize and see the two branches separately. Evil Dead Rise moves the franchise out of the forest and into the city. It tells the twisted tale of two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing deadites, thrusting them into a primal battle
Continue reading →
ForeignIndieMoviesReviews
Maya (Hannah John-Kamen, whom you may remember from 2018’s superhero romp Ant-Man and the Wasp, but she’s been in an ass-load of other cool stuff) and Jamie (Douglas Booth) are more than ready to get the fuck out of Dodge after being accosted by thugs, so off they trot to the safety and serenity of the Irish countryside where absolutely nothing can ever go wrong. Once there they move into the home bequeathed to J-Dawg by his recently croaked aunt… but the country home comes with a warning; honor the old ways and pay tribute to the mysterious Redcaps rumored to haunt the land every day, or there will be unspecified static heading their way! Of course our heroes forget that shit Day fuckin’ One, and the town drunk is spirited away by those creepy Caps… but of course the body-count doesn’t stop there and before you can say “Guinness” our protagonists are up to their asses in goblins, psychotic
Continue reading →
GamingProductReviews
At first, it looks like a children’s game, and the plot sounds like a fairy tale, but dude, you are NOT ready for what’s ahead of you in Bramble: The Mountain King! After the demo went viral on Halloween 2022, the hype was indeed real for Merge Games and Dimfrost Studios’ dark adventure inspired by dark Nordic tales. I would like to give a big thank you and Tack to Merge Games and Dimfrost Studios for the reviewing opportunity! Bramble: The Mountain King is a dark Nordic adventure following Olle, a little boy who is on a mission to save his sister who was kidnapped by a troll and taken to the Mountain King. Olle then journies through a dark world where dangerous creatures from Nordic folklore stalk the woods. Now onto the game itself! Bramble: The Mountain King‘s controls are relatively simple, I just wish there was a better tutorial system in place at the game’s start. Headphones are
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsShort Films
The Dream Machine Cowriters/codirectors Josef Hermansson Embring and Philip Sterner have crafted a trippy work, Swedish short The Dream Machine. A young man (Alec Toselli) buys the titular device advertised on late-night television in hopes of easing his insomnia, or at least coming to grips with it, but this being a science fiction thriller, naturally using the machine leads to odd consequences. The filmmakers make the most of a small, sparsely decorated apartment, almost bare except for technology circa the short’s early 2000s-setting. The result is a mind-boggling lo-fi mind bender. The Fore-Men Writer/director Adrian Bobb’s The Fore-Men reveals its secrets slowly, and quite satisfyingly so. Sophia Walker and Gabriel Darku give fine performances as they star as what seems to be the lone survivors, at least in their area, of some cataclysmic event that brought the far past and present colliding together. Bobb makes the most of using what viewers don’t see to build mystery and tension and then
Continue reading →
GamingParanormalProductReviews
Not often do I get the chance to check out a game that I’m actually quite hesitant to play after seeing the trailer, but here we are folks. I want to give thanks to Feardemic Games and NC Studio for picking away at my facade of “Pft! I got this!” gaming attitude with Project Nightmares Case 36: Henrietta Kedward. Project Nightmares Case 36: Henrietta Kedward follows an individual who through science and the paranormal is sent into a dream with a psychic connection to a doll with evil energy attached to it that once belonged to Henrietta Kedward, a reclusive elderly woman whose life is shrouded in mystery as well as the paranormal implications surrounding her. While in this dream You will encounter an evil presence that’s well aware of your intrusion and will stop at nothing to kill you. Not onto the game itself! Project Nightmares Case 36: Henrietta Kedward‘s controls respond well and are easy to learn surprisingly
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
If you are looking for a film that is decidedly different from just about anything you have watched recently, look no further than director Isti Madarász’s Hungarian feature Halfway Home (Átjáróház, 2022). This film, which boasts supernatural elements galore, is perhaps the most charming, whimsical consideration of love and death that you are likely to see this year. Kriztián (Péter Bárnai) and Ági (Vivien Rujder) were both rescued from a hospital fire at birth. Kriztián was raised by a witch, which may help him after he is late for a first date — the pair are unaware of each other’s shared hospital story — with Ági. His tardiness resulted in her accidental death. Luckily for Kriztián, he has just landed a new job as a morgue attendant where the dead who have something left undone before their demise wait for a certain period, ascending into Heaven if their desire is fulfilled or meeting with a sadistic demon if it is
Continue reading →
