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
AdaptationComic Books/Graphic NovelsGamingProductReviews
You’ve seen artists with posable wooden figures, they’re cool but are limited in their movement and expression. This can be hard for someone who wants to get into drawing their own comics, manga, and storyboards. Well, help is on the way in the form of Stickybones, a poseable mannequin for not just drawing, but animation as well! I want to give a big thank you to the awesome folks over at Stickybones for making this review possible by sending over Karl, well, that’s what I’m calling him now. “Who’s Karl?” you’re probably (not) asking. Karl is my Stickybone figure who came in Yellow and Black, not gonna lie, the colors are awesome, giving a crash test dummy/biohazard vibe! Karl came disassembled, DON’T PANIC (like I did), it’s actually quite easy to figure out which parts go where but if the instructions (that came with it) are confusing, Stickybones has an assembly video you can watch! Karl is 8.5 inches tall
Continue reading →
Apple TVNewsReviewsStreaming TVTrailers
There came a time recently when I began to feel like I’d seen everything, so I broke down and signed up for AppleTV. Another reason is that I really wanted to check out their series “Servant.” The clips we’ve been sharing piqued my interest. But they did not prepare me for what unfolded in front of my eyes, a tension-filled story that builds creepiness and mystery with each episode. It left me hooked, barely able to turn it off. And after I did, it stayed, swimming around in my head for hours. The story follows a husband and wife going through a terrible situation. When wife and mother Dorthy (Lauren Ambrose) hires a mysterious nanny, Leanne (Nell Tiger Free), to care for her and her husband Sean’s (Toby Kebbell) baby, things spiral into chaos. Once Leanne, who is abnormally strange and quiet, arrives, the family tries to go about their daily lives, though a terrible secret hides behind normality. Dorthy’s
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsSci-FiThriller
Monolith Australian science fiction/mystery Monolith finds a young reporter (Lily Sullivan) trying to revive her career as a journalist after not checking her sources on a controversial article. She has an opportunity to start a podcast but suffers from creative block — until, that is, she receives an email from an anonymous source that hints at a particular woman and a brick. The podcaster follows up on the mysterious message and finds herself going further and further down a rabbit hole, and revealing any more of the plot would be doing director Matt Vesely’s film a great disservice. Vesely, working from a marvelous screenplay by Lucy Campbell, masterfully builds the intensity, with Sullivan giving a first-rate performance. Sullivan is, with soem small exception, the only actor viewers see — other performers provide solid voice acting — and she carries the film wonderfully. Go in to Monolith as cold as possible and be prepared for a slow-burn mystery designed to keep
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism Australian feature Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism (2023) eschews the cliches of films dealing with vomit-spewing, head-spinning people possessed by demons in favor of dealing with the religious beliefs vs. mental health question behind alleged possessions. The result is a riveting film that is ultimately as heartbreaking as it is chilling. Lara (Georgia Eyers) and Ron (Dan Ewing) are a young married couple. She has been exhibiting unusual behavior including dancing naked outside their home, and while Ron simply wants psychologist Dr. Walsh (Eliza Matengu) to give them permission to seek a church-sanctioned exorcism, Lara does not share her husband’s religious beliefs and leans more toward therapeutic help. As her behavior grows more violent, possibly because of either dissociative identity disorder or demonic possession, a desperate Ron seeks the help of unsanctioned exorcist Daniel (Tim Pocock), and this is when director Nick Kozakis’s film heads into truly terrifying territory. Based on a true crime case in Australia,
Continue reading →
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IndieMoviesReviewsShort Films
Rock musician Devin (Lanae Hyneman) has fallen on some hard ass times… mentally anyway. After a disastrous European tour, Devin has retreated to a lw-rent apartment to seclude herself from the world ostensibly to work on material for a follow up to her bands successful debut album, but really she wallows in sadness and does her best to look like a burnt out shell of a woman. She’s pretty successful at that as well. While developing that skill-set she is interrupted by pushy journalist Juliya (Alice Shen) who demands Devin give her the scoop on what really went on across the pond. Her pain-in-the-assness pays off, and she gets her wish… and you can bet the freaky farm that the answer is much more than just truck loads of beastly booze and fistfuls of drugs. Supernatural shenanigans ensue! Writer/director Matthew Packman (who also helmed 2020’s vampire revenge flick Morbid Colors which I reviewed right here) returns to the gritty city
Continue reading →
MoviesReviews
Director Anthony DiBiasi’s Malum is a remake of his own 2015 film The Last Shift, which I considered one of my 10 favorite horror films of that year and which did something that few horror films from recent years before that had done: watching it at home alone with the lights off, it made me consider turning them back on several times. Could DiBiasi capture that same unrelenting eeriness again here? Several filmmakers have reimagined their own works. For example, my favorite Korean film, The Housemaid (1960) was revamped not once but twice by its director Kim KiYoung. The main question at play for these efforts is usually “But why?”, and that is certainly a valid consideration here. DiBiasi seemingly received a larger budget for Malum than The Last Shift, and perhaps there were elements that he felt could have been better served with a bigger budget. But more money does not necessarily mean a better film, as has been
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviews
Shot on 16mm film and invoking the aesthetics of a 1970s film, writer/director/cinematographer Mark Jenkin’s U.K. psychological horror feature Enys Men (the translation of the term from its original Cornish is stone island) is an intriguing watch. It’s certainly not for everyone, but aficionados of cerebral and experimental fear fare will find plenty over which to mull. Taking place on an uninhabited island off the Cornish coast in 1973, Enys Men finds a character named The Volunteer (Mary Woodvine) tracking the growth of wildflowers. Her existence there is rather routine and silent — Woodvine’s riveting performance includes sparse dialogue — save for the occasional visit from a boatman (Edward Rowe) who delivers supplies, and some other presences which appear to be human, if perhaps no longer of this Earthly realm. The Volunteer was seeking solitude, but the past of this island is destined to lead her down a path of madness. Part character study and part look at a bygone
Continue reading →
GamingProductReviews
Stained Glass comes to life in Just For Games and Bonus Level Entertainment’s arcade game Saga of Sins where players take on the role of Cecil, a man who has returned to his home kingdom from the Crusades, only to find it plagued not only by the Black Death but by the seven deadly sins. I would like to thank Just For Games and Bonus Level Entertainment for allowing me to review this! The controls for Saga of Sins are OK and could use a better tutorial system, especially the option to look up the instructions in your options in the event you missed something. Another thing I did not like is that there’s no option to turn the vibration off for your controller, might not sound like much to some of you but if you’re someone who wants to prolong battery life in your controller, vibrations are notorious for draining batteries. The sound is pretty decent in Saga of
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Jeffrey A. Brown, who made a strong impression as director of 2019’s The Beach House, turns in more fine work at the helm with The Unheard. This supernatural feature rewards close watching, as several hints about what is happening around the town in which the film is set and what comes to a head in the third act are subtly laid out throughout the film. Twenty-year-old Chloe (Lachlan Watson) undergoes a clinical trial treatment to try to regain her hearing, which she lost as a young child when she was stricken with meningitis. Dr. Lynch (Shunori Ranamathan) is Chloe’s lead physician on the case, and she instructs Chloe to contact her whenever needed. Chloe takes up residence in her childhood beach home, and as she slowly begins regaining her hearing, she also starts hearing static and other noises, and surfacing amongst them are the voice of her deceased mother, who disappeared when Chloe was eight years old. To give away
Continue reading →
ProductReviews
If you’re like me, a true horror, then you probably love wearing items that promote your favorite movies. Dumbgood.com’s got everything you want and more. Recently I did a write-up about their Scream merch and decided to try it out myself. I have to say I’m impressed. I got the complete Ghostface “repeat mask” lounge set, a hat, and a bag. The shirt ($42) is cropped and has long sleeves. It runs a bit small, so I advise ordering up at least one size. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing it while you are sitting around watching horror movies or if you pair it with jeans, it’s cute. The shorts, which run $52, are almost knee-length on me, but I’m short, five-foot even to be exact. I will say that they are super comfy! The material is soft after one wash, and the image on the fabric doesn’t fade. The hat is perfect, not too big and not too small.
Continue reading →
More from Reviews
AdaptationComic Books/Graphic NovelsGamingProductReviews
You’ve seen artists with posable wooden figures, they’re cool but are limited in their movement and expression. This can be hard for someone who wants to get into drawing their own comics, manga, and storyboards. Well, help is on the way in the form of Stickybones, a poseable mannequin for not just drawing, but animation as well! I want to give a big thank you to the awesome folks over at Stickybones for making this review possible by sending over Karl, well, that’s what I’m calling him now. “Who’s Karl?” you’re probably (not) asking. Karl is my Stickybone figure who came in Yellow and Black, not gonna lie, the colors are awesome, giving a crash test dummy/biohazard vibe! Karl came disassembled, DON’T PANIC (like I did), it’s actually quite easy to figure out which parts go where but if the instructions (that came with it) are confusing, Stickybones has an assembly video you can watch! Karl is 8.5 inches tall
Continue reading →
Apple TVNewsReviewsStreaming TVTrailers
There came a time recently when I began to feel like I’d seen everything, so I broke down and signed up for AppleTV. Another reason is that I really wanted to check out their series “Servant.” The clips we’ve been sharing piqued my interest. But they did not prepare me for what unfolded in front of my eyes, a tension-filled story that builds creepiness and mystery with each episode. It left me hooked, barely able to turn it off. And after I did, it stayed, swimming around in my head for hours. The story follows a husband and wife going through a terrible situation. When wife and mother Dorthy (Lauren Ambrose) hires a mysterious nanny, Leanne (Nell Tiger Free), to care for her and her husband Sean’s (Toby Kebbell) baby, things spiral into chaos. Once Leanne, who is abnormally strange and quiet, arrives, the family tries to go about their daily lives, though a terrible secret hides behind normality. Dorthy’s
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsSci-FiThriller
Monolith Australian science fiction/mystery Monolith finds a young reporter (Lily Sullivan) trying to revive her career as a journalist after not checking her sources on a controversial article. She has an opportunity to start a podcast but suffers from creative block — until, that is, she receives an email from an anonymous source that hints at a particular woman and a brick. The podcaster follows up on the mysterious message and finds herself going further and further down a rabbit hole, and revealing any more of the plot would be doing director Matt Vesely’s film a great disservice. Vesely, working from a marvelous screenplay by Lucy Campbell, masterfully builds the intensity, with Sullivan giving a first-rate performance. Sullivan is, with soem small exception, the only actor viewers see — other performers provide solid voice acting — and she carries the film wonderfully. Go in to Monolith as cold as possible and be prepared for a slow-burn mystery designed to keep
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism Australian feature Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism (2023) eschews the cliches of films dealing with vomit-spewing, head-spinning people possessed by demons in favor of dealing with the religious beliefs vs. mental health question behind alleged possessions. The result is a riveting film that is ultimately as heartbreaking as it is chilling. Lara (Georgia Eyers) and Ron (Dan Ewing) are a young married couple. She has been exhibiting unusual behavior including dancing naked outside their home, and while Ron simply wants psychologist Dr. Walsh (Eliza Matengu) to give them permission to seek a church-sanctioned exorcism, Lara does not share her husband’s religious beliefs and leans more toward therapeutic help. As her behavior grows more violent, possibly because of either dissociative identity disorder or demonic possession, a desperate Ron seeks the help of unsanctioned exorcist Daniel (Tim Pocock), and this is when director Nick Kozakis’s film heads into truly terrifying territory. Based on a true crime case in Australia,
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviewsShort Films
Rock musician Devin (Lanae Hyneman) has fallen on some hard ass times… mentally anyway. After a disastrous European tour, Devin has retreated to a lw-rent apartment to seclude herself from the world ostensibly to work on material for a follow up to her bands successful debut album, but really she wallows in sadness and does her best to look like a burnt out shell of a woman. She’s pretty successful at that as well. While developing that skill-set she is interrupted by pushy journalist Juliya (Alice Shen) who demands Devin give her the scoop on what really went on across the pond. Her pain-in-the-assness pays off, and she gets her wish… and you can bet the freaky farm that the answer is much more than just truck loads of beastly booze and fistfuls of drugs. Supernatural shenanigans ensue! Writer/director Matthew Packman (who also helmed 2020’s vampire revenge flick Morbid Colors which I reviewed right here) returns to the gritty city
Continue reading →
MoviesReviews
Director Anthony DiBiasi’s Malum is a remake of his own 2015 film The Last Shift, which I considered one of my 10 favorite horror films of that year and which did something that few horror films from recent years before that had done: watching it at home alone with the lights off, it made me consider turning them back on several times. Could DiBiasi capture that same unrelenting eeriness again here? Several filmmakers have reimagined their own works. For example, my favorite Korean film, The Housemaid (1960) was revamped not once but twice by its director Kim KiYoung. The main question at play for these efforts is usually “But why?”, and that is certainly a valid consideration here. DiBiasi seemingly received a larger budget for Malum than The Last Shift, and perhaps there were elements that he felt could have been better served with a bigger budget. But more money does not necessarily mean a better film, as has been
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviews
Shot on 16mm film and invoking the aesthetics of a 1970s film, writer/director/cinematographer Mark Jenkin’s U.K. psychological horror feature Enys Men (the translation of the term from its original Cornish is stone island) is an intriguing watch. It’s certainly not for everyone, but aficionados of cerebral and experimental fear fare will find plenty over which to mull. Taking place on an uninhabited island off the Cornish coast in 1973, Enys Men finds a character named The Volunteer (Mary Woodvine) tracking the growth of wildflowers. Her existence there is rather routine and silent — Woodvine’s riveting performance includes sparse dialogue — save for the occasional visit from a boatman (Edward Rowe) who delivers supplies, and some other presences which appear to be human, if perhaps no longer of this Earthly realm. The Volunteer was seeking solitude, but the past of this island is destined to lead her down a path of madness. Part character study and part look at a bygone
Continue reading →
GamingProductReviews
Stained Glass comes to life in Just For Games and Bonus Level Entertainment’s arcade game Saga of Sins where players take on the role of Cecil, a man who has returned to his home kingdom from the Crusades, only to find it plagued not only by the Black Death but by the seven deadly sins. I would like to thank Just For Games and Bonus Level Entertainment for allowing me to review this! The controls for Saga of Sins are OK and could use a better tutorial system, especially the option to look up the instructions in your options in the event you missed something. Another thing I did not like is that there’s no option to turn the vibration off for your controller, might not sound like much to some of you but if you’re someone who wants to prolong battery life in your controller, vibrations are notorious for draining batteries. The sound is pretty decent in Saga of
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Jeffrey A. Brown, who made a strong impression as director of 2019’s The Beach House, turns in more fine work at the helm with The Unheard. This supernatural feature rewards close watching, as several hints about what is happening around the town in which the film is set and what comes to a head in the third act are subtly laid out throughout the film. Twenty-year-old Chloe (Lachlan Watson) undergoes a clinical trial treatment to try to regain her hearing, which she lost as a young child when she was stricken with meningitis. Dr. Lynch (Shunori Ranamathan) is Chloe’s lead physician on the case, and she instructs Chloe to contact her whenever needed. Chloe takes up residence in her childhood beach home, and as she slowly begins regaining her hearing, she also starts hearing static and other noises, and surfacing amongst them are the voice of her deceased mother, who disappeared when Chloe was eight years old. To give away
Continue reading →
ProductReviews
If you’re like me, a true horror, then you probably love wearing items that promote your favorite movies. Dumbgood.com’s got everything you want and more. Recently I did a write-up about their Scream merch and decided to try it out myself. I have to say I’m impressed. I got the complete Ghostface “repeat mask” lounge set, a hat, and a bag. The shirt ($42) is cropped and has long sleeves. It runs a bit small, so I advise ordering up at least one size. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing it while you are sitting around watching horror movies or if you pair it with jeans, it’s cute. The shorts, which run $52, are almost knee-length on me, but I’m short, five-foot even to be exact. I will say that they are super comfy! The material is soft after one wash, and the image on the fabric doesn’t fade. The hat is perfect, not too big and not too small.
Continue reading →
