CategoryReviews
Honest horror reviews of films, series, games and books — no hype, no spoilers, just whether it is worth your time and your nerves.
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DocumentariesFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Cryptid Writer/director Brad Rego’s Cryptid is a nifty creature feature that serves up The X-Files vibes with a dash of Kolchak: The Night Stalker for good measure. Former big-city journalist Max (Nicholas Baroudi) is working as a freelance reporter for a small-town newspaper in Maine, relegated to high-school sports items while hoping for a story that he hopes will give him a break back to the big time. He may have stumbled on a potential item when he comes across an animal attack victim that Sheriff Murdoch (Chopper Bernet) has bad feelings about. Max gets his photojournalist coworker and buddy Harriet (Ellen Adair) involved, and soon enough the pair are on the trail of the titular beast. Rego has crafted a fun monster movie that follows and respects the rules of classic creature features and sports an impressive monster-suit design and great-looking practical effects and makeup. The chemistry between Baroudi and Adair is super, with their characters having a “Will
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesParanormalReviews
Among its many offerings this year, Blood in the Snow Film Festival serves up some fine new horror short-shorts hailing from Canada. Here are reviews of three of them. The Cradle Rich in brooding atmosphere, writer/director Massimo Meo’s The Cradle sets the tone with creepy dolls, and noises outside a woman’s house getting closer before showing an eerie big reveal. Fans of supernatural cinema should find plenty to like with this short. Viewfinder Photographer Christian (Jakub Zieba) is shooting model Steph (Becca Clapperton) but spies something odd and eerie through his camera that isn’t seen by the naked eye. Director Tiffany Wice wrings Viewfinder for maximum suspense and delivers a satisfyingly creepy ending. Mindful Meditation Director Louie La Vella and screenwriter/star Monica La Vella explore the story of a woman whose guided meditation exercise in her bedroom takes her down a truly dark path. Mindful Meditation uses classic visual ghost story cinema elements in a different way, which leads to
Continue reading →
GamingIndieParanormalProductReviews
When it comes to faith people either have it, don’t, or are unsure. In Saint Kotar, the faith of our heroes is tested as modern faith and old traditions collide. I want to thank SOEDESCO and Red Martyer Entertainment for the reviewing opportunity! Saint Kotar takes players to a remote town in Croatia where the people practice modern and pagan beliefs while under the watchful eyes of the town’s leaders who rule with fear. The village is also plagued by kidnappings and murders carried out by the “Moon Ghouls”, a group of cannibal cultists. Players take on the roles of Benedek, a monk, and staunch Catholic, and Nikolay, a Deacon and Benedek’s brother-in-law. The two find themselves waking up in a living nightmare as Benedek’s estranged sister (and Nikolay’s wife) has gone missing and is somehow involved in events that just took place in the town. Now onto the game itself. Saint Kotar is a point-and-click game, which becomes obvious
Continue reading →
MoviesReviewsSci-FiThriller
In the fantastic future year of 2022, big biz owns the world’s prisons and they love nothing more than exiling problem prisoners to a remote island known as Absolom, a piece of land populated entirely by convicts, cannibals and other assorted wacky-ass chaps! This is something Marine John Robbins (Ray Liotta) learns about intimately as his ass is thrown there almost immediately after being incarcerated for the murder of the commanding officer who demanded our hero murder innocent civilians. Before long, Robbins finds himself caught between the neo-primitive Outsiders who rule the jungle with violence from a base located in an abandoned resort, and the Insiders, a group of more peaceful folk who form a small tribe that try to keep to themselves far removed from the Outsider’s jungle… though not so far that the gang’s leader, the absolutely off-the-wall Walter Marek (Stuart Wilson), doesn’t launch frequent pillaging sessions, much to the chagrin of the Insider’s leader, Father (the legendary
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
AlieNation Director Ray Raghavan’s AlieNation (Canada, 2022) finds a young girl named Maria (Maria Frazer) and her mother (Margarita Iturriaga) being chased through the woods by border patrol agents who aren’t shy about using their guns. Maria makes an astounding discovery while hiding in a cave entrance, and soon enough everyone finds themselves pursued by a deadly entity. The double-meaning title gives away what joins the chase, but that gives me the opportunity to say without giving away a spoiler that the creature design is highly impressive. Chase scenes and social issues combine to make this well-acted and deftly directed science fiction/horror hybrid a winner. Folk Director Gabriel Maron crafts a goosebumps-inducing Halloween folk horror in Folk (Canada, 2022), in which a young woman (Sara-Sue Vallée) turns away some trick-or-treaters at her front door, only to find that these are not your average children simply looking for candy handouts. This supernatural chiller sports an ominous tone and unsettling color palette,
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsProductReviews
What horror fan doesn’t love merch featuring your favorite icons and movies? I know I do. That’s why when I came across the WB Shop, I had to get an IT T-shirt. Ordering was quick and easy and it only took a few days to arrive. When I took the shirt out of the white plastic envelope it arrived in, I noticed that it was a bit stiff. But the image on the front was well done and the IT Chapter Two detail on the back was a nice touch. After washing it, I noticed that it was much softer and the fabric is thick and of high quality without being too thick. The image did not fade and it did not shrink much, if at all. I will tell you that I did wash it on cold and dry it on the delicate cycle. As for the cut of the shirt, it hung well, however, I ordered a large
Continue reading →
GamingProductReviews
Halloween may be over but the spooks keep coming and Bandai Namco brought it with their latest installment in their The Dark Pictures Anthology series with the fourth story in the series The Devil In Me. I want to thank Supermassive Games and Bandai Namco for allowing me to continue checking out this series for our readers! Let us take a look at The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me. The Devil In Me takes an interesting turn in the series where the game’s story is not inspired by historical events with supernatural undertones (A rumored ghost ship, The Salem Witch Trials, and the curse of Naram-Sin) but by something very real, Serial Killers. The serial killer that the game focuses on is non-other than the infamous H.H. Holmes. The plot of The Devil In Me follows a documentary group who are in the middle of making a documentary about Holmes and were given the opportunity of a lifetime,
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesParanormalReviews
Contorted Writer/director Kang Dong Hun’s Contorted (South Korea, 2022) looks great and is well acted but its screenplay is weighed down with horror movie cliches. The film opens intriguingly with preteen girl HeeWoo (Kim BoMin) seeing a paranormal occurrence while at a funeral parlor with her father HyunMin (Kim MinJae). Meanwhile at their home, HeeWoo’s mother MyungHye (Seo YoungHee) contemplates suicide by jumping off of the balcony of their apartment. Her very young daughter JiWoo (Noh HaYeon) prevents her from doing so, but then a horrible act takes place. MyungHye suffers from mental health issues while HyunMin, unemployed and unsuccessful in finding new work because of a plagiarism scandal, takes a passive stance while trying to keep appearances as normal as possible. Young teen son DongWoo (Oh JaHun) is emotionally checked out of the family. As increasingly bizarre and upsetting occurrences take place in the new home into which they have just moved because of financial difficulties, and inside a
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Ghosting Gloria Ghost movie, supernatural fantasy, romantic comedy, sex comedy, literary comedy — charming Uruguayan feature Ghosting Gloria (Muerto con Gloria, 2021) is all of this and more. Codirected by husband-and-wife filmmaking team Marcela Matta and Mauro Sarse from a screenplay written by Mauro, the film finds thirty-year-old bookseller Gloria (Stefania Tortorella) choosing to move apartments because her upstairs neighbors are so noisy with their middle-of-the-night sexcapades, complete with bawdy talk. Her new home is inhabited by the ghost of the man who suddenly died there recently, and having passed away has done nothing to lessen his libido. The first encounter between Gloria and the ghost is certain to make many viewers uneasy, but Gloria becomes enchanted by the spirit, who gives Gloria her first orgasm — with many to follow. Ghosting Gloria follows a few different paths as the titular character — portrayed in a winsome, vibrant performance by Tortorella that is reason alone to seek out the film
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Spanish chiller Piggy (Cerdita, 2022) is a terrific serial killer/coming-of-age/bullying and revenge mash-up that digs in deep on questions concerning doing what’s right, scapegoating, the dangers of a collective mindset, and more. Writer/director Carlota Pereda balances all of these aspects winningly and delivers a blood-soaked feature that leaves plenty to consider throughout the viewing experience and long after. Laura Galán portrays Sara, a plus-size teenager who helps out at her family’s struggling butcher shop. She is harassed by mean girls Maca (Claudia Salas) and Roci (Camille Aguilar), with the somewhat kinder Claudia (Irene Ferreiro) not participating but not doing anything to stop it, either. When the girls make fun of her at the community swimming pool — also joking about a man (Richard Holmes) who is also at the pool — and steal her clothes after nearly drowning her, it comes as little surprise that she doesn’t report to her parents or authorities after she sees the three girls being
Continue reading →
More from Reviews
DocumentariesFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Cryptid Writer/director Brad Rego’s Cryptid is a nifty creature feature that serves up The X-Files vibes with a dash of Kolchak: The Night Stalker for good measure. Former big-city journalist Max (Nicholas Baroudi) is working as a freelance reporter for a small-town newspaper in Maine, relegated to high-school sports items while hoping for a story that he hopes will give him a break back to the big time. He may have stumbled on a potential item when he comes across an animal attack victim that Sheriff Murdoch (Chopper Bernet) has bad feelings about. Max gets his photojournalist coworker and buddy Harriet (Ellen Adair) involved, and soon enough the pair are on the trail of the titular beast. Rego has crafted a fun monster movie that follows and respects the rules of classic creature features and sports an impressive monster-suit design and great-looking practical effects and makeup. The chemistry between Baroudi and Adair is super, with their characters having a “Will
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesParanormalReviews
Among its many offerings this year, Blood in the Snow Film Festival serves up some fine new horror short-shorts hailing from Canada. Here are reviews of three of them. The Cradle Rich in brooding atmosphere, writer/director Massimo Meo’s The Cradle sets the tone with creepy dolls, and noises outside a woman’s house getting closer before showing an eerie big reveal. Fans of supernatural cinema should find plenty to like with this short. Viewfinder Photographer Christian (Jakub Zieba) is shooting model Steph (Becca Clapperton) but spies something odd and eerie through his camera that isn’t seen by the naked eye. Director Tiffany Wice wrings Viewfinder for maximum suspense and delivers a satisfyingly creepy ending. Mindful Meditation Director Louie La Vella and screenwriter/star Monica La Vella explore the story of a woman whose guided meditation exercise in her bedroom takes her down a truly dark path. Mindful Meditation uses classic visual ghost story cinema elements in a different way, which leads to
Continue reading →
GamingIndieParanormalProductReviews
When it comes to faith people either have it, don’t, or are unsure. In Saint Kotar, the faith of our heroes is tested as modern faith and old traditions collide. I want to thank SOEDESCO and Red Martyer Entertainment for the reviewing opportunity! Saint Kotar takes players to a remote town in Croatia where the people practice modern and pagan beliefs while under the watchful eyes of the town’s leaders who rule with fear. The village is also plagued by kidnappings and murders carried out by the “Moon Ghouls”, a group of cannibal cultists. Players take on the roles of Benedek, a monk, and staunch Catholic, and Nikolay, a Deacon and Benedek’s brother-in-law. The two find themselves waking up in a living nightmare as Benedek’s estranged sister (and Nikolay’s wife) has gone missing and is somehow involved in events that just took place in the town. Now onto the game itself. Saint Kotar is a point-and-click game, which becomes obvious
Continue reading →
MoviesReviewsSci-FiThriller
In the fantastic future year of 2022, big biz owns the world’s prisons and they love nothing more than exiling problem prisoners to a remote island known as Absolom, a piece of land populated entirely by convicts, cannibals and other assorted wacky-ass chaps! This is something Marine John Robbins (Ray Liotta) learns about intimately as his ass is thrown there almost immediately after being incarcerated for the murder of the commanding officer who demanded our hero murder innocent civilians. Before long, Robbins finds himself caught between the neo-primitive Outsiders who rule the jungle with violence from a base located in an abandoned resort, and the Insiders, a group of more peaceful folk who form a small tribe that try to keep to themselves far removed from the Outsider’s jungle… though not so far that the gang’s leader, the absolutely off-the-wall Walter Marek (Stuart Wilson), doesn’t launch frequent pillaging sessions, much to the chagrin of the Insider’s leader, Father (the legendary
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
AlieNation Director Ray Raghavan’s AlieNation (Canada, 2022) finds a young girl named Maria (Maria Frazer) and her mother (Margarita Iturriaga) being chased through the woods by border patrol agents who aren’t shy about using their guns. Maria makes an astounding discovery while hiding in a cave entrance, and soon enough everyone finds themselves pursued by a deadly entity. The double-meaning title gives away what joins the chase, but that gives me the opportunity to say without giving away a spoiler that the creature design is highly impressive. Chase scenes and social issues combine to make this well-acted and deftly directed science fiction/horror hybrid a winner. Folk Director Gabriel Maron crafts a goosebumps-inducing Halloween folk horror in Folk (Canada, 2022), in which a young woman (Sara-Sue Vallée) turns away some trick-or-treaters at her front door, only to find that these are not your average children simply looking for candy handouts. This supernatural chiller sports an ominous tone and unsettling color palette,
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsProductReviews
What horror fan doesn’t love merch featuring your favorite icons and movies? I know I do. That’s why when I came across the WB Shop, I had to get an IT T-shirt. Ordering was quick and easy and it only took a few days to arrive. When I took the shirt out of the white plastic envelope it arrived in, I noticed that it was a bit stiff. But the image on the front was well done and the IT Chapter Two detail on the back was a nice touch. After washing it, I noticed that it was much softer and the fabric is thick and of high quality without being too thick. The image did not fade and it did not shrink much, if at all. I will tell you that I did wash it on cold and dry it on the delicate cycle. As for the cut of the shirt, it hung well, however, I ordered a large
Continue reading →
GamingProductReviews
Halloween may be over but the spooks keep coming and Bandai Namco brought it with their latest installment in their The Dark Pictures Anthology series with the fourth story in the series The Devil In Me. I want to thank Supermassive Games and Bandai Namco for allowing me to continue checking out this series for our readers! Let us take a look at The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me. The Devil In Me takes an interesting turn in the series where the game’s story is not inspired by historical events with supernatural undertones (A rumored ghost ship, The Salem Witch Trials, and the curse of Naram-Sin) but by something very real, Serial Killers. The serial killer that the game focuses on is non-other than the infamous H.H. Holmes. The plot of The Devil In Me follows a documentary group who are in the middle of making a documentary about Holmes and were given the opportunity of a lifetime,
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesParanormalReviews
Contorted Writer/director Kang Dong Hun’s Contorted (South Korea, 2022) looks great and is well acted but its screenplay is weighed down with horror movie cliches. The film opens intriguingly with preteen girl HeeWoo (Kim BoMin) seeing a paranormal occurrence while at a funeral parlor with her father HyunMin (Kim MinJae). Meanwhile at their home, HeeWoo’s mother MyungHye (Seo YoungHee) contemplates suicide by jumping off of the balcony of their apartment. Her very young daughter JiWoo (Noh HaYeon) prevents her from doing so, but then a horrible act takes place. MyungHye suffers from mental health issues while HyunMin, unemployed and unsuccessful in finding new work because of a plagiarism scandal, takes a passive stance while trying to keep appearances as normal as possible. Young teen son DongWoo (Oh JaHun) is emotionally checked out of the family. As increasingly bizarre and upsetting occurrences take place in the new home into which they have just moved because of financial difficulties, and inside a
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Ghosting Gloria Ghost movie, supernatural fantasy, romantic comedy, sex comedy, literary comedy — charming Uruguayan feature Ghosting Gloria (Muerto con Gloria, 2021) is all of this and more. Codirected by husband-and-wife filmmaking team Marcela Matta and Mauro Sarse from a screenplay written by Mauro, the film finds thirty-year-old bookseller Gloria (Stefania Tortorella) choosing to move apartments because her upstairs neighbors are so noisy with their middle-of-the-night sexcapades, complete with bawdy talk. Her new home is inhabited by the ghost of the man who suddenly died there recently, and having passed away has done nothing to lessen his libido. The first encounter between Gloria and the ghost is certain to make many viewers uneasy, but Gloria becomes enchanted by the spirit, who gives Gloria her first orgasm — with many to follow. Ghosting Gloria follows a few different paths as the titular character — portrayed in a winsome, vibrant performance by Tortorella that is reason alone to seek out the film
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Spanish chiller Piggy (Cerdita, 2022) is a terrific serial killer/coming-of-age/bullying and revenge mash-up that digs in deep on questions concerning doing what’s right, scapegoating, the dangers of a collective mindset, and more. Writer/director Carlota Pereda balances all of these aspects winningly and delivers a blood-soaked feature that leaves plenty to consider throughout the viewing experience and long after. Laura Galán portrays Sara, a plus-size teenager who helps out at her family’s struggling butcher shop. She is harassed by mean girls Maca (Claudia Salas) and Roci (Camille Aguilar), with the somewhat kinder Claudia (Irene Ferreiro) not participating but not doing anything to stop it, either. When the girls make fun of her at the community swimming pool — also joking about a man (Richard Holmes) who is also at the pool — and steal her clothes after nearly drowning her, it comes as little surprise that she doesn’t report to her parents or authorities after she sees the three girls being
Continue reading →
