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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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Movie Review: “Last Survivors” (Arrow Video FrightFest Halloween Edition)

Movie Review: “Last Survivors” (Arrow Video FrightFest Halloween Edition)

Last Survivors, the latest entry in the thriller subgenre of “children beginning to question their parents’ philosophies after an apocalyptic event” (this year’s Gaia being one example) is a solid outing fueled by fine performances from its three leads. Troy (Stephen Moyer) is a stern man who has raised his adult son Jake (Drew Van Acker) from very young childhood in a remote mountain area, with the two of them living off the land and storing venison jerky for long winters. Troy has been training Jake to kill any intruders without hesitation to protect what is theirs, and Jake declares himself ready to do so. When Troy is injured during one such confrontation, he tells Jake where a supply of medicine is hidden. The young man goes to fetch it and spies a woman just outside of their property. He has second thoughts about shooting her, and instead breaks into her house, where he learns that her name is Henrietta

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 22, 2021
Product Review: JuJu Energy

Product Review: JuJu Energy

Energy drinks and gaming go together like chocolate and peanut butter, but with so many brands on the market now it’s hard to choose which is the best, and healthier option as so many energy drinks are just back with sugar and caffeine. Let me introduce you to JuJu Energy! A big thank you to JuJu for letting me try out one of their products and making this review happen! With their NO BS policy, everything you need to know what’s in the powder mix is on the label, and their website gives complete transparency so you know what you’re putting in you. I got the flavor Watermelon Crush, the powder in the tub is very fine and dissolves well in water. I also was sent a 16OZ shaker cup, in HORROR FUEL colors, of course, I will say when you want to use the shaker, make sure you have the lid on very tight as I experience small leaks

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Nov 22, 2021
Movie Review: “The Righteous” (Blood in the Snow Film Festival)

Movie Review: “The Righteous” (Blood in the Snow Film Festival)

Writer/director Mark O’Brien’s The Righteous is a gripping, slow-burn gothic horror that examines the dark hearts of people and the secrets they hide. Conflicts in religious faith and the consequences of sins are at the forefront, with top-notch performances and brilliant use of light and shadow driving the film. Former priest Frederic Mason (Henry Czerny) left the church to marry his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk). As the film opens, the two have just lost their young, adopted daughter in an accident. Frederic prays and seeks the advice of a practicing priest. Soon thereafter, a stranger who claims he is named Aaron Smith (O’Brien) shows up on the Mason’s property, injured and pleading for help. Frederic uncharacteristically allows him to spend the night in their home, even lying to a local police officer who the couple knows well, saying that the man is someone he knows. Ethel is shocked by Frederic’s invitation but soon becomes fond of the young stranger, who

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 22, 2021
4K UltraHD Review: The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

4K UltraHD Review: The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

The Hills Have Eyes concerns the misadventures of the Carter family; their ranks including racist ex-cop/top-shelf blowhard professional map-hatin’ man Bob and his complete dumb-ass of a wife Ethel, along with their (definitely not fucking each other) teenage kids Bobby and Brenda, older daughter Lynne, Lynne’s husband/Sonny Bono look-a-like champion of 1977 Doug, their infant daughter, and those lovable if overly-aggressive canine lovers, Beauty and Beast, as they decide to explore a silver mine in Nevada on their way to a California vacation (well, the dogs don’t… or maybe they are down with it… no one ever solicits their opinion on the matter). This proves to be a truly fucking stupid idea, as after a local yokel warns them repeatedly that the area is not a place to be fucked with in any way, shape, or form, the family goes flying off the only road for miles in a madcap incident involving a jet plane, a massive map, a rabbit,

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Nov 22, 2021
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Movie Reviews: “What Josiah Saw” and “Let the Wrong One In” (Screamfest)

Movie Reviews: “What Josiah Saw” and “Let the Wrong One In” (Screamfest)

What Josiah Saw One of the darkest gothic horror tales in recent memory is director Vincent Grashaw’s What Josiah Saw. Rich in ghosts, curses, premonitions, and other supernatural elements, the story is also grounded in the real-world horrors of abuse, suicide, and the lingering effects of these and other trauma-inducing incidents. Robert Patrick stars as Josiah Graham, alcoholic, abusive patriarch of a family made up of three adult children, two of whom want nothing to do with visiting the family property where they grew up — though, naturally for this plot, they eventually must. Tom (Scott Haze), the youngest of the siblings, lives at the home, still suffering abuse and wild flights of fancy from his father. Eli (Nick Stahl), the eldest, is an alcoholic loser in debt with criminals so badly that he must go on a robbery job immediately or be shot on the spot by the local crime boss. Mary (Kelli Garner), the middle child, suffers psychological

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 22, 2021
Movie Review: Red River Road (A Night of Horror International Film Festival)

Movie Review: Red River Road (A Night of Horror International Film Festival)

Red River Road (2020) depicts a family becoming increasingly fractured as the effects of a lockdown because of an epidemic take their toll. This is no biologically spread epidemic, though, and the truth behind whether it really exists or not is also challenged, leading to dissension among family members. Red River Road was made entirely during COVID-19 lockdown by writer/director Paul Schuyler, with his family acting as cast and crew. Father Stephen (Schuyler), his wife Anna (Jade Schuyler), and their teenage sons Wyatt (Quinn Schuyler) and Sean (Shaw Schuyler) have moved from Boston to their rural summer home to avoid contact with other people as much as possible during the lockdown for an epidemic that is spread through online contact, and which makes people go insane before killing them. Random assortments of groceries and other necessities are delivered daily, apparently by a government agency, with requests taken over landline phones. People find it physically impossible to leave their immediate residence

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 22, 2021
Movie Review: ‘Isolation’

Movie Review: ‘Isolation’

The pandemic anthology Isolation, which features 11 directors, gives us a glimpse into the lives of multiple people across the world as the world around them skids to a halt and millions fall sick and die. In each segment, loosely connected, we see different examples of human suffering and just how bad things could be. The film’s cinematography does a fantastic job of capturing the bleakness of the new world by using blues and grays as well as other muted tones and stark city backgrounds nearly void of all life. The large cast that includes Larry Fessenden (The Last Winter, Habit, Depraved), Bobby Roe, (“The Houses October Built 1&2”), Andrew Kasch, (Tales Of Halloween), Zach Passero (Wicked Lake), and Christian Pasquariello (Alien Invasion: S.U.M. 1). The directors include Alix Austin, Adam R. Brown, Lary Fessenden, Dennie Gordon, Andrew Kasch, Kyle I. Kelley, Alexander Neary, Christian Pasquariello, Zach Passero, Bobby Roe, and Keir Siewert. Each segment gives us a take on

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Nov 22, 2021
Game Review: ‘The Dark Pictures Anthology: House Of Ashes’

Game Review: ‘The Dark Pictures Anthology: House Of Ashes’

A big thank you to BANDAI NAMCO for making this review possible and to help get the spooks flowing during the Halloween season with their third edition to their critically acclaimed The Dark Pictures Anthology series titled House of Ashes starring Ashley Tisdale. Like the previous titles, House of Ashes takes players to a remote part of the world where terror awaits and decisions are made with consequences and affect the outcome of the game’s main story. This time players are not adrift on a ghost ship in the Pacific or a fog enveloped ghost town in New England but trapped underground in a crumbling Assyrian temple in Iraq during the latter half of the Iraq War in 2003 where ancient horrors await. Returning fans of the game will be glad to know that the controls for the game are the same as the previous two games. The usual mechanics of the game is still there and thankfully have not

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Nov 22, 2021
Movie Reviews: “The Changed” and “Alone with You” (Screamfest)

Movie Reviews: “The Changed” and “Alone with You” (Screamfest)

The Changed Director Michael Mongillo takes the basic premises of such classic paranoia-driven horror and science fiction fare as Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and The Monsters are Due on Maple Street (1960) from the original The Twilight Zone series, and gives them a fresh, current spin with his feature The Changed (2021). The result is a finely acted, taut chiller that puts today’s social climates under a gripping cinematic microscope. Mac (Jason Alan Smith) has anger issues that he is trying to work on, but that won’t be easy as he notices that his neighbors and others with whom he comes into contact are acting differently, in a way that he can’t quite figure out. His neighbor Bill (Tony Todd) tries to offer him some subtle reassurance over a morning cup of coffee, but as the day progresses, things get increasingly stranger — and more dangerous. When fellow neighbor and high school student Kim (Clare Foley) comes to

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Nov 22, 2021
Movie Reviews: “Father of Flies” and “The Exorcism of God” (Screamfest)

Movie Reviews: “Father of Flies” and “The Exorcism of God” (Screamfest)

Father of Flies Director Ben Charles Edwards delivers gripping horror inspired by his childhood with U.S./U.K. coproduction Father of Flies (2021). This one is all about tension, unease, and an increasingly eerie atmosphere, all of which Edwards, who cowrote the screenplay with Nadia Doherty, delivers in spades. Richard (the late Nicholas Tucci in a stirring performance) — father to young, hearing-impaired son Michael (Keaton Tetlow) and rebellious teenage daughter Donna (Page Ruth) — has separated from the children’s mother Linda (Sandra Andreis) and forbidden her from coming to the house to see the children. Not only that, he has had his new girlfriend Coral (Camilla Rutherford) move in, much to the chagrin of the children — and something evil seems to have moved in with her. Neighbor Mrs. Start (Colleen Heidemann), who has some unusual mannerisms and interests, seems to be aware of this last point. The family’s rural home is as haunted by the problems and actions of all

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 22, 2021

More from Reviews

Movie Review: “Last Survivors” (Arrow Video FrightFest Halloween Edition)

Movie Review: “Last Survivors” (Arrow Video FrightFest Halloween Edition)

Last Survivors, the latest entry in the thriller subgenre of “children beginning to question their parents’ philosophies after an apocalyptic event” (this year’s Gaia being one example) is a solid outing fueled by fine performances from its three leads. Troy (Stephen Moyer) is a stern man who has raised his adult son Jake (Drew Van Acker) from very young childhood in a remote mountain area, with the two of them living off the land and storing venison jerky for long winters. Troy has been training Jake to kill any intruders without hesitation to protect what is theirs, and Jake declares himself ready to do so. When Troy is injured during one such confrontation, he tells Jake where a supply of medicine is hidden. The young man goes to fetch it and spies a woman just outside of their property. He has second thoughts about shooting her, and instead breaks into her house, where he learns that her name is Henrietta

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 22, 2021
Product Review: JuJu Energy

Product Review: JuJu Energy

Energy drinks and gaming go together like chocolate and peanut butter, but with so many brands on the market now it’s hard to choose which is the best, and healthier option as so many energy drinks are just back with sugar and caffeine. Let me introduce you to JuJu Energy! A big thank you to JuJu for letting me try out one of their products and making this review happen! With their NO BS policy, everything you need to know what’s in the powder mix is on the label, and their website gives complete transparency so you know what you’re putting in you. I got the flavor Watermelon Crush, the powder in the tub is very fine and dissolves well in water. I also was sent a 16OZ shaker cup, in HORROR FUEL colors, of course, I will say when you want to use the shaker, make sure you have the lid on very tight as I experience small leaks

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Nov 22, 2021
Movie Review: “The Righteous” (Blood in the Snow Film Festival)

Movie Review: “The Righteous” (Blood in the Snow Film Festival)

Writer/director Mark O’Brien’s The Righteous is a gripping, slow-burn gothic horror that examines the dark hearts of people and the secrets they hide. Conflicts in religious faith and the consequences of sins are at the forefront, with top-notch performances and brilliant use of light and shadow driving the film. Former priest Frederic Mason (Henry Czerny) left the church to marry his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk). As the film opens, the two have just lost their young, adopted daughter in an accident. Frederic prays and seeks the advice of a practicing priest. Soon thereafter, a stranger who claims he is named Aaron Smith (O’Brien) shows up on the Mason’s property, injured and pleading for help. Frederic uncharacteristically allows him to spend the night in their home, even lying to a local police officer who the couple knows well, saying that the man is someone he knows. Ethel is shocked by Frederic’s invitation but soon becomes fond of the young stranger, who

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 22, 2021
4K UltraHD Review: The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

4K UltraHD Review: The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

The Hills Have Eyes concerns the misadventures of the Carter family; their ranks including racist ex-cop/top-shelf blowhard professional map-hatin’ man Bob and his complete dumb-ass of a wife Ethel, along with their (definitely not fucking each other) teenage kids Bobby and Brenda, older daughter Lynne, Lynne’s husband/Sonny Bono look-a-like champion of 1977 Doug, their infant daughter, and those lovable if overly-aggressive canine lovers, Beauty and Beast, as they decide to explore a silver mine in Nevada on their way to a California vacation (well, the dogs don’t… or maybe they are down with it… no one ever solicits their opinion on the matter). This proves to be a truly fucking stupid idea, as after a local yokel warns them repeatedly that the area is not a place to be fucked with in any way, shape, or form, the family goes flying off the only road for miles in a madcap incident involving a jet plane, a massive map, a rabbit,

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Nov 22, 2021
Movie Reviews: “What Josiah Saw” and “Let the Wrong One In” (Screamfest)

Movie Reviews: “What Josiah Saw” and “Let the Wrong One In” (Screamfest)

What Josiah Saw One of the darkest gothic horror tales in recent memory is director Vincent Grashaw’s What Josiah Saw. Rich in ghosts, curses, premonitions, and other supernatural elements, the story is also grounded in the real-world horrors of abuse, suicide, and the lingering effects of these and other trauma-inducing incidents. Robert Patrick stars as Josiah Graham, alcoholic, abusive patriarch of a family made up of three adult children, two of whom want nothing to do with visiting the family property where they grew up — though, naturally for this plot, they eventually must. Tom (Scott Haze), the youngest of the siblings, lives at the home, still suffering abuse and wild flights of fancy from his father. Eli (Nick Stahl), the eldest, is an alcoholic loser in debt with criminals so badly that he must go on a robbery job immediately or be shot on the spot by the local crime boss. Mary (Kelli Garner), the middle child, suffers psychological

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 22, 2021
Movie Review: Red River Road (A Night of Horror International Film Festival)

Movie Review: Red River Road (A Night of Horror International Film Festival)

Red River Road (2020) depicts a family becoming increasingly fractured as the effects of a lockdown because of an epidemic take their toll. This is no biologically spread epidemic, though, and the truth behind whether it really exists or not is also challenged, leading to dissension among family members. Red River Road was made entirely during COVID-19 lockdown by writer/director Paul Schuyler, with his family acting as cast and crew. Father Stephen (Schuyler), his wife Anna (Jade Schuyler), and their teenage sons Wyatt (Quinn Schuyler) and Sean (Shaw Schuyler) have moved from Boston to their rural summer home to avoid contact with other people as much as possible during the lockdown for an epidemic that is spread through online contact, and which makes people go insane before killing them. Random assortments of groceries and other necessities are delivered daily, apparently by a government agency, with requests taken over landline phones. People find it physically impossible to leave their immediate residence

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 22, 2021
Movie Review: ‘Isolation’

Movie Review: ‘Isolation’

The pandemic anthology Isolation, which features 11 directors, gives us a glimpse into the lives of multiple people across the world as the world around them skids to a halt and millions fall sick and die. In each segment, loosely connected, we see different examples of human suffering and just how bad things could be. The film’s cinematography does a fantastic job of capturing the bleakness of the new world by using blues and grays as well as other muted tones and stark city backgrounds nearly void of all life. The large cast that includes Larry Fessenden (The Last Winter, Habit, Depraved), Bobby Roe, (“The Houses October Built 1&2”), Andrew Kasch, (Tales Of Halloween), Zach Passero (Wicked Lake), and Christian Pasquariello (Alien Invasion: S.U.M. 1). The directors include Alix Austin, Adam R. Brown, Lary Fessenden, Dennie Gordon, Andrew Kasch, Kyle I. Kelley, Alexander Neary, Christian Pasquariello, Zach Passero, Bobby Roe, and Keir Siewert. Each segment gives us a take on

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Nov 22, 2021
Game Review: ‘The Dark Pictures Anthology: House Of Ashes’

Game Review: ‘The Dark Pictures Anthology: House Of Ashes’

A big thank you to BANDAI NAMCO for making this review possible and to help get the spooks flowing during the Halloween season with their third edition to their critically acclaimed The Dark Pictures Anthology series titled House of Ashes starring Ashley Tisdale. Like the previous titles, House of Ashes takes players to a remote part of the world where terror awaits and decisions are made with consequences and affect the outcome of the game’s main story. This time players are not adrift on a ghost ship in the Pacific or a fog enveloped ghost town in New England but trapped underground in a crumbling Assyrian temple in Iraq during the latter half of the Iraq War in 2003 where ancient horrors await. Returning fans of the game will be glad to know that the controls for the game are the same as the previous two games. The usual mechanics of the game is still there and thankfully have not

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Nov 22, 2021
Movie Reviews: “The Changed” and “Alone with You” (Screamfest)

Movie Reviews: “The Changed” and “Alone with You” (Screamfest)

The Changed Director Michael Mongillo takes the basic premises of such classic paranoia-driven horror and science fiction fare as Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and The Monsters are Due on Maple Street (1960) from the original The Twilight Zone series, and gives them a fresh, current spin with his feature The Changed (2021). The result is a finely acted, taut chiller that puts today’s social climates under a gripping cinematic microscope. Mac (Jason Alan Smith) has anger issues that he is trying to work on, but that won’t be easy as he notices that his neighbors and others with whom he comes into contact are acting differently, in a way that he can’t quite figure out. His neighbor Bill (Tony Todd) tries to offer him some subtle reassurance over a morning cup of coffee, but as the day progresses, things get increasingly stranger — and more dangerous. When fellow neighbor and high school student Kim (Clare Foley) comes to

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Nov 22, 2021
Movie Reviews: “Father of Flies” and “The Exorcism of God” (Screamfest)

Movie Reviews: “Father of Flies” and “The Exorcism of God” (Screamfest)

Father of Flies Director Ben Charles Edwards delivers gripping horror inspired by his childhood with U.S./U.K. coproduction Father of Flies (2021). This one is all about tension, unease, and an increasingly eerie atmosphere, all of which Edwards, who cowrote the screenplay with Nadia Doherty, delivers in spades. Richard (the late Nicholas Tucci in a stirring performance) — father to young, hearing-impaired son Michael (Keaton Tetlow) and rebellious teenage daughter Donna (Page Ruth) — has separated from the children’s mother Linda (Sandra Andreis) and forbidden her from coming to the house to see the children. Not only that, he has had his new girlfriend Coral (Camilla Rutherford) move in, much to the chagrin of the children — and something evil seems to have moved in with her. Neighbor Mrs. Start (Colleen Heidemann), who has some unusual mannerisms and interests, seems to be aware of this last point. The family’s rural home is as haunted by the problems and actions of all

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 22, 2021
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