CategoryReviews
Honest horror reviews of films, series, games and books — no hype, no spoilers, just whether it is worth your time and your nerves.
3,463 stories
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsShort Films
Double Nickel (U.S., 2023) Writer/director Mark Tomov’s short Double Nickel uses Johnny Burnette and The Rock & Roll Trio’s “The Train Kept A-Rollin,” known for its distorted guitar sound, and Tomov certainly keeps things rolling in the distorted world of his neo-noir/crime/horror mash-up short. Set mainly during Christmas season at The Hideaway Cafe, where the 1970s and 1950s blend together, the film finds a pair of criminals (Michael Spears and Jeff Medley) confronting the waitress (Gillian Todd) who hired them to kill someone — without her cluing them in that the target of their hit was no ordinary human. The vibe of Double Nickel is strong, with danger an ever-present feeling and no shortage of hipness on display. The three leads play off of each other wonderfully, and I don’t want to go into spoiler territory by revealing the target of their hit, so suffice it to say that the design is impressive and eerie. Tomov has crafted a colorful,
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsPeacockReviewsStreaming TVTrailers
One of the biggest horror titles of the year is the director Emma Tammi’s (The Wind, Blood Moon) adaptation of the iconic genre game Five Nights at Freddy’s. Like everyone else and their brother, when I saw the trailer, I knew I had to watch it. And now I have. The movie centers on Mike, a troubled security guard who begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. A place long shut down due to rumors and missing children. Mike’s new job goes from bad to worse when he realizes that the animatronics come to life at night. Josh Hutcherson stars as the security guard who is raising his little sister as he struggles with his role in his little brother’s disappearance. Determined to find answers, Mike may finally get answers from a surprising place. Huterson does a fine job with his role; his suffering and frustration come across as believable, making you really want to cheer for him. The villain, Steve,
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
After having a diva moment on the wind-battered beachfront set of her latest fright flick endeavor (the aptly titled Scream Queen), outlandishly named actress Malicia Tombs (legendary Scream Queen Linnea Quigley, The Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons, Witchtrap, and many, many more) dies in a fiery car crash under those pesky “mysterious circumstances” one is so loathe to encounter. Anyway, cut to some news footage about Tombs and then straight into a scene from that aforementioned picture… which is not in fact a scene, rather a music video featuring a horror appropriate cover of that ol’ Nancy Sinatra classic These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ performed by Quigley herself! Flash forward a year and it’s revealed Tombs still lives… and she’s invited the cast and crew, all of which have fallen on hard times after the doomed film shoot, to her macabre mansion (realized by a miniature that I absolutely adored!) where she offers to help
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
eVil Sublet (U.S., 2023) Like most things in life, if rent sounds too good to be true, there must be some sort of problem. In writer/director/cinematographer/editor/producer Allan Piper’s horror comedy eVil Sublet — eVil referring to New York City’s East Village — couple Alex (Jennifer Leigh Houston, Piper’s wife and also a producer on the film) and Ben (Charley Tucker) find that out first-hand when they rent a fully-furnished apartment for incredibly low rent that turns out to be not only haunted, but the site of multiple past murders. The film aims more for satire and silliness than scares, though plenty of creepiness is certainly on hand. eVil Sublet sends up the housing crisis, pharmaceutical companies, political and sexual politics, and more as Alex and Ben try to cope with their spooky situation with the help of a large cast of supporting characters, including Sally Struthers as a woman living in a storage facility, Stephen Mosher and Pat Dwyer as
Continue reading →
Advertisement
IndieMoviesReviews
In the remains of post-apocalyptic Earth, the small pocket of human’s that remain eke out a humble existence… but their lives are subject to static of the fang-bang variety as groups of viscous vamps feed off them with wickedly wild abandon. Enter: John Shepard (Costas Mandylor, the Saw franchise, and that rad live-action Fist of the North Star adaptation from the mid-’90s… which desperately needs a special edition release… but that’s another story), a crossbow wielding bad-ass with a bit of a secret who strides this Neo-Wild West with leather-clad purpose… namely the desire to pull a stake n’ bake on the Vampire Master (screen heavy par excellence Robert LaSardo) along with his paranormal paramour, the Vampire Queen (American Pie’s Tara Reid). Slowly John acquires a rag-tag group of companions to aid him on his quest… but will their combined might and Shepard’s grim determination be enough to eliminate those demonic vein-drainers and bring piece to a shattered planet?! There’s
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviews
The Dragon’s Triangle is like an Asia-based Bermuda Triangle, but instead of the normal magnetic interference bringing down aircraft over the area (though that plays a part too), ol’ D.S. is lousy with pterodactyls which have a tendency to smash into planes en masse and causing them to crash on a remote island populated by the biggest fuckin’ crocodile in forever… like since prehistoric times “forever”! Enter: Lin Hao (Gallen Lo) and his daughter Yi (Liao Yinyue), who along with a handful of others have recently survived a passenger plane crash in the aforementioned location. Now as the few that remain try to survive both in-fighting and the harsh locale they’ll have to deal with not only crocodiles of varying size, as well as giant spiders that stalk the mist-covered forests of the island! Will Lin be able to keep his skin intact while also looking out for his daughter and the other passengers, or will they become just more
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviews
So far, nearly a hundred horror movies have been released this year. Still, the title of strangest has to go to Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, which sets out to ruin your childhood by putting a horror spin on the lovable characters based on the iconic Winnie-the-pooh books by author A. A. Milne. The movie sees the days of adventures and merriment have ended, as Christopher Robin, now a young man, has left Winnie-The-Pooh and Piglet to fend for themselves. As time passes, feeling angry and abandoned, the two become feral. After getting a taste for blood, Winnie-The-Pooh and Piglet set off to find a new source of food: humans. In Blood and Honey, we get a disturbing version of Pooh and Piglet, turning them into half-animal, half-human creatures. Pooh is a constantly drooling, hulking monster, and Piglet has reverted to his primal state. I will say this: the actors’ masks look pretty good, even though their range of
Continue reading →
Reviews
We’ve all been there. Stuck in a rut, going in circles in a dead end relationship, feeling like the only way out is to dive deeper in. This seems to be where newlywed couple, Chloe (Kimberly Laferriere) and Jack (Rogan Christopher) are when they arrive in Miami for their honeymoon during the opening moments of John Ainslie’s DO NOT DISTURB. Spoilers follow. Neither one of them seem to like the other very much, and the strained relationship is barely hanging on by a thread. We learn that Chloe was pregnant, but lost the baby, and is hoping to try again, while Jack is simply looking to party. He gets his wish when they hang out with another couple at the hotel for a night of cocaine and liquor. Things escalate quickly and it turns into a full-blown swingers session, but Jack gets jealous, and physically pulls Chloe out of there. They argue about it, but quickly move on. This happens
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Beast From Haunted Cave begins the only way it could; with skiing, day-drinking, and an opening credit shout-out to South Dakota as we are introduced to smarmy criminal Alexander Ward (Frank Wolff) and his gang, who’s ranks include his boozy-floozy gal pal Gypsy Boulet (played to rum-soaked horny… yet tragic and sympathetic perfection by Sheila Carol), who plan on robbing a nearby bank vault containing some gold bars. In order to get that goal accomplished, our villains pose as cross-country skiers and hatch a plan to set off an explosion in a nearby gold mine to create a diversion for their heist. Of course this being a creature feature, the setting of said explosive unleashes a pissed off long-legged spider thing which pursues them to their hiding spot… namely the remote cabin of ski guide Gil (prolific anime voice over artist Michael Forest) who becomes both an unwitting pawn in the evildoer’s plan, and horny for Gypsy… a lot of
Continue reading →
Apple TVReviewsStreaming TV
Terrific acting, well-written drama, and beautifully crafted kaiju attacks highlight Apple TV+’s series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, based on Legendary’s MonsterVerse, taking place after the battle between Godzilla and the Titans as seen in Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters combines conspiracy thriller, family intrigue, and monster movie mayhem elements deftly, though viewers may find the time- and location-hopping a bit jarring at first. Obviously, the narrative is a nonlinear one, and even once some initial timelines are established, new ones are introduced. Viewers who can keep track of this approach will be kept on their toes, while others who just give into the flow of the proceedings shouldn’t find themselves too lost. After a kaiju-riffic cold open to the first episode, we are introduced to Cate Randa (Anna Sawai), who travels from San Francisco — she was an extremely up-close witness to Godzilla’s 2014 emergence in San Francisco — to Tokyo to deal with her recently deceased
Continue reading →
More from Reviews
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsShort Films
Double Nickel (U.S., 2023) Writer/director Mark Tomov’s short Double Nickel uses Johnny Burnette and The Rock & Roll Trio’s “The Train Kept A-Rollin,” known for its distorted guitar sound, and Tomov certainly keeps things rolling in the distorted world of his neo-noir/crime/horror mash-up short. Set mainly during Christmas season at The Hideaway Cafe, where the 1970s and 1950s blend together, the film finds a pair of criminals (Michael Spears and Jeff Medley) confronting the waitress (Gillian Todd) who hired them to kill someone — without her cluing them in that the target of their hit was no ordinary human. The vibe of Double Nickel is strong, with danger an ever-present feeling and no shortage of hipness on display. The three leads play off of each other wonderfully, and I don’t want to go into spoiler territory by revealing the target of their hit, so suffice it to say that the design is impressive and eerie. Tomov has crafted a colorful,
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsPeacockReviewsStreaming TVTrailers
One of the biggest horror titles of the year is the director Emma Tammi’s (The Wind, Blood Moon) adaptation of the iconic genre game Five Nights at Freddy’s. Like everyone else and their brother, when I saw the trailer, I knew I had to watch it. And now I have. The movie centers on Mike, a troubled security guard who begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. A place long shut down due to rumors and missing children. Mike’s new job goes from bad to worse when he realizes that the animatronics come to life at night. Josh Hutcherson stars as the security guard who is raising his little sister as he struggles with his role in his little brother’s disappearance. Determined to find answers, Mike may finally get answers from a surprising place. Huterson does a fine job with his role; his suffering and frustration come across as believable, making you really want to cheer for him. The villain, Steve,
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
After having a diva moment on the wind-battered beachfront set of her latest fright flick endeavor (the aptly titled Scream Queen), outlandishly named actress Malicia Tombs (legendary Scream Queen Linnea Quigley, The Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons, Witchtrap, and many, many more) dies in a fiery car crash under those pesky “mysterious circumstances” one is so loathe to encounter. Anyway, cut to some news footage about Tombs and then straight into a scene from that aforementioned picture… which is not in fact a scene, rather a music video featuring a horror appropriate cover of that ol’ Nancy Sinatra classic These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ performed by Quigley herself! Flash forward a year and it’s revealed Tombs still lives… and she’s invited the cast and crew, all of which have fallen on hard times after the doomed film shoot, to her macabre mansion (realized by a miniature that I absolutely adored!) where she offers to help
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
eVil Sublet (U.S., 2023) Like most things in life, if rent sounds too good to be true, there must be some sort of problem. In writer/director/cinematographer/editor/producer Allan Piper’s horror comedy eVil Sublet — eVil referring to New York City’s East Village — couple Alex (Jennifer Leigh Houston, Piper’s wife and also a producer on the film) and Ben (Charley Tucker) find that out first-hand when they rent a fully-furnished apartment for incredibly low rent that turns out to be not only haunted, but the site of multiple past murders. The film aims more for satire and silliness than scares, though plenty of creepiness is certainly on hand. eVil Sublet sends up the housing crisis, pharmaceutical companies, political and sexual politics, and more as Alex and Ben try to cope with their spooky situation with the help of a large cast of supporting characters, including Sally Struthers as a woman living in a storage facility, Stephen Mosher and Pat Dwyer as
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
In the remains of post-apocalyptic Earth, the small pocket of human’s that remain eke out a humble existence… but their lives are subject to static of the fang-bang variety as groups of viscous vamps feed off them with wickedly wild abandon. Enter: John Shepard (Costas Mandylor, the Saw franchise, and that rad live-action Fist of the North Star adaptation from the mid-’90s… which desperately needs a special edition release… but that’s another story), a crossbow wielding bad-ass with a bit of a secret who strides this Neo-Wild West with leather-clad purpose… namely the desire to pull a stake n’ bake on the Vampire Master (screen heavy par excellence Robert LaSardo) along with his paranormal paramour, the Vampire Queen (American Pie’s Tara Reid). Slowly John acquires a rag-tag group of companions to aid him on his quest… but will their combined might and Shepard’s grim determination be enough to eliminate those demonic vein-drainers and bring piece to a shattered planet?! There’s
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviews
The Dragon’s Triangle is like an Asia-based Bermuda Triangle, but instead of the normal magnetic interference bringing down aircraft over the area (though that plays a part too), ol’ D.S. is lousy with pterodactyls which have a tendency to smash into planes en masse and causing them to crash on a remote island populated by the biggest fuckin’ crocodile in forever… like since prehistoric times “forever”! Enter: Lin Hao (Gallen Lo) and his daughter Yi (Liao Yinyue), who along with a handful of others have recently survived a passenger plane crash in the aforementioned location. Now as the few that remain try to survive both in-fighting and the harsh locale they’ll have to deal with not only crocodiles of varying size, as well as giant spiders that stalk the mist-covered forests of the island! Will Lin be able to keep his skin intact while also looking out for his daughter and the other passengers, or will they become just more
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviews
So far, nearly a hundred horror movies have been released this year. Still, the title of strangest has to go to Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, which sets out to ruin your childhood by putting a horror spin on the lovable characters based on the iconic Winnie-the-pooh books by author A. A. Milne. The movie sees the days of adventures and merriment have ended, as Christopher Robin, now a young man, has left Winnie-The-Pooh and Piglet to fend for themselves. As time passes, feeling angry and abandoned, the two become feral. After getting a taste for blood, Winnie-The-Pooh and Piglet set off to find a new source of food: humans. In Blood and Honey, we get a disturbing version of Pooh and Piglet, turning them into half-animal, half-human creatures. Pooh is a constantly drooling, hulking monster, and Piglet has reverted to his primal state. I will say this: the actors’ masks look pretty good, even though their range of
Continue reading →
Reviews
We’ve all been there. Stuck in a rut, going in circles in a dead end relationship, feeling like the only way out is to dive deeper in. This seems to be where newlywed couple, Chloe (Kimberly Laferriere) and Jack (Rogan Christopher) are when they arrive in Miami for their honeymoon during the opening moments of John Ainslie’s DO NOT DISTURB. Spoilers follow. Neither one of them seem to like the other very much, and the strained relationship is barely hanging on by a thread. We learn that Chloe was pregnant, but lost the baby, and is hoping to try again, while Jack is simply looking to party. He gets his wish when they hang out with another couple at the hotel for a night of cocaine and liquor. Things escalate quickly and it turns into a full-blown swingers session, but Jack gets jealous, and physically pulls Chloe out of there. They argue about it, but quickly move on. This happens
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Beast From Haunted Cave begins the only way it could; with skiing, day-drinking, and an opening credit shout-out to South Dakota as we are introduced to smarmy criminal Alexander Ward (Frank Wolff) and his gang, who’s ranks include his boozy-floozy gal pal Gypsy Boulet (played to rum-soaked horny… yet tragic and sympathetic perfection by Sheila Carol), who plan on robbing a nearby bank vault containing some gold bars. In order to get that goal accomplished, our villains pose as cross-country skiers and hatch a plan to set off an explosion in a nearby gold mine to create a diversion for their heist. Of course this being a creature feature, the setting of said explosive unleashes a pissed off long-legged spider thing which pursues them to their hiding spot… namely the remote cabin of ski guide Gil (prolific anime voice over artist Michael Forest) who becomes both an unwitting pawn in the evildoer’s plan, and horny for Gypsy… a lot of
Continue reading →
Apple TVReviewsStreaming TV
Terrific acting, well-written drama, and beautifully crafted kaiju attacks highlight Apple TV+’s series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, based on Legendary’s MonsterVerse, taking place after the battle between Godzilla and the Titans as seen in Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters combines conspiracy thriller, family intrigue, and monster movie mayhem elements deftly, though viewers may find the time- and location-hopping a bit jarring at first. Obviously, the narrative is a nonlinear one, and even once some initial timelines are established, new ones are introduced. Viewers who can keep track of this approach will be kept on their toes, while others who just give into the flow of the proceedings shouldn’t find themselves too lost. After a kaiju-riffic cold open to the first episode, we are introduced to Cate Randa (Anna Sawai), who travels from San Francisco — she was an extremely up-close witness to Godzilla’s 2014 emergence in San Francisco — to Tokyo to deal with her recently deceased
Continue reading →
