Horror Fuel
☰ Browse the Crypt
Category

Reviews

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
Game Review: 'Little Goody Two Shoes'

Game Review: ‘Little Goody Two Shoes’

Looking at it at face value, Little Goody Two Shoes looks like weeb fodder that many gamers will steer clear of, but with a darker tone hidden between the bright and colorful anime appearance, it’s quite intriguing. Part fairy tale, part horror narrative, and part dating sim, I want to thank Astral Shift and Square Enix for the reviewing opportunity! Little Goody Two Shoes takes place in a fairy tale world where Elise, a young woman who was mysteriously found in the forest as an infant, yearns for a lavish lifestyle away from the village she now resides in. Lately, local superstition has been taking hold of the villagers, and with the discovery of red shoes on her property, Elise now finds herself torn between the life she knows, and a darker mysterious one awaiting her in the woods. Little Goody Two Shoes‘s controls are simple as most of what you have to do involves moving around and interacting with

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Nov 1, 2023
Game Review: 'Robocop: Rogue City'

Game Review: ‘Robocop: Rogue City’

Robocop was arguably one of the best films in the 80s, with its kitschy premise (that can only work in 80s films), memorable moments, merch, and memes. Over the years, video games have been made based on the film series, but admittedly, some of them did not catch the true essence of the film. Teyon and NACON teamed up with MGM to make what is possibly the best Robocop game to date, this is Robocop: Rogue City. Robocop: Rogue City takes players back to the mean streets of Detroit where a new mysterious crime lord is setting up shop and all the gangs of the city are auditioning to be part of the new criminal enterprise by ramping up their crime sprees, and only Robocop can help stem the tide of crime. Now, onto the game itself! Robocop: Rogue City‘s controls are your standard FPS kind which makes it easier to learn and remember as you start playing the game.

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Nov 1, 2023
Spoiler-Free Reviews: THE WATERHOUSE and MARIA (FrightFest Halloween)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: THE WATERHOUSE and MARIA (FrightFest Halloween)

The Waterhouse (U.K., 2023) Writer/director Samuel Clemens’ The Waterhouse boasts mesmerizing sound design, captivating visuals, and a satisfyingly eerie, enigmatic tone. Thieves Eric (Alan Calton), Matt (Dominic Vulliamy), and Paul (Michelangelo Fortuzzi) have stolen a painting, the profits from which could make them rich. There’s a problem, though, as Matt’s mother Denice (Corrine Wicks), who helped with the heist, is missing, and when Eric finds blood and an object that could give rise to something going wrong, he keeps the information to himself. The trio is holed up in an isolated house on the beach and suspicion rises among them. Matters become more complicated when three women — Pixie (Lily Catalifo), Opal (Lara Lemon), and Noé (Sandrine Salyères) — turn up seeking help but wind up in a game of Two Truths and a Lie with the men, which leads to flirtation, strong sexual attraction, and eldritch proceedings. Painful sounds, missing time, and supernatural occurrences abound. Clemens — son of

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 1, 2023
Game Review: 'Stray Souls'

Game Review: ‘Stray Souls’

Happy Halloween! Nothing better to celebrate it than with a spooky game, am I right? Well, that was what I was hoping for with Jukai Studio’s and Versus Evil’s Stray Souls, a horror survival that I’ve been excited about since I was first told about it. I appreciate Jukai and Versus Evil for allowing this reviewing opportunity but, I’m sorry to say that this was a rough one to get through. Let’s get the positive parts of the game out of the way first. The soundtrack is possibly the selling point for the game with famed gaming composer Akira Yamaoka on board. The only issue is that while playing Stray Souls, I was able to make out at least two songs that were done by him, causing me to wonder if he only did a couple of songs for this game. Unfortunately, as a whole, Stray Souls was rough to play. The game had a lot of potential but in

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Oct 31, 2023
Advertisement
Movie Review: The Nun II (2023)

Movie Review: The Nun II (2023)

The Nun II, the follow-up to 2018’s original, is now streaming, so of course, I had to check it out. First, let me say, unlike most critics, I actually liked the original. I thought it was a great addition to The Conjuring universe, and I must not be alone because it is the highest-grossing installment of the entire franchise. So, the question is, is The Nun II worth the hype? Let me answer that. The Nun II picks up four years after the events at Covent in Romania. Once again, sister Irene is called upon to face Velek, the demon nun, when a series of strange suicides of the clergy begin to happen. All the deaths have two in common: Frenchie has worked or visited the churches, and they are all connected to one family. Sister Irene and her new assistant, a young nun, arrive at a boarding school to find Frenchie possessed by the evil entity. They must now

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 28, 2023
Product Review: Frazy Bottles

Product Review: Frazy Bottles

Sometimes you need coffee… who am I kidding, coffee is a necessity! Yeah, you can brew up your own, or stop off at your favorite coffee shop but there are times when you just can’t. Maybe you’re heading to a convention, pulling an all-night gaming session, hitting up some haunted attractions, Or taking the little ones trick/trunk-or-treating. Either way, you need your boost fast! Frazy is here to help give you that boost! Frazy takes the concentrated coffee game to a new level by personalizing it to your taste! With over 31 flavors of coffee and bubble tea, you can have your needed kick when you need it. Frazy was awesome enough to send me over some bottles of coffee to try (Thank you so much for that!). It’s pretty simple. You pick your coffee and you customize it to how you like it. With the coffees, you can select the kind of milk you want, the sweetness level, and

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Oct 23, 2023
Movie Review: The Toxic Avenger Collection Tox Set 4K Ultra HD (1984 - 2000)

Movie Review: The Toxic Avenger Collection Tox Set 4K Ultra HD (1984 – 2000)

Troma is a god-damned freaky flick legend, and for decades the studio’s most popular creation has been the radioactive waste-spawned superhero; The Toxic Avenger! With an impending (at the time of this wicked writing) re-make coming our way, the time is nigh to remaster Toxie’s misadventures and slap them in front of the eerie eyeballs of fanatics new and old… which brings us to this 4K/Blu-ray box set from Troma and MVD Entertainment! Where better to begin than with the one that started the entire beastly ball rolling; 1984’s The Toxic Avenger! Bozo (Gary Schneider) and his cretin cronies spend their time working out, fuckin’, and running over people with their car for shits n’ grins… but the one thing that really gets their rocks off is making life miserable for the local gymnasium’s nerdy janitor, Melvin (Mark Torgl). After one such humiliation (involving a sheep in a bra, and Melvin in a tutu), Melvin ends up both on fire

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Oct 22, 2023
Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: HOWDY, NEIGHBOR! and MYSTERIES OF THE DESERT (Screamfest)

Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: HOWDY, NEIGHBOR! and MYSTERIES OF THE DESERT (Screamfest)

Howdy, Neighbor! (2023) It’s former child star vs. stalker in director Allisyn Snyder’s Howdy, Neighbor!, which finds gay actor Benjamin Caldwell (Matthew Scott Montgomery, who wrote the screenplay), who as a youngster had a starring role in a sitcom about a farm boy named Bucky who moves in with relatives in the big city, finding himself in a reluctant situation as his manager insists he join a cast reunion on Zoom to kick off the show being repeated on a streaming service. Benjamin has been downplaying his association with the role, but his new neighbor Chase Mitchell (Grant Jordan) recognizes him and, in the first of many uncomfortable moments, calls him a liar and gets him to confess that he indeed is the actor who portrayed Bucky. Benjamin is best friends with neighbor Harley Walker (Debby Ryan), with whom he shares the news about Chase’s escalating weird behavior. She suggests that he contact a policeman named Marcus Lockamy (Sterling Sulieman),

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 19, 2023
Spoiler Free Netflix Review: "The Fall Of The House Of Usher"

Spoiler Free Netflix Review: “The Fall Of The House Of Usher”

Mike Flanagan’s latest Netflix series, “The Fall of the House Of Usher,” has now arrived on Netflix. Is it worth the watch? Damn right, it is. Inspired by multiple tales by Edgar Allen Poe, the series tells the story of a ruthless, corrupt family and that bill from long ago that has come due. The series is dark and brutal and filled with suffering. It unfolds as the head of the Usher family, Rodrick Usher (Brian Greenwood), recounts his rise to power, his loss, and his evil deeds to Auguste Dupin (Auguste Dupin), the attorney who has been on a mission to bring the family down for decades as they sit in the Usher family’s original, now rundown home. Much of the story is told in extended flashbacks, which works beautifully. It was a risky choice that paid off. The main cast includes Carla Gugino (Gerald’s Game, “The Haunting of Hill House”), Mary McDonnell (Scream 4), Carl Lumbly (Doctor Sleep),

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 18, 2023
Game Review: 'Lords Of The Fallen'

Game Review: ‘Lords Of The Fallen’

Souls Games… Nothing gets the blood pumping more than a game where defeat is part of the story and repetitive action to earn back lost points while running the risk of losing them forever, using skills you normally don’t use in other games and the fact that you’re playing this willingly… Some run marathons, while others take on a game like Lords of the Fallen. I would like to thank CI Games and Hexworks for sending me a copy of this glorious nightmare, I mean that in a good way! Lords of the Fallen takes you to the land of Mournsted, where the five beacons of Hallowed Sentinels have become corrupted and will allow Adyr, a demon god, to return. Players take on the role of a resurrected individual who must take on the role of a Dark Crusader and stop the demon god’s return. Lords of the Fallen‘s controls are pretty involved, so paying close attention to the tutorial

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Oct 18, 2023

More from Reviews

Game Review: 'Little Goody Two Shoes'

Game Review: ‘Little Goody Two Shoes’

Looking at it at face value, Little Goody Two Shoes looks like weeb fodder that many gamers will steer clear of, but with a darker tone hidden between the bright and colorful anime appearance, it’s quite intriguing. Part fairy tale, part horror narrative, and part dating sim, I want to thank Astral Shift and Square Enix for the reviewing opportunity! Little Goody Two Shoes takes place in a fairy tale world where Elise, a young woman who was mysteriously found in the forest as an infant, yearns for a lavish lifestyle away from the village she now resides in. Lately, local superstition has been taking hold of the villagers, and with the discovery of red shoes on her property, Elise now finds herself torn between the life she knows, and a darker mysterious one awaiting her in the woods. Little Goody Two Shoes‘s controls are simple as most of what you have to do involves moving around and interacting with

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Nov 1, 2023
Game Review: 'Robocop: Rogue City'

Game Review: ‘Robocop: Rogue City’

Robocop was arguably one of the best films in the 80s, with its kitschy premise (that can only work in 80s films), memorable moments, merch, and memes. Over the years, video games have been made based on the film series, but admittedly, some of them did not catch the true essence of the film. Teyon and NACON teamed up with MGM to make what is possibly the best Robocop game to date, this is Robocop: Rogue City. Robocop: Rogue City takes players back to the mean streets of Detroit where a new mysterious crime lord is setting up shop and all the gangs of the city are auditioning to be part of the new criminal enterprise by ramping up their crime sprees, and only Robocop can help stem the tide of crime. Now, onto the game itself! Robocop: Rogue City‘s controls are your standard FPS kind which makes it easier to learn and remember as you start playing the game.

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Nov 1, 2023
Spoiler-Free Reviews: THE WATERHOUSE and MARIA (FrightFest Halloween)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: THE WATERHOUSE and MARIA (FrightFest Halloween)

The Waterhouse (U.K., 2023) Writer/director Samuel Clemens’ The Waterhouse boasts mesmerizing sound design, captivating visuals, and a satisfyingly eerie, enigmatic tone. Thieves Eric (Alan Calton), Matt (Dominic Vulliamy), and Paul (Michelangelo Fortuzzi) have stolen a painting, the profits from which could make them rich. There’s a problem, though, as Matt’s mother Denice (Corrine Wicks), who helped with the heist, is missing, and when Eric finds blood and an object that could give rise to something going wrong, he keeps the information to himself. The trio is holed up in an isolated house on the beach and suspicion rises among them. Matters become more complicated when three women — Pixie (Lily Catalifo), Opal (Lara Lemon), and Noé (Sandrine Salyères) — turn up seeking help but wind up in a game of Two Truths and a Lie with the men, which leads to flirtation, strong sexual attraction, and eldritch proceedings. Painful sounds, missing time, and supernatural occurrences abound. Clemens — son of

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 1, 2023
Game Review: 'Stray Souls'

Game Review: ‘Stray Souls’

Happy Halloween! Nothing better to celebrate it than with a spooky game, am I right? Well, that was what I was hoping for with Jukai Studio’s and Versus Evil’s Stray Souls, a horror survival that I’ve been excited about since I was first told about it. I appreciate Jukai and Versus Evil for allowing this reviewing opportunity but, I’m sorry to say that this was a rough one to get through. Let’s get the positive parts of the game out of the way first. The soundtrack is possibly the selling point for the game with famed gaming composer Akira Yamaoka on board. The only issue is that while playing Stray Souls, I was able to make out at least two songs that were done by him, causing me to wonder if he only did a couple of songs for this game. Unfortunately, as a whole, Stray Souls was rough to play. The game had a lot of potential but in

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Oct 31, 2023
Movie Review: The Nun II (2023)

Movie Review: The Nun II (2023)

The Nun II, the follow-up to 2018’s original, is now streaming, so of course, I had to check it out. First, let me say, unlike most critics, I actually liked the original. I thought it was a great addition to The Conjuring universe, and I must not be alone because it is the highest-grossing installment of the entire franchise. So, the question is, is The Nun II worth the hype? Let me answer that. The Nun II picks up four years after the events at Covent in Romania. Once again, sister Irene is called upon to face Velek, the demon nun, when a series of strange suicides of the clergy begin to happen. All the deaths have two in common: Frenchie has worked or visited the churches, and they are all connected to one family. Sister Irene and her new assistant, a young nun, arrive at a boarding school to find Frenchie possessed by the evil entity. They must now

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 28, 2023
Product Review: Frazy Bottles

Product Review: Frazy Bottles

Sometimes you need coffee… who am I kidding, coffee is a necessity! Yeah, you can brew up your own, or stop off at your favorite coffee shop but there are times when you just can’t. Maybe you’re heading to a convention, pulling an all-night gaming session, hitting up some haunted attractions, Or taking the little ones trick/trunk-or-treating. Either way, you need your boost fast! Frazy is here to help give you that boost! Frazy takes the concentrated coffee game to a new level by personalizing it to your taste! With over 31 flavors of coffee and bubble tea, you can have your needed kick when you need it. Frazy was awesome enough to send me over some bottles of coffee to try (Thank you so much for that!). It’s pretty simple. You pick your coffee and you customize it to how you like it. With the coffees, you can select the kind of milk you want, the sweetness level, and

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Oct 23, 2023
Movie Review: The Toxic Avenger Collection Tox Set 4K Ultra HD (1984 - 2000)

Movie Review: The Toxic Avenger Collection Tox Set 4K Ultra HD (1984 – 2000)

Troma is a god-damned freaky flick legend, and for decades the studio’s most popular creation has been the radioactive waste-spawned superhero; The Toxic Avenger! With an impending (at the time of this wicked writing) re-make coming our way, the time is nigh to remaster Toxie’s misadventures and slap them in front of the eerie eyeballs of fanatics new and old… which brings us to this 4K/Blu-ray box set from Troma and MVD Entertainment! Where better to begin than with the one that started the entire beastly ball rolling; 1984’s The Toxic Avenger! Bozo (Gary Schneider) and his cretin cronies spend their time working out, fuckin’, and running over people with their car for shits n’ grins… but the one thing that really gets their rocks off is making life miserable for the local gymnasium’s nerdy janitor, Melvin (Mark Torgl). After one such humiliation (involving a sheep in a bra, and Melvin in a tutu), Melvin ends up both on fire

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Oct 22, 2023
Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: HOWDY, NEIGHBOR! and MYSTERIES OF THE DESERT (Screamfest)

Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: HOWDY, NEIGHBOR! and MYSTERIES OF THE DESERT (Screamfest)

Howdy, Neighbor! (2023) It’s former child star vs. stalker in director Allisyn Snyder’s Howdy, Neighbor!, which finds gay actor Benjamin Caldwell (Matthew Scott Montgomery, who wrote the screenplay), who as a youngster had a starring role in a sitcom about a farm boy named Bucky who moves in with relatives in the big city, finding himself in a reluctant situation as his manager insists he join a cast reunion on Zoom to kick off the show being repeated on a streaming service. Benjamin has been downplaying his association with the role, but his new neighbor Chase Mitchell (Grant Jordan) recognizes him and, in the first of many uncomfortable moments, calls him a liar and gets him to confess that he indeed is the actor who portrayed Bucky. Benjamin is best friends with neighbor Harley Walker (Debby Ryan), with whom he shares the news about Chase’s escalating weird behavior. She suggests that he contact a policeman named Marcus Lockamy (Sterling Sulieman),

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 19, 2023
Spoiler Free Netflix Review: "The Fall Of The House Of Usher"

Spoiler Free Netflix Review: “The Fall Of The House Of Usher”

Mike Flanagan’s latest Netflix series, “The Fall of the House Of Usher,” has now arrived on Netflix. Is it worth the watch? Damn right, it is. Inspired by multiple tales by Edgar Allen Poe, the series tells the story of a ruthless, corrupt family and that bill from long ago that has come due. The series is dark and brutal and filled with suffering. It unfolds as the head of the Usher family, Rodrick Usher (Brian Greenwood), recounts his rise to power, his loss, and his evil deeds to Auguste Dupin (Auguste Dupin), the attorney who has been on a mission to bring the family down for decades as they sit in the Usher family’s original, now rundown home. Much of the story is told in extended flashbacks, which works beautifully. It was a risky choice that paid off. The main cast includes Carla Gugino (Gerald’s Game, “The Haunting of Hill House”), Mary McDonnell (Scream 4), Carl Lumbly (Doctor Sleep),

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 18, 2023
Game Review: 'Lords Of The Fallen'

Game Review: ‘Lords Of The Fallen’

Souls Games… Nothing gets the blood pumping more than a game where defeat is part of the story and repetitive action to earn back lost points while running the risk of losing them forever, using skills you normally don’t use in other games and the fact that you’re playing this willingly… Some run marathons, while others take on a game like Lords of the Fallen. I would like to thank CI Games and Hexworks for sending me a copy of this glorious nightmare, I mean that in a good way! Lords of the Fallen takes you to the land of Mournsted, where the five beacons of Hallowed Sentinels have become corrupted and will allow Adyr, a demon god, to return. Players take on the role of a resurrected individual who must take on the role of a Dark Crusader and stop the demon god’s return. Lords of the Fallen‘s controls are pretty involved, so paying close attention to the tutorial

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Oct 18, 2023
Next →