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
AdaptationMoviesReviewsShort Films
Right now, on the Chilling App, there’s a film that’s caught the eye of many after its trailer made quite a splash on the internet, a horror retelling of The Wizard of Oz. The short film titled Gale Stay Away From Oz by Daniel Alexander Films directed by Daniel Alexander and Stars Chloë Crump as Emily Gale. In Gale Stay Away From Oz, Emily is plagued by a recurring nightmare. Emily’s trying to make sense of these dreams as she’s grieving the loss of her mother. Emily then discovers she has a grandmother who is a successful author who wrote a book based on her dreams, and her grandmother’s name… Dorothy. The film itself is quite short, around 28 minutes long, so I’m giving some leeway here when it comes to the pacing of the story, stiff acting, and cheap-looking practical effects that kind of ruin the scares. I feel comfortable saying that because here’s the thing. As a storyteller,
Continue reading →
HalloweenProductReviews
Halloween is almost here, and it’s time to party and have a drink or two but with it being spooky season, you need the right glass or cup to drink from to stand out. Luckily Silipint is here to help! Silipint specializes in making silicone barware, drinkware, and food storage that won’t break or chip, unlike others! Silipint has a special limited edition Halloween Pint glasses. They were awesome enough to send me a few to check out, so a big thank you to the awesome folks at Silipint for making this possible! The cups come in four colors; Orange, Green, Sunstorm (orange, purple, black), and black. If you’re curious, YES the orange and green cups Glow in the Dark! The orange and green cups with one of two choices for the image, a graveyard with jack-o-lanterns, or a graveyard with Zombie hands! The Sun Storm colored cup just says “Happy Halloween” with a matching festive font with skulls under
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignIndieMoviesReviews
All You Need Is Death (Ireland, 2023) Writer/director Paul Duane’s Irish folk horror All You Need Is Death is a terrific slow burner that fairly drips with dread as it takes viewers on a ride to wholly unexpected places. Young couple Anna (Simone Collins) and Aleks (Charlie Maher) are musicians who surreptitiously collect rare, unrecorded folk songs to sell for a profit. No-nonsense Agnes (Catherine Siggins) is one of the people to whom they attempt to sell, and she is particularly interested in a song seemingly known only to reclusive, eccentric, elderly Rita Concannon (Olwen Fouéré). Rita agrees to sing the song to Anna and Agnes under certain strict conditions, and when one of those conditions is broken, the story begins to head into mind-boggling territory best left unspoiled. Suffice it to say that folk horror is not the only fear-fare subgenre on display. Duane helms and paces the macabre proceedings wonderfully, and the main cast members, which also include
Continue reading →
BooksHalloweenProductReviews
It’s that time of year when it’s getting cooler outside, rainy nights are becoming more frequent, and Halloween is on our minds. Two things that collide head-on this time of year are being cozy and getting spooky, and there’s no better way to experience this than reading spooky stories… by candlelight. Reading by candlelight is a fun experience, especially if you like reading classic horror like I do, but it can come with some drawbacks. The main issue is you’re dealing with an open flame, and sometimes fire is not our friend. This is where Levenger comes in with the Wick LED Candle. I want to first thank Levenger for sending over one of these candles for me to try! Levenger keeps readers, writers, and those who like to do a bit of thinking in mind with a wide range of products, the Wick LED Candle being one of their best sellers, and after trying it out, I can see
Continue reading →
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GamingHalloweenParanormalProductReviews
Back during its 1982 golden age, Atari released an adventure game that changed gaming by becoming one of, if not the first survival horror games created, Haunted House. Atari and Orbit Studio have reimagined the legendary game for modern audiences in time for Halloween! I want to thank Atari and Orbit Studio for allowing me to check out this revamped legend! Haunted House follows Lyn Graves and her friends as they go to a haunted house her exploring uncle disappeared in. After arriving at the spooky location, Lyn is separated from her friends and must now find them too as well as put a curse to bed, and end the hauntings. Now, on to the game itself! Haunted House‘s controls seem a bit complicated for a relatively simple story and game with so many mechanics being thrown at you right off the bat! When it comes to sound for Haunted House, the soundtrack, though good, needs more variety. The game
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
In 2017, Buzz Feed artist Adam Ellis made the first tweet about the ghost child with a crushed head haunting him. The tweets referred to the child as “Dear David,” and quickly, it went viral as he updated his followers regularly about the spooky events. It didn’t take long for Buzz Feed and Lionsgate to acquire the right to his story and adapted it for a movie set to be released this October. As someone who followed the original “Dear David” thread as the story unfolded, I already had prejudice towards the movie. I believed it couldn’t hold up against the spookiness of Adam’s tale. Plus, a recent poster made me lose some interest in the movie because, frankly, it looked super cheesy, making me assume the movie would be too. Well, you know what they say about assuming, “It makes an ass out of you and me.” I decided to watch it anyway, prepared to write a scathing review.
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignIndieMoviesReviews
Gods of the Deep (U.K., 2023) Last year, prolific director Charlie Steeds’s Freeze played Portland’s H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, and this year his new film Gods of the Deep had its world premiere there. Steeds makes practically all manner of horror films, and his recent one-two punch of Lovecraftian horror is some of his strongest work yet. Gods of the Deep finds Jim Peters (Derek Nelson of Freeze) carrying on the research of his father, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. He is invited by a corporation that he mistrusts to join a crew that will take the highest-tech submersible ever developed to the depths of the ocean to explore what looks like an ancient man-made structure. Subterfuge, action, cosmic horror mayhem, and creature-feature creepiness abound as the crew makes a discovery of unexpected life deep in the ocean. Steeds works miracles with his budgets, and though the special effects in Gods of the Deep sometimes show that the budget might
Continue reading →
HalloweenNewsProductReviews
Halloween is nearly upon us, and you know what that means: it is time to put up decorations. You know what they say, “Go big or go home,” well, this spooky season, I’m going big, real big. I snagged one of HalloweenCostumes.com‘s new, exclusive, twenty-five-foot-tall Michael Myers inflatables. The inflatable has excellent details from the blood on his knife, shading in his hair and on his clothing, down to his fingers, which are not one piece but individually represented. This thing is awesome from the tips of his toes to the top of his head! You may be wondering how easy the inflatable is to put up. It’s actually really easy. One person can do it, but two are recommended. The hardest part is getting him to stand up, but even that is relatively easy. The whole process took about 30 minutes, and fifteen minutes of that was waiting for it to inflate. Some inflatables have obnoxiously loud air pumps;
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films
Mother Tongue (Australia, 2023) Jade (Amelia Foxton, who wrote the screenplay) and Alex (Chiara Gizzi) want to have a baby together, and Alex desperately wants to have it herself rather than adopting, but the couple has run out of almost all options. Almost all, because director Glen Fraser’s Mother Tongue being a horror comedy, the couple can always turn to the dark arts as a last resort. For their journey into the diabolical, they seek the assistance of Brian (Stephen Hunter), who seems to be on the flighty side but proves that he is indeed an occult practitioner. In another classic horror-comedy case of “Be careful what you wish for,” the trio finds itself in quite a gruesome mess. Foxton’s screenplay is rich with both dramatic and comedic looks at parenting and expectations surrounding pregnancy and its difficulties, and delivers the goods in the occult department, too. Foxton and Gizzi are terrific in their portrayals of the frustrated couple, and
Continue reading →
Amazon Prime VideoMoviesNewsReviewsStreaming TVTrailers
Prime Video has now released the time-traveling slasher Totally Killer. I watched it, and I have some thoughts about the movie, directed by Nahnatchka Khan (Always Be My Maybe, “Young Rock”) and starring Kiernan Shipka (“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” ). Totally Killer follows Jamie (Shipka), whose mom, Pam (Bowen), is terrorized by the resurgence of the Sweet Sixteen Killer—a masked maniac who slaughtered a group of teenage girls in the ‘80s. With the help of her friend Amelia (Kelcey Mawema), she travels back in time to 1987 and teams up with the teen version of her mom (Holt) to try and stop the killer. Equal parts horror and comedy, the movie sets out to capture the unique charm of the 1980s. And as someone who was there, I can definitely say they nailed it. It was a time when social sensitivity was lacking; there was no such thing as getting “triggered,” and nobody cared if you chained-smoked in the car
Continue reading →
More from Reviews
AdaptationMoviesReviewsShort Films
Right now, on the Chilling App, there’s a film that’s caught the eye of many after its trailer made quite a splash on the internet, a horror retelling of The Wizard of Oz. The short film titled Gale Stay Away From Oz by Daniel Alexander Films directed by Daniel Alexander and Stars Chloë Crump as Emily Gale. In Gale Stay Away From Oz, Emily is plagued by a recurring nightmare. Emily’s trying to make sense of these dreams as she’s grieving the loss of her mother. Emily then discovers she has a grandmother who is a successful author who wrote a book based on her dreams, and her grandmother’s name… Dorothy. The film itself is quite short, around 28 minutes long, so I’m giving some leeway here when it comes to the pacing of the story, stiff acting, and cheap-looking practical effects that kind of ruin the scares. I feel comfortable saying that because here’s the thing. As a storyteller,
Continue reading →
HalloweenProductReviews
Halloween is almost here, and it’s time to party and have a drink or two but with it being spooky season, you need the right glass or cup to drink from to stand out. Luckily Silipint is here to help! Silipint specializes in making silicone barware, drinkware, and food storage that won’t break or chip, unlike others! Silipint has a special limited edition Halloween Pint glasses. They were awesome enough to send me a few to check out, so a big thank you to the awesome folks at Silipint for making this possible! The cups come in four colors; Orange, Green, Sunstorm (orange, purple, black), and black. If you’re curious, YES the orange and green cups Glow in the Dark! The orange and green cups with one of two choices for the image, a graveyard with jack-o-lanterns, or a graveyard with Zombie hands! The Sun Storm colored cup just says “Happy Halloween” with a matching festive font with skulls under
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignIndieMoviesReviews
All You Need Is Death (Ireland, 2023) Writer/director Paul Duane’s Irish folk horror All You Need Is Death is a terrific slow burner that fairly drips with dread as it takes viewers on a ride to wholly unexpected places. Young couple Anna (Simone Collins) and Aleks (Charlie Maher) are musicians who surreptitiously collect rare, unrecorded folk songs to sell for a profit. No-nonsense Agnes (Catherine Siggins) is one of the people to whom they attempt to sell, and she is particularly interested in a song seemingly known only to reclusive, eccentric, elderly Rita Concannon (Olwen Fouéré). Rita agrees to sing the song to Anna and Agnes under certain strict conditions, and when one of those conditions is broken, the story begins to head into mind-boggling territory best left unspoiled. Suffice it to say that folk horror is not the only fear-fare subgenre on display. Duane helms and paces the macabre proceedings wonderfully, and the main cast members, which also include
Continue reading →
BooksHalloweenProductReviews
It’s that time of year when it’s getting cooler outside, rainy nights are becoming more frequent, and Halloween is on our minds. Two things that collide head-on this time of year are being cozy and getting spooky, and there’s no better way to experience this than reading spooky stories… by candlelight. Reading by candlelight is a fun experience, especially if you like reading classic horror like I do, but it can come with some drawbacks. The main issue is you’re dealing with an open flame, and sometimes fire is not our friend. This is where Levenger comes in with the Wick LED Candle. I want to first thank Levenger for sending over one of these candles for me to try! Levenger keeps readers, writers, and those who like to do a bit of thinking in mind with a wide range of products, the Wick LED Candle being one of their best sellers, and after trying it out, I can see
Continue reading →
GamingHalloweenParanormalProductReviews
Back during its 1982 golden age, Atari released an adventure game that changed gaming by becoming one of, if not the first survival horror games created, Haunted House. Atari and Orbit Studio have reimagined the legendary game for modern audiences in time for Halloween! I want to thank Atari and Orbit Studio for allowing me to check out this revamped legend! Haunted House follows Lyn Graves and her friends as they go to a haunted house her exploring uncle disappeared in. After arriving at the spooky location, Lyn is separated from her friends and must now find them too as well as put a curse to bed, and end the hauntings. Now, on to the game itself! Haunted House‘s controls seem a bit complicated for a relatively simple story and game with so many mechanics being thrown at you right off the bat! When it comes to sound for Haunted House, the soundtrack, though good, needs more variety. The game
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
In 2017, Buzz Feed artist Adam Ellis made the first tweet about the ghost child with a crushed head haunting him. The tweets referred to the child as “Dear David,” and quickly, it went viral as he updated his followers regularly about the spooky events. It didn’t take long for Buzz Feed and Lionsgate to acquire the right to his story and adapted it for a movie set to be released this October. As someone who followed the original “Dear David” thread as the story unfolded, I already had prejudice towards the movie. I believed it couldn’t hold up against the spookiness of Adam’s tale. Plus, a recent poster made me lose some interest in the movie because, frankly, it looked super cheesy, making me assume the movie would be too. Well, you know what they say about assuming, “It makes an ass out of you and me.” I decided to watch it anyway, prepared to write a scathing review.
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignIndieMoviesReviews
Gods of the Deep (U.K., 2023) Last year, prolific director Charlie Steeds’s Freeze played Portland’s H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, and this year his new film Gods of the Deep had its world premiere there. Steeds makes practically all manner of horror films, and his recent one-two punch of Lovecraftian horror is some of his strongest work yet. Gods of the Deep finds Jim Peters (Derek Nelson of Freeze) carrying on the research of his father, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. He is invited by a corporation that he mistrusts to join a crew that will take the highest-tech submersible ever developed to the depths of the ocean to explore what looks like an ancient man-made structure. Subterfuge, action, cosmic horror mayhem, and creature-feature creepiness abound as the crew makes a discovery of unexpected life deep in the ocean. Steeds works miracles with his budgets, and though the special effects in Gods of the Deep sometimes show that the budget might
Continue reading →
HalloweenNewsProductReviews
Halloween is nearly upon us, and you know what that means: it is time to put up decorations. You know what they say, “Go big or go home,” well, this spooky season, I’m going big, real big. I snagged one of HalloweenCostumes.com‘s new, exclusive, twenty-five-foot-tall Michael Myers inflatables. The inflatable has excellent details from the blood on his knife, shading in his hair and on his clothing, down to his fingers, which are not one piece but individually represented. This thing is awesome from the tips of his toes to the top of his head! You may be wondering how easy the inflatable is to put up. It’s actually really easy. One person can do it, but two are recommended. The hardest part is getting him to stand up, but even that is relatively easy. The whole process took about 30 minutes, and fifteen minutes of that was waiting for it to inflate. Some inflatables have obnoxiously loud air pumps;
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films
Mother Tongue (Australia, 2023) Jade (Amelia Foxton, who wrote the screenplay) and Alex (Chiara Gizzi) want to have a baby together, and Alex desperately wants to have it herself rather than adopting, but the couple has run out of almost all options. Almost all, because director Glen Fraser’s Mother Tongue being a horror comedy, the couple can always turn to the dark arts as a last resort. For their journey into the diabolical, they seek the assistance of Brian (Stephen Hunter), who seems to be on the flighty side but proves that he is indeed an occult practitioner. In another classic horror-comedy case of “Be careful what you wish for,” the trio finds itself in quite a gruesome mess. Foxton’s screenplay is rich with both dramatic and comedic looks at parenting and expectations surrounding pregnancy and its difficulties, and delivers the goods in the occult department, too. Foxton and Gizzi are terrific in their portrayals of the frustrated couple, and
Continue reading →
Amazon Prime VideoMoviesNewsReviewsStreaming TVTrailers
Prime Video has now released the time-traveling slasher Totally Killer. I watched it, and I have some thoughts about the movie, directed by Nahnatchka Khan (Always Be My Maybe, “Young Rock”) and starring Kiernan Shipka (“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” ). Totally Killer follows Jamie (Shipka), whose mom, Pam (Bowen), is terrorized by the resurgence of the Sweet Sixteen Killer—a masked maniac who slaughtered a group of teenage girls in the ‘80s. With the help of her friend Amelia (Kelcey Mawema), she travels back in time to 1987 and teams up with the teen version of her mom (Holt) to try and stop the killer. Equal parts horror and comedy, the movie sets out to capture the unique charm of the 1980s. And as someone who was there, I can definitely say they nailed it. It was a time when social sensitivity was lacking; there was no such thing as getting “triggered,” and nobody cared if you chained-smoked in the car
Continue reading →
