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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Film FestivalsFrom the CryptMoviesReviews
Alan Scott Neal delivers an outstanding slice of genre cinema with his feature-length directorial debut Last Straw. Combining home invasion horror with siege thriller elements, the film takes viewers on a wild, blood-soaked ride reminiscent of now-classic 1970s and 1980s drive-in fare with a decidedly modern approach. Nancy (Jessica Belkin) is a fast-living, foul-mouthed young woman worried about turning 20 years old soon — and courtesy of a roadside pregnancy test, she has some new things weighing on her mind, as well. Living in a small town, she is the manager of a roadside diner, the employees of which point out is only because she is the owner’s (Jeremey Sisto) daughter. After Nancy stands up to four masked ruffians who threaten to come back later after she kicks them out of the place, she wields her managerial power and fires long-standing cook Jake (Taylor Kowalski, who also serves as a producer on the film). Jake takes the other three members
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsProductReviews
I’m a sucker for anything horror, so when I learned that Shoe Palace is releasing three new horror collections, I had to get my hands on some of the collections that feature shirts, hoodies, and joggers from the horror franchises, Chucky, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. . Some pieces, like the hoodies, feature embroidered logos, which is a nice touch. Most of the hoodies feature images and posters from the franchises and feature rich colors. They aren’t going to fade. I’m most fond of the red Friday the 13th hoodie with the original poster on the back. It’s a good-looking piece. It also may have something to do with the fact that the 1980 original was the first horror movie I saw. It’s the movie that began my love of the genre. Some of the joggers have the movie’s titles in a raised form down the legs, which I really like. The art on the front of
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviews
Baatar Batsukh is a cinematographer making his directorial debut with the Mongolian horror film Aberrance, which he also lensed. The movie is rich in beautifully framed shots and loaded with visual style, bolstering a plot that tries at times to be a bit too surprising. Selenge (Selenge Chadraabal) and Erkhmee (Erkhembayar Ganbat) are a couple who take a break from city life to spend time at — where else but? — a remote cabin in the woods. Something is off between the pair, though, as Erkhmee seems dominant and possibly abusive, which doesn’t go unnoticed by their lone neighbor (Yalalt Namsrai). Meanwhile, Selenge is obviously suffering from trauma, and the claustrophobic environment is only making matters worse. Batsukh, working from a screenplay that he cowrote with Byambasuren Ganbat and Erdene Orosoo, has a keen visual eye, and incorporates everything from cameras attached to actors (with bobbing motion not unlike what you would get using selfie sticks) to unique angles to
Continue reading →
GamingParanormalProductReviewsSci-Fi
Many FPS games have evolved to become either as realistic as possible or very technical. This removes a lot of the fun for old-school FPS gamers like myself. I’ve played and reviewed some FPS games on here, and though they’re fun, they miss some of that over-the-top charm. Trepang Studios and Team 17 have brought the classic FPS feel with their game, Trepang2. In Trepang2, players take on the role of a soldier who escaped from a secret facility and is now on a mission to fight back against his captors, a corrupt corporation. The soldier may not have his memories, but he has superhuman abilities that make him skilled in combat, where he can use these skills against his enemies, both human…and something else. You will have to allow some time to get used to Trepang2‘s controls as they’re somewhat similar to other FPS controls and yet somewhat different. The game’s sound design is awesome. I can’t stress this
Continue reading →
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Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Director Stephen Alexander’s Suburban Tale (AKA Tamso; India, 2023) is a dark, brooding film that becomes increasingly disturbing as it continually reveals new puzzle pieces throughout its running time. Its original Indian title Tamso means “from darkness,” which is quite fitting. Radhika (Rashmi Somvanshi, who also produced the film) is the estranged daughter of a family. Other extended family members refer to her as “that woman” and make it clear that they do not want her anywhere near the wedding preparations that are happening, although her father calls her back home because he wants her to watch over the youngest member of the family, a boy who seems to be possessed by a demon. When the boy, who emits a poisonous gas and snarls and rages, attacks the bride-to-be, Radhika is left alone in charge of him — and matters grow increasingly eerie and deadly. Alexander paces the film nicely, slowly divulging information as to why Radhika is shunned by
Continue reading →
MoviesReviewsThriller
A gaggle of friends make that classic fright flick mistake by stopping to pick up an attractive hitchhiker. The end result of that blunder finds our heroes drugged, dragged to some shady-ass building or another, and fitted with vials in the base of their skulls. They soon learn that their captor intends on harvesting their brain fluid in those vicious vials… fluid collected via episodes of extreme pain! Soon all captives within those wicked walls are giving and receiving the gift of torture porn in a bid to survive the ordeal, but in all honesty their chances are slim as fuck… Coming from Director Taylor Sheridan (who wrote 2015’s Sicario) and Screenwriters Eric Jay Beck and Rob Kowsaluk, Vile is an odd entry in the aforementioned torture porn sub-genre. Populated with intentionally rote characters, it’s hard to root for anyone in particular… which isn’t usually a problem, as torture porn flicks are often made on the strength of their effects
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Viking vampires and the foster care system… if nothing else, Beneath Us All combines two incredibly disparate elements and makes it all flow… The Gibbs, Todd (Sean Whalen, The People Under the Stairs, The FP) and Janelle (fantastic character actor Maria Olsen, Paranormal Activity 3, Starry Eyes, and many, many more) are foster parents who have a strained relationship when it comes to one of their wards, Julie (Angelina Danielle Cama) who is mortified by Todd putting an injured bird she found out of it’s misery. This causes Julie to flee to the woods, where surely nothing bad will happen to her… Well, nothing does happen to her at first, but she does make a rather unsettling discovery in the form of an ancient Viking vampire Frey (Yan Birch) who is more than ready to get back on his feet and rip the citizens of a nearby town a few new assholes! Frey wastes no time setting up shop in
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesParanormalReviews
Angela (Amelia Kinkade) and Suzanne (legendary Scream Queen Linnea Quigley) are the type of ladies that offer up shoplifting and ass showing (set to the sweet, sweet strains of Pac-Man for the Atari 2600) in equal measure… I’ll let you detectives figure out who is more responsible for what… they are also the type to throw a Halloween hootnanny at an allegedly cursed, definitely abandoned mortuary. Once the party commences drinks are consumed, dancing is attempted, and a séance is held… the latter of which ends up freeing a demon from it’s prison deep within the confines of the mortuary that possesses Suzanne… and eventually Angela after that ol’ crowd-pleaser; a girl on girl kiss goes down! After that we are one Bauhaus-set dance number and a lipstick eatin’ titty away from a full-on murderous monster mash that our heroes will be hard pressed to survive! Filled with oh-so-fucking much Grade-A wise-assery, hard-rocking tunes about computer dating, exclamations such as
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Remember when I put a revoltin’ review on Fred Vogel’s 2001 extreme torture porn experience, August Underground? Well, the powers that be made a follow up (with Vogel co-directing, co-writing, and once again acting) in 2003 titled August Underground’s Mordum, and as before, Unearthed Films have released a feature-packed Blu-ray edition of the frightful flick and placed it before my putrid peepers! As with the aforementioned previous film the premise here is light; a trio of murderous miscreants go kill crazy and film their conquests… each more stomach churning than the last. Things reach even new heights of depravity when a fourth killer makes the scene… and after all we have witnessed to that point, that is really saying something! As a film, August Underground’s Mordum isn’t as much of a story as it is a series of disgusting vignettes (each featuring rape, vomit, cannibalism, and oh so much more)… but that is where the genius… twisted as it is,
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsParamount+ReviewsStreaming TVTrailers
From director Lindsey Anderson Beer comes Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, the prequel to the 1989 classic Stephen King adaptation that taught us that “sometimes dead is better.” Set in 1969, a young Jud Crandall has dreams of leaving his hometown of Ludlow, Maine, behind but soon discovers sinister secrets buried within and is forced to confront a dark family history. Banding together, Jud and his childhood friends must fight an ancient evil that has gripped Ludlow since its founding and, once unearthed, has the power to destroy everything in its path. First, we should talk about casting. Jackson White stars as young Jud, a character made iconic by actor Fred Gwynne’s performance in the original. Jackson doesn’t exactly look like a young Gwynne, but he does give a great emotional performance, so I’m willing to look over it. Henry Thomas stars as Jud’s father, and while he has a tendency to play characters that seem distant, he showed more feeling here.
Continue reading →
More from Reviews
Film FestivalsFrom the CryptMoviesReviews
Alan Scott Neal delivers an outstanding slice of genre cinema with his feature-length directorial debut Last Straw. Combining home invasion horror with siege thriller elements, the film takes viewers on a wild, blood-soaked ride reminiscent of now-classic 1970s and 1980s drive-in fare with a decidedly modern approach. Nancy (Jessica Belkin) is a fast-living, foul-mouthed young woman worried about turning 20 years old soon — and courtesy of a roadside pregnancy test, she has some new things weighing on her mind, as well. Living in a small town, she is the manager of a roadside diner, the employees of which point out is only because she is the owner’s (Jeremey Sisto) daughter. After Nancy stands up to four masked ruffians who threaten to come back later after she kicks them out of the place, she wields her managerial power and fires long-standing cook Jake (Taylor Kowalski, who also serves as a producer on the film). Jake takes the other three members
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsProductReviews
I’m a sucker for anything horror, so when I learned that Shoe Palace is releasing three new horror collections, I had to get my hands on some of the collections that feature shirts, hoodies, and joggers from the horror franchises, Chucky, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. . Some pieces, like the hoodies, feature embroidered logos, which is a nice touch. Most of the hoodies feature images and posters from the franchises and feature rich colors. They aren’t going to fade. I’m most fond of the red Friday the 13th hoodie with the original poster on the back. It’s a good-looking piece. It also may have something to do with the fact that the 1980 original was the first horror movie I saw. It’s the movie that began my love of the genre. Some of the joggers have the movie’s titles in a raised form down the legs, which I really like. The art on the front of
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviews
Baatar Batsukh is a cinematographer making his directorial debut with the Mongolian horror film Aberrance, which he also lensed. The movie is rich in beautifully framed shots and loaded with visual style, bolstering a plot that tries at times to be a bit too surprising. Selenge (Selenge Chadraabal) and Erkhmee (Erkhembayar Ganbat) are a couple who take a break from city life to spend time at — where else but? — a remote cabin in the woods. Something is off between the pair, though, as Erkhmee seems dominant and possibly abusive, which doesn’t go unnoticed by their lone neighbor (Yalalt Namsrai). Meanwhile, Selenge is obviously suffering from trauma, and the claustrophobic environment is only making matters worse. Batsukh, working from a screenplay that he cowrote with Byambasuren Ganbat and Erdene Orosoo, has a keen visual eye, and incorporates everything from cameras attached to actors (with bobbing motion not unlike what you would get using selfie sticks) to unique angles to
Continue reading →
GamingParanormalProductReviewsSci-Fi
Many FPS games have evolved to become either as realistic as possible or very technical. This removes a lot of the fun for old-school FPS gamers like myself. I’ve played and reviewed some FPS games on here, and though they’re fun, they miss some of that over-the-top charm. Trepang Studios and Team 17 have brought the classic FPS feel with their game, Trepang2. In Trepang2, players take on the role of a soldier who escaped from a secret facility and is now on a mission to fight back against his captors, a corrupt corporation. The soldier may not have his memories, but he has superhuman abilities that make him skilled in combat, where he can use these skills against his enemies, both human…and something else. You will have to allow some time to get used to Trepang2‘s controls as they’re somewhat similar to other FPS controls and yet somewhat different. The game’s sound design is awesome. I can’t stress this
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Director Stephen Alexander’s Suburban Tale (AKA Tamso; India, 2023) is a dark, brooding film that becomes increasingly disturbing as it continually reveals new puzzle pieces throughout its running time. Its original Indian title Tamso means “from darkness,” which is quite fitting. Radhika (Rashmi Somvanshi, who also produced the film) is the estranged daughter of a family. Other extended family members refer to her as “that woman” and make it clear that they do not want her anywhere near the wedding preparations that are happening, although her father calls her back home because he wants her to watch over the youngest member of the family, a boy who seems to be possessed by a demon. When the boy, who emits a poisonous gas and snarls and rages, attacks the bride-to-be, Radhika is left alone in charge of him — and matters grow increasingly eerie and deadly. Alexander paces the film nicely, slowly divulging information as to why Radhika is shunned by
Continue reading →
MoviesReviewsThriller
A gaggle of friends make that classic fright flick mistake by stopping to pick up an attractive hitchhiker. The end result of that blunder finds our heroes drugged, dragged to some shady-ass building or another, and fitted with vials in the base of their skulls. They soon learn that their captor intends on harvesting their brain fluid in those vicious vials… fluid collected via episodes of extreme pain! Soon all captives within those wicked walls are giving and receiving the gift of torture porn in a bid to survive the ordeal, but in all honesty their chances are slim as fuck… Coming from Director Taylor Sheridan (who wrote 2015’s Sicario) and Screenwriters Eric Jay Beck and Rob Kowsaluk, Vile is an odd entry in the aforementioned torture porn sub-genre. Populated with intentionally rote characters, it’s hard to root for anyone in particular… which isn’t usually a problem, as torture porn flicks are often made on the strength of their effects
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Viking vampires and the foster care system… if nothing else, Beneath Us All combines two incredibly disparate elements and makes it all flow… The Gibbs, Todd (Sean Whalen, The People Under the Stairs, The FP) and Janelle (fantastic character actor Maria Olsen, Paranormal Activity 3, Starry Eyes, and many, many more) are foster parents who have a strained relationship when it comes to one of their wards, Julie (Angelina Danielle Cama) who is mortified by Todd putting an injured bird she found out of it’s misery. This causes Julie to flee to the woods, where surely nothing bad will happen to her… Well, nothing does happen to her at first, but she does make a rather unsettling discovery in the form of an ancient Viking vampire Frey (Yan Birch) who is more than ready to get back on his feet and rip the citizens of a nearby town a few new assholes! Frey wastes no time setting up shop in
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesParanormalReviews
Angela (Amelia Kinkade) and Suzanne (legendary Scream Queen Linnea Quigley) are the type of ladies that offer up shoplifting and ass showing (set to the sweet, sweet strains of Pac-Man for the Atari 2600) in equal measure… I’ll let you detectives figure out who is more responsible for what… they are also the type to throw a Halloween hootnanny at an allegedly cursed, definitely abandoned mortuary. Once the party commences drinks are consumed, dancing is attempted, and a séance is held… the latter of which ends up freeing a demon from it’s prison deep within the confines of the mortuary that possesses Suzanne… and eventually Angela after that ol’ crowd-pleaser; a girl on girl kiss goes down! After that we are one Bauhaus-set dance number and a lipstick eatin’ titty away from a full-on murderous monster mash that our heroes will be hard pressed to survive! Filled with oh-so-fucking much Grade-A wise-assery, hard-rocking tunes about computer dating, exclamations such as
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Remember when I put a revoltin’ review on Fred Vogel’s 2001 extreme torture porn experience, August Underground? Well, the powers that be made a follow up (with Vogel co-directing, co-writing, and once again acting) in 2003 titled August Underground’s Mordum, and as before, Unearthed Films have released a feature-packed Blu-ray edition of the frightful flick and placed it before my putrid peepers! As with the aforementioned previous film the premise here is light; a trio of murderous miscreants go kill crazy and film their conquests… each more stomach churning than the last. Things reach even new heights of depravity when a fourth killer makes the scene… and after all we have witnessed to that point, that is really saying something! As a film, August Underground’s Mordum isn’t as much of a story as it is a series of disgusting vignettes (each featuring rape, vomit, cannibalism, and oh so much more)… but that is where the genius… twisted as it is,
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsParamount+ReviewsStreaming TVTrailers
From director Lindsey Anderson Beer comes Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, the prequel to the 1989 classic Stephen King adaptation that taught us that “sometimes dead is better.” Set in 1969, a young Jud Crandall has dreams of leaving his hometown of Ludlow, Maine, behind but soon discovers sinister secrets buried within and is forced to confront a dark family history. Banding together, Jud and his childhood friends must fight an ancient evil that has gripped Ludlow since its founding and, once unearthed, has the power to destroy everything in its path. First, we should talk about casting. Jackson White stars as young Jud, a character made iconic by actor Fred Gwynne’s performance in the original. Jackson doesn’t exactly look like a young Gwynne, but he does give a great emotional performance, so I’m willing to look over it. Henry Thomas stars as Jud’s father, and while he has a tendency to play characters that seem distant, he showed more feeling here.
Continue reading →
