CategoryReviews
Honest horror reviews of films, series, games and books — no hype, no spoilers, just whether it is worth your time and your nerves.
3,430 stories
GamingProductReviewsSci-Fi
Tindalos Interactive and Focus Entertainment, in collaboration with 20th Century Games, have come together to bring the next heart-pounding installment into the Alien game franchise with Aliens: Dark Descent where players take control of a squad of space marines as they face off against Xenomorphs and other enemies as they fight for survival. Is this another bug hunt OR something else… Let’s take a look! Aliens: Dark Descent follows the Marines of the Otago that has become stranded on the planet of Lethe. Along with the Marines is a rescued Weyland-Yutani big wig that barely escaped from the station orbiting the planet that has become overrun with Xenomorphs unfortunately for everyone on Lethe…the Xenos are on the loose there as well, along with other never before seen terrors in the Alien universe… Now onto the game itself! Aliens: Dark Descent warns you even before playing that the game is challenging and that you really should pay attention to the tutorial,
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
Here’s a little-known fact about me, I am a total dinosaur nerd, so I was super excited when I first saw the trailer for writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ movie 65. I finally got a chance to see it this weekend, and needless to say, I have some thoughts. Warning Spoilers Ahead! The trailer gave viewers the impression that it was nonstop action, which is false. We were lied to. Instead of an action film, we get a drama that happens to have a few dinosaurs in it. The major plot twist, which was a pretty good one, was that the planet they landed on was Earth 65 million years ago, only a few days before the asteroid hit Earth that wiped out the dinosaurs. There’s a character problem. Adam Driver’s character is disconnected and aloof in 99% of the movie, in which he plays the transport ship, Captain Mills. It makes it hard to connect with him. If
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Back in the late 1970’s, ol’ Ben (Matt Whelan) inherits some property down Oregon way. So before you can say “Shitty idea”, Ben packs the fam and heads off to that newly acquired property. Naturally, the house the family is set to move in looks creepy as all hell, and despite the beautiful view, the place would be avoided by anyone with half a brain cell in real life… and that’s not even factoring in the bizarre water feature, the eponymous tank, sure to detract even more value from the dread domicile. From there we get some Horror Tropes 101 as we get a blast of bumps in the night, dark family secrets, a legacy of missing persons, and mysterious creatures. Will Ben and his brood survive their wicked windfall, or will the secrets of the house be their demise?! Lets get the elephant in the room out of the way first; writer/director Scott Walker walks some familiar ground with
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Writer/director Billy Hanson‘s Bone Cold begins with a real Debbie Downer of a sitch; namely snipers Jon (Jonathan Stoddard) and Marco (Matt Munroe) try and return to the day-to-day of family life after completing some top secret wet-work down Afghanistan way, but that ol’ double punch of guilt and PTSD make it tough going. They don’t have long to get all domestic-like however as they are soon sent on a new mission to stop Russian military activity in the Ukraine. The mission goes tits-up however, as our lads accidentally kill a civilian bringing military down upon them post-fucking-haste! That would be a bad day under any circumstances but it just so happens to be another wicked wrinkle in the Black Ops as a vicious creature stalks the surrounding forests, and this thing is pissed to all hell and back! Bone Cold is a tight lil’ creature feature for sure, but let me tell ya my cats n’ creeps, it has
Continue reading →
GamingParanormalProductReviews
Bloober Team and Anshar Studios are taking players back with a reimagining of the cult classic horror-narrative game, Layers of Fear. This time the game is served up with a twist for fans that include an all-new narrative following the story of The Writer, being tortured by her craft. I want to thank Bloober Team for allowing me the opportunity to check out the game, how does this latest installment fair compared to the others? Let’s check it out! Layers of Fear takes place at an old lighthouse where players take on the role of a writer who is struggling with both writer’s block, and success, all the while she’s trying to make a deadline but a supernatural entity makes its presence known and offers to help. Now onto the game itself. I’m going to be very brief here because there are other things that should be mentioned about this game: Overall control-wise, fans of the first two games will
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsTrue Crime
What do you get when you cross a serial killer saga, a road movie, a thriller, some comedy, a variation on an odd-couple buddy film, and a celebrity chimpanzee? In the case of He Went That Way (U.S., 2023), the answer is a film that lacks clear focus but is nevertheless entertaining throughout. He Went That Way features a title card that proclaims that the events in the film mostly happened. The real-life story involved animal trainer Dave Pitts and the actual chimpanzee Spanky traveling with hitchhiker and serial killer Larry Lee Ranes. Pitts gives an accounting of his tale during the end credits, which also feature a clip of Spanky performing in The Ice Capades. For the fictionalized version, animal trainer Jim (Zachary Quinto) is traveling America’s Route 66 with his beloved chimpanzee Spanky, who was once the toast of highly rated television variety shows and live performances but who has fallen out of favor in the film’s 1964
Continue reading →
ForeignReviewsStreaming TV
The first thing you lascivious lot may notice about Severin’s new release of The Complete Comic Strip Presents… Channel 4 Films 3-Disc Collector’s Edition is the number of familiar faces it contains… well familiar if you dig on amazing British comedy that is… or had MTV in the mid to late 80’s… Featured in the copious short films in this collection are none other that The Young Ones’ Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, and Nigel Planer as well as Absolutely Fabulous’ Jennifer Saunders (along with her frequent comedy partner-in-crime Dawn French) as well as the troupe’s mainstay to this day; Peter Richardson… also keep your eyes’ peeled for Alexei Sayle (who played every member of the zany Balowski Family on the aforementioned The Young Ones before starring in his own self-titled sketch-comedy program) as well as the Harry Potter franchise’s Hagrid himself, Robbie Coltrane! So, what are all of these talented-ass mother fuckers getting up to? Unbridled hilarity (spread out over
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviewsSci-FiShort Films
A group of pals; Ignacio (Matthew Mitchell Espinosa), Nev (Andrew Hayden Kang), Enoch (Thaddeus Newman), and George (Kiyoshi Shishido) by name, head out for a ‘lil R&R at a remote cabin located deep within the wicked woods. Along for the ride is George’s cousin Albert (Barron Leung), a meek fella who unfortunately becomes the victim of severe, alcohol-fueled abuse by those mentioned up yonder when George exits the scene to find some help. Why the need for assistance you may ask? Well, seems the world outside the cabin walls seems to be the subject of some sort of invasion by creatures unknown, and now ol’ Al is faced with a big-ass die-lemma; end his torment by either puttin’ a murder on those bullies, or face whatever in the fuck is lurking outside… One thing you can say about Canary’s director Taka Tsubota; he’s got a good eye (two of them most likely) for making a film look like a million
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Imagine a horror film that combines elements found in Hiroshi Teshigahara’s classic Woman in the Dunes (Japan, 1964) with your favorite evil/feral child horror movie, add in a good deal of weirdness and mystery, and you’re only partially on your way to what writer/director Barney Clay’s The Seeding (U.S., 2023) holds in store for you. This harrowing work has stayed with me for days after watching it, and I’m certain that its grip will linger with me for quite some time. I’m only going to discuss the initial set-up, as viewers should go in as cold as possible. A man (Scott Haze) is in the desert to photograph an eclipse. A young teen boy appears to be lost, and the man attempts to help him, reluctantly following as the boy leads them further away from the main road. The boy disappears and the man is lost, with night and foul weather coming on. He finds his way to a chasm
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Two strangers, one home in a trailer park, and one dark and stormy night make for one exciting feature destined for my Top 10 Horror Films of 2023 list in the Australian chiller You’ll Never Find Me (2023). Codirectors Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell have crafted a tense film ready to burst at the seams with suspense and dread. Patrick (Brendan Rock) tells whoever is knocking at his door as rain pours down heavily in no uncertain terms what they should do, which involves profanity and being unwelcome. The visitor (Jordan Cowan) is persistent, though, and Patrick reluctantly lets her in. From this simple premise, Allen and Bell — working from a screenplay written by Bell — deliver a slow burn film loaded with anxiety and mystery during which viewers know something is off but cannot figure out the motivations of each character — until a secret is revealed and a dizzying third act follows. You’ll Never Find Me is
Continue reading →
More from Reviews
GamingProductReviewsSci-Fi
Tindalos Interactive and Focus Entertainment, in collaboration with 20th Century Games, have come together to bring the next heart-pounding installment into the Alien game franchise with Aliens: Dark Descent where players take control of a squad of space marines as they face off against Xenomorphs and other enemies as they fight for survival. Is this another bug hunt OR something else… Let’s take a look! Aliens: Dark Descent follows the Marines of the Otago that has become stranded on the planet of Lethe. Along with the Marines is a rescued Weyland-Yutani big wig that barely escaped from the station orbiting the planet that has become overrun with Xenomorphs unfortunately for everyone on Lethe…the Xenos are on the loose there as well, along with other never before seen terrors in the Alien universe… Now onto the game itself! Aliens: Dark Descent warns you even before playing that the game is challenging and that you really should pay attention to the tutorial,
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
Here’s a little-known fact about me, I am a total dinosaur nerd, so I was super excited when I first saw the trailer for writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ movie 65. I finally got a chance to see it this weekend, and needless to say, I have some thoughts. Warning Spoilers Ahead! The trailer gave viewers the impression that it was nonstop action, which is false. We were lied to. Instead of an action film, we get a drama that happens to have a few dinosaurs in it. The major plot twist, which was a pretty good one, was that the planet they landed on was Earth 65 million years ago, only a few days before the asteroid hit Earth that wiped out the dinosaurs. There’s a character problem. Adam Driver’s character is disconnected and aloof in 99% of the movie, in which he plays the transport ship, Captain Mills. It makes it hard to connect with him. If
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Back in the late 1970’s, ol’ Ben (Matt Whelan) inherits some property down Oregon way. So before you can say “Shitty idea”, Ben packs the fam and heads off to that newly acquired property. Naturally, the house the family is set to move in looks creepy as all hell, and despite the beautiful view, the place would be avoided by anyone with half a brain cell in real life… and that’s not even factoring in the bizarre water feature, the eponymous tank, sure to detract even more value from the dread domicile. From there we get some Horror Tropes 101 as we get a blast of bumps in the night, dark family secrets, a legacy of missing persons, and mysterious creatures. Will Ben and his brood survive their wicked windfall, or will the secrets of the house be their demise?! Lets get the elephant in the room out of the way first; writer/director Scott Walker walks some familiar ground with
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Writer/director Billy Hanson‘s Bone Cold begins with a real Debbie Downer of a sitch; namely snipers Jon (Jonathan Stoddard) and Marco (Matt Munroe) try and return to the day-to-day of family life after completing some top secret wet-work down Afghanistan way, but that ol’ double punch of guilt and PTSD make it tough going. They don’t have long to get all domestic-like however as they are soon sent on a new mission to stop Russian military activity in the Ukraine. The mission goes tits-up however, as our lads accidentally kill a civilian bringing military down upon them post-fucking-haste! That would be a bad day under any circumstances but it just so happens to be another wicked wrinkle in the Black Ops as a vicious creature stalks the surrounding forests, and this thing is pissed to all hell and back! Bone Cold is a tight lil’ creature feature for sure, but let me tell ya my cats n’ creeps, it has
Continue reading →
GamingParanormalProductReviews
Bloober Team and Anshar Studios are taking players back with a reimagining of the cult classic horror-narrative game, Layers of Fear. This time the game is served up with a twist for fans that include an all-new narrative following the story of The Writer, being tortured by her craft. I want to thank Bloober Team for allowing me the opportunity to check out the game, how does this latest installment fair compared to the others? Let’s check it out! Layers of Fear takes place at an old lighthouse where players take on the role of a writer who is struggling with both writer’s block, and success, all the while she’s trying to make a deadline but a supernatural entity makes its presence known and offers to help. Now onto the game itself. I’m going to be very brief here because there are other things that should be mentioned about this game: Overall control-wise, fans of the first two games will
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsTrue Crime
What do you get when you cross a serial killer saga, a road movie, a thriller, some comedy, a variation on an odd-couple buddy film, and a celebrity chimpanzee? In the case of He Went That Way (U.S., 2023), the answer is a film that lacks clear focus but is nevertheless entertaining throughout. He Went That Way features a title card that proclaims that the events in the film mostly happened. The real-life story involved animal trainer Dave Pitts and the actual chimpanzee Spanky traveling with hitchhiker and serial killer Larry Lee Ranes. Pitts gives an accounting of his tale during the end credits, which also feature a clip of Spanky performing in The Ice Capades. For the fictionalized version, animal trainer Jim (Zachary Quinto) is traveling America’s Route 66 with his beloved chimpanzee Spanky, who was once the toast of highly rated television variety shows and live performances but who has fallen out of favor in the film’s 1964
Continue reading →
ForeignReviewsStreaming TV
The first thing you lascivious lot may notice about Severin’s new release of The Complete Comic Strip Presents… Channel 4 Films 3-Disc Collector’s Edition is the number of familiar faces it contains… well familiar if you dig on amazing British comedy that is… or had MTV in the mid to late 80’s… Featured in the copious short films in this collection are none other that The Young Ones’ Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, and Nigel Planer as well as Absolutely Fabulous’ Jennifer Saunders (along with her frequent comedy partner-in-crime Dawn French) as well as the troupe’s mainstay to this day; Peter Richardson… also keep your eyes’ peeled for Alexei Sayle (who played every member of the zany Balowski Family on the aforementioned The Young Ones before starring in his own self-titled sketch-comedy program) as well as the Harry Potter franchise’s Hagrid himself, Robbie Coltrane! So, what are all of these talented-ass mother fuckers getting up to? Unbridled hilarity (spread out over
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviewsSci-FiShort Films
A group of pals; Ignacio (Matthew Mitchell Espinosa), Nev (Andrew Hayden Kang), Enoch (Thaddeus Newman), and George (Kiyoshi Shishido) by name, head out for a ‘lil R&R at a remote cabin located deep within the wicked woods. Along for the ride is George’s cousin Albert (Barron Leung), a meek fella who unfortunately becomes the victim of severe, alcohol-fueled abuse by those mentioned up yonder when George exits the scene to find some help. Why the need for assistance you may ask? Well, seems the world outside the cabin walls seems to be the subject of some sort of invasion by creatures unknown, and now ol’ Al is faced with a big-ass die-lemma; end his torment by either puttin’ a murder on those bullies, or face whatever in the fuck is lurking outside… One thing you can say about Canary’s director Taka Tsubota; he’s got a good eye (two of them most likely) for making a film look like a million
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Imagine a horror film that combines elements found in Hiroshi Teshigahara’s classic Woman in the Dunes (Japan, 1964) with your favorite evil/feral child horror movie, add in a good deal of weirdness and mystery, and you’re only partially on your way to what writer/director Barney Clay’s The Seeding (U.S., 2023) holds in store for you. This harrowing work has stayed with me for days after watching it, and I’m certain that its grip will linger with me for quite some time. I’m only going to discuss the initial set-up, as viewers should go in as cold as possible. A man (Scott Haze) is in the desert to photograph an eclipse. A young teen boy appears to be lost, and the man attempts to help him, reluctantly following as the boy leads them further away from the main road. The boy disappears and the man is lost, with night and foul weather coming on. He finds his way to a chasm
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Two strangers, one home in a trailer park, and one dark and stormy night make for one exciting feature destined for my Top 10 Horror Films of 2023 list in the Australian chiller You’ll Never Find Me (2023). Codirectors Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell have crafted a tense film ready to burst at the seams with suspense and dread. Patrick (Brendan Rock) tells whoever is knocking at his door as rain pours down heavily in no uncertain terms what they should do, which involves profanity and being unwelcome. The visitor (Jordan Cowan) is persistent, though, and Patrick reluctantly lets her in. From this simple premise, Allen and Bell — working from a screenplay written by Bell — deliver a slow burn film loaded with anxiety and mystery during which viewers know something is off but cannot figure out the motivations of each character — until a secret is revealed and a dizzying third act follows. You’ll Never Find Me is
Continue reading →
