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
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 →
MoviesReviewsTrailers
From writer-director Scott Walker comes the monster movie The Tank, about a family who discovers dark secrets hidden by their family. In the film, “After inheriting a mysterious, abandoned property, a family accidentally releases a long-dormant creature that terrorized the area for generations. When it comes to monster movies, a decent monster is critical. The Tank’s monster looks like a giant, sharp-toothed salamander covered in ooze with a human-like body, and it looks pretty decent. And it’s most definitely practical. When it comes to the special effects, I’m a bit confused. The practical effects all look good, but I can’t say the same about most CGI effects. They are dreadful. So, why not go all practical? The next issue is the story. Why the hell are the characters making terrible decisions constantly? I mean, really? Jesus. I get that they needed to find a way to further the storyline, but making characters stupid isn’t the best way to go about
Continue reading →
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Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsThriller
Writer/director Olivia West Lloyd’s Somewhere Quiet is a drama/mystery feature with horror and thriller elements. Psychological fear and illusions vs. reality are in constant play. Meg (Jennifer Kim) was the recent victim of a kidnapping and naturally she is still suffering PTSD from the ordeal. Her significant other Scott (Kentucker Audley) is having difficulty with her state, including her distrust of him and her wanting to discuss the details of her kidnapping. The couple takes time away from their lives in the city to spend a quiet retreat at his rather remote family estate in Cape Cod. Not long after settling in, though, a woman named Madelin (Marin Ireland) makes her presence known. She is a brusque person who is immediately at odds with Meg. Scott and Madelin tell Meg that they are cousins, and here Somewhere Quiet begins to further cloud Meg’s grip on reality. Already prone to visions, hallucinations, and flashbacks, she now may or may not also
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsSci-Fi
The Bystanders The invisible-to-people titular characters in director Gabriel Foster Prior’s U.K. science-fiction comedy The Bystanders aren’t exactly guardian angels, but they do have similar tasks in that they are assigned humans to watch over. If you get a positive-minded Bystander like rookie Peter Weir (Scott Haran), you could be in good shape, but if you’re stuck with a more jaded one such as Frank (Seann Walsh) — well, all bets are off. Peter, an anonymous office worker and a perennial second-place personality still stinging from a childhood chess championship loss, switches his charge Sarah (Georgia Mabel Clarke), a music label employee who is trying to get noticed at her job, with Frank’s ambitionless man-child Luke (Andi Jashy) in an effort to become Bystander of the Year. A budding friendship turns into rivalry, and Prior — who cowrote the screenplay with Jack Hughes — delivers a winning comedy of ill manners. Haran and Walsh have terrific comic chemistry together, and
Continue reading →
GamingParanormalProductReviews
Fictional Games made their mark on the gaming world with Amnesia: The Dark Descent which became a massive hit thanks in part due to the neverending trove of youtube videos featuring obnoxious overreactions. When the game finally came to console I will admit I was disappointed in how the hype that was built up to it fell flat on its face as I felt the game was more tense than scary with only one good jumpscare in it. I’ll admit I never got around to playing the sequels (A Machine for Pigs, and Rebirth) so I can’t 100% say how they faired against the first game, but Amnesia: The Bunker, definitely outranks the first! I have to give a big thanks to Fictional Games for the reviewing opportunity! Amnesia: The Bunker follows Henri, a French soldier fighting in the First World War. After being injured on the battlefield, Henri wakes up in a bunker where he’s one of the few
Continue reading →
ProductReviews
As a coffee addict, I was excited to receive a box of the three newest flavors of coffee from Central Perk, which is a “Friends” themed coffee company. So, are they any good? The first bag, titled “Oh.My.Gawd!”, is a medium roast that, according to the package, has hints of butterscotch and Coca. After sampling it, I can tell you that you can taste a hint of butterscotch, but it is subtle, not too sweet. It has a great taste. It’s smooth and slightly rich. The next coffee I tried is called “Moo Point,” which is a decaf, medium roast. I could taste the hints of Honey and Coca. While I prefer my coffee to have caffeine, I will say that it is good. If you are just looking for the taste of coffee, this is the one is for you. The final flavor, “Gunther! Espresso,” is my favorite out of the bunch. I like my coffee like I like
Continue reading →
BooksGamingParanormalProductReviews
The most important part of Tatble Top RPGs that help bring the world to life for the players is not just the terrain, an awesome set of dice, or a super creative imagination… it’s the miniatures who take on the soul of the players. Miniatures are the lifeblood of TTRPGs as players assemble, paint, and come up with the backstory for each tiny character they work with. Some miniatures are strictly used for certain game series but many players have chosen to be chaotic and bring different miniatures into their worlds, and one group of miniatures is perfect to bring a bit of dark chaos into your tabletop world. Meet CounterSpell Miniatures from 1985 Games the same awesome folks who made the VHS Dice Sets! These miniatures are from the world of Shadewood, a dark forest world where wonders and horror await adventurers. I’ll admit right now, I’ve never worked with Miniatures before, so the results how the final products
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsThrillerTrailers
From director Herbert James (“Jamie”) Winterstern comes the action-thriller Supercell which sees a teenage boy join a group of storm chasers in a bid to find himself and to learn more about his father. I’ll admit I had low expectations going into this film. Let’s be honest. There are a ton of shit natural disaster movies out there. But Supercell isn’t one of them. Supercell features sympathetic characters, a must for any movie, such as the main character William, played well by Daniel Diemer (“The Midnight Club”). You want to cheer for this kid. And it was great to see Skeet Ulrich, best known for his role in Scream, in action. The film also sadly features Anne Heche in one of her final roles. Academy-Award nominee, three-time Golden Globe, and Emmy winner Alec Baldwin stars as a storm guide and a total prick. When it comes to a natural disaster movie, especially one with tornadoes, the special effects must be
Continue reading →
More from Reviews
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 →
MoviesReviewsTrailers
From writer-director Scott Walker comes the monster movie The Tank, about a family who discovers dark secrets hidden by their family. In the film, “After inheriting a mysterious, abandoned property, a family accidentally releases a long-dormant creature that terrorized the area for generations. When it comes to monster movies, a decent monster is critical. The Tank’s monster looks like a giant, sharp-toothed salamander covered in ooze with a human-like body, and it looks pretty decent. And it’s most definitely practical. When it comes to the special effects, I’m a bit confused. The practical effects all look good, but I can’t say the same about most CGI effects. They are dreadful. So, why not go all practical? The next issue is the story. Why the hell are the characters making terrible decisions constantly? I mean, really? Jesus. I get that they needed to find a way to further the storyline, but making characters stupid isn’t the best way to go about
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsThriller
Writer/director Olivia West Lloyd’s Somewhere Quiet is a drama/mystery feature with horror and thriller elements. Psychological fear and illusions vs. reality are in constant play. Meg (Jennifer Kim) was the recent victim of a kidnapping and naturally she is still suffering PTSD from the ordeal. Her significant other Scott (Kentucker Audley) is having difficulty with her state, including her distrust of him and her wanting to discuss the details of her kidnapping. The couple takes time away from their lives in the city to spend a quiet retreat at his rather remote family estate in Cape Cod. Not long after settling in, though, a woman named Madelin (Marin Ireland) makes her presence known. She is a brusque person who is immediately at odds with Meg. Scott and Madelin tell Meg that they are cousins, and here Somewhere Quiet begins to further cloud Meg’s grip on reality. Already prone to visions, hallucinations, and flashbacks, she now may or may not also
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsSci-Fi
The Bystanders The invisible-to-people titular characters in director Gabriel Foster Prior’s U.K. science-fiction comedy The Bystanders aren’t exactly guardian angels, but they do have similar tasks in that they are assigned humans to watch over. If you get a positive-minded Bystander like rookie Peter Weir (Scott Haran), you could be in good shape, but if you’re stuck with a more jaded one such as Frank (Seann Walsh) — well, all bets are off. Peter, an anonymous office worker and a perennial second-place personality still stinging from a childhood chess championship loss, switches his charge Sarah (Georgia Mabel Clarke), a music label employee who is trying to get noticed at her job, with Frank’s ambitionless man-child Luke (Andi Jashy) in an effort to become Bystander of the Year. A budding friendship turns into rivalry, and Prior — who cowrote the screenplay with Jack Hughes — delivers a winning comedy of ill manners. Haran and Walsh have terrific comic chemistry together, and
Continue reading →
GamingParanormalProductReviews
Fictional Games made their mark on the gaming world with Amnesia: The Dark Descent which became a massive hit thanks in part due to the neverending trove of youtube videos featuring obnoxious overreactions. When the game finally came to console I will admit I was disappointed in how the hype that was built up to it fell flat on its face as I felt the game was more tense than scary with only one good jumpscare in it. I’ll admit I never got around to playing the sequels (A Machine for Pigs, and Rebirth) so I can’t 100% say how they faired against the first game, but Amnesia: The Bunker, definitely outranks the first! I have to give a big thanks to Fictional Games for the reviewing opportunity! Amnesia: The Bunker follows Henri, a French soldier fighting in the First World War. After being injured on the battlefield, Henri wakes up in a bunker where he’s one of the few
Continue reading →
ProductReviews
As a coffee addict, I was excited to receive a box of the three newest flavors of coffee from Central Perk, which is a “Friends” themed coffee company. So, are they any good? The first bag, titled “Oh.My.Gawd!”, is a medium roast that, according to the package, has hints of butterscotch and Coca. After sampling it, I can tell you that you can taste a hint of butterscotch, but it is subtle, not too sweet. It has a great taste. It’s smooth and slightly rich. The next coffee I tried is called “Moo Point,” which is a decaf, medium roast. I could taste the hints of Honey and Coca. While I prefer my coffee to have caffeine, I will say that it is good. If you are just looking for the taste of coffee, this is the one is for you. The final flavor, “Gunther! Espresso,” is my favorite out of the bunch. I like my coffee like I like
Continue reading →
BooksGamingParanormalProductReviews
The most important part of Tatble Top RPGs that help bring the world to life for the players is not just the terrain, an awesome set of dice, or a super creative imagination… it’s the miniatures who take on the soul of the players. Miniatures are the lifeblood of TTRPGs as players assemble, paint, and come up with the backstory for each tiny character they work with. Some miniatures are strictly used for certain game series but many players have chosen to be chaotic and bring different miniatures into their worlds, and one group of miniatures is perfect to bring a bit of dark chaos into your tabletop world. Meet CounterSpell Miniatures from 1985 Games the same awesome folks who made the VHS Dice Sets! These miniatures are from the world of Shadewood, a dark forest world where wonders and horror await adventurers. I’ll admit right now, I’ve never worked with Miniatures before, so the results how the final products
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsThrillerTrailers
From director Herbert James (“Jamie”) Winterstern comes the action-thriller Supercell which sees a teenage boy join a group of storm chasers in a bid to find himself and to learn more about his father. I’ll admit I had low expectations going into this film. Let’s be honest. There are a ton of shit natural disaster movies out there. But Supercell isn’t one of them. Supercell features sympathetic characters, a must for any movie, such as the main character William, played well by Daniel Diemer (“The Midnight Club”). You want to cheer for this kid. And it was great to see Skeet Ulrich, best known for his role in Scream, in action. The film also sadly features Anne Heche in one of her final roles. Academy-Award nominee, three-time Golden Globe, and Emmy winner Alec Baldwin stars as a storm guide and a total prick. When it comes to a natural disaster movie, especially one with tornadoes, the special effects must be
Continue reading →
