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 FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
South African offering Wesens (2020) is one of the more thoughtful found footage features in recent memory, focusing on the single-day investigation by four intelligence agents of a mysterious, unidentified object that fell from the sky onto remote farmland. Morné Visser plays the businesslike, skeptical head of the foursome; Pietie Beyers portrays a more open-minded character who becomes mesmerized by the dark, egg-shaped object; and Conradie van Heerden and Randy Januarie round out the group as assistants. As the men record their findings on what seems to be Super 8mm and 16mm film, the object begins to have weird, and possibly dangerous effects, on them. Wesens is wonderfully shot by cinematographer Tom Purcell, who thankfully avoids much of the shaky-cam trappings of the found-footage subgenre. Writer/director Derick Muller invests his science fiction film with elements of folk horror and psychological horror, and with the aid of his crackerjack cast members, serves up a thought-provoking film that addresses historical and political
Continue reading →
MoviesReviewsSci-Fi
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own. Way the hell in the future, noble Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) is assigned a new position lording it over the desert planet Arrakis, home to “the spice” the most valuable substance in the universe (as it gains the user vast power of body and mind… which includes the ability to fold space itself, by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV to replace the repugnant and violent House Harkonnen, led by the bloated, floating psychopath Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), whom the Emperor is in cahoots with to eventually eliminate the powerful Duke and weaken the strength of House Atreides. Along for the ride to that great dust-ball are Leto’s son Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, the Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), the Duke’s concubine and a Bene Gesserit witch who’s sisterhood possess vast
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MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
The new Scream movie has horror fans split down the middle. So, I guess it’s time to put my two cents in, seeing that the movie is headed to home release. The fifth movie of the franchise, set 25 years after the original murders, kicks off with a scene that pays straight homage to the original film’s opening scene, you know the one, with Drew Barrymore? This time the young woman on the phone with a killer is Tara, played by Jenna Ortega. After she survives an attack from Ghostface she is put in the hospital and her older sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) rushes back to see her after being gone for five years, only to find that Ghostface is hellbent on killing them both. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Scream movie without franchise stars Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette. The new cast includes Jack Quaid and Marley Shelton. To be honest, I don’t have any complaints
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviews
1980’s Italian cinema will truly attempt to cash in on any and all exploitation crazes but none makes less (or more) sense than Caligulasploitation, a small collection of films created to ride the world-wide phenomenon that wasn’t 1979’s Caligula (directed by Tinto Brass, himself an Italian… with extra porn courtesy of Penthouse‘s Bob Guccione), a sleazy-as-fuck production telling of the last years of ancient Roman Emperor Gaius “Caligula” Caesar with a sky-high budget and an impressive array of actors on hand such as Malcolm McDowell, Peter O’Toole, and Helen Mirren. Rest assured, none of those mother fuckers will be showing up here… This brings us to Severin film’s new Blu-ray release of Joe D’Amato’s (Anthropophagus: The Grim Reaper) Caligula: The Untold Story… this ought to set the record straight! So what’s ol’ Caligula (David Brandon) up to in his “untold story”? Well a lot of torturing, fucking, and general absolute lunacy… you know, the same as in his “told story”
Continue reading →
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Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
I’m in no way a fan of watching YouTubers, TikTokers, and the like, nor am I very big on films that use the social influencer method of storytelling or that have influencers, would-be or otherwise, as their protagonists. So when I say that I was bowled over by Deadstream and had a fun-tastic time watching it, it is no small compliment. This horror comedy from codirectors/cowriters Joseph Winter and Vanessa Winter is an absolute blast, paying homage to The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and similar 1980s horror movies boasting wicked practical effects work and makeup. Joseph toplines as Shawn Ruddy, a disgraced and demonetized former internet star trying to make a comeback. He plans to livestream as he investigates a haunted house, with the caveat that if he doesn’t investigate mysterious noises or occurrences, he will lose his new potential sponsors. Joseph gives a hilarious performance as Ruddy, with his revved-up internet persona giving way to screaming and cowardice
Continue reading →
GamingProductReviews
When it comes to gaming, especially horror gaming, the sound is important to add to the experience and transport you into the game itself. To do this you need a good headset and one name is on the tongue of many gamers who never disappoints, ASTRO, right now one of the best headsets on the market is Astro’s A10 gaming headset, and now they’ve released the latest member of the family of headset products, the A10 Gen 2 and thanks to the awesome folks at Logitech G/Astro I was able to get my claws on a headset to try out for you! The A10 G2’s come in Black, White, Mint, Grey, and Lilac (mine is in Grey), a subtle feature I noticed on the headset that may be ignored by many is that there’s brail on the inside of the headband indicating the Left and Right side making this product user friendly to those who are visually impaired. Upon putting
Continue reading →
MoviesReviewsSci-Fi
Coming our way from Corinth Films comes Drive-In Retro Classics: Science Fiction Triple Feature; a three film collection of ’50s budget sci-fi flicks (1950’s Rocketship X-M, 1958’s The Hideous Sun Demon, and 1957’sThe Brain From Planet Arous to be precise)! Let’s get this revoltin’ review sesh a rollin’ as we set our putrid peepers on Rocketship X-M: Humanity stands poised to land the first men (four of them actually… and a woman too; will wonders never cease?!!) on the moon thanks to the experimental rocket, RX-M (Rocketship Expedition-Moon). After encountering a mishap or two, the rocket goes a wee bit off course and actually lands on Mars! Once there, our heroes encounter traces of a once great civilization now reduced to a pile o’ crap, and the Martians themselves have devolved into crazed, radiation scarred cavemen! I’m sure a crew equipped to handle exploring a desolate, empty moon will have no trouble handling this unbelievable occurrence! The main fun to
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
When I sat down to watch director Le-Van Kiet’s shark movie The Requin I was banking that it would be a decent movie, after all, it stars Alicia Silverstone and James Tupper. Well, let’s just say I was more than disappointed. In the movie, “There’s terror in paradise when Jaelyn (Alicia Silverstone) and Kyle (James Tupper) arrive at a remote seaside villa in Vietnam for a romantic getaway. A torrential storm descends, reducing the villa to little more than a raft and sweeping the couple out to sea. Suddenly, another danger appears a school of great white sharks. With her injured husband watching helplessly, Jaelyn must battle the deadly predators alone in this tense thriller that rides an unrelenting wave of fear.” First off, the dialogue is awful. Silverstone’s character’s nonstop whining (like a toddler) was so f*cking annoying I was cheering for the sharks. In fact, I’d rather kiss a great white on the lips than be stuck on
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsShudderStreaming TVTrailers
Ken is a man suffering from OCD, anxiety, and depression following a mental breakdown. After isolating himself in his new apartment, he sets out to build a YouTube channel about life. Already struggling with mental health issues, Ken is talking with his friend, who asks him about something that fell in the background of one of his videos. Once Ken begins to investigate, he wakes up dark entities that turn his world upside down. Ken decides to use the events to build his audience, but he soon realizes he’s bitten off more than he can chew. Geno Walker stars as Ken, a man who comes off as constantly scared. He’s locked himself away from life, including avoiding seeing his two young children or getting a job. As someone who has encountered mental health issues in the past, I feel for this guy. He’s sad. You have to feel for him. Geno Walker does a fantastic job of emoting Ken’s fear
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Writer/director Addison Heimann brings an unflinching look at a mental breakdown using body horror, psychological horror, and some truly dark comedy to his latest feature, Hypochondriac. The result is an intense effort that serves up some mind-boggling imagery. Will (Zach Villa) is a potter who has experienced enough trauma in his life to successfully help a coworker calm down from a panic attack. His mother (Marlene Forte) has mental health issues, including trying to kill Will when he was a child. The two have not spoken in 10 years but she is now trying to contact him at a rapid clip, causing his stress levels to rise and for him to experience physical pain including not being able to use his hands. His boyfriend Luke (Devon Graye) wants to help, but Will prefers to remain closed off and not discuss his past, including the situation with his mother. As Will’s conditions worsen, he becomes increasingly suspicious and paranoid, and begins
Continue reading →
More from Reviews
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
South African offering Wesens (2020) is one of the more thoughtful found footage features in recent memory, focusing on the single-day investigation by four intelligence agents of a mysterious, unidentified object that fell from the sky onto remote farmland. Morné Visser plays the businesslike, skeptical head of the foursome; Pietie Beyers portrays a more open-minded character who becomes mesmerized by the dark, egg-shaped object; and Conradie van Heerden and Randy Januarie round out the group as assistants. As the men record their findings on what seems to be Super 8mm and 16mm film, the object begins to have weird, and possibly dangerous effects, on them. Wesens is wonderfully shot by cinematographer Tom Purcell, who thankfully avoids much of the shaky-cam trappings of the found-footage subgenre. Writer/director Derick Muller invests his science fiction film with elements of folk horror and psychological horror, and with the aid of his crackerjack cast members, serves up a thought-provoking film that addresses historical and political
Continue reading →
MoviesReviewsSci-Fi
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own. Way the hell in the future, noble Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) is assigned a new position lording it over the desert planet Arrakis, home to “the spice” the most valuable substance in the universe (as it gains the user vast power of body and mind… which includes the ability to fold space itself, by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV to replace the repugnant and violent House Harkonnen, led by the bloated, floating psychopath Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), whom the Emperor is in cahoots with to eventually eliminate the powerful Duke and weaken the strength of House Atreides. Along for the ride to that great dust-ball are Leto’s son Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, the Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), the Duke’s concubine and a Bene Gesserit witch who’s sisterhood possess vast
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
The new Scream movie has horror fans split down the middle. So, I guess it’s time to put my two cents in, seeing that the movie is headed to home release. The fifth movie of the franchise, set 25 years after the original murders, kicks off with a scene that pays straight homage to the original film’s opening scene, you know the one, with Drew Barrymore? This time the young woman on the phone with a killer is Tara, played by Jenna Ortega. After she survives an attack from Ghostface she is put in the hospital and her older sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) rushes back to see her after being gone for five years, only to find that Ghostface is hellbent on killing them both. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Scream movie without franchise stars Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette. The new cast includes Jack Quaid and Marley Shelton. To be honest, I don’t have any complaints
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviews
1980’s Italian cinema will truly attempt to cash in on any and all exploitation crazes but none makes less (or more) sense than Caligulasploitation, a small collection of films created to ride the world-wide phenomenon that wasn’t 1979’s Caligula (directed by Tinto Brass, himself an Italian… with extra porn courtesy of Penthouse‘s Bob Guccione), a sleazy-as-fuck production telling of the last years of ancient Roman Emperor Gaius “Caligula” Caesar with a sky-high budget and an impressive array of actors on hand such as Malcolm McDowell, Peter O’Toole, and Helen Mirren. Rest assured, none of those mother fuckers will be showing up here… This brings us to Severin film’s new Blu-ray release of Joe D’Amato’s (Anthropophagus: The Grim Reaper) Caligula: The Untold Story… this ought to set the record straight! So what’s ol’ Caligula (David Brandon) up to in his “untold story”? Well a lot of torturing, fucking, and general absolute lunacy… you know, the same as in his “told story”
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
I’m in no way a fan of watching YouTubers, TikTokers, and the like, nor am I very big on films that use the social influencer method of storytelling or that have influencers, would-be or otherwise, as their protagonists. So when I say that I was bowled over by Deadstream and had a fun-tastic time watching it, it is no small compliment. This horror comedy from codirectors/cowriters Joseph Winter and Vanessa Winter is an absolute blast, paying homage to The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and similar 1980s horror movies boasting wicked practical effects work and makeup. Joseph toplines as Shawn Ruddy, a disgraced and demonetized former internet star trying to make a comeback. He plans to livestream as he investigates a haunted house, with the caveat that if he doesn’t investigate mysterious noises or occurrences, he will lose his new potential sponsors. Joseph gives a hilarious performance as Ruddy, with his revved-up internet persona giving way to screaming and cowardice
Continue reading →
GamingProductReviews
When it comes to gaming, especially horror gaming, the sound is important to add to the experience and transport you into the game itself. To do this you need a good headset and one name is on the tongue of many gamers who never disappoints, ASTRO, right now one of the best headsets on the market is Astro’s A10 gaming headset, and now they’ve released the latest member of the family of headset products, the A10 Gen 2 and thanks to the awesome folks at Logitech G/Astro I was able to get my claws on a headset to try out for you! The A10 G2’s come in Black, White, Mint, Grey, and Lilac (mine is in Grey), a subtle feature I noticed on the headset that may be ignored by many is that there’s brail on the inside of the headband indicating the Left and Right side making this product user friendly to those who are visually impaired. Upon putting
Continue reading →
MoviesReviewsSci-Fi
Coming our way from Corinth Films comes Drive-In Retro Classics: Science Fiction Triple Feature; a three film collection of ’50s budget sci-fi flicks (1950’s Rocketship X-M, 1958’s The Hideous Sun Demon, and 1957’sThe Brain From Planet Arous to be precise)! Let’s get this revoltin’ review sesh a rollin’ as we set our putrid peepers on Rocketship X-M: Humanity stands poised to land the first men (four of them actually… and a woman too; will wonders never cease?!!) on the moon thanks to the experimental rocket, RX-M (Rocketship Expedition-Moon). After encountering a mishap or two, the rocket goes a wee bit off course and actually lands on Mars! Once there, our heroes encounter traces of a once great civilization now reduced to a pile o’ crap, and the Martians themselves have devolved into crazed, radiation scarred cavemen! I’m sure a crew equipped to handle exploring a desolate, empty moon will have no trouble handling this unbelievable occurrence! The main fun to
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
When I sat down to watch director Le-Van Kiet’s shark movie The Requin I was banking that it would be a decent movie, after all, it stars Alicia Silverstone and James Tupper. Well, let’s just say I was more than disappointed. In the movie, “There’s terror in paradise when Jaelyn (Alicia Silverstone) and Kyle (James Tupper) arrive at a remote seaside villa in Vietnam for a romantic getaway. A torrential storm descends, reducing the villa to little more than a raft and sweeping the couple out to sea. Suddenly, another danger appears a school of great white sharks. With her injured husband watching helplessly, Jaelyn must battle the deadly predators alone in this tense thriller that rides an unrelenting wave of fear.” First off, the dialogue is awful. Silverstone’s character’s nonstop whining (like a toddler) was so f*cking annoying I was cheering for the sharks. In fact, I’d rather kiss a great white on the lips than be stuck on
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsShudderStreaming TVTrailers
Ken is a man suffering from OCD, anxiety, and depression following a mental breakdown. After isolating himself in his new apartment, he sets out to build a YouTube channel about life. Already struggling with mental health issues, Ken is talking with his friend, who asks him about something that fell in the background of one of his videos. Once Ken begins to investigate, he wakes up dark entities that turn his world upside down. Ken decides to use the events to build his audience, but he soon realizes he’s bitten off more than he can chew. Geno Walker stars as Ken, a man who comes off as constantly scared. He’s locked himself away from life, including avoiding seeing his two young children or getting a job. As someone who has encountered mental health issues in the past, I feel for this guy. He’s sad. You have to feel for him. Geno Walker does a fantastic job of emoting Ken’s fear
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Writer/director Addison Heimann brings an unflinching look at a mental breakdown using body horror, psychological horror, and some truly dark comedy to his latest feature, Hypochondriac. The result is an intense effort that serves up some mind-boggling imagery. Will (Zach Villa) is a potter who has experienced enough trauma in his life to successfully help a coworker calm down from a panic attack. His mother (Marlene Forte) has mental health issues, including trying to kill Will when he was a child. The two have not spoken in 10 years but she is now trying to contact him at a rapid clip, causing his stress levels to rise and for him to experience physical pain including not being able to use his hands. His boyfriend Luke (Devon Graye) wants to help, but Will prefers to remain closed off and not discuss his past, including the situation with his mother. As Will’s conditions worsen, he becomes increasingly suspicious and paranoid, and begins
Continue reading →
