★★★ So-called "elevated horror" has been all the craze over the last decade, telling genre stories through a new lens that can come across pretentious just as often as unique. NEON's newest feature, Cuckoo, falls decidedly somewhere in the middle. The acting performances—especially from lead Euphoria starlet Hunter Schafer—are captivating, whilst the cinematography and style … Continue reading Fantasia 2024: Cuckoo
Film Review: The Duel
★★ Most people would probably think of classic westerns when it comes to the concept of a duel. Typically, this means two challengers, with only one ending up alive after the shots ring out during a man-to-man faceoff. As we learn very quickly thanks to an apt narration by Patrick Warburton, this legendary gentleman's tradition … Continue reading Film Review: The Duel
Fantasia 2024: Párvulos
★★★★ Every so often, a foreign horror film manages to adequately unleash a torrent of surprises just when one least expects it. I often give the benefit of the doubt to these types of genre flicks with minimal context to their curiosities, checking out film festival titles going from nothing other than a brief synopsis. … Continue reading Fantasia 2024: Párvulos
Fantasia 2024: The Soul Eater
★★★★ For any genre fanatic, the names Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo should ring familiar. After breaking out with 2007's gory masterpiece Inside, the duo continued working together over the years on a variety of exciting projects within the horror realm. From Among the Living to Leatherface to Kandisha and The Deep House, Maury and … Continue reading Fantasia 2024: The Soul Eater
Film Review: The Fabulous Four
★★ (Written by Intern, Sean Barry) The best kinds of bonds are those between old friends. After sharing a lifetime together, one knows exactly how to bring their bestie joy, and conversely, how to anger them beyond belief. The Fabulous Four examines a testy relationship between two diverse opposites when reunited under surprising circumstances. Despite … Continue reading Film Review: The Fabulous Four
Film Review: Starve Acre
★★ Aesthetically speaking, slow burn horror Starve Acre looks stunning. Taking a page from many other movies in the so-called "elevated horror" oeuvre, writer/director Daniel Kokotajlo attempts a subtler, more methodical approach to the devilish underpinnings locked within. Doctor Who star Matt Smith leads a trio of performers as the father to a boy one … Continue reading Film Review: Starve Acre
Fantasia 2024: Dark Match
★★★★ From writer/director Lowell Dean of WolfCop and Another WolfCop comes Dark Match, an outrageously fun wrestling horror romp that channels Mortal Kombat. In this stylish throwback circa 1988, the art of professional wrestling has slowly begun to take the world by storm. An indie crew gets the offer of a lifetime, unknowingly becoming embroiled … Continue reading Fantasia 2024: Dark Match
Film Review: Twisters
★★★★★ 1996’s Twister, to this day, remains one of the all-time greatest disaster movies ever made, complimented by two core performances from Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. In the years since, it has become something of a cult classic. For this nearly three decades later spiritual sequel, director Lee Isaac Chung blends the charisma of … Continue reading Film Review: Twisters
Six Must-See Films at 2024’s Fantasia International Film Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival returns for more with its jam-packed 2024 slate! Sci-fi, horror, animation, and dark dramas promise a tantalizing trip to the cinemas. Check out our picks after the jump… THE A-FRAME Blast off into another dimension with gleeful abandon in writer/director Calvin Lee Reeder’s zany sci-fi horror flick, The A-Frame. Freaky visuals and … Continue reading Six Must-See Films at 2024’s Fantasia International Film Festival
Film Review: Oddity
★★★★★ Crafting an effective, breakout horror feature does not come easy, yet with his previous movie, writer/director Damien Mc Carthy managed a seriously scary debut. His sophomore effort, Oddity, somehow outdoes its predecessor off the strength of its intimate storytelling and constantly creeping sense of dread. Oddity once again brings Irish filmmaker Mc Carthy to … Continue reading Film Review: Oddity