★★★★ Let’s get one thing clear right off the bat: It Came from Below owes a hell of a debt to the mother of all of cave-monster filmmaking, 2005 masterpiece The Descent. Though it never manages to reach the dizzying heights of that film, It Came from Below is a strong feature with jarring scares … Continue reading Popcorn Frights 2021: It Came from Below
Genres
Popcorn Frights 2021 Wrap-Up
Popcorn Frights was an unexpected pre-Fall horror treat in the best way imaginable! The Miami festival's curated choices include a wide array of curiosities and subgenres. This wrap-up catalogues all the entries I have seen, and full reviews are linked where available. Read on for our full coverage! BLOOD CONSCIOUS Full review at the link. … Continue reading Popcorn Frights 2021 Wrap-Up
Fantasia 2021: The Night House
★★★ The Night House is a twisty new mystery film from horror director David Bruckner (The Ritual, V/H/S) that almost feels like a riff on The Invisible Man. The cinematography is equally as gorgeous as the lakeside setting, making the most effective part of the film the locale itself. Rebecca Hall absolutely slays her role … Continue reading Fantasia 2021: The Night House
Popcorn Frights 2021: Night at the Eagle Inn
★★★★ Finding the perfect place to stay can be a hell in its own right. What happens when the very grounds may hold the answer to a dark part of your family history? Erik Bloomquist’s darkly comedic new horror mystery, Night at the Eagle Inn, proves itself to be one utterly bonkers overnight stay… in … Continue reading Popcorn Frights 2021: Night at the Eagle Inn
Fantasia 2021: Glasshouse
★★★★ Blending the genres of drama, sci-fi, and thriller whilst injecting a cult creepiness has never felt quite so sublime. A stumbling man on his way to seek refuge in a gargantuan and gorgeous home made of glass is our first introduction to the fantastical dystopia of Glasshouse. The sound of a gunshot breaks through … Continue reading Fantasia 2021: Glasshouse
Film Review: Cryptozoo
★★★★ Cryptozoo is a special brand of strange adult animation, the likes of which would find a perfect home at the doorstep of Adult Swim. Beautiful and trippy 2D animation feels like sketchy illustrations brought to life. The sheer scale they are able to achieve on a limited indie budget is jaw-dropping to behold. The … Continue reading Film Review: Cryptozoo
Fantasia 2021: The Righteous
★★★★ The black-and-white beauty of The Righteous proves writer/director Mark O’Brien (Ready or Not) is just as skilled off-camera as he is in front of the lens. Performances from Henry Czerny (the unhinged father figure in 2019’s masterful Ready or Not), Mimi Kuzyk, and O’Brien himself feel honest and revelatory in a way I was … Continue reading Fantasia 2021: The Righteous
Fantasia 2021: The Last Thing Mary Saw
★★★★ If The Crucible and The Witch had a baby, it would probably grow up to be Edoardo Vitaletti’s electric period-piece horror thriller, The Last Thing Mary Saw. It manages to establish the mania and tense atmosphere one imagines when picturing old-time Salem. Everyone would blame their problems on witchcraft, pointing the finger at the … Continue reading Fantasia 2021: The Last Thing Mary Saw
Fantasia 2021: What Josiah Saw
★★★★ Existing in the same style as the work of Ari Aster in more ways than one, What Josiah Saw masterfully unfolds as a searing familial drama. The horror is in the traumas of the past, and their ripple affects into three dark, distinct futures. Split in three separate parts, the three Graham children have … Continue reading Fantasia 2021: What Josiah Saw
Film Review: Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman
★★ Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman exists nowhere on the same level as previous film iterations we have been gifted, including Zac Efron and Luke Kirby as the lead character. This time around, Chad Michael Murray plays the serial killer as a hunky misunderstood creep that is more D-list horror movie than true crime thriller. Director … Continue reading Film Review: Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman