Allison and I got together this week for a trip to the winter of 1843, as we dissect the new Fantasia International Film Festival horror thriller, The Last Thing Mary Saw! Our special guests, genre vets Isabelle Fuhrman and Stefanie Scott, join us to talk about filming behind blindfolds, staying in character, LGBT representation, and … Continue reading Interview: Actresses Isabelle Fuhrman & Stefanie Scott
Fantasia 2021: #Blue_Whale
★★★★ The newest entry in the Screen Life genre of filmmaking, #Blue_Whale, is a horror mish-mash of The Ring, The Suicide Club, Unfriended, and Nerve. The voyeuristic creepiness and disturbing visuals recur frequently enough to leave a lasting impression. Produced by Timur Bekmambetov and offering up a directorial debut from Anna Zaytseva, this terrifying piece … Continue reading Fantasia 2021: #Blue_Whale
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
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
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
Fantasia 2021: King Knight
★★★★ Divisive director Richard Bates Jr. crafts a bizarre, campy comedy in indie feature King Knight. Known mostly for his work in the horror genre, before this film, I had only seen 2012’s Excision, of which I was not really the biggest fan. King Knight is a completely different beast, both stylistically and tonally. The … Continue reading Fantasia 2021: King Knight
Fantasia 2021: Tin Can
★★★ Tin Can is the third movie I have seen this year to strand a female lead in a confined setting with a sci-fi tinge to the proceedings, after both Oxygen and Meander. Unlike those other two movies, Tin Can flounders in the execution. The script favors style over substance and uses the backdrop of … Continue reading Fantasia 2021: Tin Can