★★★★ Going in knowing very little about Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, I was shocked and surprised to find a neon-fueled fantastical mix of Stephen King’s Carrie and Safdie Brothers mayhem waiting on the other side! Sometimes going in cold is the best way to experience a great indie that can catch the viewer … Continue reading Film Review: Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon
TIFF 2022: Paris Memories
★★★★ (Written by Allison Brown) I find myself often bored by the pretentious nature of many Cannes films, and as a result, didn’t expect much from Paris Memories despite its intriguing premise. I was further interested in checking it out as a fan of Virginie Efira’s performance in last year’s Benedetta. Thankfully, Director Alice Winocour … Continue reading TIFF 2022: Paris Memories
TIFF 2022: Pearl
★★★★★ 2022 seems to be something of a landmark year for horror. Between Scream, Nope, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Barbarian, The Black Phone, Fresh, and of course Ti West’s X, there is no shortage of excellent genre filmmaking flooding the market. West already put in the hard work to help establish X as one of the … Continue reading TIFF 2022: Pearl
Film Review: Drifting Home
★★★★ Leave it to Netflix to quietly put out a beautiful, Studio Ghibli-esque production in the form of Hitoyasu Ishida’s masterful Drifting Home. A searing, extraordinary examination on the power of friendship and the meaning of life, this animated gem is slowly-paced but gorgeously made. I was pulled in by the hand-drawn animation, and the … Continue reading Film Review: Drifting Home
Film Review: See How They Run
★★★★ If Wes Anderson helmed a throwback murder mystery whodunnit, it would probably look something like Tom George’s wickedly fun See How They Run. Like the best in the genre, it features a soaring ensemble cast that savagely devours even the smallest line of dialogue to cast villainous, shadowy doubt on their established characters. In … Continue reading Film Review: See How They Run
FrightFest 2022: Raven’s Hollow
★★★ As if the name wasn’t enough to make the comparison, Raven’s Hollow is very much like if Sleepy Hollow was combined with the eerie prose of Edgar Allen Poe. There is even a note-perfect Ichabod Crane-esque character, this time being that of Poe himself, as played by Chronicles of Narnia and The Royals vet, … Continue reading FrightFest 2022: Raven’s Hollow
Film Review: Orphan: First Kill
★★★★ 2009’s Orphan to this day remains one of the most underrated horror films of the 2000s, and a personal favorite. Brilliantly, this gem masquerades as an evil-kid movie, but is in fact far more sinister and disturbing than one would initially suspect. Spoiler alert for a film that’s over a decade old incoming… In … Continue reading Film Review: Orphan: First Kill
Fantasia 2022: Sadako DX
★★★★ Attempting to follow the chronology of The Ring films is actually more difficult than one would expect; while the American iterations have a total of three films, back in its native Japan, Ringu has been thriving for years. Sequels for this series range well into the double digits. This latest, appropriately titled Sadako DX … Continue reading Fantasia 2022: Sadako DX
TV Review: The Resort
Many a mystery show has emulated the likes of Lost, and Peacock’s new comedy/thriller The Resort appears to be another in a long line of imitators. What initially masquerades as a silly dark comedy soon reveals itself to be so much more. Hiding just underneath the surface is a burgeoning unsolved mystery just begging to … Continue reading TV Review: The Resort
TV Review: Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin
All the way back in 2010, ABC Family (now Freeform) had a hit on their hands. Based on the bestselling book series by Sara Shepard and show-run by I. Marlene King, the original Pretty Little Liars was a mixed bag of minor horror inspiration, pulpy soap-opera dramatics, and a never-ending array of mysteries to be … Continue reading TV Review: Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin