★★★★ The new-wave slasher renaissance of the late 2010s blazes on year after year, with more audiences becoming enamored with horror’s arguably most beloved subgenre. 2023 has been host to several slasher instant-classics, including Scream VI, Totally Killer, The Conference, and Sick. It’s a Wonderful Knife, penned by Michael Kennedy (Freaky, upcoming Time Cut) and … Continue reading Film Review: It’s a Wonderful Knife
Film Review: The Marsh King’s Daughter
★★★★ (Written by Intern, Kali Coogan) Need to heal some deep childhood trauma? A rifle and the wilderness is surely the key to a solution in tense thriller The Marsh King's Daughter. Based on Karen Dionne's bestselling novel, the story delves into an intricate web of family dynamics, redemption, and a haunting specter of a … Continue reading Film Review: The Marsh King’s Daughter
Film Review: Locked In
★★★ In what can only be described as V.C. Andrews meets Skinemax, Netflix’s Locked In brings sleazy entertainment value to the forefront for this throwback erotic thriller. With familiarity in either of these fields, Locked In checks off nearly every box. Inexplicable, randomly-placed gratuitous sex scenes, a heavy dose of incest, femme fatales, and a … Continue reading Film Review: Locked In
Film Review: The Conference
★★★★★ A decade ago, if anyone had said several of the greatest modern slasher movies would debut to Netflix, not a single soul would have believed it. After some of my personal favorites made a splash on the streamer—including The Babysitter films, the Fear Street trilogy, and There’s Someone Inside Your House—even a foreign import … Continue reading Film Review: The Conference
Film Review: Saw X
★★★★★ Few horror franchises have made it to entries in the double digits, let alone ones that actually have one consistent, ever-expanding storyline. While the Saw films undoubtedly have their own peaks and valleys, they can sit proudly next to the Scream and Child’s Play franchises as part of the most consistent continuous horror series … Continue reading Film Review: Saw X
Woodstock 2023: The Kill Room
★★★★ The logline of The Kill Room sounds like the start of some bad joke. A hitman, his boss, an art dealer, and a money-laundering scheme—what could possibly go wrong? This dark comedy crime/thriller is far more entertaining than I had ever expected. Setting aside the obvious draw of a Pulp Fiction reunion with the … Continue reading Woodstock 2023: The Kill Room
Film Review: Nightmare
★★ Just when it seems every imaginable iteration of Rosemary’s Baby has been birthed into our collective subconscious, along comes Norwegian import Nightmare to suggest yet another take. This time around, not only does Nightmare emulate that overrated timeless classic—it also has echoes of much-maligned sequel Exorcist II: The Heretic, and short story “The Yellow … Continue reading Film Review: Nightmare
Fantastic Fest 2023: Your Lucky Day
★★★★ “What would you do if you had one million dollars?” This age-old question recurs even today, often driving people to some dangerous extremes in order to make money. Promising to be “based on the American dream,” Your Lucky Day is a twisted modern thriller wrapped in a morality fable. Dedicated to the late Angus … Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2023: Your Lucky Day
Film Review: No One Will Save You
★★★★ Why is it so hard to make a good alien flick? The few genuinely successful ones can probably be counted on one hand, so the uphill battle that future titles in this subgenre face is steep indeed. Almost entirely dialogue-free, sci-fi horror No One Will Save You brings a seriously twisted interpretation of alien … Continue reading Film Review: No One Will Save You
TV Review: The Continental: From the World of John Wick
Depending on one’s familiarity with the John Wick franchise at large, Peacock’s “three-part event” entitled The Continental: From the World of John Wick is definite cause for celebration. This prequel series has some especially big shoes to fill on the heels of 2023’s euphoric John Wick: Chapter 4. Prequels already carry with them the baggage … Continue reading TV Review: The Continental: From the World of John Wick