Review: Maximiliano Contenti’s ‘The Last Matinee’
“‘The Last Matinee’ doesn’t necessarily celebrate gore cinema, but rather the concept that moviegoers can evolve and mature by directly facing their fears.”
Review: Martin Wilson’s ‘Great White’
“‘Great White’ may not be a groundbreaking or unique film, but it’s made with respect, and that deserves to be reciprocated.”
Review: David Verbeek’s ‘Dead & Beautiful’
“With ‘Dead & Beautiful,’ Verbeek foreshadows the inevitable clash between the progressive leaders of tomorrow and conservative vampires who seek blood. As new generations of wealth emerge, will the enlightened prioritize reality over their personas?”
Review: David Gordon Green’s ‘Halloween Kills’
“‘Halloween Kills’ may not be to everybody’s tastes, but there’s a reason for that ‘kills’ in the title, beyond attention-grabbing marketing. The word refers not just to Michael himself but the rot at the core of Haddonfield…”
Review: Banjong Pisanthanakun’s ‘The Medium’
“‘The Medium’ is arguably the horror movie of the year, one that should be seen on the biggest screen possible.”
Review: ‘V/H/S/94’
“‘V/H/S/94’ is a thoroughly decent installment despite its relatively slight nature. It’s a film which invites the audience to have a lot of fun but keeps an air of spooky credibility intact…”
TIFF Review: Anita Rocha da Silveira’s ‘Medusa’
“‘Medusa’ is so overstuffed that it can’t find a way to tie its myriad conflicting tones together…”
TIFF Review: Rob Savage’s ‘Dashcam’
“‘Dashcam’ unintentionally reinforces the idea that protagonists must be likable in some fashion, even if depiction obviously doesn’t equal endorsement.”
Review: Scott B. Hansen and Desiree Connell’s ‘Bad Candy’
“At 100 minutes, ‘Bad Candy’ should be the ideal length for an anthology, but it feels equally overlong and rushed. The tone is also disconcertingly serious for such lowbrow material.”
Fantasia Fest Review: Ruth Platt’s ‘Martyrs Lane’
“Hopefully, as the horror genre continues to grow and deepen, it won’t lose sight of itself as ‘Martyrs Lane’ sadly does.”
Fantasia Fest Review: Stefan Lernous’ ‘Hotel Poseidon’
“Like any work of surrealism, one is likely to get more out of ‘Hotel Poseidon’ based on how much one puts into it.”
Review: Craig Singer’s ‘6:45’
“There’s a strong message at the heart of ‘6:45,’ in terms of accountability and psychological trauma, but the film seems derivative of genre predecessors and unfocused as a whole.”
Review: Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s ‘Kandisha’
“Bustillo and Maury are masters of the slow build, and so it goes in ‘Kandisha,’ which becomes incrementally nastier and gorier with each new victim the vengeful spirit eliminates…”
Review: Powell Robinson and Patrick Robert Young’s ‘Threshold’
“For all its islands of promise, ‘Threshold’ is really just a passable family addiction drama with horror elements that are never fully realized.”
Review: Prano Bailey-Bond’s ‘Censor’
“‘Censor’ is an attention-grabbing debut whose true impact will likely only be felt with each subsequent viewing as the inner workings of the film’s darkest moments become clearer. Absolutely essential.”
Review: Michael Chaves’ ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’
“‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ fails to meet its potential as a thoughtful thriller that explores possession on both the supernatural and human front…”
Prano Bailey-Bond Visits Britain’s Video Nasty Era in ‘Censor’
“Had ‘Censor’ managed both Enid’s personal nightmare and wrestled more deliberately with some of the moral questions posed by the title, more viewers might have been inclined to initiate conversations about the horror genre’s traditions of transgression.”
Review: Damian Mc Carthy’s ‘Caveat’
“Deeply unsettling and profoundly frightening, ‘Caveat’ is a remarkably assured debut for Mc Carthy and a real showcase for the talents of its small cast, particularly French as the tortured protagonist.”
Review: George A. Romero’s ‘The Amusement Park’
“‘The Amusement Park’ may not be Romero’s angriest film, but it’s one of his most deliberately disturbing…”
Review: John Krasinski’s ‘A Quiet Place Part II’
“‘A Quiet Place Part II’ depicts quietness as a strength, and the film’s release shows that the quietness of the past year can be resolved through the mutable, powerful sensibilities of cinema.”