You Must Be THIS OLD to Ride in George A. Romero’s ‘The Amusement Park’
“Romero’s movies have a workshop feel to them, which elevates the horror to a startlingly realistic terror as if it was being documented live.”
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.”
Netflix Review: Zack Snyder’s ‘Army of the Dead’
“‘Army of the Dead’ is an algorithmic cleansing exhale in the wake of a whirlwind period in Snyder’s career. As a zombie movie, it’s a shallow, scattershot effort with interesting mythology ideas that don’t really go anywhere…”
Review: Pat Mills’ ‘The Retreat’
“While having gay leads is a refreshing inclusion in a genre that has historically excised or executed them, Mills’ movie is a toothless response to the ‘bury your gays’ trope.”
Review: Simon Barrett’s ‘Seance’
“Everything about ‘Seance’ is loudly, proudly feminine and female focused… if one didn’t know this was Barrett’s work, it could easily be mistaken for that of a female filmmaker, which is no small feat.”
Rose Glass Makes a Memorable Feature Debut with ‘Saint Maud’
“Sure, ‘Saint Maud’ can be called a horror film, but it is equally a psychological drama that gets a lot of mileage from a tried and true trope: the shifting power dynamics in a superior/subordinate relationship.”
Review: Ryan Kruger’s ‘Fried Barry’
“‘Fried Barry’ is busy and overstuffed, but it’s also an incredibly promising and deeply weird reinvention of the body invasion thriller; a strange, disorienting and ultimately rewarding experience.”
Netflix Review: Alexandre Aja’s ‘Oxygen’
“Oxygen’s relevance strikes like lightning in a year when time is measured less by Earth’s tilt and more by first wave, second wave, red phase, yellow phase; not by time passing daily, but by how much danger remains in the room.”
Review: Karl Holt’s ‘Benny Loves You’
“Taking its cues from the later Chucky movies, ‘Benny Loves You’ embraces the inherent insanity of the premise, setting it free in a similar manner to how the titular toy runs riot.”
Review: Chris Baugh’s ‘Boys from County Hell’
“‘Boys from County Hell’ isn’t really about vampires so much as it’s about being proud of where you come from, and of the bonds forged there.”
Arrow Review: Justin McConnell’s ‘Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business’
“‘Clapboard Jungle’ could not only benefit up-and-coming filmmakers, but also young writers who are serious about pursuing a career in film criticism. Passion isn’t enough. You need to understand the business side of it all…”
Interview with ‘The Mortuary Collection’ Writer-Director Ryan Spindell
Joey Keogh Interviews ‘The Mortuary Collection’ Writer-Director Ryan Spindell
Interview with ‘The Mortuary Collection’ Actor Clancy Brown
Joey Keogh Interviews ‘The Mortuary Collection’ Actor Clancy Brown
Interview with ‘Jakob’s Wife’ Director Travis Stevens
Joey Keogh Interviews ‘Jakob’s Wife’ Director Travis Stevens
Interview with ‘Jakob’s Wife’ Actress Bonnie Aarons
Joey Keogh Interviews ‘Jakob’s Wife’ Actress Bonnie Aarons
Review: Travis Stevens’ ‘Jakob’s Wife’
“Aside from being a furiously feminist film, ‘Jakob’s Wife’ is mordantly funny, gruesomely gory and gloriously unpredictable.”
Why Criticism: The Difficulties of Depicting Genocide in ‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ and ‘La Llorona’
“Roger Ebert once wrote ‘it’s not what a film is about, it’s how it is about it,’ and it’s this phrase that I usually return to when thinking about cinema that deals with humanity’s worst impulses.”
Caught in a Bad Romance: On Psychological Horror and Visual Design in ‘Nina Wu’
“‘Nina Wu’ isn’t just a ‘#MeToo thriller’ or ‘slow burn cinema,’ it’s a progressive spin on psychological horror and a master class in visceral visual design.”