Review: Tyler MacIntyre’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Knife’
“‘It’s a Wonderful Knife’ is watchable but slight. And considering how popular Hallmark Christmas movies continue to be, maybe that’s all horror fans will really expect.”
Review: Alex Kahuam’s ‘Failure!’
“‘Failure!’ is a failed experiment that grates more than it excites.”
Review: David Depesseville’s ‘Astrakan’
“‘Astrakan’ is most intriguing when not trying to explain everything away.”
Review: Thomas Hardiman’s ‘Medusa Deluxe’
“The fun of ‘Medusa Deluxe’ is less about figuring out who the murderer is and more to do with watching everybody lose their minds over their little bubble being penetrated by an outside influence they can’t control.”
Review: Luke McManus’ ‘North Circular’
“‘North Circular’ feels slightly unfocused at times, but this is likely intentional given how tough it is to nail down one definitive take on what it means to be from this area.”
Review: Charlotte Le Bon’s ‘Falcon Lake’
“Falcon Lake’s funereal tone may be a bit too emo for some, but for those willing to get swept up in its dark splendor, Le Bon’s film is a remarkably shrewd debut.”
Review: Joe Lo Truglio’s ‘Outpost’
“‘Outpost’ is an auspicious introduction to Lo Truglio the filmmaker and suggests great things are to come for him. Based on this evidence alone, his leading lady should also have plenty more opportunities to lead a charge in the future.”
Review: Lee Cronin’s ‘Evil Dead Rise’
“‘Evil Dead Rise’ quickly devolves into a mean-spirited slog of self-consciously gruesome attempts at shocking an audience that will only be fooled if they’ve never seen another horror movie before.”
Review: Kyra Elise Gardner’s ‘Living with Chucky’
“‘Living with Chucky’ isn’t exactly life-changing, but it’s enormously life-affirming, particularly for diehard horror fans.”
Review: Kevin Abrams’ ‘I Got a Monster’
“‘I Got a Monster’ is incredibly evocative, the dissonance between the harshness of Baltimore’s architecture and old school activities providing yet another layer to the devastating story.”
Review: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s ‘Scream VI’
“One of the leanest, meanest and most violent ‘Scream’ sequels yet.”
Review: Michelle Garza Cervera’s ‘Huesera: The Bone Woman’
“In a world where Roe v. Wade has been struck down, and the rights of both women and LGBTQ+ people are consistently under attack, Cervera’s story feels especially vital.”
Review: Gabriel Bier Gislason’s ‘Attachment’
“Although ‘Attachment’ is undeniably a horror movie, it’s also a sensitively played queer romance and a dissection of the way certain women bind themselves to strict edicts as a kind of self-protection.”
Sequels Don’t Suck: 25 Years Later, ‘Scream 2’ Is More Potent Than Ever
“‘Scream 2’ hints at our future obsession with true crime and the spectacle of pushing victims to relive their trauma over and over (a full two decades before these ideas would become mainstream).”
Interview: ‘Christmas Bloody Christmas’ Filmmaker Joe Begos
‘Christmas Bloody Christmas’ Interview: Joey Keogh discusses the 2022 Shudder movie with filmmaker Joe Begos.
Review: Joe Begos’ ‘Christmas Bloody Christmas’
“‘Christmas Bloody Christmas’ is on a bigger scale than virtually everything else Begos has done to date, with terrific stunts and locations, and it’s heartening to witness his continued growth.”
Review: Noah Segan’s ‘Blood Relatives’
“‘Blood Relatives’ is constantly in conversation with past vampire works without feeling the need to signpost its references. Segan is confident in the material, both onscreen and off.”
Review: David Gordon Green’s ‘Halloween Ends’
“‘Halloween Ends’ succeeds or fails on the strength of Campbell’s performance, and the young, relatively new performer is a revelation.”
Review: Joseph and Vanessa Winter’s ‘Deadstream’
“‘Deadstream’ is an inventive, unpredictable and hugely charming found footage horror film, but it’s also a clever indictment of internet culture with a gripping, vanity-free lead performance from its co-writer/director.”
Review: Christian Tafdrup’s ‘Speak No Evil’
“‘Speak No Evil’ is a horror-comedy of manners, and the performances are solid throughout, particularly from the children, but the movie’s cynical, meaningless and utterly contrived conclusion feels like a cheat after everything that’s come before.”