Author Archives
Founder: Elements of Madness | Past Bylines at CLTure, Pretty Vacant One, FilmFed, & Mountain Xpress | NC Film Critics Association, Southeastern Film Critics Association, & Critics Choice Association member | Rotten Tomatoes approved individual critic
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The blood will flow in New Orleans! 22 Overlook Film Festival 2026 films to add to your fest schedule.
For the fourth year in a row, Elements of Madness will officially be covering The Overlook Film Festival and, this year, am joined by EoM Contributor Justin Waldman. This year’s slate of titles includes several we’ve seen, so our recommendation… Read More ›
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High school drama “Dead Deer High” misplaces its focus in examining the wake of school violence. [SXSW]
Trigger Warning: The subject matter within Dead Deer High centers on the aftermath of a school shooting. While a great deal of care is given to ensuring little feels melodramatic, the material may still be difficult for sensitive viewers. As… Read More ›
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“Dream Eater” Blu-ray Giveaway
In October 2024, the brain-child of co-writers/co-directors Alex Lee Williams, Mallory Drumm, and Jay Drakulic — Dream Eater — released into select theaters. Now, thanks to Mill Creek Entertainment, fans and curious horror hounds can own their film in a… Read More ›
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Takashi Miike’s sports drama “Blazing Fists” is ready to enter the ring at home.
Everything you have in this life is because of where you started. Some people have a leg up by being born into a wealthy family (and can afford to get bailed out time and again), while others struggle to afford… Read More ›
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Filmmaker Tsui Hark’s violent wuxia deconstruction “The Blade” joins The Criterion Collection with a first-time 4K UHD restoration.
Martial arts fans have it so good right now; it’s truly incredible. With deals being made to restore and re-print various titles out of Hong Kong, what was once hard to find (Hard Boiled) and barely accessible on HD (Rumble… Read More ›
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“Evil Nun” DVD Giveaway
After a September 2025 release, filmmaker Jose Prendes’s (Monster Mash) Evil Nun is receiving a DVD edition via Greenfield Media 1. Trying to get your hands on this Asylum title is way less effort than being a final girl in her… Read More ›
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Jonás Cuarón’s novel adaptation “Campeón Gabacho” exalts the power of hope and community at a time we need it most. [SXSW]
Despite all the arguments for America First ideology as a way to preserve the United States with the ideology formed on a basis of Christian Nationalism, it’s a belief system that cannot stand in the wake of actual data and… Read More ›
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“The Key” 4K UHD Giveaway
Over the last few years, physical media boutique Cult Epics has released a series of restorations of filmmaker Tinto Brass’s catalogue, the latest of which is his 1983 erotic romance The Key. Courtesy of Cult Epics, EoM is giving away… Read More ›
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Run, run, run! It’s time to hide. “Ready or Not: Here I Come.”
The directing team known as Radio Silence, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, have established themselves over the years as an assured hand in the horror space. From their contribution to the 2012 anthology series V/H/S to revitalizing the Scream series… Read More ›
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Filmmaker Mika Ninagawa’s directorial feature “Sakuran” joins the 88 Asia Collection with a befitting limited edition.
Adapting a work properly requires a confluence of events. It’s more than just translating one media into another as you need someone who understands the context of the source, who gets what it means to be moved to a new… Read More ›
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Meta thriller “And Her Body Was Never Found” is not #relationshipgoals, but it is a dynamic and cruel feature film directorial debut. [SXSW]
“L’enfer, c’est les autres.” – Jean-Paul Sartre in No Exit. Making movies is a large endeavor. Outside of the requirement for a creative idea, you also need the time to cultivate it, the financing to fund it, and the team… Read More ›
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“DRAGN” Digital Code Giveaway
Since the age of machines, horror stories have found various ways to incorporate them into our nightmares. Did the toaster become sentient? Is our relaxing trip to the local galleria about to turn into a chopping mall? Is that Furby… Read More ›
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Allow animated dramedy “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” to ascend to your home collection.
At a point in the director interview for their film, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (Amélie et la métaphysique des tubes), co-directors Maïlys Vallade (The Lighthouse Keeper) and Liane-Cho Han (Voodoo) discuss the Japanese belief that children under… Read More ›
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Stella Markert’s tragicomic “Thanks for Nothing” invites audience to embrace anarchy and themselves. [SXSW]
“So many bright lights, they cast a shadow, but can I speak? Well, is it hard understanding, I’m incomplete? A life that’s so demanding I get so weak A love that’s so demanding I can’t speak …” – From “Famous… Read More ›
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“The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” 4K UHD Giveaway
Last month, Cult Epics released another restoration from Japanese filmmaker Nobuhiko Ôbayashi’s catalogue of titles, the sci-fi romance The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Courtesy of Cult Epics, we reviewed the standard edition of their new 4K UHD restoration and, now,… Read More ›
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Horror comedy adaptation “Over Your Dead Body” has legs thanks to a very game cast and is elevated by devastating stunt work. [SXSW]
“Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” – Friedrich Nietzsche Trigger Warning: There’s a brief sequence in which sexual assault is threatened that may be… Read More ›
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“The Dads” is a moving and galvanizing feature that expands on Luchina Fisher’s original short. [SXSW]
8% of U.S. adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender according to an Oct 2025 Pew Research Center article based on a summer 2024 survey. There are reportedly over 342 million people living in the United States, which means… Read More ›
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Ghost procedural “Never After Dark” offers a fresh perspective on a well-worn genre. [SXSW]
When it comes to the occult, there are about as many famous fictional investigators as there are ways to approach a ghost story. There’s Daffy Duck (voiced by Mel Blanc) bringing the silly, while John Constantine is more serious. There’s… Read More ›
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Skip out on Sunday Church and head straight for the punk rock hilarity of teen comedy “Edie Arnold is a Loser.” [SXSW]
“Teenage girls are like mysterious, dark, and dangerous …” – Keely Jones, Ted Lasso First films are not barometers by which all subsequent films must account, but they play a massive role in the expectations audiences create. If a first… Read More ›
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Maya Annik Bedward’s “Black Zombie” is a strong piece in the restoration of dignity to Black and Vodou cultures criminalized by media representation. [SXSW]
Zombies are everywhere. They’re on your television set, in your movie theaters, in your comics, in your novels, in your video games, and, yes, even in Minecraft nerdcore tunes. Why? What’s the obsession with zombies and where did they come… Read More ›