There are some who will tell you that horror is having a resurgence right now, and they’d be misinformed at best, misunderstood at worst. Horror films have been a steady part of storytelling since before the advent of moving pictures… Read More ›
In Theaters
“The Wedding Banquet” invites you to find your seat at the table.
The Wedding Banquet (2025) is one of those rare films that functions more as another swing at bat than as a remake, and returning screenwriter James Schamus (The Wedding Banquet (1993); Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) scores at least a double… Read More ›
Daniel Minahan’s adaptation of “On Swift Horses” delivers a compelling melodrama.
The beauty of film lies in its ability to evoke a specific era or environment. Whether in a quiet character drama or a large-scale spectacle, film can help transport an audience to a different time. Even if the quality (story,… Read More ›
Filmmakers John Dierre and Ryan Dutter invite audiences to voyage toward the underworld in their darkly comedic surrealist thriller feature film debut “Meta Take One.” [ATLFF]
Trigger Warning: Meta Take One contains several instances of flashing light and visual distortion that may disturb photosensitive viewers. How far would you go to make your dreams a reality? What would you give up or sacrifice? In a society… Read More ›
“Jazzy” brings friendship to the forefront.
Discovery itself is at risk. Last week I bought the 2-disc special edition of Sam Rami’s Drag Me to Hell (2009) at Eides Entertainment in Pittsburgh because I was scanning for Spike Lee’s Clockers (1995), and scanning titles with your… Read More ›
“The Trouble with Jessica” is a dark comedy of errors.
The Trouble with Jessica is a minimalist comedy of errors that thrives on its sharp dialogue, taut tension, and an outstanding ensemble cast. With an intriguing premise and a blend of dark humor and suspense, the film keeps you on… Read More ›
“Fréwaka” leaves a chill in your spine long after its end. [BUFF]
Compared to horror films with other themes, those focused on lore, especially folklore, evoke a different emotional knee-jerk reaction from their audiences with their eerie tales keeping the uneasy viewers interested and engaged. This is where Aislinn Clarke strives in… Read More ›
Emilie Blichfeldt’s “The Ugly Stepsister” puts traditional Grimm-level horrors on the big screen in a familiar and twisted tale. [BUFF]
Trigger Warning: Be advised that The Ugly Stepsister includes significant elements of body torture and body-related horror. I am not going to sit back and pretend I am an expert on all things fairy tale related, as that is a… Read More ›
A look at the larger and personal legacy of “Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight” on its 30th Anniversary. [The Overlook Film Festival]
Trigger Warning: Though there is no rain, there’s a great deal of lightning in the film which may impact photosensitive viewers. If you’re a person of a certain age, one only needs to hear a few notes of Danny Elfman’s… Read More ›
New Blumhouse thriller “Drop” keeps you guessing until the end
First-date jitters take on a whole new meaning in Drop, a Blumhouse thriller from Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon. Drop stars Emmy-nominated Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus) as Violet, a single mom looking to re-enter the dating scene, alongside… Read More ›
“Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write about a Serial Killer” lays its comedy well among its perceived tragedies.
Pretentiousness is a matter of perspective. What one person may find authoritative and compelling may be viewed as utter hogwash by another, and usually it has to do with the way one views the person or art at the center…. Read More ›
Documentary “The Spirit of Halloweentown” seeks to investigate the relationship between the real St. Helens and its inhabitants separate from its cinematic connection. [The Overlook Film Festival]
Since debuting in 1998, Disney’s Halloweentown has spawned a total of four films and at least one marriage (co-stars Kimberly J. Brown and Daniel Kountz of Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge). It’s developed quite the fanbase since the original Halloweentown, turning… Read More ›
“Escape from the 21st Century” is a fun hyper-stylized time travel film. [BUFF]
Content advisory: strobing/strobing effects Time travel movies are so incredibly hit or miss simply because everyone tries to either recreate Back to the Future (1985) or make their own mark on the ever-loaded when at the core the film, at… Read More ›
“Best Wishes to All” leaves many thematic dark corners for audiences to stare into. [The Overlook Film Festival]
“Only the pursuit of happiness is guaranteed. The rest is up to you.” – David Fagan While there are things that are specific to culture, community, or time, other things are universal, like the overwhelming dread experienced by the young… Read More ›
“William Tell” translates the heroic myth into a by-the-numbers historical fiction.
Content Warning for implied sexual assault. In the subgenre of historical epics, there are those based on real events (Lawrence of Arabia (1962); Rob Roy (1995)) and those inspired by legend (Excalibur (1981); Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)). In… Read More ›
Capsule Review: R.T. Thorne’s “40 Acres.” [The Overlook Film Festival]
R.T. Thorne’s feature-film directorial debut, 40 Acres anchors its tale of familial strife and global terror as the world teeters on the brink. Screening during The Overlook Film Festival 2025, audiences may presume 40 Acres to be a straight-forward horror-thriller… Read More ›
Capsule Review: Karan Kandhari’s horror dramedy “Sister Midnight.” [BUFF]
Overall, Sister Midnight swings for the absolute fences which is bold and refreshing to see when it has a cast that supports it, but if the effort ends at the cast’s execution, it can become tiresome and messy. Kandhari throws… Read More ›
Short and sweet thriller “Wake Up” continues RKSS’s trend of fun subversive horror.
The key to a great slasher film, other than a great antagonist, is a situation where the stakes are high for one or both parties, an arena where both the hunter and the hunted have an equal playing field and… Read More ›
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s “Freaky Tales” mythologizes the Oakland Bay area through a punk rock & hip-hop infused anthology.
Anthologies have a long history in storytelling as they gather seemingly disparate narratives into a singular collection. In cinema, the connection between the parts can remain thematic, leaving the stories individual (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)); may be through… Read More ›
“She’s the He” turns the bathroom panic in today’s political landscape into a hilarious and heartfelt coming-of-age sex comedy. [SXSW]
Coming-of-age tales are fairly commonplace in cinema with explorations of self and sex in semi-recent films like Porky’s (1981), A Goofy Movie (1995), and The People’s Joker (2024). These stories feature young adults getting into a variety of hijinks either… Read More ›