If you ever even mutter the words “silent” and “hill” within seven words of each other in a sentence within a 10-meter radius of me, buckle in because I’m going to tell you everything I know about the Silent Hill… Read More ›
horror
South African horror film “Gaia” is 100% risk, earning the audience’s respect. [SXSW Film Festival]
There really aren’t enough African films in the international film circuit. Nollywood (Nigerian Film Industry) is certainly getting its flowers, but rarely do those films ever make their way onto American shores. Even most films we see about South Africa… Read More ›
“Sound of Violence” fails to deliver on promising concept by sliding into familiar horror territory. [SXSW Film Festival]
On paper, Alex Noyer’s Sound of Violence has all the building blocks needed to succeed as a dark and twisted indie horror. The concept and synopsis sound fascinating, and the film expands upon themes Noyer has already explored for years…. Read More ›
Watch “The Feast” for a well-crafted cautionary tale rooted in Welsh folklore. [SXSW Film Festival]
The dinner table is a universal symbol of community, nourishment, and respite, but directors of horror movies often repurpose the place where people come together for a meal to create some of the most awkward and unsettling cinematic moments of… Read More ›
As long as the patriarchy exists, there will always be a “Witch Hunt.” [SXSW Film Festival]
Three years after her directorial debut Head Count, Elle Callahan returns with the allegorical Witch Hunt. A mixture of YA tropes, fantasy, and horror, Witch Hunt imagines an alternate Earth wherein witch craft is illegal in America to the point… Read More ›
By the time folk horror doc “Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror” ends, you’ll want even more. [SXSW Film Festival]
Folk horror is something that, for a while, I didn’t know was genuinely one of my favorite forms in the horror genre. It’s difficult to categorize it as its own separate sub-genre as its products can be widespread and incredibly… Read More ›
Director Natasha Kermani’s new film is both “Lucky” and good.
A lot of critics like to proclaim that women filmmakers are “on the rise” in Hollywood, but I find that wording to often feel degrading and lack accountability in the system. It’s not that women are suddenly deciding to become… Read More ›
Keith Thomas’s phantasmagorical “The Vigil” explores the destructive terror of generational trauma.
When it comes to those who identify as Jewish, theirs is a life of constant reminders of threat, peril, and near-extinction several times over. Trying to explain holidays, for instance, to my eldest but still-quite-young son, is to find a… Read More ›
Have a killer time at “Willy’s Wonderland.”
A silent lead. A gang of teenagers. A house of horrific animatronic monsters. With this trifecta, Willy’s Wonderland is either going to be the stuff of legends or nightmares. If you’re a fan of small budget horror films like Evil… Read More ›
Can you find the real “Archenemy” when the film comes to home video?
The deconstruction and evaluation of superheroes in cinema and television didn’t begin with Zack Snyder or Eric Kripke, though they are the ones most widely known for it at the moment. Their stories take a darker look at the notion… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Willy’s Wonderland” actor Beth Grant.
Character actress Beth Grant has appeared in dozens of film and television shows throughout the years. She visits with Noel T. Manning II on Open Dialogue (courtesy of Meet Me at the Movies) to talk about her career; engage in… Read More ›
“PG: Psycho Goreman” DVD Giveaway
After a tour on the festival circuit and a mixed theatrical/VOD release, The Archduke of Nightmares is coming to your home, ready to bathe in your blood. That’s right, PG: Psycho Goreman is slated for a home release on March 16th:… Read More ›
“Prisoners of the Ghostland” brings new meaning to the phrase “balls out” in its post-apocalyptic action/adventure tale. [Sundance Film Festival]
A nameless stranger. A damsel in distress. A suicide mission that no one but the best can handle. These three requirements appear in countless stories, from gunslinger westerns of the East to the samurai tales of the West, each possessing… Read More ›
Charming, well-crafted, and funny, Adam Stovall’s romance/horror mashup “A Ghost Waits” is a delightfully spooky good time.
Adam Stovall’s micro-budget flick, A Ghost Waits, makes a pretty convincing argument that romance and horror can work really well together. Stovall doesn’t simply juxtapose the genres or jump back and forth between sweet and horrific moments. Instead, he takes… Read More ›
Saban Films’s “Wrong Turn” is a thrilling and absolutely gnarly horror film.
Believe it or not, not including this reboot, there are six entries in the Wrong Turn series of films. Predictably, aside from its initial 2003 original, every film in the series was a casualty of the late-2000s boom of direct-to-DVD… Read More ›
Psychological thriller “The Night” masters the familiar haunted hotel setting with technical excellence.
Kourosh Ahari’s psychological thriller, The Night, is a stellar example of a film that may not have the next best original ideas within its genre, but is so well done that it is nonetheless entertaining and worthwhile. Despite a handful… Read More ›
Explore the time-bending sci-fi drama “Synchronic” from the comfort of your home.
The theatrical release of creative team Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson’s Synchronic did not go exactly as either had hoped. Though it did receive a rollout via traditional and drive-in theaters, Moorhead, Benson, and producer David Lawson implored audiences to… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Antebellum” directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz.
Filmmakers Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz have worked together for over a decade, and their feature film debut Antebellum as writers/directors received praise for genre-bending, creative narrative, social commentary and technical achievements. Today on Open Dialogue with Noel T. Manning II,… Read More ›
The “PG” in Steven Kostanski’s horror comedy “PG: Psycho Goreman” stands for “plenty-o-gore.
According to the production notes accompanying my screener, writer/director Steven Kostanski (The Void) grew up wondering what it would be like to hang out with the iconic villains of his youth: Skeletor, Megatron, Cobra Commander, etc. As an adult, his… Read More ›
“Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror” Blu-ray Giveaway
In 2019, horror streaming service Shudder premiered the incredible documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror, directed by Xavier Burgin, co-produced by Tananarive Due (instructor of Sunken Place Class), and inspired by Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman’s book. On… Read More ›