I’m finally moving on from French films in my Fantasia Int’l Film Festival 2018 reviews! (you’re welcome, francophobics!) My first non-French film review is for the Indonesian film, Satan’s Slaves (Pengabdi Setan). It has something for everyone! Ghosts, creepy wells, cultists, auto accidents, and more! Let’s get into it, shall we? Rini is the … More Satan’s Slaves (2017) – REVIEW – Fantasia 2018
Next up…. Fantasia Int’l Film Festival 2017… The Honor Farm from Austin-based filmmaker, Karen Skloss. (i know, i know. i’m phoning in my intros, but it’s all so i can give you more and more of the content you crave!) Lucy and Annie are quintessential white, middle-class girls on prom night. They are excited, … More The Honor Farm (2017) – REVIEW
Let me start this The Void review off with a highly politicized topic: global climate change. Yes, the nefarious “scientists” and “intelligent people” of the world used to call it global warming, but suddenly they want us to call it something different. Probably because they’re perpetrating some silver-tongued con game on the populace just to … More The Void (2017) – REVIEW
I’m not a huge fan of the Saw films. I saw the first one and the second one. I may have seen another one, but I’m not sure which. They are fine for a single viewing. Especially the first one. So, when I saw that Darren Bousman – director of Saws 2, 3, and … More Abattoir (2016) – REVIEW
Possession movies are not necessarily my thing. Sure, there are some good ones – The Exorcist, The Last Exorcism, etc. – but they just don’t terrify me. Maybe it’s because I was raised by an agnostic mother who prays to her brothers (living) when something goes wrong, and a father who rejected his Catholic upbringing … More The Possession Experiment (2016) – REVIEW
There’s something in the V/H/S anthology franchise for everyone to love. If exploding cultists are your thing, the V/H/S’s have you covered. Same for lovers of haunted house exorcisms and Faustian magicians. Of course, loving (or sort of liking) a couple of segments was as good as it got for many viewers. As with most … More SiREN (2016) – REVIEW
As you may recall, I wrote very positively about the two Mickey Keating films that I’ve seen to date – Pod and Ritual. The former was a tense exploration of psychosis, fear, and family bonds, and the latter showed Keating’s potential as a genre film heavy-hitter. His latest film, Darling, garnered a lot of positive … More Darling (2015) – REVIEW
The trailer for Baskin made the social media rounds a while back (about a year ago). It looked pretty grimy and bloody. Right up my alley. I put it in my list of films to keep on my radar but never saw it. Did it come to Chicago? Maybe. But if it did, I certainly … More REVIEW – Baskin (2015)
I’ve been debating whether these posts should be called “underappreciated” or “underrated”. I’m going to stick with underappreciated because it does a better job of conveying how I feel about the films personally. I appreciate them and I think more people should too. Underrated could be an inaccurate description of, say, a film … More UNDERAPPRECIATED – The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh (2012)
Last weekend marked the passing of yet another Music Box of Horrors, the annual 24-hour horror film marathon held at The Music Box Theatre. (as opposed to the The Massacre, Chicago’s other 24-hour horror marathon). The event is a frustrating mix of horror enthusiasts and horror tourists. (tangent ahead) The tourists typically don’t stay very … More REVIEW – The Devil’s Candy
No Real Danger 