Mickey Keating is a very competent indie horror director. I’ve seen all but one of his features (reviewed a couple too) and enjoyed them all. He has a good eye for setting tense scenes and his characters always feel authentic even when they are losing their minds. When choosing my 12th film for this year’s … More Offseason (2021) – REVIEW
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!) Let’s get into it, shall we? Lucy and Annie are quintessential white, middle-class girls … 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)
Ritual is a relationship drama tucked into a occult sacrifice horror/thriller. Its director, Mickey Keating, has become something of a horror media darling (nailed it!) since the premiere of his film, Darling, at Fantastic Fest 2015. This earlier film offers a glimpse into the talent that would go on to make Darling (which, I have … More Ritual (2013) – REVIEW
No Real Danger 