I am a big fan of Jaws. It’s terrifying. It’s characters are relatable and / or memorable. It’s quotable. And it’s often cited as a ‘best practices’ way of teasing a monster before revealing it for greatest impact. It’s amazing. But it’s also scientifically questionable. Which is fine. But because I cut it slack, I … More The Shallows (2016) – REVIEW
Do I know anything about Spanish psychological thrillers? Am I up on these things? Do I even know that ‘psychological thriller’ is usually a euphemism for highbrow horror? Let’s give me the benefit of the doubt here and assume that I can answer yes to ⅓ of those questions. (it’s the euphemism one) So, how … More Killing Words (Palabras Encadenadas) – (2003) – REVIEW
It’s been a long time since I’ve reviewed a book and now’s as good a time as any. I haven’t been slacking though. I’ve actually been reading a lot. Well, not reading per se. More like, listening. Or both. Look, I have a lot of metaphorical (book) irons in the fire at any given time, … More BOOK – Hannibal by Thomas Harris
My latest/last Fantasia (International Film Fest) review for 2016 is for Another Evil. The only thing I knew about it was that it was directed by Carson Mell, a guy who wrote/directed some episodes of “Silicon Valley”. So, obviously, I was excited. I guess that’s not the only thing I knew because for some reason … More Another Evil (2016) – REVIEW
When I saw that Billy O’Brien had a film at Fantasia (International Film Fest) 2016, I was pretty excited. He’s shown that he’s creative and capable of bringing the scares before. You may remember my recent review of his film, The Hybrid. The TL;DR version is: I liked it. And I thought it had some … More I am Not a Serial Killer (2016) – REVIEW
The Spierig brothers have a wonderful shared imagination. (am i twin stereotyping?) They’ve given us very unique twists on the zombie film with Undead and on the vampire film with Daybreakers. Despite some flaws, both of those movies are testament to the directors’ creativity and vision. With 2014’s Predestination, they’ve turned that vision toward adapting … More REVIEW – Predestination (2014)
Here’s what I knew about The Invitation before watching it: it’s good and there is potential for spoiling (which I will avoid). With that in mind, I avoided reading about it and looked forward to its theatrical release. (4/8/16) Imagine my disappointment when I saw that it wasn’t coming to Chicago until 4/15! Well, … More REVIEW – The Invitation (2016)
Coherence took up exactly ZERO space on my horror film radar screen when it came out. (it’s a metaphorical screen with metaphorical blips and pings and whatnot) Maybe because it’s billed as a sci-fi film. The only reason I know about it at all is because it came up during a way-too-long search for something to … More Coherence (2013) – REVIEW
I’ve seen a lot of weird Japanese films. It seems that that Japan has their own genre of films that variously feature spraying blood, brutal beatings, intense bullying, rape, incest, gore, misogyny, copious amounts of smoking, pedophilia, characters who laugh at inappropriate times, and schoolgirl panties. Rarely, do the films feature even half of … More REVIEW – The World of Kanako (2015)
I wasn’t planning to see The Visit. I’m neither an M. Night Shyamalan fan nor a detractor (hater, for you young folks). I wasn’t as enamored with The Sixth Sense as most people were, but I liked Unbreakable more than most (except for the last few seconds, natch). I haven’t seen his last three films. … More REVIEW – The Visit (2015)
No Real Danger 