A Game of Dares, a Dare of Endurance If you ever wondered what would happen if a group of college students tried to summon evil using the combined power of bad decisions and worse acting—well, congratulations, you’ve already seen Truth or Dare (2017). Directed by Nick Simon and unleashed upon the unsuspecting public via Syfy … Read More “Truth or Dare (2017) or: The Game That Should’ve Stayed in Middle School” »
The Hunger Games: College Edition Ah, Tokyo Ghoul — the 2017 live-action adaptation of Sui Ishida’s gloriously grim manga about cannibalism, identity crises, and coffee that probably tastes like despair. Directed by Kentarō Hagiwara, this film has all the subtlety of a fork to the jugular, but that’s part of its charm. It’s gothic, gory, … Read More “Tokyo Ghoul (2017) or: How to Lose Friends and Eat People in One Semester” »
The Little Girl in Red Grows Up (and Still Has Boundary Issues) Ah, The Tag-Along 2. The sequel nobody expected, but somehow everyone needed — especially those of us who like our horror with equal parts folklore, melodrama, and mothers screaming at the supernatural. Directed by Cheng Wei-hao, this 2017 Taiwanese horror film takes the … Read More “The Tag-Along 2 (2017) or: When Taiwanese Family Drama Meets Demonic Real Estate Problems” »
The Horror of Watching a Horror Movie That Forgot to Be Scary There are movies about sleep paralysis that keep you awake all night, terrified to close your eyes. Then there’s Slumber — a film so dull it could cure insomnia. Directed by Jonathan Hopkins, this 2017 British supernatural “thriller” feels less like a nightmare … Read More “Slumber (2017) or: When Insomnia Would’ve Been the Kinder Option” »
The Devil Wears Kebaya Every now and then, a horror movie comes along that reminds you why you keep your lights on at night. Joko Anwar’s Satan’s Slaves (Pengabdi Setan) is one of those rare gems — a film that makes you laugh nervously, scream earnestly, and call your mom immediately afterward (just to make … Read More “Satan’s Slaves (2017) or: When Your Mother’s Comeback Tour Is from the Afterlife” »
Love Hurts—Especially When It’s a Gothic Horror Comedy Some films whisper romance. Romeo’s Distress digs up romance, kisses its cold lips, and then wonders why it tastes like embalming fluid. Jeff Frumess’s 2017 independent horror debut is a black-hearted valentine for anyone who’s ever confused obsession for affection, or thought that “I’d die for you” … Read More “Romeo’s Distress (2017) or: When True Love Meets a Restraining Order and the Corpse Smells Like Teen Spirit” »
The Undead Franchise That Refuses to Stay Buried There’s a certain irony in watching Resident Evil: Vendetta. It’s a film about viruses that refuse to die, made by a franchise that also refuses to die — even when it probably should’ve been put out of its misery several infections ago. This 2017 CG feature, directed … Read More “Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017) or: When your favorite zombie franchise trades brains for biceps and forgets which one it’s supposed to shoot.” »
A Demon for the Digital Age If you’ve ever screamed “I hate you!” at your mom and then immediately regretted it, Pyewacket is your cinematic punishment. Written and directed by Adam MacDonald, this 2017 Canadian horror film asks the bold question: What if teenage angst had a body count? It’s a film that’s equal parts … Read More “Pyewacket (2017) or: How to Lose a Mom, Summon a Demon, and Burn Down Your Emotional Baggage — Literally.” »
Welcome to Estonia, Where Even the Plague Has Personality There are strange movies, and then there’s November, a black-and-white Estonian fever dream that looks like it was directed by Andrei Tarkovsky after drinking moonshine with the Brothers Grimm. Written and directed by Rainer Sarnet, based on Andrus Kivirähk’s cult novel Rehepapp ehk November, it’s the … Read More “November (2017) or: When love, death, and the Devil all show up to the same barn dance — and somehow the goat is the sanest one there.” »
A Film That Hates Everyone Equally Let’s get this out of the way first: Mon Mon Mon Monsters isn’t just a horror-comedy—it’s a full-blown nervous breakdown projected onto a screen. Written and directed by Giddens Ko, this 2017 Taiwanese nightmare is what happens when you give a misanthrope a camera, a budget, and a grudge … Read More “Mon Mon Mon Monsters (2017) or: When Bullies Meet Zombies and Everyone Deserves It” »