A Monster of a Misfire Every few years, someone in Hollywood gets the bright idea to “reimagine” Frankenstein—usually while clutching a cigar and muttering phrases like “gritty reboot” and “modern relevance.” Victor Frankenstein is one such act of cinematic necromancy. Directed by Paul McGuigan and written by Max Landis (yes, that Max Landis), this 2015 … Read More “Victor Frankenstein (2015): It’s Alive! Unfortunately.” »
Welcome to the Great Outdoors, Where the Scariest Thing Is the Dialogue There are bad horror movies, and then there’s Valley of the Sasquatch—a cinematic campfire story told by someone who forgot how it ends halfway through and decided to just start growling. Written and directed by John Portanova, this 2015 “creature feature” tries to … Read More “Valley of the Sasquatch (2015): Bigfoot’s Hairy, Heartfelt, Hopeless Disaster” »
The End of the World, Brought to You by Friendship and Schizophrenia Perry Blackshear’s They Look Like People isn’t just an indie horror film—it’s a low-budget miracle of intimacy, paranoia, and well-timed mental breakdowns. Shot, written, directed, edited, and probably craft-serviced by Blackshear himself, this 2015 gem reminds us that sometimes the monsters are in … Read More “They Look Like People (2015): A Psychotic Bromance for the Soul” »
A Heist from Hell (Literally) You know you’ve messed up a kidnapping when your victim starts threatening you. That’s the delightful premise of House on Willow Street, a supernatural horror-thriller from South Africa that gleefully answers the question, “What if Don’t Breathe had demons, emotional baggage, and the world’s worst kidnapping crew?” This isn’t your … Read More “House on Willow Street (2016): When Your Hostage Is More Possessed Than You Are” »
Suburbia Never Looked So Sinister There’s something inherently unsettling about Australian suburbia—too much sunshine, too many perfectly trimmed lawns, and that faint hum of hidden dysfunction beneath the sound of sprinklers. Ben Young’s Hounds of Love takes that creeping unease and turns it into a beautifully brutal, slow-burning masterpiece of psychological horror. It’s not an … Read More “Hounds of Love (2016): A Sickly Sweet Suburban Nightmare That Bites Back” »
A Calendar of Carnage and Chaos Ah, Holidays — that rare anthology film that reminds us there’s no better way to celebrate the human spirit than by skewering it, stabbing it, and occasionally impregnating it with a snake. Horror anthologies are always hit-or-miss, but Holidays hits just enough to make you laugh nervously through the … Read More “Holidays (2016): The Most Dysfunctional Calendar You’ll Ever Survive” »
Welcome to Havenhurst, Where Logic Is Evicted There’s a lot of talk these days about the housing crisis, but few films tackle it quite like Havenhurst—a horror movie about an apartment complex that kicks out its tenants by murdering them. Sounds juicy, right? Unfortunately, what could have been Rosemary’s Baby meets HGTV’s House Hunters: Blood … Read More “Havenhurst (2016): A Real Estate Listing Straight from Hell—And Not in a Fun Way” »
Welcome to the Resort from Hell If HGTV ever produced a horror film, it would probably look something like Gehenna: Where Death Lives—except with fewer ghosts and better lighting. Hiroshi Katagiri’s 2016 horror debut takes the tired “group-stumbles-into-a-haunted-place” formula, tosses it into a World War II bunker, and says, “Fine, let’s make this real estate … Read More “Gehenna: Where Death Lives (2016): Welcome to Real Estate Hell” »
Lights, Camera, Existential Dread Let’s get this out of the way: Found Footage 3D shouldn’t work. It’s a found footage movie about people making a found footage movie, filmed in actual 3D. It’s like The Blair Witch Project got drunk, hooked up with Scream 4, and the offspring was raised by a cynical film student … Read More “Found Footage 3D (2016): When Horror Eats Itself and Burps Up Something Brilliant” »
Slasher Cinema Gets Its Groove (and Its Grill) Back Ah, Fender Bender — the only horror movie that proves car accidents can be fatal even after you exchange insurance information. Mark Pavia’s 2016 slasher is an unapologetic love letter to 1980s terror, complete with thunderstorm lighting, teenage stupidity, and a killer whose idea of foreplay … Read More “Fender Bender (2016): When Road Rage Meets Retro Rage” »