A Nightmare Wrapped in Guilt (and Frost) Some horror films rely on jump scares. Some rely on gore. Marianne (2011), on the other hand, relies on the slowly creeping horror of being a Swedish single father with unresolved trauma and a cursed conscience. Written and directed by Filip Tegstedt, this chilly gem of psychological horror … Read More “Marianne (2011): Sweden’s Sleepless Horror—Folklore, Fatherhood, and Existential Dread in a Cold Climate” »
The Hills Are Alive (With the Sound of Gunfire) Every now and then, a thriller comes along that grabs you by the throat, drags you up a mountain, and throws you off it just to make a point. A Lonely Place to Die (2011), directed by Julian Gilbey, is one of those rare adrenaline-fueled gems … Read More “A Lonely Place to Die (2011): Hanging by a Rope, Running for Your Life, and Still Looking Fabulous in Gore-Tex” »
Welcome to Easton, Pennsylvania — Population: One Confused Script Every small town has its secrets. The Fields (2011), directed by Tom Mattera and Dave Mazzoni, wants desperately to convince you that Easton, Pennsylvania, is harboring something dark, something sinister—something other than the world’s slowest corn growth montage. Touted as a “semi-autobiographical account” of writer Harrison … Read More “The Fields (2011): Where Suspense Goes to Die and Tara Reid Raises Corn Instead of Hell” »
A Feast of Regret There are bad horror movies, and then there’s Famine—a cinematic experience so nutritionally empty it makes eating drywall seem like a better evening. Directed by Ryan Nicholson (yes, the same guy responsible for several other bodily-fluid-based art projects masquerading as films), Famine is a 2011 Canadian slasher that promises cheap thrills, … Read More “Famine (2011): A Buffet of Bad Taste, Served Lukewarm and Still Somehow Undercooked” »
Once Upon a Midnight Dreary, Someone Lost the Script There are films that entertain, films that terrify, and films that remind you of the fragile nature of reality. Evil Calls: The Raven (2011), also known by roughly forty-seven other titles (The Legend of Harrow Woods, Alone in the Dark, A Career Misstep: The Movie), fits … Read More “Evil Calls: The Raven (2011): A Hauntingly Hilarious Disaster That Accidentally Transcends Itself” »
High Anxiety: A Comedy of Manners (and Murder) If you’ve ever been stuck in an elevator with coworkers during a fire drill and thought, I’d rather die than listen to these people one more second, then congratulations—you’ve basically lived through Elevator (2011). Directed by Stig Svendsen, this low-budget gem of claustrophobic chaos traps nine strangers … Read More “Elevator (2011): Nine Strangers, One Bomb, and the World’s Worst Corporate Mixer” »
The Devil Is in the Details—and the Details Are Terrible Every once in a while, a movie comes along that makes you question not only cinema but the very concept of human decision-making. The Devil Inside Me (2011), directed by Zhang Qi, is one of those films. It’s the kind of horror-thriller that tries to … Read More “The Devil Inside Me (2011): When Bad Science Meets Worse Storytelling” »
Love, Death, and VAT Nightmares Ben Wheatley’s Kill List isn’t your typical “ex-soldiers become hitmen” thriller. It’s what happens when The Wicker Manand The Sopranos have a baby in a British cul-de-sac—and that baby grows up to whisper Latin while stabbing people behind a Tesco. It’s a film that begins with broken furniture and ends … Read More “Kill List (2011): When Domestic Bliss Meets Doom, and the PTA Meeting Turns Pagan” »
Hell Opens… at a Police Station You know you’re in for a rough night when your horror movie’s title sounds like a death metal band that never made it past garage rehearsals. Inkubus (2011), directed by Glenn Ciano and written by Carl Dupré, wants to be a sinister supernatural thriller about a demon tormenting cops … Read More “Inkubus (2011): When Robert Englund Can’t Save You, It’s Time to Call a Priest—and Maybe a Script Doctor” »
The Cornfield Calls Let’s be honest—few horror subgenres are as gloriously dumb yet endearing as “city kids vs. haunted farm.” It’s where bright-eyed twenty-somethings meet their rural doom, and where flannel shirts go to die. Husk (2011), directed by Brett Simmons and released under the “After Dark Originals” banner, fully embraces this tradition and then … Read More “Husk (2011): Scarecrows, Psychosis, and the Unexpected Joy of Being Stabbed by Corn” »