Come Play may have the dumbest-sounding horror premise I’ve seen this year: A supernatural creature haunts an unstable family via an iPad (truly the most terrifying creation in existence). However, as with an ever-increasing number of films with dumb-sounding conceits, Come Play makes the most out of its premise and provides a creepy creature flick… Continue Reading
Doctor Sleep Prescribes 2.5 Hours of Terror
4.5 out of 5 stars (one of the best I’ve seen in a long time) Note: Doctor Sleep contains scenes of alcoholism, child murder, and suicide. Doctor Sleep is one of the best sequels I’ve ever seen. Like its iconic predecessor The Shining, it’s a purposefully slow-paced supernatural horror film more concerned with character development and… Continue Reading
It Chapter 2: Darker, Bloated Continuation Kept Afloat by Great Scares and Performances
4 out of 5 stars (One of the best of the year) Note: It Chapter 2 opens with a gory homophobic hate crime and contains scenes and discussion of suicide, domestic abuse, and alcoholism. It Chapter 2 is the continuation of the 2017 smash It, a film which combined the coming-of-age and horror genres to… Continue Reading
Brightburn: Superhero Subversion a Bloody Good Time
3.4 out of 5 stars (slightly above average) Brightburn is Not a Superhero movie. It may be about a young boy who crash-lands on Earth from an alien spaceship to two well-meaning farmers, but this kid is no Superman. He’s a ruthless killer with superhuman abilities. Brightburn is a fun, bloody horror spin on the… Continue Reading
Child’s Play: Creepy Reboot Has Good Gore, Dark Humor
3 out of 5 stars (average) Child’s Play is one of the better modern horror remakes. A reboot of the ongoing slasher series about a kids’ toy possessed by a serial killer, this film trades in the supernatural for technological horror and has unexpected dark humor. Add iconic voice actor Mark Hamill as Chucky and… Continue Reading
Us: Jordan Peele’s Bizarre Horror Story is Unique, Terrifying
5 out of 5 stars (Classic) Jordan Peele’s Us is the first standout horror film of 2019. The follow-up to his 2017 debut Get Out, Peele comes into his own here as a director, with hypnotizing camerawork and a white-knuckle script that sees star Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther) deliver her best performance to date. Us… Continue Reading