3 out of 5 stars (average) The Saw franchise is one of Hollywood’s strangest phenmena. From 2004-2011, audiences went in droves to see what devious devices the Jigsaw Killer would drop upon morally dubious degenerates. Ignoring an attempted revamp/continuation with 2017’s Jigsaw, Chris Rock has entered the kill ring with Spiral: From the Book of… Continue Reading
Freaky: Forgettable Slasher Doesn’t Make The Cut
2 out of 5 stars (has some good moments, but is overall bad) I wanted to love Freaky. Released by Blumhouse Pictures and helmed by the director of the enormously fun Happy Death Day franchise, it’s being pitched as a slasher film mixed with a wacky body-swap comedy a la Freaky Friday (likely the origin… Continue Reading
Come Play: Tech-Based Horror Has Emotional Punch
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
Black and Blue: Topical Premise Buried Under Generic Action
2 out of 5 stars (has some good moments, but is overall bad) Black and Blue is a frustrating kind of bad movie. It hints at exploring a hot-button topic (police brutality and corruption), but uses that topic as an excuse for repetitive chases and shoot-outs that seal its fate in Redbox machines everywhere. Black… 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