Film

A collection of 523 posts

Event

Raw Review (Film, 2017) #31DaysofHorror

I’m going to level with you. It takes a lot for me to want to tap out of a horror film. I grew up on the genre. The owners of the local VHS shop down the street loved my interest in the genre and would rent me horror films far beyond what I should have been watching in elementary school. My family f

Event

What We Do in the Shadows Review (Film, 2015) #31DaysofHorror

I have a soft spot in my heart for horror mockumentaries. There’s just something so enjoyable for me about a horror film that takes the extra step of setting itself up as an investigation of elements of the genre. I like the terrifying, serious ones like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer or hybrid

Event

Truth or Dare Review (Film, 2017) #31DaysofHorror

Do not be confused or mistaken by the following phenomena. Have you ever come across a horror film that looks just like another horror film you know is coming out? It has a similar (if not identical) title, a similar poster, and even a similar plot, but it’s not the same film. It’s a separate film t

Event

Don't Kill It Review (Film, 2017) #31DaysofHorror

Content warning: Don’t Kill It features violence against animals in its opening scene. Action/horror is one of those combinations we just don’t see too often on film. Action films tend to have a higher budget than what’s typically allocated for horror just to account for the amount of extra staff a

Event

The Cleanse Review (Film, 2018) #31DaysofHorror

Some of the simplest sources for a horror film are different or twisted perspectives on common occurrences. Gremlins is ultimately a film about bringing home a pet as a gift for a loved one. The Conjuring is about the fear of the monster hiding in the closet. The Shining is about anxiety from stayin

Event

Venom Review (Film, 2018) #31DaysofHorror

Venom, as a film, is a lot to process. It’s sensory overload even by the loud and special effects heavy standards of the superhero genre. It shares more with the horror genre, specifically the old fashioned Universal-style monster movie, than it does with the modern superhero film, yet it’s clearly

Event

The Midnight Man Review (Film, 2018) #31DaysofHorror

The Midnight Man is a horror film inspired by a creepypasta. I went into that idea a little bit yesterday, but it’s essentially urban legends created online. Some might be inspired by real events, or preexisting urban legends/myths, but they gain their popularity online. There’s a fascinating discus

Event

Blair Witch Review (Film, 2016) #31DaysofHorror

We’re at an interesting time in horror. The genre has always been a profitable mainstay for studios. The films do not have to cost much money or even be particularly good to turn a strong profit at the box office. Now, it seems easier than ever to launch a horror franchise. From Insidious pounding o

Event

It Comes at Night Review (Film, 2017) #31DaysofHorror

For his second feature length film, writer/director/editor Trey Edward Shults shifts genres but sticks with the same subject matter as his breakout critical hit Krisha [https://sketchydetails.us/sketchy-details/2016/12/27/krisha-review-film-2016]. It Comes at Night sees different people with differe

Event

Terrifier Review (Film, 2018) #31DaysofHorror

From the opening credits sequence, you know you’re in for something authentically 70s with Terrifier. The whole film is set up like the sequel to a slasher that never existed. We see a blurry news report on an old tube television describing a massacre by Art the Clown the previous year. A reporter i

Event

Hereditary Review (Film, 2018) #31DaysofHorror

There are times where I need to take a step back and remind myself how what we watch influences how we respond to films. What seems novel or innovative to someone who doesn’t watch a lot of horror can seem tired or even poorly done to someone who watches a lot of horror. Horror has the added element

Film

Haunters: The Art of the Scare Review (Film, 2017)

Haunters: The Art of the Scare is about my people. This is a documentary from director Jon Schnitzer about home haunts and the haunted house industry. If you’re not familiar, a home haunt is an elaborate series of yard and/or home decorations designed to recreate the experience of a Halloween haunte

Film

Happy Death Day Review (Film, 2017)

Happy Death Day is the mashup of a slasher film and Groundhog’s Day. A sorority girl is forced to keep living the same day over and over again. It’s her birthday, and by the end of the night, she will be murdered. She can avoid the original crime scene, but death will follow her to take her and life

Film

The Predator Review (Film, 2018)

Does a B-movie celebrating its status as a B-movie forgive it from embracing problematic elements of B-movie history long after we stopped accepting these harmful tropes? That’s a hard question to answer. There are films that wield those tropes as a weapon against a history of microaggressions and a

Film

The Eyes of My Mother Review (Film, 2016)

The visuals of noir can be an effective tool when used well in horror. Horror, as a genre, heavily relies on camera angle, perspective, and play between shadow and light to code the visual language of a film. The more controlled tableaus of noir, with even inkier shadows and bright beams of light, c

Film

Halloween 2018 and Chronology of Slasher Films

Since I first started writing this piece inspired by the new Halloween sequel called Halloween coming out on 19 October, quite a lot has happened. The second trailer, released on 5 September, has almost cleared 4 million views on YouTube. The film itself premiered at the Toronto International Film F

Film

Murder Party Review (Film, 2007)

I'm all for a low-concept horror film. Sure, a high concept horror film, one with a simple idea that is easy to market and produce, is more likely to be polished and clear in its purpose, but a nice broad-reaching, low-concept, throw everything out there and see what sticks horror film can be an exp

Film

The Happytime Murders Review (Film, 2018)

A pretty common flaw in edgy adult humor films is equating shock value--unexpectedly sexual moments, gore, drug abuse, violence, etc.--with mature humor. These gross out moments do not automatically something funny or edgy. They often just distract from the rest of the film. The Happytime Murders,

Film

Dead Ringers Review (Film, 1988)

David Cronenberg somehow finds a way to turn any film into a body horror film. It doesn't matter what the actual plot is, or the genre, or the overall tone of the film. At some point, there will be a shift to incredibly visceral horror, if only for a moment, to comment on the characters' relationshi

Books/Print

The Haunting of Hill House: A History

Yesterday, Netflix announced that Shirley Jackson's gothic masterpiece The Haunting of Hill House is coming to the streaming service as a 10 episode series. Mike Flanagan, the writer/director of Gerald's Game and Ouija: Origin of Evil, is the show runner. I'll be perfectly honest. I did not expect t

Film

The Void Review (Film, 2017)

What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase "80's horror movie?" Is it low budget? Is it bloody? Is it a lot of effects held together by a flimsy plot? Or is it innovation? The origins of modern special effects? Highly political works commenting on major issues and trends in society through an

Film

Emelie Review (Film, 2015)

It's hard to get a bead on what Emelie is trying to do at first. The opening scene features a teenager being abducted into a car. Abduction horror is a thing and the scene, though really quiet, is well shot. Then we go to parents trying to get their kids ready for the new babysitter. The oldest boy

Film

XX Review (Film, 2017)

I think there's nothing quite like a good anthology horror film. It's like a horror buffet. You get a little taste of everything. The shorter time for each individual story allows for wonderful and bizarre stories to be fully told onscreen. The directors and writers get to share the wealth. Their vi

Film

1922 Review (Film, 2017)

It is not a popular opinion, but it is one that I've held for as long as I've seriously studied and written about horror. I believe that Stephen King is at his best in the short story format. The longer he writes a narrative, the more convoluted it becomes. His short stories, as strange as some of t

Film

The Academy Awards Break Film Twitter with New Category and Broadcast Changes

or something I've heard referred to as irrelevant and out of touch with society for years, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, aka AMPAS, aka the organization that runs the Academy Awards, sure did blow up film Twitter yesterday. The Academy announced three new changes that will impact