There are vacation horror stories and then there are vacation horror stories. The former usually involves bad food, less than ideal lodging, and bad experiences with tourists. And the latter aptly describes the latest Shudder original movie, Influencer. Like many other vacation horror movies, Influencer follows a character whose tropical getaway turns into a life or death situation. Filled with twists and turns (some of … Continue reading “Influencer” – Movie Review
For those who remember, the 2000s was a decade filled with American remakes of popular Asian horror films. These ranged from great (The Ring, The Grudge) why did they bother (Shutter, The Uninvited, The Eye, Dark Water). However, Screambox’s latest original film switches the formula and is in fact a Japanese remake of a cult Canadian horror/thriller film. 1997’s Cube was a claustrophobic thriller that … Continue reading “Cube” – A Visually Creative Remake of a Cult Classic [Review]
Dr. Hannibal Lecter remains one of the most iconic horror villains of all time. The American Film Institute listed him as #1 on their best villains list, and Anthony Hopkins even won Best Actor during his first performance as the character. The character lives via Thomas Harris’ novel series, as well as the film series (including the one time Brian Cox played the character in … Continue reading “Hannibal” 10 Years Later – A Brilliant Series That Ended On Top
Known as the master of suspense and often credited with inventing the thriller genre, there’s not a genre filmmaker today that doesn’t cite Alfred Hitchcock as an inspiration. We look to his films like Rear Window for inspiring countless paranoid thrillers, and Psycho with inadvertently inspiring slashers. However, another film of his did something similar with the theme of humans vs. nature. 1963’s The Birds … Continue reading “The Birds” 60 Years Later – How It Changed the Genre
We all have an innate desire to know where we come from, especially as we come of age and have our journeys of self-discovery. This idea is at the heart of Shudder’s latest original movie, Leave. What starts as a young woman’s journey to find her family lineage takes a very dark and twisted turn. Family Pilgrimage The film begins with a baby being found … Continue reading “Leave” – Movie Review
Dorothy having finally remembered what happened to Jericho is forced to come to terms with everything the past year has brought, while Leanne struggles to find her place in an ending that’s equal parts poignant and tragic. All this and more on the series finale of Servant! (Spoilers Ahead – You’ve Been Warned) Impossible Choice Following last week’s cliffhanger, Dorothy has a very difficult choice … Continue reading Servant: “Fallen” Review
With Leanne having temporarily disposed of Sean and Julian, the Turner house is more tense than it’s ever been. Dorothy tries to figure a way for her and Jericho, while a stunning realization turns her world upside down. All this and more on the penultimate episode of Servant! (Spoilers Ahead – You’ve Been Warned) Captivity Opening minutes after Sean and Julian were taken by paramedics, … Continue reading Servant: “Awake” Review
Having been split into two volumes (which Netflix has wisely started doing lately), You Season 4 ended its midpoint on a cliffhanger that promised to pay off in these final 5 episodes. Volume 2 takes a very drastic subversion of expectations and you’re either going to hate it or love with very little in between. Spoilers Ahead – You’ve Been Warned The “Real” Eat the … Continue reading “You” Season 4 Part 2 – A Disappointing Payoff to a Promising Setup [Review]
Sean and Julian make a bold choice concerning Leanne, all while a massive storm takes the tension and chaos of the Turner house, and expands it to the entire city. All this and more on the next to next to last episode of Servant! (Spoilers Ahead – You’ve Been Warned) Apocalyptic Storm The power is out in the Turner household, as torrential rain downpours on … Continue reading Servant: “Tunnels” Review
What happens when you take an extremely unstable young adult, add the world’s most dysfunctional parents, and throw in a little LSD just to spice things up? The result is Shudder’s latest original movie Spoonful of Sugar. Starring Morgan Saylor (Homeland), to call this movie “trippy” is something of an understatement. Its narrative is about as fragmented as the characters’ sanity, and it’s very much … Continue reading “Spoonful of Sugar” – A Surreal, Trippy Exercise in Dysfunctional Families [Review]
Halloween Year-Round 