Author: Matt Donato

How ‘The Crazies’ Reinterprets a Romero Classic for a New Generation [Revenge of the Remakes]

Matt Donato Editorials, George A. Romero, Movies, Revenge of the Remakes, The Crazies

There’s a solid chance this month’s edition of “Revenge of the Remakes” ends up as one of my favorite column entries. George A. Romero’s The Crazies and Breck Eisner’s The Crazies inspire an exceptional case study about the peaceful coexistence between remakes and originals. Both filmmakers choose unique perspectives when dooming small-town America, even though […]

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‘Do Not Disturb’ Review – Psychedelic Anarchy Is Unleashed in This Vacation Freakout

Matt Donato Dark Star Pictures, Do Not Disturb, Movies, Reviews

John Ainslie’s Do Not Disturb portrays what nastiness festers behind locked hotel room doors in this heavy dose of psychedelic anarchy. What feels like a stripped-down mashup of Bones & All, Very Bad Things, and The Hangover sends broken people on a bad and bloody trip. It might not look that way at first, because […]

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‘Killer Book Club’ Review – Netflix’s Spanish Slasher Is a Pale Imitation of ‘Scream’

Matt Donato Killer Book Club, Movies, Netflix, Reviews

Carlos Alonso Ojea’s Killer Book Club doesn’t hide its intentions to remix Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson’s Scream — you’ll see both Scream and It referenced by name in the Netflix synopsis. The problem is, over two decades later, who hasn’t attempted to bottle that meta-slasher magic anew? Tyler MacIntyre’s Tragedy Girls and Scott Glosserman’s […]

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‘Haunting of the Queen Mary’ Review – Gary Shore Chills the Bones with an Overstuffed Supernatural Voyage

Matt Donato Gary Shore, Haunting of the Queen Mary, Movies, Reviews

The retired RMS Queen Mary docked in Long Beach, California is considered one of the most haunted locations in the world — which only somewhat shines through in Gary Shore’s Haunting of the Queen Mary. Any wishes to relive Dark Castle Entertainment levels of production design in Ghost Ship won’t be fulfilled, but that said, […]

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Seeing Red Again: An Appreciation of Horror’s Greatest Visual Storytelling Tool

Matt Donato 47 Meters Down, Belzebuth, Crawl, Editorials, Evil Dead, Lights Out, Movies, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, the descent

Frantic campers scavenge a park ranger’s rucksack inside his abandoned jeep. A shipwrecked sailor drags their waterproof emergency kit ashore. Apocalypse survivors raid a hardware depot after zombies chase civilization far away. Three different horror movie scenarios, all adding a holy grail item to whichever characters’ arsenal. Maybe loaded into a chamber, possibly as a […]

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‘Brightwood’ Review – Minimalist Relationship Thriller Gets Lost in Its Own Time Loop

Matt Donato Brightwood, Movies, Reviews

The prickliest challenge for indie time-loop thrillers like Dane Elcar’s Brightwood to overcome is simple: can you entertain an audience with minimalist repetition? Elcar utilizes nothing more than a suburban pondside trail, two actors, and the temporal puzzlement of purgatorial duplication. Your mileage will vary with an almost 90-minute mindbender that’s as barebones as a […]

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Sadako vs. Samara – Why ‘The Ring’ Is Terrifying in Either Language [Revenge of the Remakes]

Matt Donato Editorials, Movies, Revenge of the Remakes, The Ring

Gore Verbinski’s The Ring led the first wave of early 2000s horror remakes that partially defined the era’s landscape alongside Saw torture-porners and other reactionary post-9/11 subgenres. Granted, remakes have always been a foundational pillar that keeps horror reinventing itself decade after decade — but the 2000s were different. Production companies like Platinum Dunes and […]

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‘Cocaine Shark’ Review – Too Little Creature Feature Mayhem Sinks This Schlocky Throwback

Matt Donato Cocaine Shark, Reviews

If you’ve sought out any of Mark Polonia‘s previous microbudget (at best) horror releases, you know what quality ceiling to expect from Cocaine Shark. The movie costs as much as the animation to manipulate Cocaine Bear’s left paw for thirty seconds, maybe even less. Polonia’s signature is churning out poster-perfect titles like Amityville in Space or Sharkula with table-scrap resources, […]

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How the ‘Mother’s Day’ Remake Properly Updates a Low-Budget Troma Film from the 1980s

Matt Donato Charles Kaufman, Darren Lynn Bousman, Editorials, Movies, Revenge of the Remakes, Troma

No Troma remake should attempt to match Troma at its revolting, boundary-demolishing, trigger-happy game. Take 1980’s Mother’s Day, for example. Troma Entertainment ringleader Lloyd Kaufman let his brother Charles Kaufman shoot a rape-revenge exploitation sleazefest no mamma would applaud. Darren Lynn Bousman’s 2010 remake abandons Tromaville signatures almost entirely for a mean-mugging reinterpretation rooted in […]

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‘Funny Games’ vs. ‘Funny Games’ – One of the Most Curious Remake Experiments of Them All

Matt Donato Editorials, Funny Games, Michael Haneke, Movies, Revenge of the Remakes

Watching two Michael Haneke features back-to-back doesn’t sound all that outrageous, right? What if they’re Funny Games (1997) and Funny Games (2007)? You start with one of the more disturbing flicks in Criterion’s closet, then immediately follow it with an American shot-for-shot remake that relives the same nightmare. My inner masochist couldn’t skip on tackling […]

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‘Night of the Killer Bears’ Review – Thai Slasher Is a Highlight Reel of Gory Kills

Matt Donato Movies, Night of the Killer Bears, Reviews

The bizarre Thai slasher Night of the Killer Bears is a mixed bag filled to the brim with blood and guts, so storytelling miscues are easier to stomach. Kanphong Banjongphinij’s directorial debut comes with the tagline “Ted meets Terrifier,” which I want to get ahead of — there is no walking, talking Thunder Buddy that […]

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Why Fede Álvarez’s ‘Evil Dead’ Is a Gonzo and Gore-Soaked All-Timer

Matt Donato Editorials, Evil Dead, featured, Fede Alvarez, Jane Levy, Movies, Revenge of the Remakes, Sam Raimi, The Evil Dead, topnews

To credit Fede Álvarez’s Evil Dead as the motivating force behind “Revenge of the Remakes” wouldn’t be an audacious claim. By golden template standards for reanimating beloved horror franchises, it remains a remarkable exemplification alongside titans like Maniac or The Blob. As an underworldly standalone feature, it’s one of the fiercest, scare-you-senseless releases since its […]

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‘#chadgetstheaxe’ Review – Screenlife Horror-Comedy Is a Fun Skewering of Social Media Stardom

Matt Donato #chadgetstheax, Movies, Reviews, Travis Bible, Unnamed Footage Festival 2023

Horror’s technological evolution into Screenlife nightmares like Spree or Deadstream continues with Travis Bible’s #chadgetstheaxe, the latest skewer-happy examination of dangerous social media obsessions. It’s becoming a more challenging subgenre that requires intense authenticity in performances and digital details, especially since actual YouTubers are starting to become parodies of themselves. Bible and co-writer Kemerton Hargrove […]

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‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ Review – Epic Action Spectacle Stretches Itself Thin But Delivers the Goods

Matt Donato Chad Stahelski, John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 4, Keanu Reeves, Movies, Reviews

To dub John Wick: Chapter 4 one of the weaker sequels in franchise canon says more about the bulletproof exterior of Chapter 2 and Parabellum. Director Chad Stahelski abides by the country-hopping, Gun-Fu trademarks of Mr. Wick’s odyssey thus far, delivering everything longtime fans desire. Keanu Reeves headshots his way through nightlife bodyguards, action superstars […]

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‘Scream VI’ – We Sliced into the Stabby Meal and Walked Through the Film’s Immersive Experience

Matt Donato Editorials, Movies, Scream, Scream VI

It’s not every day you get to unbox a Scream-themed Happy Meal for adults. Pop-up dinner party brand Chain is celebrating Spyglass and Paramount’s newest slasher entry with a drive-thru classic and swankified fast-food restaurant vibes. All the decorations blend Scream with roadside-casual mascots, like Grimace dressed as Casey Becker or a Bob’s Big Boy […]

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