The Guilty originated as a critically acclaimed, intense Danish thriller that marked the feature debut by Gustav Möller. A seemingly simple premise set entirely within a single-location frayed nerves thanks to a confluence of impeccable ingredients. So, it’s not surprising that remake rights were snatched up almost immediately. The result is a Jake Gyllenhaal vehicle directed by Antoine Fuqua, […]
Reviews
[TIFF Review] Netflix’s Korean Drama Series ‘Hellbound’ Has a Great Premise, But Struggles With Its Execution
As far as TV properties go, Hellbound has a pretty awesome hook. The gist of the six-episode live-action Netflix series is as follows: What would happen if angels began appearing, informing individuals that they would die for their sins in a few days, and when the time arrived, those people were beaten to death by […]
[TIFF Review] ‘Encounter’ Surprises With Genre-Bending Alien Invasion Paranoid Thriller
Director Michael Pearce demonstrated a keen ability to play in multiple genre sandboxes simultaneously with his feature debut, Beast, which kept audiences guessing right up until its conclusion. His awaited follow-up, Encounter, continues his streak for wildly imaginative and engaging character-driven work through a genre-bending filter. Only this time, it’s run through the setup of a paranoid alien invasion-style […]
[Review] Edgar Wright’s ‘Last Night in Soho’ Is a Stylish, But Repetitive Thriller
There’s an infectious energy in the early parts of Edgar Wright’s new film, Last Night in Soho. The film opens with a dance number as aspiring fashion designer Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) lip-synchs to one of her many records in her grandmother’s (Rita Tushingham) country house and this effusive excitement permeates the screen. Eloise is an […]
[TIFF Review] Screenlife Horror ‘DASHCAM’ Aims for Manic Splatstick Chaos
Director Rob Savage captured that trapped feeling of lockdown with last summer’s buzziest horror movie, Host, a Zoom séance gone wrong. It established Savage as a filmmaker who wears his horror influences on his sleeves. His latest, filmed during the second lockdown, demonstrates that once again. Savage’s follow-up feature, DASHCAM, aims to achieve Sam Raimi levels of splatstick […]
[TIFF Review] Erotic Thriller ‘Inexorable’ Is Stuck at Half-Mast
Inexorable. Adj: meaning impossible to stop or prevent. That’s not quite an accurate depiction of what occurs in Fabrice Du Welz’s latest film. Sure, once events are put into motion, they’re difficult to stop, but the Belgian filmmaker, known for his share of provocative films, is treading lightly with Inexorable, an erotic thriller that’s sadly […]
[TIFF Review] Vampire Drama ‘Kicking Blood’ Heavier on Style Than Bite
Save for sunlight or perhaps a stake to the heart, vampires live forever. Instead of just one lifetime, they can experience many. That means that a regular staple in vampire fiction depicts the erosion of time, where pleasure and discovery eventually wane and boredom sets in. Kicking Blood adds to the existential conversation, featuring a world-wearied bloodsucker […]
[TIFF Review] ‘A Banquet’ Tests Maternal Bonds and Patience in Simmering Psychological Horror
Existing somewhere at the crossroads of Jack Ketchum’s “The Box” and Rose Glass’s Saint Maud lies A Banquet. A strange affliction wreaks havoc on the lives of a family still on the mend from tragedy. Ruth Paxton’s feature debut favors a slow simmering atmosphere in a psychodrama that sees a family in psychological deterioration. One that can test the […]
[TIFF Review] ‘Mlungu Wam (Good Madam)’ Haunts With Murky, Eerie Reflection of the Past
South African psychological horror Mlungu Wam (Good Madam) uses an intimate character study nestled in a possibly haunted house as an allegory. It wields one stubborn and unreliable narrator as an entry point into a cultural examination and a haunted legacy. Yet, largely thanks to its obscure ambiguity and intimate storytelling, it never feels heavy-handed […]
[TIFF Review] ‘Memoria’ Is a Contemplative Meditation on Memory and Experience
There’s a calculated aimlessness to Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria, particularly in the way that the writer/director’s first film English and Spanish doesn’t employ a conventional narrative structure (there’s no rising action or climax, for example). Instead, as its title suggests, Memoria is intent on exploring memories and memorials and, in the process, (re)creating them as experiences […]
[Review] James Wan’s ‘Malignant’ Is a Bloody Valentine to Outrageous ‘90s Giallo Horror
From the bonkers opening scene, James Wan establishes his return to horror will easily become his most polarizing yet. Channeling the spectacle of late ’90s Dark Castle, the opening sequence sets up an outlandish plot that feels lifted from the ’90s both in tone and bloodletting, signaling a wild ride ahead where you’re on its […]
For All the Poetic Rage, Carnifex’s ‘Graveside Confessions’ Plays It Too Safe [Haunted Riffs]
The trajectory of Carnifex’s musical growth has been both promising and odd over the years. Always a band to count on when it comes to vicious sounding music, a major component that has set them apart from other deathcore acts is their approach to atmosphere. With their past few records, Carnifex has woven elements of […]
[Review] Netflix’s Bloody Action-Thriller ‘Kate’ Offers Stylistic but Familiar Fun
A highly skilled assassin punching and slicing their way through an endless horde of opponents out of revenge reads like several contemporary action-thrillers, especially in the wake of John Wick’s popularity. Kate marks the latest, borrowing from a few prominent action-thrillers to create an easily digestible blend of violence, action, and humor by way of a silly plot that […]
[Review] “What We Do in the Shadows” Season 3 is the Show’s Biggest, Strongest Season Yet
Staten Island’s most entertaining undead are back with more horror hilarity and supernatural slapstick. The past year has pushed the world out of their comfort zones in unexpected ways and triggered a level of unparalleled introspection. The public has been sequestered and forced to confront themselves at their rawest and most vulnerable states, which has […]
[Review] Glenn Danzig’s ‘Death Rider in the House of Vampires’ Has All the Charm…and Flaws of ‘Verotika’
I was fortunate enough to attend the world premiere of punk legend Glenn Danzig’s first feature film Verotika back in 2019 during Chicago’s Cinepocalypse Film Festival. At that time, no one knew what a movie written and directed by the Misfits frontman would look like, so hopes were high that Danzig’s voice would be as […]