August sees the return of the Fantasia International Film Festival, arguably the world’s premier screening event for science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other unusual genre cinema. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, this year’s festival is offering its Canadian audiences unprecedented online … Continue reading Eight films to watch at Fantasia Film Festival 2021
While not a necessary element of horror cinema, social commentary is such a solid match for the genre that the better films usually find room for it somewhere. Ready or Not, a campy exercise in which a bride is hunted for … Continue reading REVIEW: Ready or Not (2019)
Once again, let us discuss ‘torture porn’. This is the car that I shall always be chasing. This is the hill upon which I have chosen to die. The term is, of course, an utter nonsense; referring to horror films … Continue reading REVIEW: The Farm (2018)
Two despondent siblings reunite under the shadow of supernatural goings-on in Bryan Bertino’s tremendously effective and atmospheric horror film The Dark and the Wicked. It is often difficult to find a point of difference that can enable this sort of demonic … Continue reading REVIEW: The Dark and the Wicked (2020)
They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, but it is also a handy method of testing cultural footprints. It has been five years since Netflix debuted its nostalgia supernatural series Stranger Things, and there is now a steady … Continue reading REVIEW: They Reach (2020)
The mid-to-late 1990s witnessed a revival of slasher films, spearheaded and largely inspired by Wes Craven’s post-modernist feature Scream. Urban Legend was one of the also-rans of the period: while it scored two direct-to-video sequels, it never really captured the audience’s enthusiasm and … Continue reading REVIEW: Urban Legend (1998)
John Krasinski’s exceptional horror film A Quiet Place (2018) finally gets its well-deserved sequel in this beautifully effective follow-up. Extending the original’s storyline in a smooth and efficient manner, it also does an admirable job of adding depth and character development to … Continue reading REVIEW: A Quiet Place Part II (2021)
It begins, oddly enough, with Gary Numan. His 1980 rendition of Erik Satie’s “Trois Gymnopédies” accompanies a stark shot of a snowfield from above. In stumbles a hysterical young woman, barely able to stand. When she falls, she convulses on … Continue reading “Mummy, there are bugs in here” | Climax (2018)
Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil (2002) was clearly produced with sequels in mind, given its deliberately open ending, and the first of those sequels emerged two years later in 2004. With Anderson busy working on Alien vs Predator, directing duties fell to … Continue reading REVIEW: Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Film adaptations of videogames always seem to endure a rough ride to the screen, whether Super Mario Bros, World of Warcraft, Street Fighter, Prince of Persia, or Mortal Kombat. It seems there are plenty of producers and directors who recognise the potential in drawing … Continue reading REVIEW: Resident Evil (2002)
