★★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Skinamarink is a mesmerizing work set in the dark of a nighttime home that finds two young siblings confronted by a chilling evil, with visual and aural approaches that make the proceedings all the more unsettling.
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Joseph’s Book Review: Just Another Tin Foil Hat Presents
★★★★★
No matter whether you are a well-read aficionado of Forteana and high strangeness or a newcomer to the world of extraterrestrials, cryptids, and supernatural occurrences, Zelia Edgar’s debut book Just Another Tin Foil Hat Presents is a delightful, entertaining read.
Joseph’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival Reviews: THE WOMB and THE DEVIL’S DECEPTION
The Womb ★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
The Devil’s Deception
Southeast Asian creepfests The Womb and The Devils’ Deception are two of the finest pregnancy horror films in recent memory, with unforgettable images and unsettling goings-on.
From Monsters to Slashers to Supernatural Entities, UK’s Arrow Video FrightFest 2022 Lineup Has It All
Each summer, Arrow Video FrightFest brings a cinematic bounty of chillers and thrillers to London. This year’s lineup is mind boggling in size and scope, offering such riches as the world premiere of renowned director Neil Marshall’s latest offeringThe Lair to horror icon Dario Argento’s newest feature Dark Glasses to premieres by up and coming filmmakers from across the globe.
Joseph’s Review: Gone in the Night
★★★ out of ★★★★★
Raising some intriguing points about aging and boasting engrossing performances from Winona Ryder and Dermot Mulroney, Gone in the Night loses its way when it begins ramping things up in the suspense department.
Joseph’s Review: Gateway
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Crime doesn’t pay in Irish chiller Gateway — it leads to madness and death.
Joseph’s Review: American Werewolves
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Those who love lycanthropy folklore, films, and fiction should find plenty to enjoy about American Werewolves.
Joseph’s Review: The Leech (Chattanooga Film Festival)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
How far will a pious man of the cloth go to help those in need? How far will he be pushed before things get insane? Christmas-set horror (uncomfortable) comedy The Leech has these answers, and it is an absolutely riveting, discomfiting experience.
Joseph’s Review: The Overnight
★★ out of ★★★★★
Confusing where it tries to be enigmatic, supernatural hotel-horror The Overnight can’t quite grasp the brass ring for which it reaches.
Joseph’s Review: Row 19
★★★ out of ★★★★★
Terror-in-the-skies feature Row 19 is a bit of a bumpy ride, but committed performances and a fair share of supernatural puzzlement make it worth seeking out.
Trailer Alert! Offseason Hits Shudder on June 10
Mickey Keating’s OFFSEASON will be available exclusively to stream on the SHUDDER platform starting on Friday, June 10, 2022.
Film Movement Plus Serves Up a Dozen Retro Drive-In Sci-fi Delights
Aficionados of classic science fiction fare, keep watching the skies — or your preferred screens, as Film Movement Plus has unlocked a treasure chest of goodies from the 1950s! From space exploration to Martian Devil Girls to evil brains and beyond, these cinematic gems offer the best available transfers, so they look and sound super sharp. Following is the official press announcement.
Joseph’s Review: Torn Hearts
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Horror icon Brea Grant delivers a great-looking film with one cowboy-boot–wearing foot in modern gothic horror territory and the other in slasher-style fare, loading Nashville music scene chiller Torn Hearts with commentary on the price of fame.
MASTERS OF MAKE-UP EFFECTS Book Brings Readers Behind the Scenes of Making Fright-Fare Magic
Wellbeck Publishing is getting ready to unleash a book for aficionados of horror and fantasy cinema this September that will make jaws drop when it releases Masters of Make-up Effects by Howard Berger & Marshall Julius.
Joseph’s Review: The Passenger (Panic Fest)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Can a misogynistic rideshare driver and a trio of strong-willed women work together to survive a monstrous attack? Spanish horror outing The Passenger attempts to answer that question in a gruesome, fast-paced romp.
Joseph’s Review: “Monstrous”
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Christina Ricci is the main reason to check out this tale of a mother and her young son haunted by something that emerges from a nearby body of water, but Monstrous definitely has other things going for it, as well.
Joseph’s Review: “Revealer” (Panic Fest)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
A peepshow dancer and a religious zealot must try to work together during the apocalypse or suffer abominable fates in this wild eighties-set chiller.
Joseph’s Review: “Legions” (Fantaspoa)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
This Argentinian tale of a sorcerer trying to save his daughter from a diabolical creature is bound to put a lump in your throat as it sends shivers down your spine.
Monsters, Murderers, and Martial Arts Mayhem: The Chattanooga Film Festival’s Virtual Lineup First Wave Is Here!
The Chattanooga Film Festival (CFF) brings another fine assortment of chillers, thrillers, the funny, and the fantastic, to this year’s virtual edition. The fest has announced its first wave of films, and from the frightening (such as The Ones You Didn’t Burn) to the freaky (the found footage mind-bender The Outwaters), CFF has something for genre film aficionados of all kinds.
Joseph’s Calgary Underground Film Festival Reviews: “Luzifer” and “Gatlopp”
Luzifer ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Gatlopp★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews two films from Calgary Underground Film Festival.
Joseph’s Fantaspoa Reviews: “Follow Her,” “Ox-Head Village,” and “Yellow Dragon’s Village”
Follow Her ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Ox-Head Village ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Yellow Dragon’s Village ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews three films from Brazil’s Fantaspoa film festival, all of which are well worth seeking out!
Joseph’s Review: “The Cursed”
****1/2 out of *****
Roma curses! Vicious, shape-shifting monsters! Captivating gothic imagery! Period-piece horror feature The Cursed has all this and much more, resulting in one of the best fear-fare efforts of the year.
Joseph’s SXSW Shorts Reviews: “Moshari, “Homesick,” and “Wild Bitch”
Moshari ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Homesick ★★★ out of ★★★★★
Wild Bitch ★★★ out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews three fine short films from SXSW.
Joseph’s Boston Underground Film Festival Reviews: “Nitram” and “A Family Affair”
Nitram ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
A Family Affair ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews two strong films from Boston Underground Film Festival, Australian true-crime drama “Nitram” and winter-set horror short “A Family Affair.”
Joseph’s Unnamed Footage Festival Reviews: “The Outwaters” and “The Zand Order”
The Outwaters: ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
The Zand Order ★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews two features from San Francisco’s Unnamed Footage Festival, “The Outwaters” and “The Zand Order.”
Joseph’s SXSW Review: “Jethica”
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
A gripping film that finds a fine balance between the terror of having a stalker with dark humor rooted in the supernatural, Jethica is a must-see for fans of well-crafted independent cinema.
Joseph’s SXSW Reviews: “Emergency” and “Blink”
Emergency: ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
as I was during the dark-comedy thriller Emergency. Its trio of protagonists have different views on what the right thing to do in their situation might be, and everything they do seems to get them in deeper and hotter water.
Blink: ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
A young woman named Mary (Sophie Thatcher) wakes up in a hospital bed, paralyzed and only able to communicate with the nurse on duty (Alicia Coppola) by blinking. Full Short included here!
Joseph’s FrightFest Glasgow Reviews: “Mandrake” and “A Cloud So High”
Mandrake ★★★★ out of ★★★★★ Directed by Lynne Davison Blending folk horror with crime and family drama, Mandrake, Lynne Davison’s […]
Trailer Alert! The Innocents
Norwegian creepy-kid chiller “The Innocents” receives a May 13 release from IFC Midnight, and The Scariest Things has the new trailer for you!
Joseph’s MidWest WeirdFest Film Festival Reviews: “Hair-Trigger” and “Reeds Point”
Joseph reviews two films from MidWest WeirdFest: Crime caper/horror outing “Hair-Trigger” and creature feature “Reeds Point.”