The Scariest Things presents a first look at Fantasia premiere THE UNDERTONE.
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
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How is it that babysitting, traditionally the lowest common denominator flexible starter job, is so dangerous? Dooba Dooba is a lo-fi found footage film exploring the perils of a woman babysitting an odd girl full of tricks and dark secrets. If you think you know babysitter horror, think again; this movie has some wild twists. The film creates a moat of anxiety which will have you twitching from the dramatic irony of knowing too much, while the characters head blindly into awful decisions.
★★ out of ★★★★★
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In a slightly dystopian future, Mia Sheldon finds herself imprisoned at home for the crime of having a miscarriage. She has been acquitted of her husband's death, which was ruled a suicide. What opens as a promising premise slides into the overly familiar. Unfortunately, the film dodges what could have been a fascinating sociological critique. House of Ashes contains some humorous and chilling moments, but overall, the film fell a little flat.
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
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The Scariest Things reviews director Nathan Hertz's dark-humored body horror THINESTRA.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
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It Needs Eyes examines the link between the dangers of obsessive and addictive behavior when coping with grief. "It", in this case, is the dark web. Brutal social media requires people to watch the dreadful material to have any power. It has found an addict, corrupting the otherwise innocent Rowan, who is struggling through grief by watching things she should not see. This is a beautiful, slow-burning movie featuring terrific performances from young actresses Raquel Lebish and Isadora Leiva. The film never terrifies, but the story will get under your skin and unnerve you.
★★★★ of ★★★★★
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This is a BRUTAL film with the biggest capital B that there ever was. Revenge with a capital R and blood with another capital B. NOTE: This film is not for the faint of heart!
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
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Alma and the Wolf spins a strange and surprising story that weaves themes of unfulfilled dreams and dark secrets. Ethan Embry, Li Jun Li, and the rest of the cast provide an emotionally poignant and ultimately tragic fable. Part psychological thriller, part folk horror, this film may be the best showcase of Embry's acting chops in his extensive filmography. This movie was the opening film at the Portland Horror Film Festival.
★★★★ of ★★★★★
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28 Years Later is an exceptional cinematic achievement replete with iPhone footage, goat cams, and lots of drone footage. The problem is Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s non-sequitur approach to the film has audiences ending up feeling like they’ve watched three films instead of one. Each act of the film ends up almost being an entirely different film.
The Scariest Things brings you the poster reveal for new horror film THE OBVSERVANCE.
Writer/Director Mitzi Peirone [Braid (2018)] returns with a blood-spattered religious thriller starring Bella Thorne, Ryan Phillippe, and Rebecca DeMornay!
★★★★ of ★★★★★
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Predator: Killer of Killers is the second installment in the reinvigoration of the venerable action/sci-fi/horror franchise, following the 2023 release of Prey. Suffice it to say, the Predator franchise is in good hands. This animated feature picks up the baton from Prey, going back in history to epic battles between the Yautja (Predators, for the uninformed) and warriors of ages past. The production is gloriously illustrated, packed with action, and is written according to the mantra of show, don't tell.
THE MOST DIVERSE HORROR FEST IN THE WORLD TURNS 10!
Our hometown favorite film festival is kicking off its tenth annual showcase of independent horror films. World-renowned for their horror short films and underground horror features from across the globe, The Scariest Things is once again proud to be associated with them. Our team will cover the films, interview the filmmakers, and once again run the Horror Movie Greenlight Pitch experience at the Saturday night closing party, outdoors and under the stars at Dot's Cafe. Be part of the Portland Horror Film Fan community and join us!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Toxic relationships, sexuality, vigilante justice, and meat. Lots of meat.
★★★★★ out of ★★★★★
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Bring Her Back is the sophomore horror feature effort from the Australian Philippou brothers, who two years ago produced the surprise hit Talk To Me. I am happy to report that they have once again delivered a spine-tingling and intense thriller that will haunt your soul for years to come. Sally Hawkins provides a villainess for the ages, and the rest of the young cast become sympathetic pawns in a horrifying possession experiment. The movie is an excellent original story, but you need to be willing to sit through a slow, steady burn and withstand some savage gory moments.
For much of the Scariest Things crew, we are discussing horror movies from our backyard. This is our home turf. The Pacific Northwest is a suitable backdrop for horror, with its often gloomy weather, quirky urban cities, and history of cryptids. Famously, we keep it weird in the PNW, and the movies reflect these tastes.
Are you the type of gamer who enjoys battling hordes of the undead? Do you enjoy strategic scenarios that feel consequential, and every turn feels like life or death? Steam has two new zombie-apocalypse: Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days and Infection Free Zone are two zombie-themed games that will get your pulse pounding. As a bonus, both are relatively inexpensive games that will provide many hours of grim entertainment.
★★★ out of ★★★★★
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Control Freak might be the itchiest movie ever made. Vy Nguyen is a self-help guru on the rise and on the cusp of great fame. Despite her outward confidence, she has developed a nervous habit of scratching the back of her head. The psychological effect is due to a curse handed down to her from her parents, and what starts as an itch threatens to destroy her and everything she has achieved. You will be scratching your head by the end of this movie. (For many reasons)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
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A spectacular documentary style, Lovecraft adjacent, conspiracy driven deep dive into a top secret government project. You have been warned.
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
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A gore-filled, action packed love letter to revenge westerns from days gone by. Entirely shot on 16MM film using gear from the 1960s making the whole film positively drip with vintage style.
Jump Scares are the foundation of so many horror movies. This blast of adrenaline keeps horror fans coming back to the cineplex. Great horror movies, awful horror movies—they all use them. The Scariest Things team discusses our favorite use of the easiest and perhaps most essential trope in the genre.
★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
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Sinners proves positively that Ryan Coogler has mastered the art of making a horror blockbuster. He resides on a short list of directors who can not only deliver stunning artistic achievements, but at the same time knows how to please a demanding audience. Bathed in boozy, bluesy period atmosphere, it represents swampy cool, and celebrates the black experience of black culture in the 1930s Jim Crow South. Already a box office smash, the Academy should start preparing for another horror movie to crash the Oscar party come the next nomination period.
The Scariest Things presents our trailer alert and poster reveal for genre-bender BA.
The Long Walk, one of Stephen King's oldest un-filmed published works, will arrive in September in wide theatrical release. In The Long Walk, 100 young men participate in a walk down US Highway 1. It is a death march for 99 participants and a dream come true for the lone survivor. These contestants are to keep up a pace of three miles per hour or risk a warning. Three warnings, and the attending military patrol will shoot the straggler dead. The intense trailer created plenty of buzz.
Overlook, the great New Orleans Horror Film Festival, has delivered its goods. Long-time Patreon supporter of The Scariest Things, Robyn Marcotte, joined us to share her experiences with Eric and Liz on the festival. More than ever, I found that I didn't have enough time to see nearly enough of the movies. Still, I was able to catch eight feature films and 23 short films. You have to pick and choose, as it is physically impossible to see all the movies. So, it became a bit of a guessing game as to what was going to be the best watch. In this episode, we share our thoughts on everything we did at the Festival.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
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Daydreamers (Nguoi Mat Troi) announces that Vietnamese horror has arrived, boldly and with style. It takes the traditional Western tropes of vampires and packages them in a wholly Vietnamese wrapper. Two vampire brothers have taken different paths in their acceptance of vampirism. The older brother, Marco, revels in the power that is bestowed upon him. His younger brother Nhat seeks freedom from the restrictions and curse of vampirism and seeks to become human again. Themes of family honor, redemption, recovery, betrayal, and forbidden love play strongly throughout the film.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
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Sibling rivalry of the deadly kind abounds in Mexican chiller Don't Leave the Kids Alone. Here is The Scariest Things' review from Calgary Underground Film Festival 2025.
This is a SPOILER description of the tropes in Clown in a Cornfield. It isn't the actual review. Part of the fun with this movie was identifying all of the traditional themes and tropes that Clown in a Cornfield used to build up its story. This link was created so that people who didn't want to get spoiled for the film can avoid divulging the big story beats in the movie. For those of you who like spotting tropes like BINGO, read on! But, with a word of CAUTION, if you are spoiler sensitive.
A link back to the review is provided in this post.
★★★ out of ★★★★★
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Clown in a Cornfield is a return-to-basics teen slasher movie that gets all the little things right, but shares the same narrative limitations as its precedent source material. Sometimes hilarious, often bloody, this adaptation of a popular YA novel by Adam Cesare is tonally pitched still at a younger audience, and will likely be quite popular with the teen scene.
Horror Shorts are often the heartbeat of horror film festivals. They are frequently overlooked by audiences, but not at this year's Overlook Film Festival. Each session was full of horror fans, which was great. Listen in to these emerging directors and writers for insight into how to make festival-worthy films.
★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
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Ash is a big, bombastic science fiction horror film that wears its influences on its sleeves. It offers a thrilling opening sequence and a monstrous conclusion but gets completely lost in its storytelling. Director/composer Flying Lotus crafted lovely psychedelic visuals and composed a soundtrack that thunders with propulsive energy, but unmemorable characters prove to be this film's undoing.