Damian McCarthy’s Hokum made its world premiere in SXSW’s Midnighter lineup, and from the jump, it announces itself as a horror film deeply committed to vibe. From its opening moments, the film settles into an eerie, funereal atmosphere that never fully lifts, even when the movie briefly pretends it might. This is a haunted hotel story soaked in shadow, dread, and folkloric menace, one that wants to crawl under your skin before yanking the floor out from under you.
Read MoreTrick or Treat Goes for the Jugular in V/H/S/Halloween
There are a lot of horror franchises that limp their way this far into a run. V/H/S is not one of them. Eight films in, V/H/S/Halloween proves this series still understands the assignment.
Read MoreThe Mortuary Assistant Is a Claustrophobic Descent That Knows How to Scare, Even When It Struggles to Surprise
The Mortuary Assistant arrives with a lot of weight behind it. Based on the cult-favorite horror video game and backed by Epic Pictures and Dread, the Shudder-bound adaptation positions itself as an “authentic” translation of one of gaming’s most unnerving experiences. Directed by Jeremiah Kipp, the film is undeniably crafted with care, atmosphere, and a clear respect for its source material—even if it doesn’t always justify its own existence outside of that shadow.
Read MoreA Crowdfunding Collapse: Shelby Oaks and the Horror of Almost Getting There
There is something immediately disarming about Shelby Oaks. It opens with that grainy, mockumentary chill that found footage sickos like me mainline without shame. The kind of setup that feels less like a movie and more like a late-night YouTube rabbit hole you regret clicking on but cannot stop watching.
Read MoreLove, Flesh, and Fracture: Together Lands at Home in Bloody Fashion
NEON has officially brought one of the year’s most talked-about genre hybrids home. Michael Shanks’ body-horror love story Together is now available across all major platforms, including digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray, and DVD. Often described as one of the most fun horror films in recent years, Together turns a quiet night in into something far more disturbing.
Read MoreFrom Fine to Frenzied Perfection: Re-Animator Lives Again
There was a time when Re-Animator didn’t fully click for me. I thought it was good, fun even, but it didn’t immediately register as the genre-defining classic so many swore by. That changed with repeat viewings.
Read MoreThe Toxic Avenger (2023)
Macon Blair’s The Toxic Avenger is both a tribute to Troma’s midnight-movie legacy and a bizarre reinvention that feels like it escaped from the wrong decade. Somehow, it manages to feel like Troma and not like Troma at the same time. It is gruesome, brutal, cheap-looking in an oddly expensive way, and packed with over-the-top performances.
Read MoreThe Ugly Stepsister (2025)
From the very first frame of Emilie Blichfeldt’s feature directorial debut, The Ugly Stepsister, it’s clear that we’re in for something far removed from the polished perfection of Disney’s animated fairy tales—or the chaos of whatever’s happening in The Twisted Childhood Universe. What Blichfeldt delivers instead is a brutal, beautifully crafted, and unsettling reimagining of Cinderella filtered through a lens of body horror, biting satire, and feminist fury. Set in a lush, live-action world that mimics the meticulous detail of a Disney production, The Ugly Stepsister feels like it’s been plucked from a dream—or a nightmare.
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