Ti West’s Pearl has always stood apart from the rest of the X trilogy—at least for me. While X delivers retro-slasher grit and MaXXXine goes full neon fever dream, Pearl is the one that lodged itself under my skin and refused to leave. Maybe it’s Mia Goth’s fearless, feral performance.
Read MoreMaXXXine (2025) #4KUHD
Second Sight Films has built a reputation for giving modern genre standouts the premium treatment, and their new Limited Edition 4K UHD release of MaXXXine might be one of their most elaborate yet. The studio pulls out all the stops to showcase the glam-soaked, neon-drenched finale of Ti West’s celebrated X trilogy, complete with new artwork, a 120-page book of essays, and a wide slate of newly produced special features that dig into the craftsmanship behind the film. Even though MaXXXine was my least favorite entry in the trilogy, that says more about the sky-high expectations than the film itself
Read MoreSouls of the Damned (2024)
Souls of the Damned, written and directed by Frank Palangi—who also appears in the movie—offers a dive into dark, supernatural themes, but delivers a mixed experience. The premise is intriguing: a group of witches harness the suffering of one man through horrific nightmares. There’s clear ambition in Palangi’s vision, with the story flirting with elements of time loops, witchcraft-induced hallucinations, and surreal horror sequences.
Read MoreWarren County (2025)
Frank Palangi’s Warren County is a lean, unsettling indie horror-thriller that thrives on atmosphere, tension, and a sense of dread creeping through the cracks of small-town life. With a brisk 62-minute runtime, the film wastes no time plunging its audience into a patchwork of serial killings, strange encounters, and unnerving performances that give the quiet New York countryside an aura of menace. The film unfolds as an anthology of interconnected stories, anchored by the voice of “Just Rick,” a true-crime podcaster who tries to piece together the grisly history of murders in the region.
Read MoreShiver Me Timbers (2025)
There’s a fine line between campy fun and cinematic disaster, and Shiver Me Timbers, the feature debut from writer-director Paul Stephen Mann, cannonballs into the latter without much grace. Billed as a gory, comedic reimagining of Popeye with a horror twist, this film misses nearly every mark—hard. Set in 1986 California during the arrival of Halley’s Comet, the plot follows Olive Oyl, her brother Castor, and a group of forgettable friends on a camping trip that goes sideways when a meteor fragment lands in the pipe of a local fisherman.
Read MoreFear Street: Prom Queen (2025)
Welcome back to Shadyside—where the blood never dries and the drama never ends. Fear Street: Prom Queen, the latest installment in the R.L. Stine-inspired series, hits Netflix on May 23, delivering a retro-styled slasher that plays like Carrie meets I Know What You Did Last Summer with a synth-drenched, neon glow-up. Directed by Matt Palmer and co-written with Donald McLeary, Prom Queen dives into the cutthroat world of high school royalty in 1988.
Read MoreClown in a Cornfield (2025)
Eli Craig’s Clown in a Cornfield is the kind of horror movie that knows exactly what it is—and executes with the confidence of a masked killer in broad daylight. Adapted from Adam Cesare’s novel by Craig and Carter Blanchard, the film is a back-to-basics slasher that manages to feel both comfortingly familiar and surprisingly fresh. Set in the economically shattered town of Kettle Springs, the story follows Quinn and her father as they attempt to rebuild their lives following a tragic past.
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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