With the big studios postponing their major horror releases because of the Pandemic, there is a rare opportunity this year for a low budget, indie horror movie to dominate this Halloween. Kamikaze Dogfight and Gravitas Ventures, known for recognizing budding talent in genre filmmaking, are throwing their latest slasher flick Chop Chop into this mix, with the VOD release of Rony Patel's feature directorial debut on October 20th. Chop Chop tries to live up to the cool, suspenseful horror films of the early 2000s, but it quickly loses its edge.
Read MorePossessor Uncut (2020)
Confident, stylish, and esoteric, writer/director Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor is also one of the most gruesomely violent pictures I’ve seen in some time. That should maybe come as no surprise, considering his father is the legendary David Cronenberg, master of the body horror flick. However, Brandon proves he is a filmmaker capable of harnessing his own aggressively brutal vision here. Beware, light spoilers ahead involving plot details.
Read MoreQueen & Slim (2019)
Melina Matsoukas, known mostly for her work on music videos and television, breaks out as a powerful new director with her feature film debut, Queen & Slim. This romance turned road-tripping crime drama has been described as "the black Bonnie and Clyde", but these complex characters were a lot closer to Thelma and Louise. While on a disappointing first date, Slim and Queen are driving home when an encounter with an aggressive police officer during a routine traffic stop turns tragic.
Read MoreImmortal (2019)
What would you do if you were able to almost instantly heal from any wound, up to and including death? An existential dark fantasy anthology with an excellent cast of seasoned performers, Immortal takes a fantastical conceit and explores it from different perspectives. Each segment is helmed by a different director, but the tone remains consistent thanks to being the work of a single scripter and DP.
Read MoreThe Good Things Devils Do (2020)
Low budget chills reside uncomfortably with pronounced silliness in Jess Norvisgaard’s directorial debut, The Good Things Devils Do. The fledgling filmmaker has mostly worked in the camera department up to this point, but in addition to directing, he’s credited as executive producer and the sole screenwriter here. He lined up some horror fan favorites to headline, so I was excited to check it out.
Read MoreAn American Werewolf in London (1981) #RetroReview
John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London from 1981 has to be in the conversation for greatest werewolf movie of all time. I’d also say it’s one of the best horror films of the ‘80s, a decade that’s absolutely saturated with genre classics. Notably, the massively impressive practical effects are so good that they won the first-ever Oscar for Best Makeup.
Read MoreThe Monster Squad (1987) #RetroReview
Fred Dekker’s The Monster Squad was released on this day in 1987. Considering it’s basically The Goonies meets the Universal Monsters, I instantly became a fan. If you’ve never seen it before, it has a handful of aspects that may shock modern viewers, but these aspects are what place the movie firmly in cult film territory as opposed to the children’s classic milieu.
Read MoreHomewrecker (2019)
It isn't often when two female leads get to collaborate with their director to write their own film. Alex Essoe and Precious Chong co-wrote the script for Homewrecker with director Zach Gayne, but unfortunately, this deranged comedy-thriller falls short of becoming the horror satire it wanted to be. Interior designer Michelle meets cute with Linda at their shared fitness classes and coffee shops.
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