If you are even remotely witch-pilled, Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale feels like an easy sell. Drop it into spooky season, add a murder mystery, and let a supposedly progressive town slowly reveal its uglier instincts. Consider me hooked. What initially plays as a cozy, small-town crime drama quickly curdles into something more pointed and uncomfortable, using witchcraft less as a genre gimmick and more as a social stress test.
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 MoreThe Haunted Forest: A Cozy Fall Slasher That Loses Its Way in the Woods
There is something inherently charming about a horror movie set inside a haunted attraction. The Haunted Forest taps directly into that seasonal magic, the kind that smells like fog machines, damp leaves, and overpriced cider. From the jump, it understands the appeal. Watching a slasher unfold in a theme park-style haunt is half the fun, and for a good stretch, this thing works exactly the way you want it to.
Read MoreClueless Energy, Earnest Heart: The Way Things Used 2 B
The Way Things Used 2 B wears its heart on its low-rise jeans. Written and directed by Kurstin Moser and Ciara Naughton, the short comedy is a clear love letter to early-2000s rom-coms, leaning hard into nostalgia, character-driven humor, and the comforting predictability of the genre. For anyone who grew up dreaming of kissing Jude Law in a rainy British village or riding off into the sunset with Matthew McConaughey, this one knows exactly who it’s playing to.
Read MoreHello Darkness, My Old Friend: The Strangers Chapter 3 Stumbles to the Finish Line
The Strangers Chapter 3 opens with a cover of The Sound of Silence, beginning with “hello darkness, my old friend,” which feels almost too appropriate considering we are returning to the same story for the third and final time. The screen reads “three years ago” as a young woman walks into a motel lobby. Fans who stuck around through the previous film’s post-credits scene will immediately recognize what is being set up here.
Read MoreDark Winds Season 3: Sand, Spirits, and the Weight of History
By the time Dark Winds reaches its third season, it has nothing left to prove. The series has already secured its place as one of the most confident, atmospheric crime dramas on television, and Season 3 sharpens everything that makes it quietly devastating. This is noir stretched across desert sands, haunted by memory, guilt, and the things that refuse to stay buried.
Read MoreThe Moment Is a Pop Star Panic Attack, and Charli XCX Owns Every Second
Before getting into The Moment, I have to say this upfront. I saw Charli XCX back in 2013 at Filter Magazine’s Showdown at Cedar Street during SXSW. Look at that lineup and tell me that was not an all-timer.
Read MoreGore Verbinski Comes Back Swinging With a Batshit, Brilliant Time-Loop Nightmare
There is a moment early in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die where Sam Rockwell barrels through an 11-page monologue, soaked in sweat, paranoia, grief, and caffeine, and you either buy in completely, or you check out forever. Gore Verbinski knows this. The film knows this. It dares you to get on board, and once you do, it never looks back.
Read More