Horns Up, Guts Out: Deathgasm II Is the Sequel Fans Dreamed Of

September 28, 2026

Ten years after Deathgasm earned its place as a cult horror-comedy classic, Deathgasm II: Goremageddon arrives with one goal: to be bigger, bloodier, louder, and even more ridiculous than its predecessor. Somehow, against all odds, writer-director Jason Lei Howden manages to pull it off. This is not a sequel interested in dialing anything back.

Influence, Identity, and Cults: #VanLife Gets Lost on the Highway

September 24, 2026

I remember first hearing about #VanLife through a random post on Twitter. There was barely any information available, but the marketing confidently called it one of the scariest movies of the year. The images looked striking, and having recently watched the Gabby Petito documentary, I was immediately intrigued by the idea of a horror film built around the culture of vanlife influencers.

Babybacks Is Equal Parts Road Thriller and Backwoods Nightmare

September 24, 2026

I caught Babybacks at the Houston Horror Film Festival, and from its opening moments, it felt like stepping into a different era of horror. Everything about the introduction screams 1990s, right down to the retro title treatment and credit font. It immediately establishes a grimy, throwback atmosphere that fits the film's blend of road thriller, survival horror, and backwoods nightmare.

The Pitchfork Retreat: Horror Royalty, Anthology Chaos, and One Hell of a Payoff

September 24, 2026

There are few things more appealing to horror fans than a cast list packed with familiar faces, and The Pitchfork Retreat certainly delivers on that front. Screening at Houston Horror Film Festival 2026, the latest production from Fuzz on the Lens Productions assembles what feels like an entire convention guest roster under one roof. Nearly every scene introduces another recognizable genre veteran, from Tony Todd and Danielle Harris to Dee Wallace, Andrew Divoff, and a seemingly endless parade of horror personalities.

Until You’re Alone: A Love Letter to Giallo That Nearly Loses Its Edge

September 24, 2026

Seen at the Houston Horror Film Festival 2026, Until You're Alone is a film that wears its influences proudly. Writer-director Christopher Wesley Moore crafts a loving homage to Hitchcock, De Palma, and especially the Italian giallo tradition, delivering a murder mystery that is often stylish, occasionally hilarious, and consistently engaging, even when its pacing threatens to derail the experience. The film follows an architect who becomes the prime suspect in a string of brutal murders and reluctantly teams up with a free-spirited sex worker to uncover the truth before they become the next targets.

Hollow Lake Is the Queer Slasher We’ve Been Waiting For

September 17, 2026

Seen as a secret screening at the Houston Horror Film Festival 2026, Hollow Lake was one of those pleasant surprises that remind you why festivals are so much fun in the first place. Going in, all we knew was that it was the latest film from Troy Escamilla, the filmmaker behind Party Night, Mrs. Claus, and Teacher Shortage. Coming out, it felt like we had witnessed a filmmaker take a genuine leap forward.

Sundown Turns Family Trauma Into Effective Found Footage Horror

September 17, 2026

Found footage horror isn't exactly starving for haunted house stories. In fact, Sundown arrives carrying many of the same narrative fingerprints that helped make Paranormal Activity a phenomenon years ago. Yet while the film rarely reinvents the formula, it succeeds where many of its contemporaries fail by grounding its supernatural scares in believable performances, genuine family conflict, and a surprisingly effective emotional core.

The Barn Part III: Bigger, Bloodier, and Further From Its Roots

September 17, 2026

I caught The Barn Part III at Houston Horror Film Festival 2026, and going in, I found myself in an interesting spot with the franchise. I absolutely adored the original The Barn, but I never connected with Part II the same way. Maybe that left me with lowered expectations, or maybe it simply made me more hopeful that Justin M. Seaman could recapture some of the magic that made the first film such a lovable slice of Halloween horror.

If Trees Could Talk Turns a True Crime Mystery Into a Human Portrait

September 17, 2026

For more than thirty years, the murders of Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers have remained one of the most debated and emotionally charged cases in American true crime. Since the boys were found murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, in May of 1993, countless books, documentaries, televised specials, and online investigations have attempted to answer the same question: who killed the three boys in Robin Hood Hills? While films like Paradise Lost, West of Memphis, and Devil's Knot helped define public perception of the case, If Trees Could Talk takes a different approach.

Looky-Loo: Part II - A Killer Sequel That Knows You're Watching

September 15, 2026

I caught Looky-Loo: Part II at the 2026 Houston Horror Film Festival, and while I enjoyed the first film well enough, voyeurism horror has never really been my bag. I've always appreciated what films in that space are trying to accomplish, but they rarely grab me the way they do some genre fans. That's exactly why this sequel came as such a pleasant surprise.

Dating Is the Apocalypse in Floating Carousel's Hilariously Twisted New York Odyssey

September 15, 2026

Modern dating has become one of cinema's favorite punching bags, but few films capture its specific absurdities quite like Delilah Napier and Lucy Powers' Floating Carousel. On the surface, it's a dark comedy about a collection of twenty-somethings stumbling through New York City's increasingly bizarre dating landscape. Underneath, it's a sharply observed portrait of loneliness, transactional relationships, and the strange social gray areas that define modern romance.

Babystar: Growing Up in Public Is a Nightmare

September 14, 2026

Despite being marketed as a drama, Joscha Bongard's Babystar plays like a horror film in every sense of the word. There are no masked killers, supernatural threats, or sudden shocks lurking around corners, yet the film generates a constant sense of unease that never truly lets go. Its terror comes from something far more recognizable: a childhood sacrificed for content, a family dynamic warped by profit, and a teenager slowly realizing that the life she has been living was never really hers to begin with.

Review

Human: A Wild Ride Into Digital-Age Madness

There is something inherently voyeuristic about Human. Before a single supernatural element enters the picture, before the blood starts flowing and before reality completely unravels, Matt Stuertz's latest horror film invites viewers into the private digital life of its protagonist.

Crawlers: Eight Legs, One Note

There is something undeniably primal about spider horror. It does not matter how many creature features have come before it; seeing a spider lurking just outside a character's line of sight is often enough to make an audience squirm. Crawlers, directed by Ángel Gómez Hernández, understands that instinctive fear and milks it for several effective sequences.

Growing Older, Not Necessarily Happier: Not Dead Yet Finds Humor in Life's Second Act

Premiering at the Hamptons International Film Festival, Not Dead Yet arrives with its heart firmly in the right place. Directed by Eric Weber and Nick Weber, the film follows Elliot Kelman, a veteran advertising executive who finds himself pushed aside by a culture increasingly obsessed with youth. After being ousted from the industry that once defined him, Elliot joins forces with a group of fellow seniors in the Hamptons to launch a new venture and prove that life doesn't stop once you reach a certain age.

Beautiful Decay: Heat of Madness Struggles Beneath Its Striking Imagery

Seen at the Sitges International Film Festival, Karim Ouelhaj's Heat of Madness arrives carrying considerable expectations. The filmmaker's previous feature, Megalomaniac, earned significant acclaim on the festival circuit, and this latest effort once again plunges viewers into a bleak, morally decayed world where reality and hallucination bleed together. The film follows Scola, a small-time criminal desperate to secure one last score before becoming a father.

#VYMARA: When Influencer Horror Forgets to Influence

For a film built around internet culture, #VYMARA spends a surprising amount of time reminding audiences that trends change fast, but horror clichés stick around forever. Written and directed by Paul Bukoskey, the influencer-driven horror-comedy drops a group of washed-up content creators into the woods on a quest to uncover the truth behind a missing YouTuber and an online conspiracy. It is a premise that feels tailor-made for the modern era, combining livestream culture, social media obsession, and found footage horror into a package designed for an audience raised on YouTube rabbit holes and TikTok doomscrolling.

Finding the Magic in the Canyon: Hana Mae Lee and Hal Satin on Magick Mtn.

Some interviews are over before you know it. Others feel like they've only just started when the clock runs out. My conversation with Hana Mae Lee and Hal Satin fell squarely into the latter category.

The Heart Beneath the Horror: Ben Sottak and Milly Shapiro on Hallowarrior

There are plenty of horror films set during Halloween, but very few truly capture the feeling of the season. Ben Sottak's feature directorial debut, Hallowarrior, manages to do exactly that. Blending post-apocalyptic survival, home invasion thrills, coming-of-age drama, and plenty of Halloween atmosphere, the film feels like a love letter to the holiday while still delivering genuine emotion and crowd-pleasing horror.

Renny Harlin Brings Heart to the Driver's Seat in The Beast

There are few filmmakers as synonymous with action cinema as Renny Harlin. Across a career that has included films like Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, and The Long Kiss Goodnight, Harlin has built a reputation for delivering large-scale spectacle without losing sight of the people at the center of the chaos. Speaking with him about The Beast, that commitment to character quickly emerged as the driving force behind his latest film.

Michael McDonald Finds the Funny in Hell with Portal to Hell

For many viewers, Michael McDonald will always be associated with comedy. Whether it was his unforgettable work on MADtv, scene-stealing television appearances, or countless comedic performances over the years, he's spent decades making audiences laugh. That's what makes his appearance as David Pepperdine in Portal to Hell such an interesting turn.

Inside Sick: Agata Trzebuchowska's Unsettling Coming-of-Age Nightmare

Few films at this year's festival circuit have left audiences as shaken, confused, fascinated, and engaged as Agata Trzebuchowska's debut feature, Sick. Equal parts body horror, coming-of-age story, and family drama, the film dives headfirst into uncomfortable territory, challenging viewers while encouraging them to sit with feelings they might otherwise avoid. After watching Sick, I had the opportunity to speak with Trzebuchowska about the ideas behind the film, and it quickly became one of the most enjoyable conversations I've had all festival season.

Fans Climb the Valley Once Again: New Soulbound TikTok Preview Builds Excitement for the Series' Next Era

As Soulbound continues building momentum toward its next season, another intriguing preview has emerged, this time in the form of a TikTok video that is generating discussion among fans despite offering very little explanation. The video, uploaded just three days ago, carries no formal title. Instead, it is identified only by the hashtags #climbthevalley and #indieanimation, a fitting choice for a series centered on souls struggling to grow, heal, and uncover the truths hidden within Astral Valley.