Thursday, October 31

The Fog

Director: John Carpenter

Review: Moody and fun with a fairly thin plot but a deeply effective atmosphere that carries it through.

Watch it if: You've somehow never seen it like I hadn't.

And if you liked: Mandy, The Mist, Halloween

Monday, October 21

Goodrich

Director: Hallie Meyers-Shyer

Review: A little rushed in one or two of its smaller beats but held together well by a charming and affecting central performance.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that fully revolves around its central character, for better or worse.

And if you liked: About a Boy, It's Complicated

Friday, October 18

Joker: Folie à Deux

Director: Todd Phillips

Review: A boring and overlong story with nothing really interesting to hold onto, strung along by flat, meaningless song sequences.

Watch it if: You're that curious.

And if you liked: Joker

Tuesday, October 15

Hellboy: The Crooked Man

Director: Brian Taylor

Review: Held back by its budget and some hokey dialogue but when it works, it works well with some strong ideas and well executed moments.

Watch it if: You're willing to look past a film's limitations.

And if you liked: Hellboy, Hellboy: The Golden Army, Evil Dead Rise, The Witch

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Frenzy

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Review: Runs out of steam as it goes but front loads with some interesting work and some provocative imagery.

Watch it if: You can handle at least one fairly brutal scene.

And if you liked: Peeping Tom, Torn Curtain

Monday, September 9

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Director: Tim Burton
Review: Messy and inconsistent with no real justification for its return but brings a few laughs and fun bits along the way.

Watch it if: You're ok with something feeling like several half-baked concepts stitched together.

And if you liked: Beetlejuice, Wednesday, Coming 2 America

Lisa Frankenstein

Director: Zelda Williams

Review: A little unconfident and could use some more character clarity but delivers a a good amount of fun while going down more gruesome paths than one expects.

Watch it if: You like something that can sneak up on you with its subversion.

And if you liked: Encino Man, Totally Killer, Warm Bodies

Wednesday, August 28

Strange Darling

Director: JT Mollner
Review: Surprising and exhilerating all the way through with a fun approach to storytelling and an impressive central performance.

Watch it if: You're ok with something fairly visceral.

And if you liked: Longlegs, Pearl, Let the Corpses Tan

Alien: Romulus

Director: Fede Alvarez

Review: A good setup and basic throughline completely destroyed by fan-service references and inept actor recreation.

Watch it if: You're ok with something thats themes are completely at odds with how it was made.

And if you liked: Alien, Alien: Resurrection

Monday, August 12

Cuckoo

Director: Tilman Singer

Review: Eerie in the right ways with a story that pulls you in with mystery and an excellent central performance.

Watch it if: You can handle some fairly nasty body horror.

And if you liked: The X-Files, The Brood, Splice