MCVEIGH is a chilling portrait of homegrown extremism that requires a little homework
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
With April marking the 30th anniversary of the bombings, McVeigh could have been the film we need right now.
CONTROL FREAK is a tense, itchy exploration of mental illness and trauma
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
Kelly Marie Tran stars as Val, a motivational speaker preparing for a major tour who develops a compulsive urge to scratch the back of her head.
Cozy horror-comedy FOR SALE BY EXORCIST has a good heart beating beneath its floorboards
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
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British chiller THE BABY IN THE BASKET looks beautiful but struggles to scare
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
The Baby in the Basket doesn’t add a lot to the religious horror subgenre, but its strong cinematography and performances elevate it far above a lot of low-budget fare.
BLACKWATER LANE struggles to stay afloat with predictable mystery and cliché-ridden scares
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
Director Jeff Celentano’s Blackwater Lane crams enough tricks in to try and fill the film’s runtime, but the end package still feels empty.
THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF is Hammer's unholy (and heartbreaking) cousin to THE WOLF MAN
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
The Curse of the Werewolf—Hammer’s only werewolf movie—would prove a very different beast to The Wolf Man.
Best of 2024: Samantha McLaren's Top 10 movies
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
According to Letterboxd, I’ve watched 263 films so far this year. Of those, 211 are horror movies, many of them new releases. And why not?
Back to the Future—How BLACKADDER: BACK & FORTH helped bring Britain into the new millennium
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
It’s been 25 years since a British Y2K project brought a new ending to the beloved comedy series Blackadder.
GET AWAY is a clever send-up of folk horror with a killer cast
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
Imagine being so British that you bumble your way into a folk horror film because you’re too awkwardly polite to heed all the red flags along the way.
YOU ARE NOT ME hides holiday horror inside a compelling LGBTQ+ family drama
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
For all the tinsel and talk of good cheer, the holidays are often fraught with tension—doubly so if you’re a queer person whose family has never quite accepted you for who you are.
THE BEAST OF WALTON ST. pairs practical werewolf effects with a gritty queer lead
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
If you’re looking for a good old-fashioned werewolf movie with a festive feel, you might want to ask Father Christmas for a copy of The Beast of Walton St., releasing just in time for the holiday season.
Grotesqueries Week: Beyond the scope of accepted reality – BANSHEE CHAPTER finds cosmic horror in conspiracy
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
By layering conspiracies behind conspiracies, Erickson’s film gradually reveals an otherworldly plot disguised by human atrocities and deception.
MEMBERS CLUB sends blood and penises flying as male strippers face off against an ancient witch
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
There’s something a little bit special about films willing to lean all the way into a fundamentally silly premise. British horror-comedy Members Club is one such film, gyrating its way through 90 minutes of genitals-based plot with a goofy grin on its face
Goblins Week: What’s Ours – Exploring Anglo-Irish tensions through goblins in UNWELCOME
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
Unwelcome shows us that Ireland’s story goes back further than the people who fight over it, and it’s still being written.
THE EXORCISM OF SAINT PATRICK is a quiet descent into an all-too-real hell
by Samantha McLaren, Staff Writer
The film’s title might be reminiscent of a dozen jumpscare-laden knock-offs of The Exorcist (dir. William Friedkin, 1973), but The Exorcism of Saint Patrick is more concerned with letting us get to know Pat and Trick than it is with raising the viewer’s heart rate.