Writer/director Nia DaCosta updates the Candyman story, by making a direct sequel to the classic 1992 film, and giving the narrative a new spin as it expands on the legend of Candyman, and ties it into the continuing cycle of prejudice and racial violence. The whole film is about reflections, perspective, and narrative, as up-and-coming…
Tag: bloody
Talk to Me (2022) – Danny and Micheal Philippou
The Philippou brothers deliver a fantastic Australian horror film with Talk to Me, creepy, smart, layered, and relatable characters make this one to watch, and get freaked out over. Something is sweeping the social media of the kids in a town in Australia, parties built around a ritual involving an embalmed hand, candles, and ninety…
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) – Eli Craig
Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk star in this horror-comedy that puts the murderous hillbilly horror trope on its ear. A group of annoying college kids, led by Allison (Katrina Bowden) and Chad (Jesse Moss) are headed up into the woods for a weekend of debauchery but are extremely creeped out when they come across a…
Renfield (2023) – Chris McKay
Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, and Awkwafina star in Chris McKay’s bloody, hilarious, and over-the-top love letter to the supporting character of the original Dracula story, Renfield, including some wonderful homages to the original 1931 film. It’s modern-day America and Renfield (Hoult) has relocated Dracula (Cage) yet again to hide him from those who would hunt…
TIFF ’23: Hell of a Summer
Long-time friends Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk share directing, producing, writing and starring credits in their enjoyable and goofy riff on camp slasher films. It’s summer, and Camp Pineaway is gearing up for another round of campers and counsellors. In fact, the counsellors gather the weekend before camp opens to prepare, get reacquainted, drunk, high,…
Sharksploitation (2023) – Stephen Scarlata
Sharks. Since Peter Benchley’s iconic 1974 novel, Jaws, they have been a ready-to-use monster for Hollywood moviemakers. With Steven Spielberg’s big-screen adaptation of the novel, sharks became the ‘it thing’ for films. However, they were arguably already on their way to being cast as the baddie thanks to some casting in the 60s Bond films….
Evil Dead Rise (2023) – Lee Cronin
Lee Cronin wrote and directed Evil Dead Rise a nice new spin on the classic horror franchise that promises the ultimate in grueling horror. As much as I love the originals, and Bruce Campbell, I love that the new films have eschewed some of the comedic elements and really leaned into the brutal gore and…
Extraction II (2023) – Sam Hargrave
So despite the crap shape Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is at the end of the first film, he gets rescued, saved, and rehabilitated. In fact, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani) retires him to Austria in a little cabin by the lake, but when an unnamed man (Idris Elba) shows up and offers him a job, one with…
Logan (2017) – James Mangold
With Mangold’s take on Indiana Jones causing divisiveness in the theatres, I thought it was maybe time to revisit Logan, his take on an older Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), and was delighted as I settled into this dark, violent, and bloody R-rated Marvel movie to find that it’s more or less the Marvel Universe take on…
Cocaine Bear (2023) – Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks settles into the director’s chair again and delivers a mostly entertaining comedy thriller, which is loosely based on a true story, Cocaine Bear. Featuring an all-star cast led by Keri Russell, the film swings from working brilliantly to just falling a little flat. But damn if Banks doesn’t swing for the fences. There…
The Mind Reels 