The Sun Down Motel (2020) – Simone St. James

The Sun Down Motel is a fantastically creepy and thrilling novel from Simone St. James. The novel follows two storylines concurrently bouncing back and forth between the years 1982 and 2017, culminating in a white-knuckle climax that is satisfying, engaging, and sneaks quite comfortably into Stephen King territory. In November 1982 Vivian arrived in Fell,…

1922 (2017) – Zak Hilditch

Thomas Jane stars in the Zak Hilditch helmed and adapted version of Stephen King’s novella, 1922. Wilfred James (Jane) is a proud farmer in middle America, where he lives with his son, Henry (Dylan Scmid) and his wife who has bigger dreams than living on a farm, Arlette (Molly Parker). With Arlette’s land, added to…

Fringe (2011) – Immortality, and 6B

Immortality takes us back to the other side in this episode written by David Wilcox and Ethan Gross. It first aired on 11 February, 2011. Broyles (Lance Reddick) seems to be missing so Lincoln (Seth Gabel) is in charge of Fringe Division, just as a new and horrifying case comes along and Fauxlivia’s (Anna Torv)…

Insidious: The Last Key (2018) – Adam Robitel

The final (?) installment of the Insidious films brings us full circle. It takes place shortly after the events of the third film and ends leading us into the events of the first. Elise (Lin Shaye), Specs (Leigh Whannell), and Tucker (Angus Sampson) are all back delving into an investigation into Elise’s own past. Whannell…

Insidious (2010) – James Wan

Director James Wan, and writer Leigh Whannell’s Insidious is a fairly solid ghost story, though it took me forever to come around to it. My first experience seeing it was in the theatre, where I couldn’t get over how a couple in front of me was scared by everything that was happening on the screen….

Crimson Peak (2015) – Guillermo del Toro

The first time I watched del Toro’s gothic tale I didn’t pay attention as much as I should and consequently, I grew bored with it. The advertising had made it look more akin to a horror film which is what I thought I wanted. I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of lurid colors, and what…

The Frighteners (1996) – Peter Jackson

Michael J. Fox takes the lead in what was Peter Jackson’s first big studio film, with Bob Zemeckis serving as executive producer. While some of the special effects have not stood the test of time, it remains a fun film, trying to walk that balance between horror and comedy. Frank Bannister (Fox) is a con…

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) – Sam Raimi

Sam Raimi returns to the superhero genre and tinges it with his sense of horror with Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Benedict Cumberbatch returns as the titular Strange as well as multiple versions of the famed sorcerer as he confronts a danger that threatens the whole of the multiverse. Raimi brings his…

TAD 2021: Post Mortem dir. Peter Bergendy

Toronto After Dark delivers it’s first spectral tale of the festival, with the beautifully crafted Hungarian film, Post Mortem from director Peter Bergendy. This one, has all the trappings of a classic ghost story, and does it right, well, and without going overboard on the visual effects. Tomas (Viktor Klem) is recovering from a near…