Bride of Chucky (1998) – Ronny Yu

Don Mancini pens a script that takes Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif) in a whole new direction. This one definitely leans into comedy and is very self-aware. Directed by Ronny Yu, who would direct Freddy vs. Jason a few short years later, there is a lot of fun to be had in this entry. The…

Child’s Play 3 (1991) – Jack Bender

The third film in the Child’s Play franchise followed very quickly on the heels of the second film, something screenwriter Don Mancini wasn’t happy about. He’d barely finished writing two when he had to dive into creating the third. And he says the third film is his least favourite because of it. The narrative leaps…

Child’s Play 2 (1990) – John Lafia

I must have seen Child’s Play 2 early in the 90s, one of my free rentals when I was working at a video store. But I hadn’t watched it since. But feeling a itch that needed a scratch I decided to dig into the franchise. Child’s Play 2 sees poor Andy (Alex Vincent) put in…

Strange Harvest (2024) – Stuart Ortiz

So this found footage film, slipped by me. But when I came across it on streaming, I figured I would dig in. Once again, the phrase found footage doesn’t help to sell this one. It’s actually designed, production-wise to look like a well-made true crime documentary. The details to make it feel like a doc…

Dangerous Animals (2025) – Sean Byrne

Jai Courtney is chewing all the scenery in a wonderfully over-the-top performance in Dangerous Animals. In it, he plays Bruce Tucker, a psychopathic serial killer who uses sharks as his weapon. Set in Australia, Tucker runs a tour boat that takes people swimming with sharks. When he chooses his victims, he chums, and then hooks…

Frailty (2001) – Bill Paxton

I miss Bill Paxton. Sure, I never actually got to meet the man, but I loved his work. And It has been forever since I watched his film Frailty, so why not a revisit? Damn, this one is still a solid film. Mr. Meiks (Matthew McConaughey) comes to see FBI agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe)….

Woman of the Hour (2023) – Anna Kendrick

Anna Kendrick’s feature film debut gives a chilling look at how women have to be aware of everything all the time, as she brings to the screen a true story of a serial killer and rapist, and his unlikely appearance on The Dating Game and may be the bachelor Sheryl (Kendrick) chooses from the three…

Longlegs (2024) – Osgood Perkins

I really wanted to see this one in the theaters, but I could never make it work with my schedule, so when it finally popped up on a streaming service, I was all in. Immediately. And I loved it. It’s spooky, freaky, and Osgood Perkins masterfully frames his images. He makes use of negative space…

TIFF24: I, the Executioner dir. Ryoo Seung-wan

I, the Executioner is the follow-up to Seung-wan’s Veteran. I hadn’t seen it, and I loved this one. So don’t let that hold you back from checking this one out. South Korean action films and police thrillers are always engaging, and they aren’t afraid to get dark. Veteran cop, Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) works in the…

The Bone Collector (1999) – Phillip Noyce

Denzel Washington brings Jeffrey Deaver’s brilliant detective Lincoln Rhymes to life in Phillip Noyce’s big-screen version of The Bone Collector. Haunted by the moment he became a quadriplegic, Rhymes is an ex-homicide detective who is planning for his final transition, an assisted suicide, much against the wishes of his caregiver, Thelma (Queen Latifah). When one…