Guillermo del Toro served as executive producer on Andy Muschietti’s Mama an interesting take on a ghost story that also explores the roles of parents, specifically mothers, while fostering some interesting and enjoyable scares with some pretty solid special effects. Sisters Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse) were thought lost when their father took…
Tag: spooky
Disquiet (2023) – Michael Winnick
There are some fun and familiar ideas at work in Michael Winnick’s Disquiet which is getting a limited theatrical run, and VOD release tomorrow, but it just isn’t as strong as it could be. At just under an hour and a half I still felt the editing could have been tighter, and the characters could…
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (2022) – John Lee Hancock
John Lee Hancock adapts the Stephen King short story to the screen and gives us a thoughtful rumination on technology, life, forgiveness, and letting go. Jaeden Martell returns to the King-verse this time as young Craig, a student, a young man who is dealing with the death of his mother, navigating the world of high…
TAD 2022: Canadian Shorts Program
This afternoon, Toronto After DarkWE is showcasing its Canadian Shorts Program at Scotiabank Theatre. Shorts can be a lot of fun because even if you don’t like one, there will be another one along in a few minutes. And whether you like them or not, you can always recognize the quality of work and talent…
Event Horizon (1997) – 4K 25th Anniversary Edition Review
There’s something about Event Horizon. I saw it in the theatre during its original release, and it has stayed with me since that time. Every couple of years I revisit it and enjoy it anew, catching little things and details I may have missed previously and just taking pleasure from a spooky story set in…
‘Salem’s Lot (1975) – Stephen King
I had a tough time with the horror genre when I was a child. My imagination was always much more powerful than any image I may have glimpsed through my fingers and consequently, I couldn’t watch them. But I was intrigued by spooky ideas. It wasn’t until I was 12 going on 13 that I…
Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel (2018) – Stephen Cognetti
Y’know what? I’m not gonna lie. I had a pretty good time with the first film, Hell House LLC, so I figured I would dive into the sequels – I mean it’s the same writer/director through all of them, so we know that no matter how they play out, this is Cognetti’s story the whole…
Millennium (1997) – A Single Blade of Grass, and The Curse of Frank Black
Erin Maher and Kay Reindl deliver the first real misstep of the Millennium television series with A Single Blade of Grass. Originally airing on 24 October, 1997 the story sees Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) travelling to New York City to investigate a body discovered there, on a construction site turned archaeological site turned crime scene….
Mission: Impossible (1966) – Zubrovnik’s Ghost, and Fakeout
Who ya gonna call? Apparently, this time, it’s the IMF team of Rollin (Martin Landau) and Barney (Greg Morris) as I accept the mission from Paramount Pictures to explore Mission: Impossible – The Complete Series on blu-ray. Rollin and Barney are joined by a psychic consultant, Ariana Domi (Martine Bartlett) in Zubrovnik’s Ghost. Written by…
The Conjuring 2 (2016) – James Wan
The second film in the Conjuring series once again focuses on a case investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren (portrayed in the film by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) and unlike the Annabelle stories, these films lean towards the smarter, filled with a well-crafted story, and some legitimate jump scares and actual terror. The film…
The Mind Reels 