Jackals Lacks That ‘Cult Of Personality’ To Make it a Memorable Thriller

Belief can be a powerful – and frightening – thing. In part, belief is what makes cults both compelling and the kind of subject matter ripe for horror movies. The charming and manipulative cult leader, apocalyptic visions, and self-destructive tendencies that characterize cults have produced real-life atrocities that have made their way into dozens of […]

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Beast Has Enough Teeth to Offer a Late Summer Diversion

Things are slowly returning to normal at the box office. Maybe it’s not completely ‘back to business’. But the current movie release schedule certainly look like mid- to late-August. If you need some proof look no further than Universal Pictures’ latest release, the Idris Elba-starring survival thriller, Beast. It’s another late summer round of ‘when […]

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Carnage Park A Brutal and Lean Throwback to 70s Survival Horror

Though re-quels – or soft reboot sequels – have been the biggest horror trends over the last few years, a few others have lurked in the background. Yes, Cabin in the Woods hit theaters over a decade ago. Nonetheless, meta-slashers haven’t completely gone out of style. The occasional Giallo-inspired thriller still turns up. And the […]

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The Requin Takes a Bite Out of a Familiar Story

Summer is still months away, but for some reason a blend of killer shark and survival horror-thriller has arrived on VOD platforms. After a small, uncredited appearance in the latest Scream, The Requin marks Alicia Silverstone’s first starring role vehicle in 2022. A mix of Open Water, The Reef, and The Shallows, The Requin marks […]

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Welcome to Racoon City a Glitchy Resident Evil Remake

Good, let alone great, movie adaptations of video games are hard to find. For every Werewolves Within there’s a handful of Alone in the Dark or House of the Dead duds. Though it spawned six movies, the Resident Evil series never won over critics. In fact, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is the highest rated […]

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Prey Can’t Survive Bland Execution of a Familiar Premise

Though survival horror works on a straightforward premise, it’s one ripe for potentially brutal stakes. To date, Deliverance remains a potent early example of the subgenre. In recent years, we’ve seen horror tinker with the narrative in some underrated gems including The Ritual, Downrange, and Killing Ground. And while there’s probably still plenty of straight-to-VOD […]

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Ghosts of Mars: Too Campy Or Not Campy Enough?

Nobody’s perfect. Even the best have an off-day once in a while. Critics and horror fans alike regard John Carpenter as one of the genre’s greatest filmmakers. Certainly, the praise is well placed. Carpenter’s filmography includes bona fide classics – Halloween, The Thing, and Escape From New York. And his smaller movies – Assault on […]

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Great White Bites Off More Than It Can Chew

Summer is almost here and, as movie theatres start re-opening, what better way to kick off the season than a killer shark movie. Though it’s not scheduled for a US release until mid-July, Australian survival horror Great White has surfaced in other markets. And Australians should know something about big sharks. In addition to some […]

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