Recent musings…
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The Adams Family conjures a poetic folk tale in MOTHER OF FLIES – Fantastic Fest 2025
Mother of Flies is haunting yet tranquil. The worlds that the Adams’ create are always moody, mysterious, and so cleverly constructed as to not show the seams of their impressively homegrown horrors.
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The Siberian Ripper’s sinister story is retold in NO TEARS IN HELL
Michael Caissie’s No Tears in Hell is no Netflix special. Inspired by the crimes of Russian serial killer Alexander Spesivtsev, also known as The Siberian Ripper, the film follows Alex (Luke Baines) as he prowls the streets to satiate his violent urges.
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SELF DRIVER is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride where every life has a price tag
Self Driver takes the frustrations caused by these conditions and elevates them into an edge-of-your-seat thriller and asks the question of how far one will go for the paycheck.
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THE SEVERED SUN is a serviceable folk tale full of vengeance- Review
Dean Puckett’s directorial debut takes a critical look at these forgotten otherworldly forces that still lurk in the shadows on lands overrun by the Church.
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‘Center Stage and the world of ballet 25 years later’ – Editorial | MovieJawn
ust a few years before my own beginnings as a ballet dancer, director Nicholas Hytner premiered a film that would become a seminal comfort watch for bunheads everywhere. Although Center Stage released to lukewarm and mixed reviews that highlighted soapy plots and rushed arcs, commendable care went into providing viewers with a film that delivered…
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‘Jack Quaid and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are an unlikely but endearing pair in Neighborhood Watch’ – Review | MovieJawn
It’s safe to say that self-doubt is a universal experience. There’s something within each of us that causes us to question, worry, and fear. For some, these scrutinizing inner voices have a face. This is quite literally the case for Simon (Jack Quaid), a young man struggling with schizophrenia, in new crime thriller Neighborhood Watch.
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‘Writer-Director Joanna Tsanis and stars Konstantina Mantelos and Adam Tsekhman discuss The Killgrin’ – Interview | MovieJawn
Lately, at least in my corner of the world, it seems that tragedy is relentlessly following us all. Sometimes the best therapy is sitting down with a film that is grappling with these personal issues that can feel larger than life. The Killgrin is the newest psychological-monster flick that does just that. I had the…
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‘Director Joanna Tsanis turns grief into a tangible horror in The Killgrin’ – Review | MovieJawn
If you are one of the millions of people in the world that suffer from depression or anxiety disorders, then you know how infuriating it is to hear phrases like, “cheer up,” “it’s all in your head,” or the dreaded, “just relax!” The human mind is a powerful place, and the horror genre has been…
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‘Why Christine Is MORE Than Just A Killer Car Movie’- Video Essay | JoBlo Horror Originals
The horror genre is littered with haunted objects. Anything under the sun could be the subject of a good popcorn thriller, whether it is cursed video tapes in chilling films like The Ring, possessed furniture in low budget comedies like Killer Sofa, or wind up toys that decide the fates of the characters in The…
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Historical drama and vampiric horrors collide in SINNERS – Review
Guilt and sin are poisonous elements ingrained into the soil of America. In a true Southern Gothic fashion, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is a tale of sinister events that are bred from poverty, alienation, and violence. Set in the Jim Crow era Mississippi delta, the birthplace of post-Confederate disenfranchisement of Black Americans, the bitterness left by…
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A beloved fairytale is twisted beyond recognition in THE UGLY STEPSISTER – Review
Hidden under the hopefulness of a rags-to-riches Cinderella story has always been a poisonous jealousy and greed. So many versions exist and whether you are familiar with Perrault’s introduction of the glass slippers, the wickedness of the Brothers Grimm retelling, or simply a fan of the whimsy of Disney’s film adaptation, the tale typically follows…
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Eternal Inferno (Short) – Review
There is nothing more heartbreaking than being hurt by someone you trust. This is, unfortunately, a stark reality for many young women and girls and the work of Mexican filmmaker Alexandra Carlota Velasco forces audiences to confront that reality. Premiering at this past Final Girls Berlin Film Festival, Velasco’s latest short film Eternal Inferno is…
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Pearl – Video Essay | JoBlo
Ti West channels the essence of ‘70s and ‘80s horror films through his extreme attention to detail when it comes to production design, as well as his frequent use of natural lighting and minimalist sound design. Films such as The Roost (2005), The House of the Devil (2009), and In a Valley of Violence (2016)…
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Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse – Review
Children are our future. Although how involved the process should be is often not uniform across various cultural and social lines, every generation is tasked with paving the path for the next generation to carry on society–or so we would hope. Coming-of-age experiences differ whether you were raised to be a latchkey kid or if…
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Cannibal Mukbang – Review | MovieJawn
Cannibalism is hard for many audiences to stomach. Visceral depictions of teeth biting into human flesh can still get under the skins of even some of the most seasoned horror fans. From the thrillers that rose during the “Cannibal Boom” of the 1970s and ‘80s–often featuring cannibalistic tribes and families in a way that enforced…
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The Cell (2000) – Video Essay | JoBlo
25 years ago, director Tarsem Singh did just that and embarked on a bold mission to literally go inside the mind of a criminal by masterfully morphing a crime thriller into surrealist sci-fi horror in The Cell
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Borderline – Review | Offscreen Central
Writer of hilarious genre films like Cocaine Bear and The Babysitter, Jimmy Warden is back but this time he is in the director’s chair with a comedy-thriller about a delusional stalker and a pop-star who just wants to survive.
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Final Girls Berlin Film Festival: Wrap Up! | MovieJawn
“The tenth annual Final Girls Berlin Film Festival is in the books. As our world continues to evolve, as progress is met with regression, and unpacking our existence means exposing new wounds, a film space like Final Girls Berlin continues to be a beacon of light and a hopeful reminder of the ways women and…
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Final Girls Berlin Film Festival: Pop Horror/Carnivalesque Shorts Block – Review | MovieJawn
“To be completely honest, before Final Girls Berlin, I would not be able to tell you what was considered “pop horror.” A succinct definition still evades me, but that seems to be the beauty of the tastefully curated Pop Horror/Carnivalesque shorts block–it is a fantastical arrangement of oopy-goopy and sickly sweet treats like the concession…
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Final Girls Berlin Film Festival: Life Cycles Shorts Block – Review | MovieJawn
This year marks the 10th annual Final Girls Berlin Film Festival, a trailblazing festival showcasing the work of women and nonbinary folks in the genre space. Between talks, workshops, features and over 11 different shorts blocks, Final Girls Berlin 2025 is a feast. I was lucky enough to cover a few of the shorts blocks,…
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