In the beginning, there were the action figures.
Author: Tony Kay
Backrooms gets the liminal horror balance right
Liminal horror, to be certain, is enjoying a moment.
Mārama: A Mesmerizing SIFF 2026 Award winner gets a proper run
Whether they’re trying or not, most horror movies reflect the times in which they’re made.
Not surprisingly, the increased prominence of a certain toxic orange monster—and the Pandora’s Box of ignorance, cruelty, and racism said monster threw wide open about a decade ago—has inspired a lot of genre cinema that gives voice to the frustrations and fears of the disenfranchised.
Faces of Death: a flawed meta horror overcomes its faults with solid scares
Faces of Death (2026 | USA | 98min | Daniel Goldhaber) For an entire generation, 1978’s Faces of Death became the most …
Undertone brims with promise, but it’s undercooked
Horror movies often tap into the intersection of mortality and grief with a disarming fidelity seldom present in more literal-minded, non-scary mainstream movies. It’s one of many reasons I love the genre. Alongside the rollercoaster endorphin rush and dark escapism that draw me inexorably to them, the best horror films also serve as catharsis of the most profound variety.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die: rescuing the world from AI dystopia, one diner visit at a time
Gore Verbinski’s latest movie turns out to be an imaginative, funny, and surprisingly affecting sci-fi adventure.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple ups the chills and the gore
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple ( 2026 | United Kingdom | 109 minutes | Nia DaCosta) 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple …
Tony’s (very belated list of) Favorite Films of 2025
As the year winds to a close, we’re sharing lists of our favorite films we’ve seen (so far).
Black Phone 2 rings true…some of the time
Black Phone 2 (2025 | USA | 114 minutes | Scott Derrickson) The Black Phone, writer/director Scott Derrickson’s thriller about a young …
Is it Worth it to Pay Attention to Him?
Him (2025 | USA | 96 minutes | Justin Tipping) Not to mix sports metaphors, but if nothing else Him, the feature …