Toying with nature rarely works out successfully for even the most well-meaning of scientists in horror and science fiction films, and this axiom holds true in Action Media Productions’ engrossing short film Painkiller. As the film opens, a young scientist (Thomas Mendolia) tells a mysterious visitor (Jerry Janda, who also wrote the screenplay) about how […]
Author: Joseph Perry
“Re-Kill” (2015): Bullets, Bombs, and Bites Galore Give Way to Deja Vu in This Zombie Offering
Horror filmmakers continue to consistently crank out zombie films at a rather rapid pace. These movies usually find at least a core audience that will give them a try but many viewers are burnt out on the subgenre. For every decent offering that comes along, there are several others that fall short. Re-Kill falls between […]
“Intruders” (2016): Home Invasion Thriller Delivers Suspense and Unexpected Twists
“You’re an odd bird,” a potential robber tells agoraphobic Anna as he tries to figure out why she didn’t contact the police after he and his two partners break into her house while she is there. The same can be said for director Adam Schindler’s thriller Intruders. For the first 20 minutes or so, the […]
“Seiren” (2015): Succumb to This Short Shocker’s Eerie Call
Fashion model Abigail (Sayla Vee de Goede) is having an enjoyable time doing a photo shoot on the beach until she is bitten by something in the water in the short horror film Seiren. After returning home, she checks her wound, which looks quite unlike anything a fish might make. She passes out and seems […]
Joseph Perry’s Top 10 Horror Films of 2015
Narrowing down a list of my favorite fright flicks for this year was not an easy task, thanks to what I consider a bumper crop of scare fare. The year was buoyed by some solid creature features tailor-made for a monster kid like me as well as a few strong supernatural entities – er, I […]
The Worst Horror Films of 2015: From Those with Squandered Potential to the Banal and Bland
I have the good fortune to be unable to put together a complete list of 10 of the worst horror films I have seen this year! This is mostly by design, as I avoid films that sound uninteresting to me, regardless of genre, and spend my time with films that I feel like I would […]
“The Laughing Mask” (2014): Microbudget Slasher Flick Shows Occasional Flashes of Promise
Seemingly equal parts villain and vigilante, the titular killer known as The Laughing Mask terrorizes a criminal gang while also haunting the waking hours of a man whose wife he had killed and whose young daughter remains missing. Writer/director/executive producer/co-editor Michael Aguiar has crafted an interesting tale with a fair bit of atmosphere on a […]
“Body” (2015): Dishonesty, Death, and Bad Decisions Collide in a Lean, Mean Holiday Suspenser
After watching the Christmas-set thriller Body, you may just want to stay at home with your friends and loved ones during the holiday season rather than going out while under the influence of alcohol and drugs to seek mischief. Hopefully you would have made such a decision even without seeing this taut film, an effort […]
“The World of Kanako” (2014): Lurid Mystery Examines the Underbelly of a Teenage Girl’s Secret Life
Director Tetsuya Nakashima’s new suspense thriller The World of Kanako is one the most visually striking films I have seen this year, and it is also one of the most violent, harrowing, and brutal films of 2015. Its characters live in a maelstrom of vices such as drug addiction, prostitution, and murder, or in quieter […]
“The Wicked Within” (2015): Possession Tale Focuses on a Fractured Family’s Shortcomings
I don’t watch many demonic possession subgenre horror movies, a byproduct of which is that I have avoided a lot of bad possession movies. I’ve probably missed a few decent ones, too. I’m happy to have made an exception for The Wicked Within, part of this year’s 8 Films to Die For series. It had […]
“The Conductor” (2015): Masked Force of Malevolence Drives Young Woman to Violence
SUPER SCARY SHORTS SATURDAY Director Jared Bentley’s short film The Conductor is a taut science fiction/horror thriller that brings modern technology to Mabusean machinations. Helen (Jessica Richards) wakes up one morning with a strange electronic device on her back. Suddenly the gadget fires up and she finds her body being controlled by a mysterious force. […]
“The Hourglass Figure” (2013): Housewife Pays a Hefty Price for Time to Herself
SUPER SCARY SHORTS SATURDAY We can’t stop time, it is said. If we could stop it, time would probably drive quite a hard bargain with us to do so. Prolific director Patrick Rea shows just how terrifying a prospect this can be in his first-rate short horror film The Hourglass Figure. Chelsea (Michelle Davidson) is […]
“Unnatural” (2015): Genetically Modified Bear Hunts Fashion Models in Alaska-Set Creature Feature
I’m a big fan of both creature features and movies about oversized animals attacking hapless humans. When those two subgenres are combined, it sounds like an instant recipe for a film that will appeal to me. Although I have a few issues with director Hank Braxtan’s Unnatural, it pressed more of my happy buttons than […]
“Wind Walkers” (2015): Wandering Tale of Terror in the Everglades Lacks Focus and Bite
If the rest of Wind Walkers kicked as much butt as the soundtrack, I could give this “8 Films to Die For” entry a strong recommendation. Unfortunately the power-chord rock and revisionist blues songs were more powerful and exciting to me than the movie’s characters, performances, or perplexing story. There are moments of promise, though. […]
“Chateau Sauvignon: terroir” (2015): Macabre Short Film Serves Up Vintage Fright
From its opening moments showing such objects as a gnarled tree branch, a cobwebbed animal skull, filthy plates, and a home in disrepair, accompanied by chilling music, director David E. Munz-Maire’s horror short Chateau Sauvignon: terroir sets up an eerie tone to which it stays true throughout. Nicolas (Michael Lorz in a performance you won’t […]