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Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror
(2019)
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Jessica Scott
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If you care about this genre, Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror is essential viewing.
Posted Jun 21, 2025
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In a Violent Nature
(2024)
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Jessica Scott
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Pitiless and patient, In a Violent Nature is a fascinating formal deconstruction of the slasher film that pulls out the subgenre’s insides and asks the viewer to examine what really lies beneath its skin.
Posted May 31, 2024
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Late Night with the Devil
(2023)
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Jessica Scott
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Late Night with the Devil could have been an interesting examination of power... Instead, it is a sloppy, dull movie that refuses to commit to its own format, aesthetic, or themes.
Posted Apr 22, 2024
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Sew Torn
(2024)
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Jessica Scott
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Free will is the illusory mechanism driving the choose-your-own-adventure plot of Freddy Macdonald’s neo-noir gem Sew Torn.
Posted Mar 26, 2024
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Natatorium
(2024)
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Jessica Scott
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With a stronger script, Natatorium would be an outstanding horror debut, but its visual depths can’t quite compensate for its ultimate shallowness.
Posted Mar 19, 2024
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Lisa Frankenstein
(2024)
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Jessica Scott
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Director Zelda Williams makes a strong feature debut, balancing the film’s tones and genres to create a horror-comedy gem that is both swooningly romantic and bitingly funny.
Posted Mar 09, 2024
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Enys Men
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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A throwback not only in look, but in tone and pacing as well, this Cornish folk horror gem is a spellbinding study of an isolated woman facing the weight of history and the horrors of solitude.
Posted Feb 01, 2024
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Smoking Causes Coughing
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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Dupieux’s hilarious and horrifying new film Smoking Causes Coughing is an ironic breath of fresh air.
Posted Feb 01, 2024
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Appendage
(2023)
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Jessica Scott
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While [Zlokovic's] gnarly, and occasionally hilarious, externalization of the inner critic is a potent (if unsubtle) metaphor, the film suffers from short-itis, failing to make the leap from intriguing proof-of-concept short to cohesive, focused feature.
Posted Mar 12, 2023
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Skinamarink
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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Skinamarink reaches into your subconscious and plucks out the worst nightmare you ever had.
Posted Jan 19, 2023
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The Mortuary Collection
(2019)
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Jessica Scott
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The Mortuary Collection is anthology horror at its finest, combining wry self-awareness, inventive effects, morbid humor, and outstanding performances to create a perfect Halloween movie.
Posted Dec 27, 2022
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Death Drop Gorgeous
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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Death Drop Gorgeous is a campy neo-giallo delight soaked in blood, gristle, and glitter.
Posted Dec 27, 2022
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Ten Minutes to Midnight
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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Smart, hilarious, and creepy, this zany vampire story is a must-see for fans of quirky indie horror.
Posted Dec 27, 2022
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Black Lake
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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An expressionistic slow burn that is alternately sensual and sinister, Black Lake explores the legacy of sexual assault and the power of art to give voice to the dead.
Posted Dec 27, 2022
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Spiral
(2019)
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Jessica Scott
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Spiral reminds viewers that hate can hide anywhere, and while the primary targets of that hatred may change, the people in power never do.
Posted Dec 27, 2022
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Satan's Little Helper
(2004)
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Jessica Scott
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Writer-director Jeff Lieberman’s independent horror-comedy mixes morbid humor with buckets of blood and guts to produce a wickedly fun piece of Samhain entertainment.
Posted Dec 23, 2022
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Anything for Jackson
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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Hilarious, terrifying, and mournful, Anything for Jackson is a horror-comedy that gets both parts of the equation perfectly right.
Posted Dec 23, 2022
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Dementer
(2019)
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Jessica Scott
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Dementer takes the term “slow burn” to a new level, putting its audience on edge from the very first frame while hypnotizing them at the same time.
Posted Dec 22, 2022
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Jakob's Wife
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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It takes the film a while to find its footing, but — due in large part to Crampton’s performance — Jakob’s Wife sticks the landing and gives horror fans a bloody feminist horror story with bite.
Posted Dec 22, 2022
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Martyrs Lane
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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Viewers expecting terror or a riveting mystery won’t find either here. Instead, they will find a quiet, elegiac, and ultimately rewarding tale about the power of the truth and the importance of focusing on the living rather than the dead.
Posted Dec 19, 2022
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The Last Thing Mary Saw
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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Though it raises far more questions than it has answers for, the answer to the film’s title is as satisfying as it is devastating; a perfect solution for a dread-soaked slow burn about queer love in the face of fear and prejudice.
Posted Dec 17, 2022
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Master
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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Master is an impressive, exciting horror debut that holds up a mirror to American academia to reflect the bigotry at its core.
Posted Dec 17, 2022
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Honeycomb
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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Honeycomb is a charmingly distorted coming-of-age horror movie with an interesting take on female power.
Posted Dec 17, 2022
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Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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Taking such a rote approach to such a remarkable man feels like a wasted opportunity, especially given the incredible access that the filmmakers had.
Posted Dec 17, 2022
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Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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Texas Chainsaw Massacre creates a cruel, disjointed, and occasionally insulting story that leaves you wondering who, exactly, the intended audience is.
Posted Dec 17, 2022
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Shepherd
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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Though the narrative sometimes fails to coalesce, particularly regarding its psychological elements, it’s an effectively chilling tale that excels at establishing an eerie, mysterious mood.
Posted Dec 17, 2022
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Deadstream
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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Walking more than one tightrope along the way, Deadstream is a wild, hilarious, and bloody ride that stands out as one of the best horror-comedies in years.
Posted Dec 17, 2022
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Monstrous
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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If you view movies as shock delivery systems, this isn’t the most successful example, but if you want a well-told story that makes you feel something, Monstrous delivers.
Posted Dec 17, 2022
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Ashgrove
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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By focusing on our humanity and the fact that events that don’t seem to matter in the grand scheme of things still matter a great deal on a personal level, Ashgrove sculpts a compelling story that gives the viewer a small bit of hope in a hopeless world.
Posted Dec 17, 2022
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The Harbinger
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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[The Harbinger] finds universal messages about mortality and memory in the minutiae of pandemic life.
Posted Dec 09, 2022
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The Beach House
(2019)
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Jessica Scott
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Brown delivers a masterful slow burn that ramps up suddenly and shockingly, turning into an apocalyptic nightmare.
Posted Dec 07, 2022
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Get the Hell Out
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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Bloody, frenetic, and hilarious, Get the Hell Out is the perfect midnight movie and the ideal zombie comedy for 2020.
Posted Nov 03, 2022
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The Giant
(2019)
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Jessica Scott
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Exploring memory, grief, and the trauma of growing up, the film turns the fear of adulthood into a monster that lurks in the storm clouds gathering on the horizon.
Posted Oct 17, 2022
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The Cleansing Hour
(2019)
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Jessica Scott
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The Cleansing Hour, a grisly shocker anchored by terrific performances and deadpan humor, adds a modern twist to the possession story and uses the living embodiment of evil to highlight the dangers of social media.
Posted Oct 17, 2022
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Virus-32
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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The film may remind viewers quite a bit of other modern zombie movies, but it borrows from the best and does more than enough to stand on its own.
Posted Sep 08, 2022
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The Sadness
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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The Sadness is a brutal satire of the myriad ways that people fail each other in the middle of a crisis — people with power refuse to help those without it, and toxic masculinity rages unfettered.
Posted Sep 08, 2022
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Who Invited Them
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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Chasing status and sacrificing everything for other people’s approval...have dire consequences. Who Invited Them might not explore those consequences in the most clever or surprising way, but it does so with a twinkle in its eye and a dark sense of humor.
Posted Sep 01, 2022
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Caveat
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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With ever-growing dread, Caveat suggests terrors beyond the nebulous borders of its frightening narrative, causing viewers to ask themselves how far the walls of a haunted house truly extend.
Posted Aug 17, 2022
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Hellbender
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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With its multimedia approach to film and its deeply elemental connection to nature, Hellbender is a truly special work of art.
Posted Aug 17, 2022
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The Long Walk
(2019)
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Jessica Scott
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An intense slow burn that genre fans should put at the top of their watchlists, The Long Walk is an elegiac exploration of the destruction wrought by all-too-human impulses.
Posted Aug 17, 2022
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The Seed
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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Though it features strong performances and suitably goopy creature effects, the film falters in its pacing and tonal shifts. Worst of all, The Seed exhibits a nasty misogynistic streak.
Posted Aug 17, 2022
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The Cellar
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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The Cellar shies away from its most promising moments and effective scares, and its strong finale isn’t strong enough to salvage what is an ultimately forgettable film.
Posted Aug 17, 2022
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See for Me
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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Tense, thrilling, and ingenious, See for Me is a must-watch for fans of home invasion horror.
Posted Aug 17, 2022
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Stanleyville
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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Stanleyville carves its own path in weird cinema with dry humor and mesmerizing surrealism.
Posted Aug 16, 2022
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Scare Zone
(2009)
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Jessica Scott
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Sometimes, a movie is so poorly made and so harmful that it deserves every thrashing it gets. Scare Zone is that movie.
Posted Aug 16, 2022
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Mad God
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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Mad God is a grotesque, troubling film, but it is also a beautiful, awe-inspiring one, and film fans owe it to themselves to descend into its depths.
Posted Aug 16, 2022
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Revealer
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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An apocalypse soaked in moody neons and feminist anger.
Posted Aug 16, 2022
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A Wounded Fawn
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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A Wounded Fawn feels far too impressed with its own supposed weirdness or depth to be as average as it is.
Posted Aug 16, 2022
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