Some horror films frighten us with monsters, violence, or things lurking in the shadows. Others find their horror in something far more familiar: the human need to be loved, accepted, and understood. Writer/director Cassie Keet’s Abigail Before Beatrice (2025) belongs firmly in the latter category, delivering an intelligent, unsettling, and …
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Most people heading into the woods pack for a hike. The man at the center of The Woods Beckon is preparing for something considerably harder to explain. He must leave his family behind and venture into the wilderness to “transform.” Into what? The film keeps that largely to itself. Stranger …
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There are plenty of film festivals where you can watch movies. The best ones give you something more. At the 2026 HorrOrigins Film Festival in Tucson, Arizona, it was difficult to spend much time between screenings without finding yourself talking to a filmmaker, actor, writer, artist or fellow horror fan. …
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Stephen King presents us with those dreams that just stick with you forever. So many titles have been made into movies, and that’s how you know you are a kick ass author. For me, Thinner is by far the most disturbing Stephen King novel that was made into a film. …
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Blue Velvet is widely regarded as one of director David Lynch’s greatest achievements and one of the defining films of American independent cinema. Blending mystery, psychological thriller, film noir, and surrealism, the film explores the disturbing contrast between the idyllic image of small-town America and the violence and depravity hidden …
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Femme fetales that are a bit out of touch with reality often make the best horror antagonists. Such is the case in Trivial, a 2024 independent horror release that asks the question: “What if a game show had no prizes, only deadly consequences?” Trivial is written and directed by James …
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A group of college kids head for the lake for the weekend only to discover that it is full of man-eating sharks, and that isn’t even the worst thing that they have to worry about. I always enjoy a good killer shark movie (and Lord knows that there are a …
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Independent films allow for crossovers in the horror subgenres that we don’t often get with studio releases. For instance, what would you get if you crossed the cozy slasher Slumber Party Massacre with the paranormal vibes of Ouija: Origin Of Evil (read our review here)? We find out in Astronomic …
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A couple weeks ago I saw the trailer for the indie horror comedy anthology film Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole. It looked like a film that would be gleefully overflowing with bodily fluids and begging audiences to be offended. I knew I had to see this movie so I reached out …
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I have always kind of detested movies that break the golden rules. I don’t buy into that stuff, and it’s hard to accept. There are certain times when you know a child died, but it just turns into blood and guts or something like that. A Cold Season did exactly …
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