If you read my review of the film “Trapped”, you know my thoughts about M. Night Shyamalan. I thought “The Sixth Sense” was a terrific debut, but he, unfortunately, hasn’t made a strong film since. Hold that thought in your head while I discuss “Watchers,” a 2024 horror/fantasy work starring Dakota Fanning. I went into…

Ever wonder what the Nancy Drew stories would be like if she investigated the murders of a serial killer who, among other things, made his victims drink bleach? I have. At one point, I have the idea of writing a novel that took characters in the mold of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew and…

Yeah, y’all can go ahead and skip this one. It came recommended to me on Facebook as being really scary. And it had a shot, but ultimately fell apart on landing. The plot is intriguing. A rookie police woman capably played by Juliana Harkavy is tasked with taking the last shift—manning the phone, dealing with…

Occasionally movies pop up that I want to like. They may not be the greatest, but they seem like the passion projects of young filmmakers trying to get a foothold in the business. I imagine they maxed out their credit cards and took loans from rich uncles to get the project funded. As such, I’m…

When I was in my twenties, I discovered the British film “Peeping Tom” about a serial killer who uses a movie camera to film his murders of young women. I suspect that film, made in 1960, as well as Hitchcock’s “Psycho”, released the same year, were big influences on 1965’s “The Collector.” All three movies…

Action horror” can be considered its own subgenre, one with distinct scenarios and tropes. A recurring setup involves characters trapped in a confined area, forced to fight amongst themselves to escape. In movie form, this might be “Escape from New York” (and “L.A.”), “Battle Royale”, and “The Warriors.” “Black Friday” has a lot of fun…