The House with a Clock in its Walls Review: Eli Roth Tries (and Succeeds) at Spooky Kid’s Fare

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The House with a Clock in its Walls Review: Eli Roth Tries (and Succeeds) at Spooky Kid’s Fare

Fresh off a string of failed horror flicks, Eli Roth bounces back with an unexpectedly fun, faithful adaptation of John Bellairs’ classic kid’s adventure books. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood The prospect of grindhouse provocateur Eli Roth directing a four-quadrant kid’s flick is a dicey, but fascinating one – yet here we are ... The House with a Clock in its Walls Review: Eli Roth Tries (and Succeeds) at Spooky Kid’s Fare

The Predator Review: Shane Black’s Sequel Is One Messy Hunt

Shane Black returns to the macho 90s alien-hunter franchise he helped spawn, but his irreverent stamp (including a heaping helping of ableism) does more harm than good. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood On the surface, Shane Black seems like a great, if unexpected, fit for the Predator franchise. He’s a distinct, irreverent action-comedy ... The Predator Review: Shane Black’s Sequel Is One Messy Hunt

Film Review: The Nun Is Campy Fun, But Relies on Some Bad Habits

Expanding the ever-widening Conjuring universe, this origin story/prequel of one of the universe’s spookiest threats is downright silly – which may not be the worst thing. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Horror is arguably the genre that is the most dependent on its predecessors; every generation of horror filmmakers tries to recapture the ... Film Review: The Nun Is Campy Fun, But Relies on Some Bad Habits

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Features

35 Years Later, Cujo Remains a Scary, Shaky Stephen King Adaptation

Lewis Teague’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Cujo turns thirty-five today, and is a perfect example of the thrills and pitfalls experienced by the average King film adaptation. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood August marks 35 years since the release of the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s Cujo. A modest hit at the box ... 35 Years Later, Cujo Remains a Scary, Shaky Stephen King Adaptation

News

The Trailer for Gaspar Noé’s ‘Climax’ Does the Danse Macabre: Watch

Gaspar Noe’s kaleidoscopic Cannes favorite gets a new trailer and poster promising all the Satanic dance mayhem the French provocateur can muster. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Gaspar Noé is no stranger to deeply weird, bold, provocative films – Enter the Void and Irreversible are practically the poster children for confrontational, arguably sexist European New Vulgar cinema. His ... The Trailer for Gaspar Noé’s ‘Climax’ Does the Danse Macabre: Watch

The Meg is the Goofiest, Cheesiest, Most Sharktastic Fin-tertainment of the Summer

The shark schlock comes at you hard, fast, and fun, as Jason Statham battles giant sharks with an international cast in the Deep Blue Sea remake you never knew you needed. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Why release The Meg two entire weeks after Shark Week is over? It’s a perfect fit – ... The Meg is the Goofiest, Cheesiest, Most Sharktastic Fin-tertainment of the Summer

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: Hurt Is Blumhouse’s Latest, Spookiest, Most Uneven Scare-Fest

Blumhouse’s latest thriller is tense and deceptively clever, but undoes its thrills with no shortage of irritating fakeouts. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Trauma appears to be the monster in Sonny Mallhi’s Hurt, but things aren’t exactly as they seem. While the Blumhouse-produced thriller maintains an almost uncomfortable sense of tension, it suffers ... Fantasia 2018: Hurt Is Blumhouse’s Latest, Spookiest, Most Uneven Scare-Fest

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: The Witch in the Window Scares Without a Drop of Blood

Andy Milton’s atmospheric haunted house film is inscrutably scary and beautifully lit, balancing bone-chilling existential horror with compelling domestic drama. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Here it is, 2018’s version of The Witch and It Follows, a horror movie in which half its audience will appreciate its slow, moody burn, and the other ... Fantasia 2018: The Witch in the Window Scares Without a Drop of Blood

Fantasia 2018

Unfriended: Dark Web Elevates Its Premise to Scarier Screen-Based Dimensions

The web-footage sequel to the first Unfriended sees the series move in more believably conventional directions, eschewing supernatural scares for more haunting domestic terrors. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood We live in an age of overwhelming technology. Most of us spend most of day in the digital world, our computers becoming individual microcosms ... Unfriended: Dark Web Elevates Its Premise to Scarier Screen-Based Dimensions

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: Lifechanger is a Bleak & Eerie Story About Identity & Never Letting Go

Justin McConnell’s lean, fascinating horror-drama blends an intriguing structure with some novel investigation into the psychology of its shape-shifting horror monster. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood There’s stalking, and then there’s what the narrator of Lifechanger does. Canadian horror-drama from writer-director Justin McConnell, it jumps right into the action right away, with Drew, ... Fantasia 2018: Lifechanger is a Bleak & Eerie Story About Identity & Never Letting Go

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: Lifechanger’s Justin McConnell on Shape-Shifting, Memory and Toxicity

The writer/director of Fantasia-debuting horror film Lifechanger talks about the origins of the project and getting into the mind of his film’s main monster. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Lifechanger is a sneakier, more fascinating thriller than it might seem at first glance – the tale of a man doomed to feed off and ... Fantasia 2018: Lifechanger’s Justin McConnell on Shape-Shifting, Memory and Toxicity

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: Satan’s Slave Review – Ghosts, Zombies and Sex Cults, OH MY!

A loose remake/prequel to the 1980 film of the same name, Satan’s Slave is a chilling story of how the sins of our parents haunt us in the present from director Joko Anwar. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood A grief-stricken family comes face-to-face with the aftermath of their recently deceased mother’s deal with ... Fantasia 2018: Satan’s Slave Review – Ghosts, Zombies and Sex Cults, OH MY!

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: Mikhail Red Explores Violence, Morality and Family in Neomanila

Superbly acted and beautifully shot, Neomanila is a morally ambiguous tale about what we do to survive and crimes we commit for the ones we love. This piece was originally posted at Alcohollywood Set against the backdrop of President Duterte’s war on drugs in the Philippines, Neomanila is a grim and gritty tale of family ... Fantasia 2018: Mikhail Red Explores Violence, Morality and Family in Neomanila

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation Review: Fun in the Spooky Sun

The third entry in Sony Pictures’ kids’ films about animated monsters is fun, flighty and surprisingly layered, with solid jokes and a heartwarming message. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood I was more than a little ambivalent about the third installment of the Hotel Transylvania series. While I enjoy the franchise, and thought the ... Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation Review: Fun in the Spooky Sun

Fantasia 2018

Four Crazy Horror Flicks We Want to See at Fantasia

This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood If you want festivals full of soulful contemplation of the human condition, and solemn documentaries about Serious Issues, Cannes and Sundance have you covered. Want to see blood, gore, sleaze, and Nicolas Cage getting in a chainsaw fight? You go to Fantasia. Fantasia is a genre film festival ... Four Crazy Horror Flicks We Want to See at Fantasia

TAU Review: Netflix’s Perplexing Smart House Thriller

Netflix’s latest thriller about a young girl trapped in a smart house is pure, unapologetic schlock, with workmanlike performances and plot holes you could throw a supercomputer through. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Tau, Netflix’s latest original fim, tells the story of Julia (Maika Monroe), a street-smart gal who uses her wiles to steal ... TAU Review: Netflix’s Perplexing Smart House Thriller

Hereditary Review: A24 Keeps Haunting, Existential Horror in the Family

A24 continues its mean streak of unrelentingly interesting horror films, merging The Exorcist, The Witch and The Shining into pure cinematic nightmare fuel. This piece was originally posted at Alcohollywood From its opening frames, Hereditary digs its claws into you and doesn’t let go. A long, slow tracking shot pans across the workroom of Annie ... Hereditary Review: A24 Keeps Haunting, Existential Horror in the Family

Interviews

INTERVIEW: Upgrade’s Leigh Whannell on Crafting the Futuristic World of BH Tilt’s Latest Thriller

This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Alcohollywood’s spinoff mini-cast On Tap returns! Every so often, we’ll be providing you with exclusive interviews, reviews and festival coverage alongside the regular podcast. Hope you enjoy! To kick off our (semi-) inaugural installment, Clint reviews Leigh Whannell’s upcoming sci-fi thriller Upgrade. After losing his wife and the use ... INTERVIEW: Upgrade’s Leigh Whannell on Crafting the Futuristic World of BH Tilt’s Latest Thriller

Cargo Review: Netflix’s Sprawling, Intimate Zombie Travelogue

Netflix’s Australian zombie drama sports some fascinating twists on the undead genre, and drips with as much atmosphere as it does infected blood. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Zombie movies can often be judged by the balance they strike between the expected rules of a well-traveled world and the twists each new film ... Cargo Review: Netflix’s Sprawling, Intimate Zombie Travelogue

Downrange Review: Shudder’s Roadside Sniper Thriller Misses the Mark

The latest from Japanese horror schlockmeister Ryuhei Kitamura (Midnight Meat Train) makes a tedious mess out of its stripped-down, gory premise. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood On a lonely stretch of road in the middle of nowhere, a tire blows out, stranding six twentysomethings by the roadside in an isolated stretch of California ... Downrange Review: Shudder’s Roadside Sniper Thriller Misses the Mark

The Endless Review: Chilling, Thought-Provoking Cult Horror On a Budget

Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson’s otherworldly microbudget thriller combines cult dynamics and Lovecraftian horror to deliver something remarkably new. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood (Editor’s note: For more of our coverage of The Endless, we also interviewed writer/director/stars Justin Benson and Aaron Morehead, which you can find here.) Keeping the audience at a distance requires ... The Endless Review: Chilling, Thought-Provoking Cult Horror On a Budget

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