COMPULSION is a psychological and steamy thriller from Neil Marshall in his fourth (and final?) collaboration with Charlotte Kirk. As a genre fan, I am so desperately unimpressed that it’s just sad. Again. Read our full Compulsion movie review here!

COMPULSION is a new thriller made in the vein of 1980s and 1990s classics Fatal Attraction (1987) and Basic Instinct (1992). Well, in theory anyway, as this is neither as psychologically thrilling or hot and steamy as those movies were.

Also, the language spoken may be English, but the accents are all over the place and sometimes quite tricky to understand. The decidedly bad sound production doesn’t help either. Finally, the runtime of around 100 minutes is way too long.

Continue reading our Compulsion movie review below, if you feel so inclined. I promise not to hold back. You can experience this mess of a movie for yourself in select theaters and on digital from September 19, 2025.

Who cares about the plot? Not the filmmaker!

Look, you can read the plot and have an idea of what Compulsion is all about. However, if you’ve watched previous Neil Marshall and Charlotte Kirk productions, you already know what to expect.

This is no better nor any worse. Except this time, we also get the coveted three L’s in this supposedly “steamy, psychological thriller”: Latex, leather, and lesbians.

The sad thing is, if someone like Mike Flanagan (collaborating with Kate Siegel) were at the helm, none of this would worry me. But with a Neil Marshall and Charlotte Kirk collaboration, I am extremely concerned before pushing play.

The male gaze failing miserably

I have to say, as a lesbian, I have rarely felt more turned off than from the “lesbian scenes” in this movie. Hell, watching Zach McGowan (who was brilliant in Black Sails) take his shirt off was way hotter to me. And I am very gay.

As a genre fan, I am disappointed. And as a gay girl, I feel downright offended that this supposedly represents “my people” in any way. This is a disturbingly gross example of the male gaze being the only recognized vision.

Finally, as a fan of quality filmmaking and good storytelling, I’m just angry. Surely, there are better productions out there that are more deserving of distribution and our (mine as well as yours) time?!

Fourth and final collaboration?!

According to the director’s statement by Neil Marshall, Compulsion is the fourth and final collaboration with Charlotte Kirk. Well, I for one both applaud and celebrate this, though it remains to be seen whether there is any magic left in the director.

Despite hyping those previous three collaborations as “critically acclaimed” and speaking of especially The Reckoning as “award-winning”, they were hardly what one would call “accomplished movies”.

I certainly would not.

Critically acclaimed collaborations?

Also, if those movies were so good and successful, then why is the poster for Compulsion still featuring that “From the director of The Descent” moniker?!

I mean, The Descent only won 8 awards compared to a whopping 42 wins for The Reckoning. Of course, none of those 42 awards are audience awards. Nor very prestigious.

Also, neither of the three previous collaborations has an average IMDb rating above 5. And all are rotten on RottenTomatoes.com, ranging from 13 to 35% in “rottenness”. So what exactly does “critically acclaimed” mean?

Whatever the case, I am just happy that this seems to be the end. Had these movies been made with a tongue-in-cheek vibe and leaned into the retro-style and gone kitsch, they could have worked.

Instead, I feel like channeling Heath Ledger’s The Joker: “Why so serious?!” It clearly isn’t working.

You can watch Compulsion in theaters or on VOD

As already mentioned, this movie was directed by Neil Marshall. A director famous for making The Descent (2005), which also happens to be among my favorite horror movies.

Unfortunately, the Neil Marshall of today is a very different kind of director. Sure, the movies still have some gorgeous shots, but everything from sound to story and (in some cases) acting is way off.

Once again, I am very disappointed in the director who made one of my favorite horror movies. Will it be better in the future? Well, maybe ending the collaboration and style of filmmaking of recent years will help.

Then again, maybe those brilliant movies of years past were never entirely Neil Marshall in the first place? Only time and new productions will tell, I suppose.

Compulsion will be out in Select Theaters and on VOD on September 19, 2025.

Details

Director: Neil Marshall
Script: Neil Marshall
Cast: Anna-Maria Sieklucka, Charlotte Kirk, Zach McGowan

YOUR HOST is a new slasher with a serial killer plot and a revenge story. It feels like a movie made from past horror hits, which was disappointing. The production quality, however, is very impressive. World Premiere at FrightFest 2025. Read our full Your Host movie review here!

YOUR HOST is a horror slasher that sounds very interesting on paper, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. We’re watching a serial killer choose his victims and then putting them through the wringer by making them think they can survive.

It’s obvious from the opening scene that he is no Jigsaw.

This isn’t about teaching his victims a lesson. He wants revenge and wants his victims to suffer. Both psychologically and physically. It’s brutal and efficient, but the movie isn’t good. It just could have been.

Continue reading our Your Host movie review below. The movie will have its World Premiere at FrightFest 2025 on August 22, 2025.

Killing as a game

With Your Host, the title refers to the serial killer, who kills his victims in a very creative and elaborate way. He pretends to be the host of a game show where his intended victims are contestants.

The victims in this particular round are four 23-year-old friends. Well, according to the plot, because honestly, the “friends” part isn’t obvious at all. I’ll get back to that later.

In any case, the game show host character reminded me of The Ringmaster from the Danish horror movie (org. title: Finale) due to his flamboyant ways and focus on entertainment. And yes, Jigsaw is another obvious comparison.

Whatever familiar character or plot you want to compare Your Host to, the soon-to-be victims end up in a gameshow-inspired torture room. The “games” will be very creative and extremely bloody.

Nobody is likable

With Your Host, the biggest issue for me was the fact that nobody is likable, and I did not buy or understand their friendship at all. In fact, even the characters in the movie don’t seem to like each other and comment that they’re not truly friends.

Why are they spending time together? Do they all suck so badly that they can’t do better?!

It seems like the strangest setup, and even the fact that all four end up in the “killer game show” doesn’t ultimately make sense. Not when the origin story of the game show killer and his revenge motive is revealed.

Finally, and worst of all, one of the characters made absolutely no sense to me. This person’s driving force has to do with love of animals (and, hello, do I relate to that!), but somehow their moral compass is also the opposite?!

You’ll see… especially if you love animals.

Characters or caricatures?

This leads me to another issue with Your Host: The characters mostly end up being caricatures. Even those characters that begin as nuanced and relatable will soon make choices or act in ways that seem so exaggerated that it’s kitsch (at best) or just off.

Your Host stars iconic horror actor and Academy Award-nominee, Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hypnotic) in the title role.

As the “players” in the horrible game show, we see Ella-Rae Smith (The Stranger, My Bloody Galentine), Jamie Flatters (Black Dog), David Angland (The Devil’s Hour), and Joelle Rae (Get Even).

Most of the actors do what they can with what they’re given, but the story is a real mess, and the characters are extremely underdeveloped. It’s a shame because if I don’t care about the characters, then I don’t care what happens to the characters.

Your Host will have its World Premiere at FrightFest

This is directed by DW Medoff, who previously wrote and directed I Will Never Leave You Alone. A movie I much preferred to this one, which he did not write. The screenplay comes from Joey Miller, who has no previous credits on his IMDb page.

It also feels like the script should’ve been worked over a bit more. And don’t even get me started on the story that sets everything in motion. One that would have you believe women are liars, men are victims, and everyone should be tortured.

However, as revealed by the final scene, women are also victims, and some men are the creeps women claim they are. It’s a whole mess of a story that wants to both root for women and shame them while making men victims and villains.

Yet it only ever manages to point fingers and never truly dives into any of it. A missed opportunity. If you go down that road, you’d better be damn clear about what you’re saying. Your Host wants to say everything and nothing at the same time.

I was expecting something much better than Your Host ultimately offered. With many of the choices made, this was more of a kitsch horror movie than I ever expected. Instead of the origin story making it darker, it just made it less credible.

YOUR HOST will have its World Premiere at FrightFest on August 22, 2025. It will also be available on VOD (rental & purchase) on October 14.

Details

Director: DW Medoff
Writer: Joey Miller
Cast: Jackie Earle Haley, Ella-Rae Smith, Jamie Flatters, David Angland & Joelle Rae

GREAT WHITE WATERS on Tubi is a Shark Thriller by none other than the director of Sharknado. This is nothing like that cult genre-mix, though. It’s not kitsch or fun, but it is very bad. I’m just not sure it’s all intentional. Read our full Great White Waters movie review here!

GREAT WHITE WATERS is a new Tubi thriller with a shark plot. Or really, it’s a shark thriller in the same way that Into the Deep was. Which means it’s more about stupid drug smugglers trying to get to their “goods” in shark-infested waters than anything else.

In other words, if you liked that movie, there’s a chance you’ll enjoy this as well. For me, this is just a really bad movie, with the added minus of being really terrible about sharks. They kill sharks while explaining there are other ways of dealing with them. It’s dumb!

Continue reading our Great White Waters movie review below. Find it on Tubi from July 4, 2025.

Push it… or gauge its eyes out!

In Great White Waters, there was plenty for me to dislike. And yet, what annoyed me the most was ultimately the way sharks are treated and talked about. We hear one character saying that you can just “push them” and then continues: “… or gauge their eyes”.

I mean, that is wild. And not in any good way.

While I was hoping for something kitsch or just mildly entertaining, what I experienced was something slow and predictable.

Anyway, the core plot revolves around drugs worth millions having gone missing in shark-infested waters off the coast of Florida. Lots of criminals try to claim the stash, and none of them are likable or even fun. Also, there are a few “good guys”. Of course.

So bad it’s good? Not really

You know how sometimes a movie is so bad it’s good? Or, you know, can be fun to watch?! Well, Great White Waters is not one of those. It’s just plain bad. At least in my book.

Mostly, I feel that if you want to make a shark movie with grossly overstereotyped characters and cheesy one-liners, then you have to include comedy in some aspect.

It’s what made Sharknado work.

With the exception of one of two wild death scenes in Great White Waters, which admittedly did make me chuckle, I didn’t enjoy this movie at all.

You can watch Great White Waters on Tubi… but why would you?!

The director and co-writer of Great White Waters is Anthony C. Ferrante, who you may recognize by name as he directed the first five Sharknado movies. He has also made a shark movie for Tubi already.

The other Tubi Original shark movie would be the movie Blind Waters (2023), which we gave the same rating as this one. I know watching these movies can be a guilty pleasure of sorts, but it just is not for me.

A FAN OF SHARK MOVIES?

Watch the Shudder documentary Sharksploitation –  Ferrante is in it as well >

Give me a decent shark thriller with interesting characters and some sense to the plot, or just go full Sharknado. These “serious” movies that are made to somehow be bad but not in any fun or kitsch way? They just are not for me.

The cast trapped in this production do what they can, so I don’t blame them.

Great White Waters premieres on Tubi on July 4, 2025.

Details

Director: Anthony C. Ferrante
Writers: Anthony C. Ferrante, Geoff Mead
Cast: Angela Cole, Johnny Ramey, Steve Hanks, Ashton Leigh, Hector Becerra

THE RITUAL is a new exorcism horror movie… and it’s not a good one. In fact, despite the impressive cast led by Al Pacino and Dan Stevens, it’s absolutely terrible. It’s even more generic than the title. Read our full The Ritual (2025) horror movie review here!

THE RITUAL is an exorcism horror movie based on “the shocking true story of the most infamous exorcism in American history”. Well, after watching it, I’d say what’s truly shocking is just how boring and generic a movie this was.

DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH…

The very good Netflix movie The Ritual from 2017 – watch that instead >

The director is better than this, the cast (certainly historically) is better, and the true story should also make for something more interesting. Unfortunately, virtually everything about the way this story is told makes it boring and unengaging. Including the CGI choices.

Continue reading our 2025 The Ritual horror movie review below. Find it In Theaters from June 6, 2025.

The most lackluster exorcism story

With The Ritual, we’re off to a terrible start because the focus is on the priests rather than the possessed girl. If The Exorcist taught us anything, it should be that despite the title, the heart of the movie is the possessed girl.

The same goes for The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which also focused on the girl as well as made her the focus of the title. With this 2025 exorcism movie about a real case from 1928, it’s all about the priests.

We just get right into it, and it’s not good. The story isn’t good, and the actors are given virtually nothing to work with, so I can’t fault them.

Or maybe that’s not entirely true…

Too good a cast for this exorcism movie

Okay, I have to admit that Al Pacino does deliver a very lackluster performance. He sounds exactly like in Hunters, where he was damn good, but here it’s just a mess. Robert De Niro is still great, but Al Pacino dropped the ball on this one.

This is Russell Crowe territory, but I guess he was too young for the role in The Ritual. We see pictures of the real-life people, which explains this.

Dan Stevens is good, but it’s nowhere near enough to make the movie interesting. Meanwhile, Ashley Greene and Patricia Heaton as a young nun and Mother Superior, respectively, are given so little to work with, it’s embarrassing.

The possessed girl, Emma Schmidt, is portrayed by Abigail Cowen. She does nothing wrong, but this movie isn’t the great role for her that it could (should!) have been.

You can watch The Ritual in theaters

The Ritual (2025) was written and directed by David Midell. Everything from the title to the production is as generic as the title. And the camerawork is downright terrible. The most wobbly, handheld motion-sickness-inducing experience. It’s truly awful.

The story comes from writer-director David Midell and Enrico Natale, and is based on a true story. This fact alone should’ve made for a more interesting viewing experience, but it’s all about the priests and very little about the possessed girl.

In fact, at the end of the movie, we see pictures of the priests but not the girl. Why?! Pictures do exist of her, so a quick Google search can help you.

Could it be because the true story involved a 46-year-old Emma Schmidt (or Anna Ecklund as she was also known), and not the young girl featured in this movie?

Even that detail makes for a very crappy take on a “true story.” The old priests are the “heroes,” and the real person suffering through it all is de-aged to tell her story. I thought it couldn’t get worse than the actual movie, but this detail made it all even more terrible to me.

The Ritual (2025) is out in US Theaters nationwide from June 6, 2025.

Details

Director: David Midell
Script: David Midell
Cast: Al Pacino, Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, Abigail Cowen, Maria Camila Giraldo, Meadow Williams, Patrick Fabian, Patricia Heaton

CHECKMATE on Tubi is a new serial killer thriller, which always sounds good to me. Unfortunately, this one was disappointing. The story was lackluster, and the execution didn’t do much good either. Read our full Checkmate movie review here!

CHECKMATE is a new Tubi Original thriller with a serial killer plot. We all know that Tubi productions can be hit or miss. And often, you’ll have an indication of which way it’s leaning within the first 5-10 minutes.

With this, it’s not a good start. It’s way too polished and full of tropes in the most grotesque ways. We’re talking perfect hair and make-up for all the women, while most of the men are simply wearing police officer uniforms. Also, the story is weak, especially the characters.

Continue reading our Checkmate movie review below. Find it on Tubi from April 11, 2025.

A chess master detective

With Checkmate, we’re getting a serial killer who plays a deadly game of chess. The killer is always carving their next chess move into the victim, which is highlighted by the fact that a piece from a chess board is found with the first victim.

It’s not rocket science, yet it takes Brittany (Joyce Glenn), a detective who’s also a brilliant chess player, to recognize this message. Already during this scene, trouble was obvious: It’s expected that we, the audience, are as ignorant as all the cops she works with.

Actually, it’s obvious that Checkmate might be off even earlier. From the weird camera angles to every room shown in the movie, which feels desperately like a set and is devoid of anything real or personal. And that extreme make-up on the lead, Brittany. As if she has time for that.

In any case, Brittany will team up with her estranged father, who is a chess master. Obviously, all you need to know to stop this serial killer is to be a chess master.

A serial killer playing a game

Checkmate is about a serial killer using the game of chess to send messages to the police. This in itself sounds good to me. Having a serial killer playing a game and “having fun” with the police trying to catch them is hardly anything new.

Fortunately, this doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more serial killer movies with a good storyline and interesting characters. I mean, I could watch movies like Se7en, Silence of the Lambs, or even the Tubi Original Lowlifes over and over again.

And I am always ready for a new amazing serial killer movie. Unfortunately, this Tubi Original is not it.

It especially isn’t a good production. No shame to the actors as the screenplay and directing (even the cinematography) is all over the place.

Lorenzo Lamas is never my cup of tea, and the role of the police Captain could’ve been portrayed by anyone in this movie. He didn’t make the character better, but I can’t say for certain that he made it worse either.

Watch Checkmate on Tubi now

Checkmate was directed by Jamal Hill (Brotherly Love, Deuces), and I recognize that someone can make a career from these Tubi Originals. While some people go down a Chris Stokes path of pounding out movies non-stop, others go the Jem Garard way of quality over quantity.

With three feature films and directing on two series in 2023 alone, it looks like it may the the former. But hey, there’s still time to change this. If Jamal Hill wants to do something different, of course.

The screenplay comes from Patrice Escoto. Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part, but I cannot imagine this movie is what Patrice Escoto envisioned would come from her script. It’s her feature film debut, and I truly hope it will get better for her.

The star of Checkmate is Joyce Glenn, and I hope to see better things from her as well. Rounding out the core cast are Dorien Wilson (The Parkers), Andra Fuller (The L.A. Complex), and Sarah Pribis (Two Sentence Horror Stories).

I really wanted to like this and have another good Tubi experience, but this didn’t do it for me.

When a commercial begins and you feel relief that the level of quality increases immensely, you know the movie you’re watching is in trouble. A laundry detergent commercial suddenly feels like a more believable storyline than this movie, which speaks volumes about the challenges.

Checkmate streams only on Tubi from April 11, 2025.

Details

Director: Jamal Hill
Writer: Patrice Escoto
Stars: Joyce Glenn, Dorien Wilson, Andra Fuller, Lorenzo Lamas, Sarah Pribis

THE BABY IN THE BASKET is a new Gothic Horror movie that feels strangely off OR like an homage to B-movies of the 1970s. However, if the latter is the intention, it isn’t very successful either. Read our full The Baby in the Basket movie review here!

THE BABY IN THE BASKET is a Gothic Horror movie that plays out in an isolated convent on a Scottish island. In other words, a perfect setup for a horror movie in many ways. However, the actual story and its characters are all over the place.

This could’ve been a really good horror movie, but it just felt off from the beginning. The character portrayals – and even their costumes – seem confused about what it’s going for. From where and who they are to when they are. The runtime is 100 minutes and they are not well spent.

Continue reading our The Baby in the Basket movie review below. You can find the movie on VOD and DVD (UK only) from February 17, 2025.

Evil isn’t raised – it’s born!

Supposedly, this gothic horror movie is about a baby left on the steps of an isolated monastery. We’re on a very remote Scottish island during WWII, so communication is very tricky. To put it mildly. However, of course, the nuns take the baby in and want to care for it until a storm passes.

So far, so good, though you will have to wait a little while before this actually happens in the movie.

The tagline of The Baby in the Basket is “Evil isn’t raised, it’s born” and soon after the baby arrives, strange and unexplained events are happening at the convent. Of course, saying an innocent baby is evil is a bit of a stretch for most religious people.

Well, depending on how they view good and evil, obviously. In quite a few religious communities, the word “demon” is quickly thrown around, which makes it easier to call a newborn evil; It’s a demonic force.

Nunsploitation gone wrong?!

As someone who loves genre-hybrids and has no problem with quirky and weird approaches to storytelling, I was intrigued by The Baby in the Basket. To me, this movie didn’t deliver on any of the elements I was ready for.

If this had been an obvious homage to B-movies and the “Nunsploitation” niche, then I could’ve appreciated this movie a lot more. I mean, you see a nun wearing bright red lipstick, and the notion of “nunsploitation” feels impossible to get around.

However, this also feels like a strangely serious attempt at a gothic horror movie. The result, for me anyway, is that it misses being either. Terribly!

We’re in 1944 with World War II raging on, but most of the characters look like they’re dressing up like someone from the 1940s. Also, most of the sisters of St. Augustine’s convent are quite strange nuns. Admittedly, they may not have chosen to be nuns as much as having simply been sent there, but still.

Find The Baby in the Basket on Digital now

The Baby in the Basket was directed by Nathan Shepka and Andy Crane – the former also co-stars in the movie as Daniel. The screenplay comes from Tom Jolliffe (Cinderella’s Revenge, Renegades). What all three have in common is that their movies rarely rate over 5 on IMDb once in wide release.

The cast should be familiar to some horror fans, but didn’t help this movie. You’ll see Amber Doig-Thorne (Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey), Michaela Longden (How to Kill Monsters), Elle O’Hara (Cara), Lisa Riesner (No Dogs Allowed), and co-director Nathan Shepka (Dead Before They Wake).

Personally, I would much rather have rewatched the Black Narcissus miniseries or St. Agatha if I wanted something entertaining and Nunsploitation-adjacent. The latter isn’t brilliant, but Carolyn Hennesy plays Mother Superior in it and that’s enough reason to watch it.

And as a gothic horror movie, I’m afraid I feel it fails on every level. It feels more like a setup for a drinking game than anything remotely scary. The terrible lighting of most scenes was what struck me the most. I never felt any sense of dread or horror.

The Baby in the Basket will be out on Digital in the UK and US starting February 17, 2025. 

Details

Directors: Andy Crane & Nathan Shepka
Script: Tom Jolliffe
Stars: Amber Doig-Thorne, Michaela Longden, Elle O’Hara, Lisa Riesner, Nathan Shepka, Annabelle Lanyon, Maryam d’Abo, Paul Barber

Plot

When a baby is left on the steps of an isolated monastery, on a remote Scottish island during WWII, the nuns take it in, planning to care for it until a storm passes. Soon though, strange and unexplained events begin to happen at the convent.

INTO THE DEEP is a 2025 shark thriller that’s ultimately more about drug cartels than sharks. Don’t let the cast fool you into thinking this is a quality production. It truly is not. And I’m a sucker for shark movies usually. Read our full Into the Deep (2025) movie review here!

INTO THE DEEP (2025) is supposedly a shark thriller but it turned out to be the first big disappointment of 2025. Not only because I like shark movies (and sharks along with all other animals) but because the cast made me think it would be at the very least decently made. It is not.

Having Scout Taylor-Compton, Stuart Townsend (Queen of the Damned), and Mr. Jaws himself Richard Dreyfuss in the cast successfully lured me in. However, that also means expectations are set accordingly and this movie did not deliver. It’s only 90 minutes long but feels longer and isn’t worth your time in any case.

Continue reading our Into the Deep (2025) movie review below. Find it in select theaters and VOD from January 24, 2025.

Suspicious from the opening scene

The opening scene of Into the Deep made me a little suspicious that I should dial down my expectations real quick. Sure, it used actual shark footage, which I liked. I’d much rather see shadows and other practical effects combined with real shark footage than a lot of CGI. However, that was the only good thing about that scene.

Then there’s a time jump and the girl we saw in the opening scene is now an adult woman portrayed by Scout Taylor Compton. So far so good because I usually like Scout Taylor Compton (Feral). Not always the movies she’s in, but she usually does a good job. And she does in this one as well but it simply is not a good movie.

And then Richard Dreyfuss co-stars (well, sort of) as her grandfather. That’s pretty cool as she did have a shark encounter as a child, and Richard Dreyfuss (star of Spielberg’s iconic Jaws) is the shark actor. However, the story is terrible and I have never seen Richard Dreyfuss as lackluster and just “off” as he is in Into the Deep.

What is Into the Deep really about?

If you expect to watch a shark thriller when opting for Into the Deep, then I’m afraid you’re heading for disappointment. At least that was my experience.

In this “action-packed thriller”, we meet modern-day pirates (led by Jon Seda) looking for sunken drugs. The criminals kidnap some tourists (Scout Taylor-Compton is among them) and force them to retrieve the drugs from shark-infested waters.

In other words, sure, there are sharks but it isn’t really about the sharks. It’s about criminals acting in stereotypical ways and people making the wrong choices again and again. It gets tired real fast but the movie continues along those lines. Had it been a short film, it could’ve been decent, but this did not work for me.

You can watch Into the Deep (2025) in theaters or on VOD

The director of Into the Deep is Christian Sesma, and a quick look at his IMDb page will reveal quite a lot of movies directed by him. Several each year, which usually means a very productive filmmaker but rarely amazing quality. The ratings also tend to be around 3-4 on average for most. With a few reaching higher.

The writers are Chad Law and Josh Ridgway, who also wrote the 2023 movie The Flood. Yet another movie we could only give a 1 out of 5 rating. I only realized this after watching Into the Deep. Maybe if I had known ahead of time, I could’ve set my expectations accordingly.

Even the title is as generic as they get. If I sound bitter then that’s because I am bitter. I expected a shark thriller due to the huge picture of a shark being used along with talk of “shark-infested water” but it’s not about sharks. Not really.

Well, except for during the end credits when Richard Dreyfuss delivers a very important speech on how sharks are being hunted and maimed, and that we should protect them. I agree wholeheartedly. Including when he initially notes that it’s ironic that he wants to speak about this at the end of this movie.

Save the sharks, but don’t bother with this movie.

Into the Deep is out in Select Theaters, on Digital and On Demand on January 24, 2025.

Details

Director: Christian Sesma
Writers: Chad Law, Josh Ridgway
Stars: Scout Taylor-Compton, Richard Dreyfuss, Stuart Townsend, Jon Seda, Callum McGowan

Plot

Modern day pirates on the hunt for sunken drugs kidnap a boat of tourists and force them to dive into shark infested waters to retrieve the contraband.

DEVON on Screambox is a found footage horror movie by Jenni “JWoww” Farley. Unfortunately, it isn’t good. At all. The only redeeming quality is that it’s only 72 minutes long. And still, it feels longer. Read our full Devon movie review here!

DEVON is a new horror movie on Screambox. It’s a found footage horror movie, and it’s set in a haunted asylum. Already there, it’s going down the road already trampled down by many other horror movies.

And this is not one of the better takes on the found footage haunted asylum angle. In fact, while the very core of the concept might be interesting, everything else is subpar. The lighting is awful – and not just in the found footage handheld POV shots – and the acting is… well, questionable.

Continue reading our Devon movie review below. Find it on Screambox from November 26, 2024.

Found footage in a haunted asylum? How innovative!

In Devon, we meet a group of five adventures, who applied to take part in a challenge, where they are to stay inside an abandoned asylum to search for a missing girl. It’s supposedly a haunted asylum, so hopefully, someone (or something) can help guide them to answers.

Devon features a real ghost?! What a neat marketing ploy!

I absolutely recognize that I’m sounding both jaded and bitter, which is accurate as the movie made me feel this way. Seeing one of the cast members sharing a story on social media about a real ghost making it into the film? Not helping!

Most famously, Three Men and a Baby (1987) supposedly had a ghost in the background of a scene. Hell, I even remember watching the movie on VHS and pausing to see the ghost. But trying to recreate (again, I’m in a jaded and bitter place) to help market a new horror movie? Give me a break!

These days, so many horror movies have the “people vomiting” or “someone fainted during a screening” stories, and I’m not buying half of it. Maybe none of these stories were ever true, but when they appear today for low-budget (or just plain bad) movies, I assume it’s an attempt at getting free PR.

With Devon, it’s no exception as the movie is so bad that it needs all the publicity it can get. I would rather recommend you watch it to feel empowered to try your hand at making a horror movie. The budget is estimated at $100,000 on IMDb, and I hope this is wildly overestimated.

We’ve literally reviewed creative, scary, and well-made horror movies made for a fraction of this!

You can find Devon on Screambox

Jenni “JWoww” Farley makes her directorial debut with this found footage horror movie. If the name JWoww sounds familiar, it’s because she was on the MTV hit reality series Jersey Shore. And yes, it was a big hit when aired from 2009-2012, but surely that isn’t enough reason to fund a movie?!

Well, it would appear that anyone with any kind of name recognition can get at least some funding. I mean, the “Hawk Tuah Girl” is the most recent example that 15 minutes of viral meme fame can lead to all sorts of entertainment industry deals.

Admittedly, I hoped this movie would be at least OK, and that Jenni Farley could be an up-and-coming horror filmmaker. However, you need some outsiders with experience and talent.

For this production, it seems everyone involved with the production has been proverbial “Yes men” and that’s too bad. Surely, someone watched this production and figured that it wasn’t looking good. If not, you need to surround yourself with different people and do better in the future.

This is just sad. And the current IMDb rating of 2.8 [as of writing this review] isn’t being too tough on the movie.

DEVON was released in digital form on November 12 and will stream on Screambox from November 26, 2024.

Details

Director: Jenni Farley
Writer: Jenni Farley
Stars: Tara Rule, Hank Santos, Steven Etienne, Rotisha Geter, Lauren Carlin

Plot

Devon’s parents never stopped searching for answers after her disappearance from a notorious asylum. Years after the incident, a mysterious website draws five adventurers to the abandoned asylum where she was last seen. Armed with cameras, they plunge into the darkness, unaware they’re filming their own descent into horror—never meant to return.

TRAPPED INN is a new sci-fi mystery thriller that could have been good. If only the storyline and execution had been better. The core plot is interesting but everything else is a mess. Also, it’s way too long. Read our full Trapped Inn movie review here!

TRAPPED INN is a genre movie that wants to be many things at once and ends up being none of them. It’s supposed to be a sci-fi thriller but starts out feeling like a “sports bro” movie and ends up feeling like a grossly mistimed romance drama.

Ough, it just really doesn’t nail much of anything. Also, the runtime was initially listed as 1 hour and 20 minutes everywhere, but the screener we watched was 1 hour and 54 minutes. Way, way too long, and it definitely didn’t help the overall experience.

Continue reading our Trapped Inn movie review below. Find it on Digital from November 22, 2024.

An American cycling team in Europe

For the first 20 minutes (at least), Trapped Inn focuses on an American cycling team training in Europe. The team is getting ready for “The Tour”, which can only mean Tour de France if you’re talking about cycling.

However, none of these characters look like professional cyclists. Also, they’re supposedly training and getting ready for the biggest competition of the season, but they’re also partying and drinking. And the coach takes part in this rather than stop them. It’s just silly really.

Then the real story begins as they’re trapped in what is billed as a “historic lodge” (or an “Inn” if we’re to accept the title pun), as members of the team mysteriously die. Before long, only the senior teammate and newbie, Greg and Connor respectively, remain.

Yeah, that’s a bit of a spoiler as it happens quite late in the movie. However, it’s also the official plot, so blame the PR and not us.

Just write what you know

This is the kind of genre movie that you could watch and make a game out of. The people working on this movie have obviously decided to make a movie featuring things they know nothing about. Completely ignoring the advice of “Write what you know”.

One thing is the fact that these cyclists getting ready for the tour are beefy and drinking alcohol. Anyone who knows anything about cycling will recognize professional cyclists as being small-framed with fiercely strong legs and often very thin arms.

Also, they are religious about what they eat and drink in preparation for a big race such as Tour de France. As is any professional athlete getting ready for a big competition.

Later, one of the characters decides to go out foraging to find food. And imagine his lunch when mushrooms are everywhere. Now, one thing is the fact that anyone who knows anything about foraging will tell you to be careful. Especially with mushrooms as a little of the wrong funghi will kill you.

But don’t worry, this guy is lucky enough that he can “forage” pre-cut portobello mushrooms from the forest. Yes, we actually see him “pick” a mushroom with a neatly cut base. I mean, come on. And suddenly, there’s a nice big onion ready in the kitchen.

You can watch Trapped Inn on VOD or Digital

The writer and director of this sci-fi mystery thriller is Leah Sturgis. She previously made the movie Hard Breakers (2010). It currently has an IMDb rating of 2.8 and I don’t know what to say about her work except that Trapped Inn is not a good movie.

It feels like a spoof of many different genre movies. One made to highlight how cute and charming standup comedian & actor Matt Rife (Connor in Trapped Inn) is, but he comes across as a real cheeseball instead. Sorry, the young actor is gorgeous but his character in Trapped Inn is so poorly written.

This movie feels like a production where everyone just felt that everything was a good idea. So many things could’ve been better if someone had spoken up (or just knew better), but that clearly wasn’t happening.

I can’t blame the cast, but most of them are also producers of the film, so maybe I can?! In any case, watch it if you’re curious as to how not to make a movie.

Trapped Inn is out on VOD and Digital from November 22, 2024.

Details

Writer & Director: Leah Sturgis
Cast: Matt Rife, Robert Palmer Watkins, Oliver Trevena, Brian Gross, Jacy King

Plot

An American cycling team trains at a remote European lodge. Teammates start dying mysteriously. Rivals Connor and Greg battle to survive and uncover the cause behind the team’s demise.

INVOKING YELL is a Chilean Found Footage Horror Movie. I wanted to like it but somehow it never got under my skin. Meant as a love letter to black metal, I didn’t feel that. Read our full Invoking Yell horror movie review here!

INVOKING YELL is a Found Footage Horror Movie from Chile. I was intrigued before pressing play on my screener, but despite a runtime of just 84 minutes, it felt dreadfully long to me.

Also, the pacing is painfully slow and the camera is all over the place. I know this is found footage, but keeping the camera just a little still wouldn’t hurt.

Continue reading our Invoking Yell movie review below. Find it on VOD from September 20, 2024.

Girl Power – and violence!

While I wanted to like this movie, my only real “fear” was that there would be a lot of music and not much story. Well, there isn’t much music in this one, but there sure isn’t much story either.

Invoking Yell takes place in 1997 in South Chile, where we follow three twenty-something girls who are metalheads. Two of them are in a band and the third wants to be in the band.

They venture into the woods to shoot their demo tape. Or that’s officially the plot of this movie, where their black metal band, Invoking Yell, is hoping to get some extra dark elements for their demo.

Found footage motion sickness

After some very unorthodox actions – meant to capture paranormal phenomena for their album’s final track – things take a very sinister turn. Again, this is a horror movie, so the events aren’t that surprising.

Especially if you’ve been paying attention.

While the story and music didn’t do much for me, I have to give Invoking Yell credit for adhering to the basic found footage rules. There are no outside camera angles that cannot be explained as found footage.

However, the downside to this is also an issue. The camera is all over the place and results in something reminiscent of motion sickness. And I never really get motion sickness from anything. But this one managed to affect me!

Watch Invoking Yell on Digital now!

Invoking Yell was directed by Patricio Valladares who also co-wrote the screenplay with Barry Keating. It’s meant as a love letter to black metal and I am clearly not enough of a metalhead to get that.

Again, if you want a movie that focuses on the power of music, I do not see how this is it. Except for mentioning a lot about music and musicians, there isn’t much there.

I’d much rather watch (and recommend) a movie like Deathgasm instead of this one. Of course, that one also has a very different story, but it also features more actual music.

MORE METAL HORROR

Be sure to check out anything by the Adams family >

I really wanted to like Invoking Yell as it focused on three female characters, which isn’t something we see too much. Plenty of movies have all (or predominantly) male casts, but rarely the other way around.

However, having an all-female cast is far from enough to get my juices flowing. So to speak. The story of this movie is for a short film, and it never got under my skin. Not even close.

And having an all-female cast doesn’t do much when the writer and directors are male. Not much girl power in that department!

INVOKING YELL is out on Digital on September 20, 2024.

Details

Director: Patricio Valladares
Screenwriters: Patricio Valladares, Barry Keating
Cast: María Jesús Marcone, Macarena Carrere, Andrea Ozuljevich

Plot

Set in 1997 south of Chile, INVOKING YELL is a love letter to black metal that follows a trio of metalhead twenty-something girls who venture into the woods to shoot the demo tape where things take a sinister turn.