Rather tame by the standards of Indonesian horror and reminiscent of films like The Vigil or Offering, where the challenge is to sit through a cultural wake/funeral celebration until a body can be laid to rest. Obviously, corpses in this framework are unlikely to simply sit quietly, and this one brought friends along. Despite a harsh opening that suggests this movie will be filled with atrocity, there is nothing in this movie particularly gory or shocking. But despite the lack of intensity, there are some extremely creepy scenes and effective visuals that slowly intensify as the film progresses. As generational trauma has been a genre goto this year, it manifests here without subtlety or nuance, as literal needles shoved into the brain of the cursed. The later bit of the film becomes a quest to return said needles to their place of origin. For all the supernatural elements, this is a slow-build film more about strained emotional connections between family than demonic cults and strange rites. More intriguing than frightening, and a little too reliant on jump scares, the solid performances and exquisite atmosphere should be enough to deliver for genre fans.
The Black Phone 2 (2025)
An unnecessary sequel, but the filmmakers do their best to justify the second outing. The narrative shifts focus to secondary protagonist Gwen and we spend a chunk of the film in her mindscape, giving Derrickson a chance to break out his favorite super-8. The shift works, as Madaline McGraw is an engaging actress seemingly poised for stardom and owning every scene with ease. All the performances are excellent, Ethan Hawke feels like he has the least material to work with, despite his Grabber getting quite the metaphysical upgrade including ice-skating lessons. Hawke does his best, even as much of his performance is disembodied he still manages to ooze charismatic menace. The film doesn’t try to recreate the feeling or tonality of the original, which was a surprisingly grounded period thriller, but this goes gonzo and delivers akin to a spiritual sequel to Nightmare on Elm Street, hitting for the fences with leaps in logic and lore to explain elements from both films. We deal with an unfortunate amount of cast bloat, while expected to remember key characters and relationships. There are some very convenient leaps and stretches to tie in lore behind both the children’s powers and the Grabber himself, and some elements definitely feel forced. While there are some fantastic visuals and scary moments, the delivery makes one appreciate the less-is-more elegance of the original. Overall an inferior sequel, but still a very engaging watch.
C+
Rabbit Trap (2025)
While being versed in Fae lore, I will admit this movie was baffling. Even with an inkling of what to expect from those wacky fairies, the film fails to deliver on folk-horror promises. The plot follows a married pair of musicians traipsing around in lush forests, seeking sounds. Props on whoever cut the audio editing, but a pox upon those responsible for the so-called music. The soundscape of this film is immersive and It is irksome when a movie bills itself as a horror movie, when the reality is that it is more a dull character study with folklore overtones. The settings are gorgeous and verdant, with dark caves and ominous hints with the occasional aura of menace but no actual threat ever presents. The true villain? Surprise—TRAUMA! It's a bait and switch, in that you think you’re watching something about folk horror entities, but what you’re really looking at are characters moving past individual damage. I’d be hard pressed to truly characterize this as a horror movie, as more of an arthouse experiment. The most horrifying and traumatic lesson this movie has to offer is how difficult it is forging a quality relationship with someone who makes bad electronic music.
D-
Vicious (2025)
It feels like this movie thinks it has something to say. On the nature of depression and despair, self-loathing and self-harm. Characters in the film even call out ‘broken’ people as what are sought by the movie’s curse-box mcguffin. The rules and logic behind the box are nonexistent, just some vagueries, and then some supernatural taunting. Taking its cues from Smile and J-horror, BOO! JUMP SCARE! The trauma was coming from inside the house! Jump scares a plenty, with few actually landing. Dakota Fanning gives a fantastic performance of vulnerability and breakdown, along with some mirror work of menace and malice. There’s some implied gore, but what really matters is BOO! SCARE! She does her best to elevate this movie above predictable scares and nonsensical plot but she does not succeed. BOO! Nothing matters, because we can never be sure what we are seeing is real or not. Whatever stakes there are become quickly nonexistent, and frankly, were already a secondary concern. There’s little to appreciate beyond the performance, and ultimately the movie has nothing to say other than: BOO!
D-
Traumatika (2025)
After a riveting start, this film goes through tonal whiplash and strange directions, mishandling hard subject matter without any consideration or respect beyond exploitation. This is a film that mistakes noise for depth and shock for meaning, unable to provide substantive elements of either. Accusing a horror film of being in poor taste is laughable, considering the pedigree that has delivered us gems like the Human Centipede and a Serbian Film, and while nowhere near as bad, it certainly isn’t good. The subject matter goes for atrocities: a buffet of taboos and familial horror. Honestly, it is not as bad as it sounds, all executed rather bland and cheaply, even the copious gore seems dollar store. The creature design is… passable, a Nosferatu-Orc, the Temu version of an Insidious demon, until it gets some CG augmentation, in which case it degenerates into comedic. There are a handful of effective scares strewn throughout, but you have to suffer through disjointed storytelling, bad writing, and aggressively loud direction. On the plus side, it is short and relentlessly paced, but by the end, it is impossible to tell exactly what this film wants to be. It lampshades that the true demon is generational trauma, but, is it a demon possession? Is it a slasher? Is it tragic? Is it comedic? The film flits between notions and tone like a meth-addled squirrel then ends rather abruptly. In the hands of better writers, there could be a good film here, but as it stands this is noise aspiring towards substance.
D-
Bloat (2025)
This is a ‘screenlife’ film, told from the perspective of a macbook desktop, a gimmick that wears thin and exhausts creative ambitions within minutes. We end up watching someone browsing the internet in real time. Doing research, connecting with others. And more reading. A lot. And the film expects us to read along. Which is infuriating, as… well If I wanted to read a book, I’d read a book. The characters themselves talk in cliches of stereotypes, conjuring to mind the Steve Buscemi meme ‘How do you do, fellow young kids’, with very little of it feeling organic or authentic. Delivery comes off stilted and forced, despite certain actors trying, others don’t bother. This film attempts to incorporate a localized Japanese mythology, there’s little that seems Japanese about the locations or sets, hard to discern from desktop windows as is this film’s plot. Little is cohesive or makes sense. Films like Searching have proven this format can tell an engaging story, but this is an example of the inverse, something actively losing my interest each second on screen. There is an element of visual goodness, right near the end. Then it is immediately undermined by a confusing coda.
F
The Woman In the Yard (2025)
Yet another entry in monster is ‘grief and trauma’, which seems to be about 75% of horror output this year. The woman in the yard is grief you see. We get to watch a family of mourning people, going about their days and trying to cope with being sad, the worst of which are the children. Learning to exist in this place of sadness, learning to cope with a new normal, and being forced to become self-sufficient. Trying to inspire their mother, who is the saddest, into still finding the strength and resilience to face another day in the face of traumatic grief and survivor’s guilt, as she withdraws further. The monotony wears thin very quickly and despite some impressive performances, especially by the child actors, this becomes tedious to watch. Once the titular woman appears things get slightly better, but even the horrors come at a languid pace. Some of the horrific visuals and scares are genuinely well executed, and the direction crisp and well framed. But the crumbs of quality all become undermined by ham-fisted symbolism, the main character paints a huge painting that might as well have “METAPHOR” written across the top in big red paint, then later backwards just in case you missed the METAPHOR. This is a harsh review, because the movie’s outcome seemingly advocates simply giving up, romanticising self-destruction, and tries to get the audience to support and sympathize with this decision. Despite directly showing the devastation this choice will inflict on the loved ones left behind, hand-waving it with a line of how ‘they’ll be better off’. Like most aspects of this film, it feels like a cop-out and flimsy means to indulge rushing towards an ending, rather than fighting for something better.
D
It Feeds (2025)
It is refreshing to find a possession film distinct from familiar tropes or exorcism standbys, liberated from the stranglehold of Catholic rites and latin chanting. It is reminiscent of the film “Incarnate” in which the majority of battles occur in a mindscape, and issues of religion or faith are irrelevant in the face of will and experience. That said, there is little else in this film that extends beyond familiar scares and patterns, but it delivers them well. The premise intrigues and does very effective worldbuilding to establish the background for the characters, their capabilities and their relationships beyond a small household practice. It feels like this world has already been lived-in and breathing, and could easily be the backdrop for an entire series on a clairvoyant psychiatry practice. This director is better known for more slow-burn psychological horror, and manages to incorporate insight on the nature of trauma and how it shapes us into adulthood, into a far more fast-paced vehicle than his usual fare. While clearly low-budgeted, the film makes excellent use of each penny, crafting disquieting vistas and nightmare sequences more effectively for its reliance on shadows and subterfuge. The creature design is appropriately creepy, and fits neatly into the movie’s depiction of trauma and scars with a blend of the tragic with the horrific, cemented by a haunted performance by Shawn Ashmore who is a standout amongst a decent cast. An additionally refreshing detail is that both the lead characters bear the scars of their trials through to the end, and these aren’t glamorous or unobtrusive, they are relics of horrors the characters will carry to the end of their days. This seems a rather apt visual for the trials the main characters have already endured, which they wear proudly, ready to move forward into their next confrontation, stronger and undaunted. While subject to budget limitations, this film still manages to provide an effective vehicle to deliver an engaging horror film unafraid to dive deeper into more nuanced themes, yet still delivering comparable quality to the excesses of modern Blumhouse fare.
B
The Surrender (2025)
While boasting a terse runtime, this movie still feels long, right up to the last act. There is a visually gripping opening, then the film wallows for a while in family trauma. While performances are excellent, none of the characters are likable by intention, as both leads are object lessons in failed coping and festering resentment. There is quality in the execution, conveying a deeply fractured bond between mother and daughter, and the direction and mood is quite gloomy although the pacing is glacial. The initial focus is on the nightmarish aspects of dealing with the toil and drain of at-home palliative care, and then shifting to preparations for a rite of resurrection. These things always work out great, and before we know it, blood is shed and the landscape shifts into abyssal depths and nightmare visions. The void landscape is unique, and offers some unsettling visuals; it also offers one of those rare opportunities for family bonding, bloodshed and self-mutilation. A lot of the ritual’s outcome is determined by viewer interpretation, as there are few definitive answers, and the ambiguity will not sit well with most audiences. Overall, a frustrating film that sacrifices scares for trauma drama, and rushes through its potential payoff after taking forever to get there.
C-
The Long Walk (2025)
A 19-year old Stephen King wrote this novel published in 1979 as a not-subtle metaphor for what he witnessed and observed about the nature of the Vietnam war. 45 years later, a mostly faithful movie adaptation arrives, maintaining the existing themes, and expanding into a more contemplative examination of life and death. The premise is simple: in a militarized america, teenagers are given the opportunity to compete for glory in a marathon, where slowing down results in execution, no finish lines, and only one will survive to the end. Somehow, this feels more resonant in the lens of contemporary society, where the tantalizing notion of wealth, glory and ultimate prizes, seem more distant and abstract. At first the participants are ready to go, excited and boisterous, which quickly shatters once first blood is shed, starkly, visceral and uncompromising. There is no sympathy or reprieve, there is only meat. The filmmaking feels melancholic, almost languidly displaying scenes in the heartland, a slow erosion of the icons: farms, churches, mom & pop stores, home towns as withering and decaying relics. Parallelling the slow loss of the participant’s energy and enthusiasm, as the long walk erodes their will, saps their strength, as their numbers dwindle. Ultimately, this movie carries a sorrow through every step, a mourning for more than we realize. Friends, foes, family, strangers, we are all in this together, until we aren’t. For those we lose. Dumb choices and overconfidence. Random illness or acts of god. For those whom we betray. Those we hope we might see again. In the face of it: all we can do is keep walking.
B+
Kill Me Again (2025)
One of the better experiences one can have as a slathering genre aficionado is: pleasantly surprised. This is the case here, as I went into the film knowing little to nothing, except it had horrible marketing. What I got was engaging and creative serial-killer time-loop shenanigans that punches far above its weight and budget. The centerpiece being a gold lead performance by Brendan Fehr, who nails every aspect from the humorous to horrific. His performance gives the ‘Hail Hydra’ version of Steve Rodgers, oozing easy charisma and earnestness even committing heinous deeds. Where this gets clever: this is not a character you will ever feel sympathy for. He has no intention of learning or evolving beyond his immediate gratification. Each loop only commits him to committing more atrocity and while initially amusing, the ennui wears heavy on the soul, both for character and viewer. This movie is bleakly hilarious, genuinely creative and happily nihilistic.The outcome is somewhat telegraphed, viewers will intuit there are only so many potential outcomes, but there is a subversive intelligence behind the camera. There are clues peppered throughout as to the nature of what is actually going on, but subtle and insidiously placed. On the whole a clever gem from a first time writer/director and while not scary, a fun and a very worthwhile watch.
B
V/H/S Halloween (2025)
The V/H/S yearly installments continue, this entry Halloween focused and one of the stronger entries in the entire series. Anthology horror is by its nature a mixed bag, but this entry offers far more treats than usual. The framework has long since abandoned the notion of having connective tissue between the various tales, and the framing narrative is absurdly disconnected from the included shorts, but still a lot of fun. There is always seemingly one segment that’s glaringly out of place tonally, and this year’s contribution is tied between “Fun Sized”, which is… Zany and gross and Kidprint, which simply goes dark. This is not some perfect holiday concoction like Trick R. Treat, but as far as horror anthologies go, each segment has that mischievous holiday energy that feels appropriate, and works to the overall flavor. To varying degrees V/H/S series always delivers, and this entry provides a far better experience than the last entry (Beyond) while not quite reaching the high bar of VHS2 or 94, not far from it.
B+
Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)
Twenty-five years after the last entry in a series where ingenuity seemed exhausted and gimmick worn thin, along comes franchise resurrection that feels legitimately fresh and fun, illustrating why the formula worked in the first place. This movie doesn’t need to change the core mechanics or mess with what made the series work. Outlandish rube-goldberg sequences of absurd death-dealing spectacle are the series' selling point, and this movie does not disappoint. The deaths are inventive and wildly creative, often escalating into cartoonishly hilarious gory setpieces eliciting equal parts cringe and giggles. Instead of threadbare disposable characters, the characters in this film are actually given time to develop and breathe before the reaper’s antics methodically rip them to shreds. The story trudges predictably along, a gaunt skeleton of fate-driven horror held together by anticipation of the next manic sequence of events.
Featuring Tony Todd’s final performance, a poignant tribute to his role being the connective thread for this entire franchise, and honoring his legacy as a horror icon. It is a surprisingly touching moment, and demonstrates this entry’s mission statement to honor the old, while breathing fresh life into a series about nihilistic inevitability.
B+
28 Years Later (2025)
23 years after Danny Boyle and Alex Garland shattered expectations about what a zombie film could be while pioneering new advancements to film as a medium, comes a followup to examine what remains of that world. This film proves deeply divisive, and difficult to review as different audiences will take vastly different experiences. While moments of this film still evoke the original’s intensity and gripping horror, especially the opening, this film goes for a far quieter tale. Visually, it is stunningly lush and gorgeous, Danny Boyle’s direction and iphone cinematography are individually masterclasses in effective technique. Performances are quality throughout, with Ralph Fiennes being a standout for his understated performance delivering many of the film’s core themes. Story-wise, it is ambitious, the opening chapter of a new trilogy set in this world, and attempts to wrestle with deep thoughts from a personal scope, to notions about humanity as a whole and what future we might have. The film aims for a poetic and philosophical look at death and mourning, a critique of religious escapism and the death of society. There is also the intention to explore the perils and pitfalls of fatherhood in the face of a world already fallen. Amidst a framework of critiquing societal fractionalization and the false security of isolationism and self-insulation, that feels astutely pertinent to contemporary times.
But baffling choices undermine the overall quality and film’s strengths. There’s no real explanation behind the branching evolution for the infected, and certain ‘types’ don’t feel like they fit with the rules and world that has been established. There is a scene that makes one want to scream at the characters and berate them for forgetting every rule and guideline that keeps them alive in this universe. There is severe tonal whiplash, especially with an absurd coda that feels jarringly like it comes out of left-field with no rationale. The film is overstuffed with ideas, but never quite delivers on the promise of many, lacking proper resolution to the core storylines and father/son dynamics. This feels like an interesting experiment, but unsatisfying in terms of being a self-contained film, beautiful to watch but frustratingly incomplete. It is understood this is an opening chapter for a new tale in that universe, but that doesn’t excuse an inability to close its individual story. In all honesty, this is my least favorite Danny Boyle film, but it is a testament to his quality as a director, that it still engages and evokes enough interest to garner my disappointment.
C-
Ash (2025)
High concept science fiction horror on a micro-miniscule budget. Visually mesmerising, surreal and psychedelic, this movie delivers a fractured narrative of psychological breakdown amidst cosmic horrors. It is a shock to learn the budget was around 500k; let me repeat that, 500k, as it gleefully thrashes higher budgeted blockbusters with practical effects and shoestring budget ingenuity. It hides its seams well, but on occasion stitches show beneath the neon-drenched lighting. The plot is derivative and major beats are delivered via seizure-inducing flashbacks. Characters are sketches, hand-waved by an amnesia plot, and the film takes too long to get where it intends. When it does, it goes wild, with the last act a viscera fueled nightmare of rending limbs, spouting blood and tentacled nasties.The practical effects here are disturbingly good and in abundance. Annoyingly, the final beats are relayed through mid-credits stinger, a trend that needs to die bloody.
Despite its flaws, this film delivers in a way most blockbusters can only envy, and done on a fraction of a hollywood catering budget.
B
The Ritual (2025)
This is like someone chose to write and direct an exorcism film from muscle memory. Abigail Cowen has hopefully gained a few clips for her demo reel, but the only one on set trying. Stellar actors, Al Pacino and Dan Stevens, looking around for their paychecks on the way to the exit, Pacino’s accent, seemingly mocking audiences on their way out. It doesn’t even have the distinction of being affrontable, it is just… Bad. It is bland tedium of every retreaded, regurgitated, remixed faith-discovering exorcist story you’ve ever seen, cubed. It doesn’t deserve an ‘F’ it doesn’t deserve consideration.
D-
The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)
The marketing insists this is the ‘Last’ core Conjuring film, but that seems the least credible claim in this ‘true’ story. As long as there's an audience (in true Warren fashion), producers will keep summoning scripts. As it stands, this rates a little better than the weakest of the core films (Conjuring 3), but nowhere as bad as the more insipid entries across the franchise. This has a strong opening and buildup, high production values with a strong 80’s aesthetic and commitment. While you can probably enjoy this as a standalone film, copious callbacks and references reward completionists. Plot beats and imagery are recycled from the last film wholesale, yet the film’s pacing feels disjointed between the Warren’s home life and Smurl events. As always, the chemistry between Wilson and Farmiga is palpable, and they are charismatic actors, but their story threads seem disconnected. Potential development jettisoned in favor of developing their daughter and her relationships, with almost an entire family worth of characters getting short-changed as a result. The spook designs are underwhelming, best used obscured in shadows and used sparingly, but their appearance can unsettle. The filmmakers are cognizant Annabelle is the most iconic element from these films so she keeps popping up to say hi, even where it doesn't make narrative sense and despite headlining her own spinoff series. We’ve seen variants on the majority of these scares since the first film, as demons love revisiting certain tricks, but they are still delivered effectively. There are very tense scenes and more than a handful of decent scares throughout the films rather lengthy runtime. To its credit, this film favors slow building dread and ominous atmosphere to copious jump scares. Until the last act, where it also follows the franchise beats and goes a bit gonzo. On the whole, this film feels like it offers little new, but as stated previously, these films are the cinematic equivalent of comfort food; satisfying if empty, calories of an entirely predictable meal.
B-
Monster: The Ed Gein Story
The vast body of Ryan Murphy’s work is exploitative, trashy garbage, with few exceptions. Monster: Dahmer found a unique balance between lurid spectacle and effective storytelling, delivering an engrossing experience. This feels like an inside joke or middle finger to Netflix, because Murphy can deliver quality, in spite of himself, here he actively chooses not to. His take on Ed Gein is grotesque and not in a good way. Murphy indulges his worst excesses, sexualizing and fetishizing Gein in nauseating manner. He plays beyond loose with facts and invents aspects and events wholesale. He makes no pretense of examining the crimes, and even tries to justify and legitimize Gein’s atrocities, likely enamoured with Charlie Hunnam’s abs. Hunnam himself goes hard with… choices, few of them good ones. His accent is questionable, and being charitable, he’s a mediocre actor.
It's a trap, the first episode is at least intriguing, but it relies less on Gein's story than on how Gein has informed pop culture. The crimes are incidental, victims forgotten, more a commentary on our exploitation of the crimes for sensationalized consumption as Murphy ironically engages in the most egregiously foul exploitation and sensationalism, all the while asking us to feel sympathy for the ‘monster’ even while committing montages of atrocity.
Honestly, this feels like Murphy putting all his mental ills on display. All his kinks, fetishes and lusts, skewed perspective on reality and pop culture mixed with indulgent and misogynistic fantasies. Fully on display for armchair analysts to speculate upon. Whether a definitive diagnosis can be reached, trying to unravel Murphy’s particular psychosis is vastly more entertaining than the series itself. All of the contributors to enabling Murphy’s atrocity here should take a long appraising look at themselves in the mirror and a scalding shower, but there will be no wiping away this stain. This is the worst. This is unwatchable. An insult to the truth, to the victims, to viewers, and by far the worst television of 2025.
F
Dangerous Animals (2025)
Serial killers and sharks meet in an Aussie indie far better than it deserves. Low budget proves irrelevant in the face of a competent script, committed performances, creative direction and solid pacing. Bright and vibrant, it contrasts its tension and dread with gory, exuberant action. The setup starts strong and shocking, the premise just plausible enough, but requiring greater leaps in incredulity the longer the film goes on. Jai Courtney goes hard with this performance, relishing the opportunity to revel in delightful derangement; this is a career best, but that says little. His gonzo character plays well against Hassie Harrison’s gritty final girl, and the final showdown is earned if rushed. The romance feels a little forced, while plot-needed, tedious and cliche-laden. A personal complaint is that the film doesn’t feature enough sharks, but they do have a memorable presence. But it is far less about the sharks, more focused on a human predator and while imperfect, flaws are part of the film’s charm. This is a fun B movie, self-assured and confident enough to take a unique notion through to its bloody conclusion.
B
Weapons (2025)
Zach Cregger’s Barbarian followup is a superior film, carrying the same deft balance of nonlinear storytelling, gripping tension and darkly comedic moments. The immediate premise is riveting and unfolds with the air of some sinister fairy tale. There is obvious allegory for school shootings, down to a phantom vision of an assault rifle, but nothing is quite as it seems beneath the fractured surface of a shocking moment.
What we see throughout, are damaged people, seeking answers in the face of the unfathomable. Each struggling with demons and toxic dependence, living in terror. There is the lesson here: at any time, we can all be weaponized against each other and even ourselves. This is reflected in character relationships and motivations, illustrated in their betrayals and deception, and individualized quests for self-destruction. Oblivious to the innocent. Looking for easy scapegoating for what everyone should have seen. The threat.
Which is revealed methodically, as overlapping tales and timelines connect in character named chapters. It is fantastic storytelling, and the payoff is wild. Project what commentary you will, there is plenty. Is it institutionalized breakdown? Sure. Is it self-destructive tendencies? Yes. Is it nihilistic? Absolutely. Because the clues are there, and always in the background. Clues to the threat. At home. Embodied in a haunted performance from a genuinely talented child actor. Anything else is spoiler, and I’ll refrain.
Some don’t find it scary, but I do. Oh yes. I find it terrifying. Because the threat will take your will, and subsume your soul. The threat will steal your identity and consume you completely. The threat will leave an empty husk in its wake, as it moves to the next thing to feed on. And it does so, it does it right in front of everyone’s eyes, dressed like a garish clown, and no one will see it coming. Project, what you will.