Violent Night
By: Jolie Featherstone This is Santa like you’ve never seen him before. Tommy Wirkola’s Violent Night is a bloody action flick blended with some heart-warming Christmas cheer. But yeah, lots of blood.
Thriller
Toronto After Dark 2022: ‘The Lair’
Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, Doomsday, Hellboy) knows how to make a horror film. The writer/director is responsible for the early 2000’s cult classic The Descent, a film that has been praised for its mature characterization of a group of women (a relatively novel concept, as far as early ’00s horror was concerned). In addition to its dramatic and psychological elements, The Descent was also freaking terrifying. Even the toughest, most hardened horror fans are quick to admit…
Halloween Ends
By: Jolie Featherstone Halloween Ends, the final instalment of the latest Halloween trilogy, reunites Laurie Strode and Michael Myers in a bloody battle that can also be interpreted as a proud celebration for scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis.
Dark Glasses
Dark Glasses is a contemporary giallo from legendary Italian filmmaker Dario Argento. Approaching this movie as someone who is unfamiliar with Argento’s work and giallos in general, I was excited and nervous about what Dark Glasses would have in store (similar to my anticipation prior to David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future).
Devil’s Workshop
Devil’s Workshop is, mostly, a two-hander. An unhappy actor, Clayton (Timothy Granaderos of Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why), is trying to gain insight for a role he’s aspiring for. For knowledge, he shadows experienced demonologist Eliza (Radha Mitchell of the Silent Hill film franchise) for the weekend before the pivotal callback audition. Turning the tables on Clayton to probe more about his life, Eliza is eager to perform a ritual on her guest to alleviate woes,…
Get Away If You Can
Written and directed by real-life couple Dominque Braun and Terrence Martin, Get Away If You Can is a surreal, and occasionally baffling, thriller.
Orphan: First Kill
Orphan: First Kill, to an extent, pulls off its ambitious goal of being a prequel to a 13-year-old movie using the same leading actor.
Emily the Criminal
It’s odd to perceive the high stakes drama Emily the Criminal as a game-changer for star/producer Aubrey Plaza, but it absolutely is. Her role in John Patton Ford’s feature-length filmmaking debut requires the actor to channel her deadpan demeanour towards a more serious direction that details her character’s desperation, exhaustion and, later, her vindictive desires – it’s an incredible performance in an exciting dramatic thriller.