Cryptid is a deduction board game that lets players assume the roles of cryptozoologists each trying to pinpoint the location of the titular cryptid, an undocumented, and possibly mythical species of animal. At the start of each game the board state is set up based on a randomly selected, pre-determined arrangement and players are each given a secret unique clue that details one facet of the creature’s habitat. These clues vary, ranging from proximity to landmarks, terrain types, or even other indigenous wildlife, but each is only a piece to the larger puzzle and is next to useless by itself. Because […]Read more »
Venom is a spin-off of sorts within the Sony-controlled but Marvel Studios-sanctioned Spider-Man universe. Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy, playing a character previously portrayed by Topher Grace in Spider-Man 3) is an investigative reporter working out of San Francisco that comes in contact with the titular alien lifeform while investigating Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) and allegations against his company regarding unethical human testing. Despite technically taking place in the same world as Tom Holland’s Spider-man, and by extension the rest of The Avengers, this film operates entirely apart from any references to the established Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While there’s always going be exceptions, the general conceit of the slasher horror movie subgenre is that it exists as a form of violent escapism. When the slasher genre started to wane a couple decades ago, the “torture porn” genre (ex. Saw, Hostel, etc.) flourished in its absence. As long as the movie hits a few key notes and leaves buckets of blood in its wake, audiences are going to get what they came for. Hell Fest is in many ways a return to form for slasher movies but at the same time it fails to clear this very basic benchmark.
Horror movies that succeed best at getting under my skin are always spun from relatable scenarios. While I have not personally experienced tragedy to the degree that the characters of Ari Aster’s Hereditary have, key moments of the film can be reflected in the lives of nearly every human being, regardless of their upbringing or background. It is because of this that I will likely never forget some of the things the film has put inside my head.
Upgrade is the newest film by Leigh Whannell, co-writer of a good chunk of the Saw and Insidious movies. As his writing partner James Wan has gone on to have a very prolific and successful directing career, Whannell’s began back in 2015 with the less-than-stellar third entry to the Insidious franchise. While he has yet to really prove himself as a director, I was still looking forward to seeing him working on an original project to get a better sense of his artistic style.
It was hard for me to believe that it has already been a decade since Bryan Bertino’s home-invasion thriller The Strangers led a resurgence of sorts for the low budget home-invasion thriller. While it’s not a perfect film, it’s one I can admire for using some restraint in letting its creepiness get under your skin from time to time rather than using gratuitous gore and jump scares. It was far more successful by lingering a long shot on Liv Tyler smoking a cigarette, oblivious to the out-of-focus figure standing just a few feet behind her in the darkness.