I’m the perfect age to remember peak Slenderman hype. When the creepypasta first started getting big I was about 10 years old – the time when your mind first starts being truly susceptible to the darker side of imagination. Hushed whispers at sleepovers, telling stories about The Slenderman that we’d made up on the spot to scare each other, nightmares about a blank-faced predator, I was there for all of it. I remember scouring YouTube for “Top 10 Creepypastas” videos on the family computer, skimming through to find where Slenderman would rank, and listening only to that segment, gleaning whatever information I could. Everything else in that scene was goofy, stupid, but this, this was something special. In a way, when I booted up Slender: The Arrival, I think I was hoping it would rekindle some of that initial spark, or at least remind me why this character and mythos held such an appeal for myself and so many others. Instead, what I got was an experience so shoddy, so lazily constructed, that not only have I wasted my time, but I’ve tarnished those memories irrevocably. Slender: The Arrival is not a scary video game. That’s not a requirement for horror, mind you, some of my all-time favorites in the genre never actively “scare” me. The problem is that this game thinks it’s scary. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever played a game that thinks so highly of its own execution, and that so confidently runs itself into a brick wall repeatedly. While moments and ideas here inspire some hope, they just leave me wishing for a completely different game to come sweep me away and rescue me from the tedium of this one. One excellent example of this is the first “main” level: The Eight Pages. An retooling of the first game’s single idea, there’s a lot of potential here for a fun level, and with the randomizing forest locations every time, I thought this would lead to some really tense exploration a-la Blair Witch. The problem is, you very quickly remember that Slenderman is not scary. In fact, after about 5 minutes playing this game, I started to question how we ever managed to find this guy scary to begin with. He’s hardly imposing, standing barely a foot taller than our protagonist, and when you have 7/8 of the required pages to move on, it becomes nothing but infuriating to have him continuously stand in the only paths you haven’t tried. The random generation very quickly turns into a curse, as I found myself repeatedly killing myself intentionally in hopes of getting the pages to spawn in a layout that didn’t take me 20+ minutes to navigate. The next level, Into the Abyss, is a lot more tolerable, and adds another twist that certainly makes the mechanics more interesting, but once again I found myself more frustrated than anything with the way this game loves to use its randomization. It becomes all the more glaring once moved into an indoor environment, and by the end of it I was glad to be done with these segments. From here the game takes a much more linear roller-coaster approach to its story, and while I think the game is worse for it, by that point I was glad that I wasn’t going to have to keep repeating content. It’s here where the game’s writing and storytelling issues come into full light, however. All through the game you’re picking up (and maybe even reading!) notes left by characters whose names I couldn’t be bothered to learn. As supplementary lore, they were fine enough, but when I later realized this was the game’s excuse for a plot, the laughable grammar mistakes, and inhuman “dialogue” became far less excusable. Some of it is so bad that I could almost see it being a commentary on the amateurish nature of the creepypasta it came from, but it’s just too self-serious for me to give that theory much credibility, and the way the game’s “plot” relies on it is just too convoluted to be such a direct parody. I did not enjoy my time playing Slender: The Arrival. I don’t think it’s completely worthless, and there are certainly ideas to be gleaned here and there, but at the end of the day there’s nothing here I would say is worth trudging through the garbage to seek for. I don’t miss the Slenderman craze and, thanks to this game, I’m kinda glad that he’s gone.

A little late with this one but we're excited nonetheless. The fine folks over at Housemarque dropped a free update called Returnal: Ascension on March 22nd. In this update there are 2 new modes: main game co-op, and the Tower of Sisyphus, a new endless mode. From Housemarque: PATCH NOTES: Co-op: Combine forces with a second Selene Tower of Sisyphus: Endless mode, where Selene is drawn to climb the Tower and solve its mysteries, and the player is chasing the highest score Bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements NEW FEATURES: Co-op - Using the Chronosis portal lets you summon a second Selene from another timeline, so now you can combine forces with a friend and face the dangers of Atropos together. You have the choice of joining or hosting a public session, or alternatively hosting a private session. Progression is tied to the host, but the client players who join a session will be able to keep some of the process they make - such as collecting logs and xenoglyphs - and they’re able to level up their Scout Rank based on how many players they help by joining a session. In co-op mode the world of Atropos has been rebalanced, so Returnal remains the treacherous experience you know and love. If you haven't played Returnal yet, get on it! Another great game from a great developer, and this update makes it that much more enjoyable.

The hit supernatural series 'Archive 81' has received a full-on slap in the face. Netflix has decided to cancel the series, possibly due to the show not meeting the target amount of views. Archive 81 generated what seemed to be an insane amount of buzz. It had horror buffs absolutely hooked. Despite our personal opinions of the show not quite being at an elite level, we still thought it was awesome and are sorry to see it canceled. The show, based on the Podcast of the same name by Daniel Powell and Marc Sollinger will be missed by many. It starred Mamoudou Athie, Dina Shihabi, and Evan Jonigkeit who all delivered impressive performances. Tie it all together with creator Rebecca Sonnenshine and executive producer James Wan, it's sad to see it all end. We hope to see these cast members in more horror projects soon!

Directed by: Felix Fuchssteiner, Katharina Schode Starring: Max Schimmelpfennig, Lea van Acken, Tijan Marei Go Horror Rating: C If you're into poorly timed threesomes, goofy Russian drug & demon experts, the supernatural, and twists that don't necessarily make a ton of sense... this movie might be worth your time. The film suffers due to the fact that it doesn't really have an identity. The cast was fine, the writing was OK, they way in which everything was shot was pretty good, but you finish the movie feeling like it was flat. Normally it's a good thing when you have to rack your brain after a horror movie, but this one was more of lady-doing-math-meme and fundamentally misses the mark.

A new Witcher game is in development over at CD Projekt Red, roughly 7 years after the The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt astounded the gaming world. CDPR notes that this is the “beginning of a multi-year strategic partnership with Epic Games,” and that it “covers not only licensing, but technical development of Unreal Engine 5.” As a huge fan of Unreal engines, the move from REDengine to Unreal 5 is, in our opinion, a great idea. With no concrete info on when the new Saga will start, or details of the game itself, we can only speculate as to whether or not it will a direct continuation of The Witcher 3, or if it'll be a fresh, new story. Our biggest hint at the moment is the new poster showing what appears to be a cat emblem. Speculation is running rampant and we're here for it. Best guess is it will center around Ciri, which would be incredibly kick-ass.

Directed by: Adam Stilwell Starring: Andrea Londo, Shawn Ashmore, Jane Badler Go Horror Rating: D This story was almost as dumb as Nick's (Shawn Ashmore) turtlenecks. I mean, cool, the ending wasn't horrible, but man oh man was it a burden to get through. The script seems like it was written by an 11-year-old and Ashmore's delivery was nothing short of nauseating. I honestly can't think of a movie in recent memory with less chemistry between it's main couple. Whether she was eating bacon, gardening, rummaging through the shed, or lounging around, Sara (Londo) only wore one of a seemingly endless array of white nightgowns or housecoats. There was never any cohesion in this movie and all it managed to do was irritate me. The mildly decent payoff at the end was nowhere near worth trudging through cinematic, yellow snow for.

Directed by: David Casademunt Starring: Inma Cuesta, Roberto Alamo, Alejandra Howard Go Horror Rating: C I really wanted this movie to be more than what it was. The idea wasn't groundbreaking but still, I love this type of atmosphere in horror and had this movie made a few changes, it could have been a lot more memorable. The family dynamic worked. A stern father, a slight power struggle between parents, and a child growing up conflicted. I loved how Lucia's sanity crept away slowly and that any glimmer of hope was in the form of interaction with Diego. I didn't love that Salvador just up-and-left on a fruitless mission, leaving his terrified family to fend for themselves. The demon design was pretty good and effective when it appeared, but impotent as a slow-burn reveal. It had the right feeling of a horror movie, it just wasn't put together all that well.

This was a landmark event for us because this is the first Film Festival we've been able to attend and write about. Settling in with some popcorn and milkduds at 2 great Ottawa venues (Bytowne Cinema & The OAG), made for one hell of a time. We were able to see 3 films this year so we're going to break them down and give our thoughts. Title: Silent Land (2021) Directed by: Aga Woszczynska Starring: Dobromir Dymecki, Agnieszka Zulewska, Jean-Marc Barr Go Horror Rating: A This film had beautiful scenery and pacing. In turn, it made the darker parts feel even more gloomy. The chemistry between Adam (Dymecki) and Anna (Zulewska) was fantastic and felt authentic. It made the the devolving of the relationship feel oh-so personal. All the guilt, denial, anger, and fear were represented perfectly. The underlying point to the movie is not only important but the way in which it was addressed was damn-near flawless. A gut-wrenching story that leaves your own emotions in limbo while you struggle to figure out how both you and the characters feel throughout. Human nature is chaotic and human emotion is a bizarre puzzle that seems impossible to piece together from situation to situation. The movie felt powerful even though the heaviest themes were subtly placed. Woszczynska delivered in a huge way. Title: Medusa (2021) Directed by: Anita Rocha da Silveira Starring: Mari Oliveira, Bruna Linzmeyer, Thiago Fragoso Go Horror Rating: B A stylish and provocative film that felt refreshing despite being a little too predictable. But really, who isn't down with a religiously motivated, The Warriors but with badass chicks? A colorful tale of living up to expectations and reaping what you sow, that also explores loneliness, pressure, and rebellion. There's a lot packed into this film and we loved it. Title: Murina (2021) Directed by: Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic Starring: Gracija Filipovic, Danica Curcic, Leon Lucev Go Horror Rating: A Centered around a conflicted teen Julija (Filipovic), this movie does a great job at diving into feelings of isolation, fantasy, and inner-rebellion. With amazing views of the sea and an overall setting that ropes you in, the movie just outright possesses you. Julija has a tainted upbringing due to an aggressive father and a mother who while trying, is ultimately enabling, even though appeasing. It's a great psychological thriller that presents her with hope and the idea of independence. A well-painted picture of oppression as well as curious restraint. _____________________________________ And that about wraps it up! We do also want to mention the awesome shorts that were shown before each movie. These were very creative and we loved'em! - The First Goodbye by Ali Mashayekhi - A Void by Dominique van Olm - Sledgehammer by Kyle Marchen

Fantastic news for True Detective lovers! Season 4 is in early development at HBO and according to THR, Issa Lopez (Tigers Are Not Afraid) is on board to write. They also note that, “Should season four move forward — it’s currently in development — Lopez would direct the pilot in addition to serving as an exec producer.” Barry Jenkins has also been linked to the project as an executive producer. To say we're pumped would be an understatement. The first season was incredible and in our opinion, season 2 doesn't get anywhere near the respect that it deserved. Severely underrated and totally effective, it was worth watching on release and still is today. Season 3 also didn't disappoint and despite a slower approach and delivery, it served up another fantastic cast who absolutely nailed their roles, and the story. One difference to note is that creator Nic Pizzolatto will not be back. "Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are expected to return as executive producers as they had been on all three previous seasons." So as much as it'll suck to not have the original showrunner, maybe some new blood can inject a new POV and keep this Emmy Award-winning series on the front lines of the crime drama scene.

Directed by: Rich Ragsdale Starring: Scout Taylor-Compton, Nolan Gerard Funk, Deborah Kara Unger Go Horror Rating: D An absolute chore to get through, and that's putting it lightly. There were maybe a handful of times throughout the whole movie where I thought 'Enh, that was kinda cool'. The rest was shambles. I don't want to bury Scout Taylor-Compton's performance (as Grace) because I genuinely think she tried. At times she was effective but being at the mercy of a terrible script and story, she just flailed around and hoped for the best. Nolan Gerard Funk (as Jack) may go down as having the worst performance in a horror movie of 2022. Seriously, he's emotionless and irritating and he was way too 'grabby' with his on-screen flame. The demon-culty-people were more calming than scary. Finger pointing and the overuse of sound effects didn't help their cause either. Their numbers seemed to replenish at-will but they also seemed to bounce between fragile and inhuman. Punch one in the face? Down and out for the rest of the movie. Shoot one twice? Pfft... flesh wound. Stab and shoot some of them in close quarters? Finally, dead! Scream at them really loud? Same result, somehow. Grace also cuts her feet and somehow sets the world record for bandage stability. It never leaked, it never came off, and in scenes where she remembered to limp and flop around, that thing stayed on snug-as-a-bug. This movie never figured itself out and not even Jeff Fahey or Deborah Kara Unger could save it. Oh and PS: I'm pretty sure "6 years of catholic school" doesn't teach you to decrypt satanic/occult books.