Directed by: David F. Sandberg Starring: Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino , Odessa A'zion Go Horror Rating: C As someone who loved the game (even if I managed to get one of the worst possible endings), the movie left me frustrated and incomplete. It's almost like when you ask a toddler to tell a story and they just start cramming as much shit as possible together, that doesn't make much sense. Weird time jumps, various forms of scare and death (that weren't combined effectively), an atrocious story and nothing even remotely gripping. If you're going to take a successful game and spin it your own way, you'd better make sure it passes all the sniff tests. Sure there was some gore and guts, which I tend to appreciate. It wasn't a total write-off, it just felt like it incoherently rushed through itself to an unfulfilling finish line.

Ah yes, a blessed day full of Star Wars memes and references. May the Fourth is a tradition amongst Star Wars fans across the globe, but every so often we get to see something incredibly creative, such as this reimagining by @Rob Sheridan. I mean, this is cool as hell. It's always awesome seeing a gnarly or grotesque version of something that otherwise isn't that dark. An awesome horror contribution for an iconic series.

Directed by: Eli Craig Starring: Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Carson MacCormac Go Horror Rating: D Aside from 1 really cool kill, this movie is is a massive disappointment. I know campy isn't always bad but in this case, it's bad. The story is terrible, the 'twist' is terrible, the setting felt like a waste, and the script was awful. The characters didn't save it either. They're essentially all unlikeable and forgettable (which hurts given that I'm usually a big Kevin Durand fan). It's a cheese fest from start to finish, and no, not in a fun way. I wasn't expecting much out of this movie and somehow it was worse.

Directed by: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein Starring: Guy Busick, Lori Evans Taylor , Jon Watts Go Horror Rating: C I honestly can't believe all the positive reviews for this movie. The opening was absurdly stupid and tried waaay too hard with 'death's design'. Everything from the CGI to the orchestration for the deaths was amateurish and nonsensical. Maybe that was the point? A little over-the-top for chaos' sake? Even if that were the case, that does a disservice to the series, IMO. I'll still throw a 'C' rating at this because a good chunk of the middle was worthy, but this installment is in the bottom half of the franchise rankings.

Directed by: Oz Perkins Starring: Theo James, Tati ana Maslany, Christian Convery Go Horror Rating: B I think Perkins nails this film in a chaotic and 'red' way. I went into the movie with no expectations hoping to be entertained even at just a shallow level. Mission accomplished with a cherry on top! It doesn't take itself too seriously, but not to the point of feeling lazy. If the hope is for some laughs and devastation, then this movie certainly delivers. Looking at it with a simplistic lens, then to me, this movie is in the better half for horror this year.

Directed by: Roberto Zazzara Starring: Gaia Weiss, Lorenzo Richelmy, Mark Ryder Go Horror Rating: D An interesting movie with slasher, paranormal, mystery, thriller, and war elements. The only issue, though, is it's like the ideas were thrown into a blender and splashed out in a non-coherent manner. You can always rely on a nice setting and this movie definitely had that. The cinematography deserves some credit and there were a few moments that were undeniably appealing to the eyes. It's adequate as a mystery, and a LARPing session gone bad is a nice additive. Conclusively, the film doesn't have enough meat on the bone and barely leaves any impact as horror art, despite some good visuals and a respectable performance by Gaia Weiss.

Directed by: Julia Ducourneau Starring: Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon, Garance Marillier Go Horror Rating: A While this review avoids spoilers, Titane is a film best experienced as blindly as possible. Queer horror is not a new phenomenon. From the iconic Rocky Horror Picture Show to the more outwardly problematic but still valuable Silence of the Lambs, even long predating film with lesbian vampire novella Carmilla, the relationship between queer culture and horror stories has always been a tight one. There’s a catharsis to seeing exaggerated forms of your own struggles represented in media, one that horror is uniquely equipped to handle. While it’s not mandatory, and perhaps not even intentional, Titane is a film that so massively benefits from my own queer interpretations, is so fundamentally defined by its parallels to the trans experience, that I literally cannot imagine what it would even be like to view it through another lens. When it comes to minority representation in media, the tendency seems to be that our stories are only told when we are suffering. With horror, this comes naturally of course, but the thing that makes Titane so unique, so incredibly moving, is the fact that this isn’t only a tale of suffering. We see the protagonist go through crushing lows but, more importantly, we see the more complex and beautiful elements of what it means to be queer. Chosen family, sexual liberation, and unconditional love are the themes that truly give the film its impact, more than any tense or gory moment ever could. So how is it horror? Well, like Videodrome, Society, and Tetsuo before it, Titane dives head-on into the psychosexual brutality of body horror – a genre just as repulsive as it is beautiful. Body horror is a genre uniquely equipped to tell trans stories. There are few things more viscerally terrifying than the thought of waking up with an anatomy incongruous with the one that belongs to you, and being forced to manually repair it piece by piece. Sound familiar? Titane takes a gradual approach to its body horror, but even in its climactic moments the subtlety and nuance of the portrayal never fails to present itself. The outwardly gruesome imagery of chest binding and body modification is supplemented and given purpose by far more intimate expressions of dysphoria, like naming discomfort and crossdressing. Add on to this the recurring dynamic of dysphoria vs. dysmorphia that plagues our two leads, and it makes for one of the most wide-reaching and accurate representations of the trans experience ever put to film. This is all before mentioning the other important theme of the film, the one that is given to us right from the opening – Hypersexualization after trauma. It’s far more difficult to approach this without getting into outright spoilers, but as a parallel to the very real trans experience of using sex as a means of coping with the harsh realities of a world only out to commodify or discard you, it’s absolutely an apt and powerful presentation. There’s very little that can prepare you for your initial viewing of Titane. I do my best here to provide a nonspecific overview of why the themes resonate the way that they do, but I could go into so much more detail about the iconic score, the beautiful cinematography and color palette, the nail-biting tension, and so much more if I so wished. At the end of the day, though, that’s all set dressing for what coalesces into one of the most thematically rich and dense films to come out of indie horror in a while, and possibly the most resonant film of the decade so far.

Directed by: Adam Berg Starring: Noomi Rapace, Aliette Opheim, David Dencik Go Horror Rating: B A new horror movie with Noomi Rapace? Sold. As you may know or will come to find out, I love horror with winter elements. I think it just flat out works. This movie pushes the envelope a little with a group of soldiers, skating across a frozen archipelago to deliver a package that could end the conflict. What is the conflict? No idea. Who are the good and bad guys? No idea. Maybe it was purposely vague or maybe it was inexperience on the director's part but ultimately, I didn't find it distracting and it didn't make the movie less enjoyable. I'll outright admit that this film was an assault on my nerves. A dark, dystopian horror story with a thick sense of dread and shattering fear that certainly accomplished its goal. The writing wasn't perfect but the action sequences came and went smoothly and effectively. Where I'm the most torn is the last act. I knew where it was headed but I wanted more. The build-up had a bit of a speed wobble but the end result still provided enough of a gut punch to make it memorable.

Directed by: Damien Power Starring: Havana Rose Liu, Danny Ramirez, David Rysdahl Go Horror Rating: D Setting this movie up, we have a textbook mystery on our hands. Troubled girl on the run who ends up locked down with a batch of strangers in a visitor's center. But wait, there's more! There's some sketchiness afoot and a wrongdoer within. Cool, it should pan out alright... right? Not so much. This movie never reaches, and realistically never came close to reaching any value as a thriller. It was predictable, although the twists were fair. The mayhem in later parts hit the right nerves and helped regain some worth, but overall this movie was insubstantial. The cast drastically varied from very likeable to dreadful and definitely had a hand in restricting airflow to the scenario.

You can never go wrong with a classic horror movie, that’s just a fact, but now with all of these remakes popping up it’s time to discuss whether there are any worth watching. Can a remake beat an original? Sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes the original is just better. I’ll dive into a few below and give my thoughts. Psycho (1960) vs. Psycho (1998) I recently had a chance to rewatch the original and it definitely still holds up. Anthony Perkins starred as Norman Bates in this version, and successfully portrayed the shy motel clerk as well as the deranged “Mother”. Obviously, over time it doesn’t feel as scary as it does unsettling, but the whole “Mother” part still gives me the heebie jeebies. A shot for shot remake of this movie starring Anne Heche and Vince Vaughn was released almost 40 years later. It wasn’t nearly as successful and actually received 3 Golden Raspberry nominations. Critics claimed this was a pointless remake, and my hot take? I’d tend to agree. Save yourself some time and don’t bother with anything but the original. Winner: The Original - Psycho (1960), by a longshot. The Evil Dead (1981) vs. Evil Dead (2013) Here we have an example of a much more effective remake.The 1981 original, directed by Sam Raimi is considered one of the most popular cult classics of all time, and kicked off the Evil Dead franchise. While the 1981 version is considered more of a comedy-horror, the 2013 remake has a significantly more violent and gory vibe. In 2013, Fede Alvarez (with Sam Raimi as one of the producers) directed the remake which was a hit among horror fans. Critics praised this remake for staying true to the story while also adding its own original spin. This version surprised fans with its brutality and has seemingly left a lasting impression, as well as a new character to root for. Winner: The Original - The Evil Dead (1981), but the remake succeeded and delivered (a lot of) fresh blood into the story. Awesome movie, but the original holds up a bit more. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) vs. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) I’ve always been a huge fan of this series, so this is definitely one to discuss! The first movie came out in 1974, and became the driving force for the legendary slasher franchise we now know and love. This includes multiple sequels, prequels, comic books and video games. Leatherface is a horror icon and will go down as one of horror’s most evil villains. Upon release it was heavy-hitting and made slashers more relevant and terrifying. The first remake came in 2003, and is the version most of us are familiar with. This version stars Jessica Biel, R. Lee Ermey, and also brought back Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel on board as co-producers. This one felt a little bit shallow, but very vicious and savage. For some, this was right on the mark for what they’d want in a remake. Winner: The Original - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), although we get total value out of the 2003 remake and it’s absolutely worth checking out.