School teacher by day. Horror aficionado by night.
“I miss the Cassie I was. I wonder what that Cassie would think of me now — the Cassie who kills.” The introductory voiceover for The 5th Wave is certainly not typical of your run-of-the-mill PG-13 fare, but unfortunately, that’s where the non-similarities end. The first act of the film introduces Cassie Sullivan (Chloë Grace…
In junior high school, my good friend Sara would show me “fast-forward” versions of films — she would sit me down and show me her favorite movies, speeding through the parts that were too drawn-out and inconsequential, with the purpose of getting to the good stuff faster. The Forest, the first mainstream horror movie of…
On a sunny drive through the desert, Emily (Anna Hutchison, “The Cabin in the Woods”) and Lesley (Andrea Whitburn, “Lonesome Dove Church”) chat about Emily’s boyfriend’s indiscretions and Lesley’s anticipation of a party weekend. They speed through twists and turns on a narrow roadway in their cherry red Mustang and joke that they’ll run out…
Every Christmas season, two categories of people emerge from their Thanksgiving comas: Those who identify with Buddy the elf and those who identify with the Grinch or Ebenezer Scrooge. Some start listening to Christmas music before Halloween; some “Bah, humbug!” their way through shopping malls and tree lots. Yet, there’s also the forgotten few who…
As the brace is removed, and Katniss’ terribly bruised and raw neck is exposed, a horrifying memory descends upon the audience — Peeta loathes and attacked our heroine at the end of “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.” We begin The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 shortly thereafter, as Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings…
“Paranormal Activity 6” — yes, you’ve read that correctly; this is a review for the SIXTH “Paranormal Activity” movie — completes the franchise and focuses all of the action on present day, finally revealing the endgame for a demonic entity we’ve come to know as Toby. I’ve been a fan since the first “Paranormal Activity”…
Crimson Peak is one of the most beautifully crafted visual experiences I’ve had in a movie theater in a while. Guillermo del Toro certainly knows how to put together beautiful imagery, whether it’s a fantasy masterpiece like “Pan’s Labyrinth” or a comic book adaptation like “Hellboy.” His movies are amazing to just *look* at, and…
