Unpleasant without being scary, and full of style sans substance, Brian Visciglia’s feature debut, Ryde, comes off as a kind of misogynist “American Psycho.” There’s a hint of Christian Bale’s Bateman in David Wachs’ pristinely chiseled psychotic, but none of Bret Easton Ellis’ satire. Wachs (“The Last Hurrah”) plays Paul, an elusive loner who one…
Annabelle: Creation begins sometime in the mid-twentieth century where, isolated in a beautiful old farmhouse, dollmaker Samuel Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia, “A Good Marriage”) lives with his wife, Esther (Miranda Otto, “The Homesman”), and his happy, fun-loving daughter Bee (Samara Lee, “Concussion”). As he puts the final touches on a familiar limited edition doll, a folded…
Zombie films have always been hotbeds of teeth-gnashing, blood splatter and almost the origin of stellar gore effects in cinema. But classics of the subgenre such as Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later” and George Romero’s “Dead Series” have equally served as sociological petri dishes in which the filmmakers examine our own societies. While this breed…
Madness has been a hallmark in Darren Aronofsky’s films (“Black Swan”), and it might be at its most feverish hour here in his upcoming mother!. Fittingly for a (deliciously secretive) psychological horror-thriller, Paramount Pictures, at midnight, released a full-length trailer for it, which has everything to cause the senses to panic. As the violin whips…
The Down Under is home to danger — again. To the internet, Australia is “Nopeland,” deserving such a name after reading the various listicles or clips about lethal horrors that a person may find in the wild. Among them, crocodiles have had most success invading cineplexes, appendage-to-appendage with equally bloodthirsty bushmen. While we are waiting…
The one useful purpose that Night of Something Strange may provide is as an interesting counterpoint to another horror contemporary, “WTF!.” Both are modern takes on the 1970s and 1980s teen slasher model, and both depict shallow, reprehensible heroes getting slaughtered. But while “WTF!” succeeds as a critique of its protagonists’ vacuity, Night of Something…
The Gracefield Incident begins with a home movie — a man and his wife on their way to their second ultrasound appointment. Matt Donovan (Mathieu Ratthe) can barely contain his excitement as his wife, Jess (Kimberly Laferriere, “White Night”) chastises him, asking whether he plans to record everything. “It’s his journal!” Matt replies, insistent that…
