When is someone’s sentence truly over? The punishment often matches the crime, but what happens when the crime is so distasteful that any judicial ruling pales in comparison to what the world has in store when the accused is released? It’s a weighty, thorny topic, and nigh-on impossible to reckon […]
From the Festivals
Matapanki (Slamdance 2026) North American Premiere
In its setup, director Diego “Mapache” Fuentes’s Matapanki struck me as a Chilean version of Josh Trank’s Chronicle: a young man acquires superhero-like powers and soon becomes unable to control his newfound abilities. What Matapanki adds to this story, however, is a really nifty concoction of political satire matched with […]
Tony Odyssey (Slamdance 2026) World Premiere (REVIEW)
Brazilian cinema is having one of its occasional moments on the world stage, thanks to films like The Secret Agent and I’m Still Here breaking the usual containment unit of Best International Feature and being nominated in major categories at American awards shows. Even a synopsis of those films will […]
Manchester Film Weekender: Adabana, Strangers in Kyoto, and Kaneko’s Commissary (JFT 2026)
Beginning in 2004, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme has brought the best of Japanese cinema – both new and classic – to audiences across the United Kingdom. This year’s lineup, which includes a handful of UK premieres, goes by the title of Knowing Me, Knowing You: The True Self […]
Infirmary (2026) Dances With Films NY – World Premiere
Fans of found footage horror will have known for a long time by now that the medium does not die – it simply waits to be rediscovered. In an age where found footage aesthetics are thriving online due to the rising popularity of “analog horror”, it’s always great to see […]
Dracula: A Love Tale (2025) A flamboyant but bloodless take on the iconic bloodsucker
His name has been whispered on the winds for years unknown, inspiring dread in those who feel its creeping power in their bones. Travelling the seas from his European homeland, his conquests of lust and violence have been writ into legend. And now, as 2025 draws to a dark close, […]
Sohome Horror 2025 Round Up: Featuring Mooch, Stinker & More…
We are wrapping up for 2025, but before we do, we have to conclude our coverage of one of our final festivals of the year—specifically its online sibling. Soho Horror has become one of the more respected British horror film festivals in recent years, forming a B-tier alongside Sheffield’s Celluloid […]
Kinki (Imagine Festival 2025) Koji Shiraishi’s Unnerving Scavenger Hunt
Koji Shiraishi may be best recognised in the West for his contributions to the found footage genre with films like Noroi and the Senritsu Kaiki File series, but a closer look at his filmography shows a reluctance to be pigeonholed. The general unavailability of his work outside of Japan makes […]
The Misadventures of Vince and Hick (Soho Horror 2025)
This may sound like a contradiction or beside the point, but personally, it’s the “palate cleansers” at a horror festival—the movies that stray from the fest’s titular genre—that mark it out as one to pay attention to. Some don’t offer those, whereas the good ones do. Soho Horror has long […]
What The Tide Dragged In (Sohome Horror 2025)
Premiering at Soho Horror Fest is Chilean drama-horror What The Tide Dragged In, an intriguing but ultimately underwhelming exploration of grief from director Patricio Valladares. What The Tide Dragged In fits into the burgeoning world of mumblecore cinema. Yes, I hate that term as much as you do (‘elevated horror’ hasn’t […]