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Horror movies by year:

1985

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Twin Peaks Scenery (161/???)

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Horror movies by year:

1983

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Horror movies by year:

1982

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Horror Book Reviews - 2025

Here are four novels I’ve enjoyed so far for 2025, along with short non-spoiler reviews:

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

Josh Malerman's book is a chilling horror tale that delves into the unsettling experiences of eight-year-old Bela, who perceives a malevolent entity she names "Other Mommy" infiltrating her family's home. As Bela's encounters with Other Mommy intensify, the narrative explores themes of fear, familial bonds, and the fragility of perceived safety. Told from Bela's innocent yet perceptive viewpoint, the story amplifies the horror through a child's lens, making it all the more uncomfortable and unnerving.

Terror Meter: 8/10 – A deeply discomfiting horror tale that will linger with you long after you finish it.

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Horrorstör is a clever, fast-paced horror novel set in an IKEA-like furniture store, where eerie occurrences during the night shift take a terrifying turn. The story follows employees at the ORSK store investigating strange disturbances, only to uncover something far more sinister lurking within the showroom.

Blending dark humor with supernatural horror, Horrorstör starts off as a quirky workplace satire before descending into genuine terror. The book’s unique format, designed like a retail catalog, adds to its immersive feel. A fun read with an ending that practically begs for more.

Terror Meter: 5/10 – Creepy and unsettling with moments of real dread, but balanced with just enough humor and fun to keep the scares manageable.

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

Nat Cassidy has crafted a haunting blend of supernatural horror and real-world struggles. After a traumatic childbirth leaves Ana paralyzed, she and her partner Reid move into an exclusive New York apartment building for a fresh start. However, their new home harbors eerie secrets, and strange occurrences quickly spiral into a waking nightmare. Cassidy builds tension with a slow-burn narrative, creeping dread, and some genuinely unsettling imagery. Themes of parenthood, disability, postpartum depression and helplessness amplify the horror, making Nestlings a deeply unnerving read.

Terror Meter: 6/10 – Disturbing and atmospheric, with moments of true horror.

Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi

Boys in the Valley is a chilling, gory and brutal horror novel set in a secluded orphanage in early 20th-century Pennsylvania. When a sinister presence is unleashed, young Peter Barlow and his fellow orphans face a descent into terror, violence, and possession. Fracassi weaves a tense, atmospheric tale with relentless dread and graphic horror that will stick with you long after you turn that final page. There were moments in the book that I just had to put it down and take a deep breath. Some readers have described this book as Lord of the Flies meets The Exorcist. That is a fitting description.

Terror Meter: 8/10 – Dark, intense, and deeply unsettling, with moments of extreme horror. Not for the faint of heart.

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My Review of Immaculate

Michael Mohan’s Immaculate is a horror film steeped in religious and psychological torment. One that blends the eerie isolation of a remote Italian convent with a suffocating sense of dread that builds steadily throughout its runtime.

Sydney Sweeney stars as Cecilia, a devout woman who enters a secluded Italian convent only to find herself at the center of a sinister miracle—an unexplained pregnancy that those around her hail as an act of God. But as the film unfolds, it becomes clear that Immaculate is less about miracles and more about control. The nuns and priests who surround Cecilia weaponize faith against her, using it to strip away her autonomy and dictate her fate.

The film is beautifully shot, every corridor, every flickering candle and every whispered prayer feels tainted by an unspoken malevolence, reinforcing the idea that faith can be as much a prison as a refuge. The film’s location serves as more than just a backdrop—it’s an imposing, almost sentient force, filled with decaying frescoes, and an eerie stillness that makes the silence feel deafening.

The film is a chilling, thought-provoking thriller that exposes the dark intersection of faith and fear, one that will undoubtedly leave you questioning what the true cost of devotion is. But beneath its gothic atmosphere lies a deeper commentary on the oppressive nature of institutional faith, bodily autonomy, and the exploitation of women under the guise of divine will. While it may not reinvent religious horror, it powerfully critiques the oppressive aspects of faith, something that is of particular relevance in today’s world.

B+

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My Review of Alien: Romulus

I will unashamedly admit my love affair with xenomorphs. Alien was the first rated ‘R’ film I saw as a kid and its had a decades long effect on me. So naturally I tend to hold these films to a higher standard. Unfortunately, outside of Alien and Aliens, the franchise has mostly fallen short. Enter Fede Álvarez—director, madman, and clearly someone who understands what makes Alien films rock—terror, claustrophobia, and pure, uncut merciless carnage.

Romulus traps a group of young scavengers aboard a derelict space station, where they quickly realize they’re not alone. What starts as a simple job spirals into a desperate fight for survival against the universes ultimate killing machines. The film a welcome addition to a franchise that has sorely needed a return to its roots. A return to form that marries the eerie, slow pulsing dread of Alien (1979) with the frenetic, pulse-pounding action of Aliens (1986). And damn does it hit like an acid splash to the face. The atmosphere is characteristically oppressive, the tension is tighter than a face hugger’s grip and the xenomorphs are as horrifyingly beautiful as ever.

The cast sells every moment of sheer terror, making you care just enough about these poor bastards to make their inevitable encounters with the xenos hit that much harder. At the heart of the chaos is the film’s lead, Rain (Cailee Spaeny), who channels her inner Ellen Ripley with equal parts resilience and raw fearlessness. She brings real emotional weight to the story, making you invest in her struggle as she fights to keep her crew alive. Her interactions with the rest of the team feel real and genuine, especially her sibling-like relationship with the movies synthetic, Andy (David Jonsson).

Bottom line: Alien: Romulus is a brutal, brilliant love letter to Alien fans, proving that Álvarez isn’t just making a sequel—he’s reminding you that in space, no one can hear you scream. And its about damn time.

A

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My Review of Abigail

Abigail takes a familiar crime thriller setup—a group of criminals kidnapping the wrong target—and flips it into a blood-soaked nightmare filled with razor-sharp humor and relentless carnage.

The setup is simple: a crew of kidnappers snatches a 12-year-old girl, Abigail (Alisha Weir), the daughter of a wealthy and powerful man. Their plan? Hold her for ransom in a secluded mansion. Turns out, Abigail isn’t just some helpless rich kid. What starts as a simple ransom job quickly spirals into sheer terror when the crew realizes their seemingly helpless captive isn’t just special—she’s something monstrous.

Director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Scream, Ready or Not) inject Abigail with a perfect blend of tension, brutal action, and twisted humor. This isn’t your gothic laden vampire flick, its a film that’s kinetic, modern, and revels in its chaos. The film manages to balance its horror with sharp, biting wit, making the carnage all the more entertaining.

Alisha Weir is terrifyingly good as Abigail. She dances—literally—through her kills, blending elegance with sheer brutality, proving that being adorable and utterly horrifying are not mutually exclusive. Watching her effortlessly switch between innocent charm and terrifying predator is a thrill in itself. The rest of the excellent cast does their job well in selling both the tension and the dark humor that keeps the film electric from start to finish.

What makes Abigail stand out is its ability to reinvent vampire horror without drowning in clichés. It leans into its absurdity, embraces its blood-soaked mayhem, and delivers an entertaining ride that feels fresh and exhilarating. Its a fast, feral, and unapologetically fun time while refusing to take itself too seriously.

B+

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My Review of Late Night With the Devil

Late Night with the Devil is a devilishly clever horror film directed by Cameron and Colin Cairnes. The film is presented as a lost broadcast from a 1977 late-night talk show—one that spirals into supernatural chaos before the final commercial break that dares to ask: would you sell your soul for better ratings?

David Dastmalchian delivers a career-best performance as Jack Delroy, a struggling talk show host desperate to boost his sagging ratings. His big stunt? Inviting a young girl supposedly possessed by a demon onto the show, along with a panel of skeptics, occultists, and parapsychologists. What starts as a gimmick for shock value quickly turns into something far more sinister, as the supernatural refuses to stay politely off-camera.

Late Night with the Devil immerses you in the world of vintage late night television, nailing the era’s aesthetics, grainy visuals, and slick-yet-awkward live production feel. The film plays with the limitations of a live broadcast, letting the horror unfold in ways that feel disturbingly real. The movie's real charm is how successfully it builds its horror through eerie silences, unnerving performances, and the growing inescapable realization that something is about to go deeply and catastrophically wrong.

This is a film with brains, wit, and a wicked edge-everything you love about independent horror films. Dastmalchian is an absolute blast to watch, effortlessly balancing Jack’s charisma with the weight of his desperation. He’s a man teetering on the edge, reaching too far into the abyss, and like the audience, you just can’t look away—even if you want to.

B+

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My Review of Heretic

Heretic is a psychological horror film that dives into the power of belief, manipulation and faith. Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, this isn't your typical bump-in-the-night horror flick—it's a descent into paranoia that keeps you hooked with its eerie atmosphere and razor-sharp tension.

Hugh Grant, trading in his usual rom-com charm for something far, far more sinister, plays Mr. Reed—a man so unsettlingly charismatic he could probably convince you to sign over your soul with a handshake and a well-placed smirk. When two young Mormon missionaries, played brilliantly by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, knock on his door, they find themselves drawn into a twisted game where doubt is the real monster lurking in the shadows.

What makes Heretic stand out is how it weaponizes conversation. There are no cheap scares or blood-soaked massacres—just carefully crafted unease, where every word and gesture feels like another step toward something terrifying. The tension builds like a slow, creeping nightmare, with Beck and Woods using silence and stillness as effectively as any scream.

Visually, the film is all moody lighting and claustrophobic spaces, making Reed’s house feel like a purgatory of its own. It’s the kind of horror that makes you uncomfortable, not because of what it shows, but because of what it makes you think. If you’re looking for a horror movie that gets under your skin in a way that’s more psychological than supernatural, Heretic just might be that film.

A

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My Review of Cuckoo

Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo is a fever dream of paranoia, mystery, and unpredictable terror. The film follows Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), a teenager reluctantly dragged to a remote German resort by her father and his new wife. From the moment they arrive, things feel…off. The locals are distant, the setting feels too pristine to be real, and there’s something very wrong with Gretchen’s eerily charismatic host, Mr. König (Dan Stevens, who just seems to make every movie better). As Gretchen settles into her new life in the secluded Bavarian Alps mountain town, strange occurrences and even stranger people make it clear that something is deeply wrong.

Singer crafts an atmosphere that’s equal parts hypnotic and nightmarish, blending creeping dread with bursts of surreal, pulse-pounding horror. The film is unpredictable, the kind of story where every answer only leads to more unnerving questions. Hunter Schafer delivers a gripping performance, grounding the film with raw emotion and vulnerability, while Stevens chews up every scene with an unsettling charm that makes you want to run and listen to him at the same time.

This is horror at its most inventive—more than just scares, Cuckoo builds an entire mood, an unshakable unease that lingers with you and leaves you with more questions than answers.

A

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My Review of Longlegs

Longlegs isn't just a horror film—it’s a suffocating nightmare that latches onto your nerves and refuses to let go. Osgood Perkins crafts a creeping psychological horror that owes a debt to Silence of the Lambs, but it also drips with the cold nihilism of Se7en and the occult unease of The Exorcist III. It’s the kind of horror movie that lingers in your psyche long after the credits roll, festering like an untreated wound.

At the center of it all is Maika Monroe as an FBI agent Lee Harker, investigating a string of ritualistic murders linked to the elusive and terrifying serial killer known as Longlegs. As she digs deeper, she begins to uncover disturbing connections—ones that suggest her involvement in the case may be more than just professional. The small-town setting is perfect for this type of story—isolated, quiet, and just off enough to make you feel like something’s terribly wrong even when everything seems normal.

Nicolas Cage delivers one of the more unsettling performances of his career. This is vintage Cage, completely in his element—neither too restrained nor too unhinged, but walking that perfect line between madness and methodical intensity. He moves and speaks like something dredged up from an eldritch abyss, proving once again that when he commits to a role, he commits.

Perkins bathes the film in an atmosphere of stifling dread with such meticulous pacing that every frame is dripping with foreboding. If you appreciate horror that haunts rather than startles, Longlegs is a masterstroke of the genre. And let’s be honest: if you’re not watching Cage go full Cage in a film like this, you’re missing out on some of the finest horror performance art we’ve got.

B

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My Review of Oddity

Oddity follows a blind medium investigating the brutal murder of her twin sister, unraveling a sinister mystery that blurs the line between the living and the dead. The deeper she digs, the more she encounters eerie visions, cryptic messages, and a lingering presence that suggests something unnatural is watching. The film thrives on its growing tension, making you question whether the horrors unfolding are supernatural… or something far worse lurking in the real world.

Director Damian Mc Carthy delivers one of the more original and unsettling horror films of the year. Rather than relying on cheap jump scares, Oddity builds tension like a tightening noose, forcing you to sit in its eerie, suffocating atmosphere. The cinematography is stunning in its simplicity—every shadow feels like it’s watching, every quiet moment crackles with the possibility of something horrifying lurking just out of sight.

The cast delivers powerhouse work, grounding the terror in raw, emotional realism. Even as the supernatural elements creep in, the film remains terrifyingly human at its core—grief, guilt, and paranoia all intertwining into something deeply unsettling. Carolyn Brackens performance is particularly haunting, striking the perfect balance between vulnerability and quiet determination.

Oddity is a reminder that true horror doesn’t just make you jump—it makes you think, makes you feel, and, most importantly, makes you want to sleep with the lights on.

A

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My Review for It Lives Inside - Because Being a Teenager Isn’t Horrifying Enough

If you thought high school was scary enough with pop quizzes and social awkwardness, It Lives Inside cranks the terror up to The Babadook levels of existential dread—except this time, it comes with an Indian folklore twist. Director Bishal Dutta makes an impressive feature debut with this horror flick that blends supernatural chills with cultural struggles, proving that sometimes real horror isn’t the monster in the dark—it’s disappointing your parents.

Megan Suri (Never Have I Ever) absolutely shines as Samidha, a teen stuck between her Indian roots and her desire to fit in with her all-American peers. Unfortunately for her, supernatural entities are way less forgiving than judgmental aunties at family gatherings. The film’s horror doesn’t just come from jump scares (though there are a few solid ones), but from its creeping sense of dread. Dutta clearly understands that sometimes what you don’t see is scarier than what you do, and he masterfully plays with shadow, sound, and suggestion to keep the audience on edge. The approach makes it all the more satisfying when the creature finally makes its entrance.

Sure, It Lives Inside does lean on a few familiar horror tropes (yes, people still ignore the most obvious red flags), but its infusion of Indian mythology and cultural identity gives it a fresh and welcome perspective, proving that horror is a universal language everyone understands. It’s not The Exorcist, but it’s a strong debut that proves Bishal Dutta is a director to watch.

B

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My Review for Blue Beetle

Blue Beetle is a breath of fresh air in the superhero genre, mixing action, heart, and just the right amount of social commentary. It’s not just another “guy finds a super suit” story—it’s about family, identity, and a young hero trying to protect his own in a world that’s stacked against him.

Jaime Reyes is a recent college grad who stumbles upon an alien artifact called the Scarab, which bonds to him and grants him an incredible, but unpredictable, exosuit. Suddenly, he’s not just trying to find a job—he’s fighting to keep his family safe from those who want the Scarab’s power for themselves.

Director Ángel Manuel Soto brings real heart to the film, balancing high-energy superheroics with a grounded look at Jaime Reyes’ working-class struggles. Xolo Maridueña is effortlessly charming as Jaime, making us root for him from the start as he stumbles through his newfound powers. And George Lopez? Absolutely steals scenes as the hilarious, conspiracy-loving uncle. It's not just about a hero in a suit; it's about the hero's journey to protect and uplift his community.

With Blue Beetle, DC proves it still has fresh stories to tell. It’s fun, heartfelt, and packed with enough love for the character to make comic fans smile. If this is the future of DC movies, sign me up.

A

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My Review of The Last Voyage of the Demeter - The Cruise from Hell

Directed by André Øvredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark), The Last Voyage of the Demeter takes one chilling chapter from Dracula and stretches it into a full-blown maritime horror show. And honestly? It mostly works.

Corey Hawkins leads the cast with a performance that’s both compelling and exasperating, while the rest of the crew does their best to keep things afloat (literally and figuratively), but in classic horror fashion, they’re mostly there to serve as appetizers for the Prince of Darkness.

Øvredal’s direction is top-tier, capturing the film’s eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere with style. It’s all dimly lit corridors, ominous creaks, and a slow realization that, yep, they’re all doomed. It leans heavily into gothic horror, and while the movie does indulge in some well-worn horror clichés—people investigating creepy noises alone, ignoring obvious signs that something is very, very wrong. That’s all part of the fun and why we’re here, to watch people make bad choices and suffer for it.

Is it the definitive Dracula film? No. But it is a fun, atmospheric, and often terrifying entry into the vampire mythos. So, if you’re in the mood for some high-seas horror, jump on—you might just enjoy this ride.

B-

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My Review of Talk To Me - The Kids Are Not Alright, But at Least They’re Not Vaping

Every few years, a horror movie comes along that that reminds us how much fun it is to get the sh*t scared out of us. Talk to Me is that film. Directed by YouTube legends-turned-legit-filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou, this Australian horror flick follows a group of teens who discover a new party trick—gripping a mysterious embalmed hand that lets them briefly communicate with the dead. When did teens stop getting wasted and hooking up at parties and instead start summoning spirits for fun? And why wasn’t I invited? It starts as a viral thrill, a dangerous game of supernatural chicken, but when one séance goes horribly wrong, they unleash something they can’t control.

Sophie Wilde leads the cast with a powerhouse performance, making her descent into terror feel raw and real. The entire young cast brings their A-game, selling the film’s mix of reckless excitement and creeping dread.

Rather than relying on cheap jump scares, Talk to Me builds a thick, lingering unease—the kind that sticks with you long after the credits roll. It’s terrifying, inventive, and emotionally devastating in the best way. Highly recommend—just don’t be surprised if your teenager starts asking where to find a cursed relic instead of a fake ID.

A