Tag: Horror

The Monkey (2025) | REVIEW

The titular toy monkey in Osgood Perkins’ THE MONKEY — PHOTO: NEON / Black Bear.

Directed by Osgood Perkins — Screenplay by Osgood Perkins.

Filmmaker Osgood Perkins is fast becoming one of the most interesting horror filmmakers on the rise. Following three relatively unknown features, including the quite good The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Perkins finally had his breakthrough as a filmmaker in 2024 with the excellent horror-thriller flick Longlegs. Now in 2025, he’s hoping to fully etch his name into stone, as a prominent horror filmmaker with Keeper, releasing later this year, and The Monkey, an adaptation of a Stephen King short story, which was released in theaters at the end of February. Here Perkins is trying to prove himself in another horror subgenre, namely that of the horror-comedy, but, while there is a lot to like here, it isn’t quite as effective as his 2024 hit.

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The Gorge (2025) | REVIEW

Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy in “The Gorge,” now streaming on Apple TV+.

Directed by Scott Derrickson — Screenplay by Zach Dean.

Scott Derrickson’s The Gorge follows two elite snipers, an American man named Levi Kane (played by Miles Teller) and a Lithuanian woman named Drasa (played by Anya Taylor-Joy), as they are both independently recruited for a top-secret mission in the middle of nowhere. At some unknown place in the world, there are two watchtowers standing across from each other, one representing the Western Bloc and another representing the Eastern Bloc. Each watchtower is guarded by mechanized turrets and bombs, and between the two watchtowers is a giant long hole in the ground — hence the title. Levi and Drasa have been hired to do maintenance on the weaponry and, at the same time, defend the world from what is hidden inside the mysterious valley. As they are the only two people in the vicinity, Drasa and Levi establish a connection, but when one of them accidentally falls down into the valley, everything changes and top secrets are revealed.

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Companion (2025) | REVIEW

A burning Iris (played by Sophie Thatcher) sitting across from Josh (played by Jack Quaid) in COMPANION — PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures (still image from trailers).

Directed by Drew Hancock — Screenplay by Drew Hancock.

In the marketing for this film (more on this later), trailers have highlighted the fact that this new genre-bendy flick is the product of the studio behind The Notebook, arguably the most well-known American romance film, and the creators of Barbarian, the hugely surprising horror film with multiple tricks up its sleeves from 2022. It’s a good marketing narrative that does communicate the film’s genre fluidity from one thing to another from certain scenes to certain scenes. But, in actuality, this is the brainchild of writer-director Drew Hancock, a Blue Mountain State writer, who, to be honest, has crafted something quite entertaining for his feature directorial debut. 

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The Girl with the Needle (2025) | REVIEW

Vic Carmen Sonne in THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE — PHOTO: Nordisk Film (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Magnus von Horn — Screenplay by Magnus von Horn and Line Langebek.

A Danish, Swedish, and Polish international co-production, Magnus von Horn’s The Girl with the Needle is the 15th Danish submission to the Best International Film Oscar category to earn a nomination. Based on a true story and set in Denmark some time after World War One, von Horn’s film follows Karoline (played by Vic Carmen Sonne), a woman struggling financially. When Karoline, who believes her husband to be dead, enters into a relationship with her well-off boss, Jørgen (played by Joachim Fjelstrup), she soon gets pregnant with his child. However, when Jørgen is forbidden from marrying her, Karoline starts to think that she would be better off without the child that she is expecting. It is at this moment that she comes into contact with Dagmar (played by Trine Dyrholm). Dagmar works at a candy shop, and she tells Karoline that she can help her get her child to a foster family for the right price. However, when Karoline gets to know this strange shop owner, it soon becomes clear that she isn’t being upfront about what she is actually doing to the children being left in her care.

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My Top 25 Most Anticipated Films of 2025

It’s a new year, and there is so much good cinema to look forward to in the coming twelve months. Today, I want to highlight specifically twenty-five of these films and count down to the film that I am the most excited to see in the new year. Now, granted, some of these films could theoretically be moved to 2026, but all of the films on my list are either currently listed as 2025 films or are expected to come out this year. If available, I’ll also post trailers for films, but, of course, not every film production has begun its marketing campaign. Also, if you are interested in a longer list of films that I am excited to see in 2025, then allow me to point you in the direction of my Letterboxd list, which contains 80+ films — click here to check it out! But let’s now count down from 25 to no. 1. What are the films that I am the most excited to see in 2025?

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Wolf Man (2025) | REVIEW

Christopher Abbott in Leigh Whannell’s WOLF MAN — PHOTO: Universal Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Leigh Whannell — Screenplay by Leigh Whannell and Corbett Tuck.

It’s strange to think back to now, but the final film that I saw in theaters before the world shut down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was Universal and Blumhouse’s The Invisible Man from Upgrade director Leigh Whannell. Now, almost five years later, Leigh Whannell has taken another Universal Monster under his wings with Wolf Man, as he has taken over a project that was once envisioned as Ryan Gosling vehicle from Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines director Derek Cianfrance,. Instead, Whannell’s leads are Christopher Abbott (Sanctuary) and Julia Garner (Ozark). With an early-to-mid-January release, is Whannell’s second Universal Monster adaptation as good as his first? Well, let’s have a look.

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‘Fly Me to the Moon,’ ‘Late Night With the Devil,’ ‘Dear Santa,’ and ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ | Bite-Sized Reviews

Top Row (L-R): ‘Fly Me to the Moon (Apple TV+ / Columpia Pictures);’ ‘Late Night With the Devil (IFC Films).’
Bottom Row (L-R): ‘Dear Santa (Paramount Pictures),’ ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s (Universal Pictures).’

In this edition of Bite-Sized Reviews, I reveal my thoughts on a horror video game adaptation, a Jack Black-led Christmas film, an Apple TV+ film whose title references a Frank Sinatra song, and an indie horror film with an interesting premise.

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‘Night Swim,’ ‘IF,’ ‘For Evigt,’ and ‘Birthday Girl’ | Bite-Sized Reviews

Top Row (L-R): NIGHT SWIM (Universal Pictures); IF (Paramount Pictures).
Bottom Row (L-R): FOR EVIGT (Nordisk Film); Birthday Girl (Nordisk Film).

In addition to all of the other reviews I’m publishing by themselves, and other relevant articles to kick off the year, I am also starting the year by publishing a small handful of bite-sized review compilation posts. In this edition, I’ll give you my thoughts on two Danish films from last year that didn’t fully win me over, as well as an American horror film released 12 months ago, and John Krasinski’s family film about imaginary friends.

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Nosferatu (2024) | REVIEW

Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu — PHOTO: Focus Features / Universal Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Robert Eggers (The Witch; The Northman) — Screenplay by Robert Eggers

Everyone knows the name Dracula. That name and character have become such an indelible part of horror fandom and popular culture since the original Bram Stoker epistolary gothic horror novel was published back in 1897 and forever put a name to the quintessential vampire figure. It’s a character that has been played by so many iconic actors through time including Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Nicolas Cage, and Gary Oldman. You may not have seen all of those films, but, I’m pretty sure, even if you haven’t seen a ‘Dracula movie’ before, certain images instantly pop into your head due to cultural osmosis when you hear the name. I am, however, not as certain most people know about ‘nosferatu,’ and, unless you’re a cinephile or a horror aficionado, you almost definitely don’t know who, or what, Count Orlok is. Kids may dress up as Dracula for Halloween (and many probably do), but you’re going to have to search for quite some time if you want to find someone who dressed up as Orlok. 

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Heretic (2024) | REVIEW

Hugh Grant in Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ HERETIC — PHOTO: A24 (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (65) — Screenplay by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place; The Boogeyman).

Though not their directorial debut, writing-directing duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods had their mainstream, big studio debut as directors with last year’s Adam Driver-led sci-fi flick titled 65, which, despite having a great trailer, was a relatively disappointing and unremarkable film. This was a disappointment because, in recent years, the duo had proven themselves to be effective genre film writers with their awards-nominated A Quiet Place screenplay. With their latest film, Heretic, they’ve crafted a psychological horror film that proves their talents and that what they had done a couple of years earlier was by no means an accident or a fluke. This one is terrific.  

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