This year my search for seasonal spooky film fare took me to the opposite side of the globe with a few fantastic recent movies out of New Zealand, Mārama and The Rule of Jenny Pen. They led me down a rabbit hole of horror from down under, so […]
You’ve seen and even more likely heard Peter Lorre, even if you don’t know the name. His large, sad eyes, soft voice, distinct accent live on exaggeratedly in Looney Tunes cartoons, episodes of old television series like Route 66, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, as the inspiration for Ren’s voice […]
Dead & Buried (1981) gained notoriety after being placed on Britain’s infamous Video Nasties list and with its copious amount of gore, one might think that it’s just another lurid exploitation piece. However, this film is a meditation on the fear of death, as well as a subversive […]
Sometimes the Netflix algorithm gets it right, instead of serving up its usual tendency to knock you unconscious with a malfunctioning neon drone to the head, as happens to Best of the Best’s Maya at her high school talent show. The loosely Bollywood-related setting is right up my […]
There’s still some screenings today, but Fantastic Fest 2026 is over for me at least. I had a good festival this year. I didn’t get to watch all the films I hoped to, but it’s hard to be disappointed when I know I’ll see most of them eventually. […]
My last feature at this year’s Fantastic Fest was director Fergal Costello, co-director/action choreographer Lee Huang, and writer Paddy McDonald’s kung fu horror comedy, Kung Fu Deadly (Ireland/Australia, 2026). When Dublin is beset by a swarm of rats, well, one neighborhood in Dublin, exterminators Danny (actor/comedian Steven He […]
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