Home invasion movies are effective because they leave the viewer in a state of vulnerability. We are supposed to feel safe in our own homes, and home invasion films disrupt that safe feeling. You know what I did not know I needed in my home invasion movies? Comedy. While covering Imagine Fantastic Film Festival, that
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Henry Chaisson is known for writing Antlers and producing AppleTV’s Servant. Chaisson has now taken on a new venture: directing his first feature film, Recluse. Recluse is an American gothic haunted house horror film playing at Imagine Fantastic Film Festival. Is Recluse an atmospheric masterpiece, or is it all window dressing to hide an empty
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I think we all know what to expect when we sit down to enjoy a haunted house ghost story. There are certain boxes that get checked off our mental list when ghosts are involved. Yet writer-director Dave Boyle (Man From Reno) takes that list and throws half of it out the window. In his latest
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Although we had to drag our tails to an 8:00 am showing after spending the entire prior day getting lost in the cinema, this wasn’t the worst choice for the workation. The Swallow, written & directed by Kevin Kölsch & Dennise Widmeyer, was a cute nod to “The Raft” segment from Creepshow 2 (1987). This
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Primetime was my last movie at Fantastic Fest, and I wasn’t mad I ended my time on a chaotic Chris Hansen note. To Catch a Predator is a core part of early aughts pop culture. So much so that even if you didn’t watch the show, you knew exactly how it went. I only caught
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Fantastic Fest may be over, but I’m still pulling up with thoughts on movies. I swiped a last-minute ticket to a showing of River (2026) after unsuccessfully refreshing the fest app for days, and personally, I felt like this movie didn’t disappoint. Written and directed by Joshua Giuliano, River was a steady-paced film, but a
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What starts off as a good old-fashioned procedural thriller, much like Mindhunter in its approach, transforms into something else along the way. Complete with father-daughter trauma and family secrets, you might find the plot points familiar—until they aren’t. Directed and co-written by Jordan Downey (ThanksKilling), The Cycle proves it’s possible to tell fresh stories in
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Fantastic Fest has been sneaking a little holiday cheer into the lineup. Last year, one of the secret screenings was Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025). I still have the bloody Santa hat! This year, a holiday horror flick was on the official schedule. I caught Red Snow on a hot Texas afternoon, and I have
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The Ones Who Grieve (Les âmes en Peine) includes a few of my favorite horror things. A period setting. A plague that turns the sick into flesh eaters. New French Extremity tendencies. Unfortunately, the end result was less engaging than the sum of its parts. Young Zélie (Zélie Rhixon) is trapped in the French countryside
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As an aspiring older woman, I love seeing older women be the problem in film. That is why Yerkezhan Baizhan’s Ürei was on my must-watch list for Fantastic Fest. I missed her short of the same name, which premiered at the fest in 2024, so I had no way of knowing this trip to grandma’s
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