My Review of The Grudge 2 (2006)

 

Written by Stephen Susco 

Directed by Takashi Shimizu 

Jake: "It's all your fault! What did you do? What did you bring here?"

Allison: "It followed me here. THEY followed me here!"

Following the success of the 2004 remake, a sequel of course had to emerge and it's one that came out within two years. Was it as good as the first movie? Not really but it did try to build on the events of said movie.

The last we saw of Karen Davis (Sarah Michelle Gellar), she was hospitalised in Tokyo and being terrorised by Kayako Saeki (Takako Fuji). This of course distressed Karen's I'll mother (Joanna Cassidy) who sent Karen's younger sister, Aubrey (Amber Tamblyn) to bring Karen home.

What I found interesting very early in this movie was the dynamic with the Davis women. The mother clearly favoured Karen over Aubrey and there's a sibling rivalry between the estranged sisters. Saying that, Aubrey went to Tokyo to get Karen back but the latter ended up dying early into the movie, which made Aubrey the main protagonist for this sequel.

Just like her dead sister, Aubrey found herself out of place and trying her hardest to figure out the significance behind the Grudge and how it took her sister's life. This meant talking to journalist Eason (Edison Chen) who had saved Karen's life and been investigating the Saeki murders. There was also some revelations from Kayako's mother (Kim Miyori) but Aubrey was as doomed as her sister.

Something that might not have helped this sequel was splitting the narrative. Half of this film wanted to close the Karen side of things while having Aubrey making similar mistakes. Then there was the focus on another family and a bunch of school girls, all of whom get drawn into that house with similar consequences.

The family comprised of the Kimbles in Chicago - Bill (Christopher Cousins) and Trish (Jennifer Beals) and son Jake (Matthew Knight) and older daughter Lacey (Sarah Roemer) Their apartment was acting up and it didn't end well for the family. The school girls - Allison (Arielle Kebbel), Vanessa (Teresa Palmer) and Miyuki (Misako Uno) all fell victim to the curse and both stories intersected, though it could've been  handled far better.

- There's appearances of several characters from the first film to try and connect the new stories of this one.

- Amber Tamblyn previously guest starred in an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, where Sarah Michelle Gellar was the lead.

- Standout music: Hansi Kürsch's When Sorrow Sang.

- Chronology: 2004 and 2006 Pasadena, Chicago and Tokyo.

The Grudge 2 tackled too many ideas and tries to make them flow seamlessly together but doesn't quite pull it off. There's basically two movies crammed into one and in reality, both should've been done separately. 

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of The Grudge (2004)

Written by Stephen Susco 

Directed by Takashi Shimizu

Karen: "The whole time I was in that house I felt something was wrong. What happened there?"

The 2000s were the times for horror remakes and sometimes, remakes even involved the people behind them. This American version to 2002's Ju-On: The Grudge was proof of that. I still have to see the original version but I remember liking this one back in the day. I still do tbh.

Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't quite have the big career, post Buffy The Vampire Slayer that she deserved but this was undeniably the most successful film she's been attached and as the lead of. She's also unquestionably fantastic as exchange student/hospice care worker, Karen Davis.

Karen's moved to Tokyo with her boyfriend, Doug (Jason Behr) where she ended up having to look after the dementia stricken Emma Williams (Grace Zabriskie). Emma's got a son named Matthew (William Mopather), daughter named Susan (KaDee Strickland) and daughter in law named Jennifer (Clea DuVall). It's however up to Karen to take care of Emma in a haunted house.

Let's talk about the house. The opening of this film had Kayako Saeki (Takako Fuji) and her son Toshio (Yuya Oseki) murdered by Kayako's jealous husband, Takeo (Takashi Matsuyama) as the latter found out that Kayako had developed feelings for her co-worker, Peter Kirk (Bill Pullman). Peter also died after encountering the ghosts in this film.

The main ghosts were both Toshio and Kayako, with the latter appearing as an onryō. Throughout the film, both restless spirits terrorised everyone they interacted with and there's some genuinely unsettling scenes to watch. It's up to Karen to try and figure things out but if you were hoping for a traditional final girl outcome, you're in for a shock.

It's not a happy outcome for Karen. Not only did she lose her boyfriend, Doug but she also lost her mind. It's a tragic ending for the character while the detective Nakagawa (Ryo Ishibashi) was the one who ended up setting that house on fire to try and end the cycle. Not that it really succeeded, considering Karen's outcome.

- Sam Raimi was a producer while his brother, Ted was cast as Alex, the director of the care centre that stationed Karen and Yoko (Yōko Maki).

- Two sequels and a sidequel were spawned from this movie and came out in 2006, 2009 and 2019 respectively.

- Standout music: Christopher Young's score is rather effective.

- Chronology: Set in Yokyo during 2001 and 2004 respectively.

While I do need to seek out the original, I'm still resolved in saying that I liked this version of The Grudge and I won't change my mind on that. It's genuinely chilling in parts and Sarah Michelle Gellar can do no wrong.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Primetime (2026)

 

Written by Ajon Singh

Directed by Lance Oppenheim

Chris Hansen: "What would've happened if I wasn't here? You see how this looks, right? At the end of the day, a man must be held accountable for the decisions that he makes. Do you agree? Do you watch television? Well, there's something you should know. I'm Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC. And you're about to be a part of television history."

I missed this in theatres, so I waited for the digital release. Was it worth the hype? Oh, I think so. There's at least three career defining performances throughout this film. Yes, I said three.

First up, there's Robert Pattinson himself. He's had a hell of a year with knockout performances in The Drama and The Odyssey and there's still Dune Part Three to come next month. Then again, he's been quite a good number of years and long may it continue.

Casting him as To Catch A Predator host Chris Hansen as part of Dateline NBC was a stroke of genius. The voice alone was nailed perfectly and the mid to late 2000s, it was one of the most talked about shows in America. Hansen made himself a figure of dread with his pursuit of child predators and this film explored both his desire to hold these sort of men to account while also being engrossed by his growing recognition too.

I like that this film explored both aspects to Hansen as a person in an attempt to give him plenty of dimensions as a person. He wasn't above extramarital affairs with his own marriage to his wife, Mary Joan (Anna Faris) barely hanging on by a thread while he struggled to connect with his own children.

The more successful that the show became, the more we saw the darker aspects of Hansen's pursuit of both justice and tv ratings. In particular, his treatment of the decoys Del Harvey (Phoebe Bridgers) and Dan Plumb (Skyler Gisondo) didn't exactly bring out his good side.

There's a huge focus on Dan in particular or Decoy Dan as he became known as. This might sound hyperbolic but Skyler Gisondo gave such a commanding performance, he nearly overpowered Pattinson at certain points in the film. I knew he was a good actor but his performance absolutely blew me away. One of the most captivating performances this year. 

However, it's not just Pattinson and Gisondo who stand out here. There's also another commanding from Merritt Wever as Hansen's producer, Andie Bender. She's absolutely brilliant, especially in that one scene where she went to extremes in order to get Hansen to get his shot together. These three absolutely elevate the film and deserve any award love coming their way.

- The show became so popular that NBC put it up against ABC mystery series, Lost. That worked in their favour.

- There's some strong supporting and minor performances from Matthew Maher, Alex Winter, Jonathan Lipnicki and Tony Revolori to name a few.

- Standout music: Skyler Gisondo's version of Seasons Of Love and Phoebe Bridgers On Video.

- Chronology: Mostly set in 2006.

Primetime (2026) certainly provided three of the best performances this award season. Robert Pattinson, Skyler Gisondo and Merritt Wever are absolutely exceptional throughout this film. The script's a little flawed,  so points deducted but overall, I really enjoyed this film.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Verity (2026)

 

Written by Nick Antosca

Directed by Michael Showalter

Verity: "No one is likable from the inside out."

After watching It Ends With Us, I was kind of over adaptations of Colleen Hoover books but with this cast and it's admittedly interesting premise, I had to cave in and watch this. Also, not to brag but I can now say that I've watched every 2026 release with a certain actor, so there's that too.

This semi erotic/psychological thriller focus on the writer Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway). She's the author of a successful book series that focused on the perspective of it's villains. It's a perspective that Verity was so good at writing from that it would have the worst consequences for her.

Putting it mildly, Verity ended up in a car crash, was in a somewhat catatonic state and her darling husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett) decided to hire the incredibly unpopular author in the same genre, Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) to ghost write for Verity. Needless to say, it's a job that Lowen probably should've turned down but nothing about Lowen was straightforward.

She had a dark side of her own and there was something macabre in the way her and Jeremy. It involved a death of course and death followed the pair as Lowen moved in with Jeremy and Verity and befriended the couple's son, Crew (Brady Wagner). Crew had a twin sister that drown and Verity might have been responsible for her death.

The biggest strength of this movie was getting into Verity's mind set. Having taken the advice of Amanda (K.K. Moggie), Verity kept an account og some of her darkest thoughts, making it look like she wanted to kill her own children but she actually didn't. Oh and she was faking being catatonic in fear of her husband. Unfortunately for Verity, her fears were more than justified.

Ultimately, Verity was the flawed but sympathetic figure of the three leads. This film made both Lowen and Jeremy into villains. They predictably got together and not only did Lowen tell Verity that she was going to steal her life but she did steal it with the way she got Jeremy to kill Verity. There's no getting past the fact that Lowen was the real villain of the piece.

- There's a decent supporting role for Ismael Cruz Cordova as Lowen's agent, Corey. It did seem like him and Lowen had a thing.

- Interesting use of real life podcasters Alex Cooper and Sean Evans. I am more of a fan of the latter tbh.

- Standout music: FKA Twigs Girls Feel Good and The Marias Back To Me.

- Chronology: Mostly set in New York and Vermont. A seven month time jump also revealed Lowen being pregnant with a girl.

I really liked this film. Verity was a dark thriller, delving into the dangerous prose of one woman and how her words when taken serious had the worst consequences for everyone involved. Great performances from Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett respectively.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Digger (2026)

Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu And Alexander Dinelaris Jr. And Nicolas Giacobone And Sabine Berman And Jez Butterworth

Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Digger: "If we can't control the course of nature, at least we can control the narrative."

We're heading into Academy Awards season and there's going to be some movies that will be hyped for the awards that aren't going to float my boat. This was a movie I had a feeling from the trailers wasn't going to be for me and upon watching it, I was correct. I didn't dig this one.

Tom Cruise has spent the last while trying to show up the younger generation as the definitive action man with mostly that being a success in all fairness. Of course, there was going to be a point where he would want to pivot back to a role that would prove he still had the range for the award circuit. I can see what he was attempting to do here.

He's an aging oil magnate named Digger Rock Rockwell that was colluding with the US President (John Goodman) so his company could extract oil in Alaska and Greenland. This resulted in an explosion and dislodged ice shelf toward Europe. Dr. Nirav Ganesh (Riz Ahmed) tried to warn of a devastating tidal waves across the North Sea but he was mostly dismissed.

There's some focus on the Presideng having rectal cancer as well as a play called Fossil Fools that tried to satirise the disaster of the film. There's a fun performance by Cruise, who also played Curtis Markson, the actor that played Digger in the play. This subplot also gave us another good scene stealing moments from Jesse Plemons as Digger's nephew, Kenny.

Throw in some ample support from the likes of Sandra Huller as Digger's half sister, Emma, Michael Stuhlbarg as Vice President Eddie and the film itself isn't lacking in terms of great acting. It's just the story that I found myself struggling to get into. Even Digger and his family's downfall just went on a bit before reaching it's inevitable conclusion.

- There was a lot of emphasis on that dying white cat for a a fair chunk of the first act in the movie. I liked the cat.

- Tom Cruise got an entire monologue for ten minutes that was filmed in a single take.

- Standout music: Melanie's Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma.

- Chronology: Set in America as well as the offshore platform Digger and his family were sent to.

Digger just didn't do it for me. I'll give Tom Cruise credit for his physical transformation and there's a few funny moments but it's not a film I'd be in a rush to ever see again. I found it to be a bit of a slog to be honest.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Oliver! (1968)

 

Written by Vernon Harris

Directed by Carol Reed

Fagin: "If you go on the way you started, you will be the greatest man of all time. Sweet dreams, Oliver."

During the next two months, don't be shocked to see more musicals being reviewed on here. One of my favourites being this one of course. It's one that I've watched as a kid and appreciate as much as an adult too.

Victorian England was a miserable time and more so in the average Charles Dickens. This movie adaptation of the 1960 musical certainly had a time with honing in on the Misery factor with our orphaned protagonist Oliver (Mark Lester). No parents and in a workhouse, Oliver wasn't getting the best start in life.

He also had the misfortune to draw a tangled straw and ask Mr. Bumble (Harry Secombe) and Widow Corney for more gruel. That only got him sold to undertaker Mr. Sowerberry (Leonard Rossiter) where the latter's wife (Hylda Baker) and apprentice Noah Claypole (Kenneth Cranham) were especially horrible to him. 

Oliver made the right decision in getting away that lot and headed off to London. By doing that, Oliver met the Artful Dodger (Jack Wild) and ended up being taken in by master pickpocket expert, Fagin (Ron Moody) himself. In some ways, Oliver probably had the least messed up family by being a member of Fagin's gang of pickpockets. Except for two obvious factors.

First of all, Oliver's pretty bad at being a pickpocket and ended up getting caught. He also ended up getting taken in by kind rich guy, Mr. Brownlow (Joseph O'Conor), who'd later in the film would turn out to be an actual relative of Oliver's, ensuring an eventual happy ending for the orphaned lad.

However the biggest obstacle to Oliver and several other characters was violent brute, Bill Sykes (Oliver Reed). It's a masterful performance in sheer villainy from Reed as Sykes was a legitimately terrifying and rather pathetic villain in his desperate need to control the world around him. His relationship with the sympathetic Nancy (Shani Wallis) gave layers to both characters as the latter was the closest to a maternal figure for Oliver before her tragic death. 

- Some versions of the movie have removed the Overture, Intermission and Entr'acte. 

- I had no idea that Oliver Reed was both Carol Reed's nephew and that he had a song that was cut from the film.

- Standout music: Food, Glorious Food, Oliver!, Where Is Love?, Consider Yourself, I'd Do Anything, As Long As He Needs Me and Oom-Pah Pah.

- Chronology: Set in Victorian times in Dunstable and London.

One of my favourite musicals of all time, Oliver! is a true classic. A brilliant adaptation of Charles Dickens classic novel. There's so many brilliant performances from the leads and so many fantastic musical numbers.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of It - Welcome To Derry: "A Story Of Derry"

 

Written by Cherie Dimaline And Jasmyne Flournoy

Directed by Tazbeh Chavez

Titles: "Generations ago, when the Kollu first preyed on our people, we left warnings for those who would come after. But we hid the truth inside a gentler tale, one our children could carry. This is the story we do not teach. This is the patent we left out." 

Just in time for Halloween (yes, I'm very much aware this is a day later), HBO thought it would be a nice thing to give us a thirty minute extra episode that was very lore driven. I'm not complaining but wasn't some of this already covered in the first season?

Set hundreds of years before the first season, the focus was on a Native American tribe. Specifically the younger characters of Necani, Kino and Manesse. They're curious about Tha Galloo in the western forest and despite being warned by Elders, the trio went into the forest to have a look for themselves.

That didn't exactly go to plan as Tha Galloo disguised itself as Englush Settlers and tried to harm the trio. Then there was the presence of the mysterious Mativ, who saved the trio but also killed his own tribe. This episode also delved into the lore of cosmic turtle Maturin and there's a gorgeous sequence that revealed the location of a certain crash too.

Yes, while we didn't see Pennywise in his normal form, he certainly delighted in taunting the tribe upon the death of a fallen member. Then there was Kino's communication with Maturin, but again, I already mentioned the beauty of that sequence.

It's an enjoyable episode for what it is but also rather slight in itself. I do think the main points here had been made in the first season. Saying that, if you wanted a deeper dive into this lore, you should be satisfied with this one.

- HBO renewed the show for a second season a while ago but literally dropped this episode as a surprise to audiences on Halloween.

- It took thirteen stone fragments to form a prison to trap Tha Galloo. 

- The writers and director are new to this show. 

- Chronology: Native America and when that ship crashed into what would be later in the town of Derry.

A Story Of Derry filled in a few gaps and provided a nice bit of origin story for the Entity as well as the introduction of Maturin. I really liked this episode overall and was intrigued by these guest characters.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Omen (1976)

 

Written by David Seltzer

Directed by Richard Donner

Robert: "In birth and death the generations embrace."

Okay, this was another horror film that I've seen more times than necessary but I've never got around to reviewing until now. I guess Halloween would be an appropriate day to review a movie about the Antichrist.

There's the Thorns - Robert (Gregory Peck) and Katherine (Lee Remick). They just had a baby but the baby didn't survive past a single breath and now, they've adopted another boy that they've called Damien (Harvey Spencer Stephens). Their family should be good, right? You'd think so, wouldn't you?

The problem with the Thorns was that aside from moving countries for Robert's Ambassador job, there was Damien himself. Some kids can be terrors but Damien's the actual Antichrist and as the movie went along, this became a fact that both Robert and Katherine could no longer ignore.

Father Brennan (Patrick Troughton) was one of the first people to alert Robert to Damien being the Antichristj and he was ignored. Brennan also suffered at the hands of the demonic kid. Of course there would be others that wouldn't make it out of the film alive.

As you know, Damien had a big destiny ahead of him and it was up to photographer Keith Jennings (David Warner) and Antichrist exorcism expert Carl Bugenhagen (Leo McKern) to help Robert do the difficult deed and kill the Antichrist. Could this film really kill an evil child?

Of course not. If Mrs. Balloch (Billie Whitelaw) wasn't there to protect Damien against his father, the police certainly were. By the end of this film, both Robert and Katherine were dead and Damien was on his way to becoming a major threat in the future. Its almost like it was foreseen.

- This movie spawned three sequels, a remake, TV show and a prequel movie. I'll get to them in due course.

- As a Doctor Who fan, I keep forgetting that Patrick Troughton was in this movie but being impressed with his performance nonetheless.

- Standout music: Jerry Goldsmith's Ave Satani.

- Chronology: Rome, London, Jerusalem and Washington over several years in the film. Damien was born June 6th at 6am.

The Omen (1976) definitely is the most iconic take of the Antichrist story in any media ever. Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Spencer Stephens etc are all fantastic as the unfortunate couple with the demonic son. An absolute masterpiece in horror.

Rating: 9 out of 10

DCU Blog - October 2026 Edition: Clayface Sticks, TBII Resumes Production And More

Yup, it's certainly been quite the month for DC fans. Let's take a look into the big moments from this month.

Clayface, starring Tom Rhys Harries is currently enjoying success in theatres, having made its budget back and then some.

James Gunn has stated once again that the DCU Batman has not been yet cast and not to expect a trailer for Man Of Tomorrow (July 9th 2027) in December.

In regards to The Suicide Squad, characters like Bloodsport and Ratcatcher II are canon to the DCU and that Margot Robbie has the option to return as Harley Quinn.

Luca Guadagnino's Sgt. Rock movie was supposedly cancelled over budgetary reasons. I would have loved to have seen that film.

Following Matt Reeves having to step aside, Steven Soderbergh will finish up The Batman - Part II (February 18th 2028), which has resumed production. Reeves will handle post-production.

Matthew Lillard will be playing an original character for Man Of Tomorrow.

Peter Safran has stated that there have been discussions over various roles for Alan Ritchson to play in the DCU. 

Nathan Fillion will reprise his role as Guy Gardner for The People v. Gorilla Grodd. The eight part show will stream on HBO Max in 2027.

Josh Hutcherson and Mackenzie Davis will voice Scott Free and Big Barda for the upcoming HBO Max series, Mister Miracle. The eight episode show will premiere in 2028.

Ilya Naishuller is one of the directors being considered to direct the Bane/Deathstroke film, which will be called Savage Hunters.

Lanterns is being considered for a second season at HBO, depending on the story. The first season concluded earlier in the month.

James Mangold's Swamp Thing is still going ahead but we're no closer to specific details as to when exactly.

A live action show that will focus on Poison Ivy is in early development at HBO. Lauren LeFranc, who worked on The Penguin will head up this show.

The second part of Batman: Knightfall titled Batman: Knightfall, Part 2 - Knightquest will be released on December 8th.

DC Studio films in early development include Batman: Brave And The Bold, Wonder Woman, Teen Titans, Swamp Thing and Savage Hunters.

David Ellison has backed James Gunn and Peter Safran's vision for DC, which he views as a pillar for their film division.

That's it for this month. Happy Halloween, DC fans.

American Horror Story: 13 Seasons, 13 Standout Characters

First of all, this is a one per season round up and secondly, there's one actor per character in order to make this list a little more interesting.

These are thirteen standout characters in American Horror Story. Feel free to agree/disagree.

1: Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) - Asylum, Roanoke

LGBT representation can be hit and miss on this show but Lana Winters might be the best lesbian character ever to come out of this show. It's because of this role that the show pivoted with Sarah Paulson becoming more prominent in later seasons. She's incredible as the cutthroat journalist and survivor of both versions of Bloody Face.

2: Michael Langdon (Cody Fern) - Murder House, Apocalypse

The first Antichrist to appear on the show but actually he's the 12th in a long line of them. The best Antichrist. Cody Fern was one hell of a find for the show and he dominated the eighth season with aplomb. Dark, brooding, sexy and genuinely dangerous to watch. It was hard not to be enthralled by this Son of Satan.

3: Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts) - Coven, Apocalypse, 13

While I do genuinely detest what this season just aired did with the character (talk about character regression), that doesn't change the fact that Madison had a brilliant run of episodes in her first two seasons of storylines. Madison worked well as a foil and then a more reflective character. Not so much as a romcom character but it is what it is.

4: The Countess (Lady Gaga) - Hotel

I'd argue that Lady Gaga didn't need to do much in the way of acting here but when the show lost Jessica Lange, they needed a big name and Gaga's contribution as The Countess aka Elizabeth Johnson was a brilliant way to reinvigorate the show. She ate and ate and ate. Then again, the Lady was a Vamp(ire).

5: Patrick Read (Russell Tovey) - NYC

You'll never convince me that the eleventh season was a bad season. I'd argue it's the best season we've had in the last few years with some genuinely soulful performances and adult writing. It also brought Russell Tovey into this world and his performance as the conflicted detective as well as his chemistry with Joe Mantello elevated that season. 

6: Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange) - Murder House, Apocalypse, 13

Ah, Constance. She's the Devil's favourite sinner among other things. An embittered Southern Belle who killed her husband, the maid, failed her children, her Antichrist grandson and became home help to the Devil. She's a woman with many hats and the occasional red dress.

7: Kai Anderson (Evan Peters) - Cult, 13

The most draining role for Evan Peters turning out to be his best. Perhaps not a shock when you think about it. He made for a seminal baddie in the timely seventh season and his return this season was a highlight. I do wish we had seen a lot more of him this season.

8: Agnes Mary Winstead as Thomasin White/The Butcher (Kathy Bates) - Roanoke 

I was almost tempted to include Kathy Bates most infamous role but I wanted to make sure each season was represented on this list. Kathy Bates gave a brilliant turn as an actress who got a little too into her serial killer role on a popular television show and its a magnificent performance to watch.

9: Dandy Mott (Finn Wittrock) - Freak Show

Who would've thought that a spoiled manchild would also make for one of the most violent and sadistic of killers in this universe? Probably everyone, truth be told. Finn Wittrock made a brilliant first impression as the brattish murderer. I think it's time for him to come back to the show.

10: Belle Noir (Frances Conroy) - Double Feature

This vampish erotic writer had a brilliant double act with bawdy playwright Austin Sommers (Evan Peters) but she also meant business and wasn't afraid to snack on a baby if the moment presented itself. A fearsome and very underrated performance from Frances Conroy.

11: Margaret Booth (Leslie Grossman) - 1984

One of the most unusual killers. Margaret was a God fearing woman who also embraced Satanism and wanted to run the very camp that she killed a lot of people in. On top of that, her later transformation into Ivana Trump made her look all the more dastardly. Easily Leslie Grossman's best role to date.

12: Sonia and Adeline Shawcross (Annabelle Dexter Jones) - Delicate

Okay, I'm cheating but this season was so lacklustre that the best performance came from Annabelle Dexter Jones playing two very different twins. She's equally brilliant as both Sonia and Adeline. Genuinely the best characters in a very bad season.

13: Ben DeSoto (Joey Pollari) - 13

The true protagonist of the current season that just finished up. A man terrified by the number 13 but also the 13th Antichrist and related to several characters for reasons that didn't make sense. While his romantic relationships were a dud to watch, I liked Ben's arc for the most part, thought Joey Pollari gave a solid performance throughout and liked his sacrifice also for the most part. Bring him back next season.

Now that the season has aired, here's a ranking of my favourite seasons of American Horror Story from best to worst.

1. Coven
2. NYC 
3. Murder House 
4. 1984
5. Asylum
6. Apocalypse 
7. Hotel
8. Roanoke
9. Freak Show 
10. Cult
11. 13
12. Double Feature 
13. Delicate

Meanwhile the show has been officially renewed for a fourteenth season, which will hopefully be a damn sight better. The theme, cast, filming and release date will all be revealed in due course.

All thirteen seasons of American Horror Story are available on Hulu and Disney+.

My Review of American Horror Story: 13 - Devil Of A Good Time

 

Written by Ned Martel And Charlie Carver And Brad Falchuk 

Directed by Crystle Roberson Dorsey 

Ben (to Mr. Nas): "All my life I've been afraid of the number thirteen. But I am afraid no longer. It is more than a fear. It is more than my number. It is my destiny. The purpose of my life."

I feel like I'm in a minority of fans who both liked Ben DeSoto as a character and was genuinely invested in his story. Unlike his feckless father, who abandoned Ben and his many siblings, Ben wanted to make the world a better place for his daughter. 

In one of the most annoying and pointless aspects of the finale, both Ben and Madison became parents to an unnamed baby girl. The condom broke, the pregnancy accelerated, Madison gave birth and Nas was the one to breathe life into his new granddaughter. Then his other granddaughter, the killer of the previous Antichrist and Ben plotted his doom.

Of course this show couldn't let the Devil properly win. What kind of message would that have sent out to audiences? And this was in spite of Nas himself calling off the bet and letting everyone live. Mallory found a way to trap Nas's soul in The Last Supper painting and Ben had to give up his new family to do it.

Much as I detest the Ben/Madison pairing (lack of chemistry, build up, feeling unearned, etc) and the inclusion of a baby and the generally bad AO3 style fanfic nature of this plot, it did suck that the poor guy had to lose everything. Even during the actual scene itself, it's less about Ben saving the world and more about Cordelia and Mallory getting the last word in. 

As much as I do love the Coven, they're starting to suck the life out of this show and to it's detriment. The focus should've been more on completing Ben's arc in a way that allowed the character to go out with style. While I like that he got his heroic sacrifice and subverted the role of the Antichrist, the overemphasis on the coven just annoyed me a lot more here.

As for Mr. Nas, his whole plan was fucking idiotic to begin with and the fact that he barely put up a fight to stop Cordelia, Mallory and Ben was also nonsensical. I genuinely think the show's budget cuts played a role in how sloppily handled the main plot for this season actually was. If the budget was there, perhaps Mr. Nas would've won and we'd have seen Hell on Earth. I guess we'll never know now.

- Ben was the thirteenth Antichrist. Others included the likes of Caligula, Xerxes, Hitler, Mussolini and of course, Michael Langdon. 

- Marie was absent from this one, Myrtle relegated to a scene with Morwenna and Fiona taught Constance some magic. Ben rescued Queenie from Hell again.

- Nan returned as Cordelia's personal Hell involved being in a kill shelter. Mallory travelled to Salem witch times to get the spell to defeat Mr. Nas.

- Mr. Phibes was the final sacrifice to Nas to ascend. Phibes was also the final scene as he was making his gay biker movie in Hell.

- Standout music: Troye Sivan's One Of Your Girls.

- Chronology: From where the episode left off. The Coven is now split between the Robichaux Academy and the Apollyon, which Cordelia inherited.

I was really hoping that Devil Of A Good Time would bring this episode home but it's a rushed and messy finale that ignored/abandoned a lot of characters, gave us a pointless supernatural pregnancy and anticlimactic exits for both Ben and Mr. Nas. After this season, we need the longest break from the Coven. 

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Ice Cream Man (2026)

 

Written by Eli Roth And Noah Belson

Directed by Eli Roth

The kids: "I scream, you scream. We all scream for ice cream."

I'll admit that going into this review that I've never watched the 1995 version of this movie. I also knew that going into the 2026 version that it was possibly going to be a movie that I might not enjoy that much. Oddly enough, I thought it was okay.

Eli Roth certainly has a divisive reputation among horror fans and this movie was one that horror fans who are largely neutral on him weren't impressed with. I think there might be a few positives though.

For example, there's a quietly chilling performance from lead Ari Millen. He played the titular character aka Jonathan Smiley. Jonathan was a kind man who got blamed for harming children and had his life ruined. However he was able to team up with a necromancer (Benjamin Byron Davis) in order to get his revenge.

The town of Bayleen Bay bore the brunt of Jonathan's revenge. Giving the kids ice cream brought out their homicidal tendencies and any adult onscreen was subjected to a horrific death. If there's one thing that Eli Roth has perfected as a director, it's a fucking gruesome death. I mean, the deaths are off the scales in terms of brutality.

There's a bunch of kid protagonists including brother and sister duo Jared (Charlie Zeltzer) and Lizzie Mayfair (Sarah Abbott) along with Jared's friends, Tommy (Shiloh O'Reilly) and Mia (Kiori Mirza Waldman). The only ones along with bully turned half decent guy Chris (Dylan Hawco) who didn't eat the ice cream. It was up to them to save the town.  It didn't exactly go to plan.

Actually, it went spectacularly wrong. Nearly everyone got slaughtered and it turned out that Jared's grandfather was responsible for Jonathan's life being ruined. In fact, Jonathan was the only true winner in this whole violent saga.

- Apparently this isn't a remake of the 1995 movie. Eli Roth also appeared as the father of Jared and Lizzie.

- The credit sequence played on the theme effectively enough.

- Standout music: Eli Roth's The Ice Cream Song.

- Chronology: Set in the present day in Bayleen Bay.

Maybe I'm feeling a little generous here but I actually didn't hate this version of Ice Cream Man. Some of the kills were genuinely effective and there's a quiet menace to Ari Millen's version of the title character. At best, it's mediocre.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Hypochondriac (2022)

 

Written And Directed by Adddison Heimann

Will (to himself): "There's something really wrong with me."

I was looking for some gay horror themed movies and I stumbled across this very odd and very confusing film. Focusing on a gay potter named Will (Zach Villa), he's a guy with a pretty traumatic past. 

With parents like his mother (Marlene Forte) and father (Chrus Doubek), it's no wonder that Will spent so much of this movie being traumatised, dreaming of wolf masks and struggling with both his work and his relationship with boyfriend, Luke (Devon Graye). Let's talk about the latter, shall we?

Luke seemed like a decent boyfriend on the surface. He cooked nice meals and wanted Will to meet his mother. Will kind of sabotaged the latter bit and as Will's mental state took a turn, he actually dumped Luke. That however didn't stop Will from seeking comfort in Luke when he was at an all time low.

I'll admit that I found the second half half of this movie absolutely confusing as hell. It seems like both of Will's parents did a number on him and there was a concern that he might have had ALS. His father threatened to have him locked up, his mother's return unsettled him and did he actually kill Luke?

Then when Will was institutionalised, it seemed he was maybe getting some help from his therapist there. I can't tell if the film had a positive or gloomy end for Will as a character or even what happened to Luke.

- There's some support roles from both Paget Brewster and Adam Busch as medical professionals attempting to help Will.

- Will's boss was a cruel bitch uninterested in his mental well being while Will had been helpful to a co-worker earlier in the film.

- Standout music: Jessie J's Domino. 

- Chronology: Present day Los Angeles, though a time jump between the younger and older versions of Will

I'm not sure how I feel about Hypochondriac as a film. I don't think I particularly liked it in terms of execution, in spite of the fact that its a personal story from the writer/director. Zach Villa did give a solid performance, so that helped.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

 

Written by Ted Tally

Directed by Jonathan Demme

Hannibal: "Well, Clarice - have the lambs stopped screaming?"

For a film that I've watched a good amount of times, I can't believe it's taken me this long to write an actual review for it on this blog but here we are. Yes, this was a movie that I saw when I was too young to see and it's stayed with me ever since.

To me, Anthony Hopkins is Hannibal Lecter. That's not being disrespectful to other actors who've assumed the role but his performance in this movie was so captivating and chilling in equal measure, it's hard not to be engrossed by his particular take on the iconic baddie.

It's funny that this was the second movie in a row where he's not actually the main threat but he's more effective than said threat and yet again, the main protagonist needed his assistance in catching the killer. This time around, it's FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) who sought Lecter's counsel.

There are some performances that are defining for an actor, movie, genre etc and this film had two of them. For all the plaudits that I can level at Anthony Hopkins, I'd be remiss if I didn't do the same with Jodie Foster. She's utterly incredible through this entire movie as Clarice Starling. Then when she's in scenes with Hopkins, it's a whole other level of acting.

Clarice and Hannibal are magnetic to watch. They're able to get the measure of one another and there's a certain respect among two people on the very opposite sides of the law. That final phone call between Hannibal and Clarice was a brilliant way to cap off this film and to lead into a future encounter.

As for the villain himself, I do find Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) pretty effective, if not as engrossing as Hannibal and Clarice. His kidnapping of Catherine Martin (Brooke Smith) drove the second half of the movie and there's a discussion on the nature of Bill's gender identity issues. It's not a flawless take on the issue but it's a honest one nonetheless.

- I find it really amusing that this movie got released on Valentine's Day. Who on Earth brought their date to this movie?

- There's some creepy stuff involving moths as well as Clarice bring assaulted with certain bodily fluids and her own harrowing past involving lambs.

- Standout music: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers American Girl.

- Chronology: Clarice was training at Quantico and Lecter got flown to Memphis. Throw in mentions and sightings of Montana, Ohio, LAX and Calumet City.

The Silence Of The Lambs has earned it's place in cinematic history. There's defining performances from both Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.  They're utterly captivating to watch from start to finish. One of the best movies, full stop. 

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Manhunter (1986)

 

Written And Directed by Michael Mann

Will: "It's just you and me now, sport. And I'm going to find you, God damn it."

To the general audience, there are two actors who they deeply associate as the character of Hannibal Lecter and it's not Brian Cox. However in this movie, he's Hannibal Lecktor and he's a supporting player in this now cult classic and first onscreen depiction of the iconic killer and cannibal.

Yeah, this was an adaptation of Thomas Harris's Red Dragon novel. Here, it's FBI Agent Will Graham (William Petersen) that's the main protagonist and it's a race against time in order for Will to stop Francis Dollarhyde aka the Tooth Fairy (Tom Noonan) from escalating his depraved crimes.

Part of Will's journey into saving the day meant confronting Hannibal Lecktor. There's a violent history between the two of them and some of the best moments are the scenes between these two. Hannibal seemed to have a bit of grudging respect for Will but was mostly helpful in helping Will get closer into trapping Dollarhyde.

As a villain, Francis was chilling enough. He was a fan of Hannibal and the FBI tried to use that in order to smoke him out. Instead they put Freddy Lounds (Stephen Lang) in the worst kind of danger. Lounds did put himself in the firing line with the way he implied that Francis was gay and Freddy's comeuppance did make for one of the most brutal scenes in the whole film. I even felt bad for the guy.

As for Dollarhyde, he had a girlfriend named Reba (Joan Allen) and she was partially there to try and humanise Francis a little. Francis even went berserk when Reba was abducted but he was also willing to kill her when we got into the final confrontation between him and Will.

Outside of Will, Hannibal and Francis, the other most noteworthy characters included FBI Agent Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina) and he's a good support character. There's some screen time given to Will's wife, Molly (Kim Griest) and his son and they're there to show Will's private life.

- This won't be the only film adaptation of this particular book as we'd get a 2002 version as well. 

- Brian Cox has mentioned basing his performance on Scottish serial killer Peter Manuel.

- Standout music: Shriekback's The Big Hush and The Prime Movers Strong As I Am.

- Chronology: Birmingham, Alabama as well as St. Louis, Atlanta and Florida.

I can see why Manhunter (1986) has developed its cult classic status. Its a pretty strong adaptation of the source material and there's good performances from William Petersen, Tom Noonan and Brian Cox respectively. 

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of A Clockwork Orange (1971)

 

Written And Directed by Stanley Kubrick 

Alex: "I was cured, all right!"

I'm not entirely sure if this fits into my horror binge of movies and shows this month but then I remember, this was a movie that was so controversial, it was once banned. Yup, that was something that happened to this particular film.

There was a crime wave in Britain at the time and it certainly inspired the making of this film. A bunch of delinquent youths led by the charismatic, dangerous and disaffected Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) made for a frightening force.

These youths weren't just content with sneaking into bars at night that they were too young for. They also enjoyed acts of vandalism but targeting a well off couple in the middle of nowhere wasn't their brightest ideas.

The scene where Alex and his band of droogs - Pete (Michael Tarn), Georgie (James Marcus), and Dim (Warren Clarke) attacked writer Frank Alexander (Patrick Magee) and wife, Mary (Adrienne Corri). Even to this day, it's one of the most shocking displays of physical and sexual assault commited to film and made for an uncomfortable watch.

Of course, it's this horrible act of violence that brought about the eventual capture of Alex himself. He's forced to undergo extreme methods of aversion therapy called the Ludovico technique to curb his sadistic tendencies. It worked enough to get his freedom back but at a cost.

Alex would try to behave himself and even couldn't have sex with a woman without reservations. However it was his reunion with Frank that saw the latter get his own revenge and drive Alex to suicide. Alex of course made it out of the film alive and with a rather nifty job position. He was cured alright.

- Based on the book by Anthony Burgess of the same name. It's mostly a faithful adaptation too, excluding the final scene.

- One of the first films not to have opening credits after the title and most of the continuity errors were intentional.

- Standout music: The macabre use of both Singin' In The Rain and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

- Chronology: A futuristic dystopian Britain was the setting for this movie.

A Clockwork Orange undoubtedly earned it's reputation as botha masterful piece of filmmaking by Stanley Kubrick and one of the most depraved pieces of film ever to hit the big screen. Throw in a glorious lead performance from Alex McDowell and this film's a masterpiece.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Clayface (2026)

 

Written by Mike Flanagan And Hossein Amini

Directed by James Watkins

Matt (quoting a movie role): "I'm coming for all of you and Hell is coming with me."

The DCU has had a mixed 2026. Supergirl ended up being a crushing box office disappointment, only for Lanterns to hit big for HBO. Now its time for the DCU to properly dip their toes into the world of horror. I guess starting with a Batman villain was the way to go.

Once again, we have another take on the character of Clayface where Matt Hagan (Tom Rhys Harries) was given the backstory of Basil Karlo. Why does this keep happening? If you've seen Batman: The Animated Series episodes Feat Of Clay and Mudslide, a lot of what happened in this movie will be familiar.

Matt Hagen should be having the time of his life. He's a hot actor and a guy from the Narrows made good. He's gotten nominated for an Academy Award, booked another gig and life in general was looking good for him. Then it went all horribly wrong and all because he danced and hooked up with the wrong woman.

The woman being Mia Torrez (Joana Ribeiro). She happened to be the girlfriend of mobster Markos Szabo (David Dencik). Szabo didn't take kindly to Matt being with Mia so Matt ended up being horribly disfigured, accused of sexual assault and dropped by his agent, Hildie Love (Nancy Carroll). It's amazing how fast Matt's life came crashing down around him.

In fact, not only did Matt lose the job he loved but he also had to deal with betrayals from both his manager, Frank Fitzpatrick (Eddie Marsan) and best friend Corey Bowery (Joshua James). The latter's betrayal in particular affected Matt the worst as his mental state deteriorated as the movie progressed.

For those worried that Clayface would go the same way as the Sony movies have with certain villains, don't worry. Matt might be sympathetic but his story only darkened once he agreed to work with Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie) in getting his face fixed. Matt's transformation took the absolute worst turn it could've have taken and his obsession with Caitlyn also lead to the death of her detective boyfriend, John Borrelli (Max Minghella).

In fact, Matt went on a massive killing spree, taking out everyone who screwed him over and there's some pretty gruesome deaths on display here. Szabo in particular arguably got the worst but killing John forced Caitlyn's hand into stopping Matt. The final transformation into Clayface and that tragic last scene might be one of the best endings for any movie this year.

- Both Rob Brydon and Aaron Paul appeared in this movie. The former as Gotham talk show host Vic Chessler and the latter as Matt's abusive father, Jimmy.

- The airplane scene with the eyes and the small scissors genuinely pushed my levels of squeamish. I really had a hard time looking at that scene, it was horrifying to watch.

- There's no big references to Batman, though he exists in this timeline. Coast City was referenced a few times.

- Clayface's final look did seem to evoke the Arkham games. Vesuvius Club also featured prominently in the film.

- Standout music: Jasmine Jethwa's If You Leave Me Now and David Bowie's Golden Years.

- Chronology: The events of this movie happened before the first season of Creature Commandos. Set in Gotham City.

Clayface could've fallen apart as both a horror film and an off kilter DCU project but it delivered on both fronts. Tom Rhys Harries brought Matt Hagen to life perfectly and the character's downward trajectory was so fascinating to watch. That final scene alone will stick with me for a while. A fantastic horror and DCU film in equal measures.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of American Horror Story: 13 - Sisters In Arms

 

Written by Ned Martel And Charlie Carver 

Directed by Gillian Robespierre 

Fiona: "I think you'll understand when I say I can't believe my eyes."

Constance: "Nor can I."

I certainly can't believe what this episode tried and failed to pull off. I knew we were going to get some convoluted nonsense in which Fiona Goode and Constance Langdon would be suddenly related but talk about messing it up badly here.

I could maybe believe in Fiona and Constance being twin sisters but the two of them sharing a mother in Sister Jude Martin from Asylum? This felt like the show was taking the piss. It's just horrible writing and bad continuity to seasons past. There was also no need for Jude to be a sexual assault victim of the Devil.

I'll admit that I did like Myrtle being the one to break the news to Fiona and also the one to introduce Fiona and Constance and give them some alone time together. That was considerate of Myrtle. Fiona and Constance had a lot to discuss but the latter's resentment over having no magic annoyed me. I like that Fiona didn't let Constance blame her for that.

When we weren't indulging in the sisterly reunion, Ben realised that time was of the essence in order to defeat his father. Both Cordelia and Marie looked like they wanted to gag Ben but instead, Ben made himself useful and plucked Queenie out of Hell. Ben might be getting used to his powers but he's certainly enjoying the perks of taking trips into Hell without any consequences for him.

Anyways, I was glad to see Queenie back on Earth but Marie's OTT way of explaining a plan to defeat Mr. Nas was one of those scenes that went on too long. I also knew that it was a plan that was going to go horribly wrong once Cordelia, Queenie and Ben headed back to the Apollyon to carry out the plan.

It had to go wrong, didn't it? They made a point of Nas being able to read Ben's mind and Ben got knocked out yet again. On top of that, we had Queenie being strangled by Rubber Man and Cordelia being stabbed by Mr. Phibes. It should've made for a gripping cliffhanger but it felt a bit flat.

- Where the Hell were Madison, Mallory, Coco, Myrtle, Fiona and Constance during Marie's big plan discussion?

- Queenie is considering moving to New York after the Coven defeat Satan. I really do feel like this show has to deplete the Coven next week. 

- Pepper got a mention when Nas was tormenting Jude but not an appearance. I wish this episode did a better job in showing why Constance is only now going against Mr. Nas.

- Ben acted like the events of the previous episode didn't happen. There was no continuity on him and Madison.

- Marie almost seem to have more respect now that she was made aware of Cordelia's true lineage.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off. 

Sisters In Arms was a poor penultimate episode that not even three different performances from Jessica Lange could save it. I've been a big defender of this season but there's no getting away from how much of an actual mess it's become as we head towards the finale. Can the last episode bring this together? I hate to say it but it's not looking likely.

Rating: 5 out of 10

My Review of American Horror Story: 13 - Madison's Happy Ending

 

Written by Ned Martel And Charlie Carver And Ryan Murphy 

Directed by Adam Penn

Ben (to the Coven): "Trust me, I am not the Devil that you know. I'm the Devil you need."

Every once in a while, a show you love will produce an episode so devastatingly stupid, you'll almost feel embarrassed for liking said show to begin with. This was that very episode and being so close to the finale, it made it so much more headache inducing.

All season long, something has felt off about Madison Montgomery as a character. It's like instead of coming up with new iconic lines organically for her, the show was forcing them, with none of them remotely landing. Even the revised "Surprise bitch" line earlier in the season was a low for Madison.

However, the writing for her in this episode bordered on outright misogyny. Since when was Madison a romcom Princess? And while I do like the idea of Ben being a dream Prince, this episode spectacularly failed to deliver on it's mawkish premise. We're at the tail end of defeating Satan. We didn't have time for this.

I'll give Joey Pollari and Emma Roberts some credit for trying to make Ben and Madison work but not enough to justify the amount of time the episode wasted trying to develop a relationship between the two. Yes, Madison fell in love with Ben but did he fall back in love with her? He certainly liked spending time with her but you're not given the perspective they were on the same page romantically. 

Oddly enough, Ben's best scenes were with the Coven. He started the episode being threatened with castration but plucking Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy) out of retail Hell certainly earned him some brownie points. I don't think the season needed Myrtle back but I'll never say no to seeing more of Frances Conroy and Cordelia couldn't hide her joy in Myrtle being back.

While I've enjoyed the nice boy Ben more than most people, this bad boy version who wants to do good is actually enjoyable. I love that Ben is going the opposite route to Michael Langdon (who I also loved) and now that Ben's tapped into his demon side, he's gotten that tiny bit more sexier to boot. Funny that.

- I knew Ashley was going to be a goner but Ben killing her by accident I didn't expect. Good riddance though.

- Myrtle really did just get a variation of Madison's personal Hell until Ben stepped in to get her. Frances Conroy's name has been added to the opening credits. 

- Ben started the season disapproving of Constance smoking and now, he's enjoying a post sex smoke with Madison. He looked gorgeous in that grey suit on their date.

- Mallory had the most hostility for Ben out of all the witches whereas Coco was charmed by him.

- The references to Julia Roberts, the need for a baby, the gay gynaecologist. I hated all of these scenes that involved Madison. It felt like a different show and not a good one.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

I don't think the show has produced an episode as spectacularly bad as Madison's Happy Ending. It's genuinely the worst episode of American Horror Story in it's thirteen season history. The Madison/Ben plot was a classic case of "too little, too late" for this sort of pairing and quite frankly, I'd be more happy to see them break up by the finale. Let it be a doomed romance.

Rating: 4 out of 10