Your mileage will vary wildly on the scares in The Conjuring 3, but its shift to chilling occult procedural is a refreshing change of pace. Even when the film disappointingly under-delivers on its promise of a fascinating courtroom angle, there’s plenty of heart to even out its wobbly narrative. And if the first two films weren't proof enough, The Devil Made Me Do It solidifies Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as modern horror royalty. Minor spoilers below…

Taking a blood-soaked buzzsaw to his signature pretensions, Zack Snyder delivers his best film since 2004’s Dawn of the Dead. Yes, it’s bloated, and yes, it features the filmmaker’s penchant for stylized pop-video aesthetics, but Army of the Dead is clear and fun where it matters. Snyder’s construction of a new zombie mythos - coupled with bombastic action - is nothing short of delightful. Minor spoilers ahead…

A relentless exercise in nerve-shredding, high-wire tension, A Quiet Place Part II takes everything great about the first film and cranks it up to eleven, even if its horrifying monsters lose some of their mystique. Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe return to their roles with visceral potency, and Cillian Murphy’s signature intensity makes a fine addition to the cast. Minor spoilers ahead...

Kicking the moral complexities of his bracing “Frontier Trilogy” to the curb, Taylor Sheridan’s Those Who Wish Me Dead is a by-the-numbers action thriller buoyed by its character work and unique setting. A properly subdued performance showcases Angelina Jolie’s quiet gravitas, revealing just how much her presence has been missed on the big screen. Its narrative may be thin, but Those Who Wish Me Dead’s dual threats of ruthless assassins and unforgiving elemental forces leave a lasting impression. Minor spoilers ahead…

Leaving behind a compoundingly absurd history of twists and an increasingly Byzantine web of continuity, Spiral: From the Book of Saw reboots the bloody franchise by splitting the difference between its gruesome notoriety and a fresh detective story. Spiral never comes close to the heights of its 2004 namesake, but it’s engaging enough to get to its kills, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

English filmmaker Guy Ritchie goes back to basics with the ruthless and bloody Wrath of Man. Stripping the film of his typical panache save for a few hallmark favorites, including Jason Statham in premium ass-kicking mode, Ritchie delivers a no-frills tale of revenge that’s just a little less than the sum of its parts. Minor spoilers ahead…

I’ve spent the past week reeling from the events of Sunday, the 93rd Academy Awards. What started as a refreshing break from tradition turned into unmitigated disaster with one of the most egregious miscalculations in Oscars history. What went wrong? And why was it so bad? Here’s a recap of the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad evening.

Mortal Kombat seemingly wastes no time giving us what we want. Simon McQuoid’s directorial debut, which adapts the immensely violent and popular video game franchise into a rebooted universe, shaves the fluff and cuts straight to the bone, but with its flimsy storytelling, paper-thin characters, and sloppy pacing, this new iteration loses its way quickly. Too self-serious and without Paul W.S. Anderson’s cheeky irreverence and cult sensibilities, Mortal Kombat is as empty as most video game adaptations; even its primary selling point - its mindless, sanguine action - is mostly a disappointment. Minor spoilers ahead…

If you’re here for “giant lizard vs. big monkey,” then Godzilla vs. Kong will give you exactly what you’re looking for…eventually. Horror veteran Adam Wingard applies his astute eye for action and spectacle in a marked improvement over 2019’s much-maligned Godzilla: King of the Monsters, even if the film learns only half of the lessons imparted by its predecessor. You get your promised kaiju action, and it’s just spectacular enough to cover up the film’s interminably inert subplots. Minor spoilers ahead…

My coverage of SXSW continues. Ambitious, exhaustive, and utterly entrancing, Kier-La Janisse’s three-hour-plus treatise on folk horror is an education in a bottle. A deep, dark rabbit hole that examines the power of storytelling and tales inherited, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched is more than a mere documentary, it’s an essential text.

My 2021 SXSW coverage begins here! Horror legend Barbara Crampton takes the spotlight in Travis Stevens’ sanguine vampire comedy, Jakob’s Wife. Embracing its B-movie trappings, the film tackles its themes of empowerment with the subtlety of a stake to the heart, but Crampton makes everything work with a hypnotic, career-best performance. Jakob’s Wife is camp horror brought to rousing life with blood spilled and guts strewn, and the fun everyone is having is infectious. Minor spoilers ahead…

Welcome to my coverage of 2021’s Sundance Film Festival! Far away from the hustle and bustle of its usual Park City home, this year’s festival - like many before it - has been transformed into a virtual experience due to COVID-19, but that doesn’t diminish the caliber of its offerings. This year’s festival sees a variety of special film events, such as a robust short film program, a wide selection of genre showings, and gala presentations. This year marks my first year as accredited press at Sundance, and I’m so excited to be able to review a selection from the festival. You can find my entire coverage here.

What can only be described as a fervently anticipated reclamation of an artist’s vision, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a unique beast not just among comic book adaptations, but filmmaking in general. More than just a simple director’s cut, Justice League - or The Snyder Cut, as it’s been affectionately dubbed by fans - is a lumbering, bloated, and generic superhero epic, but it’s also a massive improvement over its 2017 iteration. Stripped of its director’s trademark grimness and imbued with a surprising amount of heart, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is finally the big screen team-up worthy of its iconic characters. Minor spoilers ahead…

Gorgeously realized with Disney’s signature heart and warmth, Raya and the Last Dragon is another feather in the animation studio’s cap, even if its muddled representation and thin plotting occasionally get in the way of its emotional beats. An epic action-adventure with an all-Asian voice cast, Raya balances its huge stakes with human moments and particularly charismatic performances from Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, and Gemma Chan. Minor spoilers ahead…

Bloated, over-produced, and underwritten, the Russo Brothers’ latest film - based upon Nico Walker’s novel of the same name - is a self-indulgent exercise in filmmaking hubris. The very definition of style over substance, Cherry is a lurching homunculus of artifice that never feels authentic, not even for a second. With nothing to say about any of the serious subjects it broaches, Cherry is prime contender for one of the worst films of the year. Minor spoilers ahead…

Rosamund Pike shines in J Blakeson’s pitch-black neo-noir, I Care a Lot. Biting, cynical, and featuring a welcome return of the villain protagonist, the film finds exhilaration through wickedness and hairpin turns, even if its messaging remains muddled. I Care a Lot balances on the knife’s edge - not always successfully - with its unrepentant characters, but through slick construction and a bevy of crackling performances, it’s remarkably efficient at finding glee in moral vacuum. Minor spoilers ahead…

After a much-maligned turn remaking Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca for Netflix, filmmaker Ben Wheatley returns to form with the brutal and psychedelic In the Earth. Lush and violent with tinges of Annihilation and Wicker Man, Wheatley’s latest is a harrowing meditation on man and nature. Contributor Diego Andaluz reviews the latest from Sundance 2021. Minor spoilers ahead…

Whether it’s the gala premieres or its NEXT and Midnight titles, there’s plenty of genre fare to go around at Sundance. I watched a ton of films at the festival this year, and even though I would like to, it’s impossible for me to write full-length reviews for everything. So, here’s a special edition of Strange Harbors Capsule Reviews, covering the wide range of this year’s genre films at Sundance. Minor spoilers ahead…