Tag: Thriller

What Lies Beneath Bone Lake Isn’t Another Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. Special

In Bone Lake, a stressed couple’s retreat turns nightmarish when their Airbnb is double-booked by strangers with hidden motives, unleashing paranoia, violence, and a Raimi-esque finale.

Bone Lake (2024) Movie PosterBleeker Street
Now Available on VOD/digital

Although Bone Lake is thematically different from Swap, another movie I saw many months ago, the former is more of a thriller and the latter a vampire flick. I won’t say which is better. Both works have their merits. While both lean a little too far into erotic elements, neither is without scandal. Just how far one wants to sit through this work depends on your tolerance for the subject matter. Director Mercedes Bryce Morgan and writer Joshua Friedlander had an idea and explored it with a modest budget to make this isolated cabin-in-the-woods scenario feel genuinely dangerous.

Here, Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco Pigossi) are a couple who could use an escape. Although their relationship seems solid, things get thrown overboard after they arrive at a luxurious, secluded lakeside mansion by Bone Lake for a romantic weekend. Diego also has a novel he should finish, and at some point, he plans to propose. Since Sage has put her career on hold to support him, I suspect something deeper is simmering between them.

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In Vitro Review: Psychological Tension Stuck In Utero

In Vitro delivers psychological tension and haunting atmosphere but feels stuck in utero, never fully realising its broader dystopian potential. Strong character work and an evocative soundtrack drive the film, though uneven pacing and limited world-building hold it back.

In Vitro Movie PosterNow Available on VOD (UK)

In art exhibitions, the words “In Vitro” have often been used for installations and short films that explore the relationship between humans and technology. With this title now attached to a feature co-directed and written by Will Howarth and Tom McKeith, the ideas are explored in a different, unsettling context.

The story is about control. Jack (Ashley Zukerman) runs the household and the business, and his behaviour unsettles his wife, Layla (Talia Zucker). Together, they operate a cloning facility that supplies cows to a country unable to sustain its own livestock. While the premise hints at broader dystopian implications, the narrative keeps its focus tightly on Layla’s personal struggles, leaving the larger world underdeveloped.

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The Haunted Forest Review: Mystery, Mayhem, and Monster Masks

The Haunted Forest blends retro horror with authentic atmosphere, filmed at Maryland’s iconic Markoff’s Haunted Forest. By combining 80s-inspired scares with modern storytelling, it delivers suspense, mystery, and a chilling Halloween vibe that horror fans won’t want to miss.

The Haunted Poster Standard Movie Poster 2025
This movie made it’s world premiere at FrightFest Film Festival in London on August 23rd.

When Keith Boynton’s The Haunted Forest goes beyond honouring classic horror tropes from the 1980s and earlier, it becomes more than just a tribute to the era; what’s offered is a welcome surprise. The faux introduction instantly sets a nostalgic tone, recalling vintage drive-in B-movies. It also primes viewers for a chilling tale unfolding in the days leading up to Halloween, where the biggest mystery is: who’s hiding behind the mask in this slasher film throwback?

That sense of mystery extends into the real-world backdrop, which feels just as much a character as the cast itself. Even more compelling is the decision to film at Markoff’s Haunted Forest in Poolesville, Maryland—an iconic haunted attraction that adds authenticity and atmosphere. It’s easy to imagine horror fans booking tickets after seeing how immersive this setting is. Yet, the film never feels like a commercial; instead, it fully earns its eerie tone.

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Site Movie Review – Time-Twisting Horror That Warps History and Reality

Although this film is a bit rough, Site twists time and reality into a psychological horror that forces a man to confront the sins of the past to save his future.

Site 2025 Movie PosterBlindness to the past matters in Jason Eric Perlman’s sophomore film, Site. Or should that be Sight? Here, Neil Bardo (Jake McLaughlin) wants nothing more than to be a family man, but his life unravels when work pulls him away and tragedy strikes. His son Wiley (Carson Minniear) is blinded in an accident. Overcome with guilt, Neil finds himself in a series of strange events that lean more toward fractured realities than pure cosmic dread.

Things change after he visits a property with Garrison (Theo Rossi). They hope to flip it for a profit, but inside they find a strange “Time Tunnel.” Its retro design recalls the 1960s sci-fi series on ABC. Like in that show, Neil can only observe events unfold—he can’t change them. Radiation from the machine sparks visions which won’t fade. McLaughlin captures the confusion well, showing a man who no longer feels in control of his own life. When Neil struggles to find work to pay for his son’s surgery, his world fractures even more.

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[Fantasia Film Festival] Haunted Mountains The Yellow Taboo – Delving Into Taiwan’s Eerie Mountain Mysteries

When the haunting symbolism in Haunted Mountains The Yellow Taboo overshadows the narrative challenges, just what should we appreciate from this folk horror cinema?

Haunted Mountains The Yellow Taboo
Played at Fantasia Film Festival July 26, 2025. Encore performance on July 30th.

Although the movie Haunted Mountains The Yellow Taboo, written by Wan-Zhen Zou and directed by Chia-Ying Tsai, doesn’t specify the exact mountain range at first, its haunting visuals and symbolic storytelling quickly hint at the setting. A quick Google search reveals where the legend of the Yellow Raincoat Ghost first manifested, and that place is in Taiwan’s Yushan (Jade Mountain) National Park—a place I’d definitely want to explore… just not during the wrong season.

While the vibrant autumn palette in the cinematography is visually stunning, it carries ominous undertones. The colour yellow, in this context, isn’t just seasonal—it’s a warning. Despite the horror visuals, this film leans more toward psychological thriller, particularly when tensions rise as Chen Jia-ming (Jasper Liu) tries to escape a mysterious time loop.

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[Fantasia Film Festival] With The Well (2025), It’s Tough Not To Coin Shakespeare’s Most Famous Quote…

… but just whether “All’s well that ends well” rings true in The Well requires thought! No spoilers are offered here, since this is a film that needs dwelling upon to understand the themes.

The Well Movie Poster
This movie played at the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival on Monday evening, July 21st.

In a world where all water sources are contaminated, many lifeforms face extinction. Hubert Davis’ The Well opens with a disturbing account of how it all started—and why boiling water isn’t enough. It immediately raises the question: how long can humanity survive? The film wastes no time in showing how isolated the society has become.

The story centers on the Devine family and their growing paranoia over strangers near their hideout. Sarah (Shailyn Pierre-Dixon) and her parents (Arnold Pinnock and Joanne Boland) live off the grid, lucky to have found a clean water source. When a wounded outsider (Idrissa Sanogo) stumbles into their lives and begs for a drink, they hesitate. The moral dilemma of “should they help or not?” drives the plot. What unfolds is an engrossing thriller that avoids heavy special effects or dense world-building to keep viewers hooked through to the end.

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