Thriller Archives | Otaku No Culture

Dark Nuns, A South Korean Moody Thriller Done Right!

Although not comparable to The Dark Knight, the themes are familiar, as Dark Nuns concern members from the sisterhood becoming vigilantes to take on evil when the priesthood has other ideas!

Dark Nuns Movie Poster Well GO USA Well GO USA
Release Date: Feb 7, 2025 at select theatres

The danger of getting possessed by a malicious spirit is very real in Dark Nuns (검은 수다들). When it’s set in South Korea, there’s the additional consideration concerning where this evil came from. Even Sister Junia (Song Hye-kyo) doubts her ability to figure out who this demon is, and save Hee-joon (Moon Woo-jin). It’s great when this film wastes no time to build to this moment, and when fellow nun Michaela (Jeon Yeo-been) wants to help and has no prior experience, that’s a formula that even has me intrigued.

If that’s not enough, there’s even a look at the psychological type of problems this lead has to face. As further complications pile up, not only does Junia face opposition at the convent, but also there’s the medical community who doesn’t believe demonic possession is a thing. When the latter believes the boy’s condition is mental degradation rather than spiritual, to enact a cure will be tough!

Continue reading “Dark Nuns, A South Korean Moody Thriller Done Right!”

The Bonds Found in the “Spirit in the Blood” Are Far Stronger Than One May Think

When help is needed, perhaps it is best to turn to the Spirit in the Blood rather than relying on those “in the sky” for help.

Elevation Pictures
Coming to select theatres beginning Nov 1

Being a tween can be rough, and for Emerson (Summer H. Howell) to change schools, to go live in a rural community looks problematical if she’s not careful. When the movie is titled Spirit in the Blood and marketing suggests this film may be like Stephen King’s Carrie, I’m ready to see what can happen. That’s because the early moments of this film suggets she has precognitive abilities. As for whether than ca help save her, that’s a question I hope will get answered by the finale.

When not everyone in the small town of St. Belvedere do not take a liking to this new family moving in, I have to wonder what their problem is. Thankfully, attitudes change when the body of a lost child turns up, but is that enough? The idea developed and directed by Carly May Borgstrom suggests there’s a lot going on not only for this young girl, but also the family. However, when the mystery concerning why her parents want to relocate here isn’t fully answered, even I’m curious by the end of act one.

Continue reading “The Bonds Found in the “Spirit in the Blood” Are Far Stronger Than One May Think “

It’s Often Best Not to Let “The Beast Within” Run Wild

Halloween doesn’t have to be about ghosts and vampires, but also The Beast Within, and what must not be let loose! But the metaphor is clearly there, should viewers want to believe it’s also a story about cursed lineages.

The Beast Within Blu Ray Cover — Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Well GO USA

Kit Harrington is an amazing actor, and while not every film he’s in can spotlight just how beautiful his voice is, that will depend on the director to bring it out. With The Beast Within, a dramatic thriller, whether his character Noah is really a werewolf. The signs are there, and as for this personality, perhaps there’s much to fear. But for 10-year-old Willow (Caoilinn Springall) the real question is if she knows who her father really is.

That’s where the tension gets tested. I’m never too sure what’s going on in this parent’s mind. His actions spoke louder than words, and while how wife (Ashleigh Cummings) is very protective of their child, the elder member of this family, a grandpa (James Cosmo) is doing his best to keep everyone safe. The selling point of this film is in seeing the lengths the adults are doing to keep the kid safe. However, there’s some pagan world which isn’t as well-defined to explain some past this individual is obviously a ruler of.

Continue reading “It’s Often Best Not to Let “The Beast Within” Run Wild”

Out Come the Wolves and They Don’t Sing

Although Out Come the Wolves is no game-changer in this mix-genre effort, at least the finale will leave you breathless.

Out Come The Wolves Movie Poster — Now playing at select theatres and on VOD (Google Play, Apple TV, and YouTube)

No one wanted to let the dogs out too soon in a film titled Out Come the Wolves. While the first moments looked terrific, to transition to a story about a woman having to decide between two men, well, do I really want to know? In a film that’s about who is the alpha, this movie is easy to predict. I fast forwarded to the juicy bits concerning what I think about Sophie (Missy Peregrym). She doesn’t need any man in her life, and the fact she can fend for herself says it all!

And when she has to decide who to save in the wilderness, her fiancé Nolan (Damon Runyan) who is a jerk for much of the film, or her friend that she knew for most of her life, Kyle (Joris Jarsky), I won’t spoil that detail. And while I’m not one for films about love triangles as the primary focus, the thought of someone might go feral had me curious about this work.

Continue reading “Out Come the Wolves and They Don’t Sing”

South Korea’s Project Silence Needs to Listen Up!

When in South Korea, perhaps it’s best not to cross The Incheon Grand Bridge after watching Project Silence. One may never know what mad science is happening nearby!

Talchul- Project Silence Poster Capelight Pictures

Sometimes, the best kept secret can’t stay quiet for long, and in what Tae-gon Kim‘s Project Silence does is go bark raving mad to deliver a disaster type film that can be blamed because of some crazy mad science done onto canines. They are this film’s villain and are effective killers if you can believe the CGI to get them to perform the needed actions to scare the humans they are stalking.

Not only is Cha Jeong-won, portrayed by Lee Sun-kyun, affected, but so must his daughter survive. They are trapped along with others on The Incheon Grand Bridge, but also; they have to face these dogs guarding both sides! I won’t ruin the reason this structure is “falling apart,” but it makes for an amusing scenario of where can you go? Unlike a video game where you can shoot all those zombies down, this pair and others have no weapons! Continue reading “South Korea’s Project Silence Needs to Listen Up!”

When The Exorcism is Better on VOD than at the Movies

Just who is worse, a person carrying a lot of guilt, or a demon that an embodiement of is the focus in The Exorcism. It just needs more than a single watch to recognise it.

Now available on VOD

Russell Crowe must love playing priests. After The Pope’s Exorcistand appearing in three other movies in between, he’s now in The Exorcism. This latest is a slow burn which sees him as an alcoholic actor who thinks he can do what’s right by trying to reconnect with his daughter (played by Ryan Simpkins) while at work. Unfortunately, he really does not know what he’s getting himself into! Casting this actor is the perfect choice, since he looks totally burnt out.

Despite a spooky introduction where an unsuspecting actor gets hurt in a faked haunted movie set, everyone remains oblivious. It’s a great start to what looks like an homage to The Exorcist, but everything that follows is the opposite. Much of the film is a slow burn.

Continue reading “When The Exorcism is Better on VOD than at the Movies”