Marco De La Rosa

A campy, polished, refreshing slasher gem full of mystery, suspense, self-awareness, smarts, and gruesome kills. This spectacle solidified that Eli Roth has still got it and was meant to direct horror cinema. I sometimes forget that the slasher sub-genre can rarely be “elevated horror” or master classes like Psycho (1960), Peeping Tom (1960), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Black Christmas (1974), Halloween (1978), Sleepaway Camp (1983), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Child’s Play (1988), Candyman (1992), & Scream (1996). As an avid horror fan, this is probably tied up there with Saw X, Evil Dead Rise, & Talk To Me for best horror film of 2023. This amazing mash-up of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” & “Scream” made Scream VI look like amateur hour. Eli Roth’s “I Know What You Did Last Thanksgiving” deserves all of the collective praise from critics and audiences. I am thankful that we finally have a thanksgiving-themed masterpiece added to the horror library that will age like fine wine.

Saw fan bias aside, this movie is up there with the OG installments. I loved how the movie painted John Kramer and Amanda Young with a different dimension. The traps were terrifying but not as iconic as the first three installments. I’m so happy the franchise made it to the tenth installment! I even cheered in the post-credits scene.

This horror flick is definitely the sleeper hit of the fall 2023 horror lineup. I greatly appreciate how horror has been introducing horror stories to western audiences from other ethnic cultures. It is miles better than The Curse of La Llorona (2019). It Lives Inside centers around an Indian demonic urban legend called the “Pishach”. What I love about the underlying theme of this movie is that it dissects the nuances of an immigrant child named Sam navigating her cultural identity. I relate to her complex character because I personally feel like I cannot be Mexican enough to the Mexicans and cannot be American enough to the Americans. We both struggle to understand navigating our young identities in the diaspora of America. Children to immigrant parents can universally resonate with how one of our biggest demons is juggling our cultural identities with the western world. The figurative demon in our lives is visibly brought to life as a literal demon on the screen to serve as an allegory of that concept. Social commentary aside, the film did a fascinating job depicting beautiful Indian culture, capturing nice autumn aesthetics, including unsettling closeups in the cinematography, and pacing the plot organically by balancing out jump scares with slow burning tension. I highly recommend this movie if you especially appreciate when horror interweaves intriguing social commentary and cultural mythology. Don’t let the mixed reviews or relatively lower mainstream attention discourage you from considering checking out this horror sleeper hit directed by Bishal Dutta.

This horror movie might be a little boring for casual audiences. As an avid horror connoisseur, I say this movie isn’t half bad. It’s actually pretty solid for what it what was. Of course a lot could have been better but nevertheless it had a lot of very creepy scenes and cinematography to offer. The filmmakers were also able to use the throes and anxiety of being stranded out on sea as a dreary character in of itself. The antagonist was truly terrifying, and I usually think heavy CGI villains fall short. Ultimately, I highly recommend this horror movie if you love Dracula movies, sea ship horror movies, or creepy movies that know how to balance jump scares with slow burning ambiance.

I love, love, love, LOVE all different kinds of sub-genre movies in the horror umbrella. There have been many hit or miss horror comedies in recent years, but The Blackening took me by surprise. It is way better than what the trailers depicted by a long shot. It didn’t take itself too seriously but still managed to balance the thrills with giggles. It defied/critiqued conventional horror movie tropes and was very satirically entertaining! In a modern wave of socially conscious horror, this refreshing take reinvented what horror comedy can offer. If the age of elevated horror had such thing as an elevated horror comedy, this movie definitely embodies that. Highly recommend for horror & comedy fans!!

Though the Pixar movie bombed at the box office opening weekend because many people are waiting for it to stream on Disney+, the big screen did give justice to numerous beautifully animated scenes. The movie consisted of a varied palette of colors, sounds, and effects that only the big screen could magically emphasize for the experience. Other than visuals & audio, the movie’s plot was very heartfelt and was very layered in different applicable real-life sentimental themes. More than just a love story, Elemental tugged at the heartstrings with universal lessons about family, identity, purpose, and spirituality. Don’t let the box office performance fool you and highly recommend watching it on the big screen, better yet in 3-D!

I’m usually brutally honest reviewing horror movies because it’s genuinely my favorite genre. I expected this to be an okay paranormal movie with jump-scare galore. However, it had a healthy balance of psychological slow burning and effective jump-scares that were calculated/executed effectively. Given the creepy smiling premise, I initially expected some unintentionally funny scenes but there weren’t any because the movie knew exactly what it was. The gimmick behind the plot was executed impeccably in unconventionally terrifying ways through the cinematography, pacing, acting, and soundtrack. This enjoyable thrill ride of a horror film was refreshingly different, and I recommend it to casual spectators and horror fans alike. Ultimately, I personally rate it a 7/10 as a movie and a 8.5/10 as a horror movie.