Survival

The Lurking Pause of Backcountry “Nothing scares me more than the wilderness.” This chilling sentiment resonates deeply in Adam Macdonald’s “Backcountry,” a 2014 horror film that skillfully navigates the treacherous waters of nature’s unforgiving realm. In this visceral tale of survival, a couple finds themselves ensnared in the jaws of the wilderness—one that harbors not…

Whispered Fears in a Silent Apocalypse: A Review of “Refuge” (2015) In the desolate echoes of a world abandoned, the 2015 horror film “Refuge” finds its haunted heartbeat. Directed by Andrew Robertson, this post-apocalyptic thriller tosses us into the bleak remnants of society following a devastating pandemic. As we follow a small group of survivors,…

Unearthing Fear: “The Pyramid” “The curse is real!” This ominous warning sets the tone for Gregory Levasseur’s 2014 horror film, “The Pyramid”, where a team of archaeologists uncovers more than they bargained for. At its core, the movie presents a gripping tale of discovery gone wrong, as the team ventures into a newly-found pyramid only…

A Cut Above: Celebrating a Decade of ‘Saw’ “Live or die. Make your choice.” These chilling words encapsulate the dread-filled atmosphere of the 2004 breakout horror flick ‘Saw’, which has since stained the fabric of modern cinema with its innovative storytelling and visceral terror. Directed by James Wan, ‘Saw’ unleashed a new kind of fear…

Lost Within The Labyrinth: Trapped in “The Maze Runner” In the midst of the young adult dystopian craze, “The Maze Runner” emerged in 2014 as a hybrid of survival thriller and horror, under the guidance of director Wes Ball. We are plunged into a mysterious, verdant clearing known as the Glade, the core of an…

The Labyrinth Below: Unraveling “Catacombes” “As above, so below.” This phrase encapsulates the dizzying descent into the Paris catacombs depicted in the 2014 horror film “Catacombes,” known as “As Above, So Below” in English-speaking countries. Directed by John Erick Dowdle, this found-footage thriller invites viewers into the claustrophobic veins of history buried beneath one of…

A Scorching Descent into Desolation: “Hell” (2011) “Blinded by the light, we walk without destination.” These haunting words encapsulate the bleached-out nightmare that is ‘Hell,’ a 2011 horror film directed by Tim Fehlbaum. Upon its release, it presented an apocalyptic vision not commonly seen in the horror landscape. ‘Hell’—German for ‘bright’—is a title that plays…

Into the Abyss Once More: “The Descent Part 2” “What are you afraid of? The dark? Or what’s inside it?” These chilling words echo throughout the harrowing world of “The Descent Part 2,” a continuation of the nightmare journey that began with Neil Marshall’s 2005 claustrophobic horror triumph. Directed by Jon Harris, this 2009 sequel…

Into the Abyss: A Descent Into Unrelenting Terror In the lexicon of horror movies, “The Descent,” directed by Neil Marshall, stands as a chilling and claustrophobic tale of survival. Released in 2005, this film takes its viewers on a harrowing journey alongside a group of female spelunkers who find themselves trapped underground with unknown horrors…

The World Ends Not with a Bang, but a Whisper Imagine the silence not as a peaceful retreat, but as an omen for mankind’s final days. “Los Últimos Días” (The Last Days), directed by the Spanish duo David and Àlex Pastor and released in 2013, plunges audiences into a quiet apocalypse where agoraphobia becomes humanity’s…

Stranded on Black Rock: Survival Turns Sinister In 2013, director Katie Aselton brought us Black Rock, a genre-blending venture that straddles the lines between horror, thriller, and survival drama. Set on a remote island off the coast of Maine, the film invites viewers into a harrowing narrative that follows three childhood friends—Sarah, Abby, and Lou—played…

A Grim Tale in the Granite State When the backwoods of New England become a breeding ground for terror, “Slew Hampshire” delivers an array of grotesque thrills that subscribes to the old adage: you can never guess what might be lurking in the shadows of these dense forests. Directed by Flood Reed in 2012, ‘Slew…

The Butchery of Expectations: A “Hostel” Environment “Be careful, you could spend all your money in there.” These foreboding words from a seemingly harmless character in Eli Roth’s 2005 gore-drenched horror film “Hostel” sets the stage for a tale that flips the carefree backpacking experience on its head in the most gruesome ways imaginable. Held…

“And May the Cursed Be the Ground for Our Sake”: An Ode to ‘The Ruins’ In the underbelly of horror cinema lies the 2008 film “The Ruins,” a piece that finds its terror rooted not in the supernatural, but in the very flora we tread upon. Directed by Carter Smith and based on the novel…

A Whisper Among the Trees: “Eden Lake” Unsettles in Silence “Eden Lake”, a 2008 British horror-thriller directed by James Watkins, quietly creeps under the skin with a deceptively serene title that belies the shrieking pain nestled in its heart. What starts as a romantic getaway for a young couple, Jenny and Steve, played by Kelly…

Into the Invisible Apocalypse: “The Darkest Hour” “No one is going to help us tonight.” This chilling line from the 2011 science-fiction horror flick, The Darkest Hour, sets a tone of utter isolation and impending doom. Helmed by director Chris Gorak and visually energized by the 3D craze of its time, the film takes a…

A Civil War of the Undead: “Exit Humanity” Reviewed In a world ravaged by war and death, “Exit Humanity” uncovers a horror far beyond the battlefield: “There is no worse death than the end of hope.” Directed by John Geddes and released in 2011, this film presents a unique fusion of historical drama and the…

A Trip Into Terror: Unearthing “Shrooms” “It’s like a trip, right? You’ve got to ride it out.” So begins the eerie journey in “Shrooms,” a 2007 horror flick directed by Paddy Breathnach. As a group of friends trek through the Irish wilderness on a psychedelic adventure, they find themselves tangled in a web of hallucinations,…

A Descent into Madness: “The Crazies” Unleashed “Don’t ask why, ask who.” These unnerving words haunt an idyllic American heartland in 2010’s “The Crazies,” a remake of George A. Romero’s 1973 film of the same name. Directed by Breck Eisner, the film spirals viewers into a bio-terror nightmare where the average citizen of Ogden Marsh…

Whispers of Terror in the Static: A Pontypool Dissection The Unseen Menace of Pontypool “We’re here to bring you the truth. Not the weather, but the truth.” These chilling words encapsulate the essence of the horror that unfolds in ‘Pontypool,’ a film that manages not just to scare, but also to provoke and fascinate. Directed…

The Devil’s Inside: A Journey Through Rob Zombie’s Darkest Corridors Tutti f**kin’ fruity.” This line, from 2005’s The Devil’s Rejects, is as oddly unnerving as the film itself—a twisted symphony of horror harmonized by director Rob Zombie. Following the macabre events of House of 1000 Corpses, this sequel reintroduces us to the Firefly clan as…