When a young woman faces a deadly diagnosis, she seeks dark magic from a witch in the woods; but every cure has its cost.
Mother Of Flies is directed by John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser directors of The Deeper You Dig (2019), Hellbender (2021), Where the Devil Roams (2023), Halfway to Zen (2016), Hell Hole (2024) and a few others.
The Adams family are back with a really solid and atmospheric experience with Mother Of Flies. A film that unlike their last film Hell Hole (2024), manages to keep the eerie atmosphere and deliver tons of chilling scenes that capture the feel of abandonment with its setting. The film does take a bit to get going and there are some rough moments with the acting, but in the end the film delivers on its premise and leaves the viewer satisfied.
The performances are about the same as they have always been in any of the Adams family’s films. In other words it can range from being decent to rough territory, however the charm of them being a family and doing these films together seriously helps out in the long run. Despite some of the rough acting, you can feel the passion that John, Zelda and Toby spread on screen. It definitely works a lot better in this case since the film feels a lot more intimate which does give the viewer some touching father and daughter moments between Jake (played by John Adams) and Mickey (played by Zelda Adams). Toby Poser as Solveig is a pretty formidable witch, she has this calm yet intimidating energy to her that the viewer feels right when she’s introduced. The film’s slow burn feel heavily relies on Poser’s performance which ends up working to the film’s benefit.
The atmosphere is dark and has the feel of abandonment, it’s the same type of feel that Hell Hole (2024) tried to capture but unfortunately fizzled out as the movie went on. Luckily that’s not the case here with Mother Of Flies, whether it because Toby Poser’s calm yet threatening performance that ultimately tries to get Mickey by herself, or the cinematography from cinematographer Fabian Gamper is just visually more interesting and tackles the feel of abandonment much more sharply.
The film does admittedly take a bit to get going, it’s a film that takes its time to build the world around it and I would say the wait is worth it. The film’s script definitely has it’s weak points particularly with the second act of the film where there does seem to be some repetitive moments going on here. However as the film’s mystery becomes slowly realized by Jake and Mickey things get much more investing and brings the viewer into it all.
Overall Mother Of Flies is a solid film from the Adams family, it’s a huge improvement over Hell Hole (2024) and brings the atmosphere front and center.
Lucy’s tropical island homecoming turns deadly when her family’s clever chimpanzee, Ben, becomes rabid. With her father away and no help coming, paradise becomes a prison as Lucy and her friends fight for survival against a pet they once trusted.
Primate is directed by Johannes Roberts director of The Other Side Of The Door (2016), 47 Meters Down (2017), The Strangers: Prey At Night (2018), 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019), Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City (2021) and a few others.
Primate is a very solid start to 2026 when it comes to theatrical released films, it’s a very simple killer animal film with a very mean edge to it that helps it stand out. Combine that with a fantastic synth score that is very John Carpenter like and some gnarly kills with decent acting and you have yourself a quite fun experience.
The performances are solid, not everyone here sticks the landing but Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander and Troy Kotsur do great here. Even with the limited screentime Kotsur has he is still able to leave this connection to the viewer which makes you care about his care. Sequoyah and Alexander are fun here as well, there is not a whole lot going on here in the character writing department. But the film does make up for it by stacking up what follows.
Primate’s secret weapon is its gnarly kills and its beautiful 80s like synth score. Starting with the kills they are quite brutal from the opening scene all the way to end, have this extra sense of darkness added to them due to Ben the chimpanzee being unpredictable. Much like in real life chimpanzees are very unpredictable, making this all the more haunting and shrouded in this air of mystery of what’s going to happen or what is he going to do? Of course if you have seen any killer animal film you probably do know what’s going to happen, but even then, it still works in the film’s favor simply due to how much the kills show the brutality of it all.
The score is what makes this film so effective, it’s a synth 80s score that feels very John Carpenter like and it compliments the film’s atmosphere wonderfully. The score is from Adrian Johnston who funnily enough also did the score for one of director Johannes Roberts previous films The Strangers: Prey At Night (2018). Which also had a wonderful score that fit the atmosphere, Johnston does that again here with Primate. It has that feel of 80s B movies you would catch on a random tv channel, when you combine the score with the film’s atmosphere and suspenseful moments you get some truly fascinating results that end up being a ton of fun.
The film does admittedly take a bit to get going, there are definitely some scenes here that the film could have easily went without using. However that does not take away from the film’s buildup and atmosphere that never takes you out of the film, you can almost overlook the film taking a bit to get going simply due to it’s atmosphere feeling dark and rich.
Overall Primate is a fun time, it’s got the kills, score and acting to back it up. Plus Ben the chimpanzee is fun here as well.
After a life-shattering tragedy, Trish tries to comfort her best friend, Maddie, by taking her on a spectacular adventure to a private lagoon halfway across the world. However, their peaceful retreat soon becomes a terrifying fight for survival when a killer whale seeks vengeance for a life in captivity.
Killer Whale is directed by Jo-Anne Brechin director of Zelos (2017), Paper Champions (2020), One Perfect Match (2023) and Designing Christmas With You (2023).
Killer Whale is the first truly terrible movie in 2026 and it’s not even really close. For a film that is about a killer whale, it’s quite dull and has very little engagement. Even if you like killer animal films (such as myself), you will not find any enjoyment out of this one due to how uninterested the movie really is at going all out and instead tries to be other films of the genre.
Virginia Gardner is the only part of this movie that’s great, she tries her absolute best to work with a script that is severely lacking in character and excitement. She’s able to turn some scenes into scenes that would be otherwise terrible into something a bit more tolerable. The acting from the rest of the cast is terrible, it almost feels parody like at certain points which might have been funny if that was what the movie was going for but unfortunately that’s not the case at all here. The bad acting truly takes you out of the movie and away from the little suspense the movie had (I’m being generous when I say little suspense.)
The writing attempts to go for what made The Shallows (2016) and even Fall (2022) which funnily enough Virginia Gardner was also in Fall (2022) and like this movie it was distributed by Lionsgate. Anyways, to say the movie fails to capture what made those two films great would be an understatement, the writing is just not there and as I said before it often feels like a parody. Combine that with some terrible decision making and this poor attempt at trying to give these characters some depth and you have yourself a poorly written movie.
A lot of this comes down to a lack of experience of the genre from director Jo-Anne Brechin, she’s mostly directed Hallmark movies in the past and while it’s nice to see a director try to do something out of their comfort zone (I’ve said in past reviews that I like seeing directors do this.) There comes a point where if you aren’t able to capture a single element of the genre you are tackling maybe it’s best to call it quits, the lack of an atmosphere and thrills are prime examples of this and you can quickly tell they are absent by watching the first 10 minutes of the movie.
Overall Killer Whale is terrible, dull and not engaging, even for a low budget killer animal movie this is severely lacking in what makes the genre fun.
A brilliant but egotistical scientist brings a monstrous creature to life in a daring experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.
Frankenstein is directed by Guillermo del Toro director of The Devil’s Backbone (2001), Hellboy (2004), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), Crimson Peak (2015), The Shape Of Water (2017), Nightmare Alley (2021), Pinocchio (2022) and a few others.
Guillermo del Toro and Frankenstein was a match made in heaven that was bound to happen at one point. There was talk for a long time about Guillermo del Toro wanting to make this passion project come to life and I’m glad we were able to see it do so because he absolutely hits it out of the park. From the performances, del Toro’s style fitting like a glove, the many beautiful technical aspects of the film and this deep understanding of Frankenstein’s monster how he sees the world plus finding beauty around him. Leads to such a beautifully done film that ends up being one of the year’s greatest.
Oscar Isaac as Baron Victor Frankenstein is fantastic, he captures the determined nature of the character to create the creature, over the course of the film we see this power get to his head and even treats the creature who saw Victor as a friend or this father figure. That’s especially the case with the final moments of the film, in which the creature ultimately sees Victor as this tragic flawed father figure. It’s a truly fascinating scene that really shares a lot about Victor as a character. Oscar Isaac does such a fantastic job of exploring Victor’s character, he especially shines when sharing the screen with Jacob Elordi (who plays the creature.)
Mia Goth plays a dual performance, this time as Lady Elizabeth Harlander and Baroness Claire Frankenstein. The latter performance we only get a few minutes of but it’s still a solid one from what’s presented. However Lady Elizabeth Harlander is where we get to see Goth’s talent really shine, while she is a bit absent during the film’s middle portion. She makes up for that with tons of memorable scenes, the love story going on here with the Creature is genuinely beautiful and has this tragic human feel that may actually make the viewer shed a tear. Mia Goth brings this beautiful and gothic like fairytale like performance that fits like a glove with Guillermo del Toro’s style and atmosphere, her chemistry with Jacob Elordi is phenomenal and the final moments of her character are devastating, even when she was absent for parts of the film. There is still this devastating and tragic nature that Goth nails down and is truly memorable.
Jacob Elordi as the Creature is a truly unbelievable performance, not only is this performance completely different from anything Elordi has ever done before. But it’s also one of those performances that leaves you in amazement, Elordi was already a strong actor but his performance as the Creature proves he can go even further with his talent. The Creature has this beautiful human theme going on here that Elordi perfectly captures, the Creature’s entry into the film with him being scared for a split second from water or him being fascinated by a leaf is truly beautiful, the body language that Elordi constantly displays as the Creature tells a story of its own. The Creature finding beauty all around him whether it’s intentional or not is heartwarming, Elordi’s dialogue is subtle and done in this beautiful way that makes the viewer see the film in the eyes of the Creature. It’s moments like these that truly bring out Elordi’s unbelievable talent, which ultimately leads to him delivering one of the best performances of the year.
The writing is phenomenal and only gets better over the course of the film. These themes of human connection, how the Creature sees the world, evolving as people, do not give into cruelness are all fantastic and explored perfectly. Some of which are done in a few short sentences, which tells the viewer everything they need to know as to what the film is tackling. The direction and screenplay from Guillermo del Toro brings the human element to the Creature in such a beautiful and touching way that captures the heart of the film. The attention to detail during the film’s quiet moments of the Creature just admiring the outdoors is fascinating and is quite honestly breathtaking.
The cinematography from Dan Laustsen is wonderful, it has the gothic look that immediately blends well with Guillermo del Toro’s style and brings the atmosphere front and center. The atmosphere starts out as this rich and building block like feel and slowly but surely evolved into something thrilling yet beautiful at the same time, it captures this new life feel that the Creature is going through, this whimsical and wonder touch that brings out the film’s strength which leads to the more emotional moments to pack more of a punch. Lastly there’s the passion of the subject matter, to say there is so much love poured into Frankenstein would be an understatement, Guillermo del Toro makes it known he is a huge fan of the subject matter and brings so much passion into the mix that helps create so many memorable moments that compliment the film.
Overall Frankenstein is another masterful film from Guillermo del Toro, it’s incredible that we got to see this passion project come to life. The cast are phenomenal, the story is masterfully told and the film itself is this beautiful exploration that you never want to leave.
Teens participate in a gruelling high-stakes contest where they must continuously walk or be shot by a member of their military escort.
The Long Walk is directed by Francis Lawrence director of Constantine (2005), I Am Legend (2007), Water For Elephants (2011), Red Sparrow (2018), Slumberland (2022) and The Hunger Games franchise (2012-Present.)
The Long Walk was a huge surprise, while yes Francis Lawrence has shown that he’s a great director. Making a whole film about the characters constantly walking and never stopping seemed like a bit of a challenge (which hey that’s always a good thing), due to the film’s excellent cast, beautifully done direction and really meaningful moments. The Long Walk ends up being one of this year’s best.
The main praise you hear when this film is talked about is how excellent both the performances of Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson really are and that is very well deserved. The two give the best duo performance of the year, from the moment their character’s Ray (played by Hoffman) and Pete (played by Jonsson) interact the film focuses on these two’s conversations, the people around them and their stories. The two deliver compelling, nuanced and actually quite astonishing performances that really leave viewer stunned and heartbroken. Jonsson serves as the film’s emotional core, he gives such a heartbreaking performance that especially works during the film’s final moments. Hoffman gives a vulnerable yet powerful performance that sticks with the viewer.
The supporting cast are just as fantastic, Ben Wang, Tut Nyuot and Charlie Plummer in particular. The three give their characters depth that would otherwise be absent from the film, sure they might not be given as much as Hoffman or Jonsson but they are still participating in the story and interact with Ray and Pete. There is story arcs here with these characters that are truly compelling and it helps that the performances themselves are all fantastic, each of them bring this natural energy to the mix of the film that completely brings the viewer into the experience.
The writing is incredibly well done, the natural dialogue is so well done here. As we learn about Ray, Pete and the others backstories we really get to see so much depth in them, the film’s atmosphere has this bleakness but at the same time this beautiful humanist feel. There are glimpses of hope in the dialogue that everything can change, which I might be a bit biased here but is a sort of theme I have always loved. The theme of wanting the future to change and seeing a path forward is so well executed here and brings you to tears. Ray, Pete and the rest of the characters just talking about why they are here, what they are going to do after all of this is truly devastating.
The film’s death scenes are all the more disturbing given the film’s story and how much we grow attached to these characters. These are not just random death scenes, these are scenes where the stakes feel incredibly real. It’s showing that the Major (played by Mark Hamill) and his men are not playing around, there is danger at every corner since if you stop walking and the count goes down to zero you die. It’s filled to the brim with thrilling atmosphere that all of the characters must go through. Which ultimately leads to the film’s brutality in its death scenes, the kills are nothing incredibly flashy but the film does not need that at all. It gets the point across with simple gunshots, we see the fear in the characters eyes and body language.
The film’s final moments brings this sense of hope, the journey we went on was bleak and seemed like there was no path to a better future. However the film does such a beautiful and emotional job of showing there is a chance for change, it’s an absolute beautiful way to end this tense ride.
Overall The Long Walk is very well acted, written and directed. It’s an atmospheric ride that has very beautiful human moments. The performances from Hoffman and Jonsson are some of the absolute best of the year.
Bad dreams haunt 15-year-old Gwen as she receives calls from the black phone and sees disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp. Accompanied by her brother, Finn, they head to the camp to solve the mystery, only to confront the Grabber — a killer who’s grown even more powerful in death.
The Black Phone 2 is directed by Scott Derrickson director of Hellraiser: Inferno (2000), The Exorcism Of Emily Rose (2005), The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008), Sinister (2012), Deliver Us From Evil (2014), Doctor Strange (2016), The Black Phone (2022) and The Gorge (2025). The film serves as a sequel to The Black Phone (2022).
When The Black Phone 2 was announced a lot of the reactions were something along the lines of “where does it go from here?” The first film was a surprisingly quite strong film that felt raw, it also came out in 2022 the year that was filled to the brim with excellent horror films. Luckily The Black Phone 2 does the smart move of being the complete opposite of it’s predecessor, rather going for more of the same thing the film opts to go for this Nightmare On Elm Street inspired feel. Which in the end works in the film’s favor due to just how well the film is executed.
The performances all around are fantastic, Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw are both once again fantastic, we get to see their trauma and what has changed since the last film. McGraw especially gets one particular moment during the film’s final moments that I was not expecting to cry at, without spoiling it I will say that it was a very well built up to moment that really does a fantastic job of showing Gwen as a character and just strong McGraw is here. It’s a touching moment that leaves the viewer in tears during the film’s final moments.
Although Ethan Hawk is not in the film as much as one would expect, what makes The Grabber so effective this time around is feeling his presence in the atmosphere itself. Ethan Hawke does deliver a solid performance here and while it is a bit of a shame we do not get to see him as much as we did in the first film, I do think the payoff and what we do end up getting with the atmosphere and dream sequences (I’ll get into that soon) is wonderful and makes up for it.
The supporting cast such as Demián Bichir and Arianna Rivas are both strong here as well, we get to see some genuinely solid moments of the two helping Finney and Gwen, plus a few moments of Bichir’s character Armando showing some vulnerability. It might not be a particularly huge moment but it does show that the film wants everyone to at least be involved in the film’s world.
The Nightmare On Elm Street inspirations become very clear when it comes to the dream sequences, these sequences are filmed using an 8mm camera and they are quite haunting. You can fell the dark atmosphere and The Grabber’s presence throughout these scenes, these moments perfectly capture what it’s like to have very unclear and confused dreams that get you thinking about what exactly happened. The 8mm camera only adds to the blur and confused nature as well as this terrifying painting of trauma, there is this theme of trauma here that is very effectively done. As the dream sequences keep occurring we see more and more build up until the whole film leads to the return of The Grabber making his presence known.
The writing does have its cornball moments, however the film mostly stays on the ball with delivering a ton of genuine moments that are touching. Finney’s bond with his sister Gwen is incredibly charming and the roster of characters all feel involved as I mentioned before, some are definitely more important than others but the film does a great job of giving these characters life.
Overall The Black Phone 2 is a very strong sequel that’s just as great as its predecessor, it was a very smart move to go for a much different direction rather than doing the same thing again. It does interest me where they will go if a Black Phone 3 does happen.
The Black Phone 2 is available on all VOD platforms.
A janitor becomes a social outcast when a freak accident at a chemical factory turns him into a mutant. However, he soon uses his newfound superhuman strength to battle slimy criminals and a corrupt CEO.
The Toxic Avenger is directed by Macon Blair director of I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore (2017). The film serves as the fifth installment and a reboot in The Toxic Avenger series.
While The Toxic Avenger might not have as much gore as its predecessors (I’m not exactly sure why there was talk about this film being “unreleasable”) the film still has a lot of charm and actually is strangely heartfelt in some areas.
The performances are all around pretty great. Peter Dinklage works well as The Toxic Avenger, he does not go incredibly far with it but I guess the reboot wanted to try a different approach which works well here. Kevin Bacon and Elijah Wood make for fun villains even if we do not get a whole lot of character writing for their characters. It ultimately can be ignored due to just how well Bacon and Wood work together and steal each and every scene they share together.
The film does not have the Troma insanity from the previous films, which while unfortunate gives us something that feels much different this time around. For the most part that works quite well, there’s this very heavy Sam Rami’s Spiderman trilogy feel here that works decently well. The film also surprisingly has heart, the bond between Winston/ The Toxic Avenger and Wade (played by Jacob Tremblay) is actually effective here. While the story arc goes the direction you think it’s going to go, it is still incredibly charming and at least adds some character writing.
The gore combined with the action scenes are a lot of fun, while you may not get the over the top scenes from the previous films. You will still get a ton of satisfying moments that will be enough to please fans of the series.
Overall The Toxic Avenger is a fun film that does not overstay its welcome, it focuses on its satire and entertaining the viewer. There might not be a whole lot to the film, but in cases like this that really is not a complaint!
The Toxic Avenger is available on all VOD platforms.
Terrifying visions plague a free-spirited artist when she travels to a secluded cabin with the doctor she’s been dating for one year.
Keeper is directed by Osgood Perkins director of The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015), I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House (2016), Gretel & Hansel (2020), Longlegs (2024) and The Monkey (2025).
Keeper is the weakest of Osgood Perkins’s work and is a very glaring step down from his last two films Longlegs and The Monkey. Longlegs was a thrilling and terrifying film that effectively used its atmosphere along with the performances to make for some raw moments. The Monkey did a very solid job of balancing comedy and horror together to make for a fun experience. Keeper unfortunately has no idea what it’s trying to accomplish it has some of the right material to make for a great film, but does not fully utilize them and ends up being a misfire.
Tatiana Maslany undeniably gives a fantastic performance who displays the emotion of fear effectively, even when the movie’s script completely falls apart during the later half she still is able to turn in a strong performance that at the very least the viewer walks away remembering. Rossif Sutherland gives a serviceable performance but unlike Maslany the script affects his performance and fails to come off as intimidating, he has a few decent moments here and there but there is just nothing here to really make him stand out.
As always Perkins does a fantastic job with the atmosphere, which combined with the one location setting makes for some thrilling moments that are effective. The cinematography from cinematographer Jeremy Cox has this hauntingly up and close feel that actually does make some of the movie’s jump-scares surprising great.
The script is the movie’s biggest downfall, while there is not anything offensively bad here. A lot of it serves as build up to the movie’s final moments which is unfortunately a huge mess. There is a lot of great ideas that the movie presents and even has this bizarre nature to it, but the movie does not end up exploring these ideas in great detail. Keeper is one of those movies where they throw a ton of ideas at the viewer and do not really explain or explore them, the movie sort of just expects you to know what it’s talking about and go with it.
That is a major problem when character moments are nonexistent up until the movie is almost over, by then the viewer has more than likely checked out and is completely taken out of the movie’s world. The personality of Perkins’s previous work is just not present here, the subtle character writing, the clever techniques with the camera are all absent which makes Keeper a very forgettable experience.
Overall Keeper isn’t a terrible movie, but it’s a very forgettable one that I can’t ever see anyone going back to.
Brooklyn drag queens put their personal conflicts aside as they battle zombies craving brains.
Queens Of The Dead is directed by Tina Romero which is her directorial debut.
The only thing I really knew about this one going in is that it was directed by George A. Romero’s daughter, Tina Romero goes for a parody approach which works just enough to make for a decently fun film for the zombie genre even if it’s lacking in some areas.
The cast is strong throughout the film, while the script is not anything to write home about due to the cast’s talent they are able to make it work. Katy O’Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Nina Flowers, Margaret Cho and Dominique Jackson are all solid here. As a whole they work together nicely and make for some fun interactions and jokes that are chuckle worthy.
The film is fun on a technical level, the music is a lot of fun and captures the atmosphere the film is going for. I never thought I would see a film use Kesha’s song “Blow” but here it is and it’s done pretty well. The fast paced editing is sharp and electrifying and the cinematography from Shannon Madden has some fun personality going on here.
What’s mainly holding back Queens Of The Dead from being great is mainly the writing and genre cliches. While there are some decent jokes here, as the movie goes on especially during the later half there starts to be a lot more jokes missing than landing. The zombie horror element leaves a lot more to be desired, while it’s not done in a bad way. It’s not done in a very exciting way either, it very much feels like it’s just sort of there.
With that being said Queens Of The Dead still manages to be decently fun, I think Tina Romero has potential as a director this one just needed a stronger script to really make it standout.
Queens Of The Dead is available on all VOD platforms.
A woman’s search for her long-lost sister becomes an obsession when she realizes a demon from their childhood may have been real, not imaginary.
Shelby Oaks is directed by Chris Stuckmann which is his directorial debut.
I absolutely admire Chris Stuckmann for chasing his dream, he started on YouTube as movie reviewer and went on to be a film director. Even if I did end up walking away not really liking Shelby Oaks, Chris Stuckman still does have a lot of promise as a filmmaker as there are still a lot of things to like about this movie. It just falls short when it comes to the writing.
The performances are great especially Camille Sullivan, who gives this raw and frantic performance of a woman who’s desperately trying to find her sister. Unfortunately the character moments are not that strong and fall more in the basic side of things, Sullivan’s performance is strong enough to look past those moments and deliver a genuinely strong performance that the viewer can still connect with.
The cinematography from cinematographer Andrew Scott Braid gives this haunting look to the movie, there’s plenty of moments where you look around the dark environment simply because of how well of a job Braid does and combine that with the surprisingly well done atmosphere from Stuckmann, the result is plenty of thrilling moments. If there is one thing to take away from Shelby Oaks it’s that Stuckmann knows how to build an atmosphere and during certain moments showcases this quite well.
The main problem with Shelby Oaks comes down to the writing, while the first bit of the film is genuinely quite great. Going for this mockumentary like style that really sets the movie up with a well done atmosphere and brings your interest into it all. The rest of the movie opts to go for a very generic experience that is filled with a lot of jump-scares. The worst of the writing shows up during the movie’s final moments, it’s a very messy ending that only leaves you with more questions than answers and not in a good way.
It’s a shame as well because if you take away the terrible writing you are left with something quite decent, the camerawork combined with the atmosphere makes for a solid experience.
Jerome Reviews... 