Ick (2025) Film Review

a high school science teacher who must confront a parasitic alien invasion and his personal life, which gets complicated by a new student who may be his daughter.

Ick is directed by Joseph Khan director of Torque (2004), Detention (2011) and Bodied (2017).

Ick is sort of noteworthy due to the soundtrack consisting of several pop-punk hits you probably heard in the 2000s, Yellowcard, Creed, blink-182, Paramore, The Killers and many others have at least one of their songs appear throughout the movie and I would be lying if I said I was not feeling at least bit nostalgic.

Ick is also a throwback to some of the monster/creature horror films of the 2000s such as Slither (2006), which there are points the movie does a decent job of capturing the spirit of those movies. Even if Ick is admittedly not as good as the movies were.

The performances are decent enough here, Brandon Routh plays the leading role and he actually does a solid job here. He’s able to blend in with Joseph Khan’s messy style decently well and his interactions with the rest of the cast result in a few laughs, the rest of the cast unfortunately don’t leave a mark on the viewer. So much of it is due to cliche character types and very little development all around, while yes at the end of the day Ick is a monster movie so I wasn’t expecting any grand character writing. But lazily written characters who spout just a bunch of one liners are a huge distraction that completely takes you out of the movie.

The writing is what really holds the movie back, within the first 10-15 minutes it’s very clear that “The Ick” is supposed to be a COVID-19 allegory and it’s not subtle at all. I wouldn’t say that the allegory is done poorly here as it does result in some of the movie’s few laughs. With that being said it’s not exactly breaking any new ground either, at this point we have seen the conspiracy theorists, the Alex Jones type of characters and such get the parody treatment in a lot of different media. What Ick does here isn’t any different and if you have already seen these types of jokes before then you are not going to get anything different here.

Lastly there’s the editing which is a mess and is sort of to be expected when it comes to Joseph Khan’s films. Detention (2011) had a similar style, but at the very least it did not feel like overkill and ultimately fit the atmosphere of the movie. With Ick it very much goes into the forgettable territory and much like the rest of the movie fails to leave an impression on the viewer.

Overall Ick has a really solid soundtrack, a decent performance from Brandon Routh and a few good jokes but not much else.

Ick is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Hell Of A Summer (2025) Film Review

Camp counselor Jason Hochberg thinks his biggest problem is feeling out of touch with his teenage co-workers. What he doesn’t know is that a mysterious masked killer is lurking on the campgrounds, brutally picking off victims one by one.

Hell Of A Summer is directed by Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk which is their directorial debut.

Hell Of A Summer is a classic 80s style slasher film, especially summer camp slashers. This is a prime example of a film where you know exactly what you are getting when you walk into it, while not everything here is great there is just the right amount of passion and charm in here that makes it work.

The performances while not anything amazing are still a lot of fun especially from Fred Hechinger who gives a quite humorous performance and really connects with the rest of the cast quite well. He does a solid job of capturing this young adult who really tries to hold on to his youth in hilarious ways, although the character development is not really there (that can be really said for everyone in the film) from what’s presented it’s still a fun character arc mainly due to Hechinger being incredibly charming.

Abby Quinn, Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk and the rest of the cast deliver solid performances but a lot of their characters are only there to serve as upping the kill count. Most of them have one personality trait and that’s really about it, to be fair that’s to be expected a slasher film that is clearly trying to capture the 80s slasher is not going to have this deep and rich character writing. So I guess in a way the film does a pretty decent job of capturing that element. Even with that in mind they were hinting at some plot points with certain characters like the bond Claire (played by Abby Quinn) and Jason Hochberg (played by Fred Hechinger) seemed to have, outside of some cliches it really does not go anywhere that interesting. It goes in the way you expect it to.

The humor is quite solid even if not everything lands, the script (which is also written by Wolfhard and Bryk) has this charm that is felt throughout the film and it reflects with the humor. Granted there are not really any moments where you will be quoting the film, but they are nice bits that do help keep the film going at a nice pace.

Script also oozes with nostalgia and charm of the 80s slasher movies, it’s clear that both Wolfhard and Bryk are fans of the genre and the love put into the script shows. It almost feels like Wolfhard and Bryk are sharing their telling of how they saw 80s slasher films, we have seen plenty of throwback films that tackle different eras of the horror genre especially within the last couple of years. Some are definitely better than others, while Hell Of A Summer is not exactly one of the best in terms of quality, it is one of the most charming ones and has a huge heart that really benefits it.

The kills are a bit of a hit or miss, unfortunately there are a handful of off-screen deaths that do take away from the film. I do like the kills that are shown even if they are very simple, you can tell the cast had a blast with them. The film also has this nice atmosphere that feels very much like you are at a summer camp, the atmosphere can have this parody feel that might turn off some viewers. But for what the movie is going for with being a horror comedy I think it fits decently well.

Overall Hell Of A Summer is about what you expect from a summer camp slasher film. It’s not going to break any new ground, but I admire the charm, cast and love put into the film even if everything does not fully work. It’s a quick and easy watch that I’m sure will have its fans!

Hell Of A Summer is playing in theaters.

6/10 C+

Death Of A Unicorn (2025) Film Review

When a man and his daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn with their car, his boss tries to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties — with horrific results.

Death Of A Unicorn is directed by Alex Scharfman which is his directorial debut!

Death Of A Unicorn is an incredibly unserious film and I can’t help but love the film for it, I’m not going to pretend that there are not any flaws. I do wish some of the cast had a bit more to do, having that said the film does make up for it by having a lot of chaotic energy and just being an overall good time.

Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd are the heart of the film, the father and daughter bond are genuine and the interactions between the two capture this strained yet affectionate relationship. These moments provide the emotional core of the film, while the rest of the film is much more bizarre it’s a nice balance and we get just the right amount of moments to really enjoy Ridley and Elliot as characters. Ortega has a few scenes in the final moments of the film that she gets to show her incredible talent as an actress (my minor nitpick is I do wish we got to see more of those, but in the end this is a film about a killer unicorn so I understand why there are not as many moments like that.)

Will Poulter is incredibly funny here, he absolutely delivers when it comes to providing comedy and to transition the serious (I’m not sure if that’s the right word) moments to the much more comedic ones, of the supporting cast he absolutely devours each scene with Anthony Carrigan being a close second who may not be given a whole lot to do but still delivers some laughs. Richard E. Grant and Téa Leoni are both fun but I do wish we got a bit more from there characters.

The film itself has the feel of the classic B monster movie, it’s incredibly unserious and isn’t afraid to let the viewer know that at all. The pacing can be a bit slow as it does take a bit to get going, however I think the parody feel of the film during the first bit of the film combined with the monster movie feel and cosmic elements just blend together quite nicely which really ends up being such a fun ride. There’s also some Jurassic Park (1993) spirit that the film captures quite well, the film is able to capture it an a much more silly light that is genuinely entertaining.

The unicorn designs combined with the kills are fun as well, it might not be as gory as some other monster movies and admittedly the lore of the unicorns is a bit on the basic side of things. However that does not take away from the fun aspect of the unicorns and how they act, there’s a lot of fun thrills here that make for some great magic moments.

Overall Death Of A Unicorn is a lot of fun, it’s absolutely not going to reinvent the wheel when it comes to monster movies. Some parts are left vague which is frustrating but it doesn’t take away from the film being a blast and genuinely charming. If this sounds like your type of film I recommend giving this one a go!

Death Of A Unicorn is currently in theaters.

8/10 B+

The Monkey (2025) Film Review

When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree, forcing the estranged siblings to confront the cursed toy.

The Monkey 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) and Longlegs (2024).

Osgood Perkins hits it out of the park yet again, after delivering the terrifying and incredibly well done Longlegs (2024) I was already very excited for The Monkey and it did not disappoint. It’s a film that is drastically different than a lot of Perkins’s previous films, it’s far more comedic with tons of dark humor that at first had me a bit worried if the film may overdo it. Luckily the film doesn’t take itself seriously and goes all out on the humor which ends up making the humor have a character of its own.

The performances here are a lot of fun, there’s some nice cameos Adam Scott, OsGood Perkins, Elijah Wood and a few others. Theo James is definitely doing standout performance, I’ve always rooted for Theo James so I am so glad to see him in a film that takes advantage of his potential as an actor, his duel performance here is brilliant it’s able to create two characters with very different personalities Hal and Bill who are fun characters. The interactions between his two characters are some of the film’s highlights and filled to the brim with laughs. There isn’t anything special being said with his characters but there really doesn’t need to be it’s all good fun and the film compliments that with the script.

Christian Convery also has a duel performance he both young Hal and Bill incredibly well and makes so many of the earlier parts of the film that much more entertaining. Tatiana Maslany is fun as well even if she isn’t given that much to do.

The humor of the film is ultimately what makes it work, I have to say it was a very risky move especially when coming out of Longlegs (2024) but the execution is so well done here. Perkins is able to create a dark atmosphere about a toy monkey that kills people whenever it plays and make it a hilarious time, plus when you combine that with the gore and kills you have yourself such a fun package. The gore on its own is used for comedic effect, it’s over the top and ridiculous a much more comedic take on splatter films.

Finally there’s the direction that Perkins does such a great job of remaining consistent throughout the film, while a majority of the film is filled with dark humor there are the serious moments that are just as well done. The film embraces its silliness which it does well, especially when you have the Stephen King feel to it (the film is based on a short story.)

Overall The Monkey is just an incredibly solid and fun film, it’s not trying to be something it’s not and embraces the humorous energy it gives off from beginning to end. Check this one out!

The Monkey is currently in theaters

8/10 B+

The Parenting (2025) Film Review

Boyfriends Josh and Rohan plan a weekend getaway to introduce their parents, only to discover that their rental is home to a 400-year-old poltergeist.

The Parenting is directed by Craig Johnson director of True Adolescents (2009), The Skeleton Twins (2014), Wilson (2017) and Alex Strangelove (2018).

The Parenting is what happens when you take The Evil Dead (1981) and comedies where the parents of each party dating each other meet. Nothing exactly we haven’t seen before, but I got to say this surprised me. There’s some genuinely good bits here that did get some laughs out of me, that’s probably due to the cast having a blast (also a surprisingly packed cast as well?)

Speaking of which the acting while not exactly anything excellent is still quite a lot of fun. Brandon Flynn and Parker Posey in particular do a great job here, Brian Cox has some hilarious parts as well and Nik Dodani worked well with Brandon Flynn. Both have great chemistry and the comedic timing for the two is actually quite solid as well.

Admittedly there really isn’t a whole lot going on here, the plot is about what you expect but I do have to give credit for the sort of chaotic energy the movie goes for. It’s very reminiscent of Scary Movie (2000) where the parody movie genre was at least entertaining, there’s some moments like that here that do actually work in this movie’s favor.

As I said before it’s mostly the cast that makes this work, each character is at the very least given something to do which in turn gives everyone a few moments to shine. Even if Cliff (played by Dean Norris) is really not given so much to work with, the moments we do have are genuinely fun and he actually does end up being likable. Directing wise this was alright, Craig Johnson has showed better direction before with some of his previous films mainly The Skeleton Twins (2014) but I do think he did a decent job with the comedy here and some of the horror (even if that took a backseat for most of the film.)

Overall The Parenting isn’t too bad, it’s absolutely not going to be for everyone and I don’t think this is something I’m ever going to watch again. But I will say this was a fun time and if it sounds like your thing I say check it out.

The Parenting is available on HBO Max or Max

6/10 C+

Y2K (2024) Film Review

On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Year’s Eve party, only to find themselves fighting for their lives when Y2K becomes a reality.

Y2K is directed by Kyle Mooney which is his directorial debut.

Y2K is a film about the whole Y2K scare that was going on and what if it actually happened. A simple enough idea that for the most part executes its premise decently well, since Kyle Mooney really goes all out to make something incredibly fun.

The cast are quite solid who each deliver some funny moments, Jaeden Martell and Rachel Zegler are charming and the bond that slowly builds over the course of the movie is cute. It’s not anything really special and does have the typical love interest cliches you come to expect but they fit the 90s callback atmosphere going on here. Although I do wish the movie did a lot more with Zegler’s character there’s moments where you could tell they were attempting to do something but kind of forget about it. Kyle Mooney gives a humorous performance that got a lot of laughs out of me, he’s a very basic stoner character but once again it matches the atmosphere.

Fred Durst is the standout and the moment he enters the film he completely steals the show. He matches the atmosphere and really goes all out with his performance, easily connects with the rest of the cast and doesn’t feel forced. Durst’s inclusion could have easily felt forced and would have basically killed the movie right at the moment he enters. However due to how charming the film is, the atmosphere working in his favor and the energy he brings it completely works.

The robot designs are incredibly neat, seeing all the different parts together and the detail of them is fascinating. The music is a nice throwback to the 90s and the kills are a lot of fun, all of these little things really help to mold this movie into something incredibly fun.

The weakest part of Y2K is by far the character writing, outside of Fred Durst a lot of the other characters really don’t have a whole lot going on. Which is to be expected it’s a very silly film about Y2K, but I don’t think some of the characters were exactly strong enough to really make the viewer remember them. Eli (played by Jaeden Martell) is a fine enough main character but if you have seen any coming of age films, sex comedies like American Pie (1999) or teen comedies you basically have seen Eli. The same can be said with the other characters Laura (played by Rachel Zegler) is your usual love interest, Garrett (played by Kyle Mooney) is the typical stoner, Danny (played by Julian Dennison) is the typical best friend and so on.

Despite my problems however I do think Y2K is a surprisingly charming film, there might not be a whole lot going on here writing wise (hence why it’s a bit hard to really go into detail) but the movie undeniably oozes with charm and keeps that up all the way through the film. It’s a very fun watch that I do recommend taking a look at.

Y2K is currently in theaters.

7/10 B

Your Monster (2024) Film Review!

Soft-spoken actress Laura Franco’s life crumbles. She regains her voice after encountering a terrifying but oddly charming Monster living in her closet.

Your Monster is directed by Caroline Lindy which is her directorial debut.

What happens when you blend Old Hollywood and Broadway elements together? You get Your Monster a film before going in I heard was really great but honestly i definitely think that’s a huge understatement, I think this is quite honestly one of the best films of the year for quite a number of reasons from the performances, to Caroline Lindy blending so many genres perfectly together it’s all there.

Starting with the performances Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey are some of the best of the year. Melissa Barrera as Laura Franco is her best performance of her career so far, I think this role gave Melissa exactly what she needed to really put it out there and say “hey I’m here to stay” her character is hilarious, actually quite relatable and actually quite raw. The scenes of her letting all her anger out are filled to the brim with passion, you can absolutely tell Barrera went all in and absolutely nailed it. Melissa Barrera’s singing voice continues to impress here, it was already impressive with In The Heights (2021) but I would argue it’s displayed so much better here. Her singing “My Stranger” alone is just beautiful and is such a beautiful way to close the film as well. Melissa Barrera is able to adapt to the change of tone when needed, whether it’s a humorous, dramatic or even a musical one she’s able to turn every single scene into a blast. Something that a talented performance is able to do!

What I said about Melissa Barrera can easily be applied to Tommy Dewey, his character simply known as Monster is a ton of fun. The chemistry between Barrera and Dewey is honestly heartfelt and actually quite beautiful, the little moments of the two looking at each other in the eyes is truly mesmerizing and makes the viewer all the more invested in both of them. On his on Dewey plays a lot like The Beast from Beauty and The Beast (1991) but at the same time is a very different character and his character development goes on a different path as well. We learn about Monster over the course of the film and what his goals are, he bonds with Laura Franco over music, general talk and so on. Dewey just gives a phenomenal performance all around while doing this.

As I said at the beginning Your Monster combines Old Hollywood elements with Broadway elements. The Broadway elements are given, the music moments really capture the Broadway feel especially when Melissa Barrera sings “My Stranger” she has this powerful and clear voice that switches different moods that screams Broadway. The character’s mannerisms especially Laura Franco and Monster really do have Old Hollywood touches to them, the romantic scenes especially you get a lot of the mannerisms, speech and even character moments. Cinematography Will Stone is able to capture all of this perfectly especially when combined with the investing atmosphere throughout the film.

Finally director Caroline Lindy does such a masterful job in the director’s chair. She has an eye for engaging shots that really tell the viewer a little more about each of the scenes, there’s one scene in particular that really stands out that has both Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey just go all out. They both have a range of emotions during this moment that Lindy captures so well and brings so much passion as well. Combining all of this makes for a fascinating picture that you never want to stop looking at.

Overall Your Monster is one of the best films of the year. It’s hilarious, heartfelt and a ton of fun, Caroline Lindy is definitely a director to keep an eye on because this was incredible. If you haven’t checked this one out please do so.

Your Monster is in theaters and will be on VOD platforms tomorrow!

10/10 A+

Slotherhouse a joke that runs for far too long.

Senior Emily Young wants to be elected sorority president. She adopts a cute sloth, thinking it will help her win, but a string of fatalities implicates the sloth.

Everyone loves a good “it’s so bad it’s funny movie” I’m sure you might have seen at least one and probably have a favorite. Movies like Thankskilling, Zombie Cats From Mars, Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes, Llamagedeon, Birdemic and a lot of others are prime examples. There’s some successes that go on to be quite memorable and then there’s ones that fade into obscurity mostly due to trying way too hard to be the next talked about movie on social media. Unfortunately Slotherhouse falls in the latter category.

Slotherhouse is a satire of the whole sorority house slasher movies, except the killer is a killer Sloth. It’s funny for about 20 minutes with the Sloth puppet being quite hilarious and some of the uses of social media in the movie are actually quite funny.

The problem here is the movie tries way too hard to be the next cult film, it wants to be that movie that gets websites such as Buzzfeed to write an article that says “Someone made a movie about a killer sloth 😂😂” that sort of stuff happens on it’s own and shouldn’t be forced or else you completely miss the point on the whole “killer object or bad killer animal” genre.

As for the rest of the movie? There really isn’t a whole lot else to be said here, it goes exactly how you think it’s going to and the whole joke about a killer Sloth gets old as the movie goes on which considering the movie is 93 minutes long is not a good sign. The acting and writing as expected are terrible but that should really go without saying and is to be expected when it comes to movies like this.

Who knows I could maybe be completely wrong, maybe a couple years from now Slotherhouse Will become the next cult hit, but for now it’s a very forgettable movie that tries way too hard to get a cult movie status.

Slotherhouse is available on all VOD platforms.

2/10 F

Bodies Bodies Bodies a wonderfully crafted fun film with a spectacular cast.

When a group of 20-somethings gets stuck at a remote mansion during a hurricane, a party game gone very, very wrong ends with a dead body on the ground and fake friends at every turn as they try to find the killer among them.

The horror genre like all genres has evolved over the years, however no matter how much time goes by I always find horror to be the most interesting mainly due to so much talent and ideas being thrown into the ring. Bodies Bodies Bodies is a prime example of just that, it takes the whodunnit genre and completely makes it’s own in so many different ways. For starters the cast is quite incredible, Rachel Sennott once again does a fantastic job her performance in last year’s Shiva Baby was huge breakout performance and here it’s just as fantastic. Maria Bakalova, Amandla Stenberg and Myha’la Herrold were other standouts who truly did a fantastic job. What’s even better is how well the cast connected with one another, there’s this chemistry that absolutely worked between all of them and absolutely felt as natural as possible. Which leads into the Gen-Z satire elements of the film which is the first time I can say that a movie captured effortlessly, for the longest time in several films I’ve reviewed and talked about I always end up asking “did the writers even know how Gen-Z talks or acts?” But here I don’t need to ask that question because it’s very spot on and it’s hilarious as well, Sarah DeLappe did a fantastic job with the screenplay not only does she capture the whole Gen-Z humor but she further expands elements on the whodunnit genre. The same can be said for director Halina Reijn who creates a thrilling atmosphere that also has a large humorous feel to it, The gore and kills are so much fun here combined with a lot of the dramatic moments between the cast truly pushes this movie to another level. The filming is very well done with a close and tight shots it truly gives the film a much more grounded look, lastly Bodies Bodies Bodies is an example of a fun summer film that is also wonderfully crafted, hilarious and thrilling. Overall Bodies Bodies Bodies is one of the best films of the year, the cast and crew truly take the horror genre and the whodunnit genre and completely make it their own! Be sure to see this one!!

Bodies Bodies Bodies is currently in theaters!

10/10 A+

Slaxx and Koko-Di, Koko-Da (2021) Movie Reviews!

When a possessed pair of jeans begins to kill the staff of a trendy clothing store, it is up to Libby, an idealistic young salesclerk, to stop its bloody rampage.

Who knew a film about a killer pair of jeans would be better than some other films so far this year that want to be taken seriously. I feel like what makes Slaxx work is the movie knows it’s stupid and actually has fun with the premise. I will say the movie takes a bit to get going, the pacing is ridiculously slow at the beginning and made the first act incredibly pointless. However once the killer jeans come in that’s when it gets good, some of the kills are actually quite good (although it does get annoying with some off screen deaths). The movie is also a social commentary which is not what I expected. The acting is bad but at least it’s a lot of fun, the same can be said with the writing. It knows what it wants to be and for the most part it succeeds, overall this is something that could have easily been a whole lot worse. So after several weeks of very bad movies Shudder gives something quite okay! if you know what your getting into you will most definitely enjoy this movie! I say give this one a watch.

6/10 C+

As a couple goes on a trip to find their way back to each other, a sideshow artist and his shady entourage emerge from the woods, terrorizing them, luring them deeper into a maelstrom of psychological terror and humiliating slapstick.

I heard about this one quite a lot before watching it, so when I saw it was coming to Shudder I was very interested and the end result is actually quite great. The best way to describe this movie is it’s a dark fairytale with a ton of slow burn horror movie elements. The several shots in this movie when the characters are in the car are compelling and quite beautiful, there’s this organic atmosphere to the movie that adds so much to the film and really brings out so much rich dark atmosphere. It does take a bit to get going and to get the plot in order but once the film does that it truly shines, by the end of the movie it’s all worth it mostly due to the atmosphere and acting! Overall it’s a very solid horror movie that I recommend giving a go!

7/10 B