horror – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

SOMETHING VERY BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN – Review by Abby Perkins (Mentorship Program Critic)

April 6, 2026 Guest Post abby perkins, Adam DiMarco, AWFJ/UNCSA MENTORSHIP PROGRAM, Camila Morrone, Gus Briney, Haley Z. Boston, horror, jennifer jason leigh, Kate Trefry, netflix, series, Something Very Bad is Going to Happen, Victoria Pedretti

Are you sure he’s the one? Before you walk down that aisle, make sure you know the answer – the wrong choice could be your doom. Through eight episodes of unexpected twists and gory surprises, Something Very Bad is Going to Happen leaves you leaping for that next episode button. It’s original and clever, while also taking inspiration from what works in horror – relying on atmospheric creepiness without the overuse of jump scares, found footage, through-the-lens point-of-view, and an unanticipated betrayal that shakes everything up. The success of the show lies in its ability to remain engaging even when the hide-behind-the-blanket moments take the backseat.

Reviews

UNDERTONE – Review by T. J. Callahan

March 10, 2026March 10, 2026 T. J. Callahan horror, Ian Tuason, Nina Kiri, undertone

undertone, in lower case letters because it’s underwhelming, is a low budget, in one location, modern day horror movie from writer/director Ian Tuason. The film is a slow moving psychological slow burn that really doesn’t give us much of a payoff at the end of its 90 minute runtime. The only thing that scared me was that I might fall asleep.

Reviews

STITCH HEAD – Review by Susan Kamyab

October 22, 2025 Susan Kamyab animation, Asa Butterfield, Guy Bass, horror, Steve Hudson, Stitch Head, Toby Genkel

Stitch Head is a sweet, light-hearted film with a relatable message told through quirky and loveable characters who maybe look different, but hope to feel safe in public, and be treated like everyone else. While there are a few new horror flicks you can catch in theaters, Stitch Head is one you can take the whole family to see.

Reviews

WEAPONS – Review by T.J. Callahan

August 5, 2025August 7, 2025 T. J. Callahan alden ehrenreich, Amy Madigan, Cary Christopher, horror, Josh Brolin, julia garner, Weapons, Zach Cregger

Following the success of Barbarian, Zach Cregger brings us the most highly anticipated horror film of the summer, Weapons…and you won’t be disappointed. You may not be totally satisfied or even understand what you just watched, but you won’t be let down. Even though the narrative Cregger wrote is fictional, the emotional center is rooted in reality, inspired by social issues, real life events and Cregger’s personal experiences.

Reviews

TOGETHER – Review by Lynn Venhaus

August 5, 2025August 5, 2025 Lynn Venhaus Allison Brie, dave franco, horror, Michael Shanks, Together

Taking a relationship to the next level rises to absurd heights in Together, which is noteworthy for writer-director Michael Shanks’ first feature debut showcasing the intuitive skills of actors Dave Franco and Alison Brie. Shanks takes a stab at the trendy body horror sub-genre with the novel approach of a real-life couple acting out an increasingly disturbing relationship drama as the supernatural story turns dark and sinister.

Reviews

TOGETHER – Review by T.J. Callahan

July 29, 2025 T. J. Callahan Allison Brie, dave franco, horror, Michael Shanks, Together

Destined to become a cult classic, Together is the most magnetic film you’ll see all year. It also may be the weirdest…but I mean that in the best possible way. Starring real life married pair, Allison Brie and Dave Franco, Together is the body horror story of an engaged couple on the brink of a breakup who decide to move to the country to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Soon after their arrival, they have an eerie encounter on a hike in the woods that not only transforms their lives, but also their flesh.

Festivals Reviews

MAN FINDS TAPE (Tribeca 2025) – Review by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

June 9, 2025June 9, 2025 Alexandra Heller-Nicholas found footage, horror, Man Finds Tape, mockumentary, Paul Gandersman, Peter Hall, Tribeca 2025

Just over 25 years since The Blair Witch Project rendered found footage horror the microbudget subgenre du jour, it is another co-directed banger, Paul Gandersman and Peter Hall’s Man Finds Tape, that reminds us just how effective this formula can be in the right hands. The titular ‘tape’ that the ‘man’ has found brings with it key questions which are at the heart of the movie: Why did the footage go missing? What secrets about the past does it hold, and how will that impact the present? Perfectly straddling the real and the supernatural and built around increasingly hard to answer questions about what is real and what isn’t, Man Finds Tape cleverly employs a mockumentary framework to formally reflect this thematic essence.

Reviews

KRYPTIC – Review by Justina Walford

April 30, 2025May 4, 2025 Justina Walford Chloe Pirrie, horror, Kourtney Roy, Kryptic

Kourtney Roy’s debut feature Kryptic enters the horror space not with a blood-soaked machete but with something far more elusive and unsettling: a psychological labyrinth dressed as a cryptid hunt. While it might be tempting to lump it in with other paranormal investigator narratives, Kryptic is doing something more rewarding for our cerebral cortex while tickling the lizard brain, too. Kryptic is a feminist body-horror fable wrapped in a dreamy, disorienting fairy tale. It’s more concerned with identity and metamorphosis than with traditional scares. But for those who like their horror laced with metaphor, ambiguity, and a feminist edge, this is a debut worth watching.

Reviews

UNTIL DAWN – Review by Rachel West

April 24, 2025April 24, 2025 Rachel West David F. Sandberg, Ella Rubin, horror, Maia Mitchell, Michael Cimino, Odessa A’zion, Peter Stormare, Until Dawn, video game movies

A competently directed studio horror film with a lot of good elements, Until Dawn entertains horror fans thanks to a fun time loops concept drawn from its video game inspiration. It doesn’t quite come together in the most satisfying way and the ending feels a bit rushed. However, audiences looking for some cheap thrills and mindless entertainment could do a lot worse in the echelon of video games-turned-movies, it’s not bad. Given the sequel hinted at in the ending, filmmakers should take note to ramp up the tension and monsters more on the second round.

Reviews

CALL OF THE VOID – Review by Beth Accomando

April 11, 2025April 12, 2025 Beth Accomando Caitlin Carver, Call of the Void, horror, James B. Cox, Mina Sundwall

The best thing about Call of the Void is its open. An ominous sound leads us down what perhaps is a black hole, and then up through a deliciously creepy tree that portends something dark and foreboding. But the promise of that open is never fulfilled. The title and one sort of supernatural scene suggest that maybe H.P. Lovecraft was floating somewhere in writer-director James B. Cox’s head but the cosmic horror of Lovecraft’s vision of the void is nowhere to be found in this wisp of a horror film. Aside from the twisted glory of that opening tree there is nothing in the film that’s creepy, horrific, disturbing, or remotely scary.

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