#31in31 – “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy”

Posted on October 6, 2026 by Denise

“I can fix her.”

Story: Charlie Cannon has a pretty good life. He’s a journalist stationed in Cairo, soon to become a news anchor in NYC. But when his oldest child Katie is kidnapped, things fall apart. They get even worse when she’s found. Because Katie isn’t alone in her body. I’m sure things will be fine.

Scares: Of the jump variety.
Splat Factor:  Some actually quite good gore FX.

Subgenre: Possession Horror With Sarcopgagus Icing
Year Released: 2026
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Supposedly based on the Universal Mummy franchise of films. I’d say it’s also based on Egyptian history and mythology, but that’d be an insult to Egypt.

Trick or Treat?: Less mummy and more demon possession, Mummy is just as disappointing as the Tom Cruise reboot. At least this one’s got the genre right. At least.

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#31in31 – “From Beyond the Grave”

Posted on October 5, 2026 by Denise



Story: Four stories that have one thing in common; items that were obtained in a curio shop. A mirror, a medal, a snuff box, a an elaborate door. Do the new owners have what it takes to survive once things start to go very wrong? We’ll see…

Scares: 70s creepy modern Gothic vibes.
Splat Factor:  Some blood, and a bit of the old ultra-violence.

Subgenre: Mid-20th Century Horror Anthologies
Year Released: 1974
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Based on stories by award winning writer R. Chetwynd-Hayes.

Trick or Treat?: Finally getting around to the last of the Amicus anthologies. Not as good as the ones based on Robert Bloch stories or EC comics, but campy fun. Especially as the shop keeper is none other than the great Peter Cushing, giving it his all.

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#31in31 – “Men” (2022)

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Denise



“What the fuck are you?”

Story: After the death of her emotionally manipulative and abusive husband, Harper rents a lovely home Herefordshire. She’s gone there to heal from her recent past, and to deal with her trauma, grief, and guilt. But she sees odd men everywhere. Odd men who all look the same. Is she an unreliable narrator? Or is this screenplay just a messy slog overstuffed with metaphor? Spoiler – it’s a bit of both.

Scares: Lots of dread and odd creepiness.
Splat Factor:  A bloody Sue-of-side, stab wounds, and a weird body horror climax.

Subgenre: Weird Patriarchal Horrors
Year Released: 2022
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Original

Trick or Treat?: I’d been fascinated by the trailer for this film when it hit theaters. But I never seemed to get around to it. Now, after watching it? I can see I was simply trying to avoid a clunker. Oops.

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#31in31 – “Thrash”

Posted on October 3, 2026 by Denise

“Does this mean we have to get new foster parents?”

Story: When Hurricane Henry hits the small town of Annieville, South Carolina, two things make the storm even worse. First, the levee crumbles, putting the town in four feet of water, and rising. Second, a tanker trailer full of animal blood (sure why not) splits in half, sending thousands of gallons of blood into the water. Did I mention that bull sharks can live perfectly well in brackish (and even fresh) water? *rings dinner bell*

Scares: Very few, unless you’re new to horror, or are a light touch.
Splat Factor: Bloody, but the gore is either under water or in a wide shot. So it’s more like set dressing than actually gory.

Subgenre: Shark Hurricane Horror
Year Released: 2026
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Original, with hints of shark tropes from other films.

Trick or Treat?: What if Crawl, but shark? That was my first thought when I saw this pop up on Netflix. But unlike the genuinely suspenseful Crawl, Thrash is down for a bloody good time.

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#31in31 – “Savageland”

Posted on October 2, 2026 by Denise

“I think a lot of people will sleep better at night believing [these photographs] are Photoshopped, than seeing something that is actually happening.”

Story: Sangre de Cristo, Arizona – called Savageland by the white people in nearby towns – is a tiny little town on the border of the USA and Mexico. One night, the population goes from 57 to zero…except for one survivor, undocumented immigrant Francisco Salazar. So, of course, Salazar is thought to be the murderer. But Salazar is a guy who likes to take pictures, and one roll of film he took on that night is found. Those photos begin an investigation that uncovers something much more horrifying than a serial killer.

Scares: Dawning horror, and tons of horrific dramatic irony.
Splat Factor:  Lots of blood soaked photos of the after-effects of the “massacre”.

Subgenre: Mocumentary Horrors
Year Released: 2015
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Damn this one’s original.

Trick or Treat?: In my quest to find a zombie movie I haven’t seen yet, I stumbled on this gem. And damn, I’m impressed. If you’re interested in low budget, slow burn horror? Savageland has got it in spades.

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#31in31 – “Final Destination: Bloodlines”

Posted on October 1, 2026 by Denise

“I intend to enjoy the time I have left, and I suggest you do the same. Life is precious. Enjoy every single second.”

Story: In 1969, young couple Iris and Paul attend the grand opening of Skybar, a Space Needle-esqe restaurant. Except Skybar is made from tissue paper and spit. So when Iris gets a premonition that everyone will die horribly? She prevents it. But as per usual, Death is pissed. But it takes decades to get the reckoning done, and now there are generations to obliterate…

Scares: Thrills and chills
Splat Factor:  OMG yes. This series is known for the gruesome stuff.

Subgenre: Worn-Out Franchise Additions
Year Released: 2025
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Part of the Final Destination franchise. Hopefully the last one.


Trick or Treat?: I don’t know why I did this to myself. I absolutely hate Everyone Dies films. Okay fine; 5 was fun in an ironic, campy way. But Bloodlines takes itself way too seriously to be enjoyable, and with so many characters, it’s tough to give a damn who lives…or rather, when each one dies.

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“Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” powerfully ushers in awards season

Posted on September 28, 2026 by Denise

“Who’s praying for you?”

Story: After the death of his wife Khadijah, Latif finds himself trying to be both mother and father to his three children. With a teen, a tween, and an infant girl allergic to formula, it’s rough. With his past as an assassin for a powerful Muslim criminal overlord, it’s rougher. When his personal and past lives crash together in a brutal way, he has to take a stand. No matter how much he wants to become a new man.

Genre I’d put it in: Messages That Will Linger Movies
Release Date: 2026
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Original, with recognizable action beats and a powerful message religious films wish they could successfully convey.
Animals okay?: N/A
Special Shout-out: Adia, as Latif’s daughter Fatiha. She was amazing in Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club, but this is truly a deeply moving performance. I hope she gets even more roles she can sink into.

Gotta say: I saw this screener two weeks ago. And it was so powerful, I had to sit with it, because I couldn’t form the words to accurately encapsulate my response to this breathtaking film. So instead? I will fumble my way through, much the same way Latif does his life after his wife’s death. With the best of intentions, knowing full well I’ll probably miss some things along the way.

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“Heart of the Beast” – the story of a Very Good Boi

Posted on September 24, 2026 by Denise

“You’re not there anymore. It’s all just a bad dream. Just a dream.”

Story: James Belmont is a retired Special Forces vet who adopted his combat dog Odin after he too left service. With physical and mental scars on both man and beast, the two head out to the boonies of Alaska for some well deserved R&R. But when James has a heart attack while piloting their aircraft, they’re left in the middle of a beautiful, but decidedly unfriendly, wilderness. So the trek to civilization begins.

Genre I’d put it in: That’s A Good Pup Right There Stories
Release Date: 2026
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Original, but based on real-life combat dogs and what they go through before, during, and after their service.
Animals okay?: You came here because a dog’s on the poster. Babby survives.
Special Shout-out: As the unnamed woman we see driving up to Odin in the beginning and ending of the film, Anna Lambe conveys a whole lot of emotion in the short time she’s on screen.

Gotta say: I have to apologize to everyone sitting even remotely near me at last night’s screening. Because I’m sure y’all got sick of me clutching my chest and saying “oh doggo you’re the best boy aren’t youuuu” over and over again. I regret nothing. If anything, this absolute unit of adorableness from Fidos For Freedom amped me up before the film, so I was predisposed to fawn. That said, Beast is a moving story about the bond a man and his dog can develop, and how bonds forged in fire can overcome almost any obstacle.

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“Hope” (2026) fails

Posted on September 24, 2026 by Denise

“Oh shit. This just went to hell.”

Story: You know all those stories about a sleepy little town that has a police force that never really sees any action? The one that suddenly has a rash of murders they need to solve, and quickly, as the town is slowly starting to crumble from the destruction in these murderer’s wake? Yep, poor police chief Ko Bum-seok finds himself in this position, and he’s definitely not happy about it. As he and his force – okay fine, basically just rookie Im Sung-ae who’s somehow loaded for bear – try to stop what’s happening, things really get crazy. Like, huge monsterous creatures crazy. What’s going on? Why is it happening to Our Little Town? And what is his cousin doing trying to “help”?

Genre I’d put it in: What Was That Stories
Release Date: 2026
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Original, but with vibes from films like The Host, Attack the Block, and lots of Kaiju/alien films because why not.
Animals okay?: Not in any way, shape, or form. And there’s close-ups of the aftermath.
Special Shout-out: Lee Sang-hee as the hilariously overtaxed Ahn Nak-yeon. His terrified-yet-stubborn banter with Hwang’s Bum-seok is pitch-perfect, blending terror with slapstick in a way I live for in Asian cinema. He’s absolutely incredible.

Gotta say: Before we get started here, I just need to say that Hope does not suck. But it does fail in that it seems to promise one thing, then switches stories more than halfway thorough. While films like From Dusk Til Dawn do that seamlessly (spoilers for a 30 year old film I guess), making it a glorious genre change? Hope feels clunky and listless, as if producers said “yeah, I guess they should be aliens, right?” That passionless shift feels like a record scratch rather than the start of the really good stuff. And in that way, Hope fails.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza – “The Heart of the Beast”!

Posted on September 20, 2026 by Denise

Ready for a good doggo? Synopsis!

After a harrowing plane crash, Special Forces officer James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and his combat dog, Odin, find themselves stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Together, they are forced into a brutal fight for survival against the elements. From acclaimed filmmaker David Ayer, Heart of the Beast is an intense adventure thriller that explores the unbreakable bond between a man and his best friend as they face their greatest battle yet.

Ready? Let’s go!

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