Halfway to Halloween

Today marks halfway to Halloween, and I can think of no better day to start celebrating the most wonderful time of the year. It's a beautiful time to be a horror fan with a bounty of new releases worth checking out. Read on for my thoughts on the freshest entries into the genre and some halfway to Halloween recommendations that I have been loving lately.

NEW RELEASES...

The Ugly Stepsister

Dear reader, if you take one thing away from this newsletter, let it be my overwhelming praise for The Ugly Stepsister. Written and directed by Emilie Kristine Blichfeldt, this Norwegian retelling of Cinderella from one of the stepsisters' point of view left me a swirling mess of emotions most recently felt after watching Coralie Fargeat's The Substance. Both movies take on the horror of unrealistic beauty standards and the violent relationship women so often have with their bodies in ways that are both grotesque and awe inspiring.

The Ugly Stepsister takes the idea of "beauty is pain," to a new level, leaning more closely to the Brothers Grimm telling of the well-known fairytale. Elvira (played beautifully by Lea Mathilde Skar-Myren) winds up becoming a cruel and unpleasant young woman, but not before you have time to empathize with her. I found myself relating to the gruesome measures she was willing to take to make herself attractive to the Prince (Isac Calmroth) in a way that made the viewing an incredibly cathartic experience and one that I can't recommend enough. Be warned though that the body horror is pretty extreme and not for the faint of heart.

Where to watch: Shudder on May 9

Drop

In the latest feature from the director of campy horror essentials like Freaky and Happy Death Day, Drop tells the story of a single mother embarking on her first date after a tragedy. In my opinion, Drop doesn't come close to the iconic status of the two previously mentioned movies, but it is a perfectly fine film. Our two lead performances by Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar are beautifully grounded and fully realized. Jeffery Self also deserves special recognition for his scene stealing performance as a waiter on his first day at a high end restaurant.

If you've somehow escaped the trailer for Drop, STAY AWAY! It reveals far too much of the plot and I think it would be a much more thrilling ride without knowing what twists and turns were to come. The spoiler free synopsis is that Violet (Fahy) receives mysterious and threatening airdrops from an unknown sender throughout her first date with Henry (Sklenar). Drop is equal parts silly fun and an allegory for trauma and abuse while not landing firmly in either category.

Where to watch: in theaters

Hell of a Summer

Some may say the summer camp slasher sub-genre is oversaturated, but sometimes you can't have too much of a good thing, and Hell of a Summer is a fantastic example. Written and directed by Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk, Hell of a Summer feels very much like a film for Gen Z made by Gen Z, leaving it free of the pandering tone or "how do you do fellow kids," effect movies like this one can have. It leans heavier on the comedy side versus the horror side, and if you're looking for lots of scares and bloody kills, you may be disappointed. If you're looking for a laugh though, Hell of a Summer delivers. It's thrilling to see such a self assured, focused feature coming from a young batch of creatives and I'm looking forward to what may come next from this team.

Where to watch: rent on YouTube or Google Play

Until Dawn

In spite of never having played the game myself, I'm a fan of Until Dawn. I love story based games in general and am a frequent playthrough watcher. Because of this, I was hype for this movie, and I really should've done my research beforehand to learn that Until Dawn is a story that takes place in the world of the game, rather than a direct adaptation. While this isn't inherently a bad thing, I was so disappointed when I realized we were dealing with an entirely new cast of characters and circumstances.

Expectations aside, Until Dawn is just an okay movie. It's well worth a watch for the special effects alone and there are some delightfully graphic and creative kills. The characters, however, fall flat for me, all but one of them feeling mostly two dimensional and difficult to form an attachment with, When the plot of your movie is watching characters die repeatedly, it helps to care about them.

Where to watch: in theaters

Sinners

I'm adding my voice to the chorus of others who have been praising this film, but I could not put out a roundup of new releases and not talk about the phenomenon that is Sinners. This is event cinema at its best and I mean it wholeheartedly when I say you have to see Sinners in theaters. It is a visual feast, shot in a breathtaking combination of IMAX and 70mm cameras and it deserves to be experienced on the biggest screen possible. Set in the Jim Crow era South, Sinners follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) as they return to their hometown and are met by evil in many of its different forms. The hype is real and deserved as Sinners serves up a poignant and visceral epic where a seamless dual performance by Michael B. Jordan isn't even the most interesting thing going on. A must see.

Where to watch: in theaters

WHAT I'VE BEEN LOVING LATELY...

Home Is Where The Bodies Are

Written by Jeneva Rose, Home Is Where The Bodies Are tells the story of three siblings reuniting after several years apart to handle their mother's estate, and the secrets that they uncover in doing so. I was gifted this book by a friend and have loved diving into it this month. It reminds me a bit of Mike Flanagan's Haunting of Hill House in terms of the family dynamics and the navigation of grief, and to be clear, reminding me of a Mike Flanagan project is one of the highest compliments I can bestow. I'm really looking forward to discovering the twists and turns that this story takes as I read on.

It's What's Inside (2024)

This is one that I missed on its initial release last year, but I'm so glad I took the time to watch It's What's Inside and go along for the wild ride. I think I overlooked it because it's a Netflix original, and more often than not those fall into quantity over quality for me, but It's What's Inside is a rare gem that I highly recommend. A group of college friends gets together ahead of one of their weddings for a night of partying and body swapping. It's like if the aesthetic of Bodies, Bodies, Bodies met the psychological twists of Coherence. This is also a case of a second viewing being even more rewarding than the first and I highly recommend checking it out for yourself.

Where to watch: Netflix

The Tunnel (2011)

This movie fell into my lap when my roommate picked it out on Tubi, and it was such an unexpected treat. Australian found footage feature The Tunnel follows a ragtag film crew as they explore abandoned train tunnels running underneath Sydney in an effort to expose a government cover up. What they end up discovering, however, takes an inhumane and horrifying turn. I loved The Tunnel simply because it scared the shit out of me. One of my favorite things about the horror genre is the way in which I can be completely taken out of whatever my current circumstances may be and consumed by the feeling of fear from the comfort and safety of my couch. The Tunnel doesn't strive to reinvent the wheel, but it provided exactly what I needed that night, and it now has a special place in my heart and on my Letterboxd.

Where to watch: Tubi or Shudder 

I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

There is never a bad time to talk about the beauty of I Saw the TV Glow, but especially now, trans stories like this one deserve attention on the biggest stage. I rewatched it (again) recently and was amazed by the way it never loses its magic. The thought of "what if I was supposed to be someone else," is haunting and harrowing in a way that feels like a punch to the gut. With I Saw the TV Glow, Jane Schoenbrun takes viewers on a trippy, interdimensional odyssey as teens Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Jack Haven) grow and find themselves in their favorite supernatural young adult series.

Growing up, I was obsessed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and it consumed my thoughts. I had all the DVDs, I ventured into the world of fanfiction reading for the first time, and I would imagine myself in the world of Sunnydale, fighting monsters to help myself fall asleep at night. All that to say, a cameo appearance by a featured actor from Buffy in I Saw the TV Glow felt like the perfect thematic cherry on top of this miracle of a movie.

Where to watch: Max

That's all for now! Be sure to tell me if you check out any of my recommendations and let me know your thoughts on the recent crop of horror releases. XOXO - Chiller Thriller