Shudder continues to innovate and release instant horror classics. 2022’s Deadstream has become one such flick. The story of a YouTuber video personality going to a haunted house spirals out of control. It’s one of my favorite horror films of the year, and I wrote a glowing review upon its release. Now, Shudder is rewarding … Continue reading Blu-Ray Review – Deadstream Steelbook and Physical Release
The “Creed” Trilogy: Saying Goodbye to Legends while Establishing New Legacies
The past does not quite stay in the past. Efforts can be made to ignore or forget painful memories and adverse moments associated with it. However, these experiences form the fabric of individuality. Furthermore, how is a legacy established without a full understanding and acceptance of the past? The Creed franchise began in 2015. It … Continue reading The “Creed” Trilogy: Saying Goodbye to Legends while Establishing New Legacies
Review: ‘Scare Package’ – A Wonderful Anthology of Meta-Horror-Comedies
Anthology horrors have become an excellent place to locate emerging talent. Shudder has helped cultivate many of these package films, and as a result, we've seen an uptick in the directors moving on to create excellent features. Last year alone, directors on V/H/S 99 also landed the plane on some of our favorites of the … Continue reading Review: ‘Scare Package’ – A Wonderful Anthology of Meta-Horror-Comedies
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge’ – A Lovely Horror Parody
The horror parody film seemed to peak in the 1990s. During that decade, we saw Scream rise to prominence, and Scary Movie churn out a dozen jokes. Even legacy titles, including Halloween: H20 and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, poked fun at their place in the genre. The post-modern approach to horror storytelling had changed, even … Continue reading Blu-Ray Review: ‘Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge’ – A Lovely Horror Parody
4K/Blu-Ray Review: ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ – Spectacular Presentation, Limited Special Features
One of 2022’s most surprising successes, All Quiet on the Western Front scored with audiences and critics alike. We praised the film in our review, and it seems destined to enter the War films canon. The German production was released on Netflix in the Fall of 2022. It went on to score seven BAFTA wins … Continue reading 4K/Blu-Ray Review: ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ – Spectacular Presentation, Limited Special Features
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Boxtrolls’ Remains a 4K Technical Behemoth
LAIKA continually pushes its animators and artisans to break new ground. Coming off the success of ParaNorman and Coraline, LAIKA could have returned to grim stories. Yet instead, they decided to tackle a far more challenging story about false narratives and government corruption. The Boxtrolls also forced LAIKA to develop as visual storytellers, especially with … Continue reading Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Boxtrolls’ Remains a 4K Technical Behemoth
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Gets a 4K Release
What can you say about a nearly perfect horror film that has not already been said? Upon it's release, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre forever changed horror. Barriers about what could be shown on screen felt like they were falling every ten minutes. Yet at the same time, it's a bloodless film. Texas Chainsaw remains one … Continue reading Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Gets a 4K Release
Blu-Ray Review: Kubo and the Two Strings – LAIKA and Shout Factory! Deliver Another Gem
In 2016, LAIKA Studios released its most ambitious project to date. Director Travis Knight had worked as an animator on their previous films and despite being CEO of LAIKA, had waited for the right project to step into the director's chair. Knight's choice brought East-Asian influence and centered storytelling above all else. Kubo and the … Continue reading Blu-Ray Review: Kubo and the Two Strings – LAIKA and Shout Factory! Deliver Another Gem
Shout! Factory Releases an Exciting 4K Restoration of ‘Coraline’ from LAIKA Studios
After releasing two stop-motion features for Disney, Henry Selick teamed up with a company without much of a reputation. A small studio reorganized after being purchased by Phil Knight (Nike's owner and CEO), adopting the new name of LAIKA Studios. After bringing in Selick, the new studio developed stop-motion features, the first of which would … Continue reading Shout! Factory Releases an Exciting 4K Restoration of ‘Coraline’ from LAIKA Studios
Shout! Factory and LAIKA Release the Perfect 4K of ‘ParaNorman’
One of the most endearing films of 2012, ParaNorman from LAIKA Studios became a phenomenon in animation circles. LAIKA had previously made waves with 2009’s Coraline, a stop-motion animation masterpiece directed by Henry Selick. By 2012, the small Portland-based animation company had pushed the boundaries of technology in every conceivable way. Not only had they … Continue reading Shout! Factory and LAIKA Release the Perfect 4K of ‘ParaNorman’