Category: horror

There’s one winner and no finish line. “The Long Walk” (2025)

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directed by Francis Lawrence
© 2025 Lionsgate. All Rights Reserved.

It’s a film about walking. Period. Can’t remember more accurate title of a film to be honest. It’s literally a looooong walk. But I’m still writing about it, which means I liked it, right? Right. And I believe you should try it as well. Before watching the film, I actually decided to read the book it’s based on. The title is the same and it was written by Stephen King, under his pseudonym Richard Bachman. I like to read books first, because then I can imagine the story myself. However, if I watch the film first, later, I just see the same pictures while reading. So I grabbed that novel and hoped for a fun ride, but instead I got incredibly bored. The general idea is amazing, but the way it was written – it was really difficult to keep on going. Even though the book is pretty short, it took me a long time to finish it. So I was quite discouraged before watching the film, but luckily, the adaptation is way better! We move to some alternative times where the US is in a huge economic crisis. Therefore, any way of earning money for living is worth trying. Any. In order to give people a chance to improve their life and also to entertain everyone, there’s a long walk organised. 50 young men (in the book there are 100) voluntarily sign up to walk nonstop across the country. Sounds easy? Well, there are some rules to follow. You cannot stop, you cannot walk slowly, so basically you cannot rest. And if you do, you get a warning. What happens after the 3rd warning? Well, the volunteer finishes the walk… and his life. Where’s the end of this? Simple – wherever the one before last dies. There can only be one winner. So as I said, I loved the idea for this story. To be honest, that’s exactly how I imagine the future – people will be doing anything to survive. Perhaps such long walks become an actual tradition… You may think it’s insane to sign up for something like this, but if the prize is huge and can significantly improve your life, then you don’t think twice. However, if you don’t like reflecting on such future, I may also share that to me this long walk is a metaphor for coming of age. All the volunteers are young men who see it as a competition, but then, during the walk, they start learning life lessons – both heart-breaking and uplifting. Just like in life. And it kind of depends on you how you walk your way, but there’s also a lot that cannot be controlled. Wait, is it again a depressing interpretation? Damn, I guess it is. Anyway, the film is much better than the book (I’m sorry Stephen/Richard), because I actually felt engaged in the story and not bored by the fact they’re just walking. Also, the ending is different in the film and, in my opinion, waaaay better! So if you haven’t read the book, you may skip it. But if you have and didn’t like it, then give this adaptation a chance. I hope you won’t be disappointed.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Only monsters play god. “Frankenstein” (2025)

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directed by Guillermo del Toro
© 2025 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

Before I move on to telling you about the film, let me just remind you about one important fact: Frankenstein is the surname of the scientist who made the creature, not the creature itself. But I guess no matter how many times someone says that, we will still see the green head with screws in it. Anyway, we’ve seen so many different adaptations of this story, so the question is: do we need another one? And my answer is: yes, we do. Before I explain you my point of view, let me introduce you to the plot in case some of you might not be familiar with it that much. We move back to the 19th century where we meet Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a son of the best surgeon, who follows his father’s steps. Victor wishes to become an even better specialist who will be able to win with death. The medical community pushes him away for such attempts, but then, a wealthy merchant, Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), offers his money to support Victor’s work. If you think it was just a friendly gesture then you’ll see that nothing comes for free. Anyway, as you might be guessing, Victor succeeds and revives a creature, which becomes a huge challenge to face. Now, whatever happens to the “monster” is his creator’s choice. And Victor doesn’t really know how to play god… Now, do you know why we need next adaptations of this story? Because it’s universal and each time it may give us a different kind of reflection. After watching del Toro’s film I realised that he managed to tell two stories in one. The first is about a boy whose traumatic experience and fear of losing control pushed him to creating something he couldn’t take responsibility for. The second is about a creature that doesn’t belong to this world and cannot even count on the person that brought it here. And you know what they have in common? They both struggle with loneliness, just in their own way. Even though “Frankenstein” was written in 1818, its messages might still be useful nowadays. I know it’s hard to accept sometimes, but we’re just humans, so instead of playing god, we should just make the best of what’s in our hands. But, getting back to this adaptation – if Jacob Elordi and make-up artists working on set do not get at least nominations to Oscars and other cinema awards, I’ll be incredibly disappointed. They absolutely nailed it and I have to say that Elordi is incredibly attractive even with this number of stitches on his body. The only thing that I’d change would be the length of the film – to me, it could have been a bit shorter. But I loved the fact that we could learn the story from two perspectives and sympathise with both of them. Yes, I sympathised with Victor, because I understand where his anger came from. Perhaps you’ll have a different reflection. Check it out.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Where you gonna go, where you gonna run, where you gonna hide? “Body Snatchers” (1993)

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directed by Abel Ferrara
© 1993 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.

Still not tired of our body snatchers? Then let me introduce you to the most disgusting adaptation, which is much more of a horror than a sci-fi to me. So in case you’re planning a family afternoon with a film – try something else. This time we move to a military base, where soldiers are being replaced by our well-known aliens in a seed pod form. The only way to distinguish real people from imposters is that the first ones can actually express emotions, which makes setting the film’s action in a military base quite funny. I mean, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve never seen soldiers as the most emotional people, at least not showing them that directly. Anyway, we follow Steve (Terry Kinney), who’s an agent sent to examine the ecological influence the military has on the surroundings. He moves there together with his family and, as you can guess, they are about to be next victims of the body snatchers. Doom, doom, doom. As I said at the beginning, this film is the creepiest of them all. Some critics say the plot of this part is the weakest, and I kind of agree, but the horror vibe makes up for it. I was actually positively surprised, because watching another similar adaptation would put me to sleep. Yet, this one kept me entertained. In fact, you may observe an interesting change in the narration here. As in the two previous adaptations the scientist/doctor was the protagonist, here, at some point, we get a new leader – Marti (Gabrielle Anwar), Steve’s daughter. And it’s not only a pleasant surprise in this production, but also a significant part of a revolution in horrors. You see, in old horrors, the protagonist was very often a man, while in the 80-90s the filmmakers wanted to create more female characters in this role. Marti is a perfect example and I just adore how she becomes the protagonist at some point instead of being one from the very beginning. So as you can see, even while watching angry aliens destroying humanity you may learn something about the history of cinema. And if you survive this adaptation, there’s one more waiting for you. Stay tuned!

My rating: 6/10
S.

Sleep and be born again into a world without fear and hate. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978)

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directed by Philip Kaufman
© 1978 United Artists. All Rights Reserved.

Continuing our adventure with body snatchers, today I’m recommending you the film made in 1978, which in my opinion is the most sci-fi of them all. Maybe it’s because I grew up watching sci-fi films from the 70-90s and anything made back then seems more interesting to me when it comes to this genre. I don’t know. Anyway, if the version from the 50s wasn’t your cup of tea, don’t worry and try this one. The story is the same, yet there are slight changes that make the film more dynamic and futuristic, I’d say. So we get to learn that some aliens need to leave their own planet and they travel to our lovely Earth to settle here. And if you’re used to seeing aliens as creepy creatures with big heads and black eyes, let me say that these aliens are way more… sophisticated. They arrive in a form of seed pods with flowers. Isn’t that cute? Wait till they eat your brains and take over your bodies… Anyway, one scientist analysing the strange plant decides to bring it home (how thoughtful!) and show it to her boyfriend. How surprised she is when the next day the man is acting weird. That’s why you shouldn’t take work home, people! Elizabeth (Brooke Adams), the irresponsible scientist with silly ideas, asks her friend Matthew (Donald Sutherland) for help. The man obviously recommends her boyfriend to meet a psychiatrist, but soon more extraordinary things begin to happen and it seems like not only that poor guy might need mental health support… I wasn’t that engaged in the psychological reflection as I was while watching the previous version, but I was definitely more entertained. This film is a classic sci-fi from that time of the cinema and I’m not surprised it’s the most popular version of them all. Is it the best? I wouldn’t say so, because to me each version is unique in its own way and I hope that thanks to those posts I’m sharing you will notice that as well. What I absolutely loved about this film is the ending. Just please, don’t search for it – watch the film and let it surprise you! And if you’re hoping for some chills, see you next time for the most horror version of the story…

My rating: 6/10
S.

I’ve seen how people have allowed their humanity to drain away. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956)

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directed by Don Siegel
© 1956 Allied Artists Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

November is this gloomy month where we’re still in Halloween mood, yet Christmas is knocking on our door. Since the atmosphere is already spooky, let me spoil you with four films telling basically the same story, just in four different ways. Boring? Nah, trust me, you may have fun. Especially if you’re a cinephile who enjoys films not only for their plots, but also for all the technicalities. I watched all four films one after the other and I believe recommending you the same marathon is actually interesting. Let’s start our journey from the oldest film, which is the one made in 1956. We move to Los Angeles where a man named Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) is in hospital claming that people have been replaced by impostors. In order to understand the patient better, he is asked to explain everything step by step – and that’s how we also learn the whole story. In fact, Mr. Bennell is a psychiatrist himself and at work he started meeting more and more people suffering from Capgras delusion – which is believing that someone in our surrounding is an impostor. Sounds like a typical day in a psychiatric ward? Sort of, but things get complicated when Miles finds strange bodies without any features. Is it true? Are people actually being replaced by some mysterious creatures? Well, that’s for you to see, but considering the title of the film, the answer is obvious. It’s labelled a horror, but to me it felt more like a drama/action production. I didn’t feel this sci-fi or horror vibe, which is perhaps because I watched it 70 years after the releasing. However, I could observe the real drama going on in the characters’ heads. I mean, to me it was more of a story about identity and humanity crisis than a horror that anyhow scared me. Still, even though it’s not the spookiest thing I’ve seen in my life, I enjoyed it and I recommend you to experience the dramatic adventure. This film is the most dramatic of them all – next ones will be creepy, strange and terrifying. Get ready for a ride!

My rating: 6/10
S.

I can make them hurt each other. “Weapons” (2025)

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directed by Zach Cregger
© 2025 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Halloween is coming! And you know what we need? Lots of sweets (to eat or to give to little terrorists in bedsheets with holes), candles (for the atmosphere and smell), creepy decorations (so China doesn’t go bankrupt) and a decent horror. Today, I’m recommending you a film that is perhaps not the scariest thing I’ve seen, but surely one of the weirdest recently. And if you dislike children and they creep you out, then you’ll love this one! The story is told in a nonlinear way, so we jump from a perspective to a perspective and we put everything together like puzzles, but I’ll try to give you a small idea what this film is about. We end up in Maybrook where one night, exactly at 2:17 a.m., 17 children disappear. UFO? Kidnappers? Well, we don’t know. They simply run out of their houses and poof – gone. Turns out those were all students of one class and after the night only one classmate, Alex (Cary Christopher), survived and showed up to school. Since it’s an unusual coincidence, the boy is asked lots of questions and the class teacher, Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), becomes the main suspect. The woman feels like an outsider, yet she tries to make sure her only present student, Alex, is fine. When she starts following him, she notices strange things about him, his house and his parents. Doom, doom, doom. What can I tell you… the previous horror by Zach Cregger (“Barbarian”) was much more interesting to me, because it was strange and surprising, yet I didn’t feel overwhelmed. This one is like a protein shake made by 3 different people who didn’t discuss the ingredients so each of them adds something random. Still, I enjoyed the fact that the narration wasn’t linear and I had to discover everything myself instead of just being told what happened. However, this film also made realise that I’m not a big fan of Julia Garner. She’s a lovely lady, but her performances here and in “Wolf Man” were actually disappointing. Perhaps it’s just wrong casting, so I hope to change my mind and appreciate her acting skills in the future, because for now I just found her characters incompatible with the films. But, when it comes to the boy playing Alex, Cary, he did a wonderful job. I had chills how convincing he was, so chapeau bas, little man! Anyway, if you feel like you’ve guessed what happens in this horror, I bet you’re so wrong, because literally everything happens here. I kind of miss those simple horrors where there was just a guy with a chainsaw and people running for 90 minutes. Still, I stayed entertained and this film qualifies as a horror, so why not recommending it to you? Have fun and watch it after you give strange children sweets. Because after this film you might not want to open your door. You’re welcome, buddy.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Life and death struggle against our own extinction. “Humane” (2024)

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directed by Caitlin Cronenberg
© 2024 Elevation Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Like father, like daughter? Perhaps. Although I have a feeling the daughter’s style might be much closer to my preferences. I’m obviously speaking about the Cronenbergs. Today’s film was directed by Caitlin Cronenberg, the daughter of David Cronenberg, probably the most famous Canadian horror filmmaker. I’ve seen lots of his films and he’s really passionate about disgusting viewers, which he does perfectly. However, there’s only one horror made by him that I actually liked very much, so I cannot really say I’m a big fan. When I was watching “Humane”, I didn’t know it’s made by David’s daughter, yet I felt a pinch of Cronenberg’s filmmaking style. It’s Caitlin’s first feature film, but I have a feeling we might like each other if she continues this directional path. Anyway, what’s happening in the film? We get to know a family that meets for a dinner at the parents’ house. During the meal, the father (Peter Gallagher) announces that he and his wife (Uni Park) are about to be voluntarily euthanised. Why? Well, in the world presented in the film, humanity has reached the point where authorities have to get rid of people as there are too many of them. That is why they create a special program, whose goal is to euthanise 20% of the world population. They may either randomly choose you or you can sign up yourself. If you sign up yourself, your family will be safe (one person per family is enough). Obviously, the adult children are against their parents’ idea, but the father believes it’s not only for the sake of their protection, but also for the glory. He used to be a famous TV personality, so volunteering would be appreciated by his fans and he would die a hero. When the euthanising crew arrives, the wife is gone, which means only the father may undergo the procedure. And he does. However, that’s not the end, because the crew came to euthanise 2 people and they need to leave the house with 2 bodies. So now, the 4 siblings have to decide who of them will volunteer instead of their missing step-mother. And the game begins! First of all, I love the fact that the director addressed the problem of global warming and she presented that in the future we may actually face such programs and make such decisions. Building horrors on potential true stories? Perfection. Second of all, the real horror here is not the fact that people euthanise themselves, but the choice that those 4 characters have to make. They need to question everything and kind of rate the usefulness of each person staying alive. That’s creepy and fascinating at the same time. And lastly, there’s a pinch of humour to make the experience even more disturbing. I cannot spoil you the ending, but I can say it’s both surprising and disappointing. Perhaps I expected something else, but it’s still quite unique. So I’m curious about your opinion. And I hope that Caitlin will continue to make films because I see a lot of potential there!

My rating: 6/10
S.

More than anything, I love children. “The Innocents” (1961)

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directed by Jack Clayton
© 1961 20th Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.

Are you ready to see one of the most iconic psychological horrors? Well, I guess I wasn’t and I’m still not sure what this film is exactly about, so let’s recommend it and see what you’ll think. We get to meet Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr), a young woman who gets her first job as a governess. Her employer is a wealthy man who’s become a guardian of his niece and nephew, but he has absolutely no time or will to be spending time with them. The man keeps travelling and working, so he needs Miss Giddens to take full responsibility of the children. The woman agrees and becomes the governess, which seems like a perfect job for her. Both the girl and the boy seem lovely, yet some strange things begin to happen and it worries the woman. She starts believing that there might be some paranormal activity in this house and that the children are… possessed! Doom, doom, doom! Sounds fun, right? Especially, if you already dislike children – this horror seems like a perfect thing to watch. From my point of view, the screenplay is rather average, but I did enjoy the film for 3 reasons. Number one – the light, which is extremely limited and I felt uncomfortable by just looking at the screen, which in this genre is a huge plus. Number two – the acting and avoiding eye contact. In numerous scenes, the actors talk to each other avoiding eye contact, which disturbs the viewer even more. As if they weren’t present in the same room at the same time, but somehow they have a conversation. Odd, yet weirdly satisfying. And number three – I seriously wonder what the author wanted to tell us with this story… I’ve read some reviews and I’m even more confused by them than before, so I decided not to share mine, even with spoilers, because I want you to have no expectations and no idea what you’ll see. And perhaps you’ll notice something more or different than me and all those other critics. One thing I can tell you for sure – watch till the very end and let your mind ride a rollercoaster of confusion. Who would have thought a film from the 60s confuses me this much…

My rating: 7/10
S.

You’re so scared of your kids getting scars that you become the thing that scars them. “Wolf Man” (2025)

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directed by Leigh Whannell
© 2025 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Another film about werewolf? Yes, please! I mean, I wasn’t that excited about it at first, but this one is worth it, trust me. If you’re looking for a horror that will make you scream while eating popcorn, then it’s not such case. This one is rather disturbing and the source of fear comes from very common and natural human relations. Interested? Let’s go! We get to know a father and a son, Grady and Blake (Sam Jaeger & Christopher Abbott). They go on a hunting trip during which they most probably run into a mysterious creature known in this area. In the 90s, a hiker disappeared and some locals say he was infected by “Hill Fever” and became dangerous. We may observe the relation between the man and the child, which is quite difficult and cold. Grady is very impulsive and authoritarian, which has a significant influence on Blake. Then we move 30 years later, where the boy is already a grown-up, has a wife and a daughter. Blake seems to be quite similar to his own father, even though he tries to limit his implusiveness. Soon we find out that Grady got missing and his son decides to take the whole family and visit his childhood home. And the rest is for you to see. Trust me, it’s not another “silly people go to an abandoned house”, although it may look so. In fact, the beginning of the film and presenting the relation between Grady and Blake is important. I guess you won’t be surprised to know that there will be a werewolf in the film, since that’s the main theme, but the whole story is much deeper than an average horror. The filmmakers focused on the topic of trauma that stays with us no matter how much time passes. The only thing we can do is trying not to pass it forward, which sometimes seems like an impossible challenge. Also, no matter how hard we try to avoid it, we must face those traumas in order to move on. It’s a common topic in drama films, yet combining it with a horror about a werewolf – that’s something unusual, which I personally enjoyed a lot. Plus, the whole atmosphere is creepy and it makes you more insecure than scared. Similar to the feeling some people might have experienced in their childhood. Perhaps they weren’t actually scared of their parents, but somehow unsure about their intentions and insecure about their own selves. This film will stay in my mind for quite some time and I hope you’ll give it a try despite its average ratings.

My rating: 7/10
S.

You never know when… “Final Destination Bloodlines” (2025)

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directed by Zach Lipovsky & Adam Stein
© 2025 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Here we are. After a long trauma journey we finally reach the end. I mean, almost the end, because we already know that they’re planning another part… oh boy, I’m wondering how many more characters have to die so we could get the idea – Death always wins. Anyway, what’s going on in this part? We follow Iris (Brec Bassinger) and her husband attending the opening of the Sky View in 1969. It’s a fancy restaurant in a high tower, so you can see a nice view while eating your overpriced meal. During the event, Iris has a premonition that the tower is going to burn and kill everyone in it. However, this time the protagonist actually manages to save everyone, which makes a whole bunch of of people join the “dying team”. What next? We move 55 years later, where we meet Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), a granddaughter of Iris. So the woman not only survived that accident, but also had children who had children. You know what that means? No? Well, the only reason those guys are safe is because Iris is still alive. Stefani decides to meet with her grandma Iris (Gabrielle Rose) and learn about her story. The old woman tells the truth, but her granddaughter doesn’t believe her until Iris lets the Death kill her in front of Stefani. From that moment, the girl has to protect her family and make sure they stay safe. When it comes to the general idea, I actually appreciate it. Although it’s quite amazing to see Iris win with Death for 55 years while other characters die within days. But hey, it’s fiction, right? However, I think the film could have been more horrorish than comedic. I don’t know, but to me this newest part looks a bit like a parody of the whole series. Still, I appreciate the effort and bringing the story back in 2025. It was actually adorable to see William Bludworth (Tony Todd), the coroner known from every part of the film. He returns in this newest film and we learn about his past, which was a clever idea – I give a thumb up for that. So generally, I praise the idea, but not really the form. Yet, I’m glad we had a chance to remind ourselves about the series and traumatise new generations. Enjoy, kiddos! Thanks to this part, we might avoid any towers, weather vanes, vending machines, MRI machines, garbage trucks, lawnmowers and, which is actually a great joke made by the filmmakers, logs. Final Destination crews must hate tress, I swear… Anyway, that’s it folks! We’ve survived 6 films full of drastic scenes, creepy accidents and mysterious consequences. I really hope that you won’t forget about the series and may Death keep playing with us. Also, let’s cross our fingers for the 7th film not to ruin everything.

My rating: 6/10
S.