Horror Archives

Author: Sean Parker

  • iPossessed Brings Attention to Veterans’ Struggles, But Misses the Horror Mark

    I applaud any film attempting to bridge the challenging conversations of soldiers’ mental health. It’s an important issue that doesn’t get a lot of the attention it deserves. Carl Rimi’s new film iPossessed tends to lean a little heavily into haunted house concepts, but any awareness helps. About a month ago, I reviewed the more…

  • Lovecraftian Paranoia and Great Performances Elevate a Visceral Call of the Void

    There are many different horror subgenres out there for the horror fan. Some come pouring on the blood and guts, while others methodically bore themselves into your psyche, preying on your paranoia and deep-seated fears. When people think of horror films, they typically describe the former, but the latter’s methods can wreak havoc on your…

  • Scares Over Substance in 825 Forest Road

    Hell House LLC is one of the best found footage series of the last decade. Beginning in 2015, Stephen Cognetti’s films helped fill the void between the lackluster end of the Paranormal Activity franchise’s Ghost Dimension and its disembodied attempt at resurgence in 2021’s Next of Kin, which felt more like its own film that…

  • BUFF25: Alma & The Wolf, Best Wishes to All, and Re-Animator 4K

    Well, that’s a wrap on the 25th annual Boston Underground Film Festival. This year was packed with weird, wild, and wonderful shorts and a diverse offering spanning genres and decades. From the Cage-rage Australian coasts to battles across time, the programmers of BUFF 25 packed a punch with this year’s festival. Thematically on point and…

  • An Array of Literary Influence Can’t Stir Lackluster “Wake Up”

    When you see a new movie on the way out from Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell, you have to get excited. Those names may look unfamiliar to some, but the directors make up two-thirds of directing trio RKSS and have been responsible for heavy genre hitters like Turbo Kid and Summer of 84. Seeing the…

  • Time Travel is Dangerous Reminds Us Not To Get Stuck in the Past

    There are two types of people in this world: those who love the wry, witty humor of Christopher Guest and those who just don’t get it. Mockumentaries like Waiting for Guffman, Spinal Tap, and Best in Show have been lauded for their sardonic and dry humor. If you’re a fan of any of those three…

  • Faith and the Dark Arts Collide in A Cursed Man

    Liam Le Guillou is not the type of person you picture walking into the homes of Hoodoo Priests in New Orleans and entering the caves of South American devil worshipers. If anything, the documentary director looks like the kind of guy you’d see on a Sunday afternoon visit to the hardware store or Target run.…

  • BUFF 25: The Surfer, Chain Reactions, Fréwaka, and More

    The Boston Underground Film Festival got underway on Wednesday night with a duo of big-screen beachside films that manage to evoke every manner of summer except the chilled vibes. Tensions ran high in the packed Brattle auditorium for The Surfer, which was a blast to watch with a crowd. The Surfer If you’re a fan…

  • BUFF 25: The Weird, Wild, and Wonderful Dunwich Horrors Short Block

    For however long I’ve been going to The Boston Underground Film Festival, The Dunwich Horrors block has always been an extremely creative mix of bold concepts and effects-rich horror. The BUFF 25 lineup for the shorts block this year is no different, with ideas that touch upon gender roles, social injustices, war, and politics, all…

  • BUFF 25: Head Like A Hole Mixes Severance with Clive Barker

    You just never know what to expect from films you see at film festivals. That may seem like a pretty obvious statement, but for those who’ve never attended a film festival, let me assure you it can often be a Cracker Jack surprise that can go either way. As I settled into enigmatic indie Head…