every AI ad is like “hey gemini, what would i have for lunch?” and then the phone is like “sandwich” and the guy is like “wow”

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)

My piece celebrating ALLIGATOR, which turned 45 this year, went live this morning: from-the-desk-of-the-horror-chick.ghost.io/45-years-lat... Subs/shares would be greatly appreciated! Cheers!

There are so many great Robert Redford movies but I’d like to shout out The Old Man and the Gun, which is one of those films that seemed like a nice little film at the time, and became one I realised I think about a lot and made really strong impression on me. Amazing supporting cast too.

I had no idea how absolutely NUTS Ricochet is. John Lithgow has a gladiatorial sword fight with neo-Nazis in prison and puts Denzel Washington through the kind of ridiculous payback that can only be described as a half-remembered coked-up Cape Fear nightmare.

I’m just sharing this again because I haven’t really promoted it much lately (lots of life stuff and work stuff and everything going on lately in the world), but I’d really love to get to 300 subscribers by October if possible. Cheers!

I watched The Mangler for the first time last night (based on the Stephen King short story about a laundry pressed that’s possessed by a demon) and I felt it was important to share that there’s a crime scene photographer character in it called J.J..J. Pictureman.

Every now and again I remember that Candyman 2 is titled Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh. Just wonderful.

I realise that this is somewhat of a niche post but did anyone else get Hot Rod vibes from the new Toxic Avenger? Also: Julia Davis rocks. More Julia Davis in movies.

I was watching In the Lost Lands last night and suddenly remembered the 2011 movie Priest and had one of those experiences where I had to google it and watch the trailer to make sure I didn’t make up the 2011 movie Priest. I didn’t! I saw it in bad murky 3D!

Really enjoying Alien Earth. Lovely Nostromo-era tech, monster action is plentiful, the cast is outstanding, and the fantastically performed Lost Boys are the most interesting thing to happen to the Alien saga in a good long while. Particularly wowed by Babou Ceesay’s gripping performance as Morrow.

For 40 years I've managed to avoid seeing The Goonies, and have never for a second regretted it (except maybe for that pub quiz when all the movie questions pertained to films the quizmaster had seen as a child) but this is rather lovely.

I wrote about the trademarks of Ben Wheatley, from folk horror and clumsy violence to class commentary and dark comedy, for The National Science and Media Museum ahead of their Q&A screening of his new film Bulk! blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/inside-the-m...

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman is the scariest book I’ve read in ages. Just relentless, I couldn’t put it down. The cast for Rob Savage’s upcoming movie of it is perfect too, can’t wait to see it.

Saw the new Naked Gun yesterday and I’m still giggling. So much to enjoy but Danny Huston is just the perfect choice for a Naked Gun villain. Finally, someone has given him a bad guy role to rival his 00s peak and he has a goddamn blast. A righteous kill indeed. “Don’t forget Fergie. The Duchess.”

How down on the tech industry am I? So down that while watching 2001 tonight w/ @mzspress.bsky.social, I talked back to HAL 9000. HAL: It can only be attributable to human error. Me: My ass. HAL: The 9000 series has a perfect operational record. Me: Liar! Dave, Frank, don't listen! It's a trap!

I wrote about the trademarks of Ben Wheatley, from folk horror and clumsy violence to class commentary and dark comedy, for The National Science and Media Museum ahead of their Q&A screening of his new film Bulk! blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/inside-the-m...

“With Brandt as my witness, I will not abide another toe.”

David Cronenberg's Closet Picks.

Tomorrow (June 30) is the final deadline to submit a film for #Abertoir2025! filmfreeway.com/abertoir

Please enjoy this portrait of two geniuses who looked incredibly beautiful in suits

Brexit, bootlicking, the bullets in the bandoliers - 28 YEARS LATER is the defining horror movie of modern Britain. Here’s why.

Holy shit this is a great piece on 28 YEARS LATER from @blondekwaidan.bsky.social - best read after seeing the movie if you’re fussy about spoilers. www.fangoria.com/28-years-lat...

Time to share this piece again because the sun is a terrifying colour right now

I stepped out of the way of a small group of people to let them pass while waiting for a friend at a PJ Harvey gig at the Royal Albert Hall and the last one past was Michael Sheen, who gave me a nod and said thank you.

My phone keeps trying to correct THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME to THE PHOENIX OCEAN SCHEME. That's a completely different movie. It's probably from the 70s. It probably stars Lee Marvin. He probably agreed to do it as a vacation.

Very excited that I can now say that I’ve signed a contract to write a book about the master of horror: John Carpenter! A long way to go and loads to write about, time to get cracking!

This is a lovely interview with one of my very favourite actors, the always-excellent Brad Dourif. The stuff about his cats made me so happy. www.theguardian.com/film/2025/ju...

Just a couple of eps into Dept. Q on Netflix and the number of amazing Scottish character actors in it is ridiculous. Kelly MacDonald, Kate Dickie, Jamie Sives, Chloe Pirrie, Shirley Henderson, Mark Bonnar, Clive Russell just showed up…

I watched George A. Romero’s Knightriders for the first time and my idea of it based on what I’d read as a kid and the poster was so wrong. It’s a sweet Arthurian counter-culture movie where Ed Harris’ biker/ren fair group is trying to stay true to their values while being torn apart by money.

but if i'm not allowed to feed artists into my artist killing machine it's going to be basically impossible for the machine to keep killing artists. is that what you want?? and before you answer keep in mind this is a very expensive machine

Don't miss the chance to catch the best in new and classic Hong Kong cinema 19-23 June at BFI Southbank and The Garden Cinema - UK Premieres and 4K restorations across a thrilling range of genres, from martial arts to true crime, revenge thrillers, horror and more🍷 focushongkong.uk/strand/june-...

It’s messed up that the job market is so terrible that at least getting the closure of a rejection email feels like a good thing. Absolutely brutal out there. I got a rejection email for a copywriter job saying they had over 6000 applicants. Oof.

God damn, Final Destination: Bloodlines really is a fun time at the movies. I had a blast. The Tony Todd scene was incredibly moving too, RIP to one of the greats.

This baddie didn’t just appear in #Sinners. She has been killing it in the genre for YEARS and I am going to need you all to put more respect on Wunmi Mosaku’s name immediately. Read my streaming guide at @dreadcentral.bsky.social www.dreadcentral.com/streaming-gu...

Um... I thought the replies about this being AI slop were a bit OTT until I started looking at it more closely. And, holy crap. The collar and the shirt opening for starters.

haven't seen Andor yet but I absolutely co-sign on this Michael Clayton rec. perfect movie

Pleased to report that Havoc has 00s-era levels of Timothy Olyphant smirking, making angry phone calls and getting pissy about people messing him about.

Just finished The Angel of Indian Lake and holy crap. Stephen Graham Jones just rips your heart out and puts it back together. What a bruising, blood-drenched and emotional finale to an excellent trilogy. So much more than a slasher homage.

Really liked Aislinn Clarke’s Fréwaka. A carer whose mother has recently died takes a live-in job for an isolated woman in a small village who tells her to trust no one. Folk horror story done right, brimming with old pain, secrets and real world horrors. Fantastic performances from the two leads.

Enjoyed Flying Lotus’ sci-fi horror Ash. Eiza González wakes up on a spaceship surrounded by dead bodies with no memory of how it happened. The plot is familiar and it sags in the middle but it’s stylish, well-acted and goes for gory body horror broke in the final act. Knows what it is and delivers.

Foley was a really good director, great with actors, and had a bold sense of composition and lighting. I liked watching stuff he directed, even if the material wasn’t great. And when it was great, wow! www.thewrap.com/james-foley-...

I did this X-Files piece for a zine a few years ago and I remember when I finished this I was like "omg this is so bad I can never show this publicly" Today I was cleaning out my files and found this again and I was like what the hell, this is one of the best pieces I've ever made in my LIFE??????

It really is the new Spiritualism isn't it

Watched Dead Mail last week and still thinking about how beautifully it creates a sense of time and space with its cinematography and set design. Such rich textures, the characters feel well drawn and feel like they exist in this era. The wallpaper! 80s can mean drab and sad, horror filmmakers!

if you see david cronenberg three times in toronto you get a free limb

Overtired thought: I wonder if that bit in The Devil’s Advocate where Charlize Theron’s new friend is v unhelpful when she’s trying to choose a colour to paint the walls is part of the Devil’s scheme or just rich people being bad friends because I hope John Milton thought up that specific scenario.

Watched The Damned (2024). Great premise: a remote Arctic fishing outpost in the 19th century is haunted after leaving survivors of a shipwreck to die. 
Moody, awesome location, nice The Fog/The Thing vibes but the pacing and characterisation aren’t great. I liked it but wanted a bit more from it.

Mallow is recovering at home after a midnight run to the emergency vet on Thursday, an overnight stay, and having a lot more of his tail amputated than we originally expected. He’s hates being kept inside and having to use the litter tray, but he’s doing great. Again: get pet insurance!