Horror Archives | MendoWerks

‘The Exorcist: Believer’ May Make You a Skeptic (Review)

13Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

‘The Exorcist: Believer’ May Make You a Skeptic (Review)

With 'The Exorcist: Believer,' director David Gordon Green has taken another legacy horror series and updated it for modern times. Whether or not he has succeeded in that is debatable. I was a fan of his 2018 reboot of the 'Halloween' series, but stretching that into a new trilogy felt unnecessary. Now, the plan is for another new trilogy using the backbone of 'The Exorcist.' I gotta say, it feels like Green should stop while he's ahead. This is not to say that 'The Exorcist: Believer' is unwatchable. Far from it. The first half of the film is rather compelling. Unfortunately, things change once efforts are made to tie the new storyline into the original tale of possession from the 1973 classic. Leslie Odam Jr. is Victor, an overprotective single father raising his teenage dau...

A24 is Serving a $6 Halloween Horror Marathon

28Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film

A24 is Serving a $6 Halloween Horror Marathon

Indie stalwart A24 has become known for releasing some of the boldest and edgiest genre films around. Just in time for spooky season, they're offering a bargain virtual marathon that will allow you to stream six of their best releases from the last few years in one handy purchase from now through Halloween. For a mere $6, you'll have access all weekend to: The Witch (dir: Robert Eggers)Lamb (dir: Valdimar Johannsson)Hereditary (dir: Ari Aster)Saint Maud (dir: Rose Glass)Midsommar (dir: Ari Aster)Green Room (dir: Jeremy Saulnier) After you buy a ticket on the website, all six films will be available to view until Midnight PT on October 31 through the A24 Screening Room (which has Apple TV and Roku apps for television viewing). https://youtu.be/EXs2-TY9qok https:/...

Maika Monroe Shines in ‘Watcher’ (Review)

14Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Maika Monroe Shines in ‘Watcher’ (Review)

Maika Monroe first caught my attention with a double shot of incredible performances in 2014's 'The Guest' and 'It Follows.' She's had a little less success with finding the right roles since then, but a recent binge of scary movies for October leads me to recommend this thriller that she stars in that was written and directed by Chloe Okuno. Maika Monroe stars in 'Watcher' (IFC Midnight) In 'Watcher,' Monroe plays Julia, a woman who has relocated to Bucharest with her husband Francis (Karl Glusman) for his new job. Mostly left to her own devices, Julia is excited for her new surroundings, but stuck in a manner of being unable to communicate and feeling isolated. A slate of murders in the area start to permeate daily life and before long Julia becomes convinced that a man w...

What to Watch: October 2022 Streaming Preview

7Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film

What to Watch: October 2022 Streaming Preview

If you’re looking for something new on streaming in October, we’ve got you covered. Maybe you want to sit down with a brand new release to rent on VOD? If you’d rather check out something that has just hit a service you already subscribe to, we’ve got you covered there too. Across every platform, there are plenty of new and original horror films to keep you scared all month long. Check out some of our picks for what you should add to your October streaming watchlist! What are you most excited to see? Javier Bardem stars in 'The Good Boss' (Cohen Media) Newly Available on VOD this October Billy Flanigan: The Happiest Man on Earth (available now)Emily The Criminal (available now)The Good Boss (available now)Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (available now)The Silent Twins (available...

Ti West’s ‘X’ Premieres Tonight in the A24 Screening Room

12Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film

Ti West’s ‘X’ Premieres Tonight in the A24 Screening Room

Ti West's terrifying new A24 horror film 'X' is still playing in theaters across the country. Tonight, you can stream it at home for the first time. The cast of X (A24) Mia Goth (doing double duty in the cast), Brittany Snow, Jenna Ortega, and Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi star in this stunning slasher film about a group of actors in rural Texas who turn up at a boarding house to shoot a porno and end up getting way more than they bargained for. https://youtu.be/Awg3cWuHfoc 'X' has already earned over $11 million at the box office and will be hitting premium video on demand starting on Thursday, April 14. Tonight, you can pay $20 to rent the film directly from the A24 Screening Room (which has Apple TV and Roku apps available for viewing). Your rental will allow a 4-hour vie...

“Censor” is One of the Year’s Best Horror Films (Review)

29Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

“Censor” is One of the Year’s Best Horror Films (Review)

The increased availability and lowered prices to purchase VCRs fueled the home entertainment industry in the 1980s. People all over the world were able to easily watch movies from the comfort of home and boy, did they ever. It wasn't just the major Hollywood studios who benefited from the video store craze. Many independent film producers and distributors were able to exploit their catalogs and initially release them on formats like VHS, Beta, and laserdisc. Once the floodgates of videotape rentals opened, viewers couldn't get enough of horror films. The genre, often ignored or disrespected by the major studios, had great success and some releases, especially straight-to-video titles, pushed the boundaries of gore and violence. Some films were so controversial that they became ...

“Halloween Kills” is a Middling Means to an End (Review)

19Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

“Halloween Kills” is a Middling Means to an End (Review)

It was fun until it wasn't. That's how I felt about the latest effort to keep the twisted legacy of Michael Myers going. In 2018, David Gordon Green and his "Eastbound & Down" buddy Danny McBride were unlikely choices to reboot the "Halloween" franchise, but they managed to bring the series back to life with a fascinating exploration of personal trauma that was equally measured and brutal. For the follow-up, they leaned heavily on the brutality but left the script feeling like a parody of a horror sequel. That is probably the hardest element to overcome here. Since it was intended as a new trilogy, "Halloween Kills" was always going to feel half baked. It exists to bridge the gap between movies and, never fear, "Halloween Ends" (which it most certainly will not) is already...

Looking to Fill 31 Days of Horror? Halloween Streaming Tips Are Here!

8Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Looking to Fill 31 Days of Horror? Halloween Streaming Tips Are Here!

Are you looking for some thrills and chills for streaming this spooky Halloween season? The good news is that there is something for everybody out there, you just have to know where to look. If all you want to do is watch scary movies for the next few weeks, you should really subscribe to Shudder. That's just what they do year-round: the best of horror, new and old. Favorites like "Carrie," "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," "Hellraiser," and "Night of the Living Dead" are currently on hand along with brand new releases like the latest installment of the anthology series "V/H/S/94" and Simon Barrett's "Seance." https://youtu.be/opnSln8Ue2U Netflix already released the 'Fear Street' trilogy this year, but have a few more tricks up their sleeve for the month. Just this week they d...

James Wan’s “Malignant” is Magnificently Brutal (Review)

21Sep

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

James Wan’s “Malignant” is Magnificently Brutal (Review)

Over the course of his directorial career, James Wan has launched the successful horror franchises for "Saw," "Insidious," and "The Conjuring." His latest effort is unlikely to spawn any sequels (famous last words for this genre, I know), but it does deliver a wildly imaginative and terrifically blood-soaked thrill ride. Annabelle Wallis ("Peaky Blinders") stars as Madison Lake, a pregnant woman living with an abusive husband. Early on in the film, he throws her against their bedroom wall during an argument and nearly knocks her unconscious. She is able to lock him out of the room, which sends him to the living room couch for the night. Madison wakes up hours later with her head bloodied to the sounds of an intruder. By the time she makes it downstairs, she finds her husband ...

“Fear Street” Trilogy Brings The Thrills (Review)

20Jul

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

“Fear Street” Trilogy Brings The Thrills (Review)

R.L. Stine's original "Fear Street" book series was a step up from his "Goosebumps" books that offered age-appropriate scares for young readers. Director Leigh Janiak has taken things a lot further, accelerating the "Fear Street" series into full-blown R-rated territory with a captivating trilogy that recently launched on Netflix. Originally conceived as a theatrical play for Fox before Disney's acquisition, these would have certainly been fun to watch on the big screen with an audience, but play excellently at home as a fun summer escape. All three films are centered around the legend of Sarah Fier, a young woman in 1666 who was accused of being a witch and died after a man in her village named Solomon Goode (Ashley Zukerman) made a deal with the devil to provide his family w...