HORROR THRILLER. “Sinners.” / “Weapons.” / “Men.” / “Ready or Not.” / “The Small Hand: A Ghost Story.” / “Angelica.”

“Sinners” (2025, Amazon Prime) supernatural thriller. Set in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta, the film stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as criminal identical twin brothers who return to their hometown in the Jim Crow South, where they are confronted by a supernatural evil. 


       Yes, this is a vampire movie with a sociocultural message, though still a vampire movie. But this has more aesthetic earnestness and cinematic craft than 2026's Oscar Best Picture, the reactionary megaphone “One Battle After Another.” 

       “Sinners” is kickass visual narrative spliced with theatrical blues music. Writer-director Ryan Coogler elevates himself as an A-lister with this gothic gem. And Michael B. Jordan is the young Denzel W. 🎥💻📽


“Weapons” (2025, Amazon Prime) supernatural mystery horror. The case of seventeen children from the same classroom who mysteriously run away on the same night at the same time. 



       For a budget of $38 million, this movie's box office take is $270 million. That'd make sense. Director Zach Cregger craftily wove a scary and intriguing mystery. Add the watchability of Julie Garner and Josh Brolin + Amy Madigan, which kept me glued, post-midnight. This is a horror aesthetic. 

       The acting accolades (for this movie) are dominated by Ms Madigan but I believe Austin Abrams, the homeless junkie James, also deserves notice, or an award nom. 🎥💻📽


“Men” (2022, HBO) British surrealist folk horror, written and directed by Alex Garland. Jessie Buckley stars as a widow who travels on holiday to a countryside village but becomes disturbed and tormented by the strange men in the village, all portrayed by Rory Kinnear. 



       This is an A24 project, so you know what kind of weird shenanigans are up here. First off, this shudderer earned Jessie and Rory a number of awards and nominations. There! 

       Clearly, the acting is stellar but the narrative trajectory is too out-of-whacked with the premise. Plus I don't think the graphic/visual insanity towards the end is needed. L 🎥💻📽


“Ready or Not” (2019, Hulu) comedy horror. A young bride is hunted by her spouse's wealthy family as part of a wedding night ritual to worship the Devil. 



       Led by Samara Weaving, this gorefest boasts of a killer cast: Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien, Henry Czerny and Andie MacDowell.

       This is a popular show, which spawned a sequel. Rotten Tomatoes: “Smart, subversive, and darkly funny.” Could be, if we anchor the reaction to Samara Weaving's wickedly alluring Grace. Otherwise, this horror is the typical genre cliche of blood splattered all over the place. 🎥💻📽


“The Small Hand: A Ghost Story” (2019, Amazon Prime) horror drama. An antique dealer haunted by a ghostly child after exploring a derelict Edwardian house. 



       An adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel, I feel the real allure of the story is the book's language when “visuals” are left in the imagination. But Justin Molotnikov's unimaginative direction simply gave us a bland derivative of genre stereotypes. 

       Douglas Henshall's Adam Snow is engaging but still a horror antagonist cliché. He is better off as a detective or DI Jimmy Perez in “Shetland.” 🎥💻📽


“Angelica” (2015, Tubi) British psychological horror-thriller. Set in 1800s London, it explores sexual repression and paranoia within a marriage after a traumatic childbirth, introducing supernatural elements. 



       Take note that writer/director Mitchell Lichtenstein is the same weird dude who wrote and directed 2007's “Teeth,” about the pitfalls and power of a girl as a living example of the “vagina dentata” myth. (You may wanna google what that means.)

       In this movie, the main character (played by Jena Malone) is repeatedly raped by an ectoplasmic incubus sporting an anaconda-sized phallus. That's it. Forget that beyond the weird, “Angelica” initially presented a seriously significant premise. Wasted. 🎥💻📽


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