thriller
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Paul Thomas Anderson’s Latest is One Banger After Another (Review)
It’s rare to sit down for a movie and realize in real time that you’re watching a masterpiece. You can see the future, and that what you’re witnessing is going to be cherished and discussed for many decades to come.… Continue reading
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“Primate” Goes Apeshit in True Slasher Fashion
With a shocking amount of gore and violence, you can tell just how happy this movie is to exist. Continue reading
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“The Long Walk” Confronts the Unvarnished Truth of Life and Death (Review)
We come to understand that, by premise alone, death for all but one of these boys is inevitable. The question becomes…how will we get there? Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Non-Linear Storytelling
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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Five Underseen Horror Films to Watch This July (May’s Monthly Recs)
Welcome to the second edition of May’s Monthly Horror Recs, where it’s always the time of year for scary movies! Continue reading
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“Eddington” is Something Different for Ari Aster (Review)
Alienation is inevitable in the works of Mr. Aster, whose polarizing subjects are, this time, holding an uncomfortable mirror up to an audience that is undoubtedly unsure of what to expect from his latest venture. Continue reading
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The 10 Best Films of 2025, So Far: A Midyear Report
Today marks the midway point of both an unusually painful year and the most tumultuous decade in recent memory. Today, we will be examining ten films released this year that our contributors connected with, and have so far taken their… Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Christopher Nolan
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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Danny Boyle Viciously Reinvigorates Franchise Filmmaking with “28 Years Later” (Review)
“28 Years Later” makes a compelling argument for Boyle to be considered one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers of the 21st century. Continue reading
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Every Mike Flanagan Film Ranked (including “The Life of Chuck”)
Flanagan doesn’t rely on jump scares, but he utilizes them well, and has been able to craft a perfectly eerie and unsettling atmosphere in his seven horror features, as well as a captivating, inspirational ambience in his latest release. Continue reading
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“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is the Sum of Our Choices (Review)
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is both an exercise in patience and an extraordinarily cathartic release. Continue reading
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“Fear Street: Prom Queen” Revives Shadyside For Another Nostalgic Spree (Review)
Come to “Prom Queen” for a much-needed return to Fear Street, stay for the gory delights of the modern horror genre – reverent, but assertive, forging its own path while generously indebted to its predecessors. Continue reading
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“Final Destination Bloodlines” is the Perfect Shot in the Arm
The biggest strength of this brutal return to form is a gleeful willingness to explore new avenues of the central premise, and to deliberately subvert expectations based on the franchise’s established rules. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: John Carpenter
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Neo-Westerns
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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Captain America (and the United States) Enters a “Brave New World” (Review)
“Brave New World” is the 35th film in the MCU, a milestone that explains a lot about its own reception. Continue reading
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“The Gorge” is an Affectionate Genre Machine (Review)
“The Gorge” isn’t just a romance; it’s also a high-concept sci-fi action movie, with some horror (director Scott Derrickson’s specialty) thrown in there for good measure. Continue reading
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Remembering David Lynch
David Lynch, one of the most iconic and stylistically recognizable filmmakers of all time, passed away recently at the age of 78. Continue reading
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Our Most Anticipated Movies of 2025
There are plenty of films, whether they be original, adaptations, or sequels, that we’re looking forward to this year. Continue reading
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“Companion” is a Darkly Thrilling Genre-Bender (Review)
“Companion” is at its most entertaining when you surrender yourself to the wonderful chaos. Continue reading
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The 10 Best Films of 2024
Though it may not have reached the heights of years previous, 2024 has proven to be a fascinating year for cinema. Continue reading
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“Wolf Man” Gets Hairy, But Stays Harmless (Review)
If you’re looking for a decent horror flick from one of our more interesting genre filmmakers, you can do far worse than spend an evening in an abandoned farmhouse with the “Wolf Man.” Continue reading
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The Underseen Gems of 2024
Knock on Wood presents: our favorite under-appreciated masterpieces from 2024. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Montage
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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“Nosferatu” is the Visceral Nightmare We Deserve (Review)
As far as I’m concerned, no director has better control over their vision than Robert Eggers. Continue reading
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Too Many Movies, Too Little Time: A Summary of the 2024 Fall Movie Season (Part Two)
To commemorate the conclusion of the season, we have reviewed every new release (that I have seen) that has not been previously covered on our site. Continue reading
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“Werewolves” is All Bark and No Bite (Review)
“Werewolves” is not a good movie, but it is a successful one. Continue reading
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Awards Season Ramps Up: A Summary of the 2024 Fall Movie Season (Part One)
To commemorate the conclusion of the season, we have reviewed every new release (that I have seen) that has not been previously covered on our site. Continue reading
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The Movies That Made Us – A One-Year Anniversary Celebration
Even if they weren’t the exact movie that made you a cinephile, every film fan has one (or many) that you can cite as one of the central inspirations for that passion. Continue reading
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“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is a Titanic Achievement (Review)
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” doesn’t exist because the director willed it into being, it exists because it demands to. There is no world in which it doesn’t. Continue reading
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“Conclave” Confronts Controversy with Grace and Faith (Review)
Controversy and the Church, for better or worse, go hand-in-hand. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Westerns
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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Clint Eastwood’s “Juror #2” is Failed by the System it Celebrates (Review)
There’s a certain quality to “Juror #2” that I will forever find endearing, and that is its willingness to embrace the inherent excitement of its premise. Continue reading
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Steven Soderbergh’s Experimental Horror “Presence” is a Haunting Delight
“Presence” is not a scary movie. It’s actually very sweet, charming, and strangely funny, and horror-averse moviegoers will be relieved at the lack of deliberately jarring jump scares. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Symmetrical Composition
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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“Salem’s Lot” Captures the Crowd with a Thrilling Absurdity (Review)
I’m afraid my experience at this premiere makes this movie impossible to rate objectively – it was one of the most energetic and reactive crowds I have ever been a part of at the cinema, and everyone there seemed perfectly… Continue reading
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The Most Exciting Film Festival Premieres of 2024
Film festivals happen throughout the year, but the premieres ramp up from the end of the summer through the beginning of fall. Continue reading
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“Apartment 7A” Reflects the Timeless Horror of “Rosemary’s Baby” (Review)
For all intents and purposes, “Apartment 7A” is a remake of “Rosemary’s Baby.” If you’ve seen the original, especially recently (as I have), the beats will feel incredibly familiar Continue reading
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“Speak No Evil” Review: Reimagining Genre (and Cultural) Boundaries
It’s not a horror movie, per se, but more of a ticklish, unsettling character comedy before it becomes a full-throttle thrill ride straight to the finish line. Continue reading
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Everything We Didn’t Review: A Summary of the 2024 Summer Movie Season
To commemorate the conclusion of the season, we have reviewed every new release (that I have seen) that has not been previously covered on our site. Continue reading
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“Alien: Romulus” Revives the Spacebound Terror (Review)
“Alien: Romulus” is at its best when Álvarez releases any inhibitions and lets loose: a slice of dismal future life, injected with a healthy dose of creature-driven terror. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Horror (Part II)
Welcome to class! My full time job is working at a university, and I teach as well. One of my dreams has always been to teach a film class. Taking students through the world of cinema and helping them learn… Continue reading
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“Trap” is Another Shyamalan Masterwork (Review)
It’s not an exaggeration to say that watching “Trap” was the most fun I’ve had in a cinema so far this year. Continue reading
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The Singular Horror Experience of “Longlegs” (Review)
“Longlegs” gets under your skin in a way that’s very difficult to put into words. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Long Takes
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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“Kinds of Kindness” is Lanthrimos’ Ode to Desire and Control (Review)
Lanthimos wants his films to get back to what works best about his filmmaking style and language: the acknowledgment that there’s inherent absurdity to the natural depravity behind our desire for control, and to be controlled. Continue reading
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“A Quiet Place: Day One” is Proof Positive of Hope Amidst Desolation
Worries about “prequel-itis” and the unnecessary additions to an already-developed world are warranted and understandable, but “Day One” instantly distinguishes itself with a self-sufficient narrative and character development that properly takes advantage of the series’ intentional visual storytelling. Continue reading
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The Wasteland Spotlight: The 2024 Tribeca Film Festival
If you’re looking for new outlets for checking out films, this article series is a perfect way to seek out new channels to dive into. Continue reading
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“The Exorcism” is the Poster Child of Squandered Potential (Review)
Conceptually, it could be brilliant – but how does one pull it off? Continue reading
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“The Watchers” is a Convincing Argument for a Career (Review)
Shyamalan’s debut is clearly inspired by her father’s thriller and horror work, but forges a path all its own by way of presentation. Continue reading
