Annalise Basso

A CREATURE WAS STIRRING: Do Not Disturb
A CREATURE WAS STIRRING: Do Not Disturb

A Creature Was Stirring feels as though it has something deeper to say, but never seems to find the cohesion and narrative direction to say it.

LADYWORLD: Creates Tension from Sound and Explores the Struggles of Teenage Girls
LADYWORLD: Creates Tension From Sound & Explores The Struggles Of Teenage Girls

Ladyworld manages to capture the perfect balance between the moments of tension and uneasiness with moments of teenage life.

OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL: A Scarily Good Horror Prequel
OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL: A Scarily Good Horror Prequel

Is this any way to sell a board game? Hasbro’s perennial moneymaker “Ouija” is the basis of Universal’s micro-budget horror franchise in the making, and it’s hard to imagine a game manufacturer working any harder to discourage people from buying its product. The 2014 release Ouija opened at number one, and a followup was inevitable.

OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL: Between Two Worlds

Horror is in an extremely interesting place at the moment. Thanks to the rise of video-on-demand platforms and new technology, barriers between creator and distributor are disappearing, the amount of independently-made films are rising and the availability of these films is quite accessible. The trade-off of this is the problem of quantity over quality, which has meant that, much like the exploitation era of filmmaking in the 1970’s, every new or original film that is successful is followed with a string of derivative imitators, looking to cash in on genre recognition or fans looking to branch out on that particular subject matter.