Nope (2022) review – What horror looks like in broad daylight

Director and writer Jordan Peele returns with yet another horror movie—this time in the sci-fi horror subgenre. With his focus on the menacing extraterresterial, Peele conveys the terror and allure of looking at danger right in the eye.

Diverting a little more from the likes of his previous works, Get Out (2017) and Us (2019), Peele came up with a new way of challenging the audiences’ views by exploring the pursuit of showcasing and chasing a spectacle. We’ve all heard of the phrase, “.. like a car crash that you can’t look away from,” and the film embodies that.

Continue reading “Nope (2022) review – What horror looks like in broad daylight”

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones – Review

A horror obsessed Jade finds out that her hometown Proofrock is in danger—and despite some gruesome killings happening right under her nose, she is a little more thrilled than she needs to be that she’s finally experiencing a slasher in her own life.

Being an outcast in her hometown, a seventeen year old Native American girl named Jade Daniels utilizes horror movies as a coping mechanism to escape her abusive father and the rest of her environment. After discovering two murders that happened in Indian Lake, Jade starts thinking that this might be the start of a premeditated killing spree. In the meantime, the other side of Indian Lake lies Terra Nova; the former Shoshone territory has now been gentrified and altered into a construction site for the wealthy. While most people would be terrified of the continuous murders, Jade sees this as an opportunity to channel her inner Sherlock Holmes and depend on her slasher knowledge to solve the murder mystery.

Continue reading “My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones – Review”

They/Them (2022) slasher fails to live up to its title – Review

“This is a safe space .. for everyone.”

When an LGBTQ+ conversion camp adopts a so-called “kill ’em with kindness” viewpoint, how far will they really go?

If there’s one thing I love, it’s punny titles. So when I heard that there’s a brand new queer slasher called “they slash them,” I had very high expectations and hoped that the film would be as clever as the title. Directed and written by John Logan, the film specifically focuses on a group of queer kids sent to conversion camp, where they’re supposed to find the “root cause” of their identities and analyze them. Queer representation often exists in a more subtle context in horror, and while it’s getting more overt with the current times, it is still rare to see the LGBTQ+ community take roles as the surviving main characters or heroes.

Continue reading “They/Them (2022) slasher fails to live up to its title – Review”

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy – Review

In this provocatively titled memoir, former iCarly star Jennette McCurdy details an honest account about her entire life as a child actress and how her mom dictated that journey.

iCarly was one of my favorite television shows as a teen, and I think that anyone who enjoyed watching it growing up can confirm that it was hilarious and entertaining. The role that Jennette McCurdy played—Sam Puckett—was particularly portrayed as witty, fearless and tough, but Jennette herself lived a very different life behind the scenes.

Continue reading “I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy – Review”

The Black Phone (2022) review – Should you pick it up?

Scott Derrickson once again dives back into the horror sphere, this time adapting Joe Hill’s short story, “The Black Phone.” Combining Ethan Hawke’s terrific performance along with the supernatural elements, the adaptation induces goosebumps reminiscent of ’70s horror movies.

Continue reading “The Black Phone (2022) review – Should you pick it up?”

Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag 2022

It’s time to reflect on all the reading I’ve been doing in the past seven months, and I must say that 2022 has been a fairly good year for books so far! Originally a tag created by Ely from Earl Grey Books, this post is going to discuss the highlights of the books I’ve read:

Continue reading “Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag 2022”

Incantation (2022) review – A chilling and innovative mockumentary

Found footage horror movies can be hard to execute well—but director Kevin Ko delivers Incantation as an intriguing mockumentary, inviting the audience to go on a horrifying journey inundated with curses.

Continue reading “Incantation (2022) review – A chilling and innovative mockumentary”

How to get out of a reading slump

It happens to the best of usthe most avid readers have encountered moments in their lives where they’re just not motivated to read anymore. Sometimes it’s due to personal reasons, like a burn-out, and other times it’s simply inexplicable.

Last year I was in a major reading slump where I read a whopping total of 10 books by December. This year, I’ve read 33 booksand it’s only July (which might still be low by book bloggers’ standards, but progress is what matters!).

I figured out a bunch of things to do that drew me back to the world of literature.

Here’s a list of what you can do as well to get over that wretched reading slump:

Continue reading “How to get out of a reading slump”

Galatea by Madeline Miller – Review

Ovid’s Metamorphoses, while popular, can also be classified as being pretty misogynisticMadeline Miller spins this narrative, subverting the gendered tropes in her retelling of the epic tale.

Continue reading “Galatea by Madeline Miller – Review”