What I Watched
May 2026: An explosive revenge thriller, a documentary about the origins of a beloved horror trope, and a questionable Glen Powell "comedy"
New-to-Me
Is God Is
“Make your Daddy dead. Real dead.”
With that command from God (aka their mother), two twin sisters set out on an epic road trip to avenge the maiming and near-murder of their mother by a sadistic, abusive, and elusive man — their father. This is by far the best movie I have seen so far this year. Gorgeously filmed, firecracker script, and an absolutely riveting performance by Tony Award-winning actress Kara Young.
Black Zombie
“Haiti is not resilience. Haiti is resistance.”
So much to delve into here, in this documentary looking at the origins of the zombie trope, all done with care and style — media literacy, colonial distortions, the power of memory, the act of refusal, and the concept of “metaphysical justice” as one interviewee put it.
Black Zombie is a simultaneous act of restoration, reclamation, and veneration.
Kino Lorber picked this up and will be distributing it later this fall. So excited for me people to see this.
Haint
So thrilled to have screened this horror short about Gullah Geechee folklore at File Under Horror in Kenosha in May. Great practical effects and a subtle but powerful script by director Jahmil Eady make this worth watching. She’s currently developing it into a feature-length film.
New Treasure
Had the pleasure of screening this funny and genuinely surprising horror short about the perils of modern dating at File Under Horror as well. Director Christl Stringer is also an accomplished visual artist; check out her work on her site!
Rewatches
Candyman
To be honest…I don’t think this sequel to the 1992 horror classic Candyman fully works for me, despite some very stylish flair by Nia DaCosta. The writing often felt clunky, and it seemed to me like some important character beats may have been left on the cutting-room floor. But she has been in her BAG lately with her latest films, Hedda and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which I highly recommend checking out!
Mixed Feelings
How To Make A Killing
“Mixed feelings” is probably a little too generous a description of how I felt about this movie. It felt both smug and rote and tried too late to insert something interesting to say about wealth and how the pursuit of it can warp someone’s conscience. I’d recommend watching Hit Man if you want to see Glen Powell navigate slippery moral values.
Striking Distance
Chile. This Bruce Willis thriller about a cop being demoted to water patrol duty was so 90s and not in a good way. But it was somehow still very entertaining?
Backrooms
I was the oldest person in the theater when I went to see Backrooms, and I think that should have been an indication of how this experience would go, haha. I have to say, the whole film left me feeling rather cold. The production and set design were killer, and it was good to see a director rely on practical effects instead of CGI. But I do not understand the hype at all.
thanks for putting BLACK ZOMBIE on my radar
Ooo need to check out Black Zombie. Also totally agree about Hit Man.