When talking about horror, one of the things that makes the genre so accessible to everyone is that the genre is so broad that even non-horror fans can find a film they can enjoy. Horror doesn’t have to be about crazed people killing off teenagers or about the supernatural. Sometimes it can simply delve into the fear of heights like Fall, or being buried alive like Buried. Lately a trend I’ve been seeing is about the fear of pregnancy or being a mother. Nightborn immediately comes to mind, and now we have the film Goody Goody that’s now playing on Shudder. The sub-genre is nothing new; after all, Rosemary’s Baby is a classic, and that came out in 1968.  I understand why there will always be an audience for this kind of horror, and I can see how it can be effective when targeting the female demographic. I think all audiences really hope for out of a movie despite the genre is to be entertained, I don’t feel that’s much to ask for. I don’t need A-list actors or huge FX. All I want is a good story, and if the filmmakers can execute that, then great … Alas, Goody Goody breaks one of the cardinal sins of cinema. This film is a chore to sit through, and even at 80 minutes this film tested my patience.

"Hey, you got time for another run?"

That's exactly what it felt like getting the invite to screen the new Resident Evil. Lately the franchise has been on a rather steep decline. The 2021 film Resident Evil: Welcome To Racoon City didn't even register as a blip on the box office radar. There was the television series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness that didn't light up too many streaming hits. But I was intrigued that the new film was directed by Zach Cregger, who had a pretty good sleeper hit with Weapons, and he was reteaming with that film's Austin Abrams. A little confession before I go on any longer. I love video games, but somehow I managed to never play a single Resident Evil video game. Not sure how that happened. It wasn't intentional. I just never got to it. I did see all of the films from director W.S. Andersson and his wife Milla Jovovich, and, for the most part, I have enjoyed the film franchise. Hard to believe it all started with the first game title 30 years ago, and there's already been so much of the franchise that's come and gone. What possible new and clever idea could Cregger bring to the table? Yeah, I'm a pretty big cynic. What I saw actually took a little time to digest. It's not a great film, and it's certainly no Weapons. What it is happens to be a somewhat fresh angle for both the franchise and the general video game to movie genre. It entertains. There's quite a few well-timed laughs, and yeah, it's got some intense horror genes in there, but the funny thing is that I hardly noticed any of those points while I was watching the film.

What happens when you take two 90s cult classics, Clueless and The Craft, and put them together? Forbidden Fruits is the charming lovechild of these films, and it kind of surprises me that this film has gone under the radar for so long, especially when I’d consider it one of the better horror films to come out this year, and definitely the best film Shudder has released on streaming in 2026. I went into this one with low expectations, and by the time it hit the midway point, I have to admit I was enjoying the heck out of this film. Considering the new Practical Magic 2 just opened this past weekend to a lackluster box office haul, it makes me wonder if basically Hollywood, and more importantly audiences, just don’t want to see witches on screen anymore? Heck, online over the past few years it seems every woman has latched onto the notion that liking Halloween, buying pumpkin spice lattes, and having your own garden is all that’s needed to join a coven … Gone are the days when it was the outcasts, the goth kids that listened to The Cure and Marilyn Manson were the ones that embraced being weird and were into Wicca and other forms of witchcraft. This is a film that holds a mirror up to the new generation of those that practice witchcraft and exposes the absurdity of it all.

“Your blood. My blood. Our blood.”

Well, I can’t say I saw this coming. Of all the movies to get a sequel, this film wasn’t even on my list. Though when I think about it, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised given that the first film was an adaptation of a series with four books in it. In 1998, Sandra Bullock’s and Nicole Kidman’s chemistry is what made the first one work, and it is the same in this sequel. In fact, it’s as if no time has passed as the pair play off one another with ease.  The gang is all back for the most part with the exception of Goran Visnjic (which isn’t surprising given that he was the previous film’s antagonist) and Aidan Quinn (although is character is referenced, with Diane Wiest and Stockard Channing returning as well). The film is noteworthy for Channing because it marks her first theatrical release in 13 years. Also joining the film are Joey King, Maise Williams, Xolo Mariduena, and Lee Pace.