Fantasia 2021: 'Brain Freeze' Movie Review

Zombie stories often get a bad rap. Sometimes for good reason. There are a ton, and, admittedly, a lot aren’t great. But then there are those that show up, do something new, fun, and different, or at least deliver a strong story and compelling characters within the genre. (Recent ones that spring to mind include #Alone, Black Summer, Train to Busan, and others.) Canadian director Julien Knafo’s Brain Freeze definitely falls into this latter category, presenting a zombie movie with an intriguing set up, a few tweaks to the formula, and a showcase interesting personalities. 

'Peninsula' Trailer: This 'Train To Busan' Sequel Promises Bloody Zombie Action

2016’s Train to Busan is one of those zombie movies that comes along every few years and reminds everyone how good the genre can be. The South Korean horror film was a big international hit and now the sequel, Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula, is on the way, with another new trailer as proof.

'Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula' Trailer: This Sequel Promises Gnarly Zombie Survival Action

Movie new has been pretty dead as of late, what with most of the movie industry worldwide being shut down due to COVID-19. Still, there were plenty of movies on the way, and a bunch remain en route. One we’re looking forward to around these parts is the South Korean zombie film Peninsula, a new horror set in the world of Train to Busan and now titled Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula. We finally got a look at trailer and damn, this is the stuff we’ve been waiting for.

'Blood Quantum': Watch The Red Band Trailer For Jeff Barnaby's First Nations Zombie Movie

People often complain about zombie movies. To be fair, there are a lot of trash zombie movies to wade through. But there’s a reason we keep looking, because when they’re good, they can be great. Once in a while a film comes along and reminds us what can be done within the subgenre confines and breathes a bit of new life into the walking dead. Think Train to Busan, Girl With All the Gifts, or The Night Eats the World, among others. By all accounts, Jeff Barnaby’s First Nations horror tale, Blood Quantum, is one such film. It’s finally getting a release, so check out the red band trailer.

'Little Monsters' (2019) Movie Review

I love about a third of Abe Forsythe’s zombie comedy Little Monsters. The middle act, from roughly the 25-minute mark to just shy of 60, blends horror and humor, heart and gore, in a way many movies that attempt such a synthesis fail to accomplish. It’s fun and gooey and delightful. While maybe not the freshest take on the undead, the image of Lupita Nyong’o in a bright yellow dress, beheading walking corpses with a shovel is enough to fill me with glee.

Pre-Order 'Hitchhiking Through Fire' By Brent McKnight Now

UPDATED: I’d say I like to keep personal news out of these posts for the most part. But if you’ve read anything I’ve ever written on here, you know that’s a crock and know more about my life than I should probably reveal to strangers on the internet. Whatever. I do, however, have some personal/professional news that’s both exciting and, I hope, relevant to your interests. 

'The Dead Don't Die' (2019) Movie Review

The Dead Don’t Die is a movie that, on paper, sounds fabulous. Indie icon Jim Jarmusch assembled an amazing cast—Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloe Sevigny, Tom Waits, Steve Buscemi, Tilda Swinton, Danny Glover, and a murderer’s row of others—and the last time splashed around in the horror pool we got Only Lovers Left Alive, one of my favorites of 2014. But goddamn if this doesn’t miss in every conceivable way. 

'The Dead Don't Die' Trailer: Jim Jarmusch Made A Zombie Movie With An Insane Cast

When you think of Jim Jarmusch, you probably think minimalist indie dramas with a brooding tone and undercurrent of strangeness that focus on unusual, off-kilter characters. Horror might not be the first thing that springs to mind. The director took a stab at vampires with Only Lovers Left Alive, which is great, and he’s returning to horror with the upcoming zombie film The Dead Don’t Die. And I’m here for it. Check out the first trailer below.

'Anna And The Apocalypse' (2017) Movie Review

Scottish import Anna and the Apocalypse delivers precisely what the premise promises: a zombie high school Christmas musical. Depending on how you feel about that combination of words, your mileage may vary. Personally, I find it largely delightful. 

'Overlord' (2018) Movie Review

Full of Nazis getting shot in the face, Julius Avery’s not-a-Cloverfield-movie (thank god), Overlord, might be the feel-good movie of 2018. It’s also a violent, rapid-fire, predictable-but-entertaining delve into one of my favorite sub-subgenres of horror, the Nazi zombie story.

Bad Robot's 'Overlord' Trailer Has Nazi-Zombies And Flamethrowers

Going back to the 1970s, there’s a whole subset of zombie movies that involve Nazis. (My personal favorite subset of this subset is the Nazi-zombies-emerging-from-bodies-of-water sub-subgenre.) Recent installments like the Dead Snow movies have taken a swing at this and now J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robots are having their say with Overlord. The first trailer has emerged from the mystery box and it’s a wild time for sure. Check it out after the jump.

'The Night Eats The World' (2018) Movie Review

Zombie movies have been done every which way, and then some. It’s been said often, but bears repeating, that it’s difficult to bring anything new or fresh to the genre. But a movie doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel or do something entirely unheard of in order to be effective. Dominique Rocher’s debut feature, The Night Eats the World, falls into a category with films like The Girl with all the Gifts, Train to Busan, and The Battery, movies that, while they don’t necessarily blow up the categorical conventions, do what they do well, put an inventive spin on the proceedings, and breathe a bit of life into what can be a stale horror subset.

'Cargo' Trailer Throws Martin Freeman And A Baby Into The Zombie Apocalypse

As a genre, it’s difficult to do anything fresh with a zombie movie. When they hit, they’re some of the greatest horror movies ever made. But especially 50 years removed from Night of the Living Dead, the hits far outnumber the misses. Every so often, a film comes along that reminds us there’s still life in the undead. They don’t have to reinvent the wheel—Train to Busan certainly doesn’t, but it’s still a fantastic addition to the cannon—but it has to do more than crap out a slapdash story about the walking dead. Now, I don’t know if Cargo is going to be any good or not, but this new trailer has my attention.

High School Zombie Christmas Musical 'Anna And The Apocalypse' Has A Distributor, All Is Right With The World

Here’s some good news to get you through day. The gory, high school zombie Christmas musical Anna and the Apocalypse finally found a distributor.

'Anna And The Apocalypse' Trailer: A Zombie High School Christmas Musical. Yes, You Read That Right

Up for a gory high school zombie Christmas musical? Yeah, me too. So, you might want to check out the trailer for Scottish director John McPhail’s Anna and the Apocalypse, because it’s all of those things.

'Here Alone' (2016) Movie Review

In the event of some catastrophic event or general cinematic post-apocalyptic scenario, I would die so fast. I’m not woodsy, nor am I any type of survivalist. I wouldn’t know what to eat—or more importantly, what not to eat—how start a fire, where to find shelter, or any of the things necessary to stay alive for much longer than it takes a pack of feral dogs to tear me apart. Maybe I’d rise to the occasion and eek out a meager existence, which is what the protagonist of Rod Blackhurst’s (Amanda Knox) apocalyptic indie, Here Alone, manages to do.

'The Girl With All The Gifts' (2016) Movie Review

Melanie (Sennia Nanua) is eager to learn, polite to her elders, helpful in all scenarios, and generally the kind of young girl every parent hopes their daughter becomes. Oh, yeah, when she gets too close to people she turns into a ravenous, flesh-hungry cannibal. So, there’s that.

'The Girl With All The Gifts' Trailer Wants To Bite Your Face

Most of us don’t expect to turn on a zombie movie and find Glenn Close, and that fact alone is enough to set Colm McCarthy’s The Girl with All the Gifts apart from the shambling undead herd. The film looks solid—including this new trailer—but it’s received rave reviews, even from non-horror folks, since it made the rounds on the festival circuit. I was intrigued before, but all of these combined factors certainly piqued my interest.

A 'Train To Busan' Remake Is Already In The Works, Here Are The Details

Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie thriller, Train to Busan, debuted at Cannes, set box office records in South Korea when it opened a few weeks back, and has garnered glowing reviews stateside. (If you’re wondering, I totally dig it and you should check it out.) All that attention has captured a great deal of interest, and a remake is already in the works.

'The Girl With All The Gifts' Trailer Is Grim And Intense

At this stage of the game, it’s damn near impossible to tell a good, unique zombie story. Even when there are gems, you have to dig through fields of shit to get there, but there may be some hope on the horizon. While it doesn’t appear to be super groundbreaking (this is definitely a child of Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later), The Girl With All The Gifts, could breathe a bit of new life into the genre. Check out the first trailer after the jump.