Shirley (2020) Director: Josephine Decker Screenwriter: Sarah Gubbins Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Michael Stuhlbarg, Odessa Young, Logan Lerman, Robert Wuhl, Paul O’Brien, Orlagh Cassidy Shirley is an absorbing and provocative film that probes creativity, control, and obsession by focusing on a turbulent period in the life of author Shirley Jackson. Director Josephine Decker uses a loose, … Read more

Two more high-profile films originally scheduled for release in 2020 have been removed from this year’s calendar. Disney has announced that Free Guy and Death on the Nile will not debut in 2020, joining other titles such as Tomb Raider 2 and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch in the list of postponed releases. Neither movie … Read more

My First Time Watching Scream (1996) Hi, I’m Annice, and until recently I had never seen Scream. I grew up a very anxious child — the movies that terrified me were often not the obvious ones. To me, the scariest films were things like Bean (the Mr. Bean movie) and, strangely, Matilda. Still, it was … Read more

Classic English-language horror like William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973) and John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) remain timeless, but exploring outstanding horror films produced outside the English-speaking world opens a far richer and more varied spectrum of fear. From Italian Giallo and Japanese J-horror to the New French Extreme and modern genre work across Europe, Asia and … Read more

This article was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by Paul A. J. Lewis of paul-a-j-lewis.com. Adrian Hoven’s 1973 shock-horror Hexen geschändet und zu Tode gequält (released as Mark of the Devil, Part II; the German title translates as “Witches Violated and Tortured to Death”) exemplifies the brutal, sensational strand of witch-hunt cinema that flourished … Read more

The Prodigy (2019) Director: Nicholas McCarthy Screenwriter: Jeff Buhler Starring: Taylor Schilling, Jackson Robert Scott, Peter Mooney The horror genre has long relied on the unsettling image of a child who is not what they seem, and Nicholas McCarthy’s The Prodigy follows that tradition with a contemporary, character-driven take. This American-Canadian thriller centers on Miles … Read more

Vampires have captivated readers and viewers for over a century. From early literary origins to countless film adaptations, they satisfy our curiosity about immortality and our fascination with a creature that looks human but hungers for blood. On screen, vampires have taken many shapes—terrifying and tragic, seductive and monstrous, heroic and ruthless. This list aims … Read more

For readers familiar with The Film Magazine and this “Movies I Had a Religious/Spiritual Experience With” series, you will know the routine — Spoiler Alert! — and a brief disclaimer: this essay reflects my personal views formed by my life as a Roman Catholic. I do not claim these experiences are exclusive to Catholicism; I … Read more

To Die For (1995) Director: Gus Van Sant Screenwriter: Buck Henry Starring: Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Illeana Douglas, Alison Folland, Wayne Knight “To Die For” is a sharp, darkly funny examination of ambition, manipulation, and the intoxicating lure of television fame. Directed by Gus Van Sant and adapted by Buck Henry … Read more

The BFI London Film Festival is widely regarded as the UK’s premier film festival. Each year it introduces audiences to award contenders, acclaimed arthouse works, shorts from emerging filmmakers, and standout mainstream releases. The 2020 edition was notably more accessible than previous years, expanding screenings beyond central London to several major UK cities and, for … Read more