Escapism

Whether you enjoy it or not will largely hinge on if its idiosyncratic tone works for you. It bets big on the humour but I didn’t find it funny most of the time. Fresh off last year’s critical and commercial hit Longlegs , director Osgood Perkins is back with another horror film. This time he’s bringing a feature length adaptation of Stephen King’s short story The Monkey to the screen. This film follows twin brothers Bill and Hal who find their father’s old toy monkey in the attic. Soon after a series of gruesome deaths occur which are linked to the mysterious toy.  The Monkey is a peculiar film for a number of reasons. I can understand most of its intent but it wildly misses the mark. It’s a horror comedy but whether you enjoy it or not will largely hinge on if its idiosyncratic tone works for you. It bets big on the humour but I didn’t find it funny most of the time and it even started to grate on me a little by the end. The key appeal of this film is the death scenes. When the...

The Heart Eyes killer could become a memorable horror villain for the Valentine’s occasion, in a similar way to how Michael Myers is synonymous with horror films set at Halloween. Heart Eyes follows two work colleagues who get caught up in the murders of a killer, who has wreaked havoc on Valentine’s Day by stalking and murdering romantic couples.  This film is a slasher romantic comedy which manages to fulfill all of its primary genres to a surprisingly satisfying degree. It’s a fresh spin on a romantic Valentine’s story. It succeeds in this area because the two leads are so likeable which isn’t always the case for a slasher film. Those two characters are Ally and Jay who are portrayed by Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding. Both of them are endearing and the actors share an organic chemistry that makes you want to root for them and see them survive. Olivia Holt delivers a performance that felt grounded and at times earnest, with how she displays the emotions and roadblocks s...