Scream (2022)

25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, Calif., a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.

My thoughts: Lacks the charm and cleverness of the early installments. The slasher sequences stretch credulity. The meta elements grow tiresome while the final reveal is an excruciatingly long info dump.

2/5

Skinamarink (2022)

Two children wake up in the middle of the night to find their father is missing, and all the windows and doors in their home have vanished.

My thoughts: An eerie, experimental film that eschews traditional narrative in favor of fever dream sequences, discombobulating camera angles, and hushed off-camera whispers. Alternately disturbing and tiresome.

3/5

You Won’t Be Alone (2022)

In an isolated mountain village in 19th century Macedonia, a young girl is kidnapped and then transformed into a witch by an ancient spirit.

My thoughts: A folk horror film that may appeal to the arthouse crowd. For my part, I found the same concept and themes better and more poignantly explored in the anime series To Your Eternity.

3/5

The Eternal Daughter (2022)

Returning to a hotel now haunted by its mysterious past, an artist and her elderly mother confront long-buried secrets in their former family home.

My thoughts: The curious casting tips the anti-climactic twist in this austere and lethargic high-brow horror entry. Swinton is fantastic, but the film is as dry as a biscuit from the back of your grandmother’s pantry.

2.5

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Ash and Bone (2022)

Father Lucas decides to take daughter Cassie and his new wife Sarah out of the city for some bonding and quality time together. What they find instead is an urban legend more true and terrifying than their worst nightmare.

My thoughts: Script is terrible and the performances are even worse. A very bad movie.

1.5/5