I review the movies and games on this site, and love all things horror. When Yvonne and I finish a movie or a game, the questions I care about are simple: Did it scare me, did it stay with me afterward, and was it worth my time?
What keeps me coming back
We've been experiencing horror media for a while now, so it takes a lot, or something truly unexpected, to genuinely scare me. What keeps me watching and playing is the feeling of being pulled in so completely that nothing breaks the spell, and the thrill of something I didn't see coming. Buddy is the best recent example. I expected one kind of movie, got something completely different, and loved every minute of it.
What I gravitate toward
Supernatural horror and sci-fi are definitely my favorite genres. Still Wakes the Deep plays like The Thing on an oil rig, and I loved it. I like the unexplained, too. When a movie throws me into something sinister and doesn't stop to justify it, I always appreciate that. I also like horror that takes a risk and does something nobody expected, which is why I compared Buddy to The Cabin in the Woods and One Cut of the Dead, all great films (with reviews coming soon!). In games, Inside is one of my favorites of all time, so atmospheric 2.5D puzzle-platformers like it have become my genre of choice for the best horror experience.
What doesn't work for me
- Anything that pulls me out of the story. A famous face in a low-key horror movie, cheesy 80s-style synths in a modern score, or a game that sends me into menus can all kill the experience. I want to be immersed, and anything that reminds me I'm watching a movie or playing a game takes me out of that.
- Jump scares I can see coming. I'm usually no fan of them. When one is timed perfectly and means something to the story, I'll happily give it a five, but it's rare.
- Villains that go over the top. I'd rather the evil have some restraint.
- Heavy-handed messages. I love social commentary when it's quiet and trusts you to get it.
- Padding. I loved how short Still Wakes the Deep was, but the long levels in Little Nightmares III wore me out.
- Games that require constant attention. If I put a game down for a day or two and can't remember what the buttons do because the game is so complex or poorly explained, that's a problem. I'm a very casual gamer and I mostly play in short sessions.
How I review
I watch or play the whole thing first. Then Yvonne and I sit down and talk it through, and every opinion in my reviews comes out of that conversation. I write it up and score it afterward.
Immersion is the thing I watch most closely: whether I believed what was happening and whether anything took me out of it. After that, I pay attention to characters (a group of friends who feel like friends makes everything hit harder), how the villain is handled, and sound. I play games with headphones and notice music and sound design a lot, as music and audio are very important to me personally. I also try to separate fear from unease and tension, because great horror can come from both.
Every conversation ends the same way: Who is this for? Who should skip it? Would I go back to it? If you want to know how the scoring works, here's how movies are reviewed and here's how games are reviewed.
Where to start with my reviews
- Buddy (4.5). One of my highest scores, and it's an unconventional, bonkers swing at horror that I'd happily rewatch every year.
- Still Wakes the Deep (4.5). It plays like a sci-fi horror movie on a 1970s oil rig, and it's a good place to start if you don't play many games.
- Obsession (4.0). A slower, tense, character-first movie, and the one with the jump scares that actually earned a five from me.
If you're curious about my thoughts on a whole series, I also wrote a Little Nightmares guide that covers all three games.
