‘Midnight’ is a Triumph of Suspense, Terror, and Frustration
A hearing-impaired woman, a sadistic killer, and a date with terror.
Horrific Inquiry: DEAD SILENCE (2007)
Welcome back to the newest, and at times goriest, column here at Film Inquiry – Horrific Inquiry. Twice a month, I will be tackling all things horror, each month bringing two films back into the spotlight to terrify and frighten once more. And occasionally looking at those that could have pushed the envelope further. Join…
The Mystery of the Mummified Bishop and the Fetus in His Coffin
In life, Peder Winstrup was a man of both god and science, and a practical politician who advocated for his city of Lund, in what is now southern Sweden. In death, the 17th-century bishop is still providing assistance—as well as a puzzle, hidden in the folds of his funerary garb, that researchers are only now…
Trying to Understand a Volcano’s Jekyll-and-Hyde Eruptions
La Soufrière, the skyscraping volcano on the northern side of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, began exploding on April 9, 2021. At press time, no deaths had been recorded, but ash has smothered the entire island, causing power cuts, polluting waterways, and burying crops. The volcano upped the ante that day, but the eruption…
Watch: Sci-Fi Short Film ‘Mimic’ About a Submarine That Vanishes
“Only 20 of your crew were ever found. What happened to the other 100 men you were sworn to protect?” An intriguing, low key sci-fi short film that is built entirely around dialogue. Mimic is a short film made by LA-based filmmaker Scott Jeschke, who has been cooking up shorts for years while working to…
Autonome – Music video review
★★★★ Director: #AlexandreRichards Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonMusic written and performed by: #MadaMada Starring: #CharlesAlexisDesgagnés Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Music video review by David Richards The music video for Montreal artist Mada Mada’s ‘Autonome’ is presented to us as a compelling short film…
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, Germany
The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, or Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächniskirche, was originally constructed in the 1890s as part of the Protestant church-building program started by Kaiser Wilhelm II and his wife Augusta Victoria. They hoped that the program would launch a return to traditional religious values, a move away from the labor and socialist movements that were prevalent…
IN THE EARTH: Pandemic Fear Rolled Into Trippy Eco-Horror
In The Earth is writer and director Ben Wheatley‘s answer to the current pandemic. In The Earth uses contagion as the vessel and nature as the monster and makes use of the limitations of pandemic-era filmmaking to push the envelope through innovative, unconventional aesthetics and choices. The rough-around-the-edges eco-horror film stars Joel Fry, Ellora Torchia, Hayley Squires, Reece Shearsmith, John…
Witches Gulch in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Nowadays when people think Wisconsin Dells, they probably think water parks. However, this part of southern Wisconsin is home to a number of beautiful sandstone cliffs. One particular slot canyon, known as the Witches Gulch, is almost otherworldly. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe sandstone in this area formed millions of years…
On Growing to Love Selena
I’ve always had trouble waking up. My parents would take turns yelling my name, trying to get me up for school. (Since I was named after the Katherine Ross character from “The Graduate,” they often found this amusing. “Elaaaaaaine!”) One morning, after a few rounds of shouting my name and even turning on my bedroom…
Sitcom King Lorre Bows to Cancel Culture
Hollywood has taught us a painful lesson in recent years. No amount of fame, fortune, prestige or power is enough to inoculate you against the woke mob. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWe’ve seen powerhouse figures like Scarlett Johansson, Stephen King, Matt Groening and Halle Berry all buckle when pressured by woke…
Skemmtigarðurinn Grafarvogi in Reykjavik, Iceland
Jon Gnarr, the legendary former mayor of Reykjavík, took the first putt at Skemmtigarðurinn during the opening of this pirate-themed mini golf course in August 2010. The Best Party politician’s name was added to the massive ship that serves as the centerpiece of the Treasure Hunt course and bears resemblance to the vessels Vikings settlers used…
Torre do Pássaro in Campinas, Brazil
Located at the parking lot of one of the largest shopping centers in Brazil, this huge tower with a metallic bird statue on its top is has become a landmark of Campinas and its surrounding metropolitan region. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonBuilt in 2002, alongside Parque Dom Pedro’s opening, the monument’s purpose…
GUNDA: A Pig’s Life in Black and White
When documentary filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky was a child, he befriended a pig. Eventually, the pig was slaughtered and served for New Year’s Eve dinner, and Kossakovsky was so distressed that he became a vegetarian on the spot. Yet his latest film, Gunda, is not the piece of vegan propaganda that you might expect from such…
Idrija Mercury Mine in Idrija, Slovenia
The mining history in Idrija goes back to 1490. At its peak, it was one of the main sources of mercury, along with Almaden, in Spain. Mercury is a rare metal and its deposits are scarce. Most of it is in the form of ore known as cinnabar (mercury sulfide). Idrija is one of the…
Tommy Taylor Grave in Barnsley, England
Born locally, in Smithies, Thomas (Tommy) Taylor was in the prime of his life and career as a footballer for both Manchester United and England, when he became one of the eight United players killed in the 1958 Munich Air Disaster. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonBy that time at just 26…
How to Recreate 1,300-Year-Old Cookies
If cookies go a few weeks without getting eaten, they turn weirdly soft or dissolve into fine dust. If cookies go 1,300 years without getting eaten, they get carefully preserved in a case at the British Museum. In the winter of 1915, the British-Hungarian archeologist Marc Aurel Stein opened a tomb in Xinjiang. Known as…
THE MAN IN THE PINSTRIPE SUIT: Precise Execution Delivers Promise
For years, the short film medium has been a launching pad for some of the most successful horror films and horror franchises. The Babadook, Ju-on: The Grudge, When A Stranger Calls, Trick ‘r Treat, and Saw all found their starts through short films – a proof of concept leading to a full-blown feature loved by…
This Connecticut Inn Has Hosted Sea Chantey Singalongs for Half a Century
On 8:30 p.m. on any given Monday before the pandemic, The Griswold Inn would be packed. A stately colonial building in the sleepy, coastal New England town of Essex, Connecticut, the Griswold Inn sits just steps from the water. Flying gallantly above the sidewalk was a flag featuring an anchor and the phrase “Chanteys tonight!”…
Two Distant Strangers Short Film Review
★★★★★ Stars Directed by: #TravonFree, #MartinDesmondRoe Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonStarring: #JoeyBada$$, #AndrewHoward, #ZariaSimone Film Review by: Alicia Moore Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Two Distant Strangers follows Carter (Joey Bada$$) as he repeatedly attempts to travel back home to his loving dog; each…
Official US Trailer for Danish Extra Dark Comedy ‘Riders of Justice’
“We’re just gonna talk to him.” Magnet Releasing has debuted an official US trailer for the Danish revenge dark comedy titled Riders of Justice, from filmmaker Anders Thomas Jensen (Adam’s Apples, Men & Chicken). We’ve already been featuring the original Danish trailers for this since last year, and it’s now opening in May in the…