KorraN-7

"The Burrowers" follows a rag-tag group of farmers and American settlers in August of 1879, when two families are presumably attacked by the indigenous peoples. But as they begin to search and investigate what exactly happened, it becomes apparent that they're hunting something far older and far more dangerous.

The writing and direction from JT Petty is honestly outstanding, especially since this Lionsgate production went straight to VOD and DVD back in 2008, even though it looks better than some mid-to-big budget productions. The acting is also fantastic, with genre mainstays Clancy Brown and William Mapother embodying their roles the second they appear on-screen. The effects are also very good, being nearly 20 years old.

Western horror is a criminally underrated and under-appreciated genre blend that we don't get enough of, with "Dead Birds" and Bone "Tomahawk" being two other standout films that do the blend effectively. I hope we get more, because like those other two, "The Burrowers" is dark, grim, and unflinching in its horror.

Holy s***. Finally, after a bunch of okay, mediocre and awful adaptations tackling Mary Shelley's gothic science fiction horror epic, Guillermo del Toro gets to have his vision fully realized in what's easily one of the most faithful adaptations ever made while still being his own film.

The visuals are phenomenal, the acting is outstanding all around (although Isaac and Elordi are the standouts), Guillermo's writing and direction are steadfast and intimately visceral, the music is haunting, and the cinematography is some of the best of the year. I will be seeing this again in theaters, but I hope Netflix sits down and let's this epic go to IMAX. That would be one hell of an experience.

This remake from director Luca Guadagnino and writer David Kajganich is a vicious and visceral trek through 1970s Berlin, where Susie Bannion strives to become the lead dancer for Madame Blanc at the Helena Markos Dance Academy, where a strange and deep darkness slowly comes to light.

Immediately, this remake is very different from the original Dario Argento film. Where his film is style over substance, this is the opposite. Guadagnino trades vibrant colors for dull hues, and a grim, fraught atmosphere instead of Argento's fun, borderline absurdist tone. I'd say the one through-line (other than the plot) is having Radiohead's lead singer and songwriter Thom York as the film's composer, following in the prog-rock shoes of Goblin from the original, and he does a fine job with a darker and more tension-filled score. The acting is outstanding from the entire cast, the effects are rightfully gnarly and gross, but Kajganich's script is the biggest win, combining aspects of Argento's "Suspiria" and his sequel "Inferno" into one epic while maintaining real emotion and suspense.

I love both films equally, because while I enjoy the original more, I would say this is the better film objectively.