A beautiful representation simultaneously of folk horror and 1950s horror. During a time period where American horror was obsessed with sci fi and giant bugs, Finland looks to the past, to a pre Cristian nation, at its history and ancestry. To a time of oral tradition through songs and stories. To a frigid landscape and the small groups who brave it. The black and white and use of shadow enhances the scares (even though there’s no traditional jump scares as…

Last year, when The Substance came out, a lot of people were surprised to find out it was not one of my favorite movies of the year. Being a fan of Cronenberg, I’d have to be a fan of it…. Right?

My probably with that film was its bombardment and reliance on gore, shock, and overt sexuality to prove its point. 

Don’t get me wrong, these are valid tools, and under the right balance and amount of subtlety, can work,…