Directed by Chris Miller and written by Pam Brady (who has worked with Trey Parker and Matt Stone on their projects going back to Cannibal: The Musical), The Smurfs is the sixth full-length movie for the cartoon characters created by Peyo.

Rhianna is Smurfette, following Katy Perry and Demi Lovato, while John Goodman is Papa Smurf. This is the kind of movie that has Dan Levy, Kurt Russell, Marshmello, Nick Kroll, Alex Winter, Amy Sedaris, Nick Offerman, Jimmy Kimmel, Natasha Lyonne and more, all to tell the story of how the Intergalactic Evil Wizard Alliance once battled the smurf force of Papa Smurf, his brother Ken and the best smurf ever, Ron for magical supremacy until Papa decided to run following a defeat and hide, occasionally battling Gargamel but rarely getting involved in the world of magic — until No Name Smurf tries to find what his talent is, tries the occult and leads Gargamel’s brother Razamel to Smurf Village where he takes nearly every one of them, doing what his brother never could.

Many reviewers said it was tedious, dull and unfunny. Me, I liked it, but I watched so much Smurfs as a kid that I know who Johan and Peewit are.

I could do without James Corden being a voice in these movies, though. There’s also no Frank Welker in this. Come on, what the smurf?

The Paramount Blu-ray Smurfs has over 25 minutes of Smurf-filled bonus content, including voice-over features, music videos and animation features. You can get it from Deep Discount.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joseph Perry writes for the film websites Gruesome Magazine, The Scariest Things, Horror Fuel, The Good, the Bad and the Verdict and Diabolique Magazine; for the film magazines Phantom of the Movies’ VideoScope and Drive-In Asylum; and for the pop culture websites When It Was Cool and Uphill Both Ways. He is also one of the hosts of When It Was Cool’s exclusive Uphill Both Ways podcast and can occasionally be heard as a cohost on Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast.

Official synopsis: Our canine hero, Indy, finds himself on a new adventure with his human owner — and best friend — Todd (Shane Jensen), leaving city life for a long-vacant family home in the country. From the start, two things are abundantly clear: Indy is wary of the creepy old house, and his affection for Todd is unwavering. After moving in, Indy is immediately vexed by empty corners, tracks an invisible presence only he can see, perceives phantasmagoric warnings from a long-dead dog, and is haunted by visions of the previous occupant’s (Larry Fessenden as Grandpa) grim death. When Todd begins succumbing to the dark forces swirling around the house, Indy must battle a malevolence intent on dragging his beloved Todd into the afterlife.

Dog lovers, whether or not you usually enjoy horror movies, you’re bound to love director Ben Leonberg’s labor of love, Good Boy. Fear-fare aficionados, you’re likely to be captivated by Indy — Leonberg’s pet Nova Scotia Duck Retriever — and the lengths that Leonberg went to to replicate the film as much as possible from a dog’s eye view and with canine reactions to supernatural occurrences.

Indy is a star. From showing affection to sickly owner Todd to cowering from malevolent forces to playing hero — one scene in particular will have audiences cheering with glee — this “middle-aged, 35-pound retriever,” according to press notes, nails every nuance that Leonberg could hope for. Sure, it took the director three years to complete the film because, I suppose, some days Indy just wasn’t feeling it, but it was worth it because the result is a super slice of genre fare.

Virtually every shot seems to be from dog ‘s-eye level, whether from Indy’s perspective or for wider ones showing the dog in action. That’s commitment. Also, human faces are rarely shown, and dialogue is minimal. 

It takes a while for any shots of real horror, as the assumption is that dogs are in tune with unseen forces that we humans might be less aware of, but when the creepiness truly kicks in, it does so effectively. The element of the cursed house into which Indy and Todd move could have used more backstory, but there’s enough here to make things work.

Stylistically intriguing and emotionally engaging, Good Boy is a fun watch. Helmed with original approaches and a huge heart, I strongly recommend it.

Good Boy, from Independent Film Company and Shudder, opens in theaters on October 3, 2025.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joseph Perry writes for the film websites Gruesome Magazine, The Scariest Things, Horror Fuel, The Good, the Bad and the Verdict and Diabolique Magazine; for the film magazines Phantom of the Movies’ VideoScope and Drive-In Asylum; and for the pop culture websites When It Was Cool and Uphill Both Ways. He is also one of the hosts of When It Was Cool’s exclusive Uphill Both Ways podcast and can occasionally be heard as a cohost on Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast.

Official synopsis: In the heart of a quiet, 1980s suburb, college student Deena returns home and reluctantly takes on a last-minute babysitting job. That same night, the local sheriff receives a cryptic package that pulls him into a sinister scavenger hunt that sets off a game of cat and mouse with a dangerous killer. As the clues unravel, Deena finds herself ensnared in a nightmarish mystery that she may not survive. 

Plenty of 1980s-inspired throwback slasher movies are released every year, some merely aping the style, others paying loving homage, and a few that add their own flavor and unique elements to a revered fright-fare tradition. I’m happy to report that director Brandon Christensen’s Night of the Reaper is planted squarely in the third camp.

The lengthy opening sequence involving a teen babysitter (Summer H. Howell in a fantastic supporting performance) and the murderer who toys with her nicely sets the tone for what’s to come, and suffice it to say that it is no mere cold open. The film is rich with surprises and twists, and is best viewed by going in as cold as possible, so no spoilers here.

Jessica Clement is terrific as Deena, who, being the lead female character in a slasher-themed movie, seasoned viewers of the subgenre can guess will eventually cross paths with the main baddie. Ryan Robbins is also great in an emotional performance as Sheriff Rodney Arnold, now a single father after losing his wife in a single-car crash.

Christensen cowrote the screenplay with his brother Ryan Christensen (the pair worked together on 2023’s The Puppetman and this year’s Bodycam, which is currently on the film festival circuit), and it’s a corker, playing with slasher and whodunit horror tropes and therefore viewer expectations that go along with watching those types of films. Brandon is well-versed in horror filmmaking and builds both suspense and drama impressively here.

Night of the Reaper is super Halloween season fare. This strong slice of post-meta horror comes highly recommended.

Night of the Reaper is currently streaming on Shudder.

About the Author: Jennifer Upton is an American (non-werewolf) writer/editor in London. Her latest book is Japanese Cult Cinema: Best of the Second Golden Age. She runs the podcast Cinema Junction and writes for Horror & Sons and Drive-in Asylum. She regularly appears on the podcasts Japan on Film, Making Tarantino, Making Scorsese, The Rad Revivalhouse and contributes essays to Cinemaforce. For links to her work, please visit https://www.jennuptonwriter.com or follow her on Instagram @jennxlondon. 

There was an intimacy about this film that felt familiar, having volunteered for a few years in a London music charity shop run by a retired punk star. I have witnessed firsthand the conversations about gear and chord progressions between old guys wearing leopard print shirts and eyeliner. I have seen men in their 70s hit on women in their 20s. I have heard the passive-aggressive slights and accusations of events long passed – “I still owe the manager money for a limo ride I took in 1978.” 

I have even been asked for a long rope to tie around an aging guitarist’s waist to “keep him from wandering off before the gig.”  Therefore, everything in Spinal Tap 2 felt real to me, but not real enough. More like a subdued version of reality created by comfortable people living comfortable lives in Los Angeles who have completely lost touch with what it means to be in an aging band that enjoyed only marginal success in their heyday. 

Perhaps if Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer had visited the little shop in Camden, the trio would have had better material for this movie. Nigel’s cheese shop was cute, but none of the three men had turned into the absolute lunatics they probably should have. None of them did a stint in rehab? Really? None of them had a younger trophy wife whose face is pulled taut from too much plastic surgery?  A Jane’s Addiction-style shoving match? Not a single failed reality show between the three? This film was filled with missed opportunities like that. All perfect fodder was ignored in favor of a safer, cozier movie. 

It’s a pleasant 82 minutes, to be sure. But, in no way does this film measure up to the greatness of its predecessor. Anyone who has seen their favorite band in their twilight years will know that the very act of buying a ticket to Spinal Tap 2 perfectly captures what it means to be an aging fan of an aging band. Or to be an aging fan of an aging comedy troupe playing an aging band. It really doesn’t matter what they do, so long as they play the hits. Our love for these characters, along with the film’s charm and warmth, is based on the feelings we all have for the original film. Nothing they can do at this point, short of killing one off, would ruin their legacy. 

The plot revolves around a one-off reunion gig to take place in New Orleans. They find a new drummer and begin rehearsals. The reunion gig ends in disaster, as one would expect, brought about by yet another small technical detail overlooked. That’s pretty much it. The film’s success rests solely on the shoulders of the cast, who slip back into these characters easily, sprinkling in a few new great lines, such as “Is he coming toward us?” following the Blue Man’s drummer audition. 

The celebrity cameos by Lars Ulrich, Chad Smith and Sir Paul McCartney felt wasted, while Sir Elton John brought the film its biggest laugh. He genuinely looked like he was enjoying himself, while it felt like Lars had slotted in his Zoom call between his daily Starbucks run and sending out copyright violations to fans sharing his music online. 

I could never fully accept that Spinal Tap was a Rob Reiner film; instead, I choose to judge that and this film within the canon of Christopher Guest’s mockumentary body of work. Spinal Tap 2 will not be revered in the way Spinal Tap, Best in Show or Waiting For Guffman all are. Those films are classics—the building blocks of just about every television comedy that aired in the 2000s. But Tap 2 is still a lot better than For Your Consideration, a film I found profoundly bitter and unfunny.

Go see Spinal Tap 2 if you are a fan. Otherwise, wait for streaming and watch it while you’re waiting in the online queue for your favorite band’s latest reunion gig to kill the time. 

About the Author: Jennifer Upton is an American (non-werewolf) writer/editor in London. Her latest book is Japanese Cult Cinema: Best of the Second Golden Age. She runs the podcast Cinema Junction, and writes for Horror & Sons and Drive-in Asylum. She regularly appears on the podcasts Japan on Film, Making Tarantino, Making Scorsese, The Rad Revivalhouse and contributes essays to Cinemaforce. For links to her work, please visit https://www.jennuptonwriter.com or follow her on Instagram @jennxlondon. 

The new Toxic Avenger remake/reboot isn’t just a good Troma movie within the Troma universe. It’s a good movie in any universe. Fans of films like Evil Dead 2 and Dead Alive who have never seen a single Troma movie, let alone the original Toxie, can and will enjoy this film. 

While the hype generated from an unrated release after sitting on the shelf for 2 years piqued my interest, it was the casting of Peter Dinklage that intrigued me the most going into this movie. He’s one of those great actors with an expressive face who can evoke an emotional response for an audience using only his eyebrows. A solid character actor in the vein of Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee who improved any project they appeared in. With the addition of Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood and Taylor Paige, we’ve got a solid, reliable troop of actors here who approach the material with a sincerity that brings heart to an otherwise the insanely-whacky-in-a-good-way script. 

The plot is updated for modern audiences, removing nerdy Melvin and replacing him with our hero, Winston Gooze. A janitor barely getting by as a single father raising his stepson, Wade. Winston, who recently lost his wife to cancer, works for the evil giant health product company BTH, owned by mob-financed megalomaniac CEO Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon). Winston and Wade live in St. Roma, a real shithole of a working-class town. A town where vets hold little old ladies’ cats hostage for their astronomical fees and BTH employees get the runaround from their insurance company. 

Meanwhile, across town, J.J. and her partner steal BTH data with the intention of exposing BTH as the hucksters they are and tank their stock price. Winston and J.J. cross paths when Winston, now desperate for money to pay for his own recently diagnosed cancer treatment, attempts to steal money from the BTH vault. 

A chase ensues, Winston is taken out by The Killer Nutz – a monster core band of BTH henchmen – and our new Toxic Avenger is born. 

From this point forward in the film, the actor in the suit is Lisa G, who does a fine job with the physical elements of the role, while Dinklage lends his voice for the remainder of the picture’s running time. And what a wonderful time it is! Once Winston is Toxie, we get fights, mutations, rogue police officers firing into the air for no reason, declaring, “Fuck it. It’s a mob!” 

We get Toxie interrupting a Killer Nutz performance in a park by singing Motorhead’s “Overkill”(a highlight for anyone who knows of the years-long friendship between Lemmy and Lloyd Kaufman).

The fight choreography is wonderfully over-the-top. Like a Merrie Melodies cartoon on drugs. While the costumes are mostly practical, the gore effects are largely rendered using CGI rather than old-school Karo syrup and silicone. I am at a loss as to how this film was denied an R rating, as AMC’s Walking Dead was more violent and nasty in tone than anything here. Could it be Toxie’s mutant penis? Big deal. 

With a budget that likely cost one day of the catering on any Marvel or DC film, the CGI effects in this movie manage to feel more real than the scene in the latest Superman installment (a film I enjoyed) where he spins around and kills 25 bad guys with his heat vision all in one go. That scene felt overblown. When Winston swipes off someone’s head with his trusty toxic mop, the consequences are clear. Don’t fuck with this new Toxie. 

This movie is likely to find a larger audience once it becomes available on all streaming platforms. I will be watching it again, not only because Cineverse is using the proceeds to pay off medical debt for people like Winston in the U.S., but because there were so many Troma Easter eggs (New Chem High) and off-screen dialogue gags that utilize the surround sound experience, that I missed a few laughing over them. 

Many of the gags are topical, despite the film being completed in 2023. I especially enjoyed the scene where disgruntled thugs take over a burger place – angry over a logo change – the same week half of America lost their collective mind over Cracker Barrel doing the same. 

For the big finale, Bob kidnaps Toxie and JJ. His “scientists” harvest Toxie’s blood, with the intention of recouping their profits by selling it as his latest “healthy” drink.  When Bob’s mob backers show up to collect on his debt, Bob drinks the new concoction. His body rejects the serum, transforming him into a goat-like, clawed creature, along with his zombie-like personal assistant, Kissy, who gulps down the last few drops to join him. 

I hated Bob’s assistant, Kissy, the most of any character in the movie. Because I’ve met her in real life. Multiple times in many places. A sycophant of the highest order just waiting for the CEO to fuck her into relevancy and a mansion. I’ve met Bob, too. We’ve all met him. We see him every day in the news and on TV. He has different names and peddles different products, but we know him. We know Winston and Wade, too. People suffering loss, trying to get by as best they can in a shit world created and run by Bobs and their bitch assistants. 

I cared about Winston and Wade and their struggles to just get through each fucking day at work and school, feeling alone with no money. The fact that they go back to their regular lives at the end is bittersweet. Being the Toxic Avenger doesn’t make Winston any richer, although it does cure his brain cancer. The post-credits scene with Toxie showing the audience how to make cheap, tasty grilled-cheese sandwiches using white bread was a highlight. He might be a green mutant, but he’s still a good dad. Winston Gooze is the hero we need now because our world sucks, too. We all live in St. Roma. And “Sometimes, you gotta do something.” Even if that something is simply going to see a movie that makes you forget your problems for 90 minutes and laugh, as this one does.