Gruesome Magazine Update: My Top 10 Favorite and 6 Least Favorite Horror Films of 2015

Bruce McDonald's fever-dream Halloween horror shocker Hellions is probably the most divisive film on my Top 10 list.

It's the last day of 2015 here in South Korea; what better way to ring out the old year and bring in the new than to check out my thoughts on the horror films I loved most this year and the ones that left me unimpressed? Actually you probably have many better ways but if you have time to squeeze in for reading my Gruesome Magazine articles, I would greatly appreciate it!

My personal cream of the crop can be found at http://gruesomemagazine.com/2015/12/28/joseph-perrys-top-10-horror-films-2015/
and the ones that I don't recommend are at http://gruesomemagazine.com/2015/12/22/title-tk/

Happy new year, everyone! Best wishes to you all for a wonderful 2016.

Brutal Japanese Thriller "The World of Kanako" and Demonic Possession Tale "The Wicked Within" Reviewed for Gruesome Magazine

Happy new year, everyone! I am a bit behind in updating my blog because of the holiday season, but not in reviewing films for the Gruesome Magazine website. Japanese mystery thriller The World of Kanako is well worth seeking out and is definitely one of my top three films of the year. Excellent performances, an intriguing story, and fantastic cinematography are just a few of the reasons why I like this film so much. You can read my full review at http://gruesomemagazine.com/2015/12/01/the-world-of-kanako-2014-lurid-mystery-examines-the-underbelly-of-a-teenage-girls-secret-life/

Koji Yakusho gives a stunning performance in The World of Kanako as a father and former detective who leaves a wake of violence as he searches for his missing daughter.

Nowhere near as impressive but certainly worth a watch is the demonic possession horror movie The Wicked Within, part of the returning 8 Films to Die For series. As possession films go, this one is refreshingly toned down in regard to relying on gross-out shocks, focusing more on the relationships between the characters and the secrets that they hide from each other. You can read more of my thoughts about it at http://gruesomemagazine.com/2015/11/24/the-wicked-within-2015-possession-tale-focuses-on-a-fractured-familys-shortcomings/

Sienna Guillory toplines as a possessed woman who brings dark secrets out in the open in The Wicked Within.

My Son Cohen Perry's Final Installment in His Three-Part Bucheon Film Fest Series Is Available at Propeller Magazine

My son Cohen Perry has knocked one out of the park with his final installment in his three-part series for Propeller Magazine covering this year's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. You can find his article, with links to the first two installments in case you missed them at http://www.propellermag.com/Oct2015/PerryKorea3Oct15.html.
I'm so very proud of my son's writing and I hope you'll take a look to find out why. Thanks!

Talking Terror on the Latest Horror News Radio Podcast

I had the privilege to be a guest on the most recent episode of the Horror News Radio Gruesome Magazine Spotlight podcast. Esteemed host Doc Rotten, fellow Gruesome writer JJ Fitt, and yours truly discuss this year's 8 Films to Die For releases, current horror series on television, and more. Please give it a listen at http://www.docrotten.com/2015/11/23/eps-002-8-films-to-die-for-scream-queens-the-walking-dead-horror-news-radio-gruesome-spotlight/. Thanks!

Which is More Frightening: A Genetically Modified Bear, a Mabusean Menace, or the Ravages of Time?

I have three new reviews that have recently been posted on Gruesome Magazine's website. With a creature feature, a science fiction/horror hybrid, and a cautionary fable with wicked humor, these diverse films have much to offer potential viewers, no matter their preferred choice of chills.

Unnatural, one of this year's Eight Films to Die For series, is a flawed but fun movie about a huge polar bear that has been the subject of DNA-tweaking experiments. Unfortunately a group of people shooting a high-fashion photo spread is staying in a lodge near the laboratory housing the bear --- and the beast has just escaped.

http://gruesomemagazine.com/2015/11/19/unnatural-2015-genetically-modified-bear-hunts-fashion-models-in-alaska-set-creature-feature/

The Conductor is a short film about a young woman who wakes up to find that she is no longer in control of her body and her free will. Science fiction and horror elements blend well in this effort:

http://gruesomemagazine.com/2015/11/21/the-conductor-2015-masked-force-of-malevolence-drives-young-woman-to-violence/

The titular character of The Conductor begins his diabolical symphony. 

Prolific director Patrick Rea offers up a nifty short film about a wife and mother --- Michelle Davidson in a superb performance --- who would love just one a hour day to herself in The Hourglass Figure:

http://gruesomemagazine.com/2015/11/21/the-hourglass-figure-2013-housewife-pays-a-hefty-price-for-time-to-herself/

Chelsea (Michelle Davidson) contemplates using a newly discovered timepiece that proves to have unusual powers in The Hourglass Figure.

While you're at the site, make sure to check out all the other great horror film and TV reviews waiting for you. Have fun!

Horror in the Everglades: "Wind Walkers" Falls Short of Its Promise

A group of buddies goes on a hunting trip in the Florida Everglades only to find themselves stalked by an evil that appears suddenly and then vanishes just as quickly in Wind Walkers. The story offers some original-sounding premises but  . . . well, you can read my thoughts on this film on the Gruesome Magazine website at http://gruesomemagazine.com/2015/11/16/wind-walkers-2015-wandering-tale-of-terror-in-the-everglades-lacks-focus-and-bite/.

Four of My Reviews of Incredible Short Horror Films Await You at Gruesome Magazine

Wine isn't the only liquid spilled in Chateau Sauvignon: terroir.

Hello! Since I last posted here, I've had four reviews posted in Gruesome Magazine's "Super Scary Shorts Saturday" and each one is a winner. Whether you like a few chuckles with your shocks or are seeking something more straight-ahead in the chills department, one or more of these shorts are sure to please you.

In Tickle, a babysitter learns that sometimes scary bedtime stories come to life:

http://gruesomemagazine.com/2015/11/07/tickle-2014-retro-babysitter-in-peril-short-film-delivers-the-bedtime-shudders/

Pillow Fright sees sorority sisters who dabble in the occult suddenly finding themselves facing killer pillows. Yes, you read that right and it works better than you might think:

http://gruesomemagazine.com/2015/11/07/pillow-fright-2015-coeds-battle-cushions-in-patrick-reas-fun-new-horror-short/

Counter Parts involves jealous sisters and voodoo curses:

http://gruesomemagazine.com/2015/11/14/counter-parts-2014-suffering-twin-seeks-voodoo-vengeance/

If you're in the mood for a tale with a bit of an old-fashioned macabre feeling set in today's modern world, look no further than Chateau Sauvignon: terroir:

http://gruesomemagazine.com/2015/11/14/chateau-sauvignon-terroir-2015-macabre-short-film-serves-up-vintage-fright/

I'll have another pair of eerie short films up this Saturday, so keep checking back at Gruesome Magazine's website for those, my full-length-film reviews, and all of the other great content there. Thanks, as always!