Reviews
‘Cry_Wolf’ Review: The Aughts Slasher That Outsmarted ‘Scream’
What’s worse than summer ending and having to go back to school? How about transferring to an elite boarding school in the middle of the year? You’ve probably heard me talk endlessly about the hundreds of cardboard placeholders I got from Blockbuster when they were going out of business. One of the placeholders I had was for a film called Cry_Wolf. Something about the killer’s half-lit neon orange mask terrified me beyond belief. When my mom made me a display out of the placeholders, I was glad that Cry_Wolf was not one of the ones she picked. It wouldn’t be until my short-lived job at FYE in 2011 that I would finally have the guts to watch Cry_Wolf. It quickly became one of my favorites.
Cry_Wolf: A Hidden Gem in Aughts Horror
After getting kicked out of his previous boarding school, Owen Matthews (Julian Morris) arrives at Westlake Preparatory Academy. He quickly makes friends with Dodger (Lindy Booth) and his roommate, Tom (Jared Padalecki). Owen’s first night at Westlake is spent in the old chapel, where he is set to play a round of the lying game with the rest of Dodger and Tom’s friends. A quick display of critical thinking establishes Owen as a unique addition to their friend group. Owen’s addition to the crew brings a new version of the lying game when they decide to involve the rest of the school. On the heels of a local murder, Dodger and Owen blend reality and fiction when they create The Wolf. But it soon turns out that their creation may be more than a silly little email thread.
Before becoming a waning Blumhouse slop-maker, co-writer/director Jeff Wadlow slashed into the subgenre with this rowdy, slice-of-life slasher flick. Cry_Wolf didn’t intend to shake up the subgenre; rather, it accepted the slasher film for what it became and comfortably existed within those boundaries. Wadlow and co-writer/producer Beau Bauman utilized the somewhat carefree lives of teens and crafted horror around the things they knew and loved.
AIM and Chain Emails: Nostalgia in Horror
While I wasn’t an AIM kid, the utilization of AIM and email threads was prevalent in my life at this point. It also highlighted the fear felt in people like my mother, who wouldn’t let me have a Myspace account because you never know who’s on the other end of the keyboard. That fear is important in creating the horror and drama that surrounds Cry_Wolf. Everyone born before the year 2000 probably remembers the rampant chain emails that plagued our inboxes. It’s truly a surprise that chain emails weren’t a bigger thing in aughts horror. Cry_Wolf utilizes the creation of the chain email as the true catalyst of the film and allows AIM to really take the forefront on the technological aspects. From there, all hell breaks loose.
Cry_Wolf is a brash-looking film. From its Scream-like cover image to the overexposed, harshly lit visuals, Cry_Wolf has you wading in an of-its-time amount of film grain. What makes this film distinct from most others of its time is its soundtrack. Rather than assaulting our ears with the ever-dominant Nu metal/fart rock, we get a fairly ear-pleasing, Sugar Ray-esque soundtrack. Cry_Wolf should be rife with Korn, Sevendust, or at least some Goldfinger! But it’s not. The music we get is oddly complementary to the film’s garish visual style.
The Ultimate Slasher Villain
One of the reasons this film deserves to be talked about more is because of how truly great (by definition) the antagonist is. If you haven’t seen the film, then prepare for a major spoiler. It turns out that the entire friend group is playing a prank on Owen because he ruined the fun they were having with their game. BUT Dodger places a loaded gun in Professor Walker’s (Jon Bon Jovi) desk. Owen uses that gun to kill their professor when he’s led to believe that the professor has been the one committing the murders. The stinger of the film is that Owen realizes Dodger orchestrated this entire thing to facilitate the death of Professor Walker (after she learned he was seeing another (dead) student).
There are three rules to the lying game. Avoid suspicion, manipulate your friends, and eliminate your enemies. That’s exactly what Dodger does. She never cared about creating this gigantic [basically] ARG that involves the whole school. Dodger killed the student that Professor Walker was sleeping with, and she wanted him dead as retribution. Owen was the conduit that could make that happen.
Why Cry_Wolf Outsmarts Scream
You’ve heard me talk, ad nauseam, on the topic that Scream ruined the slasher subgenre. Cry_Wolf is one of the few films to outsmart Scream. Wadlow and Bauman expertly crafted one of the aughts’ greatest villains. Dodger uses every gift and talent she has to skew the outcome into the specific way she wants. Her cunningness and manipulation tactics are unparalleled in the subgenre.
Cry_Wolf is a diamond in the rough. Set in the middle of the aughts remakes of 80s classics and J-horror, it stands out as a very confident film. It may not have the tightest script, best acting, or most blood, but it knows what it is. And if you’ve ever wanted to see Gary Cole try a British accent, this is the film for you.
It’s very interesting when critics cover Part # of a franchise without having seen the previous entries. I’ve personally seen critics who flat-out say that Part 2 or 3 doesn’t make sense without having seen the previous film. And therein lies the problem: film critics who refuse to admit they haven’t seen EVERYTHING. But does the hard work rely solely on the film critic (or the general viewer)? Should a sequel (or third in a trilogy) drop in heavy context clues for someone who is just now tuning in? I think the answer falls somewhere between those points. Of the many reasons, that is one of the main reasons I was able to enjoy The Barn Part III so much. Let’s dig into it.
Some time ago, Pastor Josh Harper (Courtney Gains) assumed he had rid the world of evil. He was dead wrong. Well, hopefully just wrong. His nephew Kyle (Tristan Olsen) and friend Megan (Amanda Byrne) accidentally re-unleash the evil; Josh must attempt to vanquish it. Again. There’s just one big problem…the Fall Festival is going on, and damn near the entire town will be in attendance. What can go wrong?
Can You Review PT. 3 Without Seeing PTS. 1&2?
Before we really get into it, I think we should jump back to the point I was making in the intro. I have seen tons of posts, screenshots, and scenes from The Barn franchise over the years. For some reason, I’ve never gotten around to seeing the films. So there was a sort of internal struggle when deciding whether or not to cover The Barn Part III. Would I watch it just for fun? What if I didn’t like it? Sure, I could review the film on its own merits, disregarding moments that don’t make sense to a first-time viewer. But that felt disingenuous. After writing a weighty pros and cons list, I figured, what the hell. Let’s give it a watch! It turns out that was the right decision.
Co-writers Justin M. Seamen and Zane Hershberger do an excellent job of balancing fan service and, surprisingly, first-time viewers. There are definitely moments where I felt a bit lost, though I was able to put the pieces together based on context clues after sitting with the film for a few hours. By the time the credits rolled, I felt like I saw enough (as a first time viewing of the franchise) to understand how we got to this point in the franchise. Moreover, it made me more motivated than ever to go back and watch the first two films. If The Barn Part III is this gory, then I can only assume there’s a similar level of gore to the first two.
Strong Script, Stronger Kills
Hershberger and Seamen tell a tale that’s not overwhelmingly original; evil is raised and must be stopped by the good people. It’s a race against the clock, fast-paced creature feature/slasher. It’s hard to really reinvent the wheel there. And somehow, Herhshberger and Seamen manage to make you feel like you haven’t really seen anything like it before. Even during moments of slightly cheesy dialogue, the script’s tone stays beyond consistent that it just all feels right. To me, that feels very rare in this subgenre of film. Rather than being nothing but conduits for buckets of blood, the characters in The Barn Part III exist within their story purpose while still feeling fully fleshed out.
Much of The Barn Part III’s enjoyment comes from the delightful performances of the film’s lead cast. Courtney Gains takes the reins from Will Stout as Josh Harper, and Gains is wonderfully charming. Much of his screen time is shared with Night of the Comet’s Kelli Maroney, who is still an absolute blast to watch on the screen. But it’s one of The Barn Part III’s co-leads, Amanda Byrne, who steals the show. It’s hard to believe this film is Byrne’s debut feature acting role. She really gives it her all, and you can feel it through the screen.
The Barn Part III Is a Practical Effect Gorefest
Enough edging. Let’s get into the actual meat and potatoes of The Barn Part III: the kills. Simply put, Justin M. Seamen and Zane Hershberger struck gold. I’ve seen way too many slasher films/creature features, so this isn’t hyperbolic…The Barn Part III has some of the most insane, captivating, and bloody kills I’ve seen. Especially for an indie film. Whatever the budget was, the film looks like it was more expensive than that.
I have a feeling that there is a heavy crossover between fans of this franchise and Joe Bob Briggs, so let me put it to you this way. The Barn Part III has it all: bisections, dissections, full-body degloving, mini killer pumpkins, pitchfork-fu, shotgun-fu, vine-fu…and that’s just scratching the surface. Besides transporting me to a time and place that I hold dear to my heart, the late 90s and early aughts, this film just checked every single box for me. I can only hope the first two do the same.
The Barn Part III is a violent, practical effects-filled rollercoaster that doesn’t let off the brakes from the jump. To me, this feels like the proper send-off to a franchise I’m new to, and it’s giving me severe FOMO. Full of insane kills and a charming main cast, The Barn Part III is neck and neck for best of the fest for me. Do yourself a favor, gas up your tractor and get to The Barn as soon as possible.
Among the straight up schlock horror movies of 2026, Onslaught tactical breaches in and holds the perimeter as the top dog. Despite being hailed by fans and cast alike as a spiritual successor to Wingard’s 2014 cult classic The Guest, the similarities are skin deep. This low-budget action horror film feels much sleazier, goofier, and more melodramatic than anything that feature had to offer. But if you like to drink the B-movie bottom shelf liquors of the cinema world, Onslaught has that taste you’re going to love getting genre drunk on.
What Is Onslaught (2026) About?
Out in the New Mexico desert, an abandoned military base now houses even darker secrets. Inside a government contractor black site, the sinister Nazi mad scientist Dr. Hans Kammler (Dan Stevens) works to perfect a trio of heartless, mindless, and soulless soldiers. They feel no pain and take no prisoners, and that’s how Kammler likes them.
When the project inevitably breaches containment, as all mad science experiments are wont to do, a small trailer park called the Windy Oasis ends up on their southbound warpath. The on-site manager for the park, a traumatized veteran named Celeste (Adria Arjona), is soon forced to defend her young daughter and surviving neighbors from the ruthless revenants.
If You’re Expecting Something Serious, Expect Less
Dan Stevens’ returning collaboration with Wingard and writer Simon Barrett is basically the full extent of what this movie shares with The Guest. Outside of the deranged super-soldier premise, of course. His first appearance on screen immediately proves that; Stevens comes in hot wearing some of the messiest fake old man hair and makeup of all time, before crawling on all fours like a dog to indulge in his heel fetish with his domineering wife (played in a small supporting role by Rebecca Hall).
It’s a flashing neon sign from the outset that the film is taking itself only somewhat seriously. And if you approach it with the utmost seriousness, you’re probably going to have a bad time.
Onslaught’s Nihilistic & Stylistic Composition Doesn’t Have Time for Contemplation
Despite its premise being about literally conscienceless jackbooted thugs killing the civilian population of the country they’re supposed to be defending, not much thematically comes of it. Onslaught is oddly flat, bordering on one dimensional, in trying to make any sort of thoughtful dialogue or commentary about our current or even past state of affairs as a nation.
The film is frontloaded with as much as you’re going to get out of it: an opening credit sequence that is the anti-government, anti-military equivalent of those overstimulating “Little Dark Age” edits that loser right-wing groypers love. It speedruns the American government’s brutality throughout the past 75 years and juxtaposes it with the Third Reich over the course of a roughly 3-minute song. Sadly, we need the rest of the runtime for gratuitous action involving bullets, boobs, and chainsaw blades. It just can’t be helped.
The movie doesn’t particularly have time for good dialogue, strong character development, or flashy sets either. Onslaught is simple and honest in its approach; it’s the kind of nasty, mean-spirited, action grime that even Cannon Films would have seen as a bit much to produce back in the day. It takes place in a handful of locations, with as few extras as possible, and a lot of explosive squibs and gory kills to make up for its flawed performances. It’s got time to bleed, sure, but no time to bleed deeper meaning or substance.
Wingard’s Toy Box Is Chock Full of Carpenter Inspiration and Retro Vibes
One must imagine Wingard happy playing in this realm. The film is certainly a success on his part in terms of bringing those retro vibes and simplistic storytelling beats to the present day. It really does feel like a bloody, small budget video store pick that snuck its way onto the shelf of a Blockbuster sometime in the ‘90s, even if its modern photography betrays that big clamshell case energy.
Surgically implanted into the film are visuals and musical stylings whose bloodlines trace plainly to Carpenter’s filmography; Assault on Precinct 13, Vampires, and The Fog are the loudest, though certainly not the only parties present. How well those strains of genuine brilliance mesh with the cheaper sensibilities of the film is certainly in question. At its best, it has shots and scenes genuinely evocative of the greatest films of the era Wingard and Barrett are conjuring. At its worst, it’s basically screaming “we shot too much footage of these soldiers mogging and aura farming to not put it in the film”, leaving things clunky to transition and sometimes looking silly.
Onslaught Is a Messy Little Midnight Movie in the Making
Then again, silly is the best thing this could be. Maybe I just give it too much grace for the fun I had with it. Onslaught might be guilty of a few cinema war crimes, not the least of which is a truly grating performance from its comedic support character. But it’s never boring, and it certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome. Beloved midnight movie with mass appeal in the making? Perhaps a bit unpolished and messy for that status. But an instant classic among those who love seedy action movies? Much more likely.
