Reviews
[REVIEW] ‘It’s a Wonderful Knife’: Christmas Came Early
Ultimately, It’s a Wonderful Knife succeeds as a competent holiday slasher with a heart that is rightfully added to the growing holiday horror pantheon. The cast is immediately likable, and when Winnie finds herself in the Silent Hill version of her hometown, it’s equal parts comical and distressing to see what’s become of them. Lessons are learned, hearts are filled, and plenty of perfectly splattered blood is spilled without devolving into a Lacey Chabert Hallmark Channel Original.
Bah! Humbug! The ashes of All Hallows’ Eve had barely settled into the muck and the mire, yet there I was, heading to the theater to watch a Christmas movie. As someone who wishes to remain Santa-free until the clock strikes twelve on Thanksgiving night, only something as irresistible as a genre-bending slasher could drive me to such madness. And so, on a crisp Southern Californian 80° afternoon, I was seated as Nicole Kidman ushered in my holiday season. And wouldn’t you know it? My coal-black heart grew three sizes that day.
A Gory Retelling of a Holiday Classic
You need a twisted mind to concoct a retelling of the beloved 1946 holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life and deck its halls with gore and expletives, and luckily, we’ve found two. Dark elves and horror-comedy connoisseurs Michael Kennedy (writer of body-swap slasher Freaky) and Tyler MacIntyer (director of the delightfully mean-spirited Tragedy Girls) have melded their minds to give us quite an unexpected gift. Instead of despondent businessman George Bailey and his guardian angel Clarence, we have naive teen Winnie Carruthers (Jane Widdop, Yellowjackets) and The Angel, a masked killer hell-bent on making it a very black Christmas. Descending upon the picturesque town of Angel Falls one fateful Christmas Eve, the murderous celestial is stopped dead in its tracks by Winnie herself – but not before hacking through quite a few of her friends and leaving her shaken to the core. One year later, Winnie is a shell of her former self and wishes she’d never been born, only to find her wish granted, as reality shifts into a much darker version where The Angel has yet to be slain.
A Witty Blend of Horror and Holiday Tropes
Much like Freaky, It’s a Wonderful Knife is a refreshingly witty take on a familiar tale with a dash of supernatural spice. Setting the film’s opening during a “final party” of sorts, offing the killer, and revealing their identity within the first fifteen minutes is just one of the many ways it plays with genre tropes – both horror and holiday – and the story from which it’s inspired. Despite this third-act prologue, Knife consistently finds ways to surprise and delight, so don’t think you have it all figured out before the title card.
Queer-Inclusive Horror for All
And speaking of unexpected delights, the entire film is casually queer in the most cheerful way. Horror is for the outcasts or those looking for alternative fare, and Knife is all about making outsiders feel welcome. Winnie’s gay brother Jimmy (Aiden Howard) is the school’s star quarterback and golden child of his family; her aunt Gale (Katharine Isabelle) is dating quite the female hottie, and a mysterious oddball is somehow mixed up in Winnie’s adventure. The queerness of these characters exists without explanation, and not a creature is stirring or crying “woke” while the boys are a-kissing. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of tragic queer stories, so Santa hats off to the crew for making gay happy again!
Scream-Inspired Slasher Thrills
It’s no secret that gay people love the Scream franchise and should be paid for all the free promo they give it. It should, therefore, come as no surprise to learn that slasher guru Michael Kennedy named Winnie’s aunt “Gale Prescott” after the famed franchise heroines and influences of the Wes Craven classics can be seen throughout. Scream 7 will reportedly take place during the holiday season, but Knife beat Ghostface to the punch. This movie’s kills and chase scenes simply scream Scream – there’s no other way to put it. They are brutal and bloody, and MacIntyre’s direction of the stab-happy Angel as it bobs and weaves throughout these sequences is ripped straight from the Ghostface Style Guide. For those familiar with the source material, one scene in particular has a direct homage to Scream 2 waiting just at the bottom of the stairs.
Creative Cinematography and Retro Vibes
Cinematographer Nicholas Piatnik also has some fun of his own, playing with light in genuinely exciting ways and adding a new layer of depth to what would otherwise have been just another kill. The use of technology in Knife likewise stands out in that there is hardly any. Whether intentional or not, the film seems to shy away from tech entirely – save for some choice one-liners – which further allows it to embody the 90s and 00s slashers its creators so admire. Winnie technically doesn’t exist throughout two-thirds of the plot anyway, and I don’t think Verizon has enough cell towers for that.
Balancing Horror and Humor
However, despite all this slasher throwback tomfoolery, Knife isn’t all that scary. If you’re a horror vet, your eyes will light up with excitement, but you’ll be nowhere near the edge of your seat. In that same vein, its comedy is subjective to taste. There are quite a few chuckles and knowing grins to be had, but most won’t be rolling in the aisles. That’s not to say that Kennedy’s script does not balance the tone between genres well because it is quite adept at doing so on the fly, but it doesn’t hammer it home in either direction. Think of it as a playful mix of Scream 2 and 3.
Standout Performances in a Twisted Tale
From Sidney Prescott to Winnie Carruthers, this story is ultimately Jane Widdop’s to carry. She borrows from her time on Yellowjackets in more ways than one, first embodying a less intense version of her meek and devout character, Laura Lee, before allowing Winnie to evolve into some amalgamation of the show’s more brazen survivors. She is believable and charming as someone whose entire life has gone to hell twice, and the movie would suffer if not for her ability to handle the madcap directions it takes her. Likewise, Jess McLeod, as the outcast Bernie, quickly becomes the heart of Angel Falls’ alternate reality. What initially appears to be an odd side character, McLeod allows Bernie to shine as the loveable weirdo and other half to the decidedly logical Winnie. Unfortunately, newly anointed Scream King, Justin Long, did not resonate with me as the nefarious Mayor Waters. His off-the-wall caricature of Joel Osteen meets Jiminy Glick must have been projecting from a third reality of his own because his wavelength did not match that of any other human in the movie.
It’s a Wonderful Knife is A New Holiday Horror Classic
Ultimately, It’s a Wonderful Knife succeeds as a competent holiday slasher with a heart that is rightfully added to the growing holiday horror pantheon. The cast is immediately likable, and when Winnie finds herself in the Silent Hill version of her hometown, it’s equal parts comical and distressing to see what’s become of them. Lessons are learned, hearts are filled, and plenty of perfectly splattered blood is spilled without devolving into a Lacey Chabert Hallmark Channel Original. What’s next in the MKU (Michael Kennedy Universe) of mashup horror is hard to say. Still, hopefully, we’ll get that Freaky Death Day crossover event everyone on the Internet is begging for. Until then, may you discover the joys of It’s a Wonderful Knife and the meaning behind “Aguilerian Thong.”
It’s a Wonderful Knife is in theaters now and streaming on Shudder starting December 1st.
Haunted house stories are a staple in the horror genre. But it’s not often that a haunted house film digs its way under your skin and stays there long after the credits roll. Enter Recluse, celebrating its world premiere at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival.
A Disturbing Return Home Fuels Recluse’s Story
Joan Wyatt, a young and troubled audio engineer, is called back to her childhood home following a bizarre accident in which her father, the famous artist Lawrence Wyatt, was engulfed in flames and left in critical condition. Joan has been estranged from her father for quite some time, so when his longtime housekeeper Lydia leaves a voicemail telling her that he likely doesn’t have a lot of time left, she ignores it. But then Lawrence himself calls, telling Joan that he’s been seeing her mother—who disappeared when Joan was a child—around the house.
Joan arrives to find Lydia armed with a crossbow to ward off Lawrence’s obsessive fans. Her father is bed-bound with severe burns, and is being cared for by a hired nurse around Joan’s age named Emily. Lawrence, who notoriously experimented with psychedelics and occult practices during his career, is barely coherent and keeps his face concealed underneath a crude plaster mask. He keeps asking about his “little spider.” It’s disturbing and deeply upsetting, especially since Joan already has a lifetime of trauma associated with the house. Now that she’s back, she begins to suspect that these “ghosts” aren’t metaphorical. Lawrence was not a good man… but something even more sinister may be lurking in the house.
Henry Chaisson Reinvents the Haunted House Formula
Recluse, written and directed by Henry Chaisson, is a masterfully crafted debut feature that takes familiar elements of the haunted house genre—like a remote mansion as the setting, traumatic family secrets, and supernatural mischief—and twists them into something fresh and, well, twisted.
Sasha Frolova Leads an Exceptional Ensemble Cast
Sasha Frolova stars as Joan, delivering a performance that is both believable and compelling. She’s easy to root for throughout the film, especially as she contends with her father’s unwaveringly loyal housekeeper Lydia, brilliantly played by Toby Poser. Mia Vallet’s portrayal of Emily is also noteworthy, commanding attention from her first appearance all the way to the end. Kimball Farley plays Lydia’s son and Joan’s friend Todd with the perfect balance of levity and tension. Frankie Seratch is enjoyable to watch as the opportunistic nepo baby art dealer Tom. Rounding out the cast is Xander Berkeley as Lawrence; even from behind a mask, his performance is intense and chilling. Berkeley even provided some of his own art to be used in the film.
Sound Design and Cinematography Create Unrelenting Terror
The cast is far from the film’s only strength, though. Sound design by Matthew Rollins will have you death-gripping your seat in the best way, and serves as an integral part of the story itself. Production designer Yulanda Yo-Rong Shieh and art director Ana María Kalvo absolutely nailed the set and made the Wyatt family mansion simultaneously sprawling and claustrophobic.
Finally, we have the beautiful and (appropriately) haunting cinematography by Bryce Holden, supported by the editing prowess of Nik Voytas, Josh Lobo, and Henry Chaisson. Not only did they maintain an air of unrelenting suspense throughout the entire film, but they also executed some of the most disturbing and bone-chilling jump scares I’ve seen in recent years.
Seriously: One of those jump scares made me feel physically ill. You’ll know it when you see it for yourself.
Recluse had its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival 2026.
One of my favorite special interests is the Mormon-millionaire-real-estate-tycoon-owned Skinwalker Ranch. Mormon millionaire Brandon Fugal has crafted a wonderfully apophenic history in his post-Bigelow ownership. His perfectly curated release of pseudo-information through the lens of a History Channel TV show did wonders not just for his wallet but for docu-dramas as a whole. Fugal did what The Curse of Oak Island could have only wished to accomplish. BUT, three years before Joseph Smith’s teachings made their way to the Uinta Basin, a group of filmmakers set out to capitalize on one of America’s strangest phenomena. Skinwalker Ranch is a film that is as perplexing as it is insufferable.
Skinwalker Ranch: Missing Children, UFOs, and Found Footage Chaos
In 2010, Hoyt’s (Jon Gries) son disappeared in a blinding ball of light. Some time later, Modern Defense Enterprises sent a team of experts to Hoyt’s property to study what happened to Cody (Nash Lucas). Upon arriving at the property, MDE sets up a reality-TV-like number of security cameras in the hopes of finding anything. But what they found may just make them wish they hadn’t set foot on this property.
The Real History Behind Skinwalker Ranch Lore
As stated, the story of and behind Skinwalker Ranch is one of my favorite bits of Americana. From the Sherman family’s story, through Robert Bigelow’s ownership, all the way to its current Mormon occupation, the history behind Skinwalker Ranch runs deep. Dire wolves, dino beavers, and disappearing orbs, oh my! Whether you believe in the stories or not, Skinwalker Ranch is one of America’s biggest pieces of lore.
One of my favorite theories is that a resource-observing beacon was placed by, for lack of a better term, aliens when Pangea existed. Throughout the years, the dissolution of Pangea shifted the location of where the aliens placed the beacon to what is now considered the Mesa on the northern portion of Skinwalker Ranch’s property. The said beacon could very possibly be what causes the mysterious 1.6 GHz signal on the ranch, or why there are so many UAP sightings around the Mesa.
How Skinwalker Ranch Wastes Its Fascinating Premise
Now, I know all of this has been discovered post-Skinwalker Ranch (movie), but Hunt for the Skinwalker and Skinwalkers at the Pentagon, by Colm Kelleher and George Knapp (and James T. Lacatski for Pentagon), had already been released. Dino beavers on Skinwalker Ranch had already been discussed. The true terror of Skinwalker Ranch had been disseminated by three highly regarded UFOlogists. So, for writer Adam Ohler (and story by Devin McGinn, Steve Berg, Ken Bretschneider, and Murphy Michaels) to craft such a plain story that doesn’t even scratch the surface of what makes Skinwalker Ranch even slightly interesting is confounding. It feels as if the writer/story creators heard the term “Skinwalker Ranch” and decided to focus on that, and that alone. Skinwalker Ranch has zero world-building, and hopes that the title is titillating enough to get someone to click ‘play’.
The singular great aspect about Skinwalker Ranch is the casting of Jon Gries (Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite) and Michael Horse (Deputy Hawk in Twin Peaks). Gries does enough carrying in this film to make up for dropping that winning pass. And it’s just wonderful to see Michael Horse in a film, even if he’s cast as a token Native American whose only purpose is to make the writers feel better for capitalizing on Native American lore. Besides that, the acting in Skinwalker Ranch is beyond atrocious. In fact, the acting feels so unnatural that I honestly thought the team from MDE was going to turn out to be the aliens that kidnapped Cody. Turns out, the story doesn’t even attempt to be 1% as clever as that.
A Massive Found Footage Failure
Skinwalker Ranch not only fails at being an interesting sci-fi horror flick, but it also fails at being a found footage flick. Full of awful CGI, bad acting, and an even worse script, Skinwalker Ranch exists as nothing more than a time waster. In fact, Travis Walton’s experience in Fire in the Sky would be more entertaining to take part in than watching even two minutes of this film–I’d rather get dry probed by the Hyperboreans than ever think of this movie again.
