Comrade Courant Culture Critic

Kids vs. Aliens (2022): A Gory, R-Rated Love Letter to ’90s Kids’ Horror “Goosebumps meets Evil Dead—but leave the kids at home.” — 3/5 Stars On the eve of Halloween, there’s a special kind of joy in a movie that doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is: loud, bloody, and wildly entertaining. Kids vs. Aliens (2022) is exactly that—a gory, R-rated romp that wears its influences like badges of honor. Think of it as what happens when the kids who grew up on Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? hit their 30s, watched Evil Dead , and decided to make something that honors both. Unlike R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead —a perfect gateway horror for younger viewers—this one is decidedly not for kids . It’s chaotic, profane, and drenched in practical-effects gore. The film follows Sam, a sharp-witted teen played with fierce commitment by Phoebe Rex, as she tries to survive a Halloween house party th...

Crimes of the Future(2022): Cronenberg Returns with a Visceral Vision of Human Evolution "A chilling, visually audacious provocation that lingers long after the credits roll—just maybe not in the way you’d want it to." — 4/5 Stars For devotees of cerebral body horror and those unafraid to stare into the abyss of biological obsolescence, Crimes of the Future is a singular, unforgettable experience—grotesque, brilliant, and defiantly Cronenbergian. Let’s be clear: if the words “written and directed by David Cronenberg” don’t make your stomach flutter with a mix of dread and anticipation, you haven’t been paying attention. With Crimes of the Future (2022)—a film that shares only its title with Cronenberg’s obscure 1970 debut of the same name (the two are completely unrelated)—the legendary auteur returns to his roots with a slow-burning, surgically precise meditation on art, mutation...