Comrade Courant Culture Critic

Sinners (2025): A Southern Gothic Vampire Epic Rooted in Tradition "A maximalist horror musical that honors every vampire rule—and weaponizes them against Jim Crow." — 4/5 Stars Sinners (2025) review: Vampire movies often punish those who stray from the rules. Holy water, garlic, stakes through the heart—these aren’t suggestions. Sinners , Ryan Coogler’s operatic Southern Gothic horror musical, doesn’t just follow the rules—it worships them . This is a film where vampires need permission to enter a home , flee from sunlight , recoil at holy water , and fall to wooden stakes . The mythology is classic, even reverent. The revolution is elsewhere. Set in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta, the film follows twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore (both played by Michael B. Jordan), World War I veterans who return to their Black hometown to open a juke joint for their community. But thei...

  'The Monkey': A Delightfully Twisted Take on Stephen King’s Cursed Toy "Osgood Perkins delivers a darkly comic, surprisingly heartfelt horror that defies expectations—and makes a killer toy feel fresh again." — 4/5 Stars For fans of Stephen King’s stranger tales and those who appreciate horror with a wicked sense of humor, The Monkey is a rare adaptation that not only honors its source but elevates it. I went into The Monkey with cautious curiosity—after all, how do you turn a wind-up toy that claps cymbals into a credible engine of terror? Yet Osgood Perkins pulls off the near-impossible: a horror film that masterfully blends pitch-black comedy with genuinely gruesome set pieces, all anchored by emotional depth and razor-sharp direction. Far from a gimmick, this cursed monkey becomes the beating (and clapping) heart of one of the most inventive King adaptations in year...