Comrade Courant Culture Critic

They Were Witches (2025): A Grounded, Grief-Soaked Horror Rooted in Mexican Myth "A grounded, grief-soaked slasher that feels rooted in Mexican myth." — 3/5 Stars They Were Witches (2025) review: From its chilling opening—a woman chained to a chair, suffocated with a plastic bag, her breath siphoned into a jar by a man with a hammer— Eran Brujas announces itself as something far more primal than a standard horror film. Directed by Alejandro G. Alegre ( Ánima , The Devil Told Me What to Do ), this Mexican indie doesn’t rely on jump scares or digital spectacle. Instead, it builds dread through atmosphere, folklore, and a deeply personal mythology that feels ancient—even if it’s largely the filmmaker’s own invention. The story follows Mia (Tania Niebla), a paranormal radio host and self-proclaimed witchcraft expert, who stops at a rural motel en route to a therapy session. Ther...

The Home (2025): A Muddled Asylum Thriller That Finds Catharsis in Chaos "A thriller that forgets to explain its own rules—but ends with a gloriously messy revenge splatter." — 2.5/5 Stars The Home (2025) review: James DeMonaco—director of The Purge —trades social satire for psychological horror in this muddled asylum thriller that stumbles through its narrative but lands hard in its final act. Set in a decaying psychiatric facility, it follows Max (Pete Davidson), a lost young man who takes a job as an orderly and quickly finds himself drowning in conspiracies, gaslighting, and escalating violence. I went in with low expectations—and honestly, I still had fun. Not because it’s coherent, but because it commits so fully to its own unraveling. That said, it fails to recapture the thematic clarity or cultural punch that made The Purge franchise resonate. If you’re looking for sharper horror thi...