Welcome to the heart of Knockout Horror. This is where we keep the hundreds of reviews we’ve written over the years. Let’s be honest: the horror genre is a minefield. For every Hereditary, there are a dozen low-budget disasters waiting to waste your Friday night. That’s where we come in.
We watch the good, the bad, and the absolute trash so you don’t have to. From the latest theatrical blockbusters to the obscurest oddities hiding in the depths of Tubi and Shudder, you’ll find our honest, unpretentious, and jargon-free verdicts right here. No film school lectures, just a horror fan telling you if it’s worth the popcorn.
We review Tyler MacIntyre’s It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023). This Shudder Original reimagines the holiday classic as a slasher movie. Is it a clever, bloody subversion of George Bailey’s story or just a toothless, saccharine trudge through festive tropes? Find out in our full review.
We review Magnus Martens’ There’s Something in the Barn (2023). This Norwegian Christmas horror sees an American family battle a murderous barn elf, but is it a new festive tradition like Rare Exports or just a tonally confused Gremlins-lite trudge? Find out in our full review.
We review René Manzor’s Deadly Games (1989). This French cult classic sees a child prodigy defending his home from a killer Santa using a series of traps. Is it really the horror blueprint for Home Alone, or just a stylish holiday trudge through 80s tropes? Find out in our full review.
We review Joe Begos’ Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022). This Shudder original slasher features a robotic Santa gone rogue, but is it a neon-soaked holiday classic or just a loud, obnoxious, and painfully improvised trudge with unlikable characters? Find out in our full review.
We review John McPhail’s Anna and the Apocalypse (2017). This unique festive mashup combines a zombie outbreak with high school musical numbers, but is it a catchy new Christmas tradition or just a tonally confused trudge through undead tropes? Find out in our full review.
We review Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3 (2024). Art the Clown is back for a blood-soaked Christmas, but is this festive slasher a new holiday masterpiece or just a bloated, tonally confused trudge that tries too hard to offend? Find out in our full review.
We review Steven LaMorte’s The Mean One (2022). Starring David Howard Thornton (Terrifier’s Art the Clown) as a murderous version of the Grinch, but is this festive parody a new cult classic or just a cheap, shaky, and boring trudge through holiday tropes? Find out in our full review.
We review Adam Marcus’ Secret Santa (2018). This Christmas-themed horror-comedy from the director of Jason Goes to Hell tries to be edgy and offensive, but is it a new holiday cult classic or just a mean-spirited, dated trudge through unlikable characters and bad CGI? Find out in our full review.
We review Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving (2023). Based on the mock trailer from Grindhouse, this holiday slasher delivers a feast of inventive kills and practical gore, but is the John Carver mystery a seasonal delight or just a predictable trudge through basic horror tropes? Find out in our full review.
We review Alison Locke’s The Apology (2022). Starring Anna Gunn and Linus Roache, this Shudder festive thriller is a dark, character-driven chamber play, but is it an intense holiday treat or just a slow, repetitive trudge through uninspired tropes? Find out in our full review.
We review Lydie-Anne W. Schuman’s Silent Bite (2024). This Christmas-themed vampire heist movie features the cast of The Nights Before Christmas, but is it a stylish Tarantino-esque thriller or just a derivative, technically broken trudge through bad audio and stolen dialogue? Find out in our full review.
We review Paul Tanter’s The Nights Before Christmas (2019). This holiday slasher sequel features a murderous Santa and a Harley Quinn-inspired Mrs. Claus, but is it a festive treat or just a dull, dialogue-heavy trudge through generic tropes and bad acting? Find out in our full review.