#–A–B–C–D–E–F–G–H–I-J-K–L–M–N-O–P-Q-R–S–T–U-V–W-X-Y-Z

A

Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story
Released: 2025
Director: Natasha Kermani
Synopsis: Abraham van Helsing (Welliver) moves his sons and wife Mina (Donahue) to the US, and having grown up on Abraham’s stories of creatures of the the night, his sons train to take up their father’s fight against vampires.
Verdict: Frankly it’s slow in pace, boring in story and far too dialogue-heavy. The performances aren’t bad, but they don’t have much to work with. 2/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Abraham’s Boys review.

AfrAId
Released: 2024
Director: Chris Weitz
Synopsis: A family accept a trial period with a new, realistic-sounding AI system named AIA (voiced by Havana Rose Liu). AIA fully integrates herself into the family, at first being an asset, then becoming something much more sinister.
Verdict: Films revolving around AI have been around for decades, but they are becoming increasingly relevant, and filmmakers seem particularly focused on the dangers of AI. In the same vein as M3GAN, AIA spells trouble for the family she is assigned to but is also entirely predictable in her “actions”. Likewise, in the same vein as Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, it focuses on particular aspects rather than seeing the whole picture, having all the potential to take a more unique angle, only to build up then plateau and flatline. 2/5

Alice in Terrorland
Released: 2023
Director: Richard John Taylor
Synopsis: After losing her parents, Alice (Lizzy Willis) moves in with her grandmother in the family mansion named ‘Wonderland’, unaware of the horrors that lurk within.
Verdict: You’ll not find much physical horror here, rather psychological terror, in that Alice’s mind is messed with by her grandmother. It is certainly dark, and if it had more to the story and ran longer than 1hr 16, perhaps audiences would have more to appraise than the surface-level creeps the film provides. 2.5/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Alice in Terrorland review.

American Psycho
Released: 2000
Director: Mary Harron, based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis
Synopsis: Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) leads a double life as an investment banker in New York City by day and a serial killer by night, until his apparent psychosis seems to catch up with him.
Verdict: A violent and disturbing film with plenty of dark comedy that will entertain, shock and disgust. Featuring excellent performances, particularly from Bale, and a lot of themes to mull over, this is one that you will need to be in the right frame of mind to watch, but watch you absolutely should. 4/5

Antichrist
Released: 2009
Director: Lars von Trier
Synopsis: After the death of their son, a grieving couple head to a cabin in the woods to sort through their emotions. Whilst their, the man, a therapist, begins to have strange visions, and the woman, who has a fear of nature, starts to become sexually violent toward the man.
Verdict: This film will not be to everyone’s taste (von Trier movies are generally rather polarising), but if you can stomach it, there’s a lot to be unpacked. There are many shocking scenes, and the horrifying physical and mental aspects are pushed to uncomfortable levels, making this a solid horror that will potentially leave you pondering what exactly it was all about. 4/5

Apt Pupil
Released: 1998
Director: Bryan Singer, based on the novella by Stephen King
Synopsis: Teenager Todd (Brad Renfro) discovers that his elderly neighbour is former Nazi and wanted war criminal Kurt Dussander (Ian McKellen). Dussander lives under a different namet, but Todd, who is disturbingly fascinated by the Nazis, blackmails him into doing whatever he asks in order to keep his secret. 
Verdict: While this film does deviate a little from the novella, it stands quite strong as an adaptation. It’s an interesting story from the angle of a Nazi having his identity discovered, but the warped mind of Todd is a lot to digest. Renfro did an excellent job of tapping into Todd’s psyche, and McKellen’s performance stands as a good representative of a frightening piece of unforgettable history. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Apt Pupil review.

B

The Babadook
Released: 2014
Director: Jennifer Kent
Synopsis: Single mother Amelia (Essie Davis), troubled in her own right, grows increasingly concerned as her also-troubled son invents an imaginary monster. As Amelia’s visions of the monster grow, her relationship with her son grows ever more tense and, eventually, dangerous.
Verdict: A truly frightening film that focuses on exploring the darkness within ourselves and dealing with it (or not, as it were). The psychological aspects are disturbing, but as are the scenes with the looming Babadook and the creepy sounds it makes. 4/5

Barbarian
Released: 2022
Director: Zach Cregger
Synopsis: On arriving at her Airbnb in a sketchy Detroit neighborhood, Tess (Georgina Campbell) finds that another tenant, Keith (Bill Skarsgård), has already booked the place. They decide to share the place, which is owned by actor and accused rapist AJ (Justin Long), for the night, but upon further inspection, Tess finds that the house is hiding some awful secrets.
Verdict: Much like the house within, this film has a lot more to it than meets the eye, with plenty of highly creepy moments and gruesome moments of fear and disgust, not to mention the true psychological horror of the whole thing lends a sorrowful depth to the story. 4/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Barbarian review.

Beast
Released: 2018
Director: Michael Pearce
Synopsis: Moll (Jessie Buckely) is a young woman living at home on the island of Jersey with her controlling mother and dementia-ridden father. A spate of murders plague the island, and local eccentric Pascal (Johnny Flynn) is a suspect. Moll has to decide if she knows Pascal well enough to support him or if she should pay closer attention to her instincts.
Verdict: Pearce utilises Jersey in a way that isn’t all sunshine and white beaches, with the smothering isolation that can accompany living in such a confined place thoroughly palpable through the characters and production design. The story itself is a sturdy one, well-written and executed, based on true harrowing events. 4/5
Read the full Beast review

Best Wishes to All (Japanese: みなに幸あれ)
Released: 2022
Director: Yûta Shimots
Synopsis: A young woman visits her grandparents in a rural town, and what she discovers at their house opens up a world of terror.
Verdict: An interesting look at how happiness sometimes requires the suffering of others, balanced well with body horror and the horror of waking up to the real world. 4/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Best Wishes to All review.

The Black Phone duology
Released: 2021/2025
Director: Scott Derrickson
Synopsis: Young Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) has psychic dreams that hint at the whereabouts of some missing children. When her own brother Finney (Mason Thames) is kidnapped, Gwen relies on her abilities to find him, in spite of their abusive father’s misgivings. In Black Phone 2, Gwen and Finn are haunted by Finn’s captor and delve into their family history to find out how to kill him for good.
Verdict: The short story by Joe Hill doesn’t give a whole lot away, and the first film just adds more characters to lengthen the plot rather than explore the supernatural side of the story (3/5). The second film adds more depth to the characters and further explores the the supernatural side. (4/5)
Read the Tiny Tapes The Black Phone and the full Black Phone 2 reviews.

Blink Twice
Released: 2024
Director: Zoë Kravitz
Synopsis: A cocktail waitress spends a vacation at the private island of a disgraced billionaire with his friends and other women they have invited. Pretty soon, she and the women come to find that the men have brought them to the island for more than they had agreed to.
Verdict:  A great exposition on the way women are treated by many men, particularly men in power, though its message is overshadowed by the slasher aspect and comedy. It has decent shocks and surprises, but perhaps could have been a little deeper. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Blink Twice review.

Bring Her Back
Release date: 2025
Directors: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Synopsis: A brother and sister discover some strange things at the home of their foster mother.
Verdict: In spite of a slightly unoriginal story, the Philippou brothers prove their mettle by creating another horror film that is almost as horrific and gruesome as their debut (Talk to Me). 4/5
Read the full Bring Her Back review.

C

Castle Freak
Release date: 1995
Director: Stuart Gordon
Synopsis: An American man inherits an Italian castle, and while staying there with his estranged wife and blind daughter, they soon learn they’re not alone.
Verdict: A typically gratuitous B-horror that just about manages to have a sturdy plot and indulge in a little body horror amongst some questionable scenes. 3/5

The Call (Korean: 콜 )
Released: 2020
Director: Lee Chung-hyun
Synopsis: When a landline phone rings in 2019, Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) picks up and speaks to Young-sook (Jeon Jong-seo), an abused previous tenant of the house calling from 1999. Young-sook helps out Seo-yeon to improve Seo-yeon’s future, but when Young-sook becomes envious, things start to take a dark turn.
Verdict: A unique story, The Call takes twists and turns that, while a little predictable at times, are able to shock and enthrall audiences. It builds well with great pacing and is held afloat by interesting characters. Jeon Jong-seo puts in an especially menacing performance as the young and disturbed Young-sook. 4/5

Carrie
Released: 1976
Director: Brian de Palma, based on the novel by Stephen King
Synopsis: Teenager Carrie (Sissy Spacek) is an outcast at school, regularly bullied, and living with her abusive, religious zealot of a mother. When she hits puberty, Carrie manifests telekinetic powers. She is asked to the prom by the boyfriend of one of the bullies, and they have no idea of the consequences of pissing her off.
Verdict: If not for the gratuitous scenes of the teenage girls and general misunderstandings of the pubescent female experience, this film would have a higher rating. This isn’t the worst “male-gaze” film to have been made, but it definitely toes a big line. Adaptation-wise, it builds up just as well as the novel, and the pay-off is decent. It’s worth a watch, if only for being a classic. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Carrie (1976) review.

Companion
Released: 2025
Director: Drew Hancock
Synopsis: On a weekend getaway with her boyfriend Josh (Quaid) and their friends, Iris (Thatcher) finds herself in a precarious situation that is further exacerbated after she learns a few truths from Josh, who may not be the doting boyfriend she believes him to be.
Verdict: Companion is not really anything new, particularly in its isolated setting and psychological themes, but if you’re looking for something that’s just a little bit more than your average murder caper, you may take some enjoyment from it. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Companion review.

Creep duology
Released: 2014, 2017
Director: Patrick Brice
Synopsis: Aaron (Patrick Brice) is hired by terminally ill Josef (Mark Duplass) to help him make a film for his unborn child. As Aaron comes to find out, not everything about Josef is at it seems. Then, Sara (Desiree Akhavan) is hired by Josef for the same job, but will she suffer the same fate?
Verdict: The first film has a lot going for it, particularly where Josef is concerned, and as the tension builds alongside Aaron’s fear, we can feel an inevitable climax heading our way. The second replaces that momentum and focuses instead on the psychological aspects of Josef (and Sara), meaning it loses that “fear of the unknown” angle. The first is not the strongest “creep” fest, but the second falls completely flat amongst the heavy dialogue and lack of action. 2/5

D

Dead Mail
Released: 2025
Directors: Joe DeBoer, Kyle McConaghy
Synopsis: When a mail office worker takes home an apparent kidnapping note, he unknowingly rouses the suspicions of the kidnapper.
Verdict: It spends a about ten to fifteen minutes building suspense at a good pace that captures the interest, but as it delves into the events of the kidnapping, it slows right down and goes in an unexpected and, personally speaking, disappointing direction. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Dead Mail review.

The Dead Thing
Released: 2024
Director: Elric Kane
Synopsis: Alex (Blu Hunt) is a commitment-phobe and thus indulges in many meaningless one-night-stands. That is until she meets Kyle (Ben Smith-Petersen). But when she tries to hunt him down after their night together, it turns out he may not even exist.
Verdict: This film certainly falls on the more erotic side of horror, with plenty of sexual overtones, however it often takes away from the psychological side, particularly where Alex’s mental health is concerned. 2.5/5
Read the Tiny Tapes The Dead Thing review.

The Devil’s Candy
Released: 2017
Director: Sean Byrne
Synopsis: A family are stalked by a murderer after moving into a new house, a murderer who claims to be killing children for the devil.
Verdict: As much about fatherhood as it is about feeding childrens’ souls to the devil, this thematic horror has some stark imagery and intense scenes. Pruitt Taylor Vince is an unsettling antagonist while Ethan Embry holds the whole thing together as an artist with a touch of madness. 3.5/5

Doctor Sleep
Released: 2019
Director: Mike Flanagan, based on the novel by Stephen King
Synopsis: Thirty-one years after the events of The Shining, Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) is a homeless alcoholic, trying to escape his memories and suppress his supernatural abilities. Danny is contacted through supernatural means by a young girl who is being hunted for her abilities. Together they come up with a plan that involves delving into Danny’s dark childhood.
Verdict: Doctor Sleep has a steady plot that rises to a satisfying boiling point. There are aspects of the Stephen King novel that have been left out, and they’re aspects that would have been good to see but would not have made sense in a film tied in with Kubrick’s The Shining universe. 4/5
Read the full Doctor Sleep review.

Don’t Move
Released: 2024
Directors: Brian Netto, Adam Schindler
Synopsis: On a visit to the place of her son’s untimely death, Iris (Kelsey Asbille) finds herself running for her life when Richard (Finn Wittrock) injects her with a substance that will paralyse her body if she doesn’t get help soon, even if that means putting others in Richard’s firing line.
Verdict: The premise actually sounds rather dull, but the majority of the film does better than that. Asbille puts in a great performance (yes, even when she’s paralysed), and although Wittrock’s performance is also good, his psychotic character is full of cliches and isn’t particularly deep or interesting as a villain. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Don’t Move review.

Don’t Worry Darling
Released: 2022
Director: Olivia Wilde
Synopsis: A young couple live in a Stepford Wives-style world where everything appears to be perfect.. That is, until cracks begin to show, revealing something insidious lurking beneath the gleaming exterior.
Verdict: This film had a lot of potential but fell a little flat. It’s an interesting but much of it feels familiar due to a lack of originality in the plot. The best thing about this movie is Florence Pugh, giving her all into a character that falls below the need for her exceptional talents, and Styles was perfectly cast as your average American wonderboy. Don’t Worry Darling will keep you guessing and hoping for a good payoff, a payoff that will be deflating for some. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Don’t Worry Darling review.

Drop
Released: 2025
Director: Christopher Landon
Synopsis: A widowed single mother finds her first date in years severely disrupted when someone begins to air drop memes to her phone, memes that grow more personal until she’s caught up in a deadly scheme that could cost her sister and her son their lives.
Verdict: Drop manages to do what many films of its ilk struggle to do in putting a somewhat fresher spin on a tried-and-tested formula, resulting in a stressfully exhilirating 95 minutes that will leave you on the edge of your seat. 4/5
Read the full Drop review.

E

Everyone is Going to Die (AKA: The Visitors)
Released: 2024
Director: Craig Tuohy
Synopsis: A divorced entrepreneur invites his daughter to his home in order to reconnect with her, but they are disrupted by two anti-patriarchy female intruders.
Verdict: With clunky dialogue and flat performances, this film attempts to ‘shock’ but really just tries to distract from a poor story. 2/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Everyone is Going to Die review.

F

Frankenstein
Released: 1931
Director: James Whale
Synopsis: Dr. Frankenstein decides to play god and reanimate a body thrown together with multiple body parts from different corpses in order to create the Monster. Without someone to guide him, the misunderstood Monster terrorises the locals until they set out to hunt him down.
Verdict: A horror classic that stands the test of time, if only for its brutal nature and dark tones (in both its visuals and its story) and the famous make-up on Boris Karloff. Staying more or less true to Mary Shelley’s famous novel, there’s a lot to be terrified of in this movie, and a lot to enjoy in its 1930s style. 4/5

Frankenstein (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein)
Released: 1994
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Synopsis: Victor Frankenstein (Kenneth Branagh) is hounded by the Creature (Robert DeNiro) he created and abandoned, discovering that playing God isn’t what he thought it would be.
Verdict: An excellent adaptation of the classic story with terrific performances and stunning (though at times horrifying) imagery, set designs, visual effects and make up. Almost like a stage play at times, it’s incredibly immersive and will leave you with more existential questions than answers. 4/5

Frankenstein
Released: 2025
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Synopsis: Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) becomes infamous for his work in reanimation, to the point where he is commissioned by arms dealer Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz) to speed up the process and reanimate a full body, resulting in the ‘birth’ of his Creature (Jacob Elordi). Victor comes to see his creation as an imperfect specimen, an abomination that must not be allowed to live.
Verdict: Fantastical but grounded in reality, subtle in some respects, overt in others, del Toro’s career has led up to this film, and it has totally been worth the wait, with astounding performances, terrifying visuals and incredible emotional depth. Pure gothic brilliance. 4.5/5
Read the full Frankenstein (2025) review.

G

Get Out
Released: 2017
Director: Jordan Peele
Synopsis: When African-American Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) meets his white girlfriend’s family, everything is not as it seems, and he begins to uncover unsettling secrets surrounding the family, their black staff and their white friends.
Verdict: Get Out will give you the creeps, but also encourage you to think more deeply in its themes and the way it can be interpreted, in some ways shedding light on the “horrors” that still exist in society. It’s frightening both visually and conceptually, making it quite the all-rounder, but if you’re less a fan of blood and gore and prefer to have your mind put to the test, this one is for you. 4/5

Ginger Snaps
Released: 2000
Director: John Fawcett
Synopsis: Two sisters, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins) are unusually close, going so far as to promise to live together or die together. On the same day that Ginger finally gets her period at an unusually late age, she is attacked by a werewolf. As her body begins to change, as does her relationship with Brigitte, with the latter racing against time to find a cure for her sister.
Verdict: Being a clear commentary on the changes a girl experiences when starting her period and moving through puberty, Ginger Snaps works well to use hyperbole to describe the changes and make for a decent werewolf horror movie. It also makes good use of prosthetics to make some interesting-looking werewolves. 3/5

Good Boy
Released: 2025
Director: Ben Leonberg
Synopsis: When Indy and his owner Todd (Jensen) move from the city to a rural area, Todd becomes haunted by a presence that he appears to be unaware of, but Indy, ever the loyal canine, does his best to protect Todd from the evil that surrounds him. 
Verdict: With themes about depression and survival in humans and the role dogs play in both and just how central they are to our lives at times, this film is creepy and shot fairly well, though it could have been edited to give Indy a little more personality. 3.5/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Good Boy review.

Gretel & Hansel
Released: 2020
Director: Osgood Perkins
Synopsis: Two young siblings are cast out by their mother and left to fend for themselves in the woods when they take refuge in the house of a strange old woman.
Verdict: It’s certainly a fresh take on the tale, adding in more fantastical elements to turn into a darker fairy tale than it already was, however the mix of accents is a little jarring, and the pacing slows too often for it to remain consistently interesting. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Gretel & Hansel review.

H

Heretic
Released: 2024
Directors: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Synopsis: Young Mormon missionaries Sister Barnes (Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (East) come to the home of Mr. Reed (Grant), a man who initially appears open to learning about the Mormon religion, but in reality has thoughts that run much deeper and creepier place.
Verdict: The film shows promise but devolves into arrogance; where it was probably supposed to have deeper meaning it ends up only surface level. Grant’s performance is a nice step away from his normal monotonous roles, but the climax was disappointing and felt patronising. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Heretic review.

Holland
Released: 2025
Director: Mimi Cave
Synopsis: A teacher with a husband and son soon finds herself questioning her husband’s fidelity, leading her down a sordid path of death and deceit.
Verdict: The relationships between the characters are written well, however the performances felt lacking, particularly from Kidman. Perhaps if the characters and performances were tighter, the thriller and mystery aspects may have stood a better chance. 2.5/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Holland review.

The House That Jack Built
Released: 2018
Director: Lars von Trier
Synopsis: A serial killer contemplates his motives as he commits several murders over the course of twelve years.
Verdict: Coming soon

Humpty Dumpty trilogy
Released: 2021-2023
Synopsis: A cursed Humpty Dumpty doll brings nothing but blood and terror to multiple people.
Verdict: The plot of The Curse of Humpty Dumpty is alright but not well executed and is quite monotonous until the last act (2.5/5), everything about The Cult of Humpty Dumpty is just bad, including Humpty Dumpty himself hardly worthy of being a titular character (1/5), and to round out the trilogy, we have more poor performances, a weak story and barely any need for Humpty Dumpty in The Madness of Humpty Dumpty (1.5/5)
Read the Tiny Tapes Humpty Dumpty trilogy review.

I

I Saw the TV Glow
Released: 2024
Director: Jane Schoenbrun
Synopsis: Young teens Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) bond over their shared love of an odd young adult TV show called The Pink Opaque. As the timeline progresses through Owen’s life, Maddy comes and goes with a strange story revolving around their own possible involvement with The Pink Opaque.
Verdict: On the surface, I Saw the TV Glow is at once interesting, captivating and suitably creepy, but it also has a depth to it that not a lot of films of this genre can effectively convey amongst the creep factor, and much of that is down to Smith’s stunning performance and Lundy-Paine’s own intense scenes. 4/5
Read the Tiny Tapes I Saw the TV Glow review.

L

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane
Released: 1976
Director: Nicolas Gessner
Synopsis: The suspicions of locals are aroused by a young girl who lives with her mysterious father that no one ever sees.
Verdict: An interesting film that keeps you guessing right up until the end, with some surprising twists along the way. Some of the subject matter is a bit intense, especially considering Jodie Foster’s age at the time, and though Foster does well in the role of Rynn, she was not used to her full potential as a generation-defining young actor. 3.5/5

The Long Walk
Released: 2025
Director: Francis Lawrence
Synopsis: A group of boys take on the Long Walk, in which they must continue to walk above 3mph until just one boy remains, his prize being money and one wish for something he wants. If one should stop or fall below 3mph, he gets three warnings before getting shot.
Verdict: It doesn’t come a whole lot more dystopian than this, and due to the nature of the story and its lack of action, it relies heavily on characters being strong and dialogue being interesting, both of which it succeeds in. 4/5
Read the Tiny Tapes The Long Walk review.

Longlegs
Released: 2024
Director: Osgood Perkins
Synopsis: FBI agent Lee (Maika Monroe) is on the trail of a serial killer named Longlegs (Nicolas Cage) who may be linked to an event from her childhood. While she also exhibits some clairvoyant abilities, Lee struggles to keep up with the killers hints in his letters, until they start to get too personal for Lee.
Verdict: There was much hype surrounding this film (perhaps in part due to Perkins’ own link to horror through his father, Psycho‘s Anthony Perkins), and although it stands as an ok film, it does not live up to said hype. Cage puts up another weird but pretty good performance, and the psychotic aspects of the film are pretty good, but it’s not quite the frightening film many seem to claim it is. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Longlegs review.

M

M3GAN duology
Released: 2022/2025
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Synopsis: An orphaned girl, Cady (Violet McGraw), lives with her roboticist aunt and is given a child-like robot named M3GAN as a friend, with M3GAN eventually acting as a guardian for Cady. As M3GAN’s AI grows, so does her overprotectiveness of Cady, with M3GAN becoming a threat to anyone but Cady. In M3GAN 2.0, M3GAN returns to continue her reign of terror.
Verdict: The first is a fun if not original film, but at least its creators seemed to be aware of that and did what they could to add things that made the movie self-aware, ironically, considering its commentary on the risks of AI. (3/5) A review of the second film is coming soon.
Read the full M3GAN review.

mother!
Released: 2017
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Synopsis: With much of the story based on the Bible, mother! follows the tale of unnamed characters who infiltrate the Mother’s (Jennifer Lawrence) house and her life, eventually leaving her peaceful existence in tatters.
Verdict: The film is basically an allegory for the destruction of the world, or Mother Nature, and depicts Adam & Eve and Cain & Abel and how destructive humans are. It’s quite on the nose in that regard, however the performances are top notch, and the its provocative scenes work hand in hand with the performances to put its message across in a poignant way. 4/5

O

Old
Released: 2021
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Synopsis: A bunch of people on holiday at a resort find themselves isolated on a nearby beach that has them all rapidly aging at the rate of about one year every thirty mintues.
Verdict: This isn’t one of Shyamalan’s better movies; the plot is stagnant at times (ironically), the characters are often just annoying, and the ultimate reveal of why the aging is happening isn’t all that exciting. What it does have going for it however is the way the characters interact. Emotions run high, true colours are shown, and the nature of humans, both good and bad, is bared for all to see. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Old review.

Opus
Released: 2025
Director: Mark Anthony Green
Synopsis: Journalist Arial (Edebiri) is invited to the compound of retired ’90s popstar Alfred Moretti (Malkovich) to hear his new work. However, Ariel and the other attendees quickly discover that Moretti now exists in some sort of cult, and they have to fight for their lives.
Verdict: Opus has a creepy atmosphere that will keep you watching, and the strange events that occur will keep you going from one to the next, but it feels very familiar, like its influences are pieced together to make something not so original. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Opus review.

P

Pan’s Labyrinth (Spanish: El laberinto del fauno)
Released: 2006
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Synopsis: In 1944 Spain, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) goes to live with her pregnant mother and new tyrannical stepfather. As Ofelia navigates her new world of horror and abuse, she discovers a labyrinth and magical creatures, as well as the tale of Princess Moanna, with Ofelia believed to be the reincarnation of the princess. In order to return to her kingdom, Ofelia must pass three tasks while avoiding the threat of her stepfather.
Verdict: A groundbreaking film that has a unique blend of fantasy, horror and psychological drama that creates a truly disturbing film that also has a huge helping of hope. The VFX are fantastic and very imaginative, as are the costumes and make up of the creatures. This film is quite possibly del Toro’s magnum opus. 5/5

Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare*
Released: 2025
Director: Scott Chambers
Synopsis: Wendy (Megan Placito) has to rescue her brother Michael (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) from an evil and deranged Peter Pan (Martin Portlock).
Verdict: With well-known characters being twisted beyond recognition, it has supernatural elements that likely arise from Peter having a mental illness, and Wendy becomes the heroine of the piece as a regular young woman. The horror is fairly shocking, the psychological aspects are intriguing, and the performances are quite immersive. 3.5/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare review.

The Plague
Released: 2025
Director: Charlie Polinger
Synopsis: A boy is outcast from his water polo team due to having a skin issue that the boys dub ‘the plague’, and when new boy Ben (Everett Blunck) comes along, he finds himself going along with their taunts and pranks so he can fit in, but he soon finds his empathy getting the better of him. 
Verdict: There’s something rather Lord of the Flies about this due to the attitudes and almost feral nature of some of the boys when left to their own devices. Stylistically it has fantastic and oft-terrifying soundscapes and a sound design that makes getting in the pool seem more frightening than getting in the ocean with Jaws. 4.5/5
Read the Tiny Tapes The Plague review.

Presence
Released: 2024
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Synopsis: On moving to a new house, a slightly dysfunctional family of four come to find that they are sharing their space with an unknown presence that interferes with their lives, but not necessarily maliciously.
Verdict: The cinematography and framing screams Soderbergh, as does the depth of the writing and the characters, but we are left with some loose ends that would have been nice to have tied up. It is paced well and will keep you intrigued to the very end, and the performances are engaging. 3.5/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Presence review.

R

Red Rooms (French: Les chambres rouges)
Released: 2023
Director: Pascal Plante
Synopsis: Fashion model Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) becomes fascinated with a murder case, a fascination that soon becomes an obsession.
Verdict: Kelly-Anne’s self-destructive slide from casual observer to near-partaker in the murder case is fantastically done and paced extremely well. There’s a lot of depth to her, and it makes for an interesting POV for the murder case. While the details of the murder are gruesome, everything that surrounds it is nearly just as gruesome in its own perverted way. 4/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Red Rooms review.

The Rental
Released: 2020
Director: Dave Franco
Synopsis: Charlie (Dan Stevens) rents a house for a weekend with his wife Michelle (Alison Brie), his brother Josh (Jeremy Allen White) and Josh’s girlfriend and Charlie’s work partner Mina (Sheila Vand). When Mina discovers a hidden camera all hell starts to break lose, as relationships (and bones) are broken and some of them try to cover up things they’ve done.
Verdict: The premise isn’t exactly original, but some of the twists and turns make up for that a little. It tries to keep the antagonist’s side of the story fairly mysterious, but it ends up leaving us desiring more information about their motives and relation to anyone else in the movie. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes The Rental review.

Revenge (French)
Released: 2017
Director: Coralie Fargeat
Synopsis: After a young woman is raped and left for dead, she sets out to get revenge on her attackers.
Verdict: Fargeat’s debut film already set her up as a strong filmmaker with a solid eye for detail and a clear focus on female-centred experiences. Although some of the symbolism is a tad on the nose at times, the story and the horror aspects deftly portray the anger that stews within most, if not all, women when it comes to how we’re treated by the patricarchy, not to mention what we’re capable of, even when pushed to our limits. 4/5

The Rule of Jenny Pen
Released: 2024
Director: James Ashcroft
Synopsis: After suffering a stroke, judge Stefan (Rush) is sent to live in a care home. The staff ignore Stefan’s pleas for help when he discovers many of the home’s terrified residents are being abused by fellow resident Dave (Lithgow) and his puppet named Jenny Pen.
Verdict: Lithgow is terrifying as Dave, and Rush’s Stefan, being a judge, seeks justice and consequences for Dave, but it all falls on deaf ears, with not even the abused residents wishing to come forward. It all culminates in horrible events, and the way the tension builds and the abuse is portrayed is enough to put anyone off being left in a care home. 4/5
Read the Tiny Tapes The Rule of Jenny Pen review.

S

The Silence of the Lambs
Released: 1991
Director: Jonathan Demme, based on the book by Thomas Harris
Synopsis: Trainee FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is called upon to run an “errand” that involves questioning infamous psychologist-turned-serial killer and cannibal, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), in order to get insight into a current wanted serial killer. Lecter invokes a quid-pro-quo exchange where he learns more about Clarice, and as she closes in on the killer, Lecter becomes more and more an unwanted presence, in more ways than one.
Verdict: Truly a film worthy of all its accolades and critical acclaim, The Silence of the Lambs boasts fantastic performances, chilling dialogue, shocking scenes and nary a dull moment as we’re taken on a journey that works hard to scratch at the surface of deeply disturbing criminal minds. 5/5

The Shining
Released: 1980
Director: Stanley Kubrick, based on the book by Stephen King
Synopsis: Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) takes his wife and son to a mountain hotel for the winter, where he is to be its caretaker. In spite of warnings from the hotel’s owner about past incidents, Jack finds himself engulfed in the supernatural presences within the hotel, and things come to a head when he starts to threaten his family, and his son shows signs of having his own supernatural abilities.
Verdict: The film is certainly quite different to Stephen King’s novel, to the point where they’re not really comparable. As a standalone, the film is really an excellent dive into a psychotic breakdown on Jack’s part, and the way the story builds and crescendos with one of the most classic and famous film endings ever truly shows why it continues to endure and freak out audiences everywhere. 4/5

Sleep (Korean: 잠 )
Released: 2023
Director: Jason Yu
Synopsis: Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) is newly married to Hyeon-soo (Lee Sun-kyun) and pregnant. Everything is perfect, until she realises that Hyeon-soo has some problems at night. Keeping herself awake worrying about him and what he might do, Soo-jin must find a way to help her husband before events take a turn for the worse, especially after she gives birth.
Verdict: There’s definitely potential to read into post-partum mental health issues in this film, but it can also be taken on the chin as a simple psychological horror. It builds very well, with Soo-jin’s potential psychosis being the building blocks and Hyeon-soo’s apparent sleep problems being the cement. It’s a decent creepy film that has quite a shocking, if not entirely unpredictable, ending. 4/5

Smile duology
Released: 2022/2024
Director: Parker Finn
Synopsis: When therapist Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) witnesses a patient commit suicide in front of her, she starts to experience some supernatural occurrences. In Smile 2, the same supernatural entity haunts international pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott).
Verdict: The first film is marginally ok. In spite of the shocking events of the beginning, it starts rather slowly, builds slowly, and has a rather predictable ending. The second mirrors the basic plot of the first but is executed better, if a little exhausting in the lack of a break for Skye. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Smile 2 review.

Speak No Evil (Danish: Gæsterne)
Released: 2022
Director: Christian Tafdrup
Synopsis: A Danish couple and their clingy daughter meet a Dutch couple and their tongueless son while on holiday in Tuscany. The Dutches invite the Danes to stay at their home for a few days, but while there the Danish couple witness bizarre antics from the Danes and are disturbed by the way they treat their son.
Verdict: This original version of Speak No Evil plays on subtlety to build the terror extremely well, and the disturbing incidents are not forced down your throat but rather unnerve until the horrifying climax. The whole thing is paced very evenly and very much sums up what psychological horror is. 4/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Speak No Evil review.

Speak No Evil
Released: 2024
Director: James Watkins
Synopsis: An American couple meet an English couple while on holiday in Italy. Having just moved to London, the Americans are invited to the remote Devon home of the English to stay for a few days. While there, the Americans witness disturbing behaviour from the English couple, particularly toward their son.
Verdict: The 2022 film plays on subtlety while this adaptation unceremoniously rams the events down your throat and makes the story much more predictable. It does however supersede the original in its setting – the isolation of the English countryside. James McAvoy’s performance is also extremely disturbing, with psych horror being a genre he has really grown a talent for over the years. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Speak No Evil review.

Split
Released: 2016
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Synopsis: Kevin (James McAvoy) has twenty-three personalities, though he has yet to show anyone his twenty-fourth and most savage of personalities. Kevin is compelled by one of his personalities to kidnap three teenage girls, one of which, Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), tries to work with/manipulate Kevin’s personalities in order to secure the girls’ release.
Verdict: A stunning performance from McAvoy in yet another of his rather maniacal roles, Split has another intriguing premise from the mind of Shyamalan, but like many of his films, it still falls a little short of being the masterpiece it could have been, if only the story had been tighter and some of the characters less predictable. 3/5

Starve Acre
Released: 2023
Director: Daniel Daniel Kokotajlo
Synopsis: Archaeologist Richard (Smith) and his wife Jules (Clark) live a quiet life on a farm left to Richard after the passing of his abusive father. Soon, Richard and Jules suffer the unimaginable in the loss of their son, and events from Richard’s childhood begin to come up again as they navigate their grief and things turn a little more supernatural.
Verdict: Starve Acre goes beyond the physical to the mental strain on Richard and Jules and the effect it has on their relationship to create something harrowing and, frankly, tragic in more ways than one. It’s at once familiar and bizarre, throwing in odd situations amidst a situation that is sadly familiar to many. 4/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Starve Acre review.

Stopmotion
Released: 2023
Director: Robert Morgan
Synopsis: After her controlling mother finally passes away, Ella (Aisling Franciosi) continues work on the stopmotion film they were making together. As she does, Ella’s grapples with her grip on reality, seeing much of her life play out via the stopmotion characters she creates, as well as little girl who intially pays her friendly visits but then begins to torment Ella.
Verdict: The horror in this film builds quite well, with plenty of gore and psychologically thrilling aspects. The stopmotion scenes are creepy and make for a good change of pace, but it does feel like it’s lacking something big, perhaps a reasoning for Ella’s descent into madness. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Stopmotion review.

The Surrender
Released: 2025
Director: Julia Max
Synopsis: Megan (Colby Minifie) assists her mother Barbara (Kate Burton) as Megan’s father succumbs to his illness. However, Barbara is not quite ready to let her husband go, and she pulls Megan into an occult ritual to try to bring him back.
Verdict: Although it’s got a good creepy aspect to it, its the overarching story between the mother and daughter that give the film its plausibility. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes The Surrender review.

T

Together
Released: 2025
Director: Michael Shanks
Synopsis: A couple move to the countryside where a supernatural occurrence affects their lives, from their relationship to their physical bodies.
Verdict: One of the best things about Together, and many decent horror films, is the blending of multiple sub-genres in an attempt to create something somewhat unique. With its combination of psychological, supernatural and body horror with a healthy sprinkling of comedy and even a dash of romance, it becomes its own hybrid in a genre that’s tough to stand out in. 4/5
Read the full Together review.

Trap
Released: 2024
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Synopsis: Cooper Abbott (Josh Hartnett), a firefighter by day, takes his teenage daughter to the concert of a popstart whom she idolises. On seeing the tight security and police presence at the concert, Cooper comes to find out that the concert is a trap set to capture a serial killer, the serial killer being Cooper himself.
Verdict: It’s clear to see that Shyamalan tried to turn a mystery thriller on its head by revealing the killer virtually from the off, but it just doesn’t work. It had the potential to be a good premise, it was just poorly executed. The pacing is slow, the three act structure is so clear cut to the point of being like three separate films, and it lacks substance. Hartnett’s performance was good, though. Well done him. 2/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Trap review.

U

The Ugly Stepsister (Norwegian: Den Stygge Stesøsteren)
Released: 2025
Director: Emilie Blichfeldt
Synopsis: After the passing of Agnes’s (Næss), aka Cinderella’s, father, her ‘evil’ step-mother begins to push her eldest daughter Elvira (Myren) into more intense lessons, beauty regimes and surgical changes to make her more attractive to the opposite sex, the goal being to find a rich husband, at any cost.
Verdict: The extreme measures Elvira puts herself through, intiated by her mother, are truly horrific and reflective of the pain women will put themselves through to achieve the ‘perfect’ look. The performances are excellent, the story and characters well written, and the body horror scenes hard to look away from. 4/5
Read the Tiny Tapes The Ugly Stepsister review.

Unsane
Released: 2018
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Synopsis: Two years after falling victim to an obsessed stalker, Sawyer (Claire Foy) suffers a breakdown and unwittingly commits herself to 24-hours in an institution, which then stretches to seven days, all the while convinced her stalker has been employed at the facility under a false identity.
Verdict: Both Soderbergh and the iPhone deserve their due in this – the film is visually enticing and holds the attention of the audience where the dialogue and story is unable to. Foy was also perfect casting for this role, again taking the film to heights it may not have otherwise reached. With a little more work on the second half of the screenplay the film might have fared better overall. 3/5
Read the full Unsane review.

Until Dawn
Released: 2025
Synopsis: Based on the video game, Until Dawn follows a group of friends who head to the area where the sister of one of the friends went missing, but they soon find themselves caught in a time loop, and if they don’t find a way out of it, they could become part of the many missing people.
Verdict: You might enjoy the twists and turns that come with this film, and although the characters and their initial motive for finding themselves in this predicament aren’t all that original, the plot makes an admirable attempt of keeping things fresh. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Until Dawn review.

Us
Released: 2019
Director: Jordan Peele
Synopsis: In 1986, young Adelaide (Madison Curry) wanders into a hall of mirrors. When she emerges, she is unable to speak. Adult Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o), now mostly recovered, is on holiday with her family when they are visited by strangers who unleash havoc with consequences for more than just Adelaide’s family.
Verdict: Us doesn’t quite have the same effect as Peele’s Get Out, however that’s not to say that Us doesn’t stand firmly on its own two feet. It is sinister and has some unpredictable moments that will leave you on the edge of your seat. 4/5
Read the full Us review

W

Weapons
Released: 2025
Director: Zach Cregger
Synopsis: When all the children from the same class go missing one night, the parents become fraught and demand answers from the local law enforcement and the class’s teacher, Justine Gandy (Garner). Justine too wants answers, and she starts to suspect that Alex (Christopher), the only child in the class that did not go missing, has something to do with it.
Verdict: Instead of basing the story around the children, Weapons goes the occult route and doesn’t take full advantage of its incredibly interesting premise. The first and second acts keep you guessing, but then the third act is a bit of a let down. On the whole, Cregger’s debut film Barbarian was better. 3/5

The Woman in Cabin 10
Released: 2025
Director: Simon Stone
Synopsis: Laura, a journalist, recently discovered a source for a story had been murdered before they got a chance to speak to her. As a way to ‘relax’, she accepts an invitation, along with a group that includes her ex, onto the superyacht of a dying billionaire. While there, she gets caught up in the mystery of the woman in the cabin next to her, who apparently doesn’t exist.
Verdict: There seems to be an element of fun to it in initially guessing who of the guests onboard may be involved, and the claustrophobic feel that the setting gives is a little unnerving at times, however the performances are up and down and it’s really quite predicatable, so don’t expect to be surprised by the end.
Read the Tiny Tapes The Woman in Cabin 10 review.