dedecrim
Deirdre Crimmins
Senior Critic
Deirdre Crimmins is Chicago-based freelance film critic and a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. She contributes regularly to Rue Morgue magazine, previously she wrote for both High Def Digest and Birth.Movies.Death. Though a lifelong horror film fan, she also loves a good musical or screwball comedy when the mood strikes.Articles by Deirdre Crimmins:
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September 30, 2020
Death Of Me Review: Dude, Where Is My Passport?Not all horror films are great, but plenty are good. Death Of Me is not ever going to enter the upper echelons of the genre, but it does present a fun enough way to spend 94 minutes. The story is a bit like a folk horror centered Dude, Where’s My Car?. Married couple Christine and […]
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September 28, 2020
The Antenna Review: Watered Down ContemptDistopias with heavy-handed governments were one of the first things dreamed of by science fiction after the industrial revolution. Metropolis, 1984, and, We collectively looked to Big Brother (and originated that phrase) as the big bad guy. The Antenna tries to carry that torch, but fails to have much to add to the conversation. The […]
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September 27, 2020
Shortcut Review: One Helluva MonsterShortcut is just the kind of jumpy spooky horror film we need to kick off this year’s season of Halloween. The film begins on a school bus with only a few kids and their driver. When they come across a bunch of logs in the road they are forced to turn around and take a […]
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September 21, 2020
Oldenburg Film Festival Review: Buck AlamoBuck Alamo is a simple tale of a man looking back at his life and trying to fight off death. Death for Buck Alamo (Sonny Carl Davis), the singing cowboy, is inevitable. Not only is the voice of Death (Bruce Dern) used as a voiceover throughout the film, but his doctor has told him in […]
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September 18, 2020
Antebellum Review: Empty Gestures and Hollow HistoryWhen it comes to horror, what has happened throughout history to Black people is far worse than anything that has ever happened in any horror film. Antebellum exploits that true cruelty and uses it as a vehicle for more pain without any notion of commentary or nuance beyond the obvious. The film starts with a […]
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September 16, 2020
Spiral Review: Not Entirely LostSpiral is a bit of a horror tropes mishmash, but at its core it holds the fear of being different or misunderstood for merely being true to yourself. The film starts like so many other horror films: with a family moving to a new town. Couple Malik (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman) and Aaron (Ari Cohen) are clearly […]
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September 10, 2020
Rent-A-Pal Review: Companionship On-DemandThere is no way writer/director Jon Stevenson could have possibly known how topical Rent-A-Pal would be. While certain aspects of the plot may feel far fetched and intentionally dated, the yearning for connection and finding that on a screen is now more potent than ever. David (Brian Landis Folkins) is a pretty lonely guy. Living […]
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September 9, 2020
Fantasia 2020 Review: The Dark and The WickedBrutality is not limited to physical torment. The Dark and The Wicked is emotionally brutal, and a bit physically tortuous too. The film begins with Louise (Marin Ireland) and her brother Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) returning home to pay their final respects to their father. He is at hospice at home, and will likely not […]
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September 7, 2020
The Owners Review: Not A Worthy InvestmentHome invasions gone wrong can be a particularly interesting premise for a film. You never know who people truly are until you try to take their stuff while on their own turf. Recent botched break ins like Don’t Breathe and Villains are good examples of the terror or hilarity that ensue after damn kids enter […]
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August 31, 2020
Fantasia 2020 Review: Minor PremiseEvery film festival has the potential to introduce you to your next favorite film. Though Fantasia International Film Festival is not quite done yet, nor is it possible to have seen every film programmed, Minor Premise is certainly in the running for that precious top spot. Neuroscientist Ethan (Sathya Sridharan) is on the brink of […]
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August 23, 2020
Fantasia 2020 Review: The Curse of Audrey EarnshawWitches can symbolically have varied meanings, however, they should ideally be at the intersection of the power of women, and society’s fear of powerful women. The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw nails both of these references, with only a few areas of murkiness within. Taking place somewhere in rural Canada on an Irish settlement that is […]
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August 21, 2020
Fantasia 2020 Review: The Mortuary CollectionStriking the perfect balance between devious and mischievous, The Mortuary Collection is bound to be a favorite dark anthology for years to come. Rather than a collection of various filmmakers, Ryan Spindell directed and wrote all of the bits and bobs of The Mortuary Collection. Much like 2017’s Ghost Stories there is a wraparound tale […]
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August 17, 2020
The Pale Door Review: Little Coven On The PrairieWesterns and witches should be a slam dunk for a movie mashup. The millinery alone is an exciting prospect, and that is just the hats! The Pale Door certainly starts out with some promise, but its lack of inertia and confusing allegiances stifle any potential for excitement. After watching their parents die in a late […]
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August 15, 2020
Sputnik Review: In Soviet Russia, Alien Invades YouTaking place near the end of the Cold War, Sputnik begins at the end of a space mission. Two cosmonauts are returning to Earth, but their flight does not go smoothly. By the time they are on land, Konstantin Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov) is the only one of the duo alive, though badly injured. Rather than […]
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August 12, 2020
Uncle Peckerhead Review: Death Comes Easy On The RoadPunk rock and horror go way, way back. Before Green Room and The Ranger, there were punks writhing naked on tombstones in Return of the Living Dead and The Ramones were singing about their lack of interest in being buried in a Pet Sematary. Uncle Peckerhead once again reunites punks and horror in a road […]
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