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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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August 6, 2020
She Dies Tomorrow Review: Enjoy The DreadFilled with suffocating dread and a kiss of impending doom, She Dies Tomorrow asks an awfully big question of an ever increasing number of people. Speculative fiction is a tough genre to summarize, as its borders are a bit fuzzier than others. Typically, these stories can be boiled down to asking a single big question […]
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August 6, 2020
La Llorona Review: Making the Political PersonalHorror film is not exploitative by nature. While there are far more examples of insensitivity to human life than not, this inherent frivolity comes from a desire to entertain, politicize or satirize, and not a necessary malice or fundamental nihilism. La Llorona is an empathetic film which draws its terror from legitimate evil and pays […]
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August 4, 2020
Random Acts of Violence Review: Bloody GoodThe intersection of art and life becomes extra murky when horror is involved. Do violent video games inspire violence? Do horror films make killers kill? While it is a worthy pursuit to dig deeper into the interplay of screen and flesh, certain horror films themselves scratch at that surface. Writer/director Jay Baruchel’s Random Acts of […]
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July 30, 2020
Nothing But The Blood Review: A Few Drops Short of a PintTaking on extreme religion and moral relativism in under 90 minutes is quite a stretch for any filmmaker. Weak performances and rushed storylines piled on top of all that make Nothing But The Blood a tough film to get through, though it is not without its moments. Taking place through a sprawling timeline, the film […]
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July 24, 2020
Radioactive Review: Intermittently Glowing BiopicRadioactive is a largely competent biopic of the scientist Marie Curie. The film does a serviceable job of fleshing out the woman who is often nodded toward in history books, though the lead performance pulls much of that weight. Rosamund Pike stars as the feisty and brilliant Marie. Radioactive spans most of her adult life, […]
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July 22, 2020
Marionette Review: A “Real Movie” With Heady AspirationsMarionette suffers a touch from its attempts at philosophy 101, but shines when it embraces its true nature as a nutty horror film which writes its own crazy rules. A good friend of mine cheekily refers to a “real movie” (in quotes) as a film that has a person on fire. I’m happy to report […]
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July 7, 2020
The Beach House Review: Sunny Summer ScaresThe Beach House is smart. It has smart characters, a smart “monster,” and a smart main character. It assumes its audience is smart and never talks down to them. But best of all, it is effective, terrifying and unpredictable, and downright perfectly gross. The Beach House starts out like so many horror films, in a […]
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July 6, 2020
We Are Little Zombies Review: Boogieing with BereavementHighly stylized and based squarely in satire, We Are Little Zombies somehow manages to be a heartfelt look at what makes a family and what it means to grieve. Don’t let that description lead you to think this is a mournful, or somber film. In fact, it is a neon-drenched, 8-bit music video that lulls […]
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June 22, 2020
Irresistible Review: Not Pointless, but DulledIf ever there was a time we needed Jon Stewart’s biting political commentary, it is now. The funny man turned filmmaker turns his attention to the absurdity of US elections in his second time in the director’s chair with Irresistible, though his teeth are not as sharp as they used to be. The film’s opening […]
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June 21, 2020
Shelf Help: Who’s Your Daddy?Father’s Day can cause a lot of mixed feelings, because fathers, and family in general, can elicit a slew of mixed feelings. But for all of their complications, there are just as many versions of dads on screen. Today we asked our Shelfers: Which on-screen dad reminds you of your off-screen dad? Jefferson Davis: […]
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June 19, 2020
Babyteeth Review: Forever Young LoveBabyteeth is the first feature from longtime television and short film director Shannon Murphy. The quiet film focuses on ordinary characters going through a tough situation, with wobbling skill. Milla (Eliza Scanlen, Little Women) first meets Moses (Toby Wallace) on a train platform. The teenage girl is in her school uniform when the tattooed wanderer […]
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June 9, 2020
Fantasia’s First Wave Announcement is Ready for Your EyeballsIf there is one place you would expect perseverance and adaption, it is a genre film festival. The unknown future and imminent apocalypse have been imagined long before these fests existed, and they know that there are plenty of stories to still be told after the world as we know it disappears. Coming hot off […]
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June 5, 2020
Shirley Review: The Fame and Infamy of Shirley JacksonWriting is a cerebral process that does not lend itself easily to the screen. From The Shining to Adaptation to Delirious, the cinematic history of showing writers honing their craft is a rocky road. Shirley aims to expose us to bits of Shirley Jackson’s creative process, but much like the character herself, we never get […]
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June 4, 2020
Becky Review: Preteen Pandemonium Rages On“Hell hath no fury like a grumpy 13-year-old.” Isn’t that how the saying goes? Right on the cusp between independence and protection, the end of tweendom is always an especially rough phase to traverse. In Becky, co-directors Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion (Cooties) once again turn their attention to the trials of childhood to showcase […]
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May 21, 2020
New teaser for Sundance haunter “Relic” haunts memoriesAlready being called the best horror film of 2020 (aside from the nightly news), Relic shook up the Sundance Film Festival in January and it will be coming to haunt your eyeballs on July 10. Here is the latest teaser trailer to whet your appetite. Enjoy!
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