Deirdre Crimmins

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:


  • September 18, 2020
    Antebellum Review: Empty Gestures and Hollow History

    When 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 […]

  • September 16, 2020
    Spiral Review: Not Entirely Lost

    Spiral 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 […]

  • September 10, 2020
    Rent-A-Pal Review: Companionship On-Demand

    There 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 […]

  • September 9, 2020
    Fantasia 2020 Review: The Dark and The Wicked

    Brutality 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 […]

  • September 7, 2020
    The Owners Review: Not A Worthy Investment

    Home 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 […]

  • August 31, 2020
    Fantasia 2020 Review: Minor Premise

    Every 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 […]

  • August 23, 2020
    Fantasia 2020 Review: The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw

    Witches 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 […]

  • August 21, 2020
    Fantasia 2020 Review: The Mortuary Collection

    Striking 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 […]

  • August 17, 2020
    The Pale Door Review: Little Coven On The Prairie

    Westerns 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 […]

  • August 15, 2020
    Sputnik Review: In Soviet Russia, Alien Invades You

    Taking 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 […]

  • August 12, 2020
    Uncle Peckerhead Review: Death Comes Easy On The Road

    Punk 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 […]

  • August 6, 2020
    She Dies Tomorrow Review: Enjoy The Dread

    Filled 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 […]

  • August 6, 2020
    La Llorona Review: Making the Political Personal

    Horror 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 […]

  • August 4, 2020
    Random Acts of Violence Review: Bloody Good

    The 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 […]

  • July 30, 2020
    Nothing But The Blood Review: A Few Drops Short of a Pint

    Taking 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 […]