Suspense

THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE — SHOCKTOBER!

BDSM, British Cinema, Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Criterion Channel, Cult Film, Erotic, FOUR STARS, Gothic, Horror, LGBTQ, Magical Realism, sex, SHOCKTOBER!, Suspense, Women's Cinema

August 20, 2024

“The Legend of Hell House” is a hoot and a half. Hilarious. Cole Smithey.

THE HONEYMOON KILLERS — SHOCKTOBER!

Black and White, Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Criterion Collection, Cult Film, FIVE STARS, Serial Killer, sex, SHOCKTOBER!, , Suspense, Transgressive Cinema, Women's Cinema

October 29, 2023

The naturalistic black-and-white noir compositions that writer/director Leonard Kastle captures in the only film of his career, are augmented by…

DRACULA — SHOCKTOBER!

Black and White, Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Cult Film, FIVE STARS, Horror, SHOCKTOBER!, , Suspense

October 26, 2023

Ladies fainted when Bela Lugosi slowly rose from his coffin as the undead king of all vampires in the famous…

LA CEREMONIE — SHOCKTOBER!

Capsules Blog, Cult Film, FIVE STARS, French Cinema, LGBTQ, Political Satire, SHOCKTOBER!, , Suspense, Transgressive Cinema, Video Essay, Women's Cinema

October 22, 2023

Chabrol’s dream-team cast comes together in a once-in-a-lifetime event. I could wax poetic about Jean-Pierre Cassel, who delivers such a…

DIABOLIQUE — SHOCKTOBER!

Black and White, Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Cult Film, FIVE STARS, Horror, Literary Adaptation, SHOCKTOBER!, Suspense, Women's Cinema

October 10, 2023

Henri-Georges Clouzot was termed “the French Hitchcock” for good reason. Cole Smithey.

MUTE WITNESS — SHOCKTOBER!

Capsules Blog, FIVE STARS, Horror, Podcast, SHOCKTOBER!, Suspense

October 10, 2023

For episode #13, Mike and Cole drink FALCO IPA from EVIL TWIN BREWING discuss MUTE WITNESS, an unforgettable little thriller…

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — DEAD RECKONING PART ONE

Action/Adventure, Capsules Blog, Franchise, Spy Thriller, Suspense, TWO STARS

August 15, 2023

With more plot holes than a colander, “Dead Reckoning” blows its bloated budget with a seemingly AI generated script that…

DEEP WATER

Capsules Blog, Erotic, Porn, sex, Streaming, Suspense, ZERO STARS

March 20, 2022

Pathetic. Director Adrian Lyne need not have come out of retirement for this cinematic abomination. Cole Smithey.

THE LIGHTHOUSE — SHOCKTOBER!

Black and White, Capsules Blog, Cult Film, FIVE STARS, Magical Realism, Psychological Thriller, SHOCKTOBER!, , Suspense

March 14, 2022

Inestimable performances from Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe ramp up with excruciating suspense and terror. Cole Smithey.

REAR WINDOW

Capsules Blog, Suspense, TWO STARS

February 8, 2021

Alfred Hitchcock’s take on Cornell Woolrich’s novel (screenplay by John Michael Hayes) reeks of McCarthy era anti-socialist propaganda. It’s as…

THE NINTH GATE

Classic Cinema, Horror, Reviews Blog, SHOCKTOBER!, Suspense, Thiller, THREE STARS

March 3, 2019

Pauline Kael said that “great movies are rarely perfect movies,” and this truism certainly applies to The Ninth Gate. Actress…

A QUIET PLACE

Horror, ONE STAR, Reviews Blog, Suspense

April 18, 2018

Don’t believe the hype. “A Quiet Place” is a plot-hole filled waste of time. Scary? Not even close. All respect…

LA CEREMONIE — CLASSIC FILM PICK

FIVE STARS, French Cinema, LGBTQ, Reviews Blog, , Suspense, Video Essay, Women's Cinema

November 23, 2016

The revolution comes from the inside in Claude Chabrol’s exquisite adaptation of Ruth Rendell’s 1977 satirical novel “A Judgement In…

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

Capsules Blog, Drama, Literary Adaptation, ONE STAR, Suspense, Women's Cinema

October 8, 2016

This exposition-laden suspense thriller is so poorly adapted from its novel source material (by Paula Hawkins) that you can’t follow…

DON’T BREATHE

Capsules Blog, Suspense, Video Essay, ZERO STARS

September 3, 2016

Don’t let its box office receipts fool you; “Don’t Breathe” is garbage. Pitched as a horror flick, Fede Alvarez’s lame…

THE SHALLOWS

Capsules Blog, Horror, Suspense, THREE STARS

June 26, 2016

Here is a good old-fashioned suspense thriller about a strong-willed young woman and a big mean shark. Blake Lively shows…

THE GIFT

Capsules Blog, FOUR STARS, , Suspense, Thriller

August 6, 2015

Triple-threat (writer, director, and actor) Joel Edgerton delivers a tight no-frills suspense thriller that comes complete with a noteworthy twist…

THE VANISHING — THE CRITERION COLLECTION

Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Criterion Collection, Dutch Cinema, FIVE STARS, Literary Adaptation, Serial Killer, SHOCKTOBER!, Suspense, Video Essay, Women's Cinema

June 4, 2014

George Sluizer’s spellbinding adaptation of Tim Krabbé’s horror novella “The Golden Egg” is such an expertly layered suspense thriller than…

DIABOLIQUE — THE CRITERION COLLECTION

Black and White, Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Criterion Collection, FIVE STARS, French Cinema, Horror, LGBTQ, Literary Adaptation, Suspense, Video Essay, Women's Cinema

May 6, 2014

Henri-Georges Clouzot was termed “the French Hitchcock” for good reason. After the enormous success of “The Wages of Fear” (1953)…

NON-STOP

Reviews Blog, Suspense, THREE STARS

February 26, 2014

Yet another standard-issue thriller — this one starring the ever-watchable Liam Neeson on leading man duties — “Non-Stop” is a…

COLE SMITHEY’S CLASSIC CINEMA