Heather Wixson

Tomatometer-approved critic

Publications: Dread Central, Daily Dead

Movie Reviews Only

Movies
TV

	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Review
3/5	40%	You Should Have Left (2020)	While I wish the story was just a bit more layered, and that we got a few more moments of mind-bending thrills, what I really appreciated about YSHL is the fact that the story deals with the idea of accountability in a very straight-on manner - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 19, 2020
4/5	82%	Scare Package (2019)	Originally called Tropes, Scare Package is meant to be a clever send up and deconstruction of all the motifs that genre fans recognize whenever we're watching a horror movie, but ends up accomplishing far more than that in its execution. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 19, 2020
4.5/5	87%	Shirley (2020)	Anchored by spellbinding performances from its entire core cast, Shirley is a dreamy and unconventional exploration of a creative force whose life and work was anything but conventional. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 19, 2020
4/5	69%	Becky (2020)	Two of Becky's biggest assets are without a doubt Wilson and James, who make for a compelling pair of leads, both delivering performances that were equally surprising and introspective in their own ways. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 19, 2020
3/5	50%	Witches in the Woods (2019)	The film rises above its familiar concepts through the use of a few gnarly set pieces and a finale that packs quite a wallop, making Witches in the Woods far more entertaining and chilling than I could have possibly expected. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 19, 2020
3.5/5	69%	We Summon the Darkness (2020)	I'd definitely recommend checking out We Summon the Darkness, as it is yet another bold and compelling effort from Meyers, who proves with this latest project that he's truly one of the most intriguing filmmakers working today. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 19, 2020
4.5/5	47%	April Fool's Day (1986)	What it may lack in an official body count, April Fool's Day more than makes up for with its whip-smart script, charismatic performances, and a whopper of an ending that I certainly wasn't expecting at all the first time I saw it. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 19, 2020
3.5/5	100%	The Toll (2020)	A pretty darned good psychological thriller, although it doesn't nearly end quite as strongly as it starts. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 26, 2020
4.5/5	88%	Swallow (2020)	As the emotional anchor for the film, Bennett gives a revelatory performance in Swallow, one comprised of grace, a stoic sense of determination, and a quiet sense of longing to fit in. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 4, 2020
4/5	No Score Yet	I Blame Society (2020)	I Blame Society hit quite a few of my proverbial buttons, and Horvat makes for a charmingly demented protagonist that, despite her often depraved actions. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 4, 2020
4.5/5	100%	La Llorona (2019)	By utilizing the Weeping Woman folklore for La Llorona as his statement on post-colonialism in Guatemala, Bustamante serves up a cinematic reckoning with his latest film. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 1, 2020
3/5	76%	Amulet (2020)	I absolutely loved just how wickedly weird things get in Amulet once the story gets fully amped up, and I think Garai shows a lot of promise here as a director who isn't interested in just giving us the same ol' horror-centric song and dance. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 1, 2020
2.5/5	85%	Save Yourselves! (2020)	I just think for a film that has a lot to say early on, Save Yourselves! loses its voice when everything is said and done, which is a real shame. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 1, 2020
3/5	75%	The Nowhere Inn (2020)	As a means for exploring a musician at odds with the two halves of her own self, The Nowhere Inn is a rather fascinating character study of sorts, with both Clark and Brownstein shining in their respective "roles". - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 1, 2020
3/5	71%	Run Sweetheart Run (2020)	The first two-thirds of Run Sweetheart Run is hella fun for genre fans, a relentless cat-and-mouse game that is elevated by a strong and physical performance from Balinska, who makes for an empathetic and compelling protagonist. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 1, 2020
3/5	No Score Yet	Majnuni (2019)	Omerovic makes for an extremely compelling vessel throughout Majnuni, though, and I think it's his intoxicating performance that made the film worth the watch. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 1, 2020
3/5	100%	Big Fur (2019)	Dan Wayne paints a mostly compelling portrait here of an artist who lives by his own convictions, regardless of the fallout, and I appreciated the fact that Big Fur isn't interested in mocking its subject when it comes to his more outlandish convictions. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 1, 2020
4/5	57%	My Bloody Valentine (1981)	While I have a great amount of love for the slasher subgenre as a whole, there's a real charm to My Bloody Valentine (1981) that makes it a standout amongst its cinematic peers. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 1, 2020
5/5	91%	The Invisible Man (2020)	By switching the focus in this film, this iteration of The Invisible Man becomes a powerful and haunting cinematic allegory for those who are forced to live with the lingering effects of abuse in all of its forms. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 1, 2020
2.5/5	8%	Fantasy Island (2020)	Not only is it about 20 minutes too long, but the film's various storylines meander and never quite come together in a satisfactory way, and some of Fantasy Island's feel-good moments come off cheesy and unearned as well. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 14, 2020
3/5	80%	Impetigore (Perempuan Tanah Jahanam) (2020)	It's somber, heartwarming, repulsive, jaw-dropping, and has an acerbic sense of humor at times, and I'd much rather watch a movie where the director takes a ton of chances than none at all. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 7, 2020
3.5/5	54%	3 from Hell (2019)	As a whole, 3 From Hell was still a lot of fun and it feels like Zombie has grown a bit as a visual storyteller to boot. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 4, 2020
3.5/5	26%	Countdown (2019)	Countdown is pretty damn fun and does an excellent job of tapping into technology driven terrors for the modern age that completely surprised me and left me thoroughly entertained to boot. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 4, 2020
3.5/5	89%	The True Adventures of Wolfboy (2019)	The True Adventures of Wolfboy is truly a captivating and heartfelt tale from director Martin Krejcí, who does a lovely job of capturing Paul's internal struggles and juxtaposing them against the various locales we're introduced to during his travels. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 4, 2020
4.5/5	92%	The Vast of Night (2020)	The Vast of Night is a brilliant slice of sci-fi that captures the wonder of our own curiosities as to whether or not we are alone in this universe, but also focuses on the intricacies of who we are as human beings and the relationships we share. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 4, 2020
5/5	97%	First Love (Hatsukoi) (2019)	There are a lot of familiar elements at play in First Love, and yet, Miike glides effortlessly between all these ambitious components with the greatest of ease. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 4, 2020
4/5	86%	The Night House (2020)	Marrying grief and the horror genre isn't exactly new territory, but in The Night House, we see it explored in a much different fashion than before, thanks to an effective and thought-provoking script from writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 4, 2020
5/5	93%	Possessor (2020)	Directed with razor-point precision and anchored by a pair of brilliant performances from two of the most compelling acting talents working today, Possessor is unflinchingly visceral filmmaking at its finest. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 4, 2020
4/5	92%	Leap of Faith (2019)	Insightful, thought-provoking, and candid in a matter that's befitting of Friedkin's own no-nonsense bravado, Leap of Faith is a must-see for anyone who loves The Exorcist. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 31, 2020
4.5/5	65%	Gretel & Hansel (2020)	A brilliant and powerful exploration of the intersection of real-life and supernatural horrors, Gretel & Hansel is a prime example of how it is still possible to find truly unexpected ways to tell familiar stories. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 31, 2020
4/5	73%	Scare Me (2020)	In a day and age where it feels like so much of our communication with the world at large happens through technology, Scare Me serves as a great reminder that nothing beats the age-old tradition of sharing a memorable yarn (or two) with others. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 29, 2020
2.5/5	12%	The Turning (2020)	The power of the story of The Turn of the Screw is in the ambiguity of the governess' mental state, and the way The Turning wraps up almost strips away the power that lies in the original story with a weird, sort of abrupt narrative shrug. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 29, 2020
3.5/5	20%	The Grudge (2020)	Pesce gives us everything by way of standard Grudge fare, but he also sidesteps genre fans' expectations by digging even deeper here with this latest Grudge project. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 29, 2020
4/5	93%	Relic (2020)	An honest and unflinching character-driven drama that takes a turn into full-blown horror territory once Relic builds towards its final moments, and it does so with the greatest of ease. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 29, 2020
5/5	97%	Knives Out (2019)	It's almost unfair that Knives Out is as entertaining and enjoyable as it is, because any future murder mystery movies will forever have to live up to how high Rian Johnson sets the bar here with his latest effort. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 26, 2019
3/5	80%	Greener Grass (2019)	A satirical send-up of suburban life that feels like it would be right at home airing in the late-night hours of Adult Swim, Greener Grass is an absurdly offbeat examination of the American Dream. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 31, 2019
1.5/5	No Score Yet	The Gallows Act II (2019)	The Gallows Act II is a total letdown as a sequel, and completely undoes everything that I enjoyed about the original film in the first place. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 31, 2019
4/5	90%	The Lighthouse (2019)	The Lighthouse is one of the boldest genre films of 2019. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 31, 2019
3.5/5	70%	Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)	If we never get another Terminator movie again in the future, Terminator: Dark Fate is a fantastically entertaining and satisfying note for the franchise to go out on. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 30, 2019
4.5/5	77%	Doctor Sleep (2019)	With Doctor Sleep, Flanagan has assuredly crafted a compelling, heartfelt, and horrifying tale of redemption, trauma, and embracing your own sense of power, all while celebrating the works of Kubrick, King, and his own career as well. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 30, 2019
3.5/5	35%	Trick (2019)	Trick is playing a much grander game than your run-of-the-mill, killer on the loose story. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 16, 2019
4/5	100%	Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (2019)	Scream, Queen! is yet another stellar exploration of the power of horror movies and how they not only impact the lives of fans everywhere, but the people involved with them as well. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 16, 2019
4/5	63%	It Chapter Two (2019)	While it has some pacing issues, by and large, this concluding chapter in the IT saga is a scary, hilarious, emotionally charged, and satisfying adaptation of King's most ambitious novel ever. Despite a few minor flaws, I absolutely adored it. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 3, 2019
5/5	88%	Ready or Not (2019)	Ready or Not is undoubtedly one of the most confidently and ingeniously crafted genre films of 2019 that delivers up a true crowd-pleasing experience to boot. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 17, 2019
3.5/5	44%	47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019)	I had a blast with 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, as Roberts finds new ways to make any sort of trip underwater fraught with tension and danger at every turn. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 13, 2019
4/5	83%	Crawl (2019)	Crawl is an action-packed thriller that has something of a nasty bite to it at times and the performances from both Scodelario and Pepper add so much to the story as well. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 11, 2019
4/5	65%	Annabelle Comes Home (2019)	Dauberman should be proud of what he's achieved with his first time at bat as a director, as it feels like he's crafted something very special and made a filmic treat for those of us who have been following The Conjuring films from the very beginning. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 25, 2019
4/5	64%	Child's Play (2019)	Not only does it deliver up a viciously entertaining time, but it also does what every great remake should do-find a way to bring something new to the table-and that's precisely why Child's Play (2019) worked as well for me as it did. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 20, 2019
4/5	83%	Midsommar (2019)	Midsommar is an impressive, albeit flawed, sophomore effort from Aster, who once again demonstrates just why he's one of the most interesting filmmakers working today. - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 20, 2019
3.5/5	55%	Ma (2019)	Though Spencer is certainly the main highlight in Ma, the film also benefits from strong performances from the entire cast across the board... - Daily Dead EDIT Read More \| Posted May 30, 2019