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Terry Mesnard
Tomatometer-approved critic
Terry has written for CAD-Media and currently owns and operates Gayly Dreadful, a website devoted to promoting LGBTQ criticism and voices.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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The Jessica Cabin (2022) |
The Jessica Cabin is a breezy, sometimes purposefully silly look at loneliness and the desire for connection. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Sep 29, 2023
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The Origin (2022) |
The Origin is a masterclass on how to make historical horror fiction, as well as survivor horror, and all of these pieces come together to create something that feels both timeless and alien. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Sep 24, 2023
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Cobweb (2023) |
Those looking for a film grounded in real world logic will probably be turned off, but for those willing to let the narrative spin you in its deliciously evil web, Cobweb will certainly horrify and delight. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Jul 20, 2023
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The Wounded Man (1983) |
Anchored by a strong performance from Jean-Hugues Anglade that oozes sensuality and uncertainty, The Wounded Man is not a cheery portrayal of young lust and cruising, but instead feels indebted to rising tensions in the community in the 80s. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted May 24, 2023
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Trim Season (2022) |
Trim Season is a fun trip that wonders what would happen if Suspiria’s Helena Markos moved to a weed farm and spent her time sucking the souls from her foes while smoking a joint and drinking wine…and sometimes that’s all you need. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted May 04, 2023
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Brooklyn 45 (2023) |
Brooklyn 45 might tackle too many things in its runtime...but it works both as a dissection of the way we discuss WWII and as a modern examination of xenophobia and fear that continues to destroy us. A must watch. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted May 02, 2023
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In My Mother's Skin (2023) |
What starts as an homage to Pan’s Labyrinth quickly descends into body horror madness. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 30, 2023
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My Animal (2023) |
Character beats and narrative beats unfold as you’d expect, with foreshadowing moments clearly laying out the story and sapping it of its surprises. It also ends somewhat abruptly; this horror fiend wanted a bit more to the climactic moment. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 30, 2023
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Polite Society (2023) |
When a movie has as much energy, charm and profound enthusiasm as writer/director Nida Manzoor’s Polite Society, you’re willing to overlook some of the more underdeveloped elements of the story. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 30, 2023
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Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out (2023) |
It’s not an egregious movie and it does have some heartfelt things to say, but boy that ending sure was dumb. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 30, 2023
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Talk to Me (2023) |
Talk to Me is one of the scariest movies of the decade. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 30, 2023
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The Tutor (2023) |
The Tutor is a snoozy little thriller where fans will be at least a step or two ahead of the narrative...By the time it gets to the violent conclusion, savvy thriller fans will already have checked out. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 30, 2023
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Body Melt (1993) |
it's a madcap exercise in hilarity and gross outs that had me laughing in glee and surprise. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Dec 18, 2022
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Sissy (2022) |
Once Sissy embraces the slasher subgenre, it begins throwing fantastic moments of gore and violence at the audience while still keeping the tongue-in-cheek satire vicious and razor sharp. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Dec 17, 2022
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Orphan: First Kill (2022) |
William Brent Bell has managed to create a camp masterpiece that feels like the sillier side of Orphan’s austere and cold film...it certainly is the most surprising and fantastic surprise of the year so far. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Aug 17, 2022
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Skinamarink (2022) |
Skinamarink feels like a cursed film. Something that wasn’t so much made as birthed from the subconscious. And for the right viewer, its delectable darkness and measured pacing will evoke memories of being a scared kid... - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Aug 10, 2022
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Glorious (2022) |
It all culminates in a fantastic finale that mixes humor and gore as well as a message when the film embraces its cosmic horror lunacy. This one is an absolute hit. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Aug 10, 2022
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Tin Can (2021) |
I cannot get the bleak implications of the story out of my mind...The nihilistic theme and the subtle character work benefits multiple viewings, but not everyone will sign-up for a second helping of this slow-burn gooey mess of a movie. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Aug 10, 2022
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The Reef: Stalked (2022) |
Aside from some iffy shark insertions that come from using real sharks...overall this is a surprisingly decent entry in the shark attack genre and fans of Traucki’s previous films will find a lot to enjoy here. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Jul 28, 2022
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Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021) |
Once it gets to the third act, it goes hard. It also has one of my favorite climaxes I’ve seen in a found footage film, as the action and horror become unrelenting. It knows what it wants to be and it delivers on the scares in the third act. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Jun 27, 2022
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Fire Island (2022) |
Not since Clueless has a Jane Austen adaptation been so funny, modern and keenly aware of its conventions. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Jun 27, 2022
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You Can Live Forever (2022) |
Even if it never subverts many of the tropes we’ve come to see in these types of films, it still manages to transcend the plot points to create something meaningful. The chemistry between Anwen and June is palpable and the writing feels grounded... - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Jun 27, 2022
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God Save the Queens (2022) |
Really, though, it’s Kelly Mantle’s show and they are given a juicy monologue of rage at one point that cuts through not only drag’s obsession with youth and beauty but the entertainment industry. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Jun 27, 2022
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Next Exit (2022) |
Next Exit is a powerfully moving film about what makes us human and the way grief and trauma and unrealized potential can haunt us more than a simple ghost ever could. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Jun 13, 2022
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Swallowed (2022) |
This is the kind of queer cinema I want to see more of. The kind that takes risks, plays it a little sassy and messy and questions that fine line between society norms surrounding what’s considered straight and queer. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Jun 08, 2022
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Saint-Narcisse (2021) |
Uncomfortable and unconventional, yet bursting with surprising heart and humor, Saint-Narcisse feels like a culmination of the themes La Bruce has explored throughout his career. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Jun 04, 2022
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DASHCAM (2021) |
The film does have some fantastic moments and I didn’t dislike it, but it’s a bit too slapdash...Hopefully Savage and Co.’s next film will add some much-needed refinement to their marvelously unhinged horror. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted May 27, 2022
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Revealer (2022) |
Revealer is the kind of film that makes Panic Fest so great, as lofty ambition, solid performances and an earnest desire (that outpaces the budget) come together in a disjointed but entertaining way. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted May 27, 2022
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The Outwaters (2022) |
Where most found footage films end, The Outwaters pushes through, taking us on a monstrous and unearthly odyssey through madness. It’s a surprising and vicious film and one of the best found footage films I’ve seen in a long time. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted May 06, 2022
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The Northman (2022) |
The Northman misses the thematic depth of Eggers first two films, but the talent on display is unmistakable and cements Eggers as a force of nature as mercurial and frightening as Amleths rage. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Apr 22, 2022
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Speak No Evil (2022) |
Speak No Evil is brutal, but it saves its sharpest barbs for the third act, when it reveals all of the maliciousness that hides just under the veneer of polite society. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 18, 2022
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Dual (2022) |
This film worked on so many levels and has cemented Stearns as a writer and director to watch. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 18, 2022
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Fresh (2022) |
One moment, youre laughing in spite of yourself and the next youre sitting there uncomfortably because of the uncanny way the film utilizes familiar conversational topics surrounding dating and romance and mixes it with dark satire and horror. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 18, 2022
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Emily the Criminal (2022) |
Emily the Criminal is a lean and efficient thriller that, even in the smallest moments, is an intriguing look at credit card scams and dummy purchasing with stolen identities. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 18, 2022
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Resurrection (2022) |
The film ends on an epiphany, but when mixed with the rather bizarre finale, Resurrection left me pondering the reveal more than the emotional response... - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 18, 2022
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Emergency (2022) |
Its still a tonal mess (particularly as it upends the note it wants to end on with a scene during the credits) but its winsome cast and its third act emotion struck a chord. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 18, 2022
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The Cellar (2022) |
It doesnt completely work but once I got past the tepid ghost story, I found something more meaty and intriguing. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Mar 18, 2022
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Am I OK? (2022) |
Some might call it light and fluffy, but Am I OK? completely captures the experience of coming out in your 30s, with the fears and anxieties and insecurities that come with it. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Jan 27, 2022
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Watcher (2022) |
It's an effort in restraint that creates a more classical slow burn that's high on technical elements but is let down by a rather pedestrian script. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Jan 27, 2022
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Something In The Dirt (2022) |
Something in the Dirt encompasses what Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are great at and feels like the culmination of a decade of independent filmmaking. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Jan 27, 2022
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The Deep House (2021) |
The Deep House doesn't completely work, but when it does it reminds the audience why Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury are held in such esteem. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Dec 07, 2021
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Benedetta (2021) |
Benedetta utilizes the period lesbian romance as a jumping point to explore queer love, religious ecstasy and the intoxication of power to delirious results. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Dec 07, 2021
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The Beta Test (2021) |
While The Beta Test is wildly uneven in its execution, Cummings' dark comedy slightly erotic thriller manages to surprise. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Dec 07, 2021
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Antlers (2021) |
All of the pieces are there and work well on their own...but the script lacks the finesse to elevate the film from a decent watch to something truly remarkable. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Oct 28, 2021
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The Estate (2020) |
[The Estate is] a queer psychosexual thriller with a huge dose of camp and parody that had me laughing at the absurdity of it all. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Oct 22, 2021
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Slumber Party Massacre (2021) |
Slumber Party Massacre works because it has a fundamental understanding of the 80s slasher as well as the feminist roots of the original film and its resulting sequels. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Oct 17, 2021
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Halloween Kills (2021) |
Honestly, Halloween Kills is more of a successful Jason riff than it is a Halloween one. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Oct 17, 2021
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V/H/S/94 (2021) |
V/H/S/94 proves that there's still fun to be had with the format and is surprisingly one of the better horror films released this year. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Oct 07, 2021
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Rapture (1979) |
Arrebato isn't the kind of cinema I typically enjoy because it tends to be languorous in execution. But there's something about Zulueta's film that has lingered in my head - Queer.Horror.Movies.
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| Posted Oct 02, 2021
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Um Fio de Baba Escarlate (2020) |
Filmed in a 4:3 ratio and almost completely with dialogue, Name Above Title won't be for everyone, but ... [it is] a visual masterpiece of style. - Gayly Dreadful
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| Posted Oct 02, 2021
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