Fuze (2026) | Apparently, finding an unexploded WWII bomb is London's version of ringing the dinner bell for extremely organized thieves. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating -  6.3/10. David Mackenzie's Fuze starts with a surprisingly cool drone shot sweeping over a busy construction site in the heart of London. Everything looks routine until the workers dig up something that absolutely nobody wants to find buried beneath a major city. An unexploded WWII bomb. Suddenly, what was shaping up to be a normal workday turns into a migraine for just about everyone involved.

They report the discovery to Zuzana, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who recognizes the device as UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) right away. The city grinds to a halt, while the police and military rush to evacuate everyone. Time is ticking down. Enter Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Will, the bomb disposal expert. Yes, Kraven and maybe even the next James Bond. He keeps the tension high alongside Zuzana, both doing excellent in their roles.

Fuze does an awesome job showing London during evacuations. Packed streets full of people and cars gradually become eerie and empty. This creates a fantastic atmosphere, making the situation feel incredibly real and vast. For a while, it seems the movie will be entirely focused on the bomb-disposal operation.

Then the guys in orange jumpsuits show up.

While the military crew follows protocol, trying to prevent half of London from becoming a very expensive crater, another group decides this would be the perfect opportunity to conduct a heist. Not sure if these thieves spend their free time sitting around waiting for unexploded bombs to be discovered, but judging by the generator hidden in a garbage bin and the amount of equipment already in place, this definitely wasn't a last-minute plan. These guys looked prepared enough to have a PowerPoint presentation ready.

Surprise! They're after a vault full of safety deposit boxes. And the heist itself is surprisingly well thought out. The only slight flaw in their master plan seems to be forgetting that London is one of the most heavily surveilled cities on the planet. Small oversight.

Before I strained my neck shaking my head, it doesn't settle for being just another robbery movie. There are plenty of double-crosses, shifting loyalties, and backstabbing along the way that set it apart. The final act takes a few turns I wasn't expecting, and the ending itself is handled in a fairly unique way.

Fuze ended up being a pleasant surprise. I was expecting a fairly generic premise, but it finds some creative ways to spruce it up. The story is well designed, the pacing is excellent, and at just 96 minutes it never wastes time sitting on scenes longer than necessary. The editing keeps everything moving, making the runtime fly by.

Fuze (2026)

An entertaining thriller with a clever setup, solid performances, and enough twists to keep you guessing. Definitely worth checking out.

https://jackmeat.com/fuze-2026/

City Wide Fever (2026) | You can feel the passion for Giallo cinema here, even if ambition and execution spend most of the movie avoiding each other. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.3/10. Before City Wide Fever even starts, I was already entertained. Not by the movie itself, mind you, but by the creepy laughing kid with glowing red eyes in the Baby Josh distributor logo. Somehow that little guy ended up being one of the more memorable characters in the entire flick.

The actual film opens with random city footage rolling beneath the credits before settling on a young film student named Sam (Diletta Guglielmi), who discovers a USB stick lying on the ground. As one does. That discovery quickly leads her down a rabbit hole involving forgotten Italian horror director Saturnino Barresi and his mysterious disappearance. Naturally, things soon involve dreams, masked attackers, straight razors, conspiracies, and one of Barresi's films conveniently being titled City Wide Fever.

At first, I wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but I do watch everything. The problem is I don't know if they were entirely sure what was going on either.

Director Josh Heaps is clearly aiming for an homage to both Giallo films and the VHS era of low-budget filmmaking. The concept of placing a Giallo-obsessed film student inside what gradually becomes her own Giallo nightmare is actually a decent idea. Unfortunately, City Wide Fever never feels quite as clever as it believes itself to be. I recently reviewed Lisa and the Devil, which has a master of giallo, Mario Bava, in one of his lesser-acclaimed films, showing us how it is done.

The production itself screams micro-budget. The camera work often has that smartphone-shot feel, while the aspect ratio gives everything a strange pan-and-scan look. The acting ranges from stiff to outright awkward. Several scenes feel like they were filmed guerrilla-style throughout New York without permits. To be fair, that does occasionally help the atmosphere. The city feels authentic because I bet they just wandered onto a street and started filming.

I spent a good chunk of the movie wondering if I missed something important because two different actresses were playing the main character. Eventually we sorta get an explanation, but I didn't get some mind-blowing revelation. I got a gimmick that I didn't see a reason for in the first place.

There are moments where the film almost wins me over. A throat-slitting effect looked surprisingly good considering the budget, especially when compared to some of the rougher practical effects elsewhere. Her roommate Chloe (Angelica Kim) also earned bonus points simply for rocking a Slipknot shirt. Sometimes it's the little things.

The comedy tag is another interesting choice. My guess is the music selections, which often feel intentionally bizarre. Whether they're supposed to be funny, satirical, or simply odd is up for debate.

City Wide Fever (2026)

In the end, City Wide Fever feels like Heaps is paying tribute to the movies he loves while poking fun at the whole movie-making process itself. I do appreciate the effort, the ambition, and the obvious love for Giallo cinema. Unfortunately, appreciation and enjoyment are not the same thing. There are ideas here, but the execution never quite comes together. It's an interesting experiment that constantly reminds you how smart it thinks it is, yet it never truly proves it.

https://jackmeat.com/city-wide-fever-2026/

Over Your Dead Body (2026) | Every flashback adds another layer of insanity until the whole movie becomes a bloody, dysfunctional train wreck. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.5/10. If your marriage is hanging by a thread, maybe don't book a romantic weekend away in a secluded cabin. And if you do, perhaps avoid bringing along a fully developed murder plan. Over Your Dead Body takes that relationship advice, tosses it out the nearest window, and spends the next 106 minutes seeing just how badly things can spiral when two people decide divorce paperwork is simply too much effort.

After a brief setup introducing our deeply unhappy couple, Dan (Jason Segel) and Lisa (Samara Weaving), the pair hit the road for an argument-filled drive to a remote cabin where they're supposedly going to repair their marriage. Repair might be a strong word, considering both have secretly arrived with plans to kill the other.

Weaving continues to prove she's one of the most reliable performers working in this type of dark comedy space. Her Australian accent is definitely making less of an effort to hide this time around. And good, it adds to the charm. I've enjoyed her work for years, and recent films like Eenie Meanie showed she can easily carry a movie on her own. Segel also feels right at home playing a guy whose confidence far exceeds his competence.

The film wastes little time getting into its central gimmick. Dan's murder attempt goes about as smoothly as a shopping trolley with three wheels, leaving him tied up while Lisa calmly explains her own plan with a double-barrel shotgun in hand. Naturally, we then get to hear Dan's version of events through a flashback showing how he prepared his own scheme five days earlier.

The story repeatedly jumps backward with "X amount of time earlier" segments, and surprisingly, it works. Each flashback adds another piece to the puzzle while introducing more people who absolutely should not be anywhere near this situation. Before long, Henry (Jake Curran), escaped inmates Pete (Timothy Olyphant) and Todd (Keith 'The Dean of Mean' Jardine), along with officer Allegra (Juliette Lewis), come crashing into the story. Quite literally in some cases.

What follows is a steadily escalating disaster where nearly every plan falls apart within minutes. While the tone remains darkly humorous for the majority of the film, the movie also adopts a rather cartoonish approach to its depiction of violence. Blood sprays freely, and common sense takes an extended vacation. The scene involving Dan's father, Michael (Paul Guilfoyle), was one of the funniest moments in the entire film and had me laughing harder than I expected.

Over Your Dead Body never pretends to be anything other than a popcorn movie. Convenience seems to rule the situation here, but the characters' decision-making skills are extremely substandard, and the bodies begin piling up one after another. Luckily, this film is well aware of what it is and takes everything to heart. The wrap-up felt fitting, entertaining, and completely in line with the madness that came before it.

Throw this one on, enjoy the dark humor, watch the blood fly, and don't spend too much time questioning the logic. The movie certainly doesn't. Oh, apparently this is based on a Norwegian flick called I Onde Dager or The Trip, which I have not seen (and is sitting on my watchlist, dammit).

Over Your Dead Body (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/over-your-dead-body-2026/

Bight (2026) | Bight spends so much time talking about art and sex that I almost forgot it was supposed to be a thriller. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.3/10. Bight opens with people washing blood off themselves in a shower, immediately making you wonder what terrible decisions led to this point. Thankfully, the film intends to answer that question. Although getting there required me sitting through enough pretentious conversation to make me wish someone would get murdered a lot sooner.

After the bloody cold open, the credits roll over an artsy montage involving ropes, photography, and enough bondage imagery to let you know exactly where we are going. We then meet Atticus (Cameron Cowperthwaite) and Charlie (Maiara Walsh), a couple attempting to get ready for a party. Their biggest challenge isn't picking an outfit. It's managing to stop arguing long enough to leave the house.

When they finally arrive, we meet the hosts, Naomi (Maya Stojan) and Sebastian (Mark Hapka). Apparently, their definition of a wild party is inviting exactly two other people over. I've had family dinners with more attendees than this supposed social gathering.

From there, Bight spends a significant amount of time having its characters discuss art, photography, work, and whatever else comes to mind. Every conversation feels loaded with sexual tension, which is hardly surprising considering the film quickly reveals these four have a rather complicated history together. Orgy. Before long, Naomi and Sebastian are suggesting another round of swinging under the convenient cover of posing for photos and paintings. If the audience somehow misses that detail, the movie helpfully provides flashbacks just to make sure we are caught up.

One thing that was driving me nuts - the dialogue is painfully self-important, especially whenever Sebastian opens his mouth. Hapka does a good job portraying an arrogant jerk, but that doesn't necessarily mean spending time with him is enjoyable. On the positive side, Maiara Walsh pulls double duty as director and star, and she's easily my standout performer. Charlie has the most complicated mental journey in the film, and Walsh handles it well.

Oddly enough, despite being marketed as an erotic thriller and drowning in sexual tension, Bight contains hardly any nudity beyond a brief montage during the opening credits. And when I saw that ice cube scene, I knew Walsh had recently flipped on Nine 1/2 Weeks and thought, "We have to do that."

To the film's credit, the psychological tension does arrive, and the thriller elements finally start kicking in. We do circle back to that opening shower scene, and the fallout between the characters becomes far more interesting than their endless discussions about art.

In the end, Bight works well enough as a relationship thriller, but it never pushes far enough to become memorable. The performances are solid, and the tension is there. Unfortunately, the film often feels more fascinated with appearing provocative than actually being provocative. Even the bondage elements that tried so hard to shock end up feeling way too tame.

Bight (2026)

Much like the artwork its characters obsess over, Bight spends a lot of time trying to convince you how daring it is. Whether you buy into that is totally up to you. I didn't.

https://jackmeat.com/bight-2026/

Lisa and the Devil (1973) | Mario Bava could make somebody handing over a piece of cake look more interesting than most modern action scenes. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.4/10. Something I haven't done in quite a while. Shuffle mode. Only new releases ot me, no genre restrictions, just one simple filter. Under two hours. And what did the movie gods give me? Lisa and the Devil, from 1973, the same year I was born. Coincidence? Of course. Don't be stupid. So the algorithm felt the need to remind me I am old. Luckily, this film was dubbed, so I don't need those new glasses. More surprisingly, it was a Mario Bava flick I hadn't seen before.

The story follows Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer), a tourist visiting Toledo, Spain, who spots an ancient image of the devil. She promptly does what our final girls have been doing for decades. Wander off alone. She gets lost, hops in a car with strangers, and ends up stranded at a mysterious mansion occupied by a bunch of weirdos. In other words, getting what she deserved. We also see a butler named Leandro (Telly Savalas) who looks a lot like the devil she saw earlier. As nightmares, past lives, and bizarre encounters begin piling up, Lisa starts wondering what the hell she got herself into.

One thing I never get tired of is those classic gothic horror shots where somebody peers out a doorway while thick fog swirls dramatically around them for no logical reason. Nobody asks where the fog came from. Nobody seems concerned that it only exists within a six-foot radius of the front entrance. It simply does its job, so don't question it, dammit.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped paying attention to the plot and started watching what Bava was doing with the camera. That sounds like a criticism. It isn't. A wine bottle shatters, and the action continues through a reflection. A simple exchange of cake becomes a carefully choreographed movement through the frame. It doesn't scream for attention. Why should it, since every shot feels deliberate? It's the kind of filmmaking that reminds you why Bava remains such an influential figure in horror cinema.

The settings are just as impressive. Between the music and the visuals, the whole thing feels like somebody else's uneasy dream. Sometimes I wasn't entirely sure what was happening. It didn't matter. Things just worked.

Telly Savalas is also impossible to ignore. Even in this bizarre gothic horror story, he's walking around sucking on lollipops. Apparently that habit wasn't just a Kojak thing. Seeing him wander through this surreal nightmare while casually enjoying candy somehow makes him even more unsettling.

Of course, Mario Bava's name alone is horror royalty. If it doesn't sound familiar, his A Bay of Blood laid the groundwork for countless slashers. If you wonder where those ideas for Friday the 13th came from. He is the man. Watching Lisa and the Devil, it's easy to see the craftsmanship that earned him that reputation.

I felt like the story focused on atmosphere over clarity, at times. This is a film built on mood, visuals, and unsettling imagery over straightforward answers. And that genuinely satisfying ending? I have to say shuffle tossed me a forgotten gem that was well worth the trip back to 1973.

Lisa and the Devil (1973)

https://jackmeat.com/lisa-and-the-devil-1973/

The Forbidden Lands (2025) | I came for creepy folk horror, and this love letter to Fulci did not disappoint. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.2/10. One thing that I didn’t like about getting The Forbidden Lands is making the director of the movie, Mattia De Pascali, wait until I had the chance to see what I thought of it, since apparently, my eyes had betrayed me. They required an updated prescription for the glasses, which gave me a hard time watching subtitles due to headaches. But my new glasses showed up, and I jumped into this flick immediately.

The trailer gave me serious Lucio Fulci vibes, and that is 100 percent a compliment.

The Forbidden Lands opens with what appears to be a father and son hunting in the woods. The father looks normal enough, but young Tore (Keoma Vetrano) is dressed as if he got lost on his way to join The Warriors. Before long, the mysterious score kicks in, and the atmosphere settles over everything. The kid wanders off and discovers exactly what you expect someone to find in a horror film. A mutilated body.

The body belongs to a priest, and once it is dragged back to town, the locals quickly blame a wolf. Someone points out wolves don't typically live in caves. Ok, you just shush with those booksmarts.

This is a mystery thriller that is slowly cooked in a pot of superstitions and paranoia, and a town where everyone always looks like they have something to hide. The entire town seems to know about the Forbidden Lands surrounding them, and with additional deaths, the atmosphere becomes quite contagious. What I liked about the movie is that it goes where many others would not dare to go. Let's just say if you think children automatically have plot armor, foreign horror occasionally likes to remind you otherwise.

Then arrive the Holy Hermit (Fabrizio Pugliese) and the Knight of the Sacred Order (Fabrizio La Monica), two figures who immediately set off every scam detector in my brain. The moment these guys rolled into town, I was practically yelling at the screen. When the Hermit dramatically declares, "We must close the Gates of Hell," I couldn't help smiling at what felt like a nod to Fulci's classic City of the Living Dead (my VHS was titled Gates of Hell, same movie).

With the mounting hysteria, Rosa (played by Paola Medici), Selvaggia (Denise Cimino), and the incarcerated witch unite their efforts to trace the wandering travelers, which may ultimately help rescue Rosa’s brother, Fiacrio (Ivan Raganato). Eventually, their quest leads them deep inside the Forbidden Lands where they come across quite frightening flesh-eaters resembling Tusken Raiders lost in the wrong forest.

Visually, this is an impressive indie production from De Pascali. The cinematography is consistently strong. The lens flare shots are used effectively, and the entire film looks far more expensive than it probably was. The atmosphere remains captivating, even when the pacing slows down. If you're expecting constant action, you might get impatient, but I enjoyed soaking in the suspense.

My only major issue comes right at the end. After spending like 97 minutes looking polished and cinematic, the final effect feels surprisingly cheap and underwhelming. It's an unfortunate note to end on because everything leading up to it works so well.

Still, The Forbidden Lands provides a gripping tale of folk horror. The movie is full of paranoia, superstition, and very much Fulci-like energy. Despite its indie nature, the movie is surprisingly good and demonstrates yet again that atmosphere (as well as skill) beats deep pockets. Oh, if you are looking for it, the original title is Le Terre Incolte.

Le Terre Incolte (2025)

https://jackmeat.com/the-forbidden-lands-2025/

Red Riding (2026) | Red Riding is basically a depressed teen who moves to a creepy Scottish estate and proceeds to make every possible bad decision. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.0/10. Fair warning. Red Riding starts off depressing enough to make you wonder if somebody accidentally loaded the wrong movie file before eventually remembering there’s supposed to be a horror angle. Teenager Red Riding (Victoria Tait) is already furious at life, then things somehow manage to get worse when her mother Lauren, also known as Scarlet (Ayvianna Snow), overdoses. This forces Red to leave London behind and move into her estranged grandmother Penelope’s (Lynsey Beauchamp) giant Scottish estate. Because when life falls apart, apparently the answer is always “go live in a spooky mansion with a relative you’ve never met.”

The early stretch leans hard into bitter teen drama, and wow, Red is not making it easy to root for her. She’s angry, rude, impulsive, and seems determined to speedrun every terrible decision imaginable. Wander into the creepy forest after being explicitly warned not to? Of course. Start making questionable choices around town almost immediately? Naturally. At one point, Red Riding almost feels less like a horror movie and more like a public service announcement titled “How Not to Survive Literally Anything.”

That said, credit where it’s due. Victoria Tait absolutely nails the role. If writer Peter Stylianou intended Red to be frustratingly obnoxious and make me regularly mutter “oh come on” at the screen, mission accomplished. Tait commits fully to the attitude, bitterness, and reckless behavior, making Red believable even when she’s actively testing your patience.

The problem is that Red Riding moves at a pace that could politely be described as “taking its sweet time.” There are creepy moments sprinkled throughout, particularly an eerie forest sequence where it’s never quite clear whether what Red experiences is real or a dream, but the film spends much more time in slow-burn family drama territory than actual thriller or horror. The monstrous wolf mythology, missing children, and dark family secrets all sound juicier on paper than they feel in front of my eyes.

For a directing debut, Craig Conway does an adequate job, and to be fair, the movie looks great. After he has acted in some pretty good films, including the criminally unheard of Dog Soldiers, I expected he had learned plenty of tricks. The Scottish setting gives Red Riding an atmospheric backdrop that practically begs to do half the storytelling itself. Unfortunately, Conway seems terrified of silence. The soundtrack rarely stops and often blasts its way through scenes, constantly reminding viewers how they’re supposed to feel instead of letting atmosphere and emotion breathe naturally. Sometimes less really is more.

Conway and the crew also make sure nobody forgets this is a Little Red Riding Hood adaptation, dropping reminders whenever possible. Thankfully, there’s a fun little wink for sharp-eyed viewers, including a genuinely amusing easter egg involving Conway’s own name appearing on one of the missing person flyers.

Red Riding (2026)

By the time Red Riding finally embraces the horror side, things get satisfyingly bloody, with practical effects thankfully doing the work. In the end, this is a decent first effort from Craig Conway, but not one I’d rush back to revisit. If you stumble across it and enjoy slow-burn horror dramas, leave it on. Just don’t go trekking through the woods specifically looking for it. You’ve already seen how bad decisions work out here.

https://jackmeat.com/red-riding-2026/