Descendent (2025) | A slow-burn sci-fi thriller where uncertainty fuels dread as a traumatized man questions whether he was abducted or just broken. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.7/10. Descendent is one of those movies that actually reels you in with atmosphere, tough performances, and a truly creepy concept, only to utterly blow it when it counts. But for a while, it's an effective slow burn for a sci-fi/psychological thriller that knows how to get under your skin.

The story centers on Sean (Ross Marquand), who is stuck in a dead-end security guard position while awaiting the arrival of his child with his pregnant partner, Andrea (Sarah Bolger). One evening while on duty, Sean notices an unusual light in the sky, falls off the roof, and finds himself in the hospital with no explanation of what actually happened. In his world, Sean’s reality begins to unravel as he suffers visions from alien creatures, nightmare sequences, and random physical changes such as his keen sense of hearing and the compulsion to draw nightmare pictures.

Marquand absolutely carries this movie. If your main exposure to him has been The Walking Dead such as me, this performance should surprise you. He holds Descendent together through sheer commitment, selling Sean’s confusion and obsession as his grip on reality slowly loosens. Wisely, director Peter Cilella keeps most of his focus on Sean's internal struggle, documenting his descent through fractured dreams and increasingly tense arguments with Andrea. Bolger is also very good, keeping things in focus as a supportive spouse who slowly realizes something is deeply wrong. Her performance feels natural and believable, even as the story becomes more abstract.

Visually, Descendent has some genuinely creepy moments. The alien imagery and dream sequences are frightening yet don't go too far. Nor is the uncertainty about whether Sean is dealing with real trauma or something more extraterrestrial for the most part. In fact, I think the line between what is going on has got to be one of its strongest points, as I was left guessing about everything, for the most part.

Unfortunately, that's where the bottom falls out. Without getting into spoilers, the film makes choices that feel like it completely disregards the careful build-up. Any theories or emotional attachment you may have developed gets tossed in the trash and replaced with this unsatisfying ending that feels rushed and basically disconnected from the rest of the movie. It’s frustrating, especially because Descendent had done so much right up to that point.

This is one of those cases where strong acting and atmosphere simply can’t save a weak script. Perhaps this was more effective on the page, but on screen, it does not land. I walked out of this feeling more annoyed than interested. Kind of a shame, given the promising start this flick had.

Descendent (2025)

Worth watching for the performances and mood, but don’t expect a payoff that matches the buildup.

https://jackmeat.com/descendent-2025/

Nightmare City (1980) | Fans of the Italian zombie genre of the early 80s are clearly the target audience for this forgettable entry into a crowded field. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.1/10. I’ve always been a fan of City of the Living Dead (aka Gates of Hell), so it’s no surprise that Nightmare City (aka City of the Walking Dead) ended up on my radar, especially given how often the two are compared. On the surface of things, of course, this appears to be simply another gloriously bonkers zombie flick from that great nation of Italy. An airplane is irradiated en route, lands for reasons that are unclear, and out come the bloodthirsty undead to wreak havoc across rural Italy. These aren’t your slow, shambling undead either. These ones run, think, and most importantly, use weapons. Knives, guns, whatever’s lying around… apparently, radiation unlocks a full arsenal.

It is a premise that offers the possibility for complete and utter madness, violence, and just plain old-fashioned, gory brawl hell, but, alas, the execution is not quite what it should be. The plot is quickly thrown into complete disarray, veering wildly from point to point without rhyme or reason. Characters come and go with minimal development, and it’s hard to feel invested when the film itself doesn’t seem particularly interested in focusing on what is playing out. The pacing doesn’t help either, with bursts of frantic violence followed by oddly sluggish stretches that grind the energy to a halt at the worst possible times.

When Nightmare City really leans into its zombie rampage moments, it does indeed offer the prerequisite gore and brutality: limbs are slashed, throats cut, and the body count rises steadily. However, kills are mostly blunt and functional, relying more on their shock value than any semblance of tension or atmosphere built up to them. There's very little of that creeping dread that defines stronger entries in Italian horror, and the constant barrage of violence starts feeling repetitive rather than unsettling. An idea of zombies wielding weapons is somewhat novel and at times amusing, but without some stronger storytelling to back that gimmick up, it doesn't really land.

On the visual front, the movie has the definite look and feel of 80s-era Italian horror, and the special effects and zombie makeup, while a little tacky, are actually fairly decent for a low-budget production and exude a certain level of grimy, rock-and-roll authenticity. In terms of cinematography and production values, it is beyond a doubt that the movie is, to a certain extent, a product of its own era and might present a bit of a problem for a more modern viewing public.

Ultimately, Nightmare City feels like a film with a great hook that never figures out how to use it effectively. I find it difficult to classify among the better-remembered Italian zombie movies for these very reasons, among others. While there is some nostalgic fun for fans of the genre, Nightmare City is an experience that will be over and done with once the radioactive ash has settled.

Nightmare City (1980)

https://jackmeat.com/nightmare-city-1980/

Sleepwalker (2026) | A grief-stricken mother spirals through fractured dreams and waking nightmares as trauma and reality begin dangerously overlapping. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.2/10. Sleepwalker opens on a familiar but immediately unsettling note, showing a young girl screaming in the night, her mother trying to gently talk her back to sleep after another episode of...what else - sleepwalking. In a thriller or horror film, that kind of opening is basically a warning label that things are not going to stay simple for long. And sure enough, they don’t.

We’re quickly introduced to Sarah (Hayden Panettiere), a mother trying to come to terms with a horrific car accident that has left her young daughter dead and her abusive husband, Michael (Justin Chatwin), comatose. A smooth drone shot across a quiet neighborhood introduces us to a story with obvious intentions of showing how things can seem perfectly normal on the outside, while in reality, something can be horrifically wrong. The film quickly becomes a dissection of the lines between reality and dreams, and how in reality, sleep isn’t anywhere near a SAFE place to be.

Panettiere delivers a dedicated performance, and she and Beverly D’Angelo, as her mother, Gloria, share a strong chemistry, and their dialogue in regards to the accident is very natural. But when it looks as though the film will go floating headlong into abstraction, the memories work to reel it back in. These memories will help fill in the blanks for a marriage that is far from loving, and these moments work very hard in rewriting how one views Sarah and her fear and guilt.

Visually, the film shows its limitations. One particular driving scene stands out as rough, clearly constrained by budget, and the overall production often carries a made-for-TV movie vibe. That doesn’t totally sink the experience, but it does keep Sleepwalker from ever feeling truly cinematic. Director Brandon Auman does a respectable job shaping the haunting elements, though, especially when it comes to atmosphere rather than outright scares.

I really got a kick out of the sequences involving a medium named Bai, played by Lori Tan Chinn, who brings an eerie calm to her role. It’s an effective, creepy scene that briefly sharpens the film’s edge and hints at how unsettling Sleepwalker could have been if it pushed harder in that direction. That and Bai was so much fun in between the supernatural chaos. The film ultimately walks a careful line between psychological thriller and restrained horror, never fully committing to either.

But then things get really dark in the ending, and it was kind of refreshing to see that. And I was glad to see it. On the other hand, when it comes to so many dreams and nested dreams, it's hard to rely on what happens in front of your eyes. By the time it finishes, you are still trying to figure out how many things are real and how many are only in your head or symbolic in some way. An interesting name I caught in the producers' credits, and it's none other than Leonardo DiCaprio. I guess he saw promise in what Auman is doing here.

Sleepwalker (2026)

That said, pacing is a real issue. The film drifts at times, and maintaining attention can be a challenge if you’re not fully locked into its slow-burn rhythm. Sleepwalker requires attention, specifically from its viewers, and is very easy to spoil if discussed too specifically. Curdle your expectations, accept its limitations, and you may find it a decent, if unremarkable, watch.

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

The Ruse (2025) | Well-acted and nicely shot, The Ruse builds solid suspense, even if stiff performances and offscreen kills hold it back. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.5/10. The Ruse reads decent enough to grab my interest. A home caregiver is sent to watch over a strange old woman in a secluded coastal home, and her unease escalates into terror. While it’s clear from the get-go that this film has its sights set on something more atmospheric and suggestive of frights rather than actual frights, and for the most part succeeds in doing so, there’s sometimes the sense that it’s holding our hands a bit too closely.

As a whole, the film isn’t bad at all. It is a reasonably well-crafted concept that has competent direction and a cast that is largely effectively acted. With that said, there does appear to be a certain level of inconsistency in every conceivable way. The definitive standout in this regard is a performance by Veronica Cartwright. She manages to give a thoroughly engrossing performance that simply keeps events lively and unpredictably twisty. Her dialogue is interesting, and there is a sense in which she evokes a corresponding sense of immediacy in every situation that she finds herself in. By comparison, there is a certain stiffness to the performance by Madelyn Dundon that simply does not convey as effectively.

Visually, The Ruse is impressively put together. The camera work is great, often utilized to convey a sense of tension through clever angles that focus on doorways and empty space. The location is stunning as well, doing some serious work in terms of establishing tone. Cory Geryak dials in some nice cinematography, and his drone work is fantastic in terms of creating a sense of scope in such a compact location. Additionally, Stevan Mena does some great work in creating an atmospheric score that never gets in the way.

Where the film stumbles is in its handling of violence and payoff. The kill scenes rely heavily on cutaways, which is always frustrating, especially when the tension is otherwise well built. There are some genuinely spooky sequences and nicely sustained suspense, but the movie often feels too restrained for its own good. The ending, while pretty fun, highlights this issue the most. It’s twisty and moderately complex, tipping its hand toward classic Hitchcock-style mysteries and even echoing the explanatory tendencies of Agatha Christie stories. Right down to the detective practically explaining the entire movie for us, just in case we didn’t quite connect the dots ourselves.

Mena's love of old school haunted house mysteries is an obvious influence, and while The Ruse is not quite on the level of these classics, it's a decent sequel to Mena's Malevolence trilogy. However, the third act takes a strange turn and has a definite made-for-TV quality to it, which undermines the ambition of what started off so promising. That said, it's a good mashup of the old school mysteries of the ‘80s and ‘90s, that's plenty interesting enough to pass the time.

The Ruse (2025)

https://jackmeat.com/the-ruse-2025/

Mr. Buzzkill (2025) | Not great, not terrible. Mr. Buzzkill offers satisfying kills and camp slasher vibes, even if the story trips over itself. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.3/10. Mr. Buzzkill wastes no time establishing its slasher credentials, opening with a radio host taking calls about a string of recent murders and whether the legendary Mr. Buzzkill might be responsible. It’s a simple but effective hook, particularly in its rollout over the credits, propelling the movie into the realm of urban legend before descending into blood-soaked campfire stories. We then move on to a group of adults drinking around a campfire, swapping stories about the Silver Grove massacre and the summer camp killings. What starts as spooky nostalgia quickly turns into a layered (and occasionally messy) narrative experiment.

The film jumps back to 1998 to introduce Joshua, the “poor kid” origin story at the heart of the legend. Locked up for ten whole minutes, a detail the movie shouldn't have made so obvious, Joshua’s childhood trauma becomes the supposed catalyst for his transformation into a serial killer. From there, the group recounts various murders around town that may or may not be attributed to Mr. Buzzkill, complete with reenactments that aggressively point the finger in that direction.

It's an aggressive plan on paper from director Rob Collins, but in execution, it's simply muddy. There are three time tracks that the movie rapidly cuts back and forth between, and these range from Joshua's childhood to the initial attack in the woods to the current attack on the main party at the campground. Unfortunately, the constant snicker-inducing interruptions and asides make it rather difficult to say what's happening in what time frame.

The acting is…exactly what you’d expect. Most of it isn’t great, with performances ranging from wooden to wildly over-the-top, but that’s par for the course in low-budget slashers. Thankfully, the film knows where its real strengths lie: the kills. The practical effects are impressively bloody for the budget, and the stalking sequences are easily the highlight. Mr. Buzzkill, lurking around the campgrounds, picking off victims in a series of brutal, gruesome scenes, delivers the kind of mean-spirited fun slasher fans are looking for.

Things shift again when we’re whisked off to 2018 for the summer camp massacre, which brings with it a handful of genuinely funny lines - mostly from the “slutty girl” character (their words, not mine) - along with some weed-fueled humor that quickly overstays its welcome. The long-winded text dumps and plot summaries, especially regarding the now-infamous 2024 massacre, feel unnecessary and bog down the pacing.

The finale is easily the weakest part. Instead of being a satisfying conclusion, however, the film simply... ends. The budgetary constraints are evident, and the fact that it never gets a proper finish is a real shame, although it does add a layer of interesting, yet slightly unresolved intrigue. The post-credits "outtakes," however, are a nice touch, and while Mr. Buzzkill is hardly a great film, it gets the job done with its kills and its slashy fun. Not great, but certainly not terrible either if you are willing to forgive a lot for a good body count.

Mr. Buzzkill (2025)

https://jackmeat.com/mr-buzzkill-2025/

Predator: Badlands (2025) | Predator Badlands shifts the franchise to a lethal alien world where character growth and spectacle evolve alongside relentless alien danger. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.8/10. Predator: Badlands takes a hard left turn from the familiar jungle and urban hunting grounds of the franchise and drops us onto Genna, a hostile, alien world where pretty much everything wants you dead (haha, I know, we say that about Australia). From the opening moments, director Dan Trachtenberg makes it clear this isn’t business as usual. The film kicks off with an impressive, brutal-looking fight scene between an older and younger Yautja, which not only sets the pace for the movie but is a testament to how much Predator visual effects have evolved. It’s slick and heavy, and expressive for a species that is known for its clicks as opposed to its words.

The young Predator, Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), hasn’t yet earned his cloak of invisibility, a symbol of status and respect within his clan. His overbearing father sees him as weak and orders Dek’s older brother, Kwei, to kill him. Thankfully, Kwei isn’t on board with that charming bit of family tradition and instead helps Dek escape, sending him on a near-suicidal rite of passage: travel to Genna and bring back the head of an arrogantly chosen, supposedly unkillable target. It’s a classic Predator setup filtered through a more character-driven lens, and surprisingly, it works.

One thing longtime fans may not expect is just how much Predator dialogue we get. If you’ve ever wanted to see full conversations with that wonderfully gnarly mouth design, this is absolutely your movie. Around 20 minutes, the title card is finally shown, which means it’s time to kick off on a 90-minute ride full of realistic CGI, creative creature designs, and relentless environmental hazards. Genna feels alive, poisonous, and cruel, which is exactly what I want from a Predator hunting ground.

In a field of toxic plant life, Dek meets Thia (Elle Fanning), a synthetic created by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, a name that will immediately perk up the ears of Alien fans. This crossover-adjacent element is handled with restraint, but it brings with it the expected corporate secrecy and hidden agendas. Thia’s mission is unfinished, and soon another company android, Tessa (also Fanning), is dispatched to clean things up. Along the way, they’re joined by Bud (Ravi Narayan), a local monkey-like creature who adds some levity and unexpected charm.

Visually, the film is a knockout. New Zealand’s landscapes, digitally enhanced or not, look spectacular, and the action choreography is inventive, including some genuinely fun “leg fighting” that’s best experienced unspoiled. Trachtenberg delivers confident production design, strong cinematography, and a plot that refuses to stay locked into a single objective.

That said, Predator: Badlands does soften the franchise in noticeable ways. The film isn’t afraid to give the Predator emotional beats, and yes, there are a few cutesy, almost Ewok-adjacent moments that feel suspiciously Disney-approved. While the action remains unique and often glorious, I do miss the colder, hyper-intelligent Predator pitted against humanity - two apex killers colliding through evolution and instinct.

Predator: Badlands (2025)

Still, even in this slightly watered-down form, Predator: Badlands is anything but a bad flick. It’s very much a visually striking and different type of predator movie, which, although entertaining, does lead me to want to see a return to the hard-hearted, alien predator of yesteryear.

https://jackmeat.com/predator-badlands-2025/

Mad Heidi (2022) | This self-aware Swissploitation romp turns lactose intolerance into oppression and revenge into a wildly messy splatter fantasy. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.9/10. Mad Heidi is what happens when someone looks at the wholesome children’s story of Heidi, watches Dead Alive, and polishes off a cheese fondue pot full of madness, and says, “Yes. All of this.” This is Swissploitation cinema at its most proudly unhinged.

The film wastes no time setting the tone. It opens with a brutal massacre of peaceful protesters by an authoritarian regime, lingering on one woman being executed in a way that practically screams, “This will matter later.” Smash cut to the credits and the wonderfully cheeky “Swissploitation Films” tag, boldly forewarning us of the type of film experience about to unfold. Subtlety doesn’t appear to have made it across the border.

Switzerland is now ruled by President Meili (Casper Van Dien), an autocratic cheese magnate with dreams of global domination through dairy. Yes, cheese is power here. Lactose-intolerant people are treated like subhuman scum, publicly humiliated, dragged off to re-education camps, and literally tortured by cheese. It just doesn’t make any sense, it’s idiotic, but it is also consistently funny. The one area where it really shines is in a joke about a pimp-like character vending cheese because he “keeps his goats happy.” This film is just in on the joke.

Heidi (Alice Lucy), our sweet mountain girl turned vengeance-fueled freedom fighter, is pulled into the madness after her boyfriend, Goat Peter (Kel Matsena), is accused of black market dairy trading. His execution is sudden, nasty, and very, very bloody. In fact, blood sprays so frequently throughout Mad Heidi that it starts to feel like the film was sponsored by the color red. Add in topless cheese servers at tyrant meetings, starvation tactics that force prisoners to choose between death or cheese, and you’ve got exploitation cinema checking off its bingo card with pride.

Things really go off the rails when a henchman is forced to sample the forbidden “Ultra Swiss” cheese, a scene that feels like it wandered in straight from a Troma film and decided to stay. From there, we’re treated to an inspiring, music-themed training montage where Heidi learns to fight under the guidance of forest nuns, because that is what exploitation flix do. Why wouldn’t militant woodland nuns be part of this?

To the film’s credit, the splatter effects are solid, the props are impressively detailed (especially the “final boss” Neutral-izer, a gloriously dumb pun on Swiss neutrality), and the performances fully commit to the insanity. Knowing this came from one of the most successful and respectable crowdfunding campaigns ever only makes it more impressive. Or absurd, you choose.

Mad Heidi (2022)

Mad Heidi is bizarre, wildly original, and unapologetically so. It’s not great filmmaking, but it is certainly a memorable one, and the type of entertainment that I was craving, are you?

https://jackmeat.com/mad-heidi-2022/