Monday, March 16, 2026

Bodycam (2026) | Bodycam starts with a pretty intense setup…then slowly drives straight off a cliff once the goofy meme monster shows up. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.2/10. Bodycam starts off like it’s ready to punch you straight in the face and then…unfortunately spends the rest of the movie searching the cutting room floor. Looking for its momentum. That’s a shame, because the opening sequence legitimately had me, and sets up what could have been a very tense supernatural thriller.

The story kicks off when two police officers respond to a suburban house call that quickly escalates into a nightmare. Officers Jackson (Jaime M. Callica) and Bryce (Sean Rogerson) first screw-up by shooting a man and his infant child. From there, the situation only gets stranger, darker, and far more supernatural than I had expected. It’s a strong premise, and the beginning of Bodycam really leans into that effectively.

Callica and Rogerson both give reasonably solid performances as Jackson and Bryce. They feel believable enough as officers thrown into an escalating crisis, though the script doesn’t exactly make it easy for the audience to root for them. In fact, one of them becomes pretty difficult to sympathize with, right away. I thought the moral gray area could have been interesting if the film had put more focus on it, but instead, it mostly uses it as fuel to push the story into chaos.

Now I’ll admit upfront. I generally loathe the found footage genre. Shaky cameras, characters making terrible decisions, and the inevitable “why are they still filming this?” problem annoy me. Bodycam tries to sidestep that by using police body camera footage as its framing device, which is technically still found footage but at least comes with a built-in reason for the cameras to exist. In this case, the documentary-style approach actually works in keeping the suspense up.

Sadly, that promising setup is the high point of the film.



For a while, things still hold together. Even when the supernatural elements start creeping in, the movie manages to maintain some intrigue. Then the film makes a very questionable decision. It introduces a bizarre meme-looking monster that I absolutely did not need to see. Sometimes less is more, and this was definitely one of those times. If the choice is between showing a goofy creature design or letting our imagination run wild while focusing on possessed followers and unseen horrors, I’ll take imagination every time.

Once that creature shows up, Bodycam starts losing steam quickly. Add in some sequences that feel suspiciously inspired by the whole “backrooms” internet trend, and the film begins to feel less like a focused horror story and more like a grab bag of familiar found-footage tropes.

The effects are also inconsistent. Some scenes look quite good, including one moment featured in the trailer that genuinely works. But others, like a driving sequence later on, look noticeably rough and pull you right out of the experience.

To its credit, the movie does deliver a few effective scares. I thought writer/director Brandon Christensen recently had a handi-cam move marathon and realized after The Puppetman, he would give the genre a shot. At times, Bodycam almost feels like an homage to the found-footage style, tossing in a variety of familiar tricks and ideas.

Bodycam (2026) #jackmeatsflix
Bodycam (2026)

Still, despite its flaws, I’ll give it this. It’s better than that Blair Witch crap. And coming from someone who usually runs screaming from found footage, that might be the nicest compliment I can give it.

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

Who took home the Oscars in 2026 | One Battle After Another takes home the Best Picture trophy. Read on for the full list and a summary on CNN. #jackmeatstv

Here is the full list of winners:

Best picture

One Battle After Another

Best Actor

Michael B Jordan - Sinners

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley - Hamnet

Director

Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Madigan - Weapons

Best Supporting Actor

Sean Penn - One Battle After Another

International Film

Sentimental Value

Documentary Feature

Mr Nobody Against Putin

Original Screenplay

Sinners - Ryan Coogler (not sure what about this was "original." great? sure.)

Adapted Screenplay

One Battle After Another - Paul Thomas Anderson

Original Score

Sinners - Ludwig Goransson

Original Song

Golden - KPop Demon Hunters

Animated Film

KPop Demon Hunters

Visual Effects

Avatar: Fire and Ash - Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett

Costume Design

Frankenstein - Kate Hawley

Cinematography

Sinners - Autumn Durald Arkapaw

Documentary Short Film

All the Empty Rooms

Best Sound

F1 - Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A Rizzo and Juan Peralta

Production Design

Frankenstein - Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau

Makeup and Hairstyling

Frankenstein - Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey

Film Editing

One Battle After Another - Andy Jurgensen

Best casting

One Battle After Another - Cassandra Kulukundis

Best animated short

The Girl Who Cried Pearls

Best live action short

CNN has a summary page being updated with the highlights.

https://edition.cnn.com/entertainment/live-news/oscars-academy-awards-03-15-26

https://jackmeat.com/who-took-home-the-oscars-in-2026/

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Suitable Flesh (2023) | A stylish blend of psychological thrills and Lovecraftian horror played out on an 80s/90s stylistic stage. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.6/10. I have discovered something rather interesting about Suitable Flesh. From the opening scenes, the film has a quirky and sensual pace that appears to have emerged from the late-night shelves of the VHS section in 1987 and has decided to stick around for a while. Directed by Joe Lynch and loosely based on the works of the infamous horror author H.P. Lovecraft, we have just enough elements of the psychological horror genre, the supernatural, and the steamy elements of the 90s thriller genre…just enough to keep things interesting.

At the center of the madness is Heather Graham, who plays psychiatrist Elizabeth Derby. When one of her young patients shows up with a disturbing story involving his father's behavior and hints of something deeply unnatural, Elizabeth does what any rational professional might do. She becomes completely obsessed with the case. Naturally, that curiosity drags her deeper and deeper into a mystery involving some seriously questionable life decisions.

I thought Graham was actually a pleasant surprise. Her performance has a bit of intensity that works well with the story’s descent into obsession and paranoia. She manages to keep things cool with all the insanity around her, but also leans into the film’s pulpy tone when things inevitably go off the rails. Watching her slowly unravel as the truth creeps closer works. It was kinda important when the plot starts heading into full-blown Lovecraftian territory.



Just the vibe of Suitable Flesh sets it apart. The movie has no problem lapping up the aesthetic of the classic 80’s horror genre, while adding the high-tension erotic thrills of the 90’s. From the lighting to the atmosphere that the synthesizers bring to the classic beats of the storytelling, the overall feel of the movie is like a love letter to a time in which horror was weird, sexy, and a little bit crazy at the same time. And it kind of works.

Joe Lynch clearly understands the kind of film he’s making. Rather than trying to modernize the material too much, he leans into the pulpy feel. What this does is create a story that gradually increases in psychological suspense before launching into its supernatural elements in ways that are both creepy and darkly entertaining. Twists and turns happen, as do some creepy revelations and scenes that will cause you to raise an eyebrow and think, “Well… that escalated quickly.”

You can definitely smell that Lovecraft influence, but it’s not ever really like an adaptation. Instead, it’s taking those ideas of cosmic horror and forbidden knowledge, and the sense of identity slipping away to something ancient and unknowable. It’s giving the thriller a creepy element to it.

Suitable Flesh (2023) #jackmeatsflix
Suitable Flesh (2023)

In the end, Suitable Flesh is a fun, stylish ride that mixes psychological drama, supernatural horror, and nostalgic genre vibes into something oddly mesmerizing. It’s weird, a little provocative, and completely comfortable embracing its throwback roots. For fans of Lovecraft-tinged horror or anyone who enjoys a good descent into obsession and cosmic madness, this one makes for a pretty entertaining trip down a very strange rabbit hole.

https://jackmeat.com/suitable-flesh-2023/

Saturday, March 14, 2026

Cold Storage (2026) | When a space fungus escapes containment, 2 employees & Liam Neeson face the worst night shift imaginable in this slimy horror comedy. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.2/10. If you ever thought the biggest danger from Skylab crashing back to Earth in 1979 was a chunk of metal landing on someone’s Buick, Cold Storage would like to politely inform you that the real problem might have been a killer fungus hitching a ride home.

The film opens with some simple text exposition explaining that most of the scientific experiments aboard Skylab were destroyed during re-entry. The keyword here is “most.” And if horror movies have taught us anything, it’s that the remaining 1% is always the thing that wipes out humanity. We’re quickly shown the consequences when a surviving container becomes a roadside tourist attraction in a small town. Naturally, something escapes the tank and proceeds to wipe the place off the map in messy, fungal fashion.

Enter three scientists tasked with containing the outbreak, including Robert Quinn, played by Liam Neeson. Quinn and company manage to collect a specimen while demonstrating exactly how fast this nightmare spreads, before solving the problem the traditional cinematic way: by erasing the entire village from existence. Containment achieved… mostly.

Cut to Teacake (Joe Keery), a guy just trying to get through a regular shift at his storage facility job. Unfortunately for him, the night shift is about to become the worst career choice of his life. Joining him is Naomi (Georgina Campbell), the facility’s new security employee, who also seems destined to discover that “biological containment failure” was not listed in the job description.



Like most creature features, Cold Storage relies on a fair share of questionable decision-making to keep things moving. Doors get opened that absolutely should stay closed. People investigate noises they should absolutely ignore. But the film leans into the absurdity just enough that it becomes part of the fun instead of a frustration.

The humor here is dark but effective. It never quite drifts into the full camp territory of The Return of the Living Dead, though the zombie-like infected and the generous amounts of green slime spraying around definitely give off that vibe. The movie also strikes a nice visual balance between practical effects and CGI. Bursting spores, twitching limbs, and fungal tendrils creeping through vents all feel tactile and gross in the best possible way.

Neeson is clearly having fun playing the grizzled bioterror operative who treats this bizarre fungal apocalypse with complete seriousness. Watching him deliver deadpan one-liners while saving the world is half the entertainment. Meanwhile, Keery and Campbell have solid chemistry. Keery, in particular, manages to separate this character nicely from his Stranger Things persona.

What Cold Storage does best is walk the thin line between ridiculous and semi-serious. If it went too far into parody, it becomes a joke. Play it too straight, and the movie collapses under its own weirdness. Instead, it lands comfortably in that late-night popcorn zone where you’re laughing, and occasionally wondering why anyone thought keeping that sample was a good idea.

Cold Storage (2026) #jackmeatsflix
Cold Storage (2026)

The ending doesn’t exactly hide its intentions either. The possibility of what comes next is hinted at well before the sequel tease, so when the reminder arrives, it feels less like a surprise hook and more like director Jonny Campbell giving us a knowing wink. If the next shift is anything like this one, I am in for another round of gooey fun.

https://jackmeat.com/cold-storage-2026/

Friday, March 13, 2026

The Secret Agent (2025) | The Secret Agent looks fantastic and nails the 70s vibe, but the slow pacing and drawn-out conversations nearly put me into hibernation. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.9/10. It’s been a while since I managed to watch every nominee in the Best Picture lineup, but this year I get to make an educated guess at the eventual winner after watching all 10. Unfortunately, The Secret Agent probably won’t be the one taking home the big trophy.

Set in Brazil during 1977, the film follows Marcelo, a quiet technology expert played by Wagner Moura. He is on the run and trying to reconnect with his son. His journey leads him to Recife during Carnival, which sounds like the kind of crazy celebration where someone on the lam might blend in nicely. Wrong! The city quickly proves to be anything but a safe haven.

The Secret Agent opens with a montage of old photographs and upbeat music that paints the era full of "great mischief". Almost immediately, though, things get strange in that artsy “this might mean something or it might just look cool” way. One early scene features police standing near a dead body that seemingly has nothing to do with them, just lying there like an awkward party guest no one wants to acknowledge.

After some road travel through genuinely gorgeous scenery, we arrive at Part 1: Boy’s Nightmare. Marcelo settles into an apartment building run by the warm and seemingly innocent Dona, played by Tânia Maria. Naturally, when someone is introduced as adorable in a thriller, your brain immediately starts asking how long that innocence will last. The building houses a variety of refugees and oddball residents, including a cat with two faces that looks like it wandered in from a completely different genre. Symbolism? Possibly. Reoccurring nightmare? On the way.



Director Kleber Mendonça Filho doesn’t shy away from the grisly when the moment calls for it. A shark-related scene involving a body and a missing leg proves that point pretty quickly. Meanwhile, the story splinters into other threads, including a grim execution sequence in São Paulo that suggests multiple storylines will eventually connect.

Part 2, Identification Documents Service, slows things down considerably. In fact, it slows them down so much that some conversations stretch far beyond the payoff. It takes nearly two hours before the film finally snaps back to life with a moment that, without spoiling anything, gives someone a very literal “leg up” on the sexual revolution. Yes, the movie suddenly wakes up just long enough to remind you it has a sense of humor buried somewhere inside its moody runtime.

Part 3, Blood Transfusion, arrives with about 40 minutes left and finally delivers some real urgency. A shootout turns graphic quickly, reinforcing the director’s commitment to showing violence without flinching. At some point, the storytelling approach becomes more interesting. I missed exactly when we first see it, but students listen to old tape recordings documenting past events. The film visually reconstructs what they’re hearing as the story unfolds.

Visually, The Secret Agent is excellent. The production design nails the 1970s look, especially the cars, and Recife feels like a living, breathing character rather than just a backdrop. The film is packed with eccentric personalities played by an equally eccentric cast, keeping the atmosphere unpredictable.

Moura gives a solid performance, but it’s far too subdued for me to give him the Best Actor nod. Marcelo spends most of the film operating at the same emotional volume level, which doesn’t always match with what is swirling around him.

The Secret Agent (2025)
The Secret Agent (2025)

In the end, what could have been an inventive political thriller ends up feeling like a collage of familiar Brazilian themes. Corruption, nostalgia, and political tension - without enough weight to tie it all together. It’s technically accomplished and looks great, but dramatically hollow and, frankly, way longer than it needed to be.

Sometimes, style carries a film a long way. Here, it carries it 20 minutes shy of three hours…which was way too far in my eyes.

https://jackmeat.com/the-secret-agent-2025/

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Whistle (2026) | Teens discover a cursed death whistle and immediately blow it, which becomes the horror version of dealing with our population problem. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.5/10. This recent release, Whistle, takes the classic “cursed object dooms a group of teens” formula and gives it a supernatural remix with a very loud piece of ancient nightmare fuel. An Aztec death whistle. If that sounds like something you probably shouldn’t blow unless you enjoy summoning your own demise… well, congratulations, you already have better judgment than most of the characters in this movie.

The film kicks things off with what looks like a standard high school basketball game. Last-second shot, crowd, going wild, all the usual sports movie energy. Except there’s also a flaming demon stalking one of the players across the court. Yeah, that escalates quickly. The fiery encounter sets the tone immediately. Whistle is not aiming for subtlety, and it’s better off for it.

Enter the new girl at school, Chrys, played by Dafne Keen. She’s the lucky student who discovers the mysterious whistle tucked away in her assigned locker. Naturally, it’s an ancient artifact with ominous writing on it. During a shakedown in the hallway where punishments are being handed out like Halloween candy, the group of teens ends up together in detention. This is where the teacher, Mr. Craven (Nick Frost), confiscates the eBay-destined whistle.

So, if you come across an item with a label like “Summon the Dead” on it, the proper response would be to lock it in a box, throw the key in a river, and move to another country. But Mr. Craven, being the whistle-blower he is, has other plans. Obviously, he is a man who believes in the tried and true scientific method known as FAFO.



Once the whistle is activated, the teens quickly reclaim it and begin experimenting with it, because apparently nobody in this town has heard the phrase “terrible idea.” Eventually, they learn the full translation of the inscription actually means “Summon YOUR death.” And just like that, every blast of the whistle calls forth the way each person was destined to die, except now that fate shows up early and ready to get the job done.

The concept behind Whistle is definitely out there. The idea that blowing the whistle summons a future version of your own death is wildly far-fetched, but the movie runs with it confidently. To stretch the mayhem further, the rules conveniently expand so the summoned deaths can target anyone within earshot. Horror math at its finest.

One of the film’s standout sequences takes place inside a gigantic haunted maze at a local carnival. The thing is absurdly massive. Honestly, the kind of attraction most horror fans would have begged their parents to visit as teenagers. Naturally, it becomes the perfect playground for chaos once those deadly manifestations arrive.

When death finally shows up, the movie does not hold back. The gore level jumps dramatically, and the kills land with satisfying brutality. The only moment that really earns a penalty flag is a scene where someone uses a defibrillator on a victim lying in a pool of water…while kneeling in the same water to administer it. That’s not just questionable medical practice. That’s lightning roulette.

Still, Whistle mostly succeeds by embracing its ridiculous premise and delivering the carnage audiences expect. The ending wraps things up in a way that works well enough if you buy into the film’s homemade mythology. Then the story jumps forward three months for the obligatory sequel tease. But the real surprise comes during the credits, where an even better sequel setup appears, and it’s actually pretty clever.

Whistle (2026) #jackmeatsflix
Whistle (2026)

If nothing else, Whistle proves one very important lesson. If you find an ancient artifact labeled “death whistle,” maybe…just maybe…don’t blow it.

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

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

NFT: Cursed Images (2026) | NFT gives the crypto craze a horror twist, and I'll admit watching digital monsters hunt greedy collectors is oddly entertaining. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.7/10. NFT: Cursed Images tries to tap into modern internet paranoia by asking a simple question: what if your overpriced digital collectible didn’t just tank your bank account…it also tried to murder you? The concept alone has enough eerie potential to build a solid horror flick around, even if the execution ends up a little rough around the blockchain.

The film opens with a quick street kill in London that feels intentionally mysterious. A woman briefly mentions a cursed NFT before chaos unfolds, though the sequence is more suggestive than graphic. It’s one of those “something bad just happened, trust us” openings designed to hook your curiosity before the story rewinds to London, 2021.

That’s where we meet our main group of seven friends, and buckle up, because they talk. And talk. And talk some more. Nearly twenty minutes of the film is devoted to drawn-out conversations about digital investments, crypto trends, and eventually the fateful Crypto Horrors NFT collection. It’s the kind of irritating dialogue that will either make you nod knowingly or check your watch, wondering if the monsters are stuck buffering.

Once those cursed NFTs are dropped, the film finally shifts gears. The digital creatures attached to the pixelated images begin to come to life. Popping up in the real world to hunt the owners. The special effects are fairly basic, but the monsters do have a genuinely creepy vibe. Considering this is a low-budget movie, the editing does a decent job of ensuring these ghouls are integrated into the scene without looking too cheesy.



Plot-wise, NFT: Cursed Images runs pretty thin. The movie never really explains how these NFTs gained their supernatural killing powers. They’re cursed… and that’s about the extent of the explanation. Sometimes a mannequin head shows up on the ground for extra weirdness, but even that isn't gonna qualify as gore. It’s one of those horror films where the concept does most of the lifting. The script just hopes you don’t ask too many questions.

The pacing also slows down in the middle, with some scenes dragging on. Since none of the characters had much of a background, I didn’t really care who lived or not. Surprisingly, though, the cast still manages to pass off this ridiculous scenario. Despite how weak the plot is, the actors portray this curse like it’s actually happening, so it’s still watchable.

The one familiar face here is Najarra Townsend as Sue. I recognized her from Contracted, where she delivered a much more intense performance. While NFT: Cursed Images doesn’t give her nearly as much material to work with, she still stands out among the group.

Director Jonas Odenheimer deserves some credit for stretching a limited budget as far as it will go. The scares are minimal, and the gore is almost nonexistent, but the atmosphere occasionally lands. And the cursed NFT idea is undeniably a fun modern horror hook. Thank you to Justin Cook for sending this one over to check out!

NFT: Cursed Images (2026) #jackmeatsflix
NFT: Cursed Images (2026)

In the end, NFT: Cursed Images feels like a proof-of-concept horror film built around a clever premise with an undeveloped mythology. It’s not particularly scary, the plot is thin, and the middle drags, but the cast commits, and the concept itself is oddly entertaining. If nothing else, I'll give this flick points for finally asking the horror question nobody wants an answer to. What if your digital art collection decides to kill you?

https://jackmeat.com/nft-cursed-images-2026/