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/

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026) | Ghost War moves fast, explains everything twice, and feels like a paint-by-numbers streaming spy assignment. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.3/10. If there is one thing Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War wants you to know immediately, it is that absolutely nobody in this universe can simply have a quiet day at work. The movie opens exactly how you would expect a streaming-era espionage thriller to open. People yelling into earpieces, guns firing, computers doing mysterious “important hacking things,” and a covert team trying to digitally steal something so classified the audience is apparently not trusted to understand it yet. Naturally, everything goes sideways.

Then we are whisked away to New York City where Jack Ryan (John Krasinski) is attempting that mythical concept known as having a normal life. He is out on a peaceful jog, minding his own business, trying very hard not to save the world for five whole minutes. Unfortunately for Jack, espionage movies have the same respect for retirement as horror movies do for common sense. Before long, James Greer (Wendell Pierce) shows up for what is essentially “Hey buddy, quick favor…” The kind of favor that inevitably ends with international conspiracies, gunfire, and several passport stamps.

To be fair, Ghost War does have moments where it almost remembers what made the Jack Ryan series work so well. Partnering Jack with MI6 officer Emma Marlowe (Sienna Miller) gives the film some solid chemistry, while Greer and Mike November (Michael Kelly) remain welcome additions. The globe-trotting scenery also deserves credit because if the script is going to drag us through another secret rogue black-ops conspiracy, at least it has the decency to provide nice travel footage along the way. Even if it felt like a travel advertisement for Dubai at times.

The problem is that Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War explains absolutely everything far too early and far too directly. A good espionage thriller thrives on tension, paranoia, and restraint. Fear, loyalty, guilt, and uncertainty should simmer beneath the surface while characters carefully navigate impossible situations. Here, the movie feels terrified that viewers might become confused for seventeen seconds, so it overexplains itself into submission.

What remains is a polished but painfully formulaic streaming spy thriller that checks boxes instead of creating suspense. The final extended gun battle is entertaining enough, but somehow never feels particularly tense. Things explode, bullets fly, people yell tactical instructions, and yet it never quite earns the investment needed to make any of it matter.

Honestly, Ghost War feels like it was written by an algorithm fed every “CIA accidentally causes terrorism” plotline from the last twenty years and instructed to make it shiny. Compare this to the first season of Jack Ryan, which actually understood espionage storytelling. That show gave us layered characters, conversations dripping with tension, emotional stakes, and consequences that mattered. You cared about Jack, Greer, and even the villains because they felt human.

Here? Everyone mostly feels like they were assembled in a streaming-content factory where the mission briefing included the words: “Make it loud, expensive, and vaguely political.”

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026)

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War is watchable enough if you simply want spies running through airports and tactical teams kicking doors in, but compared to the show, this mission feels very much compromised.

https://jackmeat.com/tom-clancys-jack-ryan-ghost-war-2026/

Bad Voodoo (2026) | The biggest twist in Bad Voodoo was realizing IMDb reviews accidentally belonged to a completely different movie. Funny stuff. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 3.2/10. Bad Voodoo starts off in a way that immediately makes you think, “Alright, maybe this thing is going somewhere weird.” Some girls are chatting in a car when suddenly, bam, one screams, “Dad!” before getting absolutely obliterated by a car. It is abrupt enough to wake you up if you happen to be checking your phone already. From there, we cut to Abigail sitting in a field with what looks suspiciously like a cult gathering while candle-lighting rituals and chanting pop up like the movie is desperately trying to say, “Trust us, spooky things are happening.”

Back at Abigail’s house, her brother swings by to warn her about a prison break nearby, because apparently the local neighborhood updates include escaped convicts now. Abigail (Cristina Moody) brushes it off, naturally, which of course means she is immediately abducted by the very inmates he warned her about. Horror movies and listening to common sense continue their lifelong feud.

The biggest hurdle with Bad Voodoo is that it feels like several unfinished movie ideas got tossed into a blender and nobody checked if the lid was on. There is a home invasion setup here that honestly could have worked. Add some voodoo magic, make the writing tighter, and perhaps there is a good story lurking within. But no, the film doesn’t have any sense of direction and changes its motives according to which scene you’re watching, almost as if they were still in the process of scripting it during their lunch break.

The sound mix certainly does not help. Dialogue is often so quiet that you may find yourself leaning toward the TV like you are trying to overhear gossip from the neighbors. Unfortunately, what you eventually hear is acting that ranges from stiff to aggressively wooden. The standout performance comes from the Voodoo Priest, played by Jimmy C. Jules, though “standout” might be generous. His overacting somehow circles around from entertaining to irritating, becoming the equivalent of somebody yelling directly into your ear at a party.

What really cracked me up was the total lack of urgency from characters who are supposedly in danger. Tied-up captives casually chatting like they are waiting at a bus stop instead of trying to escape, and dark supernatural forces gave Bad Voodoo an accidental comedy streak stronger than its horror.

The supernatural voodoo side of things ends up feeling half-baked, and whatever twist the movie thinks it is dropping lands with all the surprise of seeing rain clouds before a storm. If it shocks you, fair enough, but chances are you saw it coming from a mile away.

The kills are weak, the scares are basically nonexistent, and somehow the mid-credit sequel tease feels more thought out than the movie you just watched. I genuinely wondered how Bad Voodoo was hovering near a 5 on IMDb until I checked the reviews and discovered half of them appear to be for an entirely different movie. Unless “watching a man alone in a tiny capsule communicating with a ground team through crackling audio” suddenly became voodoo horror, IMDb may need a wellness check on this one. Read those reviews with caution because apparently the editors are on a very extended holiday.

Bad Voodoo (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/bad-voodoo-2026/

Thrash (2026) | Thrash basically asks, “What if surviving a Category 5 hurricane wasn’t stressful enough?” Enter the sharks. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.3/10. If natural disasters already weren’t terrifying enough, Thrash arrives to remind us that flooding your entire coastal town is apparently not stressful enough unless somebody also adds sharks to the equation. Because when a Category 5 hurricane is tearing buildings apart, obviously, the logical next step is, “You know what this situation needs? Teeth.”

To the movie’s credit, Thrash doesn’t waste time pretending the storm came out of nowhere. Everyone is preparing from the beginning, boarding windows and scrambling to get ready for what looks like a very bad few days ahead. There is something oddly refreshing about characters actually paying attention to weather warnings for once instead of standing outside saying, “Kinda windy today.”

And when that storm finally hits? It hits hard. The hurricane itself genuinely looks impressive, with the flooding delivering some surprisingly convincing destruction for what absolutely carries that charming B-budget disaster movie energy. Streets turn into rivers, buildings take a beating, and the whole thing has that “humanity had a good run” kind of atmosphere.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, the floodwaters also bring in some very unwelcome new neighbours: sharks. Lots of sharks. Suddenly, surviving a hurricane becomes step one, and not becoming dinner becomes step two.

The story follows a handful of desperate survivors trying to navigate the chaos. Lisa (Phoebe Dynevor) is heavily pregnant, because apparently, surviving a hurricane wasn’t stressful enough on its own. Dakota (Whitney Peak) struggles with panic issues, which honestly feels like the most relatable response possible considering the circumstances. Meanwhile, there are three foster kids stuck with foster parents who might genuinely qualify for Worst Guardians of the Year, complete with accents that occasionally sound like they wandered in from entirely different movies. Then there is Djimon Hounsou showing up as Dakota’s doctor uncle, heading toward disaster with a film crew because apparently some people see “catastrophic shark flood” and think, “Fantastic documentary opportunity.”

Now, does Thrash make logical sense all the time? Absolutely not. Not even remotely. Then there are scenes where people are doing things that might have you shouting at the screen about survival instincts, and for a moment, you may find yourself thinking that perhaps common sense drowned off in the flood with everyone’s furniture. However, to be honest, it seems like the kind of film where struggling against the idiocy is counterproductive.

Thankfully, the sharks themselves actually look pretty solid. No terrifying early-2000s CGI disasters swimming around here. The creatures feel threatening enough, even if the movie is surprisingly restrained when it comes to body count and gore. Considering sharks are casually living in the town at this point, I expected significantly more screaming and considerably fewer surviving extras.

In the end, Thrash works best as a casual streaming watch for creature-feature fans. It has decent atmosphere, effective sharks, and an entertaining enough disaster setup, but never quite rises above mediocrity. The potential is there, but thinner character work and uneven storytelling stop it from leaving much of an impression. Either way, if "hurricane plus sharks" appeals to you, there are certainly worse movies for your "ridiculous" Friday night viewing.

Thrash (2026)

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

Normal (2026) | Bob Odenkirk wanders into a quiet little town called Normal and immediately discovers absolutely nothing is normal there. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.3/10. Normal opens in the last place I expected a movie called Normal to begin. Osaka, Japan. Because apparently the best way to kick off a neo-Western thriller set in snowy Minnesota is with a Japanese version of “Paranoid,” a brutal loyalty test, and the kind of pinky-removal situation that makes you instinctively hide your own hand behind your back. Things escalate quickly too. Refuse the loyalty test? Off comes your head. Casual stuff. Before long, someone ships two very unlucky guys off to the tiny town of Normal, Minnesota, where things definitely do not plan to stay normal.

Enter Bob Odenkirk as Ulysses. He's a substitute sheriff temporarily escaping some personal & professional baggage. If there is one thing Odenkirk does exceptionally well these days, it is playing exhausted men who look like they desperately need a nap. Yet still fully capable of ruining your day. Through amusing narration and some genuinely funny small-town interactions, Ulysses settles into Normal, meeting locals, including the Mayor, played by Henry Winkler. Whenever the Fonz, er...Winkler shows up in something, there is an immediate boost, even if the movie surrounding him is quietly threatening to spiral into complete chaos.

The town itself feels oddly cozy at first. Snow-covered streets, quiet routines, everyone seemingly knowing each other. As someone who misses snowy weather, Normal absolutely scratches that itch with its chilly atmosphere. It looks cold enough that I practically wanted to throw on another blanket while watching.

Then comes the bank robbery. Except in a tiny town like this, a robbery feels less like an inconvenience and more like the apocalypse arriving fifteen years early. Ulysses walks in, hoping to calm things down, and from there… yeah, I am deliberately keeping things vague because where Normal goes is far more entertaining if you discover it yourself. This is one of those films where every reveal lands better without spoilers, and trust me, some of them are gloriously weird.

Director Ben Wheatley continues his tradition of making films that seem mildly offended if you expect comfort or straightforward answers. Normal is strange, unsettling, and intentionally awkward in all the right ways. The story doesn’t hold your hand, and honestly, it feels like Wheatley standing in the corner saying, “Figure it out, mate.” Somehow, that works here. The off-balance tone gives the movie personality, even if it occasionally leaves you blinking at the screen wondering if you accidentally missed ten minutes.

There is also some solid action mixed throughout, including moments of accidental violence that caught me completely off guard and genuinely made me laugh. The movie balances tension and absurdity surprisingly well without tipping fully into parody.

Inevitably, Normal will get compared to Odenkirk’s recent Nobody films, and I’d personally put it around the level of Nobody 2. Not quite reaching the heights of the first Nobody, but still a fun, violent ride with enough unpredictability to keep things interesting. Outside of Odenkirk, don’t get too attached to anybody either. This movie makes it very clear that survival is more of a suggestion than a guarantee.

If you’re a fan of Odenkirk, strange action thrillers, or movies that enjoy keeping you slightly uncomfortable while occasionally making you laugh at accidental deaths, Normal will probably be worth checking out. Just don’t expect anything remotely…well, normal.

Normal (2026)

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

Dark Floors (2008) | I had to check out this Finnish horror flick from the band Lordi, winners of Eurovision in 2006. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.1/10. I went into Dark Floors knowing nothing about it being a Lordi film. That being said, I am glad to have found this review from someone named "flamewall" located in Finland (the movie is Finnish).

Here is their review: "I got to say that I went to see this movie with low expectations. I didn't believe that a Lordi movie could be good because I actually couldn't imagine it as a whole. Though, after I saw the movie, I was amazed at how well the writers and the director pulled it off. It is often said that horror is the most delicate type of movie because there is only a slight difference between scary and ridiculous. but this doesn't concern Dark Floors because it is not (at least in my mind) a full-blooded horror movie. The movie has many horror elements but doesn't still come off as horror-ish. That doesn't make it bad it just means that you can't go into the theater wishing that you will be scared out of your nickers. The visual and audio feel of the movie was excellent, and there is nothing anyone can say about that. The plot did leave an annoying amount of plot holes, the ending didn't really clear any of them up, and the viewer was just left to guess what the plot was all about. Still, it didn't bother half as much as the under-use of the Lordi band members. I have never liked Lordi and never listened to them but while watching this movie I became interested in the different monsters they play. Sadly, the plot did hardly anything at all to use the unique backgrounds and looks of the different ghoul parts from the different superpowers they all demonstrated. What I am saying is that I would have liked this movie to be more about the monsters than the victims... really who gave a goddamn thing about what happened to the all-knowing copper or the businessman type. The only character I got even a bit curious was the weird hobo with superpowers and a weird telepathic relationship with the girl but he is never explained in any way(a big mistake). In retrospect, I think they could have done much better, but I also think there is a lot of good in this film, and I hope it will be a financial success. There is just one thing Finns can't tolerate: a successful Finnish movie if it is not a drama." (That review was heavily fixed by Grammarly in case you look it up)

My take on the movie as a whole is an interesting mix of “monsters”, ghosts, and zombies (updated again 9/18/23). This flick does have some decent practical effects. Now, at least you can say you’ve now seen a Finnish horror film (The most expensive movie ever made in Finland at the time), even if it is pretty damn nonsensical. The obstacles the characters would overcome were completely uneven, with some way too easy to defeat threats. Director Pete Riski never tells us why the mask-wearing Vikings are so angry, and the writers left way too many plot holes and unanswered questions to be rated any higher than I gave it. I assume many will go far lower due to the plot being all over the place with no resolution. The atmosphere and overall ambiance of the flick are what carry it through. Scenes are well put together, even if the locations can be confusing. In case you are wondering, in 2006, Lordi won Eurovision partially due to the shock value of walking on stage dressed up like the monsters that appear in this movie. Video here.

Apparently, I reviewed this years ago as well LOL (6/14/14): Movie review: "Dark Floors" Well, Lordi made their way onto the screen (before looking that up, I wasn't familiar). The movie has tons of atmosphere, some of which is creepy just by being so bizarre and empty. The actors (winking at you, little girl) were good. The pacing was done well, and the story itself led to a nice WTF at the end. Kills were slightly repetitive. Don't expect to understand this movie, so sit back and enjoy. Oh, the ghost effects were good, btw.

Dark Floors (2008)

https://jackmeat.com/dark-floors-2008/

Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026) | The Mummy felt like Evil Dead, and The Exorcist had a cursed little horror baby wrapped in bandages. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.5/10. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy feels he tossed his memories of The Exorcist into an Egyptian tomb, sprinkled in what he learned making Evil Dead Rise, and said, “You know what this needs? More nightmare children.” Surprisingly, that recipe works pretty well, even if it occasionally forgets to fully crank the chaos dial.

The movie gets moving fast. We open with a happy family singing in the car, which in horror terms is basically a giant flashing sign that says, “Enjoy this while it lasts.” Mom already looks one chorus away from losing her patience, but things take a turn when the family gets home and finds their pet bird mysteriously dead in its cage. Because apparently cursed family drama likes to arrive early.

From there, The Mummy starts layering in creepy family business best left for audiences to discover. Let’s just say if creepy basements already make you uncomfortable, this movie may have you reconsidering ever walking downstairs again. Most people store old furniture or Christmas decorations. This place feels like someone casually hid a sarcophagus downstairs and hoped nobody would ask questions.

Things escalate when young Katie (Emily Mitchell) encounters the not-so-friendly neighborhood “magician” next door. She hands Katie a nectarine, which turns into a wonderfully unsettling moment with a bug popping out and heading straight into Katie’s mouth. That scene should have you eyeballing every piece of fruit sitting in that bowl on your kitchen counter.

Soon after, Charlie (Jack Reynor) discovers Katie has vanished, leading to a frantic chase through the streets of Cairo as a sandstorm swallows the city whole. Then comes the gut punch. An eight-year jump forward shows the family trying to move on in Albuquerque, New Mexico, now with a younger daughter while carrying the weight of what happened.

Of course, horror movies love reopening old wounds. After a mysterious plane crash in Egypt uncovers an ancient coffin, investigators find a mummified girl inside. And unless this is your first horror flick, you already know it is Katie (Natalie Grace).

This is where The Mummy becomes properly unsettling. Katie’s makeup is deeply disturbing, from the cracked skin to the teeth and especially those horrifying fingernails. The sound design deserves credit, too. That constant teeth chattering? Absolutely not. Straight-up skin-crawling material. Cronin clearly learned a few tricks from Evil Dead Rise, bringing over the same nasty energy of possessed people saying awful things at maximum taunting levels.

The kids are, without a doubt, the main stars, and the special effects certainly add to the fright more than the flashy CGI effects. In fact, this reimagining feels far less like a traditional mummy story and more like an Evil Dead cousin wearing ancient wrappings for Halloween.

Still, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy never quite goes as hard as it feels like it wants to. Several scenes tease full horror insanity before easing off the gas, especially an open-casket moment that feels like it stopped just short of legendary gross-out status. The movie also runs a bit too long and lands one good ending before oddly deciding it needs another.

Even with those flaws, Lee Cronin delivers a creepy, brutal horror mashup that works more often than not. Just don’t go in expecting old-school mummy adventure. This version would much rather chatter its teeth at you in the dark and ruin your sleep schedule.

Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/lee-cronins-the-mummy-2026/

Buffet Infinity (2026) | Buffet Infinity feels like someone found a cursed VHS tape of late-night commercials and somehow made it strangely hilarious. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.3/10. I went into Buffet Infinity mostly because the trailer looked weird enough to grab my attention, and weird it most definitely is. This is one of those movies where, within the first few minutes, you’re either thinking, “Oh, this is going to be my kind of bizarre,” or already wondering if someone accidentally changed the channel to a forgotten Canadian cable station from 1993 at 2:17 a.m.

Buffet Infinity takes place in a time warp inspired by ‘80s and ‘90s late-night TV. It starts with a barrage of logos before launching into those homemade commercials. It feels oddly authentic, like someone found a dusty VHS tape in the attic and decided to make a horror-comedy universe out of it. The Crossroads shopping complex acts as the center of the madness. Buffet Infinity itself sits among a collection of local businesses, and before long, it becomes very clear that weird things are happening around town. And evolving fast. Not “the vending machine ate my dollar” weird. More “something feels deeply wrong here, but I can’t stop watching” weird.

It is evident that director Simon Glassman knows exactly what tone he wants to capture by copying the tone of SCTV through cutting various commercial clips, including bizarre commercials, weird local advertisements, and strange news broadcasts. Some of these commercials are actually very funny. Ahmed’s Pawnshop ads were easily among my favorites and felt like the kind of thing you’d half-laugh at while also wondering, “Wait… did this actually air somewhere?” There’s some genuinely funny stuff buried in the chaos.

What impressed me most is that despite the endless stream of weird, low-budget commercials and outlandish skits, there’s an actual storyline happening underneath all the absurdity. The characters and businesses begin forming this sinister, interconnected small-town narrative, and it works surprisingly well for a while. The movie absolutely nails the nostalgic feeling of fake local TV programming, sparking memories of cheesy commercials, weird infomercials, and the kind of low-budget broadcasting you’d stumble across while aimlessly flipping channels before streaming existed and stole all our patience.

That said, Buffet Infinity eventually runs into the same problem many experimental genre films face. It starts loving its gimmick just a little too much. The middle section feels stretched way beyond what the premise can comfortably support. At some point, I found myself thinking, “Okay, this needed someone in the editing room armed with scissors and zero emotional attachment.” A leaner cut would have done wonders here, or alternatively, expanding the actual story to match the runtime could have helped justify the wandering pace.

The ending also didn’t land as hard as I hoped, even with the slight nod to one of my favorites, Bad Taste, buried in there. After all the interesting yet bizarre buildup, it left me wanting something stronger. It’s brilliantly crafted and undeniably creative, but once the novelty wears off, Buffet Infinity ends up drowning in its own brilliance.

Buffet Infinity (2026)

For fans of analog horror and deeply unconventional filmmaking, this might be right up your alley. For everyone else, your mileage may vary somewhere between “hidden gem” and “what in the VHS Massacre did I just watch?”

https://jackmeat.com/buffet-infinity-2026/

Badland Hunters (2024) | If you are seeking a mindless, action-packed diversion with a dash of gore, this Korean flick is worth a watch. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.1/10. There are movies that know exactly what they are, and then there’s Badland Hunters, which feels like it spun a giant “post-apocalyptic chaos” wheel and decided to include every genre it landed on. Earthquake disaster? Yep. Mad scientist? Sure. Mutants? Absolutely. Zombie-ish weirdness? Why not. Brutal fistfights? Thankfully, yes. It's basically throwing leftovers into a blender and hoping somehow it becomes a gourmet meal. Sometimes it kind of works. Mostly, it just tastes confusing.

Set in a ruined, lawless Seoul after a catastrophic earthquake turns society into dust and survival mode, Badland Hunters follows Nam-San, played by the always dependable Ma Dong-seok (aka the human equivalent of a freight train with fists). When a teenager is abducted by a deranged doctor running experiments that scream “this probably violates several ethical guidelines,” Nam-San heads out on a rescue mission with his trademark blend of intimidation and punching things into next Tuesday.

And honestly? Ma Dong-seok is the main reason this movie stays upright.

The man walks into scenes carrying enough charisma to power the entire wasteland. His performance has that familiar action-hero confidence fans love, where he somehow looks both mildly inconvenienced and fully prepared to flatten six people at once. Every time Badland Hunters threatens to disappear into its own ridiculousness, Ma shows up and drags it back with pure screen presence. You almost start wishing the movie would stop talking and just let him silently wander around solving problems with his fists.

Because the story itself? Bit of a mess.

The film piles on dystopian clichés like it got charged per unused trope. The CGI-heavy setting gives Seoul a decent enough ruined-world look, but it often feels overly artificial, like a very expensive video game cutscene stretched into a feature film. Fast-paced? Definitely. Memorable? Not so much.

Then there’s the tonal whiplash. Badland Hunters desperately wants to be everything at once. Survival thriller, creature feature, action spectacle, horror movie, dark comedy. Take your pick. And instead ends up feeling like five different movies awkwardly sharing a tiny apartment. Some comedic moments land with all the grace of someone stepping on LEGO during the apocalypse, while several performances outside of Ma Dong-seok veer into overacting territory hard enough to yell, "Alrighty then!"

Still, boredom is not a word that ever crossed my mind. The movie moves fast, throws plenty of weirdness at the screen, and delivers some satisfyingly brutal gore. Especially during the finale. Gorehounds looking for crunchy action and mutant mayhem should walk away happier than anyone looking for deep meaning.

Badland Hunters (2024)

In the end, Badland Hunters is a mixed bag. We get big punches, strange choices, and wasted potential. If you want a mindless, action-packed diversion with a bit of gore and a whole lot of Ma Dong-seok being awesome, it’s worth watching. If you’re after something smarter or more original, you’re probably better off revisiting his Roundup films.

https://jackmeat.com/badland-hunters-2024/

Crime 101 (2026) | A cool-looking heist flick that sometimes takes the scenic route, but still lands the plane with Hollywood confidence. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.9/10. Crime 101 starts with a nice upside-down shot of Los Angeles taken at night. Already here, I can tell that this is trying to appear as stylish as possible, and thank goodness, it is. Set against the sun-bleached grit of L.A., this crime thriller follows an elusive thief, played by a very charismatic Chris Hemsworth, whose elaborate robberies along the iconic 101 freeway have authorities scratching their heads. Planning one last giant score (because apparently, criminals in movies always think retirement is realistic), he crosses paths with a struggling insurance broker played by Halle Berry. Meanwhile, a relentless detective portrayed by Mark Ruffalo inches closer to blowing the whole thing apart.

One of the immediate highlights for me was seeing Nick Nolte show up as the head honcho, Money. Nolte just has one of those faces where you instantly believe he has seen some things, and probably yelled at at least three people before breakfast. He brings a gritty old-school energy to Crime 101 that works perfectly for the world it is building.

Then we get Maya, played by Monica Barbaro, who literally crashes into Hemsworth’s life after slamming into his car. They exchange information like normal people after a fender bender, except this is a movie, so naturally, he turns that number into a date opportunity. Smooth? Questionable. Effective? Apparently. But the relationship had me laughing for reasons I don’t think were entirely intentional. Date number one, she is acting completely weirded out about going to some fancy restaurant, like she accidentally wandered into a billionaire convention. Date number two? Suddenly, she rolls up in a jet-black evening dress, looking like she owns the place. Pick a lane, woman! Or maybe more accurately…pick a lane, writer/director Bart Layton.

Speaking of Layton, I would bet good money he has watched Heat a few times. Actually, probably more than a few. Crime 101 shares a few similarities with that classic robbery film from 1995, from the game of cat and mouse to the criminals attempting to get one last big payday. Regardless of whether this similarity originated from Layton or the author of the book, Don Winslow, Crime 101 still had me thinking back to checking out Heat at the drive-in.

Thankfully, Crime 101 develops its characters enough that the story has some depth. Nobody feels like cardboard filler standing around waiting for explosions. The actors keep things entertaining, and the suspense is built up nicely toward the finale. That said, there are definitely some dull moments that occur from time to time when you get the feeling that the movie is stuck in traffic on the 101.

Still, Crime 101 is an enjoyable, stylish crime caper with more than enough gloss, good acting, and showbiz bravado to keep you entertained. With what could easily be regarded as the perfect Hollywood ending. Which works sometimes, and doesn’t always work other times, but after sitting through the entire 142-minute run time, I was willing to let it have its moment.

Crime 101 (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/crime-101-2026/

Lure (2026) | If you’ve ever wanted Saw-lite with less everything and more accidental comedy, this 2026 movie, Lure, has you covered. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 3.6/10. Somewhere out there, a filmmaker watched Saw, thought “what if this had less money, more awkward acting, and a rich girl handing out death games like party favors?” and thus, Lure (2026) was born.

The movie kicks off with a random guy sprinting through the woods like he is late for the bus, only to get snagged by a conveniently placed barbed wire trap and collected by a mysterious woman. Nothing says “good start” quite like immediately wondering if you accidentally sat on the wrong streaming title. Soon after, we meet Tom (Kit Esuruoso), who arrives at an invitation-only party hosted by the mysterious and alluring Islay (Silvia Presente). And by “party,” I mean a deeply concerning social gathering where tied-up men are casually displayed like centerpieces. Islay politely introduces each one as if she’s hosting The Bachelor: Cult Family Edition.

The setup is simple enough. Six men compete in a series of games to become the perfect suitor for the rich girl. Romantic, right? Of course, there’s a catch. Mouth off to Islay and your head may quite literally explode. The movie wastes little time turning into discount Saw, with a bunch of self-inflicted tasks and survival challenges thrown into the mix. Unfortunately, the quick-cut camera work makes it weirdly difficult to even tell what some of the contestants are actually doing half the time. It feels less like building suspense and more like the editor accidentally drank six energy drinks before touching the timeline.

As expected, logic takes a holiday. Thankfully for Tom, six-shooter revolvers apparently come with magical self-reloading technology in Lure’s universe. Who needs realism when the gun decides, “You know what? Let’s keep this scene moving.”

Performance-wise, Silvia Presente does a decent enough job as the sinister Islay, carrying herself with the right blend of charm and menace. There’s at least something there to keep your attention. Gregory Fung as Markus, though, delivers one of the strangest performances in the film. At times, it genuinely feels like he wandered into frame, unaware filming had already started. The rest of the cast mostly blends into one forgettable pile of disposable victims.

The technical side does not exactly save things either. The effects are basic, the CGI splatter lacks punch, and somehow the music frequently overpowers the dialogue. Granted, nobody is exactly delivering life-changing philosophy here, but it would still be nice to hear what people are saying before someone inevitably gets maimed.

Maybe Lure (2026) would have landed differently if it had existed before Saw. Or if it had a budget bigger than the price of a decent takeaway dinner. As it stands, this is a silly little death-game thriller with a straightforward setup, weak execution, and not much to chew on beyond Silvia Presente’s screen presence.

Lure (2026)

Not the worst horror movie lurking in the bargain bin, but definitely a pass. You can find better.

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

The Housemaid (2025) | Millie gets a dream job & ignores every red flag in sight while Amanda Seyfried is disturbing in the best way. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.4/10. Good to see The Housemaid wastes absolutely no time getting started. Millie Calloway, played by Sydney Sweeney, rolls up to this gigantic mansion looking to interview for a live-in maid position with wealthy couple Nina and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). Right away, things feel a little too polished, a little too perfect, and considering Millie is basically living out of her car with a résumé held together by pure confidence and crossed fingers, she assumes there is no chance she lands the job. Of course, if she did not get the phone call shortly after offering her the position, we would have ourselves a very short movie.

Things go sideways impressively fast. It takes roughly one day before Millie realizes Nina Winchester, played so well by Amanda Seyfried, might be just a tiny bit unhinged. And by “tiny bit,” I mean completely off her rocker. The dream job suddenly becomes one of those situations where every room in the house feels like somebody is one bad day away from throwing a vase through a window.

Now, here is where The Housemaid occasionally frustrated me, mostly because Millie might be one of the worst liars ever written. Early on, she gets caught in these painfully obvious fibs, like explaining why she wore glasses during the interview but suddenly not afterward with the incredibly suspicious excuse of, “I do not always wear them, contacts.” Millie… just say you wear them for driving! Problem solved! Crisis averted! Instead, she practically waves a giant “I AM LYING” flag over her head.

And speaking of questionable judgment, Millie continues making decisions that had me shaking my head while also laughing at how obvious some of the setups felt. Already told to stay away from the husband? Sure, why not go see a show with him using tickets you were literally asked to buy for mysterious reasons. Oh, and why stop there? Might as well end the night at a hotel, too. You don't think that gifted phone is tracking you, do you? At several points, The Housemaid had me thinking, "okay, this setup feels way too convenient…somebody is absolutely playing chess here while Millie is stuck playing checkers".

To the movie’s credit, while the first half does not bring many surprises, things improve once the twists start kicking in. I was actually pretty close to guessing where things were headed, but not close enough to nail it exactly, and I am glad. The reveals land effectively even when you kind of feel the movie nudging you in the right direction.

Performance-wise, everyone does solid work, but Seyfried is operating several levels above everyone else. She absolutely owns every scene she is in and walks the line between unstable, manipulative, and oddly fascinating. Sklenar conveys a certain devious side quite well. Sydney Sweeney does fine as Millie, and yes, if you are wondering whether the marketing leaned into Sweeney’s sex appeal, the answer is definitely yes LOL.

Directed by Paul Feig, The Housemaid looks good and moves along at a nice pace. The darkly funny little wrap-up scene at the end honestly ended up being one of my favorite moments in the whole movie.

The Housemaid (2025)

I had no idea The Housemaid was based on a book, so I went in with zero comparison baggage. Although, as always, I am sure somewhere out there the book fans are already sharpening their pitchforks and whispering, “the book was better” LOL.

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

Project Hail Mary (2026) | The fact that an alien rock-spider became one of my favorite movie characters this year was not on my bingo card. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 8.4/10. Project Hail Mary starts with a body bag, and immediately, I am sitting there thinking, "okay, this is my type of flick," LOL. I know, wrong genre entirely. But when a movie opens with a guy waking from a coma, confused, in space, beside a couple of dead bodies, it definitely gets your attention fast. Turns out it's not horror, just one very confused man aboard a spaceship, seemingly all alone and very far from home.

Ryan Gosling plays middle school science teacher Ryland Grace, who wakes up light-years from Earth with no recollection of who he is, why he is there, or what exactly humanity expects him to accomplish. As his memory slowly comes back, Project Hail Mary fills us in through flashbacks and introduces the very big problem at hand. The sun is dying, Earth is in trouble, and somehow this science teacher has been roped into humanity’s last desperate attempt to stop extinction.

Thankfully, the movie does not spend forever playing the “who am I?” card. Grace regains his memories fairly quickly, so the mystery becomes less about what is happening and more about why he specifically ended up on this mission. Watching him piece things together while trying to science his way through impossible problems keeps things moving nicely, and surprisingly, the science itself is actually fun. The movie throws plenty of scientific concepts at you without making it feel like homework. Although honestly, if Ryan Gosling were teaching science back in middle school, attendance rates probably would have been through the roof.

What really surprised me about Project Hail Mary was the humor. It isn't some laugh-out-loud comedy, but the subtle humor works incredibly well. Then Grace makes contact with his alien companion Rocky, and suddenly the movie becomes a fantastic buddy story I didn't see coming. Watching these two awkwardly figure each other out while teaming up to save not just our sun, but all the stars, was quite entertaining. Rocky quickly becomes the heart of the movie, and their friendship ended up hitting way harder emotionally than I expected.

Sandra Hüller is also excellent as Eva, the organizer behind this impossible mission, bringing a bit of seriousness to the Earth-side story. Also, random fun moment, one of the astronauts is Milana Vayntrub from the AT&T commercials LOL. Definitely had one of those “wait, I know her” moments.

Visually, Project Hail Mary looks fantastic, especially the scenes outside the ship. Even more impressive is learning that they avoided green screen and relied heavily on practical sets. Rocky was largely performed practically as well, with puppetry used so Gosling had something physical to react to, while CGI mainly cleaned things up. Considering Gosling spends most of this movie essentially alone acting opposite his little puppet buddy, he absolutely carries this thing.

Project Hail Mary (2026)

Instead of another sci-fi disaster movie, Project Hail Mary caught me off guard by its surprisingly heartfelt story. One about loneliness, friendship, bravery, sacrifice, and change. I went in basically blind, and I am really glad I did. I expect to be hearing more about this one come Oscar time.

https://jackmeat.com/project-hail-mary-2026/

How to Make a Killing (2026) | Turns out murdering your wealthy relatives is harder when you keep casually visiting them right beforehand. Who knew? #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.1/10. Four hours until execution. I know because the giant text on the screen politely informed me. That is where How to Make a Killing kicks things off, with blue-collar Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) sitting on death row getting a visit from a priest. Naturally, this means we are about to hear the story of how things went wrong.

The movie rewinds all the way back to Becket’s beginnings, where his obscenely wealthy family gives his pregnant mother a lovely little ultimatum. Abort the baby and stay rich, or keep him and get kicked out of the family fortune. She chooses motherhood, which leaves Becket growing up on the outside while still trying to mold himself into someone worthy of the elite lifestyle he missed out on.

The twist that fuels the whole movie is a legal loophole stating Becket gets the massive Redfellow inheritance if he outlasts every other family member. And by “outlasts,” well…this movie has a very creative interpretation of patience.

Things start innocent enough, but the darker edges creep in pretty quickly, especially when Becket reconnects with childhood crush Julia (Margaret Qualley), who casually tells him, “Call me when you’ve killed them all.” That line alone feels like the movie quietly telling you exactly where this train is headed.

I will admit, if I were planning to eliminate an entire wealthy family, I might go about it with a little more common sense than Becket demonstrates. Maybe avoid meeting up with each relative shortly before they mysteriously die? Just a thought. Thankfully, How to Make a Killing tries more dark comedy rather than believable crime logic, which makes the sillier moments easier to roll with.

Powell does a solid job carrying the film with his usual charm, even when Becket makes decisions questionable enough to make you yell at the screen. Ed Harris as Whitelaw Redfellow also feels like perfect casting. He brings exactly the kind of intimidating rich-family patriarch energy this movie needs, even if the character itself is not especially deep.

There is not much complexity here, and How to Make a Killing never really pushes beyond its basic premise, making parts of it predictable. The writing can feel cheesy and a bit contrived at times, though thankfully, it never becomes overly annoying. It still succeeds at what it sets out to do. Be a fun, easy piece of entertainment.

The movie appears to be a direct remake of Kind Hearts and Coronets, which I have not seen, except that one had Alec Guinness playing eight lead roles, and I am willing to bet his acting was better. LOL.

How to Make a Killing (2026)

At the end of the day, How to Make a Killing did not blow me away in the slightest, but I had a good time with it, and sometimes that is all a movie really needs to do.

https://jackmeat.com/how-to-make-a-killing-2026/

A Town Full Of Ghosts (2023) | A Town Full Of Ghosts looked promising with its creepy setting, but the acting scared me more than the ghosts. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 3.6/10. Looks like another found footage gem. HAHA. As always, I watch everything so you don’t have to, and A Town Full Of Ghosts is yet another reminder that just because you can make a found footage movie doesn’t necessarily mean the ghost town should’ve stayed haunted by your screenplay.

To be fair, if nothing else, the setting here immediately caught my attention. An old abandoned ghost town? Sign me up. Writer/director Isaac Rodriguez clearly has no intention of letting the shaky cam genre die peacefully, having just released Last Radio Call the year prior, using the same handi-cam approach. Somewhere out there, found footage is refusing to go into the light, and Rodriguez seems determined to keep dragging it back.

He also must have had The Shining on repeat recently because this movie doesn’t just take inspiration from it. It practically borrows the keys to the Overlook Hotel gift shop. Even the production company name, No Sleep Films, feels suspiciously on the nose.

The biggest issue here is the acting, and unfortunately, that’s not exactly a tiny speed bump when your movie relies heavily on audience investment. If the performances had even reached average territory, A Town Full Of Ghosts could have at least landed in “tolerable late-night horror watch” territory. Instead, nearly every character reaction feels painfully unbelievable. Nobody behaves like an actual person would, which made it impossible for me to care what happened to any of them. When bad things started happening, my emotional response was not “Oh no!” and more “Well…anyway.”

Ironically, the setup and location are actually pretty solid. The creepy little town genuinely works, whether it’s authentic abandoned structures or carefully dressed sets. Filming took place at J. Lorraine Ghost Town, and honestly, a quick search about the location is more entertaining than parts of the movie itself. The crumbling buildings, rusted fences, and bizarre maze in the center of town make for excellent atmosphere. It’s exactly the type of place horror fans want to wander around while making terrible choices.

Unfortunately, the story never really capitalizes on those surroundings. The town’s ancient backstory feels flimsy until a hilariously convenient, weirdly over-produced reel of “old” film suddenly appears to explain everything. This supposed ancient footage looked way too polished and professionally terrifying to be believable. Also, tiny question here. How exactly did they get the projector running in a town with no electricity? Unless ghosts suddenly majored in electrical engineering, I must have missed something.

Things really slide into familiar found footage clichés once Mark (played by Andrew C. Fisher) begins losing his sanity after purchasing the town alongside his partner (Mandy Lee Rubio) to turn it into a tourist attraction. From there, it’s the usual FF starter pack. Running through darkness, frantic screaming, shaky camera pointed behind people, and lots of “Wait, what was that?!” moments that stopped being scary for me about 3 decades ago…honestly, probably longer.

Mark’s descent into madness is also strangely rushed. No clever breadcrumbs, subtle character shifts, or eerie psychological unraveling. Just “Here you go, he’s losing it now.” Enjoy. Or don’t.

A Town Full of Ghosts (2022)

Anyone who reads my reviews knows I typically loathe found footage horror, but I still give every one of them a fair shake. So the fact A Town Full Of Ghosts managed to claw its way to a rounded 4/10 from me is, somehow, progress. I didn’t get much out of this beyond a genuinely creepy setting and the occasional accidental laugh, but if abandoned ghost towns are your thing, you might squeeze a little more entertainment out of it than I did. Just don’t expect the ghosts to be the scariest thing here. The acting already claimed that title.

https://jackmeat.com/a-town-full-of-ghosts-2023/

Faces of Death (2026) | Content moderator finds murder videos online and somehow decides investigation is the safest possible career move. It is not. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.9/10. I knew Faces of Death (2026) would come with built-in baggage. I vaguely remember being a kid and hearing it mentioned like it was cursed media. Something that got banned, whispered about, and supposedly showed “real deaths” that definitely made every playground conversation a little more dramatic. Of course, years later, when I finally tracked down the original, it turned out to be…kind of a slow evening of staged shock theatre and curiosity more than anything truly groundbreaking. Still, that mythos never really dies, and this new version knows it.

In this take, Margot (Barbie Ferreira) works as a website content moderator, which already feels like the most cursed job imaginable in 2026. She stumbles onto a series of disturbing clips that appear to recreate deaths from the original film, and suddenly she’s not just scrolling through internet sludge. She’s potentially watching a modern reinterpretation of a very old urban legend. Her last name being Romero is the kind of wink that makes you groan and nod at the same time. Yes, we get it. Horror lineage. Zombies in spirit. Very cute.

While doomscrolling seems harmless at first, this slowly evolves into an obsession when she discovers a VHS of the original film, Faces of Death, from 1978, suggesting that someone is either faithfully reproducing or resurrecting the legend. Arthur, played by Dacre Montgomery, enters the plot with just the right amount of creepiness to guarantee that every move seems like a terrible idea.

Director Daniel Goldhaber actually pulls off some striking camera work here. There are moments where the framing feels almost clinical, like the film is mimicking the detachment of watching violence through a screen. Very on-theme, very uncomfortable. The problem is Margot herself often makes choices that feel less like investigative journalism and more like “how to accidentally speedrun your own disaster.” Even the antagonist feels the need to ask her, "Like, how dumb are you?", which is never a good sign for your hero credibility.

The middle section works best as a messy but engaging mystery-thriller, bouncing between internet culture commentary and the kind of ethical panic that comes with not knowing whether what you’re watching is real. The police subplot, however, takes a hard turn into “no one in this scene has ever met law enforcement” territory. Suspension of disbelief doesn’t just get stretched, it gets folded into origami.

Where the film does land is in its finale. It goes all-in on practical gore and commits to a brutally staged ending that finally feels like it embraces the franchise’s reputation instead of tiptoeing around it. There’s also a fun visual callback in the credits that mirrors the original glowing red aesthetic, which is a nice “we did our homework” touch.

While the meta commentary on the violent nature of society and its penchant for digital voyeurism is evident and sometimes sharp, it does not quite deliver. It seems to be trying to make some deep observations regarding consumption and spectatorship, yet in the end, it comes off as merely an unformed hypothesis.

Still, as a modern riff on an old urban legend turned internet-era paranoia engine, Faces of Death (2026) is far from dead on arrival. Just don’t expect it to answer all its own questions. Like most viral content, it’s more interested in your attention than closure.

Faces of Death (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/faces-of-death-2026/

The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026) | Jon Bernthal returns as Frank Castle, and Disney somehow approved a level of violence that definitely skipped the HR review. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 8.3/10. I have thoroughly enjoyed both seasons of The Punisher on Netflix (now on Disney+), but I am also a huge fan, going all the way back to the comic books and every cinematic attempt to bring Frank Castle to life. Didn’t matter if it was Dolph Lundgren or Thomas Jane taking a crack at the role, I was there for it. So when The Punisher: One Last Kill rolled around as a one-shot TV special starring Jon Bernthal, this thing was basically custom-made for me. His occasional appearances in Daredevil have been entertaining enough, but eventually, there comes a time to stop politely visiting somebody else’s show and let Frank Castle start breaking furniture in his own house again.

The Punisher: One Last Kill follows Frank Castle, a PTSD-ridden veteran trying to survive after his mission is over, only to be dragged back into chaos when wheelchair-bound crime matriarch Ma Gnucci wants revenge after Frank killed her son. If that setup sounds unhinged, congratulations, you understand Punisher comics. And yes, Ma Gnucci popping up instantly made the comic nerd in me grin because she is exactly the kind of wonderfully over-the-top character that belongs in Frank Castle’s miserable orbit. Judith Light plays her with enough menace and weird charm that you can see Who's the Boss.

The special wastes absolutely no time setting the tone. The second Mother by Danzig kicks in, you know Disney forgot where it parked the family-friendly filter. The opening scene on the streets of New York throws us right into Frank dealing with some thugs who, without getting into specifics, definitely picked the wrong city block to act stupid in. And seriously, Frank Castle handing out consequences feels like comfort food at this point.

But One Last Kill also leans hard into Frank’s fractured mental state. He can be seen spiraling, going to his dead wife’s grave, confronting horrific dreams and flashbacks that drive him towards the abyss. It is quite clear that this film revolves around trauma and mental instability, and it actually lands emotionally instead of just using sadness as wallpaper between gunshots. Even Deborah Ann Woll returns briefly as Karen Page, offering Frank motivation in a way that longtime fans will appreciate.

Then comes the action, and wow, this thing remembers exactly what franchise it belongs to. The violence is brutal, hard-hitting, and hilariously not what you expect from Disney. After the initial barrage of beatings, Hatebreed kicks in, and suddenly Frank goes from “sad man with trauma” to “walking natural disaster.” Somewhere in the middle of all this mayhem, Frank even finds time to save an innocent family caught in the crossfire because, beneath all the rage and tactical skull imagery, there is still humanity buried in there.

More than anything, this 48-minute special felt like a reintroduction to the Punisher. A reminder that Frank Castle works best when he is broken, brutal, but still clinging to some reason to keep moving forward. Bernthal absolutely crushes it here, delivering a raw performance that feels angry and hanging on by a thread.

The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026)

Very enjoyable special that has me seriously pumped to see what Frank Castle might get up to when Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters at the end of July. Because if One Last Kill proves anything, it is that Frank Castle is very, very bad at retirement. My only complaint? I wish it were longer.

https://jackmeat.com/the-punisher-one-last-kill-2026/