Pins and Needles Film Review

PINS AND NEEDLES FILM REVIEW

It’s a Tuesday night in the middle of summer. Are you looking for something to do? Something scary?

I have two suggestions:

       1. Play the updated Phasmophobia PC game. Just as good as a movie, and you get to star!

-OR-

        2. Check out the new film PINS AND NEEDLES, now on VOD on Amazon or AppleTV.

What should have been an uneventful ride back to university campus unexpectedly becomes a nightmare as Max, a diabetic biology grad student, is entrapped in a diabolical new-age wellness experiment. With her insulin supply dwindling, Max is forced into a deadly game of cat and mouse where she must escape at all costs or risk becoming the next test subject to extend the lives of the rich and privileged.

Director James Villeneuve sets up viewers perfectly for a wild ride as he starts off the film with a bit of tension coming from the main character, Max, but all in a serene landscape that feels comforting and safe.

However, Max’s friend Harold, decides to take a detour on their road trip back to campus and as any genre fan knows, straying from the plan usually doesn’t end well.

With two flat tires in front of an elaborate modern home in the middle of nowhere, the homeowners (Frank and Emily) end up being anything but good Samaritans.

The acting is very well done from the entire cast. Chelsea Clark (Max) is easy to root for during her distressing moments, Daniel Gravelle (Harold) provides just enough humor and background, and the villains Kate Corbett (Emily) and Ryan McDonald (Frank) are complete sociopaths and are in my top tier of villains from the past five years. 

Additionally, the strongest horrific elements of this movie are the medically accurate moments from Max’s diabetes to the “business” Emily and Frank provide.

PINS AND NEEDLES keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time, and while it may not have monsters or provide jump scares, it provides more than enough gore, disgusting villains, and uneasiness.

 It’s one of the best cat and mouse games out there in the genre so add it to your watch list.

NOTE: As the title states, needles are involved in this movie fairly frequently. If you have a fear of needles, you could sit this one out but having a needle phobia myself, I say dive in and get ready to close your eyes when a needle scene comes up. This movie’s story is too good to pass up due to a phobia.

 

Fantasia International Film Festival 2025

Fantasia International Film Festival 2025

Films I’m Most Excited For

We’re officially less than a month away from the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival!

Ari Aster’s EDDINGTON will be the opening film on July 16 - and through August 3, audiences will be captivated, transported, frightened, or even shocked by the diverse genre film line-up this year.

As always, I have my list of “can’t wait to watch films” that I have put together for anxious viewers. And like every year, it was hard to narrow down my list but I did my best and have 10 films to look into.

So grab some popcorn and enjoy this preview of Fantasia International Film Festival.

 

TERRESTRIAL

Hold the phone! The director of HOT TUB TIME MACHINE, ACCEPTED, and ABOUT LAST NIGHT has directed a sci-fi thriller?

Why yes, he has. And it sounds like a trip I’m ready to take.

Synopsis:

A reunion weekend spirals out of control for four college friends when the host (Jermaine Fowler, SORRY TO BOTHER YOU), a science fiction writer on the verge of newfound success, fights to maintain his sense of reality in the face of sudden, uncanny dangers.

HELLCAT

HELLCAT brings a new twist to the kidnap thriller genre and the race against time element already has me anxious. 

Synopsis:

A woman (Dakota Gorman) wakes in the back of a moving camper trailer with a badly infected wound. A voice (Todd Terry) from the truck towing it tells her they must reach a mysterious doctor within the hour or she’ll suffer a horrific fate.

NYAIGHT OF THE LIVING CAT

Kawaii and horror play together in this J-horror anime series!

It’s a cat lover’s dream and probably the first movie I’ll watch, with my cat GeeBee by my side.

Synopsis:

Adapting the manga written by Hawkman and drawn by Mecha-Roots, and debuting on Crunchyroll this summer, NYAIGHT OF THE LIVING CAT presents a premise more terrifying than a half-empty food bowl—a virus sweeping the globe, causing anyone who touches a kitty to become one themselves! Executive director Miike and director Tomohiro Kamitani deliver a furry, purring parody of the natural-horror subgenre, an animated cataclysm of cuteness!

 

BULLET TIME

This one is for all my fellow Millennial, 90s lovers.

Remember REN & STIMPY? Well, their creator Bob Jaques, is the Animation Director for this short/pilot that director Eddie Alcazar spent four years making.

Grab your flannel!

Synopsis:

In a surreal world fueled by retro gaming nostalgia and Saturday morning cartoon mayhem, BULLET TIME follows Bullet — an emotionally unstable bull terrier — as he battles his way through a bizarre digital gaming universe. Fueled by frenetic action, unhinged heart, and absurd humor, Bullet Time delivers a visually explosive ride that blends 90s cartoon weirdness with cutting-edge animation and a pulse-pounding original score.

 

FIND YOUR FRIENDS

Party culture and social commentary get a sinister spin in this female-centric horror film.

Might be a winner for a girls’ night in.

Synopsis:

Set against cinematic desert scenery, what starts as a wild girls’ trip quickly turns dangerous when the locals don't want them there. As the hostile environment escalates, Amber’s friends uncover her past trauma and become fed up with toxic dynamics. Little do they know, their fun trip will transform into one of revenge—building to a jaw-dropping finale that audiences will never forget.

 

KAZAKH SCARY TALES

KAZAKH SCARY TALES was produced as an anthology series for a domestic streamer but deemed too frightening by focus groups.

So now I need to check it out for myself. I hope to provide you a review to let you know if a nightlight will be necessary at bedtime after viewing.

Synopsis:

A cop (Kuantai Abdimadi, MOUNTAIN ONION) ventures into a remote village to investigate a gruesome series of inexplicable events and soon finds himself in the center of an otherworldly storm of local witchcraft and death. It becomes clear that the curse of Albasty, a spirit said to devour infants, is horrifyingly real.

 

FOREIGNER

 

MEAN GIRLS, but with a horror spin.

Possibly another girls’ night in contender.

Synopsis:

It’s 2004, and Iranian immigrant Yasamin, or Yasi, is the new girl. Her high school experience is daunting, as she tries to improve her English by watching her favorite sitcom and befriends a trio of pastel-clad girls who feed Yasi’s need to fit in. Desperate for acceptance, she dyes her hair blonde and, in doing so, also attracts a demonic force.

 

OLD GUYS IN BED

All the films above have horrific elements with a possible blend of comedy in the mix.

So now it’s time to cleanse the palate and tug at the heartstrings a bit.

Synopsis:

OLD GUYS IN BED tells the story of Paul (Duff MacDonald), a 60-year-old film historian, who meets a man (Paul James Saunders) on a dating website. Unfamiliar with these new ways of making connections, he discovers a world that is both promising and confusing, one that will serve as his gateway through a modern and unpredictable journey of love.

 

NOISE

Korean horror knows how to get under the skin.

NOISE may add a creepy earworm element too as it is already getting buzz around the sound design and perfectly timed jump scares.

Synopsis:

After the disappearance of her younger sister, a woman with a hearing impediment experiences bizarre happenings and frightening encounters when mysterious noises echo throughout the building.

 

THE WAILING

Touted as one of the scariest films of the last year, my curiosity is piqued to see what this curse does.

Plus, I want to root for these women and see them come out stronger in the end. Fingers crossed!

Synopsis:

Several generations of women, separated by time and space, are stalked by the same terrifying curse. Vibrantly told in a multi-chapter structure, taking place in Spain and Argentina across periods and decades apart.

 

 

Bring Her Back Review

Bring Her Back 

Dir: Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou

Starring: Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sara Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, and Sally-Anne Upton

1h 44m

Filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou's much-anticipated follow-up to the 2023 genre hit "Talk to Me" is a chilling domestic horror thriller that, while less structured than their debut, is still an undeniably effective second feature for two impressive storytellers. "Bring Her Back" explores themes of unresolved trauma and grief through an unflinching lens of violence, featuring a stunning performance from Sally Hawkins as a menacing foster parent. With "Talk to Me," the two directors crafted an unpredictable supernatural story, expertly composed with scares. "Bring Her Back" showcases the filmmaker's growth through a character-driven drama that evokes dread in more ways than expected.

Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sara Wong) are siblings who experience the trauma of losing their father unexpectedly. Andy, struggling with nightmarish visions of his deceased father, desperately pleads with the social worker (Sally-Anne Upton) on their case to stay with Piper, who is blind, until he can take custody of her when he turns eighteen. The siblings find themselves in the care of Laura (Sally Hawkins), a former social worker who cares for her son Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips) and is trying to build a happy foster home, all while trying to recover from the unresolved pain of the tragic drowning of her daughter. Laura's true demented motivations come to light, and Andy and Piper must escape before it's too late.  

The mystery surrounding Laura's intentions, along with the constant dread seeping into the atmosphere of the film, establishes a story that builds towards a terrifying reveal. Whether a creepy cult ritual stored on a grainy video cassette or the odd behaviors of Oliver, who remains locked away most of the day, "Bring Her Back" patterns the film with a little bit of every horror characterization one could count. Children in peril, an evil parent, strange rituals, a possessed child, and a squirm-worthy scene of violence are just a few of the building blocks for this film. There are a few moments where all these inspirations come together successfully, but more often, many of these scare tactics get in the way of the fascinating characters. 

Sally Hawkins is the anchor for the entire film, delivering a performance that draws a strong comparison to the character of Annie Wilkes, played by Kathy Bates in the 1990 film "Misery." Hawkins has a kind smile, and early in the movie, the motherly gentleness of her character is a welcome contrast to the spooky happenings. Billy Barratt and Sara Wong have great chemistry as brother and sister. Barratt, whose character is manipulated throughout the film by Laura, does a great job of shifting between being self-conscious, stemming from the trauma of finding his father dead, and becoming self-aware of everything happening to his sister. Wong is charming and the sole vessel of what little humor is instated into the relationships between the characters. As the film builds to its bleak and cruel climax, it's these characters and their relationships that make the final moments so effective. 

"Bring Her Back" struggles to connect all the ideas it introduces. However, the composition of characters and the performances of the actors build emotional drama that makes the visuals of violence and ominous atmosphere more effective than they might have been otherwise. It is undeniable that Danny and Michael Philippou are voices to acknowledge and filmmakers to watch in the world of horror filmmaking. 

Monte's Rating

3.50 out of 5.00