’31 Days of Horror’ Review – Imperium (2016)

by Nile Fortner

Daniel Radcliffe plays an FBI agent infiltrating a white supremacist organization in Daniel Ragussis’ debut feature.

An idealistic FBI agent, played by Daniel Radcliffe (Kill Your Darlings and Swiss Army Man) goes undercover to infiltrate a white supremacist group that’s plotting an act of terror. Based on the real-life experiences of former FBI agent Michael German, the thriller opens with a new and nerdy agent Nate Foster (Radcliffe) getting assigned to go undercover in a neo-Nazi organization suspected of planning a dirty bomb terrorist attack. The organization’s figurehead is Dallas Wolf, played by Tracy Letts (‘August: Osage County), a popular, hate-spouting radio talk show personality and author of Genocide: The Murder of White America.

Continue reading

’31 Days of Horror’ Review – Maniac (2012)

Frodo’s Gone Homicidal in ‘MANIAC’

by Nile Fortner

A socially awkward serial killer (Elijah Wood) removes the scalps’ of women and attaches them to his mannequins, to bring a new life to them.

A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Last House on the Left, The Amityville Horror, Cabin Fever, and The Wicker Man are all classic horror films. On the other hand, I believe these classic horror films have not been remade into classic remakes. Many remakes fail to capture the energy, wisdom, and likeness of the original. It is very difficult to capture lightning in a bottle twice, especially with horror movies. Many directors, producers, and writers of horror all tend to follow the same format, and end up being predictable, bland, and lifeless nowadays. However, director Franck Khalfoun (‘P2’ and ‘High Tension’) brings some new life into a cult classic, a new direction, and in my opinion a better film. I believe that Maniac (2012) is a rare exception of the remake actually being better than the original.

Continue reading