Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. Nintendo Switch 2 I’ve been a fan of Lara Croft since I first played Tomb Raider on my childhood PC. If you told me then that she would become one of the most recognizable video game characters in the world, I think I would have believed it. Tomb Raider was a huge deal when it came out, and it was surprising to me that what felt like a console port turned out to be such a good PC game. The fact that we’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of the original game’s release blows my mind a bit. And what better way to do that than checking out Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which recently dropped on the Nintendo Switch 2? Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. Nintendo Switch 2 When Shadow of the Tomb Raider originally launched to close out the Survivor era of Lara’s adventures, it earned mostly positive reviews. Shadow leaned far more heavily on exploration and puzzle-solving than the frequent firefights of the previous two games in the Survivor Trilogy. There were also some great new stealth mechanics that helped it stand out—like Lara’s ability to cover herself in mud à la Arnold in Predator, and utilizing the jungle canopy to hide. It also had incredible graphical fidelity, which I honestly thought the Switch 2 would handle a bit better than it does. While the same great game remains underneath, playing on Nintendo's new hardware means playing with a bit of a compromise. Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. Nintendo Switch 2 Let's start with the bad: the graphics took a noticeable hit in the jump to the Switch 2. It outputs at 1080p and targets 30 FPS, which isn’t great for a game that’s nearly a decade old. There is no HDR support either, meaning those ancient jungle ruins and underwater sections won’t visually pop quite as much as they do on other platforms. Since you are playing on what is essentially a handheld system, the compromise here isn’t exactly surprising—but it is notable. On the plus side, you are getting the true Definitive Edition of Shadow of the Tomb Raider here. That means you get all seven DLC Challenge Tombs, plus all previously released DLC weapons, outfits, and skills. You can even play two-player co-op in the Challenge Tombs, though I haven’t had the chance to test that out myself. Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. Nintendo Switch 2 I can’t believe Tomb Raider is 30 years old, but I can easily believe Lara will be around for another 30. I guess we’ll have to see how her upcoming games are received, but Shadow of the Tomb Raider remains a solid entry in the series. If you only have a Switch 2 and have never played it before, this is a great time to pick it up. Otherwise, you might have better options elsewhere—but if you absolutely want to take it on the go, it’s a decent port.

Screenshot: Chivalware I’ve been playing video games for a long time, so it’s hard to find gameplay that is truly novel. Chivalware makes a good shot at it by combining tile matching with real time combat. It’s about as much of a handful as it sounds like. Chivalware takes place in a Tron-like retro electronic land with medieval theming. You start off as Disk Knight with the goal to reach the castle and defeat the evil King. Each run you have a chance to pick up different weapons, passive and active abilities, and other power-ups to boost stats and help you kill the myriad of enemies you’ll face in grid-based combat. You will have three weapons equipped, and you have to match the icons for the weapon on the grid in a series of three or more–the more that are matched up, the more ammo/energy you have to use your weapon. Screenshot: Chivalware Initially, I hated the gameplay. It wasn’t fun, until eventually I practiced enough to get a better grasp on it. While I don’t think that solo developer Max of Regal Pigeon Games found the next best gameplay combination, it was compelling enough for me to sink countless hours into it, as I stayed up later than I should trying out different weapon and power-up combos. While a lot of the best run based, rogue-lite (or whatever) games have lots of fun synergy between weapon and pick-ups, that isn’t really the case here. Sure, you can focus on upgrading certain stats to help out your preferred weapon, or taking pick-ups that give bonus to the weapon type you want to use. But having ridiculously overpowered synergy doesn’t seem to be the focus of Chivalware. Screenshot: Chivalware There are five total characters, each with their own special quirk and starting weapons. The Tank Knight, for instance, can accumulate armor shards by dealing damage. These armor shards stack and help negate incoming damage. The Jester Knight adds an extra twitch based element by launching a baton in the air that, if caught, grants you the weapon fully charged, along with a damage bonus. Unlocking different items and characters is pretty straightforward. When you start up Chivalware it asks you to put in your three character initials, just like old arcades. That’s because your meta progress is saved and added to an accumulating high score. The higher your score, the more characters you’ll unlock. I haven’t made it to number 1 yet–because it’s a bit of a grind. While certain other power-ups and weapons are unlocked by defeating certain bosses or killing enemy types while on a run–among other ways to earn them. Screenshot: Chivalware Combat in Chivalware is hectic, and honestly, a mixed bag. I appreciate the idea, but I never truly had as much fun as I was trying to have while playing. Equipping weapons and dodging enemy attacks sometimes becomes a game of moving your character around the relatively small grid area until you have another clear shot at it. There are enough different enemy types to make encounters interesting, but combat is always the same pattern: 1 or 2 enemies spawn, you kill them, and then another group of 1 or 2 spawns, and then you move to the next encounter. Screenshot: Chivalware As you progress through the map you’ll encounter different NPCs that can help you out, shops where you can buy weapons, health and power-ups and other events. You sometimes have a branching binary (appropriately enough) choice on which direction to take. Even though I appreciated Chivalware’s medieval cyberscape and the addictive grind of its progression system, the whole package ends up being a bit too disjointed. I got the hang of matching tiles to equip weapons while attacking, but it never felt mechanically satisfying. It’s a completely functional game that successfully kept me chasing the leaderboard, but the actual fun just isn't there.

Eli Solitas So, I’m a crier. And the implications of Dedication Night were perhaps not considered, because up til now, I simply never watched the series long enough to get to it. But, I don’t like being manipulated into tears by television shows, reality or otherwise, so I have no idea if this will increase or decrease my hatred (?) for this series. So far it’s leaning a little more 10 Things I Hate About You than I expected, and that’ll be especially true tonight, as my future self knows Julia Stiles will be doing a tribute to Heath Ledger and Tatyana Ali will be in tribute to James Avery. We’re doomed. Let’s see if they earn the tears with genuine thought and emotional maturity or just try to wrench ‘em out of you any way they can. First off, let me interject in my own train of thought to say that Julianne either fired her stylist or made up with them, because she finally looks elegant and appropriate for the situation. I don’t usually hate on someone’s wardrobe much at all, but I swear someone just had it in for her, “elevated style” or no. Kinda thought they’d mention why Val wasn’t there. Oh well. We all know. Returning champion judge Kymmy, interesting. Voting opens for people before anyone dances? Is that weird cuz it seems weird. Nevertheless, we persist. Ezra-Contemporary - Bloodline (Mon Rovia) Dedication to: Mom First things first? His mom is famous? I didn’t know. I love that she didn’t hide him and she made sure he knew he belonged anywhere he went. That’s top tier momming. They’re certainly going for the tears here. But he’s really dancing. I’m loving the symbolism in the movement. She picks up his chin, and when she stands on the prosthetic. This one made me cry before I knew it. There’s so much skill and strength here, and no one can stop crying. Kicking it off with Kym, who says he was “so good” and Bruno, who says that the dancing was great and calls Ezra a ‘real talent” and I agree. Carrie thanks Ezra’s mom. Sometimes I feel like I want her to critique more. Then again, sometimes it’s too much more. They get 3 9’s and a 10, so they’re doing just fine. Tatyana Ali - Viennese Waltz - “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am’ (Nancy Wilson) Dedication to: James Avery I am going to admit something right now. Where I thought he was relegated to the cheese dimension and probably hated it, I realize now that Alfonso is fine. Not just fine: Alfonso steals the show for me. He’s so genuine and nice and talented. I think it’s cool that Tatyana Ali went the extra mile and sang the song. She’s a great singer, even if she did look like she started crying the moment she went out. But it was graceful and pretty and magical. Bruno said she was “guided by angel wings” and glided. No one’s doing hardhitting critique this week, I see. Carrie said she was honored to have the pleasure of the reunion here on the show. Derek made a joke about Alfonso, but then mentioned that Tatyana was the “most improved” and Kym actually did go for some light criticism calling her beautiful and lovely but noting she needed more rise and fall. She gets straight 8s, and that’s …ok. Maura Higgins -Pasa Doble - “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” (Dropkick Murphys) Dedication to: Ireland Go big or go home. Which I guess means dedicate the dance to an entire country full of people. I totally get it though. And while “illegal” for her fans to watch her back home, we’re sure they do. Meanwhile, they got Michael Flatley to weigh in on this? Haven’t thought about that guy in a while, but makes sense here, and they’re incorporating Irish step dance into this by sending a champion dancelord. Neat! I’m not entirely sure what’ll happen when we Irish pasa doble, but I guess I’m into it. Shipping Up to Boston was a really odd choice but I love that song. They’re both aggressive enough to pull off a pasa even if it’s odd. I wish they’d incorporated the step dancer a little more, other than to just trot him out and let him do cool stuff. I’m glad she got into the step dancing too, even if that could’ve really been harmful to her chances because (and this is key) Irish step dancing is SO HARD. Let’s see what the judges thought. Derek mentions that she had nice attacks, mentions her shoulders, but says he was totally locked in from moment one, and on this part I agree. Bruno calls her a “storm in the Irish sea” and then warns her to be careful of her shoulder lines. She ends up with 3 9’s and an 8 and if I’m being honest I’d rather have seen Tatyana with those marks because that dance felt like it was better executed. Jackson - Quickstep - “L-O-V-E” (Nat King Cole) Dedication to: his Mom So Jackson Olson’s mom is a special ed teacher. And she seems super sweet. I love how vulnerable he was about being shy, though as he takes the stage I’m glad they’re still letting him cheese out, because he comes by it naturally. I do feel like he’s doing an exceptional job though, and I’m forgetting the cheese. He has great energy in this. His mom wasn’t in it much but that’s ok. Alfonso says he rocked it, and I think he actually might have! Throwing to the judges, Derek says it was a great quickstep and he was doing great travelling, but cautions him to maintain the frame. Kym says he’s the ultimate showman, and yeah, like I said, that part comes naturally. Bruno, similarly, says he’s at his charming best, notes his theatrical touches and how they’re actually appropriate for quickstep, and says he’s expressing himself better than ever. See? He can be nice and still give good criticism. I love Bruno. Carrie notes that his confidence is expanding and calls it “top notch performing.” He gets 8s across the board. Ok. Amber Glenn - Contemporary - “Breathe Me” (Sia) Dedication To: Her sister Now you might think Amber was close to her sister growing up, but according to the intro package, she wasn’t. She spent all her time skating and in home school while her sister did “normal” things. By 11 though, Amber was burned out, and unhealthy in her habits with her sport. She developed an eating disorder, and needed help. Enter her sister, who was there for her in the hospital and beyond, and who she credits with still being here. That’s heavy, and this is going to be emotional. Pasha, who choreographed this, is putting himself in the role of her mental health issues. I love contemporary because it’s so expressive, but I don’t think I’ll live through this and it hasn’t even started yet. And she is SO GOOD AT CONTEMPORARY. I should’ve guessed. It seems close to how skating can be. This was a great routine, the choreo was incredible, and this transcended the show to being an all time favorite tv dance performance. And yes, cried like a little child. To the judges: Kym said it was so “athletic and emotional” and while I normally think athletic is something that’s part of her all I saw was emotion and grace here, and that’s good. Bruno says the structure and dramatic tension was incredible and thanks Pasha, because you really did this thing. Carrie thanks her for tackling an important topic and using her platform and that’s worth doing. She praises her precision and raw, powerful vulnerability. This is a thorough and great criticism. Derek is touched, and says it was really powerful. He reminds people to seek help if they need it, before simply calling it an “incredible” dance. I think his lack of specificity means it was amazing. An aside: Amber looks JUST LIKE her mom. Scores? Split 9s and 10s, and I mean…yeah. We ruin that to announce that Pasha is the sexiest Dancing With the Stars pro. Ok, whatever. He gets a sash, because of course he does. Alfonso heartily notes that Pasha is “one sexy man” and I appreciate when game knows game. Meanwhile, Amber keeps breaking the show, and I hate to admit it. Jenna - Viennese Waltz - “Unchained Melody” (The Righteous Brothers) Dedicated to: Her mother Who killed a wookiee for that couch?Rude. In this intro, we find out that Nancy sacrificed a lot for her daughter, and see her interacting with her mom straightaway. They’re so good to each other. As the dance opens, they mouth “I love you” to each other and it’s not canned or scripted. It’s just a mom and her daughter. And it’s really nice. I’m a softie. Her lines here are so good. She’s so light and graceful. I hope they mark her properly. I love that Alan gets a kiss here. There’s also an INCREDIBLE spin at the end of the dance. I thought her carriage was wonderful and her lines looked great, and I loved that last little run back to her mom. Alfonso loved it and I agree. Also, the cast of The Rookie is here, including a personal fave, Nathan Fillion. Now, to the judging! Bruno loves when she gets lyrical and says she never lost the frame. He also says she’s exquisite. Carrie says that this dance was the ultimate breakthrough, but I thought she already done broke through. She says that she was free, light, and her mom must be proud. Derek says she was gentle, graceful and gorgeous, and is a class act who is “pure light, love and joy” and that she was “effortless and fantastic” and it is RIGGED if they don’t score her right here. Kym says something that should’ve ought’ve been said and that’s that she does everything Fred Astaire did in heels and backwards. I love that quote and it’s giving her her flowers. RIGHT? “You had the biggest expectations and you exceeded it.” RIGHT? She gets one ten and 3 9’s. I think another ten was due, but I’m not flipping a table Harry - Foxtrot - “Stop this Train” (John Mayer) Dedication to: his Wife. Take notes. This is the way. Harry talked a lot about how he has been together with his wife for 20 years and at the same time about growing up as the child of immigrants struggling to give him what he had. He talked a lot about the pressures, and credited his wife with teaching him how to live and find the fun, and thought that this dance would be the perfect way to give her her flowers. No one’s fighting you on that one, man. And she’s adorable and fun, and he REALLY loves her. You can see it. I’m crying from the intro. I have problems. His parents are here too,a nd start off the dance. I have concerns because it’s a hard dance but he’s up to it. HIS DAUGHTER IS IN IT? Oh stop it. This is killing me. Anyway, judges? Carrie thanks him for the Asian American representation, and Derek tags on to that that this is what DWTS is all about - do what you love with people you love. He mentions his control and how he was skating like he was on glass. Kym says all 3 generations being present was beautiful, and yes. Bruno says he had it, he proved it. He praises him for being smooth and fluid, and mentions a Balanchine moment in the choreo. 9s across the board, and I think that makes sense here. Connor and Rylee- Viennese Waltz - “Piano Man” (Billy Joel) Dedicated to: his dad The story here really hit me. He basically said his dad went through cancer like nothing hurt or was scary, and still kept being his dad, and you can see the love and admiration for his strength. His dad takes the whole thing like a dad. Awkward, but appreciative. I wasn’t sure how they’d have him participate but I love that he just swung out on the floor. Connor, meanwhile, has a weight and seriousness to him and I think it’s to emulate his dad. I like this moment for him. He’s got more innate confidence. I like this. He is doing better. It’s gonna be hard to see almost anyone go at this point. This is how it’s supposed to be. 8 8 8 8. It’ll do. Tyler Cameron - Contemporary - “Supermarket Flowers” (Ed Sheeran) Dedication to: mothers everywhere - but actually, to his mom, who died of an aneurysm, and to his wife, Tate. Tyler's mom died suddenly and it was horrible for him, and his wife was the light there. He talks about how he wanted to tell his mom all about her and how she saved him. I really, really get that, as someone who never got to tell my dad about my husband, and I’m feeling like if he goes on this one, which there’s a real risk of, I would feel like this was mean. I also am really invested in this because it hits home for me. He does beautifully and manages to tell the whole story through the choreo from his pro, Sharna - who did an amazing job, and it turns into a baby announcement. A real, absolute on the show baby announcement. I shouldn’t be on board for this but it’s so cool to turn something so sad into something so happy. They’re doing a gender reveal for them on the show right now. And it’s a girl. Up in the booth after, Julianne asks how Tate is feeling about this and she’s sobbing and just says “I don’t know” and that’s the realest this moment could get, because how are you supposed to act on cry night at DWTS when you announced your baby to the whole world and found out it’s a girl but now we critique your husband’s dance? Tell me. Kym says he’s an incredible dancer. Honestly, Sharna did this, and she did it well. Bruno loved that it turned into a celebration of new life, and so did I. Carrie says that the dancer has come out, and I feel like she’s right. She mentions a potential third dancer. But she also says he opened his expression and his heart. Derek has mostly lost his damn mind because he’s so full of emotion about being a girl dad, since he’s one too. Alfonso congratulates him as a fellow “girl dad” And WHIPLASH, because we cut Immediately to a Cat in the Hat promo in dance form. Did i hate it? No. I actually really like it. More people should do Dr Seuss dances. But do I hate it? Also yes. Also CATastrophe? Come on. At least go with CATaclysm. They spent so much money and time on this. Julia Stiles - Contemporary - “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (Frankie Valli) Dedication to: Heath Ledger They keep calling her a “movie star” and I get it, she is, but like, everyone’s a celebrity and I feel like it’s singling her out in a weird way that’s not great for anyone. In her intro, Julia talks a lot about how much Heath taught her - she was young and new to acting, and she mentions how much lust for life Heath had, especially in the football field. She’s trying to channel the spark that he had, and mentions that she was genuinely that charmed by the football field scene and that’s why she seemed so genuine in it. She’s giving herself a lot to live up to and on top of the emotions, she’s a lot in her head. I hope you do this thing, girl! She’s immediately crying and I get it. The whole cast is there too, and that’s really awesome. But what’s truly awesome is that she breaks out of her shell and she seems like she’s really, truly full of joy and emotion in a good way here. Her dance is really, really good, and when she breaks out in to the “football scene” of it all, it’s really something. It’s sunshine in a way she just hasn’t been able to reach until now. Bruno says it’s a wonderful tribute to outstanding talent from an equally talented performer. I agree. Carrie says contemporary is about expression and that this was healing and such a good tribute. She mentions that she was proud of her because she came in so shy and scared, and Julia genuinely looked happy. Derek says that this performance will last forever, and says it was full of joy, fun and emotion, and I agree. Kym says it was well done, and a gorgeous dedication. Up in the booth Julia asks what heath meant to her, and she says he brought out the light. That’s something that he continued to do tonight, and that means this was perfect. He was the leader of the pack, and always about play. She gets straight 9s, and maybe I wanted a ten for her but I’m ok with where we are. Next Tuesday we’ve got Horror Night. Ok. That’ll be interesting. Shirley Ballas is the judge for horror night, and she’s Mark Ballas’ mom and part of a training duo that’s feared and revered, according to the nerdy DWTS research I’ve been doing sometimes to get more lore. We go all the way through scores only to find out no one gets eliminated. That’s the best outcome because this meant too much, so I’m on board if a little miffed. That means two couples go home next week though. Spooooooky. Well, we lived through this. Let’s hit Hates and Greats! Hates: I am not a fan of the random other junk. By this I mean, 30 second interstitial dances, going from real emotion to the Cat in the Hat promos, and all the “People Magazine’s sexiest pro” type stuff. I get that this is like, flagship entertainment for the network, but it turns me off. Dance style mayhem: I kinda wish everyone did the same style as each other each week so someone didn’t get foxtrot week one, for fairness. Apples to apples and all that. And often there’s several of the same, so why not make it uniform. Greats: Dedication night is special. I love that they get loved ones involved. Alfonso remains a reason I love this show. I think he’s genuine, funny, and just the right amount of cheesy. On to horror week!

Voting lines at the Round Lake Beach, IL Civic Center on Nov 3, 2026. It's election night, but for a few of the people I know, it's actually the end of a season. Tonight's the night that they're victorious and can finally stop pulling crazy hours and eating clementines out of their lunchboxes at 3 pm because it's the first chance they've gotten to eat. They're done volunteering at a new nursing home and helping people who can't get out to vote be able to vote where they are, however they can show up. They were there at the courthouse on day one, when it was the only place in the county you could cast a vote yet. This morning, they got up at 4:15 am, arrived before dawn and hauled big VOTE HERE sandwich boards to the curbs, and they're scheduled to be there until 7 pm. It's 4 pm. It's been raining almost all day, and I am on my way to the grocery store to get a few more things to finish making a big pot of comfort food for when my husband is finally done at the polls. I decide to swing by the site he's working at, to see how things are going, and to give him a cold drink. When I get there, I notice there's a line of cars snaking out onto the street, and a line of people outside the civic center. There's no parking at all, and I have to circle twice, but there's also a table full of voter's rights advocates sitting out in the rain, handing out butterscotch and information, and a food truck selling tortas, burritos and tacos. As I get up to the door I hear one of the workers telling someone that there's about a 30 minute wait "at least" to vote. I can't remember the last time this was true here, and it certainly wasn't last election. They don't seem to mind. Out in the lot people seem sort of hopeful. I can't believe we have a whole ass taco truck. I am rethinking the whole dinner making thing. I manage to get in and hand him the drink by sheer force of will and knowing he might need a pick me up by now. Meanwhile, I still have one ear on the conversation at the door. People are still being told that there's a 30 minute wait. Cars are still circling the lot looking for parking. People are coming out of the building with their stickers. The taco truck is probably making bank, and it almost seems like a festival day, save for the rain. Polling places with tacos and tortas? Genius. My husband showed up because he believes that we need to protect elections, ensure everyone is able to vote without intimidation. He did it with boots on in Iraq years ago, and this time he's got a lanyard and badge and he's doing it from inside the building as a civilian. He never gave up his mission, and I don't think he ever will. I'm proud of him in a way I can't even begin to convey in words. I walk outside again as the line gets longer than it was when I got here, and I have to smile. Because no matter what happens - people are here, lined up to vote. My town showed up. And we showed up with tacos. Whatever this midterm brings, remember that the way to make change is to make your voice heard. Take action. Vote. Don't stop. No matter what.

Screenshot: Gravhounds Four-player co-op games are my jam. There’s nothing better than getting together online with a few friends and doing stupid things, dangerous things—all in the comfort and safety of your own house. It also happens to be a great way for middle-aged dudes to maintain long-distance friendships. So I’m always on the lookout for the next game to play. When I saw Gravhounds, I knew it would be something I’d want to check out. Gravhounds is a 1-4 player co-op game where you take on the role of dogs working for a soulless, greedy corporation. There are four playable dogs: Zane, Finn, Selene, and Dozer. While each canine possesses their own stats and special ability, all dogs share the same base mechanics, tools, and weapons. Screenshot: Gravhounds The gameplay itself reminds me a bit of Helldivers mixed with Deep Rock Galactic—or perhaps like Rogue Core because of the way upgrades work. You fight bugs, and you mine, returning that ore to your ship. The genetically engineered dogs are pretty fast and nimble, with omni-directional boosting—which can help you move faster or jump higher. Each mission in Gravhounds is like its own run. You don’t drop into a mission as a specific class, or even with a specific weapon. Instead, you have to choose all of your abilities and weapons in-mission as you level up. You’ll be doing a fair amount of mining, which you use your mining laser/gravity manipulator for, picking up items à la the Gravity Gun from Half-Life 2. You also use this gun to place turrets, fabricators, and more across your network of energy pipelines, which serve as connectors and building nodes. Screenshot: Gravhounds The game is launching into Early Access, so I’m going to reserve my final judgment until it gets to 1.0. However, there are a few things I didn’t really like: I’m not a fan of how you drag nodes out to attach new ones. It feels imprecise. I’m also not a huge fan of dropping in and having to choose your weapon immediately by dropping down a reward pod—you should be able to choose it right as you land without having to throw a pod. Small gripes, really. While Gravhounds is best with friends, you don’t have to have a full group to enjoy the game. Difficulty dynamically scales. So even if you want to be a lone wolf, that’s possible. Though I found playing solo a bit tedious as the duties of building, defense, and ore collection fall solely on your dogged shoulders. Screenshot: Gravhounds Gravhounds also has a meta-progression component. Between missions, you can unlock new weapons, upgrades, and different turrets. You can also unlock new abilities that have the potential to show up during future runs. While developer Octopus Panic plans on keeping the game in Early Access for 6 months, that might change based on player feedback—according to their Early Access info box on the Steam store page. And they promise to listen to player feedback going forward. Screenshot: Gravhounds I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve had with Gravhounds so far, but I definitely see where there’s room for improvement. If you want to get in early and be a part of that discussion, there is a decent amount of content, with the core gameplay loop being in place. Gravhounds is available today on Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox Game Pass.

Screenshot: Knuckle Creek Sometimes an indie game comes out of nowhere and is so unexpectedly fun, you have to tell people about it. I guess it's not fair to judge a book by its cover–or a game by its key art–but something about Knuckle Creek made it look like it would be disappointing. I was so, so wrong. And when I look back on it, of course I was: this game is lovingly made with claymation animation, and obviously had a lot of heart put into it by developer Claymatic Games. ​Knuckle Creek is a party brawler that is part Smash Bros. and part Gang Beasts. It immediately reminded me of retro fighter ClayFighter with a more limited array of character types–mostly redneck themed fighters here. But if you smash Gang Beasts' goofy physics and Smash Bros' structure into the literal clay molds of ClayFighter, you get Knuckle Creek. Screenshot: Knuckle Creek ​While Knuckle Creek looks a lot like Smash Bros., it uses a more traditional health system based on how many times you're knocked down or out of the arena. Which can happen easily when there's an arena full of fighters and the chaos that introduces. Especially when weapons are being used, which will happen in generous amounts. It's not uncommon to have multiple rockets, trash can lids, and other projectiles flying across the screen. If you die early you can rain down explosives to knock out those who are still playing. ​While Knuckle Creek is more fun with friends, if you don't have friends you can play solo. There are bots that will give you a run for your money even on easy mode. There are also single player challenges to get through–three maps of them–if you want to unlock new costumes and accessories. Instead of unlocking a set number of base characters, you build your own custom roster. There are literally hundreds of cosmetic items and flags, plus over a dozen voice options, and emotes to taunt your friends mid battle. Screenshot: Knuckle Creek ​There's lots of variety to be had, since there are multiple game modes and lots of customization on how those modes are played, if you choose. There are 24 maps and multiple different game modes: free for all, team matches, last man standing. There are adjustable match settings for health, fatal falls, weapons available, time of day, map voting, etc. Empty slots can also be filled with bots if you can't get a full match and want the chaos a full 8 player session can bring. ​While chaotic, it's very fun. Knuckle Creek most likely won't get into any esports scene, but it's a great time to play with friends. I love the claymation look, and while I wish there were more variety of characters than redneck adjacent people wearing costumes, there's still enough cosmetic variety to make a character your own. I definitely recommend this party brawler.

Photo: Joshuer Horror isn’t just a genre; it’s an amalgamation of pop culture, cozy traditions, and things that go bump in the night. This year, we're taking our 31 Days of Horror across the entire cultural spectrum. We’ll be taking a look at movies that scare us, games that kept us paranoid, scary books we cozy up with under blankets, music that sets that spooky tone and seasonal food we’re craving–or strange food you’d have to tie us up and force feed us. Whether you’re looking for something truly terrifying or a cozy autumn haunt, come back every day this month for a new bite-sized review or spooky adjacent list. It’s been a hell of a spooky season. We’ve had a lot of fun bringing you a new horror feature every day. But it doesn’t have to end! Spooky can be a year-round thing.That’s why we compiled for you a list of some of our favorite horror movies, video games, and TV shows. This list couldn’t possibly be comprehensive, but we did try to curate for you a diverse list that looks at more than just horror genres. We realize these categories might be a bit vague or too specific–but part of the fun was finding movies that we loved that we could fit into this particular pattern. Next year we’ll have an entirely different set of categories, but you can use this list to have some scary fun on through into the new year. Slow Burn Jacob's Ladder (1990) A grieving Vietnam War veteran's grip on reality slowly unravels as he is plagued by horrifying hallucinations, forcing him to navigate a nightmarish descent akin to madness to uncover the truth. Director Adrian Lyne used low frame rates and actors physically shaking their heads to create the iconic, twitching, faceless figures that haunt Jacob–a visual aesthetic that is commonly used in horror to this day. - Antal Bokor Let the Right One In (2008) A frequently bullied boy in a freezing 1980s Swedish suburb forms an intimately deep, unsettling bond with his mysterious new neighbor who turns out to be a centuries-old vampire that chooses to look like a child to seem innocent. Unlike any other vampire movie I’ve seen at the time, it largely subverts traditional monster movie tropes with its quiet, atmospheric restraint over explicit carnage–and when there is carnage, it is largely out-of-focus, and framed in a way to seem heroic or convince the viewer that this ancient creature truly needs our help. A masterclass in genre subversion and slow burn horror. - Antal Bokor Penumbra: Overture (2007) After receiving a cryptic letter from his supposedly dead father, a physicist travels to the freezing wastelands of Greenland and becomes trapped in a decaying, abandoned subterranean mine system. While it has been criticized (rightly) for its combat, I always perceived it as clumsy and desperate–perfect for a horror game. You could consider this a rough draft for other seminal titles like Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but I think Frictional Games nailed the atmosphere and tension on their very first go. - Antal Bokor The Devil’s Backbone - (2001) I love Guillermo Del Toro’s twisted, beautiful mind, and The Devil’s Backbone pairs the horror of horrible people with impending doom and a truly creepy ghost story, and finishes it off with some delicious justice. – Marielle Bokor The Sixth Sense - (1999) The first time I watched this I was writing a college paper for my film class that was exploring Bruce Willis and changing gender roles in horror and action films. I had a lot of catching up to do there, but I loved the Sixth Sense for so many reasons. It really caught me with its story and delighted me with the twist, whether I’d already pondered the possibility or not. - Marielle Bokor Inside (2016) I have to admit, I still don’t know what happened in Inside exactly. I guess it’s an ongoing internet mystery. Which makes it perfect for our slow burn category. You play as a boy as he navigates what appears to be a strange dystopia that uses lobotomized (mindless) people for some nefarious reasons. Are you one of these controlled automaton people? Have you escaped to your freedom? None of these questions are answered, and instead you’re left with a big flesh ball at the end and loads more questions. It’s one of the most shocking, grotesque body-horror payoffs in gaming history, and it has a certain catharsis that makes it one of the most memorable I’ve ever played. - Antal Bokor Watcher -(2022) Nowadays slow burn horror is a bit hard to fins, especially with everyone’s attention span being reduced to a hair. But when a great slow burn horror emerges from the vast hordes of jumpscares and relentless gore, it’s like a breath of fresh frightening air. Watcher embraces that slow burn as it puts you in the shoes of a young woman in a new country where a serial killer just so happens to be prowling the streets.. Its methodical pace makes your skin crawl with ever passing gaslighting and makes your paranoia reach new heights until you just can’t take it and find yourself at one of the most satisfying endings in recent memory. You can check out our longer look at Watcher here! - Julian Ramirez Hunter Cosford Gory Gory Hallelujah Zombi 2 (1979) It’s not Romero, it’s so much gorier. Zombi 2 has the type of gore we’re accustomed to in the mainstream 47 years later but was shocking at the time. You’ll never look at sharks or eyeballs the same. - Aaron Cynic Dead Alive (1992) – There’s so many things that make this special, not the least of which is the priest shouting “I kick ass for the LORD!” but what really makes this Peter Jackson film shine is all the campy gore. People get mowed, beheaded, and …well, some people have sworn off custard after this movie. I’ll leave it at that. – Marielle Bokor Ready or Not, Ready or not 2: Here I come,(2019/2026) & Abigail (2024) Nobody loves human bodies exploding more than Radio Silence, the team behind these three movies. Seriously and literally, there are so many humans getting blown up it might as well be the Fourth of July. If you are hankering for people being turned into goop, check these out. - Julian Ramirez Dead Space (2023) Engineer Isaac Clarke boards the silent, derelict USG Ishimura only to discover its crew has been slaughtered and reanimated into grotesque, mutated monstrosities in this ground-up remake of the 2008 classic. While the original is a classic, this 2023 remake elevates the source material by adding an “intensity director” to make backtracking dangerous, and turns the USG Ishimura into one seamless interconnected ship. While aiming for center mass works against traditional enemies, the reanimated dead need to be dismembered with whatever available tools—which turn out to be futuristic sci-fi engineering and mining equipment that does the job better than even traditional weaponry. - Antal Bokor The Forest / Sons of the Forest (2018 / 2024) Thrust into a brutal fight for survival after a crash landing on a remote, densely wooded peninsula, players must scavenge, build, and defend themselves against terrifyingly intelligent tribes of cannibalistic mutants. The first game introduced a story into a sandbox survival game—which wasn’t as common back then as it is now. While aspects of the games can be seen as janky, the enemies are truly terrifying. Not because they’re relentless, but because they seem so real—the AI doesn’t just blindly attack, it stalks, observes, and even tests your perimeter defenses. They even mourn their dead, and are scared by effigies using their dead as building material. Next thing you know you’ll be collecting baskets of body parts for both defense and sustenance. And that’s not even mentioning the mutant monstrosities that start to appear the longer you play. Maxime Roedel Psycho Killer American Psycho (2000) Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is the quintessential type A investment banker. He’s driven, charming at times, competitive, meticulous, misogynistic, narcissistic, and sociopathic. He’s also a serial killer with an extremely high body count. Or maybe not. Or maybe he only killed some people. - Aaron Cynic Candyman - (1992) -It might not be fair to categorize Candyman this way, it fits for high body count. Set in our hometown here in Chicago, Candyman explores things like racism and classism at the same time it’s invoking urban legend and the way we scared ourselves as kids. Tony Todd is unforgettable as Candyman, and this is still one of my favorite movies. - Marielle Bokor Child’s Play (1988) When I was a kid, this came on cable at my grandparent’s house when we were in the den after a holiday meal. I remember reading the description and thinking “there’s no way a stupid doll killing people is gonna scare ME.” Friends, I was so wrong, and I’ve feared evil dolls ever since... – Marielle Bokor Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - You might think, this isn’t horror! And you’re a little right, because while it take place on Halloween it’s technically listed as a “black comedy” but when you really think about it, our cute little aunties in the film are legit serial killers. Sorry if that’s spoilers but a movie this good simply can’t be spoiled and also, it came out 82 years ago. - Marielle Bokor Cabin Fever Cube (1997), Cube 2: Hypercube (2002) Seven strangers are trapped inside a labyrinth of rooms with no memory of how they arrived or knowledge of why they’re there. Many of the rooms are booby trapped, and navigating the cube requires puzzling through a mystery of numbers while dealing with both the traps and interpersonal tension and suspicions. - Aaron Cynic Evil Dead - (1981) True story: I was at a cabin in the woods in a huge thunderstorm the first time I saw the Evil Dead movies. Evil Dead is how I fell in love with horror, and I think it’s because it’s the perfect mix of absurd and scary with the perfect amount of campy gore on top. I love Bruce Campbell, I love the lore around the films, I love how absolutely ridiculous the movies increasingly get and yeah, this is in my top 5. - Marielle Bokor The Shining (1980) As a writer, I always thought that Jack Torrance had a pretty sweet opportunity. Just, don’t kill your family and you’re all set. But the damn pesky ghosts that inhabit the Overlook Hotel won’t let Jack work, causing a supernatural sort of cabin fever that drives him to madness and the desire to kill his wife and telepathic son. This is a legendary, foundational film by a legendary director whose extreme perfectionism was able to create a hotel that was physically impossible and visually striking—while also maintaining deep isolation and loneliness. Kubrick's pioneering use of the Steadicam as it glides behind telepathic Danny’s Big Wheel through the hotel's spatially impossible hallways will always be some of the most iconic horror put to celluloid. - Antal Bokor Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) Taking place in not so much a cabin in the woods as a rich kid’s parents house in the woods, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a wonderfully annoying look at rich twenty-somethings devolving into pettiness and bloody murder. After a lackluster start to a game of Bodies Bodies Bodies (think murder mystery theatre) turns real when one of the party members (Pete Davidson of all people) winds up with their throat actually split wide open. What follows is kinda annoying, totally crummy people accusing each other of being the murderer. It's fun, annoying (seriously folks this movie is not for the faint of heart or gen z phobic) , and we get Lee Pace as an older burnout. - Julian Ramirez Jr Korpa Ghost in the Machine SOMA (2015) One of my absolute favorite horror experiences ever, it replaces gore and jump scares with deep, philosophical dread that will linger long after the credits roll. Grappling with the terrifying nature of consciousness duplication during the last days of humanity on a research station on the bottom of the ocean, it’s a perfect storm of dread and horror. It not only asks what it means to be human, it shows us the direct results of consciousness being crammed into barely working machines that are now convinced they are living people. The agonizing implications of its ending still haunt me. - Antal Bokor Pulse / Kairo (2001) A terrifyingly bleak, slow-burn apocalyptic nightmare that, while coming out of the early digital age, feels even more relevant today. Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa crafted this prophetic Japanese horror masterpiece about ghosts invading the world of the living through the dial-up internet. Pulse captured the crushing loneliness of the digital age long before it was cool to do so. People are quietly disappearing, leaving only black stains on the walls and forbidden rooms hastily sealed with red tape. Rather than relying on cheap scares, Kurosawa builds a suffocating atmosphere where the true horror isn't the ghosts themselves, but the overwhelming realization that human connection is fading into nothingness. - Antal Bokor System Shock 2 (1999) This is the first game to truly scare me, and that was mostly thanks to the terrifyingly insane SHODAN. Awakening from cryo-sleep aboard the derelict starship Von Braun, you find the crew slaughtered by a parasitic hive mind known as The Many. As a precursor to BioShock, it shares more than a few story beats. However, nothing in BioShock was ever as scary as SHODAN constantly taunting you, bolstered by the rest of the game's brilliant sound design—like the cybernetic midwives apologizing as they try to murder you. It creates an unparalleled atmosphere of deep-space isolation, body horror, and mystery as you unravel what happened. - Antal Bokor The Ring (2002) Imagine you were never allowed to see horror movies as a kid. Maybe you snuck one or two here and there, but that was me, and The Ring was the first horror movie I saw in a theater “legally.” Oh my God. There was something visceral about it and I related too hard to forbidden tapes and urban legends. The Ring scared the shit out of me and gave me the rush I’d been missing, and to this day I love it, Ringu and J-Horror. – Marielle Bokor Doki Doki Literature Club (2017) I reviewed this as part of a narrative game festival I covered, and I miraculously hadn’t heard about it before that. It hooked me in with its deep narrative, and pretty soon I couldn’t distinguish between the game itself and real life anymore. I stayed up too late playing this, and was beyond immersed, and I specifically remember having to keep the lights on for a few hours before bed when I was done. This should be a classic for all horror fans. - Marielle Bokor Umanoide Too Many Teeth Dawn of the Dead (1978) There still hasn’t been a zombie movie that has outdone Dawn of the Dead. George A. Romero didn’t just invent the modern zombie, he perfected it with this absolute masterpiece. While Night of the Living Dead was a masterclass in claustrophobia, Dawn of the Dead is an active apocalypse that shows society collapsing under the threat of the rising dead. A sprawling, neon-lit consumerist nightmare, it traps its survivors inside the Monroeville Mall in a brilliant, cynical satire that is also an incredibly effective horror movie. With a soundtrack by Italian legends Goblin, and produced by Dario Argento (Suspiria, Deep Red), Dawn of the Dead stands as perhaps the greatest zombie movie ever made. -Antal Bokor The Descent (2005) This movie is scary even before the monsters show up. An anxiety-inducing nightmare from the moment the spelunkers get in the cave, the subterranean creatures add a whole other dimension of panic. The film follows a group of women on an expedition into an uncharted Appalachian cave system, and The Descent perfectly captures the absolute terror of being trapped in the dark while being chased by horrible, people-eating creatures. - Antal Bokor Carrion (2020) As far as cathartic power fantasies go, Carrion wouldn't be the first, but it has a near-flawless execution. A "reverse horror" game, Carrion features you playing as the monster as you hunt down scientists in a mysterious research facility. Whatever it is they did, you know they had it coming. They’ll bring out big guns—including mechs—to stop you. But clever hiding, powerful upgrades, and being an unstoppable, amorphous mass of flesh filled with teeth really help you out as you rip through the facility, snatching terrified scientists, and consuming them to grow larger. - Antal Bokor G.T.F.O. (2021) I almost put this under slow burn, because it’s so hard that even with four people that you couldn’t really get freaked out by everything that’s there to scare you quicker if you wanted to. However, in remembering the things that do lurk in the dark, they’re all too pale, too moist, and have way, way too many teeth. You earn your scares in this game, and then they immediately kill you and your whole team and erase the last 4 hours of careful work getting down to them. -Marielle Bokor Logan Voss Cosmic Horror Coherence - (2013) While not as otherworldly as the meta category would suggest, Coherence is the very definition of the cosmos inflicting madness upon characters. When a ragtag bunch of friends get together for a dinner together, a passing comet begins wreaking havoc on reality. No aliens or monsters other than the passing rock and what some people will do to survive. Check out our full look at Coherence here! - Julian Ramirez Event Horizon (1997) One of the movies that served as a foundational text for sci-fi horror in video games and movies for the next couple of decades. Games like Dead Space and System Shock 2 probably owe some amount of creative inspiration to this Paul W.S. Anderson classic. A rescue ship is sent to investigate the lost experimental ship, the Event Horizon, after it literally traveled through hell—and brought something back with it. Anchored by a terrific performance by Sam Neill and a take-no-shit Laurence Fishburne. - Antal Bokor The Thing (1982) One of my favorite horror films ever, The Thing is a timeless masterpiece about a group of Antarctic researchers who have a run-in with an alien entity that can perfectly mimic other lifeforms. It’s a masterclass in tension, as you never know who is the creature and who isn’t. The creature is truly grotesque, and its legendary animatronic creations are as creative as they are horrifying. - Antal Bokor In the Mouth of Madness (1994) Probably one of the best, most unapologetic translations of pure cosmic horror put to film, it blurs the line between fiction and reality until the concept of sanity is removed and supplanted with a horrifying new reality. It follows the brilliant Sam Neill as an insurance investigator looking for the truth behind the disappearance of Stephen King-like author Sutter Cane. Not only do his works create obsessive fans, but they might actually lead to the end of the world. Thankfully, the Harry Potter books didn’t have the same effect. Do you read Sutter Cane? If not, there’s a movie! - Antal Bokor Bloodborne (2015) There are many types of fear, like that of the unknown. But there is also the fear of what we know. And Bloodborne not only shows you the unknowable horror, but makes you kill it to progress. Dripping in a dreadful atmosphere and full of monsters, it removes the veneer of reality to show you that the horror is on a literal cosmic scale about halfway through. The more you know of this world, the more terrifying it becomes—both in narrative and through gameplay. And it’s probably the best “souls” style game that FromSoftware has made. -Antal Bokor The X-Files (1993) Long before serialized prestige television took over, The X-Files was quietly delivering some of the most terrifying hours of broadcast network TV. While the overarching alien mythology hooked a generation, it’s the standalone "Monster-of-the-Week" episodes that earn it a permanent spot on this list. From the claustrophobic dread of the stretchy mutant Tooms in "Squeeze" to the deeply upsetting, famously banned-from-TV horror of "Home," the show simply wasn't afraid to push the boundaries of prime-time television. Anchored by the legendary skeptic-and-believer chemistry between Mulder and Scully, it perfectly balanced procedural investigation with genuine terror that had me sleeping with the lights on as a kid. Shows like Fringe came close, but nothing has ever been quite like the original run of The X-Files. - Antal Bokor Pluribus (2026) This is one of the scariest shows I’ve ever watched. It is essentially an invasion of the body snatchers that we willingly let right into our world, anchored by a brilliant, Emmy-winning performance from Rhea Seehorn. “The Others” aren’t terrifying, grotesque aliens, but smiling, gracious hosts designed perfectly to let your guard down. While we have way more questions than answers at this point, the first season of Pluribus is a masterful example of otherworldly horror. It captures the sheer existential dread of an entire civilization losing its identity, leaving behind a smiling apocalypse witnessed in horror by only two people, and accepted as a luxury by the few others left with their minds intact. - Antal Bokor Andy Makely Low fi The Blair Witch Project (1999) Another foundational film, it’s hard to overstate just how much this movie changed the horror landscape and created the blueprint for found-footage films going forward. It also should be praised for its early-internet, alternate-reality viral advertising that convinced most of my friends that this movie was based on real events, and that the filmmakers we were watching actually died in those Maryland woods. Its brilliance relies heavily on telling, and showing very little. The film uses the creeping dread of getting lost, and the agonizing, slow reality of a group of friends realizing that they’re not going to survive this. A brilliant bit of filmmaking that is impossible to replicate. - Antal Bokor Signalis (2022) If you miss the golden age of PS1-era survival horror, Signalis is a love letter written in blood and cosmic dread. It’s one of those games that captures the retro feeling without making itself a clone of a specific retro horror game. Developer rose-engine perfectly captures the punishing resource management and puzzle-solving of classic Resident Evil and Silent Hill, but wraps it in an incredibly oppressive retro-futuristic aesthetic. You play as Elster, a Replika android searching a ruined off-world mining facility for her lost human partner. What starts as a tense fight against corrupted androids quickly spirals into a mind-bending, Lovecraftian nightmare about memory, identity, and reality itself. It’s a masterclass in atmosphere that proves low-poly graphics can still deliver high-tier terror. - Antal Bokor Limbo (2010) Before developer Playdead perfected the art of silent, oppressive storytelling with Inside, they introduced us to the monochromatic nightmare of Limbo. What I first thought would be an artsy puzzle-platformer quickly turned into a bleak, brutal video game. Iconic, terrifying encounters like the giant spider solidified it as one of my favorites. In-game, you’re never told who you are, or why you’re doing what you’re doing—you’re just forced to keep moving right and survive whatever horrible fate is in store. It’s effortlessly scary, and it does it all with a monochrome, minimalist presentation. - Antal Bokor Aaron Blanco Tejedor Laughing Scared Club Dread (2004) At first glance Club Dread may seem like a bad spoof movie ala all the post Scary Movie parodies of the 2000s. But like a real spoof comedy, It's more of a pastiche of the genre than a long line of remember-when-this-happened-in-a-better-movie jokes. Taking place at a Jimmy Buffetesque theme resort, the guys from Broken Lizard craft a pretty fun murder mystery kill fest with raunch humor you’d expect from the Super Troopers crew. It does heavily take from things like I Know What You Did Last Summer 2, Sleepaway Camp, and a few others, but never feels lazy in its borrowing. Definitely of its time, but so is every other great comedy and horror. - Julian Ramirez Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) Horror comedies don’t always work, beyond a few rare exceptions—especially one that leans into its gore as heavily as Tucker & Dale. It’s turned into the gold standard of how to do it right. It takes the “creepy backwoods hillbilly” trope and flips it around, giving us two incredibly sweet, well-meaning friends who are just trying to fix up their new vacation cabin. Enter some vacationing college kids, and you get a lot of accidental gore and a bloodbath that is entirely the fault of panicky, judgmental students. Anchored by the unbelievable chemistry between Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk, it is a brilliant, blood-soaked comedy of errors that has a surprising amount of heart. - Antal Bokor Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 (1987) GARBAGE DAY! There’s a lot of lore behind this movie getting made, and it’s technically a reshoot of the first, maybe? I’m picky about my shitty B movies - they can’t intentionally try to be bad, but somehow this feels earnest, and stupid, and …scary? Maybe a little. It’s a fun watch. - Marielle Bokor Widow’s Bay (2026) An island community that is cursed and the hijinks that ensue isn't exactly what I thought I’d be adding to this list. I know most of this feature focuses on films and games, but a few Apple TV standouts absolutely deserve a mention. While this show could easily fit into our Cosmic Horror or Final Girl categories, it is so incredibly funny that it truly deserved its Best Comedy Series Emmy win. It’s essentially Parks and Recreation, but if Pawnee were cursed. There are so many standout moments I can’t possibly list them all here. It’s effortlessly funny, anchored by a great cast, and features a story that pushes boundaries most other series wouldn’t even consider. It’s just brilliant television. - Antal Bokor Unmasked Part 25 While we haven’t really reached chapter 25 of any horror franchise (no, the Aminitty series does not count), Unmasked imagines a world where a very, and i mean very, Jason-like murder named Jackson has reached his breaking point and is kinda done with all this killing nonsense. He’s met Shelly, a blind girl who sees him for who he truly is and he’s ready to settle down! Unmasked Part 25 is as dry as a comedy as an English film can get without forgetting the slasher gore you’d come to expect. It’s fun, very on the nose, and goes places you certainly would expect. - Julian Ramirez Shaun of the Dead (2004) I’m such a Romero zombie lover that I was actually not a fan of Shaun of the Dead originally. I thought it was taking the piss a little too much. But the truth is, I was wrong. And while Hot Fuzz is my favorite of the Cornetto Trilogy, it would not have been possible without the groundwork laid by Edgar Wright with Shaun of the Dead. Simon Pegg is brilliant as protagonist Shaun, and his chemistry with Nick Frost is undeniable. Hilarious, scary, gory, and everything in between, Shaun of the Dead is a fantastic film. - Antal Bokor Karina Karina Final Girl Alien: Isolation (2014) This is the only item I put on this list that I haven’t finished because it’s too scary. There’s a primal fear that the Xenomorph puts into me—a deep childhood leftover that makes Alien: Isolation a uniquely harrowing experience for me. However, it’s brilliant in its gameplay, pacing, and creature mechanics. The alien isn’t just performing pre-scripted jump scares; it’s driven by a complex AI system that actively hunts you, learns your behavior, and stalks the halls in a way that’s completely unscripted. It’s pure nightmare fuel that makes you feel like you're genuinely being hunted—because you are. -Antal Bokor Alien (1979) Ridley Scott did a great job showing us a feature that wasn’t just a gleaming utopia–but was actually dirty and lived in. The Nostromo was grimy, leaking, and industrial–full of blue collar workers, not snobby scientists. But then they answer a distress call, bring something on board (despite the established quarantine protocols!) and next thing you know the crew is being picked off by a relentless, terrifying murder machine. What follows is a masterclass in slow-burn claustrophobia and biomechanical dread, courtesy of H.R. Giger's legendary Xenomorph design While the Alien franchise has greatly expanded, this original film showed us just enough to be terrifying, and let our imaginations fill in the terrible gaps. Signourney Weaver plays Ellen Ripley who is the ultimate survivor. - Antal Bokor Barbarian (2022) This is one of those movies I kept hearing about but couldn’t imagine actually enjoying. So I bit the bullet and sat down—extremely skeptical—and proceeded to watch one of my favorite horror movies I’ve seen in decades. The less you know about it, the better. Director Zach Cregger (of The Whitest Kids U' Know fame!) takes audience expectations and smashes them repeatedly—and with nominal amounts of gore—in the face. It’s a movie that feels more genuine than most other modern horror. The mid-movie pivot is legendary for its tonal shift, turning full-blown horror into a bit of a black comedy before bringing it solidly back into horror territory—but ending with surprising poignancy. Absolutely brilliant. - Antal Bokor Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Remember when I said I wasn’t allowed to watch horror movies? This movie is the reason. Me and my cousins watched it on Thanksgiving weekend as little kids, and the thought of a killer that could get you in your sleep just terrified me. Hiding under teh covers won’t help - it’ll just make it worse. Freddy still scares the bejesus out of me. – Marielle Bokor It Follows (2014) In horror movies, sex has always preceded violent death or other forms of horror. It Follows codifies this in the rules of the movie’s supernatural pursuer. The creature following is literally transmitted sexually. Not just an allegory for young people having sex, it’s an exercise in constant dread. Often you don’t know what to expect from the follower, and you’ll find yourself scanning the background of the film for any out-of-place people walking a little too purposefully. It also has a fantastic soundtrack by Disasterpeace. It’s a brilliant horror film that weaponizes the anxiety behind young love and sex, something that would feel far too on the nose if handled by anyone less capable than director David Robert Mitchell. - Antal Bokor

There’s no doubt that The Crow managed to capture the imaginations of many Gen Xers and Millennials, like myself. Perhaps it was the combination of the death of Brandon Lee–son of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee–and the fact that The Crow managed to capture the zeitgeist of the younger generation at the time. It was unique visually, and edgy in a way that just wasn’t the same. It also had a fantastic soundtrack. You can read about Aaron Cynic’s thoughts on it here. I’m not here to talk about that film. I’m here to talk about all of the other ones. From City of Angels to Wicked Prayer, and all the way to The Crow (2024). To sum up my thoughts: they’re exactly as bad as I was thinking they’d be. But all but one of them takes a fair shot at it. The Crow: City of Angels Kali: "Do you know how to fight?" Ashe Corven: "Do you know how to die?" Release Date: August 30, 1996 Director: Tim Pope Writer: David S. Goyer (Screenplay), based on characters by James O'Barr Budget: $13 million. Key Cast: Vincent Pérez (Ashe Corven), Mia Kirshner (Sarah), Richard Brooks (Judah Earl), Iggy Pop (Curve), Thomas Jane (Nemo), and Thuy Trang (Kali). Set in a hyper-stylized, smog-choked Los Angeles, the sequel follows mechanic Ashe Corven (Vincent Pérez) and his young son, Danny, who are brutally murdered after his son hears gunshots and witnesses a murder. Brought back from the dead and unkillable, Ashe is driven by vengeance to hunt down the gang responsible, including their leader: Judah Earl. Ashe is aided by a now-adult Sarah–the young girl from the first movie, played here by Mia Kirshner. She acts as a bit of a mentor after he comes back from the dead. City of Angels feels like a hyper-stylized corporate attempt at recapturing the magic of the original. Visually, it manages to capture some of the magic–but Vincent Pérez’s Ashe Corven comes off mostly goofy instead of cool, or menacing–something that will be a recurring trend in these sequels. The Crow: Salvation Phillip Dutton: "That was a fucking hollow point!" Alex Corvis: "I guess that it's true. Guns don't kill people." [pulls out a knife] "You think... you think maybe knives do?" Release Date: June 14, 2000 (Limited premiere), before a wider direct-to-video release. Director: Bharat Nalluri Writer: Chip Johannessen, based on characters by James O'Barr Budget: $10 million Key Cast: Eric Mabius (Alex Corvis), Kirsten Dunst (Erin Randall), Fred Ward (The Captain / John L. Book), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Lauren Randall), William Atherton (Nathan Randall), and Walton Goggins (Stan Roberts). Alex Corvis (Eric Mabius) is falsely convicted of the brutal stabbing of his girlfriend, Lauren Randall (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). After spending three years on death row maintaining his innocence and insisting the true killer was a man with distinctive scars, Alex is executed in the electric chair. It’s an interesting twist to have the killing be a state-sanctioned one–which wasn’t an angle I expected. Alex gets resurrected, and discovers he is unkillable, with rapidly healing injuries. Aided by Lauren's sister, Erin (Kirsten Dunst), Alex begins hunting down the corrupt cops responsible, eventually uncovering a deep-rooted police conspiracy orchestrated by the sinister Captain John L. Book (Fred Ward). Eric Mabius would have been a great henchman or sidekick, but as Alex Corvis, he just comes off as a dork. The film itself has cinematography and visual aesthetics that stray far from the original’s gritty, surreal otherworldly depictions and instead look like something more made for TV. I have to give it credit for having the most original and interesting story out of the films, but it represents a major downturn in quality for The Crow films. The Crow: Wicked Prayer Luc Crash: "You can't kill me! I'm the Devil!" Jimmy Cuervo: "Well... I'm the Crow." Release Date: June 3, 2005 (One-week limited theatrical), July 19, 2005 (Direct-to-video) Director: Lance Mungia Writer: Lance Mungia, Jeff Most, and Sean Hood (Inspired by the novel The Crow: Wicked Prayer by Norman Partridge) Budget: Estimated at $8 million Key Cast: Edward Furlong (Jimmy Cuervo), David Boreanaz (Luc Crash / Death), Tara Reid (Lola Byrne), Emmanuelle Chriqui (Lily), Dennis Hopper (El Niño), Danny Trejo (Harold), and Macy Gray (Carman). In an impoverished Southwest desert town, ex-con Jimmy Cuervo (Edward Furlong) and his girlfriend, Lily (Emmanuelle Chriqui), are brutally murdered by a satanic biker gang known as the Four Horsemen. The gang is led by the charismatic and unhinged Luc Crash (David Boreanaz) and his clairvoyant magic-using lover, Lola Byrne (Tara Reid), who sacrifice the couple as part of a dark ritual to transform Luc into a demonic incarnation of the Antichrist. Seriously. Resurrected by the crow, Jimmy seeks vengeance against the gang, battling his way through their ranks–each one representing one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse played by Marcus Chong, Tito Ortiz, and Yuji Okumoto. Includes an appearance by a Satanic pimp with completely head-scratching over-the-top gangster dialogue named El Niño, played by the legendary Dennis Hopper. And while Hopper is known for his portrayal of crazy on film, this comes off more like an SNL skit. Oh man, who thought this was a good idea? I think I came across Wicked Prayer in a video rental store, and knew exactly the quality of its content by seeing the box art. I was mistaken. It’s far worse than the headliners “Edward Furlong” and “Tara Reid” would suggest. Furlong has no business being the protagonist, and that’s why Boreanaz and Reid take up more runtime. Though this is probably the worst performance by Boreanaz I’ve ever seen. He’s not just hammy–it’s awful, and makes the world worse for existing. The Crow (2024) Vincent Roeg: "You have no idea what hell awaits you." Eric: "Yeah. I do." Release Date: August 23, 2024 Director: Rupert Sanders Writers: Zach Baylin and William Schneider Budget: Approximately $50 million Key Cast: Bill Skarsgård (Eric), FKA twigs (Shelly), Danny Huston (Vincent Roeg), Sami Bouajila (Kronos), and Laura Birn (Marion). The reimagining follows Eric (Bill Skarsgård) and Shelly (FKA twigs), two troubled young lovers who meet in a criminal rehabilitation facility. After escaping together, Shelly’s past catches up with her as demonic, aristocratic Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston) is trying to find Shelly because of a video in her possession. Long story short, they’re both killed, and Eric is resurrected with the ability to survive fatal wounds, quickly heal, etc. This time he has a spirit guide in the afterlife named Kronos (Sami Bouajila). Roeg sacrifices innocent souls to unnaturally prolong his life, and Eric is sent to make things right. While this movie was a commercial disaster–only making $4.6 million during its opening weekend–it’s actually one of the better The Crow films. I’d almost argue it’s the best–even better than the original. But this Crow isn’t, and never could be, the same type of cultural touchstone that the original was. It does have some great, gory action sequences and a great performance by Skarsgård, Huston and FKA twigs. It’s a bummer it didn’t do well at the box office, but The Crow feels like something that is meant for the 90s. Final thoughts While I’ll never get those hours back, I don’t regret my time with these films. At least now I know my original instincts were correct. The first film was lightning in a bottle, and it’s hard to recapture the moment in time, soundtrack, visual style, and everything else all intersecting at once to make that happen. But I did notice one important fact while watching these films: all of the characters' names mean “Crow” or have Raven in them. There’s Eric Draven. dRAVEN, get it? But that’s the least offensive. There’s Vincent Pérez’s Ashe Corven, Eric Mabius as Alex Corvis, Edward Furlong as Jimmy Cuervo, and Bill Skarsgård as another Eric Draven. So to be a crow, you have to have some sort of Crow-adjacent name. I feel like Draven should be an outlier, despite being the first depicted on screen. I can’t help but think the avenging Crow spirit was like “mehhh, close enough!” Bonus: TV Show Despite finding a way to stream these episodes, I didn’t get a chance to watch this before this article was due. That means I’m going to do a feature on them for next year’s 31 Days–stay tuned.

Screenshot: Golf 5 Max I think I’m a secret golf video game enthusiast. It’s not something you can go around and announce to people in regular, polite conversation. Trust me. Even trying to explain to other gamers my love of, say, Neo Turf Masters gets blank stares and polite nods. It’s too bad, because there are some great golf games out there. I used to think they were just for dads, but now that I’m dad age I can tell you: they probably are. And while I was excited for Golf 5 Max, I actually ended up being a little disappointed. Golf 5 Max is a golf game that mixes modern and retro. It obviously takes a lot of inspiration from Neo Turf Masters—one of my favorite arcade golf games. It has a similar three-click swing style—you click once to start the swing, then there’s a second timed click to set your English, and a third to nail your power (which affects your accuracy)—but it uses a realistic simulator to drive the physics. It’s even billed as “arcade meets real physics” on its Steam store page. Screenshot: Golf 5 Max It has a roster of characters with RPG-style progression, a few game modes and seven courses to play on. The best thing about Golf 5 Max is that it’s actually fun to play. I’m a sucker for this particular style of arcade golf, while it might seem unusual for other golf video game enjoyers. The physics engine feels tough, but fair. While you have the ability to aim the ball, it’s down to click accuracy and timing to get the best (and most intended) shot. But failing a shot feels like it has a natural outcome—a ball sliced too far off course into a hazard, for example. But despite its claims of “real physics” don’t expect a hyper realistic, hyper simulated style of game. I can’t even say that it bridges the gap between the two—Golf 5 Max falls solidly into the “arcade” category. There is so much room for mastery that I haven’t even come close to the skill ceiling in my hours I sunk into it. And I effortlessly put hours into Golf 5 Max. Screenshot: Golf 5 Max There are a few things I have issues with though. First of all, I appreciate what developers LENYA DIGITAL and AAA Game Studios were trying to do with the character roster. There is certainly a diverse cast of characters, just like Neo Turf Masters. Unlike the retro game, Golf 5 Max’s characters have stats that you can level up: Power to hit further, Technique to master your spin, Consistency to stay in control, Accuracy to sharpen your aim, and Recovery to escape tricky situations. It will just take you a long time to grind through them. The character models themselves are also hideous. I can tell that there was a certain '70s retro style that Golf 5 Max was trying to capture, but it just never really translates as well as it could. Screenshot: Golf 5 Max There is also limited course variety. Seven courses might sound like a lot—and while they all look good with their own distinct visual style, the courses themselves have little variation. I’m trying to recall specific features from the different courses and beyond a few exceptions, it’s hard for me to tell. There are a few exceptional and fun holes, sure. But courses by and large are mundane. I do appreciate that some courses use vertical height generously. And hazards are well placed, most of the time. There are several game modes, though most are just slight variations on the “classic” mode. Birdie or Bust is a coin-op arcade way to play. Par allows you to continue without losing a credit, bogey loses you a credit and birdies net you extra play time—exactly as the Neo Turf Masters coin-op arcade would work. There’s also a time attack mode that requires you to stay within par or better to get bonus play time. There are online lobbies, which I didn’t get to test in this pre-release window, as well as a tournament mode that pits you against other players online with a leaderboard. Screenshot: Golf 5 Max Ultimately, Golf 5 Max is a great game with some frustrating compromises. The mechanics are rock-solid, and when you get into that rhythm of perfectly timing a three-click swing to land a brilliant approach shot, it nails the classic arcade feel I was hoping for. I wish it had more course variety, and while I’d love to see more in an update I’m afraid that might be a DLC thing. Despite ugly character models, and a grind to increase character stats, Golf 5 Max is a delight for retro and modern arcade golf fans. Just be prepared to accept that while the swing is pure arcade perfection, the rest of the package lands squarely in the rough.

Sir Patrick Stewart is dead. He was so many things, including (arguably) the best Star Trek Captain. And while I might have a different preference there, I do have to admit that Stewart’s portrayal of Captain Picard had a huge impact on my life. He was my space dad—imparting wisdom on a young me as I watched episodes of The Next Generation—sometimes as they aired originally, sometimes in reruns. To celebrate the life of Sir Patrick Stewart and the Captain that inspired so many, I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes of Picard’s—elevated by the gravitas of such a great actor. On Failure "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." — TNG: "Peak Performance" On Injustice "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." — TNG: "The Drumhead" On Mortality "Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment because it will never come again." — Star Trek Generations On Absolutes "There can be no justice so long as laws are absolute. Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions." — TNG: "Justice" On Living "Seize the time... Live now! Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again." — TNG: "The Inner Light" On The Impossible "Things are only impossible until they're not." — TNG: "The Child"

via Paramount+ When I was little, I used to “watch” Star Trek: The Next Generation with my mom. And when I say watch, I mean it the way a little kid watches TV: in about five to ten minute chunks when things got interesting or someone was doing something unusual. I wouldn’t say I loved Star Trek the way I do now back then - I think I mostly tolerated it to “was mildly amused” by it from time to time. But I do remember that I wanted Jean Luc Picard to marry my mom. (Remember, I was little.) My mom was widowed, and as a single mom, had to do all the career woman things while she also did the mom things. And she did, brilliantly. Even when we didn’t have a lot, it felt like enough. But I always wanted her to marry someone cool who could help her. And I guess, for context, I saw a lot of my mom in Beverly Crusher. She was someone who’d lost a lot and had a lot on her plate, but was super capable, organized and important on the Enterprise. She was strict but fun, and, I even saw a lot of myself in Wesley Crusher. Jean Luc Picard, in my mind, was the perfect match for my mom because of how calm, smart, and refined he was. At the time I didn’t necessarily have the words for it. But he was decisive, and passionate, and seemed unafraid. He was someone to look up to. And someone who could confidently lead a starship and a little family all at once. Little flickers of TNG stayed with me until I really dove into TNG and the rest of Star Trek with my husband. Now, I could tell you minute details of every series in the franchise, and our entire living room is festooned with Trek memorabilia. We even have a horga’hn. Photograph via The Today Show. I guess I didn’t know too much about Patrick Stewart then, but I do now. I think I first came to admire his gravitas, and his Shakespearean knowledge. I thought it befit a captain of a starship to be played by someone who took things very, very seriously. And then I saw some blooper reels. Patrick Stewart wearing an impish grin, laughing at Frakes when he messed up his lines. Yelling “SHIT!” when he forgot his own, and laughing beside Gates McFadden. Scolding Michael Dorn for not moving on cue. I saw his performances in episodes like Inner Light, Darmok, and Measure of a Man, where he eloquently argued for Data to have human rights. Fiery passion, with grace and honor. And then I saw him talk about domestic violence. I saw him speak up for survivors, and talk about his struggles with his relationship with his father, and the then nameless disease he came back from the war with that takes so many lives and rips apart so many families - PTSD. I saw him advocate for mental health. I watched him live out allyship in his relationships. Fight for pit bulls and love on them himself, with his own named Number One even starring in Picard. via Paramount+ I saw the weight of his friendships with the cast, that brought them back for that wonderful final season of Picard, where we got to finally see our old friends again, back at the poker table, and back at the bar having some drinks having survived yet another life or death adventure, one last time. During the pandemic, I listened to that commanding yet gentle voice read a daily sonnet to quiet the fear clutching at the back of all our throats in lockdown. I listened to his audiobook when it came out, and saw his vulnerability as he admitted his past mistakes and what he’d learned from them. I saw him dress like a lobster and pal around with Ian McKellen. And while I’ve attended more than a few Star Trek conventions at this point (and conventions where tons of Trek stars have appeared) if I have one regret it’s that I didn’t get to meet the man in person. To thank him, for being so many things in his lifetime to look up to. Even if he never did marry my mom. Via @sirpatstew on X. RIP. “Seize the time. Live now. Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.” - Jean Luc Picard. “Inner Light”

Horror isn’t just a genre; it’s an amalgamation of pop culture, cozy traditions, and things that go bump in the night. This year, we're taking our 31 Days of Horror across the entire cultural spectrum. We’ll be taking a look at movies that scare us, games that kept us paranoid, scary books we cozy up with under blankets, music that sets that spooky tone and seasonal food we’re craving–or strange food you’d have to tie us up and force feed us. Whether you’re looking for something truly terrifying or a cozy autumn haunt, come back every day this month for a new bite-sized review or spooky adjacent list. Horror and Halloween aren’t entirely about just scaring yourself silly. They’re a tapestry of emotions carefully seeded across a landscape of the dark and macabre. Thirty-two years ago, despite the tragic death of Brandon Lee on set during filming, The Crow hit theaters. It’s dark and it’s bleak, but it’s also sleek film noir that to this day, feels like putting on a well-worn but well-kept leather jacket. It’s a graphic novel come to life on the big screen that tells a familiar and haunting story of love, loss, revenge, and ultimately, resting in peace. Rock star Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) is brutally murdered along with his wife Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas) by a gang of thugs at the behest of crime boss Top Dollar (Michael Wincott) for attempting to stop evictions in their apartment building. A year later, Draven is resurrected by a crow and hunts the perpetrators of his and his fiancée’s murderers to avenge their deaths. All of this takes place in an exaggerated, near apocalyptic looking version of Detroit on Devil’s Night. In addition to intense, high-octane action sequences, we see the landscape of a very gothed out version of the city twisting and turning ostensibly through the eyes of a crow. At the time, most big action movies and thrillers had a very similar feel to them. Two of the biggest blockbusters of 1994 were True Lies and Speed. The Crow turned what felt like a very long standard on its head. Maybe it’s because I was a very young teenager just barely getting my feet wet in goth, punk, and metal subculture, but it was something I could connect with in a much deeper way than most other movies at the time. The movie was released with a soundtrack that’s truly epic and still serves as a wonderful time capsule that highlights some of the best metal, goth, and alternative music that was coming out in the early 90s. Eric Draven is out for justice and looking to put right an incredible tragic wrong inflicted on him and a person he loved, but he’s an emotional wreck and roller coaster while on the journey. He’s got superhuman powers – albeit limited to the beating hearts of the villains he wants to dispatch – but he’s not a superhero, and he’s often borderline psychotic. Brandon Lee played this part spectacularly, and there are quite a few scenes that have stuck with me more than three decades later. It’s a heartbreaking story set against a backdrop of a heartbreaking tragedy and thirty two years later, still stands up as one of the best movies of its era.