Sean Patrick
Bio
Hello, my name is Sean Patrick He/Him, and I am a film critic and podcast host for the I Hate Critics Movie Review Podcast I am a voting member of the Critics Choice Association, the group behind the annual Critics Choice Awards.
Stories (294/1980)
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Movie Review: 'The Fog' - 4K Restoration
John Carpenter had a tough act to follow when he set out to followup his 1978 slasher flick Halloween. I may not be a fan of Halloween, but even I can recognize the impact the film had, becoming a big grossing genre flick and an influential piece of pop genre work. Carpenter became a cult hero overnight, and following that kind of success the first time out was a challenge.
By Sean Patrick7 years ago in Horror
Movie Review: 'Hereditary'
Hereditary is a shocking and deeply unsettling horror thriller. Writer-director Ari Ascher’s remarkable attention to detail in production design, cinematography, and even character blocking, where a character is positioned in the frame, contributes to the brilliance of Hereditary. That the film also features a career-best performance from Toni Collette only underlines the genius at play in Hereditary.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Horror
Movie Review: 'Night of the Virgin'
Night of the Virgin turned my stomach. That sounds like the start of a negative review but, far from it. I actually loved Night of the Virgin. This Spanish import from director Roberto San Sebastian is hysterically funny and deeply disturbing all at once. The film is teeming with horrific invention and deep themes about women and sexuality and I loved every minute of it, even as I was queasy most of the way.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Horror
Movie Review: 'Truth or Dare'
Truth or Dare, or Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare, if we are skirting copyright issues, is a silly, silly movie filled with dopey characters on a pointless quest for their miserable lives. As directed by Jeff Wadlow, the director behind the abysmal, franchise-killing Kick Ass 2, Truth or Dare takes a child’s game and renders it even more insipid and hateful than it already is.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Horror
Review: 'Unsane'
While many are focused on Steven Soderbergh’s mode of filming Unsane, they might miss just how exceptional the film truly is. The fact that Soderbergh, the auteur behind Traffic, Erin Brockovich, and the mind behind mainstream blockbusters like the Oceans franchise, made Unsane on several different iPhones is certainly notable, but the important thing to know is that he has made one incredibly chilling horror thriller.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Horror
Movie Review: 'Strangers Prey at Night'
Kinsey (Bailee Madison) is being sent to boarding school because she’s grown out of control. Her parents, Cindy (Christina Hendricks) and Mike (Martin Henderson), are at their wit's end with their rebellious offspring, and as we join their story, they, along with their son, Luke (Lewis Pullman) are driving Kinsey to her new school. Tensions are high among the family and reach a boiling point when they pull off for the night.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Horror
Movie Review: 'Winchester: The House That Ghosts Built'
Winchester is yet another silly ghost movie. Despite a cast headed by Helen Mirren, Winchester—subtitled as The House that Ghosts Built—skulks about re-enacting ghost tropes with bad lighting and cinematography, all building toward the same jump scares we’ve seen in every other ghost movie. How predictable are the jump scares in Winchester? All you have to do is remember the rule of three and you will not be surprised.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Horror
Movie Review: 'Insidious: The Last Key'
I’ve finally figured out why I love the 'Insidious' franchise so much. It’s not that the franchise is all that better than most modern horror films, it still has the clumsiness and exposition laden dialogue and awkward humor that mark most low budget horror of the era. But, what 'Insidious' has over other modern horror movies is great characters. Genuinely likable, funny, and strong characters that we can really root for, especially Lyn Shaye’s brilliant Elise Rainier.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Horror
Movie Review: 'Raw'
I hate the movie Raw. I hate every second of the movie Raw. This challenging cannibalistic French horror movie put me through the ringer for 99 challenging minutes and I hated it. And yet, I can’t say it isn’t a damn brilliant film. Director Julia Ducornau directs this movie with such surety, such confidence and with such undeniable wit that I have to admit my appreciation of the film as a work of art, even as I will never watch Raw ever again.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Horror
Movie Review: Martyrs (2008)
As part of our Christmas celebration each year on the Everyone is a Critic Movie Podcast, myself, and my co-hosts, Bob Zerull and Josh Adams engage in movie gift exchange. We each buy each other a movie, watch the movie and then talk about it in a special bonus podcast. This year, Bob’s not so Secret Santa gift for me was the bizarre and fascinating 2008 French horror movie, Martyrs.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Horror
Top 5 Horror Movies of 2017
2017 wasn’t a great year for mainstream horror. The genre suffered through a year packed with terrible sequels, prequels and remakes. It was a year that featured the return of the Chucky Doll to little to no mainstream notice. We got the backstory of Leatherface and watched another horror legend fail to make it past the On-Demand world. The Hellraiser franchise returned again and was met with almost universal ignorance. The biggest return of 2017 was Jigsaw and what a letdown that was. Jigsaw came back and underwhelmed by forgetting what made the previous entries in the Saw franchise so entertaining.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Horror
Movie Review: 'Angelica'
Angelica starring Jena Malone has had quite a struggle to get to the big screen. The film was completed and shown to festival audiences all the way back in 2015. Only now, however, is this Mitchell Lichtenstein-directed Victorian-era thriller starring Jena Malone finally making it to a release date. I have no insight as to what has held the film back from release, though the strange and ambitious story and daring sexuality may have had a role to play. Angelica is not a movie that mainstream marketers would love to be assigned.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Horror
