'Beyond The Gates of Hell' Review: A Couple's Dream Home Turns into a Nightmare
A young couple discovers that their dream home is all a facade in the micro indie Beyond the Gates of Hell. Just in time for the Halloween spooky season, writer/director Dustin Ferguson brings out the horrors and haunts in this 42-minute mid-length feature. Drawing inspiration from 80s Italian horror, Beyond the Gates of Hell is a witty and entertaining B-horror film that uses its kookiness to its advantage.
Dream Home Turns Into a Death Trap
What caught my attention immediately was the "Movie Trailers" that precede Beyond the Gates of Hell. The first five minutes are dedicated to other similarly gory films, providing a uniquely comical touch. Once we settle into the "Feature Presentation," we meet our protagonists, Ian (Eric Larsen) and Katrina (Traci Burr). The newlywed couple arrives at their recently purchased mansion in the countryside, eager to fulfill their dream by opening a bed & breakfast. However, they become suspicious when their realtor warns them to "watch your step, these old places are full of tricks."
She then explains the mansion's lore. This includes how the previous owner was burned alive in the basement by neighbors who believed he was a devil worshipper. Katrina is not amused at this horrifying discovery and begs Ian to reconsider buying the property. At first, Ian brushes off Katrina's concerns, but unexplainable things begin happening inside the house that the couple can't ignore. One night, a mysterious neighbor named Henrietta (Jennifer Moriarty) shows up with a message from "beyond the gates of hell." She explains to Katrina that the mansion is cursed and sits atop one of the seven gateways of hell. What follows is a crescendo of nightmarish incidents that leads to a not so happily ever after.
Bringing Big Ideas to Life in a Big Way
Dustin Ferguson crafts a devilishly wicked world within the confines of what I can only assume is a micro budget. The ingenuity to bring such a big idea to life with limited resources is a truly admirable feat. Ferguson is no stranger to the micro indie universe. With a filmography over 160 credits long, he is perhaps one of the only directors who can successfully execute a genre film that is this ambitious.
Takeaway
Beyond the Gates of Hell is a fun popcorn flick to lose yourself in during this spooky season. Strong performances and a pitch-perfect score make this horror haunt both a trick and a treat for audiences at home.
'Divia' Review: A Sonic Journey from Destruction to Resurrection
What comes to mind when thinking of Ukraine is a portrait of a wounded yet resilient country. A proud population who are committed to survival amongst the chaos and years-long destruction of their homeland. Despite the unrelenting and horrifying hardship, filmmaker Dmytro Hreshko creatively gives audiences a new way to envision Ukraine without focusing solely on its devastation. In the documentary, Divia, Hreshko enlists composer Sam Slater and cinematographer Volodymyr Usyk to remind the world of Ukraine's natural beauty before Russia's full-scale invasion.
A Portrait of Ukraine Before, During, and Beyond War
Divia is unlike traditional documentaries. There is no dialogue, nor interviewees. Rather, Divia is a meditative, sound-driven journey through devastated land. Slater's beautiful composition is intertwined with field recordings of natural elements, such as waterfalls, animals, and wind. This layered soundscape creates a metaphysical symphony that enhances the stunning images on screen. Lush forests, vast landscapes, and organic abundance portray a Ukraine thriving with life and prosperity.
This natural beauty is slowly interrupted by the changing environment, which is further illustrated by a transformation in the music composition. Harsher weather and remnants of war, evidenced by barren forests, cratered fields, and abandoned military machines, snap the viewer back to reality. This is the Ukraine we have begun to normalize in these images of sadness and death. While it cannot be ignored, director Dmytro Hreshko offers hope by reminding us that life continues onward. Seasons change, and with it comes the birth of new life. Grass begins to grow again, animals return, and the images of destruction are replaced with resurrection.
Director's Statement
Says Hreshko, "The destruction of nature is a significant part of the cost we Ukrainians pay for our freedom from Russia, which views nature and the world around it merely as resources for exploitation and expansion. Documenting the Russian military's eco-crimes and the destruction of natural landscapes and ecosystems is crucial. Understanding the scope of these issues is the first step toward solving them. While environmental concerns might not be a priority for Ukrainians amidst pressing issues, neglecting them could pose greater threats to our lives than anticipated."
Takeaway
Divia offers a unique perspective on where beauty and devastation coexist. If you approach this film with patience and grace, you'll no doubt leave with deep appreciation.
'Predators' Review: Good vs Evil Isn't so Black and White
We've all been there, eyes glued to our screens, watching the latest car chase through the streets of Los Angeles. Or maybe your vice is scrolling late-night TikToks of police body cam footage catching Target shoplifters. There is no denying that this type of voyeuristic content is entertaining, sometimes embarrassingly so. The question is, why are we so drawn to watching people at their worst, especially when it comes to true crime? In the documentary Predators, filmmaker David Osit explores the psychological fascination behind the popular TV show To Catch a Predator, and how the series continues to perpetuate the blurred lines between justice and entertainment.
Who is the Real Predator Here?
Since its inception in the early 2000s, Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator series became an instant cultural phenomenon. The show employed decoys, actors pretending to be young teenagers, to lure child predators to a sting house, which is actually a film set. The men arrive thinking that they are meeting up with their underage victim. What they don't expect is for Chris Hansen to appear with a film crew and catch them in the act. Hansen typically asks the men, "What are you doing here?", and there is never a reassuring answer. Famously, Hansen ends his interviews by saying, "You're free to leave." It is then that these men are apprehended by local law enforcement and taken to jail. Typically, the episode ends there, and those watching from home turn to another program. But for these offenders, their nightmare is just starting.
There is no doubt that To Catch a Predator is a stunning candid-camera investigative series. However, the show has never been explored from the psychological standpoint of our obsession with watching people at their lowest. Director David Osit's very personal motivation to explore the morally gray ethics of To Catch a Predator opens our eyes to points of view that offer incredibly thought-provoking testimony. Speaking with former decoys, law enforcement, and Chris Hansen himself, Osit crafts a delicate story of how good vs evil isn't always so black and white.
Director's Statement
Says Osit, "Ultimately, I couldn’t have imagined the depths of the journey I’d end up going on - how making this film would not only challenge the limits of my own empathy, but reflect the tenuous morality behind how we tell stories, report news, and make films. My frustration with true crime, I realized, came from the illusion that after watching a true crime story, the crime will be solved and we’ll get all the answers. But what if I made a film that was about what happens - and what are we capable of doing to each other - when answers can’t be found? In a sense, Predators became a true crime story. But the villain wasn’t who I thought it’d be."
Takeaway
Predators is a tough watch, and you may not agree with some of the statements made on screen. But Osit doesn't aim to change your mind about the show's impact or importance. Instead, Predators is more of a vehicle for self-reflection. It leads us to question why we embrace this type of content so voraciously. Further, it challenges us to examine this uncomfortable topic in order to find humanity in its complexity.
Once the credits roll, we're free to leave the theater. But the emotional impact of Predators will linger with you long after.
'The Summer Book' Review: A Summer Spent Swimming Through Grief
Filmmaker Charlie McDowell captures a wistful spirit of summer amidst the backdrop of family tragedy in the drama The Summer Book. Based on the novel of the same name by Finnish author Tove Jansson, the film pulls audiences into its world much like a breaking wave returning to the ocean. It's easy to get swept away in this intergenerational drama about the finality of life and death.
What Happens
8-time Oscar-nominated actor Glenn Close plays Grandmother, an artist who lives on a small, uninhabited island in the Gulf of Finland. She invites her adult son (Anders Danielsen Lie) and her 9-year-old granddaughter (Emily Matthews) to stay with her for the season as they heal from a heartbreaking death within the immediate family. Amidst the beauty and stillness of their environment, the trio begins to reconnect with nature and each other. They engage in a communal journey through grief that ultimately allows old wounds and complicated family dynamics to start to heal.
Takeaway
The Summer Book is light on plot, which may cause some viewers to grow impatient. However, it seems as if filmmaker Charlie McDowell would rather his audience "experience" the film as opposed to "analyze" it. The one-location setting allows us to familiarize ourselves with the surroundings, imagining how we would spend our days and nights on a picturesque, remote island. Aiding in this daydream is the softly angelic score by composer Hania Rani who knows how to elicit feelings of warmth from within. Despite its lack of substantial momentum, The Summer Book still provides a gently therapeutic and visually appealing experience.
This review originally ran on November 4, 2024, during AFI FEST.
'Crying on Command' Review: An Audition Room Crashout
Director Nick Craven skillfully captures every actor's nightmare in his sensational short film, Crying on Command. Making its World Premiere at the 2025 Flicker's Rhode Island International Film Festival, Crying on Command is a stirring slice of life drama.
An Existential Crisis in the Audition Room
The hum of fluorescent lights underscores the tension and anticipation circulating in a waiting room of aspiring actors. A group of girls, similar in appearance and age, quietly rehearse their lines as they wait their turn to be called. All are hoping for their big break, but know that this dream can only be realized by one. From the looks of things, it seems that the lucky lady is Jordyn (Nancy Kimball). A successful table read and prior audition tape make her a shoo-in for the part. The role is essentially hers; however, to secure her big break, she must prove she can cry on command.
Jordyn is caught off guard by the request. Immediately, her nerves get the best of her, and any semblance of a tear evaporates. She becomes lost in her head. When she realizes that she can’t perform, she faces the question that every actor avoids asking themselves: Am I actually good enough?
Nancy Kimball's Stunning Portrait of Self-Doubt
Actor Nancy Kimball captures the universal feeling of desperation that every auditioning actor experiences, with incredible intimacy and empathy. Jordyn's struggle is palpable and, at the same time, admirable. She wants the part and knows she can nail it, but her mind and body are operating out of sync. She instantly becomes overwhelmed by desperation and insecurity. Filmmaker Nick Craven lets Kimball shine in this role. The rest of the environment is minimalist, including the sound, wardrobe, location, and cinematography.
Takeaway
Says Craven, "Having a father who is an actor, and a sibling and mother who also have careers in the business, the idea of 'struggle' in the industry forever lives on as conversation at the dinner table, and in my head. It's romantic, confusing, destructive, but always evolving. There are certain sides of it that have been depicted, and I believe this film provides an alternative style and point of view to the subject."
TIFF 2025: What Should Be on Your Radar This Fall
The summer box office numbers may have been lackluster, but the news coming out of TIFF this week proves that we have much to look forward to this fall. Now in its 50th year, the Toronto International Film Festival kicked off last Friday with a slate of anticipatory films. Oscar buzz tends to circulate this festival, and for good reason. 12 Years a Slave and Slumdog Millionaire both screened at TIFF and ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2014 and 2009, respectively. Below are three titles that you should keep on your radar this fall and beyond.
Rental Family
Set against modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection. Directed by HIKARI with music by Jónsi and Alex Somers.
Hamnet
William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife, Agnes (Jessie Buckley), celebrate the birth of their son, Hamnet. However, when tragedy strikes and Hamnet dies at a young age, it inspires Shakespeare to write his timeless masterpiece "Hamlet." Academy Award–winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) helms this lush and tender drama about Shakespeare and his family, as seen through the eyes of his thoughtful wife.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns for his most dangerous case yet in the third and darkest chapter of Rian Johnson’s murder mystery opus. When young priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is sent to assist charismatic firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), it’s clear that all is not well in the pews. Wicks’s modest-but-devoted flock includes devout church lady Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), circumspect groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), tightly-wound lawyer Vera Draven, Esq. (Kerry Washington), aspiring politician Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), town doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), best-selling author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), and concert cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny).
After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the lack of an obvious suspect prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to join forces with renowned detective Benoit Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic. Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Rian Johnson writes and directs Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. In select theaters on November 26th, coming to Netflix on December 12, 2025.
Grammy-Winning Sam Slater Debuts Track from '2000 Meters to Andriivka'
Two-time Grammy Award-winning composer Sam Slater crafts an immersive sonic world in 2000 Meters to Andriivka, where he joins the Oscar-winning team behind last year's Best Documentary, 20 Days in Mariupol. Premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Mstyslav Chernov's hard-hitting sophomore film chronicles the war in Ukraine as Ukrainian soldiers attempt to liberate a strategic village from Russian forces. Slater’s restrained but powerful score transcends traditional music, blurring the lines between sound design and composition. To achieve this, he utilizes a variety of handmade instruments and processed field recordings that contribute to the chaotic soundscape. The result is a sonic embodiment of the homegrown, yet unstoppable spirit of the Ukrainian military.
2000 Meters to Andriivka documents the toll of the Russia-Ukraine war from a personal and devastating vantage point. Weaving together original footage, intensive bodycam video, and powerful moments of reflection, 2000 Meters to Andriivka offers an intimate glimpse into the heads and hearts of those on the frontlines. Chernov captures soldiers' visceral realization in stark detail as they advance farther through their destroyed homeland, as they struggle with knowing if this war will ever end. Using such strong visuals, the quiet yet powerfully affecting ten-track album complements the frontline documentary footage with immersive spatial sound design.
EXCLUSIVE: Cinemacy is proud to debut 'Will This War Go On Forever' from 2000 Meters to Andriivka, below:
Says Slater of the album, "The score for Mstylsav Chernov's new documentary 2000 Meters to Andriivk demanded an energy-driven score — blunt, visceral, and aligned with its predominantly first-person perspective. Built around a dry funereal drum feeding back into itself, the score is volatile and relentless. Jakob Vasak’s snarling Kobophon and Kai Whitson’s spectral walkie-talkie textures hover anxiously above it. Voices and strings emerge warped and restless until the closing Mysteria ritual, where Hildur Guðnadóttir, Simon Goff, and Maria W Horn briefly resolve into mournful harmony, grounding us in grief as fallen soldiers’ names are summoned into the air."
About Sam Slater
Sam Slater is a composer and producer working at the intersection of experimental music, sound design, and contemporary storytelling. His work has shaped critically acclaimed projects including Joker, Chernobyl, and Battlefield 2042. Accolades include the Icelandic Music Award for Producer of the Year, the SCL Award for Battlefield 2042, and the Filmfare Award for Best Original Soundtrack for Netflix’s The Railway Men.
He also co-leads OSMIUM, an improvisational collaboration with Hildur Guðnadóttir, James Ginzburg, and Rully Shabara. The project, whose debut album was released in June 2025, employs augmented, custom-made robotic and electro-mechanical instruments that fuse industrial textures, ritualistic density, and physical performance. The result is a creation of unique sounds that resist categorization. Based in Berlin, Slater continues to develop work that challenges fixed categories, composing for orchestras, machines, field recordings, and spatial systems.
Lakeshore Records is releasing '2000 Meters to Andriivka (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)' on digital platforms this Friday. You can listen and pre-order the vinyl here.
'East of Wall' Review: Evoking a Sense of Sonder
Authenticity seems to be the buzzword right now in hooking audiences to pay attention to various forms of entertainment. Filmmaker Kate Beecroft effectively demonstrates this, along with a natural sense of originality, in her debut feature, East of Wall. Winner of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award, East of Wall captures a magical spirit by stirring up a tangible sense of sonder.
"Real Cowgirl Shit"
East of Wall is an atmospheric journey for both the mind and the soul. The film follows Tabatha, a good-hearted yet rebellious rancher who rescues and resells horses for a living in the Badlands of South Dakota. Every day may look the same for Tabatha and her fractured family, which includes the seven wayward teenagers who live with her, but she wouldn't trade it for the world. Tabatha is a gifted horse whisperer whose passion and love for these majestic animals far outweigh the stress of her increasingly desperate living situation. However, she soon faces an enticing opportunity that requires a life-changing, yet conflicting, choice. Tabitha must decide if she is willing to give up her ranch, and the only life she knows, for financial freedom.
An Authentic Portrait of Female Resilience
The incredible discovery of Tabatha, a real-life cowgirl, leads to the film's most tender and euphoric moments. Says Beecroft, "Taking a wrong turn... in South Dakota led me to the deepest adventure of my life. I pulled up to a rundown ranch and found Tabatha Zimiga and a [group] of intimidatingly bold teenage girls... heads half-shaved like warriors, eyeing me up and down. Tabatha welcomed me into her world with one sentence: “Want to see some real cowgirl shit?”. I have spent three years living with this family. They allowed me to be a fly on the wall of their barn and trailer, absorbing every inch of their daily life to write this script..."
In addition to the phenomenal casting, cinematographer Austin Shelton brings the Badlands to life through a dynamic choice of lensing. Utilizing the sun's fiery glow and nature's rich elemental tapestry, East of Wall feels wholly organic. Drone shots soar over the mountain ranges, resulting in a feeling as equally kinetic as the horse riding itself. The vibrancy of these visuals seems to permeate through the screen. They magically evoke the smell of summer air as we take in every last drop.
Takeaway
East of Wall is a quiet stunner that unearths a simple, beautiful subsect of American life. Acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, it is now playing in select theaters.