horror | The Last Movie Guy

Frankenstein (2025): A Deeper Look at Mary Shelley’s Classic

Posted on 24 Days Ago by Hugo Pagan Soto

Death is the ultimate opponent. The idea of immortality—the symbol we cling to for comfort—represents our desire to defeat this inevitable adversary. With Frankenstein (2025), Guillermo del Toro delivers yet another cinematic adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic. Since the silent era, more than 60 films and TV adaptations have explored the story of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his creation. The 1931 Universal Pictures version, with Boris Karloff as the monster, remains the most iconic and is likely the reason the original novel’s ideas have been blurred in popular culture.

The Perfect Neighbor (2025): America’s Fractured Mirror

Posted on October 24 by Hugo Pagan Soto

In 2005, the state of Florida passed the “Stand Your Ground” law — legislation now in effect in several U.S. states — which allows a person to use force (even lethal force) in self-defense without any obligation to retreat first if they believe their life or physical integrity is in danger. Unlike other self-defense laws, this one does not require the threatened individual to attempt to flee or avoid confrontation before using force.

House of Wax (1953): The Birth of a Legend

Posted on October 21 by Hugo Pagan Soto

Hollywood’s obsession with remakes is nothing new. Long before André De Toth’s House of Wax (1953), the legendary Michael Curtiz —yes, the same man behind Casablanca— had already explored this story in Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933). De Toth took Curtiz’s film as a foundation but had to tone down the macabre and sexual elements of the original to comply with the strict Hays Code, which governed Hollywood from the 1930s through the late sixties. Decades later, the gruesome allure of the tale would be revived once again in House of Wax (2005), directed by Spanish filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra and starring, among others, Paris Hilton, offering a bloodier and more commercial reinterpretation of the classic horror story.

Good Boy (2025): Horror Seen Through a Dog’s Eyes

Posted on October 16 by Hugo Pagan Soto

Ben Leonberg’s decision to make his dog, Indy, the protagonist of his horror film Good Boy (2025) is not exceptional. The list of canine leads is long and covers almost all cinematic genres. In horror cinema, we can mention the classic Cujo (1983), based on the Stephen King novel. However, if we want to consider how Leonberg uses the dog’s perspective as an absolute resource for his narrative, perhaps we should recall Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) by the great Robert Bresson. The concept of Good Boy takes a different course but ultimately relies entirely on the artifice of using the dog’s point of view from start to finish.

Good News: Dark Political Satire on the Yodogo Incident – TIFF 2025

Posted on September 25 by Hugo Pagan Soto

In March 1970, nine members of the radical group Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction hijacked a plane at Tokyo International Airport. Good News (2025) by Byun Sung-hyun draws inspiration from this event to craft a portrait of the happenings through political satire and dark humor. The South Korean director delivers a visually striking film with a brisk pace, achieving an excellent balance between comedy and suspense.