nERDbOX_Dave

Monster Island is a World War II-era creature feature that swings for the fences with a bold genre mashup: part survival thriller, part war drama, part folklore-fueled monster flick. Directed by Mike Wiluan (Buffalo Boys), and inspired by Malay mythology and classic films like Creature from the Black Lagoon, the movie feels like a love letter to mid-century horror wrapped in the rugged grit of a wartime survival tale.

The setup is promising. A Japanese soldier and a British POW are marooned on a remote island during WWII, forced to put aside their hatred and histories to survive. But it's not just each other, or the encroaching Japanese military they have to worry about. Something hungry stalks the jungle, able to camouflage itself like a chameleon, striking from the shadows with lethal precision. Think The Defiant Ones meets Predator, with a splash of Southeast Asian folklore.

It's a clever concept, and the film wears its influences proudly. The callbacks to The Defiant Ones aren't subtle, nor are the nods to classic monster movie tropes: the slow reveal of the creature in the dense jungle. When the film leans into its atmosphere, it works. There are stretches where you feel the tension between the two men just as much as the threat lurking in the trees.

Unfortunately, the execution doesn't always live up to the potential. The CGI creature design is interesting-drawing on mythical elements instead of going full Hollywood-but the visual effects themselves are... well, rough. The monster too often looks like it belongs in a Syfy original from the early 2000s, standing out awkwardly from the environment rather than blending in. That disconnect pulled me out of the experience, and while I try not to judge a film solely on its visual effects, they do matter in a creature feature... especially one built on stealth, camouflage, and primal terror.

Storywise, it's serviceable. The relationship between the two leads carries enough emotional weight to keep the film moving, and the pacing never drags. There are a few solid gore moments, but nothing that will shock seasoned horror fans. The ending, while not bad, lands right where you expect it to a little too safe for a film that tries to position itself as something unique.

For fans of offbeat monster movies or those with a soft spot for war-horror hybrids, Monster Island is a solid watch. It might not break new ground, but there's enough here-folklore inspiration, tension between enemies, turned-allies, and a cool creature concept to justify its runtime. For me personally, the movie didn't quite hit the right notes. I love a good creature feature, but I'm easily turned off by poor CGI and uneven tone. Still, there are many flavors of horror, and this one might just be the right bite for someone else.

It turns out the scariest place to work isn't a haunted house or an abandoned asylum... it's a retirement home. James DeMonaco's The Home proves just that, delivering a slow-burn psychological horror experience that builds dread with every creaking hallway, awkward stare, and cryptic bedtime story told after dark. It's moody, gripping, and ultimately, unshakable, a horror film that knows how to get under your skin without resorting to cheap thrills.

Pete Davidson shines. Ever since Bodies Bodies Bodies, he's been quietly redefining what kind of roles he can handle, and The Home might be his best work yet. He plays Max, a troubled man sent to work at a retirement facility as part of a community service sentence. Max is sarcastic and detached, but there's pain behind his eyes, and Davidson walks the line between dark comedy and genuine fear with surprising skill. His performance feels grounded, especially as the story spirals into madness.

The setup could've been generic... "guy works in creepy place, spooky stuff happens" but DeMonaco, best known for The Purge series, infuses the film with a claustrophobic sense of paranoia. You can feel the walls closing in around Max as the residents' cryptic comments grow weirder and the staff becomes increasingly suspicious. And unlike 2023's The Rule of Jenny Pen (a retirement home horror film that dragged like it had arthritis), The Home knows how to pace itself. Every chapter pushes the mystery forward, no filler, no wheel-spinning, just a steady build toward something chilling and earned.

The supporting cast is a huge asset. John Glover, as a disturbingly charming resident, delivers a performance that's as enigmatic as it is unnerving. Bruce Altman adds quiet menace as one of the staff, the kind of guy who's always just too helpful. The film doesn't go for over-the-top monsters or gore, this is a psychological horror that plays in the shadows, thriving on uncertainty, whispers, and the ever-present fear that Max might be losing his grip on reality.

Visually, the film is drenched in muted tones and sickly yellows, echoing the sterile, fading world of the retirement home. Dream sequences bleed into reality so fluidly you start to question what's real right alongside Max. The sound design adds to the tension: distant cries, shuffling footsteps at night, the hum of fluorescent lights that feel like they're watching you.

The Home is a taut, eerie, and emotionally charged psychological horror film that doesn't just entertain-it lingers. Pete Davidson continues to prove his range, and James DeMonaco crafts a story that's rich with atmosphere and tension. This might be one of the year's biggest surprises, and easily one of the strongest horror entries of 2025 so far.

House on Eden isn't the worst found footage film I've seen, but it's nowhere near the best. Ambitious but hollow.

House on Eden is the latest entry into the increasingly crowded found footage subgenre and another notable step in the growing trend of YouTubers crossing into feature filmmaking. This time it's Kris Collins (better known as KallMeKris), teaming up with fellow digital star Celina Myers (CelinaSpookyBoo) in a haunted house setup that blends The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, and the kind of chaotic energy you might expect from content creators who built their names on short-form, personality-driven videos.

To her credit, Kris Collins doesn't just appear in the film-she wrote and directed it as well. Unlike other creators who leave their YouTube personas behind (like Chris Stuckmann or the Philippou brothers), Collins tries to fuse her online presence with the cinematic experience. It's a bold move, but unfortunately, the final result is more of a jumbled collision than a successful fusion.

The core premise, paranormal investigators documenting a malevolent presence inside an abandoned house using a mix of Super 8mm, Hi-8, and modern digital cameras has its appeal. The use of varying formats is visually interesting at times, and when it works, it evokes an eerie, fragmented sense of dread.

But Then There's the Execution. The first act spends far too long in the woods with jittery, poorly framed shots and confusing direction. Sure, the characters are supposed to be content creators, but shaky cam does not equal immersive. Instead of drawing us into their world, it just makes it hard to follow what's happening. Bad angles, awkward cuts, and aimless dialogue slow the pacing to a crawl.

The biggest problem House on Eden faces-by far-is its lack of likeable or compelling characters. For a film so focused on "real" personalities, it's bizarre how hollow the leads feel. I didn't care if they made it out. I didn't care if they didn't. There's no investment and there for there is no tension built.

As a fellow YouTuber prepping to make the leap into filmmaking myself, I'll say this, my hat's off to Kris and Celina. This kind of project is hard. Most people just talk about making a movie... they did it. And that deserves respect. There's ambition here. There's effort. There's even the seed of a great idea. But in the end, House on Eden feels like a first draft of something that needed a clearer vision, better character work, and more time in the editing room.