PSYCHE
Stephon Stewart brings his sci-fi horror mashup, PSYCHE, to Popcorn Frights 2025. The film finds Mara awakening in a mysterious wasteland alongside an 80s computer, named Pi, persuading her to complete six levels of gameplay.
Pi acts as both guide and companion. As Mara stumbles from one mysterious level to the next, the computer program fights with itself, sending several new voices to counter Pi’s words. Can Mara persist in this seemingly unknown?
Editor Gibran Lozano provides the distinct computer voices. They range from adorable to menacing. Bravo. Sarah Ritter is charming, determined, and understandably hotheaded considering the infuriating and fickle interactions with the computer. She has a presence ripe for genre queendom.
The film’s visuals are mesmerizing. Stewart’s uses black and white negative landscape and mindbending limbo images in Mara’s journey. The sets resemble the remnants of tornado-ravaged areas, arid badlands, and a post-apocalyptic shoreline, all seamlessly intertwined. DP Aitor Uribarri does unforgettable work with the camera. Tom Hawk‘s score is haunting. It has an epic feeling akin to 80s fantasy classics. The script is incredibly complex. The entire filmmaking team should be proud.
The evolution of the game is a pathway to trauma release for Mara. Pi triggers memory fragments, guilt, anger, and suicidal ideation.
PSYCHE is an experimental therapy session that will undoubtedly strike a nerve for viewers. It is unique and yet entirely timeless. PSYCHE is a must-see.
YEAR: 2024
COUNTRY: USA
RUNTIME: 71 mins
DIRECTOR: Stephon Stewart
WRITER: Stephon Stewart
STARRING: Sarah Ritter, Eva Ariel Binder, Rodrigo Varandas
A father wishes to compliment the chef for his signature dish, only to discover that an actual shrimp is responsible for the deliciousness. In this mockumentary-style short, The Shrimp insinuates that his entire schtick was stolen by the Disney rat. The two then compete on a food competition reality show. The producers secretly chat with the man under The Shrimp, Chef Dave. Shrimp is a foul-mouthed asshole, for lack of a better word. Shenanigans ensue, confessions reveal themselves, and insults fly.
There are multiple Shrimp puppet creations. The smaller version sits on Yung’s head, and a larger-scale handheld puppet fills the screen for the sit-down interviews. The detail is award-worthy. Puppeteers Benjamin Fieschi-Rose, Kirsten Brass, and Amelia Blaine are spectacular.
For all things Fantasia, 
Evy sits in front of a blurred open doorway as she listens. This trope alone keeps your heart in your throat. Graham Beasley‘s overall framing is jarring as hell. Darkness plays an important role. Beasley rarely places Evy in the center of the frame and uses odd angles and stationary camera pans to keep you off balance in every way. It almost suggests the camera is haunted.
Don’t get ahead of yourself in viewing. ANYTHING THAT MOVES is far more than a high-concept soft porn. I mean, it is also that. The cast fearlessly embraces full frontal nudity, which is incredibly rare for male actors, but more importantly, it honors kink. Audiences will not expect the hidden trauma. Phillips also addresses the demoralization of sex workers.
Shot in Super 16mm, its gritty look completes the homage to 1970s adult films. The Joshua Rains‘s artwork is diabolically genius. The bright spotlight device that denotes an orgasm is brilliant. Casting Nina Hartley and Ginger Lynn Allen was a superior move, as the two essentially served as the film’s intimacy coordinators. By the way, can we acknowledge the importance of that role on a set? I am thrilled we’re adding a Stunt category to next year’s awards season, but Intimacy Coordination is also an art.
Liz Atwater deserves applause for her role, but for the sake of the journey, I won’t say anything more. Todd Terry gives Clive a notable balance of paranoia and fear. It has a solid 10 Cloverfield vibe, with Terry playing the John Goodman role, a would-be savior with perhaps ulterior motives. The audience goes on a rollercoaster of emotions with Terry.
Production design is incredibly detailed inside the trailer. The soundtrack is fantastic. Handheld camerawork from Andrew Duensing is thrilling. It is Bodell’s script that holds you captive. Lena’s relationship with grief becomes an unexpected emotional stronghold. Genre aside, the film comes from a place of transformation and new beginnings.
The consequences of going down that rabbit hole, sometimes literally, are a barrage of repressed childhood memories and the instability of her mother’s treatment. Mia’s trips reveal a trauma monster, more specifically, one made of mom’s blond locks. This hair monster torments Mia throughout her jacked-up journey.
Caitlin Acken Taylor is everything. Mia Sunshine Jones is no easy role, but Taylor lives it. She even creates Mia’s paintings and sculptures. Her fourth wall break, and the precise moment at which it occurs, is jarring and genius. 
The complete nonchalance of the residents sets the tone for HOLD THE FORT. Nagley delivers over-the-top characters and laugh-out-loud one-liners from beginning to end. Creature builds are super fun, practical FX are decent, mostly throwing buckets of blood on Lucas, and one gnarly gunshot wound. Colored lights delineate each monster in a fashion similar to the 2000s Syfy network, and it is a perfect match for the film’s subgenre. The score reminds me of Ren and Stimpy, and that’s the best way to describe it.
DROWNING DRY
The organic meandering of unplanned vacation time reads entirely authentic. The montage of the kids’ initial shenanigans and their mothers’ choreographed childhood dance are stand-out moments. At this point in the runtime (35 minutes), the audience could easily tap out. But the request for a swim and an innocent act of horseplay trigger a tonal shift.
The film’s deliberate observational pace builds discomfort, only exacerbated by non-linear storytelling. The moment you realize what’s happening, it is like a punch to the gut. This decision will either tantalize audiences or turn them off. Performances are outstanding from our cast of only six. Bareiša’s camerawork is perfect for his stylistic choices. DROWNING DRY is a meditation on loss, examining the varying emotional reactions between the sexes. It is a film that will have you talking about it long after the screen goes dark.
SAINT CLARE
![Saint Clare (2024) - [www.imdb.com]](https://i0.wp.com/reelnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/Saint-Clare-2024-www.imdb_.com_.png?resize=678%2C626&ssl=1)
Visually and technically stunning, if not a touch confusing storytelling-wise. The script has a Freighteners and Civil Dead meets The Sixth Sense vibe. The camerawork suggests potential mental illness in Clare. The audience constantly questions what is real.
Ryan Phillipe makes the best of a weird situation. Rebecca De Mornay is a fantastic addition. Frank Whaley made my heart skip a beat. He deserved way more screentime!
More Dexter than Joan of Arc, Bella Thorne‘s spitfire attitude makes SAINT CLARE compelling through the confusion. I could easily see her captivating in a role similar to Jennifer Garner in ALIAS. Honesty, Thorne could easily slot into a new season of Marvel’s Jessica Jones alongside Krysten Ritter. They would kick major ass together.
The film doesn’t know what genre it wants to be. There is comedy akin to Idol Hands (which is some of the strongest), drama like Pretty Little Liars, and mystery that is as whirlwind as Memento. It feels like a YA graphic novel with panels missing. If anything, SAINT CLARE does make me want to read Don Roff‘s source material, “Clare At Sixteen,” if only for some potential clarification.
![Touch Me (2025) - [www.imdb.com]](https://i0.wp.com/reelnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/Touch-Me-2025-www.imdb_.com_.png?resize=678%2C473&ssl=1)
Writer/director Addison Heinmann follows up his 2022 Fantasia hit 
When a young woman faces a deadly diagnosis, she seeks dark magic from a witch in the woods… but every cure has costs. Written and directed by John and Zelda Adams and Toby Poser (The Adams Family), who also star, shot, edited, and scored, MOTHER OF FLIES is the latest creation from the filmmaking family behind such singular landmarks as 
In one of 2025’s major genre breakouts, four college friends find themselves on an infinite, unending road, forcing each of them to decide how to confront their fate in an unnerving journey into the unknown. Writer/director Alex Ullom and his gifted cast work miracles and offer a compelling, constantly intriguing, and often terrifying road trip into adulthood. Official Selection: SXSW 2025, Overlook 2025. 
Desperate to avenge her daughter’s murder, Irene Kelly (Michaela McManus) journeys through parallel dimensions to repeatedly track down and annihilate her killer (Jeremy Holm). A tense sci-fi vengeance thriller unlike any other, REDUX REDUX is the latest creation by Kevin and Matthew McManus, the Peabody award-winning writers and producers of AMERICAN VANDAL and COBRA KAI, and writers/directors of FUNERAL KINGS (Fantasia 2012) and THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND (Fantasia 2020). Official Selection: SXSW 2025. Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival 2025. 
For her debut feature film, FOREIGNER, Ava Maria Safai (Zip) expertly harnesses the power of identity, social acceptance, horror, and comedy. It’s 2004, and Iranian immigrant Yasamin, or Yasi, is the new girl. Her high school experience is daunting, as she tries to improve her English by watching her favorite sitcom and befriends a trio of pastel-clad girls who feed Yasi’s need to fit in. Desperate for acceptance, she dyes her hair blonde and, in doing so, also attracts a demonic force. With a fun retro setting, great performances by Rose Dehgan as Yasi, Chloë MacLeod as the creepy high school “Queen Bee” Rachel, and a blend of our favorite teen horrors, FOREIGNER takes up space as a new entry to “bubblegum horror,” bringing a fresh narrative to the Canadian immigrant experience. The film has been referred to by some as Mean Girls meets The Exorcist and Ava is definitely a young director to watch. 
A woman (Dakota Gorman) wakes in the back of a moving camper trailer. A voice (Todd Terry) from the truck towing it tells her they must reach a mysterious doctor within the hour. Thus begins HELLCAT, the feature debut of writer/editor/director Brock Bodell, who previously cut the mind-bending 
DANIELA FOREVER
As Nicolas learns to navigate and control his time and environment with Daniela, real life pales in comparison. He selectively shares information with the scientists, and suddenly Daniela’s behavior evolves, allowing Nicolas to control her newly created memories. With each evolution of his dream states, Nicolas destroys the dimensions of reality, while also coming to terms with his selfish behavior.
The lighting is dazzling. The stark visual contrasts, including varying aspect ratios, between the memory and the present, are incredible. The grainy, Super 8 camera effect screams sadness, while the sharp, CGI-enhanced dream state envelops the audience from every angle and emotion.
Fans of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind will instantly vibe with DANIELA FOREVER. Vigalondo delves into selfishness, manipulation, and jealousy through his penchant for magical realism, sci-fi, and visual spectacle. If you are familiar with his resume, you understand how perfectly this film slots into his catalog. This exploration of anguish is undeniably extraordinary, but more importantly, DANIELA FOREVER is about rediscovering what makes life glorious, cherishing the details, honoring the mundane, and remembering how much joy still exists. It very much tackles the adage, “If you love something, set it free.”
ALL TOGETHER NOW
This is the epitome of great indie filmmaking. Every aspect is genuinely impressive. Kaleb Manske‘s editing is jarring as hell, earning honest-to-goodness jump scares. The dynamic focus is incredibly effective. The soundtrack is fantastic. I’m obsessed with the repeated use of the “Always Forever ” track.
Alex Nimrod has a presence that reminds me of a cross between a young Matthew Broderick and bonafide Scream King, Justin Long. The camera loves him. He gives Lincoln charming discomfort at first. Nimrod has the chance to show his acting chops through through the subtle building of creepiness throughout the film. Lincoln’s perception of reality is thoroughly warped, sending the audience into a tailspin alongside him. Nimrod, who also pens the screenplay, goes there and never hesitates. A particular bathroom scene, one that would give any script supervisor a heart attack, is award-worthy. 
ALL ALONE TOGETHER is a physical manifestation of unresolved trauma and suicidal ideation. The film is an undeniably slick piece of psychological horror. While it’s a deliberately dark journey down the rabbit hole and straight into hell, it’s also a sharp commentary about art as therapy.
ZENITHAL
Francis believes Sonia has told the police he is responsible, causing him to flee from the authorities. In his desperation, he finds solace in a laundry client who always seems to be wooing Francis away from his station. Turns out this man is no eye-fucking mechanic but a supervillain, woman-hating, mad surgeon named Doctor Sweeper, who wants to upgrade Francis with a massive robotic, brain-implanted penis and blow up the moon to disrupt menstrual cycles. (Still with me?)
Now, Sonia, Francis’ business partner Marcus, and a few ladies from Sonia’s Sexkido class (a method of martial arts that takes advantage of men’s depravity and returns power to women. While meant to be silly, I think it’s brilliant), must find Doctor Sweeper, save Francis, and clear his name.
Performances from the entire cast are phenomenal. They land somewhere in between Austin Powers and Zoolander, with incredible one-liners and a 1000% commitment to the gag. 
For all things Dances With Films, 
PINS AND NEEDLES
Filmmaker James Villeneuve brings audiences a creative thriller ripped straight from global science and technology headlines. In PINS AND NEEDLES, a diabetic biology grad student’s ride back to campus turns deadly when a flat tire finds her trapped with two diabolical biohackers. With her insulin running dangerously low, Max must figure out a way to escape and take down a couple of psychopaths in the process.
Max’s diabetic hallucinations are an incredibly creative way to use Daniel Gravelle and work out potential escape routes. Short and sweet fantasy sequences also keep your heart racing. I would have loved more of both. I do have a gripe about there being no food in the house. Emily and Frank very clearly live in the house, and there is not a single snack lying around. 
While Kate Corbett and Ryan MacDonald are sufficiently eccentric and evil as our whackjob “scientists,” PINS AND NEEDLES is 100% the Chelsea Clark show. She easily carries every scene with grace and ferocity while never going overboard. She is one to watch.
I loved the use of car keys, and women will cheer that shit on. Did I yell at the screen during the finale? Damn right. PINS AND NEEDLES makes direct fun of billionaire Bryan Johnson. You know, the guy injecting himself with his son’s blood to stay young forever. And, just for your information, he’s moved on from that practice and opted for a “total plasma exchange” instead. Biohackers love to claim science when we all know damn well any fountain of youth is only for sale to the highest bidders. PINS AND NEEDLES leans into real-life monsters in a wildly clever way.
Nate Hilgartner brings a stylistically strong debut to Dances With Films LA 2025 in NO CHOICE. Amy struggles to keep her head above water in her small-town life. Working at a convenience store and riding her bike, she longs to make someone more of herself. An unexpected pregnancy is the result of a broken condom on a first date. Being financially responsible for her addict mother and impending college tuition, an abortion, and the lack of access have potentially deadly consequences for Amy. 
For more Dances With Films coverage, 
DON’T TELL LARRY
Dot-Marie Jones and Ed Begley Jr. serve up pro performances that most certainly elevate DON’T TELL LARRY. Kiel Kennedy has a genuine Will Ferrell energy. His portrayal of Larry is cringe, uncomfortable, and entirely unhinged. It’s wild and wonderful. I won’t say more because seeing is believing. Kennedy gives Larry a larger-than-life persona, mastering the comedy and terror. 
Kenneth Mosley is Patrick, Susan’s work bestie and equally fabulous sidekick. Do yourself a favor. Watch Mosley’s reel on IMDB. You will wonder why he isn’t on every screen in your home. His performance as Patrick immediately catches you off guard in the best way. He’s magnetic. Patty Guggenheim is unforgettable as the hyper-ambitious Susan. Guggenheim is a star. She has a similar energy to Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Her comic timing and charisma pull you in. Her chemistry with Mosely makes me want a sequel/spin-off/whatever!
animal.
Author and personal trainer Zane Griggs guides us through an hour-and-a-half argument for a carnivore diet. Often called “The Caveman Diet,” a meat-led way of eating has been all the rage in certain circles for years now. ‘animal.’ features doctors and a select few nutritionists presenting the benefits of consuming a diet contradictory to generations of teaching. Griggs uses testimonials from those who tout the life-changing effects of red meat. 
The film feels like one lengthy infomercial with cherry-picked science for effect. There is no mention of pollution and the links to socioeconomics. I’m not arguing the diet is faulty. I would have loved to have seen unbiased medical charts. I’m suggesting that the food chain accessibility should be half of the film. The fact that the only two black individuals interviewed are UK residents, a former bodybuilder, and his health coach daughter, Eddie and Selina Abbew (dad has 4m Instagram followers) is glaring. 
My husband went on a Keto diet in preparation for his half-Ironman competition in 2015. I joined him a few weeks in. On the fourth day, once my body entered ketosis, my body looked entirely different in all the best ways. I was shocked. But remaining on the diet in the real world was incredibly challenging. After a single cheat day, my body fell out of ketosis. I had to restart the process. I became angry, and I was always hungry. It wasn’t a sustainable lifestyle for me. 
While it is easy to agree with the profit-driven motivation of the pharmaceutical and processed food industries, it’s challenging to accept that my organically grown vegetables are trying to poison me. It comes down to money and US standards. We allow chemicals, pesticides, dyes, and unregulated factory farming that other countries do not. You can taste the difference. The final 20 minutes encourage regenerative farming and environmental care. It’s a great message, even if the film never delves into food-drought areas. 
A Keto diet worked wonders for my husband, but that was in an intense training setting. I was able to see immediate physical results, even though it did not end up feeling ideal for me. I’m worried that omitting information curves the film into pseudoscience territory. ‘animal’ has good intentions, but withholding information on the healthiest countries and their varied diets feels skewed. Viewers will have to come to their own conclusions based on the information presented, personal health journey, and availability of resources. If nothing else, ‘animal.’ triggers a broader conversation about nutrition and sustainability.
![Fire at Will (2025) - [www.imdb.com]](https://i0.wp.com/reelnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/Fire-at-Will-2025-www.imdb_.com_.png?resize=566%2C884&ssl=1)
FIRE AT WILL looks fantastic. Jared Levy‘s camerawork is most immersed and intimate. Kyle Moriarty‘s quick-take editing is perfect. The fast-paced dialogue filled with self-absorbed personalities is every kitchen table conversation featuring adult children and their parents. As the firstborn of four loud children in an Irish Italian household, I can attest to the authenticity in the chaos of Gruer’s script, right down to the mother storming out in emotionally exhausted dramatics and the unspoken connection between father and artistic daughter. The cast nails each ping-pong match beat. FIRE AT WILL is a spectacular treatment for a feature. I need to know what happens next.
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