A world outside with no interest in the human ego: Reflections on Patrik Syversen’s Demring
TIFF 2026: «The way Demring plays with Chekhov’s gun and foreshadowing in order to destabilise horror conventions is quite exciting.»
Forget your stupid Dad: M. Night Shyamalan’s superhuman escapism in Trap
Great entertainment is provided in an audacious film where a virtuoso, multi-layered performance by Josh Hartnett shall seduce us into accepting Trap as an arena of pure playfulness.
Impressions of a lucky strike: Woody Allen’s Coup de chance
Woody Allen’s work is most often praised for witty dialogues and clever plots but this article might surprise you, as it explores an elegant visual stylist, confidently working with meaningful imagery, echoes and motifs.
M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin: Seven towards the apocalypse
While waiting for Trap, have a look at the director’s previous film, which powerfully taps into highly topical, online-fuelled phenomena like irreconcilable world views, gaslighting and conspiracy theories.
M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit, Part II: Shit happens, but with precision
Although not strictly a found footage film itself, The Visit is commenting upon, and at times even satirising, the ingredients of the genre. Bonus: references to other Shyamalan films.
The Deep Darkies of the Soul: M. Night Shyamalan organically swings in The Visit
“You have to laugh to keep the deep darkies in a cave.” Shyamalan’s most audacious film presents a bizarre mix of knowing irony, youthful naivete, mental illness, comedic horror and tonal shifts, yet everything seamlessly works.
Sculpting Time: Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World
«The images, the sounds, and the emotions of this film are all in me, mind and body, and will stay with me, not just as a favourite among Trier’s films, but as a favourite film.»
M. Night Shyamalan’s Old: Twelve against time
Although the framing story and twist are surprisingly prosaic, for long stretches of the main body Old conjures up a combination of tension, absurdity and chaos that few other films have achieved.
Split, Part IV: Creativity in cramped quarters
A final look at M. Night Shyamalan’s Split, this time its formal approach with a special emphasis on his inventive use of point-of-view shots, stealthy camera movements, overhead and underhead shots, and many other subtleties.
The Happening, Part III: Do you think it could be plants?
A Shyamalan enthusiast is struggling mightily to come to terms with the conundrum of The Happening, a split identity film that swings wildly between excellence, rampant quirkiness and unchecked hysteria.
The Happening, Part II: Goners with the wind
A guide to the many powerful suicide scenes, including the brilliant, icily electrifying opening where normality turns into nightmare. Plus motifs, visual ideas and references to earlier Shyamalan works.
The Happening, Part I: The twisted face of mankind
Say what you want about M. Night Shyamalan’s foray into disaster movie terrain, but its last 25 minutes are excellent, carefully walked through in this screenshot-based analysis.