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‘The Walking Dead Episode 4′ Review: Geeks, Creeps, And Paranoia
Lately, I’ve found myself more excited for a new episode in Telltale Games’ episodic game based on The Walking Dead than I am for most other games. I love a good story, especially when something like that is still so hard to come by in video games. After the intense and emotional roller coaster ride that was Episode 3, I couldn’t imagine it getting any better than that. Long Road Ahead was emotionally draining, and it built off of the terrifying events in the second episode brilliantly. Does Around Every Corner continue this series’ trend of getting better with each new episode? Let’s find out. (Oh, and there will be spoilers for episodes 3 in here. Sorry, this really can’t be helped)
As the penultimate installment in Telltale’s episodic series, it’s obvious the goal of this episode is to build up whatever’s going to happen in the fifth and final installment, No Time Left. Because of this, it feels like a bridge between Long Road Ahead and the end, which it is. I just wish it wouldn’t have felt like that.
This isn’t to say this episode is bad, because it isn’t, at all. That’s impressive actually, that even when this series isn’t at its best, it’s story is still far more engaging than most other games.
Around Every Corner picks up where the last one left off. After Kenny’s loss of both his wife and son, in the same episode no less, the only thing that’s keeping him going at this point is the team’s goal of finding a boat so they can get out of there. Of course, it’s not going to be that easy, as Lee and Kenny stumble across a wall of bodies while searching for a boat that marks the border separating Savannah from a new establishment called Crawford. They soon realize that the people of Crawford have taken it upon themselves to weed out the weak, including children, so the only people who are allowed inside the “safety” of their walls are those who can carry their own weight.
Assholes.
Naturally, a reason to visit this place comes up, forcing the group to go in on a mission to retrieve some items.
For the most part, Around Every Corner doesn’t add much in terms of new gameplay mechanics. You’ll be searching various environments for clues or items required to solve puzzles, conversations will be had, and zombies will be mowed down. The only difference in this episode is it tends to throw you into the thick of things a little more often. There are multiple times where you’ll be forced to put your shooter skills to the test against a horde of the undead. I didn’t mind this, because these moments tend to be some of the more intense ones in the episode — the only problem is aiming the gun can be a little floaty, and that’s the last thing you want to have to deal with when a group of zombies are shambling toward you.
I’m also not a fan of not being able to move while shooting. There’s one section later in the episode where I had to clear a door of zombies, and I had to shoot every last one of them before they reached me. I couldn’t back up, strafe, nothing. I got it on the second try, so it’s not a big deal, I just would’ve liked to be able to move around a bit, rather than be forced to remain stationary.
Telltale has become exceptionally good at making me feel insanely paranoid at all times. I’ll watch a group of survivors I just met look at each other as they make a decision on whether or not to help me and I find myself imagining a silent conversation going on between them. I’ll immediately think they want to rob me, kill me, or possibly even eat me, because episode 2 burned that delicious bit of paranoia into my brain forever. Basically, I’ve decided that no one other than Clementine can be trusted at this point, because as this series has proven: people suck.
It doesn’t help having all these shadowy figures stalking the group, including a mysterious man on the radio who has a creepy interest in Clementine.
Speaking of Clementine — this girl may very well be my favorite video game character ever. She’s a sweet girl, but watching her grow up in such a short amount of time and become this smarter, more capable person has been really incredible. Before, I tended to lie to her when things got bad, or at the very least, sprinkle a little sugar onto the truth so as to make it easier to swallow. Now, I’m honest with her, because I know she can (usually) handle it.
Like the rest of The Walking Dead games, this one’s a little rough around the edges. In a weird way, this makes the game feel more charming, but sometimes the lack of polish can make things more frustrating. Outside of the occasionally floaty gunplay I already mentioned, I noticed some awkward animations, stuttering (where the game seems to hiccup for a second or two), various audio issues, and worst of all, incredibly annoying loading screen placement.
It seems that every time the shit has or is about to hit the fan, there’s a loading screen slapped between “Oh,” and “Shit!” and this gets bothersome. It’s probably a little late to do anything about it, so I just wanted to warn you that it’s there, and it’s a problem.
Around Every Corner isn’t as good as the last two episodes, but it does successfully manage to set up what will very likely be an amazing finale. The story, characters, and music are all top notch, and they’re used in some fantastic ways. I can’t remember the last time a game had me so invested in the character I control or interact with. It’s amazing, and I cannot wait to see how it all ends.
The Final Word: If you’ve stuck with the series this far, there’s no reason not to keep going. Around Every Corner isn’t the best episode in the series, but it’s still pretty damn good.
This review is based on the Xbox 360 version of The Walking Dead.
In case you missed them, you should definitely check out our reviews of Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3.
Feel free to ever-so-gently toss Adam an email, or follow him on Twitter and Bloody Disgusting
We are now one full month into Spring 2024, which kicked off on Tuesday, March 19 and comes to an end with the start of Summer on Thursday, June 20. This year’s summer movie season has a whole bunch of exciting horror highlights, including A Quiet Place: Day One, MaXXXine, and Alien: Romulus, but let’s hold that particular thought until June rolls around.
We’re here today to talk about Spring 2024 and the many horrors we still have left before the weather gets warmer and we find ourselves in the heat of one hell of a spooky summer.
Here are 12 horror movies you don’t want to miss in Spring 2024!
STING – April 12
Two words: SPIDER HORROR. Writer/Director Kiah Roache-Turner (Wyrmwood) hopes to induce eight-legged terror with his brand new horror movie Sting, only in theaters April 12.
Of particular note, Sting features practical spider effects from 5-time Academy Award Winner Weta Workshop, with the spider in this one inspired by H.R. Giger’s Xenomorph!
In Sting, “One cold, stormy night in New York City, a mysterious object falls from the sky and smashes through the window of a rundown apartment building. It is an egg, and from this egg emerges a strange little spider. The creature is discovered by Charlotte, a rebellious 12-year-old girl obsessed with comic books. Keeping it as a secret pet, she names it Sting.
“But as Charlotte’s fascination with Sting increases, so does its size. Growing at a monstrous rate, Sting’s appetite for blood becomes insatiable.”
BLACKOUT – APRIL 12
Indie darling Larry Fessenden is back with new horror movie Blackout this Spring, Fessenden’s third movie – following Habit and Depraved – to put his own spin on classic monsters.
While Habit was centered on vampires and Depraved was a fresh take on Frankenstein’s Monster, Larry Fessenden’s Blackout is the filmmaker’s contribution to werewolf cinema.
The film follows Charley, an artist whose drinking binges blur with his sneaking suspicion that he might be a werewolf. He distances himself from those he loves and sinks deeper into solitude, his flashes of memory of his nighttime grisly acts manifested through his artwork.
ARCADIAN – APRIL 12
If Nicolas Cage is covered in blood, you better believe we’re going to be watching. Cage gets his own A Quiet Place with Arcadian, a new creature feature coming to theaters April 12.
In Arcadian, which also comes to Shudder later this year, “After a catastrophic event depopulates the world, a father (Nicolas Cage) and his two sons must survive their dystopian environment while being threatened by mysterious creatures that emerge at night.”
Jaeden Martell (IT 2017) also stars in the post apocalyptic monster movie.
ABIGAIL – APRIL 19
If you’re bummed about Melissa Barrera being fired from the Scream franchise, you’ll definitely want to get out to your local theater this month to support Abigail, the new VAMPIRE BALLERINA horror movie from Scream and Scream VI directors Radio Silence.
Barrera stars alongside fellow horror favorite Kathryn Newton (Freaky) in Abigail, which is actually the latest horror movie in Universal’s relaunched Universal Monsters Universe.
In the film, “After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.”
LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL – APRIL 19
One of the most talked about horror movies of Spring 2024 has been the Halloween 1977-set Late Night With the Devil, which has been playing in theaters since its premiere on March 22.
Late Night with the Devil will begin streaming at home on April 19, 2024, less than one month after arriving in theaters. Shudder will be the exclusive streaming home of the movie.
David Dastmalchian (Dune, The Suicide Squad) stars as the host of a late-night talk show that descends into a nightmare in Late Night with the Devil, set on Halloween 1977.
In the found footage-style film that captures a period aesthetic, “A live television broadcast in 1977 goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation’s living rooms.”
INFESTED – APRIL 26
Spring 2024 is all about SPIDERS – sorry, arachnophobes! – with the previously mentioned Sting being followed by the French creature feature Infested (Vermines) later this month.
What’s particularly exciting about Infested is that its director, Sébastien Vaniček, has been hired to direct the next installment in the Evil Dead film franchise, so this will be our first taste of what Vaniček is capable of within the genre. And the buzz for this one is strong.
In his review out of Fantastic Fest last year, for starters, Bloody Disgusting’s own critic Trace Thurman raved that Infested is “one of the best spider attack movies in years.”
In the upcoming horror film, “Fascinated by exotic animals, Kaleb finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap.”
HUMANE – APRIL 26
The daughter of horror master David Cronenberg, Caitlin Cronenberg is making her own mark in the genre filmmaking space with IFC Films’ Humane, coming to theaters this month.
The film is described as “a dystopian satire taking place over a single day, months after a global ecological collapse has forced world leaders to reduce the earth’s population.”
The wild premise? 20% of the world’s population must VOLUNTEER TO DIE!
“In a wealthy enclave, a recently retired newsman has invited his grown children to dinner to announce his intentions to enlist in the nation’s new euthanasia program. But when the father’s plan goes horribly awry, tensions flare and chaos erupts among his children.”
I SAW THE TV GLOW – MAY 3
Fresh off the haunting and singularly creepy indie We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, Jane Schoenbrun is back with A24‘s I Saw the TV Glow, releasing only in theaters this May.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her Sundance review for BD, “I Saw the TV Glow offers a layered and authentic portrait of identity, wrapped in ’90s nostalgia and surreal imagery that embeds itself deep into your psyche.” Meagan continues, “Schoenbrun delivers a singular vision of arthouse horror that entrances for its fevered dream style and insanely cool imagery.”
In A24’s latest, “Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.”
TAROT – MAY 3
Originally titled Horrorscope, a much better title if you’re asking me, Screen Gems returns to the big screen with studio horror movie Tarot this Spring, a Tarot-card themed spookshow.
When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings – never use someone else’s deck – they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards in the upcoming Screen Gems horror movie Tarot. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death to escape the future foretold in their readings.
The hook for this one? Artist Trevor Henderson designed the film’s eight monsters!
THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1 – MAY 17
Bryan Bertino’s 2008 home invasion classic The Strangers spawns a brand new reboot trilogy this year, with first film The Strangers: Chapter 1 kicking things off in theaters on May 17.
The Strangers: Chapter 2 is expected to follow in Fall 2024.
Madelaine Petsch is the lead of the new reboot trilogy, playing a character who drives cross-country with her longtime boyfriend to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest.
When their car breaks down in Venus, Oregon, they’re forced to spend the night in a secluded Airbnb, where they are terrorized from dusk till dawn by three masked strangers.
IN A VIOLENT NATURE – MAY 31
Slasher fans who have been hungry for a new Friday the 13th movie won’t want to miss In a Violent Nature, which plays out like a Friday movie… entirely from Jason’s perspective!
IFC Films will release In a Violent Nature exclusively in theaters on May 31.
In the film, “When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it. The undead golem hones in on the group of vacationing teens responsible for the theft and proceeds to methodically slaughter them one by one in his mission to get it back – along with anyone in his way.”
Meagan Navarro wrote in her Sundance review for Bloody Disgusting, “In a Violent Nature may offer slasher thrills and a delightfully gory rampage across the wilderness, but the approach captures the carnage through ambient realism. It results in a fascinating arthouse horror experiment that plays more like a minimalist slice-of-life feature with a grim twist.”
THE WATCHERS – JUNE 14
M. Night Shyamalan returns with the new thriller Trap this coming August, but the road to that film’s release will be paved by the feature debut of his daughter, Ishana Night Shyamalan.
Ishana Night directed The Watchers, in theaters from WB/New Line on June 14.
The film follows Mina, a 28-year-old artist, who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.
Which Spring 2024 horror movies are YOU most looking forward to?
4 New Horror Movies Releasing This Week Including ‘Late Night with the Devil’ at Home
Spring 2024 Horror Preview: 12 Horror Movies You Don’t Want to Miss
The ‘Scary Movie’ Spoof Franchise Is Getting a Reboot at Paramount!
‘Ready or Not’: Radio Silence Filmmakers Tease the “Absolute Banger” of a Sequel That’s Taking Shape
“We Built Every Creature” – ‘Alien: Romulus’ Goes Heavy on the Old School Practical Effects!
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