Movies
[Fantastic Fest ’13 Review] ‘We Are What We Are’ Is the Best Cannibal Movie Since ‘Ravenous’
Wait a second…you’re trying to tell me that there is an American remake of a mildly successful foreign horror film?! WELL I NEVER! I didn’t actually see the original Mexican We Are What We Are until I had heard that a remake was on its way, and I wanted to get in on the ground floor. I wasn’t all that impressed with the film, other than it was interesting to see a modern day cannibal movie that didn’t involve hillbillies, rednecks, or some remote tribes. The remake of the film was directed by Jim Mickle, whose only previous work I had seen was Stake Land, which had a lot of potential in the director but felt had lacked a little bit in the story. Suffice it to say, I wasn’t expecting that much out of the film, especially after having seen The Green Inferno, but not only did I like this version of We Are What We Are, but I think it’s the best cannibal movie I’ve seen since Ravenous.
In the middle of a thunderstorm, a woman leaves a convenience store, slips and hits her head, and dies. We learn that this woman was the head of the Parker household, which now consists of father Frank (Bill Sage), daughters Rose (Julia Garner) and Iris (Ambyr Childers), and son Rory (Jack Gore). The Parkers are not just emotionally taxed by the mother’s death, but they are also in the middle of a religious fast that leaves them weak and fatigued. They get help from a local doctor (Michael Parks) who is also going through some tough times with his daughter having gone missing. The more time we spent with the Parkers, the more we learn about their religion, and learn that their fast can end once they murder, cook, and eat another person. With the amount of time this doctor has been spending around the family, he starts unraveling clues that they might be hiding things. Although Rory is too young to know any different, Rose and Iris are started to get old enough to question if what they’re doing is right and if they can keep up this lifestyle as they travel into adulthood, which means they ultimately need to have a confrontation with their father.
The biggest similarities between the Mexican film and this version are mostly just an opening scene where the family member responsible for finding/murdering victims dies and having the rest of the family needing to step in. In the original, it’s two brother who come across as more competitive and at points bumbling than the more serious tone this film took. The tone of this version is much more serious, much more grim, and much more depressing. I LOVE STUFF LIKE THAT! Even though it takes place in modern day, the way the Parker have disconnected themselves from the rest of society, along with flashback sequences revealing that cannibalism is rooted in the survival instinct of their ancestors when times were tough, made the story feel timeless. There isn’t any radiation, there aren’t characters with only three fingers on their hands, this is just a family who hasn’t come to terms with the effects their beliefs could be having on innocent victims. There are some implications of inbreeding, but those implications aren’t related to why these people are the way they are, but rather show the devotion to the beliefs of these characters.
The acting in this film is superb. Bill Sage is an insecure man who makes up for his flaws as father with violence, which does nothing but remind his children that there’s no one for them to rely on. Julai Garner and Ambyr Childers are fantastic as they both play the children detached from the impact their beliefs could have on other people to growing into kids who accept terrifying responsibilities and are willing to suffer their father’s wrath to question him. Michael Parks was fun to watch as a suspicious and inquisitive authority figure who has almost given up, and it was also nice to see Jim Mickle bringing back Kelly McGillis and writer/frequent collaborator Nick Damici for smaller roles.
Even if the movie didn’t blow me out of the water, I remember really appreciating Jim Mickle’s vision of a post-apocalyptic, vampire filled world with Stake Land. It was stark, it was cold, and the outlook for everyone looked pretty terrible. It shouldn’t be surprising that Mickle brought that style back in We Are What We Are while telling the story of a family of cannibals. A big difference was that I felt like in this film, Mickle also built the audio soundscape to really immerse yourself in the world of these characters. The way that the rain is pounding on the roof and the sounds that are made when human are eating flesh, you can really appreciate the amount of details that Mickle includes to really heighten the audiences experience.
I know that it’s easy to dismiss remakes these days, but I highly recommend you give this one a shot. Whether it be because you like Jim Mickle and his previous work, or because you like the story, or maybe you liked the original, I think there are lots of areas in which this version is an improvement on the source material.
The holiday weekend means a light week for new horror releases, but it does bring the return of Dark Castle Entertainment to select theaters. It’s being joined by 6 new horror movies.
Here’s all the new horror releasing June 29, 2026 – July 3, 2026!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
You wished for it. The highest-grossing horror movie of the year (so far), Curry Barker’s Obsession, arrived on Digital on June 30.
In Curry Barker’s theatrical debut Obsession, after breaking the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”), Inde Navarette (“Superman & Lois”), Cooper Tomlinson (“That’s a Bad Idea,” Milk & Serial), Megan Lawless (The Death That Awaits), and Emmy Award-nominee Andy Richter (“Conan,” Elf) star.
Based on a story by director James Kondelik (Behind The Walls) and a screenplay by Canadian writer Victor Rose, survival thriller Pitfall headed home to Digital on June 30. Family is murder in this Cineverse release.
In Pitfall, a young man becomes separated from his friends in the woods and plunges into a ten-foot pit lined with spikes, impaling his leg and leaving him helpless. As reality sinks in and his situation grows dire, he realizes the fall wasn’t an accident.
The film stars Richard Harmon (Final Destination: Bloodlines), Alexandra Essoe (The Pope’s Exorcist), and UFC champion Randy Couture (The Expendables) as the ruthless killer who stalks his prey in the woods. Marshall Williams (The Ice Road), Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy), and Matt Hamilton (Murder for Sale) also star.
The Amityville IP leans into Jaws with Amityville Shark House, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday too, as it released on Digital June 30.
Will Collazo Jr. (Amityville Thanksgiving) and Shawn C. Phillips (Amityville Karen) co-direct from a script they wrote with Julie Anne Prescott.
In the movie, after discovering an ominous shark idol hidden beneath the decaying floorboards, Richard unknowingly awakens an ancient and savage force. As the entity begins to merge with him, a quiet coastal town descends into blood-soaked chaos.
With each victim claimed, the monstrous predator grows stronger, fueling a cult’s belief that their dark god has been reborn. Now, the race is on to stop the carnage before evil consumes everything in its path.
Phillips and Prescott also star alongside Tasha Tacosa, Maritza Brikisak, Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), Adam Marino, and Carl Solomon.
Available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD as of June 30 is Jacked, directed by John Fucile from a script he co-wrote with Simon Fraser.
The synopsis: “Set in the summer of 1987, JACKED follows two small-town teenagers whose day at the lake turns into a fight for survival after their car breaks down and they encounter a violent stalker.”
Marla Jean Robison, Tom Koch, Anthony Cipriani, Wynn Reichert, Kam Perez and Bella Marie star.
Get ready to work up a killer sweat and maybe spill some blood with Slashercise, a workout meets slasher hybrid that arrived exclusively on Bloodstream on July 1.
Written and directed by Ama Lea (Deathcember), the retro-styled feature follows “a masked killer known only as Meathead as he stalks the fitness clubs of Los Angeles, turning workout sessions into blood-soaked nightmares. As the city’s top trainers are picked off one by one, a group of determined fitness fanatics must fight back before they become the next bodies on the mat.”
Vanessa Decker (Stiletto), John Bloom (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Sarah French (Blind), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet), Sarah Nicklin (V/H/S/Halloween), Diana Prince (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Jared Rivet (The Once and Future Smash), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley), and Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) star.
After a record-breaking box office run, A24 and director Kane Parsons’ feature debut is heading back to theaters with bonus footage. AMC Theatres is unleashing Backrooms: Everything Must Go Editiontoday, July 3.
In the film written by Will Soodik, the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire discovers a strange doorway in the basement of the furniture showroom. He sets out to explore the mysterious, liminal space, walking headfirst into a creepypasta nightmare.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsvestar.
AMC describes this release as a “theatrically exclusive post-credit” with additional footage from Kane Parsons. Expect 16 minutes of bonus footage, with the new version clocking in at 2 hours and 6 minutes.
The Last Exorcism director Daniel Stamm and Dark Castle Entertainment are back with Lockbox, in select theaters July 3. It adapts Soren Narnia‘s Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop” by Emmy-winning playwright Justin Yoffe.
In Lockbox, “Seeking peace after her mother’s death, Ellen retreats to a rural town and takes in her severely traumatized cousin Winthrop. Their fragile domestic balance shatters when an erratic neighbor warns that Winthrop is dangerous. As strange phenomena escalate, Ellen must put everything on the line to defend Winthrop from a dangerous otherworldly entity determined to track him down.”
Lou Taylor Pucci (Touch Me, Evil Dead), Carla Gugino (The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game, The Fall of the House of Usher) and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Backrooms) star.
This week’s new release roundups are presented by Lockbox.
Be careful who you let in. Carla Gugino and Lou Taylor Pucci star in Lockbox, only in select theaters this Friday. Get tickets.
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