Movies
[Review] ‘The Darkness of the Road’ Is a Psychological Nightmare Ride Filled With Chills
It isn’t clear what Siri (Najarra Townsend) is looking to get away from – all we know is that she and her daughter Eve (Gwyneth Glover) are in need of a fresh start. As Eve sleeps in the backseat, Siri drives throughout the night. The desert land around her is barren, her only sights being that of the lightning in the distance and the never-ending road. Coming across a gas station, Siri bumps into Iris (Leah Lauren), a friendly enough person in need of a lift. With Siri offering her a ride, the three take off; however, it isn’t long until a mysterious monster runs across the front of the car, causing an accident. When the two women come to, they realize Eve has gone missing.
Written and directed by Eduardo Rodriguez, The Darkness of the Road is a psychological ride of constant tension and unease. It’s also a difficult film to discuss in terms of narrative; for the reader’s benefit, all I’ll say is that much of the narrative revolves around the two women trying to find the missing Eve while striving to avoid the monster that stalks them. This story, and its many surprises, are blanketed in an aura of gloom; the grim air becoming thicker over time as the story dives deeper into haunting territory.
While the film has varying levels of action and violence throughout, it is much more of a slow burn emotional horror that plays out in dream logic. Somewhat Lynchian in approach, the narrative flow feels off from the start; even in how the audience is introduced to Siri and Eve, something isn’t right about how scenes transition from one to another. A blue light plays over many scenes, further enhancing that dream-like atmosphere. In the way, conversations are held and actions play out, there’s a disconnect that gets under the skin. Like how something may happen to Iris that Siri witnesses, the latter running over to the former, just for the big moment to dissipate and oddly fade away.
The dream logic presentation of The Darkness of the Road only builds, becoming more of a greater presence that consumes the characters. The film maintains a strong balance between disjointed presentation and cohesion; narrative beats never feel so out of left field, but sometimes the occasional jump in logic takes place. While there could be some confusion in processing all the narrative detail, the film is best experienced when letting go of reason. In fact, when I stopped questioning things as much, the oddities began to make more sense to me regarding the film’s bigger picture. To some viewers, this flow could potentially be disorienting; the narrative is committed to the dream-like direction and is unapologetic in how surreal events play out.
Where there are numerous scenes involving quiet contemplation or conversations between characters, those moments of action stand to provide additional layers to the greater narrative. One scene, in particular, makes for nightmare fuel, providing an uncomfortable physicality in the pain one character goes through. The monster itself isn’t as much of a satisfying element to the story – that is, until one gets to the ending – then one starts to wonder what the monster might actually be.
The Darkness of the Road is a film best enjoyed if one goes in blind. The film’s tonal focus on gloom and dread only builds over time, allowing for an atmosphere that, while technically present since the beginning, becomes more and more tremendous with time. Its dream logic makes for a gripping narrative that may not thrill a ton, but provides a sincere air of discomfort and anxiety. The dedication provided to the plot’s surreal flow may take a little getting used to, but this is a nightmare one does not want to miss out on.
The Darkness of the Road is now available on VOD outlets.
Ghostface is back on the big screen this weekend… well, sort of… with the release of Scary Movie, which marks the Wayans brothers’ return to the horror spoof franchise for the first time since Scary Movie 2 back in the day. It’s likely to be the talk of the horror community for the weekend, but don’t overlook the other six genre movies that were freshly unleashed today.
Here’s all the new horror that released on Friday, June 5, 2026.
The horror spoof franchise is back with Scary Movie now playing in theaters!
Marlon Wayans (“Shorty”), Shawn Wayans (“Ray”), Anna Faris (“Cindy”), and Regina Hall (“Brenda”) reunite for the new Scary Movie, with the cast also including Dave Sheridan, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, Jon Abrahams, Damon Wayans Jr., Gregg Wayans, Kim Wayans, Benny Zielke, Cameron Scott Roberts, Heidi Gardner, Olivia Rose Keegan, Ruby Snowber, Savannah Lee Nassif, Sydney Park, and Felissa Rose.
Twenty-six years after outrunning a suspiciously familiar masked killer (“Ghostface”), the Core Four are back in the killer’s crosshairs and no horror movie IP is safe…
Scary Movie will slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, anything with the word legacy in it, and every “final chapter” that absolutely isn’t. A whole lot has changed in the horror genre since the Wayans Brothers were in charge of the franchise; their involvement ended with Scary Movie 2 back in 2001!
Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House) directs Scary Movie 6 from a script written by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, original Scary Movie director Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans (Scary Movie 2), and Rick Alvarez (A Haunted House).
From IFC, shark attack movie Chum is now available on Digital.
Alice Eve (Haunting of Queen Mary) stars in shark attack movie alongside Eric Michael Cole, Jim Klock, Elle Haymond, Lisa Yaro, Johnny Gaffney, and Sarah Siadat.
This one sounds very similar to last year’s Dangerous Animals…
Here’s the plot: “A newlywed couple joins friends on a Mediterranean yacht excursion, only to find themselves caught between a predatory shark and a psychopathic killer in their midst-transforming a sun-drenched escape into a fight for survival.”
Jonathan Zuck directs Chum, from a script by Jonathan Zuck and Joe Leone.
Samara Weaving (Ready or Not 2: Here I Come) and Kyle Gallner (Strange Darling) come together in Carolina Caroline, a sexy crime thriller now playing in theaters.
It’s not a horror movie, mind you, but it’s worth a mention here all the same.
Kyra Sedgwick (Family Movie) and Jon Gries also star in the romantic crime thriller.
Director Adam Carter Rehmeier’s film stars Samara Weaving as Caroline Daniels, whose desire to leave her small Texas town brings her into the orbit of a charismatic con man (Kyle Gallner), and together they weave a path of crime and passion across the American Southeast.
Adam Rehmeier previously directed the films Dinner in America and Snack Shack.
Tom Dean wrote the screenplay for Carolina Caroline.
Similar to Steven Spielberg’s upcoming big screen blockbuster Disclosure Day, Signal One explores humankind’s enduring question: what if we aren’t alone in the universe?
The sci-fi thriller is now available on Digital.
Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Josh Hutcherson (Five Nights at Freddy’s), David Thewlis (Harry Potter), Raoul Bhaneja (Possessor), Emma Ho (“The Expanse”), and Dennis Quaid (The Substance) star in Signal One from director Jonathan Sobol (The Art of the Steal).
When tech billionaire Sam Houston (Quaid) hires the brilliant computer scientist Annika (Fuhrman), she ventures to an isolated facility run by the brilliant, nihilistic creator of LITTLEMOUTH, a machine which can communicate with alien intelligence.
Annika soon learns some humanity-altering facts: that we are not alone in the universe, that alien intelligences are communicating around us at every moment, and that we are likely too primitive to even remotely understand what they are trying to tell us.
When the goal of the endeavor shifts from listening to talking back, the project rapidly devolves into chaos. With contact comes consequences, and soon Annika and the team must work to ensure the very survival of our species.
A schoolyard dare becomes an urban legend in the creepypasta-inspired horror anthology The Summoning. The indie film is now available on Digital from Brainstorm Media.
“A babysitting gig becomes a nightmare of urban legend when three teens summon Baby Blue. Survival depends on uncovering the past to escape a mother’s wrath from beyond the grave.”
Felipe Vargas (Rosario, Hive), Sergio Gonzalez, Brandon Piskorik, Corey Benson Powers, and Brian Sepanzyk direct the segments. Valeria San Martín, Justina Ceballos, Daniela Flombaum, Nannu Spannauss, Agustín Olcese, and Giovanni Onetti star.
The Summoning is written by Camilo Zaffora.
Happy Death Day actress Jessica Rothe stars as a mom struggling to keep her grip on her sanity and memory in the mind-bending Affection, now available on Digital at home.
In Affection, “Afflicted by a mysterious condition that resets her memory, Ellie becomes trapped in a cyclical nightmare with a man who claims to be her husband. She soon must uncover the horrifying truth of her existence—before she forgets it all again.“
Joseph Cross (“Big Little Lies”) and Julianna Layne (“Chicago P.D.”) also star in the sci-fi horror thriller. Affection marks the feature debut by writer/director BT Meza.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review out of the film’s premiere, “Affection is steeped in existential questions and fears that plague modern society, while it embraces the ethos of the ’80s through bold body horror. Add to that Rothe’s revelatory performance, and Affection is a hidden gem that will connect with your mind, body, and soul.”
Lucile Hadžihalilović’s latest dark fairy tale, The Ice Tower, loosely reimagines Hans Christian Andersen’s fable “The Snow Queen,” and it’s now streaming on Shudder.
In the ’70s set film, “Jeanne, a 15-year-old orphan, witnesses the shoot of a film adaptation of the fairy tale The Snow Queen, and she becomes fascinated by its star Cristina (Marion Cotillard), an actress who is just as mysterious and alluring as the Queen she is playing.“
Clara Pacini stars as Jeanne. August Diehl and Marine Gesbert also star in The Ice Tower, and look for a cameo from director Gaspar Noé (Climax, Irréversible).
“For me, The Ice Tower solidified Lucile Hadžihalilović’s place amongst the most fascinating creators of fairy tales today,” said distributor Yellow Veil Pictures co-founder Joe Yanick.
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