Jon O'Brien

Jon O'Brien is a freelance entertainment writer from North West England who covers movie history for Inverse. He's written about film and television for Esquire, Billboard, Vulture, New Scientist, i-D, The Guardian, and Paste. He's also a soccer enthusiast, garage drummer, Icelandophile, and carrot cake connoisseur.

Last Call

Making a Time-Travel Rom-Com Isn’t Easy. This Movie Proves It.

Time Freak is a fun if slightly problematic take on the subgenre.

Retrospective

A Forgotten Neo-Noir Thriller Made Margot Robbie the Queen of the Ambitious Mess

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Retrospective

If You Thought the Original 'Tremors' Was Bad, You’re Not Ready for This

Retrospective

This Might Just Be the Most Effective Anti-Drug Movie Ever Made

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Despite its Low Budget and Absurd Ending, This Sci-Fi Indie is Worth Watching

Time Trap is the most audacious time-travel movie on Netflix now.

Retrospective

There Were Countless 'Alien' Knockoffs. Only 'Deep Space' Dared to be Truly Stupid.

The xenomorph meets the cops from Lethal Weapon and the budget from a high school play.

Retrospective

'Progeny' Was Somehow the Most Cerebral B-Movie Ever

This schlocky alien impregnation flick inexplicably has some thoughts on the anxieties of parenthood.

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In the ‘80s, Nightmarish Body Horror Could be Sold as a Family Friendly Rom-Com

Don’t ask what the final frontier is here.

Retrospective

'Doomsday' Was Neil Marshall’s First Misfire, but What a Misfire it Was

Do you wish The Last of Us had more medieval knights and Scottish cannibals?

Last Call

In 2011, An Overlooked Wall Street Drama Doubled as a Chilling Horror

One ruthless CEO can be scarier than a dozen masked killers.

Culture

How 'American Psycho 2' Cheated Its Way Into Patrick Bateman Folklore

Angrier. Deadlier. Sexier.

Retrospective

Darth Vader Deserved Better Than This

After the Star Wars prequels, Hayden Christensen somehow made an even less coherent sci-fi movie.

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One of the First Movies Made During the 2010s’ Zombie Renaissance Was Also One of the Best

The decade gave us way, way too many zombie movies, but a few gems have slipped through the cracks.

Retrospective

Final Destination 2 Perfected the Art of the Gross-Out Kill

The long-running franchise only exists for one reason, and this was its masterpiece.

Last Call

David Cronenberg made the best Stephen King adaptation you probably haven’t seen

The forgotten thriller is the perfect entry point for curious fans afraid of Cronenberg’s gruesome reputation.

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How Piranha 3D defied the curse of bad 3D movies

Sometimes a movie is stupid in just the right way.

Retrospective

In retrospect, Jennifer Aniston was right to feel embarrassed about Leprechaun

It's far from the finest item on Aniston's filmography, but it's undeniably memorable.

Retrospective

An American Werewolf in London is an ‘80s classic. Its sequel was an infamous ‘90s flop.

When going through development hell, it's sometimes best to not keep going.

Retrospective

How Batteries Not Included subverted the Spielberg formula

From Amazing Stories to an amazing outlier in Spielberg's '80s ouevre.

Retrospective

In 1982, a ridiculous sci-fi western completely subverted the time travel movie

Sometimes it takes a b-movie to embrace the stupid joy of flinging someone into the past.