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.
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.
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.
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.
How Piranha 3D defied the curse of bad 3D movies
Sometimes a movie is stupid in just the right way.
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.
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.
How Batteries Not Included subverted the Spielberg formula
From Amazing Stories to an amazing outlier in Spielberg's '80s ouevre.
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.
15 years ago, Neil Gaiman wrote the most preposterous monster movie ever
What good is a 1,300-year-old story if you can’t add gratuitous nudity?
30 years ago, Francis Ford Coppola made the most divisive vampire movie ever
It’s infamous. It’s over-the-top. It’s actually pretty good.
40 years ago, James Cameron made the worst ocean thriller ever — and launched an unstoppable career
The behind-the-scenes stories behind his directorial debut are far more interesting that the film itself.
35 years ago, Kyle MacLachlan starred in the best alien invasion movie you've never seen
Many aliens have landed on Earth. Few were influenced by Ronald Reagan.
5 years ago, the most nonsensical disaster movie ever set an unintended precedent
Geostorm bears a remarkable resemblance to another extreme weather film — but perhaps not one the makers intended.
40 years ago, one sci-fi thriller beat The Twilight Zone at its own game
This cheesy ‘80s movie defies expectations.
35 years ago, the most obscure sci-fi movie tried (and failed) to redefine alien cinema
Several movies inspired Men in Black. You definitely haven’t seen this one.
Meet Cute reinvents time travel — and Pete Davidson’s persona
The time travel is thoughtful, and Davidson is tolerable.
25 years ago, David Fincher made his most absurd conspiracy thriller ever
Fincher went on to say he regretted making this movie, but The Game has plenty of redeeming qualities
Review: Margaux proves smart-house thrillers don’t have to be dumb
A Gen Z friend group’s vacation trip goes horribly wrong in this VOD release.
20 years ago, Hollywood’s first internet thriller launched a terrifying new genre
What if something bad happened... online?
20 years ago, Al Pacino's best sci-fi satire predicted a terrifying modern trend
Few films have possessed such an uncanny ability to predict where the fame game is heading.
