Hello and welcome to Movie Reviews 2026 – your indispensable guide to film.
Coming up in this week’s edition, there’s horror antics in the snarlin’ slasher, Gator Face; plus there’s something troubling going on in psychological thriller, Verity. And if that wasn’t enough (and it never is), there’s a strong mix of drama and black comedy in Bad Apples.
One of these movies is excellent, but which will it be? I think we all know it’s not likely to be Gator Face.
Anyway, let’s dive into this week’s selection of tantalising treats to see what’s what.
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Now streaming…
Gator Face (2026)
First up this week it’s over to video-on-demand for the B-movie slasher, Gator Face. Written and directed by Padraig Reynolds, and starring Amariah Dionne, Nikolas Kolasinki, and Scot Scurlock, the movie follows the story of a group of teens who cross paths with a crazy alligator cult.
In the film, three young women are on a beach vacation in Florida when they come upon a house with the words “Three Dead Inside” scrawled on the outside. After calling the police, the trio of friends decide it would be a corking idea to nip inside and scope out the apparent ‘death house’ for themselves.
Obviously this is the most stupid notion ever, and within moments a masked man (with killer abs) turns up with an axe. He promptly murders two of the girls, leaving the other to flee for her life.
With more than a few passing nods to the Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and a script that appears to have been written during a lunch break, Gator Face is far from stellar stuff. For the majority of its 80-minute runtime the movie largely focuses on a bunch of teens running around, trying to avoid an axe-wielding killer, while simultaneously doing everything in their power to continually cross paths with him.
Things change a bit towards the final third of the picture, when some cult nonsense gets introduced, but even then the young folk of this film continue to have the survival instincts of a lemming. It’s as if they just want to die and will go to great lengths to meet their maker.
Why? Because it’s in the script and this is what we’re working with, folks!
On the flip-side, Gator Face could be much, much worse than it is. The death scenes are suitably gory; the cast do their best with the material they are given; and it certainly looks the business.
Lower your expectations, take into account the smaller budget, and you might find it fine for what it is. It’s not going to win over the masses, but those who devour horror in all shapes and sizes (and budgets) may find some appeal here.
It’s just a shame the script is low on ideas. The skeleton of a decent slasher movie is on display, as are many of the other key components, it just struggles to build on its initial premise.
Anyway, should you wish to take a look, Gator Face is available to rent or buy now. Use this information as you see fit.
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In cinemas…
Verity (2026)
Over to the cinema now for the erotic psychological thriller, Verity. Directed by Michael Showalter, and starring Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, and Josh Hartnett, the film tells the story of a writer who is hired to complete another writer’s work following an accident.
In the movie, struggling author Lowen Ashleigh is approached by a publisher keen to hire her services. The publisher represents best-selling author, Verity Crawford, who has recently been involved in an accident which has left her in a catatonic state and unable to write.
The publisher doesn’t want the world to know about Verity’s accident, and is keen to press ahead with her novels for the time being. However, the company needs a new writer to take over, and continue Verity’s work without anyone finding out.
Lowen accepts the job and gets to work penning the next three entries in Verity’s book series. In order to get into the correct mindset, Lowen stays at Verity’s home, where she lives alongside Verity’s husband, Jeremy, and their son, Crew.
The longer Lowen stays at the house, the more she finds herself attracted to Jeremy. She also begins to get in the headspace of Verity, which proves to be an uncomfortable place filled with troubling secrets about her past.
Based on the book of the same name by Colleen Hoover, Verity is a slow burning thriller positioned around an intriguing premise about one writer completing another’s work. The hook is that the former writer exists in a seemingly immobile state, while the latter writer is free to get up close and personal with her family.
This alone leaves room for deception, deceit, and some deliciously dark possibilities. Could Lowen simply take Verity’s life if she wished to? Perhaps.
But this isn’t a tale about one woman swooping in and stealing another’s existence while she’s vulnerable (well, not to begin with anyway); it’s about one woman uncovering some disturbing information about the other. As Lowen settles into her new home, there’s a specific focus on her delving into Verity’s mindset, her actions, and the circumstances surrounding the death of her daughter.
All of this adds up to a troublesome tale. One which is more than just a spot of ghostwriting and husband stealing.
In fact, Verity delves into some dark places and at times it’s quite interesting. The film also boasts great performances from Johnson, Hathaway, and Hartnett, and certainly captures the right mood for a piece of this nature.
Yet despite hitting the mark in a number of places, Verity feels somewhat underwhelming when all is said and done. The film moves too slowly for the tale being told, giving the audience far too much time to get ahead of the game, while the twisty-turny plot about Verity and her past actions doesn’t feel as satisfying as it should.
This isn’t to say there’s not enough going on to hold attention, but by the time the credits roll you may question if it was completely worth it. It’s certainly not the sort of picture where you feel compelled to go back over the story to see if there were any hidden details you might have missed first time around.
Remember the erotic psychological thriller, The Housemaid? Remember how surprisingly good that was? Well, Verity walks a similar path but is not quite as enjoyable.
And it’s a shame, because when you have a great cast like this film has, and a fairly decent story, you kind of want it to land better. So, it’s somewhat disappointing that it doesn’t deliver as intended.
But Verity isn’t a bad film, more of a missed opportunity. Perhaps a little shorter, or little quicker, and it would be a stronger piece.
As it stands, theres something here that works at times, just don’t expect to come away feeling entirely happy with the end result.
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Bad Apples (2025)
And finally, sticking with the cinema for the British drama-comedy, Bad Apples. Directed by Jonatan Etzler, and based on De Oönskade by Rasmus Lindgren, the movie stars Saoirse Ronan, Eddie Waller, and Nia Brown, and centres its story around a teacher who kidnaps one of her pupils.
In the film, Maria Spencer is a primary school teacher in Somerset, England. Maria is a good teacher, trying to do the best by all of the students in her class, but she has one very significant problem: Danny.
Danny is a disruptive child who causes chaos during every single lesson. He is hostile and aggressive, and his presence is having a detrimental impact on his fellow classmates.
Maria continually asks for Danny to be removed from her class, or for additional help managing his behaviour, but her pleas fall on deaf ears. None of her colleagues listen, and instead they suggest Maria’s teaching skills are the problem.
One night, while Maria is out visiting Danny’s father, she catches Danny vandalising cars. After intervening, Maria accidentally knocks him unconscious.
Maria rushes Danny to hospital, but just before she arrives he wakes up and threatens her. In a panic, Maria takes him to her house and locks him up in her basement.
The next day, Maria goes back to work, leaving Danny a prisoner. With Danny out of the way, her lessons run smoothly and the children begin to thrive.
Over the coming days, the children do better, the school does better, and Maria’s teaching skills are praised. It seems as if Danny’s absence is exactly what everyone needs and the benefits far outweigh the crime.
But with more and more time passing, keeping Danny hidden is getting trickier. Especially when another pupil stumbles upon Maria’s secret.
OK, so think back to when you were at school. How many lessons did you have which were thrown into chaos by a sh*tbag classmate?
A few? A lot? Every P.E. lesson for an entire term? If your answer is none then I hate to break it to you, but it would appear you were the sh*tbag classmate.
Every class has one, and sometimes there are multiple. So, disruptive, unruly kids are something we can all relate to.
Bad Apples takes this recognisable problem, creates a sort of ‘what if?’ scenario around it, and explores the idea of what might happen if the sh*tbag was taken out of the equation. The result is a brilliant and often fascinating deep dive into a world where everyone is able to thrive when the rogue element is removed.
Kids can flourish in areas they excel in, Maria is able to deliver results now that she can refocus her attention, and the school flies through an Ofsted inspection without any drama. Danny is gone, no one seems to care, and life pretty much improves for all.
Now, this alone would be enough of a great angle to pin a story on, and it’s fair to say most films would stop here and go no further, but Bad Apples continues to develop the scenario in new ways. Instead of just focusing on the improvements to the school or the kids with Danny out the way, Bad Apples then poses the question: What would happen to Danny now that he is isolated?
Would he descend into more destructive behaviour in the basement, or would he also thrive if given the attention he seems to crave? And what about his father, who never seemed to have time for him? Would Danny’s disappearance have any effect?
With Maria’s one action it creates multiple threads that can be pulled at, giving Bad Apples plenty of room to expand its central premise. This in turn allows the film to continue throwing out new plot developments, while at the same time highlighting and poking fun at the institutions that create problems in the first place.
If Maria’s concerns over Danny were acted upon to begin with, then the kidnapping wouldn’t have happened. Likewise, if the parents paid more attention to their children, instead of allowing teachers to become nanny’s, social workers, disciplinarians, etc, maybe Maria could just teach and get on with her life like everyone else.
All the way through the film, Bad Apples throws out some interesting points and does its best to look at each one in turn. It also makes sure to be clear that everyone is complicit in the events that take place, with none of the main characters able to walk away free from blame.
The title of the film is Bad Apples for a reason. Danny isn’t the only issue.
In addition to a captivating story, Bad Apples is also filled with moments of humour. The picture is loaded with black comedy, which keeps things light even when delving into dark territory, and there is plenty of satire to expose the many faults in play.
And then to add to all of this there is Saoirse Ronan delivering a performance that only Saoirse Ronan can deliver. She’s fab as Maria in Bad Apples, just like she is fab in everything else, and it’s difficult to imagine anyone else taking this role.
All-in-all, this is a marvellous movie. Bad Apples not only shines a light on a problem impacting the education system, it also demonstrates that no problem is an island, and perhaps we all need to do a bit better.
Should you wish to take a look, and you should, Bad Apples is now playing in cinemas. It’s a must-see movie.
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Recent Releases
Not quite done yet? Want more movies? The above suggestions aren’t enough?! Well, here’s what’s also doing the rounds:
Digger (2026)
“It’s possible that Digger is a little too ambitious at times, and this causes one or two bumps along the way. It’s also possible Digger is exactly what it needs to be, in order to promote discussion, good or bad, to get us all seeing and talking about this film.”
Heart of the Beast
“Not everything works in the film, and you might roll your eyes a couple of times as (lead character) James gets into scrape after scrape, after scrape, but for the most part this is an impactful adventure tale and a solid picture from director David Ayer. It’s also a perfect fit for Pitt, and demonstrates there are still interesting stories to tell which don’t need to revolve around super heroes or existing IPs.”
In the Grey (2026)
“In the Grey is an action-thriller that works from time-to-time but doesn’t work all the time. Make of this what you will.”
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Movie of the Week
Onto Movie of the Week which this week goes to Bad Apples. With a superb story, lashings of black comedy, and a brilliant performance from Saoirse Ronan, Bad Apples is the one to watch.
And if you want more from Saoirse Ronan, then check out the following movies:
- Atonement (2007) – Ronan made her breakthrough role in this romantic war tragedy about a teenager who accuses someone of a crime they did not commit.
- Lady Bird (2017) – In this coming-of-age tale, Ronan plays a high school senior who has a turbulent relationship with her mother.
- Little Women (2019) – Ronan stars amongst an ensemble of top acting talent in this retelling of the classic coming-of-age novel.
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Forthcoming attractions
And that’s your lot for this week, but coming soon Street Fighter, Clayface, and I Play Rocky. Plus, Ebenezer, Heartland, Steps, and Focker-in-Law.
And if that wasn’t enough, Arnold Schwarzenegger is back(!!) and he’s playing Santa! The movie is The Man with the Bag, and it’ll be arriving on streaming ahead of Christmas.
Alex
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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this edition of Movie Reviews 2026. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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