Plot: An Antarctic drilling station is under attack by a mysterious killer. Will anyone survive?
Runtime: 1 Hour 23 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Deep Freeze starts when a group of scientist and workers at an Antarctic drilling station come under attack. The team have arrived to complete the next stage of research, but begins seeing their number dwindle when they get attacked by the mysterious creature.
However, the differences between the team become clear and they must put them aside if they want to make it out alive. Even if the moral dilemma takes over in hopes of saving the planet too.
Verdict on Deep Freeze
Recap
The movie follows a group of researchers and workers working on a remote Antarctic base. However, they begin getting attacked by an unknown creature, which starts picking them off. It leads them into a battle to try to discover what is behind the attack.
Best Parts
The location is the one solid thing about the movie; it creates an isolated environment for the characters to operate in.
Worst Parts
In the end, this feels more like a cheap knock-off version of The Thing. It lacks the scares, the atmosphere and the creature creations. The performances don’t impress, and we are left spiralling into a forgettable movie.
Final Thoughts –Deep Freeze is a cheap The Thing Knock-Off.
Plot: Kristof, an eccentric rich kid, tricks his high school friends into getting back together for a reunion of sorts, under the pretense of a funeral. The group of twenty-somethings is forced to spend the night in an old abandoned witches’ prison. During a Ouija Board séance, the schoolmates accidentally unearth three dead executioners from their graves. A little confused, and quite a bit angry, the Crypt Keepers initiate a killing spree that will only end when everyone is dead. Fortunately, the schoolmates all wore black. Too bad it’s for their own funerals
Runtime: 1 Hour 13 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Prison of the Dead starts when Kristof (Flood) and friends Rory (Guerin), Allie (Ryan), and Michele (Mayer) head to Calvin’s (Page) funeral. However, it turns into a prank by the rich kids getting one over their friends in hopes of bringing them back together.
Meanwhile, they are not alone in the location and both sides clash over what they want. However, it is the bigger secrets for the area that cause the problems, and the evil within the walls gives them a battle to survive.
Verdict on Prison of the Dead
Recap
The movie follows a group of rich kids doing a paranormal investigation in a haunted prison. However, it goes horribly wrong, leading them down a dangerous fight against the undead.
Best Parts
The idea of a paranormal investigation goes wrong is the easy and watchable concept. We get a creepy environment throughout the movie with the storm raging during the night.
Worst Parts
The movie struggles to commit to the bigger, darker storyline, and using the ‘of the dead’ tag makes you think zombie invasion. It is not that more possession of spirits is rising; it is a little bit confusing about what they bring to life. The story takes a while getting going, which holds things back and fails to let the stars give their best performances.
Final Thoughts –Prison of the Dead is a largely dull horror.
First Reaction – Lure is a horror which lacks to pull you in past the torture games.
Director: Oliver Cox
Writer: Oliver Cox (Screenplay)
Cast
Silvia Presente
Kit Esuruoso
Joey Lockhart
Paul David-Gough
Gregory Fung
Plot: After being invited to a party by a mysterious and alluring woman, six men awake to find themselves part of a cult family’s gruesome annual tradition to find the perfect suitor.
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Lure starts when a group of men, Tom, Joe, David, Marcus, Francis and Damien are invited to a party. Islay (Presente) is hosting a surprise for the young men, but it is more than they expected. She forces the young men to play a game with twisted rules and sadistic consequences.
However, her games bring the men closer, as they begin to understand what Islay wants from them. Can they solve it before it is too late, or are they doomed to become the latest victims in her twisted games?
Verdict on Lure
Recap
The movie follows a young woman who has captured a group of young men and has begun putting them through a difficult series of tests. However, they are unsure why they have been selected and her tests begin to show a much more twisted motivation.
Best Parts
The mystery behind what is happening is the highlight of the film. Elsewhere, the performances are strong for the victims involved.
Worst Parts
In the end, this feels more like a stranger torture idea. It often feels like the violence has no real direction, the games themselves feel tame an uninteresting. Nothing does anything to make you go wow, I want to see what happens next.
Where to Watch
Lure is on UK digital 2 February from Reel2Reel Films
Final Thoughts –Lure feels more like a twisted game without enough direction.
Plot: Keith is writing a book about Countess Elizabeth Bathory and traveling through Hungary with his friends J.J. and Kim researching her life. While trying to find the monastery, he meets the gorgeous and seductive Elizabeth, who guides the trio to the place. Keith and Elizabeth fall in love for each other, and after a car accident, they have a supernatural journey with revelations and fatalities.
Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Metamorphosis starts when Keith (Sevier), Kim (Higham) and J.J. (Hollway) head to Hungary to research Countess Elizabeth Bathory. They meet a beautiful stranger (Violette) who joins them in the monastery for his research. However, the stranger turns out to be Elizabeth herself, a known vampire roaming the area.
Once Keith learns the truth, he learns the deep secrets of her place in the world. However, he is drawn into a bigger battle for control and attempts to end the curse placed on the locals for centuries.
Verdict on Metamorphosis
Recap
The movie follows a researcher wanting to explore the history of a countess in Hungary. However, he meets the person he was studying and finds himself drawn into fighting the bigger battle going on between the warring sides.
Best Parts
The environment and diving into the history is interesting and helps elevate the darker stuff committed in history. Elsewhere, the performances are solid for the movie.
Worst Parts
This doesn’t do too much new for the bigger idea of vampires from generations before. It has basic horrors but never anything which feels scary and is more action based. This could be a solid enough late-night horror.
Final Thoughts –Metamorphosis is a standard late-night horror movie.
Out of Darkness: Heavy is the Crown Vol.2- Movie Review
First Reaction – Out of Darkness: Heavy is the Crown Vol.2 is an interesting journey through history.
Where to Watch
Out of Darkness: Heavy Is The Crown Vol. 2 (VOD Release 2/3/26)
Director: Amadeuz Christ
Plot: Continue the journey of exploring the African Sacred Science Spiritual System, examining the spiritual texts of Ancient Egypt, including the Shabaka Stone, Memphite Theology, Coffin Texts, and the Book of the Coming Forth by Day, in addition to detailing the Greek and Roman conquest leading to the subsequent formation of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
Runtime: 2 Hour 14 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on Out of Darkness: Heavy is the Crown Vol.2
Recap The movie continues to explore the mythology behind the spiritual connection. It shows what has been created in modern society and how it was originally a much deeper meaning. This creates a journey through history and teaches of the meaning behind symbols, beliefs and spiritual events.
Best Parts If you want to learn more about the history of the spiritual connections and religious iconography. This is fantastic journey. It shows the importance of each and everything which happened in the past.
Worst Parts This is part two of a massive journey. There is a lot to take in which could become overwhelming for everyone to following along with. You could easily see chapters of the connections if you want to learn more, instead of every single chapter on the journey.
Final Thoughts -Out of Darkness: Heavy is the Crown Vol.2 continues the journey very well.
Out of Darkness: Heavy Is The Crown Vol. 1 – Movie Review
First Reaction – Out of Darkness: Heavy Is The Crown Vol. 1 has an interesting history into mythology.
Out of Darkness: Heavy Is The Crown Vol. 1 (VOD Release 2/3/26)
Director: Amadeuz Christ
Plot: Begin the journey of exploring Ancient Egypt (Kemet) by examining the “original mythological stories,” such as the Ausarian Drama and Judgment Scene found in the Book of the Coming Forth by Day, that have served not only as the basis for spiritual systems across the planet, but for many of the foundational concepts of western civilization and religion.
Runtime: 1 Hour 55 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on Out of Darkness: Heavy Is The Crown Vol. 1
Recap
The documentary explores the first chapter of Ancient Egypt and how the first mythological stories began to unfold. It dives into deeper meaning and explores how the stories grew to become the modern tales he knows now.
Best Parts
This is an interesting journey through the history of mythological tales which have become bigger. It will show the bigger stories we look at differently and celebrate in different ways.
Worst Parts
While this is an interesting history lesson, it doesn’t grab you in to a way where you want to see everything. It does make it the most interesting elements of the stories involved.
Final Thoughts – Out of Darkness: Heavy Is the Crown Vol. 1 has interesting stories, but they are not as engaging.
First Reaction – Love the Skin You’re In has a nice message and shows expressing feelings can bring people together.
Where to Watch
Love the Skin You’re In (TVOD Release 2/3/26)
Director: Kenn Michael
Writer: Sauda Johnson-McNeal (Screenplay)
Cast
Sauda Johnson-McNeal
Obba Babatunde
Flor Delis Alicea
Blythe Howard
Jaqueline Fleming
Plot: A successful career woman seems to have it all: compassion for others and a family legacy she’s proud to protect. But when her estranged father returns and the women’s center she runs begins to crumble, old wounds resurface. As her people-pleasing spirals, therapy helps her confront the past and find the courage to say no and choose herself.
Runtime: 1 Hour 47 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on Love the Skin You’re In
Recap
The movie follows a successful career woman whose achievements become questioned when her estranged father returns. Elsewhere, the women’s centre faces an uncertain future. With a massive opportunity coming her way, she must face her past problems to succeed.
Best Parts
The movie explores the daily struggles of face up to the previous troubles in life. It shows the bigger impacts they take on people’s lives despite their achievements. Elsewhere, we get a series of strong performances which bring the movie to the next level. Meanwhile, the strong message about understanding more complex people is important to show a higher level of patience.
Worst Parts
While the story is important battle to show how important it is to never give up on yourself is strong. It doesn’t seem to hit the bigger impact the story would like to achieve. This isn’t making it bad, it means it doesn’t stand out as much as others.
Final Thoughts –Love the Skin You’re In has a big message and shows you can achieve more by embracing your past.
How to Play Pusoy Card Game: A Guide to Suit Hierarchy and Hand Ranking
Learning how to play Pusoy card game often begins casually. A family table. A group of friends. A deck that has seen better decades.
The rules seem simple enough until someone declares, with full confidence, that the spade is obviously the highest suit.
Someone else disagrees. Loudly.
Pusoy is not difficult to learn, but it is surprisingly easy to argue about. Most disagreements do not come from hand rankings or combinations. They come from one small detail that players rarely think about until it suddenly decides a winner.
The suit hierarchy.
Understanding how suits are ranked, when they matter, and why different players follow different systems is essential if you want to play Pusoy correctly and peacefully.
The Basic Structure of the Pusoy Card Game
Before discussing suits, it helps to review the basic flow of the game.
In Pusoy, each player receives 13 cards and must arrange them into three poker hands:
A front hand with 3 cards
A middle hand with 5 cards
A back hand with 5 cards
The hands must follow this strict order:
Back hand > Middle hand > Front hand
If this order is violated, the hand is considered fouled and automatically loses.
Once all players reveal their hands, each hand is compared against the corresponding hands of other players. Points are awarded or deducted based on wins and losses across these three positions.
This structure is the foundation of the game. Suit hierarchy only enters the picture after these rules are already applied.
Hand Rankings Come First, Always
When learning how to play Pusoy card game, the first priority is understanding poker hand rankings.
These rankings determine most outcomes:
High card
One pair
Two pairs
Three of a kind
Straight
Flush
Full house
Four of a kind
Straight flush
In almost every round, the stronger hand wins regardless of suit. A full house will beat a flush. A straight will beat a pair. In these cases, suits do not matter at all.
This is why many players go through years of playing Pusoy without ever thinking about suit hierarchy.
Until two hands are equal.
When Suit Hierarchy Actually Matters
Suit ranking becomes relevant only in very specific situations.
This happens when:
Two players have the same hand type
The highest card in both hands is the same rank
The hands are otherwise identical in structure
For example:
Two Ace-high straights
Two King-high flushes
Two identical high-card hands
When card rank cannot break the tie, the suit of the highest card becomes the deciding factor.
Without an agreed-upon suit hierarchy, this moment turns into a debate instead of a decision.
This is why suit ranking, while rarely used, is critical to settle before the game begins.
Traditional Filipino Suit Ranking Explained
In many Filipino home games, especially among older players, the most common suit hierarchy is:
Diamond > Heart > Spade > Club
Under this system:
Diamonds are the highest suit
Clubs are the lowest suit
This tradition developed informally through decades of casual play and Chinese-influenced card culture. It was not written into formal rulebooks. It was passed down by experience.
In these games:
An Ace of Diamonds beats an Ace of Spades
A diamond flush beats any other flush
A straight ending in diamonds wins over the same straight in hearts or spades
For players raised with this system, the ranking feels obvious and unquestionable.
Influence of Chinese Poker and Big Two
Part of the confusion around suit hierarchy comes from Pusoy’s mixed heritage.
Pusoy is closely related to:
Chinese Poker, where suits do not have fixed rankings
Big Two (Pusoy Dos), where suits are ranked differently
In Big Two, the common hierarchy is:
Spade > Heart > Club > Diamond
In Chinese Poker, suits usually do not matter at all. Only hand combinations and card values are compared.
Because Pusoy borrows structure from both games, different communities adopted different assumptions about suit ranking.
Add regional differences and house rules, and you get a perfect recipe for disagreement.
Is There a Correct Suit Hierarchy in Pusoy?
Here is the uncomfortable truth.
There is no universally correct suit hierarchy in Pusoy.
Pusoy does not have a global governing body. There is no official international rulebook that enforces one ranking system.
The “correct” hierarchy is simply the one agreed upon before the first card is dealt.
Some tables use diamonds as the highest. Some use spades as the highest. Some ignore suits entirely unless necessary.
All of these systems are valid as long as every player follows the same rule.
In Pusoy, correctness comes from agreement, not tradition.
How Online Platforms Like GameZone Handle Suits
Modern online platforms simplify this issue by reducing the role of suit hierarchy.
In platforms like GameZone:
Card value is prioritized over suit
Most outcomes are decided purely by hand strength
Suit ranking is standardized or minimized
This approach serves two purposes:
It avoids disputes among players from different regions
It keeps gameplay predictable and easy to learn
By focusing on hand ranking first and suit ranking second, online platforms create a cleaner competitive environment where strategy matters more than tradition.
Best Practices for Avoiding Rule Disputes
The most important rule in Pusoy is not written on any card.
Clarify the suit hierarchy before the game begins.
This single habit prevents most serious arguments in casual play.
This clarification is especially important when:
Playing with people from different regions
Mixing older and younger players
Introducing beginners
Switching between online and offline play
Without this agreement:
One player arranges hands assuming diamonds are highest
Another assumes spades are highest
Both follow what they were taught
Only one is told they are wrong
By settling the hierarchy first:
No one defends their upbringing
No one accuses rule changes mid-game
The table stays calm
Good players do not rely on assumptions. They rely on agreed-upon rules.
Final Thoughts on Learning Pusoy Properly
Learning how to play Pusoy card game is not just about memorizing combinations.
It is about understanding:
Hand order
Card rankings
Suit hierarchy
And the importance of agreement
The suit hierarchy is not a hidden universal truth waiting to be discovered. It is a social convention that must be chosen, declared, and respected.
Sometimes, the smallest symbol on the card decides the biggest outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest suit in Pusoy?
In many traditional Filipino home games, the diamond is considered the highest suit, followed by hearts, spades, and clubs.
In other systems, especially those influenced by Big Two, the spade is the highest suit.
The correct suit is the one agreed upon by the table before the game begins.
Is the Ace the highest card in Pusoy?
Yes. In standard Pusoy rules, the Ace is the highest card.
An Ace outranks King, Queen, Jack, and all numbered cards. When two players both hold an Ace in identical hands, the suit of the Ace becomes the tiebreaker.
Does suit hierarchy matter in every Pusoy hand?
No.
In most rounds, suits do not matter at all. The winner is decided by hand strength long before suit ranking becomes relevant.
Suit hierarchy only matters when two hands are completely equal in both rank and card value.
Plot: A handsome stranger’s claim that a couple’s 15-year-old daughter was switched at birth throws their perfect family into turmoil, unearthing shattering secrets.
Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Stranger in My Home starts when the Mitchell family, Ali (Bush), Jeff (Johnson) and Katie (Miller) live a normal life. However, a stranger Tom (Carmack) arrives on the doorstep with surprising news. He claims Katie was swapped at birth with his daughter, and the family is thrown into chaos with the news.
When the story becomes a reality, the family is thrown into turmoil. They don’t know how to handle the change in situation or how to move forward. Elsewhere, it isn’t just the daughters in the middle of the problems; the parents have their problems too.
Verdict on The Stranger in My Home
Recap
The movie follows a family who gets torn apart by the sudden news that their teenage daughter might have been swapped at birth. However, the secrets open up bigger secrets, which can tear the family apart even more.
Best Parts
The impact of the news is interesting to see and provides the shock value to move the story along.
Worst Parts
While the impact of the first message is interesting, the insane amount of drama drags the story down. Elsewhere, the performances are not as strong as they need to be and slowly hold the movie back. This falls into a series of over-the-top unnecessary drama, which doesn’t click to the bigger impact.
Final Thoughts –The Stranger in My Home struggles to get out of first gear despite the big story.
