Meet the Critic: Katie Rife

In the Chicago Critics Film Festival’s new “Meet the Critic” series, we’re introducing our readers to some of the many talented members of our Chicago-area print, online and broadcast critics group, which celebrates the art of film and film criticism.

In today’s feature, meet Katie Rife, a freelance writer, critic, and film programmer. She was a writer for The A.V. Club from 2014-2022. When she’s not writing about film for outlets like Indiewire, IGN, and RogerEbert.com, you can find her serving on juries at Fantastic Fest and the Fantasia Film Festival, or programming the next short film horror sensation as part of her role as the shorts programmer for the Overlook Film Festival, a “celebration of all things horror” in New Orleans, LA.

Read her answers to our inaugural Meet the Critic Q&A below.

How has being based in Chicago informed your criticism? 


There's an incredible legacy of criticism in Chicago, and I've always used that as motivation to level up my own work. 

What’s a title from our line-up that you’re excited for people to see? (or a title that the festival has programmed in the past that you’ve loved)

Everyone associates me, not incorrectly, with horror and midnight movies. Sorry, Baby is neither of those things, but it's also the best movie I've seen so far this year. What Eva Victor was able to accomplish in terms of tone — and in a first feature, no less! — was extraordinary. 

 What’s a piece that you’ve written that you’re most proud of and why?

Oh boy. I've been in the criticism game for a decade now, so it's difficult to say. I will say that I was one of the first writers to review The People's Joker, and that ended up being an incredible ride. 

Follow Katie at Letterboxd, X, and Bluesky.