tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29273029251460181842024-03-25T22:13:38.601-07:00Horror Movies In The DarkMovie reviews and editorials written on the horror genre ~ by Heather Alexander (dollface)Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-54717780087405468712024-03-25T22:12:00.000-07:002024-03-25T22:12:51.683-07:00Review - Late Night With The Devil<h2 style="text-align: left;"> Late Night With The Devil (2024)</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhavxDMjL-MjamxR-mFepQtP6gvBKT4skED922njzG68xBXC0mVhhYe4BrM-0LAqQZEzIyzZMmcXvvexiPKm3oZIjTKtXJdGrS-WBbMB6pmhQW0KdsG22cKCsr_fsDb_Cc-bvRJsWhUghJYJPqdaffTM9ZY4IXWtMUi2vReTS4SnuS_IphdYSZphCtpU/s1481/late.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhavxDMjL-MjamxR-mFepQtP6gvBKT4skED922njzG68xBXC0mVhhYe4BrM-0LAqQZEzIyzZMmcXvvexiPKm3oZIjTKtXJdGrS-WBbMB6pmhQW0KdsG22cKCsr_fsDb_Cc-bvRJsWhUghJYJPqdaffTM9ZY4IXWtMUi2vReTS4SnuS_IphdYSZphCtpU/w135-h200/late.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Director:</b> Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Writer: </b>Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Stars: </b>David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where to Watch: </b>In Theaters (On Shudder in April)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Synopsis:</b> A live television broadcast in 1977 goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation's living rooms.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Thoughts: </b>It isn't often I walk away from a movie and say, "This would have been a perfect movie if only they changed this one thing". But I feel strongly about it. And it's a shame no one asked me. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There's a lot crammed into this story. It begins as kind of a 60 Minutes news profile on late night host Jack Delroy, and his show's Halloween episode that shocked the nation. The movie is both found footage and a "broadcast" of that episode. There's some questionable logistics of how they filmed the behind the scenes footage for the "found footage" elements, especially when much of it was secret conversations between various people, but hey, movie magic I guess. But for the most part, it's just a riveting, entertaining movie, that holds itself to the ins and outs of shooting a tv show, and all the breaks they have to do for "a word from our sponsor". It makes the film feel like it's on a time crunch and the clock is always ticking and you've got 30 seconds and now we're back, hello, and now for our next guest. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's not a particularly scary movie. It's got a lot of scenes that are meant to unsettle us, and they work to a degree, but nothing outright scary happens until the climax of the movie. And let me tell you, that climax, it was pretty spectacular. I guess I wanted more of that, more of that sweet, sweet carnage candy. But while it may have been brief, it's certainly memorable. There's a lot of hinting at a certain plot point throughout the movie that I thought was subtle and done pretty well. The audience gets the point. We're smart like that. But then in the climax of the movie they really just lay it all out for us, showing us scene by scene, and what a disappointment. I'd rather a movie assume its audience is smart, rather than like children that need to be guiding by a held hand. It's really my only gripe. It goes from a shocking scene that we'd all been waiting for, to a series of exposition imagery that really took me out of the zone.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When all is said and done though - it was a completely original, entertaining movie that I will no doubt watch again and again.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>4 out of 5 πs</b></div>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-37938705606098799212024-03-25T21:44:00.000-07:002024-03-25T21:44:29.962-07:00Review - You'll Never Find Me<h2 style="text-align: left;"> You'll Never Find Me (2024)</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tKGw1LNTLliWXsOzKtXP8qcDCnf2JUoAh5NMr6-yulpsHEFCu81meJc1Ek09f8Nq3Vk9FOaWzwsY_HKdZ6V1IlHTIo4OxNHgyGdRTaZBxZubiqXzA1_-a3YFsv7v4zx2zK83FB4P8aT7bcsqRkX3dnUTrQswBO7B-jTDcAJmtn64Bh7iqb94QQgzW_0/s678/youll.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="452" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tKGw1LNTLliWXsOzKtXP8qcDCnf2JUoAh5NMr6-yulpsHEFCu81meJc1Ek09f8Nq3Vk9FOaWzwsY_HKdZ6V1IlHTIo4OxNHgyGdRTaZBxZubiqXzA1_-a3YFsv7v4zx2zK83FB4P8aT7bcsqRkX3dnUTrQswBO7B-jTDcAJmtn64Bh7iqb94QQgzW_0/w133-h200/youll.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Director: </b>Josiah Allen, Indianna Bell</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Writer:</b> Indianna Bell</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Stars: </b>Brendan Rock, Jordan Cowan</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where to Watch: </b>Shudder</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Synopsis:</b> Patrick, a strange and lonely resident, lives in a mobile home at the back of an isolated trailer park. After a violent storm, a mysterious young woman appears at his door seeking shelter from the elements.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Thoughts:</b> Every scene in this movie is a meticulous, measured movement, a calculated breath, and yet I never tired of the almost slow-motion nature of the film. While I think it wants to be more mysterious than it actually is, we all know who the villain is here. It is a disappointment in humanity. A terrible ugliness dominating beauty. The lonely finding meaning in small moments of connection. Of men, never seeing the person, and only the object. This is why we are here. But it does not define us.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The air in this film is made of tension. Patrick's deep, calm Australian accent is strong and hypnotic, like an Anglerfish, guiding us into a false sense of security. Every scene here is beautiful. Every light, every look, has a purpose. There is a scene in the middle of the movie where Patrick goes outside in the storm and he stands there facing the dark, the rain and wind screaming, fierce in front of him - it is a brilliant cinematic moment. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The ending gets really weird. I feel like it's a trend with 2024 movies right now, these slow, gorgeous, layered artsy films that just end fucked up and weird as hell. You'll Never Find Me is such a film. Not as weird as many, but weird enough. It's definitely got some Wounded Fawn vibes but like, trailer park level. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>4 out of 5 π s</b></div>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-77251798936824560902024-03-20T11:15:00.000-07:002024-03-20T11:15:09.686-07:00Review - Imaginary<h2 style="text-align: left;"> Imaginary (2024)</h2><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCh-9q90TdFBb5QRxFq6lrzmsBCauv6Q37H2PzVBzCzy7kvuEObZdjEO3veeoojVPKCiOuepi_0vO6Orh1ERfKk5pdiY1cebgLELLjoqIIH4nnUQA3iBi7kc0k7yNEWCIcrMX_T8KihRWYMNyrRfnrcuXLLbly7-sWnSFoQLDzVrv-NrvXHTSSlQYbds/s5000/inagine.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="5000" data-original-width="3257" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCh-9q90TdFBb5QRxFq6lrzmsBCauv6Q37H2PzVBzCzy7kvuEObZdjEO3veeoojVPKCiOuepi_0vO6Orh1ERfKk5pdiY1cebgLELLjoqIIH4nnUQA3iBi7kc0k7yNEWCIcrMX_T8KihRWYMNyrRfnrcuXLLbly7-sWnSFoQLDzVrv-NrvXHTSSlQYbds/w130-h200/inagine.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Director: </b>Jeff Wadlow</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Writer: </b>Greg Erb, Jason Oremland, Jeff Wadlow</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Stars:</b> DeWanda Wise, Taegen Burns, Pyper Braun</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where to Watch: </b>Theater</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Synopsis: </b>A woman returns to her childhood home to discover that the imaginary friend she left behind is very real and unhappy that she abandoned him.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Tagline: </b> Meet Chauncey. He's not imaginary, and he's not your friend.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Thoughts: </b>So many thoughts. My first thought is, rather a statement actually, this is not a horror movie. I mean, if you're say, six years old, this might be a horror movie. But for any adult or teenager for that matter, this is solidly a kids movie. I'm not saying that in a snarky, "This wasn't scary enough for me!" way. I'm saying it because, this isn't scary enough for anybody. If you have children and you want to take them to a scary movie, this movie is for you. In fact, I'm not even sure why it's PG-13. Maybe there's a swear word? There was reference to drugs at one point. And a boy pees. I'm not sure how these ratings work. In fact, writer/director Jeff Wadlow cites 1982's Poltergeist as being an inspiration for this movie, and Poltergeist is rated PG and is ten times scarier than Imaginary. (I just remembered, one person does die off screen, maybe that's it.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, this teddy bear is "imaginary" but we the audience see him for almost the entire movie. There is a twist there later but, yes, the imaginary teddy bear is there. And his voice is that of the little girl whose friend he is. And they just go about their business, playing and trying to adjust to their new stepmom because og mom is mentally unstable? Sick? It's unclear. They don't talk about her even though she shows up once. Anyways, so the teddy bear, Chauncey, gets really big and scary sometimes, but that's really only reserved for the end of the movie and honestly, he looks ridiculous. They would have been better off using an actual live bear for the scary Chauncey, because real angry bears are terrifying. And angry Chauncey is ... jacked. And when the climax of the movie happens, dad, who is apparently a rock star? Has to leave and go on tour. Because we can't have a MAN around when shit goes down, because he'd like, fix everything right away and not let all the girls get in danger in the first place? It's a confusing plot point but I'm probably just overthinking it. The man is gone, we have to save ourselves. Oh shit. (moving on)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I mean, Jeff Wadlow does know how to make an actual horror movie. We can debate the merits of their quality, but in 2005 he wrote and directed Cry Wolf, in 2007, Prey. In 2018 was Truth or Dare. In 2020 was ::cough:: fantasy island. He's written and directed episodes for The Strain, and Bates Motel. So I know the dude can conjure up a kill and a scare. But I guess when you're making a movie for your six year old, you hold back...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not exactly sure how Imaginary got marketed to adults. I feel a bit bamboozled. Like the evil Hollywood men are sitting in their fancy offices with their pencil mustaches tenting their hands together under their chins and going MWAHAHAHA. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Yup, you got me. I've been got. You still made a shit movie, but I did see it so, the jokes on me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>2 out of 5 πs</b></div>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-11311846550168245972024-03-19T16:46:00.000-07:002024-03-19T17:20:26.921-07:00Review - Amelia's Children<h2 style="text-align: left;"> Amelia's Children (2024)</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRp7F9s0szmgo7TfPp0HX1iOh59JPrtwKVk__xna5-sGftpyM6K9ZZco58woLYABXf6l4_Yfzwz6W4RwCXunHamA-XZZlMAakEln57Yau2w6c3TxTg1D4Afvo87YUkqBucjR9reMTgcOSQbfgF9Sh9W6f6NqmGU-PHv4CGngOJFdDYOJN2hhhX1zciRs/s4000/amerlia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2701" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRp7F9s0szmgo7TfPp0HX1iOh59JPrtwKVk__xna5-sGftpyM6K9ZZco58woLYABXf6l4_Yfzwz6W4RwCXunHamA-XZZlMAakEln57Yau2w6c3TxTg1D4Afvo87YUkqBucjR9reMTgcOSQbfgF9Sh9W6f6NqmGU-PHv4CGngOJFdDYOJN2hhhX1zciRs/w135-h200/amerlia.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Director:</b> Gabriel Abrantes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Writer: </b>Gabriel Abrantes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Stars: </b>Brigette Lundy-Paine, Carloto Cotta, Anabela Moreira</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Where to Watch:</b> VOD</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Synopsis:</b> Edward searches for biological family in Portugal. He finds a villa and reunites with his long-lost mother and twin. But their shared past holds a dark secret that will forever change his understanding of his identity and origins.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Tagline: </b> A mother's love never dies.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Thoughts: </b>I've written three opening lines for this review so far and deleted all of them. It's obvious that I don't know where to start with this one. It's just. Well. Within minutes of watching this movie the main consensus was... what the hell is going on? And that feeling, that question, remains unanswered until the third act. The entirety of the movie was spent spouting theories - they're vampires! it's time-travel! he's possessed! she's possessed! Everything about this story was a mystery. Even the location was hard to pin down until someone said the word, Portugal. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Actor Carloto Cotta plays twin brothers Edward and Manuel. And he does it so well, each one fully their own person, with different gestures, walks, styles, accents - I honestly thought they were actual twin brothers until IMDB proved otherwise. The performances are really impressive. And Anabela Moreira, who plays the older Amelia - oh good lord. The woman is creepy with a capital C. It's hard to look at her, her beaming unashamed confidence despite the monster she's become. Bravo to the whole cast. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The movie starts off as a mystery and just keeps getting weirder the longer it plays. And it gets weeeeird. Like, so bizarre I couldn't have ever guessed what was actually happening until it was spelled out for me. Even then, after the movie was over, I rewound it to the start and watched the first ten minutes all over again. And the third act, when shit starts to really go down, there are some Ti West 'X' vibes that I was so, so happy about. Super proud of writer/director Gabriel Abrantes for getting really gross and making his audience uncomfortable and just going there. I'm here for it. Always. Give me some nasty taboo shit in my horror. Make me squeal, Noooooo! I love it. And I loved this movie. What an unexpected treat.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>4 out of 5 π s</b></div>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-55729485978821544362024-03-19T15:16:00.000-07:002024-03-19T17:17:25.989-07:00Review - The Piper<h2 style="text-align: left;"> The Piper (2024)</h2><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38eZ7c3cOyRnNfsuO6ZyDQmtckAe3P63dKGZ_c3JYohTV4hWnODBgrD9Bpf17WW-RM320I-iABofD5uLeDC6f4Wl-DqBBykBfbDQzERaXmarFDO6rD_yvGGQjS4lChBUJkTpAxtwdCgU9_x_mh3rcxxFD63KD69eRfSCB0ZMAxlgp0u366UaTACeP554/s1280/piper.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="856" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38eZ7c3cOyRnNfsuO6ZyDQmtckAe3P63dKGZ_c3JYohTV4hWnODBgrD9Bpf17WW-RM320I-iABofD5uLeDC6f4Wl-DqBBykBfbDQzERaXmarFDO6rD_yvGGQjS4lChBUJkTpAxtwdCgU9_x_mh3rcxxFD63KD69eRfSCB0ZMAxlgp0u366UaTACeP554/w134-h200/piper.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><div><br /></div><b>Director:</b> Erlingur Thoroddsen<div><b>Writer:</b> Erlingur Thoroddsen</div><div><b>Stars:</b> Charlotte Hope, Julian Sands, Alexis Rodney<div><div><b>Where to Watch: </b>VOD</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Synopsis:</b> When a composer is tasked with finishing her late mentor's concerto, she soon discovers that playing the music summons deadly consequences, leading her to uncover the disturbing origins of the melody and an evil that has awakened.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Tagline:</b> A Deadly Tune</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Thoughts: </b>I'm not really into music horror, neither in books nor in film. Usually the story revolves around Metal or Rock and for some reason "the devil" is always involved. I guess it's a crossroads trope that has been regurgitated in one form or another for as long as storytelling has existed. But The Piper leans more into the folklore than into the "evil music", which is classical, and more haunting than the usual fare. I'm unfamiliar with the piper folklore, but it was scary in that familiar way, like The Brothers Grimm, stealing children because the adults are terrible people and must pay for being such. And the monster is the scariest kind, not obvious and in your face but instead made of shadows and fiery light with no voice but a simple focused purpose of destruction and revenge. </div><div><br /></div><div>One of the biggest complaints I have about the film is that the main child, Zoe, is supposed to be hearing impaired, and yet they used an actress that was not. The actress that played Zoe, Aoibhe O'Flanagan, played the role well, but I can't help but wonder if they couldn't have employed a child who really did wear a hearing aid and who really did know how to read music through vibrations. More and more filmmakers make an effort to fill roles using actors that are authentic to the culture/race/gender/sexual orientation, etc. portrayed in their film. But I so often don't see the same effort when it comes to impaired or disabled roles. ::stepping off the soapbox::</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Bottom line is, if you're looking for a moody folklore horror with some cool atmosphere, this one will do quite well.</div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 out of 5 πs</b></div><div><br /></div>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-27652441696011361302024-03-19T11:35:00.000-07:002024-03-19T17:15:42.477-07:00Review - Stopmotion<h2 style="text-align: left;"> Stopmotion (2024)</h2><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurEBTlzOD1TtCPo8PGkNAVnUR7bfcyFaqJqwYP_1IHSCOcGWWb16DNPq1hJ0RdyY6422v9JD7WPzb6Yr0Z2nDaCThqkqkvRkyCf8nuxTk8aNEQDqzv07M5MeXNjik3OMi9eJ8SvwvN2ml_rkAZEj5M45DfHav4cnV2wplyFPMAynphq8fwhEpBey1hbs/s1469/stopmotion.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1469" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurEBTlzOD1TtCPo8PGkNAVnUR7bfcyFaqJqwYP_1IHSCOcGWWb16DNPq1hJ0RdyY6422v9JD7WPzb6Yr0Z2nDaCThqkqkvRkyCf8nuxTk8aNEQDqzv07M5MeXNjik3OMi9eJ8SvwvN2ml_rkAZEj5M45DfHav4cnV2wplyFPMAynphq8fwhEpBey1hbs/w136-h200/stopmotion.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><p><b>Director: </b>Robert Morgan<br /><b>Writer: </b>Robin King, Robert Morgan<br /><b>Stars: </b>Aisling FranciosiStella Gonet<br /><b>Where to Watch:</b> VOD (on Shudder in April)</p><p><b>Synopsis: </b>A stop-motion animator struggles to control her demons after the loss of her overbearing mother.</p><p><b>Tagline:</b> Bring Your Nightmares To Life</p><p><b>Thoughts: </b>I'm not super versed in stop motion live action films. I've seen a handful of Harryhausen movies, and Mad God when it was finally released a few years ago. But this, this was something. A bizarre, brilliant, original film full of metaphor and allegory. With themes of trauma, loss, creativity, and (horrible) self discovery, there's a lot of unpacking to be done here. But among all of that is a captivating, gross, suspenseful, and creative story, trying to make its way in the world. And make its way it does - kicking and screaming and oozing blood and slime.</p><p>This is the kind of movie that, if you don't watch it sober and alert, you're going to miss a lot. I did this film the disservice of watching it as my second viewing, a little late at night, and a bit buzzed on wine and smoke. By the time the credits were rolling I was like - what? What the hell just happened? The next morning I rewatched the last thirty minutes while drinking my coffee. It cleared up (almost) nothing.</p><p>There is not a time in this film that it is not unsettling. Many horror movies start out bright and normal and it's not until forty minutes in that we see the normalcy devolve into horror. But in Stopmotion, the world that our main character lives in from the very beginning, is a bleak one. And it just keeps getting darker, and darker, until it swallows her whole. And us along with her.</p><p><b>5 out of 5 πs</b></p><p><br /></p>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-79030917370458969882024-03-19T10:34:00.000-07:002024-03-19T17:12:47.082-07:00Review - The Seeding<h2 style="text-align: left;"> The Seeding (2024)</h2><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTe9Gnwo5WH53aZrYtM-DkB5s3_W6uTaNbui87a-xfSHmeOmPfUoUgjfvbDIzyVEkxc0J-X2LWQazCSEuSRoTm6zmeaBrgK3u3Q8Fk4sbTkhgqwNVG_HCLoLKtBNV1bt3LPC87ouNZglVj0c1v5eVfulQwShjg0Xh1Vqx5jXTtE7BxNBboMUzdKYq4UA/s2963/seeding.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2963" data-original-width="2000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTe9Gnwo5WH53aZrYtM-DkB5s3_W6uTaNbui87a-xfSHmeOmPfUoUgjfvbDIzyVEkxc0J-X2LWQazCSEuSRoTm6zmeaBrgK3u3Q8Fk4sbTkhgqwNVG_HCLoLKtBNV1bt3LPC87ouNZglVj0c1v5eVfulQwShjg0Xh1Vqx5jXTtE7BxNBboMUzdKYq4UA/w135-h200/seeding.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Director: </b>Clay Barbaby<br /><b>Writer: </b>Clay Barnaby<br /><b>Stars: </b>Scott Haze, Kate Lyn Sheil<br /><b>Where to Watch:</b> VOD</div><p><b>Synopsis: </b>A man finds himself trapped in a desert canyon with a woman living off-grid who is captive to a pack of sadistic boys.</p><p><b>Thoughts: </b>As a horror movie aficionado I subject myself to all kinds of horrific scenarios. I think part of the fun is determining what I would do if I was in the situation that these poor, unlucky folks are that I'm watching on screen. Being stalked by a killer? Kill him first! Being haunted in a house? Burn that house down! I kid, but you know exactly what I mean. We all do it. We sit in our safe homes and yell at the tv, instructing those unsuspecting victims exactly what we think they should do to survive. </p><p>But watching this movie? I had nothing. This guy is stuck at the bottom of a giant canyon with a woman living in a shack house. He was led there by design. And he is kept there by a dozen or so feral boys. It was a very unsettling watch, me feeling as trapped as the man whose life as he knew it was just taken away from him, with no hopes of escape. But I kept rooting for him. Build a ladder! Make some climbing shoes! Find a cave! But sometimes fucked it just fucked.</p><p>The whole movie is essentially a two-person show in one location. It would make a really compelling, stage play, you know, for twisted people like me. I do love plays but not many of them are created for the horror-loving audience. </p><p>The "twist" is revealed in the second act but it's not much of a twist. It's a movie that we've all seen a dozen times but we just haven't seen it done <i>this way</i>. The third act imagery is just fantastic. It really goes from quiet and unsettling to full on fucked. And the last shot of the film - *chef's kiss*. </p><p><b>4 out of 5 πs</b></p>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-85468064176450778572024-02-25T18:47:00.000-08:002024-02-25T18:50:18.773-08:00Review - Departing Seniors<h2 style="text-align: left;"> Departing Seniors (2024)</h2><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVhxTuHXXvWc5NjcrycnknveZ4YvMHPdizuH4bwbSFt6c3bs08bC3Pt7zdQz-v0FSYSJYuZ3PTYdttema8dVmLnyq-SbwOeUrxlpWmLhx7ndzmDLTKgoZqNZQt1qoJS9hG6thoSd0m57MLQNkqaqjWzxRDB6OBSU7ES8TAGLnD3rUnmFsF9gV7YIlpD8/s1481/departing.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVhxTuHXXvWc5NjcrycnknveZ4YvMHPdizuH4bwbSFt6c3bs08bC3Pt7zdQz-v0FSYSJYuZ3PTYdttema8dVmLnyq-SbwOeUrxlpWmLhx7ndzmDLTKgoZqNZQt1qoJS9hG6thoSd0m57MLQNkqaqjWzxRDB6OBSU7ES8TAGLnD3rUnmFsF9gV7YIlpD8/w135-h200/departing.jpg" width="135" /></a></p><p><b>Director:</b> Clare Cooney<br /><b>Writer:</b> Jose Nateras<br /><b>Stars: </b>Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, Yani Gellman, Ireon Roach<br /><b>Where to Watch:</b> VOD</p><p><b>Synopsis: </b>Following an act of bullying, witty high school senior Javier develops psychic abilities which he must use to stop a mysterious serial killer targeting his classmates.<br /><br /><b>Thoughts: </b>Based on the trailer alone, I didn't have terribly high hopes for this high school slasher, which is great news because that meant that my expectations didn't have far to fall. Here's the deal - I really liked these characters. A gay Mexican-American boy with razor-sharp wit and his insightful, brave black girl bff, fighting off bullies and catching a serial killer? Hell yeah. Actors Ignacio Diaz-Silverio and Ireon Roach bring charisma and heart to these characters, which is honestly the only reason to stick around these 90 minutes. Otherwise, the kills are weak and few, and the mystery of who the killer is really isn't a mystery at all if you've seen any slasher movie, ever. The added element of newly obtained psychic abilities after suffering from a fall, feels unnecessary and clunky. I can see this movie working under different circumstances. Up the kills, up the gore, get creative and give us an unexpected killer. There's plenty of slashers making a name for themselves these days, this just won't be one of them.</p><p><b>2.5 out of 5 πs</b></p>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-12321542032179765122024-02-25T14:10:00.000-08:002024-02-25T14:20:52.305-08:00Review - Lovely, Dark, and Deep<h2 style="text-align: left;"> Lovely, Dark, and Deep (2024)</h2><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMUVkbvcf62-NqZdUkk8VI2FlLOa9_q5H-bFVzdlg3XXOYUTkaOCujTzA7uFGlIR-EzQU6McsPpsFHEhhOYCIJsoyePpKimTHZDEbxUSpcEeT93sBdeVvCjosWOUqmS-4fQ3ZQwq9omUaFpc7-Owpl9xCqMIz4K3ZuEt_Iu3z_0G343Vi7mo2Ief_atk/s3000/lovely.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMUVkbvcf62-NqZdUkk8VI2FlLOa9_q5H-bFVzdlg3XXOYUTkaOCujTzA7uFGlIR-EzQU6McsPpsFHEhhOYCIJsoyePpKimTHZDEbxUSpcEeT93sBdeVvCjosWOUqmS-4fQ3ZQwq9omUaFpc7-Owpl9xCqMIz4K3ZuEt_Iu3z_0G343Vi7mo2Ief_atk/w133-h200/lovely.jpg" width="133" /></a></p><p><b>Director: </b>Teresa Sutherland<br /><b>Writer: </b>Teresa Sutherland<br /><b>Stars: </b>Georgina Campbell, Nick Blood, Wai Ching Ho<br /><b>How to Watch:</b> VOD</p><p><b>Synopsis: </b>Lennon, a new back-country ranger, travels alone through the dangerous wilderness, hoping to uncover the origins of a tragedy that has haunted her since she was a child.</p><p><b>Thoughts:</b> The woods are a terrifying place. And I grew up surrounded by them - living in a large, (slightly haunted?) house in the middle of the woods in the 1980s. My childhood was spent camping in the woods, walking in the woods, playing hide & seek in the woods at night. And despite the woods being a constant presence in my life, I've always had a respectful fear of them. Of the secrets they keep. Of the power of nature. Of knowing that, regardless of having a native american heritage, that the woods aren't a place where people belong. And I still believe that now, as an adult, more than ever.</p><p>Writer/Director Teresa Sutherland (writer of the 2018 historical horror film, The Wind, which I loved) creates a psychological nightmare using the woods as a place *not* to get lost in. Our main character, actress Georgina Campbell, who has become somewhat of a scream queen as of late, starring in Barbarian, Bird Box: Barcelona, and this year's T.I.M. (a Megan ripoff?), delivers a bit of a subdued performance as a park ranger who gets lost and stumbles into a super trippy alternate world (? unclear), full of body horror and ghosts and hallucinations of her past. </p><p>This ultra slow-burn of a film was a very compelling watch. The cinematography is gorgeous. The shots of the woods aren't gloomy and creepy but instead bright and welcoming and beautiful. But even with the beauty you can feel the claustrophobia of being so small within the endless expanse of the outdoors. Much like viewing a scuba diver in the immensity of the ocean. And the auditory element! Lots of crunching leaves and birds and wind. Which are all used in the normal space of being in nature, until it's then used against your senses and then the nature noises become unsettling and malicious. You can feel the "other shoe" hovering above your head, waiting for it to drop and clobber you. And clobber it does. The film takes an unexpected turn into the weird, into the really fucking weird, and while I was absolutely there for it, I didn't know what the hell was going on. Doing a deep dive Google of the movie, it looks like no one who has watched this movie had any clue what it was about, which makes me feel somewhat better. So this review will end much like the one I wrote for Monolith - was it aliens? was is The Woods? Was it an alternate dimension? I have my theories but they feel about as solid as quicksand. But ultimately this was an interesting watch full of looming dread, and once the weird wraps up, it's got a satisfying though open-ended conclusion that I thought was clever and kind of brave.</p><p><b>3 out of 5 πs</b></p><p><br /></p>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-44275417246351018642024-02-21T10:19:00.000-08:002024-02-21T10:22:00.914-08:00Review - Stranger in the Woods<h2 style="text-align: left;"> Stranger in the Woods (2024)</h2><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3HnARsYC4zqrpMi0ILGPPuAc-r_2dtvIxqZQ7cUDskO2Tk-PmoD68G2T___a66qVUSV253_2k3p2o8JeG5fYlQpL4rR-xq315QxLzbAlEAw5LQtCDKEdkBnItBCjMs7E_NzbCiqydtpofcsZq1Pz9KzyBb30Py2el096I6I03U6WskwufbaJAja8Eug/s1481/stranger.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3HnARsYC4zqrpMi0ILGPPuAc-r_2dtvIxqZQ7cUDskO2Tk-PmoD68G2T___a66qVUSV253_2k3p2o8JeG5fYlQpL4rR-xq315QxLzbAlEAw5LQtCDKEdkBnItBCjMs7E_NzbCiqydtpofcsZq1Pz9KzyBb30Py2el096I6I03U6WskwufbaJAja8Eug/w135-h200/stranger.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Director: </b>Adam Newacheck</div><div><b>Writer: </b>Holly Kenney</div><div><b>Stars:</b> Holly Kenney, Brendin Brown, Paris Nicole</div><div><b>How to Watch:</b> VOD</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Synopsis:</b> Stranger in the Woods follows Olivia and her friends as they go on a vacation. After Olivia nearly drowns with a slit wrist in her bathtub after her fiancΓ©'s funeral, her friends suspect that she tried to kill herself, but she believes someone attacked her.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Thoughts:</b> Remember those early 00's horror movies that felt like they still had one foot in the '90s and the other foot in what they thought was a new idea? Well, this is that movie but twenty years later. This makes for a somewhat nostalgic-feeling movie that plays out exactly like you thought it would.</div><div><br /></div><div>Holly Kenney wrote and starred in her own horror movie. Which is awesome. What a dream! But the problem is she's not the greatest actress. This low-budget, grungy little thriller, and I'm going to call it a thriller, could have benefited from some serious talent as the main actress. Holly is good enough. She is. But she looks like she was snagged from the mall as a thirty-something ex-goth girl who hasn't moved on with her life. The story is extremely basic and the twist ending is one that you can see coming from the start. The most menacing thing about this movie is the cover art. Only a couple people die in this and not in a particularly interesting way. If this were the '90s, this would have gone straight to being a midnight movie on basic cable and wouldn't have seen VHS light of day maybe ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>Was it a fun movie? Not particularly. And it wasn't even bad in that unwatchable way that tends to happen with contemporary low-budget films. It was fine. A passable excuse for a movie attempting to be horror but missing its mark and instead being a basic thriller warning us about male toxicity. Thanks, we got the memo a few decades ago. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>2 out of 5 π s</b></div>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-57109344678868509562024-02-19T14:21:00.000-08:002024-02-19T14:21:59.633-08:00Review: Monolith<h2 style="text-align: left;"><b> Monolith (2024)</b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFsXsmaRvNhhDnv3qtSSPc23gVy2HybonKs1m9PBALfx8JG3255RRBi7oI4RTF6AceI6Ir2BAJgLzzlrFoOK98e-tVvPbz0SQE0zI9NcPGngV8MW2IIesGZmXIP97bkiiSMv7cSMwvOxz6mlYKe3fiX38ZBkmew5TCRV8-sSRwdmujpIBETbBtnWgEZY/s273/monlith.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="185" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFsXsmaRvNhhDnv3qtSSPc23gVy2HybonKs1m9PBALfx8JG3255RRBi7oI4RTF6AceI6Ir2BAJgLzzlrFoOK98e-tVvPbz0SQE0zI9NcPGngV8MW2IIesGZmXIP97bkiiSMv7cSMwvOxz6mlYKe3fiX38ZBkmew5TCRV8-sSRwdmujpIBETbBtnWgEZY/s1600/monlith.jpeg" width="185" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Director: </b>Matt Vesely</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Writer: </b>Lucy Campbell</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Stars: </b>Lily Sullivan, Ling Cooper, TangAnsuya Nathan</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>How to Watch:</b> VOD</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Synopsis: </b>A headstrong journalist whose investigative podcast uncovers a strange artifact, an alien conspiracy, and the lies at the heart of her own story.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Thoughts:</b> Lily Sullivan carries this monolithic Australian sci-fi thriller on her lone shoulders as a one-woman show. You may remember her from last year's Evil Dead: Rise as the badass sister, Beth, who battles the dead and saves who she can. Her role here is the complete opposite of the horror movie action hero she portrayed then, but it's no less compelling, as almost the entire movie is just her velvety, slightly gravely voice and close-ups of her talking into a microphone. Trust me, it's riveting. It's a podcast movie about an other-worldly black brick that shows up in people's lives and impacts them in various ways. Our main character is interviewing people who have had these bricks, and trying to unravel the mystery behind them for her new podcast job, Beyond Believable. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Director Matt Vesely shoots the entire film in sort of a crisp achromatic gloom that matches the misty countryside that the clean-lined sprawling estate is surrounded by. The whole film feels like some ASMR experiment that tickles not only your ears, but your eyes as well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The movie creates many paths that it never actually goes down. It touches on government conspiracies, aliens, word-of-mouth illnesses, pandemics creating global mental illness, and more. You could say that the movie doesn't have focus but I saw it more that when you're investigating a mystery, you're going to have a lot of wild theories until it all unravels into that one truth. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm not going to lie, as the third act begins its climb into the climatic ending, I kind of lost the thread a bit. The ending is something to behold and while there is no clear mapping of how we got there, it's a delight to theorize about. Is it an allegory for secrets? Lies? Mental Illness? Or is it all just aliens? I think it's up to us to decide what that black brick means, I've drawn my own conclusions. Give it a watch and tell me yours. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>3 out of 5 πs</b></div></div><p><br /></p>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-65973355152445521282024-01-08T15:53:00.000-08:002024-01-08T16:57:30.214-08:002023 Best Horror of the Year<p> <b>2023 was a good year. </b>It was a busy year - both professionally and personally. But somehow I managed to fit in 115 new horror movies. And yet, it never seems like enough. There are still movies I missed - though mostly those little indie movies released toward the end of the year, like Raging Grace, Loop Track, and Everyone Will Burn. I still haven't seen The Nun 2. Or Satanic Hispanics. And a dozen more, that were never checked off my list. Aside from a very poor run in October, this year was an incredibly solid year for horror - both with the mainstream offerings and the indie gems. The year kicked off with Skinamarink and The Outwaters, and I thought, oh hell - people got weird in 2020 and this year is going to be one for experimental horror. Which isn't a complaint but something to brace for. And while I *appreciated* Skinamarink, I despised The Outwaters. The only other film that may fit into that experimental category would be Enys Men. A strange but pleasant movie with a bizarre ending. Out of the 115 new movies watched this year, I liked all but 25 of them. One could say I'm not a very picky movie-goer but I would say that I'm a very forgiving viewer. I rate a movie based on the experience I had while watching it - and not because it was "good" or "bad". Of which there are many, but that's not my rating system. So, let's cut the chitchat and get on with the show. In loose viewing order from oldest to newest -</p><h2>Sick</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGE0oCIkEonsgTr1NKxkv5IOuuYYJHHTmvvtjieZqe7ZkwVkzak4NRFTZ4rbrNuVHqsHI3tr2nwJcQsOEHBXIMtUK7wTDcKDt-BZZdccex_K3qwSUl0TFkddJCnVvwNMwTHVAoqxNtIY7Kz-7ODi99qPZvhtWUDx-n6jvEn0OL4f_eGQbp_iV6Xypes8/s281/sick.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="190" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGE0oCIkEonsgTr1NKxkv5IOuuYYJHHTmvvtjieZqe7ZkwVkzak4NRFTZ4rbrNuVHqsHI3tr2nwJcQsOEHBXIMtUK7wTDcKDt-BZZdccex_K3qwSUl0TFkddJCnVvwNMwTHVAoqxNtIY7Kz-7ODi99qPZvhtWUDx-n6jvEn0OL4f_eGQbp_iV6Xypes8/w135-h200/sick.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><p>Though a little late to the game as far as Covid pandemic movies are concerned, despite its tired topic, it turned out to be a fun slasher anyways. Call me a softy for a masked killer chasing people around with giant kitchen knives, but in a world dominated by supernatural horror, this really hit the spot. It was also directed by John Hyams, a director that made one of my favorite horror films of 2020, Alone, and written by none other than Kevin Williamson - the father of the Scream franchise.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Unwelcome</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxs9lOv-Z5UlYO6FjeLjcQLWp5rdukJ_kLRj6DbaaNbeHkW_7QtnrjPqipDEnPbE-QDQrlfBeMTl7gAxs7tmf-a0uunBZuoCEQGPY85jJUsL9stN80IF2O_cAgTLQCjZ1QKyC_Xs0oGvGLeUPVzCUx9KOAcdeZQLbuQCSqx8HrfDXdRwDhJ0z4JRPPv4/s1507/unwelcome.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1507" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxs9lOv-Z5UlYO6FjeLjcQLWp5rdukJ_kLRj6DbaaNbeHkW_7QtnrjPqipDEnPbE-QDQrlfBeMTl7gAxs7tmf-a0uunBZuoCEQGPY85jJUsL9stN80IF2O_cAgTLQCjZ1QKyC_Xs0oGvGLeUPVzCUx9KOAcdeZQLbuQCSqx8HrfDXdRwDhJ0z4JRPPv4/w133-h200/unwelcome.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><p>Set in Ireland this gory, gruesome little number is a fresh take on the "red cap" goblin folklore. The movie plays with themes of who the real villains are here, humans or these devilish goblins, and I daresay the answer is both. </p><h2>Megan</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4CwAUeStwA3HANF7FuoCqNvC-xebkBUDa_5EbDJJoApYmym_Lnl-8tna5oNuBRQemuapHvskU4k24j1ZccgLev8VE2voECKJy8yg8Tqg2k7rfodtHvyHQIcMdPBDxIY6rZfC_tHqLV5jhalxwF4dPCcjsnr9GGGVHr_fRnjltIjxToe-v_TfWVoOHTE/s755/m3gan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="477" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4CwAUeStwA3HANF7FuoCqNvC-xebkBUDa_5EbDJJoApYmym_Lnl-8tna5oNuBRQemuapHvskU4k24j1ZccgLev8VE2voECKJy8yg8Tqg2k7rfodtHvyHQIcMdPBDxIY6rZfC_tHqLV5jhalxwF4dPCcjsnr9GGGVHr_fRnjltIjxToe-v_TfWVoOHTE/w126-h200/m3gan.jpg" width="126" /></a></div><p>I'm still not sure if I genuinely love M3gan or simply find its ridiculousness to be irresistible. I guess both can be true. Regardless I've watched it twice now and both times I found myself still having loads of fun, which frankly is the highest quality in which I measure how a horror film ranks with me. </p><h2>Baby Ruby</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeq24dye01ZY4YELVk5OMfjOOjKVUqNghaMH-OwYxc0A85lmnABhDf_mPdvscjHMF8Ii6H3yw9Uf0E-5-EMeSN_WfKthH6CSRE94HjIeTMcxBilgXCDz0kQzH7mHsa1uaBJvKLyaDbjXSITbgTlCQdo1bOKgAnMYhRIhmdmVR037WB-OUmCbqYA8hbcs/s465/baby%20ruby.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeq24dye01ZY4YELVk5OMfjOOjKVUqNghaMH-OwYxc0A85lmnABhDf_mPdvscjHMF8Ii6H3yw9Uf0E-5-EMeSN_WfKthH6CSRE94HjIeTMcxBilgXCDz0kQzH7mHsa1uaBJvKLyaDbjXSITbgTlCQdo1bOKgAnMYhRIhmdmVR037WB-OUmCbqYA8hbcs/w133-h200/baby%20ruby.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><p>An allegorical horror movie about postpartum depression that uses paranoia and gaslighting as devices to tell a rather effective, sinister tale of a woman who quickly loses her grip on what is real and what is not, after the birth of her child. I'm still unsure about the weird twist of an ending but I do know that this movie had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.</p><h2>The Pope's Exorcist</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWodVVuxYP6HxBUkwBk_z8UzlFA6g4LVnnwcXOP_ygUDI1AM-JdJYzOeX41FC1y423OASRwDve41_ho1WIhnq0fRbztOmIgHod3Kv5dEayzaSzB0T1CjmLaAcNolof-1ZzSgwIWLKwnzYdp-3amvsR4xuwEpxRb5IEaLIQGO7TM3TDCqIU6tDEgE3ImsU/s750/pope's.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWodVVuxYP6HxBUkwBk_z8UzlFA6g4LVnnwcXOP_ygUDI1AM-JdJYzOeX41FC1y423OASRwDve41_ho1WIhnq0fRbztOmIgHod3Kv5dEayzaSzB0T1CjmLaAcNolof-1ZzSgwIWLKwnzYdp-3amvsR4xuwEpxRb5IEaLIQGO7TM3TDCqIU6tDEgE3ImsU/w133-h200/pope's.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><p>My interest in this was so low that I literally turned off its trailer a minute in and declared, "nope. looks terrible." And I would have gone without seeing it too, if not for a friend's interest and proactive rental. So I sat there, mildly judging Russell Crowe's Italian accent, until something strange happened. I started enjoying it. And in fact, the movie kept subverting my expectations turn after turn, right up until the batshit crazy ending that I definitely did not see coming. The conclusion? Hell yeah, that shit was awesome. </p><div><h2>Fear</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0bY093ZAIwUS7QskPk_PDAWMp2vZiEMO0gPYeJ5ceAyDClHIdLGr4syw5EWZQMDhtu0nZ3ZeuWQcmvGJFHT5n2gSNUXL0dtRaatVZFb4uQ44voDeGl__MyzBs0pPnd_kYzOWNo-y9WGE9b0KRkWN6MD97wh0wVMEcSE1zvXR-PZx3LuF5kyP8IparSo/s207/fear.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="140" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0bY093ZAIwUS7QskPk_PDAWMp2vZiEMO0gPYeJ5ceAyDClHIdLGr4syw5EWZQMDhtu0nZ3ZeuWQcmvGJFHT5n2gSNUXL0dtRaatVZFb4uQ44voDeGl__MyzBs0pPnd_kYzOWNo-y9WGE9b0KRkWN6MD97wh0wVMEcSE1zvXR-PZx3LuF5kyP8IparSo/w125-h200/fear.jpg" width="125" /></a></div><p>As previously stated, I measure a horror movie by how much fun I had watching it. Elevated horror is great, and I definitely can get behind all those fancy pants "great" horror movies. But sometimes love is in the eyes of the beholder, which brings us to Fear. Not a great horror movie, but a fun one. And it checked a lot of boxes for me. Vacation horror. Isolated horror. Hotel horror. Burial ground horror. Pandemic horror. Not to mention its predominately black cast, which is still a rarity in the horror genre and like everything else, support the things you want to see more of in this world.</p><h2>The Blackening</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWI1u4tmJjLp0BIYL2VJI0l4LU5duESXw7r-VGqHvOKt-W5cdbyeCIAPqBXDhOztWwXAKyhnuNWvKfQN3eJqZr4NKkCFtPAt5G3quMn8-kmTcdpLOr9tO7g5g7YoY7znyMt_YPmBy9IjMx_1YvFCj2nEL33ElbflqXyWDd2O82o84tBiN20B4z5i2zCnM/s281/blackening.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="190" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWI1u4tmJjLp0BIYL2VJI0l4LU5duESXw7r-VGqHvOKt-W5cdbyeCIAPqBXDhOztWwXAKyhnuNWvKfQN3eJqZr4NKkCFtPAt5G3quMn8-kmTcdpLOr9tO7g5g7YoY7znyMt_YPmBy9IjMx_1YvFCj2nEL33ElbflqXyWDd2O82o84tBiN20B4z5i2zCnM/w128-h200/blackening.jpg" width="128" /></a></div><p>Speaking of all black casts. Damn, I loved this movie. I'm not one for the "Scary Movie" kind of horror comedy, so I was a little dubious going in. But thankfully the tongue-in-cheek style humor is at a minimum, or at least done with enough elegance that I wasn't eye-rolling. Instead I felt like it was more just a straight up horror comedy with some really effective scary killers and a creepy "play the game or die" element. I kind of saw the end coming, which I don't hold against it, but I saw all those '80s whodunit slashers too and yeah, no shocker there. Consider the journey and not the destination. Can't wait for this one to be streaming for a rewatch. </p><h2>Clock</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhHg2DZxgVTDmKk11A2W_nOMNeqy77x0PDDTsscSofBxHqJ1_zIuNChloXYJwCF7wX7_jjogHfygB7rccP-uzG0Q8LcT_fIirunU59H9IDGlXMhqjEBdKQ-P2rr2ozHxmhFfnn83z012ttqCklLh56WO_CFjlF1UwFsi3o4CZUcrmSS2ZOsK8nwWB3vQ/s1000/clock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhHg2DZxgVTDmKk11A2W_nOMNeqy77x0PDDTsscSofBxHqJ1_zIuNChloXYJwCF7wX7_jjogHfygB7rccP-uzG0Q8LcT_fIirunU59H9IDGlXMhqjEBdKQ-P2rr2ozHxmhFfnn83z012ttqCklLh56WO_CFjlF1UwFsi3o4CZUcrmSS2ZOsK8nwWB3vQ/w137-h200/clock.jpg" width="137" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This is a devastating horror movie with a heavy social commentary and hot damn was it excellent. The tension runs high the entire time and while I was waiting with bated breath for the other shoe to drop, when it did I was not expecting it to be what it was. There's some disturbing imagery in this that will haunt me for a long while. Not sure if this will hit as hard with male audiences as it will with women, but I will be recommending this one to everyone.</div><div><br /></div><div><h2>Scream VI</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOYWE0OXAl6uRzroKD5QnQOcLXjWQvxsxI3qdMgLU9l1UHwxNZFx7PmSZYlxjseonxLWzSI9ZoZ13xEBzbXd2SOf9k8ZMJFZH4AoGf9r3ZSfU8rjeWwpKvVXOooBgSLLrgaQQ83KVRMD0BVM4VFbYY3fYQ0FkEnrRxL5dEqnMB1IvaQ6sPvD5Efqfw2o/s273/scream.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOYWE0OXAl6uRzroKD5QnQOcLXjWQvxsxI3qdMgLU9l1UHwxNZFx7PmSZYlxjseonxLWzSI9ZoZ13xEBzbXd2SOf9k8ZMJFZH4AoGf9r3ZSfU8rjeWwpKvVXOooBgSLLrgaQQ83KVRMD0BVM4VFbYY3fYQ0FkEnrRxL5dEqnMB1IvaQ6sPvD5Efqfw2o/w143-h200/scream.jpeg" width="143" /></a></div><p>Full disclosure, I seriously disliked 2022's Scream requel. I am a huge fan of the franchise, it is in fact my favorite franchise, and when I saw '22's Scream in the theater I was like, what the fuck is this. They killed the essence of the franchise. Where's the humor? Why is it so dark and violent and the legacy cast is barely in it. And then I watched it again and disliked it a little less. And then I went to the theater to see Scream VI and omg, standing ovation in my heart. They stopped having one foot in the old franchise and one in the new and instead fully committed to this new Scream vision. Taking it out of Woodsboro, not having Sidney Prescott appear, being super stabby with a whole lot of red herrings and gruesome death scenes, and creating a mildly psychologically imbalanced "star", setting her up to be a possible future killer, yeah they really leaned into the new era of the franchise. And I am here for it.</p><h2>Evil Dead Rise </h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcB3qIX-mpzSmmtNFgNPaZ4f4JxUZMWIpu3IZJaE1_DSiB9NxhFyBbHRIGzNzRzpkxFwCqFdGw2XTIOic_-D6mT7kkpjwl-ulKUXovWMUl-scdPuVpnqd2I0YteYnQl829a4oDQLZKrRRmgjmSgFFRKrOAQcNuiPUZuatIq87jASUuKyeDbSsyc0CiBg/s948/Evil_Dead_Rise_(film,_2023).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcB3qIX-mpzSmmtNFgNPaZ4f4JxUZMWIpu3IZJaE1_DSiB9NxhFyBbHRIGzNzRzpkxFwCqFdGw2XTIOic_-D6mT7kkpjwl-ulKUXovWMUl-scdPuVpnqd2I0YteYnQl829a4oDQLZKrRRmgjmSgFFRKrOAQcNuiPUZuatIq87jASUuKyeDbSsyc0CiBg/w135-h200/Evil_Dead_Rise_(film,_2023).jpg" width="135" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>Okay, the trailer alone had me. And I'm a huge fan of the 2013 reboot. But holy shit. I did not see this coming. Ya'll it was SO AWESOME. Gritty, horrific, heart crushing, bloody, legitimately scary. Dare I say, shocking. Yes. I want my horror movies so hardcore that I literally have to peak through my fingers to watch it. (though admittedly Terrifier 2 was a bridge too far in some scenes) Evil Dead Rise, cinematically, is gorgeous. The characters are quirky and feel real. The apartment building feels like yet another monster to survive. That elevator scene!!! Beat after beat, this movie is perfection.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Bad Girl Boogey</span></b></h2><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5SOCn1quO989vB-2_f1AcZZd3vNq1mbeT3t25-uQxbcZ6QbJySJ-TkBiJLAsn79edVwwdo10TIqInAsQL66ncnKlTrT_IWjtjuf7G1_iI5CccdKPp9M9gOiBa3GuWI_ayoWo2xTm1fPqDLboU_bKUH4w_lm8hcPvGGahvO7HJGSK-6lx3x9Y43qSNUA/s218/badgirl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5SOCn1quO989vB-2_f1AcZZd3vNq1mbeT3t25-uQxbcZ6QbJySJ-TkBiJLAsn79edVwwdo10TIqInAsQL66ncnKlTrT_IWjtjuf7G1_iI5CccdKPp9M9gOiBa3GuWI_ayoWo2xTm1fPqDLboU_bKUH4w_lm8hcPvGGahvO7HJGSK-6lx3x9Y43qSNUA/w151-h200/badgirl.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><p>An indie gem that is as creative as it is poignant. Director/Writer Alice Maio Mackay combines a gory slasher movie with a film about trauma and coping, and an allegory about how abuse and violence become a part of us, easily passed on if it's not stopped. The music is fantastic, the characters feel like real people, and I loved how queer this movie is without it having to talk about how queer it is.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Breach</span></b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOyPZzCfBELrzXwLnPU39TH6F4aSowLcYgwVyYkAO3KzfFFaPsoseK-K4Bg4bd8JP4WELq_QL4syiTaK0REk09a7rh8KpNKd_haRPIQzpVzp3qW8zsTr8PbIw5lp4BfyklOuLz2_C2Jk2HDqmsogTLR7vwOEdGXzRI-k_UmaWmaCLLr3407Gz6l3rJ3s/s218/breach.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOyPZzCfBELrzXwLnPU39TH6F4aSowLcYgwVyYkAO3KzfFFaPsoseK-K4Bg4bd8JP4WELq_QL4syiTaK0REk09a7rh8KpNKd_haRPIQzpVzp3qW8zsTr8PbIw5lp4BfyklOuLz2_C2Jk2HDqmsogTLR7vwOEdGXzRI-k_UmaWmaCLLr3407Gz6l3rJ3s/s1600/breach.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p>A smooth low budget creep-fest of Lovecraftian proportions, this Nick Cutter adaptation (author of The Troop, The Deep, and Little Heaven) is directed by Rodrigo Gudino, founder of Rue Morgue magazine and writer/director of The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh! It's weird, gross, and has some big ideas for such a little indie horror flick. The acting is super solid and elevates this film into something memorable and impressive. And the makeup effects for the body horror conclusion are just, a+ disgusting.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Harvest</span></b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjsd69klooSW2He1MtnvJr5uW_SvWuUS3PqT2KCQOuR5eamdLP665Sv2AHHAsB0pspQmbgobQDP_OpTRdsHMT5IYu3kxiuqhMSE8kBNbc384wRv6tAtkh0HJatBOPjW8rQHCRB5SeEKDaujmhIvWBxN7tpuxjwdA1QbQsvxsIa4Asf2q8cTHplVsaXIA/s218/darkharvest.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjsd69klooSW2He1MtnvJr5uW_SvWuUS3PqT2KCQOuR5eamdLP665Sv2AHHAsB0pspQmbgobQDP_OpTRdsHMT5IYu3kxiuqhMSE8kBNbc384wRv6tAtkh0HJatBOPjW8rQHCRB5SeEKDaujmhIvWBxN7tpuxjwdA1QbQsvxsIa4Asf2q8cTHplVsaXIA/s1600/darkharvest.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p>Based on the 2006 novel by Norman Partridge, and directed by David Slade - most known for Hard Candy, and 30 Days of Night. I went in blind to this one and was surprised by an intriguing small town mystery with interesting characters, a solid script, surprising gore, and an unpredictable ending. There wasn't a moment of this film that I didn't enjoy. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">No One Will Save You</span></b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pHNp8hLOi8mCYuwHTlNZf0MdVMaoifGEilKSteY5tD21GQ8c47HsD7ExUBMHhNZ9wFxpJBFkdmJB6eikcrsp4fItkSqqmKFtZsndMdKicRPFxDQS4O1jUzSxSihc9kE57gJVVzJWPL5PjMNmd5LFYrRY8q51QKOforYP_PG4ub7OAtiE6wbso5El_6o/s273/noonewill.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pHNp8hLOi8mCYuwHTlNZf0MdVMaoifGEilKSteY5tD21GQ8c47HsD7ExUBMHhNZ9wFxpJBFkdmJB6eikcrsp4fItkSqqmKFtZsndMdKicRPFxDQS4O1jUzSxSihc9kE57gJVVzJWPL5PjMNmd5LFYrRY8q51QKOforYP_PG4ub7OAtiE6wbso5El_6o/w135-h200/noonewill.jpeg" width="135" /></a></div><p>An incredibly unique, stylish, small town alien invasion movie turns clever survivalist horror, turns... really fucking weird. The 'little grey men' are both terrifying in action and a little silly in looks, but it equals effective thrills, as the brilliantly compelling lead, actress Kaitlyn Dever, gives this performance her all. Also, there is no dialogue in this movie. None. The ending was extremely peculiar and didn't seem to fit the vibe of the movie, but I give it props for being unpredictable!</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Deliver Us</span></b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSeOYE6WWi57PyEas_0aPOWOTTgtfWZH9AmSTP8SR3BHhHVfrzXLTXKZuICcJWDd5Skl6veO7w6tCKnMLr6tSdyC6Z_YdnC_jFiZpH-j1FI48l2gfHUlyLKJEEJQpUGpiISj-KGpllivc4i2lOTMHyRG2G1QJR8VoDv6WxpjmiQvR44r2G_573ubEzcoY/s218/deliverus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSeOYE6WWi57PyEas_0aPOWOTTgtfWZH9AmSTP8SR3BHhHVfrzXLTXKZuICcJWDd5Skl6veO7w6tCKnMLr6tSdyC6Z_YdnC_jFiZpH-j1FI48l2gfHUlyLKJEEJQpUGpiISj-KGpllivc4i2lOTMHyRG2G1QJR8VoDv6WxpjmiQvR44r2G_573ubEzcoY/s1600/deliverus.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p>An ambitious, gorgeous movie that is riveting and thrilling and at times, very very bloody. There's layers upon layers without getting too tangled within itself, it simply works on every level like a jigsaw puzzle, fitting perfectly, revealing all. I look forward to rewatching this and getting all the small details that I may have missed the first time around.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Boogeyman</span></b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFtsMbFijxwa9BhzU2jxuwGEjFtX7z5C9iQaDBbdD3M3tpXh_M03fxnn9VDTuAbtHvP3fL9Vyqkw85j1BDGyArCxlHeo4E9GHcTBQqBhkbd7gDZIhfmhmf7q7uMSyW5Tdxv9SJQlX6GTFeRm53cRwUXxtOb3uoDOSOh-ltpeFvqVatE22TG3e1PVD6A8/s218/boogeyman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFtsMbFijxwa9BhzU2jxuwGEjFtX7z5C9iQaDBbdD3M3tpXh_M03fxnn9VDTuAbtHvP3fL9Vyqkw85j1BDGyArCxlHeo4E9GHcTBQqBhkbd7gDZIhfmhmf7q7uMSyW5Tdxv9SJQlX6GTFeRm53cRwUXxtOb3uoDOSOh-ltpeFvqVatE22TG3e1PVD6A8/s1600/boogeyman.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p>I'm always super down for a Stephen King story horror movie, but for some reason I was in no hurry to watch this one. Perhaps it was because the 2005 adaptation of the same name was so incredibly terrible, that its rotten legacy tainted this one. So when I finally got around to seeing it on its last weekend in the theater, I went in blind, expecting a boring supernatural slow burn. Boy, was I wrong. Boogeyman is a riveting creature feature that does not let up. It's got its fair share of quiet dread, sure. But then it wallops you with that long dark hallway that you just know holds the horrible body of a creature that is going to tear you apart.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Megalomaniac</span></b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2hsVLqrJS3sdmNIBIslwaTu9r5np5D1Kogv9DWNBWuPMXUvHZNyc7vL6fHbpp21mOwrnB_-NpwyhriJ6Ab_kOQBVCPd7fWmYleMwd0Ad0PuPzSaduzzOenGDlxzRydQmoUw8TBhuyeoG5FBqAIxG-sqEa7OnC9t6AcgVdhGsMVw1B_5mJptcCdlMVFE/s218/megalomaniac.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2hsVLqrJS3sdmNIBIslwaTu9r5np5D1Kogv9DWNBWuPMXUvHZNyc7vL6fHbpp21mOwrnB_-NpwyhriJ6Ab_kOQBVCPd7fWmYleMwd0Ad0PuPzSaduzzOenGDlxzRydQmoUw8TBhuyeoG5FBqAIxG-sqEa7OnC9t6AcgVdhGsMVw1B_5mJptcCdlMVFE/s1600/megalomaniac.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p>Damn, Belgium. Putting the "horror" back in horror movie. It's a pretty brutal watch but holy hell was it good. A very bizarre, violent, unsettling movie about, essentially, a family of serial killers. The entire cast of actors are just phenomenal. Portraying unhinged mental illness and the capacity for familial normalcy in one flawless motion. The ending is wild and jaw-dropping and strange and I literally wanted to give this a standing ovation when it was over but was frozen in shock. This movie is NOT for the faint of heart. You've been warned.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Totally Killer</span></b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhn3C1NhKPhfvgsN6SfPxTOyo1KR-NrnnDH5EdG-ToN3qzRRFD8nnATPAZkap13y70sutcdmx04kznR8KeVh0FYVZYQuVxkqPcMmbaV-zhSwIHe00KMKKZ26F5HQgDFQDR0QoMkuCP2D3PYC3BdSvMkvRYKORUSAzV7rRKS7rmLkJ6PYRMmdWdQSkVAw/s218/totallykiller.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhn3C1NhKPhfvgsN6SfPxTOyo1KR-NrnnDH5EdG-ToN3qzRRFD8nnATPAZkap13y70sutcdmx04kznR8KeVh0FYVZYQuVxkqPcMmbaV-zhSwIHe00KMKKZ26F5HQgDFQDR0QoMkuCP2D3PYC3BdSvMkvRYKORUSAzV7rRKS7rmLkJ6PYRMmdWdQSkVAw/s1600/totallykiller.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p>An extremely fun '80s time travel slasher whodunnit! I was worried this wasn't going to be horror enough for me but I was pleasantly surprised on just how "slasher" this ended up being. Throw in a cast of delightful characters, hilarious '80s vs '23 social commentary, and lots of clever dialogue - this movie was a super good time. Will be ranked up there with Happy Death Day for a comedy slasher mystery and added to my cozy horror watch list!</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">When Evil Lurks</span></b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIrWoMnOEEdGPpweCwwxggXiqiF0SQluMxB9QzhL7AVRqcQgT8jzlphZM1OZX17gr-ATJzAXPr1AAtr85scoMCaG4hrL7JI0P-hdQLz0gis6yEB4GaeYXalEqVCVIwWWjpggGW1nit_ta_TFT9SoIp79g_0KKq1zY_DRsFAw0xv3KG3-HooZcbzmpzFg/s218/whenevil.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIrWoMnOEEdGPpweCwwxggXiqiF0SQluMxB9QzhL7AVRqcQgT8jzlphZM1OZX17gr-ATJzAXPr1AAtr85scoMCaG4hrL7JI0P-hdQLz0gis6yEB4GaeYXalEqVCVIwWWjpggGW1nit_ta_TFT9SoIp79g_0KKq1zY_DRsFAw0xv3KG3-HooZcbzmpzFg/s1600/whenevil.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This buzz-heavy movie finally dropped to Shudder after months of anticipation and holy hell. What a film! I loved how the reality of "the rotten" is just dropped into our laps without any preamble. This demonic world is fully formed and we're just asked to catch up to it. Fantastically written and acted and shot. There are some serious jaw dropping moments throughout, and bravo Argentina, for really going there with the kid thing. You've got big swinging balls, I see them, and I respect them. DemiΓ‘n Rugna, the writer/director, also did the 2017 movie Terrified, which was also a phenomenal film, and has another movie he participated in - an anthology called Satanic Hispanics - which I have yet to see but am excited for!</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Talk to Me</span></b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGNKtIGJqvD-DOdiWwlFDEvm-OEsJFIYjmsb8j3A3OugKUmrSzMV6coK_JjQFzrBMJzPr2DC6Xz3MnBtFr-yVgRpD4wQ4TN1c4u91HTx3lun9dXboC5aJQZ_9dyozwkLEaYxjLTZgLTTMHTwM65mAjfqobj7WLoAAoI55P_D5nrA1IJiz5xqNa9pCg58/s218/talktome.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGNKtIGJqvD-DOdiWwlFDEvm-OEsJFIYjmsb8j3A3OugKUmrSzMV6coK_JjQFzrBMJzPr2DC6Xz3MnBtFr-yVgRpD4wQ4TN1c4u91HTx3lun9dXboC5aJQZ_9dyozwkLEaYxjLTZgLTTMHTwM65mAjfqobj7WLoAAoI55P_D5nrA1IJiz5xqNa9pCg58/s1600/talktome.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><br /><div>While I'd known about this movie and its hype for a very long time, I'd managed to avoid a trailer and even a synopsis for Talk to Me. I knew I'd see it. Something inside just decided not to spoil any of it. And holy hell, I'm glad I did because this movie knocked me on my ass. It's not your average polished mainstream jump scare horror movie. It watches like a small cut you couldn't keep from picking at and now it's raw and oozing and inflamed and infected and, yup, you're going to lose that leg. As my husband said, it's a perfect example of, "fuck around and find out". At every turn this movie was surprising in both its creativity and its brutality. It's dark, and sad, and fucked up, and the ending is perfection.</div></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Thanksgiving</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2O1x9KhuUNFrMRWZ0Jqti5PAYHWOu6Wl1eKGCDjIDEgCRQb3MZPm_FhDBqSWa0uJsdQdok9Ngb-of5TwiqMp_jJh7oSdLJXJokofwhL1TOXJD_ecm0jZlg8ut2M96MlMzp4jSxVqg3aNTcCHj_YCEdxIMqSYvIAd0MUgRNBY4kMAX10ItVETC7P3BTc/s275/thanksgiving.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2O1x9KhuUNFrMRWZ0Jqti5PAYHWOu6Wl1eKGCDjIDEgCRQb3MZPm_FhDBqSWa0uJsdQdok9Ngb-of5TwiqMp_jJh7oSdLJXJokofwhL1TOXJD_ecm0jZlg8ut2M96MlMzp4jSxVqg3aNTcCHj_YCEdxIMqSYvIAd0MUgRNBY4kMAX10ItVETC7P3BTc/w133-h200/thanksgiving.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>Historically Eli Roth is hit or miss for me - love Cabin Fever / hate Hostel. And while I was excited for Thanksgiving because it's a holiday slasher, I was wary because it's Eli Roth. Well. Turns out. It's an easy favorite of the year. I mean, really, you do a smart, gory slasher I'm going to fall in love pretty easily so no real surprise there. But, it's got, SO MANY VIBES. Scream vibes, I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, Happy Birthday to Me vibes, hell, even Final Destination vibes. It's just horror homage on top of horror homage and I'm here for it. Lots of fucked up kills and gross gore and a "surprising" / not surprising killer. Thanksgiving is sorely underrepresented as a horror movie holiday and I'm super stoked to have such an excellent one get in line to become a staple of the year.</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaU_of_PW6zH6kQn1LSOi2S86AjTMLrEjbYVuNuez7laittfn230zcX3mA5Z5BHtDEc8Ny_6OFjUekbOSyU9QoIPSthVDzGfP0fNRO9d4UIuPiHzy-fTEFgiKfV4MMRYGHbPaTk2qRnHn6you9LTRXmUVtFW8XUfWVoxKTwjpVhJ4cz9T-6jlYXYzfKs/s259/hellhouse.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaU_of_PW6zH6kQn1LSOi2S86AjTMLrEjbYVuNuez7laittfn230zcX3mA5Z5BHtDEc8Ny_6OFjUekbOSyU9QoIPSthVDzGfP0fNRO9d4UIuPiHzy-fTEFgiKfV4MMRYGHbPaTk2qRnHn6you9LTRXmUVtFW8XUfWVoxKTwjpVhJ4cz9T-6jlYXYzfKs/w150-h200/hellhouse.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Finally. A worthy follow-up to the original Hell House LLC. A movie that I hated upon first watch, but subsequent watches, while alone, in the dark, converted me into a big fan. I've seen all of the Hell House movies and they've all paled in comparison to the original. And while Carmichael Manor doesn't quite live up to the original, it makes a valiant effort. I think the real downfall here is the hysterical nature of the characters when faced with the unexplainable. Here they are investigating true crime and reports of the supernatural and when shit goes sideways they are just a jumble of nerves and squealing and irrational decision making. ASIDE FROM THAT. Which isn't insignificant. This Hell House manages to be creepy and unnerving and furthers the lore of the Tully, Carmichael, and Abandon story. I look forward to more installments in this ambitious franchise that refuses to go quietly into the night.</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Conference</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-m-ixHyy2HkYMEgPKh9sl_-esa4XJGXXDi2ZvOmmMxL3x4o2NWgYelc2WYfaOMhzLQCq0TCG3anwZqFgWxp5YetZel6oRp0JD3mQOXDsHDyyFWnAoHji3mPoi60U68G0ojTc9EpJhJ-syljHGrUJcyJJtttEd_k6yAnT6Iu8gECe4gTFlU3KgcemE44/s273/conference.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="185" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-m-ixHyy2HkYMEgPKh9sl_-esa4XJGXXDi2ZvOmmMxL3x4o2NWgYelc2WYfaOMhzLQCq0TCG3anwZqFgWxp5YetZel6oRp0JD3mQOXDsHDyyFWnAoHji3mPoi60U68G0ojTc9EpJhJ-syljHGrUJcyJJtttEd_k6yAnT6Iu8gECe4gTFlU3KgcemE44/w136-h200/conference.jpeg" width="136" /></a></div><br /><div>This fun Swedish slasher had a lot of ridiculous characters and great gore. I didn't really care about the "plot" of a big development company building a mall on stolen land, which of course leads to revenge revenge revenge! But sometimes you just want some splatter and murder death kills and this was a satisfying fix. A large cast equals a high body count! Let the bodies hit the floor.</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Do Not Disturb</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHhCOKPkVJaMV0tYrJ8t0L40gCBrqdX9DRr0V5M7eyv9g7XeOpA8TLABBVTWkxuAaHPfc68XDWBhhKUDsJpC5XAD0TqZuD8DPsddhuQZvelDE6gHZLeVDvMsgJ7TPabrReWzNMNfy7DfskPP8j3M9Eiha8Afz7NRK_bPgRlmDT5lAIlPtypTHogJhYIk/s273/do%20not%20disturb.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHhCOKPkVJaMV0tYrJ8t0L40gCBrqdX9DRr0V5M7eyv9g7XeOpA8TLABBVTWkxuAaHPfc68XDWBhhKUDsJpC5XAD0TqZuD8DPsddhuQZvelDE6gHZLeVDvMsgJ7TPabrReWzNMNfy7DfskPP8j3M9Eiha8Afz7NRK_bPgRlmDT5lAIlPtypTHogJhYIk/w135-h200/do%20not%20disturb.jpeg" width="135" /></a></div><br /><div>A sexy, blood-soaked, drug-fueled, marriage counseling retreat of free'd inhibitions and primal actions. It's low-budget but with performances so nuanced it feels like you've fallen right into the fucked up mix of this couple's nightmarish vacation. All of the petty, nagging, sniping arguments of a couple who has been together forever and kind of hates each other while still loving each other, is done so authentically it's cringe. So when shit turns sideways and they bond over some really fucked up shit, it's completely believable and actually scary. The allegory of toxicity being all-consuming is prevalent, and one begins to wonder, is this how insanity is born? And sometimes when you've gone too far, there's no going back. And in those times, thank god for that.</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">There's Something in the Barn</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-I8qXjxC38_uQEqDEwem-AKbYyBlFYFrKtIFb8DgwzuwYLiPIKssw6OzpYzEO-ll7kVo37neqJPX4qQxeyH2OlEfAhAW7NHBGn8uMrRmAylr_mp-CTDo8FvT9I9rpYCU9ud82Rl-xoJhn1t8KwVghBa7F6a24WxJBYJcmUVDyJiRHDrBYPk_1gr7POLM/s268/barn.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-I8qXjxC38_uQEqDEwem-AKbYyBlFYFrKtIFb8DgwzuwYLiPIKssw6OzpYzEO-ll7kVo37neqJPX4qQxeyH2OlEfAhAW7NHBGn8uMrRmAylr_mp-CTDo8FvT9I9rpYCU9ud82Rl-xoJhn1t8KwVghBa7F6a24WxJBYJcmUVDyJiRHDrBYPk_1gr7POLM/w140-h200/barn.jpeg" width="140" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>While not as completely apocalyptic as 2015's Krampus, There's Something In the Barn shares many qualities with the now Christmas classic - prickly family dynamics, holiday celebration, ancient mythology built on rules, a fight for survival, weird creatures, and dark humor - which I suppose also applies to Gremlins as well. It was fun, funny, and super bloody when it came time. I'll be adding this one to my annual December watches.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwua2nlJgcgF0Zrt554Kth1jT8rPL3OLX43NnfkkQtEM_m6rjyE8NTDc76ngFUglsR65mPmKtv38KNd02NhjNpCWoxycbvgIk46iNSmep0k_j-Xkgs9CEpdsK-7qoSd2iuFAOMz5gU-R_OrXme3zOY2mgUSsaS6UH1XjX3GEg0PrC9hE1R80yzL2IpTP4/s2440/snake-text-divider.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="2440" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwua2nlJgcgF0Zrt554Kth1jT8rPL3OLX43NnfkkQtEM_m6rjyE8NTDc76ngFUglsR65mPmKtv38KNd02NhjNpCWoxycbvgIk46iNSmep0k_j-Xkgs9CEpdsK-7qoSd2iuFAOMz5gU-R_OrXme3zOY2mgUSsaS6UH1XjX3GEg0PrC9hE1R80yzL2IpTP4/w640-h96/snake-text-divider.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div>These 25 films were standouts of the year but there are so many not mentioned here that are absolutely worth a watch. Like Killer Book Club, Influencer, Bad Things, All Fun and Games, The Pale Blue Eye, and so many more. Check out my complete <a href="https://boxd.it/kBFba" target="_blank">2023 watch list</a> on Letterboxd! And now on to 2024! I'm not sure that I can beat last year's number of 115 new movies watched, but I will at least try to meet that number again this year. Check out the website <a href="https://www.upcominghorrormovies.com/" target="_blank">Upcoming Horror Movies</a>, to stay on top of new releases. And follow my horror movie Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dollfaceinthedark/" target="_blank">dollfaceinthedark</a> to read all of my movie reviews as they happen! And of course you can check back to this site for more blog posts. Historically they are infrequent but like I say every year, I'm hoping to change that in the new year! So fire up your TV, pop some corn, and snuggle in for a night of frights. And don't forget, to watch your horror movies <i>in the dark</i>!</div><div><br /></div><div>love, doll</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpMgzt03sHbrrPKsow1775YuSoiSh4KaruhYMzjKBrvjFWne_xFCYoYVEz4wcbOguDS-UHNrQdkMr2EIPX1aGhRQi8PVj3KAElbAQdHHZ2KxADIoRxVPI3a37p46TfAYn8UHHNviTAZAOk6RHHVHaNwuhhfZm50INlgyYOG7Hunk_FvVV48drhG2Dafc/s912/candle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="678" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpMgzt03sHbrrPKsow1775YuSoiSh4KaruhYMzjKBrvjFWne_xFCYoYVEz4wcbOguDS-UHNrQdkMr2EIPX1aGhRQi8PVj3KAElbAQdHHZ2KxADIoRxVPI3a37p46TfAYn8UHHNviTAZAOk6RHHVHaNwuhhfZm50INlgyYOG7Hunk_FvVV48drhG2Dafc/w298-h400/candle.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-75739005967170606072023-10-30T16:51:00.008-07:002023-10-30T17:12:20.644-07:002023 Best of the Year So Far Part 2<p>As of today, I've watched one hundred 2023 horror movies this year. There's still two months left in the year and I've already outstripped last year's total number by 12. I look forward to seeing where the rest of the year takes me. It's been four months since my first "best of the year" post and I have to say, half of these movies that you're about to see on this list, I only just watched in the last week. It's been a "horror movie a day" month of mediocrity so I really needed that glut of good.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">10. Bad Girl Boogey</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5SOCn1quO989vB-2_f1AcZZd3vNq1mbeT3t25-uQxbcZ6QbJySJ-TkBiJLAsn79edVwwdo10TIqInAsQL66ncnKlTrT_IWjtjuf7G1_iI5CccdKPp9M9gOiBa3GuWI_ayoWo2xTm1fPqDLboU_bKUH4w_lm8hcPvGGahvO7HJGSK-6lx3x9Y43qSNUA/s218/badgirl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5SOCn1quO989vB-2_f1AcZZd3vNq1mbeT3t25-uQxbcZ6QbJySJ-TkBiJLAsn79edVwwdo10TIqInAsQL66ncnKlTrT_IWjtjuf7G1_iI5CccdKPp9M9gOiBa3GuWI_ayoWo2xTm1fPqDLboU_bKUH4w_lm8hcPvGGahvO7HJGSK-6lx3x9Y43qSNUA/w151-h200/badgirl.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><p>An indie gem that is as creative as it is poignant. Director/Writer Alice Maio Mackay combines a gory slasher movie with a film about trauma and coping, and an allegory about how abuse and violence become a part of us, easily passed on if it's not stopped. The music is fantastic, the characters feel like real people, and I loved how queer this movie is without having to talk about how queer it is.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">9. The Breach</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOyPZzCfBELrzXwLnPU39TH6F4aSowLcYgwVyYkAO3KzfFFaPsoseK-K4Bg4bd8JP4WELq_QL4syiTaK0REk09a7rh8KpNKd_haRPIQzpVzp3qW8zsTr8PbIw5lp4BfyklOuLz2_C2Jk2HDqmsogTLR7vwOEdGXzRI-k_UmaWmaCLLr3407Gz6l3rJ3s/s218/breach.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOyPZzCfBELrzXwLnPU39TH6F4aSowLcYgwVyYkAO3KzfFFaPsoseK-K4Bg4bd8JP4WELq_QL4syiTaK0REk09a7rh8KpNKd_haRPIQzpVzp3qW8zsTr8PbIw5lp4BfyklOuLz2_C2Jk2HDqmsogTLR7vwOEdGXzRI-k_UmaWmaCLLr3407Gz6l3rJ3s/s1600/breach.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p>A smooth low budget creep fest of Lovecraftian proportions, this Nick Cutter adaptation (author of The Troop, The Deep, and Little Heaven) is directed by Rodrigo Gudino, founder of Rue Morgue magazine and writer/director of The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh! It's weird, gross, and has some big ideas for such a little indie horror flick. The acting is super solid and elevates this film into something memorable and impressive. And the makeup effects for the body horror conclusion are just, a+ disgusting.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">8. Dark Harvest</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjsd69klooSW2He1MtnvJr5uW_SvWuUS3PqT2KCQOuR5eamdLP665Sv2AHHAsB0pspQmbgobQDP_OpTRdsHMT5IYu3kxiuqhMSE8kBNbc384wRv6tAtkh0HJatBOPjW8rQHCRB5SeEKDaujmhIvWBxN7tpuxjwdA1QbQsvxsIa4Asf2q8cTHplVsaXIA/s218/darkharvest.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjsd69klooSW2He1MtnvJr5uW_SvWuUS3PqT2KCQOuR5eamdLP665Sv2AHHAsB0pspQmbgobQDP_OpTRdsHMT5IYu3kxiuqhMSE8kBNbc384wRv6tAtkh0HJatBOPjW8rQHCRB5SeEKDaujmhIvWBxN7tpuxjwdA1QbQsvxsIa4Asf2q8cTHplVsaXIA/s1600/darkharvest.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p>Based on the 2006 novel by Norman Partridge, and directed by David Slade - most known for Hard Candy, and 30 Days of Night. I went in blind to this one and was surprised by an intriguing small town mystery with interesting characters, a solid script, surprising gore, and an unpredictable ending. There wasn't a moment of this film that I didn't enjoy. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">7. No One Will Save You</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pHNp8hLOi8mCYuwHTlNZf0MdVMaoifGEilKSteY5tD21GQ8c47HsD7ExUBMHhNZ9wFxpJBFkdmJB6eikcrsp4fItkSqqmKFtZsndMdKicRPFxDQS4O1jUzSxSihc9kE57gJVVzJWPL5PjMNmd5LFYrRY8q51QKOforYP_PG4ub7OAtiE6wbso5El_6o/s273/noonewill.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pHNp8hLOi8mCYuwHTlNZf0MdVMaoifGEilKSteY5tD21GQ8c47HsD7ExUBMHhNZ9wFxpJBFkdmJB6eikcrsp4fItkSqqmKFtZsndMdKicRPFxDQS4O1jUzSxSihc9kE57gJVVzJWPL5PjMNmd5LFYrRY8q51QKOforYP_PG4ub7OAtiE6wbso5El_6o/w135-h200/noonewill.jpeg" width="135" /></a></div><p>An incredibly unique, stylish, small town alien invasion movie turns clever survivalist horror, turns... really fucking weird. The 'little grey men' are both terrifying in action and a little silly in looks, but it equals effective thrills, as the brilliantly compelling lead, actress Kaitlyn Dever, gives this performance her all. Also, there is no dialogue in this movie. None. The ending was extremely peculiar and didn't seem to fit the vibe of the movie, but I give it props for being unpredictable!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">6. Deliver Us</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSeOYE6WWi57PyEas_0aPOWOTTgtfWZH9AmSTP8SR3BHhHVfrzXLTXKZuICcJWDd5Skl6veO7w6tCKnMLr6tSdyC6Z_YdnC_jFiZpH-j1FI48l2gfHUlyLKJEEJQpUGpiISj-KGpllivc4i2lOTMHyRG2G1QJR8VoDv6WxpjmiQvR44r2G_573ubEzcoY/s218/deliverus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSeOYE6WWi57PyEas_0aPOWOTTgtfWZH9AmSTP8SR3BHhHVfrzXLTXKZuICcJWDd5Skl6veO7w6tCKnMLr6tSdyC6Z_YdnC_jFiZpH-j1FI48l2gfHUlyLKJEEJQpUGpiISj-KGpllivc4i2lOTMHyRG2G1QJR8VoDv6WxpjmiQvR44r2G_573ubEzcoY/s1600/deliverus.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p>An ambitious, gorgeous movie that is riveting and thrilling and at times, very very bloody. There's layers upon layers without getting too tangled within itself, it simply works on every level like a jigsaw puzzle, fitting perfectly, revealing all. I look forward to rewatching this and getting all the small details that I may have missed the first time around.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">5. The Boogeyman</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFtsMbFijxwa9BhzU2jxuwGEjFtX7z5C9iQaDBbdD3M3tpXh_M03fxnn9VDTuAbtHvP3fL9Vyqkw85j1BDGyArCxlHeo4E9GHcTBQqBhkbd7gDZIhfmhmf7q7uMSyW5Tdxv9SJQlX6GTFeRm53cRwUXxtOb3uoDOSOh-ltpeFvqVatE22TG3e1PVD6A8/s218/boogeyman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFtsMbFijxwa9BhzU2jxuwGEjFtX7z5C9iQaDBbdD3M3tpXh_M03fxnn9VDTuAbtHvP3fL9Vyqkw85j1BDGyArCxlHeo4E9GHcTBQqBhkbd7gDZIhfmhmf7q7uMSyW5Tdxv9SJQlX6GTFeRm53cRwUXxtOb3uoDOSOh-ltpeFvqVatE22TG3e1PVD6A8/s1600/boogeyman.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p>I'm always super down for a Stephen King story horror movie, but for some reason I was in no hurry to watch this one. Perhaps it was because the 2005 adaptation of the same name was so incredibly terrible, that its rotten legacy tainted this one. So when I finally got around to seeing it on its last weekend in the theater, I went in blind, expecting a boring supernatural slow burn. Boy, was I wrong. Boogeyman is a riveting creature feature that does not let up. It's got its fair share of quiet dread, sure. But then it wallops you with that long dark hallway that you just know holds the horrible body of a creature that is going to tear you apart.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">4. Megalomaniac</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2hsVLqrJS3sdmNIBIslwaTu9r5np5D1Kogv9DWNBWuPMXUvHZNyc7vL6fHbpp21mOwrnB_-NpwyhriJ6Ab_kOQBVCPd7fWmYleMwd0Ad0PuPzSaduzzOenGDlxzRydQmoUw8TBhuyeoG5FBqAIxG-sqEa7OnC9t6AcgVdhGsMVw1B_5mJptcCdlMVFE/s218/megalomaniac.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2hsVLqrJS3sdmNIBIslwaTu9r5np5D1Kogv9DWNBWuPMXUvHZNyc7vL6fHbpp21mOwrnB_-NpwyhriJ6Ab_kOQBVCPd7fWmYleMwd0Ad0PuPzSaduzzOenGDlxzRydQmoUw8TBhuyeoG5FBqAIxG-sqEa7OnC9t6AcgVdhGsMVw1B_5mJptcCdlMVFE/s1600/megalomaniac.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p>Damn, Belgium. Putting the "horror" back in horror movie. It's a pretty brutal watch but holy hell was it good. A very bizarre, violent, unsettling movie about, essentially, a family of serial killers. The entire cast of actors are just phenomenal. Portraying unhinged mental illness and the capacity for familial normalcy in one flawless motion. The ending is wild and jaw-dropping and strange and I literally wanted to give this a standing ovation when it was over but was frozen in shock. This movie is NOT for the faint of heart. You've been warned.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Totally Killer</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhn3C1NhKPhfvgsN6SfPxTOyo1KR-NrnnDH5EdG-ToN3qzRRFD8nnATPAZkap13y70sutcdmx04kznR8KeVh0FYVZYQuVxkqPcMmbaV-zhSwIHe00KMKKZ26F5HQgDFQDR0QoMkuCP2D3PYC3BdSvMkvRYKORUSAzV7rRKS7rmLkJ6PYRMmdWdQSkVAw/s218/totallykiller.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhn3C1NhKPhfvgsN6SfPxTOyo1KR-NrnnDH5EdG-ToN3qzRRFD8nnATPAZkap13y70sutcdmx04kznR8KeVh0FYVZYQuVxkqPcMmbaV-zhSwIHe00KMKKZ26F5HQgDFQDR0QoMkuCP2D3PYC3BdSvMkvRYKORUSAzV7rRKS7rmLkJ6PYRMmdWdQSkVAw/s1600/totallykiller.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><p>An extremely fun '80s time travel slasher whodunnit! I was worried this wasn't going to be horror enough for me but I was pleasantly surprised on just how "slasher" this ended up being. Throw in a cast of delightful characters, hilarious '80s vs '23 social commentary, and lots of clever dialogue - this movie was a super good time. Will be ranked up there with Happy Death Day for a comedy slasher mystery and added to my cozy horror watch list!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">2. When Evil Lurks</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIrWoMnOEEdGPpweCwwxggXiqiF0SQluMxB9QzhL7AVRqcQgT8jzlphZM1OZX17gr-ATJzAXPr1AAtr85scoMCaG4hrL7JI0P-hdQLz0gis6yEB4GaeYXalEqVCVIwWWjpggGW1nit_ta_TFT9SoIp79g_0KKq1zY_DRsFAw0xv3KG3-HooZcbzmpzFg/s218/whenevil.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIrWoMnOEEdGPpweCwwxggXiqiF0SQluMxB9QzhL7AVRqcQgT8jzlphZM1OZX17gr-ATJzAXPr1AAtr85scoMCaG4hrL7JI0P-hdQLz0gis6yEB4GaeYXalEqVCVIwWWjpggGW1nit_ta_TFT9SoIp79g_0KKq1zY_DRsFAw0xv3KG3-HooZcbzmpzFg/s1600/whenevil.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This buzz-heavy movie finally dropped to Shudder after months of anticipation and holy hell. What a film! I loved how the reality of "the rotten" is just dropped into our laps without any preamble. This demonic world is fully formed and we're just asked to catch up to it. Fantastically written and acted and shot. There are some serious jaw dropping moments throughout, and bravo Argentina, for really going there with the kid thing. You've got big swinging balls, I see them, and I respect them. DemiΓ‘n Rugna, the writer/director, also did the 2017 movie Terrified, which was also a phenomenal film, and has another movie he participated in - an anthology called Satanic Hispanics - coming out soon! I cannot wait to see more from him!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Talk to Me</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGNKtIGJqvD-DOdiWwlFDEvm-OEsJFIYjmsb8j3A3OugKUmrSzMV6coK_JjQFzrBMJzPr2DC6Xz3MnBtFr-yVgRpD4wQ4TN1c4u91HTx3lun9dXboC5aJQZ_9dyozwkLEaYxjLTZgLTTMHTwM65mAjfqobj7WLoAAoI55P_D5nrA1IJiz5xqNa9pCg58/s218/talktome.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="164" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGNKtIGJqvD-DOdiWwlFDEvm-OEsJFIYjmsb8j3A3OugKUmrSzMV6coK_JjQFzrBMJzPr2DC6Xz3MnBtFr-yVgRpD4wQ4TN1c4u91HTx3lun9dXboC5aJQZ_9dyozwkLEaYxjLTZgLTTMHTwM65mAjfqobj7WLoAAoI55P_D5nrA1IJiz5xqNa9pCg58/s1600/talktome.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><br /><div>While I'd known about this movie and its hype for a very long time, I'd managed to avoid a trailer and even a synopsis for Talk to Me. I knew I'd see it. Something inside just decided not to spoil any of it. And holy hell, I'm glad I did because this movie knocked me on my ass. It's not your average polished mainstream jump scare horror movie. It watches like a small cut you couldn't keep from picking at and now it's raw and oozing and inflamed and infected and, yup, you're going to lose that leg. As my husband said, it's a perfect example of, "fuck around and find out". At every turn this movie was surprising in both its creativity and its brutality. It's dark, and sad, and fucked up, and the ending is perfection.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, there you have it. Those ten are the best of July - October in my opinion. But there's a load of super fun movies that may not have made the list but are worthy of your attention. And they are: She Came From the Woods; Cobweb; The Wrath of Becky; Huesera: Bone Woman; Enys Men; Bad Things; The Unbinding; All Fun & Games; Nightmare; Killer Bookclub; Slotherhouse; Night of the Hunted; and V/H/S 85. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">See you in a few months for my best of the year list. Until then, don't forget to watch your horror movies ... <b>in the dark.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>~ doll</i></div>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-91305589133557404662023-06-26T21:39:00.004-07:002023-06-26T21:42:50.294-07:002023 - Best Horror of the Year So Far<p style="text-align: left;"><b>I</b>t's almost the end of June, which means the year is nearly halfway over. This year has had its fair share of horror movie surprises already - like, somehow I actually enjoyed a Russell Crowe movie. And since some of my favorite movies opened in the first half of the year, the bar has already been set high for all that follow. </p><p>Every year there's a clear trend in horror movie topics and this year pregnancy horror is making a comeback, as well as experimental horror, which parenthetically has become a genre in and of itself, paving the way for some more weird shit that I will support but may not always love (I'm looking at you The Outwaters). </p><p>I'm curious as to how the rest of the year will be shaping up, because so far many of my favorites have been mainstream horror, which isn't generally the case for me. So either mainstream is excelling this year, or indie is not. Either way, out of the 42 new releases I've watched this year, here's my top 10 picks for best horror movies of the year so far.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">10. Sick</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGE0oCIkEonsgTr1NKxkv5IOuuYYJHHTmvvtjieZqe7ZkwVkzak4NRFTZ4rbrNuVHqsHI3tr2nwJcQsOEHBXIMtUK7wTDcKDt-BZZdccex_K3qwSUl0TFkddJCnVvwNMwTHVAoqxNtIY7Kz-7ODi99qPZvhtWUDx-n6jvEn0OL4f_eGQbp_iV6Xypes8/s281/sick.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="190" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGE0oCIkEonsgTr1NKxkv5IOuuYYJHHTmvvtjieZqe7ZkwVkzak4NRFTZ4rbrNuVHqsHI3tr2nwJcQsOEHBXIMtUK7wTDcKDt-BZZdccex_K3qwSUl0TFkddJCnVvwNMwTHVAoqxNtIY7Kz-7ODi99qPZvhtWUDx-n6jvEn0OL4f_eGQbp_iV6Xypes8/s1600/sick.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">A little late to the game as far as Covid pandemic movies are concerned, but while the topic felt a little tired, it turned out to be a fun slasher anyways. Call me a softy for a masked killer chasing people around with giant kitchen knives, but in a world dominated by supernatural horror, this really hit the spot. It was also directed by John Hyams, a director that made one of my favorite horror films of 2020, Alone.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">9. Unwelcome</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxs9lOv-Z5UlYO6FjeLjcQLWp5rdukJ_kLRj6DbaaNbeHkW_7QtnrjPqipDEnPbE-QDQrlfBeMTl7gAxs7tmf-a0uunBZuoCEQGPY85jJUsL9stN80IF2O_cAgTLQCjZ1QKyC_Xs0oGvGLeUPVzCUx9KOAcdeZQLbuQCSqx8HrfDXdRwDhJ0z4JRPPv4/s1507/unwelcome.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1507" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxs9lOv-Z5UlYO6FjeLjcQLWp5rdukJ_kLRj6DbaaNbeHkW_7QtnrjPqipDEnPbE-QDQrlfBeMTl7gAxs7tmf-a0uunBZuoCEQGPY85jJUsL9stN80IF2O_cAgTLQCjZ1QKyC_Xs0oGvGLeUPVzCUx9KOAcdeZQLbuQCSqx8HrfDXdRwDhJ0z4JRPPv4/s320/unwelcome.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">Set in Ireland this gory, gruesome little number is a fresh take on the "red cap" goblin folklore. The movie plays with themes of who the real villains are here, humans or these devilish goblins, and I daresay the answer is both. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">8. Megan</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4CwAUeStwA3HANF7FuoCqNvC-xebkBUDa_5EbDJJoApYmym_Lnl-8tna5oNuBRQemuapHvskU4k24j1ZccgLev8VE2voECKJy8yg8Tqg2k7rfodtHvyHQIcMdPBDxIY6rZfC_tHqLV5jhalxwF4dPCcjsnr9GGGVHr_fRnjltIjxToe-v_TfWVoOHTE/s755/m3gan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="477" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4CwAUeStwA3HANF7FuoCqNvC-xebkBUDa_5EbDJJoApYmym_Lnl-8tna5oNuBRQemuapHvskU4k24j1ZccgLev8VE2voECKJy8yg8Tqg2k7rfodtHvyHQIcMdPBDxIY6rZfC_tHqLV5jhalxwF4dPCcjsnr9GGGVHr_fRnjltIjxToe-v_TfWVoOHTE/s320/m3gan.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><br /><div>I'm still not sure if I genuinely love M3gan or simply find its ridiculousness to be irresistible. I guess both can be true. Regardless I've watched it twice now and both times I found myself having a lot of fun watching it, which frankly is the highest quality in which I measure how a horror film ranks with me. </div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">7. Baby Ruby</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeq24dye01ZY4YELVk5OMfjOOjKVUqNghaMH-OwYxc0A85lmnABhDf_mPdvscjHMF8Ii6H3yw9Uf0E-5-EMeSN_WfKthH6CSRE94HjIeTMcxBilgXCDz0kQzH7mHsa1uaBJvKLyaDbjXSITbgTlCQdo1bOKgAnMYhRIhmdmVR037WB-OUmCbqYA8hbcs/s465/baby%20ruby.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeq24dye01ZY4YELVk5OMfjOOjKVUqNghaMH-OwYxc0A85lmnABhDf_mPdvscjHMF8Ii6H3yw9Uf0E-5-EMeSN_WfKthH6CSRE94HjIeTMcxBilgXCDz0kQzH7mHsa1uaBJvKLyaDbjXSITbgTlCQdo1bOKgAnMYhRIhmdmVR037WB-OUmCbqYA8hbcs/s320/baby%20ruby.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p>An allegorical horror movie about postpartum depression that uses paranoia and gaslighting as devices to tell a rather effective, sinister tale of a woman who quickly loses her grip on what is real and what is not, after the birth of her child. I'm still unsure about the weird twist of an ending but I do know that this movie had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">6. The Pope's Exorcist</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWodVVuxYP6HxBUkwBk_z8UzlFA6g4LVnnwcXOP_ygUDI1AM-JdJYzOeX41FC1y423OASRwDve41_ho1WIhnq0fRbztOmIgHod3Kv5dEayzaSzB0T1CjmLaAcNolof-1ZzSgwIWLKwnzYdp-3amvsR4xuwEpxRb5IEaLIQGO7TM3TDCqIU6tDEgE3ImsU/s750/pope's.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWodVVuxYP6HxBUkwBk_z8UzlFA6g4LVnnwcXOP_ygUDI1AM-JdJYzOeX41FC1y423OASRwDve41_ho1WIhnq0fRbztOmIgHod3Kv5dEayzaSzB0T1CjmLaAcNolof-1ZzSgwIWLKwnzYdp-3amvsR4xuwEpxRb5IEaLIQGO7TM3TDCqIU6tDEgE3ImsU/s320/pope's.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div><br /></div>My interest in this was so low that I literally turned off its trailer a minute in and declared, "nope. looks terrible." And I would have gone without seeing it too, if not for a friend's interest and proactive rental. So I sat there, mildly judging Russell Crowe's Italian accent, until something strange happened. I started enjoying it. And in fact, the movie kept subverting my expectations turn after turn, right up until the batshit crazy ending that I definitely did not see coming. The conclusion? Hell yeah, that shit was awesome. <div><br /></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">5. Fear</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0bY093ZAIwUS7QskPk_PDAWMp2vZiEMO0gPYeJ5ceAyDClHIdLGr4syw5EWZQMDhtu0nZ3ZeuWQcmvGJFHT5n2gSNUXL0dtRaatVZFb4uQ44voDeGl__MyzBs0pPnd_kYzOWNo-y9WGE9b0KRkWN6MD97wh0wVMEcSE1zvXR-PZx3LuF5kyP8IparSo/s207/fear.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="140" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0bY093ZAIwUS7QskPk_PDAWMp2vZiEMO0gPYeJ5ceAyDClHIdLGr4syw5EWZQMDhtu0nZ3ZeuWQcmvGJFHT5n2gSNUXL0dtRaatVZFb4uQ44voDeGl__MyzBs0pPnd_kYzOWNo-y9WGE9b0KRkWN6MD97wh0wVMEcSE1zvXR-PZx3LuF5kyP8IparSo/w210-h336/fear.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">As previously stated, I measure a horror movie by how much fun I had watching it. Elevated horror is great, and I definitely can get behind all those fancy pants "great" horror movies. But sometimes love is in the eyes of the beholder, which brings us to Fear. Not a great horror movie, but a fun one. And it checked a lot of boxes for me. Vacation horror. Isolated horror. Hotel horror. Burial ground horror. Pandemic horror. Not to mention its predominately black cast, which is still a rarity in the horror genre and like everything else, support the things you want to see more of in this world.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">4. The Blackening</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWI1u4tmJjLp0BIYL2VJI0l4LU5duESXw7r-VGqHvOKt-W5cdbyeCIAPqBXDhOztWwXAKyhnuNWvKfQN3eJqZr4NKkCFtPAt5G3quMn8-kmTcdpLOr9tO7g5g7YoY7znyMt_YPmBy9IjMx_1YvFCj2nEL33ElbflqXyWDd2O82o84tBiN20B4z5i2zCnM/s281/blackening.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="190" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWI1u4tmJjLp0BIYL2VJI0l4LU5duESXw7r-VGqHvOKt-W5cdbyeCIAPqBXDhOztWwXAKyhnuNWvKfQN3eJqZr4NKkCFtPAt5G3quMn8-kmTcdpLOr9tO7g5g7YoY7znyMt_YPmBy9IjMx_1YvFCj2nEL33ElbflqXyWDd2O82o84tBiN20B4z5i2zCnM/w205-h320/blackening.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><p>Speaking of all black casts. Damn, I loved this movie. I'm not one for the "Scary Movie" kind of horror comedy, so I was a little dubious going in. But thankfully the tongue-in-cheek style humor is at a minimum, or at least done with enough elegance that I wasn't eye-rolling. Instead I felt like it was more just a straight up horror comedy with some really effective scary killers and a creepy "play the game or die" element. I kind of saw the end coming, which I don't hold against it, but I saw all those '80s whodunit slashers too and yeah, no shocker there. But consider the journey and not the destination. Can't wait for this one to be streaming for a rewatch. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">3. Clock</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhHg2DZxgVTDmKk11A2W_nOMNeqy77x0PDDTsscSofBxHqJ1_zIuNChloXYJwCF7wX7_jjogHfygB7rccP-uzG0Q8LcT_fIirunU59H9IDGlXMhqjEBdKQ-P2rr2ozHxmhFfnn83z012ttqCklLh56WO_CFjlF1UwFsi3o4CZUcrmSS2ZOsK8nwWB3vQ/s1000/clock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhHg2DZxgVTDmKk11A2W_nOMNeqy77x0PDDTsscSofBxHqJ1_zIuNChloXYJwCF7wX7_jjogHfygB7rccP-uzG0Q8LcT_fIirunU59H9IDGlXMhqjEBdKQ-P2rr2ozHxmhFfnn83z012ttqCklLh56WO_CFjlF1UwFsi3o4CZUcrmSS2ZOsK8nwWB3vQ/w219-h320/clock.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This is a devastating horror movie with a heavy social commentary and hot damn was it excellent. The tension runs high the entire time and while I was waiting with bated breath for the other shoe to drop, when it did I was not expecting it to be what it was. There's some disturbing imagery in this that will haunt me for a long while. Not sure if this will hit as hard with male audiences as it will with women, but I will be recommending this one to everyone.</div><div><br /></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">2. Scream VI</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOYWE0OXAl6uRzroKD5QnQOcLXjWQvxsxI3qdMgLU9l1UHwxNZFx7PmSZYlxjseonxLWzSI9ZoZ13xEBzbXd2SOf9k8ZMJFZH4AoGf9r3ZSfU8rjeWwpKvVXOooBgSLLrgaQQ83KVRMD0BVM4VFbYY3fYQ0FkEnrRxL5dEqnMB1IvaQ6sPvD5Efqfw2o/s273/scream.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOYWE0OXAl6uRzroKD5QnQOcLXjWQvxsxI3qdMgLU9l1UHwxNZFx7PmSZYlxjseonxLWzSI9ZoZ13xEBzbXd2SOf9k8ZMJFZH4AoGf9r3ZSfU8rjeWwpKvVXOooBgSLLrgaQQ83KVRMD0BVM4VFbYY3fYQ0FkEnrRxL5dEqnMB1IvaQ6sPvD5Efqfw2o/w195-h273/scream.jpeg" width="195" /></a></div><p>Full disclosure, I seriously disliked 2022's Scream requel. I am a huge fan of the franchise, it is in fact my favorite franchise, and when I saw '22's Scream in the theater I was like, what the fuck is this. They killed the essence of the franchise. Where's the humor? Why is it so dark and violent and the legacy cast is barely in it. And then I watched it again and disliked it a little less. And then I went to the theater to see Scream VI and omg, standing ovation in my heart. They stopped having one foot in the old franchise and one in the new and instead fully committed to this new Scream vision. Taking it out of Woodsboro, not having Sidney Prescott appear, being super stabby with a whole lot of red herrings and gruesome death scenes, and creating a mildly psychologically imbalanced "star", setting her up to be a possible future killer, yeah they really leaned into the new era of the franchise. And I am here for it.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">1. Evil Dead Rise </h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcB3qIX-mpzSmmtNFgNPaZ4f4JxUZMWIpu3IZJaE1_DSiB9NxhFyBbHRIGzNzRzpkxFwCqFdGw2XTIOic_-D6mT7kkpjwl-ulKUXovWMUl-scdPuVpnqd2I0YteYnQl829a4oDQLZKrRRmgjmSgFFRKrOAQcNuiPUZuatIq87jASUuKyeDbSsyc0CiBg/s948/Evil_Dead_Rise_(film,_2023).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcB3qIX-mpzSmmtNFgNPaZ4f4JxUZMWIpu3IZJaE1_DSiB9NxhFyBbHRIGzNzRzpkxFwCqFdGw2XTIOic_-D6mT7kkpjwl-ulKUXovWMUl-scdPuVpnqd2I0YteYnQl829a4oDQLZKrRRmgjmSgFFRKrOAQcNuiPUZuatIq87jASUuKyeDbSsyc0CiBg/s320/Evil_Dead_Rise_(film,_2023).jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, the trailer alone had me. And I'm a huge fan of the 2013 reboot. But holy shit. I did not see this coming. Ya'll it was SO AWESOME. Gritty, horrific, heart crushing, bloody, legitimately scary. Dare I say, shocking. Yes. I want my horror movies so hardcore that I literally have to peak through my fingers to watch it. (though admittedly Terrifier 2 was a bridge too far in some scenes) Evil Dead Rise, cinematically, is gorgeous. The characters are quirky and feel real. The apartment building feels like yet another monster to survive. That elevator scene!!! Beat after beat, this movie is perfection. Good luck topping this one for me 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">---------------------------------</div><p>There's still a ton on my list to watch that's already on other people's best of the year so far lists, and of course more to come for the rest of the year. So a lot could change before the final roundup, and I can't wait! A horror film connoisseur's work is never done. See you back here in six months. Now, turn off the lights, and watch your horror movies... <b>in the dark.</b></p><p><i>~ doll</i></p><br /></div>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-79474225898657064092023-01-22T21:22:00.003-08:002023-01-22T21:44:21.085-08:00Alone at Night (2023) - A Review<span id="docs-internal-guid-f79d5308-7fff-3c4e-c8fb-82ff21b379b8"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About half of the horror movies I end up watching are just movies that I spot in Google TVs' recently released list. I see something that looks like a new horror movie, I watch a trailer, and if it doesnβt look godawful, I add it to my queue. Most of the time Iβve never even heard about it. Some of the time Iβll stumble across community buzz soon thereafter. This blindly hunting method is how I end up watching so many random movies no one has heard about. And while I also operate off of a very thorough list from </span><a href="https://www.upcominghorrormovies.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Upcoming Horror Movies</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (an invaluable website), Iβm also rather fond of the inelegance of my poking around in the dark for crap to watch.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One such movie is Alone at Night. Starring Pretty Little Liars Ashley Benson as a cute cam girl who borrows a friendβs cabin for some r&r, and to focus on her cam work, after breaking up with her shitty boyfriend. The cabin is secluded and keeps losing power. Enter the hot handyman guy. The cabin is secluded and belongs to her friend, enter the friendβs hot cousin guy. The cabin is secluded and the neighbor is bored, enter the hot neighbor guy. Despite being called βAlone at Nightβ, cute cam girl Vicky is never actually alone at night. She parties with all these hot guys throughout her week-long stay. Lusts after one, tries to kiss one, sleeps with one, all the while thereβs a Crowbar Killer on the loose so says Sheriff Rogers PAMELA ANDERSON (WTF). Meanwhile, when our cute cam girl Vicky isnβt casually rolling around on her bed in bondage, or masturbating in a bubble bath for her clients, sheβs watching Trap Stars - a reality show hosted by PARIS HILTON (WTF) about a group of beautiful youths quarantining together in a mansion. All the while we might think that maybe her weird client βdaddyβ who never shows his face might be maybe like, one of these hot guys? Or maybe might one of these hot guys be the crowbar killer? So many red herrings! Which hot guy can we trust?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As far as the "slasher" that this movie seems to promise it being, it fails miserably. Very little slashing actually happens. But, there is a killer and cute cam girlβs life is in peril and a struggle does ensue. It plays out like more of a thriller than a horror movie, especially since, while the body count is quite high, all of the kills happen off screen. Major lameness. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thereβs a fun little twist at the very end thatβs silly but that Iβm quite fond of, and then it ends with a rap music video soβ¦ very sophisticated. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PARIS HILTON!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aq_zLdVmaq8" width="320" youtube-src-id="aq_zLdVmaq8"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><br /></span>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-54498823590554400092023-01-22T19:28:00.002-08:002023-01-22T21:44:57.148-08:00M3GAN (2023) - A Review<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">My interest in M3GAN was initially nonexistent. I could care less about a killer AI doll in a horror movie starring a child. And frankly, the trailer looks dumb, with M3GANβs SUPER CHEERFUL cartoon voice and large glassy eyes. And just how many super cute outfits does this doll come with? No thank you. But day after day for a week I came across casual conversations and reviews mentioning how much fun the movie is. βSuch a fun time in the theater!β βThis movie is so much fun!β Fun Fun Fun. Well, I DO like fun. So one night, I cast my line out in hopes a spontaneous friend would want to see a late night movie on short notice. And one did. Well, I have to say, the movie was pretty dumb. But yeah, it was also, So. Much. FUN! </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e2812fee-7fff-9aed-9469-58f9b87d43ef"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was a small theater with about a dozen people and everyone was having a great time. Lots of vocal audience members playing along with the movie and laughing, and my friend and I were no exception. It was the most interactive movie experience in memory, we were drinking wine and shoveling away the popcorn and just having nonstop commentary. What a blast! Oh, what, you want to hear about the actual movie? Okay, wellβ¦</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A little girlβs parents are killed and her tech brilliant aunt gifts her niece with an AI doll that is totally a test model and has not been approved by, the people who approve, like, robots or whatever. This super secret AI doll project is gifted to a ten year old who then pairs with it like some werewolf imprinting hoodoo, and then theyβre all, βYouβre my BEST FRIENDβ. Totally normal. M3GAN of course is anything but normal and soon you can see that girlfriend has a few screws loose and goes forth on her murder spree and her love of killing, and of dance, blossoms. Then they like, stop her or whatever (or do they) and thatβs the end.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Given the bonkers storyline I shouldnβt have been too surprised to learn that James Wan was the initial creative mind behind this movie idea, given his penchant for writing and directing doll movies (Saw, Dead Silence, Annabelle), and his recent descent into madness (Malignant). Wanting the film to be a horror black comedy he snags Gerard Johnstone (of the brilliant horror black comedy, Housebound). Aside from working with Wan and the undoubtedly bazillion dollars heβs making from the success of M3GAN, this ridiculous movie seems a step down for Johnstone, given that Housebound was so fantastic. But I guess, yeah, going from a director who has barely worked over the last twenty years but made one really great movie, to making a box office hit with James Wan, even if that hit is pretty silly, seems like a win. I mean, if youβre into that whole fame and fortune thing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many of the reviews and editorials Iβve read about M3GAN have said that the movie is essentially an allegory for absent parenting. But aside from the parents literally dying and being absent, I think the aunt is just trying her best. What I think the movie is more about is the dependent bond we create with our devices and how those bonds tend to be very toxic. Upending our mental and emotional state to some degree and causing our relationships with the physical people in our lives to be neglected and damaged. But what do I know, my best friends are cats. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BRb4U99OU80" width="320" youtube-src-id="BRb4U99OU80"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-3656916874609272052023-01-22T18:31:00.001-08:002023-01-22T21:45:15.147-08:00The Offering (2023) - A Review<span id="docs-internal-guid-7b0b6056-7fff-c730-6280-af585a6f202f"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few odd things to know about me - I love forensic and medical examiner stories, and I love stories featuring Jewish characters and/or Jewish faith and culture. I find both topics fascinating in a hundred different ways that would in and of itself be their own blog posts. So when I stumbled upon a new movie called The Offering, that looked like a mashup of The Autopsy of Jane Doe, and The Vigil, I rented it immediately.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An estranged son and his new wife return to his fatherβs Hasidic funeral home in Brooklyn, NY to deal with family trauma and financial woes. While helping out with a recently deceased member of their community, a trapped demon is accidentally set loose. This demon begins to torment members of the family in subtle and creepy ways that of course no one talks about so they all independently think they're going crazy. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite the overuse of jumpscares and deafening music crescendos, the first half of the movie is pretty solid. The funeral home is a spectacular piece of real estate with its old, vintage decor and long hallways with strange rooms that seem to hold ancient secrets. Thereβs an engaging side story about how the demon came to be trapped in the (recently deceased) old Hisidic man, who had accidentally conjured it in an effort to bring his wife back from the dead. Thereβs some moving family drama between the son and his father and fatherβs longtime friend. And thereβs a great dinner scene. But then, from there, things go sideways.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instead of continuing down the subtly creepy route, ala The Vigil or The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Offering decides that a crappy CGI monster and over-the-top action scenes are the way to go, throwing clutter and chaos into an otherwise chill experience. This movie could have been great, instead it settled firmly into the worn footsteps of mediocre horror that misses the mark because they went with more is more. And with a name like The Offering, itβll be a forgettable one at that. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-a2ebf358-7fff-d1ae-7c30-321ff4a51970"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OnffkM8OVWk" width="320" youtube-src-id="OnffkM8OVWk"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-55328008241265410462023-01-22T16:36:00.003-08:002023-01-22T21:45:31.335-08:00Skinamarink (2023) - A Review<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I first learned of Skinamarink about two months ago when a friend texted me late one night with a link to its trailer and said, βI just watched this trailer and it genuinely unnerved me.β I was alone in a room only lit by a tv. Adam was asleep downstairs. The house was quiet. And I clicked on the link. A crackly trailer begins to play, with closeups of doors and carpeted floors and the barefeet and pajama clad legs of children. The only light is from a vintage TV playing old timey cartoons. Thereβs an unnerving whispering that sounds loud yet far away and a deep voice repeats, βIn this house. In this house.β My arms broke out in goosebumps and I was immediately suspicious of the dark hallway outside my room. The trailer continues in this fashion until the very end when a maniacal voice commands the children to βcome upstairsβ and then small voices scream and cry and the trailer goes black. So you can understand that even before it hit theaters, Skinamarink had the horror community buzzing.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c1513866-7fff-c1d8-62d9-85b7ca08ddf4"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Iβm not entirely sure what I was expecting when I went to see the movie in the theater on opening weekend. It was a small theater, with moderate attendance, and we sat only a few rows away from the front. The theater was pitch black and quiet. The screen, huge. It was a perfect atmosphere for a movie that practically demands your absolute attention. But I suppose I assumed the trailer was a teaser to a more straightforward horror movie. A movie with dialogue, plot, characters, soundtrack. But the movie is the trailer. 100 minutes of that trailer. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is fair to say that this little indie low budget horror movie is an experimental film. It felt like more of an immersive experience than a viewing, and I walked away a little disoriented with a scrunched up look on my face. What the hell was that? And did I like it? Iβm still not sure. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will say that I appreciate everything about Skinamarink. I love that this little low budget movie made with a video camera and the kids of a friend, made with borrowed toys and in the house of the creatorβs parents, with almost only the light from an old found tv and recorded with no sound (the sound was recorded separate), landed a major distributor and ended up in the theater (even after being illegally leaked on the internet). I love that this weird little movie made for 15k has made over a million dollars and has gone from a limited release in small quirky theaters to a full release in huge box theaters across the country. This is proof that the horror community will show the fuck up for their weird little movies, and theyβll bring their friends. Proof that despite the streaming world and the bootleg world, that people will still plant their asses in theater seats and support. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, did I like it? Who cares. Be the change you want to see in the world. Support indie horror with your ten dollars and bring a friend and go sit in a dark theater and watch a weird movie that you may love or that you may hate. At least thereβs popcorn. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cXSUy7oExu8" width="320" youtube-src-id="cXSUy7oExu8"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-27952588335433886382023-01-16T13:35:00.002-08:002023-01-22T21:45:48.350-08:00Sick (2023) - A Review<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sick - the new pandemic movie that dropped just weeks after the 2023 new year, feels a little late to the party. Granted, virus and pandemic movies have been a staple in horror, even before the Covid virus took hold of our world. Contagion, Carriers, The Crazies, It Comes at Night, Quarantine, and so on. Many of the pre-covid virus movies focus more on the wild-fire spread of an infection that oftentimes takes down entire cities or countries, leading to an end of world conclusion or implication. After covid hit, we had a few covid-specific virus movies, most notably Host, the first horror movie that dealt directly with current event topics like quarantining, masking, and chatting with friends on Zoom. For the next year or so we were in a deluge of covid horror, a few of the more notable ones would be Stay Home, Songbird, and Safer at Home. In 2022 it seemed like we were finally veering away from horror with covid-tones. And then here comes Sick. A movie about a killer that shows up at a remote home where two girls are quarantining. We see tell-tale signs of covid life, like wiping down groceries with disinfectant, wearing masks (and being yelled at for not wearing a mask), long grocery lines, toilet paper shortage, food delivery services, and those awful teen βend of the worldβ parties. And while weβre still undoubtedly living in a Covid world, watching Sick felt a little like going back in time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sick was written by Kevin Williamson - the writer of 1996βs Scream, and perhaps because I knew this, everytime the killer wielded their large knife and chased the unsuspecting screaming young woman around the house, it felt extremely familiar. Even though the whole of the movie lacked the humor and self awareness that Scream is known for, it is very apparent given the entirety of the plot, that it was written by the same writer. This isnβt necessarily a bad thing. I guess I was just hoping for another flash of brilliance from the mind who brought us Scream. But instead, we got a dulled down covid version of a movie we saw in the β90s. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite this lack of creativity, I genuinely had fun with Sick. Itβs a solid teen slasher with a few good kills and an extremely satisfying final scene. The actors are solid, including our main character Gideon Adlon, who I thought was a terrific final girl. She fought like hell, ran fast, used her brain, and her guttural βget off meβ screams were both chilling and powerful. And though I donβt have an eye for directing style, Sickβs director John Hyams also directed Alone, a favorite movie of mine from 2020 about a serial killer who targets a woman traveling alone, and the cat and mouse pursuit that follows. All in all, you could do worse for a late night horror movie at home. Watch with a friend! Without a mask! And cough a few times! Itβll be hilarious. Sick is streaming on Peacock now. Check it out!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IlS90jL1EHQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="IlS90jL1EHQ"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-84433853781091604312020-01-13T22:08:00.003-08:002020-01-13T22:08:28.022-08:00Best Horror of 2019As 2019 came to a close and I review my list of favorite horror movies, one thing is clear, the world of horror cinema is as strong as ever. This year saw a wide variety of theatrical releases - really great remakes, the directorial returns of gifted storytellers, the continuation of popular franchises, and a few surprise indie hits. Not to mention the absolute wonderland of On Demand and Streaming movies that came to Shudder and Netflix and pay services. I tend to dig deep into the world of contemporary horror and watch anything and everything. A few popular movies slipped past me at the time of this post - Parasite and Doctor Sleep. I know these two movies are on most everyone's top of lists and maybe they would take the place of one or two of mine would I have seen them. Maybe not. Neither Midsommar or The Lighthouse made my favorites this year. I'm not a big fan of subtle horror, I'm more of an ax in the face kind of girl. To each their own.<br />
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<b>15.) Hole in the Ground</b><br />
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I'm not one for kid-driven horror movies. The kids are whiny and the parents are dismissive. They're generally in the "Fresh Start" subgenre which might be the most tired trope of all. But The Hole in the Ground was a solidly freaky flick with super moody atmosphere, genuine jump scares, and really unsettling imagery. The kid's "kidness" is understated and the mom is a believer right away which means we waste no time getting to the meat of the story. And the ending. Well, it's balls-out crazy and is the extra something that makes it stand apart from its dullard counterparts.<br />
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<b>14.) Polaroid</b><br />
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It's no secret that I'm a sucker for a fun teen scream. And Polaroid is like Final Destination meets Shutter. A perfect mashup of the scary and the ridiculous. There are some pretty intense kills and some clever deduction by our main characters when it comes to trying to best the badie. Polaroid isn't going to win any awards but it's a damn good time which honestly, is all that I want in my horror movie.<br />
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<b>13.) US</b><br />
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I'm just as surprised as you are that US is so far down on my list of favorites of the year. I know that I really, really liked it. It's freaky and bloody and it gives a good chase. Maybe the ending loosened its grip on me. I need to watch it a few more times to really get a solid hold on everything that went down in that last half hour. But it's a great movie and one hell of a thrill ride.<br />
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<b>12.) Pledge</b><br />
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The Pledge came out of nowhere for me. It presents as your standard secret society with sinister intentions movie and then hits it out of the park as a gruesome tale of endurance and survival. This isn't exactly torture porn but it skirts the line pretty closely and will only be enjoyed by viewers who can withstand some uncomfortable violence.<br />
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<b>11.) Haunt</b><br />
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You've been here before. Trapped in a haunted house as you begin to realize that the scares are real and your friends are dying one by one. No one behind the masks are here to help you. They're here to watch you suffer. And suffer you do. Haunt takes this popular trope and puts its own spin on it, making it freshly terrifying and wonderfully gruesome.</div>
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<b>10.) 47 Meters Down: Uncaged</b></div>
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Now here's a movie I had absolutely no interest in watching until it was playing on the screen in front of me and I was riveted. Like any great creature feature it has the fearsome, unstoppable beast, but it also has the suffocating claustrophobia of movies like The Descent and The Cave, and yet it's a non-stop adrenaline rush like any great action movie. Also, it ticks all my boxes: beautiful teens on a road trip to a secluded off-the-grid location to explore some underwater ancient ruins overrun with (also ancient) sharks and then John Corbett. I mean, that alone will do me.<br />
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<b>9.) Ready or Not</b><br />
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After her bewitching performances in The Babysitter and Mayhem, I will watch Samara Weaving in damn near anything, let alone in a movie where she runs around a mansion in a a torn wedding dress and yellow converse shoes playing the deadliest hide and seek game in history. The humor was unexpected and well placed as was the gore. And of the course the ending, where we finally discover if the curse is real or rumor, is wonderfully priceless. Weaving's warbley scream still haunts me in the dead of night. <br />
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<b>8.) Sweetheart</b><br />
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There aren't enough great creature features in this world so when a movie like Sweetheart catches me by surprise I'm absolutely delighted. This is a straightforward survival movie about a woman who washes ashore a small island after a boating accident and soon discovers she's not alone. The title of this movie is a brilliant play on the condescending and belittling nickname our main character is given, despite the fact that she's a complete badass. The creature itself is an awesome creation of old and new ideas, giving birth to something powerful and terrifying.<br />
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<b>7.) The Furies</b><br />
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A handful of women wake up in the middle of the woods only to realize they're being hunted by terrifying masked men. Sounds basic enough. But the execution, that's where the horrible beauty of it all is rooted. This is a bloody, toothless, torn lip scream of a movie. It's a disemboweled, ax in the face kind of romp. But wow, is it well done. Some of the long shots in this movie are gruesomely gorgeous.<br />
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<b>6.) The Wind</b><br />
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Much like The Witch, The Wind has that unsettling middle-of-nowhere quiet dread of isolation and illusion. The acting is superb and even in the most simple of scenes there's something just off center enough to feel wrong and strange. I'm loving the reinvigorated interest in prairie horror and look forward to what this sub-genre will offer in the coming years.<br />
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<b>5.) Escape Room</b><br />
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As much as I love a low budget indie horror gem, I also love a big budget shiny mainstream horror movie, and Escape Room is just that. What promises to be the first in a potential franchise, this Escape Room succeeded where so many of its predecessors failed. Compelling characters fill a state-of-the-art maze of escape rooms, besting the system by working together to solve impossible puzzles. The deaths aren't all that creative but they still make an impact on the audience as the rooms get harder and more dangerous. I'm not sure I care about the big bad mastermind but I'll reserve judgement for the next installment slated for release later this year.<br />
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<b>4.) Annabelle Comes Home</b><br />
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Well, it's no secret that I love The Conjuring world and all its constitutes. Not every movie is a great one but the beauty of the franchise is that they're all quite different from one another but maintain a similar tone. The new Annabelle movie is essentially a haunted house teen scream set in the '60s. It's fun and scary and gives us a wonderful insight into Judy Warren, an important character in The Conjuring world but before now, not a very fleshed out one. Unlike its predecessors this Annabelle movie doesn't seem to expand upon the Annabelle lore, and instead it's more like a day in the life of The Warren house and all of the dangers that could befall them.<br />
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<b>3.) IT Chapter 2</b><br />
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I really liked IT Chapter 1, I thought it was scary and fun, but I didn't love it. Something about watching kids carry a horror movie makes it feel like a horror movie for kids. I know it's not necessarily true, but that's what it feels like. So when I went to see Chapter 2 (now starring adults!) it just felt EPIC. Like, impossibly layered and scary and nuanced and terrifying and emotional and ... wow. I look forward to watching both back to back and revisiting my thoughts on both as a whole.<br />
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<b>2.) Crawl</b><br />
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Full disclosure, Crawl was my number one pick of 2019 until recently, so it feels a little weird knocking it down to #2 but here we are. Crawl - extreme weather, alligators (a lot of alligators), a fearless heroine, a family dog, and a lot of edge-of-your-seat tension. It's simple, it's brilliant, it's perfection.<br />
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<b>1.) One Cut of the Dead</b><br />
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I'm not going to link a trailer to this one and if you're interested in really experiencing this movie "for the first time" you'll skip the trailer and/or synopsis and just press play. I've known that One Cut was getting hype since it was released on Shutter back in the summer but it didn't interest me too much. It wasn't until it started landing on everyone's Best of 2019 lists that I decided to just watch it already. And holy crap. At first you're like, what the shit am I watching? And then about thirty minutes in you're like, this is awesome and then... well. This movie is brilliant and I loved every moment of it. Just watch it.</div>
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<b>***</b></div>
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The year was a good one for horror and there's a lot that I liked that of course didn't make the Best Of list, such is the nature of THE LIST. Every year when I compile my list I begin by extensively researching other Best Of horror lists from that year. There's a lot of movies that pass by unnoticed, or films I forgot about. And I usually try to binge some key titles before making my final list decisions. These other Best Horror lists tend to come from the same sources every year and so I trust them somewhat, as reviewers who actually watch horror movies, the big and the little, the hyped and the unknown. You've got the expected sources like Bloody Disgusting, Rue Morgue, Horror Freak News. But then you have the unexpected, like Vulture, Thrilllist, Bizarre, Esquire, Paste, and The Wire. A lot of these lists look the same. This year on the top of most everyone's list was Doctor Sleep, The Lighthouse, Parasite, Midsommar, US, Tigers Are Not Afraid, It 2, Ready or Not, One Cut, and then the rest varies widely. Below is the list of other movies that turned up on those lists. Some I've seen and didn't love enough for my Best Of, some I have yet to see. So now when you're bemoaning the fact that you've seen all of the good horror movies out there and there's nothing on, chisel away at this beauty...</div>
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All That We Destroy</div>
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Antrum</div>
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Belzebuth</div>
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Black Forest</div>
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Bliss</div>
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Body at Brighton Rock</div>
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Child's Play</div>
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Climax</div>
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Countdown</div>
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Culture Shock</div>
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Daniel Isn't Real</div>
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Darlin'</div>
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Depraved</div>
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Doctor Sleep</div>
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Eli</div>
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Fractured</div>
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Freaks</div>
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Girl on the Third Floor</div>
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Golem</div>
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Hagazussa</div>
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Happy Death Day 2</div>
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Harpoon</div>
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Head Count</div>
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High Life</div>
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Horror Noire: History of Black Horror</div>
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I Trapped the Devil</div>
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In Fabric</div>
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Kindred Spirits</div>
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Knife & Heart</div>
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Knives and Skin</div>
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Lifechanger</div>
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Little Mosnters</div>
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Lords of Chaos</div>
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Luz</div>
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Nightshifter</div>
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Parasite</div>
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Perfection, The</div>
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Pet Sematary</div>
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Piercing</div>
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Pilgrim</div>
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Rabid</div>
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Rattlesnake</div>
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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark</div>
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Starfish</div>
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The Banana Splits Movie</div>
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The Head Hunter</div>
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The Nightingale</div>
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Thriller</div>
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Velvet Buzzsaw</div>
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We Summon the Darkness</div>
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Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-45055489528059361552017-01-08T19:09:00.001-08:002017-01-08T19:09:48.588-08:00The Best Horror Movies of 2016For as shitty a year as it was in 2016, both worldly and personally, it was a pretty damn fine year for horror movies. Below are my top ten favorites, as well as a slew of honorable mentions.<br />
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<b>10.) The Shallows</b><br />
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<b>Genre:</b> Creature Feature<br />
<b>Director:</b> Jaume Collet-Serra<br />
<b>Country:</b> USA<br />
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The ol' trapped in the water with a shark movie, after all these years, after all the bigger boat jokes, it's still a terrifying concept. Ignoring boring comparisons to <i>Open Water </i>and <i>The Reef,</i> I'm just going to plow ahead and say that <i>The Shallows</i> just might be the best shark movie in years. The CGI is impressive, the performances by both Blake Lively and Steven Seagull are outstanding, and the tension is edge of your seat material. I could have done without some of the body horror but hey, gross outs are gross, and gross is part of the genre so I get it. The ending is a little too Hollywood for my tastes but still manages to be impressively bad-ass so I forgive it.<br />
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<b>9.) Lake Nowhere</b><br />
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<b>Genre: </b>Slasher; Supernatural<br />
<b>Director:</b> Christopher Phelps, Maxim Van Scoy<br />
<b>Country: </b>USA<br />
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For the last fifteen or so years there's been a slew of contemporary movie throwbacks to the golden age of VHS and late-night horror. Ti West's 2005<i> The Roost </i>is the earliest one I can think of, and still one of the best, followed by the near-perfect <i>House of the Devil </i>in 2009. There have been many who have tried their hand at this niche subgenre, some to moderate success, but <i>Lake Nowhere</i> is the first in ages to be original in content and authentic in feel. The likability of the characters, the impressive kill scenes, the artistic camerawork, and the unique ending, quickly put this one in my top ten. And for the impatient movie watcher that I am, the 50 minute running length was the blood-soaked cherry on top.<br />
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<b>8.) Satanic </b><br />
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<b>Genre: </b>Supernatural<br />
<b>Director: </b> Jeffrey G. Hunt<br />
<b>Country: </b>USA<br />
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There is a small part of me that feels silly for putting <i>Satanic</i> in my top ten. But try as I might, it just couldn't be usurped. Maybe it's the work of the devil. A little more sense was made for my love for <i>Satanic</i> when looking it up on IMDB and discovering that it was written by Anthony Jaswinski - the writer of <i>The Shallows</i> and <i>Kristy</i>, two recent favorites! (<i>Kristy</i> was on my honorable mentions list this year but according to IMDB it was a 2015 release.) <i>Satanic</i> won me over right from the start with a group of four characters who are obsessed with real murder cases and supernatural stories. I have a soft spot for the horror movie that is somewhat a love letter to horror itself, so I was an easy mark. But <i>Satanic's </i>real strength is its unpredictability. The movie is just this path of random, weird shit that keeps happening until it ultimately leads us to the final act, and it's there that all bets are off. The script is great and the actors are top notch, all in all the most unexpected movie of the year for me.<br />
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<b>7.) Under The Shadow</b><br />
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<b>Genre: </b>Supernatural<br />
<b>Director:</b> Babak Anvari<br />
<b>Country:</b> Iranian<br />
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<i>Under the Shadow</i> is a truly impressive movie on so many levels. It's a fantastic character study, a terrifying observation of war, a harrowing glance at a woman's life in Iran in the 1980's, and also a pretty scary horror movie about a Djinn. Themes of oppression, abandonment, desperation and the sometimes negative impacts of archaic beliefs, makes this a complex, gratifying movie experience.<br />
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<b>6.) Neon Demon</b><br />
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<b>Genre: </b>Psycological; Slasher<br />
<b>Director: </b> Nicolas Winding Refn<br />
<b>Country: </b>USA<br />
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<i>The Neon Demon</i>, you either love it or you hate it. I think the majority will fall into the latter two camps but for me, it was a beautiful, dream-like movie. It walks this fine line of being artistic and being a caricature of itself, with an obscene amount of self-reflection that either makes it pompous or adds to its surreal brilliance. I think it's all of these strange qualities that won me over as I was completely captivated and ultimately horrified once things started to go off the rails. And while Elle Fanning was the star, Jena Malone gave a chilling, unforgettable performance.<br />
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<b>5.) The Monster</b><br />
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<b>Genre: </b>Creature Feature<br />
<b>Director: </b> Bryan Bertino<br />
<b>Country: </b>USA<br />
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The thought that occurred to me while watching <i>The Monster </i>was, "this is like what if <i>The Babadook</i> was actually good". (oh no she didn't!) Both share the theme of "the creature" representing some kind of fracture in the character's lives, of which they must defeat in order to redeem themselves. <i>The Monster</i> is a little more straightforward than <i>The Babadook's</i> bells and whistles, but it's a more powerful representation of that theme, with a more devastating conclusion. I'm a big fan of Zoe Kazan so it was a thrill to get to see her in such a dark role, and her supporting cast mate, Ella Ballentine, played a difficult part brilliantly.</div>
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<b>4.) Green Room</b></div>
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<b>Genre: </b>Slasher<br />
<b>Director: </b> Jeremy Saulnier<br />
<b>Country: </b>USA<br />
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I had known about <i>Green Room</i> for a long time before its release but hadn't ever watched a trailer, so I was pleasantly surprised at how brutal it ended up being, how violent and bleak and utterly unforgiving. It was one hell of a thrill ride and I was glad that such hype turned out to be for such a straight up horror movie. So many theatrical releases these days are for horror movies that end up being supernatural thrillers more than anything. And if not for the <i>Star Trek</i> stars in it, it may have remained relatively unknown to the masses. Patrick Stewart, of course, made waves with such a dark role but honestly his character was completely underwhelming. It was Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots, once again sharing the horror movie stage that was the most fun, (they played sweethearts in the <i>Fright Night</i> remake), and his death shortly after this movie's release was all the more sad because of it.<br />
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<b>3.) Blair Witch</b><br />
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<b>Genre: </b>Supernatural<br />
<b>Director: </b> Adam Wingard<br />
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<b>Country: </b>USA<br />
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Yes, we're all tired of the shaky cam movies, and we know it's not real found footage, you fooled us once, shame on you. But I'll be damned if occasionally one comes along, seemingly out of the blue, and just blows me away (like 2014's <i>Willow Creek</i>). Such was the case for <i>Blair Witch</i>. Shot and initially promoted under the fake title, <i>The Woods</i>, it was already gaining buzz by its scary teaser trailer. When news hit that the creepy <i>The Woods</i> movie was actually a <i>Blair Witch</i> direct sequel, most people lost their shit. Me? I was disappointed. I may be the only person on the planet who actually didn't like 1999's <i>The Blair Witch</i>. The camera work made me want to vomit and the constant bickering and crying of the characters made me wish the witch would just kill them already. So I had my reservations when trudging to the theater to watch another found footage witch movie. And then, holy shit. I haven't felt so uneasy during a movie since I saw <i>Event Horizon</i> in theater by myself. I was crazy scared with my legs tucked beneath me so nothing could grab me from under the seat. I kept thinking, why am I here? I just want to go home to where it's safe and well lit. You know that saying, "crawl out of my skin"? I have never truly understood that phrase until I watched <i>Blair Witch</i>. Just. Awesome.<br />
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<b>2.) The Witch</b><br />
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<b>Genre: </b>Supernatural<br />
<b>Director: </b> Robert Eggers<br />
<b>Country: </b>USA / UK<br />
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Speaking of witches... oh my god The Witch. A tension-drenched, weighty slog through a harsh, unforgiving terrain of superstition, dread, and isolation. I saw it twice in the theater and it was even better the second time. Everything about this film is perfection. It's too bad that the Oscars are so prejudice against horror movies because The Witch would sweep - Best Actor, Best Costumes, Best Musical Score, Best Original Screenplay, Best Evil Goat.<br />
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And it would have been my number one movie of the year if not for the recently released...<br />
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<b>1.) Train to Busan</b><br />
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<b>Genre: </b>Zombies<br />
<b>Director: </b> Sang-ho Yeon<br />
<b>Country: </b>South<b> </b>Korean<br />
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Zombies! I love zombies. Oh, how I love the zombies. Slow zombies, fast zombies, zom-coms, undead zombies, virus zombies, animal zombies, not in love with the talking zombies (<i>Dead Snow</i>) but I'll take 'em. And since <i>The Walking Dead</i> continues to be such a huge success, zombies remain more popular than ever. Which means we have a gluttony of about a dozen zombie movies a year - with one of them actually being, maybe, somewhat good!? Well, sliding into a late December 2016 VOD release, <i>Train to Busan</i> gets that honor of being the one good zombie movie of the year. Lucky for us, that it just so happens to be an EXCELLENT one. It's got great character development, a Korean Jon Favreau, inventive zombie action, thrilling train sequences, and realistic makeup and gore. And the ending is just perfect. Go South Korea!<br />
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***</div>
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<b>Best Worst Movie:</b> Beyond the Gates<br />
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<b>Honorable Mentions</b><br />
Hush<br />
The Invitation<br />
Southbound<br />
The Autopsy of Jane Doe<br />
Siren<br />
Nina Forever<br />
The Boy<br />
Jack Goes Home<br />
Don't Breathe<br />
Lights Out<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Biggest Disappointments</b><br />
31<br />
Baskin<br />
Martyrs remake<br />
Cabin Fever remake<br />
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies<br />
Flight 7500<br />
The Other Side of the Door<br />
The Conjuring 2<br />
The Darkness<br />
The Disappointment Room<br />
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***</div>
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Here's to another year of horror movies! Don't forget to watch them - in the dark.</div>
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~Doll</div>
Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-26806240813356490282016-07-27T15:51:00.003-07:002016-07-27T15:54:34.370-07:00Lights Out (2016)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Genre:</b> Supernatural<br />
<b>Director:</b> David F. Sandberg<br />
<b>Availability:</b> In Theaters<br />
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One of the greatest failings of any story is laziness.<br />
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In horror movies we rely on the fact that a big part of fear comes from what we don't know - The Big Unknown - it looms over us and the shadow that it casts is wide and dark. The journey that we go on to unearth the How and Why is just as important as the jump scares and the creepy imagery. Granted, this is a horror movie and not a murder mystery, I get that, but there's still an art to gradually unveiling relevant information instead of, oh say, discovering a box full of photos, recordings (that happens to play at the perfect spot when you press play) and confidential case files in literally the first place that you look. It's lazy storytelling and it's unforgivable.<br />
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And it wasn't the only instance of such a sin in <i>Lights Out</i>. What was the "experimental treatment" and are we going to talk about the fact that she can "get inside your mind"? No. We're just supposed to take these things at face value and continue to scream at the obscene amount of jump scares?<br />
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These glaring issues aside, <i>Lights Out</i> was a more competent horror movie than many. Its concept was unique, the jump scares were effective, and the ending was bold. It will most certainly be touted as one of the best of 2016 by critics, no doubt. I had fun watching it but I fear that it will prove itself to be a forgettable movie. It lacked a memorable journey and its atmosphere was generic. Even the title - <i>Lights Out</i> - I keep wanting to call it Don't Turn Out The Lights, or Lights Off, or That movie about the light switch.<br />
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<i>3 out of 5 stars</i>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-41563022791382181672016-07-13T18:17:00.000-07:002016-07-13T18:31:35.625-07:00Best New Horror on NetflixTo date I've watched roughly 1,040 horror movies. I often struggle with finding a new horror movie to watch that I'm excited about or that even looks halfway decent. I imagine I'm not the only one with this struggle, whether it's because you've seen all of the horror movies ever, or because you think every horror movie that pops up on Netflix looks stupid and you've been burned too many times to keep taking chances. In any case, I've put together a small list of new horror on Netflix (or horror that's new to Netflix) that I think is worth a watch.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Top 10</u></b></div>
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<b>The Girl in the Photographs (2016)</b><br />
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A fun slasher with a mix of mystery and "art". It'll keep you guessing until all your guesses start to get brutally murdered and then you're left with a killer of an ending.<br />
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<b>Hush (2016)</b><br />
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The premise is simple. Killer shows up to girl's remotely located house and plays cat and mouse with her. But there's nothing simple about the execution, which is truly inspired. If you want an intense, straightforward horror movie, look no further.<br />
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<b>Kristy (2015)</b><br />
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Another excellent cat and mouse horror movie. There are multiple, very brutal killers and one, terrified girl that they've set their sights on. She has to start getting inventive if she wants to live because no one who will try to help her will live to tell the tale. The ending has a nice little twist as well.<br />
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<b>Final Girl (2015)</b><br />
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One of the greatest pleasures of horror movies for me is the moment when the Final Girl stops being the victim and starts kicking some ass. In the case of the movie <i>Final Girl</i>, our FG is never the victim, instead she is raised to kick the asses of the Killers who create the Final Girl. It's a refreshing take on the genre with some awesome fight scenes in the third act.<br />
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<b>Curse of Chucky (2013)</b><br />
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Forget the campy Chucky movies we all grew up with - they've got their time and place sure, but it's not when you're craving something scary. <i>Curse of Chucky</i> however is putting some weight behind the franchise with its new polished, scary, and yes, serious take on the infamous killer doll. Surprisingly good.<br />
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<b>The Hallow (2015)</b><br />
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<i>The Hallow</i>, not to be confused with <i>The Hollow</i>, which were both released in 2015 and have similar looking covers. One is very good, the other is very not. <i>The Hallow</i> is what happens when you move to a foreign country and don't listen to the locals about staying out of the cursed woods. The creatures are terrifying and the action is intense. You may never go into nature again (it belongs to them).<br />
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<b>#Horror (2015)</b><br />
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<i>#Horror </i>isn't for everyone. It's kind of like being in a casino targeted at teenage girls. But I loved how weird it was - I'd never seen anything like it. And teenage girls are terrifying, even when they aren't trying to kill people. It's a pretty surreal watch so strap in for a WTF kind of night.<br />
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<b>We Are Still Here (2015)</b><br />
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<i>We Are Still Here</i> is kind of an throwback to the late '70s slow burns paired with an early '80s paranormal creature feature. Everything about this movie feels like it belongs in another time, which makes for a strange and unique movie experience.<br />
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<b>They Look Like People (2015)</b><br />
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A creepy slow burn that is surprisingly funny when it's not busy screwing with your mind. I love it when low budget indies score terrific actors and a great script. I take a chance on a lot of crap that I regret, but when it pays off with a gem it really reinvigorates my love of small horror flicks. <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">You are a mountain...</span></i><br />
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<b>The Invitation (2015)</b><br />
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Perhaps qualified more as a psychological thriller than a horror movie, but I'm still going to throw this one in here because it's really damn good and it ends pretty bloody. Another film that subtly builds the dread, making for an uneasy watch that will keep you wondering what the hell is really going on. The final scene is a brilliant addition to an already solid piece. Good stuff.<br />
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No, I didn't forget The Babadook. The Babadook can bite me.<br />
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There's a ton more great horror on Netflix worth checking out. Just because you've never heard of it before or the cover looks silly doesn't mean it won't be great. Sometimes you have to take a chance in order to find those hidden gems, so don't be afraid to dig for them! <br />
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Frightful watching!<br />
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~HHorror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-43049015177366868352016-07-05T17:38:00.000-07:002016-07-05T17:38:22.205-07:00The Neon Demon (2016)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Genre:</b> Psychological<br />
<b>Director:</b> Nicolas Winding Refn<br />
<b>Availability:</b> Still in Theaters<br />
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"Beauty isn't everything. It's the only thing."<br />
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And while director Nicolas Winding Refn worked on establishing deeper meanings in the subtext to his gorgeously surreal frames, that sentence could probably be applied to <i>The Neon Demon</i> as well. The movie doesn't work as a statement on Hollywood or Beauty or Female Expectation or Jealousy or Envy or Power or Innocence or Corruption - all themes which are explored and dissected. Instead it works as a powerhouse of beauty. Every scene is a surreal, extraordinary photograph that whispers to you, seducing your senses. The horror movie aspect comes in rivulets. A little here - some blood licking, a cougar in the room, a sexual predator / A little there - a scene with a dead body that will make you OMG. Until the finale of course, that just rides the horror wave to crazy town, while looking posh in heels all the way.<br />
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Now that I've told you what it is (and isn't), let me tell you that I absolutely loved it. I'm not above a pointless yet pretty movie that shocks me with its brazen gross out factors. It dazzled me, like a pretty face, I couldn't help but stare and smile and think to myself, I want that. And who knows, maybe that was the point all along.<br />
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<b><i>4 out of 5 stars</i></b>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927302925146018184.post-73605348262397224012016-07-05T16:52:00.002-07:002016-07-05T16:52:41.175-07:00The Conjuring 2 (2016)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Genre:</b> Ghosts; Supernatural<br />
<b>Director: </b>James Wan<br />
<b>Availability: </b>Still in Theaters<br />
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When I saw <i>The Conjuring</i> in theaters back in 2013 it scared the shit out of me. I sat there with my knees tucked up to my chin, leaning into the side of my best friend, and screaming so loudly at the jump scares that I started to become embarrassed. Three years and multiple viewings later it still scares me silly. But as much as I love <i>The Conjuring</i> I don't want to watch it again under the guise of another name, such as, oh I don't know, <i>The Conjuring 2</i>.<br />
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And when I say it's the same movie I exaggerate. It is of course an entirely different movie. They both just happen to share: an old dingy house, young jovial kids, a stressed out but loving mom, spooky things that start to happen to one kid while she's sleeping in bed, then everyone's a target and they all start sleeping in the living room together, then someone gets possessed, the Warrens come along and offer them kindness and neighborly normalcy while sympathizing and being helpful, a kid hides in the wall, they find a creepy spinning toy that plays music, there's pale gangly ghosties with terrible skin and dark eyes, there's the mystery of discovering what actually happened, there's the misleading answer, the evil things follow the Warrens back home, the kids go stay in a different place while the house gets cleaned, everyone is saved by love. If my life shared that many qualities with someone else's life they'd put us on <i>Unsolved Mysteries</i> and we'd be famous.<br />
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I guess my expectations were too high in that I wanted like, some new ideas in a new movie.<br />
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Griping aside, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are as delightful as ever as the loving, supernaturally inclined husband and wife team. And there's some really great, creepy imagery throughout that has stayed with me. It's not a bad movie, it's actually a good movie, and for many fans it will be just as good as or even better than the first (so say some critics). But I remain disappointed and will pout about it for a little while longer.<br />
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<b><i>2 out of 5 stars</i></b>Horror Movies in the Darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12989886196900013209noreply@blogger.com0