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Tweets From October, 2018 - December 2018
December, 2018
New Year’s Evil. You will get that song stuck in your head. It’s an enjoyable retro slasher film until you reach the ending! Worst ending ever. Save us feminists from whiny men and pathetic male characters. Feminism and horror sometimes clash, and this is one of those times.
Nightmare Before Christmas. One of my favs. Love the visuals, wonderful story, great characters, loveable monsters. Oogie Boogie is a great villain. Beautiful music, Danny Elfman is a genius! This story has a lot of heart. Big Tim Burton fan. It was a pleasure to rewatch.
R.L. Stein's the Haunting Hour S1EP4. Not scary -- more like imaginative and creepy. This one is a bit heavy handed with a Christmas theme but it's an OK episode. Family on the verge of divorce, kids constantly fighting and disconnected come together when a small creature attacks.
Pt2- So much talking, so little action till the last 30 mins, weird lingerie party, awkward dialogue and reveals, hamfisted conversations about LGBT issues with gay characters that are handled horribly, ridiculous storyline and a terrible ending. Want the hr and 25 mins back!
Christmas Presence. Pt1-Skip it. Painfully slow. Not horror, despite it being a Shudder exclusive. More of a mystery with supernatural elements. The writing is terrible.
Home for the Holidays (1972). Nice opening music, but arguably more of a thriller than a horror. You think your family is dysfunctional? You haven’t seen anything yet. The killer would seriously benefit from some therapy. Weak conclusion, slow pacing and one-dimensional characters.
Pt2- 2 of the stories were original, 3 were just plain cheesy. The tie-in, making the anthology part of the story because two characters watch these shorts unfold as a play, was awkwardly done. Conclusion to the tie-in story was terrible and confusing. Anthology left me apathetic.
All the Creatures Were Stirring is another holiday anthology of shorts. Not a big fan of this one, passable if you’re yearning for holiday horror at 2AM and can’t get to bed. Stories felt incomplete, they just ended, no real sense of completion, so many questions left unanswered.
Christmas with the Addams Family. This was funny with just the right touch of macabre. I love this show, brings me back. Morticia is afraid Santa won’t show so she has to come up with a backup Santa. A bit ridiculous towards the end but a sweet episode. Christmas magic.
X-Files S6 Ep 6. Love their repartee. Great dialogue in this episode. The beginning is quite creepy. Of course, Mulder would visit a haunted house on Christmas Eve. That's some haunted house! Great ghost characters. Had me going there at the end.
Pt2- Who goes to the door without a top on? Felt sorry for him before 2nd rape scene because after the murder of his parents, the boy needed help, not punishment. It was tragic how he became a killer. But after the 2nd rape, I was done with this movie! Hope to never see it again.
Silent Night, Deadly Night (Pt 1). Needlessly graphic and two rape scenes! A nun punishes a child -- hard to watch. As an adult, a rape at the store sets the main character off and he blames the rape victim. She needs to be punished for sex? Really? That’s disgusting!
Holidays, the longer review
This is the longer review. With horror film anthologies there’s always a short or two that feels off or that doesn’t resonate. All of the shorts except for the last two were a sharp disconnect to my sensibilities and I was horrified at what I was seeing. The torture, the male chauvinism, the hatred of women. It was grotesque, and I had a visceral hatred of them. And torturing a child? Punishing her by turning her into a monster and forcing her to say goodbye to her life forever? Just because she couldn’t sleep? Or a woman giving birth to a snake and happy about it? What the hell?! The second to last story, Christmas was a complete story with an absolutely chilling ending and fleshed-out characters. The very last short, New Years, is OK. It’s on par with my sensibilities but it doesn’t feel like a complete story. There are so many questions left unanswered that the viewer is left to muddle through. As a writer, that seems sloppy to me. Interesting twist but didn’t resonate as fully with me as the Christmas short did. I would say avoid it like the plague or just see the last two shorts. Trust me, you’re not missing a thing by skipping it.
Holidays, the longer review. Read: https://t.co/AuwZc2NHku
Holidays.1st story-Bad dialogue, missed the mark. 2nd-Poor taste, disgusting 3rd-Perverse, disgusting, tortures a child 4th-Pro-life propaganda, drugging, rape, horrifying birth 5th-Sad & cruel 6th-Torture porn revenge, castration 7th-Chilling & good 8th-OK.
Holidays, a horror anthology with eight shorts, is a disaster of a horror flick. Torture, sadism, male chauvinism...it's truly offensive and unrelentingly painful to watch. I urge you to avoid it at all costs. A short review and a longer one to follow.
Supernatural S3Ep8. Hell of a beginning. Interesting blend of feels and angst, funny scenes, flashbacks to their childhood, great action scenes, a little bit of torture, an intriguing mystery and a sweet ending. What did we learn? Don't buy Meadowsweet wreaths.
Tales from the Darkside S4Ep7. Written by Clive Barker. Cheesy AF, animated dancing turkey wearing a pearl necklace, dwarf demon, moving Christmas tree throwing presents. Sigh! Starts off funny like he’s having a bad day. Acting is OK not great. Sorry, Clive Barker, just so-so.
From villains like evil Santa to mobsters. It’s oddly funny at times, and Christopher Melon is a pleasure to watch. This is really his show. Hailey is one tough little girl! And I love Happy, the unicorn. This was a hell of a ride and I enjoyed it.
Happy is one crazy, violent, sadistic show. It’s a hell of a story and it packs an emotional wallop. Some difficult scenes, very dark world and hello torture. Not for the faint of heart. Think Tarantino does a Christmas movie about a broken cop trying to save his daughter...
Twilight Zone S2Ep11 "The Night of the Meek." This is a great holiday episode. Very deep and emotional. It's a tad slow but stay with it. An absolutely beautiful story! It was a real pleasure to watch this again.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Christmas episode. Being a store elf was never more dangerous. Such a creepy villain in this episode! Lovely Christmas episode, fun and entertaining to watch, scary, heartwarming, so many feels. Ominous ending. Season 2 is going to be interesting.
Pt 2- Half-naked female Santa ogled by killer with knife? What the hell? Why was that necessary? Murders unique (sometimes) and shocking. Opens with POV shots of killer stalking & killing couple. Crazy, creepy ending but abrupt and confusing. Mixed feelings about this one.
Don't Open Till Christmas. Pt 1-An odd blend of different elements. Felt incomplete. Too many loose ends and characters that are barely referenced later. Too much plot, not enough direction. Strange mix of sex and violence. Sexploitation in several parts.
Steel Trap. Dialogue is a bit transparent and the characters may seem hollow but stick with it. Pacing is a tad slow but it’s a fun, bloody and slightly torturous ride. Love puzzles and riddles. Never answer texts from mysterious strangers. Love the ending! Revenge slasher.
Tales From the Darkside S3Ep11. Love the premise of this episode, a scary story for children who have heard it all. Forget Krampus, The Grither is the thing you should be afraid of. Slow build, creepy episode, slightly cheesy monster, great characters, believable family.
Black Christmas (1974). You don't know creepy obscene phone calls until you heard these. Pacing is very slow, nice POV camera work when the killer strikes. Feminist in some ways for a slasher. Ending packs a wallop! Wait for it. Creepy killer though we never know why.
Tales From the Crypt S1Ep2. A night in the life of a killer when everything goes wrong with a killer Santa. They know how to write suspense! Ended in the middle. Unsure of the point. Punishment for murdering her husband? The little kid has to watch her mother chopped up? Really?!
Jack Frost. Beginning is disturbing with a kid's voice. Nice edits, interesting use of humor. Crampy. Cult classic? Maybe. But a killer snowman? Sigh! Women are caricatures. Some deaths are inventive, some are informed by the male gaze & sexually objectify women while killing.
The Dorm That Dripped Murder. Old slasher flick that packs a wallop. A man dies first before the credits, usually it's a woman. Deaths are quick but vicious! Very suspenseful. Interesting lighting, music and camera angles, some from the killer’s POV. Ending absolutely chilling!
Lake Alice. Avoid it!! Slow, mainly a family drama, then nonsensical murders, sadistic deaths, bad acting, weak female characters that cry for 15 minutes straight and horrible dialogue. Feminism? Not here. The big reveal I guessed in the first five minutes. Horrible and pointless.
Gremlins. Enjoyable watch. Wonderful ending. Hope someday Billy's ready. Love the Gremlins watching Snow White. Thanks for the rec @NTeslaJane Gizmo's adorable and the others? Creepy little suckers. The women had very small parts but nice blend of comedy, action and creepiness.
I will leave you all with my favorite quote, “All that we see or seem may be a dream within a dream.”- Edgar Allen Poe. More holiday horror movies coming. Stay tuned. Don’t change that channel.
Anna and the Apocalypse is an interesting blend of different tonalities, characters, themes and the use of musical numbers amid the horror. However, the final characters and the reasons why they survived, along with a few depressing scenes made me like it but not love it.
Horror movie holiday madness starting now! Watching a marathon of holiday horror movies to review for everyone. Mwah. XOXO
Krampus. Wonderful beginning. What a scathing criticism of the commercialism of Christmas. Has great dialogue that's actually funny. Love the themes here. The horror's quite intense even if it's gingerbread cookies with a nail gun. The mix between horror and comedy is well done.
Made my own prop replica of the John Journal in the TV show Supernatural. Has about 150 pages, creepy photos I found on eBay, old newspaper articles and a ton of information I added, like a demon page that Mark Sheppard signed. I created a handwriting style for John. Not for sale.
November, 2018
Yes, I'm right there with you. Ugh! That ending is horrible! Super Dark Times. OK, I'll add that to the list now. Thanks for the recommendation. Don't know if you saw this, but House of the Devil, is my favorite retro horror to date. It's slow so be patient but it packs a wallop.
The Gift is about as sadistic and misogynist as you can get. The gift referred to here is a cruel act that may or may not have happened. Revenge in its most misogynist. The true horror here is that Joel Edgerton thought that was a good idea. I'm outraged, repulsed and sickened.
The Lure. Killer mermaids? Really? Sexploitation or strong female characters working within a climate of male chauvinism? It's the former. From the get-go we know nothing about them, they end up at a strip club, are naked in front of a creepy mob moss, and lure men. Eye roll!
Summer of '84 could have been a good movie but the copious amount of adolescent jokes, a severely sadistic and cruel ending that didn't fit a light-hearted retro horror flick and one-dimensional characters left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Had potential but squandered it!
I watch all the bad ones so you don't have to. Hope you're enjoying the reviews. I sure love writing them. Always wanted to be a reviewer. Love helping others navigate the world of horror. More to come.
I am known as the "Queen of Hell," on Tumblr due to the fact that I wrote over 80 fanfics regarding Crowley from Supernatural. My handle on Tumblr is roxy-davenport, I used to role-play as Roxy, an OC and Crowley. I'm also on archiveofourown under LexieCarver. :D
I heard of a movie called "Good Manners," a lesbian werewolf musical. Really? That sounds so crazy it might actually work. I'm down for it. Trying to see where it's screening currently.
Scream Season 1 is actually a really decent slasher even if MTV is producing it. Can't speak to Season 2 but I gotta give the writers solid kudos for extending the teen slasher genre into a TV show that really works. Loved the characters and it keeps you guessing.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my US followers. As a tacky holiday sweater said, "Gobble till you wobble." :D
A lot of bad things happen to the women of Gotham, but Barbara Keen is one tough cookie. Here’s to hoping she wins against the oppressive, sadistic underbelly of Gotham City.
Kudos to the writers of "Truth or Dare," never playing that game again! Solid scares and a good villain; however, the movie relies too much on torture and pitting besties against each other over a guy. Great caricature of women. Gotta say the ending saved this one for me though.
"Creeped Out," the new "Goosebumps" on Netflix, while not scary for adults has interesting new visions of horror.
May the Devil Take You. Solidly creepy movie, great name, has potential but honestly there were just too many gory and gratuitous scenes meant to disgust that I simply couldn't move past it. I had to stop the movie and switch to something else. Went in trying to like it.
"What scares me is what scares you. We're all afraid of the same things. That's why horror is such a powerful genre. All you have to do is ask yourself what frightens you and you'll know what frightens me." -John Carpenter
My very first radio interview about my recently published horror books and my fanfiction. So excited for you guys to check it out. Thank you David for inviting me. You were a wonderful host. Make sure to check out Kettle Whistle Radio and David's website.
Hi fellow female horror writers. I've something fun planned and I urge you to DM me. In a world of torture porn and male saturated visions of horror, we girls have to get our stories out there. I'm organizing a panel for a con and would like to have some kick-ass females join me.
Trivia: I will NEVER forget the subway scene! So creepy! The imagery here served as a major inspiration to the early games in the Silent Hill (1999) video-game franchise. The subway station in the original script was supposed to Nostrand Avenue not Bergen Street.
Trivia: Some of the imagery was inspired by Joel-Peter Wiykin's photography. This movie is included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," edited by Steven Schneider.
Jacob's Ladder is a great horror flick. It starts off with a rather graphic war scene and then progresses into psychological supernatural horror. Tim Robbins is wonderful in it. The twist ending is a tad predictable to modern-day audiences but it's an enjoyable, chilling watch.
On the prowl for a good horror flick. Finger crossed I’ll have a great one to Tweet. Eating yummy stuff. Back soon.
"Into the Dark," a collection of macabre horror poetry, stories in poetry form alongside my drawings and photography. Some poems are memoirs written against a horror backdrop. Some feature demons, vampires, psychotic love and dream-infused horror stories. Join me in the dark.
Hell isn’t fire and brimstone anymore. These aren’t your mother’s horror stories. Political commentary, lost love, strong feminist characters kicking ass, vampires as you’ve never seen them before. Horror doesn’t have to be torture porn. If you agree, you need to read my book.
Want to know the kinds of songs I dig? Check out my playlist and enjoy the ride! :D You can also find my playlist by searching for my name. https://t.co/RtXATFOzWT
Trivia: Director Arthur Penn replaced Marc Shmuger. One of the co-writers, Mark Malone, also has a small role as Katie's brother Roland. "Dead of Winter" is based on the film "My Name is Julia Ross" (1945.) This film was shot in Ontario, Canada.
Just watched "Dead of Winter" (1987) directed by Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde 1967) and starring Mary Steenburgen. Hitchcock like suspense, wonderful acting, a crazy storyline and one tough female character. It's a tad slow but stick with it. Wonderfully creepy movie.
“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.”- G. D. Anderson
"The Illustrated Man," "Something Wicked This May Comes," and "Marionettes Inc." are by far my favorite Ray Bradbury stories. i highly reccomend them. Talk about chilling! He's one of the authors that inspired me to write horror.
October, 2018
Happy Halloween my lovely followers. I hope you have an awesome one. If you’re looking for spooky reads check out both of my books now on Amazon!!! :D
Trivia: Silence of the Lambs was released on Valentine's Day in 1991. Gene Hackman was initially going to star and direct. Michelle Pfeiffer was the first choice to play Clarice. Sean Connery was the first choice to play Lecter. Hannibal Lecter is not based off a real character.
For my next pick I'm going to choose "Silence of the Lambs." Jodie Foster played the role with the right amount of vulnerability and strength. She was a force to be reckoned with surrounded by a boy’s club.
Trivia: Characters named Finney, Beaumont, Derleth, and Merritt are all references to early 20th century science fiction or horror writers, Jack Finney, Charles Beaumont, August Derleth, Abraham Merritt. Many crew members including the director had small roles in the film.
My next pick from yesterday, sorry for the delay, is "Wishmaster."It's over the top and a bit schlocky but I love it. Some of the deaths are ridiculous but kind of awesome like getting smushed into a door. Talk about a strong female lead. This Djinn is one evil, sadistic demon.
Teen slasher horror flicks have a special place in my heart because I love solving the mystery of who the killer really is. It's like a puzzle or a creepy Agatha Christie story. The more meta the better. Urban Legends, Urban Legends: Final Cut, Scream and Valentine are my favs.
Trivia: The Stepford Wives (1975) is based off the book by Ira Levin. Katharine Ross found a scene so disturbing that director Bryan Forbes had to step in. Forbes claims Diane Keaton turned down the role of Joanna because her analyst got "bad vibes" from the script.
My next pick is The Stepford Wives (1975), a sci-fi horror flick. It starts off slow and crescendos to a horrifying conclusion. The ending stays with you long after the film is over. It's a feminist view on the suburban life of Stepford. The 2004 comedy remake misses the mark.
My next pick is "Veronica," a Spanish horror film on Netflix. It's a creepy slow burn with a strong female character battling an evil entity. I loved the way the entity was conceptualized in this film. It's a very unique flick with wonderful visuals.
Trivia: After the film's release, it had a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's gone down a bit but it's still very high. There is another ending to this film, but the director thought that with the current climate, he should go with the ending on the theatrical release.
My next Halloween pick is "Get Out." It's an absolutely terrifying premise done to perfection. I highly recommend this one. The "sunken place" gives me shivers every time.
My next pick for Halloween is "Under the Shadow." If you want feminism in a horror movie look no further. The ending is chilling, and the monster is actually quite creepy. Extra points for creating a monster and a mythos around it. This film packs a wallop.
My next pick is Amnesiac, a real treat for the more darkly inclined. The lengths we go to for love or rather dark love. It starts off slowly and crescendos to a fever pitch at the end. Trivia: The original title for the film was, “Unconscious.” The main characters aren’t named.
Trivia: This was the first full-length feature for the director Babak Anvari. It was filmed in Amman, Jordan. It won 1 BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut and Best Screenplay in Athens International Film Festival.
My next pick for Halloween is "Happy Death Day." "Groundhog Day" meet a slasher. How can you not like that? It's funny, romantic, scary, exciting and a real treat to watch. The ending is a bit odd but it's a great movie.
My Halloween pick for today is Better Watch Out (2016). This horror flick turns the babysitter cliché on its head. The twist in the movie will leave you speechless.
Trivia: Dance Macabre (1992) was actually marketed in the foreign markets as the sequel to Phantom of the Opera (1989) though it bears only a slight resemblance to the characters of Erik and Christine. Filmed on location in St. Petersburg.
My next pick is an obscure Robert Englund film, Dance Macabre. It's crazy, over-the-top and a little dated, but it just runs with it. It's bloody, quite creepy and I thought rather fun to watch. It's a slasher in a dance studio. For the Robert Englund fans, I'd say check it out.
Trivia Pt2: Freddy's Nightmares was a horror anthology series with Freddy, 1988-1990. The Freddy Kruegar Hour was Kreugar's one-off MTV show in 1988. Wes Craven picked the colors green and red for Freddy's sweater because when viewed by the human eye, they clash the most.
Trivia Pt1: Nancy's house number is 1428 Elm Street.The actual house is 1428 North Genesee Avenue in LA. The film's premise was based on true cases of nightmare deaths in Laos reported in 1981 by the New York Times. Wes Craven's 1st choice for Freddy was David Warner.
My next pick is A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). It's a real classic and one of the first few horror films I saw. It's a novel concept and was done in a tongue-in-cheek way that's downright scary. Nancy was one strong character and Robert Englund WAS Freddy. Accept no imitations!
My next pick for Halloween is What Keeps You Alive, a 2018 Canadian film. I was lucky enough to catch this one at a festival and it was amazing! Strong female leads, a twisted storyline, so much suspense and wonderful photography and music. it was a powerhouse of domestic horror.
The Uninvited is my next Halloween pick. A real favorite of mine. Each time you see it, you learn something new. It's a fun movie but what really gets you is the mind-blowing twist that changes the very essence of the entire movie.
Carnival of Souls, set to organ music, is Herk Harvey's only feature film. The budget was only $33,000. He got the idea for the film when he was driving past the abandoned Saltair Pavillion in Salt Lake City, Utah. He used a battery-powered hand-held Arriflex 35 camera.
My 5th choice would have to be Carnival of Souls. I'm going retro for this one. The camera angles, the set design and the lighting all work to disorient the viewer and heighten the horror. The ending has been copied but it's the journey that makes this movie a horror gem.
Trivia: Replicas of the pop-up book used in the film were sold in a 50-day online campaign for about $60 each. 6,200 copies were sold. They are not available in stores. The illustrations are quite creepy. They are done by illustrator Alexander Juhasz. https://t.co/3J10QcyLSo Oct 15, 2018
My fourth choice would have to be the film Babadook, a horror film written and directed by a woman. It's honestly quite creepy. The director invents her own monster and a mythos to follow it. What the monster really represents is quite transformative for the horror genre.
Trivia: Silent Hill is inspired by this real ghost town Centralia, Pennsylvania.
My third pick is Silent Hill. I can hear some groans already. Some might think this an odd choice, but I absolutely loved the movie and I'm partial to strong female characters in the horror genre. The monsters and Hell itself are beautifully crafted and actually quite cinematic.
Number 2 on Lexie's horror picks for the month of October, would have to be Suspiria. Dario Argento is a master when it comes to horror. Highly recommend this film if you haven't seen it.
To celebrate Halloween, I figured why not list one horror movie I love starting now and ending on Halloween. Say tuned for more chills. 1. House of the Devil.
"Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality." -Edgar Allen Poe
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