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Review Tweets January, 2022 - December, 2022
December, 2022
Happy Holidays to all my followers old and new. I hope this finds you well. I will be taking a break starting on December 25th to January 3rd. I wish you all a very Happy New Year. Review tweets coming soon after my break. Mwah! XOXO-Lexie
Pt 4-A rather depressing story which is more obvious with the character development we get, scant though it is. Child abuse. What a ridiculous but chilling explanation! Good ending all things considered, but not sure the ending is worth enduring the movie.
Pt 3-The pacing was very off. It was rather an arduous journey to the end. The title of the movie could have been explained better as could the mythology and the villain’s need to kill.
Pt 2-Actually, most if not all of the acting here is terrible except for the female lead -- she was good. The production values could have been better given the cast. You could tell when a green scene was used. The lighting was dark even for shots in the day.
Mindcage (2022). Pt 1-In many ways, this was a poor man’s Silence of the Lambs. I will say that the ending was interesting but not enough to save this movie. I was here for John Malkovich as a serial killer and sadly he was underwhelming.
Pt 5-I love the creepy nightmares about the SAT’s. That ending is great!
Pt 4-It would have been nice to have a female lead and see her nightmares in either part. Part 2 goes to some pretty dark places. Suicide warning. Part 2 deals with another student’s fears. Studying for the SAT…don’t bring me back to that nightmare!
Pt 3-Bad SFX and props but the story is solid. Reminds me of a Goosebumps episode. Interesting ending but even when he “woke” up, it still didn’t feel right. Hmmm…Both parts start with male fantasies and women all around them. Eye roll.
Pt 2-I like the idea of kids who don’t fit in having their own society away from the totalitarian regime of the school officials who have control. They even quote lines from a Pink Floyd song. Nice. Pulled me in. Yikes…. that machine that transforms the kids.
Freddy’s Nightmares.1x15. Pt 1-Melodramatic and cheesy, yes, but also clever and interesting. It captures the fears and stresses of high school students very well. Memorable.
Pt 5-I do wonder what the daughter could have been had she not been killed. No happy endings here but there is closure, finally.
Pt 4-I saw through all his petty manipulations and excuses to what he really is -- a predator. I’m glad the lead did too. I agree, it wasn’t a mistake. Tense. Very emotional. Character focused. The movie is an experience. I loved the female lead and Gretchen.
Pt 3-I could have done without the villain playing to her sympathies, being emotional, manipulative and self-righteous. He's a hateful character. Rape warning though it’s only mentioned. The word is said several times.
Pt 2-She was amazing! It makes you think about what you would do in this situation. How much would you want to know? And what would you do to the person who hurt your daughter?
The Apology (2022). Pt 1-Pretty straightforward, no twists, very clear where it’s going all the way through. The title gives everything away. The dialogue is rife with double meanings in the beginning. Hard to watch the emotional scenes because the female lead is so good.
Pt 6- It goes on too long, gets very surreal and trippy and loses steam as it progresses. The villain was weak and pathetic. Not sure that’s a good thing.
Pt 5-Act 2 lags as the story shifts. I do like the Greek mythology angle though, and the revenge. I’m all for that, but I think Act 2 might have been stronger had it been shorter.
Pt 4-She goes to an isolated cabin with some guy she barely knows. I would have loved a strong woman making smart choices but still being outsmarted. But, alas, that’s more difficult to write. Interesting costume choices. I like the flowing fabrics.
Pt 3-Her friends get drunk and google murders? That’s a thing? Why not listen to podcasts about cold cases? The female lead makes a lot of questionable choices. She doesn’t get a weapon, or steal the car, call her own ride back, or call the police, something?
Pt 2-I do wonder why making her a survivor from the beginning is important. It’s not integrated enough into the plot. Given who you think her character might really be, it’s either hinting at her function or using trauma as character development.
A Wounded Fawn (2022). Pt 1-Odd to give the story away at the beginning, in the opening scene. That was one intense auction and one intense movie! It feels much longer than its running time. The female lead has no luck going from an abusive ex to a serial killer. Yikes.
Pt 5-"Psychic" would also do. Good worldbuilding and mythology with Anansi and Mami Wata. I wish the movie were truthful and didn’t have creepy scenes or market itself as horror. It’s a mood piece and a character study with social criticism.
Pt 4-Water is a symbol, a metaphor for her life and used as part of the worldbuilding for the mythology here. The lead has creepy dreams about drowning and she’s haunted by visions of her son. A bit slow but interesting. "Intuitive consultant "... like it.
Pt 3-Making use of an African woman for the benefit of a rich white woman who can’t seem to remember to pay her. Wow! Ominous atmosphere, some creepy scenes. Good character development as we watch the lead try to keep her head above water.
Pt 2-It was just backdrop, window dressing. It’s ultimately a very sad story. Men here are not the best save for one. The husband has a wandering eye, and the father of the lead’s son is a pedophile and a rapist. Trigger warning but it’s only referenced.
Nanny (2022). Pt 1-This is not at all the movie I thought I was getting. Depressing, not all that clear, & not horror despite what it may be categorized as. Ends way too abruptly after an emotional wallop. All the foreshadowing & ominous elements with the white family are wasted.
Pt 5-The ending was a punch in the gut. How far would you go to belong? I’m left wondering why the lead needed to belong that much.
Pt 4-Rich kids don't want to cook or clean so they accept a scholarship kid to do it. Oof! Good revenge. I liked the homicidal daydreams. I also like the scene where they talk about the origin of dinner customs -- like why the guest of honor sits across the table from the host.
Pt 3-Now the second story is savage. It captures the toxic nature of sororities, but it goes pretty far. Hell Week asking a pledge to be a prostitute? Assault suggested, I think, but the scene cuts quickly. Captured the snootiness and insults very well.
Pt 2-Everything is either too far away or too close and the lead is off center a lot of the time. Weird cinematography. Also how old is the lead exactly? Why do we never see her father? What happened to her mother? Why doesn’t she have friends? Isn’t she in school?
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021). Pt 1-To truly enjoy this movie you have to LOVE slow burns, not just "like" them. You also need a ton of patience. The opening scene of the movie is a good intro to the pacing of the film.
Pt 8-Where was the worldbuilding? Interesting twist but honestly, the killer’s reaction to the twist was the fun part. Good satisfying ending.
Pt 7-What were those quick flashes saying and how could they help anyone find the killer? Also how can someone harness these visions and send them to another person?
Pt 6-Interesting that one character is tired of just seeing movies with women covered in blood without a shirt on. So the character doesn’t like this movie, the one he’s currently in? The visions from the dead could have been clearer.
Pt 5-One character had sex with the vampire and was immediately in love with him and loyal to him. What is he -- James Bond? The cinematographer of this movie sure liked naked bloody women over whom the camera lingers. Oh the male gaze.
Pt 4-The sound is a bit inconsistent; some things were very loud while others were soft. The foley sound of shoes on floors was very sharp. That photographer/director is one creepy perv! Lots of news chatter sprinkled throughout.
Pt 3-Interesting use of color like painting the vampire’s condo in blue. I loved the funky apartment of the female lead. The shots of the city with 7 cent market signs and the fashions of the time were a treat.
Pt 2-A bit slow with not enough focus on the murders. I will say that it was a memorable yet dated look at vampires in the 90’s. You may not be a fan of Agent Orange, but someone involved in the film was. Their music is everywhere. Good use of shadows.
Pale Blood (1990). Pt 1-A bit cheesy but fun with good characters. The story could’ve been scarier and cut deeper. A better explanation for the killings and the killer’s psychosis would have helpful too. Good characters.
Pt 8-A very emotional movie about the power of the love between a mother and a daughter even if their relationship is dysfunctional, but it’s so sad and wrenching and I don’t appreciate having the story be so heavy-handed.
Pt 7-Kindness, acceptance, being proud of children, and love for the win: sometimes those are our best tools. I like that message.
Pt 6-The theme here that nothing means anything is a really bleak way to look at the world -- a bleak look at life. Someone feeling utter despair wanting to destroy the world…yikes. Suicide referenced.
Pt 5-I also didn’t like the whole scene where a dog is used as a weapon. We hear an awful lot of whimpering and yelps. I hate when they took the raccoon away from the cook. Why was the crudeness necessary? It pulled me right out of the story.
Pt 4-The jumping pads, as they’re called here, to switch dimensions are very odd and indeed random. I don’t like the homophobia or perceived homophobia of one of the characters, though it’s part of a bigger picture and one of things the character needs to work through.
Pt 3-Sharp editing, great choreography. Gets crazier as it goes on. And sadly, the story loses its power and momentum as it goes on. Hot dogs for hands, and the two leads as thinking rocks were the weirdest worlds. Sad, dark, funny and exciting all at the same time.
Pt 2-What a chaotic life the lead lives in the beginning. It’s exhausting just watching her. This is the perfect title. I love the idea of the metaverse and how it’s being used here. Unpredictable and fun at times. I like the idea of small things changing your entire trajectory.
Everything Everywhere All at Once. Pt 1-Clever story that really pulls you in but sadly the heavy-handed storytelling and depressing undertones as well as the length of the movie, detract from the power of the story. There’s a good story here with rich characters & a good theme.
Pt 3-The disparate elements: a road trip movie, a dysfunctional family, and a vampire movie could have been better blended together for a more cohesive movie. This definitely works as a proof of concept for a series.
Pt 2-There are so many avenues, themes, characters, and settings that could be explored with these two leads. I’d love to know more about the characters.
Blood Relatives (2022). Pt 1-This felt like a pilot and not really like a movie. I will say it had a very unusual and interesting premise with great characters. But I think a TV show would have been a better fit for this idea so that you could really explore things more deeply.
Pt 4-I wouldn’t recommend this unless you like one of the actors. I was expecting this to be more fun. If this movie had more relatable, interesting characters and a story that cut deeper, it would have been much better.
Pt 3-It felt much longer than its running time. There was a ton of drama because everyone has something to hide. The idea of a real killer among a group of friends playing a game about a fake killer should have been sharper and scarier, regardless of what the ending is or is not.
Pt 2-Maybe the problem is this wasn’t a movie for someone like me. But then who is the target audience? Got me. The execution of what on paper is a good premise could have been a lot better. The pacing was off, and the movie failed to create any tension.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022). Pt 1-I’m unsure how I feel about this one. It wasn’t a fun watch -- that much I’m sure about. The ending was clever but also frustrating. It made the movie seem pointless yet fit with vacuous, toxic, unlikeable, terrible, paper-thin characters.
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Pt 3-I can’t wait for them all to be revealed. I will definitely be watching this series. Scorpion death.
Pt 2-Great music. Tim Burton directed this? Perfect! Such a great intro to the series. Pulls you right in and keeps you invested. Great characters. I love the idea of her having powers and all the mysteries that were presented here. So many threads left to unravel.
Wednesday (2022). Pilot. Pt 1-I highly recommend this! I love how they reimagined Wednesday Addams. She’s my kind of person. Definitely best friend material. I love her narration. A wonderfully dark and macabre start. This pilot felt like a love letter to the original character.
November, 2022
Pt 5-Maybe they meant to refer to the Dream Demons who gave Freddy Kreuger his power but it still doesn’t quite fit here. Triggers: child abuse.
Pt 4-Clearly inspired by A Nightmare on Elm Street. Dream Demon as a title doesn’t quite fit with the story. There wasn’t one specific demon chasing her, more like many monstrous men.
Pt 3-Any man in her dream is a monster. It speaks to facing the past and past trauma. The journalists, and I use that term loosely, were terrible. Not to mention how predatory and sadistic one of them was in a dream. Some gross scenes. Suspenseful.
Pt 2-The problem with making most of the movie a surreal dream is that it doesn’t quite all hang together well in the narrative. Spooky chorus and instrumental music. The men here are pretty creepy and predatory so the dreams could be read as fear of men and intimacy.
Dream Demon (1988). Pt 1-What a beginning! Great at creating a somber and creepy atmosphere from the get-go. A bit slow because it’s focused on the surreal nightmarish dreamscape of the main character’s mind. It’s a good movie if you’re looking for creepy dreams.
One of my photographs was selected for the horror anthology, Still of Winter: An Unsettling Reads Anthology. Looking forward to reading the story or poem that my photo might be associated with. #stillofwinter #unsettlingreads #unsettlingreadsanthology #unsettlingseasonseries
Pt 4-This one is slower and focused on romance with a different tone than the first one. A love from the past that comes into the present. Echoes of the past. I appreciated the twists in both stories. Definitely worth checking out.
Pt 3-An unrelated second story but connected by the theme of moving to Springwood and the same creepy, predatory, intimidating moving man Too bad that guy didn’t die. Interesting second story. I liked this lead as well.
Pt 2-Hard to tell what’s real and what’s imagined, which is the point. An interesting take on Bluebeard. Given the husband’s job, I feel like he stared into the abyss too long and it stared back at him.
Freddy’s Nightmares. Welcome to Springwood. Pt 1-What a nice place to move to. This was an interesting concept with two distinct stores about moving. I liked this one. A simple premise done very well: unsettling and creepy.
Pt 2-Good music and costumes. Atmospheric horror focused on the characters. The ending is rather abrupt and the story itself could have dug deeper into the mythology of the entity that was presumed to be there.
Isle of the Dead (1945). Pt 1-Boris Karloff is in this one. The movie was definitely inspired by Poe's "The Premature Burial" and "The Masque of the Red Death." People are trapped in a house with a deadly plague where suspicions and madness abound. Interesting ideas and dialogue.
Pt 4-As do almost all animals in horror films, the cat dies. If you’re looking for a chilling movie, this is it, just check your own traumas at the door.
Pt 3-The investigation, while necessary, slows everything down. There are great chilling scenes, but I wanted more of them. If this movie were shorter and the pacing were quicker, the movie would be stronger for it. For most of the movie we’re just watching someone self-destruct.
Pt 2-An interesting blend of horror and psychology. Facing your trauma and not letting it control you or giving it a voice are good underlying themes here. A takeaway message if you will. I was happy to see Kal Penn in a horror movie. This movie is very long and very slow.
Smile (2022). Pt 1-What a bleak, chilling horror movie that will get under your skin. It’s all about trauma and suicide so if these are your triggers, walk away. Creepy music, great cinematography, good premise. An entity that feeds on and spreads trauma and suicide.
Pt 5-I personally didn’t sign up for a movie about two rapists. One is bad enough. I’m glad I didn’t pay to see this. I feel numb and horrified. Trigger warnings: rape, incest, Metoo rape charges and shitty men.
Pt 4-The lead was brave and strong but made a lot of stupid decisions along the way. It’s not hard to write smart, real women who make sensible choices; it just takes a good writer to put the character into the situations needed while still giving a female character some smarts.
Pt 3-He isn’t in most of the movie. It’s a decent movie until 45 minutes into it. At that point, I’d suggest you run. I’m not sure what they were going on about with gender politics. What is the point here? Most of the men were absolutely terrible human beings.
Pt 2-The story meanders with three distinct parts and different characters as leads. It feels like three different movies and not one coherent story. I wanted the movie I thought I was getting in the beginning, a movie with Bill Skarsgard. But he’s just the bait.
Barbarian (2022). Pt 1-A painful and disgusting story that I would never recommend: from demonizing rape and incest victims to cops not believing and belittling a kidnap survivor. This movie takes a non-linear storyline to the extreme.
Pt 3-That is one disgusting and spooky grocery store. Good music. Very unique and interesting story. Held my attention. Great start. I definitely want to see more of this series.
Pt 2-I like that the kids are vbloggers and have a ghost podcast. Brief shot of a previously dead bird. Zoe is going to be a good reporter -- she can really insert herself into situations. That’s not a great thing for making friends though.
Mr. Midnight: Beware the Monsters (2022). Pt 1-Creepy vibes, cool powers, mystery and intrigue. Tonally, this felt like Goosebumps or a teen version of SPN. Has some real potential. Talk about unearthing evil! Good comment about developers.
Pt 6-All the kids looked like they were different ages. The music is rather overbearing and obvious. The SFX and the look for the monster needed some work. Trigger warning: Death of a cat though it happens off camera.
Pt 5-If it were a shorter part of the story or if they had real leads that went somewhere sooner, the pacing wouldn’t have suffered so much. I did like the occasional tilted camera angle but the colored lens that appeared at night was an odd touch.
Pt 4-The investigation here to uncover what’s really happening slows an already slow movie. The investigation meanders into banality with unimportant facts while not giving enough worldbuilding.
Pt 3-Her boyfriend on the other hand was a great character, very funny and dynamic. Nice dance moves of his. Lol. I like the lead being a delivery person. Who knew one delivery girl could do so much damage?
Pt 2-Strangely enough, this is mainly due to the light tone & humorous elements. Just don’t expect too much. The lead wasn’t well developed nor was she all that likeable. She wasn’t warm or dynamic either, more like a standoffish zombie. Her last name, Eldritch, is a nice touch.
Curse of Crom: Legend of Halloween (2022). Pt 1-A subpar horror movie that lacks sufficient worldbuilding or rich characters & feels much longer than it is, but despite all its shortcomings, it's generally a fun watch.
Pt 2-I like Agatha. Creepy monster. Good karmic ending. Triggers: a dead fish body and a closeup of its face. Ew!
Cabinet of Curiosities. Lot 36. Pt 1-Sebastian Roché from SPN guest stars here. I like the allure of what’s in the lot. Good premise and worldbuilding. Interesting story. Good social commentary. I really hated the lead. Satanism, black magic and Nazis.
Pt 4-If you haven’t seen the original, this still works as a movie. It’s still creepy, just not as chilling as the original. Worth checking out though.
Pt 3-The answer here seems to be clearer than it was in the original Oh the body horror, that’s one intense dream! Reality is what you make of it. Chilling ending but not as chilling as the original.
Pt 2-This is more emotional and less focused on horror. Great acting, especially the kids. Effectively leads the boys and the viewer to wonder if that really is their mom. Is this about a mother struggling to care for her kids or about a monster struggling to be a mother?
Goodnight Mommy (2022). Pt 1-Unlike the original, this one definitely answers more questions, which isn’t the best choice for the narrative. Good premise, dialogue and music. Good pacing. Creepy and intense but not as intense as the original.
Pt 4-Nice "meta" last scene of the episode where Freddy hopes to have his own series.
Pt 3-Wish fulfillment in dreams from the therapist and transference is literal. Freddy can be transferred. Interesting ideas but not presented in the best way. It wasn't as clever or exciting as some of the others.
Pt 2-A talk show host brow beats a therapist into helping? Lol. Those are some intense nightmares. Oh, foolish therapist! Freddy can’t be vanquished from dreams that easily. A grateful mom has sex with a therapist as a reward? Wow.
Freddy’s Nightmares. Dream Come True. Pt 1-What starts out as a story to help a kid turns into a quest to prove Freddy exists. Interesting premise. The pacing is off in both stories. For the 1st story we have a dream expert and therapist. Whoa, boy.
Pt 4-I love the idea of Freddy not wanting someone to write the story of his life. The characters have to ask permission to write about him. Meta.
Pt 3-The 2nd story is about Freddy getting back at people he knows from high school. Interesting idea. It adds more to the original story. 146 students are dead from their graduating class? Yikes.
Pt 2-Freddy is not just the host here; he’s a character in both stories. In the first story, he possesses a woman’s body and uses it as he wishes. Gulp. I will say that the actor playing Mara did a great job as a possessed version of her character.
Freddy’s Nightmares. It’s My Party and You’ll Die If I Want You To. Pt 1-Love the title of this episode. Richard Speight Jr. is in this one and I loved his character. Both stories are very cheesy and filled with corny one-liners, typical of the series.
October, 2022
Pt 2-I think of birds flying together as freedom too. Creepy store. Talk about a haunting! Very character-focused on a grieving and fractured couple. A tad depressing but meaningful. Packs a real emotional wallop. Trigger warning: dead kids and a dead bird.
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022). The Murmuring. Pt 1-Wonderful theme music for the series. The intro by Guillermo del Toro could have been a bit sharper. I watched this one because it was directed by Jennifer Kent. Very unusual and interesting premise.
Pt 3-While the story did make the paintings come alive and contextualize the story, the ending is too cruel. Stay away from this one. My warning is similar to the character's: don't look. Trigger warning: dead cat and dead child.
Pt 2-I really wish I had never seen it. The sets and music were great but they couldn't save this. The price for being a good artist is opening yourself up to other worlds. Once the door opens, it won't close.
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022). Pickman's Model. Pt 1-I watched this one to see what they did with the H.P. Lovecraft story. Sadly, while they did a lot right, the ending ruined everything! A bleak, horrifying and depressing journey into darkness.
Pt 5-Speaking as someone who is claustrophobic, being locked in a coffin is terrifying. Suspenseful. Great ending! Worth checking out.
Pt 4-We don't see how he treats the other women in the movie. We only see a glimpse of his darker side. Ironic since most of the movie is focused on the female and male lead. Great sets. Visually dark. Some jump scares. The nail scene made me anxious. Great costumes.
Pt 3-There’s a lot of story here and a lot of characters so it’s a bit slow. It’s clear what’s happening and where this story is going. No real twists. We spent a lot of time seeing the facade the male lead shows but not enough time really exploring what his other side is like.
Pt 2-Good premise for the lead wanting to find family through a DNA test. That can be dangerous because while you may share DNA, you are strangers. They could be anyone. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.
The Invitation (Unrated). 2022. Pt 1-Good start but it gives everything away, A dark feminist reimagining of Dracula. A toxic male monster vs a strong woman. Sad and dark but also empowering and interesting. I really loved the lead who was relatable, strong and sassy.
Pt 3-Trigger warning: That Ferret is dead, we all knew it. You only see its dead body briefly. I hate the unspoken rule that pets die in horror movies/tv shows. Ugh!
Pt 2-I’m all for the mystery of who the Watcher is. I hope the answer will be a good one. The husband is on a short fuse. What a chilling story and a place to end the episode. I’d definitely be down to watching more and finding out all the answers. I recommend this one.
The Watcher (2022). Pilot. Pt 1-Good cast. Good premise. That’s one big house. Those are some seriously creepy and ominous neighbors. Sometimes it’s best to stay in the city. What kind of town did they move to? Everyone’s a suspect here.
Pt 5-Some uncomfortable and awkward scenes and lots of racism and homophobia. The final act crescendos into a powerful ending. Good music. What a beginning!
Pt 4-I wish that there were more women here who weren't either prostitutes or sisters. It was a male-centric story with women in the background at least for now. The reporter being a woman would have been a nice touch.
Pt 3-This was a very meaty story. Not a fan of the man playing Leststat. In my mind, he’s just not quite right. The actor playing Louie on the other hand was wonderful.
Pt 2-I did like the seduction with a predator that was equal part alluring and chilling. The episode itself was brimming with sexuality and sensuality between the two males especially the first bite scene. Sizzling and erotic. Suicide warning. Lots of character development.
Interview with the Vampire. Pilot. Pt 1-If you saw the original, this version is worth checking out. Wonderful cinematography and acting. Great special effects. I like that they referenced the pandemic here. An updated version.
Pt 3-The first episode in particular packs a bit of an emotional wallop as the lead learns she has a terminal disease -- cancer.
Pt 2-The name they call themselves reminds me of the Midnight Society and Are You Scared of the Dark. Unsettling ghost story for the first one although the ending really needed some work. Good music. Great premise.
The Midnight Club (2022). Pt 1-Presents a good story and a good mystery with a great lead. If you can get over the terminal illness of the teens, it's worth checking out. I like that they tell scary stories.
Pt 4-Oh the body horror. Bleh! They’re trying to do a lot here, possibly too many threads. It’ll be hard to delve deep into all of them effectively at the same time. I’m on the fence about watching the rest of the series.
Pt 3-Nice inside joke since the story is Swedish originally. Exciting and interesting. The lure of a cure for vampirism reminds me of the same lure in X-men. Sometimes it’s best to accept what you are. Not a fan of one of the deaths here. The things we do for the ones we love.
Pt 2-Of course they made it into a cop procedural. That’s some intense bullying! A kid not being able to be himself -- that gets me. I like it that the vampire is listening to Florence and the Machine. Her father talks disparagingly about putting together Ikea furniture.
Let the Right One In (2022). Pt 1-This is an interesting take on the story. Different and rich characters with an interesting premise. Good expansion of the world. I like that it’s set in NYC and that there’s a black female cop in the lead.
Pt 7-To answer the question at the end of the movie, the only right choice is to never touch the box in the first place. I wouldn’t recommend this movie.
Pt 6-I saw the twist coming: that character knew too much info for it not to be a con. Exciting final act. I’ll never see this film again.
Pt 5-This pacing might work if it were a miniseries but not as a movie. There were some missing scenes here that were clearly lost on the editing floor. One in particular that we needed was about how they knew who owned the warehouse. Good sets and props, the journal included.
Pt 4-Aside from the story, the lighting changes really often and feels odd -- like going from a visually dark scene to one with a red colored lens. Why? The pacing is all off. The film was slow and half of it could have been cut.
Pt 3-The original was a watered-down version, compared to this -- this is a whole other animal. I hope the Marquis De Sade finds the box next -- he’d love it.
Pt 2-I really wouldn’t recommend this unless you like Clive Barker or want to see the remake because you saw the original. I felt so nauseous after this, I was fighting not to throw up all over my laptop.
Hellraiser (2022). Pt 1-This was a very different take on the story with an interesting premise and good characters. However, the experience, like the story itself, was horrible, gruesome, depressing and torturous.
Pt 5-And other men want to kill her because she hates commitment. Yikes! It was a woman’s nightmare yes, but with a massive ton of misogyny. Difficult to watch. It ends with Freddy lamenting that nice girls are endangered.
Pt 4-This whole second part is a giant slut-shaming episode. I hate the word slut, but it embodies what the men think of her. Beware of nice guys. Every word the male lead says has an ominous undertone. He says he wants to preserve her.
Pt 3-This feels like a punishment story for women who don’t like relationships. There’s nothing wrong with that. A woman should be free to do what she wants with her body.
Pt 2-Speaking as someone who is apprehensive about flying, this one made me nervous. The ending is great. The middle gets weird but stay with it -- it’s a good one. Now, the second story is where I have some serious problems.
Freddy’s Nightmares. Cabin Fever. Pt 1-This one is directed by Robert Englund. The first story is great. It’s a morality play on the corners that big business cuts to save money like buying cheaper airplane parts. Don’t watch the first story if you’re planning to hop on a plane.
Pt 4-Lots of trigger warnings as you can see -- kind of a mind field for that. Crazy exorcism! I did like the overall message about the power of friendship. Odd about the moving though. I wouldn’t recommend this one unless you read the book and want to see how it's been adapted.
Pt 3-I don’t particularly like how sexuality is used against the ace character. Feels almost punishing. The use of sound here is grating, I know that’s how the character feels but we the viewer feel that way, too. The story is told very slowly, too slowly.
Pt 2-Good characters that I wish were deeper from the get-go. I like the diversity and the fact that one of the characters is ace and one of the female characters is interested in a career in science.
The Imperfects (2022). Pilot. Pt 1-The pilot doesn’t do a great job at presenting the story. It throws you into the story without any guide. For most of the episode, you’re left playing catch-up trying to get an idea of the characters, the premise, and how they know each other.
September, 2022
Pt 5-The ending is abrupt. Can’t say I enjoyed this one. Needs a lot of work.
Pt 4-If the villain only wants to kill one person, if that’s his goal why kill everyone else? They’re not even real witches? The lead learns who she is and how to fight him pretty quickly, too quickly. That should have been the bulk of the movie.
Pt 3-For the title of the movie, that’s a misstep. Not witches save for one girl? Light scares, slow and cheesy. Some of them are gruesome kills, some just disappear. The sisterhood is quick to turn on one of their own. All the black women die? Only white women survive? Yikes?!
Pt 2-The way she talked to her teacher shouldn’t have been permitted and swept under the rug for any reason. I really disliked her character and she’s the lead. I like the idea of a sisterhood, a network of women but this society felt more like a less toxic sorority than a coven.
York Witches Society (2022). Pt 1-No subtly, no nuances, no twists. just a basic story with characters we barely know or like. The lead was way too standoffish for no reason. Why doesn’t she like people? Why is she mean to everyone? She’s abrasive and even scared a teacher.
Pt 5-It felt that all that build up, all that ominous atmosphere, needed more at the end. Trigger warning: animal deaths, animal sacrifice, child abuse and domestic violence.
Pt 4-I guessed that ending after a few episodes. It was a sad and chilling ending though. I honestly think the story needed an actual twist. They talked about people in positions of power possibly working for the cult. It would have been better to make that a twist.
Pt 3-One male character in particular seemed very ominous and creepy and like a kidnapper/assaulter but then wasn’t. Not a fan of leaning into that. Other viewers/reviewers talked of a twist, but I didn’t feel like that ending was a twist, just the natural evolution of the story.
Pt 2-Can you help others when you yourself need help? Odd backstory for the cult via the Irish famine? What’s up with that? Not a fan of making a devout man who prays to a Jewish god, Yaweh, into a man who prays to demons. Feels a tad antisemitic.
Devil in Ohio (2022). Pt 1-It was an interesting ride. I confess, I did binge it. I was expecting a darker cult or a more shocking ending. Digs deep into everyone’s character. Great acting. Big on the family drama and the effects of trauma. Can love heal a traumatized kid?
Pt 2-Nice hints sprinkled in the episode. Great acting. Definitely worth checking out! I’m interested to see where the story goes.
Devil in Ohio. Pilot. Pt 1-The pilot does a good job at setting the scene and introducing the characters to us. Good character development. Good at keeping a somber atmosphere. All for the mystery of who Mae is and what she’s running from.
Pt 4-OK final act, though the villain monologue and the big fight needed work. Good final scene. Murder is logical? This movie might make you wary of social media. Ironically, this review is on Twitter.
Pt 3-The character was a bit of a cliché so maybe that was why she was killed in that way, but it still felt odd not to give her a proper, gruesome death like the others. Hannah is one smart cookie! The hip house dialogue was odd.
Pt 2-As a result it’s a bit slow. But the deaths mean something because we take some time to get to know the people. Cheesy in some parts but a fun ride overall. Mostly creative but gruesome kills, though one person was killed in a cheesy way.
Margaux (2022). Pt 1-Sometimes low tech is better. Great sets, good music. I love that there’s a smart female character, Hannah, who is very knowledgeable about coding. I liked the characters; some were more fleshed out than others, but I felt that generally I knew them.
Pt 5-Not scary but depressing. Triggers: Rape and attempted suicide.
Pt 4-Not how he can be a hero. He’s no one’s hero. Having more depth to the characters would help the story and the reveal. We barely know Jessica as a character but she’s quite important to the story. Slow and plodding for such a simple story. Fails to build any tension.
Pt 3-One character in particular is a complete mess and everything he does seems to contradict itself. What is with the self-help audiobook he’s listening to? Why does he need that? He needs to figure out what kind of man he wants to be and what is important to him.
Pt 2-The dialogue is awkward and usually leaves more questions than answers. The lighting changes constantly with colored lenses for different characters for no reason. The acting is lackluster. The characters constantly do things that make no sense.
Where’s Rose (2021). Pt 1-The movie had potential but fell flat in every way. Nothing works. What a depressing and dark story. Not horror. Not what you think you’re getting. I need to watch something happy now. The characters are all a mystery to us for almost the entire movie.
Pt 5-A kind of anticlimactic ending that needed some worldbuilding, especially involving the villain. Good final scene though. Worth checking out.
Pt 4-Good at creating a sinister atmosphere even when the sun’s out. Exciting and memorable. Avoid that apartment complex. The last story, however, slows down the plot and isn’t as good as the others.
Pt 3-I like the framing done here of a hungry webtoon artist needing stories and inspiration for his work. Oh the body horror and rotting food in one of them! Bleh. Don’t watch while eating, that’s for sure. Unique. The stories get under your skin.
Pt 2-One story in particular really got me but they’re all unsettling and creepy in their own ways. We know just enough about the characters. Some tenant’s stories are better than others.
The Night Shift (2021). Pt 1-An interesting watch about creepy occurrences that happen to several tenants in a haunted Korean apartment complex. Each story is different but interconnected.
Pt 3-We knew the villainous character even less than the others and that’s saying something. The mystery of what’s in the lake in a small town could have been better, cut deeper. The ending was rather anticlimactic. The whole episode left me feeling drained.
Pt 2-It’s sad because this one had Alicia Silverstone in it, but even she couldn’t save this. The characters were all one-dimensional and we hardly got to know them. Not to mention the final act twist reveal. Eye roll.
American Horror Stories. S2. Ep 8. Pt 1-If the story had richer characters, a deeper more thought-out story and less melodrama, this could have been a decent episode. As it stands, it felt like a horror soap opera. Bleh! The music just helped add to that tone.
Pt 6-Trigger warning: a whimpering dog that was hit by a car and then shot and a dead hamster that ended up in a drink.
Pt 5-The middle is just an exploration of the lead couple and the fissures in their relationship. Snore. Talk about a tease, the whole middle was a tease for sadism and evil that never came. And when it did, it was too little, too late. Terrible pacing and story structure.
Pt 4-The dialogue was odd -- referring to a couple as “the couple that was going to a sexy funeral.” I didn’t know funerals came in the sexy variety. This movie is the reason why you should be wary of party crashers.
Pt 3-Writers should really take psychology classes if they must write about killers. The ending came out of left field and was the worst choice for the story.
Pt 2-The final act is ridiculous, and the ending is terrible. I want the hour and 20 minutes back. The male lead was terrible. I have no idea why she married him. The explanation for the villain/s of the piece was laughable.
Who Invited Them (2022). Pt 1-It’s hard to achieve the level of awful this movie pulled off. Slow and plodding middle with wasted potential. The twist, which you can see a mile off, takes forever to come and mitigates any building tension.
Pt 4-The last fifteen minutes are just nauseating body horror that confuses the main point of the movie. It all ends with no real closure. Triggers: Mpreg, dead deer body, dying raven who is then killed, domestic violence, attempted rape and suicide.
Pt 3-Odd blend to be sure. Takes a while to get creepy but then it really does quite effectively. If only all that suspense and atmosphere meant something, if only it were all building toward a clearer, more interesting, grander ending.
Pt 2-The plot here was a nauseating, confused mess. No worldbuilding, no explanations, and no real glimpse into the lead character’s brain save for the trauma she endured. There were plot holes, too. It’s quite slow and heavy on choral music, atmosphere, & a countryside setting.
Men (2022). Pt 1-This was an artsy, surreal mood piece of a woman’s nightmare, where all the men she meets are threatening. Misogyny as a mood. Great idea for a short but if that’s all there is, it’s not enough for a feature length movie.
Pt 5-The intense bullying and child abuse scenes were tough to watch. The final act was very suspenseful. Great ending. What an emotional and intense ride this movie was. This is a movie to experience once. I don’t think I’ll be rewatching it.
Pt 4-I wish we knew a bit more about that special phone and how it connects to the dead. Good creepy opening credits. Attention to detail in every way to set this story in the 70’s. Some scenes felt like an escape room where the lead was trying to find clues to get out.
Pt 3-What was with his masks? Another thing I wish we knew. I liked the character arc of a bullied kid finally fighting back. I loved the idea of the ghosts of kidnapped kids helping another kidnapped kid. I loved Gwen! She was a great character. Fantastic acting all around.
Pt 2-I was here to see Ethan Hawke as a villain but it’s focused on the kidnapped children more than on the villain. As a result, we’re left wondering what the villain’s motivations were. I wish we had a few more scenes with the villain and could get into his head a bit.
The Black Phone (2021). Pt 1-Bleaker, slower, and sadder than I thought and not as scary as I expected. The pacing was very off because there was too much story, too many subplots.
August, 2022
Pt 4-How her character was treated was a bit cruel. What would you do to look younger and beautiful? This is how the rich and beautiful stay that way.
Pt 3-The lead being constantly focused on youth and beauty because otherwise she couldn’t love herself felt like a punch in the gut. Oh the self-hate. As if women are only valued for their beauty. Good décor for the office. If things sound too good to be true, they usually are.
Pt 2-Great at keeping the suspense of what she’d look like. I do wish the characters were deeper and there was a bit more worldbuilding at the end of the story.
American Horror Stories. S2. Ep 6. Pt 1-What a dark, creepy, unsettling yet interesting story. Clearly heavily inspired by the Twilight Zone episode, Eye of the Beholder. Interesting twist on the story which I liked. Good ending.
Pt 4-One of the worst written episodes of the series. Interesting twist on an urban legend. If only the characters were richer, the story more focused, and the commentary sharper.
Pt 3-The female lead does some really stupid and crazy things for no discernable reason. "No good deed goes unpunished'' should be the tagline here. I liked the twist, I’m all for it, but the villain monologue was ridiculous. I actually laughed.
Pt 2-The tone shifts dramatically. It’s as if they’re throwing ideas up in the air and seeing what sticks. I found it frustrating that the female lead is such a one-note and so mean while the male lead needed more characterization for why he was OK with their relationship.
American Horror Stories. S2. Ep 3. Pt 1-A sexy start but a disappointing mess of an episode. No story structure or rich characters here. The story constantly changes every five minutes or so.
Pt 4-The tension that was building needed a more powerful final act or even a twist which this didn’t have. White women feeding off black housekeepers? Yikes. Good ending though overall.
Pt 3-While the atmosphere is unsettling, most of the horror is saved for the end. Very slow burn. What a truly horrifying and cruel ending. Can’t say that it was an enjoyable watch -- no.
Pt 2-Good characters but I wish we knew more about Grant and had a little more worldbuilding. The lead really needs a more supportive and dependable boyfriend. Interesting and unique premise. Oh, the drama in this one!
Good Madam (2022). Pt 1-Odd beginning with intense closeups of parts of the house. Strange tight shots. Ominous atmosphere. The rules of the house were a punch in the gut. Repressive environment everywhere you look. It was a very claustrophobic story -- like the environment.
Pt 4-She’s a 10-year-old and how old is the other being? Sick. Too much is left unsaid or told to us without showing us. This is a movie, not a book. This was a painful 1 hr and 16 mins. Not recommended.
Pt 3-This isn’t a horror story; it's a painful drama about the dissolution of a marriage. About what happens to the daughter -- maybe that could be considered a nightmare for parents. Still, I wouldn’t classify it as horror. A ridiculous ending. No real answers. No worldbuilding.
Pt 2-How did these two end up with each other? They seem like very different people with different priorities. The husband’s reactions to a couple of things make no sense. His character was woefully underdeveloped. Slow, so very slow. Music was off.
House by the Lake (2017). Pt 1-Good start that puts you right in the story. If only the story and the execution were better. That kid is super frustrating as is the husband. Sad to know that the writers took shortcuts instead of actually researching autism. Lazy writing.
Pt 4-Trigger warning: Sexual harassment, someone has photos of abused and tortured children, and someone is asked to kill a dog or watch it be tortured. Yikes!
Pt 3-The murders should have been sprinkled throughout and not saved for the final act. Predictable killer but good ending. Several scenes were tough to watch, and it wasn’t quite what I had expected.
Pt 2-Most of the movie, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Feels like a five-hour movie. Low on the horror, big on the drama. Kind of a disappointment if you came for horror. The aversion therapy scene was tough to watch.
They/Them (2022). Pt 1-Great opening scene with a creepy podcast playing! What a creepy and unsettling conversion camp -- but aren't they all. Good music. Interesting premise but doesn’t live up to its potential. The story structure and pacing are all off.
Pt 7-I urge you to stop watching after the first story. Don’t tackle the full episode. Not worth it. Memorable in a bad way.
Pt 6-Gone is your sex life, your dreams, and your job. You are a prisoner in the home. This way of thinking is a nightmare in and of itself. Not to mention the punishing and sadistic ending.
Pt 5-I’m unclear how much time passed between act 1 and 2 and what was real and what was imagined. It just throws you into the middle of the continuation. Act 2 is very problematic. The moral of the story here seems to be that motherhood means the end of your life.
Pt 4-The story structure is dedicated to making creepy nightmarish situations but not to developing the characters. As a result the female lead is rather annoying and all over the place. And the male lead is a cliché. What an odd and interesting place to end the first story.
Pt 3-Piranha fish in the Jacuzzi and snakes in the bed? That’s a place you should never check in to. Very intense nightmares. The characters start off by being interesting but there’s no real development.
Pt 2-Very effective storytelling for the first story because all of this feels like a nightmare in the minds of the two leads. Creepy and unsettling strangers. Good premise. Oh, the drama in this one! Cheesy. Wow, that’s one hideously tacky honeymoon room.
Freddy’s Nightmares. 1x14. Pt 1-Brad Pitt is in this one, but wow is this episode a journey -- and not a good one. The first story was well-told; the second was a painful nightmare.
Pt 6-Fooling runaway slaves into thinking they’re safe when they’re in more danger than ever? The ending was beyond depressing and cruel. Talk about a hopeless story.
Pt 5-Telling one character to lie and say someone raped you just to get into Yale? Wow! Of all the things an entity can ask. Why even go there? Feel like a metoo backlash comment. Why add torture and slavery to the urban legend if it’s not well grounded? It felt slapped together.
Pt 4-“…Push people to face what’s truly in their souls.” Reflecting back darkness. Love that line and that idea. Aside from that line, some of the dialogue is a bit off. Given the lead’s horrible family life, I was hoping the story would return home with the mother.
Pt 3-I don’t agree with the morality here of who should be punished and why though I did like the question of whether or not the teens would give in to their darker impulses. Oh, the temptations! What would you do to get what you want? What would you give up?
Pt 2-That was a sharp left turn for her that didn’t fit. The rage needed to carry out that act wasn’t well established. I would have wanted to see clues sprinkled throughout.
American Horror Stories. Bloody Mary. Pt 1-An engrossing story with a punishing undercurrent and ending. Intriguing characters that don’t live up to their potential. One character in particular has a huge character leap and does something quite evil.
Pt 7-Don’t watch the trailer -- it will tell you the entire story. You think things are resolved but the story still goes on. Such a depressing and predictable ending.
Pt 6-Used by men and then branded a witch, a character has to give up her children and then her skin is used by a supernatural male creature. Yikes! Great bedtime story. Needed a lot more worldbuilding.
Pt 5-Oddly enough, there are some bits that aren’t translated. Almost everything else is translated which makes the bits not translated really stand out. Rape and pregnancy referenced.
Pt 4-Feels like we’re missing scenes here. Too much is left unsaid or implied when it should have been in the dialogue. We needed a lot more information. Took me a while to get my bearings with the story and understand the characters.
Pt 3-If there’s no hope and no way out, what’s the point of the story? First rule of writing, don’t make invincible monsters. The story structure is non-existent. You start the scene in the middle of a conversation about a character that wasn’t introduced before.
Pt 2-This felt like I watched a four-hour miniseries. The characters were a confusing mess that were woefully undeveloped. No idea why they did what they did. What a dark and depressing story full of hopelessness and generational evil.
Moloch (2022). Pt 1-An unsettling and promising start but sadly, the material isn’t handled well. Mostly filled with intense wtf moments with some creepy moments sprinkled throughout. So slow it felt like a test of endurance to make it to the end.
Pt 5-Odd elbow scene and odd plant scene that were not needed and detracted from the barely existing story. Terrible ending.
Pt 4-The time jumps didn’t help the story. They may have jazzed it up a bit but it’s a pretty bland and short story. Predictable. I guessed where this was going. It was all quite heavy-handed.
Pt 3-I needed much more to be invested in the story and the paper-thin characters. What a dark and crazy story that loses its impact due to bad storytelling and subpar characters. I kept asking myself what the motivation for some characters was.
Pt 2-Flat characters, awkward dialogue that doesn’t offer any insight, a plodding middle and a mystery with no stakes or tension. A painfully slow story about an apparently cheating boyfriend. Again, who cares?
Gone in the Night (2022). Pt 1-One of the characters may be gone in the night but do we care? I didn’t. I was lured in by Winona Ryder, but this movie is terrible.
Pt 7-I don’t recommend this episode but if you do watch it, just stop at the first story.
Pt 6-Because women only care about looks and money. A woman in the company gets to leave early for the day because she broke a nail. Every part of this episode and how women are treated and what women care about here was a torture for me.
Pt 5-The comments on beauty were tough to listen to. Keeping clients satisfied? Giving them special attention? Having business meetings in hotel rooms? Wow! Hello metoo. Such a torturous episode for the character -- all to look beautiful.
Pt 4-This episode was all male wish fulfillment with a horror ending. Gives new definition to looks can kill. What a place to end act 1. Act 2 is really tough to watch. Stick to the first story. The worldview here is painful and toxic.
Pt 3-Lying about everything to get a dream girl. If you want a thoroughbred, you have to be willing to pay for a thoroughbred. Women are horses? Nice. Not a fan of the dialogue as one might imagine. Misogynistic to say the least. Oh, the male fantasies and cheesy music. Save me.
Pt 2-Nice skating. Yes, all women are money grubbers. Sigh. Never go to a dating service with a red neon sign. No good can come of that. Nice comment about insurance. Remind me never to date someone from that company. All liars all the time.
Freddy’s Nightmares. 1x06. Pt 1-A mind is usually a terrible thing to waste, but Gordy’s mind is a misogynistic creepy mess. Opens with a creepy conversation about women from one creep to the other. I heard the song Creepy by Radiohead playing in my mind as I watched the scene.
Pt 6-The ending itself feels incomplete and a strange place to end the story. It felt more like they ran out of time than that the story naturally ended.
Pt 5-How nice. I liked seeing another character play a shade of the previous lead in part 1. How did he sneak into the room where all the medicines are kept? There’s no security in that hospital?
Pt 4-The dreams get more intense and sadistic and the idea of being trapped with Freddy is truly chilling in this episode. The second part is where things go off the rails. They had enough time to squeeze in a PSA about wearing your helmet when on a motorcycle.
Pt 3-The lead’s girlfriend is up for anything and always accommodates him. Another sigh. The sex scenes are both badly handled and feel more like a male fantasy than an actual real scene.
Pt 2-What should have been a fun episode about a talk show host with a huge ego and a habit for bossing people around, his girlfriend included, dissolves into a crazy sadistic mess. We have the rocker who insults an older woman who says he’s a bad influence.
Freddy’s Nightmares. 2x11. Pt 1-The most sadistic episode I’ve seen so far and the one where logic doesn’t apply. Looking for crazy medical techniques and tons of cliches? You’ve come to the right place.
Pt 2-Serious Jumanji vibe here. The story structure and pacing needs some work -- the middle lags a bit. Some awkward dialogue and strange characters. They’re not quite relatable or fun but the story itself was interesting. Takes a while to set the scene. Great ending.
Gatlopp (2022). Pt 1-Creepy and crazy gameplay. Creative tasks. Interesting story but I was expecting something darker. Light on the horror. Good worldbuilding. Oddly emotional. A deep dive into these characters and their secrets. Good music. Good use of color.
Pt 2- He ranks highest in the most unsupportive boyfriend category. They lay down the clues but I never thought one character in particular would have done all that. Exciting. Good twists and turns as we learn more about the leads and who is at the door. Great nightmare ending!
American Horror Stories. S2. Ep 2. Pt 1- Such a great premise! Creepy and unsettling. Memorable. Pulls you right in and holds your attention. Great characters. Good worldbuilding. She really needs to find herself a better class of boyfriend!
Pt 2-Predictable but terrifying all the same. Like a nightmare. Memorable. One scene of torture. Exciting. Great ending!
American Horror Stories. S2. Ep. 1. Pt 1-What a misogynistic and sadistic episode. The misogyny was so great it was very tough to watch this episode. Creepy and unsettling. All for the love of dolls. Another good reason to run when a man says he likes dolls.
Pt 4-Animal death where we sit with the body of a deer for a few scenes before one character prepares the dead carcass to eat. I think it’s called field dressing. Bleh.
Pt 3-Good final act but we needed more of an understanding of the monster for it to quite make sense. This has some triggers in it: animal death in several scenes, shooting a dog, body horror, and suicide.
Pt 2-Some serious family drama here. Oh, the gross & intense body horror! I never thought I’d say this, but the actors looked too similar. A bit visually dark. Wish there was more worldbuilding. It gives you the barest framework & you add the details. Lazy writing is what it is.
The Wretched (2020). Pt 1-The bones of a good story with some great SFX, and some creepy and unsettling scenes but sadly a lot of the movie needed work. Intense beginning. Bogged down by so much character development that’s both unneeded and just adds plot holes.
July, 2022
Pt 5-The story here would have been better as a short story where we could have gone into the mind’s of the Bender family. Too little story to work as a movie.
Pt 4-Though the serial killers may be prolific and interesting, the movie was not. It barely scratched the surface of the real killers. Listen to a podcast, don’t watch this.
Pt 3-Strong sense of place. Slow, so slow, paint dries faster than this movie can tell a story. Plodding. Non-existent story structure. Barely anything happens. Some gruesome scenes. Predictable. Creepy family dynamics.
Pt 2-Narration should be used sparingly to highlight something or offer a different perspective on the narrative but not to direct the viewer. The movie is saturated with narration. I feel led by the hand. The acting could have been a lot better. What a dark beginning.
Bender (2017). Pt 1-Could’ve done without the narration that directs the audience on what to focus on. Though I did like the timber of his voice.
Pt 5-Good acting. I do wish the villain here were more fleshed out and his reasons brought to light. Frustrating ending.
Pt 4-Interesting view of men that Roni’s mother has -- that they always have something to hide. Very creepy neighbors. “Monsters don’t always look like monsters.” Very true. Roni goes down the rabbit hole in part 2.
Pt 3-Part 2 is really Act 2 of this story. It’s very clear as it was from the get-go who the killer is. I was just waiting for the kids to figure it out. There aren’t a lot of characters here. This story is pared down to really dig deeply into the two teen leads.
Pt 2-Of course his mom is away, horror has to have the parents conveniently off somewhere or otherwise absent. Absent moms and pill popping moms with “sleepover guests.” Hmm. Interesting view on motherhood here. Intense dream for one F. Relax, dude.
Freddy’s Nightmares. 1x11. Pt 1-A very interesting character-focused story about two teens living in Springwood with a serial killer. Opens with a pretty cheesy nightmare but I’m fine with cheese. Interesting colorful house.
Pt 5-I think it might have been stronger with a different choice, but I do understand that this ending is part of the commentary on the industry and that is a great piece. Worth checking out for sure and especially if you like country music.
Pt 4-Lags a bit in the middle when you know that something bad is going to happen but you’re unsure of where this is going. Intense final act. Sad ending.
Pt 3-The male characters are terrible. Harper is a creepy character who only gets creepier as she tries to sow deceit in the friendship of the two leads. Some good music here.
Pt 2-Never do that even if the person is your idol. You never really know a celebrity. Ambition can be a dangerous thing. Solid acting. Sinister atmosphere. Great characters that we get to know more about, along with their darkness, as the story progresses.
Torn Hearts (2022). Pt 1-A good glimpse behind the curtain into the politics of country music and what it takes to become famous and stay famous. Requires some suspension of disbelief especially when the two leads show up at a stranger’s house.
Pt 2-It’s frustrating that they don’t believe her but it’s understandable at the same time. What an interesting and meaningful ending. Worth checking out.
Creeped Out S2. Ep 5. Pt 1-An interesting story that draws you in. Good premise and family dynamics. Good dialogue. Predictable story but an enjoyable watch. The special effects are a bit cheesy.
Pt 2-The world of games can really draw you in and you can forget about the real world when gaming turns into an addiction. Sad to watch the lead’s life crumble before his eyes. A sense of futility & doom here though it’s not really creepy. What a place to end the episode!
Creeped Out. S2. Ep.1. Pt 1-An interesting story that’s quite relatable if you’re a gamer, though at the same time it feels a bit like a PSA to gamers about the negative effects of gaming.
Pt 8-To be honest, I was happy the episode was over. It was a tough one to see.
Pt 7-Good ending I suppose, but it feels too directive. She’s a good woman now, a warm and sensitive mom again. The torment she went through seemed rather cruel, crueler than usual for female leads in the series, not the movies, the TV show. What a celebration of Mother's Day.
Pt 6-You, the viewer, can get confused about whether several scenes are dreams or reality. It dug really deep into the protagonist's mind. This one was creepy yet effective. The power of a guilty mind. The lead here was great. She really committed to her role.
Pt 5-Not only isn’t the mother there for her daughter, she gives terrible advice, is a toxic person, and even tells her own daughter to consider herself an orphan. This was cheesy as well. The dreams she had were intense and bled into reality.
Pt 4-The jockey is curt and impatient and while she says she's just speaking the truth, she’s more of an insensitive troll. If you want to demonize a working mother, here’s the film to show you how to do it.
Pt 3-The second part deals with a teenage pregnancy and a female radio jockey advocating giving the baby up for adoption. The caller mentions she’s Catholic so the option that isn’t said is referenced here.
Pt 2-And the dreams?! From how he sees the women in his life to what he fantasizes about. Wow! Definitely a male writer, I can tell. This episode is spooky if anything. I actually found it funny though I don’t think that was the intention.
Freddy’s Nightmares. 1x8. Mother’s Day. Pt 1-The first part of the episode was hilarious and very dark. Incest suggested. This really felt like a glimpse into a toxic adolescent male brain and I’m really happy it was a short segment. Those were some messed up family dynamics.
Pt 5-Happy to see a bisexual character in horror -- just wish she was fleshed out a bit more than the traumatized, depressed actor. Sad and somber movie. Not a great final act but I do like the final words said. The leads should’ve burned it down or kept going. Sigh.
Pt 4-Suicide warning. Nice stained-glass window. Using the other lead as the subject for the journalism paper was clever and gave us exposition and character development.
Pt 3-Visually too dark, especially the basement scenes so it was hard to make out some of the action. Lots of drama & characters thrown at you but low on the horror. Considering that this is a horror movie, that’s worrying. The horror element itself was spooky here but not scary.
Pt 2-The lead barely does anything day to day. Was she only taking one class? The bones of a good story. The investigation slowed the story down. The acting could have been better in some parts.
Room 203 (2022). Pt 1-Everything is a little off from the story structure to the dialogue. Lots of threads here that could have been expertly handled but weren’t. We barely saw the lead as a student and barely understood anyone else’s character.
Pt 5-Freddy gave both the leads in both stories some real nightmares.
Pt 4-Interesting second story that also drew me in but this one had no twists. It’s a very basic story that’s rather predictable. Reminds me of film noirs in general. The first story is a winner and stays in your mind; the second one, not so much.
Pt 3-I wish she had more of a story herself instead of being an appendage to a male character. However, this was a 90’s episode. All things considered, it was a memorable episode. What happened to him in the end was quite fitting. I hope never to meet that mime or piss him off.
Pt 2-His radio personality is bleeding into his real personality. This story drew me in. Creepy supernatural mime. How did the mime know his address? Good question. A solid, unsettling & creepy story. I wasn’t a fan of killing off a female character just to get to the male lead.
Freddy’s Nightmares. Season 2. Ep. 7. Pt 1-You had me at a possible killer mime and a toxic radio personality. Starts with fat shaming though. Yikes. Good discussion about ratings and the press and putting on a radio personality.
Pt 7-It felt like a different movie. Suddenly everything is rainbows and sunshine. Save yourself and don’t check this one out.
Pt 6-Yikes. Another unsupportive husband and an isolated stay-at-home mom who’s overwhelmed. Oh the clichés! Barely anything happens and what does, doesn’t make a horror movie. The ending felt odd and it came from left field. It didn’t quite fit the ominous tone of the movie.
Pt 5-The house was strangely decorated, nothing quite fit with everything else and the clothing was beyond odd. What bargain bin did they find that stuff in? Incest with forced pregnancy, child death, piglet death with a bolt gun and you do hear the squeals, pig body.
Pt 4-The movie doesn’t draw you in -- it keeps you at a distance. Everyone is a bit off, a bit strange. The leads don’t have any chemistry with each other. No subtlety here in the dialogue. If you ever wanted to hear a baby crying for over an hour, this is your movie.
Pt 3-This could have gotten scary, there were the bones of a ghost story here, not a particularly well plotted ghost story but a ghost story, nonetheless. The story is told so slowly, I think paint could dry faster. Hard to get a bead on the characters.
Pt 2-If only we actually got to know the characters and the writer could have dug deeper, this might have been a more interesting movie. Good cast that was underutilized. The title doesn’t quite fit. The movie lacked any nuance, scares, or real depth.
Abandoned (2022). Pt 1-Not a horror movie but a muddled view of postpartum depression. Too bad I came in wanting scares and not information about postpartum depression.
Pt 5-I wish we had been able to explore Tom more; he was a bit one-sided. It was all about Judy. A good journey into a doomed romance. A standout episode in my mind. Worth checking out.
Pt 4-Freddy’s a pervy peeper hiding under the bed. Sigh. Dreams can easily turn into nightmares. What a gorgeous lace negligee. An unusual episode for the series as a whole. Time travel. Interesting comment on dreams and money and the ability to change the future.
Pt 3-Shades of The Truman show but with horror. Interesting camera angles. Now that’s a creepy ending for part 1. Was a pleasure to watch. Now for story number 2 which is essentially Act 2 -- a great addition to the story. Digs deep into the female lead.
Pt 2-I like game shows, so this was a fun episode. Inspired. Interesting gameplay as well. It only gets darker as it goes along. There’s a lot of blue in this episode in the first part. The SFX were decent for this episode as opposed to others I’ve seen.
Freddy’s Nightmares. Ep. 5. Pt 1-A very good introduction to Judy and her stifling life. She longs to be on a game show and win some money to finance a better life. But will money solve everything? I was wishing she’d be able to. This one really drew me in.
Pt 3-Odd ending but frustrating as well because it makes no sense.
Pt 2-The movie overstays its welcome at around 1 hr. and 30 mins, not that this version of the story was welcome to begin with. Heavily focused on incest so a warning if you need one. Nauseating. Not scary, more wtf moments than scares.
Lady Usher (2021). Pt 1-This is a terrible mess from a solid story by Poe. The Vincent Price adaptation is a classic, but this is a painful mess. The dialogue and acting need some serious work. It’s clunky and awkward.
Pt 3-I wish the folklore angle would have been brought up sooner. Terrible worldbuilding. The grandmother was the best part of this movie, and she was barely in it.
Pt 2-It’s depressing, references suicide, anorexia and generational trauma and isn’t worth checking out. The characters are hard to understand or get a feel for. The story doesn’t let you in; it keeps you at a distance. Terrible dialogue.
A Banquet (2021). Pt 1-A complete waste of time. The movie was clearly striving to be Heredity but really missed the mark. It doesn’t pack the same wallop as Heredity did nor is it as clear and that’s saying something. It’s a slow, meaningless mess of a movie.
Calling all Fannibals. Hannibal is one of my favorite shows and I would love a season 4, There's so much left to explore. Please sign the petition if you feel the same way. (https://tinyurl.com/Hannibal-S4)
June, 2022
Pt 5-The deaths were creative given that a video game is doing it, but not creative in themselves. I wish there were more "out of the box" kills. Good ending.
Pt 4-The dialogue needed some work. I have never said nor have I ever heard my friends say, “I wanna butter this muffin.” There were some exciting scenes but there was also a lot of talking. One character in particular was written to explain everything.
Pt 3-One girl sleeps in a van and the goth girl is called October. Eye roll. The cast here was fun: we have Frankie Muniz, Jimmi Simpson, Milo Ventimiglia, and Sophia Bush. They were good but everyone else, especially the two leads, could’ve been a lot better.
Pt 2-I just wish they had paid as much attention to the script as they had to the game itself. The characters were an odd bunch that I would have liked to know better. Their personalities could be summed up in one sentence each.
Stay Alive (2006). Pt 1-An overall enjoyable movie that held my attention but one with quite a few missteps. I was drawn to this because I love evil app and evil video game movies. The gameplay was great, and I liked the premise of the game.
Pt 2-Handy that she’s such a proficient hacker. What a chilling ending!
Creeped Out. No Filter. Pt 1-There have been many creepy technology stories but this one is memorable. Good characters. Love the idea of Flaw Fader. Always read the Terms and Conditions. Good pacing. Held my attention. Creepy premise. That’s one tough sister!
Pt 6-It doesn't make sense given the twist. And the ending is abrupt, and I don't like what it's suggesting for one of the characters.
Pt 5-I’m not a fan of time jumps, and this happens three times. Given some of the cast, I expected better acting. I did like the lead who was a fighter, if we only knew more about her aside from her being a fighter. Can’t say I’m a fan of how the masked villain dies.
Pt 4-Add to that an actor who kills another actor due to a prop mishap and a producer who uses his power and influence to constantly harass women. And the character does this multiple times without being challenged. Talk about a misstep.
Pt 3-I require a bit more than a stab here and there. Plodding middle. Oh the tried-and-true stumble and fall. It's obvious who the masked villain is. Ridiculous motive for the killer and an equally ridiculous motive to explain the twist. Though I did like the twist itself.
Pt 2-The trivia was nice too, but a few scenes aren’t enough to save this. No clever characters here. It’s painfully slow, dumb and predictable with terrible dialogue. If you just want to watch people die with no real plot or character development, check this out.
13 Fanboy (2021). Pt 1-Not worth checking out unless you’re an obsessed fan of the series. Dee Wallace couldn’t save this. Got so much wrong and only two things right. Meta. I did like the scenes at the horror convention, and the twist.
Pt 4-That’s some battle! Not so great on a rewatch since the whole movie hinges on the final act reveal. The story should have ended with the narration and not with the Sheriff coming and Mort eating corn. That diluted the strength of the narrative. Trigger warning: dead dog.
Pt 3-She’s bait for Mort, a woman in jeopardy, a cheater, etc., but not a real character or a strong character. A little slow. I love that Mort's story in the movie was featured in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Nice touch. Good final act that's truly chilling.
Pt 2-Suspenseful and creepy but I don't like how the female lead is portrayed here. She’s not sympathetic because Mort's telling the story. Add to that the fact that Shooter is constantly threatening her.
Secret Window (2004). Pt 1-An interesting start. Being a writer myself, I liked how the film dives into the mind of a troubled writer. You really see things through his eyes. Good story, based on a short story written by Stephen King.
Two Sentence Horror Stories. Heirloom. Somber atmosphere with a strong story about racism. Reminded me a little of Get Out. Creepy. Predictable but interesting. No real twists here. It’s exactly what you think it is. Great ending.
Pt 2-There is no fighting this company. Strong storytelling with something to say.
Two Sentence Horror Stories. Eraser. Pt 1-A beautifully done visualization of gentrification and how the families forced to sell lose themselves and their identities as they’re driven out of their homes. Chilling but predictable. Memorable all the same.
Pt 4-The story is a marriage between trauma, depression, addiction, and the supernatural. Suspenseful. Megan is a strong character. Better than I expected.
Pt 3-A slow burn horror that gets under your skin. But never quite gets scary, more like unsettling and spooky though it held my attention. What happens after the victim dies from an exorcism? Does the evil leave? I like that angle.
Pt 2-Good character development for the lead though she makes some really stupid choices. You’d still have a horror movie if she made smart choices. Garden variety exorcism in the beginning. I liked really exploring the nightshift with Megan. Interesting and unusual story.
The Possession of Hannah Grace (2018). Pt 1-Not a huge fan of exorcism movies. I’m here for Shay Mitchell and Stana Katic. I appreciate how, like the character, the viewer is introduced to the job in the morgue. Interesting sets.
Pt 4-Memorable. Suspenseful final act. A story that means something. Great ending though it stops rather abruptly. Not quite the place I’d end it.
Pt 3-Good dialogue and great themes. This one digs deep and makes you feel something. My favorite line was: “How can I control something I’m not even allowed to practice?” Shades of the X-men, who were also a metaphor. Somber and dark. I loved the extensive worldbuilding here.
Pt 2-Witches as metaphor. Witches get arrested for crossing the border into Mexico; they’re hidden in secret rooms and transported to somewhere safe. Sound familiar? Systems of oppression with men who enforce them. Men's fear of power they can neither wield nor understand.
Witch Hunt (2021). Pt 1-Intense start. Really digs deep into hatred and fear of anyone who is different. An intense look at what a modern-day witch hunt would look like. Chilling!
Pt 3-What a place to end the episode, quite the cliffhanger. Good use of color. I’d recommend this one.
Pt 2-Great characters, especially the two female leads. I really loved the structure of the pilot and how it was told from two different POVs. Good music but maybe a little too saturated with songs. There’s a new song every couple of minutes.
First Kill (2022). Pt 1-I’m all for a doomed, star-crossed love. And the lead is even called Juliette. A lesbian Buffy series -- about time. This was a fun watch and I’d definitely check out the rest of the series. This pilot was a good intro to the series.
Pt 3-I loved John Rainbird’s character. The way the story was told here resonated with me more than in other versions. Trigger warning very intense cat death by fire. One hell of a final act -- though I expected the explosion to be a bit bigger. Good ending.
Pt 2-I like the discussion of the consequences of using your powers to kill someone and whether the main character should repress her powers or learn how to control them. I appreciated that the backstory of the experiments was done in the opening credits. The parents were great.
Firestarter (2022). Pt 1-A more emotional, intense, and gruesome version of this story. Personally, I like how the subject matter was handled. The pacing is a bit off but there is a lot of story to tell. Sad story. Good music.
Pt 3-Those bird calls were creepy. I really liked the writer. She’s a strong character. Warning: Dead rabbit.
Pt 2-Really sets the scene well for the strange townsfolk who are filled with hate and sickness and a spooky house that brings out madness. All the elements of a good gothic horror story.
Chapelwaite. Pilot. Pt 1-Some intense domestic violence from the get-go. What an intro! Moody and somber. Good music. Good mystery. Adrian Brody is in it and I do like period pieces. Whole lot of sadness here. I also like the mystery of what's going on with that house.
Pt 6- The Cellar (2022) has a do-it-yourself ending with an incomplete number of puzzle pieces. A very frustrating ending. Don’t waste your time checking it out.
Pt 5-The parents make some really dumb choices. The movie fails to create any tension. Maybe the final act is somewhat suspenseful but it would have been more powerful had the movie built up to it. The terrible worldbuilding didn’t do the ending any favors.
Pt 4-The investigation dragged the story, it wasn’t done in an interesting way. The movie itself and the pathetic attempts at scares were very predictable. A car crash makes someone a genius? Strange and terrible worldbuilding. A hodgepodge of theories that don’t fit together.
Pt 3-The scares here are tame. What’s up with the counting here? Leave counting to The Count on Sesame Street! The acting could be better here. Elisha Cuthbert couldn’t save this movie. A monster from Jewish mythology?
Pt 2-The parents do have an interesting job from the little we see of it. The music works in opposition to the movie, overpowering any spooky scene, and there are very few spooky scenes. Even in scenes I wouldn’t consider spooky the music is rather overbearing.
The Cellar (2022). Pt 1-Cliché characters: a moody teen, an annoying younger brother and workaholic parents. Things happen with the house very quickly, maybe too quickly, before we even know the paper-thin characters.
Pt 5-Gruesome. Quite the cliffhanger. I don't think I'll be continuing the series though.
Pt 4-There wasn't enough of an introduction but I can gauge the tone and the type of writing choices the writers of this series might favor. While I don't want to continue with this series, you may feel differently. Some accident! Why are children paying for what men do wrong?
Pt 3-Although I understand why things were written in that way, I think it would have been better to really introduce the characters and the town to the new family and to the viewer.
Pt 2-Exciting episode. Fair warning, though -- a child is killed in the first episode and another is in jeopardy. Dark. I didn't agree with a lot of the plot choices.
From (2022). Pilot. Pt 1-Strong sense of place. Interesting town and story but we don't learn enough to really get a taste for it. Draws you right, immerses you in suspense and then leaves you with a million questions that I personally don't need answers to. Great opening theme.
Pt 5- Trigger warning: attempted suicide, death of a child and a pregnant woman. Good final act.
Pt 4-They really try to throw you off in figuring out who the killer is. There’s one scene in particular, a dream sequence, that's odd for the killer to have, aside from purposely wanting to confuse the viewer.
Pt 3-I really love the lead’s mother -- if only she had more screen time. She's a tough character. The look and SFX for the werewolf weren’t the best. Odd religious undertones as a motivation for the killer. Could have done without that.
Pt 2-I liked the lead, who's a wheelchair bound boy. Suspenseful scenes. Gary Busey is in it. I love that the bartender has a bat called “The Peacemaker.” The film feels long because there are a lot of characters and a lot of story to get through.
Silver Bullet (!985). Pt 1-Cheesy but interesting. The narration at the beginning is a little odd. Instead of pulling us into the story, it felt like someone was telling me what to think and what to focus on. Couldn’t this be communicated in dialogue? Good music.
Pt 5-It’s a jigsaw puzzle you have to put together yourself, though in my mind, we don’t have enough pieces to do so. Not worth checking out unless you really like unsettling, confusing movies with no payoff.
Pt 4-Too little story, too much focus on a confusing character. The story offers no easy answers and no real resolution.
Pt 3-Death of a cat, the death is offscreen, but you do see the lead carrying the body and burying it. Interesting sets. I thought the trauma would be something darker. You have to have a lot more patience than I had today to get through this movie.
Pt 2-Why is she doing most of the things she does in the movie? Creepy stalking elements here but the movie is moody and too slow. Crawls at a snail’s pace. Good use of sound to make normal things, like the sound of a train, seem ominous.
Cordelia (2020). Pt 1-Unsettling start. Good music. The lead, who's been through a trauma and is very isolated, is an interesting character, but a difficult character to understand and to know not only for the viewer but also for the other characters in the movie.
May, 2022
Pt 4-If only someone had found that necklace! This episode really packs a wallop.
Pt 3-A guilty mind is a dangerous mind. The parents not understanding and jumping to conclusions was funny. What a chilling final act! It didn’t end the way I thought it would or the way I would have wanted it to.
Pt 2-Exploration of love, devotion, competition, living up to our parents' wishes, and making your parents proud. Dark and gruesome. That’s one creepy cafeteria server! Predictable but still a good episode. I really liked the boyfriend. An interesting second part.
Freddy’s Nightmares. 1x03. Pt 1-Really got into the story but didn’t like the ending of either part. Oof those endings! Lori Petty did a great job. The competition is fierce in that school! Good character development for the two female leads.
Pt 5-I found them to be obvious, but I don’t know if you, the viewer, would feel that way. An ultimately sad movie. Oof.
Pt 4-Too focused on setting the scene and presenting the lead character’s life. Its really troubling how overwhelmed the lead is about her life. Not the best SFX for the creature. I guessed both of the twists early on.
Pt 3-A slow creeping horror that never gets as menacing as I was expecting. Its all too subtle and too quiet. Slow and plodding especially in the middle. Not enough happens. They save everything for the final act.
Pt 2-Set in a specific time period and carefully curated to feel like it -- the music, the costume, phrases in the dialogue, the sets, the commercials, everything. Although we never find out why it set at that time and I feel like that’s very important. Sinister landscape.
Monstrous (2022). Pt 1-Not quite sure the title fits. I’m all for a horror movie with Christina Ricci but even she couldn’t save this one.
Pt 4-No twists and turns. Slow, creepy, and unsettling. It gets under your skin. What an ending!
Pt 3-You feel lost and adrift like the character because there are no subtitles for the conversations in Romanian. Strong sense of place. Good characters. It's obvious who the serial killer is and where the story is going.
Pt 2-She's never part of the conversation. She has to have her husband translate everything. She relies on him and he, like every horror husband, belittles her and doesn't believe her.
Watcher (2022). Pt 1-Great cinematography. A good character study of the lead whose marriage is falling apart. Really gets inside her head. We experience how isolated she is in a country where she doesn't speak the language. People talk at her, not with her.
Pt 4-Triggers: child abuse, a fox eating chickens and possibly a baby chick dying. Not quite the movie I thought I was getting. I expected a much darker, scarier story but this is a decent horror flick. Good cast, too.
Pt 3-A bit too focused on a traumatized character and not enough on building relationships between the characters. An intense final act and a good ending but it left everything for the end. Slow movie. I’m glad that the daughter had a good friend.
Pt 2-That does explain why they live a simple life but I wish that conversation happened earlier between the mother and daughter. I wish that they had a deeper connection and that the mother actually talked about things with her daughter.
Umma (2022.) Pt 1-When duty & obligation turn into curses. Speaks to how hard it is to move to a new country where you don’t speak the language. Good cinematography. Some good jump scares. Good horror but I wish it were grounded with better, fuller characters. Intense beginning.
Pt 6-This would have made a killer short, no pun intended. This felt longer than its running time. What a chilling ending! This was a half-way decent horror flick. I've definitely seen much worse.
Pt 5-The sound was a bit off. It might have been my headphones but the “s” sound was squeaky. A bit grim and depressing. The final act is a bit of a mess. Obvious twist and terrible character arc for a paper-thin, badly acted character.
Pt 4-The allusion to the witch trials in the 1600s, which was taught in a class here, was a nice touch. She was a witch ... interesting. “All that hatred got inside of her. It is like a disease” Good lines. Some of the movie was visually very dark, especially the final act.
Pt 3-Characters spend too much time looking for things and people with nothing happening. They’re in dark places with camera phones looking around for minutes on end. Speaks to cyberbullying and peer pressure. The investigation angle slows down the whole story.
Pt 2-Too much of the same thing. Some really intense scenes, too. One particularly good jump scare. Serious warning for suicide and bullying. Getting revenge on the internet trolls -- I’m all for that. But the pacing is a bit off.
Can’t Take It Back (2017). Pt 1-The acting and music may not be the best but the story was a good one. It held my attention.The protagonist was an interesting character although everyone else was a bit thin. Creepy scenes -- though toward the end they lose their impact.
Pt 3-What a place to end the episode! I'd be interested to know more about Eden and what looks like a cult.
Pt 2-Never trust ads, especially ones offering you happiness. Meeting a masked man in a warehouse? Um...I'd turn back now. Aside from some ominous scenes, this was a rather tame introduction to Eden. Hopefully it gets a lot darker.
Welcome to Eden (2022). Pilot. Pt 1-Interesting and creepy premise. We post so much info about ourselves that a corporation like this could pull info about us to see if we'd be a good fit for whatever they wanted. Good intro to our antagonists. What would make you happy?
Pt 4-It really gets under your skin but it takes a long time to tell the story and get to that point.They tried to do too much, add too many characters, too many subplots. They should have just kept it small. It’s too slow even for a slow-burn horror. Good sets and music though.
Pt 3-The twist was obvious. The final act is super depressing and frustrating. Not an enjoyable movie. I feel cheated. I want the movie it looked like it was going to be until the reveal -- and not the psychologically depressing mess it became. The pacing is all way off.
Pt 2-Digs deep into an overburdened full-time mother without any support from her husband. A dark, chilling, and insidious story. I like how strong the lead is against the ominous and powerful men around her. Goes to some unexpected places. We really go inside a character’s mind.
The Twin (2022). Pt 1-The movie is creepy and unsettling but it focuses on a somber mood more than plot. The characters aren’t deep enough. I couldn’t connect with the story or the characters. Some really intense scenes.
Pt 8-We never get any real resolution about the lead's father or why he's in there. But I am glad that lead could take the elevator for once. Odd place to end the movie.
Pt 7-Attack of the computer generated cats! What a sad, tragic and depressing story. All because the neighbors couldn't stand those cats? Wow!
Pt 6-I know this was supposed to be serious but there were some elements that were comical to me. Feels much longer than it is. Not enough information to sustain the middle of the film -- a plodding middle. It would have worked better as a shorter film.
Pt 5-The lead has some intense claustrophobia and of course, the ghost wants to drag her into the dark in an enclosed space. Why does the lead like the cop? When kitty wants blood, she wants it NOW.
Pt 4- It’s like one giant trigger warning for cat lovers. I’m a dog lover but still, yikes! They put "no cats were harmed in the making of the film" at the end. Good. There’s also some domestic violence triggers.
Pt 3-Dead cats are put into an incinerator, a cat being killed & eaten in a jar (don’t ask), putting a cat to sleep when the cat is scared, dying cat in a cage in a kill shelter, dead cat bodies, hurting a cat in a cage, pictures of the cats puts to sleep, and some manhandling.
Pt 2-There were so many cute cats here. Some trigger warnings here for how some cats are handled or shown.
The Cat (2011). Pt 1-Creepy? Yes but I was waiting too long for the why. Why is adopting cats a death sentence? If it’s that easy to avoid the spirit, adopt a dog, a rabbit, something else. The things people do to their pets like putting blush on them? Why?!
Pt 4-The cops sure took a long time to come. This is why it’s never good to live way out there. Great ending.
Pt 3-It’s not your basic home invasion story with a cat/house sitter. This movie has so many twists and key shifts that it feels longer than it is. Still tense and exciting but a lot of story here. Sophie is a smart lead.
Pt 2-Good cinematography. Tense and exciting. Great final act. Sophie is lucky that Kelly is so skilled -- she brings a lot to the See For Me app. If only the lead would have charged her phone! Some interesting twists and turns here.
See For Me (2021). Pt 1-Good premise. Good strong female characters who help each other. The men here are either malevolent or stupid save one. Nice to see a horror thriller flick with a blind woman at the center of it. Great start. Good dialogue. That’s a great house.
Pt 3-It really gets under your skin. I was expecting a twist that never came. It’s a basic story, while I was expecting a sharp curve. Synergy is chilling. I hope I never fall prey to a guy like Seth.
Pt 2-Where are they? Who did what in the past? What happens to Delilah? Everything you see is unreliable and skewed. I like stories like that but with strong female leads I expected a better ending. This had an ending that felt like a gut punch. Intense and creepy.
The Aviary (2022). Pt 1-This is a quiet psychological horror movie. Not much action and a real mindfuck of a movie. A movie very focused on character -- two traumatized women who were victimized by a toxic cult leader. What’s real and what isn’t? Who is trustworthy?
Pt 5-Triggers: Cutting and hurting oneself in various ways, suicide attempt, domestic violence suggested, and flashing lights.
Pt 4-The psychology here was a bit muddled. A little too surreal for the ending to have the emotional impact one would want. This reminds me of several movies that deal with similar ideas, and do them well, but by listing them I’d give the twist away.
Pt 3-You have to be patient as the movie reveals itself to the viewer. Alex’s dreams and walking life aren’t well delineated and that’s purposeful but it's tough to get a coherent narrative for the viewer. I did guess the twist pretty early on.
Pt 2-The sounds are inconsistent here: some of the Foley is loud, the music can be loud, but then the dialogue volume is soft. The women in this movie are imploding. Spooky atmosphere especially with a shadow creature following her. Slow though.
Animas (2019.) Pt 1-You have to pay attention to the movie and the colors that will direct you through this very surreal character study. Great use of colors and good sets.
Pt 4-I would only recommend this if you liked the other movies in the series of this specific manga by Junji Ito.
Pt 3-Not the best start. Some child abuse here. Really uncomfortable spicy moments between the two sisters. This movie was a mood piece and so character focused that there’s barely a plot. Terrible ending.
Pt 2-Some ideas are better not experienced as a live action movie. “Tomie has penetrated reality.” Great idea. That father and Tomie are super creepy. So much body horror and nauseating moments. Don’t make the mistake I did and watch this while eating. Strong aesthetic style.
Tomie Unlimited (2011). Pt 1-I like some of Junji Ito’s work but honestly this should have stayed a manga. Unrelentingly dark and nauseating. I like the idea of Tomie, a relentless, unkillable entity but not how she’s presented here.
I know you're probably inundated with replies but I wanted to suggest my books. A Fine for Murder (a collection of horror short stories) and Into the Dark (a collection of horror poetry that features my photography and artwork). Your bookstore looks very inviting. (Responding to tweet by Little Ghosts)
Pt 3-A dark movie: Suicide, child abuse referenced, death of a child and taking a baby out of a pregnant woman's body (literally). Yikes. Interesting ending. Not a movie I’d see again or the movie I expected from the trailer but an interesting movie all the same.
Pt 2-A heavy movie and a long one, too. Some good dialogue here -- some intense scenes. Lures you in to unravel the mystery. The twist was predictable, but still interesting.
The Girl Who Got Away (2021). Pt 1-What a tense beginning. I really liked the lead and unlike other movies, this dug deep into her character. A good exploration of a flawed character changed as a child by trauma and hunted by a serial killer. This was a mood piece.
Pt 3-The cheesy nightmares get creepier. Not a fan of the jokes at the end of the first act. In bad taste. The second act is solidly creepy and memorable. What a horrifying story and ending. That was an experience.
Pt 2-Love the kid’s room and that big plush monster. He liked reading "I Was a Grade School Zombie" before bed. Sounds like my kind of kid. If she just didn’t open that door. Interesting premise but the lead makes some really dumb choices.
Freddy’s Nightmares 2x10. Pt 1-I really like the babysitting trope. Glad that Freddy could provide some good tips like not dying while babysitting. Interesting premise.
Pt 6-Feels interminable. Confused storytelling. The foley is off. Domestic violence, deer death and suicide warning.
Pt 5-We don’t feel for the characters or see them get revenge. We don’t know why they wanted revenge. We’re just told the plot points by a character with the barest of flashbacks. Show don’t tell.
Pt 4-I would have liked to experience the entity myself by hearing her speak in the characters' minds and convincing them to let her use their body. The dialogue needs some work. The whole plot is explained, but we don’t see enough of the game's dynamics.
Pt 3-Interesting idea for the game though, if it were only executed better. Somber atmosphere but fails to connect. No substance here. If your rage is pure, it will make you commit a crime? Hmm. I wish the entity and the how were explained more.
Pt 2-The characters are cliches, and everyone has a different accent. The acting is subpar. One scene in particular wasn’t even translated. A character speaks in Chinese and there are no subtitles offered. Very slow. No worldbuilding.
The Darker The Lake (2022). Pt 1-Why does the title reference a lake? Good start but a terrible movie. One character is called Tamara. Is that a nod to the Strangers? The premise of an evil game reminds me of Truth or Dare, which was much better than this movie.
April, 2022
Pt 4-What a dark and depressing story. A ridiculous, badly explained mess of a final act. Definitely not worth checking out.
Pt 3-Ominous atmosphere and a few creepy scenes here and there but no real substance. The dialogue is terrible. Triggers: domestic violence, suicide and a dead dog. You hear a lot of dog whimpers. That hurts because we spend so much time with the dog.
Pt 2-The plot doesn’t give you enough information to understand the dynamics at play with this family. The backstory comes way too late into the movie. Very slow and plodding.The English dub is terrible. I wish I could have seen it in the original language -- Russian.
The Ice Demon (2022). Pt 1-Takes a while to get your bearings. There are a lot of scenes here that have nothing to do with the real story and not enough scenes that do. The vital information we need is missing.
Pt 4-This reminded me a bit of Truth or Dare (2018).
Pt 3-Are you playing the game or is the game playing you? The boss battle at the end was ridiculous. Dark and bleak and a little depressing though it had an unexpected ending that makes one wonder if something evil, if a curse, can be used for good.
Pt 2-We barely knew the characters. Or at least I felt like I only got an outline of them. The film was more focused on the game but the ending, while good, would have been better if we knew more about the life of the main character and her personality.
Choose or Die (2022). Pt 1-Great idea and presentation. Good cinematography. The game choices, the lead and the torture aspects took away from the power of the idea and the takeway. The horror here was more about disgust than scares.
Pt 4-The movie has shades of the Shining while the real story is much more complex. This movie felt like a tease for the full story -- a part 1. In fact, this story might be better told in a TV series.
Pt 3-There were different characters in the movie and they interacted with each other in ways that were different from the novel. Good music, great sets. This is a pared down story from the novel -- a meditation on greed and ambition. And it does that part well. Slow burn.
Pt 2-Campbell was such a huge force to be reckoned with in the novel. I was looking forward to seeing him in the film. The ominous tone was there in the film but not many of the unsettling scenes that were in the novel. I liked the lead here though -- she was quite a character.
So Cold the River (2022). Pt 1-Very different from the book and it doesn’t quite capture the slow creeping horror. Nor does the ending offer much of a conclusion. The villain of the piece here, Campbell, hardly ever appears. He barely talks to one character.
Pt 3-I love revenge stories and this is a good one. The head detective was something else. The ending hits you right in the feels.
Pt 2-The middle really lags with a very lengthy and questionable legal interrogation of a suspect that honestly goes on way too long. The payoff is great though. I appreciate the spooky atmosphere. It’s worth it in the end because it’s a great story.
The Vanished (2018). Pt 1-Starts off spooky and supernatural. Good premise and a great final act. However, the mystery of what happened and whether a character is really dead or not isn’t enough to sustain the movie.
Pt 5-What an intense struggle at the end. A chilling ending - a wild ride! Worth checking out for sure.
Pt 4-Some triggers here. Suicide, animal death, child abuse and domestic violence. A dark and sad storyline. As you go further along, it gets darker. Good music. The final act is a doozy as is the truth about the other serial killer. A meditation on love and murder.
Pt 3-I wish the daughter had a more prominent role instead of being constantly protected and told what to do. I wish she knew more or rather that her father would've told her more. Good twists. Talk about an unreliable narrator! Creepy and unsettling. Suspenseful. Good twists.
Pt 2-I have to say it was very difficult to like the main character. I think that’s the point but he was an interesting character nonetheless. Watching him struggle through his life with dementia was compelling. Wonderful acting.
Memoir of a Murderer (2017). Pt 1-This is a slow character study of two serial killers. Great premise. Good discussion of whether one can ever kill the right people. Who decides who’s evil enough? Is there such a thing as a moralistic killer?
Pt 3-Hard to watch how horribly the lead was treated at work. I thought it would have a much darker and bleak ending. Definitely worth checking out.
Pt 2-And what was with all the running?! This is a giant ad for sneakers. It was very sad and frustrating how no one would help the lead and no one believed her. They all believed his lies. The men here are disappointing to say the least. Great ending, though unexpected.
Midnight (2021). Pt 1-Fantastic acting. What a chilling villain! A real emotional ride. A morality play. Edge of your seat suspense. Held my attention. A night in the life of a serial killer where everything goes wrong. OMG that drunk at the station, wow!
Pt 6-I really hope I never meet men like that, especially Mason though Alex was no prize either.
Pt 5-It doesn't work -- there are too many plot holes and unexpected bits. I wish they had take the metaphor further. I spent most of the movie trying to understand the characters. Interesting world building here. Goes to some weird places.
Pt 4-The movie was basically a metaphor for how the rich treat people and how they use them and suck them dry. And if you look at the movie that way, as metaphor, it’s very good but if you look at it as cinema, it leaves a lot to be desired.
Pt 3-Good premise. I wish we also knew more about the group dynamics here. That’s what I really wanted to know. The twist cheapens everything. Were they all acting or is that really who they are?
Pt 2-We barely know anything about the characters so when the transformation takes place, it lessens the impact since we don’t know who they are and how they acted before. Moody and somber. The story keeps changing and as it changes, it loses its power and momentum. Great sets.
Dead & Beautiful (2021). Pt 1-Making an artsy vampire movie is hard and this one failed. This is more of a slow mood piece than a plot heavy or character focused movie. More of a movie as metaphor.
Pt 3-She goes from a strong studious student to a petrified lab rat. This story takes a turn and I can’t say I’m a fan. The first part of the story was great and really drew me in. I liked the story better before the shift. Interesting ending.
Pt 2-The character of Mark, who blamed the lead for “her lack of fun,” kept things light in the beginning. As the story went on, I missed his character. Quite an emotional episode for the lead. Some good puns. From a breakdown to thirsty men watching her and recording her dreams.
Freddy’s Nightmares. S1.Ep 4. Pt 1-You had me at Mariska Hargitay, who doesn’t believe in Freddy. Good premise with the lead and the idea of recording dreams into visuals. Child abuse. Freddy tried hard to creep her out. Oh, the body horror.
Pt 6-If you can handle this film, it's something to see but it's very dark and it doesn’t hold back.
Pt 5-What would you sacrifice to walk again? Gulp. That’s one creepy monster! We cut just as things get interesting a couple of times. A nasty film that really goes there. Gets under your skin. Sad. A real rollercoaster. Good ending.
Pt 4-A paraplegic character in a horror film is rare. This one made me nervous. I could see where the film was going a mile off. Creepy and unsettling. Love the mystery behind what would be in the boxes every day and how the candy would be used. Dark storyline.
Pt 3- More triggers. There are also flashing lights here and she kills her own dog. We all knew the dog would likely die but yikes and we see it dying and whimpering. There's also a dead rabbit that was killed in a hunt.
Pt 2-The lead’s motivations regarding some things were not well explained, especially how she handled the assault. Triggers: sexual assault and attempted assault. It gets pretty far down the line so if that’s your trigger, fast forward that car scene.
The Advent Calendar (2021). Pt 1-Why a sinister and creepy advent calendar? Read the part with the triggers if you have any. I really liked the lead but I hated her friend.
Pt 4-Good themes but they are lost in the slow, moody tone of the film. The lead also doesn’t talk during the whole middle of the film. I didn’t enjoy this experience and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you really love artsy, slow, depressing supernatural movies.
Pt 3-Dead kids in the beginning and a lot of dead animals. Suicide warning as well. What a tough society to live in. Where does she belong? What determines the answer? Her will or her monster status? Some body horror here.
Pt 2-It’s artsy and melancholic and character-focused from the vampire’s POV. Interesting world building. But a born again human as a result of drowning?! I’m sorry, no! Sad undercurrent here about people wanting a family and children. Death focused, mortality salience.
All the Moons (2020). Pt 1-What a depressing movie. Aside from the fact that we’re dealing with vampires, this isn’t quite a horror movie. It’s more of a sad meditation on death and what it means to be a vampire.
Pt 4-The twist if one can call it that, was obvious. What a depressing and bleak story. I don't recommend this one.
Pt 3-Failed to build the required tension needed for the story. Crazy as it goes along. The doctor hears voices peeking latin when she puts a stethoscope on a person’s back? Really? Heaps of religion here.
Pt 2-Odd set decoration for the child’s room. This was a dark and somber movie. Moves slowly. The tone is more like a spooky drama than a real horror movie. The fancy editing that puts the viewer in his mind is dizzying. Muddled worldbuilding. The dialogue could’ve been better.
The Assent (2020). Pt 1-Not a huge fan of exorcism movies but I will say that it had an interesting premise and characters. Death of a child referenced. Confluence of schizophrenia with mental illness. I liked the father’s odd and creepy sculptures.
Pt 4- How will she function at work? She’s a compelling, interesting character and I’d love to see more of her.
Pt 3-I shudder to think how this character might function with the idea of love. She had a girlfriend here but what if her goal was to be the best girlfriend? How far would she go? How does she function outside of school?
Pt 2-Cutting trigger and some light body horror. This is a very intense movie with a deeply flawed and self destructive character. Not for the faint of heart. Wonderful execution. Definitely something to see and a director to watch for.
The Novice (2021). Pt 1-Good cinematography and music. A dark descent into madness and obsession --a deep dive into the lead character’s mind -- an unflinching character study. A chilling portrayal from Isabelle Fuhrman who commits 100 percent to the role. Shades of Black Swan.
Pt 3-There was a good part with the investigation crew toward the end but the impact was ruined by the subpar effects. Good ending but I wouldn’t recommend this one.
Pt 2-Not an intriguing character to say the least. The scares are tame and the effects are cheesy. The story starts off slowly. Crazy story and world building. Almost feels like a comedy but the atmosphere was somber.
Night’s End (2022). Pt 1-An isolation horror movie that uses one location and Zoom. There have been several horror movies with that stepup and this one failed on multiple fronts. The lead character is rather banal and his life is mediocre at best.
Pt 2-Plodding middle. And a rather banal final act. Haunting atmosphere. Perfect music that’s sadly wasted on this movie. Strong sense of place.
Offseason (2022). Pt 1-It takes until the final act for the lead to start thinking intelligently. Depressing. Muddled world building. Not worth checking out. A depressing hopeless story that’s not well executed. No nuance, no subtlety. Terrible dialogue. Subpar acting.
March, 2022
Pt 4-There are problems with trusting the wrong people. This film was an experience! Trigger warning: forced prostitution. Really powerful final act. Great twist. Tragic and emotional.
Pt 3-A story of exploitation by men in the name of being famous. Told in the best way for the story. Very chilling and memorable. Some really intense scenes here. Echoes of the past linger and in a place like London that makes sense.
Pt 2-Good use of mirrors. Great characters. Strong sense of time and place. Don’t let the beginning fool you, it gets pretty dark. Like falling down a rabbit hole. Wholly engrossing. Learned some new British English words. Great editing as it shifts between the two leads.
Last Night in Soho (2021). Pt 1-Really draws you in and keeps your attention. Terence Stamp and Matt Smith star in this film and they are each so chilling. The lead, Eloise, really commits to the role. Good music. Amazing sets. Love the kaleidoscope effect.
Pt 4-Deals with children whose parents are mentally ill. Shades of Goodnight, Mommy (2014). A good film, didn’t blow me away but was interesting.
Pt 3-The title gives it away a bit but it’s more of a mood piece than a twist ending. More of a character study than a plot-heavy story. Carolyn Bracken really commits as Angela. The movie is told through Char’s eyes which is the right choice for this story.
Pt 2-A somber, atmospheric and haunting movie. Good worldbuilding but would have liked a tiny bit more. Creepy final act when the masks are off. Good characters. Some really intense bullying but I’m glad that the lead, Char, has at least one friend now.
You Are Not My Mother (2021). Pt 1-Intense beginning, burning a baby. It survives but, wow. If you can take it, the film is quite interesting. It’s a real slow burn so if you’re looking for a fast-paced movie, look elsewhere. You have to be patient here.
Pt 5-The final act gets a little muddied in regard to one of the teachers. I would have liked a concrete answer about that. Odd detail to bring up and leave unresolved. Powerful final scene.
Pt 4-A glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes in a university and what it takes to belong. Trigger warning for suicide and rape is inferred but not said outright.
Pt 3-I suppose I expected more horror, more scares, and a flesh and blood monster. The horror and the commentary weren’t well integrated with each other. That being said, it’s worth checking out.
Pt 2-Good characters and dialogue but while it offered great commentary on our time, it wasn’t scary, it was tragic. The supernatural force was barely explained. It was all a euphemism for systems of oppression and their effects on people of color.
Master (2022). Pt 1-While this is a good movie showing institutional racism and discrimination in colleges, the horror is light and mostly theoretical. There’s a climate of racism here, full of microaggressions, but no concrete supernatural threat. The threat is internalized.
Pt 3-Was interesting, chilling, and original but ultimately too depressing for my taste.
Pt 2-Really drags the viewer down into such a dark place. Down the rabbit hole you go. Somber atmosphere. More of a meditation on depression and a mood piece. The film gets under your skin. Rebecca Hall really commits to her character!
Night House (2021). Pt 1-Not suggested viewing for anyone whose trigger is suicide. Seriously, walk away now. What a sad and depressing story steeped in grief, depression and suicide. A wonderful way to tell the story in a very chilling way. I just wish the payoff was happier.
Pt 4-I’m not a huge zombie fan but I liked the retail angle, the fresh look on zombies, and the characters. Dower Dennis is a weird bear. Who would program those phrases into a stuffed bear? Cheesy and crazy but it kind of works. Interesting note to end the movie on.
Pt 3-The film added something new to zombies and not just their look. Some really gross moments. Pacing is a bit off because there’s a focus on humorous dialogue over plot and while it is humorous, more plot would have been good.
Pt 2-Good glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes in retail on Black Friday. Oh, the petty torments. Good character development of the employees. This Black Friday the employees have more to worry about than just over-excited ruthless shoppers.
Black Friday (2021). Pt 1-Bit of a mixed bag but overall a fun movie. Definitely worth a watch if you like zombie movies and you’re a Bruce Campbell fan. Good opening credits. The movie is pretty down about Thanksgiving and Black Friday which from a retail POV makes sense.
Pt 4-Not worth checking out unless you really like Tony Todd but he’s only in a handful of scenes. You still have to make it through the rest of the movie.
Pt 3-Meta with Tony Todd so that’s something but not enough to distinguish it from all the other found footage movies. You could fast forward half of the film and lose nothing.
Pt 2-Nothing new here and no interesting characters to hold your attention. Very slow with terrible dialogue. Paper-thin characters. Nothing fresh to add to the genre. Plodding, gory, grim and bleak.
Stoker Hills (2022). Pt 1-Just another found footage movie with the most annoying characters. The premise is a tad similar to Urban Legends Final Cut, which does everything better. The twist, if one can even call it that, is so obvious.
Pt 4-Great final act and ending, gotta say. But I’m not sure if it’s worth the wait. Remind me never to vacation there. Is the sequel called Young? Lol.
Pt 3-Some really disgusting scenes. The body horror scene was intense. Dead dog, teen pregnancy sort of, dead baby. Some really ridiculous storylines. I guessed the twist.
Pt 2-What could have been interesting was ruined. If the characters were more interesting or there were twists or a way to escape, it might have been interesting. A slow depressing hilariously bad movie. Overly dramatic -- like a soap opera. Hopeless and boring. A mess.
Old (2021). Pt 1-Give this one a miss even if you are an M. Night Shyamalan fan. Good start but then it goes off the rails. The futility of the main characters' predicament makes this movie quite boring and depressing. What’s the point if everything is futile?
Pt 7-Pepper, the cat, really stole the show in my eyes. I wanted to see more of the cat. I will say her character is pretty smart. What an ending!
Pt 6-That scene with the producers at the end was brutal! Meta. Since we see the world through her eyes, it makes the film difficult if the viewer doesn’t like her. Goes to some dark places.
Pt 5-This is essentially a one-woman show and while the actor is great, the character is really unlikeable. Ironically two characters, two producers, say the exact same thing. I’m loath to agree with those characters but I do. We needed a more likable lead.
Pt 4-It feels like we, the viewer, are intruding on her life even though she’s making a documentary of her life. The pacing is off. There’s a huge character arc and a high body count as well as a fair amount of story to get through, so problems with pacing makes sense.
Pt 3-There are some great comedic moments. Great opening scene. Everyone really committed to their characters. It all seems so realistic, you almost think it isn’t a movie. Which is the point. Some awkward scenes like the sex scenes.
Pt 2-We needed to know more about what the lead was like before the film began to better understand her thoughts and motivations. Some good comments on the film scene and breaking into the industry as a female director as well as good comments on criminal profiles.
I Blame Society (2020). Pt 1-I thought I would enjoy this much more than I did. You might like it -- it's worth checking out. Too much talking about the idea for this film and not enough character development.
Pt 5-There’s an undercurrent of sadness here about a cycle of violence and darkness taking hold of a person.
Pt 4-The language is very metaphorical. There’s a hell of a lot of story to tell so it felt much longer than its running time. This could have been a series rather than a movie. I did guess the big twist -- the clues are all there.
Pt 3-Good POV camera work at the beginning. Dustin Hoffman is in it -- what a treat! Rich characters. This movie really draws you in and holds your attention as you try to unravel the mystery. Animal abuse as well as child abuse referenced but never seen.
Pt 2-It’s a bit of a thinker and it’s a long and heavy movie -- a giant mind game with the viewer and the characters that’s executed perfectly. Just when you think you know something, the story shifts and adds something else to the mix. Good music. Great sets.
Into the Labyrinth (2019). Pt 1-And indeed, into the labyrinth, we, the viewer, go. A powerfully dark yet intriguing story. Definitely worth checking out. Just be sure you have the time. This one will stay with you.
Pt 3-What a dark yet intriguing story. It’s quite suspenseful and tragic. Worth checking out.
Pt 2-That’s a creepy mask. Good reason to live in an apartment. The second act really got my attention and kept me invested. Child abduction referenced as well as a pedophile. I had already guessed the final twist.
I See You (2019). Pt 1-Somber atmosphere. A bit slow because honestly, it has a big story to tell. Very character-focused. What a broken family. Talk about a creepy and disturbing Act 2 twist. I didn’t know about progging -- learn something new everyday. Be careful who you trust.
Pt 5-They’re locked in and only one can survive so why not drink? Eye roll. Plodding. You could fast forward half the movie and not miss much. No big twists or surprises. Unless you really like the setup, it's not worth checking out.
Pt 4-Not a fan of making the black character a rapper who is hostile to everyone thinking they’re racist. Wow! And the women are all sniping at each other. Not the best music choices either. Adding alcohol to the mix is not a great idea.
Pt 3-There’s no why, no answers at the end, and we barely know the characters. For a locked room horror movie, knowing the characters is the whole thing. We know their names and occupations and little else about them.
Pt 2-Peter Capaldi and Dennis Hooper were in this one but they’re underutilized. Surprisingly the actor who hits it out of the ballpark was Hippolyte Girardot as Francis. He really committed to his role. Everyone else didn’t. The story didn’t go deep enough.
House of 9 (2005). Pt 1-It was on my Amazon list for a while so I thought I’d finally check it out. I’m all for locked room horror movies. That’s my jam but sadly this is a subpar version of that idea. Even the good ending can’t make up for this lackluster movie.
Pt 5-It goes to very dark places but offers us no real answers except to blame the lesbian character. Homophobic much? A nasty little story that I wouldn’t recommend. Trigger warning: cutting heavily focused on and death of a child.
Pt 4-Solidly creepy in regard to witchcraft and necromancy in particular. It’s fun and interesting until it isn’t. The part about the snake bite went on for too long. Some really gross moments. If you do watch this, don’t do it when you’re eating.
Pt 3-Some good comedic moments but they’re few and far between and mostly in the beginning. I liked the female characters the best. The father really has some serious problems! Therapy is an option. Hell is other people. A bit slow considering it’s all character focused.
Pt 2-I guess it’s good they picked the bathroom to hide in -- showers, a toilet, etc. A good mood piece but wow is it heavy and depressing! Feels like you’re trapped alongside the characters. A storm brewing inside and outside. What a dysfunctional family!
We Need to Do Something (2021). Pt 1-Good setup for a very character-focused horror movie in one location, a bathroom. They did a lot with one location but It would have been better to show us the outside world.
Pt 4-We don’t get the kind of closure the viewer needs emotionally at the end. There’s a time skip here -- instead of following the action and seeing it resolved, we just jump ahead. I don’t recommend this one unless you need a downer.
Pt 3-It’s a very dark story masquerading as a tense mystery but not quite committing to it because the answer to the mystery is right there. It’s just a depressing, heavy story. I did really like Darcy though. She was a great character -- tough as nails and a real fighter.
Pt 2-Extending the mystery of who is doing it might have been better. More scenes like the card game early on were needed. The final act goes off the rails and not in a good way. Trigger warning: drug addiction, child abduction, and trafficking of children was mentioned. Yikes!
No Exit (2022). Pt 1-What a way to ruin a good premise. The story is a bit basic with a lot of tension and a twist, but it’s not a fun ride. The pacing is all off. We find out the who pretty early on and it's just the why and how it all ends that’s left.
Pt 3-I'm a sucker for hidden rooms or in this case floors. Exciting final acting. Good ending. Worth checking out.
Pt 2-Odd bit about the crystal convention. Goes to some weird places. The policeman was super hostile. I like the lead’s tenacity. Gail was a great character as well. Beware the 13th floor. There was a radio horror drama about a mysterious 13th floor.
Nightmare on the 13th Floor (1990). Pt 1-Quite a good movie despite the fact that it’s a USA TV movie. I mean, yes, there is a cheesiness here & the scares are low and the deaths are tame but it has a solid premise. It was an interesting watch. Takes a while to get to the horror.
Pt 4-Domestic violence warning. Unless you really like the cast, I wouldn’t recommend this one.
Pt 3-Don’t you just love parents who don’t believe their kids? A+ parenting here. Cue the sarcasm. A real low level creep factor. The final act character shift was odd. There was no groundwork laid here to make that seem plausible. It came out of the blue.
Pt 2-Takes forever to find out what Jessica did that made the family move out there. Her father really moved from Chicago to North Dakota to farm sunflower seeds? Huh?! What did he do before? What mother leaves two kids alone with a strange man they just met?
The Messengers (2007). Pt 1-Big on drama, low on supernatural horror. Too much evil crow action here. I felt like I was watching a terrible version of the Birds. Great cast but they’re all wasted on this subpar movie. The dialogue is terrible.
Pt 7-This movie doesn’t deliver. A pale imitation. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Pt 6-And as a member of several fandoms and as a horror writer and fanfic writer I take umbrage to that idea. I expected more -- better characters and a good mystery with a well-developed connection to the original.
Pt 5-I like that Dewy told the lead about the rules to survive a horror movie, or in this case, I suppose a "requel." Not a fan of blaming fandom & claiming it’s toxic. There are toxic people everywhere! Kind of a slap in the face since as a fan, that’s why I watched this movie.
Pt 4- It didn’t have any depth to it. I liked that the old cast was brought back here but I was not OK with who died. The connection between the original movie and this one doesn’t quite fit. I was sad that Gail and Dewey didn’t end up together. That seemed cruel.
Pt 3-Bland & basic. We stay too focused on the lead to the exclusion of everyone else. Meta as always with some good dialogue but it didn’t cut deep enough. I liked the discussion of elevated horror, although ironically, this movie isn't in that category.
Pt 2-We know hardly anything about the characters so it’s a bit easy to guess who could have done it. Just think of the motive. The writers didn’t go through why each person could have done it. Actually, they started to, and then stopped. No good misdirects or red herrings.
Scream (2022). Pt 1-There may be some of you out there who enjoyed this new addition to the franchise but I did not. It added nothing to the franchise and just seems like a cash grab. I enjoy the franchise and the original but this doesn’t have the same magic.
Pt 5-A good movie with horror elements that mean something but not a great choice if you’re just looking for chills
Pt 4-His job requires him to "mine the darkness.” I like that idea for an artist -- I can relate. The kid was cute. What creepy puppets. Great visuals with the red tint to represent the supernatural influence. The theme -- another version of a mother’s love. Solid ending.
Pt 3-I expected more horror earlier on and more intense scenes later on. Who the monster is was obvious as was the twist, though the twist was still shocking. I liked the drawings for the Grisly Kin, the glimpse into the comic book industry, and the creepy creatures.
Pt 2-There are genuine creepy scenes here but it’s not as scary as you might think or as I might have wished. The custody battle takes up a lot more space than the supernatural horror. I’m all for horror being grounded in real world problems but this wasn't a well balanced movie.
Separation (2021). Pt 1-An emotional movie, where the supernatural story is grounded in solid characters and real world issues. That being said, if you look at the trailer, it looks creepier than it really is. It’s steeped in divorce and a child custody case.
February, 2022
Pt 6-Good establishing shots of New York City. Barbara Crampton is in it. Triggers: a religious mom who won’t accept her lesbian daughter and a microwaved cat. Yikes!
Pt 5-I appreciate the attention to detail here from the creatively decorated apartment to a close up on a beautiful lace negligee. Good music. I’m all for lesbian horror movies but this seemed a little bi-phobic and I’m honestly tired of bi-phobic horror movies.
Pt 4-There are better movies out there with unreliable narrators who are discovering where they are and what’s happened. Trying to be vague here. The final act goes off the rails, and not in a good way. What a dark and depressing story. That apartment is very threatening.
Pt 3-The characters that interact with the lead would have benefited from having a shared goal, to direct the lead somewhere instead of being annoying and cryptic all the time. There wasn’t enough here to hold my attention. There were solidly creepy moments but not enough.
Pt 2-For such a simple story, which is rather easy to guess, it would have benefited from a story with more meat or by adding more characters that we see, not that we hear, or think we see out of the corner of our eye.
Alone With Her. (2022) Pt 1-A very slow, unsettling, creepy, haunting and tense movie that’s focused on character development and not on plot, to the detriment of the movie.
Pt 6-And the ending is a depressing non-ending. No real closure here.
Pt 5-I also wish we knew where she went towards the end, where that forest was. There was a good idea here of a marriage between psychology and the supernatural -- of trauma and abuse being tied to the supernatural. But it wasn’t fleshed out enough.
Pt 4-I will say that the two priests, one of whom is disillusioned with faith, were interesting as was the red tape in the church. But again, it drags the story since at its heart it’s about Lucy and not about the priests.
Pt 3-He goes from complimenting her to yelling and blaming her. Yikes. The movie spends too much time introducing characters and offering backstory, though ironically, I know hardly anything about the boyfriend or friend. The pacing is all off. There’s too much plot.
Pt 2-Good framing. I liked the tilted camera shots, and though overused, they added to the creepy unsettling atmosphere. Somber. I know that boyfriends in horror movies are usually unsupportive, and this one is no different, but it would be nice to have flipped that trope.
The Last Rite (2021). Pt 1-What started as an interesting & creepy story became a rather generic possession movie that’s depressing to say the least. What a way to ruin a promising movie. A really good start, a good premise, & great acting that’s let down by the middle & final act.
Pt 6-I really don’t recommend this one. Note to self -- don’t trust Amazon reviews.
Pt 5-For a simple story, the execution was too convoluted. This had the potential to be a deep and creepy film but it missed the mark every time. What a dark storyline. The twist is a bit obvious. There are some threads left unresolved.
Pt 4-The story doesn’t draw you in; it keeps you at a distance. I hated the abusive drug dealer and the female junkie and their whole dynamic. That went on for too long. No world-building, no explanations. You’re left to put together the pieces yourself.
Pt 3-Some scenes are very bright while others are very dark. The SFX for the entity was good. There were too many scenes without explaining things or adding layers to the story. Too many quiet scenes or dramatic emotional scenes rehashing the same issues. The body count is low.
Pt 2-The plot is all over the place, it meanders terribly. Plodding and slow. Constant time jumps to add characterization instead of revealing dialogue or interesting interpersonal scenes with other characters. Subpar acting amid good acting.
Wrath of Souls (2021). Pt 1-Great name but sadly this movie doesn’t live up to it. Not a horror movie, at least not to me. There is a transformation here that is well done and a supernatural entity, but it’s neither scary nor intense.
Pt 6-It was creepy but it could have been a lot creepier. Suicide warning.
Pt 5-It might have been better to have more characters so the tension can escalate quickly as it goes through the friend group. It was a great premise and I liked the main characters and being a part of their lives.
Pt 4-I was lucky enough to see the whole movie of In the Shadow It Waits (2020 dir. Michael Beets), so it is possible to do it. The movie is also a bit slow. From knocking to death takes a while.
Pt 3-I wanted to see what the monster looked like and how it killed. One character died from a stroke? Come on. That’s not cinematic. I know it would have been difficult during the pandemic and using video chat to stage a death but I’ve seen it done well.
Pt 2-However, we don’t see the monster nor do we see the deaths. They're both just referenced. That was a mistake because all the tension that builds up & crescendos just peters out. There’s no payoff because we don’t see it happen. This is a movie, not a book. Show, don’t tell.
Confined (2021). Pt 1-I’m all for a pandemic monster/supernatural movie but the execution could have been better. I liked the videos on Youcast, clearly a substitute for Youtube, and all the video chats on Zoom, or a similar platform. I felt like I was part of the action.
Pt 4-Suicidal ideation, attempted suicide, abusive relationship and issues with mental health and a mental breakdown. Yikes. I wish it had just stayed in the realm of the supernatural and was less depressing but we can’t have everything.
Pt 3-The gameplay was creepy. The characters were interesting. I just wish we explored the dynamic between the two main characters, Rachel and Jay better. This is a rather depressing story that gets darker as it goes along.
Pt 2-Good premise. This was a little blast from the past as we watch the two characters play a 90s video game. The dialogue could have been better, especially in the beginning. Interesting mythology for the game. Jay was good at interpreting things in the game.
Deadware (2022). Pt 1-I’m all for video chats with friends as they play horror games. That makes for an interesting watch. You feel immersed in the story like you’re the third friend on the call, playing along with Rachel and Jay. I like that closeness with the characters.
Pt 5-It would have benefited from being streamlined with fewer characters and less meandering. I don’t really recommend this one.
Pt 4-The payoff didn't fit well with the almost 2 hrs of screentime. This is a very intense, emotional movie but slow. It doesn’t use its screen time well. So much plot and so many characters for such a simple story.
Pt 3-Not so great for a horror movie. There are a few horror movies that did tackle this idea well but by naming them I would reveal the twist to the movie. A constantly changing story. Feel a bit gypped to be honest.
Pt 2-It's the perfect response to a thesis project on multiple worlds theory and whether or not we create our own reality. Are we marionettes or agents with free will? Great questions. Big questions. Love asking those kinds of questions. Great idea for a thesis project.
Marionette (2020). Pt 1-What an intense beginning, This a story steeped in sadness and meditation about philosophical principles. Despite Amazon's categorization of this movie and the trailer, it's not a horror movie.
Pt 3-The music to me, was at odds with the tone. lt’s worth checking out.
Pt 2-I liked the mysterious aura of the two people in town and the ending. Dead cat trigger kind of. You hear it yelling in pain but then it’s alive again and then we never see it again. Good characters but I do wish the mother was more nurturing towards her daughter.
A House on the Bayou (2021). Pt 1-A very unique and interesting story, Memorable but very dark! Steeped in cheating. Interesting malevolent and predatory characters. Hated the husband. He was terrible. A constantly changing story. Gruesome. Takes no prisoners.
Pt 5-Not to mention that there is no world building. We hardly know the characters or see their lives outside of the cabin save for a scene here and there. Suicide referenced and a dead animal, a bird, is eaten by bugs. I would definitely not recommend this one.
Pt 4-I did appreciate the POV camera during the few times it was used, because it really felt like we, the viewer, were in Sam’s body looking out at the world. For such a simple story, the muddled story structure & the constant loss of time for the character was very frustrating.
Pt 3-Honestly, all that information about Sam doesn’t matter -- the thing that
needed to be explained, wasn’t. No real ending here. It just sort of peters out, no real payoff.
Pt 2-It’s a moody, atmospheric piece about cheating and the death of a child. Fun topics, I know. The film spends most of its running time offering us character development of just one person, Sam. Because why do we need to know the other characters, right?
Every Time I Die (2019). Pt 1-A real exercise in depression. Wow! Feeling too happy? Check this out. I feel like I got sucked through a wormhole of sadness. Despite this being listed as horror, it's not. There's a high body count but a very small cast.
Pt 4-Plodding. Lost my attention several times. Wasn’t scared either but I was grossed out. The lengths one teacher goes to. Such a dark, cruel and painful story. Depressing AF. That ending! Yikes. I don’t suggest you don’t there. Run now.
Pt 3-Feels like a more depressing, slower monster-of-the-week episode of Supernatural. Too heavily character focused when it should have been monster focused. I’m tired of using drama as character development and a short hand for strength.
Pt 2-With all the framing done of fairytales, you’d think mythology would have played a bigger role here. Visually dark. Dead skunk, raccoon and bear. Lucas is one intense kid. So many dead animals that are cut up. Nauseous. Really gruesome.
Antlers (2021). Pt 1-A bit visually dark with a very dark story heaped in abuse. Fun times. Cue the sarcasm. Would be nice to have a horror movie not stepped in child abuse and child sex abuse. I thought it would be focused on world building and storytelling of the monster.
Happy Valentine's Day or Anti-Valentine's Day. I'll be back tomorrow with a review tweet. XOXO -Lexie
Pt 3-The movie really captured the mood of the two characters: the excitement, the anxiety, and the panic. It was an effective mood piece. I really felt the claustrophobic environment around them. What a dark story. Wow! Sadly, the ending is sad and a bit of a gut punch. Ouch.
Pt 2-Kudos on making that house creepy. Good underwater shots. Her boyfriend was a low key jerk. With all the stuff they uncovered, they should have left a long time ago but if they had, there’d be no movie. Slow movie but an intense final act.
The Deep House (2021). Pt 1-An interesting movie. Bit of a basic title. I liked investigating with them even though the choppiness was frustrating at times. Good premise. Adequate characterization. If houses could be haunted above ground why not underground?
Pt 4-Not bad even with the limitations mentioned but this could have been a lot better and more powerful.
Pt 3-Could have been about friendship with a kiss at the end suggesting more in the future. The characters make some really odd choices here. What a chilling final act and a dark story overall.
Pt 2-We barely know anything about the characters. But his best friend is one tough cookie. I liked her. The romance was clunky and not well integrated into the story. Not everything has to be a romance.
The Privilege (2022). Pt 1-Intense start. Suicide warning. Keeps a haunting atmosphere throughout. A bit slow though. Not a tight story structure -- it meanders. Wish it would have focused more on world building because this crazy story needed more of a foundation.
Pt 3-Keeps you guessing. Suspenseful scenes. Not a fan of the shaky cam. Not scary in the least but was entertaining enough and I liked the main cast. A bit of a pathetic killer. Good final act.
Pt 2-Visually dark. Hard to distinguish things in the background and even some facial expressions. Most of the men are real winners. Cue the sarcasm. Attempted assault and chauvinism. Why was everyone obsessed with Anne? Acting was OK but could have been better.
Requiem for Murder (1999). Pt 1-I really like that title. Good premise and I really liked the female cop, Det. Samantha Parks. Great cast - that was the draw for me. Good music. Good film for crime lovers and wine drinkers who dig classical music. The deaths were very tame.
Pt 4-That alien really liked Ferraris and was very thirsty. Of course he ended up in a strip club. Eye roll. It ended on a nice note but that wasn’t the movie I thought I’d be getting.
Pt 3-Oh, the old tech -- from boomboxes, to a DOS computer to an 8-track player. The acting was a little stilted. That’s one disgusting looking alien. Don’t watch while eating.
Pt 2-The music was odd or overpowering depending on the scene. A bit slow. Felt longer than it was. The fish out of water scenes with Lloyd were quite funny. Lloyd is a terrible alien hunter. Wow! He shouldn’t quit his day job.
The Hidden (1987). Pt 1-Not nearly as fun, creepy, or exciting as I thought it would be. They had me at aliens who turn humans into homicidal maniacs. Good premise with some missed opportunities --the execution left a lot to be desired. Good car chase. Inconsistent tone.
Pt 3-Interesting decision to include Society (1989) in the dialogue and in a clip. The two actors who played sisters here were very good and quite believable. They really carried the episode for me. I’m intrigued to know more but not sold
Pt 2-Some good cinematography here. Not a fan of how the cops handled the situation or the two kids. Odd dialogue at times. Very slow with barely any character development. I could have done without the annoying squealing sound.
Feria: The Darkest Light. Pilot. Pt 1-This episode mainly spends time presenting the mystery of the cult and trying to discover what’s in those caves. Though it doesn’t quite answer those questions, it sets things in motion. And I'm all for knowing what the monster really is.
Pt 3-The pilot doesn’t lay the groundwork well for the series.
Pt 2-We don’t get a lot of characterization -- the film is more plot focused with heavy emotions. Gruesome killer. Cannibalism warning. If you read the synopsis in Hulu, it speaks to a conspiracy that’s barely mentioned here.
Insânia. Pilot. Pt 1-Really intense, emotional, and tragic. While this did draw me in somewhat, especially at the beginning with Lúcia on the run, the episode failed to intrigue me enough to watch more and find out what was really happening. That being said, it might grab you.
January, 2022
Pt 4-Worth a watch if you like the series and the premise of the episode. Keep your expectations low.
Pt 3-The middle is intense and creepy but not nearly as creepy as I was expecting it to be. None of it scared me but if you hate spiders, it might scare you. I will say the idea of a guy working gigs and testing a game for a horror company was a great premise.
Pt 2-Had it ended a little earlier before the trip home, it would have had a better, more powerful ending. But the takeaway is clear. Read the contract you’re signing and be careful of testing new technology and games.
Black Mirror. Playtest. Pt 1-Starts off slowly. Focuses more on character development than on plotting and there are some threads not tied up at the end. The ending is also a bit of a letdown.
Pt 4-This episode as a whole was very memorable and I will definitely be looking at technology and electronic assistants differently.
Pt 3-He was a terrible boyfriend and a horrible person. I guessed both of the twists at the end. A well written episode but the last story was the weakest and not all that chilling. Or maybe the second story was so chilling and shocking that it dominated the rest for me.
Pt 2-What an intense ending to that date. The second story was downright chilling. Cookie extractions never looked creepier. What a sadistic and chilling idea. Is Alexa really a machine? I will likely never forget that one. The last story felt like a Greek tragedy.
Black Mirror. White Christmas. Pt 1-What an interesting & chilling episode. Definitely worth a watch. I was here for John Hamm.The first story was a tad predictable but interesting nonetheless. I love the idea of John Hamm as a relationship guru who helps men break into parties.
Pt 2-The end of this pilot reminded me of the warehouse in the X-Files with all the boxes.
Open Your Eyes/ Otwórz oczy (2021). Pilot. Pt 1-Creepy and haunting. Good dance performance here. A bit slow but intriguing all the same. Good premise, interesting sets. I’m here for the mystery of what’s really happening. Has potential.
Pt 4-I don’t advise you to watch while eating but they weren’t as gruesome as some of the other deaths in this series.
Pt 3-Love has to be given freely. Thirstier than the other movies in the series. *Fanning myself.* The Wishmaster was more seductive here. The deaths, while gruesome, were interesting.
Pt 2-She is the only one who could grant the third wish. What an interesting idea. Sure, she could have made a 4th wish, that the Wishmaster could have fulfilled and the movie would have ended differently but I like the idea of a wish only she could grant.
Wishmaster 4 (2002). Pt 1-Good characters although Sam was frustrating. He sucks. I really liked the theme here of beauty and the beast -- if the beast were a sadistic killer. His quest to gain her love was interesting and actually kept me watching.
Pt 4-The hair and makeup here is ridiculous and very distracting especially for the female lead. Who would dress like that? A little homophobia here as well. Not a fun watch for me. More cringy than fun.
Pt 3-Not a good movie to be a woman in. The plot is bonkers. I have to say that Julian Sands is very chilling. Even when he enters a room and doesn’t say anything, your skin crawls. He has a commanding presence here. Perfect casting for the villain.
Pt 2-From threatening a woman into having a miscarriage to aging someone, because “there is nothing worse.” Nothing worse than aging says a female character. Wow. I can think of twenty things right now, off the top of my head, that are worse than that.
Warlock (1989). Pt 1-A problematic film if viewed with today’s lens which is how my brain works. So cheesy, and surprisingly to me, who saw it ages ago, it is quite misogynistic. Yikes!
Pt 3-So I suppose she offsets him. Interesting use of found footage. Draws in a wider audience who might not like found footage. I’m here for the mystery. What a place to end the episode! Now that’s a cliffhanger.
Pt 2-Those little touches keep you watching even though the main character may not grab you. The male lead is hard to like. He doesn’t emote or say much. He’s a bit standoffish and closed off. But the interviewer Melody, in the found footage, is very personable.
Archive 81. Pilot. Pt 1-Good theme music and opening credits. Great little touches from his friend making horror podcasts to the street vendor selling random VHS tapes. I also liked MOMA sending him old footage of a horror anthology.
Pt 4-The dialogue could’ve been better and clearer, especially the theme. It all gets lost in the meandering plot. Sad undercurrent.
Pt 3-I really liked Samantha’s character, but on the whole, the characters make some really stupid decisions. Their motivations for making those decisions aren’t well articulated.
Pt 2-Too many red herrings and too much backstory for such a simple idea. It makes the movie lag in the worst way and it's only about an hour and twenty minutes long. Suspenseful in the final act. Strong sense of place.
Hide and Seek (2021). Pt 1-I was here for Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and while he was good, this wasn’t the movie I thought I was getting. Not a horror movie. Nothing creepy to me. Shades of Parasite without the punch. Suicide warning.
Pt 2-It’s a bit slow but go with it. Interesting characters. Memorable movie. Fair warning though, if suicide is a trigger for you, then you should really avoid this one.
The Free Fall (2022). Pt 1-What a dark and creepy story. Quite the experience. A novel approach to a familiar story. Good mystery, music and set design. The house is almost a character. I was invested in finding out what was really going on. It kept my attention.
Pt 3-Strong sense of place. The beginning was like a travelog - the wind was a character in this movie. Cheesy but fun especially if you like Meg Foster from They Live. The pacing is a bit off. The men here are mostly terrible. Cheesy with an expected ending.
Pt 2- Liked the character of Sian and the fact that she’s a writer. Like her, I like unexpected endings. I strive to do that in all my short stories. Creepy cat-and-mouse-game with a very creepy bad guy. Wish we knew a little more about the villain. Good music. Suspenseful.
The Wind (1986) Pt 1-Odd start to the movie. I came here for Meg Foster and she’s great in it. Her character could have been stronger but she was resourceful and that’s half the battle.
Pt 4-It’s supposed to be a horror movie but it’s more like a spooky thriller. Remind me not to drive on that road. The middle really lags. What a depressing movie!
Pt 3-Not a fan of the racism in the use of the N word. Why have this in this story at all? Lots of accidents happen on roads, we don’t have to add racism into the mix. The story could have been a lot creepier.
Pt 2-Interesting but not engrossing because the characters weren’t fleshed out enough and the dialogue wasn’t as dynamic as it could be. The supernatural element and the time loops could have been explained better.
Wind Chill (2007). Pt 1-There’s a lot going on here and it doesn’t quite mix together well. A creeper and a supernatural element mixed with a snow storm. I liked the philosophy talk.
Pt 3-The final girl wasn’t strong or capable and sure needed a lot of help to make it to the end. Tropes abound here. Busta Rhymes and Tyra Banks are in this. Crazy! The acting and dialogue could have been better -- so cheesy -- though the final act was quite suspenseful.
Pt 2-The reality show exploring Michael’s house and the framing of high schoolers watching the livestream was a good idea. I didn’t like most of the characters -- they could have been a lot better and more relatable.
Halloween: Resurrection (2002). Pt 1-Nice recap in the beginning. Laurie Strode isn’t safe anywhere. I can’t believe they killed Laurie off in 2002. I liked the college course about psychology, I assume, and Carl Jung.
Pt 4-Can’t we have smart, capable characters even if they are young? The bones of a good idea. Don’t quite recommend this one.
Pt 3-Not to mention posing as a prostitute while a teenager. Bleah! The vampires shrieking was a misstep. My ears! The villain's monolog and his motivation were a bit convoluted. Really stupid final act and last scene. Ugh! Why do characters have to be so stupid sometimes?
Pt 2-I love the idea of asking a vampire book lover for real world vampire advice. This one held my attention for the most part but some of the dialogue was cringe-worthy. “I like ‘em young.” “It tastes so much sweeter when it’s against your will.” Yikes!
Black as Night (2021). Pt 1-Feels like a YA novel in tone, especially with the narration, but it gets very dark. Don’t be fooled. Good characters. Strong sense of place. An emotional story, more emotional than I thought it would be.
Pt 4-A better story than the original, told in a better way, but this didn’t wow me as much as I thought it would. It’s heavy and sad really and weighs you down.
Pt 3-I didn’t feel like the story built to that finale. Some of it came out of left field. Gruesome, sadistic and tragic all in one.
Pt 2-Good commentaries on the police, the art scene, and the gentrification of ghettos. Still equates sex with death here in one scene. Can we please do away with that trope? Interesting use of mirrors and reflections. Oh, the body horror! Yikes. The final act seemed a bit off.
Candyman (2021). Pt 1-This one was creepier than the original. Great cinematography, good music, and interesting characters. The story of Candyman was really expanded here but it was a bit too much story. Too much plot for the running time. The movie felt longer than it was.
Pt 2-Oh the body horror! Interesting device. A bit slow and quite sad to be honest. A real Debbie Downer. The movie ran an hour and a half but felt like five.
Cronos (1993). Pt 1-This was the strangest vampire-like story I’ve ever seen. It didn’t grab me but a die-hard fan of Guillermo Del Toro might like it. The narration was a bit cheesy and the music is overpowering in some parts. Strong sense of place.
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