Category Archives: aliens

31 Days of Horror: Extinction (2018; TV-MA; 95 mins.)

Posted on October 18, 2026 | Leave a comment

I’m always up for an alien-invasion movie, so I was excited to find this 2018 Netflix outing I had somehow missed. Overall, I’d say this is worth your time, if you don’t mind getting through the first half hour of very slow storybuilding, annoying character decisions, and whiny kids. Did I just lose you? I try to be truthful here, so that had to be stated, but do hold on, because things do kick up several notches and then the real fun begins.

In this story, set in an undated future filled with sharp-dressed people and angular buildings, Peter has been having nightmares involving aliens attacking his town, home, and family. His wife Alice has gotten pretty fed up with his nightly wakenings and erratic behavior, and his daughters–teenage Hannah and younger Lucy–have given up on his keeping his word regarding outings and family time. Even Peter’s boss has gotten tired of Peter’s mistakes at work and suggests he visit a health and wellness clinic. E–vent–tual–ly though, otherworldly pods and their inhabitants DO actually invade, and Peter suddenly isn’t seen as cuckoo anymore. As many of those around him are falling, he strives to save his family and get them to safety, which he considers to be the large futuristic place where he works. However one particular pod inhabitant is on his trail, and the race is on. This is when the movie becomes so much more than a simple alien invasion story and acquires a deeper storyline, with themes of family, futures, limitations, and much more.

Top Scare: Alien Scene

Hearbeats: 2 1/2 out of 5

Gore Factor: 3 out of 5

Scare Factor: 2 out of 5

Recommended for: 14 or 15 and up, due to gore

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31 Days of Horror: Nope (2022; R; 130 mins.)

Posted on October 9, 2026 | Leave a comment

Sometimes a movie comes along that defies, um, logic/explanation/reviewability, and I’m not quite sure how to proceed (or even exactly how I feel about said movie). This is one of those times.

In Jordan Peele’s Nope, a California family that supplies horses to Hollywood has hit hard times. The patriarch has passed in a freak event, so the son OJ is trying to keep the ranch afloat. When his (extremely annoying) sister Emerald arrives for a visit, the two realize something has set up shop near their ranch, something otherworldly. VEEEERY slowly, the plot progresses as they talk to a nearby ranch owner Jupe–who experienced a morbidly odd event as a child star featuring a live monkey who went rogue and viciously attacked Jupe’s sitcom family it supposedly lived with as Jupe hid nearby watching–and install cameras to capture the phenomena with the help of a local sales clerk, all in an effort to get on Oprah and become rich.

Little by little, glimpses of the visiting craft are given, as are moody shots of the (gorgeous) land, various (beautiful) horses that spook, Emerald being more annoying, and OJ barely talking, until the visitors kick things up a notch or five and try to get what they’ve come for while OJ et al try to capture it all on film. Can they figure out how to outsmart this predator? Will they be able to capture it on film after trying and failing SO. MANY. TIMES? Why the gory monkey throwback scene? How patient can one brother be? And why is this considered a horror movie? All great questions and ones you can try to figure out if you have the desire to sit in a catatonic state of boredom for two-plus hours. My recommendation: NOPE.

Top Scare: None

Heartbeats: 1/2 out of 5

Gore Factor: 1 1/2 out of 5

Scare Factor: 1/2 out of 5

Recommended for: 15 and up due to language and some gore

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31 Days of Horror: A Quiet Place: Day One (2024; PG-13; 100 mins.)

Posted on October 9, 2024 | 1 comment

I am a huge fan of the A Quiet Place franchise, so I was very excited to finally get to watch this installment, to see how it all started. But I had hoped for a scarier, deeper dive into the genesis of the alien invasion, as well as how that first day played out for various people, and how the world responded. Instead, I got a story about one already dying woman with a cat (which, even as/despite being a service cat, never once meows or hisses at giant aliens, huge explosions, or other threats to her human, thus conveniently never luring the noise-seeking monsters), who befriends an anxiety-ridden Londoner and helps him survive.

Sam is on a day trip into the city from hospice to watch a show when the invasion begins. She has her cat Frodo with her on a leash, and as people around her are snatched up, she manages to survive. At first, she holes up with others including her male nurse, until she must move on. When she leaves the building, fires burn around her and roads are filled with debris, but instead of carrying Frodo, she has him walk everywhere on his leash while she carries a notebook in a canvas bag large enough to hold…well, a cat. But, I digress.

Sam seems to be a magnet for the lost and confused. She helps siblings by offering them a candy bar and leading them to a thoroughfare where hundreds of people are heading toward the harbor. Seems the authorities have announced that boats are waiting there to rescue people, if the people just all make their way there now. All at once. En masse. What could possibly go wrong?

Next, Frodo leads businessman Eric to Sam, and despite her best efforts, she can’t get rid of him. He follows her until she relents and they come to depend on one another for survival (him much more so than her). This is the part of the movie that becomes more about their developing friendship and less about the end of the world as we know it/alien invasion. And that’s pretty much the rest of the movie. The End.

So, if, like me, you are hoping for a scary, edge-of-your-seat alien invasion movie…sorry, only about 10 minutes will fit the bill. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for an inspiring drama about a new friendship with a silent cat as one of the stars, this one might be okay.

  • Top Scare: Eric’s appearance
  • Heartbeats: 2 1/4 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 2 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 13 and up

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, A Quiet Place, aliens, Entertainment, Halloween, horror, Horror Movie, Movies, Reviews, scary movies, Streaming

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31 Days of Horror: Apollo 18 (2011; PG-13; 86 mins.)

Posted on October 8, 2024 | Leave a comment

I’m a big fan of found-footage horror movies, but had never heard of this one, so I thought I’d give it a go. However, the shaky, grainy black and white footage is just one of the issues making this film fall short of my (outerspace) dreams. Add in a plot that’s not too exciting, ho-hum scenes occurring mostly inside a poorly-lit spacecraft or on the surface of the moon, and under-developed characters, and this horror movie turned out to be more of a “naaah” than an “aaaaah!”.

It’s 1974 and the Space Race is still going strong. When the DOD decides to reboot the previously cancelled Apollo 18 flight, three astronauts set off for the moon on a secret two-day mission. Almost immediately upon landing near a large crater, audio interference begins, along with creepy sounds, blinking lights, and the discovery of an empty Russian spacecraft, among other unexplainable things. When the mission ends, the astronauts are more than ready to head home. But something is preventing their escape, something not quite of our world. Or is it? Who is really in control here? And what is the reason for everything that is happening to the astronauts?

  • Top Scare: Face
  • Heartbeats: 1 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 1 1/2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 1 1/2 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 13 and up

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31 Days of Horror: The Faculty (1998; R; 104 mins.)

Posted on October 28, 2023 | Leave a comment

The Faculty

Many of us thought our teachers and other staff were aliens in high school, but in this fun late 90s movie with fantastic special effects, they really are. It’s also chock full of stars and soon-to-be stars, including Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, Clea DuVall, Salma Hayek, Bebe Neuwirth, Usher, Robert Patrick, Famke Janssen, Jon Stewart, Piper Laurie, and Shawn Hatosy!

When a few students start noticing some teachers acting oddly, they band together to find out why. They are soon outwitted and outnumbered, though, by teachers and staff who have been possessed by aliens and are looking to take over the entire faculty and student body. Of course, parents don’t believe them and police officers are soon possessed too, so the group realizes they are on their own to stop the invasion before it spreads beyond the school. One problem: how can they be sure any of them aren’t also secretly possessed? Oh, and what can they use to kill the creatures they know so little about? As the alien lifeforms advance and become stronger and more creative to possess these final holdouts, the students must be smarter to defeat The (alien) Faculty.

  • Top Scare: Locker room
  • Heartbeats: 1 3/4 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 2 1/2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 1 3/4 out of 5
  • Recommended For: 16 and up, due to violence, gore, drugs, profanity

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31 Days of Horror: No One Will Save You (2023; PG-13; 93 mins.)

Posted on October 24, 2023 | 3 comments

No One Will Save You

If you are looking for an atmospheric, creepy/eerie, sci-fi horror movie, look no further–No One Will Save You has it all and brains to boot! With an incredible performance by Kaitlyn Dever (as Brynn), which is not always easy with so little dialogue and working with special effects, this Hulu-streaming movie sucks you right in and never lets up. And as Stephen King himself said after its release, it’s “brilliant, daring, involving, scary…truly unique.”

Brynn is an anxious young woman living alone in a rural farmhouse, basically exiled from the nearby town after an undisclosed event involving her childhood best friend. Nevertheless, she works as a seamstress, and has a rich inner life and unique throwback style. One night, an invader enters her home, and she soon disovers it is an alien. She is able to fight it and flee, only to discover her neighbors weren’t so lucky and have been possessed by the aliens. As Brynn tries to escape, fight, or outsmart the increasingly scary invaders, her past returns to intertwine with her present in unexpected ways.

  • Top Scare: First Invader
  • Heartbeats: 3 1/2 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 1 1/2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 4 out of 5
  • Recommended For: 13 and up

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31 Days of Horror: Tales of Halloween (2015; R; 97 mins.)

Posted on October 14, 2023 | 3 comments

tales of halloween

 

After reading rave reviews of this horror anthology created by some of horror’s top directors (“the best horror anthology since Trick ‘r Treat” by Fangoria and “among the best Halloween-themed horror movies ever made” by DailyDead, according to IMDb), I had to check it out. And WOW…this is truly a Halloween gorefest full of dark themes, so be forewarned!

Tales of Halloween is a loosely-connected story with ten tales full of monsters, aliens, murderers, and more on a single Halloween night, set in one suburban American town. Starting off with a classic-style tale, the stories soon become more imaginative, creepy, and disturbing. Featuring attacking pumpkins, candy-obsessed kids AND parents, more tricks than treats, and lots of blood and internal organs, these tales are not for the casual horror watcher. So if you’re really into this genre and can roll with the gross stuff and darkness, go ahead and give it a go; otherwise, you’ll want to steer clear of this gorefest.

  • Top Scare: Kids’ Tricks
  • Heartbeats: 3 3/4 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 5 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 3 1/2 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 17 and up, due to violence, gore, sex, and dark themes

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, aliens, Blood, Entertainment, Halloween, Hell, horror, Horror Movie, Movies, Reviews, scary movies, Streaming, Trick-or-Treat

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31 Days of Horror: The Mist (R; 2007; 126 min.)

Posted on October 12, 2022 | Leave a comment

Considering this movie is 15 years old, I was shocked I hadn’t given it a go yet, especially knowing it is based on a Stephen King novella (yes, huge fan here). Plus, this cast: wow! I must say, I’m so glad I did watch it, as the story was so, so much more than creepy goings-on and dying townspeople. As always, King’s story got to the heart of the horror in more ways than one, plus add in great directing, top-notch special effects, and acting that’s superb all around and you’ve got yourself a must-see movie.

In small-town Maine, a freak storm one night causes widespread damage. David and Steff Drayton live with their young son Billy, who notices a strange mist advancing toward town the next morning. As David, Billy, and neighbor Brent head into town for supplies in the local grocery store, the mist overtakes people outside, causing them to scream and run in fear and pain. One makes it to the store, where about thirty townspeople then hunker down for basically the whole movie. Here, they must begin to fight not only what is in the mist, but also what is in their hearts and heads, revealing prejudices, how fear grows and turns people against one another, human fallacy, questions of faith, and other issues both big and small. As factions form and the death toll rises from evil both within and without, David knows he must take a final big chance if he is to save himself and Billy.

  • Top Scare: People
  • Heartbeats: 3 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 3 3/4 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 2 3/4 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 16 and up

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31 Days of Horror: They (PG-13; 2002; 89 min.)

Posted on October 5, 2022 | Leave a comment

Billed as “Wes Craven Presents: They,” I was anxious to give this oldie a spin. Especially with Wes Craven’s name attached and after I read it was about several people who had experienced terrifying night terrors as children, which all of my children had also gone through. However, Wes Craven, it turns out, was merely an EP on the film and had nothing more to do with it, a fact that was quite apparent once I started watching.

So, a graduate student in Psychology named Julia (played by a terrible actress Laura Regan) is casually preparing to defend her dissertation when childhood friend Billy contacts her to discuss their mutual childhood night terrors. He tells her “They” have returned for him and her, because he’s having the terrors again and has been marked, and she will be next. Then he “makes a quick exit” right in front of her (that’s a euphemism, folks). At his funeral, Julia meets Sam and Terry, who are also night terror survivors Billy had sought out to befriend. The three of them try to make sense of the creepy, crazy writings they find in Billy’s journal, all while again experiencing night terrors which grow in frequency and horror. Meanwhile, Julia’s boyfriend Paul serves as the standard horror-movie-trope “voice of reason and disbelief,” as her life spins out of control. One by one, Terry, Sam, and Julia must face “They” and fight for their right to a peaceful night’s sleep. (Fun side note: this movie was featured in three of WatchMojo’s “bad ending” compilations: 2015, 2016, and 2017).

  • Top Scare: Car Scene
  • Heartbeats: 2 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 1 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 2 out of 5
  • Recommended for: Ages 13 and up

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31 Days of Horror: A Quiet Place Part II (PG-13; 2020; 97 min.)

Posted on October 30, 2021 | Leave a comment

As a HUGE fan of A Quiet Place, I was eagerly awaiting this next installment. I wanted to be back in that world, as dismal and scary and AAAHHHH! as it was. And I wanted to see how Evelyn, Regan, Marcus, and the new baby are faring after (SPOILER ALERT!!) losing Lee so horribly, and after discovering a way to defeat the monsters. That I got to step back to Day 1 first, to see how it all began, was even more than I could have hoped for, and I have to say, the highlight of this sequel which, though still full of jump scares and a couple of interesting plot developments, was not as amazing as it could have been.

Yes, Day 1 brings us back to normal life and how quickly it can change. The Abbotts are all together at a little league game when a weird thing appears in the cloudy sky. En masse, the crowd all decides to head home, but does so casually. Um, okay. What happens next is a masterful sequence of horror movie magic, full of jump scares, suspense, edge-of-your-seat thrills, and fantastic special effects. Then, when we emerge, we are right back where the first installment left off (literally). Having defeated the immediate threat, Evelyn and the kids leave their burning farm in search of other survivors. We are forced to accept a coincidence designed out of convenience or mysogynistic scriptwriting or–benefit of the doubt–necessity for the next installment. As monsters lurk, bad decisions are made all around, injuries add up, other not-so-nice survivors are encountered and dealt with, and finally, a glimmer of hope is discovered, suspense does build, though nothing like it did in QP1.

Bottom line: the storyline kind of stalls (Will there be a QP3? If so, this was not much of a set-up for it); the Abbott actors—kids included—are all excellent; I was still hoping for more (I think what was missing this time around were the up-close personal almost-attacks a la the birth-in-the-bathtub scene from QP1); and finally, you should still see it. Just don’t scream out loud.

  • Top Scare: Monster-related
  • Heartbeats: Beginning: 4 out of 5; Rest: 2 1/2 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 3 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 13 and up

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