Category Archives: Faves

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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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, aliens, Entertainment, Faves, Halloween, haunting, horror, Horror Movie, Movies, Outer Space, Paranormal, Reviews, scary movies, Streaming, Television, Thriller

Tagged Entertainment, Family, Halloween, Horror, Horror Movies, HULU, movie, October, Scares, Sci-fi, thriller

31 Days of Horror: Goosebumps 2023 Series (2023; TV-PG; 10-Parts/60 mins each)

Posted on October 18, 2023 | Leave a comment

Though based on five of R.L. Stine’s classic books from the 1990s, this 10-part series on Hulu and Disney+ has been updated for the modern viewer (don’t worry, there are plenty of Easter eggs thrown in for diehard fans). And with episodes being released each Friday, viewers will be able to finish the new series before sitting down for a Thanksgiving meal.

The series’ first five episodes are origin stories for the main characters, high schoolers who unleash supernatural forces. In the final five episodes, their stories connect, and they “must all work together thanks to and in spite of their friendships, rivalries, and pasts with each other in order to save [their town], learning much about their own parents’ teenage secrets in the process.”

The first episode, “Say Cheese and Die!” was released on Friday, October 13th, and provided some nice creepy vibes, a good jump scare or two, and some humor thrown in as well. With aged-up characters (the characters in the books were younger), it’s not your classic Goosebumps for middle grade kids; this series is able to go darker and appeal to an older audience, adults included. I’m looking forward to seeing how the storylines play out and where the series takes us, since the creators hope to continue this collaboration down the road.

Top Scare Episode 1: In Basement
Heartbeats: 2 1/2 out of 5
Gore Factor: 2 1/2 out of 5
Scare Factor: 2 1/4 out of 5
Recommended for: 12 or 13 and up, due to blood, cussing, some gore

31 Days of Horror: Scream VI (2023; R; 122 mins.)

Posted on October 16, 2023 | Leave a comment

One of my favorite franchises, Scream always keeps me guessing, “Who is Ghostface?” and “Why is he/her/they killing all these people?” right up until the end. This installment was no different, and even delivered a couple good jump scares as well as solid reminiscing opportunities as it looked back over previous installments in a plot-fun way.

Living now in New York City after having survived Ghostface’s latest Woodsboro killfest, the four survivors (Sam, her sister Tara, Mindy, and Chad) are trying to get on with life, looking out for each other as they do. But it isn’t long before the phone starts ringing with calls from that unique voice, letting them know Ghostface is baaaaack and once again seeking revenge for some unknown transgression. Luckily, others are back too: Gale Weathers as the intrepid journalist and Kirby Reed, now an FBI agent who may or may not be helpful in the long run.

As Ghostface attempts to reach the “Core Four,” others in their lives must die gruesome deaths first (of course), the terror increases, possible suspects and motives as well as new “Franchise Rules” are spelled out, and plenty of opportunities arise for screaming to the screen, “Watch out behind you!” (a new drinking game, perhaps?). In the end, the twists and turns once again surprise, the survivors leave us to wonder how on earth people can survive so much stabbing, and viewers like me are chanting, “Scream VII, Scream VII, Scream VII!”

Top Scare: Subway
Heartbeats: 3 1/2 out of 5
Gore Factor: 4 out of 5
Scare Factor: 3 1/2 out of 5
Recommended for: 16/17 and up due to violence, gore, language

31 Days of Horror: Killer Book Club (2023; MA; 89 mins.)

Posted on October 7, 2023 | 2 comments

This Netflix original-filmed in Spain and dubbed over in English-had me at “book club.” Throw in a killer clown, multiple characters with dubious motivations, and a twisty plot and I even forgave the beauty, youth, and vitality of the university students at the heart of the story. Heck, I even overlooked all the bad reviews I saw online before watching!

Eight students, all fans of the horror genre, have formed a book club at university focused on this shared interest. When one of them is accosted, the group forms a revenge plan featuring a clown costume per their latest read. However, the plan goes awry and a fatal accident occurs. Making a pact to remain silent, the group soon begins to receive chapters from a new horror book, written and sent from an anonymous stalker who knows about their secret, and who threatens to pick them off one by one. As mistrust builds among group members, people start and continue disappearing thanks to the stalker turned killer, who is wearing the same clown costume the group had worn.

Who is this killer? Why are they doing this? Is it someone who saw what the group did? Is it someone in the group? How can they make the killings stop? These are all good questions, and as the movie twists and turns, with plenty of blood and a few nice jump scares, you’ll learn the answers. If you’re a fan of Scream, you’ll like this movie too. Don’t worry about some bad reviews. I loved this movie and am glad I watched it for my 31 Days of Horror.

Top Scare: Library
Heartbeats: 2 3/4 out of 5
Gore factor: 3 1/4 out of 5
Scare Factor: 3 out of 5
Recommended for: 16 or 17 and up due to nudity, sexual situations, violence, and gore

2 Comments

Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Blood, Entertainment, Faves, Halloween, horror, Horror Movie, Killer Book Club, Movies, Reviews, scary movies, Scream, Streaming, Television, Thriller

Tagged Entertainment, Halloween, Horror, Horror Movies, movie, Netflix, October, thriller

31 Days of Horror: The Woman in Black (PG-13; 2012; 95 min.)

Posted on October 20, 2022 | Leave a comment

If you’re looking for an eerie movie with a nice slow build and plenty of scares, this period ghost story starring Daniel Radcliffe is definitely worth a look.

Radcliffe broods with the best Londoners as Arthur, a young, distracted solicitor (that’s lawyer for those of us stateside) still grieving his wife’s death in childbirth a few years ago. His boss offers him one last chance to keep his job by sending him to a remote village to examine a recently-deceased client’s documentation left behind in her fog-shrouded mansion. With his young son in the care of a nanny for three days, he travels by train, where he meets Sam, a resident of that village. Turns out Sam and his wife are the only ones who want Arthur around though. That’s because if Arthur sees a ghostly woman dressed in black at the mansion, a child in the village will die. But Arthur must do his job, so he heads to the mansion to sort the paperwork as quickly as possible. There he experiences creepy musical toys, shadowy figures, crazy rocking chairs, and plenty more to set his heart racing. Yet he stays, trying to finish his job and solve the mystery of the woman in black and the dying children of the village, before his son and nanny are due to arrive and his son’s life is also in peril.

Atmospheric, melancholy in parts, and with plenty of scares, The Woman in Black also features a great ending perfect for the storyline and characters. Add this one to your 31 Days of Horror!

Top Scare: Windows
Heartbeats: 3 1/2 out of 5
Gore Factor: 2 1/2 out of 5
Scare Factor: 3 3/4 out of 5
Recommended for: 13 and up