Category Archives: Humor

31 Days of Horror: Gremlins (1984; PG; 106 mins.)

Posted on October 29, 2025 | Leave a comment

I wanted a light horror movie to watch, one with heart and humor too. So when someone suggested Gremlins, I couldn’t resist. What a throwback to my teenage years! And yes, even though this is technically set during Christmas time, I still consider it a horror movie.

When Billy’s father gives him an exotic pet as a gift, Billy accidentally breaks three of the cardinal rules regarding the adorably furry, big-eyed creature: never put it in bright light, don’t let it near water, and don’t feed it after midnight. Soon, Gizmo replicates, and the new creatures that emerge from the slimy cocoons are not so cute. In fact, they are green, mean, death-inflicting Gremlins, and they are out to create havoc in the entire town, starting with Billy’s teacher, his mother, and then at a local restaurant/bar where Billy’s friend Kate works (this last mixing scenes of mischief and destruction with humorous pop-culture nods). Knowing their town is on the line, as well as Gizmo’s survival, Billy and Kate decide to finish off the Gremlins. Will they get them all before it’s too late?

Top Scare: 80’s attire

Heartbeats: 1 out of 5

Gore Factor: 2 out of 5

Scare Factor: 1 out of 5

Recommended for: 11 or 12 and up for profanity, smoking

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Entertainment, Halloween, Humor, Movies, Reviews, Streaming, Teenagers

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31 Days of Horror: We Have a Ghost (2023; PG-13; 126 mins.)

Posted on October 14, 2024 | 1 comment

Billed as a supernatural horror comedy, I thought this would be a fun addition to my 31 Days of Horror. And it was, though I’d say it was more drama than horror, a heartfelt story with fun thrown in and great acting from Jahi Di’Allo Winston as Kevin and David Harbour as Ernest the Ghost, along with Jennifer Coolidge and a for-once-not-annoying appearance by Tig Notaro.

When the Presley family-Frank, Melanie, and teens Fulton and Kevin-discovers a great deal on an enormous old house (does this ever bode well?), they snatch it up and move on in. But when Kevin explores the attic, he’s soon “scared by” a bowling shirt-wearing, middle-aged ghost with a comb over named Ernest (at least, that’s the name on the shirt). Except Kevin laughs instead of screams, leaving Ernest befuddled. The two soon begin to communicate (though Ernest can’t talk), and Kevin tries to help him figure out why he’s stuck in the house and who he really is. But big brother Fulton soon uncovers Kevin’s secret friend, and his video of Ernest goes viral (a montage of various social media reactions is hilarious and incredibly on point). When Frank, who has a history of bad business decisions, decides to try to cash in on the notoriety, it draws the attention of not only the world, but a government paranormal scientist (Notaro) as well.

As Kevin and his neighbor Joy work to help Ernest find his answers, and seemingly the entire world works against them, shenanigans ensue in which Ernest gets to have fun being a classic ghost, doing classic ghost antics. But will they be able to solve the mystery before the government catches Ernest to study him? Will Ernest ever find out who he really is and why he’s stuck here as a ghost? And most of all, will Ernest ever find the lasting peace he wants, or is he doomed to walk through walls for eternity?

  • Top Scare: First Contact
  • Heartbeats: 1 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 1/2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 1 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 12 or 13 and up

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Comedy, Entertainment, Halloween, haunting, horror, Horror Movie, Humor, Movies, mystery, Paranormal, Reviews, scary movies, Streaming, Teenagers, Thriller

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31 Days of Horror: Day Shift (2022; R; 113 mins.)

Posted on October 30, 2023 | Leave a comment

Day Shift

I love a funny horror movie interspersed with my scares each October, so I decided to check out this Chris Rock/Dave Franco/Snoop Dog vampire comedy. While it wasn’t a laugh a minute, it was light enough and had some incredible acrobatic feats throughout adding to the cool special effects. Plus, come on…vampires!

Chris Rock is hard-working dad Bud, trying to do right by his ten-year-old daughter and her mom by pretending to be a pool cleaner while really hunting vampires to make a living (certain teeth are worth different amounts of money). Thing is, he needs $10,000 fast, and he can only do that with a Union vampire hunting job, which he had been kicked out of. So he calls on his buddy Big John (Snoop Dog), top vampire dude in the Union, to help him get back in. He gets one more chance, but the deal is, he has to have a Union rep with him (enter uptight Franco as Seth) to make sure he doesn’t break any rules again. 

Meanwhile, a local Realtor named Audrey (who is really a top sunscreen-wearing vampire looking to take over “the day”) is out for revenge when she discovers a vampire she was close with has been decapitated (the only true way to kill them) and her tooth removed. Soon, Audrey, along with her vampire minions, is on Bud’s trail, and she has her sight set on Bud’s family. While Bud and Seth team up to destroy the town’s influx of vampires, they must also fight Audrey and work to keep Bud’s family safe.

  • Top Scare: Vampire Attack
  • Heartbeats: 1 3/4 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 3 1/2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 2 out of 5
  • Recommended For: 16 or 17 and up, due to violence, gore, and profanity

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Comedy, Entertainment, Halloween, horror, Horror Movie, Humor, Movies, Reviews, scary movies, Streaming, Undead, Vampires

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31 Days of Horror: The Trip (MA; 2021; 113 min.)

Posted on October 31, 2021 | Leave a comment

Billed as a Comedy-Horror-Action-Thriller out of Norway, I decided to include this in my 31 Days of Horror thinking it might be the lighter fare I was looking for. I truly cannot decide if I laughed more or cringed at the gore more thoughout, but I am so glad I found this gem and can honestly say it’s a new favorite.

Lisa and Lars are married, but their marriage is dysfunctional at best. They plan a weekend away at a remote family cabin, each with plans to knock off the other while there. But no sooner does one get the jump on the other than roles are reversed and new pains are inflicted mercilessly in an effort to find out the answer each seeks to “Why would you want to kill me?”. As the two taser and duct tape their way to the answer, they are interrupted by three escaped convicts who have been hiding in the attic all along. Suddenly, the couple must work together to survive and try to escape, with massive injuries ensuing all around, creative methods of causing bloodshed, and hilarious plans for revenge on both sides.

Not for the squeamish, this gory romp is a love story at its heart about a dark weekend trip gone awry, with great characters, some fun twists, and a delightful ending.

  • Top Scare: Basement Scene
  • Heartbeats: 3 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 4 1/2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 2 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 17 and up

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Comedy, Entertainment, Halloween, horror, Horror Movie, Humor, Movies, scary movies, Thriller

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31 Days of Horror: Scary Movie 4 (PG-13; 2006; 83 min.)

Posted on October 25, 2021 | Leave a comment

Sometimes during my 31 Days of Horror I have to step back from all the gore and ghosts and goblins and look for a good laugh or two and that’s mostly what I found when I watched this installment in the Scary Movie franchise. Don’t get me wrong…I laughed quite a bit, mostly because I’ve seen all the horror movies that are being spoofed here, but some of the one-liners are stale if you’ve seen any of the previous three Scary Movies and crude humor doesn’t always do it for me like it does a 13-year-old boy. Nevertheless, I did enjoy watching the movie and discovering all the easter eggs from some of my favorite horror films.

In this effort, a young lady, Cindy, is hired to take care of an elderly Japanese woman in a house haunted by a Japanese ghost boy who seems to be holding a Grudge. When Cindy and the ghost finally try to communicate, many words are thrown around such as Toshiba and Subaru. Next door, meanwhile, a crane operator named Tom Ryan has his teen Robbie and young daughter Rachel for the weekend. When Tom knocks Cindy out by accident in their back yards, they fall in love. However, the World is soon at War with uneartly space Tr-iPods, so Tom and his kids try to escape town while Cindy lands in a time-warped Village with her bestie and nympho, Brenda. But will the world survive? Other subplots involve a basketball star and self-help guru chained in a bathroom with only a Saw for escape, cowboy best friends turned lovers in the Mountains, a boxer with a penchant for biting ears, and more. 

So, if you’re a fan of spoofs in general and have seen many or most of the horror movies Scary Movie 4 is based on, this is a fun way to spend an evening. Mixing up my usual rating system, I’m rating this one:

  • Top Laugh: So Subjective (for me, involved splitting logs)
  • Giggles: 3 1/2 out of 5
  • Crude Factor: 3 1/2 out of 5
  • Easter Eggs: 4 out of 5
  • Recommended for: No way this is PG-13! I say 15 and up

 

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Entertainment, Halloween, horror, Horror Movie, Humor, Movies, scary movies

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31 Days of Horror: You Might Be the Killer (MA; 2018; 92 min.)

Posted on October 31, 2020 | Leave a comment

Sometimes the best horror movie is more than just pure horror: add in some humor and you’ve got the best of two movie genres. This play on the camp counselor/slasher flick follows a fun premise with good laughs throughout and even a few scares.

The movie opens with Sam, lead counselor and camp owner, calling his friend Chuck (short for Charlotte, played by the wonderful Alyson Hannigan) while in a bloody, frightened mess. Someone is out there and killing off all the counselors at Camp Clear Vista! Chuck is at work in a brightly-lit, busy comic book store, but helps Sam try to figure out who is doing all this killing while she stocks shelves. She asks him to think back, to recall each dead counselor so they can narrow down who is left and, therefore, who might be the killer. In a non-linear fashion, the kills unfold through Sam’s flashbacks, and the two determine Sam himself just might be the killer. But why? Enter a camp legend, evil spirits, an ex-girlfriend, and many other tropes and the movie’s suspense (and humor) builds as viewers root for both Sam and his victims, until only one person is left standing. And, as we all know, even the dead return in the best horror movies, so the question remains: how long until camp re-opens and who will be head counselor when it does?

  • Top Scare: Mask-related
  • Heartbeats: 2 1/2 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 3 1/2 out of 5
  • Suspense Factor: 3 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 16 and up

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Blood, camp, Entertainment, Halloween, horror, Horror Movie, Humor, Movies, scary movies, Teenagers

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31 Days of Horror: Lights Out (PG-13; 2016; 81 min.)

Posted on October 24, 2017 | 4 comments

lights out

I was looking for a truly scary movie that was light on blood and gore but heavy on scares and found it in Lights Out, a well-acted and perfectly-paced horror movie from director David Sandberg.

Working late one night, Paul soon discovers shadows are the best place for his worst nightmare to hide before killing him. Jump months later to find that his son Martin is also discovering evil lurks in the dark. When Martin is too scared to sleep, he seeks help from his mother but finds her only interest is talking to an imaginary friend in the closet called Diana. When he tries to enlist the help of his older stepsister Rebecca, who moved out after similar treatment from her mother years ago, the siblings (along with Rebecca’s beau Bret) soon learn the importance of flashlights, glow sticks, light bulbs, and every other form of illumination they can find to ward off what lives – and thrives – in the shadows. An ultimate showdown ensues with great scares and suspense, but not everyone lives to see the light of tomorrow.

  • Top Scare: Shadow
  • Heartbeats: 4 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 2 out of 5
  • Suspense Factor: 3 3/4 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 14 and up due to the true scariness

 

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Ghosts, horror, Humor, Lights Out, Movies, scary movies

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31 Days of Horror: The Silenced (NR; 2015; 99 min.)

Posted on November 1, 2016 | Leave a comment

the-silenced

Lush with both scenery and acting, this subtitled South Korean movie is at once creepy and sad. However, despite the promising story line and wonderful performances, especially by lead Park Bo-young as Ju-ran, it somewhat loses its steam midway through when it tries to become a different kind of movie.

Ju-ran is a young, ill girl just arriving at an all-girls’ sanatorium in 1938’s Japanese-occupied southern Korea. She is quickly put in her place by both the staff and other girls, and given a Japanese name – Shizuko – just like another girl who recently and mysteriously left the home and her friends behind. This leads to many problems for her as she tries to make friends and regain her health. As the story unfolds in a gentle, quiet manner, Ju-Ran discovers her headmistress, the other girls, and the sanatorium itself are not quite as they appear. Nice creepiness and horror-style events soon give way to a plot filled with supernatural elements, mental instability, and medical tinkering, making the viewer switch gears and begin watching an action movie instead. Not an entirely bad action movie, just not as promising as the plot might have been if steered safely down the road as horror alone.

  • Top Scare: In bedroom
  • Heartbeats: 2 1/2 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 2 out of 5
  • Suspense Factor: 3 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 14 and up

 

 

 

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, horror, Humor, Movies, scary movies, The Silenced

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31 Days of Horror: Tips Your House Might Be Haunted

Posted on October 26, 2013 | 2 comments

31 Days of Horror: Tips Your House Might Be Haunted.

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Posted in Humor

Give This, Not That: Halloween Edition

Posted on October 21, 2013 | 3 comments

halloween candy bowl

Want to be the cool house on the block come Trick-or-Treat time? Sure, the headless ghoul and ghastly sound effects – not to mention swirling fog and creepy doorbell – will go a long way. But to truly take your place in the hall of fame, you need to master The Give. To help you out, I’ve compiled a beginner’s guide to treats every kid worth her princess ball gown or his superhero cape will be looking for October 31st, along with the sure-to-scare-away equivalent:

First, the basics. Whenever possible, give:

  • Candy                  NOT         Candy Corn, Fruit, or Raisins
  • Full Size              NOT         Fun Size or Mini
  • New Candy         NOT         Last Year’s Easter Candy

chocolate bunny

Once you’ve mastered Candy 101, you’re ready to move on. Give:

  • Chocolate                           NOT     Breath Mints
  • Sour, Sweet, Gummy    NOT    Atomic Fireball, Tabasco Jelly Beans
  • Laffy Taffy                         NOT     Bit-O-Honey or Licorice
  • Caramel Anything           NOT     Coconut Anything (sorry Mounds)
  • ANYTHING ELSE           NOT     Pecan Logs, Sixlets, Necco Wafers

necco wafers

 

 

 

 

Finally, when you’re ready for the Advanced Give, give these a try:

  • Gross-out Candy (Zit Poppers, Gummy Tongue, Box of Boogers, Ear Wax Candy)

zit poppers

                                                                       NOT

  • Goodies you may have on hand (Beer Nuts, Clif Bars, or 5-Hour Energy)

5 hour energy

Now that you’re all set to be the best house on the block come Halloween night, be sure to follow this last piece of advice: GIVE IT ALL AWAY (your skinny jeans will thank me come Thanksgiving!).

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