Tag Archives: October

31 Days of Horror: Barbarian (R; 2022; 102 min.)

Posted on October 30, 2022 | Leave a comment

It’s important to me when reviewing movies to not give too much away or provide spoilers that affect your watching experience. Yet, it’s also important to give enough information up-front for you to know whether or not a movie is your type of movie in the first place. This is one of those instances where I hope to walk a fine line but also paint a picture vivid enough to help you make a decision for your 31 Days of Horror.

When a movie starts out with one vibe–and it’s going great and leading down a certain path–I don’t usually want to suddenly be jolted into a new vibe. With Barbarian, the first third of the movie is a slow-build, psychologically-tense guess-fest of personal darkness, featuring great acting and suspense. Within the space of a minute or two, though, it turns into horror-weird, before morphing once again. And I’m still not sure how I feel about it.

But let me back up.

Tess has arrived in Detroit for a job interview. She has rented a house on Airbnb, arriving late at night to discover it is in a bad, derelict neighborhood and was double-booked: a man named Keith is already staying there. However Keith is kind and slowly puts her at ease, offering to let her stay the night while taking into consideration concerns she may have about the weird situation. Reluctanly, Tess agrees. The two get to know one another a bit more, and Tess starts to let her guard down.

When Tess needs to head to the basement to find a spare roll of toilet paper, the basement door closes and locks, and she is stuck down there with no phone and very little light (never a good situation in any horror movie!). And that’s when she discovers there’s more to the house, much more, right before Keith finds her in the basement. That’s also when the movie veers in a second direction, one which will later converge with this first one in a creepy, horrific way. And fair warning: certain scenes you’ll see will make you cringe and just simply can’t be unseen.

  • Top Scare: Nighttime Outside
  • Heartbeats: 3 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 3 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 2 3/4 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 17 and up, due to gore, extended nudity, and violence

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

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31 Days of Horror: The Watcher (Netflix Limited Series; MA; 2022; 5 hours, 32 min.)

Posted on October 27, 2022 | Leave a comment

Because I’d heard of the real-life case this show was based on, and had been fascinated and horrified by it, I was eager to watch this seven-part Netflix series, hoping for tingly vibes and slow-building tension. However, what I found instead was the tiniest kernel of the true case applied to a much-too-long storyline where weird townspeople abound, eyes are wide shut, and so many suspects emerge you stop caring which one it is and just want it all to be over. In addition, in the end I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be watching a horror show or a horror comedy, with several characters drawn so large they resembled bad sitcom characters from the 80s.

When Dean and Nora, along with their children Ellie and Carter, decide to move from the city to the burbs, they discover the most amazing home and MUST have it. So Dean puts every single penny they have into the enormous home. But wait…they still have enough to go ahead and renovate the kitchen, drink great wine, and hire a local contractor to install security cameras around the entire property after they start receiving unusual letters in the mail from “The Watcher.” These letters praise the home and say this Watcher is one of a long line of Watchers. It also lets the family know they need to care for the home, and how happy the home is to have young blood in it.

Obviously Dean and Nora are creeped out and are determined to discover which neighbor is sending the letters. There is quite the cast to choose from, but no spoilers here! Nora’s friend and realtor who sold them the house begins to suggest they should sell and, how convenient, she could help them! (This continues for the next several episodes.) Also, the police commissioner is hiding the fact that the previous owners were receiving similar letters, and refuses to help them. He does, however, suggest a private investigator type who might be able to, and they hire her (with their extra funds, hmm) to look into people and events. As the letters continue to arrive and become darker while other more dangerous things happen inside their home, and everyone around them gets weirder by the episode, their lives spin out of control until The Watcher is finally revealed (unlike in real life). But don’t reach for that remote yet! The show goes on, and on, and on for another hour or so at least. The question is, will anyone still be a WATCHER?

  • Top Scare: Scene with Carter
  • Heartbeats: 1 1/2 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 1 1/2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 2 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 15 and up due to sex and mature content

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Entertainment, Ghosts, horror, Horror Movie, Movies, mystery, Reviews, scary movies, Streaming, Television, The Watcher, Thriller

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31 Days of Horror: Don’t Listen (MA; 2020; 97 min.)

Posted on October 23, 2022 | Leave a comment

I wasn’t sure I wanted to give this Spanish movie (dubbed in English) a go since it’s based on the trope of “family moves into house that locals know is haunted; disaster ensues” and I’ve had my fill of that lately. But I’m actually glad I did watch it as it has some great scares, a super-creepy vibe throughout, non-stop action, and a nice twist at the end.

When Daniel, Sara, and Eric move into an enormous country house while Daniel is restoring it, Eric begins exhibiting strange behaviors and hearing voices through walkie-talkies and other electronic devices. So far, ho hum, right? Also, Daniel disovers a fly infestation during renovation. Zzzzzz. But before long, the voices in the house are proving how clever they are, and young Eric drowns in the closed-off pool. Devastated, Sara leaves to stay with her parents while Daniel continues work on the house so they can sell it. But when he hears his son’s voice on his cell phone, he seeks out a writer/paranormal investigator German who agrees to come to the house with his daughter Ruth to check things out. Sara returns as well. As each person works to do their part in the investigation, the spirit and voice of the house is also working to do its part: isolate, imitate, and drive them to their gruesome ends. Yet, Ruth has discovered who the spirit is and maybe, just maybe, how to beat it once and for all.

  • Top Scare: Several in Bedrooms
  • Heartbeats: 3 3/4 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 3 1/2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 4 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 17 and up, due to gore and disturbing images

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Entertainment, Ghosts, Halloween, horror, Horror Movie, Movies, Paranormal, Reviews, scary movies, Streaming, Thriller, witches

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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

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31 Days of Horror: Train to Busan (NR; 2016; 118 min.)

Posted on October 18, 2022 | Leave a comment

With a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, I was eager to give this South Korean zombie-fest a go despite my laziness with subtitles of late. I am so glad I did! Train to Busan is a bullet-train of a ride–with fabulous acting by Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, the young Su-an Kim, and many, many others–as well as great suspense and special effects all combining to make a top-notch zombie movie I rank right up there with World War Z.

Gong Yoo is Seok-woo, a business-driven father in Seoul whose has custody of–but little time for–his daughter, Soo-an. All Soo-an wants for her birthday is to spend it with her mother in Busan. Reluctanly, Seok-woo agrees to accompany her on the bullet-train for her birthday visit. The timing is both very good and very bad: outside, a new infection causing people to turn into white-eyed/pop-locking/blood-sucking/fast-running zombies is spreading like wildfire; inside, an infected woman has managed to board at the last second. Both occurences are unbeknownst to those on the train.

But soon, word spreads via media outlets about the zombie apocalypse in Busan, and the train riders are both shocked and relieved they are safe. We get to know many of the key passengers: a pregnant woman and her snide husband, a teenage baseball team and a young woman who is infatuated with one of the players, two elderly sisters, a homeless man who has made it onto the train, an older, egocentric businessman, and three of the train’s crew. But, of course, the riders aren’t really safe: the infected woman on the train only needs to infect one more before the train cars become crazed blood baths. Father and daughter are soon fighting for their lives along with their fellow passengers…some of which are new friends; some, new enemies.

With plenty of twists and turns, suspense, non-stop action, full-on emotion, and an ending that is both heartbreaking and hopeful, this movie was a fantastic addition to my 31 Days of Horror. Don’t let the subtitles scare you away!

  • Top Scare: Fellow Passengers
  • Heartbeats: 3 1/2 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 3 1/2 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 2 3/4 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 15 and up, mostly for gore

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Entertainment, Halloween, horror, Horror Movie, Movies, Reviews, scary movies, Streaming, Thriller, Undead, Zombies

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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: The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (R; 2021; 112 min.)

Posted on October 7, 2022 | Leave a comment

I’m a sucker for the tales of Ed and Lorraine Warren and their real-life fights against demonic possession and paranormal tomfoolery. Especially when portrayed by the fantastically talented Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. But even those two can’t save this ho-hum, meandering installment in the otherwise powerful Conjuring franchise.

Depicting the posession of two brothers over time, this movie does start out strong with some decent scares and spooky feels. However, about forty-five minutes in, my eyes were glazing over as I tried to care about what was happening–knowing it was the basis for the first courtroom defense for murder due to demonic possession in U.S. history. The storyline just wasn’t compelling enough, or maybe the stakes weren’t high enough. Either way, I was no longer spooked, and watched the movie while only half paying attention. That’s a disappointment for me, as I consider the first/original in this franchise to be a heart-thumping, sweat-inducing scare-fest that ranks up there with the best.

Save your time (and screams), friends, for a different horror movie tonight.

  • Top Scare: Morgue
  • Heartbeats: 2 3/4 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 3 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 2 1/2 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 16 and up

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Entertainment, Ghosts, Halloween, horror, Horror Movie, Movies, Paranormal, Reviews, Satan, scary movies

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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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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, aliens, Entertainment, Ghosts, Halloween, horror, Horror Movie, Movies, Paranormal, Reviews, scary movies, Streaming, Thriller

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

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