Tag Archives: Streaming

31 Days of Horror: The Lost Boys (1987; R; 97 mins.)

Posted on October 29, 2026 | Leave a comment

This cult classic from the ’80s has always been high on my list of favorite movies, with a “killer” soundtrack, fantastic cast, humor, and storyline with heart and horror elements. I’ve recently rewatched it (for the umpteenth time) and was delighted to see it held up well against more modern fare.

When recently divorced mother Lucy moves to a California seaside town with her older teen son Michael and early teen son Sam to live with her oddball father, the newcomers’ summer nights are spent in the carnival atmosphere on the boardwalk practically draped with “Missing” fliers. Soon Michael sees the beautiful Star there (Jamie Gertz with hair to die for), but when he seeks her out, realizes she is with David, a punk-rocker looking motorbike rider who leads a small group of similar “lost boys” who are often causing trouble. However, Star is sending mixed signals, plus David has invited Michael to join them at their literally hidden-inside-the-cliffs beachside home, so he accepts reluctantly in order to be near Star. Meanwhile, stylish city-boy Sam has discovered a boardwalk comics book store, where he encounters two other young teens who insist he take home and study a comic book about vampires, and Lucy has found a job working in one of the boardwalk stores, where her boss Max has also asked her out.

As Michael’s ties with David, his minions, and Star grow deeper, his life changes in many ways–ones he is not ready for and doesn’t want. Soon, Sam and his friends are trying to save themselves and rid the small town of Santa Clara of vampires–by trying to find and destroy the unknown head vampire–as Lucy and Max grow closer and Grandpa continues to be a clueless doddering old Hippie. The tension builds, more people go missing, Michael convinces Sam to help him while falling deeper for Star, and the whole thing builds to a crescendo on one fated night.

Top Scare: Dog scene

Heartbeats: 2 1/2 out of 5

Gore Factor: 1 3/4 out of 5

Scare Factor: 1 3/4 out of 5

Recommended for: 15 and up

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

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31 Days of Horror: Godzilla Minus One (2023; PG-13; 124 mins.)

Posted on October 19, 2026 | Leave a comment

I grew up watching black and white Godzilla movies on Sunday afternoons, torn between rooting for the people and the monster. In this more recent installment I didn’t have such qualms about hoping Godzilla got its due and the people–especially the romantic leads–could move on with their lives. Sorry Godzilla.

The movie begins in Japan in the last throes of WWII, with a kamikaze pilot landing on an island for plane repairs he doesn’t really need, knowing his mission is useless anyway and just wanting to live. When Godzilla attacks the island that night, his cowardice once again shows up and shame follows him back to the wreckage of his village, where his family and all but one person have been killed during air raids. He soon meets a girl who is caring for an orphaned baby and allows them to take shelter with him. As the village slowly begins to rebuild, the pilot and the girl and child grow closer, but the pilot carries such shame, he will not allow himself to truly live again and embrace these relationships. While the pilot begins to work with other veterans removing the thousands of mines placed on the ocean floor around Japan by both the U.S. and Japan during the war, Godzilla grows stronger, bigger, meaner. What is causing this to happen? As Godzilla sets his sights on reaching the city and wreaking utter devastation, and with no other countries willing to step in and help, the veterans must work together to devise a plan to stop the monster. Perhaps then the pilot can finally put his own monsters to rest once and for all.

Top Scare: Godzilla

Heartbeats: 2 out of 5

Gore Factor: 1 1/2 out of 5

Scare Factor: 1 out of 5

Recommended for: 13 and up

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Entertainment, Halloween, Horror Movie, Movies, Reviews, Streaming, Thriller

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

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31 Days of Horror: The Silence of the Lambs (1991; R; 118 mins.)

Posted on October 6, 2026 | Leave a comment

When I realized I hadn’t yet reviewed this classic from the early 90s, I was shocked. I’ve viewed this movie probably twenty times at least, and it’s a touchstone for so many horror fans, including myself. With fantastic performances by Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster (I’ll never NOT watch something she’s in!), Ted Levine, Brooke Smith, and Anthony Heald, this Serial Killer vs. FBI Profiler 101 class-in-action checks all the boxes and more.

When FBI cadet Clarice Starling is called upon by her Behavioral Science mentor Jack Crawford to interview the cannibalistic serial killer/psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter–who is being held in a prison’s dungeon-like cell–the ultimate hope is of gaining insight into the currently uncatchable serial killer Buffalo Bill, a previous patient of Dr. Lecter’s who is abducting, starving, then skinning his victims. The creepy prison warden, Dr. Chilton, is angry the FBI won’t share their research on Dr. Lecter, but allows Clarice to talk with Dr. Lecter as long as she follows a strict set of rules. However, Dr. Lecter refuses to help Clarice unless she also shares information with him: personal information about her past, which she does even though she knows it’s against the rules. Meanwhile, a new victim has been snatched, a senator’s daughter named Catherine, and is being held in an underground well-like structure by Buffalo Bill.

As the clock ticks quickly foward, Clarice receives clues from Dr. Lecter which she must follow and reveals to him her early memories, Catherine pleads for her life and plots an escape, a clue is found on a previous victim, the serial killer’s motivations are slowly revealed, Dr. Chilton tries to take command of the hunt for the serial killer with deeply unexpected consequences, Dr. Lecter’s true psychoses are shown, and Clarice must face her fears while using her knowledge and skills in a final showdown in order to survive.

Top Scare: Basement

Hearbeats: 4 1/4 out of 5

Gore Factor: 3 out of 5

Scare Factor: 3 3/4 out of 5

Recommended for: 16 and up due to nudity, gore, themes

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

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31 Days of Horror: Send Help (2026; R; 113 mins.)

Posted on October 2, 2026 | Leave a comment

I was looking for Horror Lite to start my 31 Days of Horror, so I thought this Dark Comedy/Psychological Horror movie would fit the bill nicely. Boy was I wrong! With a slogging storyline, almost laughable special effects, a romcom feel for much of the movie, and only a couple jump scares and a couple more gory animal-related scenes to qualify it for horror, this was more like Horror Not-Quite.

When nerdy, overworked and overlooked analyst Linda Liddle is passed over for a promised promotion by her new boys’ club boss Bradley, she still insists on joining all of the “club members” for a business trip to Bangkok. Of course, the plane mysteriously crashes near Thailand, and Linda–a wannabe Survivor contestant–survives and helps the only other survivor, badly injured Bradley, to find food, water, shelter, etc. on the deserted island where they wash up with jackets and slip-on loafers intact. As days turn into weeks, Linda and Bradley must find a new way to work together to survive, one that may not be what each of them is hoping for, and the power dynamics, devious plans, and scheming take dark and darker turns until a final showdown of meh proportions.

Top Scare: On beach

Heartbeats: 1 out of 5

Gore Factor: 2 out of 5

Scare Factor: 1 1/4 out of 5

Recommended for: 16 and up due to gore, themes

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

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31 Days of Horror: October is the Best Month

Posted on August 19, 2026 | Leave a comment

When I first started my 31 Days of Horror blog in October of 2010, I was determined to watch and review a horror/spooky/scary movie every day that month. We all know the saying about planning and laughter, though, and of course, that was true for me too, when a beloved family member passed unexpectedly in the third week of October. Nevertheless, I threw myself back into my favorite movie genre later to do some catching up, using the horror on my screen to escape that horrible event in my life. These early movie reviews were a bit more like movie summaries (so fair warning if you go that far back into the archives that they may slog along a bit). As my reviews progressed through the years, I worked hard to make sure they picked up the pace, that there were no spoilers, and I called out movies not worth wasting your time on.

Also since the beginning of this blog, I have tried to be a bit more realistic in my personal goal in order to be sure I’m enjoying the month as much as providing reviews others might find helpful when choosing their next good (or groan-worthy) watch. So while some days I’m still watching a horror movie, other days I’m rewatching a favorite which I’ve already reviewed. That’s why some years you’ll see 15 reviews, some years less, some years more. And while I call this 31 Days of Horror, please note that to me “horror” can encompass spooky, ghostly, paranormal…the usual. It can also include 1950’s B-movies that might make you cringe, or quiet makes-you-think movies with universal themes, or campy take-offs on popular blockbusters. I love ’em all (though I am not a fan of anything too over-violent or gory for violence/gore’s sake or which demeans people based on their sex, race, etc.).

One final note: I personally save all my scary movies for the month of October. If a great movie comes out in March (why are horror movies being released in the spring?!?), I add it to my list of movies to watch when October rolls around. If one of my TOP 5 is streaming when I walk past the living room, I skedaddle…my family knows I won’t be joining them for Halloween in June, no thank you! This is simply my personal preference. So if you’re looking for a new movie to be reviewed in December, I’m afraid you’ll need to wait until the following October or head to IMDB for their take.

Thanks for joining me here at 31 Days of Horror! Take a look around to find your next watch, or to enjoy the occasional bit of humor thrown in to help you catch your breath.

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Movies, Reviews, Streaming

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31 Days of Horror: Cabin Fever (2002; R; 93 mins.)

Posted on October 15, 2023 | 3 comments

Cabin Fever

Thinking I’d enjoy a throwback movie set in the woods, I happened upon this multi-award winning (horror awards) movie from a couple of decades ago by Eli Roth and thought, sounds good! Um, no.

When a group of college grads decide to head out to an isolated cabin for a week, they quickly discover the nearby townspeople are, well, interesting. At the cabin itself, the friends’ personalities start to shine through, with Backwoods Bert taking a gun out to shoot squirrels, yet accidentally hitting a flesh eating virus-infected local who is hiding out in the woods instead. The local survives and shows up at the cabin later that night, but Bert convinces his friends to set the man on fire. Afterwards, the crispy crazy falls into the town’s water reservoir and dies, infecting the drinking water.

Of course, it isn’t long before one of the friends drinks some of the water and shows signs of infection too. Her “friends” turn on her, but soon others are infected and townies take it upon themselves to try to quash this outbreak in a very final way. Throw in crazed animals, a weird cop, dead cell phones, and other horror clichés and you’re sure to understand why it was all I could do to watch this movie to its end.

If you’re looking for a good horror movie set in the woods, you won’t go wrong with Deliverance, The Blair Witch Project, or The Ritual. Save yourself some time and choose one of them instead of Cabin Fever for your 31 Days of Horror.

  • Top Scare: Peer Pressure
  • Heartbeats: 1 1/2 out of 5
  • Gore Factor: 3 1/4 out of 5
  • Scare Factor: 1 3/4 out of 5
  • Recommended for: 16 and up due to violence, sex, and gore

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, Blood, Hell, horror, Movies, scary movies, Virus

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