Let the terror commence!
Every year, since 2012, I have viewed one horror movie everyday during the month of October. It is a fascinating exploration of genre and a really fun way to celebrate the holiday. Join me if you dare for a month of horror!
Werewolves Within
This 2021 film is a very funny horror comedy that is more funny than horrifying. It has two very charming lead actors, a solid script, and a strong premise. Everything you need in a good horror comedy. The film follows Finn Wheeler a national park ranger played by Sam Richardson, as he journeys to the…
The Addams Family Values
Another delightful sequel that improves upon the original in a lot of ways while still falling prey to the classic sequel pitfall of separating your characters. What worked about the first film is here again. Raul Julia giving 1000% to the role of Gomez Addams. Anjelica Huston’s sublime turn as the ethereal Morticia. Christopher Lloyd…
The Addams Family
I haven’t seen this in 20 plus years, and boy have I been missing out. This movie was a delight. I thoroughly enjoyed the production design, the pacing, and especially the performances. This is a funny, and fun halloween movie. lI am of course discussing the live action film from 1991 not the animated film…
Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight
This Polish slasher currently streaming on Netflix is an odd mix. It’s bloody and disgusting. It has really strong character moments that are totally undermined by the horror elements. It has a lot of tangents and plot cul-de-sacs that don’t add much. It’s also a memorable movie that isn’t too bad if a bloody, violent,…
Hypnotic
This is a fairly predictable psychological thriller emphasis on the psychological part. This is a Netflix release that is pretty slick, but also formulaic You can do worse, but there are a lot better versions of this story. Jenn Thompson, is struggling to overcome past traumas. She’s played by the ever wonderful Kate Siegel. Her…
Train to Busan
Woohoo! A zombie movie I really liked. These are rare. This one is frightening, tense, and creepy. There’s a lot to like here even if the movie does get to be a little too nihilistic for my taste. It’s a classic set up. A workaholic father, played by Gong Yoo, takes his neglected daughter, played…
Dark Skies
This alien home invasion story combines some haunted house style thrills with a strong family drama that ends up being a really solid little horror movie. Released in 2013, this film stars Keri Russel as Lacy, and Josh Hamilton as Daniel, a married couple struggling since Daniel lost his job. They are trying their best…
Blood Fest
This 2018 horror comedy has a few good moments and some refreshing self awareness about the genre, but it’s poor writing sinks the film in the end. Currently streaming on Amazon, this movie follows Dax, a young horror movie fan who wants to attend a horror convention called Blood Fest. However when his staunchly anti…
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, Dream Warriors
Well the Elm Street films are 0 for 3 in my book. This installment in the slasher series has a couple of decent elements, but is mostly terrible. My history with this series is one of deep disappointment. Having heard so much about what a great series this is, I couldn’t believe how silly the…
Night Teeth
Oh boy this one is forgettable. I have had to remind myself multiple times that I watched it. It’s currently streaming on Netflix, but you really don’t need to waste time on it. The basic premise is one of those secret underworld movies that wants us to believe that vampires are not only real they…
The Trip (2021)
This is one of the craziest movies I’ve seen. It is constantly twisting and turning. It zigs and zags every minute. It’s darkly funny, and shockingly frightening. It’s streaming on Netflix if you have a strong stomach. The movies opens with Aksel Hennie, playing Lars. He’s a Norwegian TV director. He appears to be a…
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Currently streaming on Amazon, also currently being remade by Amazon, this late 90’s slasher film is an excellent example of its time period. It is a solid story with great production value, and a lame conclusion. The film is loosely based on a 1973 novel of the same name, and it tells the story of…
Freaky
This is a pretty fun mashup of genres. It combines the body swap story with the slasher film. It has some good laughs and some fun horror moments, but it’s most successful due to its two leads, Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton as the body swapped duo. The film opens with a group of teens…
The Night Watchmen
This is a mostly junk horror comedy that has its moments, but generally settles for lowest common denominator horror and humor. To begin the movie is confused about who its main character is. We are first introduced to Rajeeve, played by Max Gray Wilbur, he is a burnout who has just left his heavy metal…
His House
This very intense haunted story has offers a lot more than just thrills. It tells a timely story that is both tragic and haunting. It’s currently streaming on Netflix. When the film opens, Bol and his wife Rial are new immigrants to the UK. They fled their war torn home in South Sudan and in…
Halloween Kills
I hated this movie. I very rarely hate movies, but I very rarely see movies this aggressively bad. I don’t know how the director David Gordon Green looked at this film and thought “yeah, this is good. I’m going to release it to audiences.” Every bad decision that could be made was made in this…
A Classic Horror Story
Released over the summer on Netflix, this Italian horror film is exquisitely shot and a little too clever for its own good. The film opens Elisa, played by an excellent Matilda Lutz, as she deals with a phone call from her controlling mother. Elisa is pregnant, and she and her mother disagree on how to…
Friday the 13th Part IV The Final Chapter
This movie caused quite a stir when it was released for its gruesome violence and abundance of blood and guts. These days, it’s very tame. It’s got nothing on any of the modern horror releases, but does it hold up in any other way? Kind of? It is a quantum leap in quality compared to…
Friday the 13th Part 3
Every year, I try to give one of these movies a try. I’ve never found one that was any good. These movies are terrible. However, this one achieved a level of terrible so profound that I actually had a lot of fun while watching it. If you don’t know the series, Camp Crystal Lake is…
Misery (book and movie)
After years of holding off until I read the book, and waiting to read until after I’ve seen the movie, I finally buckled down and read the novel and watched the movie. Oh boy they’re both great. The book and film follow the same narrative. A novelist name Paul Sheldon has been writing a series…
Midnight Mass
Have you ever wanted to see a two hour vampire movie stretched out to a seven hour miniseries? Do you like endless monologues? Do you want a horror show without any real scary elements? Then Midnight Mass is the show for you. A few years ago the great horror director Mike Flanagan created double hits…
False Positive
This Hulu original is an update on Rosemary’s Baby. It’s not very good. They took a horrifying idea and forgot to write a second act making it a very dull affair. The film follows a couple having trouble getting pregnant. The couple is played by Ilana Glazer as Lucy and Justin Theroux as Adrian. They…
There’s Someone Inside Your House
This is a really good teen drama, and it’s a pretty good slasher movie in the vein of scream. Now streaming on Netflix this is a pretty good way to spend your Halloween. The film opens on a high school football star returning home from school. Things seem off in the empty house, but he…
Ghosts of War
What started as a promising if standard haunted house story goes way off the rails and becomes one of the craziest and dumbest movies I’ve seen. If I had been in a different mood I might have loved it, but the way I saw it, it was a struggle to finish. A troop of five…
Fear (1996)
This week our hosts take a look at a teen thriller from 1996 starring a very young Reese Witherspoon and Mark Wahlberg. This movie has some great moments and a strong execution. It also has a really big plot twist that threatens to throw the whole thing into chaos. Check out our three minute review…
Arachnophobia (1990)
What a delight this movie was. It has great characters, a strong story, and genuinely terrifying conclusion. This is a horror movie for people who don’t like horror movies. It is creepy and fun without being too intense. This one deserves to be checked out this Halloween. The film opens with a team of researchers…
The Wind
Streaming on Netflix, this frontier horror film will leave you wondering if anything you just saw was real. It has some solid scares and some creepy implications that will stay with you. The movie opens at the middle of the action with Lizzy, played by a lovely Caitlin Gerard, alone in a vast plain after…
Polaroid
Okay, stay with me through the silly premise. It sounds absurd, but it is a nice little horror movie. A group of teens find an old Polaroid SX-70 and discover that when you take someone’s photo with it a demon shows up and murders them. But trust me, it’s better than it sounds. This 2019…
No One Gets Out Alive
This haunted house tale is currently streaming on Netflix and adds a few dimensions to the classic ghosts in attic story. Christina Rodlo, stars as Ambar, a recent immigrant to the US after her mother’s death. She arrives in Cleveland in the dead of winter with the clothes on her back, her life savings in…
The Night House
Released in 2021, this chilling story of trauma and grief leaves a creepy impact and showcases an exceptional performance from Rebecca Hall. Beth is an English teacher who’s husband very recently committed suicide. She is traumatized not only by the suicide but by the feeling that she never really knew her husband. If he was…
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