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So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)
An Oft-overlooked Classic
This is one of my favorites from the '90s. Between the scenery, clothes, and music, whenever I watch it, it takes me back.
Aside from the shot of nostalgia, it's genuinely funny with a side of intrigue. Charlie is hilarious, but the father character is doubly so. Most of Stuart's lines remain some of my favorite points, especially when he's picking on William for having a giant head.
Then, of course, is the romantic aspect, which starts off cute and gradually works its way up to being mysterious. Multiple clues point to Harriet being Mrs. X, but Charlie can't -- or doesn't want to -- put it all together.
The final act makes for an interesting twist that keeps you watching until the end.
All in all, this is a memorable little film from Myers's catalog that stands the test of time.
Get Out (2017)
You'll want to RSVP 'no' to this party
It's January 2024 and I finally watched this! I've only known Jordan Peele from his comedy work, but I've heard that his dark side is gripping in its own right.
The film relies on increasingly unsettling moments to build the tension. You know something is not... right, but it's not clear until the final ~25 minutes exactly what is happening. Even Rose's involvement is uncertain until she confirms her role in this twisted plan.
There are moments of comic relief thanks to Chris's best friend, Rod, and they get better as the main plot intensifies.
The fact that this was created by an African-American did put a different perspective on it, particularly with the slavery connotations and the moments where Chris is interacting with police.
Ultimately, I think the suspense builds appropriately and there are enough twists to keep you wanting to know what is coming next.
Scrooged (1988)
Proof that this is the most wonderful time of the year
I make it a point to watch this every year, right alongside more traditional versions of A Christmas Carol and that other pure feel-good movie, A Christmas Story. Scrooged has taken a firm spot among those films as part of my holiday traditions, and it's nice to realize that many others feel the same way.
Bill Murray's plays Cross as rude, abusive, and penny-pinching - maybe more than his inspiration, Ebenezer. That makes his redemption all the more wonderful, because when Cross shouts, "I get it now," you believe it. In fact, Murray's entire joy-filled speech at the end is quite inspirational.
The finale alone is worth watching the movie for, but there is so much other great stuff throughout. Chief among those great bits are Cross's interactions with each of the ghosts. My favorite has always been Kane's Ghost of Christmas Present, but they are all humorous in their own ways. Another personal favorite scene is when Cross tells a stagehand to staple antlers to a mouse, partly because such a non-PC would not pass the censors today.
Beneath all the sarcastic quips, there are some truly heartwarming moments and messages here. I think Charles Dickens would approve of this modern twist on his old tale.
Aftermath (2021)
Not the worst thing out there
I'm on the side of, "Eh, it wasn't that bad." The actors were okay, but the writing is where the film was lacking.
The film starts with 2 deaths, immediately followed by a crime scene cleanup crew restoring everything - and one of them turns out to be one of the lead characters.
Dude goes home to his wife, and we quickly learn that she cheated and he can't get over it. Their therapist suggests a "new start", so he proposes buying the house that he just cleaned (and where those people died violently). That's the foundation for the whole thing.
Bad stuff first...
Natalie (our female protagonist) has obviously been hugely influenced by her mother. Safe to say there is no love lost there. Yet, Natalie and her husband decide to have a dinner with her mom. The scene blows up (pardon the pun) in a big argument, which is soon followed by their car literally blowing up. Then we don't hear about mom again. The writers should have either made the mom more of a figure or taken out that one scene because the way it is is awkward.
Then we have the fact that Natalie and her sister are very close. On the same night, the sister is supposed to take care of the dog, Odi, and watch the house. Things happen and she disappears. Natalie texts her several times, with increasing urgency. Eventually, the sister (actually the killer) texts back that she had to go away for a while. And that's it. Natalie seemingly does not try to text her again, or reach out to her, or send out a search party to find her. Strange.
Any investigator worth his salt would have found that hidden space. They should have done a full house check to see where someone might have been getting in. Instead, they did nothing.
Oh, and they kill poor Odi.
On the positive side, there was enough suspense to want to keep watching. Once the killer is revealed, you want them to take him out, which of course, they do.
P. S.: The killer reminds me of that serial killer mannequin character from Mad TV. The scraggly hair, bad teeth, pale face, crazy eyes, and the ability to hide in plain sight are totally similar.
Uncle Buck (1989)
The Candy-Hughes collaboration was perfection
I am 46 years old, so I have been around longer than this movie. Despite watching parts of it over the years, I had never sat down and watched it straight through. Last night I finally did.
John Candy once again plays a hapless but lovable guy who is rough around the edges but ultimately wins you over; it was a type he played well throughout his career. His comedic prowess is strong here, which would be enough of a reason to watch in of itself.
Tia is typical obstinate teen who pushes back on everyone's authority. Her arc is one of the aspects that is a negative for me, because she is in hardheaded mode until the final 15-20 minutes, then she comes around and everything is great between and Buck. If they had invested more time in developing it, it would have been better. The two younger kids are just adorable.
I also don't like the mom character. She's hard to warm up to and comes across as somewhat flat.
Aside from those bits, this film is cute and should definitely be in the rotation for the '80s fans. Plus, just like at the end of PT&A, the final shot is of Candy's big, smiling face. How could you not enjoy that?!
A Man Called Otto (2022)
Stick with this one and it will pay off
I decided to watch this one tonight on Netflix because I realized The 'Burbs had been pulled off the service. I ventured into it without reading the book or seeing the Swedish version of the film.
That said, I found it satisfying with a few notable criticisms. Hanks does a fine, although not entirely believable, job portraying Otto ("Forrest Grump" as someone cleverly said). He is surrounded by a capable and entertaining bunch of characters, most importantly Treviño ("Marisol").
Here are my issues with it:
1) Continuity errors. I counted at least 3 in the first half. I don't know about anyone else, but once I catch one I am more likely to notice another, and then they distract me from enjoying the story.
2) Otto's evolution. Despite glimpses of the softer Otto early on and midway through, he doesn't truly seem to have let go of his anger until the film's final quarter, maybe even the final 20 minutes.
3) Underusing the cat. I'm a cat person, so given the cat's prominence in the advertising, I was anticipating the cat being more of a figure, maybe even becoming the main source for Otto's redemption. Instead, the cat plays a pretty minor role for most of the time. Even after Otto seems to have adopted the cat, there is a 15-minute (or so) stretch where we don't see the cat, but then he reappears.
4) Chemistry between Otto and Sonya is lacking. For him, it's love at first sight, but she makes the first move to ask him out and to get the first kiss. We don't get much in the way of development of their relationship, and that makes their bond seem forced.
Despite these problems, the saving grace is Marisol and her unwillingness to give up on Otto. She brings warmth and caring back into his life via her attitude and the children. She compels him to open up again. She finds herself becoming his best friend.
The film starts to come around to be better in the second half. We need to wait until that segment to fully realize why Otto is so angry and to see him exchange his anger for friendship (rekindling his friendship with Reuben as well as starting one with Marisol and her family). Although this film stumbled on some things, I found myself genuinely caring about him and the others in the tiny neighborhood.
I would have given it a rating of 7.5, but I can't. I like the cat, so I graded it up instead of down.
The Disappointments Room (2016)
The most disappointing thing is that Beckinsale ended up in this
This came on one of the PlutoTV horror channels, so I stuck with it. I found disappointment, all right.
There is a stereotypical sort of "city family moves to the country" foundation laid at the start, so you get a sense of how this will go from that. The father character ("David") is a nuisance; he has the same dumb expression on his face for most of the movie. Later, when Ben the contractor shows up, there is some undeveloped sexual tension between him and Dana, which is awkward.
As for the plot, many previous reviews are right that this film isn't sure exactly what it wants to be. Judge Blacker (McRaney) is supposed to be evil and threatening, but he doesn't give off that sense for most of the scenes.
At least the house is cool. They could have taken away most of the characters and just shown the old house and it would have been scarier.
House of Darkness (2016)
Not exactly scary, but it has its moments
I found this somewhat randomly when scrolling through movies this evening. I thought the description was cool, so I went for it. I watched it on Disney+, but going by earlier reviews, it was made by Lifetime.
The film starts on Halloween 1957. Three kids approach this house, and two dare each other to ring the bell. Once they go inside, something bad happens. Cut to the modern day.
It's an okay lead-in, but we basically get dropped into the midst Kelly and Brian's marriage discord. The first scene with them involves their neighbors dropping off a pie. Sounds innocent enough, but Brian has a moment of hallucination about his female neighbor. Their marriage has apparently been in tumult for a while because we see them in a counselor's office discussing their problems. In fact, there is never a time where they seem happy - or believable - as a couple. Every time Kelly tries to be romantic, he blows her off and then complains that she doesn't understand him. He is also fanatically jealous. In short, Brian is a jerk.
I think the issues surrounding the Brian character speak to larger issues with the casting; it simply doesn't fit. Not only do Kelly and Brian not have any spark, but Sarah doesn't seem like their kid. I do think that Fletcher (Kelly) and Sohn (Sarah) are decent actors, and their performances help carry things along well enough.
Toward the end, Sarah goes missing - something that happens earlier, too. Only this time, Kelly calls the police immediately. There is no explanation why she chose to do that, so it's odd. Somehow, one of the officers realizes that Sarah is trapped behind a wall - again, with no explanation. Those logic gaps are weird and bring the film down.
The end is also anticlimactic. There is a tense setup as Brian has finally snapped and put Sarah in danger, leading to her calling Kelly for help. Kelly races home and confronts Brian, then he locks her in the garage. She busts her way out and finds the house is engulfed in flames (*cough* bad CGI). Then she turns around to find Sarah standing there. That's it. Brian, she later figures, set himself on fire in the house in order to destroy the demon.
The other odd part of it is that Kelly simply drives away with Sarah. You'd think the police would question her or something. But wait! She does get interrogated by an officer in a rather nonsensical face-off sometime later, and the officer accuses her of setting the fire to get Brian's life insurance payout, but nothing comes of it.
The next cut is to the property with a newly built home and a new family. The new husband and wife are, of course, unaware of the property's past and their goth daughter is the only one to sense something. The end.
I do give the creators credit for making some creepy moments when the ghosts materialize. The child ghosts and a shadow man are interesting. There are also some tense moments as Sarah interacts with the dark spirits.
On the other hand, the lack of cohesion in the cast, the logic gaps, and the weak ending pull the whole operation down. I've seen far worse horror flicks, but this one is a one-and-done.
The Watcher (2022)
These characters are their own worst enemies
I had heard some good things about this series and it was highly-ranked among Netflix's recent releases. Since I had some down time while traveling, I decided to go through the whole set. It starts off reasonable enough with a thriller edge, but each episode gets progressively more odd to the point that it just feels lacking.
Dean and Nora live in NYC, but they are fed up with city life and decide to move to the 'burbs for peace and comfort. They find this amazing house that is beyond their wildest dreams in an idyllic neighborhood. The problem is that they can't afford it straight out, but Dean jumps through some hoops to make it work - which becomes an issue about halfway through the series.
Once they've moved in and are feeling good, they realize a new problem: someone is creepily watching the house... and them. They have no idea if the person is a man, woman, or maybe multiple people. They have no idea if the person is making vain creepy comments or if there is a serious threat. The show employs a sort of androgynous and almost robotic voiceover to serve as the voice of The Watcher, which enhances the creepiness.
I thought I had heard about this, so I looked it up. Sure enough, this series is generally based on that story. Some of the language in the real-life letters are used in the show, but that is about where the similarities end.
Within those first few episodes, the show is fairly strong, but it begins a downward spiral somewhere midway through the series. Another reviewer titled their review "Should be called 'Jumping to Conclusions'", and that couldn't be more accurate.
This is because every episode pulls you in multiple different directions about who The Watcher might be, and some of these twists are bonkers. Take for example, Dean finding out that the guy he hired to install security cameras (named Dakota) uses a gaming ID called The Watcher. Based on that single piece of 'evidence', Dean flips out on Dakota and demands that the police arrest him. Say what now? That's absurd, of course. Yet, this show is chocked full of off-the-wall conclusions like that.
Another drawback is that the final episode (or two) is superfluous. In fact, when thinking back over the series as a whole, this would have worked much better as a 3 or 4-part series. Instead, it feels like Netflix asked for 7 episodes and then Murphy could only fill 2 with good material which left the other 5 to be filled with crazy stuff.
Questions that remain for me are: Who was that Pat Graff girl in the video? When Dean was trying to describe John Graff, why didn't they check the security footage? Why was there a tunnel underneath the house? Why was there a furnished room in the tunnel? Why didn't they investigate the tunnel further, namely taking some of the items from that room for DNA analysis? Lastly, just... why? Although we are shown who The Watcher(s) is/are, it is not adequately explained why they did it.
There Is No I in Threesome (2021)
Confusing
There is a lot of confusion in the reviews here. Granted, it's not entirely unwarranted, as the film is something other than what it is promoted as. However, if you are going to write or read a review, you may as well be accurate.
The story is real. The characters are real. The part that I and others feel is underhanded is that the whole thing is a recreation/dramatization, which is not revealed until the final few minutes.
Throughout the entire course of the film, we are led to believe that Jan and Zoe are a magnificent couple who are planning to get married in about a year, but first they want to do some sexual exploring. So they agree on some rules and enter into an open relationship arrangement.
Along the way, Jan realizes (or admits) that he is bisexual, so that also plays in. Jan meets a lady he falls for. Zoe meets a guy she super falls for. Then things get complicated. Jealousy arises and tension builds.
By the end, they are within a couple months of their wedding, but Zoe suddenly bails on Jan to go with her boyfriend fully. That's when Jan confesses that, while this stuff did happen between him and his fiancée, the girl playing Zoe was an actress.
Yeah, it does feel disappointing for the fact that they broke up, but also a backhanded slap since they did not admit those aspects until you'd already invested an hour and a half.
5 stars... including 1 star because it's set in New Zealand and 1 star because the chick who plays Zoe is super hot. :)
Devil in the Dark (2017)
Not very horrifying, but somewhat satisfying
The description of this came across well to me since I am an outdoorsy person and enjoy a good bump-in-the-woods flick. Two brothers have grown up to be very different people, but once their father passes away they decide to take a hunting trip to honor him and spread his ashes... and along the way a demon shows up.
With the first scene, we see that Adam encountered a demon when he was much younger. This is referenced frequently, so we can figure it's the same one then and now. However, between the first few moments of tension and the last half hour or so, most of the dialogue is about the brothers fighting. Clint is his father's son, rugged and enjoys typically manly endeavors (he is also rough in his worldview, since he believes his brother might be gay for not enjoying hunting and uses language some may find offensive). Meanwhile, Adam is more intellectual and has refined tastes.
One of the plot issues in the film is that Adam is the one who asked to visit his brother, but he shows up late to dinner and after the meal he spends the remainder of the evening drinking with his buddies in the village. I think the movie would have made more sense if the two were closer and Adam showed more enthusiasm for the trip.
They expect to be out for 6 days in an area called The Plateau. They get pretty close by using an ATV, but Clint says they need to hike the final section. Near the end, Clint leaves his brother to return to his truck, retrieves the ATV, and drives back to the cave. But when Adam begs to hop on the ATV and leave, Clint says it's already out of gas. So that whole chain doesn't make much sense.
Another plot issue is that, despite reflecting back on times with their dad, and his apparent death, the point about them spreading his ashes is forgotten. In fact, I can't think of hearing them mention doing that through the whole film.
At various times, they hear noises in the woods, but it's not scary whatsoever. The occurrences don't build into anything until that last half hour or so.
From an outdoors/survival standpoint, there are clearly some problems. As an experienced outdoorsman, why doesn't Clint possess a rescue beacon of some sort so he doesn't need to rely on cell service? Why doesn't Clint bring along more gas for the ATV? How was Clint able to climb that large, steep rock wall - and, more importantly, get back down - in the dark aided only by headlamp? Why does Clint say it's going to be "very cold" but there's no snow or even frost?
Although, after all of that, I found it better than many movies in its class thanks to decent acting, pretty good scenery/settings, and well-shot videography. I also enjoyed the final couple of scenes. I wish they had done more with the creepy antler cave; the writer and producer could have extended that into more of an unwitting descent into this forbidden zone. And there were plenty of specific points on which some more clarity, or plain common sense, should have been applied. But it wasn't all bad and did contain some entertaining aspects.
Claw (2017)
It's a horror all right
A horror to think a crew put more than 5 minutes into putting this thing together.
So-called friends who have little in common and argue often. Flat, awkward dialogue. No real momentum. Nonsensical scenes - such as how the killer can walk around in broad daylight outside the house but they don't see him. Crappy blood and effects.
This is a bad movie among bad movies.
Into the Dark: They Come Knocking (2019)
Unexpected Demons
This movie has some creepy moments, and the demon children are definitely unnerving, but this one gets bogged down in the other part of the storyline.
While it starts off with some emotional depth, the near constant flashbacks (often of the same scenes) and hallucinations of the mother become laborious. Near the end, the dad sees his wife and realizes she is in his imagination, yet he spends several minutes talking to her while his older daughter is being stalked by the demon kids. If they realize they are hallucinating, why do they keep falling for it?
The episode is promoted on the premise that the demon kids are the antagonists, but they end up playing a minor role. The memories and unresolved issues with the mom/wife are what the family needs to overcome.
It's not a terrible premise, but should have been executed better IMO. If they had cut out some of the flashbacks, they could have made this 20 minutes shorter and it would have been stronger.
Mother of the Year (2017)
Fairly predictable, but it's not the worst
The acting is somewhat flat, the characters are typical, and the director loved their drone shots a bit too much... but hey, it does have some redeeming value.
The actors never convince you of their roles, which means you never feel attached to them or the story. Thom Wade (the good husband) is particularly boring, but Ethan Dupree (the bad husband) does add some tension at the end.
Theresa Wade (the good wife) is so good she manages to forgive her assailants despite numerous threats and having a gun pointed at her. Madison Dupree (the bad wife) is evil but she is being abused so you wind up having some sympathy for her.
They are all not very bright. Why did Madison sneak around the Wades' house in broad daylight, including driving right up in front of it? Why did the Wades take so long to get the idea to install a security system - and never thought to install cameras? When Madison Dupree realized she was probably going to be arrested soon, why did she choose to drive back over to the Wades' with a gun? When Theresa was over at the Duprees' house and received a message from her husband saying "HELP", why did she not text her neighbor friend to go check on him immediately? Dumb.
As stated, they definitely enjoyed employing their drone. We don't need that many flyovers through the neighborhood, guys.
On the other hand, the movie did have an overall nice look to it. I give it 4 stars because, well, it's not the worst and I was able to watch the whole thing.
Black Mountain Side (2014)
Disjointed but still with merit
The first half hour or so lays a decent foundation. This small group of researchers is almost a hundred miles from anywhere, in the cold, and on the verge of uncovering something profound.
Once weird things start happening, however, the story loses direction. One guy vomits blood, so that is a sure sign things are going up a notch... but then it's 2 or 3 days (as noted by date segue screens occasionally placed throughout) before anything else happens.
Things stay fairly calm until one of the scientists has a seizure and you can see things moving under his skin. By now, you are figuring the menace is going to be a virus or some kind of natural monster.
But then two of the guys begin hearing a voice and seeing a being manifesting as a deer that is directing them to do evil things. So which is the real monster?
There is further talk of something viral creating cephalapod-like cells in the bodies of the infected, but that part of the storyline sputters out and the deer god becomes primary. I wish they had stuck with the viral plot because that had more potential and we would have been spared the goofy animatronic deer.
Despite its oddities, I give it credit for having some creepy moments, being acted and shot well, and the locations are gorgeous.
Good Dick (2008)
Filled with potential, but falls short on momentum
I chose to watch this for its categorization (drama, romance, comedy) and the description of the weird, quiet girl who is won over by an equally weird but charming guy. I expected it to be different but with its own sort of warmth. I found it to hold potential but often frustrating to the point that it gets mired in its complexity.
The Woman and The Man (we never do learn their names) are indeed complicated characters. He pursues her - almost to stalker level - but she resists. He lies to get into her apartment by claiming that his great aunt has passed away and he is distraught. This leads to one point of irritation for me. She thinks she knows who his great aunt was. Later, she sees an elderly woman who we are led to believe is the woman she believed his great aunt to be, but she doesn't say anything. She also doesn't confront him about it, which seems strange.
Another point of irritation is that we see him sleep in his car outside her building. Does he not have a place or is he so obsessed that he doesn't want to leave? We later learn that he is homeless, which makes me wonder if his attraction was sincere or if he saw her as a source of shelter.
Throughout their relationship, she is abusive to him by calling him ugly, saying she does not like him, telling him to go away, etc. Yet, he persists and she always relents. At one point, he asks her if she was raped or assaulted by her father or anyone else, but she says no. You think this will lead to her opening up to him and revealing why she is so angry, but she goes the other way and kicks him out. In one of the final scenes, she visits her father (Arnold). He becomes verbally abusive with her, which hints at why The Woman is such a mess, but we never get much resolution there.
My biggest point of frustration is the pacing. They spend a good 85% of the movie establishing her as antisocial, untrusting, and self-destructive. She does not have a job and does not enjoy doing anything. Then, almost miraculously, we see her working at a diner. There is no segue or explanation; it's almost a non sequitur. Then she visits her dad and tells him she is moving out on her own. Then she visits The Man's video store and they reconcile and it's a happy finale. This could have worked (e.g., she realized what she had in The Man after she pushed him away) with some development, but it ends up feeling blunt and rushed for no reason.
The positives are that it is an unconventional love story; if that is your thing, you may be all over it. There is also not much comedy involved, and most of what is present is delivered by The Man's coworkers. The acting and camera work are pretty good for a low budget flick, too.
The Fields (2011)
Numerous moments of tension that go nowhere
This one has appeal with a creepy corn field and a couple well-known players (Reid and Leachman), but it suffers from a confusing plot and lack of continuity.
Steven is a curious and kind boy thrown into a bad situation between his crappy parents. Until mom and dad can sort themselves out, he goes to live with dad's parents on their farm. They tell him to stay out of the fields, but he is lured into them time and again. During one of those trips, he stumbles upon the corpse of a young woman.
At this point, you expect the story to begin centering around who she was and how she may have ended up there. Instead, the story goes off on this weird tangent talking about the Charles Manson murders and a group of hippies traveling through the area. Only at the very end do they attempt to connect the two.
Along the way, there is also a strange farmhand who may or may not be connected to the hippies. And the hippies, for some reason, begin harassing Steven and his grandparents. The film does an okay job at building tension at various points, but then they fizzle out with no clear resolution.
Reid does a fine job as Steven's mother, but she is on screen for only a few minutes. Leachman's character relies on shouting profanities 80% of the time. Another odd scene is when Gladys (Leachman) goes to visit her sister Gracie; that branch of the family turns out to be a bunch of crazy chicken-chopping inbreds. But again, there is no basis for it; note to the writers, if you are going to put characters like that in a story they need to have a purpose.
Lastly, going from scenes of dead corn stalks to still-green ones in a matter of seconds is goofy.
Eli (2019)
The final 20 minutes make or break this one
Most folks seem to agree that the setting is good, acting is good, and the main part of the story is strong... but whether you enjoy or regret seeing this one hinges on your perception of the closing scenes. Without giving up too much, it starts off as a reasonably creepy, although not quite scary, ghost story, then at some point someone decided to shift it into a demonic possession story. If it sounds odd, that's because it is.
The setting is mysterious and isolated. The acting is sufficient, with Reilly and Shotwell putting in solid deliveries. The effects are well executed and not overly used. The ghost story portion of the plot goes well and kept me tuned in.
Unfortunately, as I said, the final scenes takes all of that and turns it on its head. The effects remain solid and the acting is okay, but by that point the story has gone out the window.
Overall, it's entertaining, but will quite possibly leave you wanting more towards resolving the grand questions.
Wake Wood (2009)
An emotional thriller with old Irish flair
I stumbled across this on Shudder and, although I missed approximately the first half, I was glad to catch the second. This movie is so similar to Pet Sematary that it is essentially that movie with some Irish modifications. The primary example of that is, instead of the bodies being buried in and emerging from sacred ground, there is an ancient ritual performed. As you can expect, both tales go awry because those who return are not truly themselves; in PS this is apparent immediately, while in WW it takes some time to be revealed.
Overall, I found the acting well done; you can feel the parents' pain and hope to hold their daughter one more time. The setting is, of course, beautiful and supremely suited to such a story. Lastly, it ends with a sufficiently creepy moment.
One negative that others have stated and I agree with is that it would have been nice if the runtime was longer, thus developing the story more. Once Alice is brought back, the 3 days feels rushed. They should have shown more of her descent. Aside from that, I found this enjoyable and hope to catch the entire thing!
Triangle (2009)
Absolute mind twister
This film starts innocently enough. Some friends gather for a day sailing, and most everyone is in good spirits, but early on something is amiss. Things escalate quickly and before you know it, your expectations need to be tossed because you cannot anticipate all the crazy turns this movie takes!
Those turns are effective at keeping you engaged, and somehow, eventually they all pull together to create this neat loop Jess keeps following.
The acting is fairly well done and the effects and stunts are as well.
The Frankenstein Theory (2013)
Not your typical monster movie - and that's good.
Going by the intimidating presence on the poster, you'd expect this to be another member in the huge bin of modern takes on the Frankenstein sub-genre. You know, some folks go on a mission and encounter this ghastly creature who ends up ripping them to shreds in another gory scene every few minutes, the end. Surprisingly, it is not like that at all.
First, the negatives. One reviewer noted the (monster) sound effects being cliché. I get that. They did employ a stereotypical monster scream, which oddly contrasts the creature's low-key appearances and the fact that Venkenheim repeatedly tries to humanize the creature (no human will ever make that sound). Also, they try to present some logic for why Venkenheim chose the Potter's Gulch area to search, but you are still talking about tens if not hundreds of thousands of square miles where the thing could be. Thus, the fact that the yurt they stop at happens to be smack in the middle of his neighborhood is far-fetched to say the least.
For the positives, I'm giving it 2 stars for the scenery alone. It's gorgeous. Filming locations are not listed, but suffice it to say that the mountain/wilderness scenery is incredible.
I give another star to the character Karl. He brings a lot of believability to the role and the movie in general. He is a tough, no nonsense, knowledgeable fellow in the same vein as Quinn in Jaws.
As mentioned, the creature is nothing like the poster. The vast majority of the movie slowly builds to seeing the monster up close, which happens once at the very end. I appreciated that difference from the norm because it's all too easy and expected to make another gross creature that does horrible things to people.
I found the acting and shooting decent; it starts off shaky, but gets stronger as the movie progresses.
All in all, I'm glad I watched this. I think it's better than the current 4.2 rating and certainly better than all the 1s blasting it. If you are seeking a gory monster flick, look elsewhere, but if you want something different and don't mind a slow pace, check it out.
Hell Is Where the Home Is (2018)
Lots of tension, but you need to hold on to see the bang
I watched this as a spontaneous decision upon seeing it featured on Hulu. The poster certainly gives an ominous impression, as does the first minute! Then nothing happens for 40+ minutes. I did learn that the old days of kids being satisfied with smoking pot are gone; now, apparently, you need to snort coke to be cool.
Once the mysterious and awkward neighbor (Balk) appears, it's hard to tell if she is part of the main plot, planning something else nefarious, or if she is truly innocent. They eliminate that problem by making her the next kill.
Around that time the gears shift again and the violence goes into overdrive. Many deaths in a short span, all the way up to the end.
All the bad dudes get taken out, so that's uplifting. In fact, only 1 of the 12 people in the movie survives, and she's really the one who most deserves to make it.
The acting was decent. There are some twists, although nothing groundbreaking. And it (eventually) has plenty of bloody jump scenes to fulfill most appetites.
The Ritual (2017)
Worth a watch despite its 'meh' ending
I completely agree with the folks saying this started strong and stayed that way up to the final ~25 minutes, then it went downhill. Never the less, the scenery is gorgeous, there are some creepy moments, and the acting is generally effective.
Once the guys go into the forest and begin seeing weird things, I thought this film had a palpable Blair Witch vibe, and it became more evident as it went along. Although, where BW and this film diverge is in the ending; this film eventually reveals the monster, which proves to be one of its weak points. It is much more effective when you aren't sure what the thing is or what intentions it has.
Speaking of the monster, I guess the creators were trying to be original with a demon elk thing, but I thought it was just weird.
I give the creators points for the gory moments. There are not a lot of them, but when they happen they are wicked.
All that said, if you enjoy a monster-in-the-woods flick with some tension and excellent imagery, give this one a try.
February (2015)
Too slow, too disjointed, too frustrating
I was encouraged to watch this based on its dark and different description. I watched it 55-60% of the way before giving up. It moved excruciatingly slowly, which was the first problem; I figure by halfway in I should have a general idea what the point of it all is, but I didn't. My curiosity was rekindled by the scene where Rose heard weird noises that her to the furnace room, but things went flat again soon after.
Then there were the two storylines - Kat & Rose's and Joan's. They start off completely detached, which is frustrating because the movie jumps between them suddenly. When you get to the scene where Bill talks about Rose in the past tense, you begin to hone in on the fact that one side must be a flashback... but again, everything is being revealed so slowly it's hard to say.
I also agree with the review by Internetghost, who said the characters are hollow. Namely Rose because she is practically emotionless when talking about being pregnant. And emotionless again despite being disturbed by Kat's behavior.
Ultimately, I am glad to know they eventually got to the point, though I didn't hold on long enough to witness it. Slow burn movies can be fascinating and creepy in the best ways, such as one of Shyamalan's better creations, but they rely heavily on rich characters and tense moments to keep you engaged. This film had scant supplies of either for me.
Hush (2016)
Decent tension builder
Found this on Netflix and decided to give it a shot. I had tried to make it through The Blackcoat's Daughter earlier in the evening, but I bailed on that and went over to Hush; by comparison, this one is much better.
The movie starts well enough by establishing Maddie's background and new situation. There is the element of Craig, her ex, who we feel may become prominent to the storyline but never does.
Once the murderer arrives, it is clear he does not want to simply murder her, he wants to toy with her for a while. He's already murdered her friend and gained access to the house, but he opts to scare her first. This is the basis of the movie and where it starts to grow.
The murderer is okay, not particularly smart, but sufficient. His assault on Sarah, followed by using her as a prop, was rather brutal. Other than that, I did not find his character notable.
Maddie is a likable character. Despite her faults, we want her to win and take that guy out. She has at least two solid opportunities to end it, and they are both in the same scene. John, Sarah's boyfriend, is moments away from knocking the murderer out with a rock when Maddie inadvertently alerts the murderer by banging on the window. As a result, John gets stabbed and his plan is foiled. All is not lost, however, as he is able to recover enough to pin the murderer and choke him out. This is all happening about 20 ft. away from Maddie outside the house. Maddie has an ideal opportunity to walk up and deliver the final blow while John has the murderer pinned, but she blows it by staying in the house. This is somewhat confusing as we later see Maddie calculating all the possible outcomes depending on what she decides to do next. She is clearly logical enough to have known to make a move when John had the murderer down, yet that forethought was not put to her advantage. That, to me, is the weakest point of the movie.
That aside, Maddie makes a good heroine. She keeps fighting and figures out how to use her lack of hearing to help her (fire alarm). Despite being put on the verge of death, she is able to hang on and turn the tide. I was cheering for her in those closing moments.