Us (2019)
I just wanna say that Us was a very good movie.
I feel like there was a really strong M. Night vibe to it in the best way. I don't want to get into the plot, but suffice it to say I greatly enjoyed the primary antagonist and cohorts.
On top of that the family feels like such a real family. They aren't mean to each other, they actually feel like good people that care about each other instead of the husband and wife constantly making remarks at each other, which is such a horror trope. There's another family that follows traditional tropes, and the stark contrast between them and the main family is just uncomfortable. Mad respect to Jordan Peele for writing real feeling characters.
Finally, keep you eyes open for all the fun Easter eggs. If you're familiar with the horror scene you'll pick up a lot of stuff throughout.
Murder Party
I knew I would have a blast with this, but I didn’t realize how much of a blast it’d be. If you need a good movie to laugh along with for your next Halloween party, I strongly recommend this one.
Who would go to something called a “Murder Party” that they find an invite for? Who knows man, but Christopher S. Hawley decided it was better sounding than a night in with his cat.
Prom Night (1980)
So straight up, Jamie Lee Curtis looks way too freaking old to be in high school. She was about 22 when the movie was released, but she looked almost 30. It took me out of it a little since she looked like a peer to the people playing her parents rather than their child.
The plot was a little shaky too, I didn't really understand where they were trying to go with the leads they dropped, because looking back when the killer is revealed it just doesn't quite make sense. It was a little weak is all.
I enjoyed watching it, but following up the day after Sleepaway Camp didn't help it feel better.
Sleepaway Camp
A YouTuber and Podcaster I follow had mentioned this movie a few times, and when I saw it was on Shudder I decided to finally check it out. I'm glad I did, since it's a rather fun movie.
The effects in it are downright brutal at times, a few of the kills turned my stomach a little which isn't something that's happened recently.
The twist is something I did see coming though, from about a mile away. It's not a bad twist, but it's not the most subtle buildup. It didn't stop me from liking it though, I heavily recomend you check it out.
The Descent: Part 2
I feel like the person who wrote the script for this movie only watched half of the first one, consisting of the very beginning, and the very end. The first 2 thirds of the movie felt like the mid end of the original, and the last third felt like they shoehorned in some claustrophobia scenes to call back to the original while still maintaining the end pace.
It's a shame it turned out this way, as the original felt so raw and authentic in it's delivery. This movie just couldn't live up to the energy and quality of the original, the ending made this and the previous film feel totally pointless.
Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon
In the same vein as Scream and Cabin In The Woods, Behind The Mask does a great job of being a reasonably self aware horror flick. The documentary aspect is a great twist to add to a story that could feel overdone if you aren't careful, and it helped elevate this movie to a great level.
I enjoyed the various moments the movie referenced other killers as well. It was especially amusing considering the cameos from Kane Hodder and Robert Englund.
The end came as a surprise as well, it made the movie feel worth the watch.
The Texas chainsaw Massacre (1973)
I'm really glad I finally was able to see the OG Texas Chainsaw. I saw the remake a couple years back and, while I was impressed with how grisly it was, I appreciate it so much more now that I've seen the original.
This movie is just disturbing. From the stories you hear from the set to the film itself it's just a wild ride from beginning to end. I didn't really know what to expect when I was getting into it, but I'm 100% happy I finally took the time to watch it.
Anybody who calls themselves a horror fan should watch this, it's possibly the pinnacle of horror at the time and it's aged very well.
House Of 1000 Corpses
As a fan of what Rob Zombie tries to do, I can understand that his movies tend to fall apart toward the end.
Everything about this movie made me think of Texas Chainsaw, which I suppose was the intention. It made it a little weak in my opinion though, there was a lot of potential that, with this being Rob's first film, I feel missed the mark.
As with a lot of his media, Rob Zombie has a really uncomfortable sexual undertone to his movies. I understand that's an element that horror tends to employ, but I feel Rob does it a little heavy handed.
And Doctor Satan? Really? Nice name dude.
Worth watching for the knowledge of having seen it, but I wouldn't see it twice.
My Bloody Valentine (2009)
Can we talk about bad remakes real quick? Because this was a really bad remake my dude.
I was really excited about this since I really loved the original. It had a cool idea, a solid remote setting, and a scary antagonist concept.
Unfortunately, the remake didn't really hit any of those points like you'd want. There were some really awkward callback moments that didn't fit the feel of the movie. It was so close to being a good reboot, but it majorly missed the mark.
Hereditary
Good lord, what a movie. I had no clue what I was getting into, so big props to everybody involved in this movie, it was amazing. It was produced by the same studio who was involved with The Witch if that tells you anything.
The actors and actresses all played their rolls perfectly, making a film with minimal score have a tension throughout that could be cut with a knife. Honestly, the movie was oppressively tense the entire time, I loved it.
The movie was so beautifully shot as well. Transition shots from day to night, integration with the model house in the beginning, it was just so good.
Take the time out of your week to see this masterpiece of film. The trailer called it The Exorcist of my generation, and I'm willing to give it that title. It's a film that broke some rules, and wasn't afraid to get it's hands dirty, and it worked for it so well.
Obviously though, don't be ignorant, you kinds shouldn't watch this. I was at a midnight showing and there were kinds under the age of 10 there. You may know you kids, but don't take them to this.
Lords Of Salem
I really wanted to love this movie, but there's a couple things I just couldn't get past
The main story arc, what with the title cards announcing the day, really felt like The Shining. The vibes I got from that were really solid, and it just built tension the whole time. All in all I loved the beginning and middle.
The end was where it lost me though. I know Rob isn't one to have happy endings in his movies, but the visuals of the end just weren't my cup of tea. Far too many naked people for my blood.
Rob Zombie get's a bad rap about his movies, but I honestly don't think he's too bad. Give him a chance, just not on this one.
Sequence Break
In a movie that's 80 minutes I shouldn't be waiting for something to happen at the 40 minute point, or the 56 minute point still trying to figure out what's happening.
The movie was an absolute chore to get through, I'm not sure what they were going for when they made it. The "twist" was incredibly predictable, the plot was impossible to follow, and it wasn't interesting at all.
I understand that they were going for a much more specific feeling in this, but I don't feel they hit the mark. Maybe I'm not the intended audience.
I recommend that you skip this one.
P2
A very well done horror film. One thing I'm always appreciative of is when a movie can work with very few sets, and very few actors.
P2 works with the single setting of a parking garage and 2 characters. There are a couple side people here and there, but for the most part you only have 1 terrifying stalker to keep track of.
The movie does an amazing job at highlighting someone who just doesn't understand what's going wrong with the situation. He continually asks "Why are you doing this?" while his victim tries to escape, clearly not realizing he's in the wrong.
Wonderful time, I heavily recommend it.
The Cottage
There's some times that I really enjoy horror with a comedy undertone (Dead Shack, Cabin In The Woods), but then there's times I don't like it as much. This would be one of those examples.
There were moments where I thought this would be a serious movie, but after the first 8 minutes I kinda killed that vibe.
The movie works, but you need to walk into it knowing it's a joke film.
You're Next
This movie is everything I want out of a home invasion movie. It has violence, a lot of victims, and an actually competent cast of characters. Well, one of them is at least.
You get believable weird family dynamics too. From the brothers Crispian and Drake arguing about who's the better man to the daughter Aimee saying "You never give me credit for anything (spoiler)", you get the idea that none of these people really care about each other.
There's a couple good jumps to the movie, but more importantly the death moments are very intense. The whole thing brings a light in the dark feeling with how one of the characters really helps rally the family and get to that happy ending we all know comes from every horror movie.
No joke though, it's a pretty brutal movie, don't watch if you aren't ready for some blood.
Bedeviled
Let's get this out of the way right now, this is an awful movie. The whole thing is basically a really bad interpretation of Nightmare on Elm Street, and it's really not worth your time to watch, like, at all.
However, it is pretty fun to watch when you have a good commentary track to run parallel to it! A horror based YouTuber called Dead Meat did a commentary to listen to while watching this burning trash heap of a movie. It 100% makes it better, honestly. Bearable at least
Please don't waste your time watching this seriously though. It's a good movie to riff on, but that's literally all.
10 Cloverfield Lane
It took me long enough, buy I finally watched 10 Cloverfield Lane.
I'm so happy with how this movie progressed. They didn't answer every question that they could have, and I think that lent itself to the story.
The whole thing highlights the dread of what if the world ends and you have no idea who you're trapped with. The whole thing is an exercise of suspense that John Goodman pulls off beautifully. I had no idea what all my expectations were based off of, but it lived up to almost all of them.
It even ended well, so there's that.
Creep
This movie was horrifically tense. I loved the pacing of the whole movie, and it was one of the few movies to give me a genuine sense of unease the entire time.
I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll hit minimal points.
The whole thing is shot in the found footage format. Usually, I don't like that, but this one really worked well.
Secondly, you never know throughout the movie exactly how it'll end. That made it really great in my opinion.
The only bad part is that it relied a little heavily on jumpscares for it's scare moments.
He Never Died
I love movies with black humor, and this movie has loads of it.
It follows the story of a mysterious man who, quite frankly, seems to be a little slow. As it goes on though you quickly will realize why that is.
It's a fun story though. You get a nifty idea of what it might be like for an immortal being who was stuck on earth. They work in a lot of cool little historical stuff to connect the dude to.
I 100% advise you watch this. There's some violence and such but it's so funny, just such a good time.
It Follows
I had avoided this movie because I really didn't think it was going to be too great. The Netflix description was just something about "a monster that can only be passed on with sex" which sounded like a really trashy movie.
Turns out the concept of what is essentially an STD monster is actually super tense. The gist of it is the monster can only walk, it never moves faster than a walk. It also only tracks a single person at a time, though if it gets you it works back in the line of intercourse.
There is nudity in this movie (surprise?), but it's never featured sexually. You really get a super uncomfortable rapey vibe from the monster, it's not a good time at all.
I recommend watching it if you're a fan of stalker type horror movies.