Inside The Thorn Trilogy: Halloween 6 Producer's Cut

Welcome back everyone. Here we are with the last chapter of The Thorn Trilogy. So far, it's been quite a journey. We had The Return of Michael Myers in 4. It was very much a back to basics approach for the franchise. Then they followed it up with The Revenge of Michael Myers. This was a bit of a mess of a film. I understand that there are people that like it. But my biggest complaint is Tina and the humor in the film. Honestly, it wouldn't feel out of place in a Friday the 13th film. 

As much as I'd like to just forget it, I can't. It has some things that would factor into the next film. But it was because of the disappointment with 5 that led to the franchise being stuck in limbo six years. Akkad wanted 6 to have a good story behind it. One that would be respectful of the franchise and not like 5.  Unfortunately the film would then be made by Miramax and Dimension. And that meant the Weinsteins had a hand in things. 

Now, Halloween 6 is a very interesting film. The film was made and then the studio got to see an early cut of it. They hated it. It didn't fit what they were expecting from a Halloween movie. There was also some test screenings that didn't have much good things to say about that flick. So instead of going with their gut, the studio - well The Weinsteins wanted to double down on their investment with this franchise. Thus, reshots were completed and a different flavor was added to make the theatrical cut of Halloween 6. Got it?

Okay, so here's a note I'd like to make. Here on out when I'm referring to the theatrical cut, it'll be called The Weinstein Cut. I also had a couple moments where I was trying to figure out if I should appeal to one cut or the other. Should I review both of them? Well, ultimately I decided that I would be covering The Producers Cut. I have seen The Weinstein Cut. But it just doesn't sit right with me. The Weinstein Cut also doubles down on the slasher formula. 

The interesting thing about either Halloween 6 is that neither cut gets picked up again in the franchise. After Halloween 6, they chose to make Halloween H20 which ignored the continuity of The Thorn Trilogy. So either ending could be considered an ending for this trilogy. It just depends on the viewer. Personally, I will take the Producers Cut ending over The Weinstein Cut anyday. 

The story of The Curse of Myers goes like this:

Six years ago, Michael Myers terrorized the town of Haddonfield, Illinois. He and his niece, Jamie Lloyd, have disappeared. Jamie was kidnapped by a bunch of evil druids who protect Michael Myers. And now, six years later, Jamie has escaped after giving birth to a child. She runs to Haddonfield to get Dr. Loomis to help her again. Meanwhile, the family that adopted Laurie Strode is living in the Myers house and are being stalked by Myers. It's the curse of thorn that Michael is possessed by that makes him kill his family. And it's up to Tommy Doyle and Dr. Loomis, to stop them all.

How does the film hold up? 

Honestly, I enjoy this film a lot. It's a lot better than Halloween 5 for sure. It does ask us to take some liberties with the lore. Actually, Halloween 6 asks a lot to be done with the lore. Now it may seem like it comes out of nowhere. It actually doesn't come out of nowhere. The whole mythology with the evil of Michael being tied into Samhain. That actually is something that is touched on the original Halloween novelization. In fact, the original Halloween novelization gives us more insight with young Michael and him hearing voices. It ties into there being a history of males in Michael's family having outbursts or fits of violence. That's something that ties in 100 percent to The Producer's Cut. Knowing those things from the original, it helps elevate the material. 

Now, I understand the whole Cult of Thorn is a big hot topic. But come on, we had to explain who the Man in Black is. It makes sense that this whole occultism was a natural evolution of that lingering storyline. 

The Producer's Cut and The Weinstein Cut definitely differ in their handling of the material. The Producer's Cut is a bit more closer to the tone of the original. It feels very much a better continuation than The Weinstein Cut. It's a bit more cerebral. It's a bit more old school horror in a sense. There's a lot of tension as well. There's also a bit of a touch of Rosemary's Baby in it. Whereas The Weinstein Cut is very much doubling down on the 90s horror athestic. The precedent being that less focus on the cult and more on the blood, gore and kills. However, the film kind of loses itself if it's just trying to focus more on the kills. Lots of flash with its style. 

The Producer's Cut also had more of Loomis. It was the version that was shot first. And as we all know, Donald Pleasance passed away before there was reshoots. So, they were a bit limited with the footage available. It honestly was a bit of a shame that Pleasance passed. Because I can guarantee that he would have fought tooth and nail with them against the reshoots. He loved his character and embodied it so much. This was his farewell and The Weinstein Cut definitely fumbles it so much. The ending in the Producer's Cut is both a very fitting yet tragic way of having the character go out: becoming Michael's keeper. 

We have The Strodes returning in this film. Well, Laurie's adopted cousins. It's a nice touch that definitely expands the world established in these films. It's interesting seeing that The Strode Realty business was still around. Kara is definitely a very Laurie-like character. Young Danny is also very much familiar as he feels like a young Michael. Honestly the icing on the cake is that they live in the old Myers House. It makes sense that Laurie's adopted father would never be able to sell the house after the events of the original film. 

The Producer's Cut just oozes the feeling of the original film. It's colors are a bit muted and cold. The Weinstein Cut made sure to make things feel warmer. Which that definitely is the anti-Halloween feeling. Just another example of the studio not understanding the franchise. 

The handling of Jamie is something that is much better in The Producer's Cut. In The Weinstein Cut, they were quick to establish Jamie then two seconds later kill her off. It's a big disservice to fans of the franchise to just fridge a beloved character so quickly. I mean she doesn't necessarily survive in The Producer's Cut. But she makes it to the halfway mark before The Man in Black kills her off. It's a bit more tragic. 

Jamie's baby. That's something that could become a large hot topic. In the Weinstein Cut, it's not really established who the father is. She just has a baby because The Thorn Cult was messing with science and such. It's really messy. In the Producer's Cut, there's a flashback to the event where Jamie is impregnated and Michael happens to be there during the ceremony. It's very much a Rosemary's Baby scene. So more of less, it could be suggested that it's Michael's baby. Or it could be one of the random cultists. So again, it's something that could be a massive hot take. 

Honestly, the whole Cult of Thorn is something that is much more fleshed out in The Producer's Cut. It actually has a purpose. It's there to pass the evil of Michael to a new generation. Nothing with science and experimenting crap. Just simple occultism. 

The Man In Black. It was a bit of a throwaway character in Halloween 5. It was there to just be a reason for Michael to escape in the end. This film takes that and establishes so much. It calls back to the original film with its reveal of it being Doctor Wynn. With this revelation, it establishes that the Man In Black is Michael's keeper. It ultimately makes Doctor Wynn the Anti-Loomis. That's something that would be used in Halloween 2018 with the character of Doctor Sartain. 

I know this whole thing may sound a bit all over the place. Halloween 6 is just a film that has a lot going on. It goes even further with there being two versions of it. Personally, I love The Producer's Cut more than the Weinstein Cut. It just hits the right notes more with feeling part of the franchise's established world and lore. Is it the best in the franchise? No. Is it better than 5? Considering that with 5, they wrote themselves into a corner. The Producer's Cut is honestly probably the best way that they could have ended this trilogy of films. Yeah, it was hoping to be able to go on with it's ending. But after this, we got Halloween H20. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5. (Better than 5, unfortunately best could be done with the circumstances given. Producer's Cut over the Weinstein Cut.)

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Inside The Thorn Trilogy: Halloween 5

After the success of Halloween 4, the studio quickly wanted capitalize on it. It probably helped that Moustapha Akkad was also wanting more Michael Myers on the screen. Akkad is definitely one of the heroes of this franchise. He kept things going for a while and was pretty consistent in his appreciation for the character and franchise. 

So with the franchise train a-rollin, it made complete sense from a business point to make another film. Plus the fanbase was pretty happy with the fourth film. What could go wrong?

First off, let's take a look at the sypnosis. It's one year later after the events of Halloween 4. Michael survives the shootings and on October 31st he returns with a vengeance. Lurking and stalking, Jamie, Rachel, and Rachel's friends, Michael forms a plan to lure Jamie out of the children's hospital where events lead up to the confrontation at the Myers house. Halloween 5 is a dark, thrill ride that will scare the heck out of you!

That sypnosis sets up a lot of misconceptions with the film. Least the way I look at the film, it feels like a misrepresentation of it. Is it more Michael Myers? Check. Dark thrill ride? Did we watch the same movie? Is Halloween 5 a dark thrill ride? Hell no it's not. And will it scare the heck out of you? Again, no it will not.

Halloween 5 had a lot to do. I mean look at the ending of 4. It literally had Jamie dressed in full clown costume and taking a knife or scissors to her adopted mother. That's a big freaking thing to have to deal with. I mean Friday the 13th had to deal with that thing twice - Part 4 and 5's endings with Tommy Jarvis. That franchise ignored those endings and continued on their way. 

Going back to Halloween 5, what do they do? They wrote it away. Jamie has been staying at a children's hospital after the events of the last film. Oh and Jamie's a mute now. We do have Rachel returning to visit Jamie. However, she brings her friend Tina to visit. When Tina's introduced, I wanted to punch her. She is a character that I very much dislike. She is a complete chariacture of a character. She's goofy and acts zany to make Jamie smile. But for the most part, she's treated as a bit of a humorous character. There's also the two cops. They have a frickin track that follows them round making zany noises and such. That's not dark. That's not thrilling. It's a bit of humor to lighten the film.

At this point, I will say that the film could be considered to be a parody of a Halloween film. Loomis is completely batshot crazy. He uses Jamie as bait to bring Michael out. What the hell Loomis? Why endanger a child? If this film was a bit more of a satire of a Halloween film, then it makes sense why we have Tina and the Looney tunes cops. That would be bit understandable. Is it good? No. It honestly makes it a bit meh. 

The character of Rachel. She is so vastly underused in the film. Quickly, she is basically fridged in order to further the tension for Jamie. Without Rachel, how is Jamie going to protect herself? Well, that's the film you signed up for. It feels like they had a checklist of things that carried over that they were quick to get rid of. I mean yeah, Tina could try to protect Jamie..but she's not exactly competent. The loss of Rachel ultimately hindered this film so much. 

Then we have The Man In Black. There was such a mystery as to who it was. Again, if this would have been done today - they would have known the identity all the way back in Halloween 4 and introduced them too. Largely, they just didn't know what to do with Man in Black. It's just a figure that is shown in brief scenes to establish their presence and then save Michael in the end and kidnap Jamie.

That ending is a bit of a dark ending. Because we don't have Jamie getting away. She is grabbed by that Man In Black. So in a sense, Michael wins as he escapes with the Man in Black. That's just crazy. 

Overall, Part 5 is a bit of a meh in The Thorn Trilogy. It's definitely a product of a rushed production. If they had more time, they may have done a bit better with the writing. The actors do okay with what they are given, which wasn't much. 

Rating: 2 out of 5. 

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31 on 31 for Halloween Day 18: It Follows

I remember when It Follows was released in 2014. It was a bit of a big movie. No one had seen anything like it at that point or ever since. It was just so pure in it's horror. And the world just took it all in. 

Looking back at it seven years later, it's weird. The film was a success. I mean it's budget was a million. It made roughly twenty three million. So why? Why didn't we ever receive a sequel? There could have been a sequel where they dived more into the lore of 'IT'. Honestly, can we please get a sequel? There is still much more to the story that can be told. 

Going back on track, the story of It Follows is so so simple. That may be why the film is unique and still so good. And definitely a film that don't want to see forgotten. 

For nineteen-year-old Jay, Autumn should be about school, boys and week-ends out at the lake. But after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, she finds herself plagued by strange visions and the inescapable sense that someone, something, is following her. Faced with this burden, Jay and her friends must find a way to escape the horrors, that seem to be only a few steps behind.

Now, the sypnosis cannot express how creepy this film is. It is fueled in just tension that was featured heavily in 70s and 80s films. From the opening moment to the final shot of the film, I was livid with terror. I cannot explain why. 

It might be because the camera work in this film is like no other either. The camera will just linger on shots at times. The lingering just ramps the tension because cannot figure out what's going to happen next. Or to figure out where 'IT' is going to come from next. Thinking more on it, the camera work was very distinctly dreamlike. So then, it became a bit of a time to figure out if maybe it was actually a dream. Guess that's a good reason why this film is a psychological horror.

'IT'. The title force. What is it? We don't know. We are never fully given an answer as to what it is. Thats definitely why the film works so well. Because of the mystery of the unknown, it allows us to try and stay a step ahead. Or the very least figure out what are the rules. But the rule is simple: Stay moving. Don't look behind. Trust no thing.  There is also no set form for this force. It's so unsettling because we see so many different things represent it in the film. The most striking one I can remember is just this tall lanky man that was a bit of a behemoth just moving through the doorway after Jay. It's very quick and early on. It definitely set the tone.

Now, the actors and actresses are incredible. From the first moment, everyone in this film brings their A-game. You immediately have an idea of who these characters are. With a lot of them, I found myself liking them and quickly feared what was going to happen to them. If I had to compare the cast to that of another film, I would say it feels very Nightmare on Elm Street-ish. 

This is a film that doesn't come very often. I would definitely consider it to be a bit of a cult classic at this point. It's one that definitely hit with me as it's one I tend to revisit every once in awhile. Or if I find it on TV, I won't turn it off and just let it run. Its still terrifying and holds up so well. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. 

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Into The Thorn Trilogy Part 1: Halloween 4 (1988)

After the release of Halloween II, there wasn't much left that could happen with Michael. I mean it's pretty cut and dry what happened at the end of II, Michael was blinded then blown the hell up. And Loomis also went down in a blaze of glory. 

At this point when they went on to Halloween III, it was time to do something new. It would be an attempt to bring a more anthological approach to this film series. Each film could finally be it's own story. Many would flock to it and see how awesome it would be. 

Oh...wait...this just in. When Halloween III released, it was a bomb. People went to the film and came away disappointed that there was no Michael and upset that this was different. No, certainly people wouldn't be that upset. Oh, they were. Huh. Eventually Halloween III has found it's audience nowadays. But back then, it led to the film series being thrown into a hiatus for a while.

Then in 1988 for the ten year anniversary, Michael returned to the big screen with Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. It was something to be excited about for sure. Here, we were going to discover just how exactly Michael had survived the events of Halloween II. Oh, Michael was in a ten year coma and recovering from some pretty serious burns in custody. And Loomis walked away with a burn on the hand and a little bit of a gnarly face scar. Okay. It makes sense to me. 

Now, I am not going to rag on Halloween 4...much. If I do, it's because the film deserves it. Also there will be SPOILERS. This is a film from 1988. If you think there will not be spoilers, then I apologize for disappointing with this retrospective. 

Back on track, Halloween 4 had a lot to do. It had to reintroduce Michael and Haddonfield to the world. In one sense, it honestly served the same purpose that Halloween 2018 did. There are some people that just generally don't like Halloween 4. I can understand their reasons. I respect their reasons. 

However, Halloween 4 is a pretty solid flick. It just oozes the fall atmosphere. It's even more evident with its opening titles. It's so good. If you don't believe me, go YouTube it and you'll see. The original Halloween felt like it took place around then. But it was missing that atmosphere that the spooky season has. 

In my opinion, Halloween 4 is also much better than Halloween II. Yes, we have a child in the film. It's interesting that they decided to tackle this approach as it also feels very The Final Chapter-ish. I appreciate that they tried to least tie Jamie to Laurie. Danielle Harris does a solid job with her performance. Again, some may consider it to be annoying or bad. But come on, it's a child dealing with Michael. Ellie Cornell also delivers a great performance as Jamie's adopted sister, Rachel. Rachel feels a bit like Laurie. She's got a tool of a boyfriend (is it Grady?) that she discovers cheating on her. How much of a tool is this guy. I mean he'd rather hook up with the Sheriff's daughter because she's a bit more outgoing with what she's interested in. That's pretty low considering how much Rachel has on her plate to begin with. She's practically raising Jamie as I have a hard time remembering that we see her parents outside the ending. Then there's Dr. Loomis. At this point, we all know how great Donald Pleasance is. It's not surprising that he does a solid job in this installment as he's basically retreading some familiar ground from the original film. Then there's the rest of the cast for the people of Haddonfield. Everyone does an okay job. It's interesting seeing a mob coming after Michael. I'm sure we will never see anything like this again...

Ultimately, the story of Halloween 4 is a bit back to basics. That's not a bad thing at all. It actually helps the film with its pacing. And after the bombing and response to Halloween III, it's understandable that was the direction they decided to go in. Go with what works and if it ain't broke, why fix it. This is an approach that would ultimately be utilized in the subsequent sequels. However by the time it reached Resurrection, it was old hat and had jumped the shark faster than you could say Busta Rhymes.

The colors of this film are so good. There's an amber shine to the days. At night, it's the cold blues. It's so representative with the feeling of fall and Halloween. There was some of this in the original film. However it seems to be amplified in 4 compared to the original. 

And this is all because the director Dwight H. Little did extensive research on the history of Halloween. The film just oozes the love that he has for the holiday. Especially during that title sequence where there's so much imagery that honestly makes this the definitive title sequence for me. 

An interesting thing that I learned while researching this film was the writer's strike of 1988. Alan B. McElroy had to spare no time and write the film quickly. He managed to complete that initial draft in eleven days beating out the beginning of the Writer's Strike. This was also the first film that Michael Myers is credited with his name instead of The Shape.

It was also the first time that the Myers house was not used. 

Now I wanted to dive into something that may be a bit questionable. I wanted to discuss the elephant in the room. The Man in Black. The next two films featured the infamous Man in Black. It largely became known that these three films would become the infamous Thorn trilogy. I honestly wish that they would have had some foresight to introduce him in this film. It didn't have to be much. It could have just been something very small to set up that he's out there. It would have actually made 4's ending make a lot of sense with Jamie in the clown costume and scissors. It was because The Thorn cult had an influence with it. But that's getting ahead of myself.

The kills in Halloween 4 are good. There's some interesting ones. I know the ones that I always remember are Michael putting his thumb through the doctor's head and the other being Michael pinning a girl to the wall with a shotgun. Other than those, the film is a bit back to basics with its kills. Michael stabs or slashes his way through town. 

This back to basics approach that I keep referencing even goes down to the structure. First act - establish Michael escaping and being pursued by Loomis, Jamie and Rachel's life in Haddonfield. Second act - Loomis travelling, Michael hunting, drama with Rachel and Jamie's life. Third act - Michael pursuing Rachel and Jamie while Loomis attempts to stop him. It's very much the structure of the original Halloween. There is some aspects that are definitely an improvement. First off, it makes sense that the townspeople of Haddonfield wouldn't stand by. They would want to defend their town and such. So the featuring of mobs is pretty nice addition. It even results in a cool chase scene with Michael on top of a truck while Jamie and Rachel are inside the cab of it. Their poor driver meeting his maker. 

Ultimately, I feel like this was a fine addition to the franchise. It was the reboot the fans were asking for after Halloween III. It sets things up really well and delivers on tension. I personally enjoy it more than Halloween II and will always watch it more. This is also an essential view for those cool fall days that we love during the spooky season.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5. 

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31 on 31 for Halloween Day 17: My Bloody Valentine (2009)

SPOILERS: THIS REVIEW WILL HAVE SPOILERS. IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED FOR SPOILERS, TURN AWAY NOW AND COME BACK AFTER SEEN THE FILM. OKAY? LET'S GO!

The original My Bloody Valentine was a film that was a bit underrated. It was released in 1981 and not many people had seen it at the time. Over the years, it has become a bit of a classic. It's very understandable to see why. The Miner is just such a cool idea for a Slasher. 

Now back in 2009, Patrick Lussier had directed a few films (Dracula 2000 trilogy and White Noise 2). But he would get a bit of a bigger chance when he and Todd Farmer teamed up to bring a new vision to the legend of Harry Warden. It would usher in a bit of new age of 3D films as well. Personally, I was ecstatic when I had heard he was behind it.

My Bloody Valentine 3D, as it was released as, was another entry in remakes and reimaginings. But the very cool thing is that it also broke new ground. It wasn't keen on just being a rehash of the original film. They wanted to take similar ideas and literally tell what could have happened next. And that is something that is really good as it helps the film stand out.

My Bloody Valentine 3D was released in February of 2009. It would end up going up against another slasher - Friday the 13th (2009). The interesting thing is the cast as both films had the Winchester Brothers (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles). I remember when these were released that My Bloody Valentine beat out Friday the 13th (2009). 

The film opens with a title sequence that literally launches us into the world and sets the ground work with exposition. A mining crew is trapped in a cave in after Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles) made a mistake. Harry Warden was the sole survivor of it and had been in a coma. On the night of Valentine's Day, Warden wakes up and leaves a huge amount of bodies in his wake. Quickly pursuing Warden is Sheriff Tom Atkins. It all leads to the Valentine's party that was being held at the mine. Warden goes after Tom, Tom's girlfriend Sarah and their friend Axel. I use the term friend loosely as Axel is a bit of a douche towards Tom. 

Ten years later, Tom returns home after his father passes and leaves him the mine. Tom just wants to sell the mine and be on his way. But he's not the only one returning as Warden also has returned. He's continuing his rampage and murders from years earlier. But things have changed while Tom was away, Sarah and Axel married. Axel also is now the Sheriff of the town as well. 

Now, I love this film. It is one that I know has some issues. There's probably some story issues. But it's fun. It moves as a good pace. The characters are all solid as the actors and actresses bring their A-game. It's easy to see that they put their all in the film. The film also doesn't take itself seriously as there is some camp in it. I mean this is the film that had a woman run around in the buff while being chased by Harry Warden. Normally that would be considered ridiculous. Here, its a bit camp. 

Jensen Ackles delivers such a fantastic performance. I really wish that this film would have taken off. Because it would been nice to see a sequel. By the end of the film, I was so floored by Ackles transformation in his role. At first, I enjoyed him as Tom. He was just coming to grips of returning home and he's just unsure of what to make of life. Honestly, his performance at first is a likeable guy. But when he transforms into Harry Warden, it's a whole nother character. He's cold and calculating. He has no qualms about who he attacks if they get in his way. It's just so good. 

Jaime King is Sarah Palmer. She delivers a pretty solid performance. At first, she could be seen as the damsel in distress. But she's got a bit of a backbone to her and some fight. She's not going to take things lying down. This is a bit of an improvement over the original for sure. Honestly, Jaime King has delivered quite a few good performances in the horror genre. She's one of the reasons that I enjoyed Silent Night 2012. 

Kerr Smith is Axel. Now, at first, he's a douche. Typical alpha male bullshit. However, there is some layers to his performance. It's interesting seeing his caring for his family. Unfortunately that comes too late as he's already revealed to be a cheating scumbag. He does a good job with what he's given. There is a lot of red herring with Axel. That's totally understandable as Axel is the Miner in the original film. 

Also there's Tom Atkins basically playing himself. He does a great job. It honestly left me wanting more of his character in the film. But he has one of the most memorable deaths in the film.

While some would be quick to label this a remake, I'd consider it a reimagining. And it delivers solid. There is a bit of gore in this film. Actually there's a lot. In one instance, hospital walls are layers with blood. For the most part, there are a few deaths that are unique. The biggest standout is Tom Atkins getting the pickaxe threw the jaw and then ripping the jaw off. It's so visceral.

My Bloody Valentine is a solid film. It was a bit ahead of it's time. But it's a bit of a fun rollercoaster. Whenever I don't know what to watch, I'll usually throw it on as I find it an interesting watch. It's just a bit disappointing that we never received a sequel. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. 

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American Horror Story Season 10 Part 1: Red Tide - A Few Thoughts

It had been known for some time that American Horror Story tenth season would consist of two stories. Red Tide would be the first six episodes and then Death Valley would be the last four. It's definitely an interesting decision that shakes up the status quo. 

Typically, an American Horror Story would be one central story consisting of ten episodes. In the beginning there was a larger episode count. However they managed to find the sweet spot with ten episode count. Personally, I would have preferred a bit more episodes in Season 9 - 1984. If only because I loved the camp slasher setting. 

Now, this past week we saw the end of Red Tide. This season was all about 'vampires'. For the most part, I like the way they handled it. Ryan Murphy and his crew did their own take. I mean for the most part, it handles the theme of addiction very well. Especially because it all revolves around a little black pill. This little pill unlocks your amazing gifts or turns you into a mindless creature looking for it's next meal. That's a very strong concept.

However, there were a time or two that I rolled my eyes. It all ended up coming down to some characters. Now, if I dove into everything - this would be a long article. So I'll highlight some things. 

The daughter. She was very sweet in the beginning. However because she wants to prove herself so much, she allows herself to be lost. And left in her place is a complete monster. I mean she terrorized her mother so much. Come on Alma, you didn't need to go that far. It came down to a few times that I wanted her smacked. Not sure if it was intended for her to be a pain or not. 

Harry Gardner. He had such good intentions. Take the pill. Write lots of content. Then stop. But good intentions pave the way for hell. And boy do they here. First of all, he loses himself. He loses himself because he wants so much to be good. He wants the fame and recognition. Then it came to endangering his family further because he couldn't stop. If he cared about his family, he would have kept track of the pills. By the end, he's just so lost and doesn't know how to get back. There honestly was no way things would end well because he had already lost everything. He just hadn't realized it yet. 

Belle and Austin. These two were portrayed as being the big bads of the season. Oh, they are so terrible cause they do such terrible acts. They got Harry's feet wet with everything going on. No. They were just there. They weren't the bad guys. Yeah, Belle ate a baby or two. That's terribly monstrous. But honestly, Harry was far worse. Belle and Austin were just there to dislike. 

Mickey was another standout for this season. His character was so good. He was in a terrible spot with life. I mean literally rock bottom. However, his journey was so entrancing. I found myself hoping for a good ending for him. It's honestly all credit to Macaulay Culkin's performance. He's so likeable and has such acting chops. My personal standout for the season by far. 

Now, I know this wasn't everything. There was so much that could be discussed. This was just a few of my thoughts. If you liked the season, let me know what it was you liked. If you disliked, well let me know that too. 

Honestly, season ten feels a bit off. It probably has to do with the fact that we had a whole season of anthology episodes in American Horror Stories already. And so far, Season Ten feels like it is an extension of that. 

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Beware the Depths: Underwater (2020)

2020 was a rough year. It was the year where we were forced to lose a year. It's still crazy to think that and realize just how much this pandemic has effected us. Thankfully, we are slowly bouncing back from it. 

While staying home, I have had lots of time to just watch movies. It honestly helped me get back into the mindset of wanting to see this blog through. And it just took me undergoing dental surgery to finally just say screw it and go all in. 

I had the chance to watch Underwater. Underwater was directed by William Eubank and starred Kristen Stewart. Hey, I know she's from the Twilight movies. But honestly her and Robert Pattinson have done some great things since those early days. Underwater was also the last film that would see release under the 20th Century Fox banner as the buyout had gone through. 

Now, one of the things I learned from researching this film was that it was shot in 2017. It literally took three years and a studio buyout for it to see release. Absolutely bonkers to think on that one. But honestly, I am glad that it was released. 

So the story of Underwater goes like this:

An unknown, massive earthquake happens in a drilling station in the bottom of the Marianna Trench. A scientific crew must find their way across the ocean floor into another station under the threats of deep pressure, dark water, dangerous deep-sea creatures, and a constant lack of oxygen.

Honestly one of the things that I love about this film is the simple setup. Partially it feels a bit like a throwback to Ridley Scott's ALIEN. Personally, I would say that this is on par with that film. I'm super happy that the studio hasn't remade ALIEN because we might not have gotten this film. 

The setting is also so unique. Instead of being out among the stars, we are locked into the depths of the deep sea. That is something that is so terrifying to think about. It adds so much tension to the film. It's also very interesting that we never see anything other than the ocean. Not once are we taken up top to see what was happening. We are locked in this journey alongside our characters. 

Onto the topic of characters, our main one is Norah Price (Kristen Stewart). She is our Ripley in a sense. Honestly, we are not given much background details for any of our characters. We get a few basic ones. But for the most part, it's here's our characters and let's go. That helps create a very tight pace for the film. There's also another film that I can think of that does a similar thing and that's Pitch Black. But back on topic, Norah is a very likeable character. Stewart really delivers such a great performance that I was very surprised with. She definitely takes charge when she needs to. She also will jump in to help someone when they need it. Outside of that, I honestly could not tell you too much about the other characters. I know T.J. Miller has a rabbit. 

But I think that's totally deliberate. It allows us to immediately bond with Norah and experience this journey through her point of view. It's actually a bit of a bold choice to do.

Now, there are some creatures in this film. I'm not going to spoil anything. That's not what this review is. But the creatures are fantastic. They are all so believable that they would be found down in this environment. Which for the most part the environment was created in the computer. That is super cool. It helps add such a unique flavor to the film overall. The creatures are a bit creepy as well. And it leads to some tense sequences. 

This film is just so different than much I have seen before. Well especially these days as many films all could feel like one another and be interchangeable. This film has a voice. When it was first released, it wasn't a huge release. It wasn't super successful. However, I think it's because it is a bit ahead of it's time. By the end of it all, I just kept finding myself hoping that we could see a sequel. There's so many different ways it could be taken. And it's kinda rare to have a film that immediately screams out 'Need a sequel'. 

I highly recommend Underwater. Don't watch a preview. Don't find out anything about it beforehand. Go in with an open mind and blind. It's the best way to experience it. I ended up just buying it from my Family Video when they were closing because had heard it was good. It was a fantastic journey. 

Please studios let films like this be able to tell more of their stories. We would love to be able to return to the world's that are set up. 

Rating: 5 out of 5. 

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The Night That Never Ends: Halloween II (1981)

When Halloween released in 1978, who could have predicted it would have been a huge success as it was? Honestly, I don't think anyone could have predicted it. It was lightning in a bottle. An amazing film. 

What do you think the next thing the studio thought? I can immediately hear them asking "How can we capitalize on the success?". This was something that probably led them to think bout for a little bit. Back then, Hollywood was very different. It wasn't immediately known that Halloween would get a sequel.

Halloween II was released in 1981. While Carpenter would return to write the script with Debra Hill, he did not return to direct. Rick Rosenthal would be the one to step behind the camera. This led the film to feel like a natural continuation of the '78 film.

First of all, one of the good things about Halloween II is that continuity with the first film. It's more of the night that never ends. A great instance of this is seeing a character that was only mentioned in the first film - Ben Tramer. I mean it sucks that he has terrible luck and his night is so explosive. But it's pretty neat callback. 

However, there isn't much else for me that I like. I mean yeah, we get more of the characters that we love - Dr. Loomis, more Sheriff Brackett and Marion (the nurse from the Smithsgrove escape). But overall, this to me feels a bit less. Especially in comparison to that original film. It feels like they were trying so hard to recapture the magic that was behind the first one.

The setting is Haddonfield Memorial. A hospital could be a very good setting for a horror film. However in the film, it comes off as drab and like there isn't much to it. Yeah, it's late on Halloween night - but wouldn't there be more staff than just the few that are shown? Onto the topic of the hospital staff, there isn't much that differentiates one from another. They all feel a bit cookie cutter and like they are filler to be killed by Michael. 

The tone is a bit different from the original. Now that we know what's going on, the tone becomes that of ultimately a generic slasher. For me, I could see any other kind of slasher switch out with Michael and it'd result in a similar film. This just goes further that they were trying to capitalize on the slasher boom that really came into it's own with Friday the 13th. 

Laurie Strode. It was super important to include her right? Honestly, no. She's not really utilized till the final act of the film. Outside of that, she's bedridden and asleep. That's a bit of a waste of her character. 

While this continues the story from the original Halloween, Halloween II is a bit of a by the numbers slasher that ups the gore. It doesn't take too many risks. I mean the biggest risk they did was making Laurie Michael's sister. Though, the ending is an explosive one for sure..it created issues for the franchise down the road. 

Rating: 3 out of 5. 

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31 on 31 for Halloween Day 16: The Belko Experiment

Welcome back to 31 on 31. Whose ready for the spooky season? We are almost there my friends. Who has been enjoying the 31 on 31 for Halloween so far? If you have, please leave a comment on Twitter, Facebook or even on this article. 

Earlier this week, I covered Joe Lynch's Mayhem. It is a super fun film that is just balls to the wall. Now this genre of horror is what I would consider to be Office Horror. If Mayhem is on one end of the spectrum, The Belko Experiment would be on the opposite end. 

Today, I had the chance to revisit the film. In my memory, I kept putting both films together. But again, different ends of the spectrum for sure. The Belko Experiment was written by James Gunn and directed by Greg McLean. Now, we all know James Gunn. He wrote Dawn of the Dead '04 and was behind Slither. Then he got to tell some wonderful stories about the ragtag group of a-holes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Greg McLean, however, was a bit of a lesser name for me. But one of the films that remember him directing was the fantastic Wolf Creek. This team of Gunn and McLean is really awesome. They definitely helped make this film one to remember. 

When I initially had seen the film, I loved it. A story about 80 workers locked in an office building in South America and being told they would have to participate in a game of kill or be killed. The mashup of the office world with the battle royale is kinda refreshing. 

Now, before you start thinking that this is fast paced. It's a bit of a slower burn than Mayhem. That's something that works in the film's favor as it crafts a unique story. It gives us some time with the characters so that we can find some that we care about. It also makes sure we spend some time with characters that we will grow to hate.

This film is stacked in terms of it's casting. First off, we have Tony Goldwyn. At first, I immediately assumed he was going to be the bad guy. The reason being that typically he's cast as a bad guy. Plus you know, he was terrible in the Swayze movie Ghost. In this film, he has a very strong intimidating boss presence to his character. Next up is John C. McGinley. Yeah, it's Dr. Cox from Scrubs but don't forget he was in Stan Against Evil. That show was fantastic and was cancelled before it could get it's due. Typically, I just know him as a bit of a likeable guy. Here, nah. He gets to enjoy playing a horrible person. And then there's Owain Yeoman. He makes up the last of the three initial bad guys in the film. All three of them are a bit likeable. But they all have a reason to want to murder their coworkers - to get home to their families. However as the situation gets more desperate, the darker they become. Definitely some of memorable performances from these three. 

On the opposition, we have John Gallagher Jr. He is our everyman. He is the audience in a way. He wants to be able to make it out of this along with his wife (?). Outside of this film, there hasn't been much I've seen him in. However, he delivers a great performance here. 

I could go on about other actors and actresses. Because this is such a star studded cast. Literally everywhere you look you find someone you know. Or a there will be a character that you will like. You will even find some actors from the James Gunn usual suspects (Michael Roller, Sean Gunn and David Mastachilan). 

Now the further the film moves along, the more insane things get. It's absolutely bonkers. There is even a scene that honestly wouldn't been out of place in The Suicide Squad. I mean who would sign up to work for a company that requires trackers implanted in your head. 

So far with this review, I haven't given really much away in terms of the plot. And I'm not going to. This is a film that is underrated. It should be seen. I honestly think that it was just released at a wrong time. Or the very least, bad marketing for it. Go check it out.

Rating: 4 out of 5. (Would rank this on par with the original Purge. Still would love a sequel to find out more about the company.)

Don't Breathe 2

Alright, I haven't seen the first Don't Breathe in quite some time. When I had heard that there was going to be a sequel, I was excited. Instantly, I was ready to see where they were going to go with the story. I mean come on, blind man tracking down Jane Levy. It was a bit inevitable that's where it was going. Then came the announcement that this film wouldn't feature Jane Levy's character. I can understand a bit why. She's become a pretty big name now. So part of it is probably because she didn't wanna do it or came down to money. Honestly, both of those are probably why we haven't seen a sequel to Evil Dead 2013. 

So, I was left wondering how they were going to pull off the film. Would it feel like a retread of the first? Then the trailers started releasing. Man, I hate trailers. I had seen one or two of the trailers for this film and had a basic jist of what was gonna happen. My only question was Who the hell is the little girl. Is she related to the first story somehow? Did our creepy blind man track down Jane Levy and then turkey baste her to death to result in him having a child now? 

No. He found her. He took her in and started raising her. That's it. Personally, I feel like the thought in my head could have had a stronger impact on the film. Even if it had resulted in just being alluded to. 

Don't Breathe 2. Okay. Now that my disappointment is out of the way, let's move onto my thoughts. 

So we got Blind Stephen Lang raising a young girl named Phoenix. How appropos as she had survived her house burning eight years earlier. He's teaching her to survive. Well, honestly he's giving her so many skills to be Batman really. Anyways, she's on a daily test to get a gun from a car. She manages to avoid the dog patrol and begins to get cocky. Well, you know what Han Solo said to Luke Skywalker right? Don't get cocky. 

Blind Stephen Lang batmans his way behind Phoenix to snatch the gun away. Do or do not, young Phoenix. Boom, she's failed her test. Upon returning, Hernandez stops by to deliver the local flowers. At first, Blind Stephen Lang isn't going to let Hernandez take Phoenix with her to town. But he has a change of heart after being called out on his shit. 

Hernandez and Phoenix go to town. Phoenix hangs out at the playground while Hernandez is doing something. Maybe running errands? I don't know and the film doesn't care to explain either. Phoenix makes a trip to the bathroom where she's creeped on by a man named Raylan. However dog patrol has been by Phoenix's side and intimidates Raylan. Phoenix threatens to snap her finger to have dog patrol remove some testicles. What is this movie?

Hernandez drops Phoenix off with Blind Stephan Lang. On her way back to town, she's stopped by a truck in the middle of the road. Hernandez investigates to find Raylan and his crew behind the wheel of the truck. Oh my trucka trucka, what's going to happen next? 

After a brief standoff, Hernandez returns to her van and is blindsided by Bluelight Special Tilda Swinton. B.S. Tilda takes Hernandez off the board with a quick hammer to the head. Why was this deemed necessary? You set up a solid character with Hernandez only to fridge her like two minutes later. Why? 

Blind Stephen Lang tries to put Phoenix to bed as she insists that she wants to go to school and be normal. Obviously she's beginning to be done with Lang's shit. Dog Patrol is out on the porch minding his own business. He hears a noise and has to investigate. Bad move, Dog Patrol.

Blind Stephen Lang trying to be a good dog owner attempts to feed Dog Patrol. However, he's gone missing. Lang bumbles round outside and discovers Dog Patrol has been murdered by the Bad Guys. 

Meanwhile inside the house, the rest of Raylan's crew has been introduced. We already know B.S. Tilda Swinton but they have a brother, Gangsta Evan Peters. They are in cahoots with Discount Punisher. They are searching the house for Phoenix. Oh, earlier in the film there was a news report of an organ trafficking business run by a man that looks like Kevin Spacey. 

Now, Phoenix gets to batman her way through this situation as she moves quietly. This part is pretty cool. Just when she's almost out the door, B.S. Tilda Swinton shoots the door frame and the bullet grazes Phoenix's cheek. B.S. Tilda Swinton then is jumped by Lang. Phoenix goes downstairs while the gang tries to find Lang.

Lang manages to batman Gangsta Evan Peters, who was investigating the garage. B.S. Tilda Swinton finds their brother alive with his mouth and nose glued shut. The brilliant idea is then born and B.S. Tilda Swinton takes a screwdriver to Gangsta Evan Peters cheek so he can breathe.

And the film just continues to go bonkers and off the rails. 

The first Don't Breathe was a very tense film. We had someone to root for as we knew who was good (to an extent) and who wasn't. This film everything is grey. I suppose that's the whole point is to reflect that's nothing is straight good and bad. That things have a grey side to them. The whole twist in that film fueled it in such a specific way that a sequel couldn't live up to it. If they weren't continuing the thread left at the end of the first one, what's the point? Turn the films into an anthology of sorts where we have different scenarios for Blind Stephen Lang to play out. Into The Langverse? 

I really wanted to like this sequel. Don't Breathe 2 has a decent character with Phoenix. However, it follows a predictable line from A to B. And one of it's characters that had the most potential just thrown away a few minutes after starting to get to know them. That's not good filmmaking..that's lazy filmmaking. 

Overall, Don't Breathe 2 feels like a needless sequel. It doesn't follow anything from the first film outside of Blind Stephen Lang. We are not even given any hints as to how long after the first film this one takes place. I had really high hopes for this and was disappointed. 

Rating: 2 out of 5. 

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31 on 31 for Halloween Day 15: House of 1000 Corpses

Back in the early 2000s, I remember hearing that Rob Zombie was going to be making a movie. It was going to be a horror film. At one point, I remember hearing it was to be released by Universal. Then word about it went dark. Then time began to move on with no word. I was a little worried that it would get lost to time or never even see a release. Then Lionsgate Films released into the world that film - House of 1000 Corpses. 

By that point in my life, I was just gearing up to be entering freshman year of high school. I had seen some horror films, but wasn't necessarily a horror junkie. Well, not like I am today. It was though round that time that I started hoping that one day I could start writing about horror films. But just didn't know how to go about doing it. I think I even had tried reaching out to Bloody-Disgusting for advice. And they were just starting out back then. 

I remember asking my Dad if I could rent it on pay-per-view. His response, "Are you sure? If you are, then go ahead and get it.". Looking back at those moments with my Dad, those are some of our best moments. He was really trying to just let me be me and helping figure that out. As much as the woman that birthed me (don't call her Mom and that's a story unto itself) and my sister had a hand in introducing me to horror, it was my Dad that really helped with my love for horror. Thank you, Dad.

I still remember that initial first watch. I had no idea what to expect going in. I had no idea what the film was going for. I just knew that this was a film that was shot in 2000 and then sat on the shelf for three years. So there was a bit of a hype for the film. And at first, I didn't like it. It felt too disjointed. I didn't understand the strong opening with Spaulding and the robbery gone wrong. I didn't understand who these characters were. It felt like random things were happening for the sake of happening. It just wasn't my thing. So I set it aside and didn't give much thought. It sat on a VHS tape to revisit some point. Well, ended up purchasing it on DVD later on. 

Now, remember I hadn't seen many 70s horror films nor the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre at that point. This kind of film just was unheard of for me. I knew some point that I'd revisit it. And a few years later I did around the time The Devil's Rejects was coming out. 

The difference was that I had seen more horror films. I had a much bigger appreciation for them too. I had seen some films with Bill Moseley and really dug him as an actor. I had seen a film or two pop up with the wonderful Sid Haig. Had heard about Hills Have Eyes so a certain actor - Michael Berryman had me interested. I had also begun hearing that Devil's Rejects was the next chapter and was serving as a different kind of film than House did. 

Boy, I am glad that I took the time to revisit it. I had begun to like it. It was still different than anything that I had seen before. It was a different approach and a bit of a love letter to the 70s horror. It had me excited for Devil's Rejects. Later on, I did see Devil's Rejects and that's a whole nother story for another time.

Now, one of the big things that sold me with House of 1000 Corpses is Sid Haig's performance as Captain Spaulding. It is so good. Here is a guy that just doesn't give a flying flamingo what anyone has to say. He just oozed humor along with a darker undertone of menace. He will not hesitate to just spout a slew of jokes in front of you if you were trying to rob him. This actually happens to two robbers that make the mistake of attempting to rob from him. You could tell that Haig enjoyed this role. And that's why it helped become very memorable when Spaulding isn't in the film for very long. Thank you, Sid. We miss you. 

Now, group of kids stop at Spaulding's Chicken and Gas. Chris Hardwick and Rainn Wilson were definitely the notables of this group. This was before both of them would become the big names they are today. So, it's kinda cool to see where they started out. Spaulding ends up telling the group bout Doctor Satan. Hardwick wants to find out more about this as they are writing a travel book. Guess it's like notable stops when traveling across the country. (Probably a better way to phrase it, but it's super early (3:30) and can't sleep.) 

Then we have Sheri Moon Zombie as Baby. At first, she's our hitchhiker that the group picks up. She lures our group of kids to further go out of their way. First seeing her, she doesn't seem to be very out there and is really friendly. However, it's not long before we see Baby enjoying delightfully killing anyone she can. Her performance is a bit of a fun one. She goes from zero to I'm gonna stab you pretty quickly. It definitely lays the foundation that would be more fleshed out in the next film. 

After our group gets to the Firefly house, we are introduced to more of the family. There is Otis played by Bill Moseley. This performance is fantastic. Unlike any of the other members of the Firefly clan, Otis has a sinister dark attitude. He takes so much glee in his savage humor. His actions are a whole nother level in the film as they move towards Manson-like levels. There is definitely a reason that people enjoy this performance so much. 

Next up, we are introduced to Mother Firefly (Karen Black), Grampa (Dennis Dimple), Rufus (Robert Miles) and Tiny (Matthew McGrory). This makes up the Firefly clan. It's interesting seeing the interactions between the whole family as there is a solid chemistry between them all. Mama Firefly is interesting because she seems to want to come off a bit youthful. So there's a bit of a weird motherly/sisterly feeling that comes off. Grampa is well Grampa. He fits in perfectly with this group of characters. He is a bit crass while a bit simple. Rufus is a bit of a blank slate. Yeah, he could be considered a huntsman type of the clan. But we don't get to spend a lot of time with him. And then there's Tiny. Tiny is a bit of a small character in the film. However whenever he's on screen, he steals the show. He is such a fantastic character that would have loved to have seen more of him. 

Now, the film oozes the Halloween atmosphere. Yeah, it takes place round Halloween time. But there's a difference between a film taking place and a film actually having that fall atmosphere in it. Another few good examples of films that oozes the Halloween atmosphere are Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers and Trick 'R Treat. It definitely makes it easy to recommend these for the spooky season. 

While the film moves at a decent pace, there are some moments where it feels like could have been tightened up just a little more. But I get why the film is the way it is. It's a callback to 70s horror. It's very distinct type of horror. And comes across as a nice double feature contender with Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1 or even 2. 

Ultimately the performances are great. The film is a bit of a fun horror ride. It definitely doesn't take itself seriously. And helped establish what Rob Zombie could do.

Rating: 3 out of 5. 

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Superhost

Social Influencers. That's a whole nother topic that horror films are beginning to cover. 

First, we had the movie Spree starring Joe Keery. That film was something onto itself. And it definitely will be covered here. 

Then Ryan Murphy gave us a look at it with the Christmas episode of American Horror Stories "Bro House". That story could have been stronger but it gave us a look at how easy it could be to hate social Influencers if they are complete douchebags. By the end, we were rooting for them to get their come uppance.  

Now, we have Superhost. It was written and directed by Brandon Christiensen. It stars Sara Canning, Osric Chau and Gracie Gillam. If you are interested in this film, it can be found to stream on Shudder. And prepare yourself as the 61 Days of Halloween has begun.

First of all, Superhost is not a long movie. It is one that has a short running length of an hour twenty-two. That's definitely not a knock against the film. It allows the story to move at a brisk pace.

Superhost is about travel vloggers Teddy and Claire. They have been noticing a trend of their follower count dwindling. So they pivot to creating viral content around their most recent "superhost," Rebecca, who wants more from the duo than a great review.

Now, this is a small film. Small cast. Pure indie fuel. And it's definitely part of it that makes it good. Osric Chau and Sarah Canning are great as Teddy and Claire. Teddy's whole world is Claire. It seems like he's only doing this because she wants to keep doing it. Claire however is a good example of a vlogger gone awry. She is focused on the numbers game more than the content they are producing. It's definitely a shame cause if they had been on the same page, well things could be better. As a critic, I can definitely find myself getting lost a little bit in the numbers game from time to time. But then I take that step back and remember what was working - when it was enjoyable doing it. The thing that kept me intrigued was seeing Chau and Canning playing off each other.

Grace Gillam. She is a force in this film. At first, Rebecca is very sweet and likeable. Well, she comes across as too likeable. She's the image of the good person doing things out of the goodness of her heart. There's also a bit naiveness that comes across. But when it takes a turn (heads up: this is a slow burn), does it take a turn. It doesn't take Malignant level turn. But it's still a pretty big turn as we just see a much darker side to Rebecca. She's a bit of a force of nature with such rage. It's super intimidating and makes me glad that she's a movie character. But there's the thing - this is such a solid slasher character. I'm personally hoping that we will see more with her. Because there is more that could be done with her. 

Now, there's also a small cameo in this flick. It's our lovable Barbara Crampton. She continues to deliver great performances. In the small time we have with her, she is really good. Honestly, her part feels like it's pure Karen fuel. 

Superhost will be one that some people may like or not. It won't be as divisive as Malignant was. But it's still a solid entry to the genre. It's also a bit or breath of fresh air as we haven't been over saturated with content about social Influencers. 

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Superhost can be found on Shudder. 

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Safer At Home

Alright, we live in a bit of a different world than we did a few years ago. We went through and currently still are undergoing a pandemic. It's been going a little better for us. But I remember just being scared at the beginning of lockdown. At that point, my family and I lived in our small trailer. And our nearest place to go for things was about a half hour away. Also the idea of lockdown was scary. Just staying at home and not going anywhere. It's something that I hope that we don't have to go through again. 

But something that's beginning to emerge is a new genre of horror. I wouldnt exactly call it found footage. It's more Zoom horror. Yeah, we had Unfriended that first started it. But in this part of the pandemic, it was the movie Host that really started kicking it. On a small side note, Safer at Home and Host both make a solid double feature. 

Safer At Home takes a look at things if the pandemic had gotten worse. The opening for the film really sets up tonally what they were going for. It describes how the virus just progressively knocked us back till we had been in lockdown for 2 years. It's a very strong opening as it includes snippets of the former president in it. It doesn't come across as a parody and does hit pretty close to home. 

The film was written by Will Wernick (who also directed it) and Liz Bozonelis. It is formatted like Host was with the Zoom format. It's interesting that films are now beginning to emerge evoking this style. 

Because this is such a small indie film we have a focus on seven characters in the film - Jocelyn Hudon as Jen, Emma Lahana as Mia, Alisa Allapach as Harper, Adwin Brown as Ben, Dan J. Johnson as Evan, Michael Kupisk as Oliver and Daniel Robaire as Liam. 

All of these actors and actresses deliver some pretty solid performances. They were all believable in their roles. And there was a good chemistry of friendship among themselves. Yeah, there may have been a moment or two where you may want to say slap one of them. But come on, who hasn't wanted to slap one of their friends before for saying or doing something stupid. 

Now the pacing for this film is pretty brisk. It's an hour and twenty two minutes. That's something that works in the film's favor as they don't spend too much time on one thing. But how can this be if they are in lockdown? Just give me a minute and I will get there. Honestly, it felt like it could have been tightened up bout five minutes and been a leaner film. But where would that have happened? I honestly don't know. 

Is there much gore in the film? There really is not a whole lot of gore in this film. This is a thriller. If you are looking for a goretastic time, well you will have to look elsewhere. 

Onto the story itself, the film focuses on a group of friends meeting together on zoom to do their yearly meetup. They can't meet in person so Zoom is their next step. This felt all real as I am sure there have been people that have done this. Personally, I have not. They are trying to evoke the Las Vegas feel because that's where they were supposed to be meeting up at before the two year lockdown hit. They just want to go back to a simpler time. And I don't frankly don't blame them. But when the party goes to wild after an ecstasy pill is taken, things take a dark turn. This leads them down an darker path than the world outside has. 

The story itself was well done. Again as I had mentioned before, it moved pretty briskly. It doesn't take long for things to kick into gear. Unlike Host, we aren't tied exclusively to one location for one of the characters. They are able to go on the go and venture out into the post-curfew hours of lockdown. And it is a small bit scary. Especially as patrols begin to become involved with the story. 

This is a film that should be seen. There are those that will immediately turn it off. But just stick with it and you'll be able to see the whole story they have to tell. For me, I was a bit flabbergasted by it. Especially as it caused me to reflect on what I had thought lockdown initially would have been like. And it definitely makes me hope that things get better. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Safer At Home can be found to stream on Hulu.

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31 on 31 for Halloween Day 14: Mayhem

What if you had the chance to do whatever you wanted to? Would you spill the bosses secrets? How about that witch in accounting? How could you deal with her? 

Ultimately this is the question that is asked by Mayhem. Mayhem is a fantastic film that is directed by the awesome Joe Lynch. It stars Steve Yuen (of Walking Dead fame) and the especially awesome Samara Weaving. 

See, it's like this. Derek Cho is having a bad day. Yeah, it kinda like that story Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Day. Wait, this just in - it's not like that. Derek's having a much worse day. See, he just lost his job. It was very unjustly that he was fired. But it gets worse... Before he's able to leave the building, it goes into lockdown because a mysterious and deadly virus is released. 

Huh, that kinda sounds a little like Resident Evil. Hmmm...it's like if Resident Evil had a baby with Office Space kinda. Okay, enough jibber jabbering let's get back to it. 

So, this mysterious virus allows people to have no fear. They are allowed to enact whatever they wish.  The sky is the limit. If they wanna hook up with their secretary at the local water cooler, well by golly they going to. Anything is on the table as they enact their deep impulses. 

Now that we have been dealing with COVID and this pandemic, the film definitely hits very different. But it is still a lot of fun. Steve Yuen delivers such an amazing performance as Derek Cho. I kept rooting for him throughout all the trials and tribulations that he has to endure. And they are so many. 

Back on track, Derek's deep wish is to stick it to those that have wronged him. It's time to kill the boss. Let's go! He ends up joining forces with Melanie. Melanie is also having a horrible, terrible, no good rotten day as well. She used to be a former client of the company. The company is pissing off so many people. What could go wrong? What's going to happen? 

Well, honestly go check it out! It's available to stream on Shudder. And there's even an awesome commentary with Joe Lynch and Steve Yuen. I can tell you that it is super awesome. I hope we get more films from this great pairing. 

Now, onto the character of Melanie. Samara Weaving. After this film, she blew up. She ended up filming Ready or Not. She also was in The Babysitter. The horror genre is a big thing for this lovely actress. She is always amazing in whatever role she's playing. Very likeable. A badass. In this film, she is a lot of fun as well. Especially because this performance feels so much like it's Harley Quinn level of awesomeness. Easily if Margot Robbie hadn't been cast, Samara Weaving would be Harley. Absolutely perfect casting that would be. But yeah, she's a super badass in Mayhem. 

Again, this film is great. It's different. It's special. It's super easy to see how much fun they had making this film. And how much work they put into it. Joe Lynch is so good with his directing. Honestly, this film is perfect. I cannot find fault in this. 

Now, if you havent seen this film. Go watch it. It's fun and fantastic.

Rating: 5 Dave Matthews Band Songs out of 5. 

Mayhem can be found on Shudder. There is a commentary available exclusively on Shudder w/ Joe Lynch and Steve Yuen. And it also can be purchased from Amazon. Definitely one for the collection.

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31 on 31 for Halloween Day 13: My Soul to Take

Wes Craven. It's hard to believe that it's been six years since we have lost him. His last film he gave us was Scream 4. At the time, it was a bit divisive for that franchise. However, it's time to talk about the one that people tend to overlook. Let's talk about My Soul To Take. 

My Soul To Take was released in 2010. It was considered to be a bomb. But it was the first film since New Nightmare from Wes that he wrote, produced and directed. For me, it is one of my favorites and I consider it to be underrated. 

The film kicks off with the story of Abel Plenkov. He was a family man that suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder. One night he discovers that one of his identities is the Riverton Ripper - a slasher that has been rampant lately. Plenkov kills his pregnant wife and attacks his psychiatrist. Before he can kill his daughter - Leah, he is brought down. 

But before the night is over, the Riverton Ripper makes one more attack during the ride to the hospital and then seemingly vanishes.

Years later, the story of the Ripper is still being talked about. It's become a bit of a legend. 7 kids find themselves being targeted by someone. Bug and his friends got to try to figure out who it is before it's too late. 

I won't go too far into the film itself because it's a bit of a rollercoaster. But it's very interesting. It isn't trying to overthink things. It's just trying to be simple and tell a story. That's something that I definitely support. 

However the thing that I feel hurt the film is the expectations. Whenever people hear Wes Craven, they immediately think Scream. So immediately people compare it to Scream. And then the expectation that it needs to be a thinking piece or super in depth, well it set up things to fail. Wes even discussed the backlash to the film in interviews and had said that he was hurt bout it because he stood by it. Honestly that shows that he made the film to make a film. He wanted to have fun while doin it and to be proud of it.

All of the actors and actresses in this film do a great job. It's really cool to see some familiar faces and to see where they got their break. This was one of Max Thieriot's first gigs and went on to do Bates Motel. He's definitely an interesting actor and then further more when he got to Bates Motel. We also get to see Danai Guirira, best known as Michonne on The Walking Dead and Okoye from the MCU. Actually go look at the cast for this movie. It's really interesting seeing all of these actors and actresses together at this point in their career. Lot of them were up and coming. Then after working with Wes, they would end up finding their breaks. It's pretty cool to think bout that. 

Now, there's some gore in this film. Actually there's a lot of gore in the film. It does not skimp on it. While I wish I could say that it's scary, it's not. It may be due to the fact that there's quite a bit of jump scares. But Wes does what Wes does and was able to make everything look interesting. 

Do I recommend this film? Yeah, if you haven't seen it before. Give it a shot and go in with an open mind. You might be just surprised. If you have, give it a rewatch. There's always some small detail to pick up that you may not have noticed before.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5. It's not groundbreaking and it's not trying to be. It just trying to be enjoyable. Good rainy day movie.

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31 on 31 for Halloween Day 12: Digging Up The Marrow

What if I told you that monsters were real? What if I told you that those noises you heard go bump in the night was in fact something? This is the approach that is taken in Adam Green's Digging Up The Marrow. Welcome everyone and join me as I continue my discussion for 31 on 31 for Halloween.

Digging Up The Marrow holds the distinction of being one of the Adam Green movies that is not attached to the Hatchet series. There are a few others (Frozen, Spiral and the Holliston series) that share that distinction as well.

Adam Green wrote and directed Digging Up The Marrow. He also takes takes a starring role in the film as this took a stab at found footage. It centers around Adam and his friend Will (played by Will Barrett), they are in the middle of making a documentary about monsters. One day, they are contacted by William Dekker (the fantastic Ray Wise). He tells them that he can prove that monsters are real. And that what they are searching for is the Marrow.

This film is fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously. It knows exactly what it's going for and how to do it. It moves at a really brisk pace. Ray Wise delivers such an amazing performance. He comes across as just so genuine and believes in this world. Adam Green also delivers a really great performance as a fictional version of himself. Honestly, the strength of this film is just the fun vibe that can be felt throughout the film. This just feels like it would have been really interesting to be behind the scenes of it. Everyone enjoyed making this film. 

When you have a movie about monsters, there's gotta be monsters right? The really cool thing is that they save the monsters for towards the end. It's like a buildup as the film moves along. And then it delivers spectacularly. They aren't shown on screen for very long. But when they are, it's very memorable. Plus the artwork that is featured in the film is super cool.

If you are looking for a fun flick to watch, give this film a shot. It is really cool and one hell of a kind. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

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