59 - Purge Election Year
At this point, I still haven't seen The Forever Purge. For my chronology viewing order, this was the last installment. It brought back Frank Grillo as his character from Anarchy. Honestly, I still don't remember what his character's name is. I just call him The Punisher.
This was another interesting installment. However the politics is at the forefront of the story. There is so much politics in this, it's hard to keep up. But Frank does what he does best. We also see the guy that the family saved in the original film. Gotta love that continuity.
58 - The Littlest Reich
When I first watched this film, I was appalled by it. It felt a little like a slap in the face to fans of the franchise. However, I have spent time with it and appreciate it more.
This is a film that is a bit dark. I mean come on, that's what happens when you have a film with killer Nazi puppets. But Thomas Lennon and the rest of the main cast do a great job. It still has me wishing for a sequel.
Something that I have noticed is that it feels a little like a mashup of elements from the older films. It works well for the most part. I mean besides the reanimated zombie Toulon monster at the end.
57 - Goosebumps: The Haunted Mask
This was a staple for spooky season when I was growing up. I still remember when it premiered.
When I rewatched it with my son, I was surprised at how well it still holds up. I have a feeling this hit for him like it did for me when I was his age.
56 - Farewell to the Flesh
This sequel to Candyman delivers a solid story. It transformed Candyman into more of anthology in a way. This film fleshed out the back story in a very New Orleans way. Actually think this was the first usage of Daniel Robitaille's name. The kills are a bit simple and formulaic. But definitely a step up over the third installment.
55 - The Curse of La Llorona
It's weird that this feels like an installment to the Conjuringverse yet the studio and director say no. Still calling it a part of it.
Anyway this is a pretty creepy film. There was a few spooky moments. It holds no bars with La Llorona's attack on children. It's done a bit tastefully. The most iconic moment is a little girl seeing La Llorona's reflection in an Umbrella then she disappears when it's lowered. It's so simple yet so good.
54 - Leprechaun Returns
This is one of the best entries in the Leprechaun franchise. It delivers on continuing the story of the original film with Tori's daughter and the Leprechaun. Plus we got to see Ozzie again. Also Linden Porco kills it as the Leprechaun - it feels very much in the vein of Warwick Davis' Leprechaun.
53 - Bride of Chucky
This installment felt like Chucky being mashed up with the Universal Monsters. It set the franchise on a whole new track with the introduction of Tiffany. Plus John Ritter playing a creepy overprotective Uncle that's trying to be overbearing of his niece's life. It was electrifying.
52 - Venom
After many years of reading the comics, I was pleased with Venom. It wasn't the same as the Spider-Man movies released by Sony. It had some weird and creepy elements. But Tom Hardy just owns it as Eddie Brock.
51 - A Quiet Place Part II
The world was blown wide open in this sequel. It took the family on an adventure. However, they end up on separate ways as the daughter wishes to fulfill her dad's wishes. She is able to give humanity a better chance against the mon....no wait it's established their aliens. Plus, she also helps a family friend regain his humanity.
50 - The First Purge
Title says it all. The Purge is unleashed on an island full of the underprivileged and poverty stricken. They would do whatever it takes to last till morning to earn the money they were promised. This had a cool idea with those participating using colored lenses. It helped make things very distinct and something wished was featured in later installments.
49 - Jason X
Jason in Space. It's a fun rollercoaster of a ride. It never takes itself too seriously. It takes the concept of space and blows it wide open unlike Leprechaun in Space. This was a fine last entry for Kane Hodder as Jason.
48 - The Guest
Terminator meets Halloween. Brilliant mashup of genres as David infiltrates a unsuspecting family that's grieving over the loss of their son.
47 - Halloween Inferno
This is a fantastic fan film that expanded the world of Halloween '18. It honestly gave a very good idea of what Halloween Kills could be. Had some pretty interesting kills in it as well.
46 - Rob Zombie's Halloween
Here is the first part of the Rob Zombie duology of Halloween films. He was given a mighty large task of crafting something that we hadn't seen yet with a flair of the known. With this installment, the first half of the film is very much a Rob Zombie film. It definitely doesn't feel all that different than say House of 1000 Corpses especially with the interactions between the Myers family. Loomis is a bit of a different take with Malcolm McDowell delivering an good performance. The 70s Loomis was one that actually wanted to help Michael. He seems very optimistic. By the time it's present day, Loomis has changed drastically as the system has just beaten him down. It doesn't help that Michael completely shut him out by that point as well. There are many things one could discuss when diving into these films that allows for repeat views. In the second half, it's very much a more streamlined version of the familiar John Carpenter story. It all culminates in a chase between Michael and Laurie that brings the Myers house down in a way.
45 - Jason Goes to Hell
This is one of my favorite installments of the Friday franchise. It was New Line's first attempt at crafting a Friday film. The biggest strength is the layers of mythology that is introduced into this film. The biggest example is setting up that Jason is a deadite - it makes so much sense that Pamela Voorhees would search out the Necronomicon to bring her son back. The film also doesn't hold back and Adam Marcus was allowed to tell the story he wanted to tell. It's something that is a bit of a rare thing nowadays.
44 - Digging Up The Marrow
Adam Green delivered a fantastic found footage film. It's small indie feel allows it to feel a bit grounded in such a unique way. It helps it feel more relatable as well. It's definitely a love letter to the Monster genre. It doesn't overstay its welcome either. This is one that is a lot of fun to revisit from time to time.
43 - Weird Fiction
This was the first indie horror film that started this blog. It was released at a time that anthology horror hadn't resurged just yet. It was very much a breath of fresh air. It definitely feels out of the same vein as the original Creepshow. The best thing about it is what they were able to do with such a small budget. This was 100% a guerilla filmmaking where a couple of guys were like Let's go make a movie with some friends.
42 - Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
While Halloween '78 was very much set on Halloween, it is this installment that cements the feel of the spooky season. It just completely oozes it and definitely is thanks to the opening titles of the film. It brilliantly sets up the spooky season with all of the imagery presented. This definitely feels like a solid sequel to Halloween '78 as compared to Halloween II ('81). Michael is a force that will not stop till he is able to find his niece. How does he know that? Who knows but it's interesting to watch.
41 - The Empty Man
The Empty Man. This film was such a surprise. It still is when I think back on it. It felt like it was going to be one thing. Ultimately, it resulted in just so much cult and that final twist. I have not seen many films like it.
40 - It Follows
What's that creeping behind in your peripheral? It. This is one that just astounding. It is such a simple premise. Something is following you. Something is slowly following you. You have the time to think about what you may do. You have the time to think about what it will do. It will do whatever it takes to get to you. It results in many creepy scenes. The most striking visual being the Tall Man lumbering his way through the door after our main character.
39 - Child's Play 3
How can we top Child's Play 2? Hmm...we gotta do something different. We got to do something that no one will expect. We can't have Andy with a foster family. That'd be repeating things. Hmmm...how about Chucky goes to military school? Sorry that's just how I imagine it was when it was time to write the script. It tried to subvert expectations a little bit by having Andy as a supporting character. But for the most part, it feels like Chucky vs. Andy for the third time. However, it's not a bad thing as this is the film that gave us Pizza Faced Chucky. That image is just so creepy, weird and cool.
38 - Puppet Master 4
This brought Toulon's puppets to a more modern time after a trip fighting nazis. This was the first time that they expanded the mythology by introducing the demon Sutek and his minions. This resulted in the puppets becoming more good guys as they worked to protect Rick and his friends from the evil forces that were invading this realm. This is the installment that I tend to go back and revisit the most as it just is interesting seeing the puppets be good guys.
37 - Friday the 13th (2009)
Jason's Greatest Hits. This film is a love letter to the franchise. It manages to take the first four installments and mash their stories into a modern story. It also presents Jason as more of a human hunter in a grounded take. Yeah, some people were upset because Jason used tunnels to get around the camp. But come on, what other way can you explain that? The only down part of the film is that because of Jared Padalecki - it feels a little like a Supernatural film. We also were introduced to the world's greatest thunderdouche with Trent. It's a fun popcorn film but don't expect anything with more depth to it.
36 - You're Next
Home Invasion invades a family gathering. That's one way to approach this film. It is a movie ultimately about family. Especially after the first viewing. But initially it feels very much in the vein of The Strangers. One of the best parts is when the film flips the script and shows that the heroine can take on the killers. It's ending is one that is largely dark when many other films may have had a bit more of a happy ending.
35 - Wrong Turn '21
People were expecting more the favorite inbred hillbillies from the first set of Wrong Turn films. Instead, they were given something different. Some would say it's a bit of a Midsommar-lite. I still haven't seen that yet. But this film kept me invested in seeing where the story was going to go next. It was a bold approach to present no one person as good or bad. This is a film with a lot of grey. There are no monsters outside of humanity itself. We are the monsters. I appreciate the more grounded approach and take for this franchise. I would gladly welcome a sequel.
34 - My Bloody Valentine '09
Jensen Ackles just rocks this film. Whenever I think back this film, it's his performance that I always remember. It's different than his performances as Dean Winchester. There is a bit of darkness to him. It was also really cool to literally showcase a retelling of the original film in its opening moments. It gives us so much more time with these characters to see how things progressed after. It was very refreshing when most remakes by that point would just retell the original. Plus, this delivered one hell of a 3D presentation.
33 - Rob Zombie's Halloween II
With the initial story out of the way, this is Rob Zombie unburdened. He was able to craft such a unique story. It's a deep look into the Halloween mythos. Plus it's interesting to see how the events and trauma effected the survivors from the first film. Michael is a force of nature in this film. Yeah, he's rocking a bit of a hobo look in the film. But it's a very unique take. It's Rob's take and pretty cool to see what he did with it.
32 - Child's Play '19
This was very much a modern update to the Child's Play story. Andy and his mom are more fleshed out characters. Andy's no longer a 6 year, but an actual teenager. That's something that was pretty cool to see. It also presented a more natural way with Detective Mike being included into the story. Honestly, this was the best way to do a Child's Play film without having the voodoo element or the Charles Lee Ray element.
31 - Halloween '18
After Rob Zombie's take, this felt like a more classic approach. It's what fans were asking for. It does present Laurie Strode in a different light than the way she was in Halloween: H20. This Laurie is one that spent years preparing for Michael's return. Honestly, I think it was out of fear. Especially given that in the forty years since the original she had a daughter. Laurie was 1000% determined to make sure she was not caught off guard. Ultimately, it felt like a return to the world of '78 Halloween just years later. But some points it feels a little aimless. Though, Michael is presented as a beast in it as well.
30 - Fear Street: 1666
The concluding part of the Fear Street had a lot to handle. There was a lot of story left. It ultimately did a decent job of handling all the loose ends. The 1666 section of the story is pretty interesting as we are given time to know Sarah Fier and the world she lived in. It definitely changes the way the first two installments hit. The second half of the film was a complete smash to the face when I originally watched it - especially as it completes the story in a solid fashion.
29 - Malignant
This film caught me off guard. Those trailers presented it very much as in the vein of the Conjuring films. Not sure if that was a good thing or not. Probably a good thing because it is so different. It is a complete breath of fresh air and one hell of a rollercoaster of a film. Gabriel is a super unique character in the Horror genre. Time will tell whether it gets a second installment or not.
28 - Leprechaun
Honestly, there's not much to say about Leprechaun. It's a fun film. Warwick Davis steals the show and delivers a hell of a performance. It's easy to see why there were further installments in the series.
27 - Crawl or Die
This indie film is so good. Again, solid indie filmmaking is on display here. The cast delivers solid performances. It's nice that the alien/creature isn't on full display all the time. It allows the viewers to fill in the blanks. The biggest standout for this film was the claustrophobic feeling that is this film. No other film has managed to capture that feeling for me.
26 - Ghostface
This was Brandon Tobatto's first fan film that I had seen. It managed to capture the spirit of the Scream films in such a unique way. Its tone is really solid. It had a lot to do with its story. But it was able to do with a bit of ease. One of the strongest points is presenting a new take on Ghostface. The mask was older and had a more decay look to it. Ghostface, itself, was meaner. At the time when this was released, SCREAM (2022) was just a fan's wish. So this did a solid job of presenting what a next chapter could look like.
Thank you for checking out this installment of Terror Chart. Stay tuned for the final installment where we rank the final 25 films.
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