🦇
Report Blog Entry
Last month I started a "Spooky Summer" movie marathon and made some blog entries on my other socials as I went. I'm picking it up again, so I thought I'd share them here as well!
The Nun (6/6/2021):
I have to say, I really enjoyed The Nun. I'm not sure if it or "The Curse of La Llorona" is the better standalone, but I liked both. The actual "The Conjuring" movies are still the best ones of the franchise so far.
Annabelle (6/7/2021):
So I watched Annabelle, continuing with my Conjuring-verse & "Spooky Summer" marathon. I think it's probably my 3rd or 4th favorite overall but it's definitely above "The Nun" and "La Llorona". I'm not sure if I liked it better than Conjuring 3 though 🤔
I think Annabelle is a better horror movie than Conjuring 3 but I liked the main characters & tone less. Having the Warren's be the leads and connecting thread throughout the three Conjuring films has made me more connected and invested in them; plus I prefer the more grounded & pseudo-realistic tone. 🤷♂️
Annabelle: Creation (6/11/21)
I think this is my new favorite of the franchise; rivaled only by The Conjuring itself. This one perfectly used the "less is more" approach and barely even showed the monster; a lot like Jaws.
Most of the scares come from you anticipating something to happen but it doesn't. The director creates a lot of tension and suspense but sparingly follows through on what he setup. The usage of dark hallways & tight spaces, plus the audio design, leaves you hearing the footsteps, breathing, and other noises but never really seeing what's making the them; its incredibly creepy, haunting, and unsettling. When you finally start seeing the demon, it's still covered in shadow and all you can really see are its silhouette & glowing eyes staring back at you.
Next up: Annabelle Comes Home 😈
Annabelle Comes Home (6/12/21)
This one was okay. It's not as good as Creation but it was still enjoyable. I enjoyed it more than the first Annabelle movie and the characters were more likable. It attempted to use some of the same ideas & methods that Creation did but doesn't use them as effectively. It also featured a lot of other "entities" and Annabelle was pushed to the background for most of it making it feel pretty scatter brained. It felt more like a series of setups for possible future spinoff movies than an "Annabelle" movie, which also made it feel more like a side story to a side story.
The Conjuring Universe was actually a pretty decent series overall . Are they the scariest or best movies ever? No, but I liked them. I think The Conjuring 1 & Annabelle Creation were the best in the franchise but the others were still entertaining.
"Underwater" with Kristen Stewart. (6/13/21)
This was literally like if movie "Aliens" had a baby with the Cthulhu mythology... and it was actually pretty decent. It wasn't really scary but it was pretty suspenseful. I don’t know if I’ll ever rewatch it but I'd say it's definitely worth watching at least once 🤷♂️ They definitely left things open for a possible sequel.
The Last Exorcism (6/13/21)
This was pretty decent for a found footage film from 2010. It's wasn't really scary but the story was interesting and I was entertained throughout; the ending was kinda "meh" though. I saw that there's a sequel but apparently it's not worth watching and it really bad, so idk.
The Quiet One's (6/13/21)
This one was incredibly boring and a massively missed opportunity given it's source material. It claims to be based on an actual parapsychology experiment conducted back in the 70s but is more "inspired" by than actually "based on" them; it shares very with the real events. The movie wasn't scary nor was it interesting. There was potential there, and a few scenes come close to being decent, but in the end the whole thing felt like a waste of time and made little sense. Would not recommend wasting time on.
The Unborn (6/19/21)
Another dud that had potential, both in story/concept and with the cast, but it was a massive disappointment. The movie was just boring and felt like it dragged on with nothing happening until the last 30 or so minutes.
The Babadook
It was pretty good. There were some scares, some great atmosphere and tension, but the ending...was...unique. As an allegory for mental illness (depression in this case) the movie/ending worked pretty well; if a bit on the nose. As a movie ending, it felt kind of lackluster and convenient.
Fear Street Part 1: 1994 (7/17/21)
The main characters gave a bad first impression. They were incredibly
unlikable and unbelievably immature (even for teens). They checked the
boxes for every negative teenage stereotype; with the exception of the
younger brother. The best part of the movie was the opening segment. It
was the only part that felt like a "real" movie, the rest felt like
parody/spoof (maybe that's the point?). The first half was also an
annoying angst filled teen "drama". But once they started going all
"Scooby Gang", it got more fun & interesting...But I'm still not
sure if this was meant to be a parody or not...
Fear Street Part 2: 1978 (7/18/21)
A drastic improvement over the first, which I thought was "half of a good movie". The angsty teen drama angle was completely removed and the characters & story were much better. This was a straightforward "classic" slasher flick that was fun & entertaining.
Fear Street Part 3: 1666 (7/19/21)
This was the best of the three. The first half of 1666 alone would’ve made a great movie, and I think it's this films strongest aspect. It reminded me of the movie "The VVitch" and other Salem-esque period pieces. I kinda wish that it *had* been the whole movie and not just the first half of one. That's not to say the second half was bad; it was actually pretty fun too. The way the second half was able to connect & wrap up all three movies was entertaining, fun, and well done.
Demonic (7/22/21)
Framing the flashback sequences as "found footage" recovered during a police investigation (the "present day" storyline) could've been an interesting twist on the genre. The problem is that the movie won't commit to which format it wants to use for the flashback sequences. It mixes both "found footage" and traditional filming; sometimes cutting between the two within the same scene. The "flashback" segments are also really shallow, weak, and rely on cheap jump scares. The "present day" storyline also feels tacked on, uninspired, and rushed. Overall, it's not a bad movie but it's not one I'm gonna remember or want to revisit. It's entirely bland & forgettable.
Stephanie (7/22/21)
Great atmosphere, mystery, and suspense from start to finish. I'm so glad I decided to watch this movie on a whim & went into it totally blind. The reveal/twist towards the end of the film was also fairly well done and hinted at throughout the movie; it wasn't done for shock value or to have a "gotcha" moment. As an anime fan, this gave me major Elfen Lied vibes and is definitely worth watching at least once!
Bonus: I appreciated the smooth "Fringe" namedrop during that one news cast...well played 😉
(the director and actress who played the Mom worked on Fringe).
Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil (7/23/21)
This was not at all what I expected going into this movie, but I loved it nonetheless. Based on the Netflix blurb, I thought it would be more horror, instead it was a dark fantasy/fairy tale that is oddly touching and heartwarming. It had great costumes & makeup effects and the story was surprisingly sweet. Recommend watching at least once!
Eli (7/24/21)
Decent mystery & atmosphere, with flavorings of psychological horror. This movie had me questioning things alongside Eli right up until the end. The twists (because there're a few! with one pretty big one at the end) set this one apart from typical "haunted house" movies. Definitely give it a shot.
Blood Red Sky (7/31/21)
Decent movie with an interesting premise. The story with the mom & son is good but the movie drags on way too long. 98% of it is set on a plane but it’s divided into two “phases”. The initial hijacking, which plays out like “Air Force One”, and then the “vamps on the loose”. Each lasts about an hour and both go on for way too long. Also, is looses points for the horrible treatment of the doggos.
The Silence (7/31/21)
The strong cast and good creature design are wasted on this very underdeveloped movie. It's pacing is too fast, it's characters very shallow, and it's story is really weak. It doesn't work as a horror/thriller because it's not scary nor suspenseful. It also doesn't work as a family drama because it's characters are very underdeveloped and underutilized. There are episodes of Doctor Who with similar premises that are better paced & more suspenseful than this. It was entertaining as a weekend watch but I won't remember it by tomorrow.
Insidious (7/31/21)
Not at all what I thought it was going to be but an enjoyable time nonetheless. I wouldn't classify this as horror as much as it is suspenseful. It does a good job at building atmosphere and suspense throughout; although I'm not a fan of the ending. There's leaving things open for a sequel and then there's what this film did.
Malevolent (8/1/21)
Talk about false advertisement and "bait & switch". It had decent setup and atmosphere for the first hour or so, but it throws it away in the last 30 minutes for a needless "twist". It goes from being a haunted house/psychological horror movie to being a lame slasher type flick. What a waste, the first hour had some really good setup but the last 30 minutes totally ruined it.
As Above, So Below (8/2/21)
I'm gonna steal the tombstone of Nicolas Flamel.
This movie is best described as if Indiana Jones, National Treasure, Tomb Raider, & Uncharted had a horror infused love child; and it's better than it had any right to be lol. This is probably the best "found footage" film I've seen; it's certainly the most effective and well done. The use of claustrophobia as the primary "horror" was great. There were moments in this movie that had me cringing in my seat because of how effective the first person viewpoint was; especially when combined with the dark, narrow, and oppressive underground environments of the catacombs.
The 3rd Eye (8/3/21)
I've seen a ton of horror movies at this point; some of them were truly awful and/or boring films. This one, however, I really enjoyed and thought was actually pretty decent. Yeah, you can tell it had a lower budget and the special effects are iffy in a couple of places, but none of that ever detracted from my enjoyment. The characters, story, and acting were good here and I thought the "twist" at the end was decent and relatively well done. Give it a try, you could definitely do a lot worse within this genre.
3rd Eye 2 (8/3/21)
Not as good as the first but still enjoyable, however, if you didn't like the first movie you won't like this one since it's more of the same. Everything related to the production seems to have improved, including the VFX, however, the story feels very unfocused, bloated, and it goes on for too long. The "double twist" (idk if that's the right term) towards the end just feels too convenient and ham-fisted. There's also essentially two ending points but the one you think is the ending veers off into a forced "4th act" that drags the story out and was giving me fatigue by the end. Shaving 20 or so minutes off would help streamline this a lot. Still a good time though and I'm down for a 3rd "3rd Eye" if they make one.
Inhuman Kiss (8/4/21)
Great acting, pacing, effects, and story; one that was surprisingly romantic and tragic. I only have two criticisms that actually affected my enjoyment of this film:
1. Total BS ending (I don't like sad/tragic endings)
2. It goes on for a tad bit too long and gets kind of bloated near the middle of the 3rd act.
Other than those two things, one of which is entirely personal preference, this movie was great and I highly recommend it.
Ringu (The Ring)
Slow, boring, and uneventful. A lot of this movie feels like waiting around for something to happen but it never does. No idea why this is rated so highly. I haven't seen the U.S. version yet, but hopefully it's better than this was.
Ringu 2
It's entertaining and is at least a little more creepy and unsettling at times than the first one; though not by much. Considering all the praise I've seen directed at this series (especially the first one), I wasn't really all that impressed with either of them.
Ju-on: The Curse
Probably the strongest entry in the "Ju-On" franchise. It had good atmosphere and a more creepy/unsettling tone. I thought it was better than "The Grudge" films I've seen (the first 2 Japanese ones). The narrative structure did make things confusing at times but not so much that I couldn't enjoy the ride.
Ju-on: The Curse 2
Didn't like this one at all. It's very boring and retreads a lot of the first movie. Like, literally the entire first half of this is just reused footage from the fist "The Curse" movie.
Ju-on: The Grudge
Eh, it was okay. It's kind of boring if I'm being honest but there were a few creepy or unsettling moments. Not one I'm gonna revisit anytime soon though. I haven't seen the U.S. version yet, but I wasn't impressed with this one.
Ju-on: The Grudge 2
Better than the first "Grudge" movie, but not by much. There were a few moments I thought were okay, but like the first "The Grudge", I thought it was fairly boring and uneventful. Maybe "J-Horror" just isn't my type of horror, despite all the praise I've seen directed towards the genre.
Comments
Displaying 0 of 0 comments ( View all | Add Comment )