2023 Reviews

Talk to Me (2022)

Plot: "The film follows a group of teenagers who discover they are able to contact spirits using a mysterious embalmed hand, only for things to go too far. Talk to Me premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival on 30 October 2022, and was released in Australia on 27 July 2023, by Maslow Entertainment."

Review: This season I noticed a lot of horror movies that I thought catered to GenZ, this is one of them. The film has a creepy but fun vibe, and at times it was tricky to tell if it was a funny horror or a horrific comedy. I think the movie is an allegory for drug use, and a really great cautionary tale. I really enjoyed this one, so I don't want to ruin the plot, and I recommend this for a fun movie night. (Theaters)

Rating:🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Urban Legend
Contracted
The Babadook

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Plot: "Hospital emergency room Dr. Daniel "Dan" Challis (Tom Atkins) and Ellie Grimbridge (Stacey Nelkin), the daughter of a murder victim, uncover a terrible plot by small-town mask maker Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy)."

Review: This. Was. Terrible. I was so confused the entire time I watched this movie, so many questions and so many odd choices. The next paragraph will contain spoilers. If you want to play a drinking game to this movie, drink whenever the Silver Shamrock commercial comes on.

Spoilers: Michael Myers, the serial killer known for being the main antagonist in every other "Halloween" film, is not in this movie. He has nothing to do with this movie. In fact, the characters are watching the first "Halloween" film IN THIS MOVIE. The main character seems to have a great deal of freedom to roam around secure areas and just take vacation days from the hospital he works at (as a physician), and I'm not sure what he initially hoped to gain by going on this adventure. I can tell you the ending and it seriously wont ruin the movie, if anything it might make you more curious! The ending: It was Stonehenge. Also, if you're not near a television at 9:00 nothing happens (which raises Time Zone questions). ($3.99 on AppleTV)

Rating: 🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Halloween Ends
Trolls 2
The Stuff

No One Will Save You

Plot: "Brynn finds solace within the walls of the home where she grew up until she's awakened one night by strange noises from unearthly intruders."

Review: This one was creepy... Not much dialogue, and the lack of speaking during the first half makes it that much creepier. I feel like the plot summary gives away too much information, if you go into it thinking somebody breaks into a person's house it hits a new level of scary.

I liked this one so I don't want to spoil anything, though it is a rollercoaster of odd and normal that I think was done well. Anybody afraid of this particular genre might not want to watch the entire thing (though I recommend it), and horror fans might find this one more fun than scary. An Average film, in a good way

Rating:🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:

Hush
Nope
Under the Skin

Saw VI (2006, Hulu)

Plot: "With Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) still directing events from beyond the grave, Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) emerges as the heir to the killer's twisted legacy. But as the FBI closes in, Hoffman sets in motion a game that is designed to reveal Jigsaw's grand scheme."

Review: I'm writing this one as I watch it, so this might be a little disjointed:

We open with 2 people trapped in a room, very Saw. I know they explain the setup in one of the movies, but I wonder if (in this universe) there is ever a moment where the gadgets get jammed and Jigsaw (or you know... whoever) has to go in and reset things. After the Title Screen, there was a flashback and I thought I saw Mark Wahlberg (it was not). Also, apparently the film makers expected me to watch and remember the previous films?! It looks like they are setting up the main plot by showing an insurance firm and how amoral they are. It is getting all dramatic, I'm going to finish writing this and then write the next paragraph

Wow. This was an interesting journey. I feel that this movie, similar to "Scream", is actually a different genre (Police Procedural) that happens to take place in a horror universe ("Scream" is a self-aware Noir that takes place in a horror universe). While I felt the entire story was too convoluted, I actually enjoyed this one enough to watch the next film in the series ("Saw, The Final Chapter" AKA "Saw 3D"). This time the people that Jigsaw wants to teach a lesson: The Insurance Companies. They do not let you forget that this is because of a rejected insurance claim. Also, somehow Theo from "The Cosby Show"..?There were moments that looked painful, moments that were funny and moments that made me think. I don't think this was a great movie, though I enjoyed it way more than expected.

Rating:🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Scream V
Spiral
Identity

Blue Sunshine (1978)

Plot: "A man (Zalman King) accused of murder tries to stop hairless people driven to kill by bad LSD in college."

Review: This was such an odd experience. If you don't want spoilers, maybe don't read further

I had no idea about this movie until it randomly showed up on my suggested list (thanks algorithm). It starts off multiple times. If you watch this one, that will make sense. THe entire movie seemed like an SNL sketch that just kept going, I laughed out loud MULTIPLE times. It was one of the best B-movies I've seen and I could see this playing a midnight show at the IFC Center. The plot is pretty thin, and the actors make some interesting choices. If you like bad movies and want to go on a strange adventure, this is an option.

Rating:🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Mars Attacks
Basket Case
Bad Milo

The Bay (2012)

Plot: "The quaint seaside town of Chesapeake Bay thrives on water; it is the lifeblood of the community. When two biological researchers from France find a staggering level of toxicity in the water, they attempt to alert the mayor, but he refuses to create a panic in the docile town."

Review: Rarely does a movie scare me, and somehow I found another one. If you're looking for a 4th of July horror movie, check out The Bay. This is a found footage movie that is both ridiculous and creepy. Watching it was an experience. I highly recomend, not going to go over the plot (no spoilers)

Rating:🔪🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Rec
Grave Encounters
The Taking of Deborah Logan

Beau is Afraid (2023)

Plot: "Its plot follows the mild-mannered but paranoia-ridden Beau as he embarks on a surreal odyssey to get home to attend his mother's funeral, realizing his greatest fears along the way."

Review: Technically, this is not a horror movie. However, it is SOOOOOOOO creepy! If I tried to explain the plot it may not make sense, and I had no idea what I was in for when I saw this film.

Ari Aster (Hereditary) is the director, and he seems to be a master of making audiences laugh while also making things cringeworthy... I highly recommend this one, expecially if you're not into horror movies but okay with an absurd journey. Because of this film, there is one song I don't think I can listen to again without feeling gross.

Rating:🔪🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Contracted
Hereditary
The Babadook

Saw 1-9 (2004-2021)

Plot:"The series revolves around the fictional serial killer John "Jigsaw" Kramer. Kramer was introduced briefly in Saw and developed in more detail in Saw II and the subsequent films. Rather than killing his victims outright, he traps them in life-threatening situations that he refers to as "tests" or "games"

Review(s): Thanks to Melissa for inspiring me to watch an entire franchise! I've made my way through a few (Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Leprachaun, Scream, etc) but I was not prepared for this adventure. I will briefly review EACH movie, though I want to start with just some background information about this franchise and discuss how much of a role this played in the last 20 years (yes, 20 years) of Horror.

The Franchise: The first saw film came out in 2004! At the time, it was unlike many other horror films in its ability to combine gore and a compelling story filled with "blink and you'll miss it" moments. I remember watching the original in theaters, and it was an experience. James Wan is credited as the co-creator (other credits include Dead Silence, The Conjuring, Insidious, Malignant, M3GAN, and somehow many more). The franchise is one of the highest grossing horror franchises in history, and the original had a budget of about 1 million dollars (grossed $103.9 million according to wikipedia). The first film was shot in 18 days?! They also used few locations (the show Communitymight refer to this as a "Bottle Episode") in order to save money. The first film in the series also caught an NC-17 rating, not for the violence but because the lighting and sound were too creepy for the MPAA. It is pretty ridiculous how much of an influence this franchise had, below I'll give a little of my opinion of them all (no spoilers). Something else worth noting, a Saw film was released about every year from 2004 to 2010. Almost every film ends with somebody slamming a big door and/or saying "Game Over". Also, as the movie budget goes up so does the fabrication of Billy the Puppet! One point I really want to make: I think Saw works because it is really just a police procedural (Like Law and Order, CSI, etc) that takes place in a horror universe. The Scream franchise does something similar in being an absurd Noir that takes place in a horror universe. Both use this technique of "We showed you who the killer is, but were you paying attention" in order to somehow wow viewers over and over again. Beautiful.

Saw (2004) - This is the first film in the franchise. It has a gritty feeling because the 2 camera's are intedned to represent the ewmotional state of the 2 leads. This is the best film in the series, in my opinion, and is worth watching a few times just to catch on the hidden details. Creepy, Gore-y and real good story. I don't want to spoil anything, but the premise of most of the franchise is that somebody wakes up in a room and is given a task to complete as part of a game, and it they fail there are fatal results (important to the entire rest of the series). The main antagonist is a serial killer called Jigsaw... Horror Classic, 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

Saw II (2005) - This film is about a group of people have been injected with a nerve gas and must play through a deadly game to get the antidote. This one is more spectacle than story, fun watch though. There is some character development 🔪🔪🔪

Saw III (2006) - A man is forced to play a deadly game in order to help him forgive his son's killer. This one was a little specific, and it seemed like an odd commentary on grief but also not focused enough to be a movie about grief. Interestingly, the original team behind Saw (James Wan, Leigh Whannell and Darren Lynn Bousman) declined to be a part of this until they reconnected and foud out the producer died, and aimed to make this one an emotional dedication to him. More character development 🔪🔪🔪

Saw IV (2007) - REDACTED is dead, and during an autopsy a cassette tape is found in the stomach. I was not a huge fan of this one, and oddly it felt like you needed to watch the first 3 to understand everything that was going on. 🔪🔪

Saw V (2008) - Somehow, previous characters survived to this point and are now hunting down the Jigsaw Killer again. This is a pretty direct story, though I feel it did a great job setting up all the parts necessary to make the plot believable. I think the big downfall of this one was that I didn't really find the characters likeable. 🔪🔪

Saw VI (2009) - This was the ONE film in the series I planned to watch and review this year.I have to say, it was so absurd that I had to see more and I started watching the rest. The players of this film's deadly game are Insurance Company Employees, very specific. Throughout the movie I found myself laughing out loud, and there are a bunch of cameos including one of the Huxtebles. Really a sight to see 🔪🔪🔪

Saw 3D (2010) - Saw VII was release in 3D! I watched in 2D and I can totally see how they polanned to use that gimmick to make the movie more interesting. Horror fans might remember that Friday the 13th III was originally in 3D AND was the first appearance of the classic hocky mask worn by Jason Voorhees. There are more cameos (RIP Chester Bennington of Linkin Park) and the props are living in the Uncanny Valley. The plot surrounds a man that is making money off his new book, which details how he survived the Jigsaw Killer's deadly games. He is adbucted and placed into a game after a book signing, all I'll saw 🔪🔪🔪

Jigsaw (2017) - the 8th entry into this franchise was released after 7 years without a film. I really liked this one and I don't want to talk about the plot at all, though I highly recommend this one. I looked at the credits and I don't see James Wan involved. I could see the difference in tone, this film felt like a fan of the franchise wanted to make a love letter of a movie and I think they got it right. It is campy but brutal and clinical. I feel like this ranks as #2 of the franchise for me 🔪🔪🔪🔪

Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) - I reviewed this one in 2021, it now ranks #3 of this franchise in my opinion.in 2021 it was confirmed that a series is being developed, and I would watch. Chris Rock did a great job. Here is my previous review: This was an amazing take on the Saw franchise. Chris Rock stars in this sequel, and he really carried the movie. His character is a detective that is an outcast within his precinct. There are a number of nods to one of his first big screen roles (New Jack City) and this story stands on its own so no need to see all the previous Saw movies. There are 9 movies in the Saw franchise!? My dad asked how it was (he surprisingly doesn’t like horror movies), and I said it was more of a film noir style thriller that has elements of horror. I would say think of a long episode of Law and Order but they show everything… I’m glad I saw this one, I recommend giving this a watch. :🔪🔪🔪🔪

A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Plot: "Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world's most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a seance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. He soons gets thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets when one of the guests is murdered."

Review: I did not know about this movie until a friend suggested checking it out (Thanks Matt!) I did not want to look up anything about it before seeing it, so that I could go in knowing as little as possible.

This was a comedy that took place in a haunted house. I thought it was a really well done mystery movie, and a good haunted house movie. It would be a great movie for somebody that likes comedy and mystery but doesn't want to see lots of gore. Amazing cast, No spoilers (it is in theaters)I recommend it!

Rating:🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Tucker and Dale vs Evil
Hubie Halloween
Hell Baby

The Boogeyman (1980)

Plot: A young woman (Suzanna Love) is haunted by a piece of broken mirror possessed by the spirit of her mother's lover. "

Review: This was an odd movie. It seems like a VERY different time, but has lots of remake potential. The movie seems to be about PTSD and trauma more than an actual entity, and if it went a different direction this could have been a pre-Babadook. The audio (specifically the screams) were so outlandish I could not contain my laughter. I actually don't recommend this one.

Rating:🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Babadook
Hereditary
Halloween

Flux Gourmet (2022)

Plot: "Set at an institute devoted to culinary and alimentary performance, a collective finds themselves embroiled in power struggles, artistic vendettas, and gastrointestinal disorders."

Review: This was an interesting watch. It is about a group of artists in a world were a specific style of art is known and celebrated. The artists get a residency and are making a piece, all eccentric and devoted to that form of art. There is a person doing a documentary about the making, and he ends up being part of the piece. While absurd, this one seems like something that might already be going on (and I feel like I've been to that show).

I recommend this one! very absurd.

Rating:🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Velvet Buzzsaw
Candyman (2021)

Tammy and the T-Rex (1994)

Plot: "A teen (Denise Richards) learns that a scientist (Paul Walker) implanted her dead boyfriend's brain into an animatronic dinosaur."

Review: I could not believe that Denise Richards and Paul Walker agreed to do this movie. It is a ridiculous movie, absurd and cartoonish, and somehow pretty gore-y

The T-rex animatronics are silly, and the writing explains it it a great way, I was in for the ride. The ride was nuts. This is a hilarious watch, I recommend it

Rating:🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Velocipastor
Trolls 2
Hubie Halloween

Messaih of Evil (1974)

Plot: "A young woman goes searching for her missing artist father. Her journey takes her to a strange Californian seaside town governed by a mysterious undead cult."

Review: This one was playing at a midnight show on Friday the 13th, and to save money I watched it on Shudder. It was very slow and had a lot of narration. It had a really creepy tone.

I don't think I really know what the actual antagonist was, and even after an exposition dump I was still confused. I did not hate that, I feel like not knowing made it more creepy. I think it makes a good midnight movie, I don't know if I'd recommend this one though.

Rating:🔪🔪

Alternatives:
VIY (Black Sabbath)
White Noise
Blow-Up

The Watcher (2022)

Plot: "American couple Julia and Francis relocate to Bucharest, moving into an apartment building with a large picture window. Julia notices a man looming in a window from the building across the street. While Francis works long hours, Julia grows unnerved by the man in the window, who watches her on a daily basis."

Review: After all the behind the scenes drama showing up in my news app, I lost interest in watching this one. Then... I saw the trailer. It looked very much like a movie that would interest me, and I was right.

Ther seem to be a bunch of movies and shows called "The Watcher" right now, this one was a good watch. It had major "Rear Window" vibes, and a creepy tone almost the entire time. No spoilers (available on Hulu, newer movie) though I will say this film taking place in a setting where non-english language is spoken and not translated adds to the element of confusing the main character is feeling. Pretty good.

Rating:🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Suspiria
The Invisible Man
Hush

V/H/S 85 (2023)

Plot: "A heart-pounding journey into the grim underbelly of the forgotten '80s through five tales of terror on a taped-over made-for-TV documentary."

Review: I love the V/H/S Franchise! I played the original at a watch party way back, and it went over really well. This franchise is great for group viewings, though last year I went to see their V/H/S 99 release in theaters and it was just as crazy of a ride. I think this one was better than V/H/S 99, though the first and second titles are the best. This one is absolutely worth a watch, it gives the creepy vibes of watching late night television in the late 80's / early 90s.

Rating:🔪🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
V/H/S
The Poughkeepsie Tapes
Grave Encounters

Scare Package (2020)

Plot: "Chad Buckley is super crazy about horror movies, but also very lonely. He mostly spends his days in his small movie shop having wild discussions with his only returning customer, Sam."

Review: This is a horror movie made for horror lovers. Lots of references, trope jokes and pretty good low budget aesthetics. I feel like they tried to make a new "Horror Character", I'm not sure if it worked. I also watched the sequel, both are quite absurd (Absurd comedy that takes place in a horror genre). If you love horror movies this might be a fun break from the gore. If you're not a big horror fan this one might be fun though I don't know if it would keep everybody's interest.

Rating:🔪🔪

Alternatives:
The ABC's of Death
Holidays
Mexico Barbaro

Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010)

Plot: "A sexy lingerie model and a successful software salesman go on a weekend getaway to a quaint northern California town."

Review: I saw this movie at a Midtown bar Movie Drinking Game event (and won a free beer) like a decade ago (Thanks to Simon and Stephanie for taking me!) This is basically a remake of Hitchcock's The Birds if it was directed and produced by Tommy Wiseau of The Room... I could not begin to tell you the plot of this film, though the intention was to bring awareness of climate change. The budget was $10,000 (Blair Witch had somewhere between $35,000 and $60,000 for comparison), so take it for what it is. I'm not recommending this one, but if you know you know.

Rating: Somehow 🔪 and 🔪🔪🔪🔪 at the same time?!

Alternatives:
Lamb
Ghosts of Mars
Basket Case

Army of Darkness (1992, Amazon Prime Video)

Plot: "Ash is transported back to medieval days, where he is captured by the dreaded Lord Arthur. Aided by the deadly chainsaw that has become his only friend, Ash is sent on a perilous mission to recover the Book of the Dead, a powerful tome that gives its owner the power to summon an army of ghouls."

Review: I had never watched this classic movie before, though I'm a big fan of Evil Dead. I'm glad I gave this one a chance, Sam Rami creates beautiful suspense filled moments. This is more of a slapstick comedy in a horror world, and still Sam Rami can make viewers stop what they are doing and watch closer...

It felt like watching an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer mixed with Scooby-Doo, way more of a comedy and I see why this is a midnight movie classic. Ridiculous.

Rating:🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Evil Dead
Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
Jughead

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989, Shudder)

Plot: "A "metal fetishist" (Shin'ya Tsukamoto), driven mad by the maggots wriggling in the wound he's made to embed metal into his flesh, runs out into the night and is accidentally run down by a Japanese businessman (Tomorowo Taguchi) and his girlfriend (Kei Fujiwara). The pair dispose of the corpse in hopes of quietly moving on with their lives. However, the businessman soon finds that he is now plagued by a vicious curse that transforms his flesh into iron."

Review: I focus on horror movies in October, though one of my other favorite genres would be "Absurd" movies. Tetsuo comes up on a bunch of lists for both genres, so I gave it a watch.

The film has a very experimental / low budget feel, and that makes it creepy from first look. The story does not use much dialogue, and the story seemed pretty narrative for the most part. The visuals are creepy and disturbing, Japanese horror tropes are very effective. If felt like David Lynch and Cronenberg got together and made a movie. I recommend this one, very good late night/midnight movie!

Rating:🔪🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Eraserhead
Darling
Pi

Eat Brains Love (2019)

Plot: "When Jake and his dream girl, Amanda, contract a mysterious zombie virus, they end up on the run from Cass, a teen psychic sent by the government's top-secret Necrotic Control Division to track them down as they search for a cure."

Review: This was a B-movie that seemed to take it self seriously as a zombie movie, yet in on the joke in the world of horror movies. It felt like watching a really long episode of "Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix)", which I think works well as a show and not so much as a movie. I think this is another attempt at changing zombie lore, and I'm not sure it worked out. It has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, though only 7 reviewers. I might skip this one if you're getting into horror movies, check out one of the alternatives.

Rating:🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Contracted
Life After Beth
Zombeavers

We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021

Plot: "Reality and fantasy begin to blur when an isolated teenager immerses herself in an online role-playing horror game."

Review: This is another Coming of Age low budget horror movies, it was only shown in 3 theaters in the United States and Canada (earning $12,000 openning week, %101,178 total domestic). It follows a teen that is doing an internet challenge, and the mystery behind the challenge is enough to stick around for the entire movie. It gets slow at points, absolutely has a creepy vibe and while I'd say it was pretty mild I could understand a tween or pre-teen being afraid after watching this. Mix that with the other creepy aspect of this movie and it is an okay movie, in my opinion. Is it a mMust Watch Movie? No. In fact, I'd recommend one of the alternatives instead.

Rating:🔪🔪

Alternatives:
The Dark Web
Skinamirink
Paranormal Activity

Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)

Plot: "In Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, Pooh Bear and Piglet have turned into homicidal killers after being abandoned by Christopher Robin, leading to a deadly path of vengeance against any human entering the Hundred Acre Wood."

Review: This was a ridiculous movie. Oddly, it started off with so much potential though it could not live up to the hype. I believe the copyright for Winnie the Pooh expired recently and somebody thought to make a horror movie with the characters, I think this premis would have worked well as fanfiction or internet creepypasta. The movie seems like they shot a lot of footage (like B-roll) and then realized they didn't have enough material so they just used all the footage. There is a lot of repeating dialogue, shorts of driving or walking that lasted too long and the plot seems a little all over the place. If the jacuzzi scene was its own movie I think this would have done better.. Will I see a sequel, ya' damn right. Do I recommend this? Only if you want to see what this movie is, keeping expectations low.

Rating🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Jughead
The Hills Have Eyes
Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Saw X (2023)

Plot: "Starring Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith reprising their roles from the previous films, with Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Renata Vaca, and Michael Beach, John Kramer (Bell) travels to Mexico in hopes that an experimental procedure may cure him, later discovering a scam within the operation."

Review: Another one. I watched all the Saw movies within the last 2 weeks, and I have to say some are better than others (in my opinion). The original is a classic, so good that people keep returning to see what is next. No spoilers: This one has such an odd change in tone, like I questioned if this was the right movie... then they answered the question with a definite YES. This is my 4th favorite Saw movie and I recommend it.

Rating:🔪🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Saw
Mandy
Cabin in the Woods

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Plot: "Struggling with alcoholism, Dan Torrance remains traumatized by the sinister events that occurred at the Overlook Hotel when he was a child. His hope for a peaceful existence soon becomes shattered when he meets Abra, a teen who shares his extrasensory gift of the "shine." Together, they form an unlikely alliance to battle the True Knot, a cult whose members try to feed off the shine of innocents to become immortal." "

Review: I almost watched this a few years ago, I can't believe I missed this one. I think it is a great film for people that love the shining, and it comes very close to capturing that vibe/tone, though I think anybody would enjoy this one. If I were to pick apart the plot it would fall apart, though it was a really great watch. I think all the actors did a great job, I think the direction was good enough that when I questioned anything the next scene would answer the question, and I see sequel potential. If you're curious at all to see this one, you should.

Rating:🔪🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
The Shining
1408
Gerald's Game

Scary Movie 3 (2003)

Plot: "After newspaper reporter Cindy (Anna Faris) accidentally watches a strange videotape that causes the viewer to die within a week, she discovers the tape is only one of many weird happenings. Local farmers Tom (Charlie Sheen) and George (Simon Rex) have reported massive crop circles appearing overnight in their fields. Cindy finds a link between the tape and the crop circles with help from the U.S. president (Leslie Nielsen) and a kindly aunt (Queen Latifah)."

Review: I wanted to rewatch this one to see if it held up, and this one might be one of the better Scary movies in my opinion. I think the original was game changing and hilarious, though the humor was of a specific time. The second one seemed to want to push limits, but the third entry makes subtle jokes that are just funny in general. I laughed, I got the references and it was a fun watch.

Rating:🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Scary Movie
Hell Baby

Totally Killer (2023)

Plot: “Thirty-five years after the shocking murders of three teens, an infamous killer returns on Halloween night to claim a fourth victim. When 17-year-old Jamie comes face-to-face with the masked maniac, she accidentally time-travels back to 1987. Forced to navigate the unfamiliar culture, Jamie teams up with her teenage mother to take down the psycho once and for all.”

Review: This one came up as a recommendation a few times though I had no interest in watching. My wife started watching it and I joined for the first half. It is a little absurd and very funny, also Scream level gore. It stars Julie Bowen (Modern Family) and Keiran Shipka (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and they do a great job. The story line is a little loose, worth watching

Rating:🔪🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
The Babysitter
Cabin in the Woods
Grave Encounters

They Cloned Tyrone (2023, Netflix)

Plot: “"They Cloned Tyrone" is a contemporary science fiction, Blaxploitation film about a pimp, a ho, and a drug dealer uncovering the biggest conspiracy against ethnic groups. The film stars John Boyega as Fontaine, Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles, and Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo.”

Review: I debated including this film, as it is not explicitly a horror film. I had a friend recommend this after I watched it, and I think that is enough to at least mention it.

No spoilers, This has the same vibe as "Sorry to Bother You", and swings between comedy and some terror (mostly a blaxploitation style absurd noir). I did not think I'd see what I saw, great watch and should be a classic years form now.

Rating:🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
The Others
The Strangers
Transfiguration

After Blue (2021)

Plot: “On After Blue, a virgin planet where only women can survive in the midst of harmless flora and fauna, a hairdresser and her teenage daughter hunt a notorious killer.”

Review: I saw a trailer for this at a midnight movie and then could not find it! I thought I had imagined it for a really long time. When I finally saw it was streaming I had to see it. It was odd, and very much like an Adventure Time taking place in a nightmare. I think the dreamlike aesthetic makes it easy to miss some of the elements that might make it a horror movie.

Rating:🔪🔪

Alternatives:
Darling
Midsommar
Martyrs

Ma (2019)

Plot: "Ma" is a psychological horror film that explores how past trauma influences adult decisions and behaviors.

Review: This one had such a creepy tone. Octavia Spencer carried this one, and it swung between drama and comedy before getting into horror. I think this is a good example of a cautionary tale, makes for a good midnight movie. No spoilers, though I think if this movie ended about half way through it would have beet better (or a series).

Rating:🔪🔪🔪

Alternatives:
The Visit
Goodnight Mommy
Creep