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Hysteria!
From the trailer, Hysteria! looked like it was going to be good, campy, 80s-tastic, Satanic Panic, heavy metal fun. And it was. It was also chock full of some great camera work, creative effects, and some genuine horror film moments all stuffed into a pretty good story. And if you bother to think about things…
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Maxxxine
Maxxxine… less of a horror film than the previous two, more of a crime thriller. When X came out a few years back, I was pleasantly surprised by pretty much everything about it. I mostly checked it out because of the cast members I recognized. Mia Goth was not one of those. But after the…
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Cuckoo
Cuckoo… for a movie that started out with a lot of yelling in German, it only got mildly more disturbing. Dan Stevens–who I knew mostly from Legion–has been popping up in all sorts of films over the last few years. He’s super creepy in this one as a rich German dude who owns the resort/nature…
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On the Trail of Bigfoot: Last Frontier
On the Trail of Bigfoot: Last Frontier… another reminder of just how big and empty parts of the U.S. are. This is another documentary by the Small Town Monsters crew. I’ve been personally backing their Kickstarter projects for a few years now. Each one of those projects leads to the production of a handful of…
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Malevolent
Malevolent… a little life added to a common plot idea by the performances in the film. Shortly before Florence Pugh became a big name, she did this horror film that more or less went straight to Netflix. It’s kind of amusing that, while it’s a UK production, Pugh is still playing an American (which she…
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Demons 2
Demons 2… don’t worry about it making sense… it’s an Italian horror film. Here’s the thing: Italian horror is a thing of its own, especially in the 80s. So much of it is more about spectacle over substance. And there’s plenty of spectacle to be had here. At least by 80s standards. This film garnered…
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Immaculate
Immaculate… not the most original plot, but well done in a classic style. If you can’t guess the plot by the title and the fact it’s set in a convent, you’re not even trying. We’ve seen plots like this in numerous horror films through the years. Usually with some slight variations in details. Even with…
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Caddo Lake
Caddo Lake… not quite what I guessed it would be from the trailer, which probably made it a better film. The trailer for this definitely caught my attention. Mainly because it really didn’t give anything away about the plot, but captured a distinct, tense, feeling. The movie more than delivered on that. The trailer, due…
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Oddity
Oddity… that was a nicely done ghost story. The atmosphere is really what makes this one work. The plot isn’t that complex, and most of the acting solid, but understated (in a very British sort of way). That atmosphere came courtesy of some very well framed shots and a fantastic use of the difference between…
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I Saw the TV Glow
I Saw the TV Glow… that’s definitely an art film, with a thorough undercurrent of existential dread and perception-twisting ideation. When I saw the trailer for this, I was already all in for it. It looked different, and it dealt with something I’m well-acquainted with: a bizarre relationship with a TV show. What you couldn’t…
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V/H/S/Beyond
As expected, V/H/S/Beyond had a bunch of pretty good segments, one that was completely silly (but still well done for that flavor), and at least one that was absolutely excellent (that one will vary depending on what you like in your found footage fare). I’ve come to really look forward to the (now) yearly V/H/S/…
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Salem’s Lot (2024)
Well, Salem’s Lot… that definitely wasn’t full of sexy vampires, as promised. It’s been a long time since I revisited the original Salem’s Lot made-for-tv movie from 1979. And I can’t remember anything about the theatrically released follow-up to that Return to Salem’s Lot. But I do remember the 2004 mini-series a little bit… mostly…
Watching Stuff With Our Brains Turned On