The Not Quite Halloween Horror List of 2020
Not yet Halloween but could have been. To explain their rating a bit, if a movie is so bad that its on the verge of being painful, it would fall somewhere within the 1-3 range. The 4-6 range is for movies that are not good but still watchable to good movies that have left little long lasting impression. 7-10 are movies I enjoyed to love.
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- DirectorJ.D. DillardStarsKiersey ClemonsEmory CohenHanna Mangan LawrenceA woman washes ashore a small uninhabited island after an accident. The situation turns from bad to worse when she realizes there is a mysterious creature hunting at night.The first half is pretty good. Very minimalist, a lone survivor washes up on shore and survives on her own. There is no dialogue but through rummaging through things on the island, it effectively paints an unsettling picture. There were people here before and there is something coming ashore to eat. Then the movie takes a horrible turn, she starts talking. The dialogue is tripe, a ton of reminiscing and accusations about things the audience isn't privy to. The monster fares better in the dark so of course its shown in full daylight. Its rubbery and bad. I wouldn't say its a terrible movie but its not great.
- DirectorAdam KrauseStarsLauren Ashley CarterTracy PerezAaron ChristensenAn unidentified man in Green Bay, WI has captured worldwide attention for roaming the streets dressed as a clown. Many write it off as a harmless prank, others aren't so sure. When a group of friends cross paths with the clown everyone calls Gags, his true intentions are revealed.A cash grab two years too late. That being said, its a better movie than most based on the 2016 clown scare. That's not a huge compliment, but still, good job. The acting is adequate, most are pretty unremarkable but they fill their roles. I did especially enjoy Aaron Christiansen as the right wing podcast host turn vigilante and Lauren Ashley Carter was good as the newswoman when she had something to do. The scenery, its found footage so there isn't going to be many interesting shots but at times has some interesting ideas. The glowing carnival tent looked cool but could have been done better. The ending is rather disappointing. Some of it works like the fate of the kids and the podcast host I can't complain too much, but the rest is just disappointing. The newswoman's fate doesn't even really make sense, it just serves as a cliched set up for the movies final line. Its another 5 of 10, adequate with positives and negatives that cancel each other out.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsMickey RourkeRobert De NiroLisa BonetA private investigator is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cyphre to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. But the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.Capable but not as effective as I feel it should. While it handles things alright, I found it a tad predictable though I never read the novel nor did I really look into the movie before hand. And that kind of hurts it, a thriller mystery movie without thrills is kind of boring. I did enjoy the little things though that hinted at what anyone should have figured out at a cursory glance. Things like throwing salt over his shoulder while talking to Mr. Cyphre, which the least convincing devil alias of all time. But how easy I could call scenes, I struggle to give it as glowing a praise that I had been told. Its not bad but I'm just not enthusiastic about it.
- DirectorJoonas MakkonenStarsEnni OjutkangasJari ManninenOrwi Manny AmehA group of Finnish and British people get stuck at a cabin when they are attacked by a creature that is a half human, half rabbit.Last year, I saw Rare Exports and it was surprisingly good. This year, I saw Bunny The Killer Thing and its one of the worst things I've ever watched. This movie sucks. Every passing minute is a stain on cinema, the arts, and humanity itself. And still it somehow manages to keep getting worse. This plot looks like something pitched by high school kids and is just as funny as hospice. There is an obsession with penises and homo-eroticism that I'd say is a gay joke in the (very) loosest of definitions. There's lesbian rape, furry sex scenes, general debauchery, and it all is just tasteless, like they want you to laugh at rape. The characters are nonexistent and interchangeable with no actual stories fleshed out and nothing differentiating any of them but the most bare bones of traits. I can tell the fat guy from the black guy but have no clue who either of them are and really just don't give a damn. This movie is festering garbage.
- DirectorHerbert L. StrockStarsRichard EganConstance DowlingHerbert MarshallA security agent investigates sabotage and murder at a secret underground laboratory, home of two experimental robots.I don't know what possessed me to see this movie, but I'm certainly glad I did. There is a charm to 50s movies. The acting is questionable, the effects not quite worthy of the word special, and robots are really midgets in glorified vacuum cleaners. And this movie has all that in spades. But what really caught my attention, was how accurate this movie forecast the future. Not only did it predict solar power and stealth vehicles, it predicted malware and the next frontier of national espionage. From the 50s! I also appreciated the diversity with which characters are killed off. Though tame enough to get a G rating these days, the wide variety does a nice job of mixing it up and build some added suspense. That being said, this movie is a talker. At times I started to nod off, if there is something that can be said in a single word, I'd be damned if it wasn't the subject of their thesis.
- DirectorJack HillStephanie RothmanStarsWilliam CampbellMarissa MathesLori SaundersA crazed artist who believes himself to be the reincarnation of a murderous vampire kills young women, then boils their bodies in a vat.I was reminded of another movie watching this. A Bucket of Blood, with the late workhorse Dick Miller. Both are horror movies involving the beatnik generation and I actually find it an interesting focus. Blood Bath is a vampire movie but it isn't quite a supernatural movie. There are elements near the end, but as far as vampires go, Sordi is rather mundane. He doesn't transform nor is he particularly superhuman, he just sprouts fangs. But how they use the characters is effective. I especially like the ark with the sisters, with the one investigating the disappearance of the other. She puts herself into danger investigating Sordi and I was actively concerned for how her story would end. It has its flaws but I still got a good deal of entertainment from this movie.
- DirectorMario BavaStarsBarry SullivanNorma BengellÁngel ArandaAfter landing on a mysterious planet, a team of astronauts begin to turn on each other, swayed by the uncertain influence of the planet and its strange inhabitants.This movie really took me by surprise. I was expecting schlock, and in some ways I got it, but the sets and props were really good. I especially liked the alien skeletons, they were very well detailed and had a lot of character for such a low budget movie. There are some questionable moments, like touching something that already shocked your partner, but for the most part iit was serviceable. There were no real vampires but a parasite that controls the willing or recently deceased, and for the most part they were pretty tame. That is until the reveal of the captain's possession, where he is missing his chest. It looks dated but I still felt it was a really nice touch.
- DirectorDaniel FarrandsStarsHilary DuffJonathan BennettLydia HearstPregnant with director Roman Polanski's child and awaiting his return from Europe, 26-year-old Hollywood actress Sharon Tate becomes plagued by visions of her imminent death.I watched two good movies in one day, time to punish myself. Trash. Everything is trash. Throw it out. Burn it. Make it exist no more. The acting is terrible. The script is brutal. The sets, I can't stress this enough, are cheap. A 1965 movie made a really good alien landscape and alien skeletons on the cheap. This movie made the Hollywood Hills look like the bad part of Detroit. I have never wanted to punch an actress more than I did Hillary Duff. The lines given to her are so bad no actress can pull them off, yet she somehow reads them with such obnoxious pretentiousness its unbearable. Its like listening to Jayden Smith read his Twitter musings.
- DirectorDale FabrigarStarsLance HenriksenDwayne StandridgeGiovannie EspirituPassengers on a train that crashes into a river must decide whether to risk waiting for help in the wreckage or take their chances in the murky depths below.This could have been a pretty good movie if it didn't fumble on the four yard line and had the other team run it back for a touchdown. There was some pretty nice things, the idea that they were stuck in a train car in a lake with a monster lurking right around the corner. Then they rushed through it and I knew there was going to be trouble. Which is a shame, for a creature feature it wasn't all bad. The monster looks good. Swallowing the one guy whole before crushing his head in its jaws was novel and interesting. Only, it feels like it killed everyone off in ten minutes. Most simply with drag offs. But then there is the ending that just flips you the bird and pees on the rug. And that rug really held the room together. Without spoilers, its the kind of ending that cuts the legs off everything you witnessed and none of it really matters. Pass.
- DirectorBrian ClemensStarsHorst JansonJohn CarsonShane BriantA master swordsman and former soldier and his hunchbacked assistant hunt vampires.I would have liked to have seen more of this. Not so much in a movie franchise as planned, but as a serial tv show, Hammer might have been onto something. It feels like the premise is too big for an hour and a half movie and never quite reaches its full potential. The Hammer budget didn't help much either and with the downturn in their profitability, it was just another in a long list of failures for a dying company. For what it is, I can recommend it but its a shame its nothing more.
- DirectorLarry FessendenStarsBonnie DennisonDaniel ZovattoJon OrsiniSix high school seniors celebrating in the middle of a lake find themselves trapped on a rowboat due to a man-eating fish.That's a pretty good fish. Can't say anything good about anything else. The killer fish is really well done for an animatronic, its richly detailed and moves realistically, but it gets too much exposure sadly. It becomes easier to find faults in it, like how they have to handle it with kid's gloves lest they break it. Everything else is a mess. Watching these kids react to adversity is astoundingly stupid, they up and kill each other before even taking inventory of their possessions. Its a laughably bad movie but you can only watch it with a couple beers and close friends.
- DirectorAri AsterStarsFlorence PughJack ReynorVilhelm BlomgrenA couple travels to Northern Europe to visit a rural hometown's fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.I feel like I should be scared, but really I'm just bored as hell. Horror movies that use light to convey unease are a bit of a mix bag. Showing too much can ruin a good horror movie, but this does a fine job at testing that rule. There are some brutal scenes that they want you to see and make you want to turn away. The only issue is, its not as interesting as the makers hoped. It at times was just brutally tedious and I frequently just wanted to stop and do something else.
- DirectorRobert EggersStarsRobert PattinsonWillem DafoeValeriia KaramanTwo lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.Another solid movie from the creator of The Witch. There are a number of complex themes going on here, and a scholarly men can spend hours debating all of them. I, like all true men of class, watch Troma. Strong acting gives this period horror flick its legs, especially Willem Dafoe's portrayal of the old seafaring lighthouse keeper. His elaborate curses are some of the most memorable parts of the movie. Pattinson holds his own as well and even gets a few jabs in here and there.
- DirectorDavid AmitoMichael LaiciniStarsNicole TompkinsRowan SmythDan IstrateA young boy and girl enter the forest to dig a hole to Hell. Said to be a cursed film from the late 1970s, "Antrum" examines the horrifying power of storytelling.I have to respect the hustle. Antrum has a gimmick and damn it to hell, its committed to it. And I must admit, I kind of like it. The "movie" isn't particularly amazing, but the framing documentary does well to put it into context. Which is, "this is a cursed movie." Like those cursed images on twitter, its the context put into it that makes it compelling. And some of the scenes they put into it definitely give that cursed image feel. Its fairly artsy and meta, two things I tend to hate, but I have to say I( had a soft spot for this movie.
- DirectorAndré ØvredalStarsBrian CoxEmile HirschOphelia LovibondA father and son, both coroners, are pulled into a complex mystery while attempting to identify the cause of death of a young woman who was apparently harboring dark secrets.This movie starts strong, continues strong, then kind of dips at the end. The mystery is pretty enthralling but it comes to an unsatisactory conclusion. Which is understandable, it builds itself up to such a degree that its hard to come up with a good ending. The acting is very good when its characters just holding a discussion, I especially liked the elevator scene in particular. But then there are moments where they make some stretches to move the story along. At times they come to ludicrous conclusions that will leave you scratching your head. But where the movie is the strongest is its sense of escalation. From the first light flicker, Ovredal successfully builds tension that makes it all the more powerful when things do pop off.
- DirectorKevin KölschDennis WidmyerStarsJason ClarkeAmy SeimetzJohn LithgowDr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children. The couple soon discover a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home.Its... better... than the original. I can't sugar coat it, the original Pet Semetary was as dull as a sack of hammers. Its kind of hard not to do a better movie than that one. And the remake doesn't really try hard. There are some interesting scenes like them travelling through the swamp to the resurrection site, but those ethereal scenes are more of a treat rather than the bulk of the experience. The acting was good, I like John Lithgow, but nobody really stood out for their performance. Its slow and meandering at times, and some things really aren't fit into the narrative well. Particularly the student whose ghost follows the family. He just kind of tags along and doesn't have any significance to the family. The fact he even knew their name was a surprise to them. Scary scenes... I guess the hallucination scene in the bathroom had good build but the payoff stunk. And the cat had good mean eyes. Its meh, there are better King stories out there. Go watch them instead.
- DirectorJung Bum-shikStarsOh Ah-yeonWi Ha-joonYoo Je-YoonThe crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast. It soon encounters much more than expected as it moves deeper inside the nightmarish old building.Its an alright watch. Nothing that would set the world on fire, but the hair on my arms were standing. The reason for this is atmosphere, their attention to detail payed off in recreating the imposing abandoned asylum. Just exploring the building is unnerving, and its the little goings on that have the greatest emotional impact. Unfortunately, its the big scares that are the weakest aspect of this movie. All the disappearances are the same, and when they do the extreme close up shot on the possessed girl's face, I simply can't take that seriously. I'm not a fan of found footage movies in general, except for Noroi, but you can do much worse than this.
- DirectorAlexandre AjaStarsKaya ScodelarioBarry PepperMorfydd ClarkA young woman, while attempting to save her father during a category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators.Its competent but you would never expect this to be a movie released in 2019. I liked the dynamic of the main characters, instead of the more generic lovers they went for an estranged father/daughter relationship that I think was played off well. And that they kept the cast small, it was kept simple and focused without a lot of unnecessary pork. But the effects looked dated for ten years ago. Like even seeing the overflowing lake at the beginning made me stop and say 'woof.' I have seen better water drawn in Microsoft paint. The gators look just as hokey, and the longer they are on screen the faker they look. It doesn't look so bad with the jump scares which are done pretty well. If they didn't use them in the advertising, they would have actually been shocking.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsJohn LuptonNarda OnyxCal BolderMaria Frankenstein puts the brain of a monster into the body of one of Jesse James' sidekicks.I wanted to hold this off for Halloween but malaise is a hell of a motivator. The double feature to one of my previous recipients for best movie of Halloween month and my favorite bad movie of all time, Billy the Kid vs Dracula, I would argue this is the better made movie but not nearly as entertaining. While a strong actor in his own right, John Lupton was never really the stand out guy in anything and doesn't have the star power of John Carradine. But his portrayal of Jesse James is more akin to what you would expect compared to Chuck Courtney's Billy the Kid. For one thing, he is competent in a fight. Estrelita Rodriguez was also very good and its a shame she would pass with this as her final film credit. The big issue with this movie is probably how safe it is in regards to its horror. The monster Igor doesn't exist until far into the movie so it has to rely on being a western until then. Only, its not that interesting a western so its kind of a slog. The monster himself is very mundane. Cal Bolder is in tremendous shape, but make up is minimal so he looks very much like a big, muscular bald man without a shirt and a scar around his head. He doesn't even rack up much of a body count in the short amount of screen time he gets. Its as meh as the score would make you think, maybe if you riff it with friends it would be fun but not something you would want to watch casually.
- DirectorHugh ParksTom LoganStarsChristopher AtkinsAmanda WyssAri MeyersA group of medical students are attacked by an aggressive laboratory animal while competing in an after-hours role-playing game at their school.I remember the box art of this movie at my mom and pop video rental store as a kid. It always looked intimidating back then so I never rented it. Seeing it now as an adult, it seems so weak. This movie is low budget, so much so as it pretty much takes place in a hallway. The same set is used over and over, and they don't do anything to make it look new so it kind of gets boring after a while. Occasionally they go into one of the other rooms, but there isn't anything appealing there either. As a result, there isn't much in the way of atmosphere. Everything is shot so cold and matter of fact, I never really felt anything. The monster himself doesn't help either. Rather than use a chacma baboon that the movie claims shakma to be, they chose a smaller, less aggressive species. And he looks cute more often than not. Nothing like the violent killing machine they purport him to be. I can't recommend this. Its a little boring at its best, boring at its worst, and in general not the scary movie little me envisioned.
- DirectorBuddy CooperJohn DouglassStarsMatt MitlerRuth MartinezBill HitchcockA college student, who accidentally killed his mother as a child, decides to take his friends to his father's fishing cabin during fall break, not knowing that his crazed father is stalking the place.A no name movie from a no name director with a no name cast. It wasn't too bad. Its nothing particularly special, but for the amount of work that went in, it manages to deliver about that much back. The camera may have been a reworked toaster and the acting chops of the cast is questionable, but they really put in the effort in some of these death scenes. Some were so horrific, I even felt the need to look away. Other than that, its a pretty standard fair slasher. The father and son aspect between the lead and the killer doesn't really come up as much and there isn't really any chemistry between them. And the ending is a bit much even by slasher standards. I would probably recommend it to die hard slasher fans, not so much as a strong watch but as a time killer. But the low budget would probably drive off most others.
- DirectorRobert LiebermanStarsD.B. SweeneyRobert PatrickCraig ShefferAn Arizona logger mysteriously disappears for five days in an alleged encounter with a flying saucer in 1975. His co-workers endure ridicule and contempt as they are wrongly accused of murder.An interesting, albeit a tentative addition. While not exactly a horror movie, it does have some horror elements in the third act. And that act diverges from the so called true story, which does pay off somewhat. The actual story was very sterile and the aliens were very... unoriginal. Big eyes, small mouths, everything you hear on Coast to Coast AM. The revised aliens are fairly imposing, as tall as a normal human and with beady, malicious eyes. There are some problems in the first act. Characters kind of pop into existence. I forgot who Travis's brother was immediately because he had such short screen time and the town bully(?) seemed to have no importance whatsoever. It isn't a great movie, but still engaging to be considered very good.
- DirectorFabien DelageStarsAlexandre AjaDave AlexanderJean-Jacques BernardA documentary investigation on the rarest and most controversial French movie in the history of early cinema: a fascinating, lost and dangerous short film which causes violent reactions to those who watch it.I'm a bit conflicted. Maybe its because I'm a laymen on the works of Georges Melies. I've seen some of his shorts but like Journey to the Moon and The Bewitched Inn, but as far as the person I never really thought to put much research in. So this movie confounded me as it tells the history of a real person, through the guise of a film that never existed. So as a documentary, its lying to me. And to that end, the interviewees sell it so well, I cannot for the life of me tell where the lie ends and the truth begins. As to a horror movie, I still have trouble because its about a supposed lost film. The topic doesn't exist and all that's left of it are newspaper clippings. Its like fishing without a hook, there isn't anything to keep you invested unless you really care about the life of Georges Melies. On paper, it sounds like an interesting idea and the actual production was pretty well done. But in practice I just don't see who I would refer this movie to.
- DirectorRichard CiupkaStarsJohn VernonSamantha EggarLinda ThorsonSix young actresses auditioning for a movie role at a remote mansion are targeted by a mysterious masked murderer.The twist was alright, but its a little too late for an otherwise mediocre slasher. The premise is sound, actresses vying for a role turns deadly, but its just that the villain is not that great looking. Its a woman in an old hag mask wielding a scythe. A Party City old hag mask. With no visible alterations. She's not that imposing nor are any of her kills that horrendous. And on top of that, most of them occur outside. in the middle of the day, in the snow, and not a cloud in the sky, making it all the less intimidating. I can't really justify a recommendation. Its not the worst, but its hard to really care long enough to get to the interesting twist ending.
- DirectorPanos CosmatosStarsEva BourneMichael J RogersScott HylandsDespite being under heavy sedation, a young woman tries to make her way out of the Arboria Institute, a secluded, quasifuturistic commune.Its a very polarizing movie. This movie is grindingly slow and often doesn't feel like its going anywhere. While the former can't be contested, the latter can't be farther from the truth. If anything, I would describe it as like a 70s sci-fi story where much of the focus is atmosphere and tone. And that is where Michael Rogers flourishes. The actor that carries the movie, his portrayal of Dr Nyles is a chilling combination of David Koresh and Jeffrey Dahmer. The sets also need recognition. The minimalism that goes into every room and the lighting convey the emotions of an otherwise nearly silent protagonist. Her world is oppressive and sterile, seemingly perfect but still faulty at its core. But the movie isn't perfect. Its hard to believe watching the first two acts, but the final act feels a little rushed. What feels like it should be handled with more detail, is wrapped up in less than 20 minutes, and not very pleasingly. Its not for everyone but if you have the patience, its worth the watch.
- DirectorPaul AnnettStarsCalvin LockhartPeter CushingMarlene ClarkEight people are invited to an island estate for the weekend. One of them is a werewolf. Can you guess which one?The monster is the laziest werewolf frugality can buy. Its a dog. Otherwise, this is a pretty decent mystery movie. Its well acted, but rather cookie cutter in its premise. Calvin Lockhart delivers a pretty good obsessive hunter trying to discover the identity of a werewolf. His hunt at times makes him sound crazy, and he does look it at times, but therein lies a problem. The mystery is simply a who done it, the audience knows there is a werewolf (and he's a good boy) and as a result we know he is as sane as they come. In the end, its not a movie that isn't remarkable, but still has some charm.
- DirectorBrian SkibaStarsDominique SwainCorin NemecWilliam McNamaraPeter Cotton, a scientist that works on rabbits and infertility, learns that the military wishes to use his work to create superhuman soldiers. Cotton is bitten by an experimental mutant rabbit and changes into the evil Rottentail.Why do I do this to myself? I knew this was going to be bad. There was nothing that would make me think otherwise. This movie adheres to the idea "if you have nothing funny to say, just keep talking and swearing." So what you get is just a constant barrage of unfunny nonsense. The jokes are crass, if they bother to even make a joke, and usually just revolve around feces or other bodily functions. The mask functions but that really doesn't amount to much when the movie is this much a chore. Saying not to watch it feels like a PSA.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJohnny DeppFrank LangellaLena OlinA book broker discovers his latest find may summon Satan.The thing I remember most was the old man clutching his blanket at the beginning of the movie. If he knew how the people in this movie treat old books, I feel he'd have snapped out of his vegetative state and strangle everyone in his vicinity. Just pawing the pages like they do is enough to ruin old books, these things should be credited alongside Clint Eastwood in The Gauntlet. But the movie itself is very good. The mystique behind the Nine Gates sets an interesting mystery as does the constant presence of the green eyed girl. Only, at times it goes too far. When she shows up to save him from Liana's bodyguard, seeing her float into the fray is too much. Ultimately a good watch. Maybe not a real horror movie but a very strong thriller.
- DirectorLee MatthewsRuben RodriguezStarsJohn BrugalGarrett MarchbankJohn Kyle SuttonHundreds of disturbing paranormal events occur every year. Most of these terrifying encounters go unreported--until now. Enter the disturbing world of "Invoking 3: Paranormal Dimensions," where the undead come to wreak havoc upon the living. Grim Reapers, evil poltergeists, satanic forces, and conjured spirits will feed off your fear and drag you into the abyss of waking nightmares.A pretty front loaded horror anthology. Much like ABCs of the Dead, the stories are short, maybe 15 minutes or so, and digestible. As such, these aren't very deep stories and have a very campfire feel. With exceptions of course, because someone always has to ruin a good thing. Fortunately, these stories are pushed towards the back of the set, so at least it starts pretty well. Some are better than others. I liked Selfies and The White Lady the most, and would have included Bedroom Window had it not tried to look so clever in the end.
3AM was a disappointment and Heartbreak and the Dead was a complete waste of time.The rest were passable to even good. If you want some campfire story ideas, you could do worse. - DirectorTobe HooperStarsDennis HopperCaroline WilliamsJim SiedowA radio host is victimized by the cannibal family as a former Texas marshal hunts them.This was undeniably different from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But different doesn't mean bad, Tobe Hooper took the franchise into a whole new direction with more cartoony characters. Chop Top in particular, constantly scratching his metal plate with a coat hanger, has a stand out role and even Leatherface is hammed up somewhat. Though he still doesn't speak, they gave him more personality than in the previous film. This I feel does make up for its shortcomings as some of the gory death scenes don't necessarily hold up as well. This is not a movie I would recommend for die hard fans of the first one as they will likely be offended by it, but for a general audience looking for thrills and chills its pretty good.
- DirectorHarry Bromley DavenportStarsJ. Marvin CampbellDouglas CavanaughRobert CulpMarines travel to a deserted island to diffuse bombs, only to be terrorized by a deadly alien creature.So a reenactment of the first thirty seconds of this movie: a CGI comet (oh no), spaceship (Oh No), the earth (OH NO!). From what I've seen, Xtro may not be the prettiest horror movie, but there is a reason so many hoax videos use the clip of the alien crawling on all fours. There is something scary about seeing the alien in that movie. Xtro 3 looks like Feeders. The alien is simply not imposing. Its spindly with a bulbous head, but in a way that makes it look like a marionette more than a monster. The acting is stilted and the script isn't strong, and its rather hard to find much to compliment. And then the rabbits. There are a number of 'dying' rabbits in this movie, only its obvious they aren't real. They're poorly animated sock puppets and that anyone thought they would make for an acceptable stand in has the eye sight of Stevie Wonder. And where is the cougar? I keep hearing one but it never makes an appearance. Long story, this movie is like a democrat speech in 2020. Just about unwatchable.
- DirectorLucky McKeeStarsLauren BirkellAgnes BrucknerJane GilchristSet in 1965 New England, a troubled girl encounters mysterious happenings in the woods surrounding an isolated girls school that she was sent to by her disinterested parents.This movie has some things going for it. The actors are good and the special effects aren't bad. So why is it so mediocre? The problem lies in the story structure, in that it is built like a brick sh*t house. Its got four walls, a roof, a door, ventilation to let the stink out, and in general its functional. Its also really boring to look at. This is the definition of a paint by numbers story, where everything has already been put together and they simply got the actors to fill it in. The villain is predictable, the story is straight forward, there aren't any challenging twists or turns to surprise or confuse the viewer, and then everything wraps up neatly without any of that pesky suspense to get in the way. They pay homage to The Evil Dead, because they have Bruce Campbell of course, but really you could just watch The Evil Dead. Still, when Bruce gets screen time he is a delight, but its a forgettable movie that I wouldn't recommend to anyone unless there is absolutely nothing else on.
- DirectorStobe HarjuMark RoperStarsFrancis X. McCarthyGlenda BraganzaHelene RobbieA coma sends an old man into his childhood's sinister fantasy world, where he must fight dementia and gain back his memories before it's too late.I was quite impressed early on with this movie. The effects and the atmosphere were really good, particularly the gravelly voiced snowman who looks foreboding. Which being a snowman, is actually a feat. And then the music starts. Now the actual music sounds great and again helps with the mood. Its only when they start singing that I really had to stop and ask why they did that. The vocals took me out of the movie but even more so were the lyrics. They're just are so jarring and in your face, they take over the movie and not in a good way. I'd have preferred a lot of it to be instrumental. After the circus scene, and song, I couldn't get back into the movie. Maybe if I knew any Finish metalheads this would be a higher recommendation but if you can get through the music you'll find this more rewarding than me.
- DirectorRodney AscherStarsStephen JosephEstrella CristinaSiegfried PetersA look at a frightening condition that plagues thousands; sleep paralysis.I must applaud the production, even if the documentary is a bit disjointed. Unlike an event, sleep paralysis is a very vague subject to make a documentary out of. So what we get here is the stories of various people who suffer from the sleep disorder. One sees aliens. Another ghosts. The third demons and what not. There is nothing that ties any of them together nor any concrete conclusion of the condition. But at least the stories are interesting. There are mentions of notable figures like The Hat Man and Freddy Krueger but they aren't swelled on for long. But the production value is higher than many documentaries. Rather than reenactments that are riddled with jump cuts, you often get a good look, or at least a creative one. Most are done on the cheap but are still used effectively. I was particularly fond of the static aliens with the permanent black smiles. Maybe if you want a serious deep dive into some of the more notable facets of sleep paralysis, like The Hat Man, you wouldn't be too interested but if you have time for just a story, its pretty good.
- DirectorRoman KarimovStarsDmitriy BogdanEvgeniy AlyokhinIrina StarshenbaumTwo brothers are drawn into a sinister situation when their girlfriend goes missing during a stay in an eerie village.Whew. This was something else. None of it good, in fact, I would put this in the same category as Manos The Hands of Fate. This movie was a whole new world of bad acting. The acting, both voice and physical, is next level of bad. I can't even be sure there is more than two voice actors as everyone sounds exactly the same and yet somehow none of them seem to fit any of the characters. But that is nothing compared to the physical actors. The state of these actors, the female lead is easily the most wooden actor since they whittled Aaron Taylor Johnson. The scene where she just stares at the camera is the most vacuous image ever put to camera. Just nothing there, there aren't even lines on the notebook page. This is next level nonsense, my body was not ready for how bad this was.
- DirectorTod BrowningStarsLionel BarrymoreMaureen O'SullivanFrank LawtonAn escaped convict uses miniaturized humans to wreak vengeance on those who framed him.I had this as part of my horror list, but with The Old Dark House and La Llorona, I wanted to find a little more variety than just 30s horror movies. I chose poorly, I preferred this movie to both of them. Its not as clean as Dr Cyclops, but I have to say that some of the sets the miniaturized humans had were pretty interesting. A lot to interact with, shoes and chairs and jewelry boxes, it did give a great impression of size. The only flaw is the black outline around the actors when they are super imposed over footage containing other actors. Lionel Barrymore was spot on in this movie, he plays a great sympathetic criminal out for revenge and plays an old woman well to boot.
- DirectorKarl FreundStarsPeter LorreFrances DrakeColin CliveIn Paris, a demented surgeon's obsession with a British actress leads him to secretly replace her concert-pianist husband's mangled hands with those of a guillotined murderer with a gift for knife-throwing.This seems oddly familiar. Coming a day after watching The Hands of Orlac to watch, pretty much The Hands of Orlac. This movie focuses more on the doctor who is in love with Orloc's wife, which is not really in the silent film and his machinations to rid her of her pianist husband. Peter Lorre stars as the villainous doctor and does a fantastic job. Everyone else, not quite as good. They aren't bad, but there is a noticeable step down between him and the next star. In all, I prefer the silent film. Voidt's madness surpasses Lorre's just a little bit and maybe its the advantage of going first but I liked it better the first time.
- DirectorSeverin FialaVeronika FranzStarsLukas SchwarzElias SchwarzSusanne WuestTwin boys move to a new house with their mother after she has face-changing cosmetic surgery, but under the bandages is someone the boys don't recognize.An interesting concept with a pretty good follow through. I especially liked the escalation of the plot, where it starts as something amiss and progresses to some horrific torture. It does make the movie a slow burn, but it also ensures it doesn't come off as jarring or exploitative. The twist, you've seen it before in movies like A Tale of Two Sisters, but its handled competently enough. It doesn't hold your hand, but if you are analyzing it well enough you may spoil it for yourself. What I didn't like was the ambiance. There is a lot of white and bright colors in this movie, which unfortunately comes at the movies detriment. It hinders any suspense and while it makes blood and gore pop, alas Carlos Colon's white wrestling attire, but there isn't enough to really justify it in this movie. Its a very good movie and would have done well in October had I not found it too late in the season.
- DirectorAndrey IskanovStarsTetsuro SakagamiTomoya OkamotoYukari FujimotoA graphic docu-drama detailing the history of Unit 731, where thousands of innocent Chinese prisoners of war were fatally experimented on.There is no reason this movie is more than two hours long at the most. Considering it took 4 years to make, do you think you could spend more than 4 minutes on editing? Which is a shame as there is something here. An exploitative documentary on an infamous Japanese WWII medical research lab, the atrocities that were committed within these walls are a horrible reminder of the brutality of war. The effects were effective at reenacting these experiments in gruesome detail. But its marred by scenes that seem inappropriately long, like the execution that starts the film in which they walk through the snow for eleven and a half minutes to behead him in thirty seconds.
- DirectorJeremy WoodingStarsGeorge BlagdenTom CotcherBarrington De La RocheA stagecoach of travelers, a gunslinger and two outlaws arrive in a deserted mining town lit by the glow of a reddish full moon. As their worlds collide, they are hunted by a beast that only appears on the night of a blood moon.A movie I watch mistaking it for Black Moon which in turn I may have mistaken for Black Noon. I suspect this to be a TV movie, considering its TV rating rather than a theatrical one. And I have to say, its not that bad. Its not amazing, but pretty decent for what it is. The werewolf/skinwalker/its a werewolf looks very good more often than not with only one exception when the native girl transforms and it focuses on her lackluster make up. Characters aren't too bad but aren't that much in depth, playing more to their tropes more than becoming well fleshed out. And the story is functional if not ambitious. What was a let down however was how little the werewolf has to do. By the time its reintroduced, half the cast has already killed each other and it feels like the movie is winding down. As far as western horror, there are far worse than you can do than to stumble on this filling a TV time slot.
- DirectorMichael DeGrazierBenjamin PaulidesStarsJaryd AtaderoDeOrr Kunz Jr.Nate EatonA documentary that chronicles the similar disappearances of five children in the wilds of North America, across multiple decades.I'll admit to being a fan of Coast to Coast AM, which us where I first heard of this documentary. Now, of course I cannot prove the validity of the topic of these park disappearances. More recent events paint a different possible picture of some of the people interviewed. But what I can say is that this does feel like an earnest investigative endeavor for David Paulides. Maybe he takes some of these stories at face value too much, but it doesn't feel like he is maliciously misrepresenting facts. The topic is very interesting and the interviews are very personable, albeit there is not much put into style. Its not like The Legend of Boggy Creek with more emphasis on reenactments or The Nightmare where they used their reenactments to drive home key points, most of the stories are simply witnesses explaining what happened. Sometimes at the places in which the disappearances took place. This does make it feel very matter of fact and does harm its entertainment value. In all, it does raise some interesting ideas and gives you a lot to think about, so it does feel like a worthwhile watch.
- DirectorKazuhiko YamaguchiStarsShin'ichi ChibaKyôsuke MachidaYuriko AzumaA man with a special power attempts to help a cursed woman.Its a real stretch to call this a horror movie. Its a werewolf movie in which there is never a werewolf transformation. Of course, that's a bit hyperbolic as there are some horror elements, like the mystery surrounding people being mauled by an invisible tiger, but there is not much effort put into horrifying the audience. Its more of a gory action movie to Sonny Chiba's benefit. And there is plenty of great gore to go along. While he never transforms, Chiba still benefits under the full moon of being totally indestructible, allowing such great gory scenes like his intestines being pulled back inside his stomach. The only real issue is that I feel it carries on longer than it should. It feels like they had the final climactic fight, you're feeling good, start packing up, and it keeps running for another 20 minutes. Its alright but not quite there for me.
- DirectorFrank H. WoodwardStarsRobin Atkin DownesNeil GaimanPeter StraubA chronicle of the life, work and mind that created the Cthulhu mythos.I can't stand many of the modern interpretations of Lovecraft's works not for a lack of originality but the contempt of the creators for the man who is paying their bills. This documentary on the other hand, is wonderful. Its look into an often dehumanized author paints a picture of a man who underwent growth most people would never undergo. From his harsh and cold hearted childhood that created the bigoted and anti-Semitic young man to the more tolerant and accepting man he would become after being exposed to the world. And how this growth influenced his writing, evolving into the Cthulu Mythos. The only real downside is that an hour and a half, the movie still feels sparse.
- DirectorPeter MarcyStarsRob JonesJoe MarcyDevon JorlettA masked stranger attacks a group of friends at a cabin in remote Wisconsin.Well, its not good. I feel I should give them some leeway because its so indie but its just not good no matter how low the bar goes. They try to be clever with their camera tricks but there is just so little pay off. The killer just comes up and kills people the same way each time. When you watch a good slasher, seeing the killer stab someone with a knife kind of gets boring really fast. So they mix it up, Myers beats them with a hammer, Jason stabs them with an arrow, Freddy whips a man's bare ass in blistering hot water. Not so much the scarecrow here. The only exception was when he kills the guy off screen and for a minute I thought that was going to play into a twist ending where the original killer was really dead and this guy was just taking advantage of the situation. That would have been more interesting than what really happens. Anything would have been more interesting than what really happens. There was also a left/right political dynamic between two characters pertaining to George Bush of all people. In 2017. Two presidents after he was relevant. You'd think they would have the decency to kill them both off first. In all, its a bad indie movie that has nothing and runs with it, getting nowhere.