Category: Horror/Thriller

Horror/Thriller

“Smile 2”

By Brett_G on

7.9

Part of my initial beef with this movie was the number of times I had to watch the same trailer for it at my local AMC. I had to work not to hold that against it.

Working past that, I really enjoyed this one! It adequately expanded on the lore without losing the magic that made the original standout in a year of great horror flicks. Great jump scares, some legitimately terrifying twisting of reality (what’s real and what’s not), and a fair amount more gore than expected (the “Terrifier” effect on modern horror). Naomi Scott really makes the movie with her strong performance in the lead position. Without her, I’m not sure this one works and am not sure we would get the impending third installment. She really kills it (no pun intended) from beginning to end here.

Studio horror continuing its comeback, and I’m here for it!

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Horror/Thriller Indie

“Terrifier 3”

By Brett_G on

7.7

Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat – Art killing children is only one of the absolutely abhorrent things that happens on screen during this one. Author Jason Pargin put it perfectly on Tik Tok recently – we go see these movies because we wish that evil was as simple to spot as Art the Clown. There’s definitely something deeper going on with this series, as it begins to not only out-gross large studio blockbusters (I’m looking at you “Joker”) but influence recent studio horror films (Smile 2’s level of gore was at an 11 all of the sudden).

Coming back to the feature, Art the clown has fun brutally murdering and dismembering everyone within any given frame for over two hours. The creativity of kills here is starting to give the “Saw” series a run for its money. Our new final girl Sienna comes into her own against the axe wielding jester, and the series itself finds its sea legs. Krampus is no longer the only horror icon here to ruin your holiday season by going after kids.

Technically speaking, you’re going to be hard pressed to find a better modern slasher. If you can stomach the blood and gore (which even I was surprised by), you’re in for a wild ride. I definitely understand if it’s not your bag, though. This is a love it or hate it type film to its core.

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Horror/Thriller

“Never Let Go”

By Brett_G on

5.1

Nah… they really should have. I’m with Rose in “Titanic” on this one.

In trying to be “Evil Dead” or “A Quiet Place,” this one failed to really be anything. Mom’s crazy – the attempted shoehorning in of a possible demon falls flat on its face amongst more biblical references than you can shake a crucifix at. And did we really have to get THAT close to watching her kill the dog with a crossbow?!?

It’s an hour and forty minutes that feels like three hours of your life that you’ll never get back.

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Horror/Thriller Indie Science Fiction Uncategorized

“The Substance”

By Brett_G on

8.4

“Why does her bathroom look like something out of a “Saw” film?”

“Why is that hallway carpet and red bathroom straight out of “The Shining?””

Not since the movie “Society” have I seen a movie quite this moist… I can honestly say that I did not see the third act going that off the rails. Homages aside, the execution here is second to none. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are perfect playing off each other, and Dennis Quaid is the perfect amount of creep to really drive the central points home here. There’s definitely a strong underlying theme of obsession with vanity and selfishness and the broader themes of the Hollywood system. But there’s also one of the best body horror films in years. The originality of the horror slate this year is so refreshing, and I’m here for every frame of it on the big screen!

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Horror/Thriller Shudder Suspense/Thriller

“Speak No Evil” (2024) / (2022)

By Brett_G on

7.9 / 8.1

As a die-hard Shudder fan, I’m disappointed in myself that I didn’t realize that this was a remake of a fairly recent foreign horror film.

As for the American version, James McAvoy really makes it all work. Without him and his perfected mask slips and eventual descent into madness, I’m not sure they pull it off. I was genuinely uncomfortable from beginning to end. There’s just enough “off” in each scene to keep you on edge and keep you guessing where the next turn will lead. I will also never hear the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame” the same ever again.

Onto the foreign version… they really went all out. Where I didn’t think the remake pulled any punches, it turns out that there was indeed more room for things to get worse… much, much worse… This one is definitely not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach.

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