Horror/Thriller – Page 20 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“Antlers”

By Brett_G on November 3, 2021November 1, 2021

6.2

This one had such promise… That it ultimately pisses away by the time the credits roll.

An interesting premise, based on a Native American tale of a soul-thieving deer creature roaming the forest and punishing those taking from the earth and not doing their part to care for the world around them. But nope, we have to spend time with the family drama of the adults. Adults that are so dumb that they can’t figure out until their third trip to the house that that’s a car under that tarp that just appeared there since yesterday. Better yet, it’s the car of the principal who went missing. And who woulda thunk it? She should have listened to the creepy little kid and not gone in the attic. The lesson of the whole thing – if there are multiple deadbolt locks and one or more blessed artifacts guarding a door… don’t open that door. Bonus points – if you see a freshly dead body, don’t go stand over it. Something bad happened there to cause said dead body. Don’t tempt fate.

An interesting film that unfortunately fell flat in the end, in my book.

Horror/Thriller Shudder

“V/H/S 94”

By Brett_G on November 2, 2021November 1, 2021

6.9

A true Shudder original.

You’ll be confused, you’ll be disturbed, you’ll be disgusted at points. You’ll ultimately leave entertained.

Fairly typical found footage film, with fun commercials in between the saga entries, and a light story tying it all together with some comedy to help cut the tension and keep you from having a stroke. This one was a wild ride. The best of the series since the original, in my book. Bravo to Shudder for a fun hour and a half!

Horror/Thriller Streaming

“Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin”

By Brett_G on November 1, 2021November 1, 2021

7.2

Here at BGME, we judge “Paranormal Activity” films by the quality of their last 20 minutes. In that vein, this one is one of the best of the series.

In one of the stranger turns of the series, we see our couple venture into the snow-covered forest to explore the origins of our protagonist Margot. Shocker, she hails from a cult. (Shocked Face) There are bonfires, a hole-in-the-ground portal to Hell, strange extended relatives, and a tie-in to the original saga. This one checks all of the boxes after committing all of the jump scare reliance that the originals do. You take the good with the bad, and you get a decent scary movie about some paranormal activity.

Amazon Prime Horror/Thriller Streaming

“Eaten Alive”

By Brett_G on October 21, 2021October 16, 2021

5.1

“A new horror classic” for all of the wrong reasons.

This was somewhere between painful to watch and laughable. It misses the mark that the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” nailed. It succeeds in making the viewer uncomfortable, but not much else. The alligator is an interesting creature choice, and could have been great on the heels of JAWS’s success, but this film didn’t quite have the budget, directorial direction, or intent as that legendary series. If it resembles any of them, it’s the ridiculousness of “JAWS: The Revenge.” Grindhouse filmmaking at its finest!

Horror/Thriller

“Candyman” (2021)

By Brett_G on October 20, 2021October 16, 2021

7.6

If you enjoyed the original, you’ll enjoy this one.

They dive deeper into the lore of Candyman and into the psychological connection between a community and the myths they pass down through generations. Jordan Peele was involved, so you know it will be time well spent in the theater. The originality of the kills was a nice change from the typical horror movies lately. Very Freddy Krueger-esque at times. Where you’re not quite sure which reality you’re currently standing in and witnessing. That instability keeps you on the edge of your seat and attempting to look around corners before the camera does. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II nailed the manic paranoia of the character being drawn into Candyman’s grip. He went all-in, and it pays dividends in how captivating he is on-screen. He keeps you invested in going deeper into the insanity of the story. Very well done and well worth a watch!