Horror/Thriller – Page 7 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“In A Violent Nature”

By Brett_G on May 30, 2024

7.5

It’s certainly violent, and the is definitely a lot of nature. Delivers on both in bulk.

There were a couple of times it seemed to drag like a log through the woods by way of the logging chains our killer seems to prefer, but most of these served to stretch the tension to a breaking point, which was so opposite of most of todays movies. It was comfortable doing uncomfortable things. “Pull your head out of your ass” will never be the same for me now.

A very creative, brutal, risk taking endeavor that really paid off by the time the credits rolled. Ignore the fact it’s basically a “Friday the 13th” ripoff and enjoy the return of the stomach churning slasher to the multiplex.

“The Stranger”

By Brett_G on May 7, 2024May 5, 2024

6.8

Maika Monroe just can’t catch a break… first she was stalked by the invisible, unstoppable force in “It Follows” (one of my all-time favorite thrillers), and now she’s stalked by the ever-nefarious Dane DeHaan in this “Uber gone awry” horror thriller.

Hulu really has this market cornered after Netflix lost its way.

I was sad to see things come unwound as we made the turn into the third act. The person who recommended this one and I were equally perplexed by some of the creative decisions the creative team made along the way that subtracted from what could have been an amazing film, taking it down a notch to good.

Horror/Thriller

“Tarot”

By Brett_G on May 6, 2024May 5, 2024

7.4

Did you enjoy the “Final Destination” series? Then you’ll like this one.

A welcomed twist on the “teens getting picked off after opening a door to the other side” genre, with solid characters, well crafted jump scares and tension filled kill sequences. A really well done spooky flick that hopefully doesn’t succumb to being just a warm up for the heavy hitters later this year. When it comes to originality like this, the more the merrier!

Comedy Horror/Thriller

“Abigail”

By Brett_G on April 22, 2024April 22, 2024

7.2

If Matt Bettinelli-Olpin is your director, your final girl will end up victorious, covered in blood, asking “what the fuck just happened?” Alongside the audience. Holy crap was that a wild ride, in the best way!

Much like 2019’s “Ready or Not,” I was not fully ready for this one. The story has so many twists and turns, you’re on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. More humor than expected, and as a fellow movie aficionado commented, much better developed characters than your typical studio horror film. We agreed on another, recovering our friendship after some disagreement over “Imaginary” earlier this year.

Alisha Weir and Kathryn Newton steal the show! Finally pulling me out of the rough run of mediocrity I’ve gotten stuck in the past couple of weeks with new releases.

Horror/Thriller

“The First Omen”

By Brett_G on April 8, 2024April 8, 2024

7.2

If Ralph Ineson comes into frame, you know shit’s about to go down. Ever since “The Witch,” trouble isn’t too far away when he’s in the frame. With that warning out of the way, Nell Tiger Free absolutely kills it as the main character. I found many parallels to “Immaculate,” but with the more established lore of the “Omen” franchise. Nuns, nuns on fire, the anti-Christ… ya know, just a typical Tuesday Girl’s Night. Through fire and flame, venture with our mistress of misfortune and uncover the secrets of the Vatican… well, the parallel Vatican whose trying to run an overly-complicated marketing campaign for the Catholic faith. Very strange, but well done studio horror flick!