Horror's Final Resting Place
Three sentence review:
You think about this movie any time you are on the interstate behind a log truck. You have to love the creativity of the Final Destination series and the elaborate ways in which the characters meet their demise. Every film in the franchise is fun for this reason, but part 2 is my favorite.
The third season of Slasher on Netflix is fantastic and in my opinion the best of the series so far. Taking place almost entirely inside of an apartment complex, it’s a brutal and engrossing “Whodunnit?” story with interesting twists and even more interesting character dynamics. The way it depicts the relationships among a diverse group of neighbors is relevant and necessary viewing, even outside of trying to figure out the identity of a crazed madman.
31 Nights of Horror VIII, Night 10: Ready or Not
Three sentence review:
I’m getting married next year, so there’s no way I wasn’t going to love a movie about a bride who has to survive murderous in-laws on her wedding night. I’d heard rumblings that this was a fun watch, and I’m stoked that I finally got to see it at Richmond’s legendary Byrd Theater. Samara Weaving gives another exceptional horror performance, and thus my girl crush grows stronger.
Three sentence review:
I made it a point this year to watch more pre-1970 horror films and this one has been one of my favorites so far. It’s a 1960 British film set in America about a college student who travels to a town in Massachusetts to learn more about its history with witches. It’s extraordinarily well done, and the combination of a good story and creepy imagery kept attention for the entire 76 minute runtime.
31 Nights of Horror VIII, Night 8: House
Three sentence review:
House is the story of a writer who returns to his childhood home to pen a novel about Vietnam, only to discover that the hole is infested with ghosts and ghouls. It is supremely delightful and chock full of some of the best special effects from the decade, including an 18 foot closet monster that had to be operated by 15 people. Any horror movie that has Norm from Cheers and an undead soldier named Big Ben is quality cinema in my book.
Night 7: ERASERHEAD. I can’t remember if I’ve already featured it on my October list but frankly I’m too lazy to check. It’s always nice to pay a visit to the Lady in the Radiator and explore our fears of conception and life and death and whatever else you interpret. Pixies does a really fun cover of her song and it’s on Spotify. I listen to it often. Yep, I’m a Lynchian.
Every few years a horror movie comes out that redefines the genre, and Cabin in the Woods is that film for the 2010s. The meta approach to the slasher genre is so good that it’s easy to revisit this film multiple times, even nearly a decade later. The satirical horror movie characters are magnificent, and the story behind the scenes is even better. There’s a lot to love about the movie, including the use of Nine Inch Nails “Last” during the end credits and Bradley Whitford’s unfortunate encounter with a mermaid. Still, my favorite part is when the wires are cut and the monsters run amok when released from their cells. Simply outstanding.
