Tobe Hooper loves him some psycho rednecks in an eerie location. This time it’s the sadistic Judd, the owner of the rundown Starlight Hotel in East Texas who has homicidal urges and a crocodile at his beckoning. Marilyn Burns, Carolyn Jones and a very young Kyle Richards star in this 1976 follow-up to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and it has elements of all of the things you love about Hooper – grit, spooky sets, and demented characters.
Tonight’s movie is dedicated to my fiance, who adorably loves the scene where one of Andy’s friends jumps onto the grenade. Yes, I would say that pretty much sums up Child’s Play 3. It’s a fine sequel that puts Chucky in a new environment, explores more of Andy’s psyche and relationship with Chucky, and amps up all of Chucky’s greatest charms: snarky one liners and absolute carnage.
My fiance and I had a blast watching Adam Sandler’s latest Netflix movie, Hubie Halloween. I immediately texted my older brother to let him know that my eleven year old nephew would love this silly love story to the true spirit of Halloween. The decked-out Halloween decor in the Salem setting actually inspired me to put up more of my decorations and I absolutely adored June Squibb in all of her raunchy thrift store t-shirts – so much fun!
Sarah Paulson can pretty much make anything worth watching, and her portrayal as the complex Nurse Ratched is no exception. The series is certainly more of a dark drama than a horror series, but blurs the line with gore, suspense and the terrifying effects of trauma in pretty much every episode. In addition to Paulson, Finn Whitrock and Sharon Stone particularly shine, and even though there is a LOT going on in the series, I enjoyed its chaotic twists and hyperbolic characterizations through the end.
I am a big fan of Adam Green, from his awesome horror themed tv show Holliston to his work getting back to “old school American horror” with the Hatchet series. Part two is an enjoyable sequel and I love the interactions between Tony Todd and Danielle Harris. Victor Crowley is as brutal and hideous as ever, and I hope the Hatchet series continues to get more installments as Crowley rightfully takes his place among the slasher villain greats!
31 Nights of Horror IX, Night 6: Random Acts of Violence
Three sentence review:
When I saw that Jay Baruchel directed a horror movie based on a comic I immediately thought of my friends at Geeks Under the Influence, but also wondered how a comedian from Canada would approach brutality, as suggested in the title. I was pumped to see Jesse Williams playing the lead, as I think he is an outstanding human, and was really pleasantly surprised at how full throttle a lot of the action and violence turned out in this film. The plot about a horror comic writer stalked by a crazed killer wasn’t the meatiest, but I will say I nodded my head in approval during the scene in which Slasherman made his bloody and intense debut.
This film gets a lot of love from being one of those “undiscovered gems” from the early 2000s. I watched it again and found it to be watchable but a little “meh”. It has good twists, a supremely eerie location, and a great cast (, but it’s nothing spectacular in my opinion – watchable for sure, but not a favorite of mine.
Longer review because I’ve been meaning to watch this for years:
This is the third time I’ve tried to sit down and pay attention to As Above, So Below and I’m so happy that I finally did. I’ve noticed that Gen Z horror fans in particular seem to rave about this movie which I find fascinating/wonderful. Maybe it’s the first great horror movie they “discovered”, maybe they had a blast watching it with friends, maybe it’s the first time they learned about the Catacombs in Paris. Whatever it is, I’m here for it. I enjoyed the story being centered around alchemy and history rather than rooted in religion, though the religious symbolism is still there. It was very “National Treasure Goes to Hell” (literally) and even though true historians probably would scoff like a scientist watching any disaster movie, I loved it. There is so much going on in this film: a quest for the philosopher’s stone, an underground tour of Paris, a woman trying to carry out her father’s life work, a will-they-or-won’t-they romance with an attractive translator/church trespasser? This is a great example of a horror movie doing A LOT but doing it effectively because everything the movie builds you up for descends into hell and madness. I am now unsure if The Descent or this movie made me more claustrophobic. Really great watch if you haven’t gotten around to it yet, or watch it again on Netflix if you haven’t seen it in a few years.
31 Nights of Horror IX, Night 3: The Babysitter: Killer Queen
Three sentence review:
Y’all, if you need a movie recommendation for this Saturday night please watch The Babysitter and then watch its BETTER sequel, The Babysitter: Killer Queen (both on Netflix). The sequel is self-aware, sharply funny and really fun. I absolutely loved this sequel and you will too!
What an absolute treat it is to have any new horror this year, and Host happened to be exceptional! Set during the current pandemic, this excellent horror short is like watching a Zoom meeting go to hell. The scares are effective, the story is solid, and the run time is perfect for watching over and over again – well done!
NERDCROPOLIS 