Board 8 > The October Horror Movie Marathon Topic (Year 4)

(+) Yeah! (+)

74. Let's Scare Jessica To Death (Paramount+)

So I decided to watch a very old horror movie because I liked the title. It felt it's age.

Let's Scare Jessica to Death is about a girl named Jessica who had a nervous breakdown and just returned from a mental hospital. Her and her husband friend go to a country house and there's a girl there who seems to be acting strangely after Jessica shows her kindness.

Like I said, this movie feels every bit 1971. It's a movie that is basically the proto-gaslight the woman movie. It's very slow, nothing feels particularly scary, but I at least appreciate the vision. But man, I couldn't get into it, unfortunately.

I'm sure it was far scarier and more interesting back in the day, but this movie is at a glacial pace, and when you're seeing things play out you're just kind of like... "Great, and now... what?" Because the story isn't terrible, but the name of it certainly doesn't really prepare you for the movie you're watching.

Maybe it's just because I've seen a lot of movies similar to this, only more modern, and this one just sort of seems a lot more bland by comparison. Or maybe it's made in 1971 and it's bland because movies have evolved past that. I still appreciate the little time capsule peek I got at the film though, to see how a movie with this concept played out 60 years ago. But I don't think you need to watch it by any stretch.

Rating: 5/10

Haha I love LSJTD, I will devour that deliciously slow atmosphere any day of the week.

75. Z (Shudder)

This is another film from Brian Christiansen, who I gushed about in my The Puppetman write up, and this is the movie that made me a huge fan!

Z is about a child who has an imaginary friend who keeps influencing him into being more and more cruel.

You might be thinking "Hey this sounds a bit familiar to Come Play", but I'll have you know that Z actually pre-dates that film! And there's a big difference, and that is that this movie is dark and does not pull any punches. While Come Play is a very distinctly PG-13 horror, this is absolutely R rated.

And honestly, I love this movie quite a bit. It's a very, very simple story. It doesn't bog you down in LORE or anything. It just tells an easy story to watch. Because this imaginary friend is a downright fucker and he's angry and you do find his motivations, and it just outright works so well. I love the turns this movie takes and I think it does an outstanding job with the pacing. If there's any compliment I can give Brian Christiansen films, it's that he knows how to make a well-paced plot where you never know what's going to happen next, and it always feels so satisfying.

The acting here is surprisingly good, carried by Keegan Connor Tracy as a panicked mother, barely keeping it together, and just trying to do right by her son who she knows is a good boy at heart. And we follow her through and she just gives it her all in this one. Christiansen is very good at finding a lead that can carry his films well.

The conclusion of this movie is very good, and there's a way that he films and edits this that really makes this movie stand out. And the scares are also served by his directing style. And when we get to the epilogue, that part is very satisfying as well. The guy just gets it. And he does it all with a very small budget.

I said it before, I'll say it again. Don't sleep on Brian Christansen! The guy just does work on Shudder originals, helping out other movies with effects in between creating these awesome movies, and I think he's the most consistently great independent horror film creator right now. I'd love to see him break into more mainstream films, but I'll just continue to enjoy what he does here with awesome films like Z.

Rating: 8.5/10

76. Baskin (Tubi)

I was looking to watch this film for a while now. I keep seeing the name, the cool poster, and the fact that it was Turkish made me all the more interested in it. I, uh, was not prepared.

Baskin is about a group of cops who get a distress call that takes them to an abandoned building. Things, uh, escalate. A lot.

Escalate how? This movie is fucking depraved, deviant, and demented. I was not expecting that, but I almost appreciate how they don't hold back? And that even with all of this horrible, awful stuff you sit through, it's not without purpose. They don't just do it to do it. They telegraph a lot of things earlier on in the movie. I mean, it begins with a group of dudes swapping sex stories like a bunch of fucking goons. I guess I should have expected it would go downhill from there.

But let me be clear that I actually did enjoy this movie. I feel like it went on a little long getting to the interesting stuff. And I also feel like the interesting stuff may have went on a little bit long too. But this is a film with layers. So if you're going to make me sit through this kind of goretastic, bloody, sexually charged depravity, at least you set the table for it.

There is a character in this movie that is kind of the central antagonist, and he's actually phenomenal. Apparently he had some disfigurement that made him look like this, but I was very impressed at how good he was in this movie. He gets plenty of chilling monologues and he actually elevates the movie quite a bit. A+ work from this gentleman.

I think what really got me to enjoy this movie was a lot of foreshadowing to lead up to the ending. A satisfying little twist we get that really brings the whole film around and makes it something legitimately good.

It's not for the feint of heart, and I can only imagine what other Turkish horror is like, but this one was certainly entertaining enough to keep me engaged with it. Watch at your own risk though.

Rating: 7.5/10

I finished 30 Coins season 1 last night (write up to come soon!), but I don't know if anyone noticed, but I sort of do a rotation through my apps to get a mixture of stuff going. Peacock and Paramount+ were next and I had to struggle between a few shows.

Wolf Like Me Season 2 came out, and man I could not bring myself to watch that second season. It's not very good.

Darknet is one I wanted to revisit... But meh, it's a short little anthology series.

And then there was Wolf Pack again but I watched that recent enough.

And I wanted to watch Evil again, but I may be doing that with the girlfriend at some point. But Evil is outstanding, so absolutely watch that! I've wanted to talk about it for a while now, but I remember the first season being long enough I'm not sure I can finish in time too.

Instead, I landed on Slasher: Flesh & Blood because I think this is probably the last horror show I can squeeze in this month.

But I guess if I can squeeze in another, I'll find something on Hulu. There were a few I wanted to check out there.

77. 30 Coins: Season 1 (TV Series) (Max)

Let it be known that we have all been collectively sleeping on one of the best horror series out there. 30 Coins is shockingly outstanding.

30 Coins is about a religious group trying to collect the 30 coins paid to Judas for betraying Jesus Christ and achieve a great power. The series centers on a small town in Spain where one Coin is held by a badass priest, the mayor, and a veterinarian. Now, terrible, awful, horrific things are happening in the town.

This is a Spanish horror series and the series mostly takes place in a small, remote town. But it also manages to leave there sometimes, mainly Italy and France. And this small town is outstanding. They flesh it out and give life to it with the characters there and just doing a lot of world building to help make this town practically a character on its own. It rules.

And the characters are great. The priest is just some dude who had a rough life, boxes in his free time, and takes no shit. He is a complete burly badass who is just over this horror shit. The mayor is caught in a love triangle with the veterinarian while he tries to run this town where bonkers shit is happening and they grow increasingly more upset with him, while his wife is riding his ass the whole time. And the veterinarian is the only one buying into the complete insanity unfolding and trying to cope with the nightmares around her, while also ending up as the driving force of a lot of the plot. That's only scratching the surface of the characters here though, because it's a strong cast.

And the drama is actually legitimately good! A weaving, crazy plot with individual stories in each episode that escalates the horror. You actually don't know what craziness you're going to get in each episode. Just new horrors unleashed while each character is on their own journey. And the drama is actually good! It gets a bit dramatic on rare occasions, but overall it's very well done.

And the horror is sooooo good. You get monsters, you get chilling objects, you get haunting imagery and folk stories. And each episode feels so distinct with each new horror.

If I had a singular complaint--something that kept me from just giving this a 10/10 and calling it a day, is that the last episode felt a bit rushed. They probably could have split this into two episodes because it's a lot and it's CRAZY. Just nuts. Completely batshit insane. And it feels like a bit too much of an escalation from what we were dealing with before. So I didn't completely love the finale, but there was so much there that I absolutely loved and thought was the correct amount is crazy.

And we got a season two that started yesterday, with Paul Giamotti of all people joining this Spanish-exclusive cast of characters. WILD.

I really, really hope more people check this show out, because it's so god damn good. I didn't expect it to be nearly as good as it was, but I am beyond pleasantly surprised I checked this out. If you're looking for a grisly, crazy horror show that feels very different, check it out!

Rating: 9.5/10

PS, look at this intro. LOOK AT THIS INTRO. INSANE.

https://youtu.be/gNpO3BalPBg?si=bmQpzzKronDHrG2f

78. Fear Street Part 3: 1666 (Netflix)

I did it. I made it to the end of the Fear Street trilogy! Not as strong as the others, but I still really enjoy it.

Fear Street Part 3 is about the story of Sarah Fier, who we've heard so much about, and the story about why the town is cursed! But then we also have a ton of stuff in the present to wrap up the overall story!

So let me say first that I just don't think this is as strong as the other two entries. I just didn't like the 1666 stuff all that much. Like, it's a witch hunt story back in colonial times which we've all seen many times before, but the hook here is that they think they're witches because they're lesbians. I mean, okay. I guess. It isn't very inspired or interesting to me, and we don't actually get too much from it aside from the reveals of everything, which honestly could have been far more shortened to give us more good stuff in present day.

Well, as present day as 1994 is I guess. That part is good though! They have a bunch of fun scenes with our collection of serial killers and fun schemes and shenanigans. The best part of Part 1 was all of that stuff, so having more of it was great! I also appreciate the twist this story takes too in order to get us here and round up the entire story. As an ending to this trilogy, it's great. Stunningly great, even. Everything is resolved rather effectively. As a stand-alone film though? Still very good, but definitely the weakest of the three.

There's a lot of good scenes here, but they're all in the 1994 stuff. I'm sorry, but I just didn't care for 1666 at all. It brings this movie down quite a bit. But the idea they have in 1994 brings so many fun things that makes me love this trilogy. Just a creative and fun idea that I wish we had more of.

And good news: RL Stine himself confirmed this month that more Fear Street films are in the works! So let's hope we get something as fun as this trilogy! Maybe this time they'll actually be able to make a trilogy and throw it in theaters for the original idea! But whatever they do, I'll be excited to see it.

Rating: 7/10

79. She Dies Tomorrow (Hulu)

Well that was certainly an artsy fartsy movie.

She Dies Tomorrow is about a girl who thinks she's going to die tomorrow, and it spreads through people she has extended contact with, and soon many people start thinking they're going to die tomorrow.

This is a very artistic film and I kind of liked it but I mostly didn't. It's obvious that this is a metaphor for regret, mental illness, and the spread of depression and negativity. And for that, it does a very effective job of it. I picked up on it pretty easily and I thought it was good with every passing scene that acted on that.

But it's just kind of fucking boring. There's nearly 30 minutes of this movie until anything interesting happens. When other people come into the film and we actually see some good interactions. And when that happens, the film feels a lot better. Except it doesn't still happen a lot. It turns into various groups of people having various reactions to this, and that's all well and good, but it's still not particularly engaging.

I don't feel a full story happens here, but I did kind of like the ending. They brought something back around from the beginning and that was good. But ultimately, it's a bit of a stinker. Watch it if you want something artistic and this idea interests you. Otherwise, you can skip.

Rating: 4/10

80. Slaughterhouse Rulez (Starz)

I kept seeing this movie appearing when I was searching for something to watch, and the thumbnail didn't match the summary for it at all. It just showed some blonde in a nurse outfit and I was so god damn confused. Well, it turns out that blonde was Margot Robbie and she was in the movie for no more than 2 minutes via Zoom call. I respect the marketing.

Slaughterhouse Rulez is about a bunch of kids at a boarding school in England and then a fracking excavation unleashes monsters from underground.

This movie is a comedy that is just not funny. There's a few funny moments, but they all come from Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Michael Sheen. Mostly Michael Sheen though. That man is funny as hell. But unfortunately, these three are all very much side characters in this movie. So instead we have to watch sophomoric frat jokes for the majority of the run time.

It's just not funny and it tries so hard to be. And I didn't care about the characters at all. And I didn't really get invested in a single plot thread they wove aside from maybe one. But overall, it's just not interesting at all. And the movie takes 45 minutes to get to a point where the real plot progresses somewhere meaningful.

And it's just weird dog mole monsters which are... fine, I guess. But the whole horror stuff just feels so derivative and like any sort of monster movie you've seen like this. They did maybe one or two cool things with the monsters, but outside of that it's just generic monster stuff with varying levels of quality with the effects.

Slaughterhouse Rulez isn't a good horror comedy unless maybe you're in that age group, but I find it hard to imagine I would have found it funny when I was younger either. Not really worth a watch. Would have been much better if the movie just followed around Michael Sheen the whole time instead.

Rating: 2/10

81. Pet Semetary Two (Max)

This movie kinda sucks, but I oddly found entertainment in the camp factor. But it still completely misses the mark.

Pet Semetary Two is about a kid and his father who moves by the Pet Semetary once their actress mother dies. The kid befriends another kid with an abusive dad. A Pet Semetary is used. Big whoopsie.

I do research for these things. Not a ton of research. I don't spoil myself or anything. But I just look into anything interesting about the movie. I stumbled upon some reviews that said "It was the same as Pet Semetary but gorier and grosser" or "It just retreads the same things as the first Pet Semetary movie." And there's a lot of reviews just like this.

Did these people watch both of these films? This is nothing like the first Pet Semetary. What the hell? This movie is precisely less scary BECAUSE it's not like Pet Semetary. And that boils down to one thing: they turned things that were scary to begin with. In the original we turn the cat and the child. Two seemingly harmless things and makes them terrifying. That's why it's so unnerving.

In the second movie, they decide to bring back a violent dog and an abusive father who kills animals and seems like he was a step away from killing his family anyway. So okay? They were already both pretty scary to begin with. What does turning them do? Make them more mean? It misses the entire point of the original by focusing on bringing back these two.

Clancy Brown, looking shocking in his young age here, does a tremendous job hamming it up and just going completely off the wall here. Easily the most entertaining thing about this. It's really the only saving grace.

The rest of this movie is just a weird slog with uninteresting characters and stupid plot beats. There's no drama, just in your face nonsense that doesn't feel at all like the original. There is nothing more true about that than the ending where the kid brings back his mother as a terrible undead abomination and she's just comically over the top cackling and getting burned alive and she's shouting "DEAD IS BETTER!" Yeah, that was a good quote from the original which was so chilling because it was delivered in a cautionary way, and they put it in the script to scream it at the top of their lungs.

This movie is really bad, and only saved by Clancy Brown honestly. Although the final sequence did kind of entertain me with how batshit it was. It's still just a terrible misunderstanding and cash in off of Pet Semetary's popularity though.

Rating: 3.5/10

I feel like bringing up a vocal minority who finds Prey to be more social justice garbage and basically the same as "Kathleen Kennedy Star Wars". Criticism of the movie is fine, but that is messed up on so many levels. I personally think it's by far the best Predator movie after the original and probably even the best movie I've seen to come out since Mad Max: Fury Road.

On another note, last January I saw the horror movies End of Days, What Lies Beneath, and Deep Rising on Disney+. I wouldn't necessarily say any of them were good, but I was glad I saw them anyway. The last of those is one heck of a guilty pleasure (as is the same director's Van Helsing, but not to the same extent), and the former two I felt were worth watching just to spend time with my two favorite actors Harrison Ford and Arnold Schwarzenegger (oh and props to Michelle Pfeiffer too). Also BTW Disney was always the international distributor of End of Days and it acquired the international distribution rights to What Lies Beneath from Fox - both were distributed by Universal domestically.

I both remember and don't remember Pet Semetary 2. My memories of it are super faint, my main memory is that I felt a lot like I did when I watched Mortal Kombat Annhilation; what the hell is this movie and what did they do in between the first and second films to make this so shit?

82. When Evil Lurks (Shudder)

They said this is the scariest horror movie of the year! Eh, I dunno. Maybe. But it was still pretty outstanding.

When Evil Lurks is about two brothers accidentally pass on a curse born from a possessed, grotesque man that is going to give birth to a demon if he's not stopped first.

I loved the way this movie felt. I have so many good things to say about it. First of all, the feeling of dread and discomfort through the whole thing is so great. Throughout this whole movie, everything feels disgusting, unsettling, and you know that shit is bad and getting worse with each passing moment. They literally tell you all about this curse and you see it play out and it's just horrific stuff.

What I like is how personal it all feels. Since our protagonist's family is at the center and we see people slowly succumbing to this curse around him and horrible things just constantly happening. So many times I just jumped and went "OH FUCK!" just because the imagery and the direction they went was just shocking to me. It's incredible the way they have everything play out in such an effective way. You feel like you're living the curse with them.

The atmosphere is great, and seeing them trying to constantly figure it out and put an end to the curse just feels so realistic to what they would do in the situation. Our protagonist isn't a perfect man. He's just a desperate one, trying to do what he can to get his family through this, while things slowly start to fall apart for him.

The ending was extremely satisfying, albeit in a very dark way. The way they loop everything together and tie up any plot points you more or less forgot about during this nightmare was outstanding. I loved it because this curse, with it's rules, and treated with the gravity of what it is was served so well through the movie, I didn't care about how bleak it felt a lot of the time.

And because I didn't mention it, it's an Argentinian film. Maybe that's why it felt like it was so different. This movie didn't pull back at all from what it was, and it's better for it. Tremendous independent film. Absolutely worth going out of your way. It just released on Shudder yesterday! It may or may not be the scariest movie of the year, but I think it's definitely one of the best horror movies of the year.

Rating: 9.5/10

When Evil Lurks was just overflowing with dread, moreso than any movie I've seen since Speak No Evil

I think Speak No Evil was still more dread but When Evil Lurks was much more visceral

83. Five Nights at Freddy's (Peacock)

Boy this was a stinker. I don't know what we should have expected, honestly.

A man takes a job at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, where the animatronics come to life and have malicious intent.

Listen, I don't know how to make a better movie with the idea of this game, but they had to be able to figure out something else. The first and most glaring issue here is that the movie is PG13 and not R rated, which would make it many times better. But it's meant to appeal to children so what can you do? There's a way to make PG13 horror work, obviously. There's plenty of exceedingly good ones with it. But you have animatronics ripping people apart, you kind of need to be able to show that stuff. Or just find something else for them all to do! But every scene where something awful happens, they just refuse to show it. It's bizarre.

The other issue is that this plot is the shits. They introduce this side plot with the little girl and the animatronics hanging out and wanting to turn her into one of them it's just impossible to care. Why are we building forts and stuff with them and removing all tension from these animatronics? Like you turn them from being terrifying creatures to being just big ol' teddy bears. And the movie never brings that back around since they still kind of end up as good guys in the end and that completely sucks.

Elizabeth Lail is in this movie, and I actually really like her. I thought she was one of the only good parts of You (so-bad-it's-decent schlock) and Dead of Summer (a show I've wanted to re-watch for this sometime), and I liked her performance... mostly. She was able to be a kind of eerie sort of character who clearly knew more than she was letting on, seemed friendly, but you just didn't know what her deal was. Well, her deal is that she's a cop and knows everything that happened but, as a cop, didn't actually pursue the horrible thing that happened to prosecute the dude who did these awful things. Thanks for that, Elizabeth Lail's character.

Basically, this movie is the kind of disaster you'd expect from a movie trapped in developmental hell, where no violence is ever seen in the franchise, and it's all targeted for children. It's not scary at all, the plot is pretty awful, and nothing is particularly satisfying about it.

I will grant them that the animatronics looked very good, actually. Give these people who worked on them all the praise, and give their puppeteers and actors a ton of praise too. They did a great job making them seem like honest to goodness hulking animatronics. It's just unfortunate it's in service of such a bad film.

Rating: 2/10

Well deserved 2/10, pretty much mirrored most of my thoughts perfectly.

84. Pet Semetary (2019) (Paramount+)

The remake of Pet Semetary. I feel like I enjoyed it more the first time I watched it because this was... a disappointment. And yet, I think it does many things better.

See my summary of Pet Semetary (1989) for a suitable brief recap.

Alright, so my first time watching it, I hadn't seen the original in a long time. So I was like... yeah, this was enjoyable enough. Sure. Good stuff. Having watched the original again this month, I'm a little surprised at how poorly this one compares.

But here's my thing: I think if you put the good ideas from both of these movies together, you actually get a better movie. Because even though I think this is very much inferior to the original, I do like a lot of choices they made.

First, I think it's worth explaining why the original is much better. For one thing, this movie is almost the same length as the original. However, I don't know where this time was put in. Because they took SO MUCH interpersonal dialogue and plot beats away in this version. What the hell did they replace it with? What's jarring is how little Jud has endeared himself in this new version. Bless John Lithgow, but there was no way he'd be as interesting as Jud as the original was. It's not him though. They rush his entire relationship with the family. He seems like he barely knows them in this one.

And it's not just Jud that feels rushed, but they took out a ton of interactions from the wife's parents. They took away a ton of family scenes. The whole movie seems like it's going at 1.50x speed as a result. Not enough care is put into letting us appreciate everything. And Pascow is basically worthless in this movie and I have no idea why he was here. He did NOTHING but tell Gage to go back home once. Otherwise, he was a non-factor. And I think that's the biggest problem here is that it's hard to really care about the characters. That's a huge, huge issue with this movie that drags it down quite a bit, so don't forget that while I talk about what I liked more.

So what do I prefer here? The major one is that Ellie is infinitely more interesting to die and be brought back in this one. Gage is just... a little toddler but scary. Whatever, man. It comes across as goofy a lot in the original, which is a shame. But Ellie? She has very engaging conversations with the parents, she has the capability to be far more intimidating, and there's definitely enough of a juxtaposition from her being sweet and innocent when alive to a god damn monster when she's dead. They did an awesome job with her in this movie, and I think this is the biggest positive I can say about this film. Loved seeing her scenes as undead.

I also like that they added more to Rachel's story with her sister. It's so much more interesting and compelling and I feel like it lets her have more of a purpose here. Her character is more layered in this version because they incorporate it into the story and how she deals with the deaths and reanimations. This just works so well and I need to give it props here.

I also like the ending scene in a different way. Probably about as equally as the original. Just worth mentioning, I guess.

So yeah. This version is far more inferior than the original. It might be worth watching if you want to see a different take on the original, because it does feel very different.

Rating: 6.5/10

85. Pyewacket (Tubi)

This one was on my radar for a while but I never took the plunge. After finding out the director of Slasher Seasons 3-5 had actually created this one, Adam MacDonald, I decided to go for it.

Pyewacket is about a girl whose father recently passed away. Her mother ends up selling their house and moving, and they get into a huge fight. The girl then decides to summon the demon Pyewacket to kill her mother with a ritual.

This is an extremely simple movie, but it just works so well. I loved how it all played out and just logically made sense as we follow along. Laurie Holden plays the mother in this and does a great job going from frustrated and grieving, to loving, to demented.

It's on a minimal budget, but MacDonald did an awesome job utilizing it to tell a tight little story. It's surprising because this film feels so much more different than the Slasher seasons he's directed. Shockingly subtle and great stuff done here that isn't really as present in those seasons.

I think what's really strong is that the film keeps you on your toes. Why is this demon lurking around? When is he going to do her mother in? Can she stop her in time? It all just leaves you tense, and there's some genuinely chilling stuff here.

And it ends up being extremely satisfying when you're at the end. Such a simple, simple conclusion that makes everything clear in the end and closes off our story definitively.

It's a simple, great film. If you want to just have a movie to watch as an easy and compelling watch that keeps things tense, this is definitely it.

Rating: 7.5/10

86. Slasher: Flesh & Blood (TV Series) (Shudder)

The first Shudder season of Slasher, and on a re-watch, I think I liked it a lot more than I did the first time, oddly enough! If you still haven't watched Slasher, you probably should!

Flesh & Blood is about a dying, rich matriarch who invites his entire family to an island to play dangerous games to decide who wins his fortune. But it becomes clear very soon that there is a serial killer that's killing people amidst the competition, and plenty of infighting abound.

So firstly, the most notable thing about this season is that David Cronenberg plays the matriarch of the family. He's not particularly outstanding in his role, but it's very cool that they managed to get him to be in this.

Now, I remember not liking this as much as the other seasons, but this one ended up being a lot better than I remembered. It's a very strong season that's on par with the first two, in a different way. This one has so many very creative kills in it that trumps most of the seasons. Adam MacDonald, I think, brought a ton of creativity to this series when he signed on, because Solstice felt extremely creative too. But I forgot how brutal some of these are, and how they stand out because the rest of the series isn't like this at all. The killer is The Gentleman, who has a pretty solid design as well.

Where this one is probably the best of all seasons is in the unpredictable and satisfying twists and turns this one takes. Some of these twists are ABSOLUTELY INSANE and I forgot how bonkers they were. Just a completely nutso season here. However, where I think some of this fails is that it feels like a lot of conversations they all have amongst each other feel repeated a little too much. I was kind of like "Alright, we can move past this" for some of it, especially as the folks narrow down. I think the overall idea of this shitty family isn't as satisfying to follow as a regular season of just normal people trying to deal with this insanity. I was more like "I think I'm okay with everyone but like two people dying" pretty early on. Which isn't the best way to present these characters, especially when over the course of the season they make you hate some of them more than others.

But the positives make up for those issues, because it's still a very strong season of this show. I put it on par with the first two seasons, with Solstice being the best of the bunch. But I have to say again that if you haven't checked out Slasher yet, you should! I never have a bad time watching it!

Rating: 8.5/10

87. The Conference (Netflix)

A Swedish horror comedy that hits a bit differently. Good enough of a time though if you've ever been in a similar environment.

The Conference is about a bunch of public sector workers who are on a retreat, and a serial killer wearing their mascot's outfit to murder all of them.

Sometimes these European horrors on Netflix don't hit at all. But they have a very distinct style to it. I thought this one was pretty alright though. Not particularly special or funny, but I enjoyed my time. The presentation, in particular, was probably the best part. Great directing and editing stood out, and it made it feel better than the usual foreign Netflix horror dreck.

I don't have a ton to say about it though. I summed it up in that one paragraph above. I do think that it was very unpredictable, and I wasn't sure who would survive or die, and I thought they did some creative stuff with it. For a film like this, I think that's a great choice to make! And I think if you've ever been on a work retreat, you can get a little more out of it since a lot of it feels like the type of bullshittery you'd see there.

Ultimately, it was an easy watch. It did a ton of things right. But it just never really hit that next level for me or anything. If the concept interests you, you can watch it and have a good time. But if the concept does nothing for you, you can skip.

Rating: 6/10

88. Alone At Night (Hulu)

Holy fucking shit this is the worst movie I've seen this month and it's not even close. Dreadful.

Alone At Night is about a girl who is an erotic cam model and there is some creeper trolling around her house. And also there is a reality TV show hosted by Paris Hilton that has nothing to do with anything.

I cannot stress how fucking awful this movie is. Fuck this film entirely. Not scary, not entertaining, just the most uninteresting drama you can manage. The cam model stuff is fine, whatever. You can do a better movie with this idea though. And it's SO BAD and nobody should watch it, so let me go ahead and spoil it for you: there's some weirdo she can never see that killed her neighbors to live in their home but also he lives in her walls and types on his laptop to her from inside her own house while trying to befriend her in real life.

The drizzling shits of a film that doesn't stop being insufferable. Especially since they add in random BS with Paris Hilton's Real World show where people just act like idiots. I don't understand the purpose at all. Because at the end of the movie, they're watching OUR movie and they're saying that they were put in that movie too, and then it ends with this random fucking asshole doing a selfie music video with everyone FUCK YOU.

And it wouldn't be so bad, but the directing and editing was THE WORST. Abysmal stuff. The camera is constantly shaking for no reason. The camera focuses on random shit that doesn't make any sense. The editing just cuts everywhere. The horror elements are neutered because all of it is presented so poorly.

WHY IS LUIS GUZMAN IN THIS MOVIE TOO? Who begged him to be involved!? Pamela Anderson is a police officer! And none of the plot makes sense! It's all over the place. No sense of cohesion here, just random shit!

Now, I watched this because I saw Pretty Little Liars. A show I binged while horrifically sick one winter when I took a week off of work. And I saw it through and it was terrible, but I still follow some of the people in it around. And I saw "Oh, what is Ashley Benson doing now?" BEING THE LEAD IN SHIT FILMS APPARENTLY!

I have never been so god damn irritated watching a movie. Everything about this is a failure and I don't know why it was made or why any decisions were made with it. All I do know is that this movie is absolutely horrible and irredeemably bad.

I rarely give out 0/10 movies. Because in most of these god awful movies that don't ever clear 1/10, I can at least find one positive. But this movie has no positives. Not a single one. Everything about it is maddeningly irritating. Swimfan and fear dot com are both what I gave a 0/10 to. These were at least mainstream releases in theaters, but this movie was so much worse than both of them. I'm not going to break my own system for this one, but if I could grade it below those two movies, I would. The absolute worst movie I've seen for this marathon series, without question. I did not expect this to be as bad as it was.

Rating: 0/10

The better version of this movie is called Cam released back in 2018.

I have been very close to watching Cam for this for a while. I enjoyed it when I first watched it though!

Snake5555555555 posted...

The better version of this movie is called Cam released back in 2018.

seconded

89. The Lodge (Max)

Finally, I can talk about this one! I needed a great pallet cleanser after that god awful movie I just watched, and this was just everything I wanted.

The Lodge is about two children and their father's girlfriend who stay at a lodge together. There's a lot of tension between the children and mother, but one night something very strange happens to them that leaves them all bewildered.

So the directors of this also did Goodnight Mommy, another movie I like a lot. I think The Lodge is so much better though. The Lodge is a slow burn and while some people might think it's too slow, I think it's perfectly paced as it slowly trudges to the final act of the movie. And when we reach that final act, that's when everything escalates to an incredible ending.

Riley Keough stars in this one, and she gives such a great, layered performance that is equal parts reserved to completely unhinged. She's one to watch out for, because she's outstanding in this. Blow away performance in all honesty. It's all in the subtlety of it all.

This movie isn't scary most of the time, but it's a movie that you can feel the tension slowly ratcheting up as Riley Keough's character is trying to find a solution in this movie with the kids. And then there's a point in the movie where things rocket to so much more tension, and then shortly after, it's just incredibly tense.

I also need to mention that the soundtrack is incredible in this too. The music adds so much to the scenes and they're perfectly pinpointed for maximum effect. And the directing--my goodness the directing is great too. So many scene transitions are beautifully done. So many scenes feel more intense just by the way that they're shot. These guys know how to make a damn movie.

There is so much I want to talk about with this movie. The structure of the film, the acting, the themes, everything. It's a brilliantly composed film that on a second re-watch, I noticed so much more and loved it even more. I desperately would love to talk about it, but talking about it means spoiling it. And I'd prefer not to, because it's better going in completely cold. And I do highly recommend that. It's an explosive ending to a slow burn film cooked with tension. I will always recommend The Lodge!

Rating: 9/10

90. Shutter (2008) (Starz)

I really wanted to watch the original first to see if it was actually any good, but it's only on Vudu and I'm not getting that. So I settled for just watching this one.

Shutter is about a newly married couple that goes to Japan on their honeymoon. But when they nearly run over a girl, they begin seeing her spirit in photographs they take.

God damnit this movie is so bad. I forgot almost everything about it, but I wanted to watch some of that schlocky 2000's horror. This fit the bill and then some.

It's a monumentally boring movie for the most part. Some hallucinations and stuff. Just a random spirit in a photograph. Big whoop. Not scary. It stars Joshua Jackson from Dawson's Creek and Rachael Taylor from Jessica Jones and they do I fine job given the quality of film they're in. But this movie is so unbearably boring for the majority of it.

That's maybe one or two legitimately alright scenes but the rest kinda sucks. The ending scene is pretty solid for what it is? I wouldn't be surprised if it was lifted wholesale from the original though. But the motivation and reveal of it all was so absurd that I was a little stunned at first. This is absolutely a 2008 movie handled with all of the grace of it.

Content warning: sexual assault In order to get this girl to break up with him, he and his two friends decide to RAPE HER and then take pictures of it and say they didn't know how else to get her to leave him alone. And the scene they show is like, corny as hell and so bizarre for two dudes about to molest a girl and I was just stunned by the brazen way they did it.

There's a few good scenes, but otherwise it's just such a boring film with a dull idea behind it and I am just so curious if it's a case of Hollywood making it worse or not. Don't recommend. Very bad movie.

Rating: 2/10

91. Halloween II (1981) (Peacock)

I figured I should make a little more headway into this giant franchise again, and so we have Halloween II up next to work on this timeline, which was ignored entirely by the Halloween reboot series.

Halloween II is about a recovering Laurie Strode recovering in the hospital while Michael Myers pursues her and a crazed Doctor Loomis tries to hunt him down to stop him.

I actually really love this one. I think it's almost as good as the original, even. It takes the same premise, only they move the entire location to a hospital as the key point as Michael just makes his way through everyone in his way.

And I think all of the camp here still holds up and works. It's a little goofy, but it doesn't take away when the sobering scenes come up of Michael Myers ruthlessly cutting through everyone. It's another movie that does a really good job building on why Michael is just so brutally efficient at murdering.

Speaking of camp, Donald Pleasance as Doctor Loomis is the highlight here. He is out of his fucking mind in parts of this movie and I love it. It's really weird that seeing Doctor Loomis really makes me nostalgic for him. Like I actually really missed him. There wasn't a character like him in the Blumhouse films, and it kind of feels like he's missed. Doctor Loomis sort of helps build Michael Myers here as this threat that needs puts down and reminds us that when Michael isn't killing people, that he's going to kill people. He's always pure evil. He's always a threat.

But I love how this movie plays out. It's an odd game of cat and mouse, where Michael is going after a hurt Laurie, and Loomis is going after Michael. It all plays out so well and it's really just interesting to see them all slowly catching up on each other until we get to the climax of the film.

It really does feel like a sequel to the original in every way, and that's why it feels so strong. Likely because John Carpenter wrote it, but didn't direct it. But it's a simple film that does everything the original did, but just differently. And I appreciate that.

Rating: 9.5/10

Anyway, here is my favorite scene from the entire Halloween franchise where Doctor Loomis is screaming like an insane person at children to get away from a man in a blonde Michael Myers outfit and tries to shoot him dead, only for the man to get completely fucked up by a cop car that explodes on impact and he melts to death and everyone just kind of moves on because they got more important things to deal with.

https://youtu.be/Qvuo95T0C9E?si=cyIXYU67gC5hlMRo

My favorite scene in the franchise still has to be, "Lonnie... get your ass away from there"

Only seen the original Halloween.

The Lodge is so fuckin good

possibly the most evil children in a horror movie that weren't like possessed or demons or whatever

92. The Faculty (Paramount+)

God this movie is such a throw back. I feel like I watched it way too many times when I was younger. It holds up in all of its campy glory.

The Faculty is about a group of kids who soon realize their teachers are all being replaced with aliens.

This movie rules. It's such a simple, easy movie to watch and I always found myself interested in this concept. It's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but high school. And you have all of the stereotypical characters on both the student and teacher end, and they manage to make them all compelling enough for it.

It doesn't feel particularly scary because it's very campy, but it does manage to be entertaining and funny at times. And there are a few scary scenes, namely towards the end. Maybe it's me watching back and knowing all the twists that make it less scary to me though. But I do think all the twists are well-done though! A very twisty movie that if it's your first time, you probably don't see some of it coming!

And the acting is good for what it is. They got some good people playing the kids, most notably Elijah Wood. And then for the teachers, they fill it out rather well with Robert Patrick, Famke Janssen, John Stewart, and very briefly before fame, Salma Hayek. They service the plot well for how it all is.

Honestly, it's just a fun little ride. There isn't a ton to say about it, but they get creative with this idea entirely. I'm honestly a bit surprised they didn't end up capitalizing with a sequel or try to reboot it by now, because it's an idea that could definitely be revisited. If you haven't checked out The Faculty yet and you want to see a really good late 90's horror, this definitely fits that bill!

Rating: 8/10

Hayek had already been in Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Fools Rush In though. The former two from the same director even. I find it interesting the movie came out mere months before Columbine considering what happens in it.

93. Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor (Shudder)

I can't believe they finally made one of these that I'd call really good. I thought this would be a complete stinker.

Hell House LLC Origins is set after the Hell House LLC trilogy, and it's about a girl who is trying to solve a cold case with two of her friends about what happened in the Carmichael Manor, which is near the Abaddon Hotel, in which the entire Carmichael family ended up dead. But when they stay there, spooky stuff happens.

So okay, I guess the first thing I should say is that you do NOT need to watch the full trilogy to enjoy this one. It summarizes everything you need to know, but I do think watching the first Hell House LLC might be beneficial to understand everything you really need to. But here's a quick summary of what you need to know, if you are looking to watch but haven't seen the trilogy:

The Abaddon Hotel was host to a haunted house attraction called Hell House, when a terrible tragedy happened that took the lives of many people. Eventually, it's bought and hosts an Insomnia event, which is an immersive haunted house experience. Something happens in the Hotel basement and not many people remember, but the whole hotel burns down after.

There, you're all caught up.

So anyway, this movie is actually really good as far as found footage horror goes. It helps that, similar to the first film, this is in documentary style. Heading back to that format feels like the best fit, honestly. But we already know what happens: nobody in the crew survived. But we slowly see what happens that led up to that. Found footage horror pisses me off a lot of the time. I just don't have time for boring backstory and infighting and a whole lot of nothing happening, so it's nice that this movie doesn't have that.

There's three leads and they're all pretty likable. They're all friendly. They're not pissed off at each other like they are with the Hell House LLC movies before it. They don't have long stretches of talking and nothing going on throughout the film and slow, bad scares. It feels like after three movies, they finally found a proper pacing for the series.

There are some legitimately good scares here. Just some simple, creepy shit that was shockingly effective. And shockingly, most of it is very basic. And they don't actually seek it out like 'Huh huh huh this house isn't so scary, let me go in and prove it' and then get scared. This is happening constantly, mostly at night, and they have a legitimate fear and dread of it right when weird stuff is happening that goes from harmless to quickly becoming foreboding or dangerous.

The narrative, as well, with the group feels like it plays out well enough. It hits a point where something is extremely wrong and it doesn't stop being intense after that. And I think our closing stretch is also very effectively put together. If I had one complaint narratively, they do a poor job going over everything that happened in the Carmichael Manor's past, but I think they do a couple interesting things, and I have no doubt this is the start of another multi-movie story.

But it's an actually really good found footage horror. And in a series where I only say one of these movies is "pretty good" I'd call that a win. I'm surprisingly looking forward to the next one. And if this piques your interest, I don't think you'll be disappointed if you go into it without blow away expectations.

Rating: 7.5/10

94. The Thing (2011) (Peacock)

Well, onto The Thing prequel I guess. This one has always upset me, even though I really, really enjoy it.

The Thing 2011 is about a group of researchers who finds an alien ship and an extraterrestrial creature frozen under ice. When they try to research it, it ends up escaping and taking over new hosts.

So alright, I'm just going to kick off with the most talked about thing about this movie. They replaced all of the practical effects with CGI monsters that look like glossy abominations that aren't nearly as good. The horror of the original is that the practical effects were so good that they looked like extensions of real humans. In this, it's so obviously CGI that it just doesn't look nearly as good and it stands out. They filmed this entire movie with practical effects and then studio execs said that it looked too much like it was from the 80's and changed it all to CGI, some of it rushed. And it shows. And I wish we could see the original movie with the practical effects.

Concerning something that was in the script from the start that I didn't like... I personally never needed to see inside the space ship. I didn't need to see any of it. Keep that shit far away from me. Just have it be a background deal. I thought that part was incredibly underwhelming, especially since you know that this isn't even The Thing's space ship. It's the space ship of its host. So it's just layers of not interesting. I understand some CGI was added into that to make it look goofy as hell like the weird Space Invaders pixels. So yeah, I do not like that the conclusion takes place there.

With all of that out of the way, let's talk about what's good! The drama is compelling and extremely interesting. I enjoy that it plays out differently than the original--because they could have been very lazy and have a lot of the same story beats, but they ignore that. I don't feel like we like all of the characters as much as the original, but Mary Elizabeth Winstead carries this film effortlessly and she's outstanding in it.

And while the CGI is distracting and bad, they clearly had a lot of great ideas, and if they looked better, I think the nightmare of these twisted abominations is great. I love a lot of the things they did with this one, including the two-faced fused monster. Just very creative stuff here that isn't served by the CGI.

I think it's a very clever screenplay for the most part. There are points where you notice something at the same time as the characters and that rules. Just really smart the way that they did this. And it does feel like it's slightly more modernized for 2010's standards in terms of scares and such. There's a lot of slow, building terrors (which I understand they shortened a lot of and changed around. This movie got butchered.)

It's all just an awesome film that is really done a disservice from the studio meddling. And I hate that because I was so excited to see this one and it just fell short of something that could have been incredible. Unfortunately, we're left with a great sequel that just doesn't end up being incredible. I think today, you could probably do another The Thing movie and it would turn out alright. I think there's a lot of demand for a film like that nowadays. And I sincerely hope we get it sometime, because this film series deserves another chance to flourish with great talents without being ruined by studios.

Rating: 8/10

95. The Shrine (Tubi)

Did you know Shawn Ashmore has a twin brother who also acts? That I assume when they can't get Shawn Ashmore for their project, he directs them to his slightly less talented brother? Because he's in this one.

The Shrine is about two journalists and the boyfriend of one of them investigating a disappearance of someone's child in a remote village in Poland with a thick fog by it. The locals hate them too.

So alright, this one isn't good, but I have to appreciate a little bit the twist and the final act being pretty good. The problem with this one is that it's low budget and the directing is really bad, and the lead actress is also very bad and her character is completely unlikable. And the acting aside from Shawn Ashmore's twin brother is also pretty bad. So it has a lot of key things working against it.

I didn't enjoy this for most of the run time and it feels a bit silly sometimes. Like there's a super fog and the girl staring at a creepy statue for what felt like minutes. And then they have this sacrifice where they smash a mask with two spikes going into the eyes with a sledgehammer onto folks while they scream in Polish in hokey cult-like ways. It's just messy.

But it's all in service of the twist and a final fight against the great evil. When everything hits the fan, it's actually good horror stuff! I was actually more shocked that it had decent horror because I wouldn't have expected it to. And then it's still cool but... I mean, they don't have the talent to pull it off after that. They all take turns trying to fight the evil thing in this movie and it's all laughably bad because they just literally take turns. One person runs up and everyone watches as he gets murdered, and another, and another. Like not all at once. They just sit there while one person attempts to stop it, instead of all at once.

I think the twist is pretty clever though, but there's not a ton else here to get excited for. You don't need to watch The Shrine unless you want to see a movie with a pretty good twist, and you just want something wildly mediocre otherwise.

Rating: 4/10

PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

I think today, you could probably do another The Thing movie and it would turn out alright. I think there's a lot of demand for a film like that nowadays.

Just wait for the inevitable Amongus movie

Isquen posted...

Just wait for the inevitable Amongus movie

We've made a mistake allowing video game movies to do well in theaters.

96. The Block Island Sound (Netflix)

I've wanted to talk about this movie for a while because it shocked me with how god damn good it was. Just SUCH a good movie. It being under the Netflix exclusive banner was the main reason I thought it would suck, but I don't think Netflix has had a legitimately outstanding horror release in the past few years.

The Block Island Sound is about a brother and sister whose father seems to be acting strangely, leading up to him taking his boat into the ocean, where he's hearing very strange and ominous noises.

So okay, The Block Island Sound rules and it is just an unnerving movie that is so well put together in every aspect. This deserved some kind of award for sound effects because it is so, so good. What can only be described at the Block Island Sound is genuinely something that sticks with me, because the way it continues to go on and becomes increasingly more oppressive and scary is great.

But aside from that, it's very well acted, the script is tight, and it leaves you guessing for much of the run time until they reveal it all in a scene that is just crazy to behold. Truly just shocking and so well directed that I love it. And it leads to a conclusion that feels just as wild as well.

It's a movie that works great on every level and is elevated by such a unique concept. It takes place on an island off Rhode Island in a location you probably don't see too much horror in. And it takes this ominous Block Island Sound and makes it the central focus as we see what it does to someone. Those scenes are so chilling because you just slowly start to piece together what is happening as they peel back the curtain slowly for you.

It's really a stand out film in that I don't know if I've ever seen anything like it. A foreboding tale that feels so personal and realistic, and staying grounded enough to really hit you hard when supernatural elements take place. If you haven't seen The Block Island Sound and you have a Netflix subscription, then it's absolutely worth going out of your way to watch. In a sea of mid Netflix exclusives, this is a premium get.

Rating: 9/10

97. The Inhabitant (Hulu)

I chose this literally because it was the first movie I haven't seen listed under the For You section.

The Inhabitant is about a girl who thinks that she's being possessed by the spirit of Lizzie Borden and keeps seeing visions of her murdering people. And then people keep ending up dead.

So my thoughts are this movie was by no means bad. It was actually good at parts. But it's just a strange, strange movie that never feels like it lands.

The editing probably jumps out as rather jarring to me. Not necessarily good at all, and it felt like it was just very disjointed sometimes, like I would miss something in a scene. And the direction, while good, never really lended itself to capturing the horror well. So it's not necessarily scary.

The script also doesn't feel very great. I could see the twist coming extremely early, and they may telegraph it too hard? I'm not sure. But the twist probably would've been a lot better had it not been so obvious.

All of that said, the performances are probably the best part. Dermot Mulroney does a solid job here, but he's not given much. Odessa A'Zion, who you may know from the Hellraiser remake, did a great job. I bet she'll hit it big here soon, because she's a quality actress. And then Leslie Bibb is in this too and probably does the best performance that the script will allow her. I was kind of impressed by her frankly, because she never stood out in anything I've seen her in before.

But it's a solid enough movie, but it doesn't ever hit a higher gear. It's got some parts that did legitimately shock me, but it's cut in a way that I think a better director could have gotten more out of it. So yeah, I don't necessarily recommend it. But it wasn't bad by any means.

Rating: 6.5/10

98. Suspiria (2018) (Amazon Prime)

I finally, finally, finally got around to watching this. The 2.5 hour run time kept me from watching it sooner honestly.

Suspiria remake is about a girl that joins a dance school and becomes their star dancer, but it seems something sinister is happening behind the scenes.

I need to first say, above everything else, this movie did not need to be 2.5 hours long. There was absolutely a way to trim a lot of this down because god damn, is it long.

Moving past that, this movie... I like it for the most part. It has a lot of memorable parts to it, but I just also think there's some stuff that lands flat. The performances are great, and there's some outstanding horror here, but the horror is in such long stretches apart that it really suffers. I do love the scenes in question though.

I also don't get the sense this is actually much of a remake. It seems like a complete reimagining, which I can have an open mind with, but it does feel like it could have been it's own idea at this point rather than trying to use the Suspiria mythos and such.

But I do like most of the performances here. Dakota Johnson, Mia Goth, Tilda Swinton, Tilda Swinton, and Tilda Swinton all stood out too, with a brief but also very much outstanding performance from Chloe Grace Moretz as well. They all carry this film to all of the drama it needs and they do so well.

I think I just wanted a bit more out of this movie, because I think that all of the plot points don't land as well either, especially towards the end. I dunno, I think there's a better movie out there where they tighten up the script and focus more on the witchcraft and horror of it all.

So I'm a bit disappointed, but the amazing stuff remains amazing, I just wish there was more condensed amazingness. I'm down on it, but I did enjoy it overall. Just not quite as much as I wish I did. The original still feels like a tighter experience, and I can't fathom every watching this one again.

Rating: 7.5/10

99. Pet Semetary: Bloodlines (Paramount+)

Well, I set out to watch this after watching the rest of the franchise again, and damnit I made it happen at the finish line.

Pet Semetary: Bloodlines is about Jud Crandall as a young fella. But as he's about to leave Ludlow, it appears that someone has been buried in the Pet Semetary, causing some bloody mayhem as a result.

So I'll just say this was pretty good. That's it. Paramount seems to be trying out a new installment as a Paramount+ exclusive every year, and this one is better than when they tried out Paranormal Activity.

The positives is that this isn't a bad film by any stretch. They do a good job with creep factor and picking targets to come back who aren't already evil, and they don't go over the top with any performances. We quite sincerely just get a good story based off of Pet Semetary, with plenty of gory scenes and tragedy to boot.

Now is this as good as the original? No. Is it as good as the reboot? I mean, I think so. At least it's a new story that feels fresh. And of course it's better than PS2. But it has enough chills and legitimately tense and horrific scenes in it to get you through it.

It's an extremely easy watch and inoffensive, which is precisely what I wanted. Henry Thomas and David Duchovney are in this, which helps with the acting of it all. But it's kind of nice to see this town know all about the Pet Semetary and when someone has been buried there, the town members just go "Aw damnit, we got to take care of this again now." I kind of like that.

So yeah, if you like Pet Semetary, this is probably worth checking out for you. If the franchise does nothing for you, you can skip it.

Rating: 6.5/10

PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

We've made a mistake allowing video game movies to do well in theaters.

Wouldn't that just be Reservoir Dogs in space? Call Quentin!

I started oooone last movie last night with lofty ambitions of finishing it. I have about half an hour left, but once I have that write up done, I'm finished!

I was going to finish it up with Sorority Row, the awful remake, because I intended to watch it after I got through the original. But they actually took it off Max last night! Luckily I had a back up I was going to watch if that one was gone.

100. Species (Max)

Here it is! The last movie of the marathon! A classic that I haven't seen in forever and I wonder how much was cut out in syndication.

Species is about an alien/human hybrid that escapes her cell, and she goes on the run looking for a mate while a team of people try to find her again.

So there is a LOT of raunchy stuff in here that I didn't even realize because I think I only ever watched this in syndication. But it makes sense given the concept, but I wonder how much of this movie I just outright never saw.

This movie is a fun little ride though, with attractive blonde alien girl just going through multiple people mindlessly to find a perfect mate. The group of people trying to find her also make for an entertaining bunch, which includes Alfred Molina, Forrest Whitaker, and Ben Kingsley. They all have their own personalities that have interesting interactions with one another. It's very fun.

But the thing that's most interesting is the game of cat and mouse as they try to hunt her down. And the alien isn't necessarily evil, but it's just a confused creature with no sense of morality and doesn't understand how bad it is to kill. They even make an effort to develop her too, which I found pretty interesting too.

It's a fun little film with a ton of crazy things going on constantly, and a fun cast of characters that helps enhance what is a fun concept to begin with. It's wildly unpredictable and it just keeps you guessing and wondering what's happening next. Species is good stuff! It holds up and I think it's worth watching! You'll be entertained!

Rating: 8/10

Damn, I went HARD these last ten days. But here's my final ratings for everything I watched this year! It was a fun time and I loved doing it. I hope you all got something out of this too and maybe got a few recommendations too!

I watched WAY too much actually good stuff this year I think. I want to level that blame on the fact that all of my apps had a very good spread of films this year! Really impressed all around that I didn't really have to struggle for stuff to watch!

Horror Movie Marathon 2023 Ranking:

The Best of the Best:
American Horror Story: Murder House (TV Series) - 10/10
The Fall of the House of Usher (TV Series) - 10/10
Jacob's Ladder (1990) - 10/10
Saw - 10/10

Must Watch:
30 Coins (TV Series) - 9.5/10
The Blackcoat's Daughter - 9.5/10
Chucky: Season 2 (TV Series) - 9.5/10
Ghostbusters (1984) - 9.5/10
Halloween II (1981) - 9.5/10
Pet Semetary (1989) - 9.5/10
Silence of the Lambs - 9.5/10
When Evil Lurks - 9.5/10
The Block Island Sound - 9/10
The Changeling (TV Series) - 9/10
Eden Lake - 9/10
The Lodge - 9/10
Prey - 9/10
The Puppetman - 9/10
Rose Red (TV Series) - 9/10
Servant (TV Series) - 9/10
Slasher: Solstic (TV Series) - 9/10
The Wretched - 9/10
The Boogeyman - 8.5/10
Cobweb - 8.5/10
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives - 8.5/10
The Honeymoon (2014) - 8.5/10
No One Will Save You - 8.5/10
Slasher: Flesh & Blood (TV Series) - 8.5/10
Totally Killer - 8.5/10
Z - 8.5/10

Great:
The Autopsy of Jane Doe - 8/10
Carrie (1976) - 8/10
The Faculty - 8/10
Fear Street Part One: 1994 - 8/10
Fear Street Part Two: 1978 - 8/10
The Lost Boys - 8/10
Red Eye - 8/10
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - 8/10
Species - 8/10
The Thing (2011) - 8/10
V/H/S 85 - 8/10
Appendage - 7.5/10
Baskin - 7.5/10
Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter - 7.5/10
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor - 7.5/10
Gerald's Game - 7.5/10
Influencer - 7.5/10
Jagged Mind - 7.5/10
The Last Shift - 7.5/10
Mimic (1997) - 7.5/10
Pyewacket - 7.5/10
School Spirits (TV Series) - 7.5/10
Suspiria (2018) - 7.5/10
There's Something Wrong With The Children - 7.5/10
You're Killing Me - 7.5/10
Fear Street Part Three: 1666 - 7/10
Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel - 7/10
The Mill - 7/10

Pretty Good:
The House on Sorority Row - 6.5/10
The Inhabitant - 6.5/10
The Last Matinee - 6.5/10
No One Gets Out Alive - 6.5/10
Pet Semetary (2019) - 6.5/10
Pet Semetary: Bloodlines - 6.5/10
Scream 3 - 6.5/10
They Look Like People - 6.5/10
Till Death - 6.5/10
Veronica - 6.5/10
The Conference - 6/10
Frozen - 6/10
Hell House LLC - 6/10
Night of the Hunted (2023) - 6/10
Bloodthirsty - 5.5/10

Below Average:
Baby Ruby - 5/10
Let's Scare Jessica to Death - 5/10
The People Under the Stairs - 5/10
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood - 4.5/10
Spirit Halloween - 4.5/10
Unhuman - 4.5/10
The Grudge (2020) - 4/10
She Dies Tomorrow - 4/10
The Shrine - 4/10
The Doll (2016) - 3.5/10
Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire - 3.5/10
Pet Semetary Two - 3.5/10
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey - 3.5/10
At the End of Eight - 3/10
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning - 3/10
The Hoarder - 3/10
The Possession - 3/10
The Woods - 3/10

Trash:
Fear (2023) - 2.5/10
The Friendship Game - 2.5/10
Beneath - 2/10
Five Nights At Freddy's - 2/10
The Grudge 3 - 2/10
Requiem for a Scream - 2/10
Shutter (2008) - 2/10
Slaughterhouse Rulez - 2/10
The Eye - 1.5/10
The Pyramid - 1.5/10

The Worst:
Alone At Night - 0/10

And here is my final list of every movie I've watched these four years! Thanks for following along everyone!

My Horror Movie Ratings For October 2020-23!

The Best of the Best:
Aliens - 10/10
American Horror Story: Murder House (TV Series) - 10/10
American Psycho - 10/10
The Conjuring - 10/10
The Descent - 10/10
Don't Breathe - 10/10
The Fall of the House of Usher (TV Series) - 10/10
Halloween (1978) - 10/10
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - 10/10
Jacob's Ladder (1990) - 10/10
Midnight Mass (TV Series) - 10/10
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) - 10/10
Poltergeist (1982) - 10/10
Psycho (1960) - 10/10
Saw - 10/10
Scream (1996) - 10/10
Sinister - 10/10
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - 10/10
The Thing (1982) - 10/10
The Wailing - 10/10
What We Do In The Shadows: Seasons 1-3 (TV Series) - 10/10

Must Watch:
30 Coins (TV Series) - 9.5/10
The Blackcoat's Daughter - 9.5/10
Chucky: Season 2 (TV Series) - 9.5/10
The Color of Space - 9.5/10
Drag Me To Hell - 9.5/10
Ghostbusters (1984) - 9.5/10
Halloween II (1981) - 9.5/10
The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV Series) - 9.5/10
Last Night In Soho - 9.5/10
The Medium - 9.5/10
Pet Semetary (1989) - 9.5/10
Phantasm - 9.5/10
Psycho Goreman - 9.5/10
Resurrection - 9.5/10
The Ring - 9.5/10
Shining Vale: Season 1 (TV Series) - 9.5/10
Silence of the Lambs - 9.5/10
Videodrome - 9.5/10
When Evil Lurks - 9.5/10
The Woman in Black - 9.5/10
Alien - 9/10
Black Swan - 9/10
The Block Island Sound - 9/10
The Fly (1986) - 9/10
The Canal - 9/10
The Changeling (TV Series) - 9/10
Channel Zero: Butcher's Block (TV Series) - 9/10
Chucky: Season 1 (TV Series) - 9/10
Eden Lake - 9/10
Halloween (2018) - 9/10
Hellraiser - 9/10
Insidious - 9/10
The Invisible Man - 9/10
The Lodge - 9/10
Malignant - 9/10
Martyrs (2008) - 9/10
The Patient (TV Series) - 9/10
Oculus - 9/10
Prey - 9/10
The Puppetman - 9/10
Rose Red (TV Series) - 9/10
Scream 2 - 9/10
Servant (TV Series) - 9/10
Slasher: Solstic (TV Series) - 9/10
Spiral (2019) - 9/10
Terrifier 2 - 9/10
The Wretched - 9/10
10 Cloverfield Lane - 8.5/10
The Audition - 8.5/10
Black Christmas (1974) - 8.5/10
The Boogeyman - 8.5/10
Censor - 8.5/10
Child's Play (1988) - 8.5/10
Cloverfield - 8.5/10
Cobweb - 8.5/10
Daniel Isn't Real - 8.5/10
Dark Water (2002) - 8.5/10
Dashcam - 8.5/10
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives - 8.5/10
From: Season 1 (TV Series) - 8.5/10
Green Room - 8.5/10
Halloween Kills - 8.5/10
Hellraiser (2022) - 8.5/10
The Honeymoon (2014) - 8.5/10
Host - 8.5/10
I Know What You Did Last Summer - 8.5/10
Ju-On: The Grudge 2 - 8.5/10
The Lighthouse - 8.5/10
Lovecraft Country (TV Series) - 8.5/10
Mandy - 8.5/10
Mara - 8.5/10
The Mimic (2017) - 8.5/10
Midnight Club (TV Series) - 8.5/10
No One Will Save You - 8.5/10
Orphan: First Kill - 8.5/10
Pulse (2001) - 8.5/10
Raw - 8.5/10
Rec - 8.5/10
Rosemary's Baby - 8.5/10
Scream Queens: Season 1 (TV Series) - 8.5/10
Slasher: The Executioner (TV Series) - 8.5/10
Slasher: Flesh & Blood (TV Series) - 8.5/10
Slasher: Guilty Party (TV Series) - 8.5/10
Smile - 8.5/10
Suspiria (1977) - 8.5/10
The Taking of Deborah Logan - 8.5/10
The Terror: Season 1 (TV Series) - 8.5/10
Totally Killer - 8.5/10
V/H/S 94 - 8.5/10
Z - 8.5/10

Great:
The Autopsy of Jane Doe - 8/10
The Babysitter: Killer Queen - 8/10
Beach House - 8/10
Brand New Cherry Flavor (TV Series) - 8/10
Carrie (1976) - 8/10
The Changeling - 8/10
Channel Zero: Candle Cove (TV Series) - 8/10
Come Play - 8/10
The Conjuring 2 - 8/10
Crawl - 8/10
The Empty Man - 8/10
Event Horizon - 8/10
The Faculty - 8/10
Fear Street Part One: 1994 - 8/10
Fear Street Part Two: 1978 - 8/10
The Hatching - 8/10
Hellraiser II: Hellbound - 8/10
Hocus Pocus - 8/10
The Host (2006) - 8/10
Insidious: Chapter 2 - 8/10
Ju-On: The Grudge - 8/10
Killer Klowns From Outer Space: 8/10
The Lost Boys - 8/10
The Midnight Meat Train - 8/10
The Monster - 8/10
The Mist - 8/10
A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors - 8/10
Red Eye - 8/10
The Room - 8/10
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - 8/10
Significant Other - 8/10
Species - 8/10
Spell - 8/10
Still/Born - 8/10
Revenge - 8/10
Terrified - 8/10
Terrifier - 8/10
The Thing (2011) - 8/10
V/H/S 2 - 8/10
V/H/S 85 - 8/10
V/H/S 99 - 8/10
Werewolves Within - 8/10
Antlers - 7.5/10
Appendage - 7.5/10
Baskin - 7.5/10
The Belko Experiment - 7.5/10
Blood Red Sky - 7.5/10
Channel Zero: The Dream Door (TV Series) - 7.5/10
Child's Play (2019) - 7.5/10
Child's Play 2 - 7.5/10
Coherence - 7.5/10
Creep - 7.5/10
Creep 2 - 7.5/10
Demonic (2015) - 7.5/10
The Endless - 7.5/10
Friday the 13th: Part III - 7.5/10
Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter - 7.5/10
Fright Night (1985) - 7.5/10
Gerald's Game - 7.5/10
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor - 7.5/10
He's Out There - 7.5/10
His House - 7.5/10
The Hitcher (1986) - 7.5/10
Influencer - 7.5/10
Insidious: Chapter 3 - 7.5/10
Jagged Mind - 7.5/10
The Last Shift - 7.5/10
Mayhem - 7.5/10
Mimic (1997) - 7.5/10
Nightbreed - 7.5/10
The Orphan - 7.5/10
Paranormal Activity (5): The Marked Ones - 7.5/10
Pyewacket - 7.5/10
School Spirits (TV Series) - 7.5/10
Sleepaway Camp - 7.5/10
Suspiria (2018) - 7.5/10
The Terror: Infamy (TV Series) - 7.5/10
There's Something Wrong With The Children - 7.5/10
Unfriended - 7.5/10
The Void - 7.5/10
Wes Craven's New Nightmare - 7.5/10
You're Killing Me - 7.5/10
Absentia - 7/10
Aftermath - 7/10
Annabelle: Creation - 7/10
Bad Ben - 7/10
Bad Hair - 7/10
The Blair Witch Project - 7/10
Channel Zero: No-End House (TV Series) - 7/10
A Classic Horror Story - 7/10
Clown - 7/10
Countdown - 7/10
Cult of Chucky - 7/10
Curse of Chucky - 7/10
Devil's Gate - 7/10
Fear Street Part Three: 1666 - 7/10
The Fly (1958) - 7/10
Haunt - 7/10
Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel - 7/10
The Hitcher (2007) - 7/10
The House of the Devil - 7/10
The Invitation (2016) - 7/10
Knock Knock - 7/10
Lavender - 7/10
Let Me In (2010) - 7/10
Mama - 7/10
The Mill - 7/10
My Bloody Valentine - 7/10
Puppet Master - 7/10
The Seventh Day - 7/10
Summer of '84 - 7/10
Trick 'r Treat - 7/10
Under the Skin - 7/10
Underwater - 7/10
V/H/S - 7/10
The Watcher - 7/10

Pretty Good:
47 Meters Down - 6.5/10
Apostle - 6.5/10
Child's Play 3 - 6.5/10
Crimes of the Future - 6.5/10
The Deep House - 6.5/10
Escape Room - 6.5/10
Eyes Without a Face - 6.5/10
Fear of Rain - 6.5/10
Friday the 13th (1980) - 6.5/10
Friday the 13th: Part II - 6.5/10
Fright Night (2011) - 6.5/10
The Grudge (2004) - 6.5/10
The House on Sorority Row - 6.5/10
The Inhabitant - 6.5/10
The Last Matinee - 6.5/10
Lore (TV Series) - 6.5/10
Malevolent - 6.5/10
Nightbooks - 6.5/10
No One Gets Out Alive - 6.5/10
Pet Semetary (2019) - 6.5/10
Pet Semetary: Bloodlines - 6.5/10
The Ruins - 6.5/10
Scanners - 6.5/10
Scream 3 - 6.5/10
Scream: Season 1 (TV Series) - 6.5/10
Them - 6.5/10
There's Someone Inside Your House - 6.5/10
They Look Like People - 6.5/10
Till Death - 6.5/10
Veronica - 6.5/10
Willy's Wonderland - 6.5/10
Antebellum - 6/10
Bedeviled - 6/10
Bride of Chucky - 6/10
The Bridge Curse - 6/10
Cat People (1984) - 6/10
Children of the Corn - 6/10
Coming Home In The Dark - 6/10
The Conference - 6/10
From Within - 6/10
Frozen - 6/10
The Grudge 2 - 6/10
Hell House LLC - 6/10
The Hills Have Eyes (1977) - 6/10
Hollow Man - 6/10
The Houses October Built - 6/10
Lake Mungo - 6/10
Mom and Dad - 6/10
The Neon Demon - 6/10
Night of the Hunted (2023) - 6/10
Poltergeist II: The Other Side - 6/10
Prom Night - 6/10
Ringu - 6/10
Scream Queens: Season 2 (TV Series) - 6/10
Sissy - 6/10
Slumber Party Massacre (1982) - 6/10
The Unborn (2009) - 6/10
As Above So Below - 5.5/10
Bloodthirsty - 5.5/10
Escape the Field - 5.5/10
Flatliners (1990) - 5.5/10
The Girl in the Woods (TV Series) - 5.5/10
House on Haunted Hill (1959) - 5.5/10
May - 5.5/10
Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight - 5.5/10
One Missed Call (2004) - 5.5/10
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin - 5.5/10

Below Average:
American Horror Story: Red Tide (TV Series) - 5/10
Baby Ruby - 5/10
Darkness Falls - 5/10
Eraserhead - 5/10
False Positive - 5/10
Let's Scare Jessica to Death - 5/10
The People Under the Stairs - 5/10
All Hallow's Eve - 4.5/10
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood - 4.5/10
The Gallows: Act II - 4.5/10
Silent Hill - 4.5/10
Spirit Halloween - 4.5/10
Unhuman - 4.5/10
The Grudge (2020) - 4/10
Halloween Ends - 4/10
Halloween Party - 4/10
The Nun - 4/10
She Dies Tomorrow - 4/10
The Shrine - 4/10
Tell Me How I Die - 4/10
Thinner - 4/10
Behind You - 3.5/10
Dark Glasses - 3.5/10
The Doll (2016) - 3.5/10
Grimcutty - 3.5/10
Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire - 3.5/10
Paranormal Activity (6): Ghost Dimension - 3.5/10
Pet Semetary Two - 3.5/10
Pulse (2006) - 3.5/10
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey - 3.5/10
Annabelle - 3/10
At the End of Eight - 3/10
Coyote Lake - 3/10
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning - 3/10
Held - 3/10
The Hoarder - 3/10
A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge - 3/10
Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight 2 - 3/10
Paranormal Activity 4 - 3/10
The Possession - 3/10
Rings - 3/10
V/H/S: Viral - 3/10
We Need To Do Something - 3/10
The Woods - 3/10

Trash:
The Dinner Party - 2.5/10
Fear (2023) - 2.5/10
The Friendship Game - 2.5/10
The Gallows - 2.5/10
Prom Night (2008) - 2.5/10
Alien 3 - 2/10
Beneath - 2/10
The Bye Bye Man - 2/10
Deadstream - 2/10
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions - 2/10
Five Nights At Freddy's - 2/10
The Grudge 3 - 2/10
Hubie Halloween - 2/10
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer - 2/10
A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master - 2/10
Requiem for a Scream - 2/10
The Ring Two - 2/10
Shutter (2008) - 2/10
Sinister 2 - 2/10
Slaughterhouse Rulez - 2/10
We're All Going to the World's Fair - 2/10
Always Watching: A Marble Hornets Story - 1.5/10
American Horror Story: Death Valley (TV Series) - 1.5/10
The Curse of Downer's Grove - 1.5/10
The Eye - 1.5/10
The Final - 1.5/10
The Hole - 1.5/10
The House of the Witch - 1.5/10
The Pyramid - 1.5/10
The Sandman - 1.5/10
Seed of Chucky - 1.5/10
Slender Man - 1.5/10
Slumber - 1.5/10
Teeth - 1.5/10
Unfriended: Dark Web - 1.5/10
Valentine - 1.5/10
Black Christmas (2006) - 1/10
The Boy - 1/10
Brahms: The Boy II - 1/10
Captivity - 1/10
Deadcon - 1/10
The Doll (2017) - 1/10
Evil Eye - 1/10
Fantasy Island - 1/10
I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer - 1/10
A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child - 1/10
Texas Chainsaw (3D) - 1/10
They/Them - 1/10
Things Heard & Seen - 1/10
The Visit - 1/10
Aquaslash - 0.5/10
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 - 0.5/10
Disturbing Behavior 0.5/10
Don't Blink - 0.5/10
The Fourth Kind - 0.5/10
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare - 0.5/10
The Houses October Built 2 - 0.5/10
The Lazarus Effect - 0.5/10
Open Graves - 0.5/10
The Other Lamb - 0.5/10
When a Stranger Calls (2006) - 0.5/10
Where the Scary Things Are - 0.5/10

The Worst:
Alone At Night - 0/10
fear dot com - 0/10
Swimfan - 0/10

Another awesome year, good stuff!

Loved following along with this as I did my own (unchronicled) marathon throughout the month. More than a few things here will no doubt be on my list next year!

Very impressive amount of content.