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Reviews
Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
It's fun but a little too "Hey remember that old joke?!"
If I wasn't so fatigued by the sheer amount of reboots, revamps & sequel/prequels being done by Hollywood overall - I'd probably have enjoyed the film more but I'm pretty done with the unending out-of-touch cash grabs as of late.
How many times can you do "shadow of the former" films, seriously.
It's a cute movie, I enjoyed it & it will likely enter my Halloween rotation but not as a classic must watch ever season.
The storyline was decent as was the casting & everyone played their roles very well but the lackluster parts were the almost total lack of darkness the first film had, the 3 friends relationship was fairly flat and not a whole lot of depth was given there, also some of the scenes were a little too quick moving. Also - the hokey jokes, yes they're very fun but we don't need every iconic moment from the first film revisited, from the public song number to Billy getting his mouth sewn shut...again to the improvised broomsticks. I'm giving it a high rating for the actors being so good at the roles written for them & the sheer nostalgia factor of seeing the original actresses play the Sanderson Sisters amazingly again - but I wish it had more new jokes instead of recycled elements & a more well rounded plotline involving the 3 friends. I also thought Gilbert's character was great & wish there was a little more time given to his & Billys adventure instead of becoming almost instant pals. It's not a bad continuation however it's not amazing either.
Queen of the Damned (2002)
It's a pretty sh** movie
The only reason this movie deserves any credit is it is well cast (Stuart Townsend is hot, Aaliyah is twice as hot) & the 2 scenes that get reposted all over the internet because of ~aesthetic~. Lol, past that it's...a mess. Bad effects considering what was available at the time, soundtrack
is pretty bad unless you were into Korn & NIN in the 2000's, underwhelming story arch, wayyyy overacted - too serious & lacking self awareness to be funny. The first two points have always made me wish it was a good movie though. I'll just live in the two good scenes.
Sinister (2012)
Interesting story
I liked it but honestly it was hyped up so much when it came out & in these reviews I really thought it was going to be scary. The story was pretty interesting, enough to draw me in so I liked it. I think because the scenes within the found footage parts are gruesome that's why people found it so scary.
Vicious Fun (2020)
It's all in the title. It's gory & it's fun.
80's nostalgia is at an all time high lately, it seems.
I thought it was fun indie horror-comedy. It had great editing & a premise that was interesting enough as well as a slight twist I wasn't anticipating to further the storyline.
The acting definitely leans more towards comedy than horror (especially the main baddie being way overacted), but that's not a bad thing for me.
I only deduced a star because it wasn't *as* funny as I was hoping, entertaining but not laugh-out-loud moments.
But it does get extra points for the Drab Majesty addition in the soundtrack.
Psycho Goreman (2020)
Its like if The Disney Channel added 80's Japanese monsters.
This very much has 80's nostalgia written all over it. It's a pretty campy but self aware horror-comedy about a little girl (whose a psychopath) & her poor nervous brother stumbling upon an alien monster who does the girls every bidding. It's over the top ridiculous, which makes it a lot of fun.
I really enjoyed it, it was pretty funny & silly plus the costuming for the creatures was really cool as was some of the editing & effects.
Plus the reviewers complaining about the little girl being unlikeable & annoying...have you guys met 13 year olds? They're unlikeable & annoying. She played the part that was given to her, an insufferable 13 year old megalomaniac.
Malignant (2021)
Turns from Serious to Corny Halfway Through
If you go into this movie knowing it's going to devolve into silliness you might like it.
I don't really understand what this movie was trying to be tonewise, but it's mediocre on all points. It's not bad, it's unmemorable to the extent I can't even consider it "so bad it's good" because it wasn't "passable" good or deliciously bad.
The 1st half spent so much time trying to set up a serious tone only for it to be completely abandoned in the 2nd half for absurd scenes & dialogue.
Also the "clues" about the plot development were obvious so I was able to point out what was going to happen in the storyline well before it did to my boyfriend. (I don't mind "getting it" two steps ahead but when I figure the mystery out 30 mins before something is revealed that's way too boring of a development)
I'm not sure why a 70's blacksploitation woman was in the cell with...women who were dressed in modern day clothes? Like that didn't make any sense at all lol, was she abducted from the 70's? Does she do exploitation film re-enactments at the local community theatre? Seriously, why is she the only blast from the past in this cell?
I'm not sure what that really long drawn out chase scene was for when the person being chased wasn't caught at the end of it or lead to anything important. So we could see the stunt double flip over obstacles, I guess?
And the final big fight scene was just like....okay so the bad guy knows pro martial arts now? Lol, alright then. (Especially considering the storyline, uh, when did the baddie have time to learn all this?)
The only thing I can say about this movie is it was really....okay. Corny but not scary.
I would say it was at least funny if the 1st half didn't try so damn hard to come off as a serious movie.
Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
Absolutely a Cult Film
I know so many people who love this film, so I decided to watch it again after 10+ years & still enjoyed it. I definitely wasn't expecting to see online it has collected a ton of bad reviews - (By "professionally bitter" critics, sure, but who takes their views seriously) - however after rewatching it I see why it became a cult movie.
Another thing, the top rated horror movies on IMDB themselves aren't scary at all, The Thing? Alien? The Shining? C'mon.
It's not scary - it's interesting & entertaining. If you want to be scared, visually or psychologically - don't reach for this one. If you think gore is scary....then maybe.
It's definitely not one of those horror movies that spends a lot of screen time trying to set up a deadly serious "horror movie" tone.
The house setting is incredible looking, the ghost strobing effects are cool, Matthew Lillard delivers goofy comic relief & plot is fine (albeit too short, movie should have been a bit longer to flesh it out properly)
Plus it has a handful of gory kills. I would say I wish the ghosts costumes were a little more gory, to match the kills, but even the original "13 Ghosts" had the ghosts appear more like characters than terrifying entities.
I still liked it a lot after my rewatch.
Personally I prefer the feel of horror movies like this that choose to make a halfway decent storyline & have a cool set design, than the scary movie try hards that ultimately fall flat (sorry Insidious)