Horror in the High Desert 2021 ★★½

For the most part, I did not think all that much of it. Not that it was bad, it was just the faux documentary style we had seen before with things like Lake Mungo and, in a different style, The Poughkeepsie Tapes.

It's sad that this seemingly nice and smart young man disappeared, but for the most part it's just a recount of what happened. So yeah, put that in the slow burn category. Also, a score is already weird in a FF and here, it seemed overly dramatic. Like it was trying to mimic an overly sentimental missing persons program. Sometimes, it became annoying, like with one of the sister's last fragments. On those moments, it's better to let emotions speak for themselves.

Only late in the film do we find out he has a blog and that's where the found footage part kicks in. It has a few scary moments and the silence creates some tension, but it is difficult to keep it up. That said, the final jump scare is very effective.

There's better FF and there's a lot worse.

The VelociPastor 2018

In total, it's five stars, no doubt. In breakdown...

As a genuine movie, it's a half star for effort. Nothing went well.

As a schlock fest, it earns the other four and a half stars. This feast of ludicrousness was a thing to behold. You cannot keep from overdosing on the sheer relentless onslaught of silliness, non sequiturness and general what the fuckery.

Well recommended for those going in with the right expectations. Watch this with your (wittiest) friends and just get ready to cackle your ass off.

The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)

The Passenger, 2023. 7.5/10

Director: Carter Smith




Insidious: The Red Door, 2023. 6/10

Director: Patrick Wilson




Talk to Me, 2023. 7/10

Directors: Danny Philippou,Michael Philippou




The Ghost Within, 2023. 7/10

Director: Lawrence Fowler


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NO ESCAPE-1994. Decent flick which borrows a lot from 1973's TERMINAL ISLAND and THE LORD OF THE FLIES. Convict Ray Liotta is not exactly a model prisoner (and seems to really be a glutton for punishment::shocked::) so is shipped to an island manned by convicts and after escaping from a nasty faction, finds himself with a more civilized group, but there are threats of attacks from the other group (all I could think of was LOST)-can "Lone Wolf" Ray join with another group to ensure a happier life?

While it's a little long, not a bad flick and worth a watch. ***

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Becky 2020 ★★★★

I really enjoyed this one.

It's a basic home invasion flick, but I was really entertained from start to finish. It has some great visuals like the opening montage flipping back and forth between the prison yard and the school yard.

The story itself is no great shakes, but it does give the film a nice excuse to see Joel McHale (if I'm to believe Tubi commercials, he's fricking everywhere these days) and Kevin James outside of their usual terrain. Maybe it's because, apart from the odd trailer, I have “missed” Paul Blart and the likes, but I bought Kevin James as a neonazi. Even though he's Purge Election Year-levels of subtle about it.

The main part, though, is the gore. A lot gorier than you would expect based on the actors you're most likely to recognize. I'm not going into detail, but you might be done with smores afterwards. And Paul Blart keeps his... eye out for somebody. The main course being the unlikely adversary going all Terry Funk on these criminals. With kills most likely to please Chucky-fans. Sure, it helps that the giant has a change of heart and that she has Diego by her side, but in the end, Becky does all of the heavy lifting here. You don't have to like Becky, but you have to recognize she's a badass.

For fans of either gore or home invasions.

Haunted Forest 2007 ★★

Hikers looking for some kind of treasure and some sort of tragedy involving the ghosts of native Americans. Not overly captivating, but I've seen worse.

In a word: meh.

Baby Blue 2023 ★★★

After one of their projects did not go so well, a trio of students takes the advice to get into true crime. Judging to what Netflix has to offer in that section (all the serial killer or things like I am a killer and what not), that's not such a bad suggestion. But, naturally, they get more than they bargained.

This was very enjoyable. For what look like a low budget film, the acting is pretty good, the characters are likable enough to sympathize with and you have a cool looking killer who seems to be channeling Bill Paxton in near Dark. The look with the sunglasses and the blood covered mouth will immediately take you back to the bar scene. A bit of a similar cheekiness too.

The script manages to build up tension. Sure, the guy doing the dumb shit is exactly the guy you would expect to do that, but it's a nice pay off to his character build up. Also, Beans had the most of a character arc compared to the others.

Certainly worth a check.

The Roommate 2011 ★

How to best describe this one? One of those conveyer belt “horror” where the studio execs show they “know” what the fans want.

Rip off a good chunk of Single White Female, add in some Fatal Attraction (but this time, it's a cat instead of a rabbit). Add some bland drama and you have your bland thriller with an equally bland cast. For me, the best performance was Billy Zane as Professor MeToo. This kind of cocky, somewhat sleazy character fits him perfectly. The others try their best with what they are given and that's not all that much.

Vanilla Cake 2016 ★½

Short film about a psychotic family's birthday party.

A “16 year old” stabs his mom getting him the wrong birthday cake. Talk about a temper tantrum.

And then that thing happened they alluded to at the start with the talk about the departed father.

Oh no!

(shrug)

Oh well.

Bill Hicks: Relentless 1992 ★★★★★

A relentless onslaught of laughs and insightful jokes. One of the greatest comedians ever on top of his game.

From the bullshit behind wars over aliens landing in fucking Fyfe, Alabama to a solid repertoire of dick jokes.

A much missed hero of comedy.

Friday the 13th: Death Curse 2019 ★★★

Maybe not much plotwise, but their heart is in the right place. You can tell that they love the series. The references to the series seemed more subtle: a quick photo of “aunt Ginny” (Amy Steel) and a reference to a line by Martin the caretaker. And that's about it.

More room for a fes solid kills and the final confrontation with, admittedl,y a good idea and an equally decent approach and execution.

Hard Candy 2005 ★★★★½

Good lord, was this intense.

The movie lives up to the premise. What you get is a very well crafted thriller about topics we as a society are not always equally comfortable talking about: torture, pedophilia, child abduction,... and even (slightly) touches upon topics like adulthood and age of consent at one point with Hayley's line about a girl being able to “imitate a woman” without necessarily being one.

The writing kind of solves the ethical dilemma by turning Wilson's character into a genuine monster where we only ever so often get a glimpse of what lurks beneath his socially adapted exterior. Page's character is painted as a sort of venging angel. In that aspect perhaps closer to Bronson in Death Wish than to the girl from Audition.

It's not gory, certainly when knowing that the film at one point involves a castration scene. Having said that, I doubt a lot of men were feeling completely comfortable when Hayley got to the actual cutting. Hence creating an atmosphere found in some great horror movies where your imagination fills in the blanks left by the movie.

Also, this is a movie that relies heavily on the performances by the main actors and they do it very well. Wilson and Page create a fascinating power dynamic where the upper hand shifts at several points in the film.

Great stuff. It got under my skin. Certainly recommended.

Craving 2023 ★★★½

A fun little flick in the vein of the second half of FDTD. Four drug addicts come down upon a bar with waittress Felissa Rose and then a standoff ensues.

It floats along at a nice pace and it gets a nice, gory ending. The first flashbacks make it a tad messy, but that works itself out over the course of the film. The pace was okay, the characters were no Shakespeare, but kept you invested. And the ending was a good pay off. My impression: somebody loves his creature features. With perhaps a dab of Cronenberg and/or The thing thrown in for fun.

For fans of decent low budget productions.

Oppenheimer 2023 ★★★★★

One of THE big productions of this summer. A grand biopic with a suitable ensemble cast. Even if you don't enjoy the movie, you will get your fun from the pop quiz in recognizing everyone in this flick. Oh, there's Florence Pugh. Hey, it's Ken Branagh as Niels Bohr. And who is that guy playing the lawyer?

Not that that's necessary, though. The three hours just flew by. All with relevant information to make the picture of Robert Oppenheimer as complete as possible. As a man with flaws and as a man who is aware of his flaws and his mistakes and how he has to live with them. Without any attempt to make him too likable. Somebody confronted with the type of choice bobody should have to make.

We see the whole rise of Oppenheimer and the conception and production of the bomb. With the final test as the big climax. Complete with Hollywood style tension. Will we be able to go through? Will it go well or will we all die? Factually correct? Probably not everything, but you forgive the tension for storytelling purposes.

And also a picture of a time where things got done. We want to realize this groundbreaking technology. What do we need? Build a city in the middle of nowhere? Then... let's build a city. So it was written, so it was done. Oops, we forgot kitchens. Fine. Let's fix that. Living in an era where a lot of have lived through or are living through an infrastructure project turning a seemingly endless farce with an equally endless stream of Nimby's, politicians, lobbyists and general ne'erdowells who keep shit from getting done... That came close to home too.

And of course the hearings afterwards. With Nolan's vision telling how even groundbreaking techniques and world changing events can go sour because of things like personal pettiness and vindictiveness. All over a tiny throaway conversation between Oppenheimer and Einstein. With RDJ in an amazing role as Strauss. And Cillian Murphy in an award guarateed performance as Oppenheimer. From an abandoned hospital bed to the Oscar stage? It might just happen.

The Hills Have Eyes 2 2007 ★

Military types do shouty bits in bursty bursts and fight mountain dwelling rapists.

From a movie that the Wrong Turn franchise is indebted to, we somehow went to a poor man's Wrong Turn.

HARD CANDY is certainly very intense. Two extremely unpleasant people playing "Cat and Mouse" with one another. I thought it was quite good.

Thinking back on it, Wilson's character more than likely was guilty of what Ellen accused him off. After He finds out that the "Procedure" wasn't done, You figure He would have gotten the Hell out of there pronto! Instead He goes back into the arena for more abuse::confused::.

I think the element of revenge and humiliation was present too.

Him wanting to get back at her for doing this to him is stronger than his common sense.

Mother May I, 2023. 6/10

Director: Laurence Vannicelli




The Last Voyage of the Demeter, 2023. 8/10

Director: André Øvredal




The Communion Girl, 2022. 7/10

Directed by Victor Garcia




America Latina, 2022. 6/10

Directed by Damiano D'Innocenzo, Fabio D'Innocenzo

THE RUINS (2008). Four somewhat shallow people vacationing in Mexico join up with a guy going to meet his brother at a Mayan ruin. Once there, They discover they have walked (literally) into a nightmare.

Without giving too much of the plot away, Leonard Maltin describes TR as "A cross between THE DESCENT and THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" which pretty much describes it perfectly. Although none of the characters are a bargain, they still don't deserve what happens. A decent thrill and a few serious gross-out moments. ***

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The Hills Have Eyes 2 2007 ★

Military types do shouty bits in bursty bursts and fight mountain dwelling rapists.

From a movie that the Wrong Turn franchise is indebted to, we somehow went to a poor man's Wrong Turn.

3AM 2017 ★½

Monotonous, not much going on.

Todd Tarantula 2023 ★★

This 2023 release is best described as a graphic novel style interpretation of one of the weirder David Lynch movies (Mulholland drive, Lost highway,...). So expect a plot that sometimes (seemingly) lacks in coherence.

The titular Todd finds out that a) his father is killed (in a dream) and b) that his bike is stolen. So he looks for his bike and tries to reconnect with his father. Who in real life is still alive. Kind of. Sort of. You'll find out.

The plot was sometimes a tad too confusing to keep me invested. And the acting has its ups and downs. Particularly the dialogue just before the bar fight sounds less like Blade Runner and more like a Nostalgia Critic skit.

That said, I did like the visuals (the colours give it something serious comiccy) and while I picked on the plot, I also want to mention that the script has some good ideas like the time travelling.

Two and a half stars. It would be a stretch to call it entertaining, but it certainly had qualities.

Blood Thirsty 1999 ★½

A vampire flick without fangs and a look and two leads closer to a softcore porno than to horror. You would expect the male lead to look like Andrew Stevens, but this guy gives away more of a Billy Burke-vibe.

Since it's the late nineties, one of the leads auditions for a band with generic indie/alt rock and a Dollar Store Nick Cave as their lead singer.

I kept expecting to see Tommy Wiseau walk in. Hahaha! What a story, Celia.

Currently watching Ringu

UNFRIENDED 2: DARK WEB

The Mistress, 2022, 6/10

Director: Greg Pritikin




Megalomaniac, 2022. 8/10. ::love::

Director: Karim Ouelhaj




Dariuss {screener} 7,5/10

Director: Chris Politana

Tell Me a Creepy Story, 2023. 7/10


Directed by:
Samuel Dawe
Félix Dobaire
Stuart Graham
Paul Holbrook
Luke Konopasky


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Mob Land, 2023. 8/10.

Directed by Nicholas Maggio



The sound track was phenomenal.

SELECTIVE OUTRAGE(2023). Recent Chris Rock standup has lots of funny moments, but the best is towards the finale when He discusses the business concerning Will "Slappy" Smith. ***1/2

Good stuff indeed.

Strange Way of Life 2023 ★★★★

Only 30 minutes in a movie theatre. 35 if you count the trailers and announcements (turn off your phone, enjoy the movie, try our passes, yadda yadda yadda). The average Bond/Marvel blockbuster has hardly warmed up in that period. Almodovar uses it tell an entire story. Yes, Almodovar. The first name is not even necessary anymore at this point. He's become his own brand.

And yes, it has gay cowboys. But, for the South Park-fans out there, no pudding. Sadly.

But this is not even that much about their relationship. And yes, the parallels with Brokeback Mountain are obvious. With Jake reminiscent of Ledger and Silva closer to Gyllenhaal.

What is about then? You can tell from looking at the two leads and the feelings they emote. Mostly in their facial expressions and body language. With nearly every shot in their scenes together brimming with emotion. This is the type of regret you understand more and more as you grow older. The regret that has your body and mind say “if only I had...”. If only I had the courage back then to...

The movie is also about inner conflict. About being torn. Between your principles and your feelings. Between following your heart and doing what you think is the right thing, in both justice and life. Between what your work can turn you into and what you think life expects from you.

Cinema at its purest. Not for everyone, but the ones who are open to enjoying this, will be touched by it.

The Outwaters 2022 ★★★★

I went into this one with mixed expectations. On the one hand, the trailer looked good and it was programmed on a festival, but at such an hour that I could not attend the screening. So that makes for a bit of anticipation. On the other hand, I understand that there were mixed reviews. Like a lot of FF, it can be hit or miss. Depending on where said viewer is at that specific moment.

Well, as far as I am concerned, this one certainly delivered.

Sure, we get some of the standard build up trying to get us to relate to the main characters. In this case a band who, I believe, is recording a video for one of their songs. And sure, we get some characteristic “did you hear that?”. But other than that...

The Outwaters walks the right line between explicit and implicit. The physical harm happening to the characters and the state they are in mentally. A state that answers the question “why do they keep filming?”. For all we know, he probably does not even realise that he is filming anything in the first place.

A state where you are never really sure which part is reality and which part is hallucination. Where did that blood come from? Where did that wound come from? How did they find that? And yes... What the hell is that?

I will not spoil the ending, but I will say that I cannot remember feeling this uncomfortable since watching Be My Cat. A kind of discomfort that stuck to me for the rest of the evening.

For fans of FF, this can be some seriously scary shit.

Deadly Species 2002 ★½

A poor man's predator with scientists and vague evil people. It also has gratuitous nudity (among others discount Shannon Elizabeth), the fountain of eternal youth and monsters... I guess they are supposed to look like Predators but they more resemble The creature from the black lagoon. And the dubbing... my goodness, the dubbing.

Only if you are in the mood for cheesy fun.

Bermuda Island 2023 ★½

Lost meets Dollar Store Predator. With ditto effects and acting.

Half star for the pretentious sounding metal head. He was kind of funny.

Reign in Darkness 2002 ★

This Blade wannabe is the Bechdel equivalent of the scene where Homer makes the lie detector explode.

The only mystery here is how this got greenlit in the 21st century.

Barbie 2023 ★★★★

Alright, time to see what all the fuss is about. Heads up: this wil be a long ass review.

Before we get started, two quick things. One: earlier tonight, I saw a 2000s vampire flick that offered screen time to a total of four(!) women. Only one of them had a single line of dialogue and that's over 70 minutes in. One of them was literally just there to kiss the main antagonist, the second was just vampire fodder and all the third one did was walk and scream. To quote Brad Jones reviewing Voiceless: “I've seen women better represented in gay porn”.

Second: In one of his books, Mark Kermode tells an anecdote about a conversation he had with one of the producers on Titanic. He tells about how he rants (and I do love my Kermode rants) to her about everything that does not work in the movie, everything that does not make sense and so on and so on. She then gives him a warm smile and says in a friendly tone (and I'm parafrasing): “Everything you just said is completely true. There is just one problem: you're not a teenage girl.” As in: Yes, it's true what you say. But it does not matter, since the people who this movie is for don't give a crap about that. The same way the average guy does not care about how Arnold never has to reload.

So that kind of sets up the mindset I was in when I sat down to watch this. I should not watch this movie as if it was for me, because it's not meant to be. This was for the group of teenage girls sitting right behind me who laughed at all the right beats of this comedy. Because yes, Barbie is also a comedy and in the words of Jerry Seinfeld: the laughs don't lie. (And for full disclosure: the irony is not lost on me that I'm mostly quoting men so far.). The girls laughed, I... sometimes laughed and sometimes chuckled, so as a comedy... it worked. Simple as that. It's a solid comedy, certainly in the first act. Margot Robbie excels, she really has the part down. Ryan Gosling is funny as Ken in a goofy kind of way (Also, was evil Ken meant to look like Vince Neill? Because I was digging that.) and Michael Cera is funny as Allen.

Then the infamous second act. Yes, it gets preachy at times and if you are an observant person/viewer, it does not tell you much that you don't already know. I can both see how it's annoying for some and, at the same time, also where it's coming from. As I mentioned at the start of this review: the culture that does not bat an eye at the portrayal of women in movies like the vampire flick meantioned earlier is a thing a lot of women/feminists have to contend with. I.e., if you have given Michael Bay a pass for his portrayal of women, then giving this movie shit for their portrayal of men kind of makes you a hypocrit.

This is also one of the flaws this movie has. A five star masterpiece keeps you immersed and has you going “hell yeah!” from start to finish, not “Ok... ok... I get it. I... know.” So yes, the portrayal is sometimes black and white and sure, it's pretty on the nose at times. And at the same time, its portrayal of women on women bullying with the Weird Barbie thing. Just one quick sorry and we're good. What has to be years of pent up frustration and what not... gone, just like that. Having heard women in the media talk about how women can often in fact be more cruel to each other than men are (or even could be), I could not help but be struck by how quickly and easily, this movie glosses past that. Also: first time she appeared, I could not help but raise my hands and go: of course. Of-fucking-course it had to be Kate McKinnon. Again, perfect casting. Nailed it. Also also: part of me can not help but wonder how this would work as a double feature with Mean Girls.

Then again... this is fricking Barbie. In a way, she is about as cartoony as The Expendables and that's part of the point. A good part of this movie is also a nostalgia trip for women who grew up playing with Barbie and I'm pretty sure that, during the countless hours spent in their rooms, they (or the guys growing up with GI Joe) did not come up with plots as intricate and flawless as, say, 12 angry men. Once you understand that, you also understand that it's wrong to go into this movie expecting this level of intricacy. After all, it's first and foremost entertainment for a large audience. Otherwise, it would be four hours long and then people would bitch about it being too long. But slice it into four one hour episodes on Netflix and people will happily “binge” it. Go figure.

Not only that, it also ignores moments like the one where Barbie literally apologizes for taking Ken for granted. Or the self aware joke about casting Margot Robbie. Or the great cameo by Rhea Perlman. And how do you combine your criticism of the film and its portrayal of the sexes with the blatant hommage to Stanley Kubrick that it opens with?

You can argue about the themes and message of the film. For my sentiment, it was a tad too much either/or and a bit too little and/and. And even that can lead to good conversation themes, given enough good will and empathy from all involved. Also, that does not take away from the movie's many qualities. Well made, well told and perfectly cast. You can see it as a great popcorn muncher and if you want, it can offer food for thought. And for the coming decades, there will always be little girls who benefit from this “yes, you can”-type of message.

Four stars.

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Dracula Untold (2014)
5/10

A rather tedious version of the Dracula story. The story harkens back to a flavor of the original Brad Stoker novel. Dracula is Vlad the Impaler, who was as tribute to the Ottoman Turks in the 15th Century by his royal father to be trained a soldier in the Sultan's elite Janissary corps. The exposition is he became a feared military leader, known for impaling the conquered. He gives up these ways and returns to Transylvania to rule as prince.

He has a family and the Turks come back and demand his son as tribute to the military, just as Vlad had been. As his kingdom is outmatched, he turns to a vampire in a cave to give him powers to save the day. He can take on the powers for three days and avoid becoming a permanent vampire if he's able to resist drinking blood.

Cabin Girl 2023 ★★★

I would like to know what the budget on this one was. I also like being surprised by these low budget horror affairs.

A van girl streamer (people call her an influencer, but we never see her hock stuff) moves into a cabin after an accident. I'm sure that won't come back to bite her in the tush.

Things starts heating up when her new dream home – then again, streamers and influencers always end up with stuff they totally love, wink – turns out to be the former home to a supposed witch. So get our share our witchypoo possession and small town collusion. All leading up to a nice twist with a predictable red herring that, in the end, does not completely work out the way I thought he did.

All sounds pretty by the numbers and sometimes, it kind of is. But as a style exercise, it worked for me. Rose Lane Sanfilippo made for a believable vlogger, Sam Ingraffia fits the role of the small town doctor and Austin Scott does a good job as the boy with the heart of gold.

For those willing to sit through low budget trash in order to then stumble across this stuff.

Killer Book Club 2023 ★★½

Proving once again that hype and Netflix don't match. When Netflix hypes a horror, it's (usually) time to get sceptical. I have a soft spot for non-English spoken horror in general and – since Rec and Voces – Spanish horror in particular. So I dove in and gave it a try.

Killer Book Club is an all in all okay style exercise that borrows (very) freely from source material like Scream and I know what you did last summer. From the premise to the tone to the character. There's a shot of Nando that reminded me of Ryan Philippe and another gives away a bit of a Skeet Ulrich-vibe. Also, the book signing. Am I the only one who saw that and immediately JLH go “What are you waiting for, huh?!”

Also, what's with the text dubbing? The original langauge is Spanish, the dialogues are in Spanish and yet, for some reason, all the texts and even the headlines in a clearly Spanish newspaper are in English. I don't know what's more annoying: the pandering to the more lazy part of the audience or the fact that for a lot of people (the ones willing to listen to a language they do not necessarily understand), this will come across as half assed.

As I said, it's a style exercise, so it follows the tropes of the meta horror, with the self referential lines and what not. So we get the characters turning on each other like in I know, the Scream-style of communicating (at least they are now apping instead of calling).

So a lot of it is ripped off with just a tiny few tweeks here and there. That said, a style exercise can have its merits and the merits of this film are a decent pace and good kills with a good division. It has some good gore and Professor MeToo and the killer(s) get the most gnarly kill.

(Only) for slasher fans looking to expand their collection. And for fans of Spanish horror. No Voces, but kind of fun in its own way.

Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice 1992 ★★½

This sequel picks up at the logical place, in the aftermath of the original COTC. With the press swarming the small town of Gatlin right after the evens and a nice excuse for a few shots of police discovering decomposing bodies.

No sign of neither Linda Hamilton (obviously) not Peter Horton, but now our lead is Terence Knox (from Tour of Duty) as a down on his luck reporter stumbling across a story. He finds out what's going on while at the same time hooking up with their landlady. And at the same time, he reconciles with his grumpy estranged son who jsut so happens to mekt the heart of the local hot girl. What can I say? Nineties movies were convenient that way.

It does not take long for things to pick up. Isaac and Malakai may be gone but Mordekai is more than ready to pick up as the next in command. Especially when joining forces with Michael, who just happens to be the son of the love intrest. All making for a neat little package. www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqLijhBRddo

While the special effects are okay, I cannot help but think that the kills (and the ensuing effects) nearly all have a touch of the cartoony to them, making them less scary and more funny. I mean, one of the characters literally has her house fall on top of her. The only way it could be more Roadrunner-y would be if someone had written ACME on the front door.

But the opening kill with the reporters is kind of cool, Terence Knox is always reliable and the rest of the cast is not too terrible either.

Two and a half stars for now. Maybe a rewatch will win me over for the third one.

Return to Sender 2022 ★★½

Over all entertaining mood piece about a recovering alcoholic who is tortured by... Amazon? Is Bezos more evil than we thought?

All jokes aside, it is a bit odd to see someone so scared by unsollicited products. Especially since they are related to neither her recovery or some paranoid conspiracy plot. To me, those are more odd than scary. All the more kudos to the lead for keeping me invested.

The ending was a bit out of nowhere and odd, though it did make for a bit of a scary moment with the audio.

Two and a half stars.

Dylan’s New Nightmare 2023 ★★★★½

With this level of storytelling, you could very well deliver an amazing, exciting full length feature.

The dream sequences were scary again and this Freddy was a great blend between the meanness from the first movies and the cheesy jokes from the latter. And Miko Hughes is pretty god here.

Sooner or later, a studio has to see the soundness of this investment and threw a few million at these people.

3 Dead Trick or Treaters, 2016. 8/10



Director: Torin Langen

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LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE (1993). Not bad Lifetime film of a woman involved in a car accident after leaving a party-the driver of the other car dies but tests found He was drunk, but were there other circumstances? To make matters more confusing, the woman in the accident becomes friends with the widow of the deceased.

Usually, Lynda Carter gets called on normally for her looks (and She is quite lovely here), but she's pretty good as a woman who has doubts and really wants to do the right thing. I mainly watched this for Dee Wallace who is great as the grieving friend. And things kept moving along enough for Me to stay interested in the outcome.

Decent score by Les Baxter (who did a lot of AIP films, many of them the Poe pictures)and Lynda sings over the closing credits. **1/2

Night of the Caregiver, 2023. 4/10

Director: Joe Cornet

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Pollen, 2023. 4/10

Director: D.W. Medoff

Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, 2021. 7/10

Director: Ana Lily Amirpour

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