![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
20. Black Phone 2 - This was just okay. I didn’t dislike it, but considering how much I loved the first one, the sequel just didn’t feel necessary. Visually, the movie was beautiful, and the actors did a great job, but I think this just falls into the camp of “every movie doesn’t need a sequel.”
🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Netflix
21. The First Omen - It didn’t really reinvent anything in the whole Omen franchise, however I’m always pretty sat for a movie filled with creepy Catholicism.
🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Amazon
22. Ready or Not 2 - Loved the first one, loved this one. And Buffy, Frodo, and Claire from Supernatural were just bonuses. Gory, over the top fun with evil rich people!
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Netflix
21. The First Omen - It didn’t really reinvent anything in the whole Omen franchise, however I’m always pretty sat for a movie filled with creepy Catholicism.
🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Amazon
22. Ready or Not 2 - Loved the first one, loved this one. And Buffy, Frodo, and Claire from Supernatural were just bonuses. Gory, over the top fun with evil rich people!
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
17. Backrooms - I regret to say this falls under the category of “A24 bullshit.” The two stars are purely for the visuals which I will give them are creepy as hell. But this is just a concept that works incredibly well as a short from the Old Internet and does not have enough resembling an actual plot to sustain a two hour movie. I definitely checked the runtime expecting it to be nearly over and said “how the fuck do we still have half an hour left?!?!”
🎃🎃
Stream - HBO
18. They Will Kill You - This. Yes. ALL OF THIS. I needed this after Backrooms. First of all, the movie was gorgeous. Wes Anderson makes a horror movie. Hilariously spurty levels of gore. Over the top choreographed fight scenes. Tom Felton. This was a blast from start to finish!
🎃🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - HBO
19. Leviticus - THIS is how you properly pace a horror movie. Great little Australian movie that reminded me a bit of It Follows without the unnecessary additional 45 minute runtime that killed that movie for me. Also, anyone who supports conversion therapy should have things done to them that FB will ban me for typing here.
🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Sail the high seas 🏴☠️
🎃🎃
Stream - HBO
18. They Will Kill You - This. Yes. ALL OF THIS. I needed this after Backrooms. First of all, the movie was gorgeous. Wes Anderson makes a horror movie. Hilariously spurty levels of gore. Over the top choreographed fight scenes. Tom Felton. This was a blast from start to finish!
🎃🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - HBO
19. Leviticus - THIS is how you properly pace a horror movie. Great little Australian movie that reminded me a bit of It Follows without the unnecessary additional 45 minute runtime that killed that movie for me. Also, anyone who supports conversion therapy should have things done to them that FB will ban me for typing here.
🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Sail the high seas 🏴☠️
14. Hokum - I really need to seek out more Irish horror movies. A Dark Song is a favorite of mine, and while the plots of these aren’t similar at all, there’s just a vibe with Irish movies that hits for me. The lead what such a giant asshole at first I was rooting for his death, but once we learned his backstory….I get it. It also slightly reminded me of 1408 which I’m not mad about.
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
15. Smile 2 - Nathaniel Jonsson has been hitting it out of the park with the recs! I enjoyed the first Smile movie but I think this one was even better! Naomi Scott was fantastic, and even though I did see the ending coming, I still loved it!
🎃🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Netflix
16. Dangerous Animals - What is it about nasty little Australian horror movies that I kind of love? I can’t explain my love for Wolf Creek, and I can’t explain why I enjoyed this one so much. Sharks! Gratuitous shirtless scenes of Josh Heuston! More sharks! Flashbacks to reading “Does It Hurt?” (IYKYK 🤣)! All in all, just a bloody good time with a very satisfying ending.
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
15. Smile 2 - Nathaniel Jonsson has been hitting it out of the park with the recs! I enjoyed the first Smile movie but I think this one was even better! Naomi Scott was fantastic, and even though I did see the ending coming, I still loved it!
🎃🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Netflix
16. Dangerous Animals - What is it about nasty little Australian horror movies that I kind of love? I can’t explain my love for Wolf Creek, and I can’t explain why I enjoyed this one so much. Sharks! Gratuitous shirtless scenes of Josh Heuston! More sharks! Flashbacks to reading “Does It Hurt?” (IYKYK 🤣)! All in all, just a bloody good time with a very satisfying ending.
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
11. The Ugly Stepsister - I LOVED THIS ONE. Body horror is my least favorite subgenre of horror but when it works, IT WORKS. I didn’t even realize that this was a Norwegian movie until I turned it on. It was so so good, though I wonder if this is going to be one of those movies that hits different if you’re a woman. Also, I absolutely had to look away during the eyelash scene.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
12. Alien: Romulus - FINALLY something that felt like a return to form of the original Alien movies. (I’ve tried watching Prometheus. Multiple times. But that movie is just SO FUCKING BORING. Finally I just admitted that the only reason I was trying to force myself to like that movie is because I would let Michael Fassbender do borderline illegal things to me.) Also the ending was just a whole new level of horror.
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
13. Strange Harvest - Another great recommendation from Nathaniel Jonsson! I love a horror movie that has a true crime documentary feel, (like my irrational love of The Poughkeepsie Tapes) and this did it really successfully. Loved the ambiguity about if something supernatural was going on too. Definitely worth a watch.
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
12. Alien: Romulus - FINALLY something that felt like a return to form of the original Alien movies. (I’ve tried watching Prometheus. Multiple times. But that movie is just SO FUCKING BORING. Finally I just admitted that the only reason I was trying to force myself to like that movie is because I would let Michael Fassbender do borderline illegal things to me.) Also the ending was just a whole new level of horror.
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
13. Strange Harvest - Another great recommendation from Nathaniel Jonsson! I love a horror movie that has a true crime documentary feel, (like my irrational love of The Poughkeepsie Tapes) and this did it really successfully. Loved the ambiguity about if something supernatural was going on too. Definitely worth a watch.
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
I’m back with a few days of double and triple features to get caught up after my Vermont trip! (More pics from that coming soon!)
9. Weapons - Well, that sure was a movie. I went into this one not expecting to like it because Aaron Hefler didn’t like it either. Dear Hollywood, every movie doesn’t need to be two and a half hours long. This movie definitely would have benefitted significantly from cutting it down by at least half an hour. Not the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but definitely not great. Also, maybe I’ve been on the internet too long but the Naruto run definitely took me out of it.
🎃🎃
Stream - HBO
10. Final Destination: Bloodlines - Did this movie reinvent literally anything in the franchise? Absolutely not. Every single Final Destination movie has promised one thing - ridiculously elaborate deaths. And this one delivered on that promise. I’m a simple girl with simple tastes, sometimes I just want to watch someone get impaled in creative ways. (Phrasing!)
🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - HBO
9. Weapons - Well, that sure was a movie. I went into this one not expecting to like it because Aaron Hefler didn’t like it either. Dear Hollywood, every movie doesn’t need to be two and a half hours long. This movie definitely would have benefitted significantly from cutting it down by at least half an hour. Not the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but definitely not great. Also, maybe I’ve been on the internet too long but the Naruto run definitely took me out of it.
🎃🎃
Stream - HBO
10. Final Destination: Bloodlines - Did this movie reinvent literally anything in the franchise? Absolutely not. Every single Final Destination movie has promised one thing - ridiculously elaborate deaths. And this one delivered on that promise. I’m a simple girl with simple tastes, sometimes I just want to watch someone get impaled in creative ways. (Phrasing!)
🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - HBO
8. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die - This was a suggestion from Nathaniel Jonsson and I absolutely loved it. Great ensemble cast, truly terrifying Black Mirror level dystopia, and just enough humor to keep it from being bleak. It’s just hit after hit this month!
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
7. Companion - Another hit! The lead was the same actress from Heretic, and she was even better in this one. I went into this one pretty blind, which is definitely the way to go because I did NOT know the big reveal. Obviously this has some parallels to “Obsession” but I just love a “good for her” ending.
🎃🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - HBO
🎃🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - HBO
6. Clown in a Cornfield - This was ridiculous. I loved every minute of it. The acting was not bad, and the final girl wasn’t insufferable. (Also I spent way too long staring at one of the guys until I figured out I recognized him from Wednesday.) All in all, just a delightful romp through the midwest watching teenagers get gutted by crazy clowns. No notes.
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
5. Heretic - We have our first five pumpkin of the month! I never know where I’m going to land with A24. Sometimes they’re great. Sometimes they’re A24 bullshit. And I just LOVED this one. As a girl who watched many 90s rom-coms staring Hugh Grant, seeing him as a villain was great. Loved the set. (GIVE ME THAT LIBRARY.) And his arguments, outside of the whole kidnapping and murder part, he’s not really wrong. . . . . "Yes, I keep these women malnourished and hungry, but only for the same reason your church goes to Haiti to hand out Bibles after a hurricane. It's easier to control someone who has lost everything."
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Hulu
4. The Monkey - Not entirely sure why this one didn’t hit for me. I love horror comedies, but something about this fell flat. I think a big part might be how tonally different the Stephen King short story is. You FEEL the dread in the short story and I think I was expecting a bit more of that. The Final Destination style deaths were fun, and visually I liked it, but I’m wondering if Osgood Perkins might be a director who is just not for me. I didn’t hate it, but I don’t see myself revisiting this one.
🎃🎃½
Stream - Hulu
🎃🎃½
Stream - Hulu
3. Late Night with the Devil - Oh I loved this one. Visually it was perfect with the 70s color and grain, and I just love a good single set movie. The acting was great, and the movie just felt like the ending was earned. All the crazy things that happen get explained away as tricks until they can’t anymore. Very worth a watch!
🎃🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Hulu
🎃🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Hulu
2. Heart Eyes - After Obsession yesterday I was in the mood for some fun, and we all know how much I love a good horror comedy. My rating systems with all media is not so much “how objectively good was this piece of art” as it is “how good of a time did I have?” And with this movie I HAD A GREAT FUCKING TIME. As a romance reader, this hit all the rom-com tropes to perfection, and as a horror lover, the kills were gory, and it was just a silly goofy good time. Line that made me cackle - “These muscles were not made for violence, they’re for cuddling!”
🎃🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Netflix
🎃🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Netflix
The most wonderful month of the year has arrived, and even the Austin weather has decided to get in line and give us some proper autumnal rain. I’ve got my annual October sabbatical scheduled and won’t be back to work until November 3, I’m heading to Vermont for our anniversary trip next weekend, I bought three cases of caramel apple energy drinks, and I have a movie list that I’m really psyched for!
Year 18 is a return to just 31 movies that I haven’t seen before, so let’s get spooky!
OCTOBER ORGY OF VIOLENCE 18 - LET’S GET SPOOKY
A quick refresher for my rating scale -
🎃 - Who the hell greenlit this? Utter garbage, not even worth rewatching for the LOLs.
🎃🎃 - Failed potential. Could have been great but something was missing.
🎃🎃🎃 - I was entertained. Cs get degrees, and some Cs even get rewatched.
🎃🎃🎃🎃 - Genuinely good, permanent space on the rewatch roster. THE GREAT PUMPKIN IS PLEASED.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃 - God Tier. Wouldn't change a thing, wish I could erase my mind to watch it the first time.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃 - Trick R Treat. That's it. It gets its own category.
1. Obsession - Well, that was DEEPLY unsettling. And also a movie that I feel like the litmus test on who you sympathize with in the movie will answer the question on if I’d leave my drink unattended around you. This one is going to fall under the category of “very good movies that I never want to watch again.”
🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Peacock
Year 18 is a return to just 31 movies that I haven’t seen before, so let’s get spooky!
OCTOBER ORGY OF VIOLENCE 18 - LET’S GET SPOOKY
A quick refresher for my rating scale -
🎃 - Who the hell greenlit this? Utter garbage, not even worth rewatching for the LOLs.
🎃🎃 - Failed potential. Could have been great but something was missing.
🎃🎃🎃 - I was entertained. Cs get degrees, and some Cs even get rewatched.
🎃🎃🎃🎃 - Genuinely good, permanent space on the rewatch roster. THE GREAT PUMPKIN IS PLEASED.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃 - God Tier. Wouldn't change a thing, wish I could erase my mind to watch it the first time.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃 - Trick R Treat. That's it. It gets its own category.
1. Obsession - Well, that was DEEPLY unsettling. And also a movie that I feel like the litmus test on who you sympathize with in the movie will answer the question on if I’d leave my drink unattended around you. This one is going to fall under the category of “very good movies that I never want to watch again.”
🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Peacock
The Recap!
This year was an absolute blast, and I’m definitely going to be tapping some of you in future years to pick a list for me. (If you’re a person who regularly comments on these posts, it’s probably going to be you eventually!) On the whole, I had a really great time, and I feel like I got a lovely little insight into Joe’s childhood.
Top 3
1. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
2. Lord of Illusions
3. Mimic
Honorable mentions: Highway to Hell, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, and The Warlock.
And Space Truckers. We cannot forget Space Truckers.
I really don’t feel like making a bottom 3 this year because the only movie I really disliked was Two Thousand Manics. The other stuff I gave two stars was not bad just… the least best.
And now it’s time for my annual Halloween tradition of watching Trick R Treat with a cold glass of Pumpkinhead. The weather is finally seasonally appropriate down in Austin, and we’re hitting a haunted house tonight with another planned for tomorrow. Because Halloween is a lifestyle that doesn’t end on October 31.
Happy Halloween! 🎃
This year was an absolute blast, and I’m definitely going to be tapping some of you in future years to pick a list for me. (If you’re a person who regularly comments on these posts, it’s probably going to be you eventually!) On the whole, I had a really great time, and I feel like I got a lovely little insight into Joe’s childhood.
Top 3
1. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
2. Lord of Illusions
3. Mimic
Honorable mentions: Highway to Hell, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, and The Warlock.
And Space Truckers. We cannot forget Space Truckers.
I really don’t feel like making a bottom 3 this year because the only movie I really disliked was Two Thousand Manics. The other stuff I gave two stars was not bad just… the least best.
And now it’s time for my annual Halloween tradition of watching Trick R Treat with a cold glass of Pumpkinhead. The weather is finally seasonally appropriate down in Austin, and we’re hitting a haunted house tonight with another planned for tomorrow. Because Halloween is a lifestyle that doesn’t end on October 31.
Happy Halloween! 🎃
31. Prince of Darkness - I always try to save something special for Halloween. Not always the scariest or the “best” but just something that intrigues me or looks unique. So I told Joe that I never really pick a specific order in my list except for that. He put something thought into it and ended up picking this one, and it was a great choice. I never knew about John Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy. I’ve seen The Thing and liked it, and I really loved In the Mouth of Madness. When I think of horror sub-genres, for some reason Cosmic Horror isn’t something that springs to my mind as readily and I’ve realized that I really enjoy a lot of those movies. Great way to cap off the month!
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Sail the high seas
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Sail the high seas
28. The Warlock - Were there definitely some cheesy moments? Oh absolutely. The flying scenes were hilariously bad. But on the whole I had a great time watching a road trip movie staring a puritan and a valley girl that turned into an epic battle between Jon Snow and Lucius Malfoy.
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Amazon Prime
29. Lifeforce - Gave me serious British spy movie vibes. Visually very cool, and the vampires in space was definitely an interesting take. Probably won’t ever rewatch that one because the whole thing didn’t feel like it made a lot of sense, but it was very pretty.
🎃🎃½
Stream - Sail the high seas
30. Killer Klowns From Outer Space - This was so stupid and ridiculous while also being amazing. The clowns were honestly pretty terrifying, and all of the sets were just perfect. Fully understand why this is a cult classic.
🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Amazon Prime
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Amazon Prime
29. Lifeforce - Gave me serious British spy movie vibes. Visually very cool, and the vampires in space was definitely an interesting take. Probably won’t ever rewatch that one because the whole thing didn’t feel like it made a lot of sense, but it was very pretty.
🎃🎃½
Stream - Sail the high seas
30. Killer Klowns From Outer Space - This was so stupid and ridiculous while also being amazing. The clowns were honestly pretty terrifying, and all of the sets were just perfect. Fully understand why this is a cult classic.
🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Amazon Prime
26. Highway to Hell - Well wasn’t this a little unexpected gem! Great visuals and just a fun 90s trip through Hell! It was like Tales from the Crypt + Mad Max + Space Truckers level insanity. I can absolutely see myself rewatching this one.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Amazon Prime
27. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark - I am ashamed of myself that I haven’t seen this until now, but Aaron Hefler will be so pleased because I absolutely adored it! The amazing creepy house! The outfits! The musical number! This is the greatest movie I’ve ever seen, and I will not be accepting any differing opinions.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Sail the high seas
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Amazon Prime
27. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark - I am ashamed of myself that I haven’t seen this until now, but Aaron Hefler will be so pleased because I absolutely adored it! The amazing creepy house! The outfits! The musical number! This is the greatest movie I’ve ever seen, and I will not be accepting any differing opinions.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Sail the high seas
22. Critters 2 - I actually liked this more than the first one, and I enjoyed the first installment. More silly time with the Critters eating everything in sight and phallic space guns!
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Sail the high seas
23. Two Thousand Maniacs - This is definitely making me find the Stephen King movies I was watching as a young child a lot more wholesome if kid Joe was stumbling into this on basic cable. He did make sure to preface this with “all I remember is the barrel scene, and that the movie is super messed up.” I have zero problems with torture p0rn as a genre, I’l watch Hostel while eating dinner. I’ve watched some deeply twisted shit basically as a dare. I’ve still only ever tapped out on three movies and this wasn’t one but it was still a whole lot of NOPE for me. Also this is why we don’t venture outside large cities in the south.
🎃
Stream - Sail the high seas (Or don’t. Just watch the news. Or go to Vidor. [Do not go to Vidor.])
24. Tales from the Crypt: Bordello of Blood - Loved it! Tits and gore plus a super soaker filled with holy water. So glad I finally saw the Tales from the Crypt movies. While this one doesn’t beat Demon Knight, still a great time.
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Sail the high seas
25. Mimic - There is nothing on earth that hits for me like a big budget mid to late 90s action/horror/thriller. Giant bugs underground in the city plus massive explosions? ALL THE YES. I also had no idea Guillermo del Toro wrote and directed it until Aaron mentioned it
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Sail the high seas
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Sail the high seas
23. Two Thousand Maniacs - This is definitely making me find the Stephen King movies I was watching as a young child a lot more wholesome if kid Joe was stumbling into this on basic cable. He did make sure to preface this with “all I remember is the barrel scene, and that the movie is super messed up.” I have zero problems with torture p0rn as a genre, I’l watch Hostel while eating dinner. I’ve watched some deeply twisted shit basically as a dare. I’ve still only ever tapped out on three movies and this wasn’t one but it was still a whole lot of NOPE for me. Also this is why we don’t venture outside large cities in the south.
🎃
Stream - Sail the high seas (Or don’t. Just watch the news. Or go to Vidor. [Do not go to Vidor.])
24. Tales from the Crypt: Bordello of Blood - Loved it! Tits and gore plus a super soaker filled with holy water. So glad I finally saw the Tales from the Crypt movies. While this one doesn’t beat Demon Knight, still a great time.
🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Sail the high seas
25. Mimic - There is nothing on earth that hits for me like a big budget mid to late 90s action/horror/thriller. Giant bugs underground in the city plus massive explosions? ALL THE YES. I also had no idea Guillermo del Toro wrote and directed it until Aaron mentioned it
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Stream - Sail the high seas
19. The Prophecy II - This one was a pretty good time, though it was sadly lacking in Viggo Mortensen. (Another hot Satan to add to my long long list of hot Satans!) Christopher Walken was doing what he does best, and I do love Biblical horror. Also having Eden be an abandoned factory really is the most 90s thing ever.
🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Sail the high seas
20. Frankenhooker - So many exploding hookers. Completely batshit in every way. I fully understand why teenage Joe was all about this movie.
🎃🎃
Stream - Amazon Prime
21. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes - I would really love to have seen the face of the person in charge of green lighting this movie when it was first suggested. Hilarious in how utterly ridiculous it is. Was not expecting the musical numbers either!
🎃🎃½
Stream - Amazon Prime
🎃🎃🎃½
Stream - Sail the high seas
20. Frankenhooker - So many exploding hookers. Completely batshit in every way. I fully understand why teenage Joe was all about this movie.
🎃🎃
Stream - Amazon Prime
21. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes - I would really love to have seen the face of the person in charge of green lighting this movie when it was first suggested. Hilarious in how utterly ridiculous it is. Was not expecting the musical numbers either!
🎃🎃½
Stream - Amazon Prime
