Great list! Including Skinamarink

Happy Birthday, Jesse! I hope you had plenty of cake! And, Blair - a Planet Fitness water bottle!!! Anyway, this is a fun movie. It's definitely one of my favourite vampire movies. That said, I totally know what you two mean when you say it feels like two different movies. It really does. In a way, I like it. It establishes the brothers as monsters in their very own grounded world. Then their whole world becomes more vibrant, surreal, and murderous while they face quite literal monsters. Predators vs. predators. Extremely deliberate, and I appreciate it. ... But in a bigger way, I absolutely hate the tonal shift. I feel like the first half is all Tarintino, and the second half is all Rodriguez. I love horror comedy, but it's proceeds such a stark and grim opening. It doesn't hit quite right. I like tone to be more consistent. That still doesn't stop me from enjoying the film, though. Tom Savini is such a talent! Great artist, and he's wonderful in the acting roles he's in. Sex Machine is a favourite character of mine. Salma Hayek is stunning, and her dance is one of the most iconic scenes ever. And I truly bought George Clooney as Seth! I'm not a big Clooney fan at all, but he killed that role. And that band (Tito & Tarantula) is pretty rad. I believe their music is also in Desperado, another great Rodriguez film.

Is it a scary show? Lots of gore or more acrobatic with a hint for scary?

I'm 100% sure this movie knew it was a silly cheese-fest and fully embraced it, which is the best way to go. Like Jesse, I'm a huge fan of camp, so this was a fantastic watch. The only thing that really bugged me was the sheets being strung up on set to cover up whatever it was they were trying to cover. I've seen that in a few older low budget movies, so it's always really glaring to me. Just seems lazy and cheap. But, to be fair, I'm happy most of the money went into the robots. (And possibly cocaine.) 😂

Skinamarink is garbage. Thanks for the other recommendations though 👍

Good review. There is a sequel to Cujo, called Rattlesnakes. It is included in the new collection "You Like It Darker." No movie adaptation so far, however.

I was there today

My ideas for Treehouse of Horror XXXV 35 ( 35th anniversary ) Bring back Springfield Cemetery intro from 90s with extremely eerie horror music like from horror movies. It will really caution the viewers that the episode is the scariest special of all time. AKA EXTREMELY HORRIFYING Counch Gag: A mutant siamese simpsons Zombie Family ( Size of Jabba the Hut ) ( Springfield VS Social Media ) Everyone on Social media of KZbin, tik tok, Instagram and others are ruining the reputation of the Simpsons and Springfield by memes and 3AM Challenges. They all decided it means war, and payback to stop all this bullying by LITERALLY KILLING!!! (Not in real life ). And go back to using vintage tech. Including memorable parts from the past Treehouse of Horror specials from the 1990s ( Ned Flanders' Corpse bride ) ( Disney's the Nightmare before Bob Iger )

Can’t wait is it true the tent inside is only cash? I’m going when it comes to Calgary the 30th.

Sorry I couldn't attend this watch party! I'll be sure to join the next. Hereditary one of my favourite movies, let alone horror movies, ever. Lots of spoilers in this comment. Azeez and I saw this in theatres, and it was one of the best crowds we've ever had in a horror film. It had a mixed group, people of all ages, but especially younger adults. I was even sitting next to a group of 15 year old boys. It was heavily advertised as being an epically scary horror movie, so I remember thinking, "Uh oh, people are going to start playing with their phones or chatting" when the movie started off being a family drama. But that never happened. It was a gripping movie throughout. One of the biggest crowd reactions actually came when Toni Collette's character says to her son, "I never wanted to be your mother." The entire crowd gasped, even the kids beside me. I've NEVER encountered a crowd reaction like that from a drama before. But then the movie switches gears into the paranormal realm, and after being such a slow burn, it just escalates into being icily terrifying. The last 15 minutes are the most terrifying I've seen in a recent horror film. And after so many years of being desensitized to horror, that's a big deal hahaha I remember gripping onto Azeez's hand at the end and then looking over to the teenage boys, who at that point were huddled into each other. That was pretty amazing haha It even earned a peal of awkward laughter from me when Peter jumps out the window, because I couldn't help but think, "Yeah, me too, buddy. I'd do the same." But the film is extraordinary. So much attention to detail, incredibly meticulous. You can watch this movie several times and pick everything apart for analysis and find something new. I love that. And the movie is just evocative in its entirety, making you feel uneasy and uncomfortable from the first scene. One of my favourite lower-key scares is actually when Joan is yelling at Peter from across the street. I forget the exact like, but it's something like, "Peter! I cast you out!" And it's wild to think she's trying to force his soul to leave his body to make it easier for Paimon to take over. Kind of an interesting take, almost like a reverse-exorcism. There's something scarier about someone trying to drive you out of your own body rather than JUST something else taking it over. And yes, all of those naked old people were indeed members of the cult at the end. We do see them at the funeral, as you folks noticed. We might even see them elsewhere, but I am not fully sure off the top of my head. But there are elements of the cult seen throughout the movie, including a symbol on the pole that knocks Charlie's block off. It just kinda shows the family were always the means to the grandmother's demonic end. Great film.

Looks like it was a blast!

I would totally love that Salem trip! It's definitely on my bucket list to visit. Anyway, Shaun of the Dead is a pretty fun movie. It's not my favourite in the Cornetto trilogy (that would go to Hot Fuzz), but it's a hilarious exploration of the zombie horror subgenre. Spaced is a fantastic show, too, btw. I absolutely love it. I enjoyed seeing several of the actors from that show in this movie. Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost are nerds and geeks who always show whatever they're working on the right love. Their passion always shines through. And yes, there's something to be said about people generally being so "zombified" that we don't realize when an actual zombie appears. 😅

*GROOVY!*

Sam Raimi is one of my heroes, and I love the franchise so much that I have a tattoo of the cabin on my thigh. No one does comedic horror like Sam Raimi. Other titles tend to lean more into the comedy, but there's a delicate balancing act that Raimi knows how to do. You get enough legitimate horror to keep you on your toes between laughs. At the watch party, I realized just how amazing Bruce's physical comedy is. He truly carries that film outside of the humour, too, especially because you're stuck with just him losing his mind for the most of it. And, of course, Ted Raimi kills it as Henritta. I loved seeing him in The Quarry. I feel he's a really underrated actor. Hopefully he can do more acting in videogames. P.S. Go Oilers! 🎉

I haven't seen this movie in ages, but I remember enjoying it. I find movies that copy pasta the "eternal loop" Groundhog Day gimmick to be kinda insurferable, but this felt fresh and fun. It takes a lot for a script to make the redundancy a worthwhile investment. (I've seen the sequel, too, and I think it tries to explain the loop. I could be wrong, though, it's been a bit. I recall finding the sequel to be more comedic than the first, too. Worth checking out.) I think this is one of the few Blumhouse movies I actually view as "on brand", but in a favorable way haha I'll have to watch these movies again. It actually kinda tonally reminds me of Freaky with Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton, where a final girl switches bodies with the serial killer coming after her. It's a cute little romp. Another horror comedy. It's basically The Hot Chick x Freaky Friday x Friday the 13th. P.S. The soundtrack probably sucked because the good music would have cost too much to acquire. As far as I know, Blumhouse directors are sent into the world with a minimal budget, a slap on the bum, and the threat not to go to spend more than what they were given.

So many awesome films this month! This movie in particular is one of my all-time favourite horror comedies. (And now I'm excited for We Are Wolves!) The show is amazing, too. What We Do in the Shadows is a film that embraces wild genre tropes, and then somehow makes them relatable and updated. I'm thrilled that Taika Waititi's career is booming, he absolutely deserves it. It's incredible there were so many hours of content to choose from! Must have been challenging to edit that all together. I love that sandwhich line, too. So good. (As for Bill Skarsgard's character design in The Crow ... I'm not willing to write it off just yet. The original The Crow film looks like an edgy music video, so this new design feels on par with that. Leto's Joker was a cautionary tale to Hollywood, I think. The cringe was too much. But then, Hollywood doesn't always learn. And with that, may we never speak of Jared Leto's Joker again.)

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is one of my favourite horror comedies of all time. Truly clever and hilarious. The way the script flips tropes on their head is genius, over the top, and campy. All things I love! And the two leads are played by some amazing talents. Labine and Tudyk are just so likable and sweet. The kids were annoying enough to make for excellent cannon fodder, too. I'll have to watch this one again soon. It's a winner.

The Babadook is an extremely well-made movie that hits me way too close to home. That said, it's a great but devastating movie. The first (and only) time I watched it, I had an anxiety attack and couldn't sleep all night. I figure that I'm a part of the 0.0001% of the population where it manages to hit all of someone's adult fears and childhood trauma. That said, I never once took the Babadook as a literal monster. To me, it was purely a metaphor for mental illness, grief, and suffering alone. The Babadook wasn't so much a demon as much as it was a lack of healthily coping with the compounding pressures in the main character's life. When it becomes too much to bear alone, she surrenders to it, spiraling into a psychotic break. At the end, she has it (her illness/grief) chained in her basement, but at that point she's learned to live with it. Manage the monster as best she can with the help from the important people in her life (her son - who, yes, was painfully annoying at first, but that was the point). It's a fantastic movie, with the writing and acting on point. The Babadook, while I don't see him as an actual monster, still has an amazing design. And now that Jesse explained how he became a gay icon, it all makes sense. I watched it, and was like, "I don't get it?" but knowing it's a Netflix oopsie is hilarious. It's a movie that doesn't need a sequel because I think the message behind the monster is what's important, and it's already been told so well. A sequel would just cheapen it, IMO. Plus, I'd rather not see more pets die. 🤷‍♀️

I absolutely love this movie! It's just super '90s, full of camp, and knows exactly what it is. (Even if it wasn't what Whedon wanted.) It references so many other iconic vampire films, too. I love the scene with Ben outside of Pike's window a la Salem's Lot. Ben: *clearly floating* "Come on, invite me in, Pike!" Pike: "Wait a minute. What's wrong with you?" Ben: "I'm fine!" Pike: "But you look like shit." Ben: "I'm hungry." Pike: "You're floating! Get away from here!" Ben: "I'm HUNGRRRRYY!" *cackle* LMAO the whole scene kills me. It goes from being goofy to increasingly disturbing as Ben's baser nature takes over. Great delivery from the actors. I loved seeing the film Buffy turn from spoiled Valley Girl to embracing being The Slayer. And Donald Sutherland is great as Merrick. In general, I agree that the movie was cast well. Paul Reubens is a ton of fun, too. I thought the Buffy The Vampire Slayer show was okay, but I didn't like that the tone was so removed from the movie. If I hadn't seen the movie first, I probably would have preferred the show, too. I know it's an iconic series, but I don't know if I can sit down to watch it. It takes itself too seriously, which normally isn't a problem for me, but since I'm comparing it with its original medium, I'll always be a bit disappointed. That, and I preferred Kristy Swanson's portrayal of Buffy more. I always felt like SMG's Buffy was the one you could always count on, whereas KS's Buffy was the one I'd expect to see flake-out halfway through because something was too yucky. That's what made KS's Buffy more of an interesting watch to me. Either way, I'm glad Blair and Whedon have the Buffy that makes them happiest and I have mine haha

The watch party was a lot of fun! Looking forward to the next one! I saw the first movie ages ago, and barely remember it other than it had great cinematography and "Because you were home." I'm not actually a big fan of the film, but I admit it was well made for what it was. This sequel was, in some ways, better and worse than the original. Worse in that the first half was a boring slog with a temperamental fog machine, but better in that when it revs up, it really revs up. When you start rooting for the characters, the entire tone changes. I felt energized as an audience member. And even the cinematography improves. Excellent shots. Especially with the truck on fire. Very Christine. Several different horror references, though, as you guys mentioned. I hate to say it, but if I ever watch this film again, I'm going to fast forward it to when it picks up. I can't sit through that first half. 😅 Either way, I'm happy it ended strong and it'll be interesting to see how it'll be rebooted.

I'm a huge Silent Hill fan, and already have Silent Hill: The Short Message downloaded. I'll have to play it soon, even though I've heard whispers that it's terrible. To be fair, Konami did the series dirty and they can't seem to make the fans happy with modern titles. I love the first three games, and have learned to appreciate the fourth. The rest of the games are a mixed bag, and the movies are ... ehhh, not great. And Silent Hill: Ascension is one massive 💩. But I'll try to play the free game with an open mind. 😂 As for The Conjuring film ... I quite enjoy it. Fictional Ed and Lorraine Warren are so wonderfully well-written, with excellent chemistry between Wilson and Farmiga. The real life Warrens, meanwhile, were frauds at best and groomers at worst. Big yikes. But their case files are interesting. I just wish they weren't allegedly such awful people IRL. I actually love the Annabell opening. I think it sets the chilling tone perfectly, while demonstrating how innocuously evil begins to show itself. What I can't stand, though, are her repeated sightings throughout the movie. They feel shoe-horned in for sequels, as mentioned. My fave scares always involve Bathsheba's hag-like ghost, whether her greasy self is perched on a dresser or we just see her feet stop swinging and slowly turn towards Lorraine. She always gets me. Especially the latter scene. Pure genius from Wan. But I actually can't stand the possession scene. Probably because it does feel so rushed. I feel it's the weakest part of the film. 🤷‍♀️ But overall, it's a great film and an enjoyable watch.

Thank you so much for the birthday wishes! 🎉❤ And no worries about the drinks! I'm sure we will be back at that location sooner or later. 🍻 And we are hoping Blair's daughter gets well soon! 💖 The watch party was a lot of fun! I'm looking forward to the next one. 🙌 This movie was a lot of silly fun. It knew what it was and kept the same tone throughout. I always love a solid satirical take on holiday movies. Such a fun dark comedy! That said, even a lot of the characters sounded the same and didn't seem like unique voices. But maybe that's just me. 🤷‍♀️ The deaths were over the top and pleasantly gorey. It was a fun watch! I just need to watch it the whole way through. 😂

Finally watched this. Hands down, the worst food safety video I've ever seen. 😢

Bruhhhh!! I can't believe we won a Golden Sandwich. I have nothing prepared....*pulls out pre-written thank you speech*... this might take a couple minutes. NO wrap it up music! This was such a great video! Congratulations on a fantastic 2023. I wish both of you nothing but exponential growth, great times and more weird and incredible movies reviews in 2024. You guys are amazing! Happy new years @reviewsthatscare with Jess and Blair!

Awe, yay! Azeez and I had such a great time meeting you guys at Deadmonton House! It was a great experience. And, of course, I enjoy your podcast! I think Christmas Evil was robbed of best mob. Maybe if the award category was Best Ironic Mob, it might have pulled through. 😅 Best line for sure goes to Christmas Evil with: "I yell ya, Harry, I don't know what the fuck you're talking about." 😆 I've never connected with a line so deeply. And while the Xenomorph is amazing, I give all of my body horror love to The Thing. ❤ Have a fantastic 2024! Looking forward to another round of haunts with you guys. 👻

I still need to watch this one! As awful as you guys said it was hahaha I don't even think complete and utter inebriation can save the experience for me. But I am curious! Random, but I stumbled across There's Something in the Barn this holiday season, and it might be good for checking out next year. I enjoyed it!

This movie is such a classic! Definitely one I watch at any time of the year. It's a wonderful blend of adorable, scary, and even whimsical before becoming truly horrific at points. With all of the practical effects, it holds up today. Honestly, it's just a solid movie all around. Joe Dante is one of my favourite directors.

This movie was an interesting subversion of expectations. I agree that it was a refreshing take on the home invasion horror/thriller subgenre. It wasn't remotely funny, either. That said, it was an uncomfortable watch ... even more so than an actual home invasion movie, imo. The Luke character is certainly a hyperbolic take on a kid psychopath (I watch a lot of true crime, and most teens are too stupid to be THIS calculated and precise, but I digress). While I don't think a character like him could exist as a person, I've encountered a lot of possessive behavior and objectification that reminded me of him, and that's what creeped me out the most. I felt I could relate to the main character, Ashley, because of it. On that note, I felt all of the male characters had something off-putting about them, even Ashley's boyfriend who barged into the home. I dunno if there was an agenda to that. But the fact the only non-toxic dude was the pizza guy ... it was strange haha Also, I took Ashley taking Luke's hand during the scary movie as a sisterly thing, not a leading on kind of thing, as she views him as a little boy. I think that the scene was made to highlight how Luke saw her as easily frightened, as thus, winning her over by playing hero with the "invasion" would be a piece of cake. But she turned out to be much stronger than he anticipated. Anyway, this was quite the film. And I suppose the references to Home Alone were amusing. Not sure I'd ever watch it again (unless it's to look at door handles, oddly enough), but it was well done for what it was.

redbar is watching

... At first, I thought this movie was writer/director Lewis Jackson's weird Christmas Oedipus Complex vanity project. As I watched the film, I realized that was giving it WAY too much credit. I don't even know where to begin. It's basically like Jackson hated Christmas, proper editing, and a coherent plot. Then, maybe, after smoking a blunt, he wrote a script based off of every pamphlet he could find from a police station's "Here's What Predators Do" help desk and thought he was a GENIUS. (Then Jesse confirmed there was pot involved in the review LOL) I was perpetually torn between laughing, being uncomfortable, and being bored. There's set up that goes nowhere, and then just bizarre, nonsensical events that happen. Like, okay, I get that at some point a mob forms ... but why do New Yorkers have torches so readily available to them? How deep can someone sleep when their partner is being suffocated right beside them by a massive bag of toys? And did Brandon Maggart actually climb a ladder, stagger across someone's roof, and nearly fucking break his neck just to get out of a chimney he couldn't fit into? There's probably like a dozen other headscratchers left Azeez and I just riffing on the movie the whole time we watched it. But as for some positives ... I can see what Lewis was trying to do. But it's a mess. It could have been an interesting take on mental health and the holidays, maybe. But I don't think it had the strong hand it needed to be a good script. The directing was alright, but the editing and pacing were awful. I mean, characters popped in and out of shots like transdimensional beings at times. On the flip side, some scenes stayed on screen for an awkwardly long time. Though, that's kind of a positive. There's definitely "so bad it's good" moments, and I would love to make a ton of gifs from this movie. (But, really, the movie's "so bad it's just fucking bad".) Major props to Maggart, though. He SOLD being a mentally unwell sucker in middle management. I was certainly creeped out by him, and when he really got into being Santa, I could see why he was cast. (Aside from the whole embracing being a voyeuristic, pushing-being-a-PDFile thing, I mean.) I can really see why John Waters loves this movie. My head felt like it was full of bees after watching it. Taking it all in was something else. Especially after that ending. (I figured his psychosis made it seem magical. I'm in the camp that he died in a crash and the subsequent fiery explosion. But who knows? He survived his brother choking him to death in the previous scene. Maybe Harry went off to the North Pole to give Moss a bag of dirt every Christmas for the rest of his life.) The best line of the film, though, hands-down, was: "I'll tell you, Harry, I don't know what the fuck you're talking about." That just summed up the entire experience for me.

Yay for Gremlins! But boooo for not watching an unhinged gingerbread Busey! (I didn't even know that was a thing😂) I'll have to check that out. And most of the actual picks, that said. 🎄🎅🎄

Someone posted this on the private Deadmonton alum social page, and we're all pretty jazzed about the nice review. Especially specific actors who got shout outs. 😆 You're spot on when you say the actors like customers who react. They really do. Like, they try to give everyone a good show, but the people who go through acting unimpressed like they're way too cool for haunted houses... eh... they kinda cheat themselves out of the full experience. If you're screaming or even laughing and enjoying yourself, the actors totally feed on that and will pull out ALL the stops for ya. Anyway, thanks so much for coming! Scare ya later!

This was a blast! Thanks for having us. Im looking forward to getting terrified with you guys next year lol

Thank you again for the invite out and having us on! It was a pleasure.

This is probably my favourite zombie movie of all time. It's fun, self-aware, and wonderfully meta. I love the humour in this. The movie knows what it is, and you can tell that the cast are enjoying themselves. I think the acting wouldn't be as successful in a movie that took itself more seriously. I love the whole set-up for the outbreak, I think Tarman Zombie is an icon, and Linnea Quigley is a goddess. I didn't realize that so many of the people working on it were a part of so many other amazing flicks, but it makes sense. (I'm a big fan of Heavy Metal from 1981 and the magazines.) The attention to details when it comes to the gas even setting off the butterflies and the display dogs was awesome. I don't think we ever saw that before in a movie about reanimation. I heard this movie is also THE REASON why people associate zombies with preferring brains in the first place, and not just miscellaneous viscera haha It's that female zombie who says it makes the pain go away. I'm not sure if zombies needed a reason, exactly. But I suppose it's nice to know why they'd go through the effort of cracking a skull open for a brain haha All in all, an awesome film! Fun review!

I was never a big fan of the Scream franchise, even though I love some things Wes Craven has done, and can admire what the franchise was trying to do with being self-aware and meta. I think it's just that Ghostface was never scary to me. (At this point, I've only seen the first two, so who knows if what I'll say next can be easily refuted or not.) Ghostface was multiple people under a mask, and took a lot of pratfalls. I suppose that's what makes them human. I'm more of a fan of supernatural horror when it comes to film, though I'm sure in real life I'd be scared by someone with a knife coming after me, mask or not lol That said, I was impressed by this film quite a bit. Sid is a great final girl, very much updated for '90s. The cast in general is solid (especially the cameos!), and the script is tight. It was a long movie, but the pacing was on point. I was never bored. I love the film discussion in class, because yeah, few sequels do live up to or surpass the original (and I ADORE T2 and Aliens). The film has a lot of clever commentary that I think is more relevant today than in the '90s, such as the media we consume and how it can potentially affect us. While I don't believe someone can be turned into a monster because they watched a scary movie or played GTA, I do think there's something to be said about people who already have psychopathic tendencies to being exposed to all kinds of IRL shock videos, sexually sadistic material, or even just the news where mass killers make the headlines. It's a mixed bag, and interesting to think about. The villains were kinda predictable. Mostly Debbie Salt for me, because she was wandering in and out of scenes without much purpose to the plot, so I figured she'd have a big reveal. I just didn't know it would be Billy's mom after "losing sixty pounds and getting a lot of work done". LOL But given the script was leaked, it makes sense. ... And I also found the cafeteria singing scene cringey. I hate when people sing off-key, and I couldn't get passed the fact that Jerry O'Connell looked like he was pushing forty. But he's looked like that forever hahaha All in all, it was a fun and well done sequel.

... So I finally checked this movie out and, ah, wow. I can sum up my opinion as: Oh, my achin' banana! This movie is a weird bucket list of things I never knew I needed in my life. Dennis Hopper dual-weilding chainsaws in a cowboy hat? Sure! A Looney Tunes-esque cast of cannibalistic hillbillies? Okay! Wild, industrial junkyard sets? Yes! But is it a GOOD movie? Lol, no. The tone can be seen as super offputting if you liked the orginal's. The character motivations are mostly threadbare. The plot is scarce and the pacing is off. And Leatherface wants to get laid??? It's a carnival of batshit crazy. And there's amazing things in it. The actors really give it their all, and the villains are a simutaneous over-the-top delight and cringe-fest. I legit could see Caroline Williams being scared of Bill Moseley, Jim Siedow, and of course, Bill Johnson. I really don't think she was acting in some scenes hahaha And Tom Savini does beautiful work. He's one of my faves in the industry, and his work really does shine here. And the sets are just awesome. I was truly impressed by the Sawyer lair. This movie fun and ridiculous. I can't say which movie I like more since I was never a big fan of this franchise. The first is great if you want something serious, but the second is great if you want something totally insane. I'd happily throw both on during a Halloween party. I might actually go back to this movie more often than the first one because it's just an absurd, wild ride. P.S. Russ McKamey has to be a genuine sadist. It'll be interesting to see what happens to him and his "haunt".

great content guys👍 not a lot of people cover or review TCM 2 so this was a unique watch

Nice selections! I'll have to watch most of these. (Slashers don't overly do it for me. 😅) That said, I absolutely adore Return of the Living Dead. Now, I have some catching up to do ...

After most intense situations the ending is usually pretty abrupt

Ahhh, The Simpsons! They were such a massive part of my childhood, and I especially adored these Halloween episodes. The anthology set-up is perfect. The Treehouse of Terror was definitely on point. I didn't realize that it was inspired by Tales from the Crypt, but it totally makes sense. Each segment is great in its own way. "Bad Dream House" for its play on every haunted house trope, "Hungry are the Damned" for the subversion of expectations, and "The Raven" because it's a great throwback to a classic, which frankly has the best non-comedic acting of the episode from James Earl Jones, and even Dan Castellaneta. What's incredibly fascinating about the writing from Edgar Allan Poe era, especially with just Poe himself, is seeing how wild the writing was back then. Like stories could be verbose, vague, and end on a cliffhanger, and the reader got what they got. Today stories, especially horror, are quite tight-knit and crafted for short attention spans. That, and the standard of what scares us has changed. The beauty of "The Raven" is in the poetic loss of love, of how haunting grief itself is, even to the point to mock our main character. That's how I see it, anyway. Though, people at the time could have taken it quite literally, as ravens have always had quite the superstitious reputation. It could have been seen as an otherworldly familiar come to torment a grieving man. (Sorry for the tangent haha I enjoy Poe's work, and even have a tattoo of a raven on my forearm.) Ultimately, my point somewhere in there was that what we find scary changes through the ages, as well as the kind of content we can consume. I love how dark and gothic "The Raven" is (along with how lush JEJ's voice is), but I also adore the more modern segments. I agree they move quicker and more fluidly as they have a plot to follow. Now I have to watch the rest of these!

The Shining has always been an interesting movie to discuss for several reasons. It was definitely ahead of its time, given all of the Razzie nominations it had. It's a massive classic today. It makes me wonder what the people behind the Razzies were thinking. Cat Woman? Sure. This? Why? The great acting? The meticulous attention to detail in every scene? It's more than a bit mind boggling. Kubrick was in his element for this film. Including all of his asshattery. He really tortured Shelley Duval. The only other director I know who was this ... abusive ... towards his cast was William Friedkin during the filming of The Exorcist. Linda Blair sustained a physical injury that she carried for her entire life onwards, and it's sad to see what became of Shelley Duval after the filming of the movie. I remember trying to read the book when I was a teenager and just found it way too bloated with text so I put it down. Though I know it explores the characters far more. (Like any King novel, I suppose.) King did direct the TV mini series, so it is more like the novel, so I've heard (which is why I've avoided it hahaha!). I know King stated he didn't like The Shining film because it took away a lot of Jack's struggle and humanity. That Jack looked crazy out of the gate. That, and like Blair mentioned, Wendy was a stronger character in the book. She was also supposed to be a gorgeous, head-turning blonde. To Kubrick's credit, I think that's why the film counterparts worked better. My two cents is that I think King was trying to exorcise some of his personal demons as an alcoholic father and husband through the character of Jack. So I view Book Jack and Book Wendy as how he probably wanted his own experiences to be seen. To empathize with the substance abuser and his victims as people and not just archetypes. That they can be more complex that just "a drunk and his battered wife and meek child." But that's where the film counterparts work better. Film is a visual medium, and you want to be able to look at the characters as a part of their, well, characterization. I think King had rose-coloured glasses on for how he saw maybe his own personal projection of the Jack character. I find when you look at families with troubled spouses and/or addictions, an outsider is sometimes quite easily able to tell when something is "off". You can look at the actors on screen together and just sense there's this underlying tension and hostility. And that's where Kubrick succeeds in his medium. (And, maybe where King can't quite see how harsh that actually looks to everyone else. But, again that's my opinion.)

It's great that Jesse and his lady had a wonderful trip! The Evil Dead Rise one sounds amazing. Sucks about the wait times, though. I'm excited for Deadmonton House! I call dibs on the flashlight. Just throw me at the front for a blind run. I'm sure I'll enjoy sending the group into every wall and blind corner. It'll be more humiliating than terrifying. (I can't imagine doing a haunt like that solo, though. While I've never been before, I'm pretty sure it'd be quite the intense experience by yourself. Probably extremely entertaining for the actors, that said.) I should check out that Killer Klowns from Outer Space game. The trailer does look like a LOT of fun! That's also pretty sweet about Kevin and The Lobby! I've been several times. I'm shocked Blair hasn't been before. It's such an iconic location for a horror movie lover in Edmonton. I can't wait to check out that local film. Great concept! It sounds totally up my alley, and I love that more things in general are being filmed in Alberta. As for Christine ... well, I love John Carpenter and Stephen King, and I can acknowledge that there's some iconic scenes in that film, buuuuut ... it falls flat for me. And I saw the movie before I read the book. I think the film is a bit too goofy. The book is a worthy read and delves much deeper into the characters and the souls that are tied to Christine. I feel like the movie is all, "WoOooOoh! Evil car! Ain't that spooky? And look how sexy it makes Arni feel!" and the novel, meanwhile, is more like, "Here are some twisted and damn souls bound to a vehicle like a metal prison. Watch as Arni is gradually possessed by the former owner and is poised to be the next rotting ghoul riding shotgun." The book and the movie feel like vastly different experiences, so I can see why King doesn't approve of the film. The movie is superficial compared to the depth of the novel. To be fair, it's really not a concept that translates to film easily. (And there's some absolutely crazy shit that Christine does in terms of utter and complete carnage and collateral damage in the novel.) I recommend reading the novel, 100%!

Congrats on the wedding to Jesse and his lady! May the ceremony, honeymoon, and years to follow be wonderful! It is one of my favourite King novels, excluding like the part in the book with Beverly and the boys. Again, if you know, you know. Bleh. (So glad none of the adaptations included it.) But aside from that, I love the twisted entity that is Pennywise the Dancing Clown. The book goes super metaphysical and gets trippy, eventually tying into The Dark Tower series, and even has a cameo from a character in The Shining. (Stephen King did multiverses before they were cool! haha) I know the novel is not for everyone, but I can see different pieces of "Book It" from the different actor portrayals. What I love about Tim's It is that the entity has learned to act passably human, except for when it's ready to scare the kids to season them up. But even then, It remains intelligent, cold, and calculating. What I love about Bill's It is that it's more of a primal being, being human enough, except for when the thrill of the kill is at its feet. Then it just drops all pretenses and feeds like the apex predator it is. I guess maybe that's it. They have a different kind of predatory vibe. One's more human-like than the other. I feel Bill's It is closer aligned to the Book It. This TV movie is indeed long, but I didn't mind that so much. I find the remakes are also long, but I love them too. Well, except for some of the retconning done in Part 2. We never saw some of the "flashback" scenes, so it feels kinda cheap to me. But it kinda levels out because they plug into the novel. And yes, great casting all around. Did you know that the original Bev played Bridgette in Ginger Snaps?! Another great (and Canadian) film!

The Hateful Eight IS underrated! It always makes me want a giant bowl of stew. (If you know, you know.) Plus, I remember being the only person laughing in the packed theatre every time the outlaw Daisy earned a punch. I think most people felt it was too taboo to laugh at because she was a woman. (Never mind the fact that she's a twisted, murderous woman, but I digress.) That, or I'm just sick. One of the two. And is Days of Our Lives your fave because Marlaina was possessed by the devil ... twice?! There needs to be a new metaphor for that. It's no longer jumping the shark. Anyway, I read the book when I was a teen and remember being bummed out that the "ancient evil" hinted to was actually rabies and not some kind of demon. Haha! While I barely recall the book itself, I remember that King goes into Cujo's POV in the novel, which was interesting. Worth checking the novel out for that alone since, ya know, the movie wasn't exactly "Homeward Bound" and I imagine getting Burt Reynolds to voice Cujo's internal monologue wouldn't quite work for the tone they were going for. Also, I know King had massive issues with alcoholism, but coke pretty much fueled him to write the novel in a couple of days. I love this novel "On Writing" about his career. Great autobiography. I'm happy he's someone who has overcome his substance abuse. He's a hell of a creator and I have mad respect for him for choosing his family over his addictions. Dee Wallace is great! I love her in The Frighteners, which is my favourite Peter Jackson film, as much as I enjoy LOTR. As for the Cujo film, it was the kind of slow burn I don't like. A bit too dull for the set-up. And I couldn't help but think, "You can't make this today. A cell phone solves this whole problem." Mind you, there's ways to remove that element. But, eh, it's a stretch in our modern world. But the scenes with Cujo being rabid are terrifying, and I feel so bad for him. You kinda DO cheer him on, but at the same time, you know he's suffering. It's sad. Absolutely vaccinate your pets! Poor sweet doggo. And I couldn't really tell when I saw the guy in the suit, but of course it was done for the close ups. I was impressed with the directing. It was a great film! At least for the last half. And hopefully Steve spontaneously combusted after he spoke with the police and people made smores over his flaming corpse. RIP Steve.

We need more Andrew on in the future! Force him to watch more horror

Cool to hear about the release date of the new Exorcist movie being bumped up to avoid Taylor Swift! Who needs a priest when even the forces of evil avoid Taysway? (Granted, it's cheaper and simper to convince the Catholic church someone needs an excorism than to attend her concert.) I can relate. I'm going on vacation in October at a time specifically to avoid Swifties in the city I'll be in. Not a joke. Legit the plan. And I'm a massive R.L. Stine fan, too. He's what got me into reading, and inspired my passion for writing. Stine was little me's gateway into horror. I even remember my first Goosebumps book being "Those Ghost Next Door." Ahh, memories. Have you read any of his adult fiction? And now, the movie! I, too, believe the American remake was superior. At least when it comes to the script. I think it's in part because we see a bit more of agency, stakes, and motivation for the characters. It's a tighter script, definitely for Western audiences. It leaves the audience hoping there's a chance to beat the curse. There isn't. I think that's where the Japanese film both shines and falls short. The curse is unrelenting. There is no escape. Which, perhaps, is "more realistic" if you want to see it that way. At least in the remake, you had slight hope ... and something of a comparatively linear progression to make the story simpler to follow. But hands-down, the stairs scene is the most iconic part of the original. That stair scene as a grown ass adult left me terrified. You could tell it was a person with training going down those stairs. Practical effects are always king, agreed, and this is an example of it. And, like the curse, the scene is unrelenting with Kayako's wide-eyed and entirely unblinking descent. It's hypnotizing. You can't look away. There is no uncanny valley from bad CGI that the remake had. (Which automatically turned me off.) Because this was an actual person moving so unnaturally, the scare hits on a primal level. In my melodramatic option, anyway haha Fun review! May Andrew continue to explore many haunted attics! Haha

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre game should be fantastic with the same people in charge of it as the Friday the 13th game. I've just seen people play the latter. And I really should play the Evil Dead online game, too. I'm missing out on a lot by not playing multi-player games, it seems haha I still need to see Talk To Me. It's awesome it has a prequel in the works already! I also need to see the Winnie the Pooh Blood and Honey movie. That coupled with the upcoming Goldilocks movie reminds me of a few years ago when those classic novels were redone to have paranormal elements. (Like, Pride and Prejudice with Zombies, or Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.) And hopefully Halloween Horror Nights will be a great experience for Jess and his fiancé! It sounds like a blast! And RIP to Friedkin! Truly, a legend. Also, the lore for Five Night's at Freddy's is pretty lengthy. I can see needing three hours for it. But, yeah, it's a lot to sit through. Especially if its target audience isn't exactly an older one. Anyway, I first saw Veronica when it was new on Netflix years ago. I don't remember much from it other than the nun, Sister Death, was a badass character. It's great that she'll have her own movie. I've always been drawn to characters who look rough/sinister/scary, but are ultimately good guys. Kind of like Pascow from Pet Semetary. Creepy good guys are just more interesting. That, and I like it when the good character can be feared for reasons other than being a physical badass (like John Wick). Other than that, I remember being genuinely freaked out when Veronica sees her "father", naked and hunched over. I think what makes it terrifying is the idea of "close, but no cigar", like the demon knew taking the form would rattle Veronica, but in its inhuman way forgets clothing (because, well, why would a demon need clothing?). The Exorcist plays with that concept quite well, the novel moreso than the book.

I'm sorry to hear about the adjustments! I'll keep my eyes peeled for the others on streaming services down the road. I'm looking forward to seeing Talk to Me. It's definitely on my list, and I remember when the creators were fetuses on KZbin making silly videos about a disturbing version of Ronald McDonald. I'm happy to see the Philippou brothers get some Hollywood success. And a remake of The Bride of Frankenstein? Hmm. That cast is promising, at least. Anyway, I think I've only seen Ringu once. I know I've seen The Ring a few times, and I remember what I big hit it was. It was a great introduction to Japanese filmmaking for me, as I sought out several Japanese and Korean horror films after watching it. What I love most about Japanese filmmaking is that it tends to treat its audience with respect, therefore nothing is really spoon-fed. It's fun to be able to think about what you're watching. (That said, I love Ju-On, but prefer The Grudge, which is very heavy-handed with explaining everything LOL so make of that what you will.) And I love how Japanese writers/directors are able to embrace more concepts that would be considered "out there" or more original than out in the west. I've heard it's because there aren't massive filmmaking studios like there are here. That there are just smaller studios, so they're willing to take more risks. Also, Japan is pretty amazing. If you visit, don't go in summer. Super hot, super humid. It's great if you like that, though! But us Canucks are usually more comfortable when it's cooler haha (I remember showering, drying off, and still being wet. Urgh.)

The Exorcist is one of my favourite novels/films, so I'm interested in seeing the new movie this October. However, I have low expectations. I liked certain elements from the trailer, like when one of the girls snuck up on her dad brushing his teeth. There's a few subtle scares like that in the original that scared me more than the over the top and grotesque scenes, so I hope the director embraces that more. (As it's a Blumhouse film with barely a budget, I think that's possible.) I just hope the acting from the girls' in the trailer isn't as cringey in the entire film when they go full demon. I think aside from Mercedes McCambridge, I think only Brad Dourif can go into a full demonic rage without prompting an unintentional laugh or two. And I think you may have mentioned the Nun 2 trailer before, because I remember commenting about how I thought the original Nun movie was terrible. Haha Anyway, I haven't seen The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in years. But a few things have stuck with me all of this time: 1) Franklin being insufferable (there had to be a way to make him vulnerable, relatable and likeable .... unless the goal was what we got) 2) The overall grit of the film 3) The end scene, which is iconic I know it paved the way for a multitude of movies that came after it, but this one isn't my favourite horror film out there. But I can definitely appreciate it! Especially that dinner scene (27 hours? yikes!).