While The Strays gives off some solid Get Out vibes, it remains an odd movie to recommend. If you are out of content to watch, give this movie a chance, at least for the experience. While it isn’t the perfect psychological thriller it pretends to be, it does enough right that you won’t hate having sat through it.
Neve lives her ideal life in the suburbs with her successful and loving husband, two lovely children, and a great job. All seems perfect until the day the ghosts from her past begin to haunt her, slowly dismantling everything she has. Will these ghosts be what sends her over the edge, or is there something more sinister in the works?
It is difficult to review this movie without spoiling it. I will try my best to be as specific as possible without ruining the mystery.
The movie has a strong start but builds up to its disappointing twist. The actors are great and give some terrifying performances, but the story isn’t good enough to take advantage of their abilities. What killed this movie for me was the sudden tonal shifts.
The first half is this creepy psychological thriller that keeps raising the stakes as Neve doesn’t seem to have as strong of a hold of her life as she pretends to. I loved the increasingly disorienting narrative as Neve’s once-sterile day-to-day becomes increasingly unhinged. Through small details like how she increases the dose of her medication, her nervous ticks, and her increasing paranoia, the movie does a fantastic job of showing Neve’s disorienting mental state. Are the ghosts real? Is Neve’s life real? It is genuinely hard to tell because of how frighteningly disorienting the narrative is presented. But whatever momentum the first half builds is lost.
After the big reveal, the movie turns into a generic thriller. Any interesting characters developed in the buildup are lost in the worst storyline of this movie. I almost turned the movie off because of how jarring and boring the shift became. The final minutes of the movie sort of makeup for the disappointment because of how well the actors do, but it wasn’t enough to save the movie from mediocrity. This movie had potential and even proved itself with a few scenes, but it doesn’t push the story enough.
The Strays is an okay thriller, and something you should check out if you have nothing else to watch. It isn’t a movie I would rush to see, but you won’t hate it if you sit through it. Check it out on Netflix when you are ready.
Series Review: Red Rose (2022)
I wanted to like Red Rose. It had a strong start with its terrific soundtrack, decent actors, and interesting concept. Unfortunately, the novelty wears off, and the series overstays its welcome. If you were interested in watching this series, I would hold off. It’s not as good and deep as it pretends to be.
After finishing High School, Roche, and her friends are excited for what should be the best summer of their lives. It was supposed to be a summer of partying, sex, and fun before they all split up for university. But fate has other plans for these teens. Roch’s life gets turned upside down when she downloads the mysterious app, Red Rose. At first, it seems like a benevolent force that promises Roch a better life. But the app has ulterior motives, and Roch finds that her life is out of her hands. Red Rose isolates her from her friends, stalks her, and terrorizes her relentlessly. There is no escape from Red Rose, and the virus is spreading. Will the teens be able to put an end to this sinister app?
The acting is fine for the most part, but I felt like some of the leads didn’t have the charisma to make the series work. The story was fine, but it gets more and more convoluted the deeper you get into the series. This series wastes too much time on filler, pointless plot hooks, and painfully obvious red herrings instead of getting to the point. This series wastes so much time on filler that I honestly forgot what it was supposed to be about. This could have been a better series if they didn’t drag it out so long.
The first few episodes had so much promise. The soundtrack was fantastic, the lead was great, and the story was solid. They still had issues with the pacing, but I was willing to forgive it because the rest was good enough. It was a decent thriller until the tonal shifts. Unfortunately, this series turns into a generic action thriller with no real direction.
I can’t recommend this series because it just becomes a generic jumbled mess of a series. It becomes so bland that I struggle to find more to say about this series. I would say hold off, but if you can’t, you can stream it on Netflix.
Image By Eleven Film & British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – Screenshot of a frame in an episode, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72846422
Series Review: Make My Day (2023)
Do not let the awkwardness of the art and animation stop you from enjoying Netflix’s newest survival horror anime, Make My Day. If you are a fan of the genre and enjoyed the Dead Space series, this series should be on your watchlist. Make My Day is a short and manageable series that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Companies have started mining the planet of Coldfoot for a new energy resource. Unfortunately, mining on this planet has awoken an ancient and nearly indestructible creature that is quickly wiping humanity off the planet’s inhospitable surface. Jim is a low-level guard at one of the prisons when disaster strikes. With the help of the survivors he gathers along the way, Jim must find a way off the planet. Can they make it before it is too late?
I loved this series. Although some of the production can be awkward, it does enough to tell an exciting horror story. I haven’t felt so anxious as I watched the survivors face increasingly impossible odds as they tried to leave the planet. The action is well choreographed and exciting, the voice acting is solid, although the quality does waiver with some of the extras, and the story is well done. There is enough buildup and tension to keep the pace moving, and enough character development to keep the story interesting. The ending does get a bit cheesy, but it was still satisfying enough to earn my recommendation.
My favorite part of this series is the main character Jim. Jim starts off the series as this scared kid who isn’t ready for conflict. The series does a great job of setting up Jim as a capable character so that when he has to act, his transformation is believable. When Jim first encounters the aliens, he is paralyzed by fear and can only watch in horror as people die to save him. As the series progresses, he slowly finds his courage and takes more of an active role as the hero. I had a lot of fun watching Jim grow as a character, although I did feel that his development suffers a bit.
This series is a lot of fun and very intense. If you like horror and need something to watch, check out Make My Day on Netflix. The series has English dubbing available but I couldn’t find an English trailer.
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Image by ThankYouFantasyPictures from Pixabay
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre (2023) – Series Review
I haven’t been a fan of horror anthologies. I do not like the inconsistency, nor have I found one that can tell a decent horror story within its short format. Since watching Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre, this opinion has shifted. If you like creepy narratives and don’t mind it being in anime, you should give this series a try.
Each episode focuses on a single story or theme. Some of the stories do connect, but they exist pretty independently. If you return to this series after a break, you won’t be lost or need to rewatch episodes to understand what is happening. Some episodes are better than others, but they never got so bad that I was ready to skip them. You will want to finish this series at least once for the experience, then rewatch your favorites afterward. Although there are some inconsistencies in the quality of the narrative, they are small enough that they don’t matter.
There is a lot to like about this series. The voice acting is great, the animation fits the tone, and the stories are creepy. The animation may not be for everyone, but the stories are creepy enough that it won’t matter. A few of the episodes had my heart racing from how genuinely creepy they got. I doubt it will give you nightmares, but I can appreciate a good story when I see one. This series is a great collection of ghost stories, and I love how contained they are within this format.
If you are a fan of horror, anime, or both, add this series to your watchlist. There aren’t cheap jumpscares or overdone gore for a cheap fright, just well-told stories that you can stream on Netflix.
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Movie Review: Sick (2022)
Sick is as good as you’d expect from a thriller horror movie about covid made for a streaming service you probably don’t have. The film certainly has its moments of competence, but it derails and is only worth the trouble if you have nothing else to watch.
The movie takes us back to the time of Covid lockdowns. Toilet paper is out of stock, people sanitize everything, masks are mandatory, and everyone stands six feet apart. A killer is hunting down seemingly random teens, but we won’t know why till the end. The movie will focus on a pair of college girls who quarantine at a secluded cabin. But the killer has followed them to their haven. The two must now run for their lives as they try to survive the night. Can they make it out of quarantine alive?
The acting is fine, but the leads aren’t good enough scream queens to carry the movie. The weakness in their abilities is particularly noticeable towards the end after the climax. I think they did the best they could with what they were given, but I don’t think they would do better in a different movie. The story is dumb, but I appreciate that there was an attempt at creating deeper characters. It was an attempt that ultimately fails, but it was nice to see characters that aren’t the usual archetypes. The movie isn’t terrible. Some very well-done tense and suspenseful moments were pretty scary, but the movie loses its momentum towards the end, making it a flop in my book.
They ran out of ideas after the big reveal. The ending is disappointing. There are a lot of issues with the realism of the movie that I could have forgiven if this movie was more fun. People in this movie tend to teleport and gain almost superhuman survival abilities when the plot asks for it. It isn’t so I suggest you skip it unless you are starving for content.
There isn’t much more to say about this movie. It is a dumb thriller based on a simple concept that doesn’t pan out all the way. You can stream it on Peacock, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it unless you’re starving for content.
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Movie Review: M3gan (2022)
I became interested in M3gan when I first watched the trailer a while ago, but haven’t looked at it since. I was drawn in by the creepy doll and expected at least a cheesy thriller with a neat little gimmick. What I got was a pleasant little slasher that I can recommend to those interested.
M3gan is a lifelike doll powered by AI designed to be the last toy kids will ever need. Gemma, the inventor, dreams of a world where M3gan will be the perfect aid for parents. Gemma gets her chance to test the first M3gan on her grieving niece. At first, M3gan works as intended. She quickly becomes Katies greatest friend, but there is something off about the doll. Something in the code seems to be boiling up something sinister. Can they figure out what before it is too late?
I enjoyed this movie. The acting was great, the story was fine, and the pacing was perfect. For the first time in a while, I found myself invested in the plot of a slasher movie. I loved how the film dealt with grief, and the actors did a fantastic job of emoting it. I loved M3gan’s descent into evil. It was organic and well-executed. I even liked the criticism it makes about parents letting technology parent their kids. If you are a fan of the thriller and slasher genre, M3gan is a great place to start.
The only complaint is that the ending is predictable. This might be a symptom of watching too many movies, but I figured out the twist as soon as it floated into the scene. The ending is very cheesy, but one that I didn’t mind because it was fun. If you are thinking of watching this movie and don’t mind the creepy doll aesthetics, go check it out. As of writing this review, you can still watch M3gan in theaters.
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Movie Review: Underwater (2022)
Underwater was a stressful endeavor that I recommend to those seeking a solid horror movie you can stream from the comfort of your home. While it may not be perfect, it has far exceeded my expectations. If your heart isn’t racing by the end of this movie, then you were probably watching something different.
Through our ever-growing hubris, humanity has begun to mine the ocean floor for its resources. This impossible task is engineered by a corporation with a mysterious agenda. An enormous mining operation sits at the bottom of the ocean floor until disaster rattles at its security. The rig begins to fail, forcing its few survivors to scramble for the surface. But their only chance sits miles away. They must venture into the dark ocean and hope their supplies don’t run out. But there is something evil swimming in the darkness. Will they ever get to see the surface again?
I liked this movie a lot. The suspense was well-built, the acting was solid, and the story was fine for what it is. It does follow the familiar formula that other movies in this genre do, but the execution was good enough that it didn’t matter. My only real complaint about this movie is that there are some confusing scenes. These scenes are dark, poorly rendered, or very shaky. I would have to sit and wait for the scene to finish to understand what just happened. This might have been done deliberately in an effort to emulate what the survivors were feeling, but it didn’t always work. It wasn’t bad enough to ruin the experience, but it is something I have to mention.
One thing I do recommend if you choose to watch this movie is to avoid the trailer because it contains spoilers. It is not a huge deal because you can probably guess what is going to happen as you watch the movie, but it is something to consider if you care about spoilers. I will include the trailer below because I always do, but you have been warned.
It has been a while since I have sat through a movie that has left me this stressed out about life. Yes, the plot was predictable, but I didn’t care because I was enjoying the ride. If you are looking for a solid survival horror movie, go stream Underwater on Hulu.
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Movie Review: Smile (2022)
If you have seen movies like The Ring or It Follows, you have seen Smile. Smile does nothing to stand out against the other clones, and I can’t help but feel disappointed by the experience. If you are curious about this movie, I urge you to wait till you can stream it. Smile is not worth the ticket price.
Smile is just another curse movie where the main character is marked by evil and now has seven days to find a way to free herself or die. This generic character is now plagued by terrible visions that follow her relentlessly. Her time is running out, and so is her grip on reality. Will she be able to figure out a way to free herself from the curse, or will she be doomed to be another of its victims?
There is no denying the fact that Smile is a mediocre horror movie with very little substance. While it may not have been the worst horror released this year, it sits in a very forgettable place. While the acting may be fine, the story and its pacing are not. The narrative unravels much too slowly to be entertaining. The film might have some decent jump scares and a few creepy moments, but it takes too long to get to them. This plot becomes very predictable and I found myself just waiting for the next jump scare.This is a movie you throw on in the background when you can afford to ignore all the boring bits.
Smile is a better-acted and produced version of It Follows but with fewer teens and sex. If you have been curious about this movie, I suggest you wait for it to come out on a more comfortable medium. The theater experience will add nothing to your enjoyment of this film. Smile may not have been bad enough to make me angry, but it isn’t good enough to recommend either.
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Game Review: El Paso, Nightmare
I want to mention that I was sent this game as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let that sway my opinions. This will be an honest review of the game.
El Paso, Nightmare is a Doom-like first-person shooter that proves you don’t need high-fidelity graphics to make a game fun. This high-octane, blood-pumping and disorienting experience is something that should at least be on your watchlist. Take control of Luis Rojas as you navigate through a nightmarish labyrinth killing monsters and trying to find a way out.
The gameplay is strait forward. You run around a maze picking up pills, weapons, ammo, and keys while killing the monsters that hunt you mercilessly. Don’t get caught or it’s game over!
I had a blast with El Paso, Nightmare. The music is fantastic, and I hope there is a soundtrack soon. There isn’t much of a story except for the little setup you get at the start, but the voice acting is great. I love the bit of dialogue Luis says as he tries to calm himself down. It is well-acted, and it makes Luis a more tangible character. Luis is very relatable because he is a normal guy going through a terrifying experience and the voice actor does a tremendous job of expressing this.
I don’t do well in horror games; I had a hard time at first. My heart was racing, and I almost quit after the first jump scare, but I powered through for you. The horror in this game is well done. You can hear the creatures shuffling in the distance, feel the footsteps as they chase you, and the music makes the whole experience that much more intense. It does get easier the more you play, but I always had trouble when I reached a new area of the maze.
My only complaint about this game is that the gameplay does get a bit repetitive. When you die, the level resets. All of the monster, weapon, and item spawns stay the same. After a while, you learn where everything is. You start to form routines as you make you plan your way to the next area. It becomes tedious when you are killing the same monsters and following the same paths because there are no checkpoints. At least none that I reached. The game does try to balance the monotony by creating multiple paths that lead to other areas where you fight different monsters. I still wish there was a way to save my progress so I didn’t lose my work because I got careless.
You should check out El Paso, Nightmare. It is well worth the $5. If you are a fan of the original doom, you will like this game. If you want a game that isn’t a huge commitment that you can pick and drop whenever this is a great choice. I will be looking out for its sequel because I am curious to see what they can do. You can buy it now on Steam.
Movie Review: Barbarian (2022)
In a surprising and satisfying conclusion to the Halloween season, I watched Barbarian and loved it. This fantastic and thrilling film is perfect for the next time you are in the mood for some solid horror. While I am glad I didn’t watch it in theaters, this is a great movie to stream from the comfort of your own home.
Tess books an Airbnb only to find that the property has been double booked. She finds a strange man named Keith who has already made himself at home. With no other option available, Tess decides to spend the night and deal with the management in the morning. The situation is uncomfortable at first, but Tess eventually begins to find comfort in the situation. But there is something ominous lurking in the shadows that slowly begins to eat away at this newfound confidence. What is this presence that haunts Tess? Is it Keith? Is it Ghosts? You will need to watch to find out.
This movie is fine. It is a lot better than a lot of the horror I saw this season. The acting is great, the story is decent, and it had a generally creepy tone that had me properly on edge. It might not be the best story, but it is a solid experience.
I liked the structure of the movie. The movie jumps between a few different stories that all neatly come together at the end. There are some parts that feel fragmented and rushed, but it stands as a solid example of how complex narrative can be. I also liked that the backstories didn’t drag on for too long. It is always frustrating to watch a horror movie that is mostly backstory or set up, with only the last thirty minutes or so dedicated to any meaningful horror. Barbarian is able to create an interesting story while holding onto a general creepy tone. My only issue is with the ending. The events unfold a bit too quickly and cartoonishly. It wasn’t enough to ruin the experience, but it is a fact that holds the movie back.
All in all, Barbarian is a solid horror movie. It doesn’t set out to redefine the genre, but it sits comfortably within it. You can stream it now on HBO.
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