Midsommar Review

I didn’t catch up to Midsommar until recently. I was definitely not sure what to expect, but I kept getting told that it was up my alley. I finally sat down, and was a little intimidated because the run time is longer than the average horror film. The first thing I noticed about the movie was how well it looked. It is bright, full of life, and has an interesting backdrop overall. I loved the scenery, and the cinematography off the bat was good. It took a little bit to get to the locales but it was worth the wait as it really did showcase a great deal of beauty. I love a well shot film, and this one was well shot from the start.

The plot starts simple enough, a group of students go to Sweden after the death of the main character’s family. They go to there with the premise of studying a festival that only occurs every 90 years. Upon seeing some of the things going on, a sinister plot brews, and they see themselves trapped in a cult’s arms. The plot thickens slowly, and things really get out of hand as some of them start to get killed before they could leave. As the body count rises, things get out of hand, and our main heroine is placed as a queen, meanwhile her boyfriend is used to breed a child, and things just keep getting nuts.

Visually this movie is superior to a lot of movies in the horror genre. The cult is sensationalized, and really well done throughout, with some very interesting moments. The acting from Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, and the rest hits hard, especially when things start to go awry in the cult and people start getting killed. Even the sex scene is shot with immense attention to detail, and the horrors therein are shown with a sinister spin.

Midsommar hits you in the head really hard a few times, and shows you some extremes in terms of cult behavior. It also shines light on the horrors of outsiders coming into a new locale. I’m not saying that all communities are going to gut you, but this one certainly did. The movie is long, but it unravels into a sinister story if you stick with it. There is a lot to unravel with this one, but I don’t want to spoil things for you, but rather am going to tell you to see it. There’s some hard moments, and a bit of gore, but the majority of the film is shot with cinematography in mind and detailed throughout. It will leave you unsettled, especially towards the end, as it really is a movie with dread and obscenity in mind. It’s presented in a good visual, and wow, I was impressed. I recommend owning this one.

The Tank Review

Another day, another horror movie, and this time around we are dealing with a creature feature. I like a good one, and I don’t want to reveal my thoughts too quickly, but I will say that this one had me guessing at first, and with a solid trailer, I thought it was going to be a lot better than what it turned out to be. ”The Tank” has a story to tell, and it doesn’t hold back, it’ll just take a little bit of effort to et yourself through the slow pacing.

This movie has a simple plan of action. It features a couple with their child and dog, they own a pet store and are told that they have inherited a house. They visit this house and odd things start to happen. The kid starts to see things trying to get into the house, meanwhile the parents start to explore a water tank that is connected to the house. As the film progresses, we are shown a scary salamander type monster, and it eats alive the realtor, and then some as it terrorizes the family.

There’s a side story that tries to tie together the past and present, but overall, I found that the movie was slow moving. It is a slow progression to get through to the end, and if you invest in the movie, it will reveal itself to you in a good way. However, I’m not going to lie, it’s a slow burn. Once the suspense gives way to the monster, you start rooting for the family to take on the monster and escape. That doesn’t happen right away, as the monster takes them on head first, and attacks. There’s even a point where the kid gets kidnapped, and the dad gets almost eaten alive as well, making this a true monster flick.

“The Tank” isn’t half bad, but it isn’t half good either. It is slow, but it has some redeeming factors here and there. The monster itself is ugly, strong, and attacks with relative ease in water and out. The family is loveable, so you start to root for them towards the end. I found myself hoping that they beat the monster, and in the end, well, I won’t spoil it for you. The movie was slow, but there was enough to make it worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of monster flicks. The monster is CG for the most part, and it’s not terribly done. If you can suspend your belief, you will find this to be an entertaining popcorn flick. It’s not grand, but it doesn’t suck either.

I recommend “The Tank” to horror fans that need a new movie to check out and are out of ideas. I wouldn’t watch it again, but in my quest to see it all, it was a nice feather in the cap.

The Toy Box Review

I wasn’t sure what to expect when Lynette recommended we watch The Toy Box. I was definitely not sure, but in my quest to see all things horror, I decided to check it out alongside her. “The Toy Box” came out in 2018 and it featured a variety stars but would eventually get released to VOD and some smaller theaters overall. I could see why, as it is not exactly the best filmed movie, but let’s explore it a little more before I give it a recommendation or a beware of viewer.

The movie has a simple plot. A family goes on an adventure with a RV that they purchased. Along the way however, they start to find that their RV is not all it seems. In fact, the windows won’t open, and it takes over the driving at one point. As it turns out, the RV is haunted! No joke, it is haunted, and it was previously owned by a serial killer, and his spirit resides inside of the thing. With that in mind, you’ll find that the movie mixes a lot of genres as the family starts getting killed one by one thanks to the RV overall. All sorts of things occur, but it’s isolated to the camper, and it’s interesting to see how things play out, but don’t expect much, as the gore is limited.

With limited gore, and overall limited production, you get a horror movie that isn’t that great, but isn’t horrible at all. I didn’t find that this was bad, but overall, I did think that it lacked something. I don’t know what it was, but it just lacked. The acting is not that great, it stars Mischa Barton and Denise Richards, whom both do an ok job with the script that they are given, but it is just so slim that you don’t really get a lot out of it.

One thing that I like in horror is the ability for characters to survive somehow, or to defeat the spirit or antagonist in a way. It bugs me when there is no out, and well, in this case there wasn’t much of an out at all. In fact, I found that this was a bleak, sad sack of a story, and eventually just ended without any recourse. I guess that’s how it goes sometimes, especially when it comes to horror movies.

Overall, “The Toy Box” is enjoyable on a smaller scale, but it definitely lacks something. It’s straight to DVD quality, and there are some moments that aren’t half bad, especially when the spirit shows itself as the serial killer, but other than that, it’s a lackluster romp that you can avoid unless you’re running out of horror movies to watch and just find this one. Collectors only, if you ask me.

Open Graves Review

I don’t usually take so long between posts, but I have been without a computer for a while. I recently purchased a new option, and have some time on my hands. With that in mind, I decided to jump into the pantheon of horror again and start reviewing. Today, we go back to 2009 and we look at the movie “Open Graves”. This is a horror movie that fell under the radar for me, and only recently have I circled back to check it out. It’s a movie that I had no idea existed, then boom, it comes to streaming and I decide to check it out.

The opening is a little fast, and you are taken to medieval times where someone is being tortured. Their skin and organs are made into a game, a board game that is given a curse, that will be the crux of what the movie is about overall. The movie then moves to modern times, showing a great deal of surfing to begin. Surf fans will like this, but I’m not sure why the movie spent so much time with surfing, as it doesn’t need to be there as much as it is, so I guess it’s fine.

After we get to present day, we meet up with a group of friends that are on vacation and are tourists in a new town. One member finds a weird store that has oddities, and once he goes in he is given a game by a man in a wheelchair. The game, however, is not what it seems, and much like you saw in “Jumanji’, something sinister is afoot. You see, the game is simple enough, if you win you get a wish, but if you lose, you will die in the manner that the game states.

The friends begin to play and they progress, only to have some lose. As people lose, they start to leave the house for various reasons. When they leave their house, however, they end up dealing with sinister issues. They end up dying as the game foretells, and the movie shifts gears to where our main character Jason, has to keep playing and hope that he can win to get a wish to bring back his friends.

“Open Graves” stars Eliza Dushku, and Mike Vogel, and it’s 100 minutes long. It isn’t too bad, it speeds through, and then really kicks into full gear when our main hero decides to fight back and try to win the game. The movie was filmed on a low budget, and it somehow overcomes that. Mix “Final Destination” and “Jumanji”, and you get a feeling for what “Open Graves” is all about.

Not all is good with the movie, mind you There is bad CGI, there are some grotesque moments, and overall its comedic to see how things work out. I didn’t hate the movie, but it definitely has some holes in the presentation. Overall, however, “Open Graves” delivers on the premise, without hand holding, and it’s a strong movie to watch. I liked it. Check it out streaming today.

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich Review

“Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich”  is a 2018 movie that came out in the series of Puppet Master films. I have the box set, and was surprised when there was another one released, and of course this isn’t even the last one, as there are more to review as well. But before we get into the rest of the series, let’s take focus on the movie at hand, “Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich”.

 

The plot is simple enough, and doesn’t need over simplification, it’s just a straight forward slasher. The puppets in question come alive again and this time they are targeting people of color, homosexuals, Jewish people, and are basically creating hate crimes. They each do their bidding when you least expect it, and they kill without remorse, since they are puppets afterall. They are possessed, and it’s up to Thomas Lennon as Edgard Easton to fight back, alongside his friends. 

 

Overall the movie is well shot, it’s got some good tone to it. The movie flows easily and there’s a good sense of dread throughout. Thomas Lennon makes the movie worthwhile, in my book, as the rest of the actors are set pieces for the most part. Lennon’s performance really makes you believe at times, the depression is real, and moving along we get some glimpses of characterization you don’t usually get from a horror movie. Aside from that, you can expect the same horror elements that made the other Puppet master movies shine. “Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich” is balanced, straight forward, and really comes to life with a variety of different kills and spills. 

 

While there’s a bit of gore, and the pacing can slow down here and there, “Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich” is a solid horror movie with some good points of interest. I liked it, and found it to be a good jump into the series, and well, I’m a fan of Thomas Lennon so maybe I’m a little biased. Overall I recommend this movie as part of the greater lore of the Puppet Master series. It’s a chap dvd you can pick up and well worth it. 

 

Pick up “Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich”  on dvd by clicking here. 

Bones And All Review

Can you make a cannibal movie and a love story? Well, I didn’t think you could, but there’s something interesting about those that dare to mesh the two and create something of substance. “Bones and All” begins with a shocker of an opening, and it carries through such innocence at first glance. You wonder why things are the way they are, and then after the first glimpse into flesh eating, you realize that something is awry. 

 

The movie begins like a detective story. The story features a young woman looking for her mother, trying to find out why she left. As her father leaves her, she carries on the notion of finding her birth mother and asking questions. This carries a major arc of the film, but along the way she meets some interesting characters, including a love interest. 

 

Things seem to flow through a love story, and one that is quite interesting and dare I say beautiful. You forget that you’re watching a horror movie, as it becomes very dramatic, and easy going. There’s something nuanced to the film, shot with a great deal of attention to details. It’s a wonderful landscape of cinematography, and it moves forward with ease. 

 

Things go off the rails at several instances, and you are reminded that you’re watching a horror movie because of the cannibalism aspect of the movie. I found that aspect to be a bit scary, especially when a maniac appears. It becomes scary at times, but the cannibalism isn’t the scariest of things. You have to watch to fully grasp the tense nature of the movie. 

 

Overall, “Bones and All” is an interesting character study. It has some nice moments of endearing love, but there’s a horror element to the story as there’s cannibalism, stalking and more. The film has an interesting style to it, and it hit me hard. It is an interesting movie, and it mixes the horror genre, drama, and love all in one. It’s a good movie that will haunt you at times. 

Swallowed (2022) Review

I was told that there was a new movie that had a mix of body horror and crime thriller, and I was all in. I have been watching a lot lately, but haven’t reviewed them in a while. That’s why I decided to sit and think about a recent movie, called “Swallowed”. 

 

The premise of the film is easy enough to follow, a couple of friends get caught up in a drug running option. However, they are in over their heads, especially when they realize that they have to swallow the drugs, and carry them through to a new location. If that’s not bad enough, they get stuck amidst the run, and have to deal with a biological horror. 

 

The movie is tense. It has a great deal of tense moments and really gets you hooked overall. Cooper Koch and Jose Colon do a good job of moving through the script and making you believe things are happening in real life. A sign of a good actor, of course, is to make you feel what is going on. The movie is not fast paced, and it unwinds slowly, moving through a crime caper to a horror element, to a kidnapping. 

 

“Swallowed” is a tense thriller, with a science fiction element thrown into boot. It’s a serious movie with a serious premise that really shocks at times. You’ll find yourself lost in what happens scene for scene, especially with a lot of full frontal nudity, lol. “Swallowed” is one of those movies that gets under your skin, and really works. I recommend it greatly.