Everyone has that one movie they use to officially kick off the Halloween spirit. My wife’s, for example, is The Rocky Horror Picture show. Mine on the other hand, is Poltergeist.
Poltergeist is, hands down, one of my favorite horror movies of all time. It is the perfect balance between terror and wholesomeness. On one hand we have the slowly growing threat of the spirits’ takeover of the homestead. On the other, we have the loving family dynamic between husband and wife Steven and Diane Freeling. I could write an entire post surrounding the love these two have for one another but for now, I would like to focus on another character.
That of their youngest daughter Carol Anne.
For you see, there is more than one love story in Poltergeist. We have the love between Steven and Diane, but also the love between Diane and daughter Carol Anne. A majority of the movie revolves around the mother’s feelings towards protecting, and later finding, her daughter.
Hell. One of the movie’s strongest and most emotionally charged scenes is when Carol Anne, trapped within the spirit world, runs through Diane. Diane then describes the sensation. Talking about how Carol Anne touched her soul and how she can now smell her daughter on her clothes. It is a powerful scene that really hammers home the love Diane has for Carol Anne and is another fine example of just how well made this movie is.
With that out of the way, let’s discuss something I noticed during my most recent viewing. Carol Anne’s “No More.”.
“No More.”
As I had mentioned before; the primary story of Poltergeist revolves around Steven and Diane trying to save their youngest daughter from the spirit world. After several stressful days and sleepless nights, the Freelings get in touch with a medium who agrees to help them.
They concoct a plan to send Diane into the spirit realm to find Carol Anne and bring her back to the world of the living. The plan succeeds resulting in reunion of Carol Anne with her family. The next day, as Steven and Diane pack up their belongings to move away, we learn that Carol Anne seems to have no memory of what happened. According to Diane, the little girl is as happy and as care-free as she has always been – much to the relief of her parents. No expensive therapy for this wee one.
I don’t know why, but for some reason I ended up focusing on that line. What was it that made this line stand out so much? Then it hit me. Carol Anne’s whimper of “No More” meant that she did, indeed, have memory of being inside the spirt world. She was fully aware of everything that had happened to her the previous night and she did not want experience that horrific event again.
Now I don’t know if this was the intention of the writer and director but for me, at least, it adds just that much more tragedy to Carol Anne’s experiences. The poor girl wants nothing more than to forget everything that happened only for the entities to try and pull her back in. It is as heartbreaking as it is terrifying.
What are your thoughts on this scene? Is this just Carol Anne’s reaction to another ghostly event – having already experienced such things earlier in the movie? Or is she expressing fear based off her memories of being within the spirit world? Let us know in the comments below!
I would also like to take a moment to apologize for our lack of updates. We are working to keep moving forward with entries – whether they are brief discussions such as this one or fully detailed reviews. We appreciate your patience!
MegaCorporation CHAANK ARMAMENTS is the world’s leader in weapon’s manufacturing and development. Their latest experiment in cybernetically enhanced super soldiers is a complete failure; resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians. As a result, the newly appointed CEO, Hayen Cale decides to terminate the contract of the one responsible: Jake Dante. Unfortunately, Jake doesn’t take this news lightly and unleashes his latest project – a death machine called the War Beast – into the building with the intention of slaughtering everyone involved in his termination. Cale, along with a band of coworkers and misfits, must now find a way out of the building before it’s too late.
(Non-Spoiler) Review:
I have a soft spot for these weird B-Movies that existed during the mid 80s to late 90s. Especially when they involve killer machines and practical effects. I don’t know what it is that I love about them. I just know that I do.
1984’s Chopping Mall is the best example I can think of when describing this sub-genre. It’s just a bunch of clunky robots rolling about, killing everything in their path. It’s silly, it’s absurd, and it’s a lot of fun to watch.
Death Machine falls into that same absurdity pool that birthed Chopping Mall. You’d think a movie about a giant killer machine that resembles a walking bear-trap covered in Raptor Talons would be dumb.
And you’d be right. It is dumb, but it is dumb in all the right ways. Okay. Death Machine is this weird, hyperactive work of art that somehow balances horror with insanity.
How do I mean? Well, let me give you an example.
There is a moment in the movie where our villain, Jack Dante (Played by the delightfully entertaining Brad Dourif) is threatening our protagonist Hayden Cale (Ely Pouget). He is trying to blackmail her into sleeping with him to which she responds by putting a gun to his head.
Dante then goes to his knees and continues talking dirty. It is at this point that we realize that to Dante, this is just foreplay. He’s getting off on it. Only when she pulls the hammer back on the gun does he realize that she is serious.
Now, by itself, this scene sounds rather tense. Our hero is dealing with a sick, sexual deviant who clearly gets off on violence. It’s impactful and gives us some insight to how Dante’s twisted little mind works.
But then the scene keeps going. After apologizing for not realizing that it was “Her time of the month.”, Dante raises his arms and runs out of the room while pretending to be an airplane.
I could not make this up even if I tried.
This is only the tip of the insanity ice burg. You have eco-terrorists quoting Street Fighter during combat. Then there are the characters named after famous horror icons (My favorites being a pair named Waylen and Yutani respectively). Then you got the War Beast itself. It is this obscenely gigantic practical puppet that somehow looks as badass as it does ridiculous. And finally you have Brad Dourif himself who chews the scenery as a mouse does cheese.
Seriously, what even is this movie?
I’ll tell you. The movie is Fun. It is well paced, comedically written, enthusiastically weird, and entertaining as hell.
If I may be so bold; we are experiencing a new Horror Renaissance. The last time Horror achieved this kind of fame and popularity, it was during the late 90s with the release of SCREAM. Before then, horror was a bit stagnant. We had some good hits, sure, but it was becoming a bit repetitive. SCREAM changed that with its unflinching violence and meta commentary. Then we had the rise of so-called “Torture Porn” with SAW and HOSTEL followed by the Remake/Reboot Revolution.
Then, around 2009/2010, we entered a new age of Horror. One that focused more on creative freedom. Leading the charge was Blumhouse Productions – a production studio that focused on lower-budgeted movies in exchange of higher creative freedoms. This method has done wonders for the studio as it produced such blockbusters as the Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and Purge franchises. They also produced some of the last 10 years’ most acclaimed horror movies like The Invisible Man (2020), Get Out (2017), Upgrade (2018), Halloween (2018), and M3GAN (2023).
Then we have MonkeyPaw Productions which co-produced the aforementioned Get Out along with US, (2019), Candyman (2021), and my personal favorite, NOPE (2022).
But it’s not just production companies. We’ve seen a rise of new blood as well. Writer/Directors such as Ari Aster (Midsommer, Hereditary), Robert Eggers (VVITCH, The LightHouse, The Northman), Mike Flannigan (Oculus, Haunting of Hill House, and The Fall of the House of Usher), and James Wan (SAW, Conjuring, Insidious).
Included in this new renaissance is Abigail production/directorial studio Radio Silence. Known for their over-the-top violence and humor (SCREAM, SCREAM VI, Ready or Not), Radio Silence is quickly becoming one of my favorite new studios.
So how did they do with their latest project? Well let’s talk about it and find out. This is our review on Radio Silence’s Abigail.
Story
Abigail is the story of the titular character and her kidnappers. A mysterious man named Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito) hires a crew of six to assist him in finding, and capturing, the daughter of a rich man. The daughter in question is the 12-year-old ballerina Abigail.
The kidnapping goes off without a hitch. They abduct Abigail and deliver her to Lambert. Now, the only thing left for them to do is wait for the ransom. Once paid, they will find themselves 7 million dollars richer.
What the team doesn’t know is that there is more to this mission than meets the eye. Now they must work together if they hope to make it through the night in one piece.
**WARNING SPOILERS FROM HERE ON. IF YOU WISH TO AVOID SPOILERS, PLEASE SCROLL TO OUR CONCLUSION**
REVIEW (SPOILERS)
I do not normally include spoilers in our reviews but Abigail forces my hand. If you have watched the trailers, then you already know what I am about to say. If you haven’t – then this is your final warning.
The trailers (as well as all promotional media) show Abigail for what she truly is. A centuries-old, blood thirsty vampire. One who turns the tables on her kidnappers; turning them into her playthings. As a result, we get an absolutely hilarious bloodbath where a 12-year-old little girl beats the ever living hell out of a group of several able-bodies adults.
It is this kind of absurdity that Radio Silence excels at. We see this in SCREAM VI but more so in what I consider their best movie; Ready or Not. Like Ready or Not, Abigail’s humor stems from the absolute insanity of the situation.
Watching 14-year-old Alisha Weir tearing through a bunch of grownups is a joy to watch. Whether its tossing a 250lb man like a Cabbage Patch doll or dancing ballet while approaching her victims; she is a delight to watch. Seriously; this young actress steals the show with every scene she is in.
But it’s not just Alisha’s performance that sells the movie but the other cast members as well. In lesser hands, Abigail would be the movie’s only highlight. The other characters would be mindless meat-bags who serve little purpose other than padding the body count. With Radio Silence, however, each character is wonderfully fleshed out and developed. Not to say there is some hidden depth in these characters. More like they all have well-written, distinguishable personalities that add to the movie’s overall tone and humor.
One particular scene comes to mind. After learning the truth about Abigail, the surviving members get together to come up with a plan of attack. Using vampires in pop-culture, they devise a series of weapons to either kill, or at the least, subdue Abigail. The leads to some brilliant character moments as they argue over the types of vampires seen in movies and how each movie kills them differently. It’s a fun and smartly written bit of comedy that I truly enjoyed watching.
Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the gore – which this movie has in spades. There is SO MUCH blood in this movie that it makes the elevator scene from The Shining look like a mere puddle. Some of the sets literally get caked with the stuff – a majority of which being done practically which I am all here for.
The action sequences of similar quality. Watching the different characters taking turns beating on, or getting beaten up by, Abigail is entertaining as hell. I don’t know what it is but seeing a 14-year old beating a giant muscle-bound man senseless is just funny to me. It is even funnier when the same man chucks the girl into a wall before running away.
Off the top of my head, I cannot really think of any real flaws that hinder the movie. If anything, all I can say is that it isn’t as funny as their previous movies. I think Ready or Not delivered upon its absurdity better than Abigail does and I also feel like Ready or Not’s higher body count allowed for some more creative and memorable deaths.
Perhaps that is what I am trying to get at. With only 6 criminals and 1 killer, they really couldn’t give us a high enough body count to showcase Abigail’s brutality. After the initial kills, the rest of the movie is more of a cat-and-mouse sequence revolving around the survivors avoiding Abigail while coming up with a means for escape. With Ready or Not, we had a huge cast to take advantage.
I don’t mean to compare the two but with such similar premises, it is hard not too. That said, Abigail still succeeds in its premise; for which I am grateful.
Conclusion
Good horror comedies are hard to come by. I feel like most revolve a silly premise and stick to that premise as their primary source of comedy. The downside to this approach is that the joke wears thin by the third act. You can only repeat the same joke so many times before it gets old.
Then you get those horror comedies that take that silly premise and build upon it. The joke evolves as the movie goes on. Abigail is one of those movies. It could have easily been a generic monster movie with brainless, one-note characters and lots of gore but it instead delivers us some witty banter, intense action sequences, and some pretty damn good acting.
The cast is great – again with Abigail actress Alisha Weir stealing the show – the practical effects are delightfully gory and over-the-top, and the fight scenes entertaining as hell. While not as funny or corpse-filled as Ready or Not, it is still a fun movie for anyone seeking a bloody good time.
One of my fondest memories as a kid was sneaking through the Horror section at my local Blockbuster Video. It was here that I was introduced to the stunning VHS box-art designed to titillate as well as horrify. But there was one movie’s cover that stood out from all the others and that movie was DOLLS.
You see; in the days before streaming, before blu-ray, before even DVDS, we had VHS. Bulky tapes that required rewinding. That needed Vertical Hold adjustments to get a clear picture. Tapes that your VHS player could randomly eat and destroy. These wonderful relics dominated home entertainment as early as the late 70s and stayed popular until the early 2000s when DVD finally took their place. And while I do miss taping my favorite television shows as they aired live, I don’t miss the hassle that came with owning VHS. They took up a ton of space. Rewinding them was a pain in the ass and you never knew when your favorite tape would finally degrade to the point of being unwatchable.
That said, there is something that I do miss about the VHS tapes of yore. That being the box art. They grabbed your attention with their heavily stylized and usually hand-drawn artwork.
What made these so memorable, however, was that some art did not even depict a scene from the actual movie. Instead it exercised creative liberties with the movie’s overall concept. One example would be the box art for the horror-comedy HOUSE. It showed an overly detailed rotting hand ringing a doorbell. I remember it terrifying me whenever I saw it at my local Blockbuster Video. The brown flesh, the cracked fingernails, the visible muscle and bone; how could this movie NOT be scary?
Chopping Mall is another one that stands out. The robotic hand carrying a blood red shopping bag with body parts poking out of it. I learned later that the art had nothing to do with the movie but still! It looked awesome!
You have Fright Night with the clouds forming a vampire’s face above a house, Critters with a Crite standing center stage with that creepy, hungry smile upon it’s face. WaxWork with the butler opening a door to a wall of twisted monstrous faces. And who could forget ALIEN with its minimalist style of a single Xeno egg floating in the darkness of space.
Beautiful. All of them.
But then you had movies that were a mix of live action and hand drawn art. One of my personal favorites was the cover for Dead Alive (Brain Dead). It had a woman pulling her lips apart while a screaming skull peaked out from the inside of her mouth. Or what about THEY LIVE with a closeup of Roddy Piper’s face with an alien reflection in his sunglasses?
You have Tremors with the live action cast standing in the desert with a hand-drawn Graboid tentacle coming up from beneath them and Nancy’s frightened face with Freddy’s claws over her face in the original Nightmare on Elm Street VHS Cover.
The fact is, these covers were a work of art and although every movie had their own style, it was the horror genre that took box art to a different level.
Which leads me to today’s Retrospective.
Dolls (1986): A Visceral Treat for the Eyes.
As I mentioned earlier, there was one movie that stood out among all the others and that movie was Dolls. Dolls had some of the creepiest box art that I had ever seen. It was of a dolly in a red dress and black curly hair. The left side of her face was flawless. Shadows, however, bathed the right side of her face. Through these shadows you could make out the hint of a human skull. Contained within both of her hands, risen for the audience to see, were a pair of human eyes.
It had its desired effect. It scared the living hell out of me. This box art was one of those images that I would see whenever I was alone in the dark. I would imagine that little doll in my closet; staring at me with those empty eye sockets. I hadn’t even seen the movie and already I was afraid of it! But what about the movie itself?
The original release of Dolls came during the 1985 Italian MILFED Film Festival. It’s story revolves around several people who become stranded in a gigantic mansion during a horrible thunderstorm. As it turns out, the mansion is home to former toymakers Gabriel and Hilary Hartwicke; both of whom welcome the strangers to stay the night.
The group includes a young girl named Judy and her despicable father David and equally foul stepmother Rosemary; businessman Ralph, and hitchhikers Isabel and Enid. The kind-hearted Hartwickes are more than happy to let them stay the night as long as they all behave themselves.
Judy, ever the curious one, discovers that the mansion is chalk full of wonderful toys. This includes stuffed animals, marionettes, and beautifully detailed dolls. Gabriel tells Judy that he and his wife were toy makers and these were their toys. The collection enthralls not only Judy but also the businessman Ralph. As it turns out, Ralph has never outgrown his fondness for toys and is very excited to see such a collection. It does not take long for Judy and Ralph to become friends; having bonded over their mutual love for the Hartwickes’ work.
But the fun doesn’t last long. As the guests turn in for the night, one of the hitchhikers sneak out of their room with the intent of robbing the mansion. What they find instead is a pack of pissed off dolls who brutally attack the hitchhiker. Judy witnesses this event and tries to warn her parents who promptly ignore then punish her for “making up stories”. Upset, she turns to Ralph who, having seen some of the dolls move himself, believes her. Now they must team up to survive the rest of the evening while also figuring out the mystery behind the killer toys and their creators.
Right off the bat I want to talk about the movie’s special effects. They are absolutely fantastic. The crew used a mixture of marionettes, stop motion, and animatronics to bring the dolls to life and it works wonderfully. Because of the different styles of movement, it gives each toy their own distinct aura of creepiness. The jittery, twitchy stop-motion just gives a sense of wrongness to some of the dolls’ movements. Compare this to the dolls controlled by animatronics – with their eyes moving slowly in their eye sockets, their limbs moving smoothly, almost as if they were actually alive – all of which add a sense of danger to these particular toys.
Then you have the bounciness of the marionettes that somehow provide a weird sense of silliness, yet realness, of the situation. There is a scene, for example, in which a marionette gets set on fire. Its body begins bouncing and jerking about as if someone is yanking on its strings. I don’t know why but it just makes the doll feel that much more real. Like it’s actually reacting to the fire. I mean, we know there is a stagehand off camera pulling on the strings to make it move but because we never see the strings or the person pulling it, it just makes the doll feel alive.
On top of that we have the fact that the dolls are not just hollow shells but actual living, breathing creatures complete with a skeleton, muscles, and functional organs. Whenever they take damage, chunks of ceramic break off exposing their ooey gooey insides. It is a wonderful little detail that piles onto that sense of wrongness that I mentioned earlier. It makes us question the toys’ origins. Where did they really come from? How did Hartwickes manufacture them? Are they truly alive or are they possessed by something out of this world? I absolutely love it.
The same cannot be said for some of the characters. While there is nothing wrong with our victims, they do amount to nothing more than a bunch of walking cliches. You have the neglectful father, the cruel stepmother, and the greedy punk rockers. They don’t really have any development outside of their one personality trait but you know what? That’s okay. We are not supposed to root for these people. They are all despicable one way or another which makes watching them get what is coming to them that much more enjoyable.
That said, we do get some great development between Judy and Ralph. As the only characters with good intentions and kind hearts, we cannot help but worry for Judy and Ralph’s safety. I could not help but love the bond that forms between them.
I also enjoyed the toymakers Gabriel and Hilary. They are not just mindless psychopaths, luring people into their home to die for their own sick pleasure. There is a method to their madness and it makes them that much more interesting to watch. In fact, they remind me a lot of John Kramer from the SAW franchise with their philosophy on appreciating the little things in life. I don’t want to go into too much detail but there is a lot more to the Hartwickes than meets the eye.
Then we come to the gore. We get some pretty wicked kills – from someone having their eyes gouged out and replaced with doll eyes, body parts being sliced and chopped with little knives and saw blades, and even a firing squad! But the highlight comes from the doll’s themselves.
Like I said before, the dolls all contain these slimy, almost mummified bodies beneath their ceramic shells. So, seeing their true forms come out whenever they are damaged is a real treat. And they are not created equal either. Some are look as if they had been dead for decades whereas others look as if they were recently deceased. Some have pumping organs, some have red and white muscles, and some even have their eyes intact. I love the variety as it keeps each reveal fresh and unique. Honestly, I love this movie. The story is simple yet solid enough to keep you engaged, the kills are fun, the special effects top notch, and the victims despicable enough for us to root against. And honestly? I really do believe that this movie helped pave the way for other movies such as Child’s Play and Puppet Master. It contains many elements that both franchises would explore in greater detail and I feel like the effects for Dolls helped inspire the way Chuckie and the Puppets would be animated in the future.
I will always recommend Dolls to anyone who’d listen. It’s fun. It’s unique. And it is one of the few movies that lived up to its terrifying VHS cover.
Please give it a go when you have the chance. I do not think you will be disappointed.
Godzilla: Minus Zero follows the story of disgraced Japanese kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki). Koichi, unable to go through with his suicide mission, fakes engine trouble and lands on the small repair station on the island of Odo. It is here where he suffers through an unforeseen catastrophe that leaves everyone at the station dead save for himself and one other mechanic. With the war coming to an end, Koichi is discharged and sent back home.
It is here, in the shambles of his war-torn home, that Koichi meets two other survivors: the resourceful Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and a baby she rescued named Akiko whose parents were killed during the bombing of Toyko. Wracked with survivor’s guilt, Koichi reluctantly allows the two to stay with him.
At first it seems like Koichi will finally be able to get past the horrors witnessed during the war. He gets a job, makes new friends, and even helps his community. Unfortunately, this all comes to a crashing halt with the appearance of a gargantuan creature known only as “Godzilla”.
With Japan on the verge of total annihilation, Koichi must face his inner demons if he has any hope in protecting all that in which he loves.
Review:
My relationship with Godzilla is a complicated one. I’ve always been a fan of the franchise despite never actually finishing a Japanese Godzilla movie. I have seen bits and pieces of them but never actually sat down to watch one. Because of this, my primary exposure to Godzilla came from the American movies – the 1998 Godzilla, the cartoon series on Fox, and, of course, the latest Monsterverse series. This makes Minus Zero the very first Japanese Godzilla movie that I’ve watched from start to finish.
And it blew me away.
I cannot describe in enough detail just how much I enjoyed this movie. It took the one complaint I had with the Monsterverse franchise – the human element – and made it not only the most important part of the movie but the motion engaging and emotional part as well.
I am not ashamed to admit that I watch Godzilla for the carnage. I want to watch a giant lizard beating on other giant monsters while destroying everything in its path. As such, I am not really a fan of the so-called human element that the Monsterverse crams into these movies.
However, that isn’t the case for Minus Zero.
The best way for me to describe Minus Zero is as follows. The Monsterverse movies are Godzilla films that just so happens to have people in it. Minus Zero is a war film that just so happens to have Godzilla in it.
Koichi’s story, along with stories of those around him, is so compelling that even if you removed Godzilla, it would still be a great movie. Watching Koichi battle his inner demons – his survivor guilt, the disgrace he feels from abandoning his kamikaze mission, and the struggles he faces daily to redeem himself – makes for a phenomenal character story.
Ryunosuke Kamiki’s performance as Koichi is masterful. You feel every raw emotion that goes through his mind. You feel his fear at going into battle. The guilt he suffers through from being one of the only two survivors on Odo. And the angry, primal pain he goes through when witnessing Godzilla’s destructive power.
I also love that he is not the typical “hero” that we’ve come to see. He doesn’t make these grandiose speeches to rile up the crowd nor does he run into battle guns blazing. He’s just a man. A man with fears, insecurities, and nightmares. As human as you and me.
The rest of the cast is just as good. There is not one person in this movie whom I feel is a waste. Koichi’s work friends are fun and entertaining to watch. The chemistry between the actors felt real and authentic – so much so that I found myself worrying constantly for their safety.
As for the finale? Oh man. Seeing the fear on their faces as they witnessed the sheer power of Godzilla in all his glory. I could not help but clutch the arms of my chair. What phenomenal acting by everyone involved in this movie.
And speaking of Godzilla. I’ve always heard of him being described as a “Force of Nature” and Minus Zero is the best example of that descriptor. He is literally an unstoppable force; a being of pure destructive power and we are but ants. Normally I cheer whenever Godzilla appears on screen but this time, I feared his presence. This was not the cartoony action “hero” that I’ve grown to love in the Monsterverse.
No.
This Godzilla is a monster through and through.
Now as much as I would love to go into more detail, I fear that if I did, I would be stepping into spoiler territory. So let me conclude with this final message.
If you have the chance to see this in theaters, do so. I went to see this in IMAX, and I don’t regret it one bit. Not only is the movie visually beautiful but the sound design is top notch. I felt every footstep, every growl, every roar as if I was there in front of Godzilla. And when his theme song kicks in – booming over the theater speakers? Oh man. What an experience.
A Black Friday sale in Plymouth Massachusetts goes wrong when a riot breaks out resulting in several deaths. Now, one year later, a mysterious man dressed up as John Carver is killing those responsible for the riot.
Review:
Thanksgiving comes from the mind of Eli Roth (Hostel, Green Inferno) and Jeff Rendell. It is based off their fake trailer, also titled Thanksgiving, that was created for 2007 film Grindhouse. In the trailer we watch a pilgrim-themed killer committing all sorts of horrific Thanksgiving-themed murders done in a deliciously corny, albeit extremely violent, Grindhouse fashion.
Eli Roth describes the 2023 movie as the “Remake” of the grindhouse movie that no longer exists. Instead, he delivers onto us a more traditional slasher movie complete with a “teenage” cast and a classic ‘whodunit’ storyline. And as a traditional slasher, the movies excels. It movies along at a brisk pace with likable characters, humorous moments, and of course, lots of kills..
What it fails at, unfortunately, is the ending. I do exaggerate when I say that Thanksgiving was rapidly climbing my list of favorite holiday-themed horror movies. It had everything I wanted. It was funny, it was creative, it had a compelling mystery that kept me guessing but all of this fumbled at the 1-yard line. I do not really know the situation (if there is one) that resulted in the ending feeling so abrupt and rushed, but I will say that it left me a bit disappointed.
Now please, don’t get wrong. The movie as a whole is entertaining as hell. I cannot tell you the last time I saw a traditional slasher movie as good as this one. It really felt like it was an homage to the ultra-violent slashers of the 80s and early 90s. Not to mention that the characters were surprisingly likable. I found myself rooting for them and it was always a bummer when one of them was attacked.
That said, the movie is not flawless. There are some odd editing moments sprinkled throughout and some of the acting felt a little wooden but none of these really bothered me.
Up until the ending. I cannot go into too much detail without spoilers. What I can say is that the ending felt incomplete. I do not know if this was intentional – setting us up for a sequel – or if it was just another example of writers not knowing how to end their movie. Either way, I could not help the sense of disappointment that I felt once the movie was over.
In conclusion, I do recommend people giving Thanksgiving a chance. I am sure that they will enjoy it despite the ending. So please, check the movie out and let me know what you thought. I will love to hear your opinions on it.
TLDR:
Pros:
Fantastic practical effects for a majority of the gore.
Feels very much like an homage to the classic, ultra-violent slasher movies of the 80s and early 90s.
Likable characters.
Lots of genuine humor.
Wonderful side-characters that really help make the town feel real and lived in.
Tense opening sequence with the Black Friday riot.
Cons:
Some gore is notably CGI. Not enough to ruin the immersion but always prefer practical.
The final act feels rushed and has some odd editing choices.
Welcome to Tubi Tidbits where we discuss horror movies that I have watched but are either not big enough nor bad enough for a full-length review. As you read these micro-reviews, please keep in mind that everything said comes from my own personal preference. There are movies on this list that you may find more enjoyable than I did or ones you disliked more than I did.
That is the beauty of Horror. It is all subjective.
The goal of Tubi Tidbits is not to put a score on these movies per se, but to introduce you to new movies found on the Tubi Streaming App. There are literally hundreds of movies on Tubi and it can be quite difficult finding one you may like. Especially considering that a of of these were indie or direct-to-video releases.
So, while there is a scoring system in place, please do not take my word as law. I try to keep summaries and reviews for this segment tight and concise; enough to give you an idea of what you’d be expecting if you choose to watch these films.
With that said, please enjoy Tubi Tidbits!
Laid the Rest (2009)
What is it?
A woman with amnesia finds herself the primary target of a mysterious serial killer wearing a chrome skull mask. She teams up with a truck driver named Tucker and his best friend – a recluse named Steven. Now, the trio must keep themselves one step ahead of Chromeskull least they find themselves added to the growing number of bodies he leaves behind.
Review.
If I had to compare Laid to Rest with another horror movie, I would compare it to Damien Leone’s Terrifier. By this I mean Laid to Rest is about style more than substance. The story is razor thin and follows the usual slasher-movie fare. By which I mean it has a mysterious killer hunting down and slaughtering everyone and anyone he comes across while on his journey to find and murder his primary target. It really feels like the story primarily exists just to move our characters from Point A to Point B.
I wouldn’t say that is a negative. I feel like this movie was designed to showcase the effects rather than tell some kind of enthralling story. Where Terrifier was (in my opinion) made to show off the stellar performance of David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown, Laid to Rest feels like it was made to show off it’s fantastic practical effects. The kills are violent, and visceral – each one designed to outdo the last. I daresay that Chromeskull is probably one of the most brutal slasher villains I have ever seen. He kills without mercy and with maximum aggression – making every murder a work of practical-effects art.
Now I would like to take a moment to clarify something. I do not feel like this is one of those films that goes too far with its violence. This is not Martyrs or the Guinea Pig movies. It’s goal is not to disturb audiences but to provide them with bloody, gory good time. So if you are in the mood for a slasher movie with top-notch makeup and a hardcore killer than this is the movie for you!
I give Laid to Rest a 4/5
The Mutilator (1984)
What is it?
A group of college students spend Fall Break at a condo on the beach. What they do not realize is that the condo is also the headquarters for a deranged lunatic. With a wide variety of tools at his disposal, the lunatic decides to turn his attention on the students for trespassing on his property
Review:
On the surface you may dismiss Mutilator as another generic 80s slasher movie. And, to a certain extent, you’d be right. The story is as basic as it gets. Horny students using a remote location in order to drink and have sex. But what makes Mutilator different, to me at least, is the fact that the group feels like genuine friends. I cannot describe how many slasher movies have a friend group that has me wondering why they are friends to begin with. Such is not the case with Mutilator. The chemistry the cast has with one another makes their friendship feel real. As such I find myself rooting for the characters instead of counting down the time until their inevitable deaths.
Speaking of character deaths; that is where the movie really shines. For you see, the killer lives up to the movie’s title. He uses a wide variety of weapons including a boat propeller, a trident, and the titular fishing hook.
As such I would recommend Mutilator for those who want a good old-fashioned slasher movie. While it may not be as creative or as gory as other slashers movies of the decade, it is still an entertaining and fun watch.
I give Mutilator a 3/5
That is it for this episode of Tubi Tidbits! Please remember that the streaming service Tubi rotates their library regularly so if you don’t see these movies be patient. They will return to circulation soon enough.
We are not affiliated with Tubi in any way. These posts are strictly written as a way to inform other horror fans the selection that is available on this app.
Halloween (2023) is nearly upon us. And as is tradition, my wife and I are watching one horror movie a day from October 1st through October 31st! We tend to focus on our favorite movies but tend to sprinkle in a few new ones as well. I particularly use this time to delve even deeper into the depths of my favorite streaming service Tubi. But really this is just a great excuse to watch even more scary movies than I already do!
To celebrate our new website, we’ll be cataloging our marathon. We’ll be (trying) to update our page with whatever movies we watch as we watch them! So please take some time and check out our new page by either clicking the link at the top of the site or clicking: HERE
And if you marathon any movies throughout the month of October, please let us know in the comments! Do you have any recommendations that you would think we would enjoy? Are there some hidden gems that you would like us to check out? Well this is the best opportunity to tell us! So feel free to tell us!
Welcome to Tubi Tidbits where we discuss horror movies that I have watched but are either not big enough nor bad enough for a full-length review. As you read these micro-reviews, please keep in mind that everything said comes from my own personal preference. There are movies on this list that you may find more enjoyable than I did or ones you disliked more than I did.
That is the beauty of Horror. It is all subjective.
The goal of Tubi Tidbits is not to put a score on these movies per se, but to introduce you to new movies found on the Tubi Streaming App. There are literally hundreds of movies on Tubi and it can be quite difficult finding one you may like. Especially considering that a of of these were indie or direct-to-video releases.
So, while there is a scoring system in place, please do not take my word as law. I try to keep summaries and reviews for this segment tight and concise; enough to give you an idea of what you’d be expecting if you choose to watch these films.
With that said, please enjoy Tubi Tidbits!
BEN (1972)
What is it?
A lonely child named Danny befriends the hyper-intelligent, and very dangerous, rat Ben. Danny, who has been suffering from a debilitating disease, begins taking care of Ben and Ben’s ever-growing colony of sewer rats. When food becomes scarce, however, the colony grows violent. As the body count increases, the local police must rally together to hunt down and exterminate Ben and his colony of vicious rats.
Ben is a direct sequel to the 1971 Willard.
Review:
Ben has a surprising amount of heart for a movie about a killer rat. Child actor Lee Harcourt Montgomery plays Danny wonderfully; giving us a sympathetic character for whom we can root for. However, I daresay that the real star of the movie is none other than Ben himself. There is something about using real, trained animals that adds a sense of character to these rats. We believe that Ben is Danny’s friend, that Ben has Danny’s best intentions in mind, and we end up rooting for the rat just as much as the human cast. I cannot recommend this movie enough – especially for the ending’s climatic battle between and rodent!
I give BEN a 4/5
SLUGS (1988)
What is it?
A small rural town comes under attack when a species of black slugs are mutated by toxic waste. Now local health inspector Mike Brady needs to convince the local authorities that a swarm of man-eating slugs is on their way to infest the town.
Review:
Slugs is just another example of what made 80s horror movies so great. The idea is sill on paper but wonderful in execution. The slugs are surprisingly creepy especially when you see just how many of them are on screen at once. But what really sells the movie is its makeup and practical effects. Flesh gets peeled off from people’s bodies. Limbs are hacked off in grisly fashion. Eyes are gouged out, skulls are blown apart; the movie is just a wonderful gore-fest.
And sure, thee story is nothing special. We’ve seen the same idea in other creature-features. It is very similar to such films as Jaws, Ticks, and Grizzly but you know what? That’s okay. All that matters is if the movie succeeds in entertaining us. And thankfully it does!
I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys 80’s creature features.
I give SLUGS a 4/5
That is it for this episode of Tubi Tidbits! Please remember that the streaming service Tubi rotates their library regularly so if you don’t see these movies be patient. They will return to circulation soon enough.
We are not affiliated with Tubi in any way. These posts are strictly written as a way to inform other horror fans the selection that is available on this app.
Do you love horror and want to share that love with friends and family? Do you want to introduce the kids to scary movies but don’t want to go too dark too fast? Or are you someone who wants to watch horror movies but find them to be too scary? Well my friends, you have come to the right place! For I have personally gone through my extensive list of horror movies and picked out those perfect for beginners.
But where to begin? There are just so many to choose from. Therefore I have decided to make small, bite-sized lists for your convenience. A collection of horror and horror-adjacent films that you can watch either alone, with a loved one, or with your kids. So please. Sit back and enjoy our carefully curated list!
JAWS (1975)
Synopsis: A great white shark terrorizes the small town of Amity Island. As the body count rises, it is up to local police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Drewfuss) and grizzled shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) to stop the beast.
Why it makes the list:
You may be quick to dismiss JAWS as “just another creature feature” and you would be wrong. It is much more than that. Directed by Stephen Spielberg, JAWS is as much a human story as it is about a killer shark. In fact, the titular beast doesn’t even show up until the 1 hour 21 minute mark. Before that, all we see of the shark is from it’s point of view whenever it is hunting.
The primary source of conflict comes from between Martin Brody and Amity Island mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton). Brody wants to close the beach until the shark is captured or killed. Mayor Vaughn, on the other hand, outright refuses. He states that the upcoming Fourth of July weekend is just too important for the town’s tourism trade. This is also the reason he flat-out refuses to warn the locals of the shark attack. The last thing he wants is paranoia ruining his perfect weekend.
It is this reason that I put JAWS on the list. The movie is less “straight-up” horror and more of a “suspenseful drama”. I would daresay that the movie doesn’t even get all that scary until the last 15 minutes or so when the shark is finally revealed. The movie sprinkles in moments of suspense all throughout the movie but it isn’t until the final act where things really get intense. And by that time you are so invested in the characters that you cannot look away no matter how hard you try.
Dramatic, suspenseful, with a phenomenal finale; this is a banger for those wanting to to dip their toes into the vast ocean that is horror.
Coraline (2009)
Synopsis: A girl named Coraline discovers an alternate reality hidden within a crawlspace inside her new home. This reality is controlled by a strange entity known as the “Other Mother”. But things are not what they seem. When the Other Mother traps Coraline in her world, Coraline must use her wits and courage to find a way back home.
Why it makes the list:
Coraline is one of the best “gateway” horror movies for younger audiences. It’s stop motion animation is simply beautiful; from the environments to the characters themselves. There is not one frame in this movie that couldn’t be considered art.
It has some wonderfully complex characters as well. On the surface, Coraline’s parents come across as rather distant and self-centered. But that is, of course, until you realize that they are authors under strict deadlines. They are trying to make ends meet and Coraline’s childish selfishness is not helping matters. And of course Coraline doesn’t mean to a brat. She is just having problems adjusting to life in a new house. It makes them all feel real and I appreciate that. Especially in a movie targeted towards younger audiences.
And you know what makes the movie even better? The fact that it is legitimately scary. I am not talking about cheap jump scares either. There is this underlying sense of unease that permeants throughout the movie. Like there is something wrong with the world but you just can’t put your finger on it.
Of course, this only gets more intense after the Big Bad reveals herself. Then it goes from an eerie, albeit charming, fantasy film to a straight-up horror movie. And while it is genuinely creepy, it never crosses that line into “nightmare territory”. It is just scary enough to keep younger audiences on the edge of their seat. I think it helps that Coraline herself is a child. I think children will be able to identify with Coraline and use her bravery to feel brave themselves.
Like I said. Coraline is the perfect “gateway” horror movie for younger audiences. Just scary enough to make them tense but not so scary as to traumatize them. Definitely worth your time.
Tremors (1990)
Synopsis: A small desert community is under attack by a trio of gigantic subterranean worms that hunt via vibrations. Local handymen Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) need to come up with a way to destroy the worms and save the town before it’s too late.
Why it makes the list:
Tremors is considered by many to be the “perfect creature feature”. It spends a lot of time on its main characters. Earl and Val are well written characters who have their own distinct personalities, quirks, hopes, and dreams. They are funny, genuine, and likable as hell making them the perfect protagonists to the movie. The side characters are just as good. We don’t fall into the horror trope of making one of the townspeople an asshole for us to root against.
On top of that, it has some beautiful practical effects. Everything you see in the movie is done practically – from the first person POV shots from the monsters’ perspectives to the worms themselves. And let me tell you; the monsters look great! Just real enough to make you jump a bit but not so much to where you’d suffer from nightmares.
So what makes it a good movie for beginners? Well for starters; it is very light hearted. Tremors is, first and foremost, a character comedy. It is chalk full of witty dialogue, silly slapstick, and over the top action scenes. It never takes itself too seriously which helps when the suspense kicks into gear. Mind you, this isn’t JAWS. The suspense is minimal at best but it is still there. Especially during the beginning when you don’t know what exactly the creatures look like or how they hunt.
Tremors is probably the most approachable movie on this list. It takes place in the daytime. It’s light on suspense and scares. And it focuses more on its characters and humor rather than traumatizing newcomers with scenes of extreme terror. If you want to dip your toe into the horror genre than this is probably one of the best movies to start off with. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
