In October of 1987 three high school girls are all murdered on their sixteenth birthdays, stabbed sixteen times each. The killer dubbed “The Sweet 16 Killer” then disappears. In modern day the killer returns on Halloween night to murder a now adult friend of those three girls, Pam Hughes (Julie Bowen). Her teen daughter Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) is distraught but gets a chance to save her mother when her friend Amelia (Kelcey Mawema) creates a time machine for a school science fair and a series of events get her sent back to 1987. Now Jamie believes to save her mother in the present she has to stop the killer in the past.
Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) goes back in time to stop a killer35 years before he kills her mom in Totally Killer.
Preposterously plotted comedy/horror is directed by Nahnatchka Khan from a derivative script by David Matalon, Jen D’Angelo and Sasha Perl-Raver. These time travel/time loop/body switching type gimmicks are getting tiresome and we’ve seen this type of flick before with a subject having to save a loved one in the past such as in the similar TheFinal Girls and recent It’s a Wonderful Knife. Totally Killer is still entertaining enough. It has some fun 80s nostalgia; Shipka plays the fish out of water/heroine very well and there are some decent kills as this is a slasher at its core. The rest of the cast get the tone of the material and the flick movies quickly enough and has some fun moments. It’s just the been there done that gimmick and a story done better before, keeps it from being a real treat.
Sequel opens with Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Dalton Lambert (Ty Simpkins) being hypnotized to forget the horrific time spent in The Further and the malevolent spirt that possessed Josh. It then jumps nine years later with Josh and Renai (Rose Byrne) divorced and Dalton (still Sympkins) a troubled artist now entering college. Despite the hypnotism, Dalton’s hidden memories begin to resurface in his artwork, and he begins to ask questions. This leads him to rediscover his gift of astral projection and thus The Further. While Dalton begins to see spirits again, so does Josh begin to see one he believes is his father. Obviously both these story threads will come together as truths are revealed and the doorway to The Further is reopened once more.
Dalton wishes his re-emerging memories were only bad dreams!
Supposed final Lambert family Insidious film is well directed by star Patrick Wilson from a script and story by Leigh Whannell and Scott Teems. It’s meant to wrap up the Lamberts’ chapter in this franchise and in a way does so fairly well. Wilson does a good job directing the pain and emotional troubles the characters are suffering from not only what they went through, but because the memories of that horrific time were suppressed but never dealt with. Where the film stumbles is that it is more of a drama with supernatural elements than a horror, and not a very scary one at that. We’ve seen The Further and the spirits that dwell there enough times now that they have little impact and aren’t that spooky anymore. Those sequences are very “been there, done that”. This is the fifth film in this series after all. Visually it fits in well with the other films and does show Wilson has promise as a director, but as a possible concluding chapter to this franchise, it ends the story with far less of a frightening bang then we’d hoped. At least it was fun seeing original cast members return in their roles one more time.
Also features guest appearances by Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson and Leigh Whannell as Elise, Tucker and Specs respectively and actress Sinclair Daniel makes an impression as Dalton’s new college friend Chris.
MZNJ Note: Is it me or did they make a big mistake killing Lin Shaye’s Elise off in the first film? She could have been this franchise’s Dr. Loomis. Big, missed opportunity IMO.
Couple Margaret (Alisha Wainwright) and Ben (Zach Gilford) go on a camping trip with their friends Ellie (Amanda Crew) and Thomas (Carlos Santos) who bring their children Lucy (Briella Guiza) and Spencer (David Mattle). While hiking, the couples and kids discover some ruins. Within the ruins is a deep pit, one that seems to immediately get the kid’s attention. Soon the children begin to behave strangely and more aggressively and Ben, who is on medication, claims he saw the two of them fall into the pit and are now not who they appear to be. Tensions rise between the couples as the children manipulate them and pit them against each other. Is Ben right and are the children something other than they appear?
Bad kids horror is well directed by Roxanne Benjamin from a script by T. J. Cimfel and David White. She gives the familiar story a very strong atmosphere of dread and foreboding, as well as some nice tension and suspense. The story of kids turned evil and of folks being replaced as sinister doppelgangers has been done many times, but Benjamin makes it entertaining even if we already know that There’s Something Wrong with The Children long before the adults do. Once all is revealed…or heavily implied…it’s a bloody cat and mouse game with creepy kids vs the remaining adults. The cast all do good work, including young Briella Guiza and David Mattle…and the film does an efficient job of setting up potential conflicts between the adults that the kids later exploit. There is some bloody violence and not everything is spelled out so there is some spooky ambiguity to the proceedings. Like M3gan it is another example of a director and writers making good use of a familiar concept. The cool and atmospheric score by The Gifted is also worth mentioning.
Young Cady (Violet McGraw) has lost both her parents in a tragic car accident. Her Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams) gets custody and is overwhelmed by the prospect of being a parent to the emotionally wounded little girl. Gemma works for the Funki toy company that makes high tech toys. She is currently working on the Model 3 Generative Android…or M3gan for short…and thinks the artificial intelligence equipped doll would be the perfect companion for Cady. At first, she is, but soon M3gan (played by Amie Donald; voiced by Jenna Davis) starts to take her programming to protect Cady a bit too seriously and people start dying. Now Gemma needs to find a way to stop her, but the android’s ability to learn and adapt may have created a very intelligent and quite devious opponent.
Robot run amok flick is well directed by Gerard Johnstone from a script and story by Akela Cooper and James Wan. There is nothing original here. We have seen the killer toy or domestic robot gone awry many times before. M3gan, however, is not trying to reinvent the wheel, just have a little fun with it, and fun it is. The film takes itself seriously, but with tongue planted firmly in cheek, as the overprotective and self-aware android turns to deadly methods to protect Cady and then herself, when Gemma’s Dr. Frankenstein realizes she has created a monster. There are some violent scenes, and the last act in particular really delivers as Me3an goes all Terminator after they try to pull the plug on her. The cast here are good, especially young Violet McGraw whose onscreen bond with the android comes across as sincere. Sure, it’s predictable, but it’s an entertaining enough flick and utilizes the clichés and tropes quite well. A good example of a filmmaker using an oft told tale and all its familiar accoutrements and using them to good effect. A fun and sometimes twistedly entertaining flick.
Cherie (Ella Balinska) is a pretty single mom that works for a prestigious law firm in L.A. When her boss (Clark Gregg) claims she booked him for a client dinner on his anniversary, he asks her to take the dinner in his place. Cherie meets the wealthy, charming and handsome Ethan (Pilou Asbæk) and soon the client dinner starts to turn into a date. The date then turns into a nightmare as Ethan attacks Cherie and then relentlessly pursues the fleeing woman through the seedy streets of after dark L.A.
Horror flick with something to say is directed by Shana Feste from her script with Keith Josef Adkins and Kellee Terrell. Feste directs with a hip, artsy style with characters breaking the fourth wall occasionally and acknowledging we the audience are watching. There is also a lot to say about how women are treated in the workplace, hence Cherie constantly being called “sweetheart” instead of by name, and how women are not believed when reporting assault, such as Cherie being arrested when going to the police about Ethan’s violent attack. The film doesn’t forget to be an engaging and suspenseful movie along with making strong statements. It takes us into horror film territory as it changes gears into something different than just a tale of date assault. We sense there is something wrong with the charismatic Ethan from the start and he turns out to be something more than just an arrogant and twisted man. It sets the stage for a bloody, violent and intense second half as Ethan pursues Cherie through the bleak streets of nighttime L.A. It’s very well done with other characters being brought into harm’s way and Ethan bloodily dispatching them to get to Cherie, who just wants to get home to her toddler daughter. The cast are all very good with Balinska making a very likable and resilient lead and Asbæk making a very lethal and effective villain. Feste sometimes leaves a lot to the imagination, with some moments happening off camera, which doesn’t always work, but otherwise crafts an intense and entertaining horror/thriller with some style, surprises and a lot to say. There is also a very atmospheric and effective score by Rob and seedy L.A. is captured well by cinematographer Bartosz Nalazek.
Flick is now streaming on Amazon Prime and is from Amazon and Blumhouse Pictures. Recommedned!
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Sequel to Halloween 2018 and Halloween Kills picks up a year later with the specter of the now vanished Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) still hovering over Haddonfield. An unfortunate series of events on Halloween night leads to a babysitter named Cory (Rohan Campbell) being involved in the death of the little boy he is watching. The film then jumps three years later with Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) now having bought a house, writing a book and trying to move on. Granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) lives with her now and works at Haddonfield Hospital. Allyson meets and becomes involved with the emotionally troubled Cory, while Cory’s increasing inner turmoil catches the attention of a certain someone who has been lurking in Haddonfield’s sewer system waiting to make his return. Somehow this convoluted mess leads to Michael and Laurie having their final showdown.
Halloween Ends is again directed by David Gordon Green from a nonsensical script by he along with Paul Brad Logan, Danny McBride and Chris Bernier. It is a mess that basically makes Michael Myers an extended guest appearance in his own franchise finale, as the film chooses to focus on Allyson and Cory, who appears to be willing to take the torch. Laurie, meanwhile, sees his serial killer potential and tries to warn Allyson who refuses to listen. Cory is so creepy and weird it’s hard to understand why it seems like love at first sight with Allyson, and all this melodrama turns the whole Laurie vs Michael round three into almost an afterthought. When Myers does resurface, he is seen sporadically and even seems to accept Cory as an equal or protégée. If the math is correct, Cory even has the bigger body count here. WTF? The flick doesn’t even feel like it’s part of the last two movies and seems like ninety minutes of filler till all this psycho love story drama finally brings Laurie and Michael together for their last match. That in itself is over far too quickly and how it resolves will piss off a lot of fans. There are a few good kills…again, most of them Cory’s…and Carpenter provides this trilogy’s best score along with son Cody and Daniel Davies. Otherwise there really is little to recommend with this vastly disappointing “final” meeting of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers that will have you scratching your head at some of the awful dialogue, more than anything else.
The cast are a bit disappointing too. Curtis seems like she’s phoning it in this time and it’s sad to see the character go out in such a disappointing manner. Matichak seems to be playing a different person here. The death of Allyson’s parents has affected her, true, but it’s simply not written well. Rohan Campbell is actually good as Cory. The actor makes him sympathetic at first, as someone the town reviles, and then very creepy as he spirals to the dark side and gives in to his inner rage. Returning is Omar J Dorsey as Sheriff Barker, Will Patton as Hawkins, Kyle Richards returning in a do-nothing part as Lindsey and James Jude Courtney is once again imposing as Michael Myers, in what little screen time he has.
Overall, this is a really disappointing finale to one of the most celebrated and long running horror franchises. It has iconic serial killer Michael Myers take a back seat to a newcomer in a film that should have focused on him more than ever. The whole Laurie/Michael final confrontation build-up seems to be more of a subplot and the plot contrivances that bring them together in the last act barely work or make sense. The film focuses on the relationship between Allyson and Cory, and once Cory goes off the rails and starts racking up a body count, it’s almost laughable that Allyson is so oblivious to what he is turning into. A messy, bewildering and basically heartbreaking end to one of the greatest horror franchises of all-time and its iconic characters.
-MonsterZero NJ
Rated 2 (out of 4) carving knives. Happy Halloween 🎃!
Thriller takes place in 1978 in a working-class suburb of Denver, Colorado. It focuses on Finny Shaw (Mason Thames) who has enough problems with school bullies and an alcoholic father, but there is also a series of child abductions being committed by a mysterious individual the press has dubbed The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). Finny is kidnaped himself by the masked serial killer and finds himself locked in a sound-proof basement. The boy gets help from unusual sources as a disconnected phone in his prison bares the voices of previous victims and his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), who shares her late mother’s gift for clairvoyance, tries to help police find him. Is it enough to keep Finny from being The Grabber’s next victim?
The Black Phone is directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister, Doctor Strange) from his script with C. Robert Cargill, based on Joe Hill’s short story. Derrickson smartly gives us a little time to get to know Finny, and his life at the moment, so we are endeared to him when Hawke’s creepy Grabber abducts him. We then intercut between Finney receiving phone messages from beyond, while police search for him with Gwen trying to help through her dream visions. It could have gotten silly quick with both a psychic sister and phone calls from dead kids on the menu, but Derrickson keeps it chilling and tense as Finny tries to find a way to escape. It also helps that Hawke’s Grabber is a disturbing yet grounded psycho who never goes over the top or falls into camp. He remains calm most of the time and that’s scarier. Derrickson only falters by once again letting James Ransone play a borderline goofy character that disrupts the serious tone and overdoing it a bit with his grainy footage schtick, which seems to be the only reason the film is set in the 70s. Gwen’s visions appear like old grainy film stock a la Sinister’s old film footage sequences. It doesn’t fit in as well here. Otherwise, this is a well-crafted thriller with some good lead performances and a worthy confrontation between victim and villain were certain puzzle pieces also fall into place.
The cast are mostly good with a very strong performance by young Mason Thames as Finny. Finny is resilient and smart, but a bit meek at times, despite showing there is some strength inside him. He and Hawke work very well together. Hawke is very good here and once again proves he is a versatile and underrated actor. His Grabber is low key and calm and that makes him all the scarier as he appears confident and in control, despite being obviously very twisted and deranged. Madeline McGraw is also excellent as the apparently psychic Gwen. She’s a tough and sometimes foul-mouthed little girl but determined to find her brother. A very strong performance from the young actress. Not so impressive is James Ranson as Max. This is a goofy and almost unnecessary character, and it interrupts the tension when his goofball antics are on screen. Also weak is Jeremy Davies as the siblings’ alcoholic father Terrance. The character simply should have been stronger and more threatening, thus his change to sympathetic would have been more impressive later on. Otherwise, a good cast!
Overall, this was a solid thriller with some impactful violence and some suspenseful moments. There were some strong performances from the leads, which helps make the more supernatural elements here work. There were a few supporting character missteps, but Hawke and Thames portrayed strong characters that made them good adversaries. An effective and tense thriller from the Doctor Strange director.
Dashcam has rapper and vlogger Annie (Annie Hardy) traveling to England and almost upon arrival beginning to cause trouble for her friend and former bandmate Stretch (Amar Chadha-Patel). She accepts the task of driving an old woman named Angela (Angela Enahoro) to a destination for cash and soon she and Stretch learn to regret it, as Angela turns out to be something quite unexpected…and dangerous.
Found footage horror is directed by Rob Savage, who made the quarantine filmed internet sensation horror Host. The script is by he with Gemma Hurley along with Jed Shepard and is simply a bloody mess. This is literal as the film is quite the splatter-fest, but also because the mess of a story seems to be making itself up as it goes along, instead of following some sort of cohesive narrative. Sure, there are a few creepy sequences, and the gore can be fun, but the flick is as loud and obnoxious as it’s heroine Annie. By presenting a lead who grates on ones every nerve, it leaves no one to endear or fear for, except for maybe the hapless Stretch, as we really don’t care what happens to a woman who is basically a big, selfish, a-hole. Angela…or whatever she is…can be spooky at times, but the rapid-fire hurling of crashes, mutilations and chases being thrown at us gets tiring very quick. That and at already less than 80 minutes, the film pads out its runtime with a grating, precredit Annie Hardy rap sequence that feels like it goes on forever. A sadly disappointing sophomore effort by Savage, who showed potential with his first flick.
Collaboration from Blumhouse Pictures and Epix finds country singer wannabes Jordan (Abby Quinn) and Leigh (Alexxis Lemire) performing under the name Torn Hearts and seeking to hit big. They gain an opportunity to visit reclusive country music legend Harper Dutch (Katey Sagal) at her home, and try to convince her to perform with them, as a way of getting the attention they seek. Harper Dutch, however, turns out to be something quite unexpected…and possibly quite dangerous.
Flick is directed by Brea Grant from a script by Rachel Koller Croft. Grant has a good cast to work with, as Lemire and Quinn play well the wannabe rising stars, and Katey Sagal does strong work, as usual, as the unstable Harper. The flick gets a bit unsettling the moment the girls arrive at Harper’s home, Brea Grant quickly establishing that something is wrong with this former star and our ambitious duo may have bothered the wrong country music icon. Even when a night of partying with their idol seems harmless enough, the following morning things start to get weird. It does take a while for the flick to get going, but it is still fun to watch veteran actress Sagal gradually bring Harper to a psychotic boil, without ever descending into camp. Harper’s behavior goes from eccentric to unhinged and she takes her young guests with her. Sagal’s costars also do a nice job keeping up with her, as Harper plays them against each other, and things get a little nasty. It’s the last act where things get a bit disappointing, though. Torn Hearts is like a tense fuse that never leads to the explosion. It does have the situation finally descending into secrets revealed, emotions boiling to the surface, madness and murder, though doesn’t really get nuts like we want it to, until literally the last few minutes, and even then, it seems to be holding back. The ending doesn’t have the impact or resonance it needs to, either, as it simply comes as no surprise. Grant also could have given the film a snappier pace, as it starts to drag just when it should have been ramping up. She does have a nice visual eye, though, especially in Harper’s old, music paraphernalia-filled house, and the setting works very well to establish some atmosphere. Not a complete success, but not a total failure either, flick is still worth a look, especially for fans of Sagal. Torn Hearts also stars Shiloh Fernandez as Caleb Crawford, a country star who gives Jordan Harper’s address and Joshua Leonard as the girls’ manager, Richie.
Blumhouse/Universal flick is a remake of the 1984 thriller, which in turn, was an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. The story is the same. A young couple Andy (Zac Efron) and Vicky (Sydney Lemmon) undergo drug experiments that give them special abilities. More troublesome, is their daughter Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) is born with the power to set fires with her mind. Now the shady organization that created them is hunting them down to take control of Charlie’s incendiary skills.
Update is lamely directed by Keith Thomas from a weak script by Scott Teems that fixes none of the problems with the original film’s screenplay. There is no suspense, the film is extremely by-the-numbers and dull, the villains are boring and the performances stale. Only young Ryan Kiera Armstrong gives her underwritten role a little life. There has been little or no publicity for this release and now it’s obvious why. Aside from being completely forgettable, the film even looks cheap. The only redeeming thing about the flick is the score by legendary filmmaker/composer John Carpenter, his son Cody and Daniel A. Davies. The delightful irony here is that Carpenter was originally set to direct the 1984 version before being fired after the lackluster box office performance of The Thing. Now his contribution is the only memorable part of this pointless remake. Film is currently available in theaters and streaming on Peacock.
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