Horror Movie Talk

We watched the wildly popular and controversial new film on Netflix, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and were shocked by the amount of home renovation involved in this iteration of the classic slasher franchise. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/zcI6SFiK_yk Synopsis A group of fresh young social media influencers flood into a mostly abandoned Texas town to help revitalize the community and auction off the town. They are intent on building a new politically correct community in the heart of what was once the “deep south” with all the fixin’s of culture that entails. They end up finding one of the buildings, which is an old orphanage, still inhabited by an old lady and her gigantic, mute son. The influencers have the old lady kicked out and she dies as a result. Everyone gets way more Leatherface than they bargained for. Review Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s story was written by Fede Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues, who also wrote Don’t Breathe, Don’t Breathe 2, and the beloved 2013 remake of Evil Dead – so he knows his way around horrendous violence and hopeless terror.  It’s hard to say what’s the right way to reboot a classic slasher. Some people will be so excited to get some great new content that they will overlook any flaw. Others will be so upset that their hallowed ground franchise was upset by a newcomer that they will hate it no matter what it does.  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and it’s resulting franchise have been through some incredible ups and downs when compared to other slasher franchises. The depths of cheesy cash grabs are right alongside some of the most revered sequels and reboots ever made in slasher history. Watch The Original TCM Watch on Amazon Click here to buy or rent This entry comes close to the brutality and disgusting, sweaty feeling atmosphere that the original gave us. While there is plenty of nitpicking that can and will be done by slasher fans, I think that this is as admirable an entry into the genre as either the new Halloween (2018) or Halloween Kills movies. It’s gross, hard to watch in parts, extremely gorey, and I didn’t care about any of the characters – meaning it literally checks every single box needed to be a “passable slasher”. Do I love it to death? No. Would I point a slasher fan at it? Yep. It’s brutal, hopeless, and totally depraved. To be honest though, I was hoping it would go even more violent and terrible than it did, and I don’t know what that says about me. Score 7/10 Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

Drag Me To Hell brings Sam Raimi back to what he does best. Over the top, tongue in cheek horror. If you haven’t seen this one, you should. Synopsis Drag Me To Hell, Directed by Sami Raimi, and starring Alison Lohman and the Mac guy, follows Christine Brown as she suffers the consequences of a Gypsy curse. She is cursed because she denies an old creepy woman a bank loan. Through the curse, she is tormented by an evil demon for three days and is told if the curse does not break, she will be dragged to hell to live all eternity with Hitler and unbaptised dead babies. The moral to the story is give creepy old ladies what they want. https://youtu.be/PPOaxHqoYxo Review of Drag Me To Hell This movie is PG-13 and you will be so distracted by your disgust to even notice that no one says fuck. I think this is the best pg-13 horror movie ever made. Sam Raimi’s kinetic and unhinged directing style throttles you through the plot with very little fluff. This film really hits the sweet spot for me. The characters are fleshed out, The special effects are viscerally over the top, and there is a subtle ribbon of humor strung throughout.  Overall it’s a very fun film to watch. The dramatic irony, the well timed callbacks, and undercurrent of campy energy kept me engaged throughout.  Score 9/10 Drag Me To Hell Add it to your collection or rent it now. Click here to buy Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

We watched 13 Ghosts on HBOMAX and it was exactly what I thought it would be, which is Ghost Ship meets Event Horizon with a side order of Wrong Turn. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/n1yZl9HVLd0 Synopsis 13 Ghosts is a movie about a ghost collector who leaves his massive house to his distant relative family, who think they are getting a sweet deal.  What they end up getting is royally fucked by a house that is full of a bunch of ghosts.  The house is made to trap them and do some sick twisted stuff, but luckily Matthew Lillard is here to shed some light on this quandary. Matthew explains that he is a ghost feeler, and regularly touches ghosts. He helped their uncle collect all these ghosts, and he feels bad or something and wants to help them.  The house has other plans and wacky hijinks ensue. Review 13 Ghosts is no doubt remembered fondly by a bunch of old zoomers and young millennials who were impressionable whilst watching this but let me assure you, it’s fucked.  This was directed by Steve Beck, who directed Ghost Ship in 2002, one year after this film. Interestingly, before directing 13 Ghosts, Steve had only directed commercials, and after he directed Ghost Ship which is basically a reskinning of 13 Ghosts he never directed again. This is a good thing. 13 Ghosts is jumpcuts and loud noises mixed with edgy, barely explained lore mixed with dog shit. All of this could be excusable if it was fun or interesting or funny, but it’s none of those things. It takes a 42 million dollar budget and wastes it on the dumbest set-pieces you can possibly imagine. As a result, it feels expensive but not in a good way – in an animal print on furniture way. The acting is hammy, the actors are bad, the premise is shockingly thin, and the scares are undermined by jump cuts and ghost vision glasses. I’m sorry if you love 13 Ghosts but everyone has different tastes, and this just is not for me. If you love this, please keep loving it. Watch 13 Ghosts Watch on Amazon Click here to Buy or Rent Score 3/10 Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

The Silence of the Lambs is known and memed today, over 30 years after it’s release. There is a reason for that, it’s one of the best movies ever made. Synopsis The Silence of the Lambs stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee tasked with interviewing a psychopathic serial killer and psychologist Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to try to elicit his help in finding a serial killer at large named Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). Clarice is warned about Hannibal and is told to not disclose any personal information, but as Hannibal’s position of power becomes plain, Clarice finds herself stepping over the line to extract more information from him. https://youtu.be/W6Mm8Sbe__o Review of The Silence of the Lambs This film is one of those that you can come back to year after year and appreciate something new. It’s perfectly cast, and the performances are all fantastic. This film served to launch Anthony Hopkins into A-list Hollywood status, and his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter stands as one of the best onscreen villains of all time. Jodie Foster’s excellent portrayal of Clarice communicates her determination, intelligence, and weakness as a character. Levine’s Buffalo Bill has very little screen time, but is a truly menacing character that establishes the stakes of the film. Director Jonathan Demme created a truly artful film that stands apart from all the other films in the “Thriller” genre. The extreme closeups and leering gazes create an uncomfortable intimacy that puts you in the shoes of the protagonist. The script and the direction are so efficient in moving the complicated story and character arcs along, that there is rarely a dull moment. This film is probably the best example of the crossover between the Drama/Thriller genre and the Horror genre. The scenes with Buffalo Bill are viscerally horrific, but the psychological horror of Lecter’s interrogations of Clarice are just as disturbing. Score 10/10 The Silence of the Lambs Add it to your collection or rent it now. Click here to buy Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

We went and saw Scream and it was pretty much exactly what I figured it would be. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/-TfkyBWEoWY Synopsis Scream is a story about a movie about a movie. A young girl get’s called on the phone and brutally attacked by a masked murderer known as Ghostface. As the teen and her friends try to figure out who would perpetuate this crime, other victims begin to die.  Suddenly everyone is a suspect. Fortunately we have a couple of horror movie experts who managed to surmise that this is similar to a horror movie known as Stab. If you know how slasher movies work, you may be able to stay alive. Oh yea, and Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, and Skeet Ulrich are in it. Review If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because Scream painted itself into a corner with the first movie and has been digging away at hallowed ground ever since. Meta horror has been the thing everyone does for nearly 30 years now, and if Scream doesn’t do it, it’s basically sacreligious. Scream isn’t going to blow your mind. It sticks to the exact same format and rules of all the previous movies. In fact, it’s pretty much devolved fully into Clue at this point. Characters are all constantly pointing at eachother and asking, “Are you the killer?” the same way tweens do as they exit the movie theater.  There are tons of callbacks and easter eggs to keep fans coming back to catch every last morsel of slasher goodness.  I’d even say that this has some of the most clever meta commentary zingers placed in the script since the original Scream.  It’s a fine movie, and pretty violent, although the violence in Halloween (2018) and especially Halloween Kills puts this in the kiddy pool in that regard. I guess I’m just a little tired of the same old story told with a wink and a nod by some gen Z kids, no matter how much they are asking for it. Score 7/10 Watch Scream 2022 Watch on Amazon Click here to Rent of Buy Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Get a 30 day free trial at Shudder.com when you use the code HMT at checkout.

This hostel is so… hostile! This week we review Hostel, Eli Roth’s torture-porn masterpiece. Synopsis College school student Josh is a good student and nice guy – albeit a little predictable. He is unceremoniously dumped by his whorish girlfriend. Among the people he turns to in his hour of despair is his Icelandic pal, Oli and American buddy Paxton. Josh, impulsively for a change, decides to backpack through Europe with his friends. As the four try to make their way to Bratislava, they run into a few obstacles and few adventures.  The previous description was based off a synopsis of Eurotrip (2004) This movie along with the previous year’s Saw, ushered in a renaissance of torture porn horror movies that dominated the mid 2000’s and 20teens. https://youtu.be/4d5_lrn9v-g Review of Hostel While there is a lot of just awful and cliche prone movies that came after, Hostel stands as a unique premise and genre mixing film that still holds up today. This is a slow burn horror movie that doesn’t put all it’s cards on the table till halfway into the film. It feels like a buddy road trip comedy for the entire first half, and then abruptly goes into brutal and graphic gore in the last half. It’s definitely exploitative. From the generous heaping of bare tits, to the sinkfuls of mangled limbs, it’s not purporting to be high art. However, in this lane of horror films, it does take extra care into providing a framework for these exploitative elements to exist believably.  I love this movie, because it goes all the way with every idea it approaches. Seeing this as a young single male is probably the best way to view it, because it really preys on your basest desires and fears.  Score 10/10 Hostel Add it to your collection or rent it now. Click here to buy Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

We watched Dawn of the Dead (2004) on Amazon because our Patrons told us to and I was not disappointed in the least. https://youtu.be/j69OPw9nFHw Synopsis A nurse, policeman, young married couple, and a salesman walks into a mall…  Following the downfall of humanity, they do their best to survive and return to some form of normalcy while in the mall, but are constantly reminded of the scourge just outside the mall entrance – teenagers! Er, I mean zombies! At first a gang of angry mall cops subdue our group, but eventually good triumphs over mall cops, and the cinnabon is opened for freeloaders. The gang befriends a gun store owner across the street named Andy, and eventually a van full of new survivors shows up, which complicates things. In the end everyone gets more Zombeavers than they bargained for. Review If you have seen the original Dawn of the Dead you would rightly ask, “why would you need to remake this masterpiece?” But, if you’ve seen the 2004 remake directed by Zack Snyder and written by James Gunn and George A. Romero, you will definitely understand that it’s not always a bad thing to remake classics. This isn’t just a sprucing up of the original, it’s got a huge budget ($26m), tons of clout, and a way tighter script than the original. It’s like Romero wanted to do it again, but with hindsight being 20/20, and boy does it work. You’ve got the same message, with an updated veneer and way edgier content. Not only that, these zombies run! Watch Dawn of the Dead (2004) Watch on Amazon Rent Now! The action in this one feels way more tense, and the stakes feel a lot higher too. As with many Snyder movies, this one has a goofy filter on it, but it’s much less abrasive than some of his other efforts. This may be one of the best zombie movies ever made, and I think that has a lot to do with all these spectacularly talented people that come together on this Dawn of the Dead. The cast, the direction, the writing they are all proven talent, and the end result is pretty great. Score 10/10 Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code HMT at Manscaped.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

Babadook…dook…dook! Artwork by Dustin Goebel (follow @dgoebel00 on instagram) Synopsis The Babadook is writer/director Jennifer Kent’s film debut, and she comes out of the gate strong. The film is about a single mother Amelia Vanek (Essie Davis) and her 6 year old son Samuel (Noah Wiseman) struggling with grief, childhood, parenthood, and the supernatural.  Samuel, who is obsessed and terrified by monsters, discovers an odd children’s book in their house. The book, titled Mister Babadook is a popup book that contains strikingly scary illustrations and tells the story about a being that arrives after knocking thrice, and haunts people until they wish they were dead.  As Amelia tries to reassure her son that the Babadook isn’t real, she begins living out the experience described in the book. The more she tries to explain the coincidences away, the more powerful and undeniable her experiences become. https://youtu.be/k5WQZzDRVtw Review of The Babadook I love everything about The Babadook. For me, it stands as one of the three pillars of “elevated horror” of the last decade. The other two being The Witch and Hereditary. All three are from freshman feature film writer/directors. This film is an obvious homage to the German expressionist silent films of the 20s that established the earliest foundations of the horror film genre. It is also a deeply modern exploration of grief, the stresses of parenthood, and mental health crises.  Kent adeptly interweaves all of these themes in a way that makes you question whether Amelia is actually experiencing a haunting, a psychotic break, or both. There aren’t any cheap shots pulled. The relationships and emotions portrayed in the movie feel real and well worn. The characters are easy for the audience to empathize with and care about. When The Babadook attacks this poor family, it feels like there are real stakes. The dread and suspense is well developed and steadily delivered over the hour and a half run time. Even after the ending, you are left with a sense of unsureness about whether or not what happened was real or imagined. It works on a lot of different levels for me and I’m excited to talk about it. This is one that I feel is as near to perfection as I can expect a horror film to be. Score 10/10 The Babadook Add it to your collection or rent it now. Click here to buy Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

This week we are having a different kind of show. This show we are looking back at the delightsome year that was 2021, and awarding the best and worst of Horror Movie Talk. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. Best new drop Ew David MacGruber Goat Boy (LAmb) Cows don’t look like cows (H4) Ouja Board (Paranormal Activity 3) Best Guest David’s Mom (The Bad Seed) Bryce’s Mom (The Bad Seed) Baby-face Billy (Old) Bug-Z (H4) Justin (The Thing) Kate (10 Cloverfield Lane) Emma (Anna and the apocalypse) Caspar (Creep) Worst Movie We Watched this year The Number 23 The Gingerdead Man Leprechaun in the Hood Review Pieces Review The Forever Purge Malignant Best Movie We Watched this year Jaws Review The Thing Review Creep (2014) The Night House The Mist Worst New Movie of 2020 The Forever Purge Malignant The Unholy Spiral (2021) Review Don’t Breathe 2 Halloween Kills Best New Movie of 2020 The Night House Lamb Saint Maud Review In the Earth Review Antlers A Quiet Place Part 2 Review Last Night in Soho Perfect 10s Jaws Review The Thing Review Creep (2014) The Night House The Mist Lowest Scored The Number 23 (1.5) The Gingerdead Man (1.5) Leprechaun in the Hood Review (2.5) Biggest Discrepancies in Scores A Christmas Horror Story (D=2, B=8) Don’t Breathe 2 (D=8 , B=3) Anna and the Apocalypse (Emma-1, B=5) The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (D=6, B=10)

Something in The Mist! This week our patrons picked The Mist for us to review. It was my first viewing, and even having had the ending spoiled, this one still holds up after over a decade. Artwork by Dustin Goebel (follow @dgoebel00 on instagram) Synopsis Thomas Jane plays husband and father MISTer David Drayton, who after a storm, heads into town for supplies to repair damages to his house. He takes his son and his neighbor along with him, and soon they are trapped in the grocery store  by a MYSTerious mist that contains untold terrors.  https://youtu.be/LhCKXJNGzN8 Many of the townsfolk don’t heed warnings and mistakenly decide to venture out. The remaining occupants increasingly mistreat each other and the social order begins to break down. When one religious fanatic begins to mistteach others that this is all caused by an angry god, many make the misstep to become followers. This film has one of the most shocking endings in horror, sure to leave you … Misty-eyed.  Review of The Mist This was my first viewing of The Mist, and I wish that I could have gone in completely blind, but 14 years is a long time to expect an ending not to be spoiled. Even knowing the ending, I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging the film was from the outset. Frank Darabont, the director, wastes no time in establishing strong characters and relationships that are familiar and believable.  This is a pretty simple concept for such a long movie, but it is highly engaging because there are several times where the story shifts gears and presents new problems other than “don’t go outside”. There is the obvious threat of what lies in the mist, but the story delves into several different sources of dread, such as fear itself, superstition, mistrust, and helplessness. The zombie genre has evolved into a mechanism to hold a mirror up to society, and this movie does that, but with more interesting and mysterious monsters. The special effects don’t quite hold up, but aren’t so bad as to distract from the high quality of the writing, directing, and acting. I really enjoyed this film, and I think that it is not to be missed. Score 10/10 The Mist Add it to your collection or rent it now. Click here to buy Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Get a 30 day free trial at Shudder.com when you use the code HMT at checkout.

This was a really interesting movie that Bryce loved and David had strange feelings about. If you want to gain access to the full review, head over to patreon.com/horrormovietalk and sign up for the We All Spoop for Ice Spoop tier. That get’s you access to: The Afterpods Early Access to all reviews The Ability to vote for 1 movie a month for us to watch Thank you card loaded with stickers

The Gingerdead Man is just one of Charles Band’s 69 directed films and 342 produced films. You’d be hard pressed to call The Gingerdead Man a good movie, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a real fun time. You get to enjoy Gary Busey’s unhinged performance and a hilarious gingerbread man puppet commit homicide. What’s not to love? We also have the special treat to interview the legend himself, Charles Band, about his new memoire and about what it was like to work with Gary Busey (not great). Synopsis I think the best person to explain the Gingerdead Man is the director himself, Charles Band. [The Gingerdead Man is a] tale of a deranged murderer who gets executed and is brought back to life when his witchymother mails enchanted dough to a bakery where——oh, you get it. A psychotic cookie comes to life and rampages. Okay? Charles Band – Confessions of a Puppetmaster Well I guess that’s close enough. In the spoilers section we’ll talk about how wrong that actually is. https://youtu.be/mLFVY41RmtA Review of The Gingerdead Man The Gingerdead Man is representative of the highs and lows of exploitation horror films. If you’ve seen any Full Moon Feature, your expectations should be tempered, but if you are new to super low budget, straight to video horror films like this one, you might feel surprised at how shitty it is. If you are comparing it to anything that touches the theater, this movie is not going to compete on quality of writing, production quality, acting, directing, special effects, or anything related to the making of movies. However, what this movie and other Full Moon Features have is, every once in a while, there are some truly entertaining absurd, and even charming moments. The Bad Ok, so lets discuss the bad first. The writing and direction is borderline incomprehensible. Some of the very important plot points that seem like table stakes to show on camera, are just not there. It’s never quite explained that the killer’s mother exists other than being mentioned and seeing a witchy figure running away. We know that the mysterious figure dropped off gingerbread seasoning, and then we see them pouring in some gingerbread seasoning into a large container marked gingerbread seasoning and in the process bleed into it. By the ominous music, we are to understand that this is bad.  Now first of all, this displays a fundamental misunderstanding of how gingerbread dough is made, but also begs the question… what if the guy didn’t accidentally, and recklessness bleed into the dough? The answer is, shut up, do you want to see a Gingerdead Man or not? The acting quality varies wildly among the cast, which makes sense when you are only paying scale. There are some standouts, like Ryan Locke as Amos, which had some genuinely good delivery and timing on his lines, Larry Cedar as the nemesis restaurateur, and of course Gary Busey hamming it up. Unfortunately the film mostly dwells on the lead actress Robin Sydney, whos only direction was probably, “Be mopey”. The Good Now the good.  Gary Busey is great as the unhinged killer and as the voice of Gingerdead Man. Any time the Gingerdead Man is on screen is gold. Like genuinely enjoyably absurd. There is something about an evil, gross, super fake looking, foam latex puppet delivering menacing dialogue that is really entertaining. Just imagine if Triumph the insult comic dog starred in a slasher. That’s what we’re working with here. Overall, if you are looking for a low budget film to watch with friends to make fun of, this movie can be really enjoyable to experience.   Score 2/10 Confessions of a Puppetmaster Read Charles Band’s amazing, inspirational, and hilarious memoir Click here to buy The Gingerdead Man Add it to your collection or rent it now. Click here to buy Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

We went and saw Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, the reboot to the Resident Evil series, and I was pleasantly surprised by the total lack of Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q6UGCyHZCI&ab_channel=SonyPicturesEntertainment Synopsis Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is the story of Raccoon City, a city built by the giant pharmaceutical megacorp, The Umbrella Corp.  For years Raccoon City has been home to The Umbrella Corp and now, Umbrella is leaving Raccoon City. This story takes place in a mostly deserted Raccoon City, where a skeleton crew has been left to pack up what’s left of the facility and anyone else in the city who was too poor to afford moving out. We soon learn why The Umbrella Corp is moving out of Raccoon city, and everyone gets more vaccinated zombies than they bargained for. Review Having seen a few of the other Resident Evil movies, I was dreading this watch. While the original movie is fun enough for what it is, the rest of these movies are the definition of what has been wrong with Hollywood for the last 20 years. Huge explosions with overcomplicated storylines that amount to the writers version of hacking a computer by violently mashing the keyboard incoherently. But Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City reboots this series down to it’s barebones. This was directed by Johannes Roberts, who also did 47 Meters Down: Uncaged and 47 Meters Down and he did what video game lovers have asked countless directors to do for over 25 years – he made a direct video game to film adaptation of the first three resident evil games.  Is it the best thing I’ve ever seen? No. Is it fun with some genuinely spooky and disturbing moments? Yep!  Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City takes a tired, fucked out franchise and returns it to it’s honest-to-God roots, and does it with some fun. The first two acts are genuinely interesting and scary, and had me bought in. The last act devolves into stereotypical big monster battles and explosions, but even some of that was pretty fun. Overall, this took the most disgustingly bad franchise I can think of and gave it a new lease on life. While it did lean heavily on the games for inspiration and iconic imagery, I think that’s a step in the right direction. Because what are we seeing a Resident Evil movie for if not to relive those moments in the games that made us gasp? Go ahead and real our blog by Leah on how Jill Valentine got screwed.  Watch Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City Buy it on Amazon Click here to Rent or Buy Score 6/10

As an early Christmas gift to our listeners, and thanks to everyone that got us to our goal of 100 patrons at Patreon.com/horrormovietalk, we are releasing our own commentary track for The Human Centipede. Just fire up your copy of the movie and press play when we tell you in the audio track to follow along.

Sometimes an anthology movie hits you just right. A Christmas Horror Story tells four tales of fright ranging from unnerving to dumb fun. It’s low budget, but enjoyable. Listen to our review. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. Synopsis In the fictional town of Bailey Downs, where the war on Christmas is won, because no one knows about popular hymns or bible verses related to the holiday, we are told 4 different holiday horror stories. Santa fights off zombie elves, a family full of assholes inadvertently summons Krampus, a cops family finds a changeling, and a group of teens learn the Scooby doo’s and Scooby Don’ts of ghost hunting. There is also a radio host played by William Shatner that has almost nothing to do with anything. https://youtu.be/7Z3ybMTpqFw Review of A Christmas Horror Story A Christmas Horror Story is an anthology horror movie done right. It takes stories that could almost, but not quite be stretched into full length movies, and bundles them together in a thematic group of short films. The concepts, or gimmicks if you like, take front stage, and some minorly fleshed out characters are inserted into the action to act as fodder for our delight. The tales range from slightly disturbing, to truly unsettling, to goofy gory fun. I really enjoyed the ride. I think each story held its own and none felt redundant. My only real complaint is that my suspension of disbelief was affected by one or two “bith get out the house” moments, and a befuddling lack of christmas tradition knowledge by some of the characters. I think the Santa story edges out the other three as the most enjoyable, mostly because you get to hear Santa mournfully call out ridiculous elf names as he has to fight them off. Sparkles no!!! Score 8/10 A Christmas Horror Story Add it to your collection or rent it now. Click here to buy Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Get a 30 day free trial at Shudder.com when you use the code HMT at checkout.

We watched The Number 23 and I was barely able to stay awake through this portrayal of the dark, end times of The Truman Show. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/TUTlOC4mVQ8 Synopsis The Number 23 can be found for rent on most major platforms right now. The Number 23 is the story of Walter Sparrow who becomes obsessed with a book that seems to have deep connections with his life. As he reads the novel, he begins to see clues that it may tie into the real world. As Walter dives down this rabbit hole, he becomes obsessed with the obsession of the protagonist of the novel – the number 23. Will Walter be able to hold on to his sanity, or will he suffer the same fate as the man in the book? Review I find it hard to review The Number 23 because it’s so forgettable and boring throughout with such a silly premise that I just can’t take it seriously.  It’s directed by Joel Schumacher and stars Jim Carrey and it’s exactly what you would expect that pairing of fellas would produce.  If you aren’t familiar with numerology and the mental gymnastics that it takes to believe any of that bullshit, this movie will catch you up quite well. Just don’t expect to be interested or enlightened. Between Walter’s real life and the life he delves into while reading his book, you would think one of them would be interesting.  The over-saturation of the film while we experience what Walter reads is annoying but why stop there? The constant adding and subtracting of seemingly symbolic numbers to achieve the number 23 falls so flat in what it tries to achieve that I can only laugh. The stakes are supposed to hinge on these coincidences in the number 23, but even the dimmest bulb will find them to be a stretch. The twists and turns of the end arise as quickly as they are doused, and the final reveal happens with 20 minutes left in the movie, leaving the remaining 20 minutes to clumsily mop up the pieces. It kind of bums me out because it’s probably the only Jim Carrey movie that we will ever get to review, unless The Cable Guy could somehow be considered horror. If you are looking for a crazy thriller, please try The Invitation, The House That Jack Built, or Ready or Not over The Number 23. Watch The Number 23 Watch on Amazon Click here to Watch Score 2/10 Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Get 20% off your appointment for a soothing sound bath and tarot reading by entering code HMT at BloomingWand.com

It’s really the grade-schooler level diagrams that really sell it for me. This week we review one of my favorites, and I’m still not sure what that says about me. Join us on our break down of The Human Centipede. Synopsis The Human Centipede is about a centipede made out of humans. I mean it’s right there in the title, I don’t think that’s a spoiler. A mad German surgeon who’s specialty is the separation of Siamese twins decides to go in a different direction when he kidnaps a couple of American tourists who show up at his door.   https://youtu.be/glfBurdSUS8 Review of The Human Centipede (First Sequence) This movie exists in a world of it’s own. I think Roger Ebert said it best: “I am required to award stars to movies I review. This time, I refuse to do it. The star rating system is unsuited to this film. Is the movie good? Is it bad? Does it matter? It is what it is and occupies a world where the stars don’t shine.” Roger Ebert I’ll disagree and say that this film is great. It’s one of my favorite horror movies because of the absolute unflinching commitment to a ridiculous premise, while just barely betraying itself with subtle touches of dark dark humor. At walks the razors edge of storytelling and utter depravity.  It’s a movie that you only need to watch once, because it is going to stick with you. Score 10/10 The Human Centipede Add it to your collection or rent it now. Click here to buy Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Get a 30 day free trial at Shudder.com when you use the code HMT at checkout.

This was a really interesting movie that Bryce loved and David was ambivalent about. If you want to gain access to the full review, head over to patreon.com/horrormovietalk and sign up for the We All Spoop for Ice Spoop tier. That get’s you access to: The Afterpods Early Access to all reviews The Ability to vote for 1 movie a month for us to watch Thank you card loaded with stickers

We watched Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin on Paramount+ and I am so pleased with the fresh breath of quality that it has brought to this flailing franchise. While the activity is mostly not paranormal, it ain’t normal, and that’s good enough for me! @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/cyrhAScX80k Synopsis Margot is a young woman who was abandoned by her mother at a hospital as a baby. She heads to the Amish countryside to reconnect with the family that she 23 and me claims she came from.  She brings Chris and Dale with her to shoot a documentary that will follow her journey to reconnect with the community that she was torn from at such a young age. As Margot and her small crew are reluctantly welcomed by the Amish, they begin to notice that certain activities are going on across the spacious countryside – paranormal activities. Review Directed by William Eubank who also directed Underwater, Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin brings the franchise back from the brink and gives it a kick in the old pantaloons. While it doesn’t carry on with the same content that we came to love in Paranormal Activity 1-3, it does have a solid premise, a great setting, and some decent scares. Mostly, I’m just thrilled to death that Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin was entertaining and well-done. There was a simple mystery placed before me, and plenty of twists and turns to keep me enthralled. While the subject matter is a bit different than the previous installments, it was still consistent and interesting.  When I think of the Paranormal Activity series, the first three are top tier. But 4-6 get hung up on goofy camera hijinks, played out tropes, and throw away acting and directing choices. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin stands on it’s own two demon haunches and manages to be an original installment worth watching.  Watch Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin Watch on Amazon Click here to Watch Score 8/10 Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Get 20% off your appointment for a soothing sound bath and tarot reading by entering code HMT at BloomingWand.com

If you mess with the Wendigo, you get the antlers… Synopsis Antlers tells the story of meth cookers inadvertently disturbing an ancient evil, and the middle school teacher and student that suffer the consequences. Keri Russel stars as Julia Meadows, who has returned home to begin her first year as a middle school teacher. While dealing with trauma and guilt surrounding her childhood, she notices a student displaying signs of trauma. Jeremy Thomas plays Lucas Weaver,  the young boy that resembles a Tim Burton sketch. He is hiding the secret of his sick father and brother in his attic, who he is taking care of. Their sickness makes his father a rage filled, ravenous monster, and this is problematic for young Lucas. https://youtu.be/ng5eyOfL8qM Review of Antlers In the marketing, it heavily pushes Guiermo Del Toro’s name, but he only produced, and it was actually directed by Scott Cooper, who has mainly directed dramas before, such as Crazy Heart and Black Mass. It shows here, because the drama and internal world of the characters is front and center throughout most of the film. It turns what could be just a special effects demonstration monster movie into an actual story with stakes. I was looking forward to this movie. I wouldn’t say I had high expectations, but it definitely piqued my interest. The trailers show very little, but really sell the movie based on the performance of Jeremy Thomas. Out of all the new releases this year that I was looking forward to, this is the only one that actually delivered. This is a compelling and emotionally complex film, but it also has some of the year’s best gore and jump scares. I highly recommend it. Score 8/10 Pan’s Labyrinth The Criterion Collection Add it to your collection or rent it now. Click here to buy Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Get 20% off your appointment for a soothing sound bath and tarot reading by entering code HMT at BloomingWand.com

We went and saw Last Night in Soho and came away impressed but not enthralled. This is a movie that is well made and acted but just doesn’t hold much for me to relate to. That being said, it was an undeniably good twisted thriller that uses a tried and true formula to keep the audience thrown off the scent of the twist at the end. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/AcVnFrxjPjI Synopsis Last Night in Soho is about a girl in the present day named Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie). Ellie is a budding fashion designer who moves to the big city of London, where she is going to school to pursue her dreams. Coming from a small town and with a questionable heritage of mental health problems, Ellie is overwhelmed and taken advantage of in this new environment. She leaves the dorms after her roommate proves herself to the the biggest bitch I’ve ever seen on the silver screen. Ellie moves in with an elderly woman named Ms. Collins, who has a single room for rent in Soho.  When going to sleep in this room, Ellie is transported via dream into the world of London in the 60’s where she follows a gorgeous young woman named Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy) who wants to make it big in show business and befriends a dashing manager, Jack (Matt Smith) played by Dr. Who.  But what hides behind her idyllic dream of the 60’s is a dark and dangerous side of London that’s still present today.  Will London take advantage of Ellie, or will she learn from the tragic and terrifying story of Sandy? Review Last Night in Soho is a mystery/thriller that is well-made and fun. It’s also dark and twisted with a fabulous soundtrack of solid 60’s hits and a wonderful cast of competent actors. It presents themes of bullying, human trafficking, mental illness, and revenge but it’s wrapped in such a sugary-sweet, neon-light fun show that the scares feel more like suggestions. If those themes sound like content that will trigger you, however, this will likely be a very scary movie for you.I, on the other hand, have not had to deal with much in the way of being preyed upon by men, or severe mental illness, so Last Night in Soho didn’t hit home for me. Watch Last Night in Soho Watch on Amazon Click here to Watch I can definitely appreciate that this is a well-made and thoughtful approach to a number of serious issues, but I’m not the target audience. I feel like this is geared toward women and suffers of mental abuse, but it’s so well-done that it will appeal to general audiences much more than hard horror fans. It was a little long but the length felt warranted and even necessary. If you are looking for hardcore horror, this may not be your best bet. I would steer you toward Antlers for the crazier side of horror that’s available in theaters right now. We reviewed a real stinker of a boring movie in episode 33 titled Greta and this feels like that movie done well because of the themes, setting, and characters. Score 7/10 Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Get 20% off your appointment for a soothing sound bath and tarot reading by entering code HMT at BloomingWand.com

Remember how Michael Myers was burned in fire? No you don’t, shut up. He’s fine, he was just resting. This week we review Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers with special guest Bug-Z! @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. Synopsis 10 years have passed since the events of Halloween 1 & 2 (the first ones), and Michael Myers has awakened from a coma to escape from a prison transport. He hears that he has a niece, and will stop at nothing to kill her, because that’s kind of his thing. https://youtu.be/rfvBru3MKsg Review of Halloween 4 Halloween 4 is a Halloween Movie. It’s got Michael Myers. You should pretty much know what it is just by reading the title. You’re going to get kills. You’re going to have a stabby boy. The only difference is going to be the tone of the film, and the quality of kills. Halloween 4 goes full-on. This is the first Halloween movie where I kind of get it. Once they allow Michael Myers to poke a hole in a skull with his thumb… the series has turned a corner. Now he’s not just a guy with a knife, his hands are knives too! I enjoyed this entry a little more than the first two, but it is still limited by what it is. Loomis emphatically reminding us that Michael is not human, but EVIL, and various characters getting set up to be killed. Score 7/10 Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers Add it to your collection or rent it now. Click here to buy Get a 30 day free trial at Shudder.com with code HMT. Visit DSLaboratories.com and use code HORROR15 to get 15% off your order site wide. Check out the Revita.SOD hair growth supplements. Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Mentioned in the Episode https://youtu.be/QRtqg_I3oEQ https://youtu.be/KbkNul4wQH0 https://youtu.be/9qUiAdha-1Y It’s ya boy, Bug-Z

We went and saw Halloween Kills and i was shocked by the insanity of the violence at the start and end of the movie, and bored to literal tears by the squishy, awkward middle.  @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/OUwVHX3242M Synopsis Halloween Kills picks up directly where Halloween 2018 left off. Spoilers, he makes it through the fire, and goes on a murderous rampage through his hometown of Haddonfield.  https://www.horrormovietalk.com/2018/10/24/halloween-2018-review/ While the residents decide to make their own stand against his evil, they do their best to try to find and kill Michael in a mob justice style coup.  Michael creeps through the town brutally killing random bystanders and homeowners.  Eventually, everyone ends up with more Michael Meyers than they bargained for. Review Halloween Kills is a cool concept that is hampered by slow-witted dialog and an unneeded morality appeal.  Who was the person clamoring for a barebones morality tale in a Halloween movie? I feel like I understand the Halloween fanbase pretty well. I respect them, and I know I’m an outsider looking in, but none of them are asking for this. The entire second and third acts of Halloween Kills are bogged down by inane dialog, cameos, and homages to previous films.  I will say this – the violence is pretty incredible. Some of the kills are so brutal and disgusting that I was impressed. I don’t think I’ve seen such incredible brutality done so well since Possessor Uncut from 2020. The kills were done so well that I actually got into them to a degree.  Watch Halloween Kills Watch on Amazon Click here to Buy or Rent Instead of a dialog driven homage-fest, why not do what Michael actually does best? Creep around the town of Haddonfield with Michael, stalking and killing his victims. Sparse music or silence accompaniment to pair with the gurgling, gasping, and screaming of defenseless townsfolk, just trying to get away. Show how evil Michael is, don’t tell us – WE KNOW! Make us gasp in awe. Make us fearful of walking through the parking lot at night to get back to our cars and drive home. It bums me out that Halloween 2018 didn’t get a hardcore follow-up, because I feel like if they had gone swung for the fence with the brutality, they could have made a movie that people spoke about in hushed tones.  Score 5/10 Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

We went and saw Lamb, and I’m still wondering about what I saw. This moody and intimate Icelandic horror movie may not have a lot of scares, but it serves up plenty of dread, and will stick with you for a while. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. Lamb can be found in theaters now Synopsis Lamb is about a childless couple working a farm in Iceland that discovers a unique lamb born in their barn. They take special care in raising this lamb, but something’s not quite right. You can tell because some of the other lambs have shifty eyes. https://youtu.be/hnEwJKVWjFM Review of Lamb This is a very unique movie. It’s one of the things I crave in a moviegoing experience: novelty. There has definitely never been a movie like this one. The story is very simple and spare, but somehow punches you in the gut with vague allegory. It’s almost hard to come up with what this movie is about without just describing the plot, but the themes go into nature vs nurture, seeking happiness where you shouldn’t, motherhood, loss, jealousy, and synthpop.  It is definitely slowly paced, but that isn’t to say that it isn’t engaging. It held my attention, and affected me on an emotional level. The visuals were stark but beautiful, reminding me a lot of A24’s other recent release The Green Knight. https://www.horrormovietalk.com/2019/10/16/the-witch-review/ If you think all of A24’s movies are pretentious garbage, then you’ll hate this movie, but if you want to see something that you haven’t before and are willing to soak in some melancholy for a couple hours, I highly recommend it. Score 8/10 Watch The Witch On Amazon Click here to watch Get a 30 day free trial at Shudder.com with code HMT. Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

We watched Ernest Scared Stupid and were reminded of a simpler time when all you needed for a kids movie was a man with bizarre facial expressions and copious amounts of boogers. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/ni50DLOKdZY Synopsis Many years ago an ancient evil was locked away in the earth below Briarville, Missouri and today our lovable clutz, Ernest has unleashed it upon the children. Won’t someone think of the children?  Well, Ernest did an oopsy and now he’s going to right his wrong with the help of all the kids in Briarville. But that means he will have to face the terrifying Trantor the troll! Will Ernest be able to save the kid’s souls? Will he fuck up even worse? Will children who watch this movie get more trolls than they bargain for?  Review Ernest Scared Stupid is probably the most memorable of all ten Ernest movies that have been made starring the legendary Jim Varney. There is a tried and true method for making kids movies that I think might have started with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids where the kids would build elaborate contraptions that were as goofy as they were oddly effective. This is one of those, but with the added benefit of starring a pre Jim Carrey slapstick aficionado, and goofball.  When you add trolls and a special effects department helmed by the Chiodo Brothers, apparently what you get is a horror movie made for kids that is so effective that I still remember it with glee. https://www.horrormovietalk.com/2018/12/26/gremlins-review/ Watch Ernest Scared Stupid Watch on Amazon Click here to Buy or Rent Has this film aged well? It depends who you ask. If you are talking to me, I remember this being far more terrifying and interesting. If you ask my kids they will cry and tell you that it was the scariest thing they’ve ever seen. This film isn’t for me, but it’s a cult millennial legend for a reason. It did a lot of things right, even if it’s too scary for little kids and way too boring for me. This is a fabulous introduction to horror for kids, being accessible, fun, and not so gentle that kids feel belittled or coddled. It’s got some potty humor, but honestly that’s one of it’s strong-points. Ernest Scared Stupid is a ton of family fun and an easy title to throw on for background noise or to keep the kids entertained while you have a Halloween party. Score 4/10 Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

We went and saw Malignant, and It had me all turned around. I didn’t know if this movie was coming or going. Wan is an experienced filmmaker, but this film makes me wonder if he had brain trauma since Aquaman. (1:27) – Intro (5:51) – Trailer (8:42) – Synopsis (9:07) – Review (15:42) – Score (25:50) – Spoilers (1:02:17) – Make it Better (1:18:01) – Outro Malignant can be found in theaters now and streaming on HBO Max until Oct 10 @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. Synopsis Malignant is about an abused wife, Madison (Annabelle Wallis), who after her husband is murdered, begins to see a figure in the shadows and having visions of murders. She finds out that these murders are real and that she has been witnessing them in real time. As police investigate the crimes, they seem to be tied together and related somehow to Madison’s past. https://youtu.be/Gczt0fhawDs Review of Malignant (2021) James Wan, the director of Malignant is an accomplished horror director. Say what you want about The Conjuring, Saw, and … Aquaman? The truth is he is a competent director that has made some very enjoyable and successful movies. So much so, that entire franchises have been launched from his films. So the question is. How did Malignant happen? Is this a joke? I can only assume that Wan intentionally made a bad movie, because otherwise, the only explanation is head trauma.  There are times when it shines with pure stupid fun — mainly the opening and ending scenes — but the majority of the movie seems to have poor footing with its tone. I could see some of these terrible lines of dialogue and ridiculous plotting work in a committed exaggerated campy horror film, But foolishly, everyone is playing it subdued and straight. I sat there watching the film, bored for most of it, desperately wanting a Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead 2 type actor to bring some levity and self awareness. Nope, just performances of the caliber that you would see on your mom’s favorite c-tier CBS crime procedural. The influences are many and varied. I’m reminded of most of Wans career with elements of The Conjuring and Saw apparent, but also campy horror classics like Re-Animator and Basket Case. However, instead of taking disparate ingredients and making an enjoyable stew, we are treated more to a bachelor’s feast of unrelated stale cold leftovers eaten out of tupperware containers.  The film could have gone a number of ways to explain what is happening to Madison. It could be a haunting, a possession, a serial killer, psychic powers, etc. What it ends up being, is so dumb that you almost want to stand up and clap. I wish I could like this movie more, but the story in the middle of the film, and the characters are so boring, The ridiculous parts that I did enjoy couldn’t overcome them. Score 3/10 Buy The Conjuring Now on Amazon Click here to Buy Get a 30 day free trial at Shudder.com with code HMT. Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

Just released, Horror Movie Talk presents the Midnight Mass Aftershow. We’ll breakdown each episode of the upcoming seven-part horror series by Mike Flanagan on Netflix with a companion aftershow episode. About Midnight Mass When Father Paul’s appearance on Crockett Island coincides with unexplained and seemingly miraculous events, a renewed religious fervor takes hold of the community. But do these miracles come at a price? From Mike Flanagan, the creator of The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass tells the tale of a small isolated island community whose existing divisions are amplified by the return of a disgraced young man and the arrival of a charismatic priest. Subscribe Now Subscribe to Horror Movie Talk on your favorite podcast platform so that you can binge the entire aftershow on the same day that you binge Midnight Mass on Netflix. Midnight Mass Promo Poster

In the exciting conclusion to the Midnight Mass Aftershow, we cover Book VII: Revelations. We breakdown the horror and metaphysical aspects of this last episode of Midnight Mass. (0:46) – Welcome (1:51) – Opening Prayer (3:10) – Synopsis (11:02) – Sermon Synopsis In the finale, we see the resulting chaos of what happened in the church. Lines are drawn the turned and unturned, and Bev self righteously appoints herself as the leader to guide the islanders. While continuing the heavy violence from the previous episode’s finale, this final book takes a hard turn into the metaphysical as many characters confront their life choices, and their impending death. MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) KATE SIEGEL as ERIN GREENE in episode 107 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021 MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) ANNABETH GISH as DR. SARAH GUNNING, IGBY RIGNEY as WARREN FLYNN, ANNARAH CYMONE as LEEZA SCARBOROUGH, KATE SIEGEL as ERIN GREENE, and RAHUL KOHLI as SHERIFF HASSAN in episode 107 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021 MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) IGBY RIGNEY as WARREN FLYNN and ANNARAH CYMONE as LEEZA SCARBOROUGH in episode 107 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021

At this point, everything has been set in motion and we get to see what “God” wants for the island of Crockett. Listen to Episode 6 of the Midnight Mass Aftershow. (0:45) – Welcome (1:22) – Synopsis (3:37) – Opening Prayer (4:30) – Sermon Synopsis This episode starts with Erin In the boat where… stuff just went down. At this point, everything has been set in motion and we get to see what God wants for the island of Crockett. The apostles who have been chosen on the island are setting to work doing what has to be done to spread salvation to the rest of the island. We sit and watch in dread and I have to wonder, is this all part of God’s plan? Maybe he does work in mysterious ways. Maybe this is salvation. Maybe those who stand opposed to Bev and Monsenior Pruit are in defiance of God’s will.  If that is the case, would you accept the sacrament? Would you follow this God? MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) SAMANTHA SLOYAN as BEV KEANE and HAMISH LINKLATER as FATHER PAUL in episode 106 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2021 MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) KATE SIEGEL as ERIN GREENE in episode 106 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021

Gospel means the good news, and this episode has some of the worst news for our favorite characters. (0:46) – Welcome (1:45) – Opening Prayer (2:42) – Synopsis (4:42) – Sermon Synopsis Riley is missing, and Erin is searching all over the island for him. Father Paul is starting to sound more militant in his Good Friday Sermon, and Mildred is appearing almost as young as her daughter. We eventually find out what Riley’s fate is and have some of the most emotional moments in the series. MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) ZACH GILFORD as RILEY FLYNN in episode 105 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021 MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) HAMISH LINKLATER as FATHER PAUL in episode 105 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021

This episode of the aftershow we get to discuss some of the most pivotal revelations of Midnight Mass. (0:46) – Welcome (1:42) – Opening Prayer (2:58) – Synopsis (6:06) – Sermon Synopsis This episode starts with Erin at the doctors office, where they find one of the most disconcerting things I can possibly imagine out about her pregnancy, the baby appears to have vanished from inside her womb. This episode is pivotal to the series so far in that we finally realize what the flying, cat eating presence is, and what role it plays. We also learn that this new pastor is not new at all, but monseniour all young and vibrant again.  Finally, we get into pithy and heartfelt dialog about what life and death are and how they can mean different things to different people. MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) SAMANTHA SLOYAN as BEV KEANE in episode 104 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021 MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) ANNABETH GISH as DR. SARAH GUNNING in episode 104 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021 MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) CRYSTAL BALINT as DOLLY SCARBOROUGH in episode 104 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021

In this episode, we discuss the major revelation of what happened to Monsignor Pruitt. (0:45) – Welcome (1:38) – Opening Prayer (2:15) – Synopsis (4:09) – Sermon Synopsis This episode fills in details about what happened to Monsignor Pruitt. We also pick up right at the moment after Leesa’s spine is healed. The town clamors for more healings and Riley is skeptical. Signs of de-aging become more pronounced, but no one openly talks about it. MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) ANNABETH GISH as DR. SARAH GUNNING, HAMISH LINKLATER as FATHER PAUL, and SAMANTHA SLOYAN as BEV KEANE in episode 103 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021

We pick up where we left off, the day after the storm, but there is an unexpected surprise washed up on the beach. (0:45) – Welcome (1:44) – Opening Prayer (2:35) – Synopsis (6:26) – Sermon Synopsis This episode contains death, the building of relationships, the building of faith, and even the what appears to be a modern day miracle. We get to see a little bit more of the mysterious humanoid that stalks the island, and seems to be stalking Erin. MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) ZACH GILFORD as RILEY FLYNN in episode 102 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021 MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) ZACH GILFORD as RILEY FLYNN and HAMISH LINKLATER as FATHER PAUL in episode 102 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021 MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) KRISTIN LEHMAN as ANNIE FLYNN and HENRY THOMAS as ED FLYNN in episode 102 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021 MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) RAHUL KOHLI as SHERIFF HASSAN and ROBERT LONGSTREET as JOE COLLIE in episode 102 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021

In this first official episode of the Midnight Mass Aftershow, we cover Book 1: Genesis. We introduce the characters and start asking ourselves questions about where we think the show will go. (0:47) – Welcome (1:41) – Opening Prayer (3:19) – Synopsis (6:06) – Sermon Synopsis This first episode starts out with Riley Flynn being convicted of vehicular manslaughter and serving 4 years in prison. As he returns home to the island community of Crockett, we are introduced to his family and the other townspeople of note. Much ado is made of the return of Monsignor Pruitt the elderly priest coming back from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The townspeople are surprised to learn that Monsignor Pruitt is replaced temporarily with Father Paul hill. Along with the arrival of Riley and Father Hill, spooky things are afoot in the dark of night. MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) RAHUL KOHLI as SHERIFF HASSAN in episode 101 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021 MIDNIGHT MASS (L to R) SAMANTHA SLOYAN as BEV KEANE in episode 101 of MIDNIGHT MASS Cr. EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX © 2021

We watched Paranormal Activity 3 and I literally had nightmares. This movie has taken the tried and true formula from the first few, sharpened it, and really knocks it out of the park in terms of scares. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. Watch Paranormal Activity 3 Watch on Amazon Click here to Watch https://youtu.be/90r3CnPI0AM Synopsis While the first movie in the series focused on Katie (Katie Featherston), and the second focused on her sister, Kristi (Sprague Grayden) while they are in the present, the third installment focuses on their childhood. Katie and Kristi are at home in Carlsbad, CA in 1988 with their sexy mom, Julie (Lauren Bittner) and her remarkably likeable boyfriend, Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith). Strange sounds and movements start to happen throughout the house and Dennis, who owns a wedding video film taping company takes a big interest in catching this on tape. Kristi, the youngest girl, has an imaginary friend named Toby, and well, Toby fucking sucks. Julie’s mother doesn’t seem to approve of her dating Dennis. Eventually our ill fated family get more paranormal activity than they bargained for. Review Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, Paranormal Activity 3 blows me away. So much about this movie works and it scares me to death.  With the kids being a central focus of the happenings in the house, I am basically on high alert right from the beginning.  The stationary cameras that are the calling card of this series are done so well in this that I still think about it when I think about framing and timing perfection within film. There is a reason for almost everything that happens in Paranormal Activity 3 that is rooted in decent enough logic and for everything else the scares are so intense that I can’t be upset. The way this movie uses sound is masterful. The slight movement of boring objects around the house keeps me on the edge of my seat.  Producers, take note. For the low cost of some fishing line, you can scare me way more than if you pay a huge crew of computer animators to design a monster that runs around and skins people. Mostly, the tension is the highlight of Paranormal Activity 3. While it may not work for everyone, I think the build and release cycles of tension in this are second to none. Every single time it day turned to night in this film, I was shook.   Score 10/10 Final Recommendations If found footage is something that you even mildly enjoy, this is a master class. Of the first three, I think this one is the scariest to me, and I love the oscillating fan cam!

Why start an aftershow before the show is available to watch? Because we are going to first give our overall review and tell you that you need to watch Midnight Mass. (0:00) – Welcome (1:33) – Synopsis (4:37) – Themes (17:56) – Score (20:20) – A Letter From Mike Flanagan Synopsis An isolated island community experiences miraculous events – and frightening omens – after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest. Riley also returns home to Crockett island following his incarceration for the accidental slaying of a young woman while he was driving drunk. As we experience a community threatened by the death of their fishing industry, and an aging populace, we suddenly see new life being breathed into the church.  Midnight Mass brings us an even handed look at the themes of religion, death, and what it means to live a good life amongst those who do evil even when they believe themselves to be acting in the name of God. Score 10/10 A Letter From Mike Flanagan Welcome to Crockett Island. I’m just going to admit it—Midnight Mass is my favorite project so far. I don’t like saying things like that, as filmmakers are meant to fall in love with whatever we are working on at a given time—it’d be impossible to do the work if we didn’t—but this one is truly special to me. This project is more than a decade in the making. You may have noticed Midnight Mass as Maddie’s novel in Hush, or on the shelf in Gerald’s Game—two cameos that let me keep the project alive when it looked like no one would make it. When people on set asked me what Midnight Mass was, I smiled and told them it was the “best thing I never made”.As a former altar boy, about to celebrate 3 years of sobriety, it’s not hard to see what makes this so personal. It is also born of the things that scare me the most. The ideas that animate my work always scare me—but the ideas at the root of Midnight Mass terrify me to my core. Horror is an essential genre. It helps us develop bravery and courage in very small increments. It also gives us a safe place to examine the most uncomfortable truths about ourselves as individuals and as a society. The horrors and mysteries of Midnight Mass are some of the deepest—and the darkest—I’ve ever explored. The isolated community of Crockett Island sits, surrounded by grey water and overcast skies. While there are dark forces at work that are absolutely supernatural, this show is also about the most potent types of horrors—the horrors born of human nature. Horrors of fanaticism, corruption, and blind faith. Along with the figures who lurk in the shadows, whose plans for Crockett Island are far more sinister than we know, this show is about how belief shapes our communities, our world, and our fates. It’s a show about faith, fanaticism, addiction, recovery, destruction and redemption. The darkness that animates this story isn’t hard to see in our world, unfortunately. We see it in religious and political fundamentalism, in tribalism and racism, in science-denial, in systemic corruption, and in the eyes of normal citizens moved to acts of violence and horror by belief systems that have exploited their prejudices, fears, and blind faith. It speaks to a malignant insanity that has become absolutely normalized in our world. And as Carl Sagan said, “there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.” It’s about something else as well: faith itself. One of the great mysteries of human nature. How even in the darkness, in the worst of it, in the absence of light—and hope—we sing. I hope you enjoy our song. Mike Flanagan Creator/Showrunner Midnight Mass Press Materials

Coming September 24, Horror Movie Talk presents the Midnight Mass Aftershow. We’ll breakdown each episode of the upcoming seven-part horror series by Mike Flanagan on Netflix with a companion aftershow episode. About Midnight Mass When Father Paul’s appearance on Crockett Island coincides with unexplained and seemingly miraculous events, a renewed religious fervor takes hold of the community. But do these miracles come at a price? From Mike Flanagan, the creator of The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass tells the tale of a small isolated island community whose existing divisions are amplified by the return of a disgraced young man and the arrival of a charismatic priest. Subscribe Now Subscribe to Horror Movie Talk on your favorite podcast platform so that you can binge the entire aftershow on the same day that you binge Midnight Mass on Netflix. Midnight Mass Promo Poster

This is not the greatest horror movie in the world, this is just a tribute. James Gunn’s love letter to monster movies is a shining star in the morass of 2000’s horror, It’s surprising that it doesn’t get more love. (0:34) – Intro (8:45) – Trailer (10:39) – Synopsis (11:19) – Review (17:15) – Score (21:48) – Spoilers (52:10) – Attack of the Rotten Tomatoes Game (1:01:01) – Outro @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. Synopsis Slither tells the story of a loving husband trying to have sex with his wife by any means possible. He discovers a lot about himself and makes a lot of friends along the way. Actually it’s about a parasitic worm that arrives from space to terrorize a small town in South Carolina. The worm inserts itself into a sexually frustrated local businessman and multiplies until it takes over most of the town. Along the way a ragtag group of townspeople join together to fight back against the slithering invasion. https://youtu.be/SI0BcgVdSWg Review of Slither Slither is written and directed by James Gunn, before he got canceled and then uncanceled by Disney. His style shows here with just the right amount of humor and winking at the audience. It was obviously a love letter to the horror genre, as it imitates about a dozen other horror classics such as The Thing, Society, The Blob, Rats: Night of Terror, and Star War The Phantom Menace. The cast is great, the premise is fun, and the story is executed well. It drags at some points, but has some genuinely great scenes and set pieces that overshadow any momentary boredom.  More than anything, this is a fun ride and probably deserves more attention than it gets.  Score 7/10 Watch Slither Now Watch on Amazon Click here to Watch Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Mentioned in the Episode https://youtu.be/_lK4cX5xGiQ

We watched Cube from 1997 and it held my attention from start to finish with an interesting premise and very little in terms of budget. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/Esjc0rPj3K4 Synopsis Cube has a simple premise, an assortment of individuals wake up and find themselves trapped in a maze of cubes. Each side and the ceiling and floor of each room they enter has a door on it.  Some cubes are booby trapped, and others are safe. Each individual brings a unique perspective and talent to the party, and they all must work together to escape the Cube.  In the end everyone gets more cube than they bargained for. Review Cube is an interesting low budget, sci-fi horror from the 90’s. While that low-budget feel is present in Cube, director Vincenzo Natali does a great job of masking it with a variety of clever choices. Saw, which came out in 2004, feels as if it were modeled after Cube, or maybe a loving tribute to the Cube. But it’s interesting to see what feels like the start of the puzzle gore genre. The setting and premise of Cube are compelling and force the audience to imagine the setting that they aren’t allowed to see. Whenever a movie makes me imagine the larger scale universes or sets that they hint at, it works quite well for me. The primary focus of this movie is on a handful of Cube dwellers and their attempt to escaped the Cube.  These are very highly exaggerated stereotypical 90’s protagonists that can fit into their own little boxes. These protagonist tropes range in the following ways: Nerdy student who wears glasses and can do math Disaffected office worker  Overly aggressive cop Empathetic doctor Autist Escape artist The puzzle aspects of Cube are often explained through confusing dialog with questionable logic, but I never found myself hung up on these problems. Instead I just had a little chuckle to myself about “simpler times” and let the movie unravel. At the end I found myself engaged and interested in the story and the reason for the Cube and I will be watching Cube 2: Hypercube. Watch Cube Watch on Amazon Click Here to Buy or Rent Score 6/10 Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

A soft-reboot of Candyman (1992), this new Jordan Peele written/produced feature re-invents the legend of Candyman into a fresh, new, and boring villain. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. Synopsis Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is an up and coming black artist living in the gentrified Cabrini Greens. Searching for a muse, he stumbles upon the legend of Candyman by talking to the lesser known Laundryman. McCoy’s output increases and he starts getting much wanted attention for his work as he goes down the rabbit hole of the legend and becomes obsessed. Mysterious deaths start to happen surrounding his work, and slowly Anthony gets more unstable mentally and physically as he realizes there may be a Candyman or Candymen in the house. https://youtu.be/TPBH3XO8YEU Review of Candyman (2021) Candyman (2021) lures you in with the sweet sweet promise of reviving a seductive and unique horror villain icon, and ends up remolding the legend of Candyman into a more generic set of boogeymen that fail to capture the imagination in the same way. Nia Dacosta attempts to expand the lore of Candyman by expanding the scope of his representation of historical and contemporary black trauma. It’s an ambitious goal, and unfortunately never quite hits home.  A lot of ideas and plot points in the film were interesting, but lacked some of the connective tissue to make a compelling whole. The most disappointing aspect of the film is how much flavor and charm from the original that they left behind. I kept asking myself, where is the sexy, seductive menacing Candyman? By making the Candyman legend into abstraction and less of a personality, it becomes slightly more interesting intellectually, but vastly less compelling emotionally. The protagonists of this film are never really compelling. Anthony’s obsession and vanity are the real driving forces for his motivation, but they seem to appear out of the blue, and never culminate in a satisfying end for the character. The end of the film is probably the most disappointing aspect. It just kind of happens. I was literally dozing off at what should have been the most exciting part of the movie. The reveal and transformation at the end seemed obvious and arbitrary at the same time. I’m maybe being harsh on the film, because it’s not a bad movie, it just pales in comparison to the original and I had high expectations.  Score 5/10 Watch Candyman Now Watch on Amazon Click here to Watch Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Mentioned in the Episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmHEv7pmB-g https://youtu.be/2Hq0wH7MI38

We went and saw The Night House and I was blown away by the depth of storyline, the way the movie played with tension, and the insane twist. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/W8WQGXkif_s Synopsis Beth (Rebecca Hall) which you will remember most recently from Godzilla vs. Kong has just lost her husband, but not to natural circumstances. He killed himself on the lake, in their boat.  This is an incredible surprise to Beth because not only was it sudden, but her husband never showed any signs of depression or mental illness. As we follow Beth in her shocked grief, we learn more and more about her husband who seemed to be hiding an alternate life. He went to great lengths to keep this other life hidden from Beth which is concerning enough without the nightly visits she gets from an ominous presence that may be human, or may be paranormal in nature. As Beth digs deeper into her husbands past, she finds a terrifying secret that he kept from her which left me quite emotional. Review The Night House came out of left field for me. I vaguely remember seeing the trailer before the theaters shut down and not being impressed by the title or the portrayal of the story. What I walked away from left me emotional, scared, and somewhat enlightened. The Night House takes grief and places it front and center, then places weird new rules on the night time that Beth now experiences. There are moments when this movie feels very much like a home invasion flick and others where it feels straight out of a Paranormal Activity movie. It even feels like a detective thriller at moments. But with all this it never feels cluttered or confused. The way this movie deals with sadness and curiosity is something that I connected with deeply and I am finding it hard to review because of how perfectly gobsmacked it left me. If monsters or aliens or raging killers are what scare you, this may not be your thing. But if death, and things that go bump in the night make your hackles rise, this is right up your alley. Watch The Night House Watch on Amazon Click Here to Buy or Rent Score 10/10 Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

This was an incredibly fun movie that we watched on HBOMAX, and wow, what a ride! If you want to gain access to the full review, head over to patreon.com/horrormovietalk and sign up for the We All Spoop for Ice Spoop tier. That get’s you access to: The Afterpods Early Access to all reviews The Ability to vote for 1 movie a month for us to watch Thank you card loaded with stickers

If you have been wondering to yourself what the turkey baster rapist from Don’t Breathe is up to nowadays, I have good news for you. The sequel to Don’t Breathe, Don’t Breathe 2 has come out and boy is it a doozy. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. Synopsis Don’t Breathe 2 is a wholesome coming of age tale of a blind father teaching his young daughter how to survive in the world. This sequel to Don’t Breathe takes the elderly kidnapper/rapist and casts him as the good guy. When a band of home invaders come to kidnap little girl: Old man not like this. He listen good. Bangy bangy, choppy choppy. https://youtu.be/gRbG2tjHYCA Review of Don’t Breathe 2 This movie is bonkers. It makes so many absurd choices and switcheroos, that I asked myself about every ten minutes “What am I supposed to be thinking right now?” The world in which this movie inhabits is so depraved and insane that I started rooting for the little girl to die, just because that seems like the only way she could escape this hell. There are so many times where my suspension of disbelief was completely shattered, that it was almost impossible to watch this as a movie, and I ended up looking at it like performance art. The ideas of character, theme, and morality are thrown out the window to give way to pure depraved spectacle.  If you are looking for gore and kills, this movie has them. If you want to have a story that is consistent where things happen for a reason, this ain’t the movie for you. The plot is a series of events that just happen sequentially, and the only thing that almost holds it together is that there is a constant stream of surprise reveals and switcheroos in the second and third act, that it captures your attention like a car wreck might. Score 3/10 Watch Don’t Breathe Watch on Amazon Click here to Buy or Rent Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

This week we went and saw Old by M. Night Shyamalan and I was reminded of super-obvious dialog from 50’s monster movies in the most charming way possible. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/s8xXNxBdhj8 Synopsis Old is a film about a group of strangers who meet on a resort trip to a special beach. Our main characters are the family of father Guy (Gael Garcia Bernal), mother Prisca (Vicky Krieps), daughter Maddox, and son Trent. Our protagonist couple are experiencing marital strife, but are taking this vacation nonetheless.  As our band of beach-goers spends their day, they find a woman’s body in the waves and things take a turn for the unpleasant. They also start to notice that they seem to be showing signs of mysterious aging… At the end of the day, everyone gets older than they bargained for. Review Old is, at it’s core, a fun movie. It has some disturbing concepts, impressive stakes, interesting characters, and that trademark M. Night twist that we’ve all come to expect. We expect the twist so much that it might be more of a twist if he left the twist off, but whatever. I found myself giddy with laughter at points in Old, and oddly disturbed at other points. Mostly I had a wonderful time in the theater giggling like a school-girl with my buddy Bryce, tittering over little jokes we made or quotes we thought of. Old is not a serious movie, it’s like going to see Batman Forever with friends in the theater, but good.  https://www.horrormovietalk.com/2019/01/30/creepshow-1982-review/ Is it Scary? If you are looking for something to terrify you, let’s face it, M. Night isn’t your guy. He’s your guy for stuff that makes you think about all the weird possibilities in this world he dreamt up. How do we get out of this trap? Why is this happening to us? Who is in charge? How old do I have to get before I accidentally shit my pants? There are lots of panning shots that cleverly make use of space and time, but some of the panning was distractingly stuttery. This stutter may be because of the theater we were in which is quite old, I’m not sure. Watch Old Watch on Amazon Click Here to Buy or Rent So much of Old felt like an homage to thrillers and monster movies from the fifties because the script is utterly expositional. It’s cheesy, yes, but it’s not remotely offensive in the way it’s pulled off. I cared about and was interested by all the characters and their sometimes insane actions.  Old was way more fun than I thought it would be, and thanks to the beautiful sunny locations, it’s this year’s must-see summer thriller. Score 7/10 Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

Sam Raimi‘s cabin in the woods film par excellence The Evil Dead stands as the paragon of independent, cult, and horror films since it’s release in 1981. It’s influence is felt in the films of the Coen brothers, Peter Jackson, and Edgar Wright. It’s dynamic direction and camera work declared a new and bold style for the 80s and 90s, but it’s real influence for independent filmmakers is in it’s success story as a bootstrapped production. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/NL6mioAlpJk Childhood Friends The Evil Dead launched the careers of childhood friends director Sam Raimi, and lead actor Bruce Campbell, which you probably recognize as Brisco County Jr. from Fox’s 90s television hit The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. During and after high school they collaborated shooting short films on super 8 film. This film began shooting right after Sam Raimi turned 20, and he considers it a right of passage in his life. As first time filmmakers, Raimi, Campbell and producer Robert Tapert sought financing by shooting a “proof of concept” short film titled Within the Woods. The strategy worked, and as the result of many rounds of private investment, they were able to cobble together a budget of $375,000. Even Bruce Campbell’s family’s property in Northern Michigan was leveraged to finish the film and blow it up to the industry standard of 35 mm to be shown in theaters. https://youtu.be/6Ccmkooeo5g?t=617 Sam Raimi Talking about the budget of The Evil Dead Production Initial photography was shot over the course of 12 weeks from the end of 1979 to the beginning of 1980. It was a grueling experience for all involved. The production was shot on location in an actual cabin in the remote woods of Morristown Tennessee. The cabin had no running water, and actors would go days without showering. Campbell described being doused with fake blood so much that he could only ride in the back of a truck to get home. While filming, the cast and crew of 13 actually slept in the cabin. The conditions were so cold that Campbell said that after drying a blood soaked shirt outside, it cracked in half when he tried to put it on again. The ironic part is that Raimi and crew decided to shoot in Tennessee instead of their home state of Michigan to avoid extreme conditions in the winter. As it turned out, Michigan has an unusually tame winter, and Tennessee had one of the coldest winters in 1979. Ingenuity with a small budget The makeup and effects were accomplished by Tom Sullivan completely without CGI, relying on foam latex, corn syrup blood, and stop motion photography. The low budget production was creative in its use of makeshift camera riggings such as the “vas-o-cam” which slid the camera down wooden ramps. One of the most influential techniques was the “shaky-cam” which was accomplished by mounting the camera to a 2×4 and having two operators at each end to roughly simulate a steady-cam. This technique was used for the POV shots of the demons running through the woods, along with the final shot that was accomplished with a tripod mounted to a motorcycle driven by Raimi. The Coen brothers used the shaky-cam technique in Blood Simple after Ethan Coen was inspired as an assistant editor for The Evil Dead. Reception of The Evil Dead The film is so gory that it was unrated, and banned in many countries upon its release. The grueling and plucky production resulted in a unique and shocking film that has since become a cult icon in the horror community. Synopsis It tells the story of five Michigan State students vacationing to a remote cabin in the Tennessee country. During their playful and drug fueled exploration of the cabin, they stumble upon an ancient Samarian tome that is a translation of the Egyptian Book of the Dead and a curious recording. Upon Ash (Bruce Campbell) playing the tape that contained incantations from the book, the friends are beset by evil demons that possess one of them, turning them into an undead “deadite”. They eventually learn that the only way to kill the entity is to dismember a possessed host. As the demon turns the friends against each other, the remaining living fight to save themselves torment, death, and vine rape. The Evil Dead Poster Review of The Evil Dead (1981) The Evil Dead is the film that all other cabin in the woods movies are compared to, and for good reason. It spawned an entire subgenre of horror that was so prevalent in the decades following, that the meta-comedy-horror film Cabin in the Woods had plenty to draw on in 2011. Exclusive Pretentious Cabin in the Woods Review Our Patreon supporters at the “We All Spoop For Ice Spoop” level get access to our exclusive pretentious review episodes, such as our recent review of Cabin in the Woods. Support HMT on Patreon Even with the jaded eyes of someone

Sputnik is a Russian movie released in July of 2020. It follows the lone survivor of a spaceship incident and is set in the 1980’s to give it that cold war feel. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. Watch Sputnik Watch on Amazon Click here to Watch https://youtu.be/oGgtRsvq6hc Synopsis Sputnik is the story of Konstantin Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov), who was the lone survivor of a russian spaceship crash. His partner was inexplicably killed after the crash but on the crash site.  Konstantin is being detained at a Soviet research facility in the great land of Kazakhstan for study as things don’t seem to be quite right with him. The man in charge of this research facility, Colonel Semiradov (Fedor Bondarchuk) goes in search of a neuroscientist to help him determine what is going on with Konstantin. He finds Tatyana Klimova (Oksana Akinshina) and enlists her help because she seems to care deeply about the well-being of her patients, even to the point of risking her career. As the movie progresses we learn that Konstantin isn’t alone in his return to earth, and everyone gets more Sputnik than they bargained for.  Review Having seen a few teasers for Sputnik, I thought I knew what I was getting into. I did not. This movie looks like a creature feature, and it is, but it’s a drama too, and a convincing one. As Sputnik unwound itself, I kept having to rejigger my expectations to fit what was happening. I kept asking, why is all this morality and guilty being touted around instead of a bloodthirsty monster.  Don’t get me wrong, there was some bloodthirsty monster in there, but with a hefty helping of personal drama and good old-fashioned Russian guilt. This is not a movie for the traditional horror fan looking for a good scare, this is more of a tale of heroism, personal responsibility, and standing up to your fears for what is right.  Is it a creature feature? It is in a similar way to Monsters (2010). There is a monster, and it’s weird, but it’s one of several focal points of the movie. Subtitle Issues I had a technical critique of the version of Sputnik that I watched, which was that the subtitles are sometimes blisteringly fast. I had to back up the movie many times to get to see what was happening and see what was said. I am not a fast reader, so one could chalk this up to my shortcomings, but I feel it’s worth mentioning. I enjoyed a lot of what Sputnik had to offer, and I particularly liked the way it handled personal relationships and dialog. What I didn’t love about it was it’s slow pacing and lack of a satisfying finale to the incredible action at the end of the film.  A tremendous amount of time is devoted to the will they won’t they aspect of this, which makes for a boring middle of the film. Score 7/10 Final Recommendation If you enjoy horror that doesn’t try too hard to scare you, instead focusing on intriguing you, this is for you. It’s a thriller with a monster, and the morality play makes it an interesting discussion piece, especially in the context of it’s Russian roots. Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code HMT at Manscaped.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

Anna and the Apocalypse is a mix of Shaun of the Dead and High School Musical, except less funny and with worse music. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/dfWIfwKJ7vA Synopsis Anna and the Apocalypse takes place in a little town in England during Christmas. Anna and her friends are finishing up their last year at high school, or as the English call it, Chumbumbly School. During the Christmas show, a zombie apocalypse breaks out and the next morning, all the people have to go from one place to another, and they sing about it.  Review of Anna and the Apocalypse This film is touted as “Shaun of the Dead meets La La Land”, but it’s really Shaun of the Dead meets high school musical, except not as funny and with less memorable songs. It takes almost a third of the runtime to get to the actual zombie apocalypse, which is way too long. I was expecting more, because it had a relatively high rotten tomatoes score, but for me, it fell flat. It has super generic characters along with super generic songs executing a super generic zombie apocalypse plot.  https://www.horrormovietalk.com/2019/06/19/the-dead-dont-die-review/ It wasn’t all bad. They don’t skimp on the gore and dread, even though the latter is kind of undermined by the cast singing poppy songs after losing loved ones. There are some stand out songs that did work “soldier at war”, that sounded like an eighties pump up song, and  “the fish wrap”, a throwaway song from the Christmas show. The petty and ruthless headmaster was a fun villain, but he was relegated to the B story line of the film. I wish that they had gone all in on the humor and the music. The music is only 38 mins of the 1:33:00 runtime. This is comparable to a lot of recent musicals, but feels sparse here. The humor was even more sparse, but mostly because they painted themselves into a corner by killing off a lot of characters in tragic ways. Overall, it’s ok, but I’m not going to watch it again. Score 5/10 Anna and the Apocalypse Add it to Your Collection Click here to Buy/Rent Support our sponsors Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Use code “HMT” to get a 30 day free trial of Shudder.com. Go visit our friends over at Nightlight Horror Club and give them a listen. Thanks to Emma for guest hosting this week.

We watched Creep on Netflix for the tenth time, and I have to say, this movie is just pure genius. Mark Duplass turns into the most playfully nefarious creep you’ve ever seen, and it’s one of the best performances I’ve ever seen anyone achieve. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/FBR8VcdpE4Y Synopsis Creep is a found footage film where Aaron answers a classified ad to film Josef for one day. The money being offered seems incredible, but not over-the-top unbelievable. Aaron arrives and is immediately put-off by the insane, jump-scare greeting that Josef gives him. Josef shares that he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and only has a few months to live. He wants Aaron to film this day so that his unborn son, Buddy, will have something to know his father by. Josef starts the day of filming off with Aaron filming him in the tub while pretending to bathe his son – the day gets infinitely more weird from there. https://www.horrormovietalk.com/2018/12/05/the-house-that-jack-built-review/ As we follow Aaron and Josef, we keep learning that Josef is not above lying to Aaron, and is very into making him feel uneasy and upset, without ever crossing the line of outright mania. What becomes very apparent is Josef is a total creep, and it’s more unsettling and hilarious than anything I’ve seen since. Review Creep is low-key one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. It’s directed by Patrick Brice who also plays Aaron, and written by both Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass. It’s clear that Creep is based on a series of conversations around a creepy guy that Mark and Patrick dreamed up and the way Mark brings him to life is unforgettable.  The movie lacks a formal script, instead they wrote a barebones outline and improvised most of the scenes and dialog.  Watch Creep Watch on Amazon Buy or Rent Now! The result is something akin to meeting a far-too-kind stranger on the street. They welcome you and are so excited to meet you, but you can’t help but wonder, what are they after? Why are they so excited about this exchange? What are they hiding? Mark Duplass keeps the character of Josef playful and fun, with an undercurrent of danger and seriousness just below the surface. Aaron and his actions are very easy to empathize with, which makes it very disturbing when thing go wrong. Ultimately Creep is a provocative and hilarious character study that I love to death.  Score 10/10 Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code HMT at Manscaped.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

What can I say about The Forever Purge that hasn’t already been said by its title? @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/xOrXpK-rUaI Synopsis of The Forever Purge Like the previous movies in The Purge franchise, the government of the United States has set aside each year, 12 hours where all its citizens struggle with bulimia. No wait that’s wrong, for 12 hours, all crime is legal, including murder. In this movie the citizens can’t overcome their urge to purge, and continue on their killing spree in a clumsy analogy of Trump’s America. It follows a group of recent Mexican immigrants and several of their white employers as they try to escape the murderous hordes of racists. Review of The Forever Purge This movie wasn’t good. From the other purge movies that I have seen, it feels like the franchise came up with the concept of the film, and then proceeded to have no creativity after that point. This film is no exception. The Forever Purge handles social commentary like The Family Guy handles jokes. It points out that racism, xenophobia, and classism are things. See how clever we are!? The writing is bad, to the point where I wonder if there was more than one draft. Every character is there to deliver lines that state what they are going to do next, just so the audience is prepared for what the character is going to do next. The action is probably the only good thing about the movie. There was a big enough budget to have plenty of splosions and shootouts. Overall, the impression you get from the movie is that it was written by 17 year old drama students attempting their first script inspired by the Handmaid’s Tale. Score 3/10 Binge The Purge Add The Purge Franchise to Your Collection Click here to Buy Support our sponsors Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout. Checkout Elias’ custom knife shop on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheRainyForge

10 Cloverfield Lane is a reminder that horror doesn’t have to be stilted and boring with a total lack of good acting. Sometimes it can feel like a tremendous whodunit, that has layer upon layer of intrigue and terror. On today’s episode we are joined by Kate from Nightlight Horror Movie Club Podcast. She’s a delightful person and runs my favorite horror movie podcast, so check them out! @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/saHzng8fxLs Synopsis Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is the victim of a car accident, and wakes up to find herself stuck like a prisoner in a bomb shelter. Henry (John Goodman) says he saved Michelle from the accident and explains that some kind of global nuclear event has occurred, forcing them to take shelter in his bomb shelter. Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), is also in the shelter and soon explains that he helped Henry build it.  The shelter is almost as impressive as Henry’s temper and paranoia. In the end everyone gets more John Goodman than they bargained for. Review 10 Cloverfield Lane is a freshman masterpiece for director Dan Trachtenberg, who has only this film to his name but has started production on the new Predator movie. https://www.horrormovietalk.com/2018/09/19/the-predator-review/ We follow Michelle’s point of view and are given a glimpse into what it would be like to live through a global disaster of epic magnitudes.  The script unfolds in layers of mystery and discovery, always leaving the next question around a corner, or outside the doors of the bomb shelter we inhabit with our lonesome trio. Henry is a profoundly interesting character, and is John Goodman makes him come to life the same way Ted Levine and Anthony Hopkins brought Buffalo Bill and Hannibal Lecter to life in The Silence of the Lambs. I love the way the Cloverfield series switches between storytelling mechanics, genres, and scripts. 10 Cloverfield Lane is, by far, the best of the trilogy which includes Cloverfield, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and The Cloverfield Paradox. Watch 10 Cloverfield Lane Watch on Amazon Click here to Buy or Rent The way this movie deals with relationships, the terror of the unknown, and the incredibly thin veneer of society in a way that is so real that you just feel it in your bones.  The problems that arise and the resolutions to them are practical, well thought out, and relatable. Everytime Michelle sees a way out, she sees the dreadful terror of the consequences for her actions, and the audience is right there with her for the ride. I am blown away that 10 Cloverfield Lane didn’t receive any award nominations, especially considering the strength of Goodman’s performance. Score 10/10 Get 30 day free trial, with the code HMT at Shudder.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.