Freaky (2020). The urge to make fun of the younger generation is strong, but it’s cute. 🔪👧🧔‍♂️🎭⏰😂🙂 The urge to make fun of the younger generation is strong, but it’s cute. Sort of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibe. Wish it had gotten to the hook much faster, because it took a good 30 minutes. One of those comedy movies where the joke (which is pretty funny) only has enough material for a few minutes of SNL sketch comedy, but they stretched it into a full movie instead. But it’s got some heartfelt moments and snorty laughs here and there. e.g. “Divide and survive!” (Amazon Prime.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freaky_(film)

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005). I remember this as one of the spookiest horror movies I’ve ever seen, so when I saw Jaedia’s review giving it only three stars (and describing it more as a courtroom drama, which I didn’t remember at all) I had to rewatch it to see if I misremembered. 👧😈🏛️👩‍⚖️😀👏 I remember this as one of the spookiest horror movies I’ve ever seen, so when I saw Jaedia’s review giving it only three stars (and describing it more as a courtroom drama, which I didn’t remember at all) I had to rewatch it to see if I misremembered. I both did and didn’t. What I remembered were the flashbacks, which I still think are pretty spooky and memorable. In re-watching, what I love is the juxtaposition of the skeptical and the spiritual. Personally I thought this was a better movie than The Exorcist. Good score, too. (Hulu.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcism_of_Emily_Rose https://letterboxd.com/jaedia/film/the-exorcism-of-emily-rose/

Paranormal Activity (2007, Oren Peli). Fast-forwarded through most of this one. 🏠🎥👻🥱⏩⏩ Fast-forwarded through most of this one. An interesting idea, way better execution than Blair Witch, except that these characters remained in the house long after the point where it made any sense to stay in the house, thanks to the idiot boyfriend being all like “hey baby let’s stay it’s fine” while she’s repeatedly saying “I hate it let’s leave” every day for a month. Ugh. She’s literally dragged to the attic screaming, and they still stay another night. Bravo to the ghost, I say. (Amazon Prime.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranormal_Activity

The Blair Witch Project (1999, Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez). Brian the Dog said, “Nothing’s happening, nothing’s happening… something about a map.” 🏆 🎥🌲🥾⛺️🥱⏩⏩🥱 Brian the Dog said, “Nothing’s happening, nothing’s happening… something about a map.” I gave up after 41 minutes. Little plot and the characters were annoying to be around. The next day I felt bad for abandoning it in the middle (after all, supposedly it’s included in 1,001 movies to watch before you die), so I watched the rest, and I wish I hadn’t. I can see what they were trying to do, but it didn’t work for me. The amount of plot and character development in this could have been shown in 10 minutes. The rest of the time it’s just squinting at a grainy picture trying to see anything that might be scary while trying not to get physically ill from motion sickness. (Paramount+.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blair_Witch_Project

The Descent (2005). A movie that I avoided because I thought it would be too dern gruesome for me when I first saw trailers for it. 🚗🕳️🧗‍♀️🔦🪨🧌🩸🩸😐 A movie that I avoided because I thought it would be too dern gruesome for me when I first saw trailers for it. It’s not as scary as I thought (not after playing The Forest, at least), but after a certain point it turns into an underground version of a World War I movie with unrelenting hand-to-hand fighting for survival in muddy trenches during rain storms, with Alien and Predator mixed in, and there’s a lot of screaming, and it’s a strangely similar vibe to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, except with a lot more blood and mud and glistening slime and Carrie-inspired costumes. Luckily it’s too dark to see much, but unluckily you can’t tell which character is which, either. In the end it was exhausting and less satisfying than most war movies, even with Max’s “happy” American ending. (Max.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Descent

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 40th Anniversary Edition (1974, Tobe Hooper). I didn’t expect so much of this movie to be slow and boring. 🏆 🚗🚶‍♂️🧑‍🦽👫🏠🔨🪚😱🏃‍♀️😱🏃‍♀️😱🏃‍♀️😑 I didn’t expect so much of this movie to be slow and boring. It wasn’t very gory either, contrary to the expectations built up for most of my life. Still, there’s something about the characters and the grainy handheld footage that makes everything feel gross. Interesting that it had a found-footage feel to it, in the sense that all the actors seemed to be improvising their lines. I could see some innovative quick-cut editing that’s unusual for the time. Otherwise the non-stop screaming for the last half hour really got on my nerves, and not in the fun way it was supposed to. (Amazon Prime.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacre

1408 (2012). Always meant to see this one. 🧑📕🏨🖼️📞🙂 Always meant to see this one. As with most all Stephen King movie adaptations, it wasn’t as good as the source material, but it wasn’t bad. I didn’t think it would work as a movie, since it’s such an internal experience. The bit with his daughter wasn’t in the short story at all, but I swear I remember it from somewhere. Maybe it was lifted from another King story, or it’s possible I actually have seen this movie before and didn’t remember it. It’s that kind of movie; the kind that holds your attention while you’re watching it, but you forget it a day after watching it, unless you write something down like this to know that you watched it. (Amazon Prime Video.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1408_(film)

Phantasm (Remastered) (1979). I lost interest in this after an hour. 🪦⚰️👦🪩👉🪰🚗🤷🥱😑 I lost interest in this after an hour. Supposedly a classic, but to me it’s more of a testement to the perserverance of young filmmakers learning on the job, and evidence for the long-held studio belief that low-budget horror films sometimes turn into gold mines. (Amazon Prime.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantasm_(film) http://www.containsmoderateperil.com/blog/2023/10/8/phantasm-1979

Horror of Dracula (1958). One of those classic “Hammer horrors” you’ve heard about all your life, but never actually seen. 👨🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️🩸🧐 One of those classic “Hammer horrors” you’ve heard about all your life, but never actually seen. (Maybe that’s just me.) Anyway, it’s another historical artifact movie–my parents would have been in their 20s watching this in theaters (except my parents definitely wouldn’t have been watching any Hammer horrors). It’s Dracula again, except in color and even more melodramatic, with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. A surprisingly modern-sounding score toward the end. And great diction throughout–very soothing ASMR voices. Whatever happened to actors you could actually understand? I sound like my dad. (Max.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula_(1958_film) https://letterboxd.com/jaedia/film/dracula-1958/

Maniac Cop (1988). I could tell from the title and the description and the first five minutes that this movie wasn’t going to work for me so I just fast forwarded through it. 👮🔪🥱⏩⏩⏩ I could tell from the title and the description and the first five minutes that this movie wasn’t going to work for me so I just fast forwarded through it. I didn’t watch these kinds of movies in the 80s and I still don’t particularly want to. Not even stereotypical 80s synth movie music can save this for me. (Tubi.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maniac_Cop http://www.containsmoderateperil.com/blog/2023/10/7/maniac-cop-1988