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Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)

6/3/21 - Avid Saw Fan

Before I begin I must say that Saw is one of my favorite movie series. So I am a little biased with this review.

Cons: doesn't follow previous Saw films (direction, traps, plot), the pacing is off, the twist is not as clearly hidden as the directors might've thought it was, the voices were a little distorted.

Pros: there's tons of avenues for the series to continue in now, Samuel Jackson was great, it is politically relevant, the storyline while not being Saw is able to stand on its own.

Overall: the movie would've been a lot more enjoyable if they just labeled it Spiral. When you mention Saw people get a particular thought in mind. They look for little details, they're looking for John Kramer or his disciples, they're looking for gore and sadistic traps; however, this is what you expect from Saw. This movie should be treated as it's own standalone film and I think the ratings would've been better overall. It would get a higher rating for opening the Saw franchise back up but I'm interested to see where this new direction will take it.

The Possession of Michael King (2014)

5/25/31 Viewer Horror Fan

Came across this on a random coincidence. Was absolutely pleased.

I believe the plot has been done before, because my faithful partner died of a random occurrence, I no longer believe in God. So to prove this, I wanna show everyone that there is no God.

This is one differs in how it develops. It has it's cliche' moments but they are few and far inbetween. I can say that the way the director chose to represent a change, is very abrasive and jarring but it's not bad.

I would recommend for a good watch. Could be a good movie for people that are new to horror or really enjoy supernatural religious movies.

Spiral (2019)

12.23.20 Review

This had potential as a gay man knowing that the protagonists of the movie were an interracial gay couple with a daughter from a previous marriage I had hopes.

This movie plays the stereotypical game with its protagonists and plot. Why 6 stars?

Pros: plot has promise, it's not a jump scare but more of a thriller type of horror, the other actors were pretty good.

Cons: predictable, way too long, the main actor couldn't carry the role. It became cliche really quickly and a lot of the movie is fluff. If it could be cut about 20 minutes it would be definitely help with pacing and actual important stuff for the movie.

If you just want something on to pass the time, this will work. If you want a drop dead amazing movie experience - get out of 2020 lol

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

Not Everyone's Cup of Tea 9/12/20

This movie will not be for everyone.

I'll give my humble opinions, not as a full critic, but as someone that loves only horror movies. (This was marketed as a Psychological Thriller which is why it popped up in my feed)

1) Don't look at as a psychological thriller. I'm not entirely sure where to place this movie but it is definitely not horror.

2) It does a great job of building tension so you are anticipating a jump scare or some sort of paranormal twist to occur but nope.

3) It is entirely too long. If the movie was shorter I believe it would be a more tolerable watch.

4) You don't need to have a MA in literature to follow the movies ideals. Plot? Possibly. The ideas of the movie? No

5) The acting is good. It can be a little pretentious but I feel like if it cut down on that by like 25 minutes it would be deserving of a higher rating.

Ultimately, if you have time to invest I'd recommend it. However, if you don't want your brain to do a lot of piecing together - and you want the people who get paid money to do it - this won't be the movie for you.

I don't think it's worth a 2nd viewing but we're in quarantine so what else are you gonna do?

Coherence (2013)

5/8/20 viewer

Hmm where to start...

Pros: The movie and the plot is really good. It takes a new twist on a very stagnating movie trope. The actors were good but the dialogue between them could've been better. I feel that for the most part you hate those characters you're meant to hate and you root for those that you're supposed to root for.

Cons: horrible ending. Right in the third act things just fall apart. The ending provided was ok but it introduces a new plot point within the last 15-20minutes with no time for it to it to play out.

Overall: Outside of that I feel as though it's worth a viewing just know that some plot points are never truly fleshed out but the actors put up a very realistic portrayal of their generic stereotypes ( the cheating friend, the ex invited to a party that stills has feeling for the ex, the jealous partner, the normal person that brings nothing to the plot, the alpha male etc...)

Ghost Stories (2017)

Recently watched 11/12/19 6.5/10

Sooo let's get to the nit and gritty here.

Is the movie perfect? No. Has the premise been done before? Yes Is it enjoyable? Yes but have no expectations

Overall the movie was good and if you blinked you missed something that came up later in the plot. It's a good recommendation, again just have no expectations and enjoy the story.

Into the Dark: Pooka! (2018)

It's okay

So I'm not going to insult anyone saying that if you don't get it, you suck but it is a slow burner with a twist ending.

Now about the movie....

It's not bad but don't expect a masterpiece. The premise starts off similar to the movie "Clown" but then the movie takes a twist. It is a psychological thriller movie and if you take the time and pay attention you could possibly predict the ending or come close to it.

If you have 80 minutes to spare, then I'll recommend watching it. Definitely a good 6/10. Gave it 5 just because it does take a while for the plot to quicken. Certain scenes could've been trimmed down but that's just me being picky.

Hope you enjoy!!! Pooka!!!!!

Stephanie (2017)

A Real Slow Burner

Not gonna lie the beginning almost put me to sleep but the ending clears everything up and makes it so that the beginning was almost necessary.

I don't wanna give any details about the movie because it appears that the least you know the better the experience but I'll say to hang in there during the slow burner beginning but pay attention, when it picks up it really does a good job of tying things together while leaving room for a sequel of sorts.

The Devil Inside (2012)

Ehh... It's ok

The film itself has some really good points and then some really bad parts.

Good:

• The actors were believable to a certain extent
• The real life story behind the Vatican and exorcisms

Bad:

• Huge plot points
• not exnouhh explanation about what's going on
• as the movie progresses the actors seem to lose all validity. For example, there is one scene where one of the characters shows signs of possession but the person that has dedicated his life to possession asks completely oblivious to what's going on
• The ENDing was just horrible

Unfortunately, the bad out weighs the good but overall it's a good time spender, if there's nothing else to do. Just don't have huge expectations

Devil's Gate (2017)

The story is there, execution is ehh

The movie was good. Acting was ok, some people far better than others. The drawback is that the movie introduced so many interesting concepts but failed to fully develop any of them. The movie has about 3-4 good areas that if fleshed would make this an 7-8 hands down. But for the actors, the storyline and the scenery I'd give it a 5.

Malevolent (2018)

It's a Netflix Original

It's not a bad movie by any stretch. It has its flaws but it's better than others are making it out to be. It has the typical horror tropes: jump scares, typical plot, token unlikable character, surprise twist, death, some sort of supernatural entity and a somewhat ambiguous ending.

Don't go in expecting a masterpiece but just enjoy it for what it is. It has a good main actress and while some more character development would've been great it's definitely watchable.

Hereditary (2018)

Not a horror movie

I think the mixed reviews for this movie is due to the fact that the movie was promoted as a horror movie when it wasn't.

If you take the "horror expectations" out of the context then the movie was surprisingly good. I would say have no horror expectations and just sit back and enjoy the ride. It will definitely take you through some twists and turns.

Living Among Us (2018)

Great Premise... Ok implementation

So no spoilers here. The films cinematography was really great. Found footage films are kind of despised now but this one wasn't bad in terms of camera shakiness and the overall camera work.

The actors were good. The script was not. I could see the actors trying to do the best they could with what they were giving. Certain characters like Blake and Andrew, were good in bringing creepiness to their respective parts. Then other characters like Mike and Benny, while good were not very good protagonists and I actually caught myself wanting the vampires to come out on top by the end of the film.

***************************Spoiler******************** What happened to Carrie???

Encounter (2016)

Encounter

I have actually never rated a horror movie lower than 5 on here due to the infallible rating system that IMDb relies on. However, in this case I could not actually sit still to watch this movie.

As an avid lover of horror movies, I believe that the "Hollywood" part of the genre has taken what the indie type films have managed to salvage. Rarely, has Hollywood taken a premise and made it better; unfortunately, for this film this is one of those rare occasions.

Encounter starts off with the usual trope of newlywed couple, dedicated spouse (usually groom) to filming or capturing some paranormal activity, a dedicated, but skeptical spouse and some sort of paranormal entity. As the movie progresses, it's likening to Paranormal Activity becomes very obvious (even with the found footage type of film).

What makes the film unwatchable, to me, is the lack of depth in character development. The landlord is creepy and weird enough and while he has some spotlight, not enough information went into his development. The couple becomes annoying after the first half and the plot takes waaaaaaaaaaay too long to progress. The movie is less than 90 minutes, but it could be completed in 50 and would've been a far better project.

Recommendation: watch on Netflix or some other movie website but don't pay for this. Prepare your patience in advance and don't get your hopes up. Good Luck!