The original Child’s Play was released in 1988, and concerned a serial killer named Chucky (Brad Dourif) who, with his dying breath, transfers his soul to a mass-produced doll. He then torments his six-year-old owner, Andy. The reboot, 21 years later, features a disgruntled Vietnamese sweat shop employee (still less racist than the voodoo practice in theContinue reading “Child’s Play (2019) is Surprisingly Likable”
Tag Archives: review
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is, Beyond a Doubt…Really…Something…
Alvin Schwartz’s series of three Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books were published over forty years ago, and generations of people have grown up reading them. Now imagine the pressure of adapting those beloved books into one movie. Consider that the stories in the book are based on folklore and urban legends, andContinue reading “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is, Beyond a Doubt…Really…Something…”
Pet Sematary (2019) is Great in its Own Way
The Creed family: father Louis (Jason Clarke), mother Rachel (Amy Seimetz), eight-year-old Ellie (Jeté Laurence), toddler Gage, and cat Church have just moved to a woodsy part of Maine for a chance to live the simple life. Unfortunately they find that life is simple nowhere, particularly when they live next to a road full of distracted truckers and aContinue reading “Pet Sematary (2019) is Great in its Own Way”
‘Hell Fest’ is Pretty Decent
Natalie (Amy Forsyth) is visiting her best friend Brooke (Reign Edwards), who along with Brooke’s pal Taylor (Bex Taylor-Klaus) coax Natalie into going to Hell Fest with them. Seems Natalie’s crush Gavin (Roby Attal) has VIP passes for the lot of them to experience the joys of the Halloween theme park without all the lines. Also alongContinue reading “‘Hell Fest’ is Pretty Decent”
‘3 from Hell’ is Well-Made, but Still Crushingly Disappointing
3 from Hell is Rob Zombie’s newest film in the series documenting the Firefly/Driftwood/Spaulding family, following 2003’s House of a 1000 Corpses and 2005’s The Devil’s Rejects. The end of the latter shows the remaining family members riding sorely unmatched into a shootout with the police, so I’m guessing the 14-year lapse had at least partly to do withContinue reading “‘3 from Hell’ is Well-Made, but Still Crushingly Disappointing”
‘Ouija’–The Sequel is Better, but This One’s Grown on Me
Laine (Olivia Cooke) has just lost her friend Debbie (Shelley Hennig), who has seemingly killed herself. She longs to find out what happened, and decides that she, her sister Sarah (Ana Coto), their friend Isabelle (Bianca A. Santos), her boyfriend Trevor (Daren Kagasoff), and Debbie’s boyfriend Pete (Douglas Smith) should try to reach her withContinue reading “‘Ouija’–The Sequel is Better, but This One’s Grown on Me”
Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’: Terrifying, Funny, and Provocative–Sorry, I Wrote an Essay (not sorry)
*2026 edit: This is my attempt to write a review of a movie I love that also challenges notions that racism is no longer an issue today, and I ended up incorporating a lot of things I’ve been reading. I am very adamant that white people should recognize their privilege, and I hope I didn’tContinue reading “Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’: Terrifying, Funny, and Provocative–Sorry, I Wrote an Essay (not sorry)”
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Visit’: I Swear the Twist is Great and Somewhat Unpredictable
Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) are two teens whose mother (Kathryn Hahn) has shipped them off to stay with her estranged parents for a week. Nana (Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) seem nice enough, but their behavior soon turns odd. Pop Pop is paranoid and quick to anger, while Nana tendsContinue reading “M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Visit’: I Swear the Twist is Great and Somewhat Unpredictable”
‘Ju On: The Grudge’–I Wuvs!
Japanese movie, directed by Takashi Shimizu. This is the film the 2004 American remake (also directed by Shimizu) draws the most from (there is also Ju On: The Curse), and I’m not counting the Japanese sequel. A woman named Kayako (Takako Fuji) and her son Toshio (Yuya Ozeki) are killed by her husband Takeo (TakashiContinue reading “‘Ju On: The Grudge’–I Wuvs!”
‘Para Elisa’: Not the Worst, but Often Frustrating and Unpleasant
Spanish movie. Ana (Ona Casamiquela) is a college student who needs to raise money for a post-grad trip, so she answers an ad for a nanny. Unfortunately, her employer Diamantina (Luisa Gavasa) is completely unstable, and her daughter Elisa (Ana Turpin), who turns out to be older than Ana, wants her to be her doll.Continue reading “‘Para Elisa’: Not the Worst, but Often Frustrating and Unpleasant”
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