Movie Reviews
The Ritual - 2017
Genre: Horror
Review Date: 2024-12-20
Good movie. I enjoyed the vast majority of it. I think it lost a bit of charm near the end where it starts to stray from feelings of isolation and lostness, but overall still a great watch! The movie also does an interesting thing with the monster where it gives you sneak peeks in the beginning and middle that are really fun. I found myself rewinding a couple of times to see if I missed something and that was fun. Then towards the end, the movie doesn't hold back in showing the monster. I think this is an interesting choice because obviously the viewer wants to see the monster, but sometimes I think that makes the movie less impactful. Personally, in this case, I don't think The Ritual fell into this trap because the monster is so interesting and the build up was so well done.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day - 1991
Genre: Action
Review Date: 2024-12-13
Like the first, this one is very fun. Arnold is great and it's fun to see him as a good guy in this one. Robert Patrick is also great in this. The CG in this one isn't perfect but it's not nearly as bad as the first and most of it still holds up today. Unlike the first one, this one had to walk a bit of a tight-rope because the terminator in this movie is basically overpowered. I think the movie pulls it off pretty well, though.
The Terminator - 1984
Genre: Action
Review Date: 2024-12-13
This is a fun movie. This is the kind of movie where you just turn your brain off an enjoy the action. The premise is perfect to just feed into the violence and chaos and also gives an excuse for some of the makeup on Arnold partway through. The only issue is the CG at the end is a little jarring.
Alien - 1979
Genre: Horror
Review Date: 2024-11-29
Very good, I understand why it's a classic and launched one of the largest horror franchises still going strong today. Has some pretty scary moments, a good plot twist, effects look good. It's hard to find anything wrong with this movie. Only reason it isn't perfect is it almost felt like it dragged it's feet at times and the re-watch value is a bit low. Not the sort of movie I'd watch again and again every year, but, that's okay!
Halloween 3: Season of the Witch - 1982
Genre: Horror
Review Date: 2024-11-29
Great movie. It's honestly a shame in my opinion that they moved away from the one-off halloween stories for each movie in the Halloween franchise, because this movie is great. I think it's the perfect blend between fun and horror. Seems like the plot sort of rushes itself a bit towards the end, but other than that, great movie and watch. Would recommend.
Army of Darkness - 1992
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Review Date: 2024-11-29
Pretty fun, but steered away from the prior movie pretty hard into comedy. I personally don't think the comedy lands as much as the horror did in the last one. I think the charm of the comedy in the second one, was because it was layered into a primarly horror movie. I just don't think it works the other way around as much. Worth a watch if you liked the second one, but other than that, not the best.
Evil Dead II - 1987
Genre: Horror
Review Date: 2024-11-29
Fun watch. Classic, fun, 80's horror movie. It's the perfect blend of comedy and horror in my opinion. I love the sounds, the acting, the set, the effects, everything. Only possible downside to this movie is a few fo the effects don't hold up today, other than that, awesome watch. This is the kind of movie you can put on every year with your friends and have a great time.
Hellraiser - 1987
Genre: Horror
Review Date: 2024-11-29
Pretty good. This movie is a pretty fun watch, I can see why it's a classic. It has that 80's horror movie vibe but it's not quite as goofy as some other 80's horror movies with a lot of practical effects. Hellraiser's effects are still pretty good, but overall the themes are much heavie than the typical classic 80's horror movie that's usually a fun watch.
The Lighthouse - 2019
Genre: Suspense, Horror
Review Date: 2024-11-27
Strange movie, but I think in a good and intriguing way. Shot well and looks really nice in black and white. Worth the watch but be warned, it's strange. <br>Edit: after a while I still found myself thinking about this movie weeks after I saw watched it. I bumped up the score from a 7 to an 8 because I think having a movie stick with you for a while should be worth something. Definitely the most impactful movie I've seen lately, but then again, I'm a sucker for the old sailor type vibe.
From Beyond - 1986
Genre: Horror
Review Date: 2024-11-27
Ehh movie. This movie features a relatively straight-forward plot with little intrigue or mystery. Really the plot is driven mostly by how things can get incresingly escalated from scene to scene. The practical effects are pretty decent though. Okay for a one-time watch if you like practical effect, 80's horror movies or if you're a Lovecraft fan. Overall, ehh.