Walter vs Ilja Dragunov : NXT UK
Finn Balor vs Kyle O'Reilly: Takeover
Sasha vs Bayley: Hell in a Cell
Tracey Willims vs Jay Lethal: Pure tournament
Roman vs Jey Uso: Hell in a Cell
Jonathan Gresham vs Tracey Williams: Pure Title
Damian Priest vs Dexter Lumis :NXT
Candice LeRae vs Shotzi Blackheart : NXT
Johnny Gargano vs Austin Theory :NXT
Sheamus vs Matt Riddle : Smackdown
His House is one of the better slow burn horrors on Netflix, bar is low but this raised it. Part drama about refugees, part psychological horror, this film could easily please some that scoff at halloween and want to be stimulated while also satisfying horror fans alike. It isn't one i'd ever watch again, in fact as great as the first hour is, it was a bit pretentious but the last act goes for pure nightmare fuel.
The Day of the Lord, like many exorcism films, is by the numbers. By time anything interesting happens in the last act the viewer has already checked investment. There is slow burn then there is nothing happens, and the first hour nothing happens. The final act is jumbled as fuck, but atleast there is a sexy demonic lap dance for what it is worth.
Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight is one of the more fresh feeling slashers all while feeling familiar. Teens at summer camp with a killer on the loose, but instead of your normal slasher is more of the monstrous, backwoodsy, mutant variety. Add in what would be cliche characters but flipped and with heart and depth and you have a film that would work as a coming of age movie, but this isn't a coming of age flick, it is a horror film, and with that comes tons of gore. Nothing new to see but the kills are indeed quite fun! One of the better Netflix horror films this year.
Wolfman's Got Nards, a film about the production, the release, and more importantly the fandom of the Monster Squad, directed by Andre Gower(Sean from Monster Squad). isn't only one of the funnest documentaries in recent memory it is also one of the best. This film not only is made with passion but it shows the passion the cast and crew had while making it and the passion fans have for repeat viewings of this classic. Details about seeing it in the theatre, watching it on HBO, renting it on VHS, and the revival courtesy of Eric Vespe and the Alamo Drafthouse. I wish more film docs were like this, it didn't take itself too seriously, it just explored what it is like to be a fan and the connections we make in life. I could listen to hours worth of hearing how people discovered it because that is the magic of film, the memories you can make late night or at the video store, the people you saw it with and the impact it leaves on your life.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is a bit more scripted than the first, but it is to be expected, so Sasha Baron Cohen did the brilliant thing of making the star of the film his daughter and thus bring a message of feminism. This is not a sequel that is 14 years too late, no this is a film that needed to happen this year. Any sooner and everyone would have kept an eye out, but now instead of taking down the Bush administration it is Trump and 2020 is the year for this film. White supremacy, sexual freedom, religion, Covid 19, if there was any year for a Borat return this was it! Is it as funny as the first? Not really but the first had great shock value, this is more contained but has just as much cringe from the situations. The real star this time is Maria Bakalova whom plays his daughter, steals every scene she is in! Cross your fingers that we don't need a Borat 3, not that it wouldn't be welcome, but because we wont need to take down another regime.
Hulu's Bad Hair is quite possibly the most boring horror film i have seen all year. It tries to have a message but it fails, it isn't heavy handed but it claims to be a satire yet it is not funny and the point just falls flat. From the opening scene to the end i just wanted this to end. It needed to take itself less seriously, do not go full on Full Moon but atleast have humor with a premise as asinine as this.
32 Malsana Street starts off very promising, and it end satisfactory but the middle is as basic as you can get. It's like oral sex that starts off feeling well and ends in a band but while it is going on-you're not hating it but you would rather do something else. Shudder has brought in plenty of foreign titles this year but this is one of the weaker options.
Kadaver, the new Norwegian film on Netflix, has a good premise, a dinner theatre that turns out to be evil. There seems to be nods to Demons in this both in attire and how characters get lost but other than that and some good atmosphere the rest of the film is quite dull. It moves at a snails pace and nothing really happens, once it does you no longer care. While watching i forgot this was Netflix as it felt more like a lesser Shudder film.
The Witches is a film i remember not liking as a kid, i do recall renting it as a teen and still feeling nothing. The new remake ha a similar design as the first, ugly characters, but i found the mice to be rather cute, as was the story. It felt like Harry Potter lite to be honest, but that isn't a bad thing, it didn't feel overstuffed. It seemed like the cast was having fun, and there is alot of charm in the picture. I feel i will now rewatch the original. Best Robert Zemeckis film in 20 years!
As a teen i dove in to Alfred Hitchcock's filmography. I found all to be great but some never stuck with me, one of those films was Rebecca. Be Wheatley is a film maker i enjoy but only love one film of, that being Free Fire but i was stoked for him to be remaking this. The film while slow, moves fast for a 2 hour film. The slowness comes from nothing really happeneing. Mysteries are hinted at then never truly explored until the end an by then it feels too late. Characters are in unbelievable relationships and are paper thin, the sets and scenery are gorgeous yet uncharted. It is not a bad film just boring, uneventful and uninteresting.
Tremors: Shrieker Island might be my favorite in the franchise since the first. It is fast paced, action packed, bloody, full of one liners, nods to other horror films and has heart. The cast is having fun in this and rightfully so. This is the best assembled Tremors cast since the first and the script easily feels sharper than the last two. Overall it feels closer in tone to the original trilogy but it welcomes new blood and feels fresh. The ending is perfect for fans of the entire franchise!
The first two episodes of Lovecraft Country felt like a film, and at the end i felt as if there was no way to continue the season, however each episode just got better and better. This has all of JJ Abram's WTF touches, and it has the poignant and social commentary of Jordan Peele. It is Us meets Lost with pulp elements mixed in. This is a series that holds a mirror to today's society? Have we come far in the past 70 years? In some regards yes but in many ways it has not. These episodes are powerful. As for the horror, it is full of monsters, witches and two of the freakiest twins to ever appear on celluloid. The real scary shit however comes from the prejudice and injustice we see in every episode and the fact that it is still going on today is real horror. It is not just a horror series, it is an important series of lives.
Aaron Sorkin did it again, in fact he crafted his best work yet. As a teen i was a huge mark for Abbie Hoffman, so The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a film i have been waiting 13 years for and it exceeded my expectations. The entire cast is phenomenal especially Sasha Baron Cohen, Mark Rylance, and Eddie Redmayne. This is one of the most important films of the year, held in 1969 but with a mirror held to today's society. Police brutality, political injustice, racism, sexism, not much has changed in the past 51 years. Only Sorkin can take essentially a court room drama into a heartfelt and gripping piece of social commentary, Is this his masterpiece or is that yet to come?
The Mortuary Collection is probably my favorite horror anthology since Chillerama. This is the most Tales From the Crypt/Creepshow esque EC Comics inspired horror flick in a long time. The wrap around sets the tone and has Clancy Brown doing his best Tall Man. In the tales we get Lovecraftian imagery, spot of feminist/toxic masculinity social commentary, macabre humor, and a great twist on the final girl.
Haunting of Bly Manor is yet again another great addition to Mike Flanagan's television/filmography. Not quite as powerful as Haunting on Hill House but it is indeed a worthy follow up. There have been many adaptations of Turn of the Screw, including this year's awful The Turning, but this here while a loose adaptation is one of the best. It's a slow burn but it is atmospheric, both of Flanagan's Haunting shows feel like more focuses, less campy versions of AHS. I'm all for a third chapter in this anthology.
Room 104 is a show that is so far under the radar that i only know 2 other people that watch this gem. Four seasons of magical, surreal, twisted, bleak, whimsical, intelligent, and dark what the fuckness. From murderous twins, to musical numbers, from barbarians to eating dicks, from interpretive dance to foam that melts people, from 90s sitcom aesthetic to ghosts in the walls, from horror hosts to pro wrestling, from Satan to cartoons, this show had it all. No two episodes were the same, all had different casts and plots aswell as genres. Mark and Jay Duplass crafted their masterpiece!
If it were not for Ryuhei Kitamura directing the Doorman, i would have passed. It looked like a bland John Wick rip off, but it wound up feeling more like an Liam Neeson rip off. Ruby Rose is decent in small parts like John Wick 2 or Orange is the New Black but is a wooden lead. The villains were one dimensional stock characters and the plot made no sense at all. Worst film of the year? Yes, yes this is.
The Cleansing Hour is a welcome change of pace to possession films. An internet fame obsessed hoax of a host dealing with a real demon. It might not sound groundbreaking, and it isn't, but with as cookie cutter and dull that most possession films this is a breath of fresh air. With it's takedown on organized religion it plays both sides of skeptic and faith. It also has an interesting twist on possession towards the end that leads to a open ending that is a bit dark.
Clive Barker's Books of Blood are often celebrated, especially in film. The adaptations have garnered cult status or even staples of americana and horror. The new Hulu film takes what could be interesting material and turns it into a bland, dry and overly long film that needs to fix it's pacing, use a more interesting cast and look like anything other than a 00s STV film.
This was a mistake. Watching shit just because it involves Halloween is not a wise decision. Add in Adam Sandler playing his post modern mentally challenged character and you have a recipe for failure. The younger cast shines and i chuckled here and there but ultimately the film's jokes fall flat, the plot is awful and there is not a love of halloween in the air. This is netflix reaching for their Sandler deal and them milking Halloween like it is Christmas. I wish Sandler won the oscar so this shit would end.
Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo is a film i mainly rented for three reasons. 1) Halloween, which this film indeed showcases. 2) Elvira, a nice cameo which fits Scooby lore. 3) Scarecrow, why a Batman character? No idea, cash grab? Weak attempt. I also found the characters to be weak aswell, their choices didn't make alot of sense such as Velma's denial of Shaggy and Scooby saying there are monsters. Daphney's slang while only in a scene was quite cringe, but that was the point. At the core it is a basic Scooby flick but with several fun nods to Scooby history(and a Pup Named Scooby Doo) plus it has a love of halloween so that alone is worth the price!
Vampires vs The Bronx follows the modern foot steps of IT and Stranger Things with 13 year olds battling monsters. It has a Fright Night meets Attack the Block vibe throughout, especially with the setting and the aura of vampires. Fun, fast paced and charming, a celebration of friendship and culture, i hope this does well for Netflix because it is very timely for today's society.
Let's Scare Julie had a decent trailer, some decent buzz and some Purge esque masks. I figured it being from Shout it might also be decent. What it is, is atmospheric, it's a good flick to watch alone in the dark as you feel like you are there, or with a group of friends so you can think you're having more fun than the characters are. We are forced to watched a slumber party with a bunch of bitches that are trying to prank a girl only for the horrors to turn real. I didn't watch this with friends so i don't know how well it would hold up as a so bad it is good flick, but i love the Room and Plan 9 by myself but not this. As i said i respect the vibe it had but the plot, acting and pacing were just awful. Let's Scare Julie and let's waste six bucks on a rental.
With the Binding being from Italy, i had hopes it would actually be a good possession film. I didn't need great, just good. Instead it was subpar. It had moments but it all felt tired and familiar but not in good way. It wasn't bad by any means, it was just a run of the mill possession film.
Finn Balor vs Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa: NXT
Roman Reigns vs Jey Uso
Finn Balor vs Adam Cole: NXT
Io Shirai vs Shotzi Blackheart: NXT
Damian Priest vs Timothy Thatcher: NXT
Scare Me is possibly the best original/exclusive film on Shudder. The film is a journey, both mentally and emotionally. We start off with just two strangers telling stories, but instead of anthology horror we see two souls hanging out, bonding, having a good time and acting out their stories. It is funny, heartfelt and whimsical. The last act takes a sharp turn and then the real horror begins. This film magnifies the fragile male ego, jealousy, and the depths that torment people. There is a bit of dialogue at the end that sums up the entire film and at that point you know the flick, while a celebration of horror, is also so much more with its commentary.
