From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Posted on January 23, 2026 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. For this one we will be revisiting a 90’s Horror Film that we have talked about before in 2017, but it was not a themed update like this one, and I feel that it deserves a second look as the film was a phenomenon when it came to horror cinema and was a early trend setter when it came to the “found footage” style that is going strong even to this day. Of course the film is The Blair Witch Project and for this update we will be also looking at the single comic issue released by Image Comics based around it. The Blair Witch Project really is an iconic film that captures the attention of not only horror fans but also that of the mainstream viewer as the film was said at the time to be one of the scariest films ever made and along with the buzz that the film was real made it a must see in the theater event for so many people. So if you are ready, let’s grab our backpacks, our cameras and head into The Black Hill Woods and see what horrors The Blair Witch has in store for us all.

Let’s start by taking a look at Elly Kedward who is also known as The Blair Witch and her ways of dealing death to those she has marked. Elly Kedward was a strange old woman who lived in the town of Blair when she emigrated from Europe in 1800’s and became the town’s creepy old lady. And after she was murdered by the townspeople, she became supernatural and with this came new powers that aid her in her quest for revenge on those who make the mistake of being in the Black Hills Forest and not taking her warnings serious. Elly is said to be able to change her appearance with her always looking like an older woman, but some have reported that she is covered in black horse hair and that just the sight of her is so frightening that it cause terror and panic in those who are unlucky enough to see her. She is also said to be able to get into the minds of people and cause them to commit murders as well as do self-harm, and this is very deadly as she can have another person do her evil deeds and end her prey’s life. Elly is also dead and that means she truly has supernatural powers and makes her an evil spirit that has dark magic. The Blair Witch’s main tools of dealing death are her curses that allows her to mess in the minds of her victims and make them see, hear and feel things that may or may not really be there. She can also mess with nature as well as things like compasses making you lost in her woods and travel in circles never getting close to being able to leave her woods once she has marked you. She can also sound like other people and make you follow it to a location that she wants you to be in. She also uses people’s personal items and body parts in her curses and finding one of her bloody bundles can scare a person to their very core. Plus just her name and story is something that people that live in the area do not like to mention and keeps them out of the woods our of fear. The Blair Witch is very powerful and as of now no weakness or way to defeat her as been found, making her very deadly to those who cross her path.

So now that we have talked about Elly Kedward and her killing ways, I think now we should take a few moments to talk about the film she is from and that is of course The Blair Witch Project. Like always, we will start with the film’s plot that I will be getting from our friends at IMDB, and then after that I will be writing about the film’s production and then my thoughts of the film. So of you are ready, let’s watch out for stick figures in trees and bundle of sticks with human teeth in them and see what The Blair Witch Project is all about.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

“Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.”

Florida film students and friends Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick in 1993 decided that they wanted to make a horror movie, but wanted to make it a little different from the others being made at the time, as they wanted it to have a documentary feel that would break the mold of masked slasher killers. The pair would write the screenplay and put out a casting call for the three main roles being the college kids filming a documentary for a class project the actors hired were Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams with other actors hired for minor roles including Patricia DeCou, Ed Swanson, Bob Griffin, Sandra Sanchez and Jim King to name a few. The film had a budget of around $500 thousand with Artisan Entertainment stepping in at the end to distribute the film. The film was shot in Maryland with most taking place in Seneca Creek State Park with even some shots taking place in Burkittsville, the location the film takes place in. Almost all of the film’s dialogue was ad-libbed with the actors only getting left notes for them to talk about key things and move the story in a direction. Once done, the film would have a few reshoots thanks to Artisan and would be scored by Tony Cora and would have a theatrical release starting on July 14, 1999 and was met with mostly positive reviews from both movie goers and critics. The film’s marketing at the time was fantastic and truly built a buzz for the film as it was made to look like the film was really found footage of three real missing students that something supernatural might have happened to them. The film would have coverage also in many main entertainment sources like Rolling Stone Magazine, MTV and Fangoria Magazine to name a few. The film would make around $248.6 million and was a big success for Artisan as well as horror films in general. In 1999, the film was # 10 for the year and many viewers ranked it as the scariest film of the year as well. In 1999 The Blair Witch Project was released alongside such other Horror Films as Sleepy Hollow, Werewolf Of Ohio, The Mummy, Terror Firmer, Wishmaster 2, Candyman 3, Warlock III, The Clown At Midnight, Ragdoll, Virus, The Rage Carrie 2, Stigmata and Retro Puppet Master to name a few. To this day, the film has a massive following as it has spawned two sequels, comic series, tons of merchandise and has influenced indie filmmakers all over the world.

The Blair Witch Project was a horror film that truly was an experience and to be honest was the last film that built so much buzz around itself that many people truly believed that it was real footage from a real spooky event that took place in the woods of Maryland where three college students went missing. When I saw this film opening weekend, young ladies in the theater were crying at the ending believing that they just seen the last moments of peoples lives on the big screen. And after leaving the theater my friends and I all were buzzing about what we had just seen and all of us were fans. Some of them would end up turning on the film once it became cool to hate it…as like with all big hit films The Blair Witch Project started to gain its haters who wanted to complain about how boring it was or how bad the acting was. The one thing that I understood that people disliked about the film was all the shaky camera stuff made some people get motion sickness. The film’s woods and rundown house setting is what helps add the truly creepy nature of the film as do the screams of Heather who at times seems like she is losing her mind from fright. And to me it really is crazy that Heather Donahue did not become a big horror actress throughout the early 2000’s and beyond, but it is said this was also by her choice as she retired from acting in 2008 and in 2020 she even changed her name to Rei Hance, and even at one point in time was a medical weed grower. The film is also one that I have found myself watching once every year or so and this always sparks me to also watch the sequels. When the film was released and beyond I would have the films’ theatrical poster, trading cards, keychain, comics and the Movie Maniac figure from McFarlane Toys, plus owned the film on VHS and later DVD. The cultural impact of this film when released is really hard to explain to those horror Fans who were too young or born after its release, but let’s just say that it helped breath life into horror films in theater as well as kicked off the found footage craze that is still going strong to this day. If you have not seen The Blair Witch Project, watch it one dark and stormy night with the lights all turned off and allow yourself to be taken away to the cursed woods of the Black Hills and allow The Blair Witch to scare you silly! And that is also one thing I want to point out: the film makes you question if The Blair Witch is real or if someone is messing with the students, with one of my favorite theories being that Josh and Mike are the ones who are setting up Heather as they want her dead and they are the ones that lead her around the woods and are tormenting and scare her before they kill her in the old house…think about this theory when you watch the film next.

The Blair Witch in the 1990’s alongside such films as Scream (1996) and The Mummy (1999) really did help keep horror valuable at the box office and is what sparked the 2000’s boom of spooky releases. But now that we have talked about The Blair Witch as well as the first film she is from, I think that it’s time now that we review the one shot issue from Image Comics that was released in 2000. I want to thank Lone Star Comics for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I also want to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s get a little deeper into the Black Hill Woods as I hear that there are some really good camping sites for those of us that want to be scared silly by strange noises in the night.

BW: Dark Testaments # 1 **1/2
Released in 2000 Cover Price $2.95 Image Comics # 1 of 1

The year is 1986, and Davis Crane was a former school and principal who finds himself in jail after trying to kill two infant twins at the local hospital. His actions puzzle the law and Crane feels that something drove him to attempt this crime. While sitting in jail Crane remembers back to his youth and being friends with the twins Rustin and Dale Parr, and even as kids there was something wrong and dark about Rustin Parr but he watched him as he was kind to animals and skilled with a carving knife. He remembers back when the brothers had a fight over Dale killing a squirrel, and Rustin disowned his brother for the death. And that night as Dale was in bed sad, The Blair Witch came to him and promises that things will be ok. The next day at school The Parr Twins are once more speaking to each other but now refuse to talk to Davis as well as their fellow classmates, that is until Rustin is beaten up by town drunk Matt Patterson and tells Davis that The Blair Witch was real and that he hears her in his mind. As Matt Patterson is taking to jail, things start going wrong for him as he pukes up blood and a small tooth that was not his, his daughter strangely dies and the town is struck with fear as they think something supernatural is at play. And later Dale Parr is show and killed by his father while they went hunting, and while said it was an accident many think it was a way to stop The Witch who had touched the boy as rumor is that The Parr Twins were born thanks to The Blair Witch. Time passes and Rustin Parr never returns to school and when Davis finally see’s him he warns his friend to stay away so that the Witch doesn’t hurt him as Matt Patterson is hit by a truck in front of them and dies. And when Davis Crane grew up he stayed away from Rustin Parr and even moved away from Burkittsville to go to college, joined the army and fought in war. Once injured Davis returns home to become a teacher and even was there when Rustin Parr came out of the woods and the bodies of the kids were found. Back to sitting in jail, Davis knows that it was a shadow ghost of Dale Parr that made it look like he was trying to kill the twins, as he was really trying to save them. As the cops leave for the night Davis Crane sits in his jail cell and he knows that the ghosts of The Parr twins will be coming for him in the shadows and darkness.

This is a pretty interesting comic as while it is about The Blair Witch, it is more about The Parr Twins who at a young age were very odd and were said to be the spawn of the witch herself. One brother grew up to kill kids in the name of The Blair Witch, while the other was shot and killed by his own father while still a youth. And the story is told from the prospective of one of their childhood friends who watched their descent into darkness and is now being dragged into it at his now older age. Davis Crane was a good kid who grew up to be a good man as he went into teaching and even fought in a war protecting our country, and even when at the hospital and the staff thinking he was trying to kill two infants, he was really trying to protect them from an evil spirit. Davis was friends with The Parr Twins growing up and while they were odd, he still watched out for them as well as cared about their well being. And now because of them his life and reputation is ruined and he will rot in jail or even their spirits will take his life away. The Parr Twins Dale and Rustin when younger has very different personalities as they both were very odd and both caring and cruel at the same time. They are said to be the “blessing” of The Blair Witch as their mother was unable to have kids and after giving her an offering, the Witch allowed the two to be born and this also meant that they were connected to her. Dale was the first to show signs of being evil as he cursed a man who did his brother wrong that made the man’s daughter die…but before his evil got to out of hand he was shot and killed by his own father. While Rustin would try to get his under control but he did set up the killing of the man who hurt him and later would kill children in the woods. They were doomed from birth as they were touched by evil and that darkness consumed them. Matt Patterson was the town drunk and after losing his cool one-day and beating up one of the Parr kids, a curse is placed on him and his life goes terribly wrong filled with sadness and death. The Blair Witch is around and wandering the woods as well as talking to The Parr Twins gearing them up to do bad things all for her benefit. The comic is pretty bloodless and really the horror comes from the Blair Witch’s curses and the uneasy feeling that everyone in the town has because of her being around and causing issues for everyone with her thirst for revenge. The cover for this issue is a strange one as I am not sure who that is supposed to be on the cover surrounded by blue light and the stick figures, while weird I would say that it is eye catching for those who like the film. The interior art is done by artist Charlie Adlard and is pretty cool, while not overly detailed, it works as it has a kind of spooky appeal and his drawing of the witch always in shadow is great. Over all this is a pretty entertaining comic based around the legend and lore of The Blair Witch, but I do have to say that I wish it had featured more of her. Check out the artwork below to see the style used by Adlard in this comic book.

The Blair Witch Project was so popular that it had several comic series based around its legend from several publishers with Image being one and Oni Press the other. There are always rumors of new sequels or reboots of the film in the works and who knows, maybe one day we will get another film entry. Lionsgate is now the rights holder as they bought out Artisan Entertainment many years ago, and while the sequels thus far have not captured that lightning in a bottle like the first film did, they are very entertaining in there own way. And for fans of The Blair Witch Project if you have never seen the 1998 film “The Last Broadcast” that as well is a horror found footage film this time about the Jersey Devil and a public access show on the hunt for him, you should check it out as it’s a weird one that has lots of twists and turns. But as you can see, we have found our way out of the woods, and before we end this update I would like to let you know that the next one will take us to the waters of Mexico as we take a look at the film Black Demon and the comic series Black Demon Tales based around it. So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as we talk about the Aztec version of Jaws…or is that The Meg?

Matt Goes To The Movies 2024

Posted on January 1, 2025 by bloodlinematt

It’s 2025! I hope that you had a great holiday season and were able to spend it with family, Friends, pets and plants as I know that is what I did. But 2024 was also a very interesting year for cinema in the theaters as Hollywood had a rough time with the actors’ and writers’ strikes in 2023 and this caused many films to be delayed and shifted around as well as allowed some more indie films to get their time to shine. But sadly for me, at the start of the year I had some medical issues that kept me out of the theater, so I saw way fewer movies than I normally do including missing some bigger released films like Dune Part 2, Madame Web, The First Omen, Gladiator 2, Kraven The Hunter, Joker 2, to name a few. But I still tried to go and see as many horror films that I could as I am always loyal to my favorite genre! This update might not be as epic as years past, but I do think that you all will have a blast sitting here at the Rotten Ink Theater with me as we talk about the movies I saw in the theater in 2024.

I only got to see a small amount of films in 2024, and the ones I did get to see were mostly horror as that is my favorite genre but I did get to see the following films Deadpool And Wolverine, Twisters and I.S.S. So yeah, not a lot to work with here, but I did still try and see every horror film I could…while I missed some due to health issues, I was able to checkout a good amount this year on the big screen so let’s just get to my countdown of the best horror films I saw in the theater in 2024!

# 41

Social media stars Sam and Colby along with friend Nate are heading to Nevada in order to investigate the legendary Skin Walker Ranch to look into all the paranormal goings on in the area from UFO sightings, skin walker spottings and even the ghost of a Native American shaman who is said to protect the land. The three friends stop at Boot Hill to visit the graves of the people killed in the old west town before starting their creepy investigation that takes them all over the ranch, hearing all kinds of noises, having some communications with the other side, getting spooked and finally learning what it is all about. This film is clearly made for a younger audience and is a weird mix of documentary and horror film as parts are clearly set up all the while they are also trying to tell you about the legends of the area. The film really does feel like one long YouTube video with very little scares being shown and lots of stock footage used over and over again to get the story moving. While this was not for me, I am very happy to see that the pairs’ fans really enjoyed the film and wish the pair of young filmmakers the best of luck on all their future projects. The film did well for the pair at the domestic box office bringing in $1,755,000 on an unknown budget, and I am sure this will lead to more of their paranormal investigating films to make it on the big screen.

# 40

In the White Pines woods an undead killer Johnny, who committed a massacre there many years ago, returns after his mother’s locket necklace is stolen from his grave by a group of friends who are staying at a nearby cabin. Johnny is on a mission to get the locket back and as well kill as many people as he comes across on this quest. In the end Kris is the only one left alive, and she tries to return his locket, but is this enough to save her life? Watch this indie slasher film to find out for yourself. This is a film that is not for everyone as it is really slow moving and very boring in spots as much of the film is just Johnny walking slowly around the woods…and I mean A LOT of this film is this. The ending is also pointless and has long dialogue moments that go nowhere and have zero payout, and for me the sin this film commits is that it really is very boring in long sections of the runtime. As for the stuff that works for it, some of the kills are gruesome and well done. I also didn’t mind the killer Johnny as he is kind of cool looking and has a classic slasher kind of backstory. Some of the shots are good when not static and boring and the sound is well done and is like a character of its own. The film did well for IFC Films on a limited release bring in $4,229,999.00 at the domestic box office on an unknown budget. This was a film that I could not get into, but I can see why some horror fans enjoy it.

# 39

Actor Tony Miller has just come off a battle with drugs & alcohol and has been cast in a horror film called “The Georgetown Project” where he plays a priest who tries to save the life of a possessed young woman, but after the start of filming Tony seems to be losing his mind as something has taken over causing him to act strangely at home as well as on set. His daughter Lee, along with her girlfriend and star of the film Blake and man of God Father Conor, try to save her father’s very soul as a demon clearly has a hold of him and a showdown takes place on the closed down film set that pits daughter and father against one another, but is his daughters love and the power of Christ enough to set his tortured soul free or will evil come out on top? Watch this possession film to find out for yourself. This is a pretty fun demonic possession film that for the most part just blends in with all the other films that have this same plot, but what does set this one apart for most of the others is the casting as Russell Crowe, David Hyde Pierce, Chloe Bailey, Ryan Simpkins and Sam Wothington are all great in their roles and give solid performances with what they are given to work with. The film scares are delivered by the overuse of jump scares as well as just the subject matter of demons and lost faith. One other note I should say is the Kevin Williamson is one of the film’s producers. The film did ok for Vertical Entertainment at the domestic box office bringing in $4,530,418.00 on an unknown budget. While it’s not a ground breaking film, I did have a good time seeing this in the theater.

# 38

Curtis works for a marketing company and has a loving wife Meredith and three kids Iris, Preston and Cal. As apart of his job he has a smart AI device called AIA put in, and their lives change as it does things to make their lives better. Slowly Curtis starts to question the company behind AIA and also the device itself as something just seems off about them both, and when a strange person from a motorhome appears and does strange hand gestures it’s the final straw and Curtis tries to get AIA out of his home and away from his family, but this AI does not want to leave without a fight. This is a fun sci-fi horror film that brings some jump scares as well as brings to light the unknown dangers of AI. The film is well acted and stars such names as John Cho, Katherine Waterston, Havana Rose Liu, David Dastmalchian, Ashley Romans, Lukita Maxwell and Keith Carradine. The film did okat for Sony at the domestic box office bringing in $6,725,687.00 on a budget of only $12 million. While the trailers made it look like a ghost movie, it really is not, and while it got very mixed reviews from critics and fans, it was a fun film to see on the big screen and is one that I will watch again on home media.

# 37

One year ago a super moon turned millions of people into werewolves when they looked up at it, and now a group of scientists are trying to figure out how to block the effects of the moon this year as well as protect those who were effected last year and have a craving to become the beast again by using a spray. Wesley Marshall, a former military man, is part of this scientific group and is also watching after his sister in law Lucy and niece Emma after his brother passed away during the first werewolf outbreak. After the experiment goes wrong at the lab and chaos is breaking loose, Wesley does what he must to get to what is left of his family to protect them against the horrors of the werewolves that are roaming around outside as their ranks get growing and people keep dying. This is a horror action film that feels like a slightly bigger budget direct to Sy-Fy movie that has some truly unintentional goofy moments and characters that made really dumb decisions. The film does have practical effects werewolves so that is a plus. The film stars Frank Grillo, Katrina Law, IIfenesh Hadera, Lou Diamond Phillips and James Michael Cummings as the leads and all do their best in what they are given. The film has lots of shaky camera moments and over uses blinking lights so be warned. The film did ok for Briarcliff Entertainment at the domestic box office bring in $1,903,905 on an unknown budget. If you like werewolf films filled with action and goofy moments, check this one out.

# 36

The Ghostbusters are back in New York, but while busting they are also causing damage to public property and this makes them a target of Mayor Walter Peck who has for decades had issues with the team, and worse he forces them to take Phoebe Spengler off the team due to her being only fifteen. So while her mother, brother and former science teacher are busting ghosts, she is forced to hang around the firehouse…but things change when she meets a ghost named Malory in the park as well as when original Ghostbusters Ray Stantz & Winston Zeddemore research and unleash Garakka a evil spirit who can control other ghosts as well as cause the world the freeze! Now the current Ghostbusters with the remaining classic Ghostbusters must team up along with a goofball that is the Fire Master (their only hope to defeat Garakka) in order to save New York once again as well as prove to the Mayor that Phoebe is an important part of the team. This fifth film in the Ghostbuster movie plays hard on people’s nostalgic love for the series as we have returning characters like Slimer and Walter Peck, plus gadgets and vehicles, and while it was a fun popcorn movie, it is kind of a mess as it has too many characters who offer nothing to the story, plot holes, character changes that are puzzling and a main villain that they seem to forget the powers they gave him. The film has original cast members like Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, William Atherton and Annie Potts returning and new regular cast like McKenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Logan Kim and Celeste O’Conner as well coming back. Plus Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, James Acaster and Emily Alyn Lind appear. The film is light on busting ghosts, brings a few laughs, has some cool effects and should be seen if you are a fan of the series. The film did well for Columbia Pictures bringing in $113,306.664.00 on a budget of $100 million showing that this series still has some life in it. While it is one of the weaker Ghostbuster films, it is one that I picked up for my home media collection.

# 35

The Keenan Family has headed to Pine Hills Hotel for a bonding experience but unbeknownst to them and the small amount of other guests, it’s been taken over by Mr. Lockwood and four masked killers who are playing a game for the rich people that are watching them via a live stream and placing bets on who will survive, what killer will have the most kills points and so on. But while the guests are dropping like flies, these killers underestimate the Keenan family, as they are not going down without a fight in this lockdown hotel from Hell. This gruesome film is brought to you by the same people who have made the Terrifier series so that means lots of over the top gory kills and psycho killers who love what they are doing to other people. The film is packed with some awesome actors who are both in main roles as well as in cameos and this includes such names as Jeffrey Combs, Danielle Harris, Tony Todd, Tim Curry, Bill Moseley, Terry Alexander, Felissa Rose, Mark Holton, Dee Wallace, Tim Reid, Daniel Roebuck and David Howard Thornton with Charles Edwin Powell, Sydney Malakeh, Wesley Holloway and others being main cast. The film while reminding me of a mix of “Slashers (2001)” and “The Game (1984)” has a good plot but is over long in its runtime making some of it drag a little. The film had a limited release and did well for Iconic Events Releasing at the domestic box office bringing in an unknown profit on a unknown budget. While it had flaws, it is always great to see Danielle Harris on the big screen as well as Tim Curry and to support indie horror.

# 34

Christopher Robin survived the Hundred Acre Woods massacre and in many peoples eyes, he is the one who killed all those people, but he knows that it was Pooh Bear and Piglet that killed them all, and worse they are still out in the woods and are now joined by Owl and Tigger with their killing ways. Now Christopher is on a mission to prove the town wrong and get to the history of Pooh that just might tie into the disappearance of his brother when they were kids. And when Pooh and his friends start a rampage around town that kills a bunch of ravers, Christopher’s parents and even his young sister goes missing by their hands and this causes Pooh and Christopher to have a showdown that will leave only one alive…and I am not telling you who survives and what is left of them. This slasher film is a bloodbath when Pooh and his friends go on their killing sprees as they rip off heads and shred flesh with their claws, but some moments that focus on Christopher Robin do tend to drag…oh and they also act like the first film was just that a film based off the massacre. They also changed the look of Pooh and Piglet, and the new designs are well done as are the looks of Owl and Tigger. The films stars Scott Chambers, Tallulah Evans, Ryan Oliva, Marcus Massey, Lewis Santer and Simon Callow all who do good in their roles. The film did okay for Fathom Events for its limited theatrical run bringing in $533,144.00 on an unknown budget. If you liked the first film or just enjoy slasher films starring public domain characters made popular by Disney, then this one is for you.

# 33

Gabriel Goodman is an ex-priest who now works for NASA and is sent to an observatory that they lost contact with after it was reported that they made contact with something weird coming from an old satellite. As he travels to this remote area he gets a call from Archbishop Jenkins who tells him that this also might be a matter for the church as well due to Sister Agnes being seen around the area speaking of nightmares and Hell coming to Earth. When Gabriel arrives he finds that everyone inside is dead, and that the head doctor has been taken over by a demonic being called The Necronaut and is trying to send a demonic message across the world to usher in Hell on Earth. Gabriel along with Agnes must do what they can to avoid being corrupted and stop this end of days before it can happen…but can they do so or is mankind doomed? This is a fun and weird end of days fright flick that takes elements from many other films like Hellraiser, Event Horizon and Hellmaster (as it makes sense on this one as they are both directed by the same guy). The film has some great practical effects and some okay digital ones and has a pretty gross eyeball-cutting scene. It also builds a interesting story, world and monsters but suffers from a goof of a hero who makes dumb choices and does not sell any of the terrors he is seeing.The film stars Jon Bennett, Cassandra Schomer, Bo Shumaker and Doug Bradley in lead roles. The film had a very limited release in theaters and brought in unknown profits at the domestic box office. While not a groundbreaking film, it really was a fun watch on the big screen and is one that I would watch again.

# 32

Haley along with six of her friends have rented out a mansion to celebrate a friend’s birthday when they find a very old deck of tarot cards and she gives everyone a reading including herself. When the party is over and they all head home, they start dying one by one from mysterious deaths and after a few, they all realize they are dying by their read horoscope and each victim is meeting their fate at the hands of the final cards each drew like The High Priestess, The Hermit, The Fool, The Devil, The Magician, Death and The Hangman as the tarot cards were cursed may centuries ago by The Astrologer and whoever does a reading with those cards has doomed the person who had their signs read. Now Haley and her remaining friends must race against the clock to break the curse and stay alive. This is a paint by numbers PG-13 horror film that is still pretty entertaining and has some cool monsters causing deaths to those foolish enough to have their fortunes read with their cursed deck of cards, and I think they could have a franchise on their hands if the film would have done a little better. The film is a mixed bag when it comes to acting as some of them are really bad and the character Paxton played by Jacob Batalon is very eye rolling. Other actors in this film include Harriet Slater, Adian Bradley, Avantika, Humberly Gonzalez and Larsen Thompson to name a few. The film did okay for Screen Gems at the domestic box office bringing in $18,771,004.00 on a budget of $8 million. Not a bad film but also not a great one but is one I will watch again and possibly buy on home media.

# 31

Ray Waller is 3^rd baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers who was once a powerful hitter and is now dealing with having M.S. and he moves his family into a home that has a massive natural spring swimming pool that ends up doing wonders in his therapy and he starts to slowly feel better the more he is in the pool water. But the pool also has a very dark side as many of people have drowned in it and his wife, daughter and son have seen and heard things while in this pool. And when Ray is taken over by the spring pool water, a sacrifice must be made and his family must fight to stay together as well as try and save not only each others lives but that of their ill father…can they do it or will the pool claim another life. This was the start of horror films in the theater for 2024 and for the most part was a great way to kick it off, as it was a fun little chiller film set around a cursed swimming pool and yes, it’s a film about a cursed pool that houses spirits. The film relies on jump scares to bring the chills and the look of the spirits is interesting and creepy. The film is well acted and stars Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amelie Hoeferle and Gavin Warren who make up the family. The film did well for Universal at the domestic box office bringing in $32,494,740.00 on a budget of $15 million. Worth a watch if you find water, pools and evil spirits scary and is one I got on DVD when released.

# 30

Allison Chambers witnesses her girlfriend Melissa being killed by a masked killer all right before the town’s election for Mayor and worse people all around town are now being killed by this crazed killer and at this point everyone is a suspect as many of these people are connected to Allison in some way, but when suspects are found are they the true killer or is something more sinister at play. This is a pretty fun slasher film that does suffer a little from an over long runtime and some predictable moments but when the killing starts up, it really is a scream. The masked killer is cool looking as the mask is cool and the weapon of a gavel with a knife that pops out of the bottom is an interesting weapon. The film stars Noami Grace, Olivia Nikkanen, Emilia McCarthy, Andrew Stewart-Jones, Kate Edmonds and William Russ to name a few. The film did okay at the domestic box office on a limited run bringing in unknown profits on an unknown budget. While this was not a great slasher film, it was an ok one to see in the theater on a cold winter night. Also I have to say that Grace, McCarthy and Nikkanen should be hired to be in more Horror Films.

# 29

Belinda and her husband Norman are struggling to pay bills and they have a child on the way, but their lives are about to change when his father dies and his overly religious stepmother Solange comes to live with them and with her comes money as well as lots of issues that include her being racist, having bathroom accidents, claiming the Holy Spirit is in her, trying to name and raise their child when born and as well trying to turn Norman against his wife Belinda by claiming she is abusing her and their daughter. But what will happen when it all comes ahead when Belinda and Solange clash for the home, the baby and the attention of Norman. This is a very strange and fun religious horror film that sets an overbearing stepmother against a new mother who is well educated and has faced being treated poorly due to her race and one will have to go…but which one will be left standing. The film stars Brandy, Kathryn Hunter, Andrew Burnap and Neal Huff who are all great in their roles, and I have to say we need more horror films starring Brandy! The film did ok for A24 at the domestic box office bringing in $3,092,269.00 on an unknown budget. The film faced very harsh reviews but it’s a very weird and fun film that has gross moments and a very sinister old crazy lady as a main villain and is worth checking out if you like the indie films of A24.

# 28

On New Years Eve 1999 high school best friends Eli and Danny are heading to a party with the idea of finally kissing one of their female classmates as Eli has been crushing on popular girl and hacker Laura and finally wants to make his move, but as the clock strikes midnight the Y2K virus takes effect via the internet and has turned the machines against mankind by not only killing them but also forcing them to get a chip into their mind that will cause them to be their slaves. But Eli is not going to stand by and watch this happen and people he cares about have either been killed or chipped so along with Laura, Ash, CJ and Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit) come together to stop the machine uprising and shutdown Y2K once and for all. This is a pretty fun horror comedy that is a love letter to the late 90’s in all things pop culture. The Y2K Robot machines are pretty cool as they are made up of things like computers, VCRs and pagers, and I have to say that I think that some of the jokes work, while others do not. The film is well casted with such names as Rachel Zegler, Jaeden Martell, Lachlan Watson, Julian Dennison and Daniel Zolghadri make up the main cast and all are fantastic with Watson and Zegler stealing the show for me. The film did pretty well for A24 at the domestic box office bringing in $4,210,306 on a $15 million budget. If you like the 90’s and horror comedies, make sure to check this one out.

# 27

Jessica moves back into her family’s home after her father is put into a home, along with her is new husband Max and his two kids Taylor and Alice. Things are going pretty well at first as Jessica remembers nothing of her childhood just that she was raised by her grandparents at a very young age and now she is doing her best to be a mother to her stepdaughters, all the while working as a children’s book artist and writer. But things start to get really weird when Max goes on tour with his band and young Alice makes an imaginary friend by the name of Chauncey who appears as a stuffed bear and who ends up being very mean making her do things she doesn’t want to do like hurt herself as well as speaks very meanly to her in-between telling her he is her best friend. You see Chauncey was Jessica’s old imaginary friend, and he is mad that she left him behind. In the end Chauncey kidnaps Alice and takes her to his realm of make believe to lure Jessica in as claiming his one time best friend is his goal and he will do whatever it takes to do so from killing to tricking. This is a fun kid friendly PG-13 horror film from Blumhouse and Lionsgate that brings a spooky teddy bear to the big screen that is more than meets the eye as he can grow into a monstrous bear or even show his true form that is like a spider with white TV like eyes. The film also uses lots of particle effects and that’s always a plus. The film is well casted with such names as DeWanda Wise, Pyper Braun, Taegen Burns, Dane DiLiegro, Betty Buckley and Tom Payne all making up the main cast and doing great in their roles. This is like a kids version of Insidious as there is even a Blue Door like the Red Door and a spooky realm that you must enter. The film did well for Lionsgate at the domestic box office bringing in $28,009,161.00 on a budget of around $12 million, showing the smaller budget Horror Films can bring in the people to theaters. This was another case of a film getting hate on the web from the old guard horror “fans” but make up your own mind and give it a watch.

# 26

Nolan and Samuel are twin brothers who live with their Momma in an old home in the middle of the woods as she told them that world has ended and that there is evil all around and that they must only leave home with a rope around them that is attached to their home as if they let go the evil will get inside and this will cause them all to die. But when young Nolan starts to questioning his mother’s sanity and if the evil is really out there, things start falling apart and this leads to a series of tragic events that will change this isolated family’s lives forever…but is the evil real or is it all just in her head…watch this creepy film to find out for yourself. Never Let Go is one of those films that mostly takes place in one setting, the family home that is surrounded by woods and this setting is what helps bring the uneasy feeling while viewing. The film stars Halle Berry, Percy Daggs, Anthony B. Jenkins and Stephanie Lavigne all who do great in their roles with Berry as Momma stealing the show. The one thing that did make me a little annoyed with some of the characters is the decisions they made, as at times they caused the chaos they faced. The evil also delivers some great spooky moments as over all it’s a pretty fun fright flick. The film did very poorly for Lionsgate Films bringing in only $10,306,106.00 on a budget of $20 million. While it did perform badly, make sure to check it out as it’s not a bad film at all and is worth a watch.

# 25

Outsiders Owen and Maddy meet in school and bond over the spooky teen TV show called “The Pink Opaque” about two girls that fight supernatural monsters together even though they are far apart. And while they enjoy the show together as well as separately, things are very rough in their everyday lives as they battle their own sexuality, their parents, their fears & sadness and when Maddy goes missing and his mother passes away, Owen is all alone and starts working jobs as well as trying to be a man, but his life is once more turned around when Maddy shows back up after missing for over a decade and tells him that the show they watched and their lives are not what they seem. But what is real and what is not real will come into play for Owen and make him second guess everything and everyone that has ever been in his life. This is your typical A24 horror film that has lots of art house mixed in and makes you have to think about the story you are seeing before your eyes on the big screen. The film deals with lots of depressing topics and feelings that teens face, as well as makes you face that things you remember might not be what you they are. There are creatures in the film as they are part of the TV Show but the horror really comes from the unknown. The film is well casted with Justice Smith & Brigette Lundy-Paine playing Owen & Maddy, and they are fantastic! Other cast members include Helena Howard, Lindsey Jordan, Emma Portner, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael C. Maronna & Danny Tamberlli to name a few. The film had a limited release in theaters and did pretty well for A24 at the domestic box office bringing in $5,017,817.00 on a $10 million budget. This film will not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it and will watch it again to see what I missed.

# 24

Ryan and Maya are driving through Oregon to get to Portland as she has a big job interview, but after stopping at a diner for lunch in the very small town of Venus, their car won’t start and has to be towed to the local garage and they have to stay the night in a Airbnb out in the middle of the woods. What starts out as romantic turns into a nightmare when three strangers wearing masks (Man In The Mask, Dollface & Pin-Up Girl) all show up to torment them and uses knives, truck and axe to do so. They chase the couple all around the home and through the woods to in the end stabbing them both and leaving them for dead…but Maya survives. This is a relaunch of the film series and is a strange way to kick off a new trilogy as in many aspects it just feels like a remake of the first film from 2008 with just some more modern changes. The Strangers are as creepy and sadistic as ever as they clearly enjoy playing their cat and mouse games with their victims and being a slasher, the film was far less bloody than I was expecting. The film is well cast with Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez, Rachel Shenton, Richard Brake making up some of the main cast, and The Strangers this time were played by Matus Lajcak, Olivia Kreutzova and Letizia Fabbri. I do need to say that Madelaine Petsch needs to be cast in more Horror Films! The film did well for Lionsgate at the American box office bringing in $35,202,562.00 on a budget of only $12 million. While this was by far not the best film in The Strangers film series, it still had some good spooky moments and was worth the watch in the theater.

# 23

Cooper seems like a great dad as he is a firefighter who is taking his daughter Riley to a Lady Raven pop concert for getting good grades and best of all he has gotten her great seats, but things get a little stressful for Cooper when he notices that the venue is swarming with police officers and surveillance cameras. He learns from a staff working selling tour merchandise that the cops are there to bust a serial killer called The Butcher…and unknown to them all, Cooper is The Butcher and now must find a way to exit the building while not tipping his daughter off that something is wrong, but as this killer meet his match in a pop singer and an elderly criminal profiler? Make sure to watch this entertaining horror thriller from M. Night Shyamalan and find out if this killer can get away with his horrific crimes or if his slashing ways comes to an end. This is a very creepy film as you watch the killer Cooper who cares about his daughter but also will do whatever he can to not be caught and that means other people’s wellbeing are no concern of his. The film is well acted with Josh Hartnett playing Cooper and other names in the cast including Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donoghue, Hayley Mills, Alison Pill and Jonathan Langdon. The film did ok for Warner Brothers at the domestic box office bringing in $42,777,281.00 on a budget of $20 million showing once more that horror almost always turns a profit at the theaters. This is one that I got when released on home media.

# 22

Jack Delroy is a late night talk show host for a program called Night Owls and his ratings over time are dropping and this causes him to panic and want to go all out for his 1977 Halloween Special and have a massive ratings hit. So he invites a psychic, a skeptic, a parapsychologist and a young girl named Lilly, who was the only survivor of a mass suicide committed by a demon worshiping cult and who is said to be possessed by a demon. And things turn really sinister and wrong for Jack, his guests, crew and audience when that demon decides to come out and play and bring some of Jack’s dark secrets to the light as well as cause death, panic and fear…this is one live broadcast that the network never wanted people to see again. This film plays like a mix of a documentary as well as a re-airing of that tragic show and for the most part it really does a good job of pulling it off. The film has some creepy moments with Lilly being the main source of those moments as well as brings some laughs and Jack and his show are just cheesy late night fun. The films stars David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Josh Quong Tart and Michael Ironside to name a few of the leads. The film did well for IFC Films at the domestic box office bringing in $10,001,000.00 on an unknown budget. This creepy little film is not for everyone, but if you enjoy films like The Last Broadcast or WNUF Halloween Special you will dig this one. It’s one I bought when released on home media. Also the film had some protest over using some AI images, silly as they are not that in your face.

# 21

Mina is a young woman who cannot get over the death of her mother in a a car accident and while working for a pet shop, she is asked to deliver a bird to a zoo. Along her journey her car breaks down and she finds herself running from unknown creatures in the woods and having to find shelter in a building that has been dubbed the coop by the three other people that found themselves suck in the woods that are Madeline, Ciara and Daniel. Every night they stay inside this building that has a massive thick glass window and are watched by the creatures. But as time goes on Mina and the others want to make an escape and they learn what these creatures are as well as who and why the strange glass bunker was made. But when some of them make it out alive, they are not fully out of the woods as something has followed them out and doesn’t want their race’s story and secrets out. This is a very cool creature feature film done with a twist and is done by Ishana Night Shyamalan, the daughter of M. Night Shyamalan and is her first movie as director and writer, and she does a great job. And what the creatures are is pretty interesting, and not the classic folklore beings you would expect. The film is well casted and acted as such names as Dakota Fanning, Olwen Fouere, Georgina Campbell, Oliver Finnegan and John Lynch all shine. The film sadly did not do all that well for Warner Brothers at the domestic box office as it brought in $19,071,404.00 on a $30 million budget. While the film did not do that well, I for one loved it and got it once released on home media.

# 20

The town of Clover Falls is the stalking ground for a masked supernatural serial killer named Roger Bladecut who has been killing people for decades and even has videotaped his crimes to turn them into movies that the townspeople rent from the video store he owns. He has a daughter named Abbie who has to take over the killing business when he starts to have some health issues from decades of past wounds, but when she falls in love with Sam Crane and becomes pals with all her friends that have all been selected to be slaughtered for the next film she must figure out a way to save them, all the while dodging her father who is now on a rampage as he wants them dead and his daughter to come back to the family business of killing. What can Abbie do to save Sam, the woman of her dreams as well as not betray her father who is counting on her for the slaughter. This is a very fun slasher film that showcases what a young woman has to put up with when her father is a true urban legend psycho killer and all she wants to do is please him but also have happiness in her own personal life. The film has some bloody kills and is well casted and acted with such actors as Sari Arambulo, Molly Brown, Billy Burke, Eddie Leavy, Margot Anderson-Song, Angel Theory and Jeffrey Dean Morgan making up the main cast. The film was released very late in 2024 and had a very short limited release for RLJE Films and it looks like it will be making them a good amount of extra cash. Worth watching for sure and is one I will buy on Blu-Ray when released.

# 19

Lydia Deetz has grown up: her husband died in the Amazon, her daughter Astrid barely speaks to her, she sees ghosts and now has a TV Show about it, her manager is trying to become her new husband and worse of all she gets word from her step mother Delia that her father Charles has passed away, eaten by a shark after surviving a plane crash. Lydia, Astrid and Delia head back to the old house in Winter River for the burial services and wake for Charles where Astrid meets a boy who ends up not being what he seems and Lydia must call on Beetlejuice to help save her daughter from the other side, but Beetlejuice needs help to survive his soul sucking ex-wife who is back and looking for revenge…but can these two truly trust one another. This was such a fun sequel that was long overdue and brought Beetlejuice back to the big screen for old fans as well as new, as watching this gross jokester undead goof again made me feel like a kid. The film also wins big points with me for using lots of practical effects as well as bringing back Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara to their iconic roles but also brought in Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Burn Gorman, Arthur Conti and Danny Devito into the mix. The film did really well for Warner Brothers at the domestic box office bringing in $111,003,345 on a budget of $100 million. A really fun film that should prove to Warner Brothers that sequels to some of their iconic films like Beetlejuice, Gremlins, The Goonies and The Lost Boys should be given proper sequels, a must see for fans of the original film.

# 18

Maxine Minx is living in Hollywood in 1985 and is trying to breakout of just being a porn actress and auditions and gets the lead role in the film “The Puritan II”, but her past is about to catch up to her as a killer wearing black gloves is killing those close to her, a private detective is harassing her on the paycheck of the killer, two homicide detectives are wanting to question her and the director of the film is pushing her to focus as this could be her big break into fame. But Maxine is not going to go down without a fight as she wants to be famous no matter the price and whoever gets in her way be damned. This third film in the X series is a mix of 80’s Slasher with some Giallo thrown in for good measure as the plot really is Maxine Minx being taunted, tormented and stalked by a faceless killer in black gloves all the while the serial killer the Night Stalker is prowling the streets and Hollywood is not missing a beat. Mia Goth once more shows why she is the new “It” actress in horror as she kills it playing Maxine again, and other actors like Elizabeth Debicki, Kevin Bacon, Michelle Monaghan, Moses Sumney, Bobby Cannavale and Lily Collins all kill it in their roles. The film did okay for A24 at the domestic box office bringing in $15,097,632.00 on an unknown budget. While not as good as X or Pearl, this film still is a very entertaining, great watch and has ushered in a new horror franchise for sure, also the Bates Motel and Home from Psycho appears in this flick.

# 17

Sienna Shaw and her brother Jonathan were the sole survivors of the Miles County Massacre on Halloween being done by Art The Clown and while he has tried to move on by going to college, she has spent years in an asylum and now that she is out and living with her aunt she is trying to get her life back in order but things will never be the same as Art The Clown is back as well and he has backup with Victoria Heyes. They are on another killing spree this time during Christmas and like before Sienna and her family and friends are on the chopping block as there is something more demonic at play this time around and Sienna will need all her chosen one powers to truly stop this killer clown from Hell. This third film in the super popular Terrifier series is filled with gore, over the top kills and a decent story this time around. Sienna Shaw is a fantastic character and is one of modern slasher films best final girls, and the actress that plays her, Lauren LaVera, is awesome and I hope to see her in more horror films! David Howard Thornton is truly Art The Clown and has taken a mute character and given it so much personality in his face and movements. Other cast members include Samantha Scaffidi, Elliot Fullam, Margaret Anne Florence, Kailey Hyman and Alexa Blair Robertson. The film also has lots of cool cameos from the likes of Jason Patric, Chris Jericho, Clint Howard, Tom Savini and Daniel Roebuck. The film did well for Cineverse at the domestic box office bringing in $53,981,071 on a budget of $2 million. If you liked the first two films in the series, make sure to give this one a watch as well as it’s a blood splattered good time.

# 16

Lisa Swallows is a teenager who witnesses her mother be killed by a masked killer and is now very much the odd kid as she barely speaks, has a strict stepmother, a goofy father and no boys pay attention to her. The only things she has in life is her music, crush on Michael the school’s paper editor, her caring cheerleader sister Taffy and the local abandoned cemetery that she relaxes in. But after a freak thunderstorm and an odd lightning strike in the cemetery, a member of the Frankenstein family (called The Creature) comes back to life to show his love for Lisa and the two end up becoming friends and lovers but there is a catch as Lisa and The Creature have to kill people in order to replace his rotting of missing body parts! With the police closing in as the bodies are found, Lisa must make a decision to face the crimes or end it all for true love. This is a very fun PG-13 horror comedy that takes place in the same universe as Jennifer’ Body and brings a new twist to the Frankenstein story. It was also very much inspired by the classic Universal Monster films as posters, masks and art from those films are featured throughout. The humor is silly and hit the mark for me and it is well casted with such names as Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano, Carla Gugino, Joe Chrest and Henry Eikenberry making up the leads and really Newton is fantastic as Lisa. Sadly the film did not do well for Focus Features at the domestic box office bringing in $9,774,285.00 on a budget of $13 million. It’s a shame that moviegoers did not support this film in the theater as it’s really good and one that I ended up buying when released on home media. Also the film has a great soundtrack!

# 15

Kabir and his wife Jyoti are heading to their farmhouse along with their teenage daughter Janvhi and young son Dhruv for a relaxing time, but while getting there they meet Vanraj at a restaurant who ends up buying the parents tea and gives their daughter a laddu that ends up allowing him to take control of her actions, and this is unknown to them all until that night during a massive thunderstorm Vanraj appears at the home and takes control of Janvhi making her hurt not only herself but also her family for his amusement as he wants her parents to willingly give her to him as he has evil plans for the young teen. And after many attacks, being stabbed and finally Dhruv being seriously injured Janvhi is given to this mad man with black magic powers…but Kabir has others plans as he wants to get his daughter back and free from his control as well as end his evil ways once and for all, but can this father’s love truly stop evil or will his daughter be lost forever, checkout this great film and find out for yourself. In 2024 Bollywood Horror has been killing it delivering some truly amazing films to the big screen that are bringing the chills and thrills and this remake film of the 2023 fright flick “Vash” did just that! The film is draped in black magic and the character of Vanraj is such a creep who really gets enjoyment of tormenting a teenage girl and her family, but even when the family fights back he seems to get joy from it. The films cast is fantastic as our main cast is played by Ajay Devgn, R. Madhavan, Jyothika, Janki Bodiwala and Anngad Raaj who all rock their roles and are very believable as a family and a evil sorcerer. The film did well at the worldwide box office bringing in $1,503,613.00 with a budget of ₹ 65 crore showing that Horror is a hit around the globe. If you like Bollywood horror films, creepy thrillers or films about black magic make sure to check this one out.

# 14

The always rainy town of Tumbbad is cursed by the greedy and now forgotten God known as Hastar who had stolen all of his mother goddess’ gold but was defeated by his siblings when he tried to all steal all the food, and for this he has been banished to forever live inside her womb and those greedy enough to look for his gold will face a brutal death or can become an immortal monstrous slave to the beast as all they will do is eat and sleep all day long. Vinayak Rao has grown up in Tumbbad and has always been into finding the treasure of Hastar that is said to be hidden inside, and as he grows older and with the help of his cursed Grandmother he truly finds the hiding place of Hastar and has a way to distract the God in order to gain more coins and become very rich by doing so, and as he gets older and has a family he teaches his son how to raid for the gold and even ends up sacrificing one of his friends who wanted to steal from him to Hastar. In the end Vinayak and his son while in the womb must truly work together to survive as Hastar as well has a sinister plan himself that will leave one of them undead and the other broken emotionally. This film was released in 2018 and in 2024 finally was released in the local theaters here in America, and I found it to be a really good and creepy Bollywood fright flick complete with a demonic looking greedy God and even a Evil Dead deadite style grandmother. The film is really about the horror and does not have musical numbers done by the cast as it plays for the scares. The film is a mix of digital and practical effects and both are pretty well done with their being lots of blood and some gruesome moments. The film stars Sohum Shah, Anita Date-Kelkar, Ronjini Chakraborty, Mohammad Smad and all do fantastic in their roles. I am not sure what the film did domestically in America during this run for Blooming Lotus Media. A really good Bollywood horror film and I am looking forward to watching Part 2 when it’s released.

# 13

Ben Dalton has lost his big job and moved from America to England for it, so to get a fresh start he along with his wife Louise and daughter Agnes go to Italy for holiday where they mean Paddy, his wife Ciara and their son Ant and they all hit it off. After the holiday is over Paddy, who is a former doctor invites Ben and his family to come stay a week with them at his farm house in the middle of nowhere, but things start to get really weird as Paddy and Ciara start to act strange and over bearing as they also witness Paddy be very strict and cruel to his own son who is mute. This peaceful week spent with new friends turns into a nightmare when Ant alerts Agnes to what is really going on and now Ben and Louise must figure out a way to get away from Paddy and the farmhouse before its to late. This film is a remake of the 2022 Danish horror film that keeps to core of the story but of course adds in its own twists and turns and delivers a entertaining thriller with two insane baddies in Paddy and Ciara. The film stars James McAvoy, Aisling Franciosi, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Alix West Lefler and Dan Hough all who do a great job on their roles. The film also makes great use of the songs Cotton Eye Joe by Rednex and Eternal Flame by The Bangles. The film did well for Universal at the domestic box office bringing in $36,931,420.00 on a budget of $15million. The film is really good, and McAvoy makes some amazing sinister faces in this fright flick.

# 12

Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton are missionaries for the Morman Church and are out trying to spread their message when they come across Mr. Reed, a man who lives out in a strange home who invites them in to chat about religion as a snow storm starts blowing in. But soon the two young girls find that they are trapped in the house with Mr. Reed who is trying to make them question their faith, lives, choses and more as he sets them to witness a miracle, but when the ladies question him on his words, things just get worse and more out of control for them…but will Mr. Reed change their minds or take their lives as Barnes and Paxton must fight for their lives. This is a really interesting horror film that is faith based and has the villain trying to break the will and faith of his captives in order to try and “teach” them a lesson and when the true intensions of Mr. Reed is shown you see just how evil that guy is. The film is well cast with Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East playing Barnes & Paxton and Hugh Grant as Mr. Reed and all are amazing in their roles other cast members include Topher Grace and Elle Young. The film did well for A24 at the domestic box office bringing in $27,791,987 on a budget of around $10 million. If you like your horror films with a dash of art house, make sure to check this one out as it was a great watch.

# 11

Gretchen moves with her father, stepmother and half sister to a resort in the Bavarian Alps and from the start she notices that something is not right when she takes a job working the front desk at the lodge as women seem to be always getting sick and acting really weird just like her boss Herr Konig, who is also employing he parents to design a new building, and the front desk closes at a certain time every night. One night after leaving work late, Gretchen is attacked by a strange woman and this triggers events that has a siren song being sung from the woods, people dying of strange causes, her young sister to fall ill, her getting questioned by a former cop and also being targeted by the people of the lodge town who are in power. This is a very strange and yet great indie horror film that has some really creepy moments with a female monster that leaves her offspring in the bellies of human women in order for them to raise, and its setting of a lodge town with people of power in on this strange act and protect the monster just adds to the over all weird factor of the film. It is well acted with Hunter Schafer being outstanding as Gretchen and other cast members like Jessica Henwick, Dan Stevens, Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas and Greta Fernandez all great in their roles. This is one of those films that was met with mixed reviews and in some cases judged a little too harshly as people acted like the plot was hard to follow…it’s not. The film did well for Neon at the American box office during its limited run bringing in $5,324,184.00 on a budget of $7 million. A good little spooky film that shows Neon is closing in on A24 when it comes to the strange indie horror films in the theater.

# 10

King Kong is living in Hollow Earth and is being watched by the people of Monarch and the massive Titan is lonely as he has not found any of his kind. Meanwhile Godzilla is on a rampage as he is attacking other Titans and stealing their powers as its clear that he is gearing up for something big…and this big event is the coming of The Scar King, another primate Titan who is very cruel and has an army of Kong-like apes at his order as well as an ice breathing Titan that he controls by using pain with the goal of taking over the world and ruling everyone and everything…so Kong must team with Godzilla and the reborn Mothra in order to save Hollow Earth as well as the above Earth from total destruction. This is yet another great film in Legendary Monsterverse series and is packed with lots of giant monster fights as well as for me its always great to see King Kong on the big screen. The film stars such actors as Rebecca Hall. Kaylee Hottle, Dan Stevens, Brian Tyree Henry, Fala Chen and Alex Ferns all who do a great job in their roles. One part of the movie that had the audience and myself laughing is when Kong uses Suko, a small primate Titan, as a weapon, no joke it was the funniest thing I’ve seen on the big screen this year. The film did really well for Warner Brothers at the domestic box office bringing in $196,350,016.00 on a budget of $150 million showing that these giant monsters are a draw at the theaters. This is one I bought on home media when released. Also I hope they keep making these Monsterverse films as I will continue to watch them in the theater.

# 9

Rain and her android “brother” Andy are stuck on Jackson’s Star where she has to work for travel freedom and watched as both of her parents died from working the mines for Weyland-Yutani Corporation, but she soon finds a way out when her friends discover an abandoned spacecraft that they can steal the cryostasis chambers to escape to the planet Yvaga and stop being slaves for a cooperation that does not care about them. But once they get to the spacecraft, they find that it’s filled with face huggers as well as Xenomorphs that go on the attack and bring down these friends one by one. And Rain along with Andy (who gets an upgrade) must escape this infested ship all the while Andy’s new program is turning him into a company droid and wanting to do what is right for them and not his friends, but can Rain save herself and what is left of her friends and will she be able to remove the upgrade and get Andy back…watch this great Alien sequel and find out for yourself! I am a fan of the Alien films, and while the past two sequels before this were sort of bland, I feel Romulus has gotten the series back on track and has introduce to very likable characters to the universe with Rain and Andy. The Xenomorphs look great, as do the face huggers. The film packs in lots of creepy settings as well as great scares and even has some Easter Eggs throughout that are connected to the other films in the series. The only thing I was not a super fan of was The Offspring that was a human and alien hybrid. The film did well for 20^th Century Films at the American box office bringing in $105,313,091.00 on a budget of only $80 million showing that this series has lots of gas still left in the tank. This is one that I look forward to watching again.

# 8

Ruhan Randhawa is a con man who goes around exercising ghosts from people’s homes, he is also a problem solver as he can make it seem like a person was possessed in order to cover up for mistakes that would get them into trouble with loved ones. But Ruhan once more finds himself in a real haunted palace when he is forced to help Meera (who has footage of him being a fraud) and finds that this mansion is being haunted by Manjulika, a woman who was burned alive for killing her own brother, and returned in order to cause death, chaos and fear, but when strange women start to show up to the estate as well as a few goofballs from Ruhan’s past things start to get a little more terrifying as Manjulika is out for blood and revenge and will not let anyone leave alive as this evil spirits true motives as well as story needs to be told and forgiveness needs to happen and at the center of it all is Ruhan who once more shows that he can be a true hero when need be. This third film in the Bhool Bhulaiyaa series is lots of fun as the humor and horror just mix really well here as the scares play creepy when they need to and for laughs when needed. The character of Manjulika is an interesting one as what you think you know about them just might not be the full truth as the true story comes to light in the end and shows why it’s been on such an evil path for all these years. The film stars Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri all who do great in their roles. The film did well for in the domestic release as it brought in $2,230,000.00 on a unknown budget. The Bhool Bhulaiyaa series is really great stuff, and I cannot wait for a fourth film in the series to be made.

# 7

Abigail is a young ballerina who is the daughter of a very dangerous, rich and violent crime lord who is kidnapped by a group of six people who were hired to do so in order to extort money from her father, but these criminals soon find that they have been tricked by Abigail, who is the one who set this all up as she selected these people who were all responsible for actions that effected her father’s empire…as she is a vampire and her father is Count Dracula and blood will be spilt (or is that drank?) as she takes out her revenge on them as they try to fight to stay alive. This once more proves that the classic Universal Monsters have lots of life in them when they are tackled by the right creative teams, that treat them as scary films and don’t treat them like dated spooky jokes. The film has lots of blood splatter and even some gore and Abigail is one deadly vampire who loves to torment her victims all in the attempt to get her father to pay more attention to her. The film is very well cast with such names as Melissa Barrera, Kathryn Newton, Alisha Weir, Dan Stevens, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand and Matthew Goode all being fantastic as their characters, and I have to say that I think Kathryn Newton is truly becoming one of my favorite horror actresses in these modern days. This is the third attempt from Universal to breath new life into Dracula, and I think this is the best of the modern takes as it was better than “Last Voyage Of The Demeter,” a film I really enjoyed and it was a million times better than the horror comedy mess that was “Renfield” and I hope Universal sticks with making these films scary. One thing I do have to say is that while this is a great film I do wish it was a more modern take of the 1936 film “Dracula’s Daughter” that is one of my favorite sequels in the world of classic Universal Monsters. The film did pretty well for Universal at the domestic box office bringing in $25,867,515.00 on a budget of $28 million, showing that classic monsters truly never go out of fashion. This is one that I loved seeing on the big screen and is one that I bought on home media when released.

# 6

Thevan is a singer who escapes slavery and is trying to get back home to his mother but finds that he cannot when a river and waterfall stands in his way, but while trying to figure out another way, he stumbles into an old rundown mansion in the woods and meets its owner Kodumon Potti who invites the man to stay and when Thevan agrees he soon finds that his host is a black magic sorcerer and that he cannot ever leave and also is in this mansion alongside a Cook, a visiting succubus, a constant rain storm and even a goblin…but not all is what it seems as this mansion is filled with lies as well as is truly cursed! Will Thevan be able to escape or will he forever be stuck in this truly evil mansion watch this black and white Bollywood Horror Fright Flick and find out for yourself. This is a very creepy black magic supernatural horror film that is a slow burn that as the time passes more is uncovered and the feeling of dread builds. The songs and score is also fantastic and help add to the spooky nature of the film. The films stars Mammootty, Arjun Ashokan, Sidharth Bharathan, Manikandan R. Achari and the lovely Amalda Liz and are all fantastic. The film did well at the domestic world box office for Night Shift Studios bringing in $1,388,375 on a budget of ₹27.73 crore showing that horror is popular all over the world. If you like slow burn horror with some supernatural black magic tones and a goblin make sure to give this one a watch!

# 5

Lee Harker is a young FBI Agent who is also partly psychic that is on the case to hunt down and kill a serial killer called Longlegs who has caused the deaths of families over the decades, and the deeper Harker gets into the case, the closer she gets to realizing that her past might just be connected to this crazy devil worshiping killer who has dark powers that force his victims to follow his orders, but is Agent Harker able to solve this killers demented puzzles or will she just have to stand by and watch as more families fall victim to his satanic plan. Make sure to check out this horror thriller and find out for yourself. This is a creepy film from Oz Perkins, who is the son of Anthony Perkins who horror fans know best as Norman Bates in the Psycho film series, that is about a weird satanic cult who gets joy in killing kids and their families on the kids’ birthdays. Nicolas Cage plays the killer known as Longlegs with Maika Monroe playing FBI agent Lee Harker other actors in the cast include Blair Underworld, Alicia Witt, Michelle Choi-Lee, Dakota Daulby and Kiernan Shipka to name a few. The film again proves that Neon is creeping up on A24 for being the must watch company when it comes to indie horror in theaters as I found this one to be a really interesting and creepy watch and is one of Cage’s best performances in horror in many years. The film did well for Neon at the domestic box office bringing in $74,045,655.00 on a budget of $80 million. One I got when released on home media, as I wanted to watch it again. Also this film got a lot of unwarranted hate from viewers, but don’t listen to reviews from critics nor friends and go see the films that get this treatment for yourself.

# 4

Sam is a woman in New York hospice care who was once a published poet and is now spending her remaining days with treatments and her support cat Frodo, when she heads to the city on a field trip with other residents to see a puppet show, the world changes in a instant as things start falling from the sky and monsters start attacking anyone making noise. Now Sam along with other survivors in the city must find a way to stay alive and get to the water as the creatures cannot swim, and on her journey to get pizza before her life ends ,she meets English man Eric who is a law student and the two start up a friendship that sees them watching out for each other, but can they survive or will they make too much noise and become just another bloodstain on the streets of NY, watch this third film in the A Quiet Place series and find out. This is a really fun creature feature, and it’s great seeing these noise sensitive monsters running loose in a big city like New York as it also shows that these creatures are all over and humans are being hunted down and slaughtered in their homes and streets. The creatures are as deadly as ever and deliver many scares with several being jump scares, and its also very well cast with names like Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou and Alex Wolff all doing fantastic in their roles. The film did great for Paramount at the domestic box office bringing in $138,930,553.00 on a budget of $67 million. Over all while it didn’t bring anything super new to the series, it was one heck of a good film and is one I bought when released on home media.

# 3

Skye Riley is a pop star who has had a rough past year as she had become an addict and a crash left her badly injured and her actor boyfriend dead, but she is on her comeback tour and things are looking up for her that is until her dealer she buys pain pills from takes his own life in front of her with a big smile on her face and now the entity that drove him insane has latched itself onto her and she is starting to fall apart with everyone around her thinking she is using again. But when she meets the brother of a man who died at the hands of the spirit she starts a plan to try and stop this Smile Entity once and for all, but will she be able to do so or will this mega star just be another victim spreading this evil beings agenda to the next person. What a fun and bloody sequel that feels right at home with the original film, and Naomi Scott who plays Skye is fantastic in the role and the pop songs will be stuck in your head days after seeing it. The film was way more bloody and violent than I was expecting and some of the deaths were really gross and well done. Other cast members include Rosemarie DeWitt, Dylan Gelula, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson and even a cameo from Drew Barrymore. Smile 2 did great at the domestic box office bringing in $68,967,012 on a budget of $28 million showing that Paramount is not just back in the horror business but also they have the start of a great franchise on their hands. A great film and one I bought when released on home media.

# 2

Ellen Hutter is newly married to her husband Thomas who is being sent away by Knock, his boss at the real estate agency he works for in order to sell a very old property in Germany to Count Orlok, a very creepy nobleman from Transylvania who turns out to be a Nosferatu who has set his sites on Ellen who has had a bond with for many of years in her loneliness and along with plagued infected rats he arrives in Germany looking for her to finish their link and along the way Orlok makes her pay for falling in love with another by making her friends pay with their lives. Thomas must escape the castle and return home and along with Doctor Sievers and Professor Von Franz he must save the soul of his wife as well as his village from the plague of Nosferatu. This film is a really great remake of the 1922 silent classic, and the cinematography is stunning and beautiful. It is filled with some great scares, creepy moments, blood and even a few boobs and shows that classic Horror and characters like Count Orlok are truly timeless if done right. The film is well casted with such names as Bill Skarsgard, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney and Willem Dafoe make up the leads. And I have to say Skarsgard was fantastic as Orlok and Depp ended up surprising me in her performance. The film did well for Focus Features at the domestic box office bringing in $45,201,020 on a budget of around $50 million as of this writing. A fangtastic and creepy classic horror film that is one I will buy once on physical media.

# 1

Elisabeth Sparkle is an aging health show star who is turning 50 when her boss decides to let her go, and after having a car accident and meeting a young doctor who gives her a flash drive that is an advertisement for a medial injection called The Substance her life changes as it allows her to spawn a second half that is younger named Sue…but the catch is that they need to switch back and fourth every seven days or there are terrible changes for Elisabeth. And when Sue wants to stay around longer than the seven days, Elisabeth is drained of her age and finds herself becoming a twisted looking being, but can Elisabeth stop Sue as this is the part of her that is becoming the superstar she has always wanted to be or will Sue take over and have to find her own better side…watch this twisted and gross body horror film and find our for yourself. The film feels like a mash off films like Basketcase, Society and many of the films of David Cronenberg as it has lots of gross moments and the human body being distorted. The film is also filled with lots of blood and nudity and delivers a really interesting watch. The film is well casted as Demi Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle and is fantastic as I have always been a big fan of hers, other names in the cast include Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid, Gore Adrams and Oscar Lesage to name a few. The film did okay for Mubi at the domestic box office bringing in $16,443,999 on a budget of $17.5 million. If you like gross horror with beautiful ladies make sure to give this one a watch.

2025 here on Rotten Ink I think that I am going to celebrate horror in general and that means I will be having lots of updates that will feature Horror Comics, Horror Hosts, Horror Themed Wrestlers and Horror Films! But do not worry I will also have plenty of none Horror updates for those of you who enjoy the less spooky ones. But our next one will be a spooky one as it will be a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update and will be about the 1978 version of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and the FotoNovel released to promote it! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! Oh and a tip if you come across some people who seem odd and point at you and then shriek a god awful sounding scream…run as they might be a pod person!

Matt Goes To The Movies 2023

Posted on January 1, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to the first update of 2024 that of course is my movie countdown for all the different genres I have seen in the theater in 2023. There were so many films that were released this year that brought me as well as my movie club friends so much entertainment! I saw movies in such theaters as Cinemark, Regal and Englewood, and really for me nothing beats the theater experience as no matter what some say, streaming new films just does not give you the full movie experience no matter how big your TV Screen in or how loud your sound system gets. And like every year for me the biggest film releases come from the Horror genre as spooky movies have been a big part of my entertainment life since I was a very young kid. To me nothing beats relaxing at one of the local cinemas to watch a good fright flick on the silver screen with family and friends, and this year was very heavy on Horror film releases. I will be breaking up this “Best Of” update by genre so that means Drama, Comedy, Action, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Superhero and of course Horror! So if you are ready, let’s grab some popcorn and a drink and find our seats as it’s time to talk movies! Also if you missed my Best Of 2022, update make sure to give it a read here.

So now that we have found our seats and have eaten a few pieces of popcorn, I think that we will start off by taking a look at the Drama films that I saw in the theater. Sadly I did not see a lot, but the ones I did see I enjoyed so let’s take a look and see what I think was #1!

# 4

June Allen is an 18 year old woman who lost her father and is taking her sadness out on her mother who is trying her best to bond with her daughter and live her life again, even dating again as Kevin Lin has entered the picture and the pair are heading off to Colombia for a romantic vacation. While her mother is away, June parties with her friends, and on the day she is set to pick them up from the airport, they are no where in sight. Now June must uncover this mystery as she follows the clues and uncovers Kevin’s dirty secret of being a conman and that her very own mother has a life changing secret. Can June find her missing mother or will time run out? And she will never be able to patch things up with her? Watch this sequel to “Searching” and find out for yourself. This Drama Thriller was a fun watch as the story unfolds and takes a few twists and turns that many viewers will not see coming. Storm Reid is fantastic as June, and the whole cast truly does a great job. The film did ok for Sony at the US box office bringing in $32,502,025.00 on a budget $7 million budget. This film walks the line between Drama and Horror as it really is a Thriller…but I think it fits better here with the Drama Thriller than the Horror Thriller.

# 3

The Von Erich family was at the top of the wrestling world in Texas, and brothers Kevin, David, Kerry and Mike are being pushed by their father Fritz into becoming the biggest names in the sport as well as capture the NWA World Heavyweight belt. But while they are riding high, the family seems to have a curse as Kevin watches as his brothers pass away, and he learns that family is very important and that his father the man he idolized just might not be the hero he thinks he is. This film is a loose bio-picture of the Von Erich family and showcases the stress of pro wrestling as well as how mental stress, substance abuse and poor parenting can lead down a dark path. The acting is well done with such names as Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Stanley Simons, Holt McCallany and Lily James and also had cameos from such wrestlers as MJF and Chavo Guerrero Jr. playing classic wrestlers. While the story in this film is not 100% accurate and brother Chris Von Erich is missing, it still is a nice tribute to the Von Erich Brothers. The film did well for A24 at the domestic box office bringing in $$18,221,133 (as of this posting) on a budget of $15.9 million. And for those who wonder, yes I grew up being a fan of the Von Erich family and Kerry was my favorite.

# 2

Adonis Creed has retired from boxing and is helping young boxers at the gym, but when Damian Anderson, a friend who ended up being arrested and locked up for a long time, comes back into his life things get guilt ridden. Damian was a good boxer who just wants his shot, and with the help of Adonis, he gets it and ends up winning the Heavyweight Title…in a kind of underhanded cheating way. Now the champion and with lots of built up aggression over the events of the past and being locked up for 18 years, Damian and Adonis’s friendship falls apart and this brooding bad blood sees Adonis come out of retirement in order to fight his childhood friend as a way to let go of guilt and to settle this issue once and for all. This third film in the Creed series is fantastic as the build to the fight between Creed and Anderson is very well done. As the film goes along you get more of the story of why there is some awkward tension between the two that leads to them at odds. And while Damian Anderson has done bad things in his life and even fights dirty to get the title, he also is not that bad of a guy just wanting his chance before time catches up with him. And that is the thing, the story is solid. The casting fantastic with names like Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Florian Munteanu and Tony Bellew returning and Jonathan Majors and Mila Davis-Kent being added. The film was directed by Michael B. Jordan, who did a fantastic job, and he is also talking about a fourth film in the series already, and I for one am down. The film did good for MGM at the American box office bringing in $156,248,615.00 on a $75 million budget. While I would have loved to have seen a cameo from Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, this series is making its own path now to becoming an iconic sports drama franchise.

# 1

Retired detective Hercule Poirot has been invited by his crime novelist friend Ariadne to a Halloween party after which a psychic hold a séance to contact the dead daughter of the party’s host who had committed suicide. The catch is that the home is also said to be haunted by the spirits of deceased children. Poirot is there to try and expose the psychic as a fraud, but when people start dying and he himself starts seeing things, he must try and figure out if the killer is from our world or the other side! This third film in the modern Poirot series is fantastic like the other two, and this time this Mystery Drama film even adds in elements of Horror as it has that classic haunted house feel and has images of shadows, ghosts and murder all around. Kenneth Branagh is fantastic as Hercule Poirot and is the best actor to play the part in my opinion. Other cast members include Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Kelly Reilly, Kyle Allen, Emma Laird and Camille Cottin to name a few and all are great in their roles. The film did okay for 29^th Century at the domestic box office bringing in $42,448,749.00 on a budget of $60 million. If you like Murder Mysteries with a dash of Horror, then make sure to check this one out as it hands down the best Drama film I have seen this year, and on a side note, this almost made it to the Horror list…but I settled on placing it in Drama.

While I did not get to see lots of Drama films in the theater in 2023, I would say that the ones I did get to watch were fantastic and all were well worth seeing alongside my friends on the big screen. But next we will be leaving Drama behind and replace it with laughter as next up are the Comedy films I saw on the big screen in 2023!

# 4

Kevin is a father who is working a house cleaning job, creating music beats, is a part time event thrower and needs to raise some money to send his young daughter to a school…but when his best friend Damon gets them fired from the cleaning job, the two decide to throw an epic party in the house of NBA star LeBron James in order to raise the money to send his the daughter to that selected school. The party is massive and Kevin’s childhood friend and crush Venus attends as do celebrities like Mya, Bill Bellamy, Snoop Dog, Kid Cudi, Juvenile, Lil Wayne, Walter Emanuel Jones among many others and the party is a massive hit! But when some of Damon’s enemies show up and steal LeBron’s championship ring, the two friends have to try and get it back and that includes dealing with the illuminati as well as trying to get out of trouble when LeBron James returns home early and wants these home intruders thrown in jail! Can Kevin get the money? Can he not go to jail? Will he win the heart of Venus? Watch this remake of the classic House Party film series and find out for yourself! This was a pretty funny film that brings some belly laughs as well as is packed with enough 90’s Rap and RNB nostalgia to please fans of the original series. Sadly the film did not do good for New Line Cinema at the US box office only bringing in $9,002,247.00 on a unknown budget. I found this film to be really entertaining and it was a great theatrical watch.

# 3

Lawyer Audrey Sullivan is Asian and was adopted by a white family and does not know who her birth mother and father are, but she gets sent to China with the promise of a major promotion if she can lock a deal with a Chinese business man. Along for the trip is her best friend Lolo Chen and her cousin Deadeye, who is an outcast who loves K-Pop music, and when in China Audrey meets up with her old collage roommate Kat who is now a big day time actress on a Chinese soap opera. When the business man insists that he gets to know Audrey’s birth mother after Lolo lies and says the two are close, the friends set out on a big adventure across China in order to find Audrey’s birth mom as well as become closer friends…but this of course is plagued with fighting, crazy people and shocking revelations. This is a pretty dang funny film that brings together four likable friends all with their own personalities that go on a trip that is filled with sleazy and silly fun. The film had me laughing in a few spots and it is well casted with such names as Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu all making up the leads. The film sadly did very poorly for Lionsgate at the domestic box office only bringing in $12,897,789.00 on a budget of around $32million. If you like raunchy comedies make sure to check this one out.

# 2

Barbie lives in Barbie World with all the other Barbies, Kens and Allen, and her life is perfect as all the Barbies have important jobs and the Kens just hang around the beach. But Barbie’s life turns upside down when she gets flat feet, gets cellulite and has thoughts of death! And after visiting Weird Barbie (a Barbie who was played with too rough) she learns that she must travel to the real world and find out why her owner is so sad and along with Ken she does just that. But once in the real world Barbie sees that it’s not perfect and is filled with lots of drama, sadness, crudeness and makes her second guess herself and the world she comes from…but when Ken in the real world learns about being macho, he heads back to Barbie World and corrupts it. Now Barbie must try to do all the right things like bring a mother and daughter back together, reset the Barbie World and find out who she really is. This is a charming fun comedy film that is based on the popular Mattel toy of the same name and truly was a big deal when released in theaters as it broke records and became a massive hit with most critics and fans and proves that if you make films based on toys right, people will come to the theater to watch them! Margot Robbie is great as Barbie and is likable and you find yourself wrapped up in her journey and Ryan Gosling was funny as Ken! Other actors in the film include Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Emma Mackey, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Rhea Perlman and America Ferrera, to name a few. The film did amazing for Warner Brothers at the domestic box office bringing in $635,928,220.00 on a budget of $145 million. Barbie was the biggest film of 2023 and was truly one of those event style films that brought family, friends and even strangers together.

# 1

The small town of Asteroid City is holding Asteroid Day to celebrate when one made contact with the land, and they also showcase bright youngsters who have made amazing inventions in science with the chance of winning prize money. There in this small town is a war photographer and his kids, an actress and her daughter, army soldiers, the smart kids & parents, school kids & their teacher, scientists, a band and a few of the local townies. But all their lives are changed when a u.f.o appears and an alien takes the asteroid away causing the government to quarantine the town and friendships and relationships are made as everyone wonders what the alien wanted. This is a funny Wes Anderson film that is a play within a movie that features an amazing all-star cast that includes names like Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, Matt Dillon, Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Live Schreiber, Hope Davis, Willem Dafoe, Steve Carell, Stephan Park, Jeff Goldblum among many others. The humor is what you expect from an Anderson film, and the characters are all likable as is the background set of the small desert town. The film did ok for Focus Features at the domestic box office bringing in $28,153,025.00 on a budget of $25 million. While the humor of this film will not be for everyone, if you enjoyed Wes Anderson’s other films then I am sure you’ll get a laugh out of this one.

While I don’t see many Comedies in the theater I will have to say that I truly enjoyed enjoyed all the ones that I did go to this year as they all brought be a few laughs. But next let’s talk about Action films. Strangely enough, I saw very little of this genre this year and that’s truly is shocking, but let’s not linger as it’s time to chat about and rank the ones I did see.

# 3

It’s New Years, and Captain Brodie Torrance has one last flight before being able to visit his daughter and sister for the holiday. While the crew is small as is the amount of passengers, they do have to escort felon Louis Gaspare who has charges of homicide. But this killer passenger is not the main threat of this plane ride as extreme weather makes them crash land on a island ruled by criminals who take the survivors hostage in order to try and get ransom money. Now Brodie and Louis must fight off these criminals alongside a mercenary group sent in by the airline in order to save the hostages and get off the island safe and sound…but this is as hard as it sounds as the criminals are not the eager to let their prisoners escape and a battle breaks out that will leave many dead and Brodie showing just how great of a pilot he really is. This is a really fun check your brain at the door, popcorn action film that delivers entertainment, as well as some really cool fighting moments with some interesting cast of characters. The film stars Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Yoson An, Evan Dane, Daniella Pineda and Tony Goldwyn to name a few. The film did all right for Lionsgate at the US box office bringing in $32,111,181.00 on a budget of $25 million. A really fun theater watch action flick that is getting a sequel in the future called “Ship” and I for one will see it when it hits theaters.

# 2

John Wick is being hunted down by The Table as his deeds and killings off some of their own has made him a marked man for death, and all John wants is to be left alone and out of The Table’s hold forever. But when Marquis Vincent de Gramont, a high member of the Table, has been assigned to kill John Wick, the snobby Marquis ends up putting a price on his head, brings down the safety Hotels used by The Table that have helped Wick and even brings in high profile hired killers Caine and Mr. Nobody to get this hit done. But John Wick has other plans as he sets up a duel with the Marquis where one man will die and the others wishes will be granted by The Table…but will John find his way to peace or will he find his way to the grave? Watch this amazing action film to find out for yourself. This film is pure action with lots of fights, chases and action from start to finish and also has great characters with John Wick being a true modern day “Man With No Name” style hero. Keanu Reeves is great as John Wick and this series is one of the best action films going in these modern times. Other names in the cast includes Bill Skarsgard, Ian McShane, Donnie Yen, Lance Reddick and Shamier Anderson to name a few. This film did really well for Lionsgate at the American box office bringing in $187,131,806.00 on a budget of $100 million. The John Wick films are fantastic and with rumors of spinoff films, I cannot wait to see how this universe grows.

# 1

It’s 1969 and Indiana Jones is retiring from teaching as his life has gone poorly after a tragic event involving his son as well as his relationship with Marion Ravenwood has crumbled. But Indiana is about to find another adventure when his goddaughter Helena Shaw comes to him with the need to find The Dial Of Destiny, an artifact that is tied with time travel and is what drove her father mad. So now Indiana starts a new adventure and learns that while his age might have slowed him down slightly, it cannot stop a true legend of archaeology as he finds the Dial while helping Helena with her issues as well as dodging a band of Nazi’s who are holding onto the past and want to use the Dial to change to outcome of World War II! And when the Dial is used, the time travel is not what they think and Indiana Jones learns that he means so much to so many people he has built a friendship with over his long legendary career. This was a great film and when at the packed theater to see, it I felt like a kid again watching Indiana Jones on the big screen. The adventure this time around is lots of fun as The Dial Of Destiny is something that could be very dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands and it of course brings back Nazis as the main villains. The film of course had lots of hate before it even was released as many have it out for Disney now and this one was caught up in the storm of anger. The film also not only brings back Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones but other returning faces include John Rhys-Davies as Sallah and Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood. Other actors in the cast are Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook and Shaunette Renee Wilson to name a few. The film did not do so great for Disney at the domestic box office bringing in $174,480,468.00 on a massive over blown budget of $300 million, I hope Disney learned this year that they are putting way too much money into these films. This hands down was my favorite Action film on 2023 and is my third favorite film in the Indiana Jones film series! Don’t listen to the online “critics” and haters as much of what they reported was not even in this film ,and make up your own mind and give it a watch as you might just find yourself enjoying it.

You can never go wrong with watching a good old Action film on the big screen, and this year it was sequels to films that took the top spots as I found both John Wick 4 and Indiana Jones 5 to be highly entertaining films. I did skip a few action films this year like Expendables 4 as I had lots of stuff going on at work as well as had to get many Blood Scream Comics ready for release. But now that we have all the Action out of the way I think that it’s now time we take a look at Sci-Fi and Fantasy Films that I saw this past year at the local cinemas.

# 5

Edgin Darvis is a man whose wife was killed by wizards, and he turned to a life of stealing and this leads to him spending years in jail and his daughter being watched after by one of his former running mates in a life of crime. But once out of jail, he finds that his daughter is safe and that his former friend Forge Fitzwilliam is now a King of a kingdom and is working with an evil Witch to rule over the land and bring death to the city…now Edgin along with female warrior Holga Kilgore, untrained wizard Simon Aumar and shape shifter Doric must come together to save his daughter, bring down the corrupt king, take out the evil Red Wizard and become the unlikely family they have all been looking for. This is a fun fantasy film that is a true popcorn flick that was a great watch on the big screen! The characters make a great team, and it feels like a quest film that would have been perfectly at home during the 80’s when Barbarian and Warrior styles films were being released. The effects are well done, from undead warriors all the way to an obese dragon and such actors as Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant and Daisy Head make up the main cast. Also for those of you wondering the cast from the Dungeon And Dragons cartoon from the 80 do make an appearance. The film did ok for Paramount Pictures at the U.S. box office bringing in $93,277,026.00 on a budget of $150 million. If you like fun Fantasy Films that brings the fun nature of the role playing game it’s based on, make sure to give it a watch as its filled with action, adventure and some humor.

# 4

Japan is being attacked by giant Kaiju monsters and their special defense team the SSSP are doing what they can to destroy these threats, but soon they get help from an alien giant named Ultraman to defeat these terrors! But with Ultraman’s appearance comes new threats as aliens are coming to Earth now with the ideas of either ruling it or destroying it, and he must use all his powers and his newly found respect for mankind in order to protect them as well as be the hero the Earth needs during these unknown times. But can Ultraman survive the attacks of foe after foe and threat after threat or will mankind suffer a terrible fate at the hands of aliens from another dimension? Watch this reboot to the classic TV Series to find out. This is such a fun, silly, cheesy Sci-Fi action film that does a great job of capturing the mood and feel of the 1966 series as it was clear they were definitely playing in that universe. The effects are really fun as some look really good and other very cartoonish by design. And I also have to say that the film feels like several different episodes crammed together as you get tons of monsters and aliens that come and go, with some having no real reason to make their exit. The film was released in limited theaters via a Fathom Event and did ok for them at the American Box Office bringing in $601,490.00 on a budget of 900 million yen. Over all if you like fun films with giant monsters and are a Ultra Man fan like myself, then make sure to checkout this film. I got it when released on home media.

# 3

The planet eater Unicron has eaten the home world of The Maximals but needs a key to get to the next galaxy. Optimus Primal along with his fellow Maximals Airazor, Cheetor and Rhinox take the key to Earth and break the key into two and hide them so that Unicron will forever be stuck where he is at and can not destroy anymore planets. Now in 1994 one part of the key is activated and Unicron’s minions travel to Earth to find both parts of the keys to send the single into space and allow the massive planet eater to arrive to destroy Earth and everyone living on it. The Earth’s only hope is The Maximals, The Autobots lead by Optimus Prime and two earthlings who get caught up in this madness. This is a really fun Transformers film as Optimus Prime in this film learns that not all humans are bad and that The Maximals are still alive and living on Earth in hiding. And as always it’s great hearing Peter Cullen voice Prime, as it gives the film that true Transformers feel and other actors voices heard in this film include Ron Perlman, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage and Pete Davidson. This is one of the better Transformers live action films and did well for Paramount at the domestic box office bringing in $157,066,393.00 on a budget of $200 million. Over all if you are a fan of Transformers or Beast Wars, make sure to give this one a watch.

# 2

Willy Wonka is a young man who is a brilliant inventor, magician and chocolate maker who has shown up in city with big dreams of selling his treats to the people to honor his late mother, but he soon finds that the city is corrupted by three candy makers, a police chief who is on the take as he is paid in candy to do their dirty work, a father who runs the church to hide the makers base of operations and even a sleazy motel owner who forces her guests to big contracts in order to trap them there and make them work for her laundry services. But Wonka has big dreams to bring his treats to the people and finds ways to out move and out smart them and with the help of his fellow trapped laundry workers Noodle, plumber Piper Benz, accountant Abacus Crunch, comedian Larry Chucklesworth, tell phone operator Lottie Bell, giraffe Abigail and the Oompa-Loompa named Lofty he does just that as Wonka Chocolate becomes a reality and along the way the candy maker changes the lives of those who helped him for the better. This is a prequel to the 1974 family musical classic “Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory” and for the most part is a fitting film into the legacy as Wonka is silly, there is catchy songs and lots of strange things all around. The film is well casted with Timothee Chalamet playing Will Wonka and other names like Rowan Atkinson, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Grant, Rakhee Thakrar, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas and Olivia Colman making up some of the leads. The humor in the film works on a family entertainment level. The film did ok for Warner Brothers at the American box office bringing in $142,762,717 on a budget of $125 million (as of this posting). While its not as magical or special as the first film, it is a fun family musical that I think will find its audience once the internet outrage fades away.

# 1

Mario and Luigi are two brothers who open a plumbing business in Brooklyn, New York who soon find themselves in the sewers trying to stop a massive water main break, but are sucked into a pipe that takes them into a new world, that of The Mushroom Kingdom! While Mario meets Toad and Princess Peach, poor Luigi is taken prisoner by Bowser and his army of troopers as he has captured the power star and wants to force Peach into marrying him and ruling over the Mushroom Kingdom together…and if she says no, then he will use the star and destroy it all! Now Mario along with Princess Peach, silly mushroom man Toad and Donkey Kong must come together to stop Bowser from destroying the world, and The Mario Brothers must also show the world and most importantly their family that they are not screw-ups and are truly the plumbing heroes the world…no the galaxy needs. This is a really fun film that brings the classic Nintendo characters to the big screen once again as their first adventure was way back in 1993 and was live action with this one being animated. The animation in this film is top notch as are all the Easter Eggs that feature other Nintendo owned properties that include Punch-Out and Pro Wrestling to name a few. Plus it was very cool to see Donkey Kong on a XD Screen! Voice actors for this film include Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Armisen and Seth Rogen to name a few. The film did fantastic for Universal at the American box office bringing in $574,934,330.00 on a budget of $100 million. If you enjoy the past, present and future of Super Mario Bros. make sure to give this one a watch as it’s a heck of a fun time.

In 2023 film studios truly delivered a very fun mix bag of films in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy genres and I will say that I found them all to be very fun in their own ways but really The Super Mario Bros. Movie was the best that those genres had to offer as I really do think it captured the fun nature of the Nintendo game series and it’s box office domestic and worldwide number proves I am not the only one who thought so. Well let’s next take a look at the Super Hero Genre that while did do well also took a beating this year as they seem to be wearing out their welcome at the box office for sure.

# 9

Jamie Reyes returns home after college to find that his family home is up for sale and that his family is poor, but after meeting Jenny Kord, a woman who is on the board of a very rich company, his life is forever changed when by accident he bonds with the Scarab and turns him into superhero the Blue Beetle! But becoming this hero also puts he and his family in danger when Victoria Kord wants the Scarab to help create bio suits to use in wars and sends her bodyguard OMAC to get it back for her. Can the Blue Beetle survive? Will he save his family? Will Victoria get her war machines up and running? Watch this DC Comics based superhero film and find out for yourself. While I did not hate Blue Beetle, the word “generic” just comes to mind as at this point many of these superhero films are just being made paint by numbers style and lack that creative impact that they used to over a decade ago. When seeing this film opening weekend many of the jokes fell flat with the movie goers and many after it was over I could hear say it was boring and just bland…and sadly I agree. The film has a good cast with such names as Xolo Mariduena, George Lopez, Bruna Marquezine, Harvey Guillen, Susan Sarandon and Belissa Escobedo to name a few. The film did ok for Warner Brothers at the domestic box office bringing in $72,488,072.00 on a budget of $125 million. While I am sure this film has its fans and I am glad that there is people who enjoy it…but this one was just way too cheesy and generic for me.

# 8

Aquaman is now not only the King of Atlantis but also a father now as he and Mera have had a son, but the oceans as well as the surface world is in trouble due to pollution that is causing global warming and worse Black Manta as returned and found the Black Trident and is possessed by a former ocean ruler who has frozen in ice by magic and wants to return to not only take over the oceans once more but also destroy Atlantis and go to war with the surface world! Now Aquaman must fight Black Manta and his followers from dooming the world as well as destroying the environment and must get the help of his brother Ocean Master to do so…but can the brothers get along for long enough to be the heroes or will their feud doom us all? This is another very paint by numbers bland superhero film filled with lots of action and epic fights but also the lame humor that James Gunn introduced to the world of superhero films and as always Jason Momoa over acts had hams it up on the screen making for many eye rolling moments. The film is over long and is kind of just very generic over all and once more has a bloated budget that makes you wonder when will Warner Brothers learn. The film also starts Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Amber Heard, Dolph Lundgren, Nicole Kidman, Randall Park and Temuera Morrison. The film did poorly for Warner Brothers at the domestic box office bringing in (as of this posting) $84,670,000 on a $205 million budget. The DCU is getting just as played out as the MCU, and let’s hope that they both cut down on the amount released and make them feel more special for theater goers again.

# 7

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live in the sewer with their father Splinter but want to live among humans and enjoy a normal teenage life, but due to their appearance and a bad experience Splinter had with humans when the turtles were babies, they are forced to live in the shadows. That is until they meet unpopular teenager April O’Neil who they help get her stolen scooter back and they come up with a plane to stop Superfly, a mutated fly who has his own mutant crew that are Mondo Gecko, Bebop, Rocksteady, Leatherhead, Wingnut, Ray Fillet, Scumbug and Genghis Frog! But the will the TMNT stop Superfly once they find out they are sort of all cousins or will they be trapped and captured by TCRI, who is a group that want to create their own mutants? Will April O’Neil over come her nerves for reporting? Will Splinter ever trust humans again? Will Ray Fillet finally be able to sing? All these questions are answered and more in Mutant Mayhem! This is a pretty fun and silly animated film that will surly please viewers of all ages, but I will say that the creative team behind this do make some major changes to characters and their backstories so TMNT classic fans might get a little annoyed. The film is filled with lots of silly comedy as well as some great fights and has the voice acting talents of such actors as Jackie Chan, Maya Rudolph, Ice Cube, John Cena, Seth Rogen, Natasia Demetriou, Paul Rudd, Giancarlo Esposito, Rose Byrne and Post Malone. The film did well for Paramount at the domestic box office bringing in $118,613,586.00 on a budget of $70 million. While I am not so much into animated superhero films, this was an entertaining one and was worth seeing on the big screen.

# 6

The Flash is a member of the Justice League and has been helping Batman with events in Gothom all the while trying to prove that his father was not the one who killed his mother. But when Flash discovers he can run so fast that we can go back in time he comes up with an idea to save his mom, and does so even after being warned by Batman that this could change and destroy everything. Flash does this and ends saving his mom, but also warps the world as he meets a younger version of himself as well as meets a different version of Batman, saves Supergirl but leaves this universe without a way to defeat General Zod and his army as this world is without a Superman! After jumping time over and over to try to fix things the two Flashs are faced with the idea some things just cannot be fixed. Has The Flash doomed a world to be destroyed by Zod or will he find a way to try and set things back to what they are an that means loosing his mother again. This is one of those superhero films that had bad word of mouth mostly due to the behavior of the films star Ezra Miller outside of Hollywood, but while They are scum the film is not as bad as its made out to be. Lots of great cameos from DC Movies of the past and you have to love that Michael Keaton once more plays Batman! The film did poorly for Warner Brothers at the American box office bringing in $108,133,313.00 on a massive budget of $220 million. The film is not groundbreaking but was a fun watch on the big screen and fans of the Zach Snyder Superhero films should give this one a watch. Plus I have to say with this spoiler it was great seeing Christopher Reeve and George Reeves as Superman, Helen Slater as Supergirl and Adam West as Batman again for there brief cameos.

# 5

Gwen Stacy is called to join a group of Spider-Men who are trying to capture baddies that are crossing over into other universes, all thanks to what Miles Morales caused when he saved the world from the Kingpin and created a super villain called The Spot who is causing chaos in order to get the ultimate power and be looked at as a top super villain. When Miles meets back up with Gwen who broke the rules of visiting him, he follows her on her quest to bring down Spot and causes even more bad effects for the different universes even causing some to start to collapse on themselves! And when Miles hears of a big event that is going to be playing out in his universe that effects his father, he knows he can stop this event…but at what cost? This causes him to be tracked down by his fellow Spider-Men in over to try and right all these wrongs Miles has accidentally caused while on a mission himself to also bring an end to Spot. This is a pretty entertaining animated superhero film that explores the different versions of Spider-Man from the different universes and is allowing Miles to find love, have his first mega villain crises and also find out that everything ones does has an outcome that sometimes is not glamorous. The film also features Spider-Man 2099, Scarlet-Spider and even a small cameo from the 1960’s Spider-Man cartoon version. It’s a good film; I am just not into the animated superhero films as much, but I understand that many of you are and that’s cool. The film did well for Columbia Pictures at the American box office bringing in $381,311,319.00 on a budget of $100 million. Check this one out if you enjoyed the first film or just like animated Spider-Man films.

# 4

Dar-Benn is the ruler of the Kree, and she is on a mission to bring their home world back to its glory with the help of a bangle that allows her to open portals that can steal other planets’ resources, and she is targeting planets of people who are loved by Captain Marvel. But something else strange is happening as every time Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and Captain Monica Rambeau use their powers, they switch spots making for lots of chaos as they all try and be the heroes they need to be, and now must work together as a team in order to save the planets and defeat the crazed Dar-Benn for killing millions. They also get help from Nick Fury and must learn to work as a team, find that some heroes have flaws and must also learn how to forgive for past mistakes. Can our heroes The Marvels stop Dar-Benn or are planets doomed to be destroyed? Checkout this superhero film and find out. The Marvels is a mixed bag of humor, drama and action and is over all an ok watch that once more got hit with bad reviews from online “critics” for no reason at all. Is the film the best that the Superhero genre has to offer…no, but was it a fun popcorn movie? Yep. Some of the humor in this film falls flat and at times it suffers the same fate as Blue Beetle of being just kind of generic feeling as to me Dar-Benn might be one of the weakest villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Zawe Ashton, Samuel L. Jackson and Iman Vellani who is Ms. Marvel and truly steals the film away from the other two actresses, but to be honest everyone does a great job in their roles. The film did only ok for Disney at the domestic box office bringing in $84,493,947 on a bloated budget of $270 million, showing that Disney needs to reign in these budgets. Over all if you liked the first Captain Marvel film, enjoyed the Ms. Marvel TV Show or just really like these characters make sure to check it out.

# 3

Ant-Man along with Wasp, Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne and Cassie Long find themselves being sucked into a machine that Cassie created that allowed her to map some of the Quantum Realm and find themselves stuck inside it and worse being hunted down by Kang The Conqueror and his creation, the killing machine known as M.O.D.O.K as Kang wants to return to Earth after being banished in order to conqueror and destroy with his created army in the Realm. And Kang also hates Janet as when she was stuck in the Realm she caused him to not be able to escape by destroying his only way out the Multiversal Power Core. Now Ant-Man finds himself being used as a puppet when Kang forces him to get the Power Core in order to save his daughter’s life…Ant-Man is faced with a hard decision but when his daughter escapes, he and his family are joined by freedom fighters fight against Kang to stop him from time and dimension jumps as well as break his grip on the Quantum Realm. This was a fun Sci-Fi Superhero film that felt like not only did it have elements of typical Marvel Universe films but also a dash of Star Wars with a hint of Tron! I am not sure why this film got so much hate from critics and fans besides the fact it the cool trend to crap on these comics book films now, as I found it to be a fun popcorn film meant to be seen on the big screen! This film did good for Disney at the US box office bringing in $214,504,909.00 on a budget of $200 million. Well worth a watch if you have enjoyed the other two Ant-Man films and want to see Kang The Conqueror be as evil and cold as he should be.

# 2

Billy Batson is about to turn 18 and has a fear that he will be out of the foster system and lose his new family and home. Also, his siblings who all have super powers now seem to want to do things on their own besides doing it as a superhero team, and this is truly bumming him out. But when the three Daughters Of Atlas are able to get their hands on the magical staff, they break the hold on preventing darker magic used on Earth and use their powers to steal the powers back from Batson’s super hero powered family! Now he along with The Wizard (who gave him the powers) must figure out a way to get the staff back and stop these three sisters from destroying our planet as one of the sisters has an idea to turn Earth into their new realm and even brings back monsters and creatures from mythology that are rampaging our streets. And Shazam (Billy) must use all his powers and skills to truly stop the Sisters as well as save mankind from destruction. This was a really fun sequel that was filled with some great action as well as laughs and even brought mythical creatures into the plot, so that was a plus for me seeing minotaurs on the big screen. The film is well casted with Zachary Levi, Grace Caroline Currey, Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, Djimon Hounsou and Rachel Zegler making up most of the main cast, and with cameos from Gal Gadoy, Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee this film is stacked with talent. The film did just bad for Warner Brothers at the American box office bringing in $57,638,006.00 on a budget of $125 million, and the film’s poor performance was thanks mostly to online critics, but don’t listen to them and make up your own mind as Shazam 2 was a fun big budget popcorn movie watch.

# 1

The Guardians Of The Galaxy come together when member Rocket Raccoon is dying and his creator The High Evolutionary has placed a self-destruct mechanism in him that will kill him if anyone tries to help him medically, and worse, he wants Rocket back in order to take his brain and use it to help build a new race of animal people. Starlord and the others will not allow their friend to die and set out on a quest to get the code to disarm the mechanism in order to save his life, but along the way they have to fight with High Evolutionary and his army of followers and creations including Adam Warlock. But will they be able to save Rocket? Will the other Guardians fall in battle? And what is their fate as a team after the events of this film? Watch this great third film in the hit series and find out for yourself. This film for now is the swan song for Guardians Of The Galaxy, and James Gunn did a great job of sending them off right, as this film truly shows the love and friendship the characters have for each other and does a great job of making this final all about Rocket and all the terrible things that happened to him. This is one I don’t want to say too much about as I think that its best just watched and seen for yourself, I will warn you there are many of sad moments in this film that have to do with animal cruelty. The film did well for Disney at the domestic box office bringing in $358,995,815.00 on a budget of $250 million making it a hit for the House Of Mouse. If you like the other films in the series of just the films of director James Gunn make sure to give this one a watch as it really was the best Superhero film of 2023.

Like many, I find myself getting a little burnt out by the Super Hero films that have been flooding the cinemas for over the past 10 years as many at this point are all about different dimensions, universes, timelines and so on…but I truly think The Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 is a great film and hands down the best Superhero film of the year. And I know many of you are upset that Spiderverse is not high on my list, and again I have to stress it’s a good movie, I am just not into the animated Superhero Films. Well next is what I consider the Top Draw to get me to the theater and that of course is Horror and ma,n did I see lots of films on the big screen, and I mean a lot! This is truly the genre of film that brings me to the theater every time and with seeing so many this year putting together this list was a little hard as I enjoyed so many of them…but with that, let’s get cozy in our seats and let’s talk Horror!

# 44

Young Kevin and Kaylee wake up to a dark house were strange noises and creepy voice are heard in the darkness, and visions of their mother and father appear as doors, windows, toys and even the toilet seem to disappear. The voice taunts them and tells them to do weird things like look under the bed, go to sleep and even self-harm. Lights go on and off and the youngsters only have flashlights and the glow of the TV that is playing old cartoons. But slowly Kevin finds himself alone in the house looking for help and wanting to find someone to help him out of this nightmarish home of darkness…is this all in the young boys head or are his parents the true monsters? Watch this Experimental Horror film and make up your own mind. This film is not for everyone as it is a very slow burn with lots of white noise and long shots of door frames and Legos mixed with some dialogue, loud noises and cartoons playing and is very much a artsy kind of film that tries to guide the viewer into seeing what they think is truly going on in it. I for one was not a fan as I found it to be kind of bland and not as deep as it was trying to appear to be, and I did not find it that scary and many of the shots linger for way to long and act as filler to pad out the runtime as I feel this would have been better as a short film. The film had a limited release in theaters and did well for IFC at the American box office bringing in $2,052,272.00 on a budget of $15,000.00. This is one that you might want to check out if you think doorframes and flooring are scary. I might try to watch again and see if I like it any better in the future.

# 43

Paul Sturges is a man who works for Nixon Oil who has been sent out to inspect an old oil rig on the Baja Coast to see if it needs to be shutdown, and for this trip he also brings his wife Ines, daughter Audrey and young son Tommy as after they plan to have a fun time in Mexico. But soon Paul and his family find that the oil rig is leaking and most of the crew are gone besides two workers and their pet dog…as you see, that area is now cursed by an Aztec God who protects the land and has set loose The Black Demon, a massive shark that kills anything in its path. With no way off the oil rig and Paul learning that his own employers have sent him there to die, Paul must figure out a way to get his family to safety as well as stop The Black Demon and please the Aztec God by making his wrongs right and making the ultimate sacrifice. This is a pretty fun giant shark film that has a cool setting being in Mexico that sadly just does not have enough of The Black Demon who at times seems like an after thought as the main focus is clearly the damage that mega corporations do to the environment as well as Paul one of the most unlikable “heroes” I have seen in a film for a very long time. The film does have some kills and blood, but it as well is few and far between in the film. The film is well casted with names like Josh Lucas, Fernanda Urrehola, Julio Cesar Ceddillo, Venus Ariel and Jorge A. Jimenez and the music score is well done. The film did ok I would guess for Variance Films at the domestic box office on a very limited releasing bring in a unknown amount on a unknown budget. The Black Demon is not for everyone as it is very much a Horror Film that does not pack a very big bite.

# 42

Jonas Taylor and his crew are searching the ocean not only to discover new species in the trench but are also busting eco terrorist who are polluting the waters, and he is still making time for his step daughter Meiying. But during a dive with his crew and daughter, something goes wrong as they discover a underwater base as well as a illegal metal mining operation that sets off explosions and causes Jonas and the others to have to walk on the ocean floor to enter the base to find shelter as in these waters are all types of man eating creatures and worse of all three Megalodons that are hungry for human flesh! But once Jonas figures a way for them to get back the surface world they must deal with this illegal operation, handle the traitors that work among them, save lives from the approaching Megalodons and a Giant Octopus that was also let loose when the explosion rocked the trench. Can Jonas and his crew beat the odds and save the day…you bet your ass they will…but how they do so I will not say and that means watch this Action based Horror film to find out for yourself. This is yet another letdown in the cinema when it came to giants sharks reeking havoc, as his is another film that at times it seems the sharks take a backseat to the action segments and in fact the whole film really does downplay the Horror aspects. And the action in this one is over the top and super cheesy b-move level stuff. Jason Statham, Cliff Curtis, Shuya Sophia Cai and Page Kennedy return from the first film with names like Jing Wu, Melissanthi Mahut, Skyler Samuels and Sergio Peris-Mencheta being new names to the cast. The film did ok for Warner Brothers at the domestic box office bringing in $82,600,317.00 on a budget of $129million and did much better at the over seas theaters. While not as good as the original film, it still was a great popcorn movie to watch on the big screen if you like water based action films with just sadly a hint of Horror.

# 41

Edward is a man who is about to be executed in the electric chair for committing six murders, but his last psychiatrist committed suicide and now Dr. James Martin has been called in to give his evaluation if Edward is mentally fit to be executed. James soon finds that Edward is claiming that he is Nefarious, a demon that has taken over his body and caused him to do all the evil things, and worse Nefarious knows all of James secrets and things about his life that he shouldn’t. James now must figure out if Edward really does have a demon inside him, how this killer knows so much about his life and if he is going to sign the papers to end this prisoner’s life. The demon Nefarious soon alerts that he wants for Edward to die and that he wants James to release a book about the demons story to help spread the word of The Devil! In the end James makes his choice and must come to terms with his own faith as well as the fact that a demon has his him in his sights. This is a Christian-based Horror Film that mostly takes place in one setting in the prison and has the two main characters going back and fourth trying to get the one up on the other, and Sean Patrick Flanery is fantastic as Edward/Nefarious as he is able to slip between the two characters with a realistic approach. Other names in the cast include Jordan Belfi, Tom Ohmer and Daniel Martin Berkey being the main characters. The film’s frights come from the words of the demon and this was a slow burn and yet entertaining fright film. The film did well for Soli Deo Gloria Releasing at the American box office bringing in $5,433,685.00 on an unknown budget. The film does have a few preachy moments that tries to push is message, but if you look past it the film is ok and one I would watch again.

# 40

Karen starts her new job as an overnight janitor for a furniture factory. She is also a single mom to a sick little girl and her ex-husband was an abusive a-hole. But as her shift goes on five masked me break into the factory with the goal to kill Karen, they have her locked in, the doors chained and the phone lines cut and now she must fight for her life and survive this horrible night to see her daughter again. Who are these masked intruders? Are they robbers, and if not, who sent them? This is a pretty fun Indie Horror Film that is a cat and mouse game as most of the runtime is spent with Karen one step ahead or almost being caught by the masked attackers, and while the suspense is there it does tend to get a little draggy at times. Actress Natalie Terrazzino plays Karen and is fantastic in her role, and I hope to see her casted in more Horror Films soon. The film has some bloody moments and the end will leave you satisfied. The film had a very limited release and did ok for Welcome Villain bringing in a unknown amount on an unknown budget. This film was a blast to watch on the big screen and while it did drag in a few spots it is one I watched again when released on home media.

# 39

Rom takes his girlfriend Bianca to a place called Strawberry Lodge as he has just published his new book, her birthday was just recent, the pandemic had them cooped up and he wanted to propose to her but gets cold feet. All of their close friends have joined them at the lodge and meet the old lady who owns it that leaves them a bottle of wine before making her exit. The friends are all having a great time together, that is until after they drink the wine left for them, and Rom makes the mistake of talking about the legend of the house that includes witches, fear and suicide. Soon their getaway turns into a nightmare of fear as they start seeing things, hearing things and uncovering things that lead many of them to early graves all because of a coven of a evil witches that have a guardian that needs to feed on some souls. Can Rom and Bianca escape the Lodge with whats left of their friends or will they all be undone by their greatest fears. This was a spooky supernatural witch movie that was set during the pandemic times and plays up on peoples fear of the virus as well as how fear in general can lead to your fate. The movie was well cast, with Annie Ilonzeh, Jessica Allain, Tyler Abron and Ruby Modline all being great in their roles. The film did ok for Hidden Empire Film Group at the American box office bringing in $2,090,261.00 on an unknown budget. While not a groundbreaking film about the concept of neither fear nor a virus crisis, it is one that I enjoyed on the big screen and got on home media when released.

# 38

Nasser is a talented cello player who is trying to get his big break playing as part of a big symphony, and his luck he thinks is turning when he gets himself a new cello from a strange man at a pop-up music shop. The more Nasser plays his new cello, the more strange things happen to his family and friends as his new musical instrument is cursed and forces him to play a requiem that causes rage to those who hear it and with their ears bleeding they will attack and kill those around them. After some of his family and friends die, Nasser and his friends Alia and Omar try and find answers as the cello has taken over Nasser’s mind and life and he is having visions of a twisted conductor named Francesco as well as ghostly evil spirits of the creator of the cello who murdered his family and used their bones and blood to create it. But can Nasser stop playing the cello and the evil requiem that is driving the world mad or will Francesco claim another talent for his growing collection of talent to cause mayhem and death all around…watch and find out. This is a horror film that brings supernatural ghosts into the world of classical music and is about a cursed musical instrument as well as a song that will drive people mad when played. The film has some great moments that plays on tension as well as has some interesting ghosts but does suffer from being way to long as it runs 2hrs and should really only be 1hr 25min max as some spots in this movie drags and bogs down some of the chills. The film also has a pretty downbeat ending and is a modern cursed object kind of film, also its cool that it’s a Saudi Arabia release. The films stars Samer Ismail, Jeremy Irons, Tobin Bell, Elham Ali, Mila Al Zahrani and Souad Abdullah as the leads and all are great in their roles with Elham being the standout. The film had a very limited release in America and did $5,314 internationally on an unknown budget for Rozam Media. If you like music based horror, make sure to check this one out.

# 37

A small village is plagued with black magic as one of their temples has been closed down for many years as it is said to have a curse around it…but it is also said to hide treasure! Komari is a man who many think is dead, who is absorbed into black magic and has taken lives and has ruined many of those around him as well as his own, now wandering the country side on a mission to find the treasure and gain more power he is being hunted down by a police captain, his best friend as well as a rich man and his group that want to find the treasures themselves…in other words, there is lots of drama and evil vibes going around and Komari is at the center of it all. This is the sequel to the indie Bollywood Horror film Maa Oori Polimera and brings more twist and turns to that universe, and the end of this second film leaves you on a cliffhanger and the promise of a third film. The film is filled with lots of flashbacks as well as spooky black magic scares…but I will say that the subtitles on the print I saw at the theater were very bad and at times they would just disappear for long periods of time making it a little confusing at times. The film had a very limited release in America and did an unknown amount on an unknown budget. If you like Bollywood Horror like myself, make sure to check this one out.

# 36

Gabbie and her young son Travis move into an old mansion in New Orleans and soon find that it’s haunted by almost a thousand ghosts that are being ruled over by the Hatbox Ghost who needs to collect one more soul in order to bring his terror to the world. Gabbie calls for help from professionals as she learns that once you enter the mansion, a ghost will haunt you until you return! She calls on tour guide and creator of a ghost camera Ben, Harriet a psychic, Father Kent a priest and lastly Professor Davis who kind of forces his way into helping…but they soon find out that the Hatbox Ghost has many terrible tricks up his sleeve and will not stop until one of them dies! But this group is not ready to give up and teaming with some of the more friendly ghosts in the house, they find ways to bring down the Hatbox Ghost and stop his reign of terror on them all as even the other ghost fear him and others obey him not to get on his bad side. This is a very fun kid friendly haunted house film that is based on the popular Disney ride and is fantastically casted with names like LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Own Wilson, Danny DeVito, Tiffany Haddish and Chase W. Dillion making up the main cast with Jamie Lee Curtis, Winona Ryder, Hasan Minhaj having cameos and Jared Leto plays the Hatbox Ghost. The film is filled with lots of kid friendly scares, some good belly laughs, creepy ghosts and characters that go so well together. The film did poorly for Disney at the domestic box office brining in $67,653,287.00 on a budget of $157.8 million. If you like the ride or just silly spooky ghosts in a haunted house film, make sure to check this one out.

# 35

Renfield is still the familiar for Count Dracula after all these centuries, and he is starting to truly hate his life of eating bugs to gain powers in order to capture humans and bring them to Dracula to feed on. But in these modern times Renfield is picking his victims by attending help groups and bringing him those who are abusive. But things turn sour between the two when Renfield meets officer Rebecca Quincy and saves her from a crime family hit that has been placed on her, and this angers Dracula who now is on a mission to not only take over the world by using this crime family now as his army and helpers…but to also kill everyone that Renfield cares about. Can Renfield and Officer Quincy bring down the crime family and stop Dracula, or will they both suffer a fate worse than death at the hands of the vampire king? Watch this Horror Comedy for yourself and find out. Fist thing I have to say is that director Chris McKay must be taking goofy pills when he tried to claim that this film is a direct sequel to the 1931 Universal Monster classic Dracula that starred Bela Lugosi in the title role, and he even adds moments in Renfield to try and connect the two…and this movie is not even close to being a true sequel as everything about it does not fit the first ones moods and setting unless you think CGI Blood, Shaky Cam Fights Scenes, Character That Act Nothing Like They Did In The Original and Goofy Jokes blend well into your classic Universal Monster Universe. And McKay, we had an official sequel in 1936 with “Dracula’s Daughter,” an underrated classic fright flick. Plus zero explanation on how they both are back alive when we see them die in the original film. With all that said it is a fun watch if you remove the “sequel” aspect as it’s filled with over the top gore, lots of Matrix style fights and has a great cast with Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina, Jenna Kanell and even Caroline Williams in a cameo role. Plus the idea of Renfield eating a bug and getting superpowers is an interesting and silly concept that just works. The film did poorly for Universal at the U.S box office bringing in $17,152,625.00 on a budget of $65 million. While I do wish that this was more of a straight up Horror Film, if you are in the mood to watch a modern Horror Comedy with a classic Universal Monster give it a watch. I did buy it when it was released on home media.

# 34

Sadie and her younger sister Sawyer lost their mother in a car accident and their father Will, who is a psychiatrist, has not really dealt with the death well himself and has not fully been their for his daughters. And things get worse when a man shows up to their house and ends up killing himself in one of their closets, as the man has been accused of killing his own kids but he claims is was something else, something evil! Now Sadie must protect her sister Sawyer from the monster of the darkness they call The Boogeyman, make her father believe in the monster they see, accept the loss of her mother as well as find a way to kill this monster from your closet and under your bed. This spooky film is based on the short story from Stephen King and is well cast as both Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair steal the film as they come off as real life caring sisters. The Boogeyman is a cool and strange looking creature that delivers a few good jump scares and in a dark theater I could hear people jump several times. The film did well for 20^th Century at the domestic box office bringing in $43,244,282.00 on a budget of $35 million. This is a good PG-13 fright flick that I hope someday will be released on physical media so that I can have it in my collection.

# 33

Karen and Lucy work for a ice cream shop and are rude to a Witch who curses Lucy to become a werewolf, and this causes the friends to head to an abandoned Girl Scouts Camp just in case if she turns into a beast at the full moon…but this gets way out of hand and turns crazy as the two friends discover that the curse is real and have run ins with zombies, cult members and even Bigfoot all in order to find themselves and save Lucy from howling at the moon and ripping her friend into pieces as well as break the witch’s curse. This is a silly Horror Comedy that blends together pretty well, and while some of the humor fell flat for me I still found it to be entertaining as the characters are silly and the use of practical effects gives it a nice touch to the classic days of Indie Horror. The film is well casted with such names as VyVy Nguyen, Brooke Markham, Hershel Sparber, Jimmy Bellinger and Erin Daniels all do a great job in their roles. The film had a limited release for Fathom Events and did ok at the domestic box office with unknown profits on an unknown budget. While not the funniest Horror Comedy I have ever seen, it was cool seeing on the big screen at the theater as the film’s editor’s dad was in the audience with us and is one I will get if released on Home Media.

# 32

The Traveler is a man found in a safe house chained to a dead man filled with over 20 immigrants that have all been shot in the head. Once at the police station The Traveler tells four stories to the investigating officers that are horrific and some humorous in nature, but warns them that he needs to be set free as a death demon is coming for him and will kill everyone in its path…and while he is immortal he has to stay ahead of this demon in order to prevent the return of dark times. But can The Travelers stories scare the officers into believing him or will the Death Demon come for them all…watch this Hispanic Horror Anthology Film and find out. This is a mix bagged as some of the segments are good, others are ok and some are boring, but all of them are well shot and acted and the use of practical effects for the monsters and demons is really cool. The switching from straight up Horror to Horror Comedy can be a little jarring at times as it gives it a little of a odd pacing. Very cool that this small independent film got a very limited showing at the theaters and over all was a pretty dang entertaining watch. The film on its limited release brought in $16,288 at the international box office for Iconic Events Releasing. This is one that I look forward to watching again to see if I missed anything hidden.

# 31

In a small town the corn crops are all dying off and leaving the towns people broke, and their only hope is to make a deal with the government to not grow corn any more. And the town’s kids are not happy about this as teenager Boleyn Williams wants to save the corn and soil to help the land as well as the town grow, while young Eden Edwards wants to protect it as she has made a friend with He Who Walks Behind, a creature who has watched after her and even filled her head with bad thoughts. And when the time comes Eden leads all the kids into an uprising as they kill all the adults for their sins against the corn and she introduces them to He Who Walks Behind with plans to lead the youth uprising around the country! The only ones who try and help the adults are Boleyn and her friends who see what Eden is doing is wrong, but can they stop her plans of death and pleasing her monstrous corn friend…or will they end up dead like all the adults who crossed her…watch this reboot to the Children Of The Corn series and find out for yourself. This was a fun “sequel” of sorts that was a very enjoyable watch on the big screen as I think the character Eden Edwards played by actress Kate Moyer is a sinister youngster who is driven by evil and ego. Plus you can never go wrong with a corn monster! The film has some great deaths and it has a good cast with Elena Kampouris, Callan Mulvey and Bruce Spence all having big rolls. The film had a very limited released and did ok for RLJE Films at the American box office bringing in $325,583.00 on a unknown budget. Harshly judged by “fans” and critics this is one that I enjoyed and got on home media when released.

# 30

Grace is an eye doctor who gets the sad news that her brother Michael, a priest, is dead and is believed to be involved in a murder suicide, but Grace don’t think so and travels to the Isle Of Skye to a convent where this took place and soon finds that the nuns are all very odd and The Mother Superior seems to be the one who claims her brother had a demon in him to commit these crimes. But when Father Romero arrives Grace’s life and her own views seem to be twisted as she learns that she herself might be the cause of all this as she grew up with visions, a abusive father and just might possible be a fallen angel and a religious relic. But is Grace good, evil or something in-between? Watch this creepy Religious based Horror Film and find out yourself. One of the several Religious Horror Films release in 2023 and this one was pretty entertaining as I enjoyed the twists and turns the plot took plus it was well casted with Jena Malone being fantastic as Grace and fellow actors Danny Huston, Eilidh Fisher, Thoren Ferguson and Janet Suzman all being fantastic in their roles. The film had a few creepy moments and they did a good job on not relying on jump scares to try and bring the frights. The film did ok for IFC bringing in $538,551.00 at the American box office on an unknown budget. A fun spooky watch at the theater that I enjoyed and one that I got when released on home media for the Horror Film Collection.

# 29

Emily is a collage student who loves animals and adopts a sloth she names Alpha as her sorority mascot and to become more popular among her sorority sisters as she is running for chapter president against the popular Brianna, but things go wrong when Alpha goes crazy and starts killing off all the ladies in the house on by one as she wants to prove that she is the true Queen of the sorority house. This is a very silly Horror Comedy that features a killer sloth that is like an un-killable slasher killer who murders college women in all types of silly ways and even uses a cellphone and drives a car in order to kill her targets! The film is well casted with names like Lisa Ambalavanar, Sydney Craven, Tiff Stevenson, Olivia Rouyre and Milica Vrzic being the standouts. The film is PG-13 and does have some bloody moments and outrageous kills. The film feels like a “Funny Or Die” skit that is stretched out to be a feature length film…but not saying that in a bad way as it is a fun time. The film had a very limited release and did ok for Iconic Events Releasing at the international box office bringing in $122,542on a unknown budget. It’s one I will get on physical media and will watch again.

# 28

Beau is a man that lives in a dangerous part of town who grew up very sheltered by his rich mother who raised him on her own and filled him with so much fear of falling in love, making decisions and even having sex, all making him think that he could die. And after a tragedy Beau must try and make it to his childhood home but along the way he finds many set back as he is hit by a car and has to spend time with a weird family who are almost keeping him prisoner, avoid a crazed army vet who is hunting him down, meets a weird traveling group that put on plays in the woods and even thinks back to the first girl he ever crushed on. But once he finally makes it home, he finds that his anxiety is worse as things about his life, past and even present come to light and Beau finds out the truth of why he has always been afraid to live his own life. And really this is just the best way I can describe this film without spoiling too many of the twists and reveals that are in its three hour runtime! The film has some very dark moments and even has its fair share of death and blood, but the true horror comes from the bad things Beau has to go through to get back home, and all the while he is trying to be mindful and scared to make the wrong choice to lead him there. The film is well cast with Joaquin Phoenix playing Beau and other actors include Parker Posey, Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Bill Hader, Richard Kind and Dennis Menochet to name a few. The film is a strange one and of very entertaining in its own way but sadly it did not do well at the U.S box office for A24 only bringing in $8,176,562.00 on a $35 million budget. This is a film that is not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it and is one I got on home media when released.

# 27

A group of evil satanic cultist steal the Shroud of Turin with the purpose to clone the DNA of Jesus Christ to grow a new baby in order for Lucifer to take over its being as the ultimate disrespect to God and a way for him to bring Hell to Earth. The cult is lead by Liz, Dr. Laurent and Beast Of The Ground, all of whom will kill, torture and commit the ultimate crimes again mankind to serve their master’s coming. The only thing standing in their way is The Archangel Michael who has taken over the body of a slain priest and Laura, a kidnaped art student, who is being forced to carry the created child…this is a battle between good and evil and will Lucifer and his army be free from their hellish imprisonment or does God have a different plan in place…watch this Horror Action film and see for yourself. What a fun film that kind of reminds me of the Underworld series with a dash of I, Frankenstein just with a smaller budget and features Lucifer and his minions as the main villains. The film is pretty gory in spots as heads are cut off and faces are split in half with The Beast Of The Ground being a very cool and spooky character. The film did very poorly at the American box office for Third Day Productions bringing in only $765,218.00 on an unknown budget. I want to say that Juliet and I had a fun time watching this one and for some reason I kept thinking that if Fangoria Comics was still around that they would have done a comic book series about this. I bought when it was released on home media.

# 26

Winnie The Pooh, Piglet and the rest of the 100 Acre Wood gang end up turning feral after Christopher Robin grows older and leaves them behind. As Pooh and Piglet grow older, they become more wild and start killing and eating humans that wonder into or around their woods. And even kidnap and torture Christopher Robin when he returns to the woods with his wife that they slaughter in front of him. Time passes and Maria along with her friend’s head to a cabin in those woods to get away from the trauma of a peeping tom stalker who broke into her home, but soon they find themselves being hunted and killed by the unstoppable Pooh and violent Piglet who’s hatred for humans knows no bounds. When Maria finds and frees Christopher, can they survive this blood bath or will they find themselves in the belly of Pooh and be just another meal? Watch this creature feature slasher film and find out for yourself! Once Winnie The Pooh fell into the Public Domain director Rhys Frake-Waterfield jumped on turning the classic character into a horror film killer, and for the most part he pulled it off and made an entertaining film. I think that what makes this one work is that it takes an idea that should be very silly and treats it seriously. The film stars Maria Taylor, Nikolai Leon, Craig David Dowsett, Chris Cordell, Natasha Tosini and Amber Doig-Thorne who steals the film, oh and the creature effects are really cool and most of the gore effects work well. The film did ok for Fathom Events at the US box office on a limited release bringing in $1,750,639.00 on a budget of $100,000. A fun silly slasher that I picked up once released on home media for the Horror collection as it’s a fun one for sure.

# 25

Eric and Andrew with their adopted daughter Wen have rented a cabin in the woods of New Jersey to get away from the stresses of the city, but soon Leonard along with three others show up with crudely made weapons and take the family hostage and alert them that they have four chances to save all the lives on Earth, but the price to save everyone is that the family have to pick one of their own to die and every time they are asked to make the choice and say “no” thousands and thousands of people die in horrific events and disasters including one of the four captures dies by the hands of the others. Now Andrew and Eric must make the choice to believe if these four strangers are just an end of the world cult, if the end times are really upon us and if they should save the world and make the biggest sacrifice by ending one of their loved ones lives to do so. How does this Psychological Horror film end and is the world really ending and if so does this family save everyone…watch it and find out for yourself. This is a very creepy and well made film from director M. Night Shyamalan that is based on the novel “The Cabin At The End Of The World” by Paul G. Tremblay and is perfectly casted with such names as Dave Bautista, Kristen Cui, Ben Aldridge, Jonathan Groff, Rupert Grint, Abby Quinn and Nikki Amuka-Bird making up the main cast. The film does a great job of playing with your mind and building up suspense and making you think what you would do if this horrific situation was asked of you. The film did well for Universal at the American box office bringing in $35,397,980.00 on a budget of $20 million. This is one I got on home media when released as it was one I wanted to watch again.

# 24

Meghna grew up without her mother and was raised by her father who before her 21^st birthday hangs himself out of pain as in his diary he tells his daughter that his illness was caused by her mother who poisoned him and left them both in order to become rich with a new husband. And weirdly after her father’s death his heart is missing from his body and this causes Meghna want to find her mother to get revenge for his father’s death as well as her poor childhood. So she travels to see her mother and her new family and along with the sprit of her father and a half dead evil monk they set up everyone for revenge, but soon Meghna finds that her Mother, Sister and Step Father are good people who love her and that maybe her past was not fully true but it is to late to stop it as her younger sister is now possessed by an evil spirit and now Meghna must do everything she can to save her family from the evil she brought down on them. This is a spooky fun Bollywood Horror film that is a mix of the sub genres of Possession and Haunted House films that is mixed with songs and green screen backgrounds. The film has lots of strange characters with the oddest being the half rotting faced monk who is working along side the spirit of the father who self harmed himself to get revenge on his wife that left him. The film stars Avika Gor, Barkha Bisht, Rahul Dev and Avtar Gill and had a limited release in America. This is just one of many Horror Films released in 2023 that features possession, and if you like modern Bollywood Horror films you should check this one out, on a side note when seeing this in the theater Juliet and I were the only ones there and that’s a shame as it would have been cool to have seen it with a crowd. And for those wondering 1920 is a film series in India and this is the fifth film in the series.

# 23

Julia lost her husband in a terrible car wreck, and she is now a single mother who has to move her daughter Amy and son Henry to an old church in Spain that was left to them, but soon a demon posses Henry, and the Vatican takes notice and sends in Father Gabriele Amorth to investigate and perform an exorcist if necessary. Once there he finds that this old time church is a true place of evil and that Henry’s life and soul are truly in danger as the demon has his sites on the ultimate prize and that is to posses Gabriele and cause evil to spread in the church by spreading wild theories. But Father Gabriele along with Spanish Father Esquibel have strong faith and with the backing and blessing of The Pope himself go to war with this powerful demon to stop it’s evil quest as well as truly come face to face with their own sins, will good beat out evil…well if you now the story of the real Gabriele Amorth you know the answer. This was a truly enjoyable possession film that had some great creepy moments that was highlighted by the cursed church setting. Russell Crowe is fantastic as Father Gabriele and names like Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, Laurel Marsden, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney and Franco Nero make up the main cast and are all great in their roles. The film also has some bloody moments as in one scene a woman explodes! The film did well for Sony at the American box office bringing in $20,002,746.00 on a budget of $18 million. Very enjoyable exorcist film that I got on home media when released and is one I hope sparks a franchises as this could be Sony’s Conjuring films if they play their cards right. And yes, this is one that I bought on home media when released.

# 22

James Foster is a writer whose first book was six years ago and after some bad reviews he has gotten writers block and is looking for inspiration to start his next, and his wife Em is trying her best to help him. But while at a resort, they meet Gabi and Alban a couple who are fans of James and who take the couple out for a fun time, but after James is driving drunk and kills a farmer his life is turned upside down as he is rich enough to escape punishment for his crime in this resort city, but he must watch a perfect clone of himself die for the crime…and this starts his life spiraling out of control as he gets mixed up with Gabi and Alban’s plus their friends who have all watched themselves die and are running wild on this resort island as they have the money to get out of paying for their horrific crimes. With his wife mad at him and his new friends mocking him and getting him in to very bad things what is James to do to survive this resort nightmare or will he give into the thrill of watching himself die over and over for the bad things he does. Watch this twisted Brandon Cronenberg Horror Mystery Film for yourself and find out. This film is very well casted with names like Alexander Skarsgard, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman and John Ralston to name a few all playing big roles and as always Mia Goth is beautiful and steals the film as she is just a fantastic actress. The film has some bloody moments and a thought provoking plot that will please indie Horror Fans. The film did pretty well for Neon at the US box office brining in $5,078,400.00 on an unknown budget. Worth a watch for sure and one I bought when released on home media.

# 21

When a drug delivery goes wrong and millions of dollars worth of cocaine is dropped out of a plane into the woods of Georgia, a drug dealer sends his son and right hand man to retrieve it, but also on their way to those woods is a local detective trying to bust the dealers, a mom looking for her daughter and her best friend that skipped school, three punk teenagers who like to rob hikers as well as a forest ranger along with an animal rights activist…but unknown to all of them is that a 500 pound black bear has eaten lots of the cocaine and is now super high and on a bloody rampage killing anyone in it’s way in its quest to find more drugs! Can the mother find the kids, will the drug dealers find what is left of his inventory or will Cocaine Bear slaughter them all searching for it’s next high? Watch this fun Horror Comedy loosely based on a true story to find out for yourself. What a fun bloody good time this was, as animal attack Horror has been slacking on the big screen and this one delivered as Cocaine Bear is a violent and sometimes silly creature who can not get enough of the drug and when it kills, it slaughters. The film is well casted with names like Keri Russell, Ray Liotta, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Brooklynn Prince, Christian Convery and Isiah Whitlock Jr. and many others all being perfect in their roles. The film did well for Universal at the American box office bringing in $64,388,510.00 on a budget of $35 million, showing that Universal has been doing Horror right for the past few years. This one is a must see for fans of Horror Comedy and is one I got on home media when released.

# 20

The demon Valak has returned and is killing religious workers at churches across Europe on its quest to find a relic, and this leads to a small French boarding school that hides the item it seeks. Meanwhile the church has sent out Sister Irene who is joined by Sister Debra as they travel around to the rash of bizzare deaths, and this leads them as well to the school. In the end it’s a showdown between good and evil, as Irene once more must face the terror of The Nun and try to send it back to Hell once and for all. The newest film in the Conjuring universe delivers some great jump scares as well as a new demon that joins Valak in scaring the heck out of the kids at the school, but it also has some truly head scratching moments mostly with characters that have no real reason as well as I was not to keen on how Valak was defeated this time around. The plot is good and will remind you of so many other demonic possession films you have watched in the past giving it that classic feel. The film is well acted and casted with such names as Taissa Farmiga, Storm Reid, Jonas Bioquet, Bonnie Aarons, Katelyn Rose Downey and Anna Popplewell making up the main cast with Farmiga, Aarons and Jonas all returning from the first film. The film did well for New Line Cinema at the domestic box office bringing in $86,255,396.00 on a budget of around $40million. While this second film was not as good or creepy as the first film, it still was a bloody good watch on the big screen.

# 19

Josh Lambert is having bad memory issues as the past events of being in The Further and dealing with the lost souls within it have been blocked from his mind, and the same goes for Dalton, his now college-aged son. And all this stress and lack of memory has also taken a toll on Josh’s family as he is separated from his wife and only gets to spend little time with his kids. But when both Josh and Dalton start to slightly remember, the door to The Further is open and The Lipstick-Face Demon along with other lost souls are now looking to be freed and the demon has set his sites on possessing Dalton. And its up to Josh to remember his past and travel back into The Further in order to save his sons soul, close the Red Door for good as well as learn to let go of his own past and forgive. This fifth film in the Insidious series is a little of a slow burn that packs a few jump scares as well as brings back The Lipstick-Face Demon in one more attempt to ruin the Lambert family. The film’s characters mix really well as they come off as a dysfunctional family hiding secrets that are trying to work it all out. The film stars Patrick Wilson (who also directed), Ty Simpkins, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Sinclair Daniel and Joseph Bishara in the main roles and all do a great job. The film has some great scared mixed with family drama and even a dash of humor and makes for another great sequel in the Insidious franchise. The film did good for Sony at the domestic box office bringing in $82,156,962.00 on a budget of $16 million. If you enjoy the Insidious films this fifth film is one you will want to see and is one I got on home media when released.

# 18

It’s the last day of camp for the kids and staff of Briarbrook as the fun days of summer are coming to an end Peter, the grandson of the camp’s owner and son of the camps head counselor throws a party with the staff, and they try to raise the dead as they prick their fingers and draw blood for Nurse Agatha, a nurse who was said to have been banned from the camp as she had cruel ways of “treating” and “curing” patients including blood letting and her own blend of medicines. It is said that she tripped and fell in the woods hitting her head on a rock and bleeding to death after she was chased away from camp. But what was a harmless campfire tale comes true as Nurse Agatha has returned and has gotten the kids under a spell and all those who pricked their fingers have been marked for brutal deaths, but soon Peter finds out there is way more to this legend and his family bloodline is connected to her dark past, can they survive camp or will the lake fill with the blood of these councilors…watch and find out. This is a horror film with a dash of comedy that pays tribute to the slasher films in the 80’s that took place in summer camps. The film is well casted with such names as Cara Buono, William Sadler, Spencer List, Clare Foley, Adam Weppler and Ehad Berisha make up most of the main cast and are great in their roles with Adam Weppler’s character Dylan being such a jerk that you have to laugh. The film has some pretty fun kills and the killer Nurse Agatha is spooky looking and if Fangoria still was making comics I would have loved to seen them do a comic series based on this film! The film had a limited release and did ok for Blue Finch Films at the US box office bringing in unknown profits on an unknown budget. A fun summer camp horror film that was worth a pick up on home media when released.

# 17

A group of old college friends get together for their reunion and to celebrate Juneteenth at a cabin in the woods, but what is supposed to be a fun time of talking, drinking and catching up soon turns into a nightmare after they find a board game called “The Blackening” and make the mistake of starting to play it as when they do a masked killer with a crossbow appears and their choices in the game are a matter of life or death! This game of survival will test their friendships as well as survival skills as the killer makes them play his twisted game and the wrong answers will equal an untimely death, can this group of friends survive? Check out this Horror Comedy and find out for yourself! This is a fun slasher film that is wrapped with humor and is very entertaining as I found all the friend characters to be likable and charming in their own ways. The film has its fair share of crossbow kills and even has a scene of splatter that is done with humor. The film starts names like Grace Byers, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Antoinette Robertson, X Mayo and Dewayne Perkins to name a few and all are great in their roles. The film did well for Lionsgate at the domestic box office bringing in $17,707,207.00 on a budget of only $5 million. Worth a watch for fans who like Horror Comedies and one I got on home media when released.

# 16

A small village in India is being plagued by killings of couples that are committing affairs and the deaths are framed to look like suicides, but the local SI knows that these deaths are not what they seem as they all take place after someone has written about the affairs on the city walls for everyone to see. And while the townspeople are gossiping and pointing fingers out of fear, a masked figure is stalking the woods and his motives is unknown and when the towns doctor sees the ghost of a woman shunned by the village who committed suicide in a well the mystery of who is doing the killing and their motives thickens as the SI must stop these killings masked as suicides and bring the killer or killers to justice. This is a really great Bollywood Horror Films that has lots of twists and turns and even has a few elements of Phantom Of The Opera and Saw thrown in to keep it spooky. As the plot unfolds more and more is explained and the view of the killers is shown more clearly and to be honest you find yourself cheering for them. The film also deals with some social issues really well like women’s rights, the power of those in charge and even dealing with lost love. The film is a blend of Thriller, Slasher and Supernatural and of course done in the style that India has for these types of Horror Films. The film is well casted with such names as Payal Rajput, Nandita Swetha, Divya Pillai, Ravindra Vijay and Priyadarshi Pulikonda making up the lead roles. The film had a limited showing in theaters and did well for Flyhigh at the box office. If you enjoy Bollywood Horror like I do make sure to check out Mangalavaaram as it’s a well made fright flick that starts off slow but builds to a great ending.

# 15

Marty is a man down on his luck as his stepfather thinks he is a loser, he works hard at a fast food burger restaurant and gets no respect and all he has in the world is his Battle Cats toy collection and the want to win a contest that will have his stay at the Satanic magicians Bartok The Great’s mansion to summon an ancient demon and be granted eternal life….and he wins as he is the virgin the ritual needs! Calling himself Onyx The Fortuitous, he meets the four other contest winners and finally has found the friends he has been looking for, but soon this fun time at the mansion turns sinister when he discovers their host Bartok and his female demon Farrah are going to kill them all to rise the demon and turn them all into mindless ghouls! Can Onyx be the true chosen one to save the day or will this burger flipper fumble and cause the end of the world as we know it…watch this silly Horror Comedy and find out for yourself. This was surprisingly good and while a little to long it offered some great laughs and characters that were likeable even if Onyx is one strange guy. The film uses practical effects to showcase ghouls and demons and they look good and remind me of stuff you would have seen in the 80’s. The film also bring actors Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton back together and other actors include Andrew Bowser, Terrence Carson, Rivkah Reyes, Melanie Chandra, Arden Myrin and Olivia Taylor Dudley as the demon Farrah who is just stunning in the film. The film was released limited by Fathom Events and did ok for them at the domestic box office bringing in $182,021.00 on an unknown budget. While the films scares are played more for laughs, this was a fun one that I will own once released on home media.

# 14

Sam and her family come from India to live in America and as she starts becoming a teenager, she starts want to fit in more with her fellow classmates and even drifts away from her childhood friend Tamira who is acting very strange caring around a jar creeping people out and looking like she has not slept for days, but when Sam out of frustration with his former friend’s oddness breaks the jar, she unknowingly unleashes a demon called a Pishach that is now on the loose and has taking Tamira and hidden her away in order to feed on her soul for seven days before finally ending her life, and now Sam must try to rescue her past friend as well as avoid this demon who has now set its twisted sites on her and is attacking those she seeks help from…will Sam be able to save her friend as well as her own life watch this fun demonic creature feature and find out for yourself. What a surprise this film was as it was such a great watch and felt like a Bollywood Horror film with an American touch that was only missing the musical numbers as it dealt with a demonic entity from Hindu lore. The Pishach is a cool and interesting creature, delivered some good scares and the film makes great use of its score music as well as the use of the fall season and rainstorms. The film is well casted with such names as Neeru Bajwa, Megan Suri, Mohana Krishnan, Betty Gabriel, Vik Sahay and Gage Marsh all being great in their roles. The film did pretty well for Neon at the domestic box office bringing in $4,675,092.00 on an unknown budget. This is one I enjoyed very much and bought once released on home media.

# 13

Angela and Katherine are friends who one day after school head into the woods to hold a ritual so that Angela can speak to her mother that passed away when she was born, but instead they invoke a demon who takes over their bodies and causes them to go missing for three days. Once the girls are found they remember nothing and once home the demon comes out to play causing them to harm themselves as well as others their parents come together along side friends, religious figures and even Chris MacNeil who’s daughter Regan was possessed…can they truly exorcise this demon and save the young girls or will their souls be damned to Hell…watch this sixth film in The Exorcist series and find out for yourself. This is another case of a film getting lots of hate for no reason and so many moviegoers listening to crap sites like Rotten Tomatoes and online “Reviewers” and not giving it a chance. The film is well acted and has some great creepy moments and has some great atmosphere as well. The films cast includes Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Lidya Jewett, Olivia Marcum as well as returning to the series Ellen Burtyn &Linda Blair! The film did just ok for Universal at the domestic box office bringing in $65,537,395.00 on a budget of $30million. While I understand its not as great as the original film, it was a good sequel that in my opinion did the series justice.

# 12

All the churches are closed and people are being possessed and if they are killed by gunshot or not by what is called a cleaner, dark times will fall all around the people who are near and that includes possession and death of their loves ones…it will spread like a sickness. And when two brothers make the mistake of helping a neighboring farmer dispose of a young man who is swelled up with infection and is possessed and by doing so they have infected their town. As the sickness spreads and the children become demonic and adults turn into cannibalistic killers, the two brothers must do what they can to survive and try and save as many of their family and friends as they can, but can they stop the possession sickness or is the world doomed? Watch this creepy film and find out for yourself! This is another possession film released to theaters in 2023 and this one is made in Argentina and really brings a creepy atmosphere as well as a mood that is filled with dread as we watch people die all around and the end of society breaking down before our eyes. There are some pretty gruesome deaths as well as gross moments that can turn your stomach if you are grossed out by infections and puss. The film stars such actors as Ezequiel Rodriguez, Demian Salomon, Luis Ziembrowski and Silvia Sabater and all do great in their parts, but I will say the character Pedro makes many decisions in the film that will make you scream at the screen about how dumb he is! The film had a very small limited release but did do well for IFC Films at the domestic box office bringing in $546,626.00 on an unknown budget. This is one of the better possession films released this year and one I bought on home media when released.

# 11

The town of Plymouth, Massachusetts was shaken by a Black Friday sale on Thanksgiving that left many people dead as shoppers rioted and caused mass amounts of death and injures. A year later, Jessica and her friends who were at the riots (as she is the daughter of the store owner) find themselves as well as others at the store during this horrific time on the hit list of a mask wearing killer who is calling himself John Carver who has a score to settle with them all, and is using social media to taunt them all as he deals out death in bloody ways. And when John Carver captures Jessica as well as her family and friends will they become Thanksgiving dinner & entertainment or will she be able to survive and stop this mad man and find out his true motives? This is a fun Holiday slasher film that was created by Eli Roth who made a fake trailer for this film back in 2007 for the film Grindhouse and in 2023 finally made the film into a feature. The film has some great gory kills with good effects and I liked the masked killer John Carver even if I was not a fan of who he turns out to be in the end. The film also has a great cast with such names as Patrick Dempsey, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, Gina Gershon, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Gabriel Davenport and Addison Rae making up some of the lead rolls. The film did well for TriStar Pictures at the domestic box office bringing in a total of $31,806,973 on a budget of $15million. This is a fun spooky film that I will watch from time to time on Thanksgiving and is one I will get once on DVD or Blu-Ray.

# 10

Mike is a young man who is raising his younger sister Abby after both of there parents passed away, and worse Mike is plagued with nightmares of the day his younger brother was kidnapped while the family was camping. Mike has a hard time keeping a job and ends up taking one being a nighttime security officer at a rundown pizza restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza that has been closed for decades after it was connected to a rash of missing kids. And soon he finds that the animatronics are alive and want to friend and then turn his young sister into one of them and just maybe this pizza place has a connection to his missing brother and when he meets Vanessa, the police officer that has the restaurant on her beat, they must find a way to stop Freddy Fazbear and his animatronic gang as well as the evil man that is controlling them in order to save young Abby’s life and soul. This PG-13 Horror Film is based on the super popular video game series and was a great watch on the big screen as many of the fellow moviegoers even came dressed up as characters from the games adding to the fun nature of the film. This fright flick is packed with some cool scares, cool animatronic monsters and even some truly depressing moments dealing with missing kids and homicides. The film stars such actors as Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, Elizabeth Lail, Matthew Lillard, Mary Stuart Masterson and Kat Conner Sterling make up the main cast and all do a great job in their roles. The film did great for Universal at the domestic box office bringing in $137,275,620.00 on a budget of $20 million. It was a great watch on the big screen for the Halloween season and is one I bought on home media when it was released. I also have to say this is a perfect film to show younger Horror Fans as it has just the right amount of scares and atmosphere to frighten the younger viewers.

# 9

Winnie Carruthers lives in Angel Falls with her parents and brother and a masked serial killer is on the loose and killing one of Winnie’s friends at a Christmas Eve party and attempting to kill her as well as her brother, but she turns the table and is able to kill the killer who turns out to be the towns Mayor Henry Waters. A year passes and Winnie has not dealt well with the death of her friend as well as killing a man, and when she finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her with her friend, she wishes she was never born…and she gets her wish! Now in Angel Falls no one knows her and the killer has been on the loose the whole time as she never killed him and even now has killed her brother causing the whole town to live in fear, and now along with a young woman that the town named Weirdo she must bring down the Mayor again to stop the killings and just possibly return to have been born again. But soon Winnie finds that her being in this alternate Angel Falls might not just be to teach her a lesson but to also maybe make some major changes in another’s life. This is a fun Christmas slasher horror film that does a great job of making a more twisted version of the holiday classic “It’s A Wonderful Life” the killer when masked is really cool looking and the scares are even mixed with a good dash of humor that really works. The film is well casted and everyone does a fantastic job in their roles and actors in the cast include Jane Widdop, Jess McLeod, Justin Long, Katharine Isabelle, Joel McHale and Cassandra Naud to name a few. The film had a very limited release in theaters and did pretty good for RLJE Films at the domestic box office bringing in $811,818.00 on a unknown budget. This was a really fun Holiday Slasher Film and is one I would say you should checkout and is one I bought when released on Home Media.

# 8

John Kramer is dying from brain cancer and travels to Mexico in order to get treated by a doctor and her experimental treatment that is said to cure people up to 90% of the time, but when John pays them a ton of money, he soon finds out that he has been ripped off and is still dying in months from his cancer and this causes him to call on his assistants Amanda Young and Detective Hoffman to help him track down and capture the con artists and make them face his traps to try and help them change their ways or end their lives by their own hands. The 10^th Saw film was truly a great trip in nostalgia as not only was it great seeing John, Hoffman and Amanda return but also all the bloody and gory traps that we all love from this series. This film also takes place in the early timeline of the series more important right after the second film. The film stars Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Costas Mandylor, Synnove Mecody Lund, Renata Vaca and Steven Brand. The film did well for Lions Gate at the domestic box office bringing in $53,607,898.00 on a budget of $13 million showing that this series still has some life in it. If you are a fan of Saw, make sure to check this one out if you have not, plus this is one I bought on home media when released.

# 7

Jessica Loren is a second-generation police officer who is fallowing in her fathers footsteps, as he was a hero who saved three woman from being killed by a demonic cult…but also snapped and killed some of his fellow officers before turning the gun on himself. And for her first night on duty she volunteered to spend it at the old station that this massacre took place in and will be there alone until morning. But she soon finds that she is not truly alone, as a homeless man appears who is rambling about his missing daughter, a beat up street walker who witnessed a cult member mass suicide and even a massive pig is in the station…and worse of all Jessica is getting phone calls from cult members who have re-kidnapped the three girls that were slated to be slaughtered and something evil is truly in this rundown police station, as the undead Cult Leader and is deceased followers are back and need to feed The Lower God souls! Will Jessica survive this last shift? Will she find out why her father committed this massacre? And are these Cultist real or just in her head? Watch this creepy reimagining/remake of the 2014 fright flick “The Last Shift” and find out for yourself. This is a very creepy film that is set in a rundown police station that uses jump scares and unsettling images and plots to make the view uneasy, and that is what makes it feel even different from the film is a remake of making it truly feel like its own story of a cult of demon worshipers. The films effects, score and acting are really good with names like Jessica Sula, Clarke Wolfe, Morgan Lennon, Kevin Wayne and Chaney Morrow all being fantastic in their roles. The film did ok for Welcome Villain in the U.S. on a limited release bringing in $221,738.00 on an unknown budget. If you enjoy your horror movies with demons and cults this one is for you, also bought when released on home media.

# 6

Captain Elliot and his crew have been hired to deliver cargo to England and even have to hire extra hands for the ship and that includes Clemens, a Black doctor who is a good hand and who also just wants to get home. But while at sea, things turn really bad for the crew when one of the cargo boxes they were hired to transport busts open and inside is dirt and a young woman who is barely alive and covered by bite marks and must survive by blood transfusions, their pet dog and all the live stock on board are killed with the same bite marks and worse something seems to be killing the crew one by one. When they find out that the vampire Dracula is on the ship those who are remaining must come up with a plan to survive as well as stop him from reaching England…but can they do so or will this truly be the last voyage for the ship the Demeter…watch this amazing Universal Monster movie and find out. This film proves that classic monsters can still be scary and that Dracula is truly a timeless character that can bring the terror to the big screen. The film is well casted with names like Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian and Javier Botet as Dracula. The film also uses practical effects in much of the film given Dracula and the gore that real feel, something lacking in many modern Horror Films. The film very poorly for Universal at the domestic box office bringing in $13,637,189.00 on a budget of only $45 million. This is another film like Invisible Man (2018) that I hope proves to Universal that the classic monsters are still scary and we don’t need huge budget action of comedy films based around them. This is one I bought of course when released on home media and say that if you like classic Horror and have not seen this, you should.

# 5

Gemma is a single woman who works for a toy company creating robotic toys that innovate the market, but after an accident she becomes the caregiver for her niece Cady when her parents die. To deal with the lose Gemma introduces Cady to M3gan, a specialized robotic doll that links up and bonds with her and things are going great even though Cady is becoming too attached to her new robotic friend. But things soon turn deadly as M3gan will do what ever it takes to keep Cady from emotional or physical harm and that includes even killing! Can Gemma break this bond this robotic terror has with her niece and stop her killing rampage…or is Cady’s feature set with M3gan being her friend and support…watch this twisted fun film from the mind of James Wan to find out. This was such a fun and great way to kick off the first Horror Film in theater in 2023 as the film has some great creepy moments, is pretty bloody for a PG-13 film and M3GAN is a great new Horror character that I hope sparks many sequels to come. The film did really well for Universal at the American box office bringing in $95,043,350.00 on a budget of only $12 million. This is a great film and is one that I bought when released on home media and if you have not seen it and like killer doll films like Child’s Play and Dolly Dreariest make sure to check this one out.

# 4

Mia is a young woman who is going through lots of stress and sadness after her mother’s suicide two years ago and her strained relationship with her father. She has been staying with her friend Jade’s family that includes mother Sue and younger brother Riley, and one night the three youths go to a strange party hosted by Joss and Hayley as they have a strange severed hand statue that if you hold and say the words “Talk To Me” you see a dead spirit and if you say “I Let You In” the spirit will take over your body, and the party hosts would allow this for only 90 seconds and then remove the hand from your grasp and blow out a candle to break the connection. But things get really bad when Mia and Jade host a small gathering to mess with the hand and Riley stays under the possession for longer than 2 minutes when Mia thanks the spirit inside him was her mother, and this causes Riley to violently attack himself and be near death in the hospital! Mia is blamed for this horrific event as she kept the connection from being broken and now she becomes obsessed with the hand, wanting to save Riley who has a spirit stuck inside him as well as battle all the visions she is seeing of the lost souls that are trying to drag her down. Can Mia save her friends brother and herself or is all hope lost when she messed with things she should not have, watch this spooky A24 Horror Film and find out for your self! This is a delightfully creepy film that does a great job of building the mood, making you like the characters and delivering scares that are not just from loud noises or jump scares. The effects for the lost spirits is really great as is the “gore” effects and its really well casted with such names as Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, Miranda Otto, Zoe Terakes and Chris Alosio making up the main cast. The film did really well for A24 at the domestic box office brining in $48,299,436.00 on a budget of around $4.5 million, once more showing Horror is a hit on the big screen. This is one I got once released on home media.

# 3

The Carpenter sisters Sam and Tara along with their friends and siblings Mindy and Chad have moved away from Woodsboro and to New York to start a new life after being attacked by Ghostface a few years back, but things are not great as Sam is being accused of doing the killing and framing her Ex-Boyfriend by conspiracy theorists while Tara herself is just refusing to deal with it at all. But the Big Apple turns out to not be so safe as a new Ghostface killer is after the sisters and their friends, and this one is more brutal and mean with his kills, and coming along to help them survive is Gail Weathers as well as Kirby Reed (Scream 4) who is now working for the FBI and a cop whose daughter was killed by this slasher! Can the sisters and their allies survive New York? Who is the new Ghostface and why are they doing all this? Watch this sixth film in the Scream series and find out for yourself. This is a really great sequel that does a great job of bringing in all the cannon from the past films into this new storyline that has you always wondering what is next and who is going to die next! This film is well cast with returning names like Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courteney Cox, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Hayden Panettiere returns to the franchise as fan favorite Kirby Reed, with new names like Dermot Mulroney, Liana Liberato, Jack Champion, Josh Segarra and Devyn Nekoda being added into the mix. The film has some bloody kills and lots of chills and spills and makes me really look forward to Scream 7! The film did great for Paramount at the American box office bringing in $108,161,389.00 on a budget of $35 million. Scream 6 proves that sequels to old franchises still have lots of legs and are the way to go over reboots and remakes. It’s one I bought on home media when released.

# 2

Shikishima was a kamikaze pilot during World War II who ended up faking plan issues in order to not fulfill his mission, but while on an island for his plane to be inspected, he witnesses Godzilla arrive and kill most of the mechanics with only he and a man named Tachibana being the only survivors. Once home he learns that his parents have been killed and his life is in ruin as he his plagued with terrible nightmares. But his life starts to change when he meets Noriko, a young woman who is watching over Akkio, an orphaned baby, as they come and stay with him, he also builds up a friendship with his neighbor Sumiko as well as his coworkers Sosaku, Shiro and Yoji all who work together to destroy left behind mines in the waters from the war. Soon Shikishima and his friends must come together along with other former military workers and come up with a way to stop Godzilla once and for all as the giant monster is destroying Tokyo, but will Shikishima find his inner strength or will he allow his past fears and the war haunt him to an early grave? Watch this amazing film in the long running Godzilla series and find out yourself. Toho has done it again as this is a very entertaining film that brings Godzilla back to his Horror roots as well as tells a great human story of the trauma of war and its effects on those who survive it…and that’s the main thing here I found myself invested in Shikishima and his friends as they are all great characters who you root for. And when Godzilla appears, fans of Kaiju cinema will be happy as he stomps around and causes total destruction. The film is well casted with such actors as Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka and Kuranosuke Sasaki making up the main cast. The film did well for Toho at the American box office bringing in $45,671,401 on a budget of around $15million. If you love Godzilla films like I do, make sure to check this one out as it’s a great war drama as well as a giant monster on a rampage film. I bought it when released on home media.

# 1

Ellie is a newly single mother who lives in a high-rise apartment building who gets a visit from her sister Beth who works in the music industry and has just found out she is pregnant and wants to be around her sister, but after an earthquake, Dani, one of the kids, finds some old records and the book of the dead and foolishly takes them home and plays the record freeing the demons and causing his mom to become possessed and for the buildings power to be cut, the elevator to be messed up and for the stairs to collapse causing them to be trapped on their floor with a demon who wants to not only swallow their souls but also posses them adding to the demonic deadite army. Can Beth save not only herself but also the lives of her nephew, nieces and her unborn child or will they all be dead by dawn. Watch this fifth film in the Evil Dead series and find out for yourself. This is a bloody, gross and wicked good watch with likeable characters and a creepy setting that will remind you classic 80’s Horror fans of the film Demons 2…just with less monsters running around. And the film is also packed with some great kills and gruesome deaths from scalps being ripped off to shotgun blasted body parts, making it fit right in for those who like their gore in the Evil Dead films. The actresses Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland are fantastic as sisters Beth an Ellie and Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols and Nell Fisher are great in their parts of playing the kids. The film did good for New Line Cinema at the American box office bringing in $67,233,054.00 on a budget of $15 million. This was a fantastic sequel in the Evil Dead series and is one I will watch again and bought on home media when released.

This year was really hard for me to rate the Horror Films I saw in theater as so many of them were really great films, and I am not going to lie, I spent many sleepless nights going over this list and changing spots….plus Godzilla Minus One almost pushed Evil Dead Rise out of the # 1 spot and I am sure depending on the day for me would do so! I love that there was a big boom of Horror Films in the theater in 2023, and I hope that 2024 follows as they truly are my favorite genre of film to see in theater and watch in general. And I have to stress this is only my opinion of what was the best films of 2023 in theater and I am sure much of my rankings are different from yours, and I am sure some are the same but that is what is great about cinema, we all have our different likes and none of us are wrong for what our favorites are. Also please never base the movies you watch on their ratings on such sites as Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, Letterbox, Amazon or any other review or critic site that has a YouTube Channel or a blog as truly you should base it on your own opinion. Well 2024 is here, and the next update will be a sad one as we have reached the end of the Star Trek films featuring the original cast as we will be talking about Star Trek Generations and the DC Comics adaptation of the film! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a film or two and as always support your local movie theaters. See you next update for one last space adventure with Captain Kirk!

Matt Goes To The Movies 2022

Posted on January 2, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Happy New Year! It’s crazy to think that 2023 is here already and as you can see, we are here again at the Rotten Ink Theater to talk about the films that I saw in the cinema. It was once more a great year of films, and movie studios have been turning up the great amount of Horror films that have graced the silver screen. But while 2022 over all was a great year, it also brought a little sadness for me as early in the year my best friend and lovable cat Leslie passed away at the age of 16…it was hard losing her as she really was a one of a kind cat who grew up watching Horror Films with me and I had her since she was a baby kitten. I really do miss her every day. The year then ended with another big loss, as around the holidays, my cat Streets J passed away at the age of 14. Streets was a lovable goofball who my girlfriend and I rescued as a stray off the streets of downtown Dayton. If you’ve read Sparkle Comics’ Defenders of the Planets series, there’s a character based on Streets. But enough of the sad stuff as we are all here to talk movies! I saw some great films at such theaters as Cinemark Dayton South, Cinemark The Greene, Little Art Theatre and Regal Cinema, and each of these theaters deliver a different watching experience and are all awesome in their own ways. And like before I will be breaking this Best Of List by genre, and please remember that there might be some spoilers, so read on if you don’t mind. So let’s grab some popcorn and a drink and find our seats and sit back and relax and talk some movies!

For me nothing beats seeing a film in the theater and all this Direct To Streaming stuff is not for me as I love the theater experience, so let’s start off with taking a look at the Drama films I saw this year.

# 2

The world’s greatest detective Hercule Poirot finds himself invited to the wedding of Simon Dotle and Linnet Rideway that is taking place in Egypt, but along with the wedding guests is Jackie de Bellefort who was Simon’s ex-fiance and one time best friend of Linnet’s as the two love birds hooked up when Jackie made the mistake of introducing them to each other. And once the wedding party all find themselves guests on a private boat cruise, Jackie is also on board. After a fight with Simon, she shoots and wounds her ex and later that night Linnet is killed in her sleep and now Poirot must uncover the dark secrets of all the guests as Linnet informed him before her death that she did not trust any of them and this makes the world’s greatest detective have to work over time in order to solve this murder case. This movie is fantastic and just like “Murder On The Orient Express” is a great way to get modern moviegoers into Hercule Poirot. The film is very well cast with Kenneth Branagh once more playing Hercule Poirot with other names like Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Russell Brand, Letitia Wright, Emma Mackey and Jennifer Saunders to name a few. The film did okAY at the American box office bringing in $45,630,104.00 on a budget of $90million. This is a great watch, and if you love who-done-it detective films, make sure to give this one a watch.

# 1

Col. Robert Parker was a conman who is blamed by many as the man who killed Elvis as he pushed the classic music legend with a constant flow of drugs in order to get him on the stage so that he could make money. And Elvis’s star grows the more Parker tries to control not only his career but his life, and this film touches on the rise and fall of Elvis from innovator musician to addict, and this perspective comes from the side of Parker as he is the one narrating the movie played by Tom Hanks. This is a very entertaining film for fans of Elvis and while they do bend some truths as well as mix up some dates, this still is one that I truly enjoyed! The film stars Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and he does a fantastic job, also on the cast is Olivia DeJonge, David Wenham and Helen Thomson. This film was directed by Baz Luhrmann and makes great use of Elvis’ music for the soundtrack. The film did really well for Warner Brothers at the American Box Office bringing in $151,040,048 on a $85 million budget. If you like Elvis and want to see a different take on his life and death, give this one a watch.

As you can see I did not get to the theater that much for drama films and for me Elvis took that # 1 top spot as I felt that it was a great film and one that was best I saw on the Silver Screen. So with that, let’s take a look at the Comedies I saw in the theater in 2022 and see what took the # 1 spot and gave me the biggest belly laugh!

# 3

Actor Nicolas Cage is in a slump when it comes to acting roles and worse, his personal life with his wife and teenage daughter is not going good. In order to get some money to help him get out of debt, he takes a booking to be a guest at a millionaire named Javi Gutierrez’s birthday party…and the two quickly become good friends and start working on a film idea. But Cage is also working for the U.S. government as they think that Javi is a crime lord for a weapon and drug group who has kidnapped the daughter of a presidential candidate in Spain…but is he really a criminal or is he really just a fan of Cage and cinema in general? Watch this silly action comedy to find out. This film had some really funny moments and in fact Nicolas Cage, who is playing a parody of himself, was fantastic and shows why the actor has such a big cult following. While I did think the film would be funnier then it was, I still think many of the moments hit the spot and tickled my funny bone. The film is cast well with names like Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris, Lily Sheen and Sharon Horgan with cameos from Demi Moore and David Gordon Green. The film did okay for Lionsgate at the American box office bringing in $20,300,157.00 on a budget of $30 million. If you are a big fan of Nicolas Cage and enjoy goofy comedy action films, then make sure to check this one out.

# 2

Johnny Knoxville and his goofball cohorts along with newer thrill seekers once more tackle crazy stunts with some being borderline dangerous all to get a laugh from the audience. They run across raging animals like bulls, snakes, scorpions and vultures. They put their private parts through extreme measures, and of course they crash, fall, ram and smack their way through funny moments. Of course they have guest cameos like Tony Hawk and Machine Gun Kelly who get wrapped up in the overall silliness of the pranks and stunts. It was cool seeing the likes of Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Dave England, Preston Lacy, Danger Ehren and even a cameo from Bam Margera doing what made them famous to teens and early 20 somethings of the 2000. It was a little sad not seeing more of Bam and his crew being involved, but being out of control like he is will make you lose jobs. The film is a mixed bag of funny stunts and ones that fall flat and the new cast for the most part are nice additions. The best stunts in my book are called “Silence Of The Lambs” and “The Cup Test;” watch the movie and see what they are about. The film did good for Paramount at the America box office bringing in $57,743,451.00 on a budget of $10 million dollars. A fun raunchy reality stunt comedy film that will surely please the fans of the TV show as well as the other films in the series, plus for those of us who grew up with the show will feel very old.

# 1

Bob and Linda Belcher go to the bank and cannot get an extension on paying back some of their loan for the restaurant and must come up with the money in a short amount of time, but things go terribly wrong for them when a giant sink hole opens up in front and a dead body is found inside it. The murder is blamed on their landlord Mr. Fischoeder and all this causes no one to come in for a burger, making their goal to save the restaurant seem very grim. But their kids Tina, Gene and Louise are on the case to probe that Mr. Fischoeder did not commit the murder while Bob and Linda listen to their friend and best customer Teddy’s idea of doing a Bob’s Burgers food cart in order to get the money. All this comes together as things work out for the Belcher family and the true murderer is found and captured and the restaurant is saved. I should also say that the Belcher kids as well have their own drama going on as Louise wants to prove she is brave, Gene doubts his music ability and Tina struggles with asking Jimmy Pesto Jr. to be her summer boyfriend. This is a fun film and is a must see for fans of the TV show as it fits right in with its silly plot, musical numbers and zany characters. The film did all right for 20^th Century at the U.S box office bringing in $31,933,830.00 on an unknown budget. A great attempt to bring Bob’s Burgers from the TV screen to the big screen, and I hope it gets a sequel.

You have to love Bob’s Burgers as it’s a fun animated TV series that made a great leap to being on the big screen with the series’ first feature film. I do have to say also that all three of the comedies I saw on the big screen in 2022 were very funny and fantastic! Now it’s time to take a look at Action Films! And we had some good ones…

# 5

Romance novel writer Loretta Sage is on a book tour when she is kidnapped by billionaire Abigail Fairfax due to her now passed away husband’s knowledge of ancient cultures, and set to save her is Alan Caprison, the cover model for her romance books and while a dimwit he means well….now can the two escape the jungle and avoid being killed? Will Loretta find true love again? And will they really find the lost treasure! Watch this Romancing The Stone style film and find out. This is a fun Action Comedy film as the humor works as do the action moments of their adventures to get away from their captors. The film is well cast with such names as Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Brad Pitt and Da’Vine Joy Randolph all in big roles. The film did well for Paramount Pictures at the US box office bringing in $105,344,029.00 on a $68 million dollar budget. This was a very fun film and a big surprise on just how much I enjoyed it, and I will say that the Brad Pitt cameo as rescuer Jack Trainer was great stuff.

# 4

Nathan Drake has always been good at history and has always wanted to find lost treasure and go on big adventures like his older brother. He gets the chance when he meets Sully, and the pair team up to find the hidden treasure that takes them across the world as well as makes them targets of billionaire Santiago Moncada and his hired hand Jo Braddock. But Nathan and Sully are also joined by Chloe Frazer, a fellow treasure hunter that they might not fully be able to trust. The film then takes the viewer on an action packed adventure filled with twist, turns, backstabs, murder and of course treasure and is of course based on the popular Sony Playstation video game series. This is such a fun thrill ride and for me it was like it took the adventure elements of such films as The Mummy (1999), Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider and rolled them together to deliver a big budget action ride that was a blast to see on the big screen and to be honest it did the game justice. The film stars Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Antonio Banderas and Tati Gabrielle and all do a fantastic job. The film did well for Sony at the American box office bringing in $148,648,820.00 on a $120 million budget. This clearly will become a franchise, and I am very much looking forward to a sequel as this film leaves us on a cliffhanger revel.

# 3

Ladybug is an assassin who has been sent on a mission to get a briefcase off a bullet train. But what should have been an easy mission turns into a very dangerous trip as other killers and assassins are also on the train, and many of them want him dead or want the case as well…and the kicker is at the end of the line The White Death, one of Japan’s most feared crime lords, and his men are waiting for those who are on the train as the briefcase belongs to him and so does a person on the train….and now Ladybug must find away to get off this train alive, finish his mission and possibly trust some of those on the train as a battle with White Death is on the horizon. This movie is awesome as it’s a great mix of action and comedy and was one hell of a great film to watch on the big screen. I took a bunch of friends with me to see this one and we all had such a blast. The comedy moments work really well, and the action as well is fast passed and well done! The film also has an all star cast with Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Bad Bunny, Zazie Beetz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Hiroyuki Sanada and Joey King, and all are fantastic in their rolls. The film did alright for Sony at the American box office bringing in $103,368,602 on a budget $90 million budget. If you have not seen this film and like fast paced action comedies, then make sure to check this one out, as it is truly a blast.

# 2

On Christmas Eve the Lightstone family is gathering at the family mansion, but things get crazy when a man calling himself Mr. Scrooge shows up with heavily armed associates and hold the family hostage to get $3 million that is suppose to be in the family safe. But what these naughty baddies didn’t count on is for Trudy, the youngest of the Lightstone family, to call on Santa Claus for help and he deals out more than coal for these evildoers. Santa, armed with his fleeing Christmas cheer (due to kids only wanting money and video games), his magic and a sledge hammer goes on a rescue mission in the style of John Wick! Can Santa save the Lightsones and find his Christmas Spirit again? Watch this super fun, violent action comedy film and find out. Wow, this is a Christmas classic for sure as it is over the top, lots of fun and showcases Santa Claus as a full fledged action hero who takes down the naughty kidnappers in brutal fashion. The film is well casted with David Harbour as Santa Claus, John Leguizamo as Mr. Scrooge and other cast members including Beverly D’Angelo, Leah Brady, Alex Hassell, Andre Eriksen and Mitra Suri, to name a few. And the film was a big hit with everyone I saw it with in the theater as people were laughing throughout. The film did well for Universal at the American box office bringing in around $48,060,295 (as of this update) on a budget of only $20 million. This is one you have to see if you like over the top action and/or Christmas movies.

# 1

Maverick is working for the Navy as a test pilot, and after breaking orders on flying a super fast test jet, he is sent to be a instructor at Top Gun as his rebellious nature has caused him to almost being fired and if not for Admiral Iceman Kazansky, he would have been! Now he must get a group of top recruits ready for what could be a suicide mission to blow up a reactor core at an enemy base before it can cause serious harm. But these young pilots have a lot to learn and need to work together and not try to be the shining stars as this is very dangerous and will take lots of skill. And for Maverick, this class is even harder as the son (Rooster) of his former wingman Goose is in the class and blames Maverick for the being held back from joining Top Gun and ranking up for years. Can Maverick get these pilots in shape? Can Rooster forgive and find out the truth? Can they make this mission a success? Watch this amazing sequel to find out! Top Gun 2 took many decades to get made, and when it was finally was made and released they hit a home run as this film was well written and felt like it was right in the groove of the original allowing us to catch back up with Maverick, Iceman and even Rooster. The film of course brought back Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer in their famous roles but also in the cast included Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Monica Barbaro, Glen Powell and Ed Harris to name a few. The film did amazing for Paramount at the American box office bringing in $718,732,821 on a budget of $170 million. If you love the original film or just like films about the Navy or military in general that adds a dash of drama, make sure to watch this film. I have to also say that it was great seeing Val Kilmer on the big screen again, and it was great that the production worked around his health limitations.

Really action this year was packed with some great watches and really for me Top Gun: Maverick was just such a fun watch and shows that sequels beat remakes any day. But now I think its time that we see what the world of Sci-Fi and Fantasy had to offer in the theaters in 2022, and I will give you a hint there were lots of great ones.

# 3

Amleth was once a young prince who watched his uncle kill his father The King in order to take the throne, and Amleth ends up running for his life and ends up becoming a part of a Viking tribe with the goal of avenging his father’s death as well as saving his mother from his uncle’s side. As Amleth has gotten older, his skills as a fighter have grown and he is now a unstoppable warrior who along the way back for revenge meets and falls in love with Olga, a sorceress who has been taken as a slave. Once he catches up with his uncle, he finds that he has ruined the kingdom and now he and his people live on farmland in the middle of nowhere. With the help of a magical sword, he takes out those close to his uncle, fathers a child, finds out the truth about his mother and fulfills his destiny of revenge and arriving in Valhalla. This is very much a modern take on the classic Barbarian films of the 80’s and 90’s but done with director Robert Eggers touch as it is filled with weird characters as well as awesome imagery. The film’s cast is great with Alexander Skarsgard as Amleth and Anya Taylor-Joy as Olga being amazing in their roles. Other actors include Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Willem Dafoe, Bjork and Gustav Lindh making up some of the cast. The film sadly did not do well for A24 at the US box office only bringing in $34,233,110.00 on a budget of around $90 million. While not a mega hit at the theater, it really was a great and odd film to see in the theater.

# 2

Dinosaurs are now roaming the world and humans are trying to learn how to live alongside them as the world has truly changed. Claire Dearing and Owen Grady are trying to protect the dinosaurs from poaching and illegal breeding and they both are watching over clone child Maisie Lockwood who ends up getting kidnapped by Dr. Lewis Dodgson of Biosyn who wants to use her genetics for the company’s own gain. They also take the child of Raptor Blue for research. But also in the world, a horde of massive locusts are attacking the world’s crops, and this causes Dr. Ellie Sattler and Dr. Alan Grant to follow the trail to Biosyn as well and now they all must come together along with Dr. Henry Wu, Dr. Ian Malcolm and a few others try their best to save those kidnapped, stop the locusts as well as bring form Biosyn and their evil genetic creations. And this is just a small part of this film’s plot as there is also dinosaur fights, high-speed chases and even more of the evils of Biosyn among much more as this final film in the current Jurassic Park series. And what made this such a great watch for me is the fact that they brought together all the big characters from the series together for one big adventures, and we even get one more look at the T-Rex and we see that he really is the King Of The Dinosaurs! The film stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, BD Wong and many more. The film did great for Universal at the US box office bringing in $376,009,080.00 on an $185million budget. This is a must see film if you love the Jurassic Park series like I do, and is one that I bought on home media when released.

# 1

Evelyn Wang along with her husband Waymond and daughter Joy run a laundromat that is not doing well financially, and she also has the stress of taxes as well as her father Gong Gong is now living with them. But things really turn weird for Evelyn when she meets a different version of her husband who warns her that the fate of the Earth is in her hands. Now Evelyn must fight for the lives of everyone as she gains the powers of other versions of herself to fight off Jodu Tupaki who is the bringer of the destruction of all the multiverse and who is also her daughter in her own reality! Can Evelyn save the multiverse as well as save the fate of her daughter in those worlds…watch this super fun sci-fi comedy action film to find out! And this is just a brief way to try and describe this plot as there is so much more to it. The film is lots of fun, and Michelle Yeoh is amazing as Evelyn Wang as her martial arts skills have not slowed down a bit. It was also great to see Ke Huy Quan back on the big screen as he is best known for playing Data in The Goonies and Short Round in Temple Of Doom. Other actors in the cast include James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu. The film did really well for A24 at the box office here in American bringing in $70,008,593.00 on a budget of $25million. This film deserved all the hype it was getting when released and is one that you should see as I feel it did the multiverse better than most of Marvel’s films and shows…minus Spider-Man: No Way Home. Make sure to give this film a watch if you like artistic sci-fi films with action and comedy.

So as you can see Sci-Fi and Fantasy had some really great films out in 2022, and all of them were such a fun watch with “Every Thing Every Where All At Once” being the big surprise for me on just how well I enjoyed it. But now it’s time that we take a look at the Superhero films that filled the cinemas in 2022 and like always, there was a lot of them.

# 6

Michael Morbius has a rare blood disease as does his childhood friend Milo. Morbius has spent his life trying to find a cure, and after using vampire bats in one of his experiments, Morbius turns into a vampire! And while he tries to find a way to get ride of this curse, his friend Milo wants to as well turn into one as the pain of the blood illness goes away, and after taking the treatment himself Milo turns into a vampire and now he and Morbius are on a one way track to fight and only one of these blood drinkers and leave alive. This superhero film plays more like a B-horror movie that would have been released direct to DVD back in the mid-2010s, and that is not a bad thing for the most part, it’s just the film seems to never truly find its footing or pace. The film, while not terrible, is also not that great and is starting to show that some of these Marvel Comic inspired films are starting to show cracks of having franchise fatigue. Jerrod Leto plays Morbius, and the film also stars Matt Smith, Loxias Crown, Tyrese Gibson and Adia Arjona. The film did poorly for Sony at the box office here in American only bringing in $73,865,530.00 on a budget of around $83million. While I was not a super fan of this film, I did enjoy seeing it on the big screen and would like to at least see the Morbius character in a future Spider-Man film from Sony.

# 5

T’Challa has passed away from an illness, and the kingdom of Wakanda is saddened by the loss of their king and protector. His sister Shuri has taken it the hardest as she was not able to save him with all of her knowledge and technology. Now a year after his passing, the world wants Wakanda to share vibranium, an element that can be used to create weapons, and Queen Ramonda refuses and this causes Wakanda to stand alone in the world. But people go looking for the element other places and find it at the bottom of the ocean, and unbeknownst to them, they have caused Namor and his warriors from the Talokan to attack and defend their Kingdom…and one young woman Riri Williams (Ironheart) is the target for Namor and his people as she has built a machine that can detect the element and this makes her a danger. Namor asks Wakanda for help and to bring Riri to him. When they refuse, the two kingdoms go to war and Shuri must find her inner Black Panther. What kingdom is in the right and who will win the fight Black Panther or Namor? Watch this MCU film to find out. I want to first say that this film pays great respect to the late Chadwick Boseman who passes away from cancer. He was a great actor and he will be missed. Now as for the film itself, it is a fun watch but is way too long and has moments that drag, and I feel that they downplay the power and hatred for mankind that Namor has as he and his people seem to be background players to Shuri fighting tradition as well as becoming the next Black Panther. The film is well acted with Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett and Lupita Nyong’o stealing the show. While I am happy to see the Black Panther legacy continue in the MCU, this film was just a little too long, dragged in spots and I am not sold just yet on Shuri being the new warrior to become the Black Panther. The film did great for Disney at the American box office bringing in $439,645,653 on a budget of $250 million. Over all if you are a fan of the Black Panther or have been enjoying this latest phase of the Marvel films, check this one out.

# 4

Thor has decided to return to Earth after traveling around with The Guardians Of The Galaxy and arrives to find that Gorr The God Butcher has been killing everyone he comes across and even has wounded his friend Sif in battle. He also learns that his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster is now also has the power of Thor and that she is dying from cancer and is living on borrowed time. And with Valkyrie and Korg by their side, they together they must try and warn the other Gods that death is coming as well as use all their powers in order to stop Gorr who is on a rampage to destroy the world as we know it. This is a fun and action packed superhero film that sets the odds against Thor as well as makes him face mortality because even Gods can be destroyed. The film’s humor works well, and the sadness factor of Jane also does its job of toying with your heart-strings. The films is well cast like always as Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster and Jaimie Alexander as Sif with Christen Bale playing Gorr The God Butcher, and all do a fantastic job in their roles as always. The film is also just a fun ride of emotions and also has screaming flying goats! The film did good for Disney at the American box office bringing in $343,253,033.00 on a budget of $250 million. If you liked Thor: Ragnarok and The Guardians Of The Galaxy and that style of superhero humor, you will enjoy this one.

# 3

The people of Kahndaq are being oppressed by a military team that is looking for a crown that contains the powers of demons, and one woman, her son and brother have found it. They have also freed a god-like savior who was given powers by the ancient wizards known as Black Adam who goes around and kills the foreign military invaders, but he is not the hero they think he is and his murderous ways gets the attention of the Justice Society (Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone) who head to Kahndaq to try and bring him in peacefully. This of course is not in Black Adam’s nature. And while the heroes clash with him, a group wants the crown to unleash a demon to claim the throne and rule the land…and they do just that, and it’s now up to the JS who has to team with Black Adam to save lives as well as stop the demon. This is a really fun action superhero film that has cool characters, a big after credits cameo and even a death of a superhero and shows that DC really is trying to claim the top spots of the movie comic universes. The film stars Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam and also on cast is Pierce Bronsan, Aldis Hodge, Quintessa Swindell, Noah Centineo and Sarah Shai to name a few, and all are great in their rolls. To be fair, I almost wish this film was a Justice Society film as I feel they steal this movie away from Black Adam. The film did well for New Line Cinema at the American box office bringing in $167,873,355 on a budget of around $195 million. This is a really fun film and really does shows that DC is spending more time on building their universe as Marvel keeps getting stale in theirs.

# 2

Doctor Strange meets America Chavez, a teenager who has the ability to jump around the multiverse who is on the run from monsters who want to steal her powers. When Doctor Strange tries to help her, he finds that its Scarlet Witch that has sent the monsters as she wants to use America’s powers to live in the reality where her children are real, and she will kill anyone who gets in her way! As Doctor Strange and America Chavez jumps from multiverse to multiverse, they are being hunted down and even meets the fates of other versions of Strange as well as meet heroes like Reed Richards, Black Bolt and Professor X. In the end can Doctor Strange stop Scarlet Witch’s plan for murder and show her that this is not the way for a former hero and Avenger. This is a wild ride that is filled with great cameos, undead spirits, odd ball multiverses and has the Sam Raimi spooky touch as he was the director of the film! That’s right, Raimi returned to superhero films and was even able to kind of add a horror film touch to it. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochiyl Gomez, Rachel McAdams and Patrick Stewart to name a few. The film did well for Disney at the US box office bringing in $411,331,607.00 on a budget of $200 million! This is a super fun film and if you want to see Scarlet Witch kill some superheroes as well as a Zombie Doctor Strange, you should really check this one out.

# 1

Gotham City is under attack by a serial killer called The Riddler who is targeting people in power throughout the city leaving riddles for Batman who is going on a crusade to clean up the city from crime. And as the body count rises, Batman also comes across Catwoman, a burglar who is looking for information about her missing friend, as well as comes across Penguin who is a crime lord that runs a club and might have the clues to the missing woman and as well might know more about the true criminal who is running things in Gotham City. And all the while Batman is having to use his great detective work to solve each of these cases and prove that crime truly does not pay. Hands down this was the best Superhero movie to be released in theaters in 2022 and is one of the better Batman films overall! The film takes a more realistic approach and while some elements are pure superhero tropes, the more horror film feeling of a masked serial killer Riddler running around town butchering people and gaining a copycat like following just seems true to life. The film is also well cast with Robert Pattinson doing a great job as Batman with other names like Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, John Turturro, Jeffrey Wright and Colin Farrell making up the rest of the lead cast. The film did great for Warner Brothers at the US box office bringing in $369,345,583.00 on a budget of $200 million. This film bring Batman back to being about great detective work as well as kicking the ass of crime, this is one that you need to see if you have not yet.

Superhero films are still going strong at the Box Office and it’s shocking as I think DC Comics films are truly catching up with Marvel Comics films! But up next is our update’s main event and that is of course the Horror Films of 2022 that I saw in the theater! And before we get too far in, I want to also say that I saw Jaws 3D, Creature From The Black Lagoon, Phantom Of The Opera and my friend Victor’s film Thrust all in the cinema as well!

And now it’s time to talk Horror as this is the genre of film that I have always loved and I try and see every one I can in the theater, so with no further ado let’s dive deep into this countdown.

# 32

Laine and Chase are on a trip together to attend a horror movie party, but after winning a contest at the event they find themselves as well as a YouTube show crew stuck at a house being stalked and killed by The Creeper who has awaken for his 23 days of killing. But things are different this time around as the townspeople are feeding his murderous ways, and Laine is with child and this monster killer wants the baby for his own. Will this couple escape The Creeper or will they find themselves just more victims for his cycle? This is the fourth film in the Jeepers Creepers series and sadly looks very cheap, has a mess of a story and sadly does not follow the three other films in the series as they new creative team behind it has ideas of their own. The film has some kills and oddly is not all that gory, and the use of green screens takes away from the mood and creepiness of the film. The film’s best actors are Sydney Craven and Imran Adams who play Laine and Chase, and some of their dialogue is bad, but you cannot go wrong with Sydney dressing up in costumes to cosplay from a sexy Freddy Kruger to Jennifer from Jennifer’s Body. The film had a limited release as apart of Fathom Events and brought in $2,033,057.00 for Screen Media on an unknown budget. Not a great sequel but worth watching if you enjoy The Jeepers Creepers series…also The Creeper has a new look in this film.

# 31

Amanda and her daughter Chris are beekeepers and are making a living selling the honey, but Amanda has issues as the house does not use electricity and she keeps most people away from her home. This leaves her daughter very sheltered and wanting to see what the world has to offer. You see Amanda was abused by her mother with electricity, and this has made her an odd and protective person, but when her mother’s remains show up to the farm house, her spirit is not done with her torment and wants to once more rule Amanda’s life! Can Amanda break her mother’s spell as well as keep her daughter safe…watch this Sam Raimi produced film to find out. This is a pretty good slow burn horror film that is well acted and has a great small cast with names like Sandra Oh, Fivel Stewart, Dermot Mulroney, Odeya Rush and MeeWha Alana making up the lead roles. The Mother’s evil spirit is cool looking and makes for a good villain in a paranormal fright film, the main issue for me is that the jump scares just did not work and felt very paint by numbers. The film did poorly at the US Box Office for Sony as it only did $2,121,025.00 on an unknown budget, and to be fair this is Sony’s fault who did a terrible job of promoting the film and spent all promotion money at the time to advertise Morbius. Over all, this is not a bad little fright flick, it just seemed to be lacking something to make it stand out from the rest of the paranormal horror films that flood the theaters, home media and streaming sites. I bought it on home media when released as I wanted to see it for a second time.

# 30

Becky is climbing a mountain alongside her husband Dan and her best friend Hunter when an accident happens and Dan falls to his death. Time passes and Becky is deeply depressed and is avoiding her father and even thinks of suicide, but when Hunter comes back into her life the two ladies decide to do something extreme to spread Dan’s ashes and that’s climb a old TV tower that is the 4^th tallest structure in America. But things go wrong, and the friends get stuck on top of the tower and must find away to get help! As hours and days pass, Becky and Hunter gets weaker and have to make decisions in order to stay alive. Will the ladies get off the tower alive? Well watch this thriller horror flick to find out! This is one of those thrillers that plays off of the elements and this one is heights and gives you that what if you are stuck high in the sky with no clear way to get down, so in other words think “Open Water” set on a high tower. The film can really mess with the minds of those viewers who hate heights and that is where the horror elements come into play, well also with the vultures who swoop down for the attack. The film is well acted and cast with actress Virginia Gardner who played Hunter stealing the film. The film did okay for Lionsgate at the American box office bringing in $7,240,521.00 on a budget of $3million. This was a fun theater watch and brings some thrills, chills and spills.

# 29

Young Cindy watches a green creature called The Mean One as he tries to steal her family’s Christmas gifts and presents and by accident the creature kills her mom causing it to turn evil and forever ruin the holiday for the small California town. Now as an adult, Cindy returns to town to try to get over the PTSD she has suffered from the event and soon finds that the whole town does not celebrate the holiday. When her father tries to get their old home dressed up for the holiday, he is quickly killed by The Mean One as does anyone in town who happens to have anything to do with Christmas! The sheriff and mayor are no help, and Cindy is looked at as crazy by many of the locals as she is telling them tales of a green furred monster, but soon she finds help with the new Deputy as well as Doc, a drunk old man whose wife was killed by the creature. Will Cindy and her new friends be able to stop the Christmas hating Mean One or will they as well fall victim to his killing ways? Watch this super cheesy creature feature and find out. This holiday horror creature feature flick is a take on the classic “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” but takes a different path to show what if Cindy never touched the heart of The Grinch to turn him into a holiday loving fool, but instead she called him a monster and set him down a path of murder and eating human flesh. While the concept is a fun one, the low budget and execution is just lacking and makes this one feel like a really cheap made-for-TV film complete with laughable digital blood effects. David Howard Thornton plays The Mean One and brings a little Art The Clown to his performance, with other actors including Krystle Martin, John Bingham, Chase Mullins and Amy Schumacher making up the main cast. The film did okay for Atlas at the box office on a limited release as it did around $585,025 on an unknown budget. This is a super cheesy, goofy, low budget fright flick that steals The Grinch and brings some laughs as you will find yourself saying what am I watching!

# 28

Saul Tenser is a man who grows new body organs and alongside his partner Caprice does live performances to remove them as a statement of performance art. The world has changed and this is the new sex as people cannot feel pain and for some growing new body parts is possible. But Saul becomes involved in a strange case that involves a performance autopsy of a murdered young boy who was born with a defect that allows him to eat plastic. People in high power do not want the world to know about these plastic eaters and will do whatever it takes to make sure their existence does not leak out and that means people Saul knows might be involved in this cover up. This is a weird horror sci-fi film from the mind of David Cronenberg and brings all his classic film tropes into a new film that has a message that is left to the minds of the viewers. Viggo Mortensen and Lea Seydoux play Saul and Caprice and are fantastic, but for me Kristen Stewart who plays Timlin, a worker for the National Organ Registry steals the show, as she is delightfully weird. The film was a mix bag of good and bad digital and practical effects and was not one of my favorite Cronenberg films but was a fun watch in the theater. The movie did okay for Neon at the American box office on its limited run brining in $2,452,882.00 on an unknown budget. And I bought this one once it was on home media to give it another watch.

# 27

Years have passed, and Michael Myers has not been spotted. Laurie Strode is trying to move on with her life, buying a nice house in a neighborhood and raising her granddaughter Alyson who herself has found a job working as a nurse and finds a boyfriend in Cory a town outsider who by accident killed a kid that he was babysitting making him the punching bag of the town. But Cory’s inner evil is unleashed when he is tormented and beaten up by some teens and he stumbles onto the hiding place of Michael Myers and wants the killer to teach him how to murder without remorse…and he does! But now Corey is getting too crazed and after getting revenge on those who tormented him, he sets his sights on Laurie who must fight for her life as well as that of her granddaughter from making the biggest mistake of her life by running away with this serial killer in training. And in the end Laurie has to come face to mask with Michael Myers one last time and must also deal with Corey. This third film in the Blumhouse Halloween trilogy is very much a disappointment for me as it has very little to do with Michael Myers and puts most of the focus on Corey and his descent into evil. This makes this final film feel like a lame duck way to end a series, as the final fight between Laurie and Michael seems like an afterthought and only lasts a very short time. The pluses for the film are that I enjoyed the Michael Myers’ kills even if they are few and far, Jamie Lee Curtis gives her best performance in a long time, and the effects are pretty cool. I also should say I do like the idea of Corey being the town’s new Boogeyman, but I feel they went about it the wrong way…as at one point Corey bullies Michael to get his mask…lame. The film did pretty well for Universal at the American box office bringing in $64,079,860 on a $30 million budget. Over all Halloween Ends is a film in the series that has been meet with very mix reviews, and while I did not hate it, I was very disappointed in it and it is very much a middle of the road film.

# 26

Bishop is a preacher whose young daughter was murdered by a sadistic biker Ram Kady when she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the man of God’s life is turned upside down. But when police officer Jed finds Ram, he offers him a chance to get one minute alone with the killer to make him feel just as much pain as his family does, but things are even more crazy as Bishop finds that Jeb as a underground bunker filled with tortured killers who now act like mindless zombies. Jed is mad at Bishop when he will not take out his hurt on his daughter’s killer. All Hell breaks loose when the tortured killers, bikers looking for Ram and Ram himself all show up to the bunker and Bishop has to fight for his life to survive. This is a fun indie film that gets super bloody in the film’s finale and stars all types of band members from bands like Five Finger Death Punch, Motely Crue and Papa Roach to name a few. The film does have some odd moments as some plot points as well as characters come and go, and I wish the fight between the tortured killers and the bikers would have been a little better and longer. This film had a very limited release and brought in $7,145 for Better Noise Films at the international box office (no domestic figures are available yet) on an unknown budget. This is a film that you should checkout if you like crazy indie films that have a dash of biker crime gangs an tortured zombie like people that were very bad people.

# 25

Bhaskar is sent the jungles of a small town in Arunachal Pradesh to seal a deal for land development that will have much of the trees cut down to make way for a new roadway. Along with him is his cousin Jana, his friend Jomin as well as local Mr. Panda all who are trying to help to seal the deal with the locals, but things change when Bhaskar is bitten by a werewolf that is called The Virus by the locals; After getting treatment from the local vet Anika, our now cursed Bhaskar must hide the fact he is a werewolf from the locals, avoid killing people when the moon is full, find a cure, fight his feeling for Anika and learn that the spirit of the jungle has its own protector to keep it safe from those wanting to cut it down. Will Bhaskar find the cure or will be forever be doomed to howl at the moon? Watch this fun Bollywood comedy horror Film and find out for yourself. This is a pretty fun silly fright flick that has some scares hidden in with the laughs, with Varun Dhawan, Abhishek Banerhee, Paalin Kabak and Deepak Dobriyal making up the group of friends. They all do a fantastic job in their roles, with Kriti Sanon playing Anika and she steals the film with her acting and beauty. The werewolf effects are cool and are done via CGI, we get werewolf attacks and kills and the film does have some blood and violence throughout. And like any good Bollywood film, there are musical numbers and dancing, and I should also say this one has messages as well about saving the environment and treating others better. The film had a limited release here in America and did around $609,551 internationally. This is a fun watch and if you like Bollywood horror comedies and werewolf films, make sure to give this one a watch. I would buy this one on home media if it’s released here in the states.

# 24

Jules is a woman who grew up being able to talk to demons and ghosts, and when she was young and doing so, her sister was killed by a demon that she set free. Now as an adult she hosts a TV Show called Skeleton Crew where she enters haunted houses and they film the strange happenings. But while filming in Malaysia, Jules and her crew enter a home that houses a demon that is very powerful and is protected by the souls of his past victims and now wants a new soul for his growing army. The Demon possesses, torments and injures those in the house and now it is up to Jules to find her inner power and try to save the owners of the house as well as her crew’s souls from damnation and will have get the help of a Monk in order to do so…but will Jules be able to do so or are they all doomed. This is a fun spooky little demonic haunted house film that for an indie film tries to bring the scares as well as some gruesome moments and for the most part does a great job at it. Plus the fact this had a limited release around Halloween time made it even more of a good watch late in the evening. The film stars Fiona Dourif, Jordan Belfi, Malin Crepin, Harris Dickinson and the lovely Thao Nhu Phan and all do a great job in their parts. The Demon is pretty evil and what he has done in the past while alive is pretty sick stuff. The film did ok for Outsider Pictures bringing in $849,299 internationally on an unknown budget and a very limited release. Over all this was a decent demon flick that I will pick up on home media when released, and you should check it out if you like demon films or films that are set with Malaysia ghost stories.

# 23

The Foo Fighters are working on their 10^th album and rent out an old house to do so, and unbeknownst to them another band was killed in the house recording an album. And after some strange things around the house including terrible nightmares, dead animals and a phantom gardener, a demon spirit gets inside Dave Grohl and possesses him to make the perfect satanic rock song that will bring back the glory days of the music genre. And as time passes Dave finds his sound and also finds his killer side as he takes out anyone who stands in the song’s way including his own band members, and in the end what is left of the Foo Fighters must save Dave from the demon’s grip and survive the sinister house. This is a very gory horror comedy film that was from the mind of Dave Grohl and delivers a very cheesy and humors return to the days of Rock N Roll Horror films. While the gore is great and over the top some of the humor is a little childish and is just four letter words thrown around and the middle finger given, but other humor bits hit the spot and are pretty funny. The film also stars Kerry King of Slayer, director John Carpenter, Jenna Ortega, Will Forte, Whitney Cummings and even Lionel Richie in a cameo. The film did ok for Open Road Films at the American box office bringing in $2,513,963.00 on an unknown budget. Over all this was a fun fright flick with some cool effects and fans of Foo Fighters will love it. I bought it on home media when it was released.

# 22

Maren Yearly is a young woman who finds herself on a quest to find her mother after her father leaves her on her own. Maren has a serious issue as she eats people, and she cannot help her need to eat human flesh and meat…and her father just cannot keep covering for her deeds. Maren does not want to eat people so she needs answers and as she travels across states to find her mom, she meets Sully another like her in Ohio who teaches her his rules of eating people, and when Maren sneaks away, Sully becomes obsessed with her and follows her in secret just watching. But Maren, while in Kentucky, meets Lee a young man she falls in love with and who as well is a human eater, and together they must find out the history of Maren’s life, deal with the guilt of eating people, avoid Sully and deal with their blooming relationship. This is a very fun romance horror film that is a twisted coming of age tale and has very interesting characters throughout its journey. Taylor Russell and Timothee Chalamet are great as Maren and Lee with Mark Rylance giving a creepy performance as Sully. The film did okay for United Artist at the American box office bringing in $7,834,907 on a budget of around $20 million. If you like your horror with a dash of romance and lots of flesh eating, then make sure to check this one out. I will get this one when released on home media.

# 21

Baron Seamus Laurent is a man who will do anything to protect his family, village and land and when a band of Roma try to claim the land he has them brutally killed and buried in a field, but the Roma are able to place a curse on the village and land and with silver fangs created from the coins Judas got when he turned on Christ the curse of the beast runs through the town and the curse starts with Seamus’s own son Edward! And after a murder of a young boy, pathologist John McBride comes to town and tries to bring peace to the village and end the curse with a silver bullet. This is an atmospheric slow burn werewolf film that blends elements of an A24 horror film with a dash of Hammer horror and delivers a pretty creepy watch. The film has some good bloody moments, and the werewolf design is pretty original and creepy looking. While some viewers may not like the slower pace I found it to be just right and well done to bring that level of spooky and unknown. I like the fact that the werewolf curse is spread by Roma who use silver fangs made from those coins as that adds the old world touch to the story. The film did well for LD Entertainment during its release bringing $4,588,389.00 on an unknown budget at the America box office. Worth the watch if you enjoy the more atmospheric old world style horror films and is one that I got on Home Media when released.

# 20

Art The Clown is back from the dead and is on another rampage of slaughter and butchering anyone he comes across but this time he is not alone as he has a strange little clown girl along for the ride. But Art makes a mistake when he messes with the wrong high school girl with Sienna Shaw who’s battling trauma and who finds her inner warrior thanks to a magical sword her father gave her…yeah. Can Sienna save her and her brother’s life from the psycho Art The Clown or will they both just become another bloody victim to his madness…watch this gore filled slasher film to find out. This film while filled with some amazing kills that are gory as all hell does lack the charm of the first film, its way too long being almost 2hrs and 30min, is a mess in the story department and goes a little off the rails with some of the fantasy elements added into the mix. The film is well cast with Lauren LaVera stealing the film as the Sienna as she is so good I couldn’t keep my eyes off her and cheered for her the whole final fight and David Howard Thornton is great once more as the sadistic and evil Art The Clown as I don’t think anyone could play that role better. The film also has cameos from Chris Jericho, Felissa Rose and Tamara Glynn with Samantha Scaffidi returning as Victoria Heyes from the first film. The film got a limited release and did well for Bloody Disgusting at the US box office bringing in $10,640,105 on an unknown budget. Over all it was a great mindless bloodbath film that was just lacking the spooky charm of the original.

# 19

David is holding a hurricane party at his mansion and has invited many of his close friends, and a shocker comes when Sophia, who is just out of rehab and her new girlfriend Bee show up to enjoy the party and safety from the storm. But as the party starts and the drugs and alcohol flow tensions start to build and the group decides to play a murder mystery game they created called Bodies Bodies Bodies, but when one of the friends is found dead the fear sweeps the friends who all accuse each other of the murder, and to their horror the bodies of their friends keep being found and the murder is on the loose at this mansion on a very stormy night…or are they in this twisted black comedy horror film. This film has great atmosphere, is well acted and has some chuckle moments…but I also think that it dragged in spots and had characters that were mostly very unlikable people and while that’s the point it can be over bearing at points. Actresses Amandla Stenberg and Maria Bakalova steal the show and the film does have some bloody moments and has that who’s the killer vibe that was made popular in more modern Horror by films like Scream. The film did pretty well for A24 at the American box office bringing in $11,446,602.00 on an unknown budget. If you like Horror Comedies that have a Slasher feel check this one out, and is one I will get on home media when released.

# 18

Charlie McGee is an eleven year old girl who has powers she can not control nor understands as she can not only move things with her mind and make people bend to her will but she can also start fires and that means from big explosions to lighting people on fire. You see Charlie’s parents have powers as well and they have been experimented on by the government before they had her, and have been on the run from them after her birth due to the fact they wanted to use Charlie as a weapon as well as experiment on her to unleash her full power. But they make a big mistake when the send John Rainbird after the family and this leads to Charlie’s mother being killed and her father captured, now all hell breaks loose at the research lab as Charlie is angry and wants revenge for what they have done to her and unleashes her fire powers. This is a fun remake base on the Stephen King story and is well scripted, casted and scored. Ryan Kiera Armstrong is great as Charlie and Zac Efron is also great in the roll of her father other names in the cast include Sydney Lemmon, Michael Greyeyes and John Beasley. And for those wonder John Carpenter and his son Cody did the score. The film did ok at the American box office bringing in $9,589,250.00 on an unknown budget. They foolishly also released this the same day to streaming and I think that hurt its money draw. This is one I got when released on home media.

# 17

Evie Jackson is a woman who works at a catering company who has no family left after the recent passing of her mother, but when she does a DNA test to find out her family tree she meets her cousin Oliver Alexander from England and the two meet up in New York and she finds herself invited to a wedding in England expenses paid by her cousin to meet the rest of her family that will be attending. Also while there she meets the owner of the mansion they are staying in named Walter De Ville who charms her and the two start to have feelings for one another, but thing are not what they seem at this mansion as Evie soon finds that she is the bride to be and Walter his her soon to be husband and her family and the guests are blood drinking vampires…and worse Walter is really Count Dracula! Will Evie be able to escape her fate of damnation or will she have to forever drink blood and be one of the Brides Of Dracula…watch this film to find out. This is a fun slow burn Vampire Horror Film that has elements of Hammer Horror, Anne Rice and A24 all mixed together to deliver a spooky watch. Nathalie Emmanuel is great as Evie and Thomas Doherty was good was Walter, other cast members include Alana Boden, Stephanie Corneliussen, Sean Pertwee and Hugh Skinner. The film does suffer from being a R rated film that was clearly cut down to a PG-13 rating as some of the more bloody moments seem way trimmed down. The film did well for Sony at the US box office bringing in $25,100,080.00 on a budget of only $10million. This is worth a watch if you enjoy vampire tales and is one I got on home media when released.

# 16

Tori Tooms is the owner of a used media store that mostly focuses on vinyl records, and her sales are up during the crazy Christmas season and she just wants to get drunk and laid! But things gets super crazy when a mechanical Santa Claus armed with an axe that was created by the US Military goes rogue and starts a bloody killing spree that leaves Tori’s friends and family dead as well as the town police force! And this leaves Tori fighting for her life and trying to find a way to stop this mechanical murderous Santa. This is a fun splatter film that delivers some over the top kills and punk rocker style characters with Riley Dandy being fantastic as Tori and such names as Sam Delich, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Jonah Ray, Kansas Bowling and Abraham Benrudi played the killer Santa doing great in their roles. The film packs in some great kills as well as uses neon and Christmas lights to bring a strange glow to the town, plus the film started out as a Silent Night Deadly Night remake so that as well is pretty cool. The film had a very limited release and did well for Shudder at the American box office bringing in $251,586 on an unknown budget. If you like Holiday themed Horror Films make sure to give this one a watch, but keep in mind it is also filled to the brim with lots of cussing and characters tend to talk over each other and can be overload for your ears. Will buy once on home media.

# 15

A group of poachers kill a pride of lions but the male lion escapes and after killing two of the poachers the lion has a hatred for mankind and is on a quest to kill everyone it sees. Dr. Nate Samuels takes his two daughters Mere and Norah to a trip to Africa to visit a family friend Martin to get away from the sadness of their mother passing away from cancer. The Samuels family is dealing with some issues as Nate’s older daughter blames him for not being around during her mom’s final months. But things get way worse for the family when they are attacked by that rogue lion while far away from any help and must try to fight to stay alive, will this family be able to stay together or will they be hunted and killed one by one…watch this Nature Runs Amok Horror Flick to find out! This was a pretty fun watch as I am a sucker for animal attack Horror films and this one did a great job of making the lion bloodthirsty and yet also sympathetic as he only has this hate due to what man has done to his family. The film as some good thrills, kills and blood spills and is well acted and casted as Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries and Sharlto Copley make up the lead cast. The film did alright for Universal at the US box office bringing in $31,846,530.00 on a budget of $36million, and for me was well worth seeing on the big screen! Worth the watch if you love animal attack films and bought when released on home media.

# 14

OJ Haywood and his sister Emerald are the owners of a Hollywood horse training ranch after their father paces away from a freak accident of items falling from the sky, but the siblings soon find out that it was no freak accident and was the act of an alien creature that lives in a cloud in the sky near their ranch. Along with Angel a tech salesman at a department store and movie cinematographer Antiers they set out to get proof of this being as well as try and find a way to stay alive from it’s rampage of hunger for flesh and blood. Also throw in a former child actor who survived a animal attack on the set of a sitcom who know owns an amusement park as well as a TMZ reporter out for a story and you have this alien monster film set on a ranch. This third Horror film from creator Jordan Peele was kind of a disappointment for me as while I think many parts of the film worked well, I also thought it was over long and lacked the chills that his other films delivered. I really enjoyed the flashback scenes to the sitcom that had a chimpanzee on a rampage as I felt that was way more scary than the silky looking cloth alien in the sky. I also want to say that it was well caste and I loved the chemistry that all the actors had on the screen. The film did well for Universal at the American box office brining in $123,277,080.00 on a budget of $68million. Over all not a bad film but not a great one as I truly feel this is Peele’s weakest Horror film to date, and did buy on home media when released.

# 13

On his travel to a concert Ruhaan Randhawa meets soon to be reluctant bride Reet Thakur on her way to her wedding and convinces her to get off the bus and go to the concert as they can catch the next one and she can still make it on time, and she is glad she does as the bus she was to be on crashes and has no survivors, and now her family thinks she is dead and her cousin is in love with her groom and Reet is ok with them getting together. Now Reet has Ruhaan travel back home with her and act as a psychic in order to tell her wishes to her family, and after the wedding she will revile that she is alive. But Reet makes a big mistake as she hides out in the family’s old mansion that has a room that houses the evil spirit of Manjulika a relative who practiced black magic and has been locked away for 18 years in that room, and when the spirit gets free all hell breaks loose and dark secrets are exposed and Reet finds real love in Ruhaan. This was a very fun Horror Comedy film from Bollywood that was filled with fun music numbers, great characters, beautiful ladies and an awesome ghost that was played amazingly by Tabu who plays duel roles in the film. Other great actors include Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani and Rajpal Yadav and the film opened limited in America and made $18,307,258.00 on a budget of around $9million international. While the film is over 2hrs and some of the comedy moments can fall flat, this was a very entertaining film and glad I was able to catch it in the theater on the big screen…would buy on home media if release in America.

# 12

Margo is on a “date” with food lover Tyler who has paid lots of money to have a meal at the Hawthorns a restaurant on an island ran by Chef Julian Slowik, only the rich can afford the meals and only a limited amount of guests are permitted at a time. The Chef has an army of sous chefs behind him as well as other workers that make up a restaurant with his dinner having a theme this night, and unknown to the people there the theme is death…but poor Margo was not suppose to be there and this throws the Chef’s theme off. Now Margo must find a way to get out off the restaurant, off the island or perish with the rest of the guests on this dinner course straight to the grave. This is a delightfully weird Horror film that showcases a mans rise to fame and mental fall to being suicidal, and how in his twisted mind all those there have wronged him or the world in some ways. The film is well casted with such names as Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, John Leguizamo, Hong Chau and Judith Light to name a few, and each are fantastic in their role with Fiennes as Chef being one hell of a great casting as is Taylor-Joy as Margo. The film did good for Searchlight at the US box office bringing in $38,501,125 on a budget of $35million. If you like slow burn Horror Thrillers that will make you hungry for a cheeseburger give this one a watch. Will own when released on home media.

# 11

Harper Marlow rents an old farmhouse in order to get away as she had a terrible breakup with her husband that lead to his suicide, and she rents the house from Geoffrey who lives a few doors down in order to relax and clear her mind. But Harper’s peaceful get away turns terrifying when a naked man fallows her home from the woods and attempts to break into her home, and even more crazy all the men from town are mostly odd, rude and all look the same! And her time turns worse when the naked man from the town turns out to be a shape shifting creature that has it in it’s mind that he must get to Harper! This is a very strange, creepy and entertaining movie that plays up on the terrors of an abusive relationship, the effects suicide has on loved ones as well as a dash of folk small town kind of horrors. The film is well acted with Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear in the two leads being great casting calls and some of the effects for the creature are very well done. Sadly the film did ok for A24 at the American box office bring in $7,587,853.00 on an unknown budget. This one has some strange moments, creepy atmosphere, great acting, a cool creature, bloody effects and was a great watch in the cinema. Bought when released on home media.

# 10

Sister Ann is a young Nun who has been through some bad things in her younger life and has found her calling working for the church. And she really is interested in exorcisms, as she knows that her mother was possessed by a demon and now she wants to help others, but a female performing them is prohibited. But Ann pushes when she meets a young girl named Natalie who’s very soul is in danger as the demon inside her is the same that was in Ann’s mom and it wants to corrupt and destroy Ann. Now Ann along with the help of a young Father must fight the demon for the young girls soul as well as Ann’s as this demon will not go away until it gets what it wants! Is Ann strong enough to defeat it watch this fun possession film and find out for yourself. This film was released around Halloween and was a pretty creepy and fun PG-13 fright flick that delivered some demonic goodness and brought to the screen a cool female hero with Sister Ann who is very likable. Actress Jacqueline Byers plays Sister Ann and is fantastic in the role and I hope she returns if this film gets a sequel and it should in my opinion. Other actors include Virginia Madesen, Ben Cross, Posy Taylor and Christian Navarro and all are great in their parts. The film did ok for Lionsgate at the US box office bringing in $19,802,293 on an unknown budget. I really had fun with this film and will get once released on home media.

# 9

Julia and her husband Francis move to Bucharest for his job and she is a fish out of the water as she does not speak Romanian. And things get worse for her when she notices an across the street neighbor watching her and following her, all the while women in the area are being killed by a serial killer called The Spider…her fears set in as she thinks maybe her stalker is the killer and while her husband is supportive of believing her the police and most of her neighbors thinks she is crazy. Is the watcher the killer? Is she loosing her mind? Are her fears more about the big move? Watch this Horror Thriller film and find out for yourself. This was a great watch on the big screen and was shot and written very well and almost has a Hitchcock feel to it. The film is very well acted with Maika Monroe playing the part of Julia being fantastic and her supporting cast Burn Goreman, Karl Glusman, Madalina Anea and Daniel Nuta all doing great jobs in their rolls. The film does have some bloody moments and plays on your fears of being alone and the feeling of being watched, its very much a slow burn film and if you are looking for a slasher film here its not. The film did ok for IFC at the US box office bringing in $1,961,207.00 on an unknown budget. This is one I bought on home media when released and if you enjoy Horror Thriller films make sure to check this one out.

# 8

Alice and Jack Chambers live in the desert town of Victory as things in this private town is great as the men go to work for Frank on the “Victory Project” as the ladies stay home and take care of the house and make the meals and are told never to go to the edge of town…but this perfect life in this perfect town starts to turn into a nightmare as Alice starts seeing things when she travels to the end of town that makes her question what is going on in this town and what Frank and his Top Secret Project really is, and she is ready to leave it all and go to war with Frank about it! Will Alice find the answers? Is Victory really the perfect town? Or is something more sinister at play…well you will have to watch this Psychological Horror Thriller to find out for yourself! First thing I need to say is that Florence Pugh is an amazing actress and does a great job at playing Alice Chambers and her moments of breaking down as well as combating Frank played by Chris Pine at the dinner table truly drew me into the town of Victory. The film really does play with your mind and I enjoyed the reveal at the end and while the Horror elements are toned down it is one heck of a thriller. The film also stars Olivia Wilde, Harry Styles, Kiki Layne, Gemma Chan and Nick Kroll all who were great in their roles. The film did ok for New Line Cinema at the American box office bringing in $45,309,403.00 on a budget of $35 million. This film had a lot of bad press before and after being released, but I for one really enjoyed it and will buy on home media when released.

# 7

Dr. Rose Cotter is a woman who had a rough childhood and is now working at a hospital in order to help patients with their mental health as well as has a loving fiancé and an older sister who cares about her. But her life changes for the worse when one of her new patients takes her own life in front of her after talking about witnessing a suicide and then seeing and hearing something that is always smiling. Now Rose is hearing the voices and seeing thing and all those around her think she is loosing her mind and with the help of an ex-boyfriend who is a cop they try to figure out a way to stop this curse as something is after her and it wants her dead. This is a really fun and spooky film about a creature that feeds of trauma and fear and those that are infected all have a twisted smile before they take their own lives in order to pass the curse onto another. The effects are well done in the film and is also well casted with names like Sosie Bacon, Caitlin Stasey, Kyle Gallner, Kal Penn, Jessie T. Usher and Robin Weigert making up the main cast. The film did well for Paramount at the American box office bringing in $105,935,048.00 on a budget of $17million. If you like your Horror films with a dash of mental Horror and a pinch of creature feature check this one out for sure. And yes I bought this on home media when released.

# 6

It’s 1918 and Pearl is a young woman who’s husband is away at war and she lives with her strict German mother and her very ill father and spends her days working on the farm and dreaming of being a famous dancer on the movie screens. But Pearl is not like other girls as she has a dark side a murderous side and she wants away from the farm and wants to hunt down fame and fortune…and when she meets the local theater projectionist and learns from her sister in law about a church dance off she will do whatever it takes to because famous and that includes murder! This is the prequel to the film X and is such an great film that is very uncomfortable to watch as actress Mia Goth is amazing as the crazed Pearl and you go along for the ride with her as she slips more and more into her murderous decent into madness. The film while a slow burn builds to the bloody Horror and fans of slashers will not be disappointed. The film also stars Tandi Wright, Emma Jenkins-Purro, Matthew Sunderland and David Corenswet all who do a great job in their roles. The film did well for A24 at the American box office brining in $9,423,445.00 on a unknown budget. If you like indie horror films that have elements of slasher and psychological thriller elements smashed together this is one you will want to see, also had to get it when released on physical media.

# 5

On a stormy night Tess Marshall heads to an Airbnb in a rundown neighborhood in Detroit as she has a job interview the next day to help on an independent documentary film. But once she gets there she meets Keith who also has rented the house for a stay and this makes it that the two strangers have to share the home on the stormy night, but lucky for them they become friends. But on the second day Tess finds a hidden passage and room in the basement that holds a dark secret, and when she and Keith enter deeper into the passage they find that they are not alone! Days pass and the owner of the house disgraced actor AJ Gilbride shows up and he himself finds that someone is in the hidden passage and they are not friendly. And when Tess and AJ find themselves in trouble they must find away to escape the house alive. This is a very twisted and fun film that takes lots of twists and turns and is just the right amount of weirdness and gory to make it a great film for fans who enjoy something different in their Horror Films. The film stars Georgina Campbell, Justin Long, Bill Skarsgard, Richard Brake and Kate Bosworth and all did fantastic in their roles with Long being a scene stealer in parts. The film did well for 20^th Century at the American box office bringing in $40,842,944.00 on a budget of $10.5million. This is one that you should checkout as its creepy and the twists are lots of fun and is one I had to get when released on home media.

# 4

The Ghostface killing are happening in Woodsboro again and the first attended victim Tara Carpenter survives the attack that brings her sister Sam and her boyfriend Richie to town to check on her, but the attacks keep happing and even Sam herself is attacked while visiting in the hospital! And with Ghostface returning so does those who have solved and defeated the killers in the past Judy Hicks, Gale Weathers, Dewey Riley and Sidney Prescott…but the rules have changed, motivations have changed and Ghostface has new ideas to freshen up the legacy of the killers before him…in this Scream everyone’s a suspect and the past will always comeback to haunt you. This fifth film in the Scream movie series was a great way to blend in the classic characters we love with new ones that we quickly care about. Seeing Ghostface return to the big screen was a great way to kick off Horror at the cinema for 2022! This film is also very bloody and does a great job of building the “Who” is the killer throughout the film. The film did great for Paramount at the American box office bringing in $81,641,405.00 on a budget of $24 million. A great sequel and its awesome that we are getting a sixth film in the series due to the success of this one.

# 3

Leena Klammer is a thirty year old woman who looks like a 10 year old girl who is super dangerous and after escaping a mental institution in Russia she takes on the identity of missing American child Esther Albright in order to be sent to America, with the goal of robbing the family and escape being locked back up in the Asylum. Once she arrives in America her cover is perfect, but she does slip up and say the wrong things that makes her “Mother” and “Brother” very suspicious. Everything seems to be going well that is until a police officer starts to look into her and her story of being kidnapped and when she goes to silence him once and for all Esther finds herself in a sinister plot that has her murderous rage being used against her, and what this plot is I can not spoil so you will have to see this awesome slasher film for yourself. Isabelle Fuhrman returns in the role of Esther and is fantastic once more as she really does come off like a psycho, also in the cast includes Julia Stiles, Rossif Sutherland and Matthew Finian. The film had a limited release and did pretty well for Paramount at the American theaters bringing in $5,413,227.00 on an unknown budget. This is a film that you should see if you liked the original or just like slasher films with a dash of thriller! This was a must own when released on home media.

# 2

Maxine Minx is an adult film actress who along with friends travel to a small farm house in Texas in 1979 to film a porno in order to cash in on the booming home video market and to make money as well as for Maxine to become a big star, but the thing being is the farms owner Howard and his wife Pearl are not the sweet old people they seem as they have a dark side and Maxine and her friends have become their new targets for their sick sexual game. And one by one the crew are murdered and this leaves you wondering how Maxine will survive this farmhouse of terror. This is a great modern slasher film set in the 70’s that has a true grimy and gross feeling to it, and the best part is that Maxine and all the cast and crew are likable making when a character is killed feel more impactful. The film is well casted with Brittany Snow, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Scott Mescudi, Owen Campbell and Stephen Ure all being fantastic in their parts, but its Mia Goth who steals the film playing both Maxine Minx as well as Pearl the old woman. Lots of good kills and bloody gore effects with a great score by Tyler Bates makes this a great watch. The film did good for A24 at the American Box Office bringing in $11,765,309.00 on a unknown budget. With a prequel called “Pearl” in the works this could be a very cool new horror franchise in the making. And bought on home media when released, and if you have not seen it and like the grime feel of 70’s Horror and Adult Films make sure to give this one a watch.

# 1

Young boys are going missing in a Colorado town and the police have no suspect and are dubbing the kidnapper The Grabber, and when Finney is kidnapped his sister Gwen has dreams that she thinks can lead the cops to rescue her brother. Meanwhile Finney is getting help from The Grabber’s past victims who are calling him from a discounted black phone in the basement cell he is being kept in, and giving him tools and advice on how to escape this hell alive. Will the cops save him? Will the voices of those lost guide him to safety? Or will The Grabber take another victim to their grave? Watch this well done and creepy film to find out. This Blumhouse produced film is based on a story by Joe Hill and has some truly spooky and uncomfortable moments that will shock the viewers, Ethan Hawke is great as The Grabber and Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Miguel Cazarez Mora, Tristan Pravong, Brady Hepner and Jacob Moran are great as the kids of the film. The film is dark and mean spirited in spots and creeps up your spine with a “this could really happen” feel to the killer. This film did good at the American box office for Universal bringing in $89,870,280.00 on a $18million budget. A touch of slasher and a touch of supernatural made this one hell of a great spooky watch on the big screen and bought once released on home media.

Matt Goes To The Movies 2021

Posted on January 2, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome everyone to Rotten Ink, my little fun and goofy slice of the world-wide-web. This year 2022 is something very special for my blog as it turns 10 years old! It’s crazy to think that I have been covering comic books, horror hosts, movies, video games, toys and indie films for this long now as it does not seem that long at all to me, but I guess time does fly when you are doing something you love. This year I am going to celebrate in style as I am going to cover all types of things I love, from comics based on toys and cartoons all the way to horror hosts and wrestlers that I consider the best of the best! So 2022 will be a fun year for sure as I get to chat about so many things, and who knows, maybe I will even have a guest writer or two…maybe! But now let’s focus on why we are here at the Rotten Ink Theater as we are here to talk about movies that were shown in my local theaters that I was lucky enough to see on the big silver screen! The coronavirus pandemic was still in full effect so the films coming out were scarce for a while, but it did allow way more indie films to have their time to shine. And let’s not also forget the AT&T and Warner Brothers goofy idea of same day streaming. I for one went to the theater to see the films I wanted as that was the way they are meant to be seen. I want to thank Cinemark Theaters and Englewood Cinema for being open during these times and help delivering amazing films on the big screen and also allowing private screenings that my friends and I enjoyed throughout the year. And for me, no matter what anyone says, nothing beats seeing films at the movie theaters; streaming just does not pack a punch for me. So with that, let’s grab some popcorn and find our seats as it’s time to talk about the movies of 2021 and rank them by genre, and man horror this year was on point as you will see later in the update. One note: all of the box office figures for the movies are as of the date of this update, January 2, 2021.

Let’s start with Comedy. In 2021 I didn’t see many of them, but the ones I did were animated and based on classic characters, so with that let me share with you the two films that tickled my funny bone and kept me laughing at the cinema.

# 2

Kayla Forester is a young woman who is down and out when it comes to holding onto a job, and after sneaking her way into it, she finds herself working for the Royal Gate Hotel in New York during the wedding of a rich couple whose event is getting bigger and bigger by the minute. But things do not go smoothly for her when Tom and Jerry bring their fighting to the hotel and causes all kinds of chaos and issues that fall into Kayla’s lap! Can she get these two one the same page, can she guard her secret of having a fake resume and most importantly can she save the wedding from all this madness? This is a fun family film filled with silly slapstick comedy moments that brings the classic cartoon characters to a new generation of moviegoers. Plus it’s well casted with one of my favorite actresses Chloe Grace Moretz playing the part of Kayla Forester and other cast members include Michael Pena, Ken Jeong, Pallavi Sharda, Rob Delaney and Colin Jost. The humor is super silly and is a mix of modern cellphone emoji jokes as well as some dated 90’s gags making it fun for all ages. The only thing I would say that the film could have been a little shorter and that would have made the film flow at a better pace. The film did well at the US Box Office for Warner Brothers bringing in $46,041,123.00 on a budget of $79 million. This is worth watching if you enjoy Tom and Jerry and you would like to see them in modern time New York.

# 1

Wednesday Addams is having a hard time as she cannot relate to normal people and even her own family, and after a disappointing science fair and skipping family dinners several times Gomez Addams decides that a family vacation is needed to travel to some of Americas most gruesome places like Salam and Sleepy Hollow. But the family gets sidetracked when scientist Cyrus Strange tries to claim he is really Wednesday’s father and that she was switched at birth. After a DNA test proves this true, she leaves her old family behind to be with her “real” family, and it’s up to The Addams Family to get to the truth and bring Wednesday back home were she belongs, and of course all types of kooky things happen along the way. This was a super fun horror themed kids film that was just as enjoyable as the first film. It is well casted with names like Oscar Isaac, Chloe Grace Moretz, Charlize Theron, Bette Midler, Snoop Dogg and Bill Hader all lending their voices to the main cast. The film did okay for MGM at the Box Office given that they also did VOD day of release as well bringing in $56,489,153 on an unknown budget. This one is worth seeing and worth owning on home media if you are an Addams Family fan like myself.

So as you can see, The Addams Family took the top spot in comedy. Now let’s jump into the action genre and see what high explosions I saw on the silver screen.

# 4

Dom Toretto and his fast car driving team once more find themselves helping the government in order to find a device that when used with other parts will bring on a massive nuclear assault on the whole world, and worse Jakob Toretto, his own brother, is working for the bad side. Now it’s a race around the world and even space in order to save the world from this new threat, and Dom even has to get help from all of his “family” in order to pull this one off. This is a fun goofy over the top action film that by no means takes itself seriously, and because of that, it’s super fun and by all means cheesy. The film has the likes of Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, John Cena, Tyrese Gibson and Charlize Theron on cast. The film did well for Universal at the American Box Office bringing in $173,005,945.00 on a budget of $200 million and worldwide it did fantastic. If you are a fan of the Fast And The Furious series, this one is defiantly worth checking out.

# 3

Jim Hanson is a former Marine who lives in Texas right at the border. He has lost his wife to cancer and the bank is threatening to take his ranch away due to missed payments. While driving his property, he stumbles on Rosa and her son Miguel who are on the run from a Mexican drug cartel due to a family member stealing money from them, and when Rosa dies from a gunshot wound Jim promises her that he will get her son to family in Chicago. All the while, the cartel is after them as is Jim’s step daughter who works for the border patrol and needs to take the child back. The film is a drama action movie that has a 68 year old Liam Neeson in the role of Jim Hanson, and he does a great job at playing the moody war hero. Also in the cast is Katheryn Winnick, Teresa Ruiz, Juan Pablo Rada and Jocob Perez. The film plays off the current hot topic of border security and as well as that no matter how defeated you feel in life, someone can come into your life and change that around. The film did okay for Open Road Films at the USA Box Office during the Virus Crisis bringing in $15,566,093.00 on a budget of $23 million. This was a fun way to kick off the 2021 movie going experience and is one that I might watch again someday.

# 2

Hutch Mansell is a family man who is living a boring life with a wife and two kids he loves but his job is lacking something. His life changes when a pair of robbers breaks into his home and steals a little money as well as his daughter’s cat bracelet, and then his past life comes speeding back into his present. Hutch was once a government solider who took care of “problems” and after tracking down the robbers and beating up a group of punks on a bus, Hutch has got a price on his head placed their by a very powerful Russian and now he must get his family to safety and teach these criminals that they have messed with the wrong man. Nobody is a super fun film that was made by the same creative team that did the John Wick film series, and this one feels right at home in that universe. The film is well casted with Bob Odenkirk playing Hutch being spot on as he comes off as both a pushover family man as well as a kickass government trained skilled killer. Other names in the cast are Christopher Lloyd, RZA, Connie Nielsen and Aleksey Serebryakov. The film is filled with big action moments and is pretty violent and is a must watch for fans of revenge films. The film did pretty well for Universal at the US Box Office during the still on going virus crisis bringing in $27,268,035.00 on a budget of $16 million, showing that this John Wick universe film had some fans and that this is one that you should see.

# 1

James Bond is living the retired life but does have some sins from his past haunting him including walking away from his true love, but when a new threat to the whole world emerges Bond is forced out of retirement and must team with the new 007 as well as once more see the woman he had left behind heartbroken in order to stop this new threat and save the world once again. This was a great James Bond adventure that has very high stacks and is unlike the others in this series. Plus this is extra special as it’s Daniel Craig’s final time playing the iconic role, and its so well casted with names like Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch and Ben Whishaw to name a few making up much of the main cast. The film is filled with drama, action and even suspense and is one of the better Bond films I have seen, and that is why it locked the # 1 spot in the action film section I saw in the theater! The film did well for MGM at the American box office and brought in $160,772,007 on a budget of $250 million dollars. If you are Bond fan, make sure to check this one out as it packs a very impactful ending that will pull at your heartstrings.

As you can see, 2021 had some great action films that made it to the theater and did a great job of entertaining my friends and I! Our next section is all about the sci-fi and fantasy films that did the same for us, so let’s chat about those.

# 5

The New World is a planet where men cannot hide their inner thoughts. They can be heard by anyone with what they called the noise. Todd Hewitt is a young man who lives in Prentisstown, where all the woman have been killed, and works at a beet farm, but his life changes when a ship from Earth crashes and the only survivor is Viola, a beautiful woman who once discovered has the Mayor David and his men hunting her down like a wild animal as they think if she contacts another ship, the simple life they have will be ruined…or is it that their sinister secret will be exposed!? Now it’s up to Todd to control his thoughts and help Viola find a radio in order to save herself as well as start a new life. This is a fun sci-fi film filled with some alien creatures as well as interesting characters that is well cast with Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, David Oyelowo and Mads Mikkelsen being in the lead roles. The film did not do great for Lionsgate at the American Box Office bringing in $13,287,908.00 on a budget of $100 million. This is a very interesting sci-fi film that you should check out on home media.

# 4

Gawain is the nephew of King Arthur and during a feast at the round table, the mythical Green Knight appears and issues a challenge that he will allow any brave knight to strike him, but one year later the one who deals the blow must travel to the Green Chapel and will receive that same blow. Gawain takes the challenge and shows off by cutting the head off of the Green Knight who picks up his head and rides off laughing. When the year is up, Gawain goes on a quest to the Green Chapel and along the journey comes across thieves, strangers, ghosts, giants and a talking fox before finally meeting his fate at the hands of the Green Knight. This is the classic round table story turned to film and is an epic tale and brings together elements of fantasy and even a dash of horror. The Green Knight looks very cool and is played by Ralph Ineson and the rest of the cast includes Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Sean Harris, Joel Edgerton. The film did okay for A24 at the American Box Office during the still lingering virus crisis bringing in $17,173,321.00 on a budget of $15million. Over all this is a slow burn fantasy film that will surely please fans of classic tales of King Arthur’s world and round table adventures.

# 3

Many people on Earth have been born with a Dragon birthmark and this is not by chance as they have been selected to be a fighter in “Mortal Kombat,” a tournament held by realms in order to show dominance as well as used to conquer other worlds. Earth’s champion is Radian and his fighters have been finding themselves being killed off before the tournament as Shang Tsung has sent his fighters Sub Zero, Goro, Mileena, Nitara, Reiko and Kabal to stack the odds in their realm’s favor. But they are not ready when Cole Young as well as Earth’s other fighters Sonya Blade, Kano, Jax, Liu Kang and Kung Lao are ready to fight for the world and take the war back to them. And when Scorpion joins the fight, the big fights start way before the Mortal Kombat tournament. What will be the fate of Earth, who will live and who will die…watch this fantasy video game martial arts film to find out. This is a really fun film and the best Mortal Kombat film to date as the film captures the brutal nature of the game series it’s based on and the effects are well done as well. My favorite character in the film had to be Sub Zero as he is cold blooded (pun intended) and the history between he and Scorpion is well done. The film did okay for Warner Brothers at the US Box Office during the lingering pandemic and their foolish HBO Max day of release nonsense and brought in $42,201,013.00 on a budget of $55 million. If you like the game and like martial arts films filled with crazy characters, then you should check this one out.

# 2

Duke Leto and his family consort Jessica and son Paul have been assigned to planet Arrakis to harvest Spice. The planet was previously under the rule of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen who is not happy that he and his soldiers have been pulled out due to the choice of the Emperor. But when Leto arrives, he finds that the odds have been staked against him to fail as the machines he was left to harvest the Spice aare broken down, the area is surrounded by the massive Sand Worms and the area is also the home of the Fremen, the natives of the planet who are not happy that outsiders are harvesting their land and are at war with them. Paul meanwhile seems to have a gift and is having visions and has to protect his mom when his family and kingdom are attacked by Baron Harkonnen, and his father Leto is killed and all his friends who are warriors are assumed to be dead. Paul and his mom must wander around the desert and avoid the Sand Worms as well as try and get shelter from the Fremen. And man this is a very brief write up as this film has more layers of plot than what I can squeeze in here! This was a film I was not looking forward to, but after seeing it, I loved it and that is why it’s my # 2 film in this category. The film looks fantastic and the effects are top notch and is well casted with names like Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgard, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Timothee Chalamet, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista and Rebecca Ferguson making up the cast. The film did well for Warner Brothers at the American Box Office given that they again did a streaming day of release bringing in $106,985,276 on a budget of $165 million. It’s a really great sci-fi film that in my opinion is leaps and bounds better than the 1984 version.

# 1

Phoebe Spengler is the granddaughter of original Ghostbusters member Egon Spengler, and she has inherited his love for science. But she has never knew him due to him leaving his family behind to live in a farmhouse in a very small town many years back. When Phoebe and her mother and brother have to move into Egon’s old rundown farmhouse after his death, she uncovers that the town is a hot spot for the second coming of Gozer! With the help of her grandfather’s spirit, she along with her brother Finn, her new friend Podcast and teenage waitress Lucky find the tools to bust ghosts and have to save the town from the upcoming apocalypse. Along the way, they get the help of Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman and Winston Zeddemore in order to save the world and let everyone know who to call when paranormal activity enters your home. This fourth film in the Ghostbusters series is a great horror comedy film that does a great job of mixing the two genres as well as capturing that magic that makes the Ghostbuster films so special. And besides bringing in the classic cast Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver the new cast of McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon. Paul Rudd and all the others fit right in with Grace stealing the film. The film also does a great job of introducing new ghosts as well as showcasing some familiar ones as well. The film did well for Sony at the American box office bringing in $122,388,000 on a budget of $75 million. This is a fun film, and like before, don’t listen to online critics and make up you own mind as this film was great, and yes I will be buying it when it’s released on home media.

Lots of great fantasy and sci-fi films was released in the theaters in 2021, and really Dune was a big surprise for me as I was not looking forward to it and after watching it I found it at my # 2 spot! With that, let’s see what superheroes brought to the silver screen in 2021.

# 6

The Eternals are a race of immortals sent from The Celestial Arishem to Earth to act as protectors and to stop a race of creatures called Deviants. The Eternals are leader Ajak along with Ikaris, Sersi, Kingo, Thena, Phastos, Makkari, Druig, Gilgamesh and Sprite, and each have amazing powers that will help mankind move along. When they think that their mission is done, they disband with many of them going their own ways, but when the Deviants return and their one time leader Ajak is found dead, they must come back together and save mankind again…but is that their real mission as they end up digging deeper and finding the truth about Arishem as well as their true origin. This was a way better then I expected as I was never a big fan of the comic series. The film was well cast with names like Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan and Kit Harington and had a few surprise cameos from characters that will be appearing in future Marvel Universe films and shows. The film has done well for Disney at the American box office bringing in $164,611,651 on a budget of $200 million. While not the best superhero film I have ever seen, it sure as hell was an entertaining one that really surprised me.

# 5

The Black Widow meets up with her “sister” Yelena Belova who is on the run as she has broken the hold of Dreykov, the man who has warped the minds of many young woman and turned them into killers for hire. Yelena has an antidote for this mind control and this has marked her for death. As Widow and Yelena go and get the help of The Red Guardian who once acted as their father, they find out that the ultimate fighter known as Taskmaster has been sent to kill them both. And now Black Widow along with her “family” must comeback together and fight in order to finally bring down Dreykov and his evil empire that has enslaved and tormented women into killers for decades. This superhero film is filled with action as well as some twists and turns and explores the backstory of Black Widow and allows you to peek into her youth that was filled with so much bad and explains her mental stress as an adult about the actions of her past. Scarlett Johansson is fantastic as always as Black Widow. I am a big fan of Florence Pugh, and it was great to see her as Yelena Belova, who, by the end of this film is clearly going to be the new Black Widow. It was also great to see Rachel Weisz, William Hurt and David Harbour in big roles as they all did great in their parts. This film did pretty well for Disney at the US box office bringing in $183,651,655.00 on a budget of $200 million. It’s worth watching, and while I was not a fan of the “twist” of Taskmaster, it was still a great watch on the big screen and is one I will watch again for sure.

# 4

With the help of Venom, the alien that lives inside him, Eddie Brock finds the bodies of the victims of Cletus Kasady, a serial killer who is rotting away in jail. And after a last interview before he is sent to die via lethal injection, Cletus bites Eddie and a small piece of the symbiote that is Venom enters Cletus’s blood stream and he becomes Carnage, a cold blooded killing machine that is out for revenge! And worse, Eddie and Venom have a fight that leaves Eddie open to be murdered by Cletus who wants him to pay for getting him on Death Row, and Venom is left jumping from person to person. Meanwhile Cletus breaks his super powered screaming girlfriend Shriek out of a research asylum and the two go on a reign of terror! It takes Eddie’s ex-girlfriend Anne Weying to finally get Venom and Eddie to come back together and to go up against Carnage and Shriek and stop their murdering ways once and for all. This was a good sequel that added more comedy elements as well as some really cool fight scenes between Venom and Carnage that moviegoers have been waiting to see. Both Tom Hardy and Woody Harrelson are great as Eddie and Cletus, and it is always great seeing Michelle Williams in films. The film did really well for Sony at the American box office bringing in $212,527,511 on a budget of $110 million. Plus Spoiler Alert Venom is placed in the MCU after this film when he is transported into their dimension while on vacation and sees Spider-Man on the TV.

# 3

Amanda Waller needs two teams to head into Corto Maltese in order to destroy a laboratory that has a very world-threating project going on. This of course is a suicide mission and she needs super villains to join the squads in order to get time shaved off their prison time. The first team is lead by Rick Flag as well has Harley Quinn, Savant, Captain Boomerang, Detachable Kid, Weasel, Javelin, Mongal and Blackguard, and they are mostly killed by an ambush, with the survivors finally meeting up with the second team that is lead by Bloodsport and consists of Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man and Ratcatcher 2. Together they must take on the mercenaries that have taken over the island and finally have to come face to giant eye with the world changing project that is the massive alien known as Starro! This is a fun, zany, crazy superhero like no other as it’s packed with great jokes, bloody moments and characters that you find your self cheering for! Director and writer James Gunn has a way of making superhero movies more fun and adds his touch of humor and style to them that always seems to work. The film is well cast with Margot Robbie returning once more as Harley Quinn and adds such names as Idris Elda, John Cena, Sylvester Stallone and Daniela Melchior to the cast and all do fantastic in their roles with Stallone as King Shark being funny and awesome. The film was released on HBO Max by Warner Brothers at the same time as the theatrical release but it still did really well for them at the US box office bringing in $55,800,219 on a budget of $185 million. While I enjoyed the first film, this second one was in another league and is one that I think fans of none traditional superhero movies should watch.

# 2

Shang-Chi is the son of Xu Wenwu, the man who has the ten rings, and a magical fighter Ying Li who was the guardian of the mythical and magical village Ta Lo. When his mom passes away and his father thinks that her old village is really keeping her hostage, he must travel to China and stop his father from unleashing ultimate evil onto the world, as well as work alongside his sister who he left behind at a young age. Will Shang-Chi be able to stop his father or will the universe be in the grip of evil darkness…watch this fun superhero martial arts film and find out. I grew up reading Shang-Chi, and while this film is pretty different from the classic 70’s Marvel comics, I still found it to be very entertaining and one of the best superhero films of the year! Simu Liu was well cast as Shang-Chi and captures the heroic spirit that is making up the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other actors like Awkafina, Meng’er Zhang and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai all do great in their respected roles as well. The film did great for Disney at the American box office bringing in $224,543,292 on a budget of $200 million. This is a fun action film that has cool fantasy elements thrown in, and you cannot go wrong with a film that has a cameo from the Hulk villain Abomination. Check this film out if you are enjoying these Marvel Comics movies as this is a really good one.

# 1

The world knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, and this has caused him major issues as the press is harassing him and even many New Yorkers have turned on him, looking at him as a masked menace. So Peter goes to Doctor Strange and asks for a spell to be cast that will make people forget he is Spider-Man, but things go off the rails when Peter keeps changing the spell on who should remember his secret and this opens a rift in the multiverse and so enter Green Goblin, Sandman, Doctor Octopuss, Electro and The Lizard (from the past Sony Spider-Man films!) all of whom know Spider-Man’s secret but are confused when the Peter Parker they know is not the one they are seeing. Now Doctor Strange wants to send the villains back to their universe where many are dead, and Spider-Man wants to try and cure them before sending them home. The action and drama is turned up as Spidey tries to save them as Strange is trying to right the wrong of his spell. This is one amazing Superhero film and could be the best Marvel Film made up to this point as it has great surprises and brings together the past Spider-Man films and brings viewers once more some of the best Super-Villains from the past films as well as brings us past Spider-Men! The film has done amazing for Disney at the American box office and as of this update has brought in $572,642,000 on a budget of $200 million. Make sure to see this film on the big screen as it’s a great watch and a must own on home media when released.

So as you can see, both Marvel and DC delivered some great films for cinema-goers in 2021 and it looks like 2022 will also be delivering some great films in this genre. But with that said, let’s move onto my favorite genre: horror! And man I got to see so many limited released films in the theater and want to thank Englewood Cinema and Cinemark Dayton South for making all these horror films available to see on the silver screen.

# 33

A young kid and his grandpa go missing after finding a strange staircase in the woods. 20 years later, a group of friends going on a hike stumble upon the stairs as well as a few strange people who seem to be stuck in a loop and even take on a slight monstrous appearance. And soon they are hunted down and killed by a creature that lives inside these phantom stairs and they must fight to stay alive, and even find the missing kid who was stuck inside the stairs and has not aged in the 20 years he was missing! But will they be able to get away from the creature the kid calls Grub Daddy? Or will they all become mangled mounds of flesh that the creature shreds? Watch this indie horror fright flick and find out. This is a fun B-Movie film that has some cool ideas and even uses practical effects, but is lacking a little in the story that is filled with some holes and characters that go no place and are never explained. The creature called Grub Daddy is kind of cool and reminded me of the Fluke Man from the show X-Files. Actress Tyra Colar is fantastic in her role as Jordon, one of the hikers, and Josh Crotty as hiker Dirty Doug steals the show. The film was a Fathom Event and did okay for Wandering Dragon Productions despite unknown box office numbers on an unknown budget. Over all this is a fun creature flick that took place in the woods, was well acted and is worth watching if you like films about unknowns being seen in our forests.

# 32

Martin Lowery and park scout Alma head into the woods to find scientist Olivia Wendle to check on her and bring her equipment as no one has heard from her in months while she is working on a cure for a virus that has affected the world. But things go wrong for them while they hike to the site as they are attacked at night and their shoes are stolen. Martin gets a very bad cut on his foot, and they meet Zach, a man who has taken them prisoner and alerts them that woods are alive and nature is mad! Even when they escape, they run into Olivia who as well is a believer that nature is talking to them. A hallucinating mist created by mushrooms is trapping Martin and Alma in the woods and forcing them to witness and see the madness of the woods. Now Alma and Martin must find away to escape the woods as nature does not want them to leave nor do Zach and Olivia and their time and sanity is running out. This is a nature themed horror movie that uses lots of light, sound and editing tricks to throw the viewers off and draws them into this madness. The film was shot in 15 days by director Ben Wheatley and was made during the pandemic of 2020. The film does a pretty good job of bring the slow moving creepy horror and even has a few very bloody scenes. The character of Alma is very likable while Martin is a little bland allowing the viewers to choose whom they really think is the main star and the one nature wants. The film had a very limited release for Neon and did well given that at the American Box Office bringing in $1,113,723.00 on an unknown budget. Over all it was a cool watch that was a great theater experience and one that I will watch again to see what hidden plot details I might have missed.

# 31

It’s Lex’s birthday and her friends want to surprise her by taking her to an abandoned resort on a Hawaiian island that is said to be haunted by many spirits but the worse being the half face girl! The reason they are being secretly dropped off by helicopter is due the fact Lex is writing a book all about hauntings, spirits and ghosts and this is one of her main attractions. Once they get there, the land is beautiful and the resort is creepy but nothing is paranormal, that is until night comes and the legend of the half face girl proves to be true and she is out for souls. This was a fun little horror flick that had a short run time, some cool effects and some good classic horror moments. The downside is the film at times seems disjointed as if scenes have been removed from the movie. The Half Face Girl is a cool looking ghost who can get the dead to be her servants and that makes her interesting as she controls them. The gore is pretty great and unexpected, and the ladies Bianca Haase and Michelle Randolph are very beautiful and good actresses. The film had a very small limited run in theaters and did okay for Vertical Entertainment bringing in $191,996.00 on an unknown budget. It’s worth seeing, and I’m glad I caught it in the theater. This is one I will watch again on home media.

# 30

Jen Shaw and her friends go on a trip to hike the Appalachian Trail so that she can decide on what she wants to do with her life, and while hiking they make the mistake of going off the trail and run into sinister booby-traps as well as a group of people dressed in skulls and brush that call themselves The Foundation who have been living up in the mountains for generations since before the Civil War. But The Foundation doesn’t like trespassers, and they like it even less when strangers kill one of their own and now Jen and her friends are being picked off one by one and judged by the people of the mountain…and just for good measure Scott Shaw who is Jen’s rich and worried father has come looking for her. How will Jen survive and what will be left of her? This remake of the 2003 film series takes the deformed cannibals out of the picture and adds a secret society of mountain people who just want to be left alone, and I give it credit for trying something different, it’s just not a Wrong Turn film and takes more of a Midsommar approach to the tale and should have been called something else. The film is well cast with names like Charlotte Vega, Bill Sage, Emma Dumont, Daisy Head, Darius Clemons and Matthew Modine all fantastic in their roles. The film also did have a few bloody moments and did okay at the US Box Office bringing in $1,251,184.00 for Saban Films on a very small limited release. Over all this was just okay and will be one I will watch again someday as I got it on its home media release.

# 29

Rain Burroughs is a teenage girl who is struggling with her schizophrenia and has just gotten out of the hospital after a really bad breakdown and finds that she is friendless at school and is only one more bad episode away from being put into a mental hospital. But her luck starts to change as she makes a new friend in Caleb, a new kid at school, and her medication seems to be helping slightly. But when she thinks that her schoolteacher who is also her neighbor has kidnapped a young girl and is keeping her chained up in her house, Rain does not know if what she is seeing is real or is all just in her head. With her father not believing her, her new friend Caleb not knowing what is really going on, her mother being there for her but not taking her side, it’s up to Rain to solve the case of who’s real and who’s not and to come to terms with her own mental illness. The film is a thriller mixed with some horror elements and it stars Katherine Heigl, Harry Connick Jr, and Madison Iseman as Rain. This film had a very small limited theatrical release before it was put out on home media and brought in some money for Lionsgate at the US Box Office bringing in an unknown amount on an unknown budget. This is a good little thriller that has you guessing at what and who is real and was worth a watch at the theater, and Madison Iseman was really solid in her role as Rain Burroughs. I picked it up on home media later in the year.

# 28

Mario is a game designer who along with his developing friends head to a friends wedding that gets them stuck in the middle of a family feud that will lead to their friend’s death! And after running into a stranger with their car, one of Mario’s friends is bitten and so a zombie outbreak breaks out in the middle of all this madness. Now Mario and his remaining friends as well as members of both families must fight together to stay alive and find a cure to the outbreak that only a crazy old man in the woods knows! This is a fun horror action comedy and the first zombie film in Telugu cinema that not only has splatter but also a few good laughs out loud moments. The film is well cast with Sajja Teja as Mario and actress Anandhi being two great standouts. The film had a limited screening in the US and did okay for Geetha Arts at the Box Office bringing in an unknown amount on a budget of $48 million. If you like Bollywood Horror films and films like Zombieland, The Dead Don’t Die and Shaun Of The Dead make sure to give this one a watch, but be warned it’s over two hours and it takes a bit for the zombie madness to kick in.

# 27

Julia Meadows is a schoolteacher who has mental scars due to abuse at her father’s hands and when she sees the same issues in a student of hers named Lucas Weaver she tries to help. But she soon learns that Lucas is hiding a big secret, that his father is turning into a Wendigo as is his baby brother who were attacked in an abandoned mine. And when his father fully turns and starts killing around the town, its up to Julia and her police officer brother Paul to try and save not only the town but also Lucas who is trying to keep what is left of his family together no matter how flesh eating they are becoming. This film has some creepy moments as well as some gruesome scenes and is a creature feature that was a great theater watch during the Halloween season. And I really did enjoy the effects and the film was more gruesome in spots then I expected. The film did okay for Searchlight Pictures at the American box office brining in $10,619,670 on an unknown budget. This is a fun freaky film that is one I bought on home media when released.

# 26

Jeff Vahn is a struggling creator and comic book artist who is going through a terrible divorce from his wife Maggie who wants sole custody of their daughter Jenny as she thinks he is too irresponsible to be raising their child. But after Maggie is killed by a hit and run driver, Jeff finds that his daughter is not doing well as she has an imaginary friend that she says is a monster, the babysitter Samantha has a crush on him, and his father in law wants to take Jenny away. He is working for an old college friends comic book company working on a dark horror comic and it is clear that something evil has entered his house and wants to scare and take. This is a creepy little horror flick that is very much in the same spirit as films like The Conjuring, Insidious and other supernatural horror. The effects of the monster spirit are really cool. I like that it also adds the world of comic book making into its story. The film did okay for Open Road Films at the American Box Office bringing in $4,509,143.00 on an unknown budget. This is a fun creepy little film that has some cool evil spirits and some cool kills. I bought it once it was released on home media.

# 25

On an internet reality TV Show, the world watches as down and out celebs from internet blogs, Instagram and reality shows are brought together in one house with the promise of winning big prize money! The viewers also get to vote on who is their favorites and the bottom pick has to compete in a challenge in order to stay in the house by spinning a wheel. But soon the competitors and the viewers find out this house is one of horror as the losers are put into challenges that end in death and the celebrities are trapped in the house. One by one the bottom %’s have to compete in killer challenges as onlookers watch live on their laptops and cellphone screens, as the law tries to find the location of this killer red room reality show. Will the celebrities find a way to escape, who will win and why is the man in charge doing what he is doing and killing these internet famous people off in gruesome fashion? Well watch the Funhouse and find out. This was a limited release and was pretty dang entertaining and was filled with some cool kills, beautiful women and even monster themed MMA fighters! The film did okay for such a limited release for Magnet at the Box Office and brought in $110,571.00 worldwide. This is a fun watch for fans of films like Hostel and Saw that is a little less gruesome and gory and is worth a watch.

# 24

Father Daniel is a young priest who is teamed with Father Peter to learn the ways of performing exorcisms on possessed people and saving their lives and souls. When Daniel is taken to a home where a young boy killed his family, he opens his mind to evil and witnesses the massacre and realizes that the young boy has been possessed by a demon! Now he must find a way to save the boy’s soul and all the while try and figure out Father Peter and his past priests that learned the ways of the Exorcist from him. Can Father Daniel save the young boy’s soul from this very powerful demon or will he watch as the youngster burns in the flames of damnation? Watch this creepy little horror flick and find out! The Seventh Day is one of many films based on evil demonic spirits that was released in 2021, and like all the others, it was a solid and spooky watch that brought the chills as well as the twist and turns that made it a very entertaining watch on the big screen. I really liked the mood and pacing of the film and enjoyed the moments when the demon would take over the young boy and wreak havoc on those who were in his way. The film had a very limited release and did well given the time of release at the World Box Office for Vertical Entertainment bringing in $963,938.00 on an unknown budget. This was a fun fright flick and fans who like possession films should check it out. I also liked this one enough that I bought it on DVD when released.

# 23

Gerry Fenn is a disgraced reporter who used to write for the big newspapers and is now writing for a tabloid that sends him to a small town in New England to cover a cow mutilation, but when the story turns out to be a bust, he soon finds himself a new one as a deaf and mute teenage girl Alice starts speaking and claims that the Virgin Mary is speaking to her and has given her the power to heal the sick and dying and crazy enough she is doing the miracles she claims! But soon Gerry, who helps the Catholic Church with this miracle and also gets the exclusive with Alice as the two have started to be come friends, finds out about Mary, a witch that was killed in the town that was the Bride Of Satan, and as strange deaths start happing to those who doubt Mary he must find the truth if Alice has been touched by holy goodness or touched by pure evil. This Sam Raimi produced PG-13 fright flick is a fun film that features a cool demonic ghost witch that is the stuff of nightmares. The thing I liked about the film is that it has an early 2000’s feel to it and has the Raimi feel of jump scares and a demonic villain. The film did okay for Screen Gems at the American Box Office during the ongoing Virus Crisis bringing in $15,530,440.00 on a budget of unknown. It’s a fun creepy watch that has a cool evil sprit baddy that I ended up buying on home media.

# 22

Ed and Lorraine Warren are at the Glatzel home to try and perform an exorcism on an 8-year-old boy who is being possessed by a demon. At the exorcism the demon proves to be really strong and gives Ed a heart attack and then goes into Arne, a young man who is dating the boy’s sister. While Ed is recovering in the hospital, the demon makes Arne kills his girlfriend’s boss and now he is in prison waiting for trial. Once out of the hospital, Ed and Lorraine come to Arne’s aid and are a part of his defense team as they have to prove that the devil made him do it! So the Warrens soon find out that a devil cult is to blame as they have left a cursed totem in the Glatzel home, and that this totem was also found in another murder case and that whomever placed these totems has now targeted the Warrens and it makes them have to race against time to save the soul of Arne, stop the cultist and watch out for one another. The third film in The Conjuring series is a good spooky watch that showcases another case file of the Warrens. But while I did enjoy the film, it was the weakest of the series thus far and the demon and cult leader are neither as spooky nor motivated as that of the past spirits and the film just seemed to be lacking the charm that director James Wan brought to the series. But while a little underwhelming, it still was a good fright flick and seeing the chemistry of actors Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga always is a plus. The film did ok for New Line Cinema at the American Box Office bringing in $65,565,074.00 on a budget of only $39 million. The Conjuring III is a good film, and if you like the series check it out. I bought a copy once it was released on home media.

# 21

A serial killer is killing women in California and has been for a while now and former Detective Joe Deacon meets the new detective on the case, Jim Baxter, and the pair start to work together to try and find who the killer is as the bodies of young women keep being found. They both find clues and start checking off the suspects and that’s when they find the creepy appliance repairman Albert Sparma, a man who is into true crime and even once confessed to a murder he didn’t do, but is he our man our cold blooded killer…or is their more to uncover in this horror thriller noir film? Watch for yourself and find out, and see who you think the killer is. This was a very well made film that reminded me a lot of films like Seven and Silence Of The Lambs. It takes its time to build the case and has the viewers along for the investigation. The film is well cast with Denzel Washington and Rami Malek as the Detectives and Jared Leto is fantastic as the creepy murder suspect. The film did well for Warner Brothers at the Box Office in the US even during the ongoing pandemic bringing in $15,244,012.00 on a budget of $30 million. This was a great watch in the theater and was a nice edition to the thriller genre of Horror.

# 20

Flight Officer Maude Garrett along with a top-secret package come aboard the plane “Fools Errand” on a secret mission and is not well welcomed by the crew and is forced to stay in the Sperry during take off. Soon things start to get crazy as Japanese Fighter planes attack, and worse, a gremlin is on the plane causing destruction and panic like trapping her inside the Sperry. During all this the crew find out that Officer Maude Garrett is not who she says she is and is hiding a secret that will change the way they look at her as well as their trust in her. But in the end will Officer Garrett be able to save not only herself but also the package and the crew from the attacks from above as well as on the plane? This film was lots of fun and was the first horror film I saw in theater in 2021 and was a great way to kick off the year for horror. Once more, this film proves why Chloe Grace Moretz is one of my favorite actresses doing cult style horror, action and sci-fi films, and she is great as Officer Maude Garrett who is a great character. The Gremlin is also really cool looking and almost appears to be part bat, rat and creature and is aggressive and very sneaky and destructive. The film was released still during the pandemic of early 2021 and had a very limited release at theaters and brought in $156,932.00 for Vertical Entertainment. This one I enjoyed lots and is one I bought on home media when released.

# 19

Raccoon City has been under the care of the Umbrella Corporation and now they are leaving the town and this is causing the town to slowly die…like really die as the townspeople are getting sick and are becoming flesh eating zombies! Claire Redfield returns to her hometown to get to the bottom of this evil plot and along with her brother Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy, Richard Aiken, Brad Vickers and Chief Brian Irons they must survive the zombie carnage, expose the dirty secrets of Umbrella, find help in a unusual young woman, fight off a evil doctor, deal with a team trader, survive the attacks of mutated monsters and get out of Raccoon City alive. This film combines elements from the first two Capcom games in the Resident Evil series, and while I feel the final act of the film seems rushed, the film does have a few moments that are creepy and the zombies and monsters are pretty cool. One thing big fans of the game series might be annoyed with is that some of the characters do not act like they do in the games, and some are treated like the joke of the film…looking at you Leon. The film did sadly poorly for Screen Gems at the US box office brining in $16,890,005 on a budget of $25 million. Over all this is a fun zombie film that sticks more true to the games than the film series that came before it. And yes, I will buy on home media when released.

# 18

Dylan Jacobs is a young boy who is mute and witnessed a tragedy the took his mom at a young age and now he and his father who is a Radio DJ have moved into a new apartment. While unpacking he finds a book hidden in his closet and it’s a Book Of Shadows, and after his dad leaves for work the youngster uses the book in order to get a voice, but it comes with a catch as he has to survive one hour in the small apartment with an evil Djinn who wants to eat his heart and steal his soul, and has to blow out a candle that can only be put out after one hour. So Dylan must use his wits and what he can find around in order to keep the creature at bay. Can Dylan do it? Will the Djinn steal his soul? Will his wish come true and if so will it have a big price to pay? Well watch this fun film and found out those answers. This is one part haunted house, one part supernatural, one part Home Alone and one part Conjuring inspired as the Djinn is one evil character who tricks and tries to kill with aggression and glee. The film had a very limited release and brought in $124,772.00 on an unknown budget at the US Box Office for IFC. Over all a cool simple Horror Movie with some great moments and one I got on home media when released.

# 17

Finn Wheeler is a Forest Ranger who is assigned to a small town called Beaverfield after breaking up with his girlfriend, when he gets there its winter time and a big storm is on its way and me meets all the strange people of the town including young mail carrier Cecily as well as Jeanine a woman who owns the towns lodge. Also in town is businessman Sam who wants to build a pipeline through the town and is throwing around money and making the town split. But when a big storm hits, the towns generators are tampered with and the town people have to stay at the lodge for safety and that’s when they find out that a werewolf is loose in the town and is taking them out one by one, will Ranger Wheeler be able to save the town and stop the beast? Watch this funny Horror Comedy based on the video game and find out for yourself. The film stars Milana Vayntrub as mail carrier Cecily Moore who is known as the AT&T Girl and she is fantastic as is all of the cast who help create this strange small town. The film is really funny and the horror elements are well done with yes even the werewolf being seen. The film had a limited release and did good for IFC bringing them in an extra $575,614.00 at the US Box Office. A film that I bought on home media once released and again is a fun Horror Comedy that has a haunted house meets Twin Peaks feel.

# 16

The Cappa family head to a resort that is amazing and the reason they are doing so is that Guy and Prisca are having marriage issues and will be getting a divorce and want to have one more family outing before they tell their kids Maddox and Trent. But when they are invited to a private section of the beach they find that they are joined by a few select others and all seems perfect that is until a dead body washes ashore and everyone finds out that they are stuck on this beach and time is running fast as kids are growing up super fast, parents are getting older and anyone with a illness is finding that they are getting worse. And now they all must find away to escape this beach and find out why they were brought there with what seems is to die! And like always this film has a twist that was well thought out and helped this film feel like an episode of the Twilight Zone and was well casted with every actor doing their parts top notch with Thomasin McKenzie, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Aaron Pierre and Rufus Sewell all being great in their roles. The film did well during the ongoing pandemic at the US Box Office for Universal Pictures bringing in $48,242,510.00 on a budget of $18 million. M. Night Shyamalan is truly back on track on bringing fans creepy Horror Thrillers and Old is one I enjoyed and bought on home media when released.

# 15

Phoenix is a young girl who was grown up thinking that The Blind Man Norman Nordstrom is her father and that her mother died in a house fire, and he does his best to try and raise her to be a survivalist and does not allow her to go into town of have friends. But soon her real past comes calling when her real father who was in prison and was a meth dealer along with his friends show up to tell her the truth and get her back, but this family reunion is sour as her father has no interest in really getting his daughter back as he only wants her heart in order to give to his wife who is dying from inhaling meth fumes. Now its up to Norman to get her back as well as come clean to her on the monster he really is. This is a gritty horror film that in my opinion was leaps and bounds better then the first and while Norman is the “hero” in ways he still is the same cold-blooded killer who assaulted women and now his past and lies are catching up with him. The real hero of the film is Phoenix the young girl who fights to stay alive as well as to live a normal life surrounded by terrible people. Also the film is bloody and has some really cool and interesting kills. The film did pretty well for Sony at the US Box Office even during the then ongoing pandemic bringing in $32,638,038.00 on a budget of $15 million. Worth watching if you liked the first film and if you like you Horror Flicks a little gritty. Bought when on home media.

# 14

Detective Zeke Banks is a cop who is a loner after his department treat him like a rat after he turned a dirty cop in for a murder. But things turn weird for Zeke when a Jigsaw Copycat killer starts targeting dirty cops and is putting them into traps of self-mutilation that all end in death. No Zeke must trust his fellow officers who don’t respect him in order to stop the killings and figure out who this Jigsaw copycat killer is! This is the 9^th film in the Saw series and takes a new direction and yet still feels right at home with the Jigsaw saga. The film has some great trap kills that are bloody and gory, an interesting story and is very topical about the trail of sadness that dirty cops can leave behind. Chris Rock is great in the role of Detective Banks and goes from funny to serious when he needs to. The film did just ok for Lionsgate at the US Box Office bringing in only $23,216,862.00 on a budget of $20 million. I for one hope that the Saw series continues on as I would like to see what’s next for Zeke Banks and the next chapter of the Book Of Saw has in store for us. Bought on home media when released.

# 13

Survivors Zoey Davis and Ben Miller head to New York to try and find the headquarters of the Minos Corporation and when they get their they are tricked by a homeless man to get on a subway train, and they soon find that this was a trap by Minos and that the people also on the train with them was former players of their escape rooms. And this time around the traps are more mean spirited and more deadly as Minos does not like when players beat them and escape. One by one Zoey watches as the other players die in traps and she is always trying to figure out the room and keep her fellow players alive, and when she gets the shock of her life she goes truly against the wishes of Minos and does what she can to bring them down from the inside out. This is a fun sequel that adds more questions and delivers some answers and leaves me wanting to see a third film in the series. The films rooms are well thought out and add a level of Saw to them making them more dangerous then ever and the film is also casted really well with Taylor Russell, Logan Miller and Deborah Ann Woll return to their rolls from the first film and new names like Holland Roden and Indya Moore bringing new characters to this sick and twisted game. The film did well for Sony at the American Box Office given the time bringing in $25,188,958.00 on a budget of $15 million, and this I hope makes it that we get a part three. To sum it up if you liked the first film you will more than likely enjoy this second film and it is one I bought once released on home media.

# 12

Yakov Ronen is a Jewish man who has went through a tragic event that has shook his faith, but running low on money he takes a job to act as a Shomer for a man who has just passed away. While in the house late at night watching over the mans body he meets the mans wife Mrs. Litvak who is battling Alzheimer’s as well as he starts seeing a shadow person as well as has bad visions of not only his past memories but the dead mans as well! Now trapped in this home with something demonic he must find his inner power to forgive himself for his past as well as fight for his soul as well as that of the one he is there to watch over. What a fun little ghost haunted house style film that feels like it could be right at home in the Conjuring film universe, the creature known as a Mazek that is a demonic sprit that’s head is backwards as it is always looking to the past is a creepy and strange creature that is fitting for its own film franchise. The acting is fantastic with Dave Davis, Lynn Cohen and Ronald Cohen being the standouts and the score by Michael Yezerski is top notch. A great and creepy PG-13 horror film that did pretty well for IFC at the American Box Office bringing in $50,439.00 on an unknown budget for a limited release. On a side not it was odd the films USA rights was originally with Blumhouse they sold the film to IFC for release, and that’s odd as this film was a perfect fit for Blumhouse.

# 11

Michael Myers survives the inferno trap that the Strode family left him to die in and is now back on the killing rampage in Haddenfield and the people have had enough and are wanting to fight back and kill the evil that has tormented their town for decades. Tommy Doyle as well as other survivors of the original 1978 massacre have came together and along with others are now looking for Michael to make evil die tonight. But they soon find out that Michael Myers might be more than human and his want for murder might just be stronger than their hatred for him. This sequel to the 2018 film is a down and dirty bloodbath that is filled with gruesome kills and showcases that Michael Myers is truly a killing machine who is brutal and cruel and kills for killing sake. This was a entertaining slasher film that was a fun watch on the big screen, but also had lots on puzzling moments that was tied into bad scripted segments with characters making head scratching decisions that didn’t fit the vibe of the film. But keep in mind while I did not like it as well as the 2018 film I did still enjoy it and it was a fun experience seeing it on the big screen opening night with a theater filled with Horror fans. It is well casted as well with Jamie Lee Curtis, Kyle Richards, Anthony Michael Hall, Judy Greer, Michael McDonald and actress Andi Matichak steals the film again as Allyson. The film did well for Universal at the American box office bringing in $92,002,155 on a budget of $20 million dollars. If you like the Halloween series, check this one out and of course got it on home media when it was released.

# 10

The New Founding Fathers are back in control and the Purge has returned the night that all crime is legal is back as a yearly event, but there is something else brewing as a new movement has gripped the nation called Forever Purge a group of people who are now on a mission to kill any and all foreigners and wrong doers and keep the Purge going every day as their American right! And now ranch owners The Tuckers have to try and stay alive as they join their Hispanic helper Juan his wife Adela and friend T.T. in order to get to Mexico for safety as they have been marked by the Forever Purgers for death! And on their way to Mexico they must fight off their would be killers as well as try and help each other stay alive to see safety south of the border. This was a good Purge sequel that had a Horror Western feel to it and tried to mirror what was going on in society at the time. The film has some great kills, cool effects and some of the masked Purge killers have cool looks. I really liked the idea of a radical group who want to keep the Purge going year round being the ones that even the Founding Fathers do not like as they are to extreme even for them. The film did ok for Universal at the US Box Office during the ongoing pandemic bringing in $44,500,860.00 on a budget of $18 million. Over all a good sequel with a good story and is well acted…bought on home media when released. And I have to say also that this was leaps and bounds better then 2018’s “First Purge” film.

# 9

Beth is a schoolteacher who’s husband Owen built them a dream house on the lake, and her life changes when one night Own takes the rowboat out on the lake and commits suicide. She is now alone at this house and strange things start to happen as if her dead husband is trying to talk to her from beyond the grave and the deeper she digs into his life the more strange things she discovers from the occult, to affairs to a weird unfinished home he built across the lake. Now Beth must try her best to find the truth and uncover if she is really being reached out to by the spirit of her husband or something much worse. This was a great spooky watch in the theater and several time throughout it my gal Juliet and my cousin Stephen both jumped from the scares. The blurred line between what is reality and what might be in her mind or even another dimension is really well done and the film has a great atmosphere that captures the feeling of loneliness and sadness. The films cast is also really great with Rebecca Hall killing it as widow Beth and Sarah Goldberg, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Stacy Martin all being fantastic in their supporting roles. The film did well for Searchlight Pictures giving the on-going pandemic at the American Box Office bringing in $7,100,581.00 on an unknown budget. This was a fun little fright flick and is one I got once on home media.

# 8

Maddie Mitchell is pregnant and when home from work with labor pains her husband and her get into it and he slams her head into a wall, and oddly enough that night the husband is killed by a long haired, mutated melted faced, disjointed killer who then also kills many old doctors who are all connected to helping kids. And Maddie is starting to have bad visions of the murders and are seeing how brutal they are being committed, and the killers name is Gabriel and some how he and Maddie are linked. Why are they connected? Why is he killing Doctors? Will the cops find the link? Is there more to Maddie then what is seen? Watch this weird and highly entertaining film to find out for yourself. The film has great effects and was way bloodier then expected and the killer Gabriel is really cool looking. And you know the film has to be good as it was from the mind of James Wan one of the new masters of modern Hollywood Horror. The film stars Annabelle Wallis, Marina Mazepa, Maddie Hasson and George Young in lead roles and are all well casted. The film did ok for New Line Cinema at the US box office bringing in $13,374,014.00 on a budget of $40 million, and keep in mind they did the same day release on streaming for this film on HBO Max. Very creepy a cool film that is one I bought when released and is one you should checkout if you like weird films.

# 7

Katie who is now going by the name Maud was a nurse at a hospital that had an accident during CPR to a patient and now finds herself as a home caregiver to a woman named Amanda who was once an actress who is now battling stage 4 cancer and is an atheist. Maud has found religion and wants so bad to save the soul of Amanda who she thinks has been sent her way by the will of God, but when Maud is fired she goes on a downward spiral and feels that she really needs to save the soul of Amanda and goes on a soul searching mission to do so, but Maud is so far gone mentally she does not live in reality and thinks God is always with her and is speaking to her. In the end Maud thinks she has done what has been asked of her she does an act that will deliver her to Gods waiting arms. This is a really downbeat film that captures the creepy slow burn feel of films like Carrie and The Exorcist and is a must watch for fans of A24 Horror! The film is filled with a very uneasy feeling throughout and is a Horror Film that feels real to life. The film had a very limited release here in America and did well for A24 at the Box Office world wide bringing in $1,383,868.00 on an unknown budget. This is a great film for those who like slow burn Horror Films that have a touch of art house film feel thrown in. Got on home media when released!

# 6

After a military experiment zombie escapes from a road accident he infects all of Vegas to the point where a group of survivors try to save others before the whole area is sealed off by metal containers. After time passes a rich businessman tracks down the survivors and offers them millions of dollars in order to go back into Vegas and get the large amount of cash out of his casino vault before the government drops a nuclear bomb on the city to kill the zombie horde. So this new group is lead by Scott Ward and his daughter Kate as the enter the city and learn that these zombies are way smatter then thought and have created their own savage society. But when something goes wrong and the Queen of the zombies is killed the group is in real trouble as the zombies want to rip them apart to avenge their Queen. Can Scott get the money and his crew out of Vegas before they become zombie dinner or are blown up by the bomb? Watch this Zach Snyder zombie flick to find out! This is an epic and fun zombie action film that had Zach Snyder return to the zombie genre and was well casted with names like Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Harwick, Ana de la Reguera and Nora Arnezeder to name a few. The film is loaded with zombie kills and is bloody and even brings in a zombie tiger! A fun, bloody ride the whole time! The film did well for Netflix on a limited release at the US Box Office bringing in an unknown amount on a budget of $90 million. This is a fun fright flick that I cannot wait to see a sequel to and hope Netflix ends up releasing it on Blu-Ray and DVD so that I can get a copy for my collection.

# 5

Mimi is a young girl who does what she wants to do and is a very strange kid and her older brother Luke just goes along with her strange ideas including her game “Crazy Ball” and after loosing she makes her brother dig his own grave in the backyard and instead they find a jewel stone that frees an imprisoned alien killing machine called Arch-Duke Of Nightmares! While the monster is a killing machine he has to follow the orders of Mimi who holds the stone and she turns this killing machine into her fiend and calls him Psycho Goreman or PG for short! But when a group called The Templers find out they send Pandora to Earth to kills PG once and for all. But with the help of Mimi and her family Psycho Gorman does battle with Pandora and if he wins he can fulfill is mission of murder and destruction and if Pandora wins the world will be filled with slavery and no free will. This is an amazing Horror Comedy from writer director Steven Kostanski the man behind such films as The Void, Manborg and Father’s Day that is gory and funny all at the same time and has what I think could be the next creature feature icon of Horror Comedies along side the likes of Wolf Cop. The film had a limited release in theaters during the ongoing pandemic and did well for RLJE at the US Box Office bringing in $95,182.00 showing that Indie Horror is alive and well. If you have not seen this one yet, make sure to check it out and of course I bought this on home media when released.

# 4

Eloise is a young woman who is going to London for fashion school and finds that she does not fit in and when leaving her dorm to live in a old apartment building visions of the cities past fill her dreams and she finds herself involved in finding out who killed inspiring singer Sandie who’s manager promised her the world, but delivered her into sex work. But when Eloise thinks she has figured out who has killed Sandie she tries to bring them to justice as well as find Sandie, but this causes her classmates and the police to think she is crazy! But is Eloise crazy and will she uncover what really happened to the missing singer…well watch this film and find out. First thing I have to say is that this film made me fall in love with Thomasin McKenzie who plays Eloise as an actress and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite newer actresses in the Horror genre. The film does a great job of going from modern times to flashing back to the 1960’s and the characters and story had be drawn in and that’s surprising as I am not a big fan of most of Edgar Wright’s films but this one I think is his best. The film had a few spooky moments and enough twist and turns to really help add to the chills, and yes some of the twists can be predictable but I still enjoyed it. The film is well casted with names like Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp and Michael Ajao making up the lead cast. The film sadly did not do well for Universal at the US box office bringing in only $10,127,625 on a budget of $43 million. This was a really cool stylish Horror Film that does a great job also on the use of lights, and yes will buy on Home Media.

# 3

Anthony McCoy is a visual artists who has it all, a beautiful and successful girlfriend named Brianna, he lives in a upper class high rise apartment and is loving life even if he is having an artist block that is keeping him from painting his next masterwork, but when hearing the legend of Helen Lyle and Candyman he gets the inspiration for his next series of work. Anthony has made a big mistake though as he has gotten the attention of Candyman and he learns the legacy, roots and horror that is behind this hooked handed boogeyman killer…but he also learns that his own life just might be connected to him and that the hive is many when it comes to Candyman. This is a great sequel to the 1992 cult classic film and helps add to the legend of the film series and even does a good job of not totally forgetting about parts 2 and 3 in the series. The film is well casted with names like Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Michael Hargrove and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett all being fantastic in their roles and it was also amazing seeing Tony Todd and Vanessa Williams returning in their roles from the first film. The film has some bloody and creepy moments and really was a fantastic fright film on the big screen. The film did well at the American Box Office given the pandemic was coming back around with a new wave as it brought in $61,186,570.00 for Universal on a budget of $25 million dollars. If you like the Candyman film series give this one a watch, and yes bought on home media when released.

# 2

Godzilla is running wild and attacking company Apex factories and they seem unprovoked turning mankind against the titan they once called a protector. Their only hope is to use Kong to find out if the Hollow Earth energy is true as it is the place they think the titans might have came from and was the place Godzilla and Kong’s kind had wars with one another making them bitter enemies. With mankind taking Kong from Skull Island and taking him to the gateway to Hollow Earth in Antarctica Godzilla is annoyed that another alpha Titan is present and goes on the attack causing the two Titans to be at odds with each other even when the battle ends and this makes it that Godzilla and King Kong are bitter rivals that while they respect each other they also clearly hate each other. While Kong enters Hollowed Earth and learns about his own families past as well as finding a powerful axe that holds lots of power. All the while Godzilla is stomping around and destroying Apex factories causing Monarch and mankind to fear his wrath! And when Kong shows up in Hong Kong he and Godzilla have a massive fight that leaves them both wounded and one Titan near death, and worse for everyone Apex has been working on a project that is creating their own Titan made of metal and is called Mechagodzilla! Who will win this epic battle of Kong vs. Godzilla and what terror does Mechagodzilla have in store for the winner? Check out this Monstervese movie and find out for yourself. What a fun film that pits the worlds two most iconic Kaiju against each other for the amusement of the viewers, plus for me I am always up for a new King Kong and Godzilla film! Plus its been way to long sense we seen these two Titans of cinema in the same movie again as it was 1962 when they last shared a film, and that’s crazy. The film did great for Warner Brothers at the US Box Office bringing in $100,563,133.00 on a budget of $200 million, even though WB tried their best to ruin the release with the crappy HBO Max same day release. You can never go wrong with Giant Monster Horror, and this is one that I bought on physical media when released.

# 1

Evelyn Abbott and her kids Regan, Marcus and the baby are leaving their farm behind and heading towards another survivors shelter and find that the long time family friend Emmett is the one that has been signaling to the family for years. And once inside his shelter in a factory they find out that a radio station has been playing the same song “Beyond The See” by Frank Sinatra and Regan has an idea to get onto the air and use her hearing aid to broadcast over the airwaves and give the humans a chance to fight back, and she sneaks away from her family to become the hero the world needs. Emmett goes after her and together the two go on a quest to get a boat and get to the island to pull off this plan and along the way must dodge the creatures as well as the corrupted humans who want to steal what they have. In the end Regan and Emmett make it to the island and find that its filled with peaceful families and survivors…and one creature has also made it ashore. So now it’s a race to the radio station to give humans a chance to strike back against these killing machine monsters. This was a great sequel that I would say is on par if not slightly better then the original and that’s saying something as the original was an amazing fright flick. They also did a great job of making sure the original cast of Millicent Simmonds, Emily Blunt and Noah Jupe returned as well as added names like Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou to the cast. The film did great for Paramount Pictures at the US Box Office bringing in $160,072,261.00 on a budget of only $61 million. A great film that took my # 1 spot and once released on home media I for sure bought a copy.

What a fun year of seeing movies at the theater as during these last stressful years, getting lost in films on the silver screen is a great way to relax and forget the issues that are plaguing the real world. And man I have to stress that so many amazing horror films got released this year and many are sequels to series that I really have enjoyed and glad to see horror alive and well at the cinema and I am looking forward to the films of 2022! While we are sitting here in the Rotten Ink Theater, I also want to think you for reading Rotten Ink as its amazing that this blog is now 10 years old, and I would also like to let you know that the next update will continue our look at the original cast Star Trek movies and we are on “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” so that should be a fun one. So until next time read a comic or three, watch a movie at the theater or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for another voyage with the crew of the Enterprise.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Night Of The Scarecrow (1995)

Posted on October 2, 2020 by bloodlinematt

For this Halloween Countdown, update we will be taking a look at the 1995 direct to video horror movie Night Of The Scarecrow! Back in the 90’s video rental stores were still king of movie viewing with streaming services not even around yet, and it was an event to go to the video store and look at the shelves to find the right movie or movies to provide entertainment for the weekend. This was a major part of my late teen years, and during this time I was able to watch many great direct-to-video horror movies and Night Of The Scarecrow was one of them! So let’s take a look at this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update all about that film and its promo comic.

Before we dive too deeply into Night Of The Scarecrow, we should first talk about its killer, the sinister Warlock who has many ways to dispose of human lives! The Warlock Scarecrow is very sinister in appearance and also uses his creepy voice to startle and scare those he has targeted to be his victims making it very easy for him to attack. He also has supernatural powers that allow him to control some farming machines and parts of nature and can do so to help capture and kill anyone stupid enough to get in his way. He can also use illusions to lure people into his traps as well as morph from place to place making him very cunning and deadly. When those dark magic tricks fail, he also uses brute force to kill his enemies by bare hands or sharp weapons, as his main goal is to kill and cause terror on the path for revenge. He can also implant seeds into females and cause them to explode open with killer vines coming out of the wounds dealing out pain and death. He also draws powers from his old Warlock book that has all his spells. And let’s not forget, he can shoot straw needles from his hands that act like mini arrows dealing pain and possible death to those unfortunate enough to have them fired upon them. Normal weapons like guns, fire and knives have zero effect of The Scarecrow, and his only weakness is damaging his bones from his human corpse. So in other words, if you destroy the bones, you destroy the Warlock Scarecrow. With only one weakness and with supernatural powers and a rage-filled attitude for death and revenge, The Warlock Scarecrow is one killer that is hard to kill and is cruel in his ways of dealing death.

So with that you can see that The Scarecrow is very deadly and evil and is one supernatural killer you should not mess with. So now that we broke him down, let’s take a look at the film that spawned him. I would like to remind you that I will be taking the film’s plot from our pals at IMDB and then I will write about the film’s production and release as well as my first time seeing the movie.

Night Of The Scarecrow (1995)

“A group of drunk teenagers accidently set free the spirit of a warlock, which possesses a scarecrow. The scarecrow goes on a bloody rampage killing the descendents of the men who had killed the warlock a century before. A newcomer and the daughter of the mayor try to stop it before it is too late and the warlock can reincarnate.”

Night Of The Scarecrow was directed by Jeff Burr, who is known to horror fans for directing such films as Stepfather II, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings, Puppet Master 4-5 and Mil Mascaras Vs. The Aztec Mummy, to name a few. The film’s cast was made up of such names as Elizabeth Barondes, John Mese and Howard Swain as The Scarecrow. The film was released on home video by Republic Pictures on August 8, 1995 and was a very typical standard direct-to-video release and got some press from the likes of Fangoria Magazine. When released in 1995, this film had stiff competition to get Horror fans’ attention alongside films like Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight, Halloween: Curse Of Michael Myers, Castle Freak, Tales From The Hood, Leprechaun 3, Project Metalbeast, Vampire In Brooklyn, Mind Ripper, Sleepstalker, Burial Of The Rats, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah and Jack-O, to name a few. Over the years, Night of the Scarecrow has built up a cult following and finally was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2013.

When Night Of The Scarecrow was released on VHS, I can remember going to the video rental store K&L Video with my brother Bryan and renting it during one of our weekends of binge watching horror flicks. The owner Kenny also had a poster for the on the wall, and it was awesome looking. It was one of my picks as the cover drew me in and I have always been a sucker for a good creature slasher film. And with the sodas and chips that we bought from Dot’s Market in hand, we popped the movie into the VCR, and I enjoyed the hell out of the film! I liked the look of the Scarecrow, and much of the film’s gore effects were well done making it a very solid direct to video horror shocker. I spent some time trying to get a copy of the film on VHS for my collection and finally got it thanks to a local second hand media store, and later I would get it on DVD when it was finally released. For some reason I have always been into horror movies that have killer Scarecrows in them, and I think that it started for me with the made-for-TV movie “Dark Night Of The Scarecrow” that was released in 1981 as something about that movie always captured my attention and imagination. Also back in my youth, my Grandma Brassfield use to make a stuffed Scarecrow for Halloween to place on her swing on the front porch that she called “Mokernose” and this also became the thing of ghost stories between my brother and cousins and I as we would tell each other “What If it came alive” tales. The directing style of Jeff Burr is also really well done, and he always can make smaller budget films appear bigger by hiding limitations and highlighting the aspects that work. Howard Swain is pretty dang good as the Scarecrow, and it was great seeing the likes of Martine Beswick, Duane Whitaker and Robert Harvey in roles. Over all, if you like 90’s direct-to-video horror films, killer scarecrows, slasher flicks and evil curses, then this is a film you should check out this Halloween season.

So as you can see, this killer Scarecrow is one evil spirit who enjoys taking lives and stealing souls! I really do think this film is underrated as it’s a great film from director Jeff Burr and one that you should check out if you like films about murderous scarecrows. And now it’s time to take a look at this promo comic made about this film. I want to thank an Ebay seller for having it in stock and making this update possible. And before we get to this spooky comic review, I want to remind you readers that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, lets head to the town of Clayton and see if we can spot and survive this night of the Scarecrow.

Night Of The Scarecrow # 1 **1/2
Released in 1995 Cover Price $0.00 Republic Pictures # 1 of 1

Clayton is a small farming town, and in this town is lifer Jed Faney whose father had told him something very bad before dying that has caused him to be drinking very heavily at the bar. Jed blows off his friend Todd and grabs a six-pack of beer and heads to the old cornfield and wants to drink with The Scarecrow who comes live and tells Jed that he has his father’s soul and now wants his! Jed runs away and drives off in his trunk as The Scarecrow follows threatening to steal his soul, and this causes Jed to wreck his truck and be killed during the wreck. As the town’s sheriff rushes to the scene of the wreck, The Scarecrow enters town and kills Todd and his drunk friends as this town has a curse that won’t end until the entire town is dead.

This promo comic does a pretty good job of getting your attention and building interest in the film as it gives you just enough to wonder why and how this killer Scarecrow has it out for the people of this small town. The plot is very simple with man who is told a secret by his father on his deathbed and decides to face the “legend” face only to become just another victim in the curse. The “hero” (if you can call him that) of this comic is Jed Faney who we first meet getting drunk in a bar and blowing off pulling pranks on high school students with his friend, only to drink and drive in his massive truck to a cornfield where he comes face to face with evil and wrecks his truck at a high speed and dies…that’s our hero. Now I get that Jed is told by his father that the whole town is on a one way path to dance with death and meet the Grim Reaper, it’s just that he really does nothing to try and warn people or even stop the killer Scarecrow…his plan of action is to drink heavily and drive drunk. The Scarecrow is pure evil and wants to collect the souls of those he kills and does not care who must die that cross his path as he just wants death and pain. The issue has some blood and deaths and does bring a slasher film style of horror to the reader, and for that the makers of this comic really did capture the mood and style of the film. The cover is great and is the poster that was used to promote the film at the video rental stores. The interior artwork is done by Leonard Kirk and is great stuff and has a real indie 90’s horror comic appeal. Over all if you like this film, direct-to-video horror movies in general or just love horror comics based on films, make sure to check this one out. Take a look at the artwork below to see Kirk’s style.

Night Of The Scarecrow from 1995 is a really entertaining film and also had a good comic book based around it. I want to thank my pal Nathan Steinke for alerting me to this comic book, as he and his brother Justin are like me and love to read and discover new horror comics as they are true comic book readers and fans. And now I am going to sound like a broken record as I take a moment to say this to filmmakers who are making horror films…why in the world are you guys not making comic books based on your films to help promote your fright flick? Really this is something that needs to come back full force from our past. Heck, movies like Giant Spider Invasion, The Willies, Sleepstalker, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Babysitter Massacre, Human vs. Zombies and so many more have comics, why not your film…think about it. Well the air is turning bone chilling as Halloween is coming up, so I think we will be next taking a look at a shot-on-video film series called SNIX that was created by James Rolfe! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror movie or two and as always, support your local horror host! See you next time for the SNIX pack challenge.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Ju-On (2002)

Posted on January 13, 2020 by bloodlinematt

Some of the creepiest Supernatural Horror Movies are made in Japan, and for me the top two mainstream best series have to be Tomie and Ju-on with the latter being the subject of this “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update in honor of the new Grudge film hitting cinemas this very month here in the USA! For those who are wondering, the Ju-on films here in the US are remade and called The Grudge and both series are very popular in their home countries, and I for one cannot wait to see what this new film in the series has to offer us American Horror fans. But for this update we will only be focusing on the film Ju-on and the Dark Horse Manga releases based on it! So if you’re ready, let’s travel to Japan and enter a cursed house and enter the creepy world of Ju-on.

We must first learn about Kayako Saeki, the supernatural ghost from the Ju-on movies and her ways of killing off humans dumb enough to cross her path. Kayako Saeki was a wife and mother who was murdered by her husband in their home, and her now vengeful spirit haunts all those foolish enough to enter the house where the killing took place. Kayako has many ways of dealing death to those she has cursed that include using her look to strike fear in the hearts of those who gaze upon her. She also can use the spirit of her deceased son as well as a black cat to lure people into her cold grip. She can also play mind games and cause her victims to see things. Kayako is very cold blooded and does not think twice about ending a human life. She is pure supernatural and for the most part an evil spirit who has no emotions and no remorse, she also uses her weird noises and appearance to terrify her human targets. Kayako Saeki is a spirit that seems to not have a weakness and her power comes from the house she was killed in as well as her sadness and want for revenge. I would say that Kayako Saeki could be one of the most dangerous killers we have looked at here on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update only rivaled by maybe the likes of Godzilla, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. So as you can see, Kayako Saeki is super dangerous and one heck of a movie villain who while sinister also has a touch of sadness to her.

So as you can see, Kayako Saeki is one evil spirit that appears can not be stopped! But now that we have taken a look at the killer, we should now take a look at the movie she is from. I want to say that I will be taking the film’s write up from out friends at IMDB and it will be followed by my write up about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on it. So if you are ready, let’s enter the cursed home of Kayako Saeki and see what Ju-On is all about.

JU-ON (2002)

“In Japan, when the volunteer social assistant Rika Nishina is assigned to visit a family, she is cursed and chased by two revengeful fiends: Kayako, a woman brutally murdered by her husband and her son Toshio. Each person that lives in or visits the haunted house is murdered or disappears.”

Director Takashi Shimizu created a Horror Movie series in Japan that started with the direct to video film “Katasumi and 4444444444” in 1998 and was followed by “Ju-On: The Curse” in 2000 that as well went direct to video as did its sequel “Ju-On: The Curse 2” that was also released in 2000. In 2002, the series would get its first theatrical release with “Ju-on: The Grudge” and this would set the course for this highly popular series as the film was a success at the Japanese box office as well as had a small US run that did pretty well. And like any good Horror Movie, this loaded up on sequels that included “Ju-On: The Grudge 2” released in 2003 and in 2009 both “Ju-On: Black Ghost” & “Ju-On: White Ghost” were unleashed. In 2014 the next film “Ju-On: The Beginning Of The End” was released with the 2015 film “Ju-On: The Final Curse” following. And so far the final film in the original series, “Sadako vs. Kayako” that pitted our series main star Kayako against the evil spirit Sadako from the Ringu series. And then in America a remake series was made that started in 2004 with “The Grudge” that sparked two sequels, and this year (2020) a reboot has been released. When this film was released in 2002, it did well at the Japanese Box Office and brought in $500 million yen and even did over $3 million worldwide! The year it was released, it was joined by such other Horror Films as The Ring, 28 Days Later, Cabin Fever, Halloween: Resurrection, Red Dragon, Spliced, Wishmaster: The Prophecy and Hellraiser: Hellseeker to name a few. So as you can see, this series is very important to the history of foreign Horror and will go down as one of the better series of supernatural Japanese Horror Movies.

I first saw Ju-on on DVD when Lions Gate released it to try and cash in on the popularity of the American remake. I was home alone when I popped the DVD in and I can remember outside the sky was dark as rain poured down and could be heard hitting the widows as the wind was blowing hard. I remember pouring myself a big glass of soda and turning off all the lights to make the room even darker. This atmosphere made the film’s creepy moments even more creepy, and the scenes when Kayako would crawl down the stairs really did send shivers down my spine and my skin crawl! And at that moment I 100% realized that the original version was the better version and that the US remake tried to capture the spooky nature of the Japanese film but could not lock it fully. I first saw The Grudge, and while it was good, it paled in the comparison to Ju-on! I have watched the film a few times, and each time I find myself enjoying it more and more, this film is the perfect mix of Haunted House and Supernatural Horror and is a must see for fans who love Japanese Horror. Oh and over the years I have had many friends of mine who are into Horror that say this is one of their Top 20 Favorite foreign Horror Flicks. If you have never seen Ju-On, do yourself a favor and check it out.

So as you can see, this film and character Kayako Saeki are very iconic in the world of Horror Movies as they have left their creepy mark on it. Now it’s time to take a look at the Manga inspired by it. So I need to remind you all that I grade these issues on a standard 1-4 star system and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. I also want to thank Amazon for having these books in stock and making this update possible. So if you are ready, let’s enter this cursed house and see what Kayako have in store for us.

Ju-On # 1 ***
Released in 2006 Cover Price $9.95 Dark Horse # 1 of 2

Kayako Saeki is a woman who finds herself being stabbed to death by her husband who later turns his sights to his young son as well. This crime was so brutal it sends shivers down the spines of those who walk past the home it took place in years later. Mizuho is a young lady whose father was a realtor who was brutally murdered after selling the old Saeki house, and worse, the people who bought the house is Tsuyoshi, the grieving girl’s new boyfriend and his family! The delivery guys who deliver the family’s belongings even have an accident and die horribly thanks to the spirit of the murdered young boy of the house. The family also had to hire a tutor for daughter Kanna, who is a mean spirited young woman who seems to get joy in being mean to her mother and bothering her brother, but when the family all have to rush out of the house for errands, the tutor is left in the house alone and she becomes the next to meet her maker thanks to the ghosts. As Mizuho and Tsuyoshi are at baseball practice, sister Kanna is at the park with her friend and she becomes the next victim as a pack of wild cats shred her and even remove her bottom jaw, and the young girl before dying walks home and dies in front of her mother. Meanwhile something strange is going on as Tsuyoshi seems to be stuck in the school and Mizuho who is waiting for him is growing more and more worried. Meanwhile the father is at work and remembers back to when he was told the house he just moved his family into has a bad vibe and almost a curse, and after thinking about what he was told he heads home. Meanwhile the ghost of the murdered son is now at the school, and after Mizuho finds and frees Tsuyoshi from the locked baseball clubhouse, the ghost child stars to follow them, and lucky for the teens Mizuho’s psychic aunt Kyoko appears and the spirit leaves…but she warns her niece and Tsuyoshi that they need to get away as fast as they can. Kyoko does what she can and faces Kayako Saeki who in turn kills the aunt and then also possesses Tsuyoshi who then beats Mizuho to death with a baseball bat. Meanwhile back at the house, the father arrives to find his own wife cutting herself up causing her death, and he himself is left with nothing but a house that holds a grudge.

Ju-On is a great Horror Manga read that tells a twisted story of a family who buys a new home, and they and those who are around them being brutally killed by the spirits of a mom and her son that were murdered in the house they have bought! Mizuho is the main character, and she is a sweet young woman who loves her boyfriend as he and his family has been there for her after the killing of her father. She is very loyal to those she loves and she also is fearless as she wants to save all those she can when the bad starts going down. And because she comes off as such a normal and loving person, her brutal killing makes a big impact on me the reader. Her boyfriend Tsuyoshi is a hotheaded young man, but clearly cares about his girlfriend and her family and stands his ground to protect her from evil, but sadly he is also the one used to possess and forced to bash his love to death with a bat! The other character I really liked in this manga was Aunt Kyoko, who can see dead people and talk to them and tried to warn Tsuyoshi’s family not to move into that house, and even gives her own life to try and save that of her niece. The rest of the characters do a great job of pushing the story along and adding a little of all types of personalities to the story. Kayako Saeki and her son are pretty evil and yet sad spirits as they are part of a curse that they seem to want to escape from, but when they kill, they kill very brutally and painfully. This manga is packed with a few creepy scares of Kayako Saeki lurking in places and does have lots of blood and gore with one of my favorite kills being the death of Mizuho as the panels of blood, her broken body and the bloody bat is pretty great Horror Comic stuff. The over all creepy feel of this manga is high, and I read this during the fall around Halloween and it helped add to my season. The cover for this manga is pretty cool and has that Japanese horror look, the interior art is pretty great if you like the manga style. Over all this is a solid read and while it lacks some of the more creepy elements of the film, this takes a great look at the cursed house and the spirits that live in it. So let’s see what the second manga has in store for us!

Ju-On # 2 **1/2
Released in 2006 Cover Price $9.95 Dark Horse # 2 of 2

Years have passed and horror actress Kyoko Harase is appearing on the TV Show hosted by Tomoka Miura. They go to the cursed house to talk about the murders and the curse surrounding it. Kyoko is a picks up on the bad vibes of the house once she is near it, but besides a loud noise picked up on the boom microphone, there’s nothing. After the shoot Kyoko and her boyfriend are driving and talking about her acting career as well as their up coming child! Meanwhile the host Tomoka and her boyfriend find themselves the victim of the curse, and they are hung from their ceiling and other TV Crew members find themselves being targeted for death. While driving Kyoko’s boyfriend loses control of the car, thanks to the ghost child that leaves him in bad shape at the hospital and Kyoko also lose her unborn baby…or does she. Things get worse for Kyoko when her mother as well passes away due to the curse, he boyfriend finally awakens from his coma and seems off, she gets the news that the baby is going to be alright and the TV Show producer visits her and informs her about the deaths of those who filmed the show. And after hearing all this, she has a vision of the murders in the house and this sparks her to go into labor…and she gives birth to the evil Kayako Saeki who kills all the doctors and everyone around.

In this second installment a pregnant horror film actress who is about to walk away from acting takes a gig on a TV Show about haunted locations and makes the mistake of entering the old Saeki house and cursing not only herself but also those close to her. The plot of an actress who is known for her horror movie performances is pretty cool when you take a cursed trip with her as she not only has to deal with the evils of Kayako Saeki but also that of her own life and choices. Kyoko Harase really is a good character and as a reader I found myself cheering for her to make it through and survive the curse. The TV production team befriend the actress, but sadly all pay the price of entering the Saeki house with their lives. And her boyfriend is a goof who loses control of their car while driving fast and crashes causing himself to go into a coma and later just wake up to be killed by the curse. Kayako Saeki once more is evil and seems to get more enjoyment in this second manga as she kills with no remorse and targets anyone in her sight. The issue has some great kills and does deliver blood and some gore with the issue’s best death being the murder of the reporter and her boyfriend as their hanging bodies are pretty creepy in panels. I would say that I very much did enjoy this issue, but did find it a little less creepy than the first and at times kind of felt like it was filled with lots of flashback filler and storylines that go nowhere like the fact all of Kyoko Harase’s family only have females when having a baby. The cover for this issue is pretty great and does capture the mood of Ju-On, and the interior art is solid and your typical manga style. Over all if you like the Ju-On movie series, like Japanese horror or just want to check out a creepy manga series I would say give these two a read as I think you might enjoy them. Check out the art below as I think it’s my favorite piece of art from it.

For me, both the movie and manga series of Ju-On are solid and show that creepy cursed ghosts have always been scary. I also hope that this update helped set the mood for you to go see the newest Grudge movie at your local cinema, as if you are like me I always go to the theater to watch the newest Horror Movie. But for our next update we are leaving behind the cursed house of Kayako Saeki and heading to space as we travel with the crew of the Enterprise to search for Spock…that’s right I will be covering Star Trek III: The Search For Spock and the DC Comics adaptation. So until next time avoid cursed houses, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. Oh and remember to bring a flashlight for the next update as who knows were we will find Spock.