In an attempt to try something new with my movie reviews, and hopefully push me to be more consistent, I'm going to try to write some short reviews at the end of the month (or close to it) of movies I streamed on Discord. Much like past reviews, I won't be reviewing everything as sometimes I don't have much to say or I forgot what the movie is about. If you want to see my ratings for any movies I watch throughout the year, I log all my movies on
Letterboxd. Without further ado, I would like to start with the month of October. I will be excluding movies watched during the Halloween Horror Endurance Run as I will be making a video for those films.
Night Train (2009, USA) | Rating: 3/5
An entry from the Podcast Macabre 2023 Horror Challenge, I was intrigued by the premise of the story and it starred Danny Glover. This definitely falls in the cursed items movies where people become selfish over said item, then suffer the consequences of their actions. The story did keep me engaged and the characters were passable, there wasn't anything that really stood out from similar movies. For its time and/or budget, I enjoyed watching these characters trying to avoid being caught by authorities and figuring out how to keep the rare diamond to themselves by manipulating their newfound accomplice.
Man on a Train (2018, UK) | Rating: 3.5/5
A 4 minute short movie that I chose for the same challenge that has a more realistic and simple approach. While most people might not find it scary in the least, it does present a real fear for women and femme presenting people. Sure, there's nothing supernatural, demonic, or bloody, but it does perhaps offer a glimpse in some people's every day fears as they try to live their lives normally. Although, I will agree with one Letterboxd reviewer that the ending is a bit lackluster.
Triangle (2009, Australia) | Rating: 3.5/5
This entry comes from AzuuL's 2023 horror movie challenge that I'm still slowly working on. I've heard of this movie here and there through a couple horrortubers I follow and it definitely isn't for everyone. This movie presents a slasher killer in a Bermuda Triangle like setting. The main character and audience are trying to figure out the trajectory of the story and its conclusion. This is a movie you have to give your full attention to, otherwise you'll be even more lost with the repetitive time element in the story. Also don't feel ashamed if you enjoyed it, but felt confused at the end. I admit I had to look a few things up to fully understand the conclusion, which made me appreciate the movie more.
The Exorcist: Believer (2023, USA) | Rating: 2/5
I have only seen
The Exorcist, but I have plans to watch the third installment in the near future and most likely skip
The Exorcist: Heretic. I say this to give you an idea that I am familiar with the franchise to some extent. When I saw the trailer for this movie, it looked promising and I'm sure many other people thought the same. The presentation was there, but the execution was not. There were so many good ideas that ended up falling to the way side or didn't go anywhere. The cameo was a waste, just like previous legacy movie camoes (i.e.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre and
The Craft Legacy). I was really hoping that the fans were wrong about this one, but I have to side with them. I think they should've leaned more into the girls being missing and divert from the usual tropes of researching or bringing someone who has experienced it. I don't know...perhaps they needed to scrap the whole idea. Either way, this was quite a let down.
Memento Mori (1999, South Korea) | Rating: 3.5/5
The second installment in the
Whispering Corridors series and one that I own. I unknowningly started this loosely connected series with its third film,
The Wishing Stairs, and decided to start at the beginning properly. While I don't have much to say about the first movie, the second had a gay element thrown into the mix. By the way,
Whispering Corridors was an enjoyable watch, in case you want to see it or were curious on my thoughts. The second movie stood out a little more. There's a somewhat secret relationship between the girls, but perhaps there's a misunderstanding of feelings as well. South Korea being a conservative country on top of it being in the late 90s, homosexuality was still taboo in some ways. So, the story added bullying, a secret diary, and revenge with supernatural elements. It's kinda hard to describe it in some ways, but it felt familiar and spooky.
Monster House (2006, USA) | Rating: 3/5
To my surprise, I've heard some pretty good things about this movie on a few Halloween lists. I watched this for a movie challenge for the first time and...it was alright. The animation is definitely of its time, but the story was entertaining enough to keep my interest and hopefully the interests of children. It does have some good scares for kiddos and I found a couple moments quite creepy at times. Despite my enjoyment, I don't think this would be a movie I would want to watch during spooky season every year, but I'm glad I took some time to watch it.
Stay Alive (2006, USA) | Rating: 3/5
Another movie of its time and remembered for its "if you die in the game, you die in real life" plot. Going into this movie, I had no idea that I would run into Frankie Muniz of
Malcolm in the Middle fame, but it was good to see him in something; granted the movie was 18 years old at the time of viewing. Its definitely another cheesy, but enjoyble horror product of the 2000s and I understand why it has a somewhat cult following for it. As goofy as it is, I did enjoy watching these friends navigating a game virtually and in real life.
Cry_Wolf (2005, USA) | Rating: 2.5/5
And then there's this movie, in which I paired with the previous as it had a similar theme of a friend group and technology. This was also a product of its time, but for the worse. It's definitely possesses that 2000's cheesiness and the story's execution was...interesting. The movie lays out the rules for us only for it to hand us a conclusion that kinda doesn't make any sense with the character's motive. While the slasher element was decent, it was the finale that kinda killed my enjoyment.
The Last Circus (2010, Spain) | Rating: 3/5
This challenge entry was one of three entries that was chosen by the original poster. I didn't know what to expect, but I enjoy watching foreign films that aren't under my radar. While I wasn't overwhelming in love with this film, it did leave a positive impression on me with its story and characters. The story follows Javier who hasn't had the best of luck in life, but finds the silverlining in his new job when he crosses paths with a beautiful and compassionate trapeze artists. Predictably, she is dating the movie's antagonist and things become very dramatic. I enjoyed the bit of humor in the story and the horror elements that are threaded throughout this familiar formula.
The Funhouse (1981, USA) | Rating: 3/5
Per Hooptober Challenge rules, I have to watch a movie by the late, great Tobe Hooper and I try my best to pick something I haven't seen. This was a title I've heard about here and there and this challenge gave me an opportunity to check it out. I paired this movie with the previous movie above and I had the same general feeling for both. I enjoyed the simple and familiar story. It definitely had that Hooper flair to some of the kills and the spectacle of the killers, which reflects a little from his more well known title
Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Sometimes murder is a family affair. One thing that held me back from liking it just half a point more is the unfinished subplot with the little brother. Otherwise, a pretty enjoyable flick!
If there's something you want me to review, check out
Muddy Cult's Patreon on how to submit requests.
