#horror film review

[oh-the-horror-reviews]

FILM REVIEW: Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

As a FNAF fan, this film finally getting released made my year. A comfy night me and my little brother spent using the movie tickets I won at a coffee cart raffle, eating candy and popcorn and then having Thai takeout to wrap the night up. A nostalgia trip for both of us.

WARNINGS FOR: heavy plot spoilers for the film and original games, mentions and descriptions of gore, child death, child abuse (physical) and blood

POSITIVES

And that's really what this movie is, a nostalgia trip. Because I want to make one thing clear. If you haven't seen anything about FNAF, especially the silver eyes trilogy of novels, you probably aren't going to enjoy the film. If you only know fanon information and nothing about the canonical lore you probably aren't going to enjoy this film either... that's two things (/ref).

The final 'twist' isn't well set up because that's not what they were trying to do. From the very start a FNAF fan knows that 'Steve Raglan' (played by THE Matthew Lillard! One of two original Ghostface killers!) is absolutely William Afton. The final fight is just fan service for us fans and not a well plotted, set up reveal. What's the point of it? Acting as if we don't already know?

The choice to make the characters like Mike, Abby, Garrett, the missing children, Vanessa, etc parallels of existing characters in the FNAF universe instead of new people or exact adaptations is something I actually liked as well. I've heard some people are confused about it or just don't like it but a lot of that comes from expectations before the film released.

A LOT of people had it in their heads that the movie was going to be some hardcore jumpscare and gore-fest because "FNAF is so dark!" when... let's be real here. The darkness of FNAF has always come from lore behind the games and not visual representations of it. The closest we've ever really gotten to gore is some red pixels during one of the FNAF 3 minigames depicting William Afton's death in the springlock suit.

It's 2023 we can like kids horror either out of nostalgia or genuinely thinking it's good. Plenty of adults like Goosebumps and whatever. This movie was never going to be an R16-R18 horror. Imagine cutting off a good 3 years of your fanbase for 'accuracy' that isn't even accurate! Knowing how trapped and lost the missing children are after having their lives cut so short by such a selfish monster is already dark and way more accurate to how the games handled the lore.

It probably doesn't help that Scott helped work on the film and considering he's a devout anti-abortion, donating to homophobic politicians in secret Christian I doubt he would've been okay pushing the gore too far.

If anything, the lighthearted tone touching on the missing children still being actual children and not just murder machines makes the few gore and blood scenes even more shocking. The aunt's team of vandals getting attacked, the babysitter getting CUT IN HALF and the springlock scene at the end of the film are all good at raising the tension in such a colourful environment focusing on a family focused story.

CRITICISMS

The only two things I could criticize are:

1) Elizabeth Lail's acting. As Vanessa, she's noticeably more... exaggerated than her other cast members who all try to come off as realistic as they can for their characters. And not in a Renfield or Jack Griffin type of way where they're just purposefully odd or straight up nuts compared to everyone else. Just some of her line deliveries are a bit 'off' or even a little cringy? It's not that big of an issue and you don't notice it most of the time but I thought I'd mention it.

2) The lack of context for Vanessa and William's father-daughter relationship. It's heavily implied that William abused Vanessa as a child. Seeing how he behaves around her even as an adult, treating her less like a person and more of a tool or a verbal punching bag and with his track record with his kids in other universes (slapping daughters and gassing sons with hallucinogenic gas really doesn't get you father of the year) and the fact he gave a dead kids toy to his own kid as some fucked up 'trophy', it's pretty obvious.

But we really don't get any deeper context for her behaviour during the film specifically. Vanessa constantly lies and hides information in the film and it comes off as very, very annoying for a while. We can see by the end that William put that behaviour in her as a child so he wouldn't be caught murdering kids because his daughter told people what he was doing. But we never get to see much of this other than the brief confrontation at the final fight so it's harder to sympathize with her almost getting Abby killed. The movie's pacing is good so I think they could've pushed a few extra scenes in with her and William without slowing anything down. We all knew who he was anyway and they didn't have to reveal she was his daughter before the end because in the games she's already a brainwashed follower of his ideals.

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE?

Yes! It's fun, colourful and good for people who don't like non-stop nasties for a movie night but are still interested in something tense. Just don't expect to love it nearly as much if you know nothing about FNAF or the canon lore ("why is Cassidy not a girl?" "why is Cassidy blonde?" tiktok comments are starting to get to me)

A fun watch for fans and light horror fans :)

#horror film reviews (2020s) #horror film #horror movie #horror films #horror movies #film review #horror film review #fnaf movie #five nights at freddy's movie #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #horror #horror fan #horror blog #2023 film #2023 horror movies

[kjudgemental]

It Came From Beneath The Sea - Classic Monster Movie Review

Director: Robert Gordon Production Company: Clover Productions Country: USA Year: 1955 Another monster movie in the spate of them released in the 50s and 60s, It Came From Beneath The Sea was created as an excuse to show off the incredible stop-motion talents of cinema legend, Ray Harryhausen. As such, it follows much the same kind of plot as most of the films did. A monster shows up, the…

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#classic horror movie review #classic monster movie #classic scifi movie review #horror film review #horror movie review #it came from beneath the sea review #kaiju movie #monster attack movie #monster film review #monster movie review #ray harryhausen #ray harryhausen movie review #ray harryhausen review #robert gordon movie #scifi film review #scifi movie review

[e-l-e-n-a]

#shepherd movie #shepherd 2021 #Tom Hughes #horror movies #horror film #horror film review #horror movie #movie gif #moviegif #film gif #filmgif

[jonotheg]

Wolf Creek (2005) review

This is a brutal, nasty Australian horror film about three backpackers who travel into the Outback and encounter difficulties with their car, only to cross paths with a 'helpful' stranger. And that is when their personal hell begins.

Honestly, I expected worse from this movie in my imagination. I thought it would be twice as gory in my head, but it's not as bad as I thought (I thought the same with Scarface (1983) as well.) It's still nasty and violent, despite that. The infamous 'head on a stick' scene is about as bad as it gets, and even then it's not super graphic.

John Jarratt plays villainous Mick Taylor very well. Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi are suitably cast as the three backpacker friends. The hand-held cinematography aids the intensity and brutal, documentary-style feel to this film, in my opinion.

One gripe I do have with the movie is that it states it's based on true events. The characters and situations are fictional, but it is true that the film was loosely inspired by two Australian murderers that targeted backpackers. I'm not sure how to feel about the inspiration.

If you don't like films involving torture, steer clear of this one. But if you like a film that challenges you and that expertly invokes a sense of isolation in a remote area, and depravity of the human condition, then I heartily recommend this.

#filmblr #film review #horror film review

[edwardprendick1896]

I wrote a review of The Strangers (2008) at 2am last night for my Letterboxd and I thought tumblr would appreciate it

This review is gonna be biased because of my personal taste. Horror (or any other label you wanna use for super scary or gory films) seems to be the genre where entire plotlines, and individual character behaviours, or events are the least likely to be realistic. Whilst this may not be an issue for most, for me a film ceases to be immersive, and becomes less scary, if it feels less real. I tend to dislike "scary movies" simply because they seem the least likely likely be realistic and immersive (to me). Therefore, my critique is gonna mostly come from The Strangers' relationship with being "realistic" and "believable".

Introduction slides with the whole "based on a true story" premise were cheesy and unnecessary. I did like the characterisation of the two protagonists - the failed marriage proposal, with both people upset, unsure, but still caring about each other - this came across effectively (cue champagne problems by Taylor Swift). This provides some explanation for why the protagonists may have been too distracted to properly lock up their house. The guy getting out the tub of ice cream was slightly overdoing it for me. I wish there were more personal touches about the couple's relationship throughout the entire film.

This film confronts the viewer with the uncomfortable truth that sometimes people do horrible, unspeakable things for no logical reason. I can feel the audience reflected in Kristen's desperate begging to know why the antagonists are doing what they are doing. The throwaway line "because you were home", I believe to be the murderers simply dismissing the question. These antagonists externalise their own psychopathic (for want of a better word) natures through the torture and murder of others, rather than internalising it, and questioning why they want to commit such acts. I doubt the antagonists know much more about why they are doing what they are doing than the protagonists. They may not want to look inside themselves. Whilst frustrating, I don't find this portrayal unrealistic. Horrible people do horrible things. We naturally want to use "logic and reason" to explain terrible behaviour, and thereby learn how to prevent it, but unfortunately this is not always possible. Again, this is the concept The Strangers wants us to confront.

I enjoyed the use of the shotgun in the film. It's found disassembled, as they are supposed to be kept, but not in a shotgun cabinet, evidencing that carelessness probably runs in James' family. You can tell James is just mimicking what he would have seen his father do, especially with his extremely brief holding of what I think was the barrel cleaner (long pieces of fluffy fabric with string on the ends, I don't know if there is a proper word for them, are pulled through barrels after use to remove excess shotgun powder, ensuring safer, and more effective, use). I'm happy that an American film showed that a simple hunting shotgun is more than enough to defend yourself, if you know how to use it. This is refreshing, compared to the glorification of excessive firearms in other films.

Glenn Howerton is charming as Mike, and his performance is the best out of all of the "good guys". I wish he had been given more screen time. Even though the nature of his death was predictable, I really enjoyed how the out of focus baddie sometimes mimicked the movements of Howerton's head as he followed him. I would have probably added a scene of Mike attempting to phone the police before he entered the house, but perhaps his lack of wise decision making can be explained by his aforementioned use of alcohol.

The scene I had seen before watching the film, which originally tempted me, was the one of Kristen (Liv Tyler, I believe) smoking with the masked antagonist in the background. The film doesn't get better than this scene unfortunately.

Certain elements of the film are poor, throwing off the interest and believability. For such an expensive property, the house has surprisingly little security measures. James seems to have no response to the KILLER writing on the glass, after he has killed Mike. The antagonists seemingly teleport, moving away from areas in seconds. There seems to be little continuity in where they are attacking from, which ruins the immersion. I get the point though, the film is trying to portray these murderers as unpredictable and unstable. Real life predators are like this.

The ending is poor. Anticlimactic, poor, and weird. I didn't mind the antagonists taking the religious pamphlets from the children- from my experience nihilistic and otherwise unstable predators take joy in misleading and otherwise mocking those with strong religious beliefs and other support systems. However, this doesn't explain why they stopped to talk to these random children in the first place. The two boys enter the house quietly, which seems to contradict their frantic and distraught 911 call from the beginning of the film. Perhaps the call took place after the shock set in for them though. Kristen still being alive comes off as silly, as we are given the impression these antagonists know how to get a job done properly, as it were.

Overall, I think the concept this film is trying to confront the viewer with is cool and unique. It's a shame the writing was not good enough to communicate it effectively.

Edit because I forgot to add: I also liked the cool orange lighting.

#the strangers #the strangers 2008 #horror #film review #glenn howerton #liv tyler #scott speedman #horror film review #thriller #murder tw #cw violence

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

“Slotherhouse” was…yeah. Even as a low-grade, intentionally shitty horror movie, it felt like taking a joke and stretching it out for way too long. This movie only needed to be a 10 minute skit. It’s not really worth watching once you get past the joke that the villain is a sloth.

I mean, it’s basically a “Chucky” movie but with a sloth instead of a doll. Just watch those movies. Or “M3GAN”.

Side note, the actor who plays Zenny is one of the worst actors I’ve ever seen. Straight up Tommy Wiseau levels of acting.

#slotherhouse #horror #horror movies #horror film #movie review #film review #horror review #horror movie review #horror film review

[james-master]

31 Days of Horror: Summer of 84 (2018)

Image Stranger Things, but there’s no Upside Down. Instead of a Demogorgon killing people, it’s just a regular old serial killer. It’s still set in the 80s though. And there’s a love interest between the main character and an impossible to get girl. If you can image that, then you’ve got Summer of 84 (2018). Written by Matt Leslie and Stephen J. Smith, directed by François Simard, Anouk…

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#31 Days of Horror #film review #Horror #horror film review #Summer of 84

[skullduggeryandboonedoggle]

Please check out our PAY THE GHOST: JIBBER-JABBER REVIEW with our buddy SIR ONIONRNGS!!

#Youtube #pay the ghost #horror movies #supernatural horror #supernatural horror film #spooky month #review channel #review video #review blog #skullduggery and boonedoggle #nicholas cage #horror film review #jibber jabber #jibber jabber review

[cosmicsodayt]

Movie Review: Videodrome (1983)

7/10

[Letterboxd Review]

This movie genuinely disturbed me from the premise to the content shown.

It's a movie about a man who's addicted to gore, porn and torture. He runs a pirate broadcast station that show depraved shows to the American public.

I thought it was unrealistic how he was on a TV Show talking about the Broadcast Station revealing his identity when he's broadcasting content which could be deemed illegal. It feels like a plot hole, this definitely would be the point where he gets chased down by TV Regulators.

I love the scene where he gets a VHS slot inside his stomach I think that's really cool in a way. It has really cool practical effects and the story was generally interesting.

There were quite a few sex scenes but they were justified in his character. The movie was just generally entertaining although do wear headphones.

It does a good job at showing a mentally depraved character. Whilst at first he shows some sort of reluctance to do any of the acts he seens on screen he has surrounded himself with people who promote that behaviour, and he sees it a lot from the show's he broadcasts.

#Videodrome #Videodrome 1983 #Movie #1980s movies #horror #gore #violence #letterboxd review #movie review #horror movie review #film review #horror film review #horror review #movie reviews #Videodrome review

[nadjantipaxos]

LISA FRANKENSTEIN (2024) Dir. Zelda Williams

#lisa frankenstein #horroredit #filmedit #tusermiles #usertj #userhollywood #tuserheidi #usergabriella #tuserjana #kallypsos #cargopantsprentiss #horror gifs #GENUINELY thank you to the very few negative reviews i saw for this film bc thats literally the only reason why i decided to watch this lma #*mine

[scenicvisions]

Felix in Saltburn (2023)

#saltburn #2023 films #filmcommunity #movie review #movie poster #movies #horror movie #moviegifs #movieedit #jacob elordi #Saltburn movie #tboy inspo #white tank top #drooling #guys who smoke #new movie #2023 #November 2023 #november #so hot 🔥🔥🔥 #hot as hell #hot celebs #hot male #t4t yearning #ftm t4t #ftm goals #gender dysphoria #gender goals #foggy aesthetic #aesthetic

[kjudgemental]

I See You - Review

Another little review up on the blog, this time of the movie 'I See You', which you can currently find on Netflix.

#i see you review #i see you #horror movie #horror film #thriller movie #horror movie review #horror film review #movie review #film review #film critic #movie critic #thriller #horror mask

[e-l-e-n-a]

#Paula #Paula mini series #Paula tv series #Paula tv show #bbc #bbc tv shows #BBC Northern Ireland #Northern Ireland Screen #tomhughesedit #Tom Hughes #TomHughes #Denise Gough #horror movies #horror #horror film #horror film review #horror movie #thriller #thriller movies #thriller gifs #movie gifs #moviegifs

[weirdlookindog]

Horror Films are Fun

(ABC Film Review Magazine, March 1970)

#horror films are fun #vincent price #christopher lee #peter cushing #scream and scream again #abc film review magazine #1970 #1970s

[edwardprendick1896]

My mini review of Videodrome (1983) taken from my letterboxd

My favourite Cronenberg film. As an artist, I love art that analyses the nature of art itself. Not only is this film timeless, but I actually believe it has become (scarily) more relevant as time has passed, as the entertainment industry has developed more immersive, engaging, and addictive media and technology.

4/5 ⭐️

#videodrome #david cronenberg #body horror #horror #80s horror #80s films #80s movies #horror film review #film review

[james-master]

31 Days of Horror: Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)

Oh boy. I didn’t like Day 17 of 31 Days of Horror. I watched Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) and it is probably my least favorite of the franchise so far. Coming off Part 4, I was expecting something better, but I was let down. The movie starts off with an older Tommy Jarvis (played by John Shepherd). After killing Jason Voorhees in Part 4, Tommy grew up rough and as a result is now in a…

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#film review #Friday the 13th #Horror #horror film review #horror films #Jason Voorhees