-
Underwater: Fun Without Physics.
Underwater is not a slow-burn movie. More “Fi” than “Sci”, this underwater thriller and creature movie starts with a seven-mile-deep underwater research facility imploding. Underwater does a lot right if you’re not too hung up on things like physics and realism. Which, considering what kind of creature is lurking at the bottom of the ocean, maybe realism could…
-
Guts & Glory: Is this for real?
We are way overdue for a horror-themed reality show, but Guts & Glory somehow misses the mark. Not in the actual competition, but the technical details. Yes, I’m going to talk about pacing and narrative. They are just as important in reality TV as in fiction. Maybe more so. The “Real” in Reality By now,…
-
Beast of War : When a Shark is More Than Just a Shark.
It’s not often I get hyped for a movie like Beast of War. It’s inspired by actual events and involves a giant shark, so what could possibly go wrong? Director Kiah Roach-Turner gives himself plenty of challenges balancing the characters, historical wartime setting, and also yeah, the giant freaking shark. Does he pull it off? The Set…
-
Child’s Play : A Family Affair
Growing up with Chucky One of my earliest memories is watching Child’s Play with my mother. In a lot of ways, she taught me what not to be afraid of. How horror movie monsters weren’t real, and actually kind of funny. Mom had strong feelings about Chucky. Specifically, she could easily take him out. As my mother is about…
-
Happy Death Day: H3 Tries a Slasher
I was going to cover Happy Death Day in neo-slashers. Since horror comedies seemed to be of interest to H3, it got bumped up on the list. If you’re not familiar, Happy Death Day delivers its slasher formula with a helping of Groundhog Day. Time Loops Like all good time-loop movies, the first act is mostly devoted to establishing what…
-
Tucker and Dale vs Evil: an H3 Halloween Review
Every October, H3 watches one horror movie each week; Tucker and Dale vs Evil is this year’s first selection. Since this is a movie I’ve seen and love, this review will be in part about his reaction, from a non-horror fan’s perspective. As much as I say I don’t like horror comedies, I keep finding ones to recommend.…
-
V/H/S: Halloween: Not My Year.
Since 2021, the V/H/S franchise has become part of my annual Halloween traditions. This year we get V/H/S: Halloween. As expected, all the found footage shorts revolve around Halloween. Like the other installments before it, there are highs and lows. Sadly, this year was one of the weaker entries. Short films can be hard to do. There is a…
-
Night of the Reaper: Cozy Retro Murder Mystery
The retro-styled Night of the Reaper hits a lot of the right notes. There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned babysitter slasher. Especially one that’s lightly Halloween themed. From the beginning, Night of the Reaper sticks to a solid strategy: simple story, complex characters. The Story: A masked killer is terrorizing the residents of a small town before Halloween…