The 2025 AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE Honorees!

AFI MOTION PICTURES OF THE YEAR

AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH

BUGONIA

FRANKENSTEIN

HAMNET

JAY KELLY

MARTY SUPREME

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

SINNERS

TRAIN DREAMS

WICKED: FOR GOOD

AFI SPECIAL AWARD

IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT

AFI TELEVISION PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR

ADOLESCENCE

ANDOR

DEATH BY LIGHTNING

THE DIPLOMAT

THE LOWDOWN

THE PITT

PLUR1BUS

SEVERANCE

THE STUDIO

TASK

The 2025 NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW Winners!

Best Film: One Battle After Another

Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another

Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another

Best Actress: Rose Byrne - If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Best Supporting Actor: Benicio Del Toro - One Battle After Another

Best Supporting Actress: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas - Sentimental Value

Best Directorial Debut: Eva Victor - Sorry, Baby

Breakthrough Performance: Chase Infiniti - One Battle After Another

Best Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler - Sinners

Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar - Train Dreams

Best Animated Feature: Arco

Best International Film: It Was Just an Accident

Best Documentary: Cover-Up

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw - Sinners

Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk

Top 10 Films (in alphabetical order)

Avatar: Fire and Ash

F1

Frankenstein

Jay Kelly

Marty Supreme

Rental Family

Sinners

Train Dreams

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Wicked: For Good

TOP 5 International Films (in alphabetical order)

Left-Handed Girl

The Love That Remains

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sirāt

TOP 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order)

2000 Meters to Andriivka

Come See Me in the Good Light

My Mom Jayne

Natchez

Orwell: 2+2=5

TOP 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)

The Baltimorons

Bring Her Back

Father Mother Sister Brother

Friendship

Good Boy

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

The Mastermind

Rebuilding

Sorry, Baby

Urchin

The 41st INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS Nominations!

Hey, these feel actually indie this year! I do wonder, though, what Ira Sachs has on this group. His films always go over huge. There's quite a few things I still have to catch up on, as so many of these films don't get any physical release anymore. 

BEST FEATURE

PETER HUJAR'S DAY

THE PLAGUE

SORRY, BABY

TRAIN DREAMS

TWINLESS

BEST DIRECTOR

Clint Bentley - Train Dreams

Mary Bronstein - If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Lloyd Lee Choi - Lucky Lu

Ira Sachs - Peter Hujar's Day

Eva Victor - Sorry, Baby

BEST FIRST FEATURE

Blue Sun Palace

Dust Bunny 

East of Wall

Lurker

One of Them Days 

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD

The Baltimorons

Boys Go To Jupiter

Eephus

Esta Island (This Island)

Familiar Touch

BEST SCREENPLAY

A Little Prayer

Sorry, Baby

Sovereign

Splitsville

Twinless

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Blue Sun Palace

Friendship

Lurker

One of Them Days

Outerlands

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

Everett Blunck - The Plague

Rose Byrne - If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Kathleen Chalfant - Familiar Touch

Chang Chen - Lucky Lu

Joel Edgerton - Train Dreams

Dylan O'Brien - Twinless

Keke Palmer - One of Them Days

Théodore Pellerin - Lurker

Tessa Thompson - Hedda

Ben Whishaw- Peter Hujar’s Day

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

Naomi Ackie - Sorry, Baby

Zoey Deutch - Nouvelle Vague

Kirsten Dunst - Roofman

Rebecca Hall - Peter Hujar’s Day

Nina Hoss - Hedda

Jane Levy - A Little Prayer

Archie Madekwe - Lurker

Kali Reis - Rebuilding

Jacob Tremblay - Sovereign

Haipeng Xu - Blue Sun Palace

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Liz Larsen - The Baltimorons

Misha Osherovich - She’s the He

Kayo Martin - The Plague

SZA - One of Them Days

Tabatha Zimiga - East of Wall 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Alex Ashe - Peter Hujar’s Day

Norm Li - Blue Sun Palace

David J. Thompson - Warfare

Adolpho Veloso - Train Dreams

Nicole Hirsch Whitaker - Dust Bunny

BEST EDITING

Ben Leonberg - Good Boy

Carson Lund - Eephus

Fin Oates - Warfare

Sara Shaw - Splitsville

Sofía Subercaseaux - The Testament of Ann Lee

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD - The Long Walk

Director: Francis Lawrence

Casting Director: Rich Delia

Ensemble Cast: Judy Greer, Mark Hamill, Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Tut Nyuot, Joshua Odjick, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Garrett Wareing

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Come See Me in the Good Light

Endless Cookie

My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow

The Perfect Neighbor

The Tale of Silyan

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

All That’s Left of You

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

A Poet

The Secret Agent

Sirāt

PRODUCERS AWARD

Emma Hannaway

Luca Intili

Tony Yang

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD 

Tatti Ribeiro

Neo Sora

Annapurna Sriram

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD

Tony Benna

Rajee Samarasinghe

Brittany Shyn

Recently Watched Movies (July 2025 - )

Predator: Badlands (Trachtenberg, 2025) - C

Wicked: For Good (Chu, 2025) - C-

Days of Thunder (Scott, 1990) - C

Two Mules For Sister Sara (Siegel, 1970) - B-

Mighty Aphrodite (Allen, 1995) - B

Gossip (Guggenheim, 2000) - C+

To Die For (Van Sant, 1995) - A

The Brady Bunch Movie (Thomas, 1995) - B+

Best In Show (Guest, 2000) - B+

Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000) - A

Malena (Tornatore, 2000) - B

The Sound of Music (Wise, 1965) - A-

Edward Scissorhands (Burton, 1990) - B+

Zootopia 2 (Bush & Howard, 2025) - C+

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Gilliam & Jones, 1975) - B+

Rental Family (Hikari, 2025) - B-

Xanadu (Greenwald, 1980) - C

Keeper (Perkins, 2025) - C

Sisu: Road to Revenge (Helander, 2025) - C+

Looking For Mr. Goodbar (Brooks, 1977) - B+

On the Waterfront (Kazan, 1954) - A-

Beau Travail (Denis, 2000) - B+

Three Days of the Condor (Pollack, 1975) - B

The Way of the Gun (McQuarrie, 2000) - C

Better Off Dead (Holland, 1985) - B

Agnes of God (Jewison, 1985) - B

Harvey (Koster, 1950) - B

Sarah's Oil (Nowrasteh, 2025) - C

The Running Man (Wright, 2025) - C

The Purple Rose of Cairo (Allen, 1985) - B+

Nuremberg (Vanderbilt, 2025) - C+

Smooth Talk (Chopra, 1985) - B+

Shampoo (Ashby, 1975) - B

The Shop Around the Corner (Lubitsch, 1940) - A-

Mirror (Tarkovsky, 1975) - B

Vertical Limit (Campbell, 2000) - C

The Philadelphia Story (Cukor, 1940) - A-

A Night at the Opera (Wood, 1935) - B+

Postcards From the Edge (Nichols, 1990) - B+

Henry & June (Kaufman, 1990) - B-

Lost and Found in Cleveland (Gerchak & Guterman, 2025) - D+

Die My Love (Ramsay, 2025) - B

Bugonia (Lanthimos, 2025) - B+

Regretting You (Boone, 2025) - C-

My Family (Nava, 1995) - C+

Christy (Michôd, 2025) - C+

Back To the Future (Zemeckis, 1985) - B+

Good Night, and Good Luck. (Clooney, 2005) - A-

Beasts of No Nation (Fukunaga, 2015) - B+

Jonah Hex (Hayward, 2010) - D+

Mutiny On the Bounty (Lloyd, 1935) - B+

The Lost Weekend (Wilder, 1945) - B+

Marty (Mann, 1955) - B+

Amores Perros (Iñárritu, 2000) - C+

Violent Ends (Powell, 2025) - C+

Good Fortune (Ansari, 2025) - B-

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (Cooper, 2025) - C

Desperately Seeking Susan (Seidelman, 1985) - B+

Shelby Oaks (Stuckmann, 2025) - C-

Anniversary (Komasa, 2025) - C+

Private Benjamin (Zieff, 1980) - B

Gloria (Cassavetes, 1980) - B+

Safe (Haynes, 1995) - A

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (Chappelle, 1995 - Theatrical Cut) - B

The Crazies (Eisner, 2010) - B+

Eyes Without a Face (Franju, 1960) - B+

Se7en (Fincher, 1995) - A-

The Body Snatcher (Wise, 1945) - B-

The Shining (Kubrick, 1980) - A

Soylent Green (Fleischer, 1973) - C

Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986) - B+

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (Burton & Johnson, 2005) - B+

Mirror, Mirror (Sargenti, 1990) - C+

Trick or Treat (Smith, 1986) - B-

Red Planet (Hoffman, 2000) - C

Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight (Dickerson, 1995) - B+

Fright Night (Holland, 1985) - B

Candyman: Farewell To the Flesh (Condon, 1995) - B

Tales From the Hood (Cundieff, 1995) - B

Alice Sweet Alice (Sole, 1976) - B-

Duel (Spielberg, 1971) - B+

Lord of Illusions (Barker, 1995 - Director's Cut) - B

House of Wax (Collet-Serra, 2005) - B

The Ring Two (Nakata, 2005) - C

Mother's Boys (Simoneau, 1994) - C+
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Box & Park, 2005) - B+
The Black Phone 2 (Derrickson, 2025) - C-
Tron: Ares (Rønning, 2025) - C

One Battle After Another (Anderson, 2025) - A-

Good Boy (Leonberg, 2025) - B

The Keep (Mann, 1983) - C+

Body Parts (Red, 1991) - B

Orca: The Killer Whale (Anderson, 1977) - C+

Race With the Devil (Starrett, 1975) - B+

Scary Movie (Wayans, 2000) - B-

Dracula: Dead and Loving It (Brooks, 1995) - C

Cherry Falls (Wright, 2000) - B

War of the Worlds (Spielberg, 2005) - B+

Village of the Damned (Carpenter, 1995) - B

Hell of a Summer (Bryk & Wolfhard, 2025) - C-

Roofman (Cianfrance, 2025) - B+

Casper (Silberling, 1995) - B-

Species (Donaldson, 1995) - B

Kiss of the Spider Woman (Condon, 2025) - C+

Nightmare Alley (Goulding, 1947) - B+

Psycho IV: The Beginning (Garris, 1990) - C

The Stepford Wives (Forbes, 1975) - B+

Psycho III (Perkins, 1986) - B

Lost Souls (Kominski, 2000) - C

The Changeling (Medak, 1980) - B

The Phantom of the Opera (Little, 1989) - C-

Eaten Alive (Hooper, 1976) - B-

The Smashing Machine (Safdie, 2025) - C+

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (Berlinger, 2000) - C+

Perfect Blue (Kon, 1997) - B

Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (Sholder, 1999) - D

Psycho II (Franklin, 1983) - B-

Cursed (Craven, 2005) - B-

Dracula 2000 (Lussier, 2000) - B-

Dial M For Murder (Hitchcock, 1954) - B

Jacob's Ladder (Lyne, 1990) - A-

Dolores Claiborne (Hackford, 1995) - B+

Black Sunday (Bava, 1960) - B

The Conjuring: Last Rites (Chaves, 2025) - C

The Strangers: Chapter 2 (Harlin, 2025) - D

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (Kogonada, 2025) - B-

George A Romero's Land of the Dead (Romero, 2005) - B+

Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960) - A

Tremors (Underwood, 1990) - A-

Misery (Reiner, 1990) - B+

Day of the Dead (Romero, 1985) - B+

The Tenant (Polanski, 1976) - B+

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Sharman, 1975) - B+

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (Francis, 1965) - B

Deep Red (Argento, 1975) - B-

The Senior (Lurie, 2025) - C

Him (Tipping, 2025) - C

The Long Walk (Lawrence, 2025) - B

Toy Story (Lasseter, 1995) - B+

The City of Lost Children (Caro & Jeunet, 1995) - B

Children of the Damned (Leader, 1964) - B

The Watcher (Charbanic, 2000) - C-

The Addiction (Ferrara, 1995) - B

Jaws: The Revenge (Sargent, 1987) - C-

Village of the Damned (Rilla, 1960) - B+

Howling 2: Your Sister Is a Werewolf (Mora, 1985) - C

Humanoids From the Deep (Peeters, 1980) - B

Weapons (Cregger, 2025) - B+

Sunset Boulevard (Wilder, 1950) - A

The Stuff (Cohen, 1985) - C+

Lifeforce (Hooper, 1985) - C+

The Cell (Singh, 2000) - B-

Shivers (Cronenberg, 1975) - C

Monkey Shines (Romero, 1988) - B-

Jaws 3-D (Alves, 1983) - C

Psycho Beach Party (King, 2000) - C-

The Roses (Roach, 2025) - C-

The Thing (Carpenter, 1982) - A

Splitsville (Covino, 2025) - B+

Lurker (Russell, 2025) - B+

Jaws 2 (Szwarc, 1978) - C-

Nixon (Stone, 1995) - B

The Hearse (Bowers, 1980) - C+

Black Death (Smith, 2010) - C

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (Henkel, 1995) - C-

Wolf Creek (McLaen, 2005) - B+

Caught Stealing (Aronofsky, 2025) - C+

The Toxic Avenger (Blair, 2025) - C

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Kubrick, 1964) - A-

Jaws (Spielberg, 1975) - A

Red Eye (Craven, 2005) - B

Pitch Black (Twohy, 2000) - B+

Doctor Zhivago (Lean, 1965) - B

Clueless (Heckerling, 1995) - A

Miller's Crossing (Coen, 1990) - B+

After Hours (Scorsese, 1985) - B+

Wild at Heart (Lynch, 1990) - B

Barry Lyndon (Kubrick, 1975) - A-

Nurse Betty (LaBute, 2000) - B+

Before Sunrise (Linklater, 1995) - A

Honey Don't! (Coen, 2025) - C-

Americana (Tost, 2025) - C

Congo (Marshall, 1995) - B

Batman Forever (Schumacher, 1995) - C

The Two Jakes (Nicholson, 1990) - B-

The Crossing Guard (Penn, 1995) - C

Love & Basketball (Prince-Blythewood, 2000) - B

Fletch (Ritchie, 1985) - B

Clockers (Lee, 1995) - C+

Reversal of Fortune (Schroeder, 1990) - B+

Snatch (Ritchie, 2000) - C

Eli Roth Presents: Jimmy & Stiggs (Begos, 2025) - C-

East of Wall (Beecroft, 2025) - B

Tron: Legacy (Kosinski, 2010) - C+

My Brilliant Career (Armstrong, 1980) - A-

Miami Rhapsody (Frankel, 1995) - C+

Restoration (Hoffman, 1995) - C

Final Destination (Wong, 2000) - B+

Fame (Parker, 1980) - B

Nobody 2 (Tjahjanto, 2025) - B-

Freakier Friday (Ganatra, 2025) - B-

Strange Harvest (Ortiz, 2025) - C+

Tron (Lisberger, 1982) - C+

Smoke (Wang, 1995) - B

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (Dante, 1990) - B+

Rob Roy (Caton-Jones, 1995) - C+

Rebecca (Hitchcock, 1940) - A-

The Naked Gun (Schaffer, 2025) - B+

Sketch (Worley, 2025) - C+

The Bad Guys 2 (Perifel, 2025) - C+

The Elephant Man (Lynch, 1980) - A-

Leaving Las Vegas (Figgis, 1995) - B

Space Cowboys (Eastwood, 2000) - B

St. Elmo's Fire (Schumacher, 1985) - D+

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Morris, 2025) - B-

Together (Shanks, 2025) - B

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Shakman, 2025) - C

Eddington (Aster, 2025) - C+

The Postman (Radford, 1995) - B

Performance (Cammell & Roeg, 1970) - B

Melvin and Howard (Demme, 1980) - B+

Winchester '73 (Mann, 1950) - A-

Before Night Falls (Schnabel, 2000) - A-

The Blues Brothers (Landis, 1980) - B

But I'm a Cheerleader (Babbit, 2000) - B

House on Eden (Collins, 2025) - C

Smurfs (Miller, 2025) - C

I Know What You Did Last Summer (Robinson, 2025) - C+

Dead Man Walking (Robbins, 1995) - B+

All About Eve (Mankiewicz, 1950) - A

Total Eclipse (Holland, 1995) - C-

Weird Science (Hughes, 1985) - B-

Real Genius (Coolidge, 1985) - B

Tommy (Russell, 1975) - B+

Elio (Molina, Sharafian & Shi, 2025) - C+

Superman (Gunn, 2025) - B-

Avalon (Levinson, 1990) - C+

Prizzi's Honor (Huston, 1985) - B-

Toni (Renoir, 1935) - B

Strange Days (Bigelow, 1995) - A-

Dead Man (Jarmusch, 1996) - B+

M3GAN 2.0 (Johnstone, 2025) - C+

Paranthu Po (Raw, 2025) - C

Metropolitan (Stillman, 1990) - B+

The Contender (Lurie, 2000) - B-

Biutiful (Iñárritu, 2010) - C

9 to 5 (Higgins, 1980) - B+

Spartacus (Kubrick, 1960) - A-

Jurassic World: Rebirth (Edwards, 2025) - C

F1 (Kosinski, 2025) - C

Horrorfest: Happy Halloween

I hit 94 movies this year, with 44 being rewatches - both of those my record.

Some things I wanted to watch this year but didn't get to (for various reasons): The Skeleton Key (DVD issues!) for its 20th, The Ninth Gate (DVD issues!), Altered States (will check out the Criterion in November or December), Copycat (DVD issues!), and still haven't seen In A Violent Nature from last year. I had wanted to finally check out Hell House LLC. 

I also will make a promise to myself to finally do the Universal Monster Classics next year. Assuming the world exists. 

Anywho, Happy Halloween 2025!

Last new watch...

EYES WITHOUT A FACE

(Georges Franju, 1960)

In this French chiller take on a fairy tale, a brilliant surgeon goes to extreme lengths after a car accident disfigures his daughter's face. She becomes a recluse forced to wear an eerie mask. The doctor and his assistant fake the daughter's death and attempt to find a beautiful young woman for a "face transplant". The surgery sequence is surprisingly grotesque for the era. It must have shocked the hell out of audiences 65 years ago. Nice move making the mad doctor so calm instead of so outwardly insane. With Pierre Brasseur, Édith Scob, and Alida Valli. GRADE: B+

And last rewatches...

THE CRAZIES

(Breck Eisner, 2010)

I started this year's fest with Pitch Black and am ending it with another Radha Mitchell movie. I settled on this one because this was the film I watched at my first fest for this blog. (Original review here.)  Per that post, I saw the original in 2009. I guess I should give that one a rewatch someday. It's interesting to see how slightly different this plays in a post-COVID world. I enjoyed my viewing but will bump its grade down slightly. Car wash scene still rules, and I'll add Joe Anderson is an underrated actor. GRADE: B+

HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS

(Joe Chappelle, 1995 - Theatrical Cut)

Immediately after this ended I thought to myself I should have watched the Producer's Cut this year and the Theatrical Cut next year. As I explained in my post 11 years ago when I watched the franchise (minus the Zombie remakes), this is a pretty important film in my formation as a horror fan. Watching it on MY 30th anniversary with it might have been more important. I pretty much echo most of my original post except the holes in the last act grew even more noticeable. Still, great fall vibes and despite the mess of a story it at least feels like it had a vision. GRADE: B

Of Horrorfests Past

I decided to inventory all my past HFs if only to have a main post to link to all the previous entries.

2010:

Entries Here

Films Watched: After.Life, Pandorum, The Human Centipede: First Sequence, The Crazies (2010), The Vanishing (1988), Frozen, Hatchet, Open House, Predators, The Stepfather (1987), Possession (2010), Splice, Session 9, Night of the Demons (2010), Piranha (1978), Let's Scare Jessica To Death, The Company of Wolves

# of films: 17

2011:

Entries Here

Films Watched: The Ward, Scream 4, Cujo, [Rec] 2, Wake Wood, The Thing (2011), Manhunter, Dark Night of the Scarecrow, The Roost, The Blob (1958), Trollhunter, Red State, Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings

# of films: 13

Rewatches: 1

2012:

Entries Here

Films Watched: Intruders, Munger Road, Retreat, The Woman In Black (2012), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Dark Shadows, Below, The Wicker Tree, Night of the Living Dead (1990), Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, Demons, Red Lights, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Burning, Popcorn, Bell Book and Candle, Peeping Tom, Don't Go In the Woods, Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines, Chernobyl Diaries, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3, Prometheus

# of films: 23

2013:

Entries Here

Films Watched: The Lords of Salem, No One Lives, VHS 2, The Funhouse, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, C.H.U.D., Aftershock, Scanners, In the Mouth of Madness, Fun Size, I Didn't Come Here To Die, Kiss of the Damned, The Devil's Backbone, The Dead Zone, Mulberry Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child, Phantasm, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, The Blob (1988)

# of films: 19

2014: 

Entries Here

Films Watched: The Sacrament, Nurse, House of Wax (1958), Maniac, From Beyond, The Prophecy, Hellraiser, Banshee Chapter, Absentia, Motel Hell, Creep (2005), ParaNorman, Life After Beth, I Married a Witch, The Fury, The Legend of Hell House, Godzilla (2014), Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers, Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (Producer's Cut), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Halloween: Resurrection, Willow Creek, Deliver Us From Evil, Birth of the Living Dead, Re-Animator

(This was the first year I started watching stuff in September.)

# of films: 30

Rewatches: 8

2015: 

Entries Here

Films Watched: 13 Eerie, Unfriended, Spring, The Battery, Hotel Transylvania 2, The Green Inferno, The Lazarus Effect, The Entity, Insidious: Chapter 3, Sinister 2, We Are Still Here, What We Do In the Shadows, Backcountry, Crimson Peak, Dark Places, Maggie, Pumpkinhead, Starry Eyes, The Canal, Dark Was the Night, The Houses October Built, Poltergeist (2015), Preservation, The Strangers

# of films: 24

Rewatches: 1

2016: 

Entries Here

Films Watched: Blair Witch, Cell, The Conjuring 2, The Darkness, Don't Breathe, A Horrible Way to Die, Howl, The Hunger, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, The Neon Demon, Nightbreed, The Pack, Salem's Lot (1979), The Shallows, Teen Wolf, The Crow, The House By the Cemetary, The Purge: Election Year, The Craft

# of films: 19

Rewatches: 1

2017: 

Entries Here

Films Watched: They're Watching, Siren, Raw, It Comes at Night, The Devil's Candy, Annabelle: Creation, Alien Abduction, 47 Meters Down, Wish Upon, The Uninvited (1944), Under the Shadow, The Sentinel, Happy Death Day, The Dark Tower, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Monster Trucks, Jackals, It: Chapter 1, Hidden, A Ghost Story, Demonic, Tales of Halloween, The Poughkeepsie Tapes, Personal Shopper, Hush (2016), Gerald's Game, Boo! A Madea Halloween, Beyond the Gates

# of films: 28

2018: 

Entries Here

Films Watched: Scarecrows, The Predator, Hereditary, The Watcher In the Woods (1980), The Nun, Hell Fest, The First Purge, Christine, Night of the Living Dead (1968), Final Destination, Final Destination 2, Final Destination 3, The Final Destination, Final Destination 5, Magic, The House With a Clock In Its Walls, Ghost, Cronos, Practical Magic, Pet Sematary (1989), Pet Sematary 2, Unfriended: Dark Web, Housebound, Halloween (2018), Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, Brotherhood of the Wolf

# of films: 26

Rewatches: 6

2019:

Entries Here

Films Watched: Ma, Brightburn, Annabelle Comes Home, Anna and the Apocalypse, Ready or Not, The Dead Don't Die, Child's Play (2019), Ravenous, The Lure, The Beyond, Triangle, Shocker, Midsommar, The Intruder, Hotel Transylvania 3, Ghost Story, Firestarter (1984), Feed the Gods, Doom, A Dark Song, Creepshow 2, Crawl, Blood Creek, Bait, The Omen (1976), Damien: Omen II, Omen: The Final Conflict, Omen IV: The Awakening, Zombieland: Double Tap, The Addams Family (2019), Jennifer's Body, Alien

# of films: 32

Rewatches: 3

2020: 

Entries Here

And Here

Films Watched: Marrowbone, Long Weekend, The Haunted Mansion (2003), Flatliners (1990), Dressed To Kill, Cat's Eye, Blood and Chocolate, Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, Series 7: The Contenders, The People Under the Stairs, The New Mutants, Mirrors, Girl on the Third Floor, Unhinged, Stonehearst Asylum, Rabid, Prevenge, Phenomena, Terror Train (1980), Prom Night (1980), The Fog (1980), Resident Evil: Afterlife, The Invisible Man (2020), Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2, The Covenant, Black Water, Black Water: Abyss, The Blackcoat's Daughter, American Psycho

# of films: 29

Rewatches: 5

2021:

Entries Here

Films Watched: The Veil, Tales From the Crypt presents 'Ritual', The Reef, Horizon Line, Deadly Friend, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Centigrade, Candyman (2021), A Quiet Place: Part 2, Odd Thomas, Nature's Grave, The Messengers: The Scarecrow, Haunt, The Forever Purge, Final Prayer, Dead Again, Joy Ride, An American Werewolf In London, Shadow in the Cloud, Old, City of the Living Dead, Friday the 13th (1980), Friday the 13th Part 2, Friday the 13th Part 3, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Friday the 13th VI: Jason Lives, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday, Jason X, Freddy Vs Jason, Friday the 13th (2009), The Others, Insidious, The Evil Dead (1983), Night of the Comet, Halloween Kills, Don't Breathe 2, Censor, Body Bags, The Addams Family 2, The Forsaken

# of films: 43

Rewatches: 12

2022: 

Entries Here

Films Watched: Bram Stoker's Dracula, Fatal Attraction, The Black Phone, Mary, Lost Highway, The Last House on the Left (1972), Cat People (1942), Poltergeist (1982), The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014), Outback, Cat People (1982), Pearl, Feardotcom, Swamp Thing, Poltergeist 2: The Other Side, Antiviral, Frogs, American Mary, Man Bites Dog, Barbarian, The Lost Boys, See For Me, Jeepers Creepers Reborn, Road Kill, Angel Heart, We Need To Do Something, Poltergeist III, Cube, The Reef: Stalked, The Monster Squad, Lair of the White Worm, The Relic, Crimes of the Future, Orphan: First Kill, Cabin in the Woods, Q the Winged Serpent, Host, Halloween Ends, Prey for the Devil, Smile, The Invitation, Men, Nope, The Hills Have Eyes (1977), The Ring (2002)

# of films: 45

Rewatches: 10

2023:

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Films Watched: The Nun 2, Urban Legend, Blade, The Birds, Campfire Tales, The Exorcist, A Haunting In Venice, John Carpenter's Vampires, The Unborn, Horror In the High Desert, Night Skies, Nanny, It Lives Inside, Would You Rather, Ringu, Rosemary's Baby, Terrifier, Disturbing Behavior, Phantoms, Sick, Extraterrestrial, Bones, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Prey, House of the Dead, The Dark Half, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Road Games, Innocent Blood, Idle Hands, The Exorcist II: The Heretic, Watcher, Evil Dead Rise, The Exorcist III, Jakob's Wife, Exorcist: The Beginning, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Wrong Turn (2003), Vampire In Brooklyn, Consecration, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, The Outwaters, The Exorcist: Believer, Skinamarink, Needful Things, Razorback, Psycho (1998), Scare Me, Urban Legends: Final Cut, Dawn of the Dead (1978), May, Insidious: The Red Door

# of films: 53

Rewatches: 18

2024:

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Films Watched: Cutting Class, The Sixth Sense, eXistenZ, Possession, The Burbs, AfrAId, The Haunting (1999), Bats, In Dreams, Stir of Echoes, Speak No Evil (2022), The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1985), The Front Room, Shaun of the Dead, The 13th Warrior, 13 Ghosts (1960), Wolf, The Bone Collector, Serial Mom, House on Haunted Hill (1959), Killer Klowns From Outer Space, The Toxic Avenger (1986), House on Haunted Hill (1999), When a Stranger Calls (1979), The Great Alligator, Dead Calm, Dawn of the Dead (2004), Witch Story, Mute Witness, Never Let Go, Speak No Evil (2024), The Astronaut's Wife, Deep Blue Sea, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, The Tingler, Night of the Demons 2, Azrael, Bagman, Night of the Demons 3, Interview With the Vampire, Stigmata, Castle of Blood, Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, Stopmotion, Thirst, Monster Summer, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters 2, Nightwatch (1998), Wes Craven Presents: They, Blade 2, The Night of the Hunter, Young Frankenstein, Blade: Trinity, Terrifier 3, Lovers Lane, It: Chapter 1, The Machinist, Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker, It: Chapter 2, Lake Placid, I Walked With a Zombie, Body Double, Smile 2, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Summer of Sam, Bringing Out the Dead, The Seventh Victim, The Dorm That Dripped Blood, Happy Birthday To Me, Wishmaster, A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), The Blair Witch Project, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, The Beast Within, Cuckoo, Sleepy Hollow, Two Evil Eyes, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, I Saw the Devil, Diabolique (1955), Opera, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Abigail 

# of films: 85

Rewatches: 28

2025:

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Films Watched: Pitch Black, Red Eye, Jaws, The Toxic Avenger (2025), Wolf Creek, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, Black Death, The Hearse, Jaws 2, The Thing (1982), Psycho Beach Party, Jaws 3-D, Monkey Shines, Shivers, The Cell, Lifeforce, The Stuff, Weapons, Humanoids From the Deep, Howling 2: Your Sister Is a Werewolf, Village of the Damned (1960), Jaws: The Revenge, The Addiction, The Watcher, Children of the Damned, The City of Lost Children, The Long Walk, Him, Deep Red, Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Tenant, Day of the Dead (1985), Misery, Tremors, Psycho (1960), George A. Romero's Land of the Dead, The Strangers: Chapter 2, The Conjuring: Last Rites, Black Sunday, Dolores Claiborne, Jacob's Ladder, Dial M For Murder, Dracula 2000, Cursed, Psycho II, Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies, Perfect Blue, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Eaten Alive, The Phantom of the Opera (1989), The Changeling, Lost Souls, Psycho III, The Stepford Wives, Psycho IV: The Beginning, Nightmare Alley (1947), Species, Casper, Hell of a Summer, Village of the Damned (1995), War of the Worlds (2005), Cherry Falls, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Scary Movie, Race With the Devil, Orca: The Killer Whale, Body Parts, The Keep, Good Boy, The Black Phone 2, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Mother's Boys, The Ring Two (2005), House of Wax (2005), Lord of Illusions, Duel, Alice Sweet Alice, Tales From the Hood, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, Fright Night (1985), Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight, Trick or Treat, Mirror Mirror, Red Planet, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, Blue Velvet, Soylent Green, The Shining (1980), The Body Snatcher, Se7en, Eyes Without a Face, The Crazies (2010), Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

# of films: 94

Rewatches: 44

HF: All horror and nothing else make Darren a happy boy.

First watches...

ALICE SWEET ALICE

(Alfred Sole, 1976)

This pretty crazy early slasher follows a troubled young woman believed to have killed her younger sister during her first communion. (The film is actually called Communion in some territories.) Bodies start piling up leading everyone to question if the young woman is a cold blooded killer. It's an American film but has that early giallo feel. I'm not sure it totally works, but the elevated camp feel and histrionic performances keep things entertaining. Quite a bit of un-PC stuff, too. With Linda Miller, Paula Sheppard, and a young Brooke Shields appears briefly. GRADE: B-

BLUE VELVET

(David Lynch, 1986)

Probably should have saved this for next year's 40th anniversary and did a double feature with Mulholland Drive which will celebrate its 25th. But, hey, who knows what the next year will bring? In a sleepy Northwest town, a college student (Kyle MacLaughlin, nice ass!) returns home to watch after his dad's business after he falls ill. He gets involved with a lounge singer (Isabella Rossellini) who is being abused by a criminal (Dennis Hopper) and his crew of Roy Orbison-crooning weirdos. This is the third Lynch film I've watched this year after Wild At Heart (liked) and The Elephant Man (loved!), I think it falls right in between those for me. I liked its dreamlike take on a 50's teen movie with flashes of a modern nightmare. With Laura Dern and Dean Stockwell. GRADE: B+

THE BODY SNATCHER

(Robert Wise, 1945)

In the 1830's, a young medical student is attempting to help a young girl who has lost the use of her legs. He studies with a doctor who he soon learns has a nefarious way of getting cadavers. Notable for being the final teaming of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, this chiller has some disquieting moments. Literally, the film's best scene is one where a woman in the street is heard singing off camera until she isn't. Wise, of course, would go on to be at the top of the horror game with 1963's The Haunting. (And eventually win two directing Oscars.) GRADE: B-

MIRROR, MIRROR

(Marina Sargenti, 1990)

A goth girl (Rainbow Harvest, great name!) moves to a new place with her eccentric mother (Karen Black, underutilized) where an antique mirror in their home causes her to develop supernatural abilities. She uses it to enact revenge on the mean, popular kids in her class. Carrie it's not. It's funny how she's stylized and even bears a resemblance to Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice. This was never boring, but doesn't totally work and there are so many other similar films that are much better. After watching, I discovered this had three sequels one of which had Mark Ruffalo. GRADE: C+

RED PLANET

(Antony Hoffman, 2000)

I tried to watch the other mars themed movie from that year first, Mission to Mars, but it was hard to get a copy of. Hopefully, I get it by year's end. In the year 2025, Earth is dying and Mars has been set up to be inhabitable by humans. (Well, weren't we optimistic?) A group of astronauts arrives attempting to set up the start of human life, but they crash land and find the engineered environment destroyed. It mostly looks great, but it's so generic and hard to care about anything happening. With Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Tom Sizemore. GRADE: C

SOYLENT GREEN

(Richard Fleischer, 1973)

In the dystopian future of 2022, a detective (Charlton Heston) investigates the murder of a ration manufacturer employee only to uncover a conspiracy. Featuring one of the most famous twist endings, it's not a surprise people only talk about the ending because the rest of it is pretty mediocre. Snowpiercer from a decade or so ago did similar themes much better. The final scene of Edward G. Robinson's character is easily the most memorable scene in the film, and that's not even considering that the actor died shortly before the film was released giving that scene even more weight. A bit surprised this has never been remade. GRADE: C

TRICK OR TREAT

(Charles Martin Smith, 1986)

A metalhead high schooler gains mysterious powers after finding hidden recordings on his recently deceased favorite rocker's records. A blend of horror comedy that isn't really scary or particularly funny, it nevertheless mixes the two so perfectly that it's fairly engaging for most of its runtime. It feels like something that could have been a classic, but settles for cult curiosity more than anything. It features cameos by Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne, the latter amusingly playing a priest trying to ban rock and roll from schools. With Marc Price and Tony Fields. GRADE: B-

Rewatches...

CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH

(Bill Condon, 1995)

Ok, no offense to "Your Sister Is A Werewolf" but "Farewell to the Flesh" might be the better subtitle. Before he was an Oscar winning screenwriter, Condon directed this follow-up to the 1992 classic. I haven't seen the original in some time, but I remember it being mostly elegant with some third act problems. I don't think this sequel is as good, but it is bit more consistent. After her brother is put in jail for murder, a teacher in New Orleans investigates the Candyman legend and discovers a shocking link to her family that puts her and everyone around her in danger. It dives into the legend and adds a nice layer that makes the hooked menace a bit more sympathetic. Tony Todd returns, just as sexy and scary as he was in the first. GRADE: B

DUEL

(Steven Spielberg, 1971)

Just realized this is the third Spielberg film I watched this fest, but this is a fitting one because it was his first film. It debuted in the states on television, but they added scenes and it was released theatrically internationally. I watched this 20 or so years ago and really liked it. The road thriller is one of my fave horror subgenres and its easy to see the influence this film had on later films. A very simple premise: a working man (Dennis Weaver) driving in California crosses paths with a trucker hellbent on killing him. No reason is ever given. Spielberg had the magic touch from the beginning as this is essentially one long chase film and remains suspenseful and beautifully shot for its entire brief runtime. Funny note: I watched this with my parents and they didn't like it at all. GRADE: B+

FRIGHT NIGHT

(Tom Holland, 1985)

Not that Tom Holland. Fun mix of vampire horror and comedy in which a horny teenager (William Ragsdale) discovers that his new neighbor (Chris Sarandon) is a bloodsucker murdering people at night. He enlists the help of a cheesy late night horror movie host (Roddy McDowell) to put the bloodshed to an end. I have a enjoyable time with this but I'm not totally in love with it the way some people are. It's definitely a cult favorite. I've never seen the sequel which is hard to track down, but I found the 2011 remake to be average. The small ensemble is excellent, also featuring Married With Children's Amanda Bearse. GRADE: B

HOUSE OF WAX

(Jaume Collet-Serra, 2005)

A group of college friends on a road trip have car trouble and end up in a desolate small town where a wax museum holds some deadly secrets. Released at the height of the horror remake trend of the aughts, this is one of the better ones. It completely abandons the storyline of the Vincent Price original. Not without its flaws, the first act drags on too long and the characters are mostly assholes. It picks up tremendously once they actually get to the title location, leading to a spectacular final act showcasing the jaw dropping production design. Decent kills, too! I loved that movie theater playing Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?. With Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray and his delicious nipples, and yes, you get to see Paris Hilton die. GRADE: B

LORD OF ILLUSIONS

(Clive Barker, 1995 - Director's Cut)

I haven't seen this since watching in on VHS sometime in the 90's. I thought it was fine, but I decided to watch the recent 4K of the Director's Cut. It adds about 13 minutes back into the film. I liked it this time, but I'm officially in Barker's corner for the way he filmed Scott Bakula in this. Love have mercy. It's been awhile since I've seen a horror movie where the male lead is so blatantly sexualized. More of that please. Bakula plays a private eye hired to investigate the disappearance of a magician. Bodies start piling up, and it leads to a cult surrounding an illusionist who died years before. Good mix of potboiler noir and fantastical horrors. With Famke Janssen and Kevin J. O'Connor. GRADE: B

SE7EN

(David Fincher, 1995)

Hey, that's the title card! I thought about watching this outside of Horrorfest so I could do a double feature with Showgirls. They both opened the same weekend - the original "Barbenheimer". The 90's had a lot of influential films and this might lead the pack. Every serial killer film and TV police procedural since probably owes a lot to Fincher's classic. Two cops, one about to be retired and the other a young hotshot, investigate a killer claiming his victims using the seven sins. It builds wonderfully to the final 20 minutes - an absolute gut punch of an ending. Some of the earlier grisly scenes probably aren't as shocking thirty years on, but that ending is still a doozy. And it works despite the presence of that actor. With Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, and Gwyneth Paltrow. GRADE: A-

THE SHINING

(Stanley Kubrick, 1980)

It's been ages since I've watched this the whole way through. It's a movie that's always on TV especially this time of year, so it's mostly been bits and pieces over the years. With the snowy Colorado setting, that gorgeous hotel, Hollywood's biggest star, and one of its most acclaimed directors, this is horror on  a grand scale. It also proves that the best King adaptations make significant changes to his stories. A writer (Jack Nicholson) takes a job as the winter caretaker to the Overlook Hotel, where his wife (Shelley Duvall) notices changes in him and their psychic son. Nicholson leans heavily into his inherent "off-ness" while Duvall is perfect as the emotionally dwindling wife. Her Razzie nom for this, along with Kubrick's, is proof why that organization is a joke. Another one with one of the best Treehouse of Horror parodies. With Danny Lloyd and Scatman Crothers. GRADE: A

TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT

(Ernest Dickerson, 1995)

I was so excited to see this back in the day I think I rented it the day it came to VHS. And I was disappointed. I wasn't quite a horror fiend just yet. I've seen bits and pieces over the years and my opinion of it grew. It's well directed and the ninety minutes just fly by. A mysterious drifter (William Sadler) checks into a hole in the wall motel while on the run from a demon (a seductive Billy Zane) who wants to unleash the apocalypse. The design of the demons is unsettling, while the deep cast comprised mostly of great character actors nails the tone. Easily the best of the two theatrical (and an additional direct to DVD one that I watched a few years back) sequels, though I'm not sure if I'll be revisiting Bordello of Blood next year. With Jada Pinkett, Thomas Haden Church, and CCH Pounder delivering all her lines to perfection. GRADE: B+

TALES FROM THE HOOD

(Randy Cundieff, 1995)

Outside of the two sequels - which I haven't seen - I can't think of any other anthology horrors with an exclusively Black angle. Executive produced by Spike Lee, this follows a mortician who tells four tales of terror to a trio of young drug dealers. The first involves police corruption and the murder of an activist, the second follows a young man facing a vicious domestic monster, the next is about a Southern politician haunted by the ghosts of the slaves in his plantation estate, and the last is about a criminal learning the consequences of his actions. The third is the most memorable one, certainly the one that I vividly remembered after all these years. Not entirely sure the fourth one works as its supposed to, though. This is a solid anthology dealing with themes that are sadly still relevant decades later. With Clarence Williams III, David Alan Grier, and Corbin Bernsen. GRADE: B 

TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE

(Tim Burton & Mike Johnson, 2005)

A Victorian man practicing his wedding vows accidentally marries an undead bride after she rises from the dead thinking he proposed to her. Pretty simple plot and only 77 minutes, this didn't quite get into the zeitgeist the way The Nightmare Before Christmas did. That's a bit of a shame because this is just as good. I appreciate that the directors chose the make the undead world so colorful with the regular world having that dreary grayscale look that Burton so loves. Good musical numbers and a stacked cast, featuring the voices of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Emily Watson. GRADE: B+

HF: Blog of the Damned

First watches...

THE BLACK PHONE 2

(Scott Derrickson, 2025)

I watched the original for HF2022. I did not care for it, but this sequel is even worse. Stretching its story thin over just under two hours, the film follows the forgettable characters from the original as they go to a youth resort in the snowy mountains because the sister is now psychic and some kids were murdered by The Grabber (Ethan Hawke, wasted) are trying to contact her. Ugh with the grainy footage. It semi-worked in Sinister but is overused in this and doesn't make anything scarier. Another sad reminder that I haven't liked a single one of Derrickson's films. With Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, and Demián Bichir. GRADE: C-

BODY PARTS

(Eric Red, 1991)

Using a groundbreaking procedure, the body parts of a killer are transplanted to various men including a criminal psychologist (Jeff Fahey) who lost his arm in an automobile accident. Initially happy he's able to have an arm, he soon realizes that the arm still very much belongs to the killer as it has violent tendencies of its own. Surprised to learn this wasn't adapted from a Stephen King story, this has that feel of the early 90's horror with its suspicion of technology and aspects of body horror. Engaging, and a bit of an underseen little gem. With Lindsay Duncan, Kim Delaney, and Brad Douriff. GRADE: B

CHERRY FALLS

(Geoffrey Wright, 2000)

Yes, there are horror films from that era I'm still catching up with. I guess I held off so long with this one because I thought they would someday release the uncut version that allegedly exists. This had a long, troubled history with the MPAA and was eventually dumped on USA Network. In a sleepy Virginia town, a serial killer begins targeting virginal teens leading to the already hormonal teens to try and lose their virginities as soon as possible. Equal parts horror and comedy, I'm happy to say its a solid mix even if the whodunit aspect (already overused at the time) has an obvious conclusion and most of the kills are standard. Some great writing, with Brittany Murphy making a terrific final girl. With Michael Biehn, Gabriel Mann, and Jay Mohr. GRADE: B

GOOD BOY

(Ben Leonberg, 2025)

A terminally ill man retreats to his grandfather's old home in the woods and soon loses his sanity as a supernatural presence takes over. Did I mention that this all is told from the perspective of his dog? It's a big risk, but it works. Though in my experience with dogs, I think that dog probably would have freaked out and barked a lot more. Indy the Dog gives a compelling and sentimental performance. I like the joke several people have made that if this were from the perspective of a cat, the movie would have ended after several minutes because the cat would have just been like whatever.  GRADE: B

HELL OF A SUMMER

(Billy Bryk & Finn Wolfhard, 2025)

Pretty obvious this was written and directed by a bunch of early twentysomethings, and even the tongue in cheek Gen Z skewing is eye rolling to this older millennial. As camp counselors arrive for the summer season, a killer starts killing them off one by one. We've seen that countless times and outside of its young viewpoint, it offers nothing new. Humor and horror both fall flat. With Fred Hechinger, Abby Quinn, and both directors also co-star. GRADE: C-

THE KEEP

(Michael Mann, 1983)

The first of two horror films Mann directed, the other was the great Manhunter. This also had a troubled production history, apparently there was a three hour original cut. Perhaps that might have made a bit more sense, as this 90-ish minute version is rather murky. However, the score by Tangerine Dream and visuals are stunning and create an enticing dream-like atmosphere. In World War II Romania, a group of Nazis find a hidden stone fortress and unleash an ancient evil. With Scott Glenn, Alberta Watson, and Ian McKellan. GRADE: C+

MOTHER'S BOYS

(Yves Simoneau, 1994)

Jamie Lee Curtis stars as a woman who returns to her husband and three sons after leaving them three years earlier. The husband (Peter Gallagher) is now seeing an assistant principal (Joanne Whalley), and the psychotic mother will do whatever she can to get her family back. Yes, it's a mid 90's trashy thriller. Curtis is very good, one of the few times she's played an all-out villain. It's not a good movie, but it is pretty entertaining for most of its runtime. I wish they had fleshed out Jamie's character a tad more, there's only hints of why she is the way she is. They also don't really explain what drew the husband to her to begin with. You might remember this movie's poster hanging in the background of the video store scene in Scream. Luke Edwards, as the oldest son, is also very good. Vanessa Redgrave also appears. GRADE: C+

ORCA: THE KILLER WHALE

(Michael Anderson, 1977)

One of the umpteen Jaws knockoffs from that era, this leans heavily into the man vs nature existentialism. The main problem is Orcas are just too non-threatening to be as scary as a great white. I mean, they look like they're smiling? In Newfoundland, a fisherman (Richard Harris) becomes the target of vengeance by a killer whale after killing its mate. Orcas are monogamous, we learn from a whale expert played by Charlotte Rampling (sexualizing every line like only she can). Standard killer animal fare, but there is some jaw dropping cinematography. All those foggy mountains in the sea town were gorgeously captured. GRADE: C+ 

RACE WITH THE DEVIL

(Jack Starrett, 1975)

Two couples on a cross country road trip in an RV witness a cult making a human sacrifice and must go on the run from the dangerous sect. This stars Peter Fonda and Warren Oates, two actors known for iconic road movies; the former was in Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry and Easy Rider, while the latter was in Two-Lane Blacktop. The cult sequences are really disquieting, and the film ends in a thrilling big road race stunt show. The two genres blend well together, surprisingly. I'm shocked this was never remade, especially given the glut of car movies and horror remakes from twenty or so years ago. With Loretta Swit and Lara Parker. GRADE: B+

Anniversary rewatches...

DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT

(Mel Brooks, 1995)

I saw this when it came to VHS back in the summer of 96 and thinking it was fine, but I'm strapped for comedies at this time of year. (Hence, the next film on this post.) Probably the weakest of the Brooks' films I've seen, it stars Leslie Nielsen as Dracula. That should be promising enough, but most of the film adheres to the Bram Stoker storyline so closely that it never really finds any comedic groove or originality. A cute gag here and there aren't really enough. Co-starring two Wings co-stars, Steven Weber (working that longer hair) and Amy Yasbeck. GRADE: C

THE RING TWO

(Hideo Nakata, 2005)

Haven't revisited this since seeing it in theaters. I think I sorta liked it then, but it doesn't hold up. Reviews from critics and audiences weren't good. The film quickly drops the cursed videotape angle and finds Samara trying to possess Aiden thus making Rachel her new mommy. Samara has mommy issues, clearly. The story doesn't really work and feels like a thin link between horror set pieces. The brief appearance by Sissy Spacek is the film's best moment. Interesting to note that Nakata directed the Japanese original and its sequel, but I'm not sure how close this sticks to the original sequel. Naomi Watts and David Dorfman return from the first. GRADE: C

SCARY MOVIE

(Keenan Ivory Wayans, 2000)

After re-watching this for the first time since it first came to VHS, I can safely say I think 3 and 4 are probably the best of the franchise. I fully expected some gags didn't age well, but most of it still works. Anna Faris and Regina Hall were comedic geniuses from the beginning, though I forgot how little the latter is actually in this. Her Scream 2 parody sequence is probably the film's highlight. A masked killer stalks teenagers in this sendup of the recent slate of slasher and horror blockbusters, most notably Scream. I'm going to assume you all know the obvious gag here is that Scream was originally titled Scary Movie. Fun cast! With Marlon and Shawn Wayans, Cheri Oteri, and Shannon Elizabeth. GRADE: B-

WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT

(Steve Box & Nick Park, 2005)

The 2005 Animated Feature Oscar-winner finds the pest controller and his loyal dog accidentally turning one of their captured rabbits into a "were-rabbit" which wreaks havoc in their small community. The creature threatens to ruin a vegetable festival happening in a few days. A fun time with cute gags, there's even some more adult-aimed gags. Not sure I picked up on them when I saw this theatrically when it first opened. I do remember the rabbits stealing the show. Voices by Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, and Helena Bonham Carter. GRADE: B+

WAR OF THE WORLDS

(Steven Spielberg, 2005)

Can't say I've had the "pleasure" of watching the recent Amazon update of this. I do remember watching the TV series in the late 80's and it scaring the shit out of me. I might have to see if that's avabilable anywhere and do a full watch. Spielberg's sci-fi blockbuster came at the height (nadir?) of TomKat, and used 9/11-esque imagery to update the Orwell classic. Oh, the mid aughts! Tom Cruise stars as a dockworker asshole who finds himself and his estranged children in the middle of an alien invasion. The visual effects for the most part have aged very well, and there are some spectacular set pieces. It's a bit too exposition heavy, particularly the ending. I think its the better of the two Spielberg films from that year. With a terrific Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, and Tim Robbins. GRADE: B+

And now my watch of the franchise of the damned...

VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED

(Wolf Rilla, 1960)

Adapted from the book "The Midwich Cuckoos", the film follows the small village of Midwich. One day, every in the town passes out. After waking up, they find that many of the women in the town are pregnant. Several years later, their  young children all look alike - with similar hair and eyes and appear to be telepathic. This was my first watch of this, and its a solid little horror. I don't know how well it stuck to the book, but the '95 remake follows pretty closely to this with much added violence. I saw the remake numerous times but I guess took seeing this to pick up on the Aryan metaphor. With George Sanders and Barbara Shelley. GRADE: B+

CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED

(Anton Leader, 1964)

A sequel only in spirit, this follows a British psychologist and geneticist who study six children from all over the world who have powers and were born from a blackout. The most amusing thing about this might be how hard it goes out of its way to tell us the two lead characters aren't gay, when it's so obvious. It also depicts the children in an interesting gray area, where they claim to not be aliens but advanced humans. Surprisingly eerie ending! The kids are also not just white with white hair and glowing eyes, but are actually diverse. Hey, sequels in 1964 were woke, too! With Ian Hendry and Alan Badel. GRADE: B

VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED

(John Carpenter, 1995)

This is exactly the sort of film a preteen like myself used as a stepping stone to other horrors. Despite an R-rating, it would probably pass for PG-13 now even with considerable violence. It follows the storyline of the original 1960 film very closely, with Christopher Reeve (his last theatrical release before his accident) as the doctor and Kirstie Alley (playing a character who could have easily been out of The X-Files) as the secretive government agent observing the children. I recently found out that this was shot in some of the same locations as The Fog. I'd love to live in a place like that. The first 40 minutes are really good, but it loses steam once the children are shown. I was shocked to learn that those weren't wigs, but hair dye. I kind of hate the overall styling of the children, as they look straight out of the black and white original. There was a recent miniseries adaptation called Midwich, it seems like something that work well in that format. With Linda Kozlowski, Mark Hamill, and Thomas Dekker. GRADE: B