Happy Halloween!

Courteney Cox just paid tribute to Gale's Scream 3 bangs in the best way possible! pic.twitter.com/tL9RInD2jO

— Netflix US (@netflix) October 31, 2019

Horrorfest: Nutting up

THE ADDAMS FAMILY
(Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon, 2019)
Animated adaptation focusing on the creepy and kooky Addams Family. I'm a bit surprised at the success of this as it seems odd families/kids would be interested in The Addams Family. Is the old TV show even on anymore? The films from the early 90's may be a cult favorite, but they don't seem like something young children would be into. I digress. The gags are more amusing than outright funny, but they hit more than they miss. And as an HGTV aficionado, I appreciated some of the digs aimed at the network. Plus, it's always nice to see animated, family-friendly films go for a horror/Halloween theme and it's at least better than the Hotel Transylvania films. Smart move casting Oscar Isaac as Gomez, but I'd like a live action version with him and Eva Green as Morticia. Charlize Theron, a fine choice, voices her in this, also with Chloe Grace Moretz, Nick Kroll and Allison Janney. GRADE: B-

ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP
(Ruben Fleischer, 2019)
Follow-up to 2009's popular zom-com, the sequel finds the quartet on the road to Graceland after staying in the White House. Sidenote: I'm not sure the White House would just be abandoned, and where did they get the brand new Mountain Dew? The world-building is a bit lacking despite the passage of ten years. It's a mostly fun follow-up that finishes stronger than it begins, which is always a plus. The new characters are good additions, as Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone both seem a little bored with this go round. In particular, Zoey Deutch is an absolute riot. I'm not sure the actual character she's playing is that funny, but the actress's commitment to her is 110% and she more than makes it work. GRADE: B-

And now, some more anniversary watches:

ALIEN
(Ridley Scott, 1979)
I'm not sure when I first watched this classic. My dive into my Netflix history says I rated it in 2007, but I had to see it before that? Oddly, I rated Aliens earlier. I think I may have seen the James Cameron-helmed sequel first. It's amusing watching such a seminal film and ruminating on all the other films this one inspired - as in all the films that ripped it off or parodied it. It has to be one of the most influential films of all time. Yet, the elements that originated in this film still work and hold up remarkably well for it now being 40 years old. Tom Skerritt and Sigourney Weaver lead an impressive cast as the crew of a spaceship responding to a distress call. After exploring the planet the call originated from, they bring on board a life form that soon wreaks havoc. One thing I was surprised by was just how little the alien is in the film. Anytime it's shown, it almost immediately runs off. It was smart keeping it under wraps and made the ending appearance all the more thrilling. This is, quite simply, one of the best sci-fi/horrors of all time. (Please note: I watched the theatrical cut.) GRADE: A

JENNIFER'S BODY
(Karyn Kusama, 2009)
A box-office disappointment when it was released a decade ago, reviews weren't much better. Writer Diablo Cody was following up her Oscar-win for Juno, so expectations were high. It didn't help that the studio had no clue how to market it, so they went after teen boys. I worked at a theater and one thing I remember about the audience that came out to see Jennifer's Body: it was a very queer audience. We're always ahead of the curve. I very much liked the film when I eventually saw it later in the year. The film follows high school nerd Needy (Amanda Seyfried), whose bad girl bestie Jennifer (Megan Fox) has been turned into a literal maneater after a spell cast by an alt-rock band. Equal parts Evil Dead and Heathers, I think I love this film now even more and am so glad it's found the cult following it so deserves. It helps that it has a very mid-90's feel. Megan Fox was never going to be a great actress, but this part fits her like a glove. Sexy and threatening in equal measures, with great comic timing to boot. (Her tampon line during the film's climax is an all-timer.) Kusama got screwed over several times by Hollywood, but has recently had a strong comeback with films like The Invitation and Destroyer. If you haven't seen this film yet, it's time to give it the respect it deserves. After all, there aren't many horror films written by, directed by and starring women. More of those, please. GRADE: A-

Box: You got a Linda Hamilton thing going.

1. Terminator: Dark Days - $36m / $36m / $100m
2. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil - $10.5m / $82.5m / $108m
**Joker - $10.5 / $295.5m / $320m
4. Harriet - $8m / $8m / $25m
5. The Addams Family - $7m / $83m / $100m
6. Arctic Dogs - $6.5m / $6.5m / $20m
**Zombieland: Double Tap - $6.5m / $58m / $75m
8. Motherless Brooklyn - $5m / $5m / $14m
9. Black and Blue - $4.5m / $16m / $25m
10. Countdown - $4m / $15.5m / $23m

The third reboot of Terminator opens. Reviews are okay/decent, which is a win unto itself. Numbers from overseas have been weak, though. The other three openers probably won't break out of single digits. A Harriet Tubman movie should have been an easy win, but reviews are not where they need to be and then there's the controversy over Erivo's casting. Arctic Dogs will be long forgotten by the time Frozen 2 opens later in the month. Motherless Brooklyn could very well be another Goldfinch. Not a strong start to the end of the year box-office season, but the numbers in limited for Parasite and Jojo Rabbit continue to impress. The Lighthouse even made the top 10 last weekend! It's nice that the specialty box-office has finally recovered after a long stretch of lackluster numbers. 

Horrorfest: The rottweiler budget for this franchise was insane

And so I watched The Omen franchise. Minus the 2006 remake, which I watched when it opened and thought was awful.

It's an odd franchise, as outside of the original, all the sequels have been completely forgotten. None have a cult following or fans who describe them as "kinda underrated". But the box set presented itself to me, so I decided to go with it. I wouldn't have minded doing another franchise, but DVD availability is a huge issue now.

I previously watched THE OMEN (Richard Donner, 1976) back in 2002 and was not a big fan. Honestly, I think I might have fallen asleep. One of the only aspects I remember from it was the famous beheading, which is only the movie's second most notorious death. Gregory Peck plays an American ambassador whose son is stillborn. Unbeknownst to his wife (Lee Remick), he secretly adopts a newborn whose mother died in childbirth. And thus, Damien, the new anti-christ, begins his ascent. A huge blockbuster upon release, the film has a sleek, big budget look and feel. For being a bit longer than the average horror movie - 112 minutes - surprisingly it's very plot dominant. There's very little in the way of character development, and we're only told what is absolutely necessary. It doesn't stop moving.

Two years later, DAMIEN: OMEN II (Don Taylor & Mike Hodges, 1978) opened. It picks up about 7 years after the first film, with a 13-year-old Damien now at military school. As the film progresses, he learns about his fate and must come to accept it. He's a typical prep school brat, and never really comes off as anything more evil. The first film was about the cult around Damien being responsible for the death, whereas this chapter just seems to have death around him. Most of the deaths are forgettable, despite being gorier this time around. The sequel isn't bad, just rather forgettable. William Holden and Lee Grant star.

And three years later comes OMEN: THE FINAL CONFLICT (Graham Baker, 1981), the last theatrical release of the original films. Damien is now in his early 30's and played by a young Sam Neill. This one is even more forgettable than the last, and I'm struggling to even remember a single kill or suspenseful sequence. It's interesting that the one aspect of this franchise that still has some relevance is the concept of politics vs. journalism. Most of the journalists in the franchise are very tabloid-y, out to take down the politicians using personal means. I guess the good vs evil aspect will always be timely. The ending to this is really quite campy, almost like something out of a religious film. After all the deaths and spending time with Damien, the franchise veers off to didactic messaging??? SIDENOTE: Young Sam can get it.

Nearly a decade later comes the direct to TV "film" OMEN IV: THE AWAKENING (Jorge Montesi and Dominique Othenin-Girard, 1991) that debuted on Fox in May. It's about what you'd expect for a made for Fox film from the early 90's: completely awful. This time there's no Damien, so we get Delia (Asia Vieira). She's the new anti-Christ, adopted by a Virginia congressman and his wife. Unintentional laughter abounds, and the kills now lack any blood. The film focuses more on mysticism than overt religion. I guess it was a little late with the cults that were so popular in the 80's.

Ranking/ratings:
1. The Omen - B
2. Damien: Omen II - C
3. Omen: The Final Conflict - C-
4. Omen IV: The Awakening - D

Horrorfest X: A group of strangers is trapped in a UPS with a bunch of rattlesnakes!

BAIT
(Kimble Rendall)
After a tsunami hits the coast of Australia, a group of people become trapped in a supermarket - along with 2 great white sharks. Occasionally done in by it's low budget and shrewd digital 3D gimmicks, it nevertheless rises above to become a pretty fun, suspenseful time. Most of the shark effects work, and luckily most of the characters aren't too stupid. Featuring a slew of Aussie actors who appeared in other horror movies: Xavier Samuel (The Loved Ones), Sharni Vinson (the great Final Girl from You're Next) and Alex Russell (the Carrie remake). Though in all honesty, it's probably for the best I watched this before Crawl. GRADE: B

BLOOD CREEK
(Joel Schumacher, 2009)
A young West Virginian (Henry Cavill) and his veteran brother (Dominic Purcell) become entangled in a 70+ year curse dating back to when a farmer's family became captives by a doctor from the Third Reich. (It makes more sense in the actual movie.) We've already seen Nazi zombies from the much better Dead Snow and its sequel. While the premise of this shows promise, it ultimately doesn't deliver much other than a crop of man candy in their earlier roles. But, wow, was Henry Cavill terrible in this?!? Michael Fassbender and Shea Whigham also appear. GRADE: C

CRAWL
(Alexandre Aja, 2019)
A young swimmer and her father become trapped in their crawlspace as a hurricane sweeps through Florida. Bad enough, but there's a bunch of alligators down there with them. This wastes not a second of its 87 minute running time, and delivers the goods: jumps, genuine suspense, bloody wounds, fantastic sound design, and enough alligator action to last several movies. For being a relatively low budget feature, the alligator effects are pretty fantastic and believable. Aja's filmography is a bit inconsistent, but this is one of his best. Friendly reminder that another very good creature feature is the Aussie croc film Rogue. Double feature alert! With Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper. GRADE: B+

CREEPSHOW 2
(Michael Gornick, 1987)
I watched the first film 10 years ago, and couldn't find the sequel on DVD for years. Well, as luck would have it, I got it this year. Not as star-studded as the first, the sequel shows three shorts. The first involves a trio of young robbers haunted by an item at the sight of their robbery. The second, and best, shows a quartet of college students stalked by a blob while on a raft in the middle of a lake. The third story is about a woman coming home from an affair, and haunted by a hitchhiker she injured. All three would barely be serviceable Tales From the Crypt episodes. A young Holt McCallany appears, as does George Kennedy. That's the extent of "stars". The first film was ahead of this one in that regard, at least. GRADE: C

Horrorfest X: Darkness, Doom and Terror Trips Ahoy!

A DARK SONG
(Liam Gavin, 2017)
Since many of the older horror films are unavailable on DVD/Netflix, I'm left with watching some of IFC Midnight/Scream Factory's latest offerings. This Irish supernatural thriller follows a woman trying to make contact with her deceased son. She's aided by a fucked up occultist, whose severe methods will test both of them. It's a good setup, but that's almost all this film is. It keeps almost delivering. Anytime something interesting is about to happen or a payoff looms, the film immediately goes another direction. With Steve Oram and Catherine Walker. GRADE: C+

DOOM
(Andrzej Bartkowiak, 2005)
Genetically enhanced humanoids wreak havoc at a space station in this adaptation of the video game. One of Dwayne Johnson's earlier film efforts, the former wrestler was still learning the "acting on film" ropes as he was a little rough around the edges. His co-stars Rosamund Pike and Karl Urban fare better, even if their sibling characters seem to have more of an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic. Special effects and gore are okay, about what you'd expect for a Resident Evil knockoff. GRADE: C

FEED THE GODS
(Braden Croft, 2014)
Speaking of Resident Evil, that franchise's co-star Shawn Roberts appears in this low budget, direct-to-DVD yarn about two brothers searching for what happened to their mother. When they were just boys, she went missing in a town where the residents appear to be hiding something in the forest. Something hungry. Shawn Roberts is really hot, and I've never gotten why he didn't become a bigger star. This is important because Shawn is one of the few things you can see clearly in the film. The picture quality is dim as can be. I'm a sucker for sasquatch movies, but the visual problem really inhibits this one from working. GRADE: C-

FIRESTARTER
(Mark L. Lester, 1984)
An eight-year-old Drew Barrymore plays Charlie, a girl who can start fires with her mind. Charlie and her dad (David Keith) go on the run from a secret government agency known as "The Shop".An adaptation of Stephen King's story, this is basically a much younger version of Carrie. Like that film, it saves it's bloodshed for the ending. The special effects in that scene are surprisingly good for the era, but the film itself generates zero suspense and it really suffers from the comparisons to the superior teenage telekinetic tale. Also with Martin Sheen, Heather Locklear and George C. Scott. GRADE: C+

GHOST STORY
(John Irvin, 1981)
A handful of legendary stars play former fraternity brothers who share a secret from decades before involving a young woman. Now, a mysterious woman is involved in the death's of several people around them. Is the young woman back from the grave? (Well, obviously...) Slow burn chiller that probably would have to be severely revamped story-wise if it were ever to be remade in the post-#MeToo era. Some cool effects for the era, and given the old school cast there's a surprising amount of sex and nudity. With Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbacks Jr and John Houseman. A young Alice Krige makes an ethereal impression as the doomed young woman. GRADE: B-

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3
(Genndy Tartakovksy, 2018)
Latest installment in the popular animated franchise in which Dracula and his family and friends go on a cruise vacation. There, he meets a cruise director he falls for. Only problem is she's the descendant of Van Helsing. Some amusing gags, but the film's pacing is too rapid fire. Too much of the humor feels recycled from the other films. I'd say the second is probably the best in this franchise. With the voices of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez and Kathryn Hahn. GRADE: C

THE INTRUDER
(Deon Taylor, 2019)
Dennis Quaid plays a psychotic man who sells his home to a nice couple (Michael Ealy, Meagan Good) only to start terrorizing them when they move in. Yes, it's very TV movie-ish, and a throwback to the early 90's when these films were in vogue on the big screen. Screen Gems has had tremendous luck with low budget thrillers that pretty much deliver what they promise and little else. It's amusing to see Quaid play against type, though you have to wonder if Good's character had some kind of brain damage for not realizing he was a nutjob. Thanks to the PG-13 rating, it ends about 5 seconds before it should. If you're gonna make this type of movie, at least fully commit. GRADE: C+

MIDSOMMAR
(Ari Aster, 2019)
Aster's follow-up to last year's superior Hereditary is another examination of grief amidst horror. It Girl Florence Pugh plays a young woman who lost her sister and parents in a murder-suicide. She tags along with her boyfriend and his friends to Sweden, where a remote village is celebrating it's mid-summer festival. The festivities grow from increasingly ominous to outright violent. The film owes a debt of gratitude to The Wicker Man and several others. I was fully with this film for about 2/3 of 147-minute runtime, and then realized it really didn't have anything new to bring to the table. Though I have to say, I really appreciate A24 bringing these types of film to wide audiences. Years/decades ago, they never would have made it out of arthouses. Pugh continues to impress, while Jack Reynor and Will Poulter lead the solid supporting cast. GRADE: B

SHOCKER
(Wes Craven, 1989)
One of my last Craven blind-spots. *sheds a tear* After his family is murdered, a hotshot college football player (Peter Berg) aids the police in taking down the serial killer (Mitch Pileggi, pre X-Files) responsible. After being sentenced to death, he returns by inhabiting various bodies and hopes to exact revenge on the young athlete. Again, I was with this for most of the runtime, but the ending is a little too comical and with very 80's effects. They do that thing where people are running through the TV like in that one Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror". It doesn't quite live up to the first act, which is very violent with excellent production design. Happy 30th! GRADE: B-

TRIANGLE
(Christopher Smith, 2009)
After their yacht is upturned during a sea storm, a group of friends finds an abandoned ship in the middle of the ocean. (In the Bermuda Triangle, perhaps!) Once onboard, they discover someone is out to kill them and time appears to have stopped altogether. More of a mind bender than a scary tale, it delivers a solid payoff but it's hard to care about anything happening. Sadly, it's a decent concept mostly wasted. For a low budget feature, the special effects during the storm sequence deliver. With Melissa George, doing the best she can, and Liam Hemsworth looking hot. GRADE: C+

Box: I saw a trailer for 'The Current War' over 2 years ago.

1. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil - $19m / $67m / $110m
2. Joker - $15.5m / $274m / $308m
3. Zombieland: Double Tap - $14m / $50m / $80m
4. Countdown - $12m / $12m / $32m
5. The Addams Family - $9.5m / $71m / $92m
6. Black and Blue - $6m / $6m / $16m
7. Gemini Man - $4m / $43.5m / $51m
8. The Current War - $3.5m / $3.5m / $10m
9. The Lighthouse - $2.5m / $3m / $7.5m
10. Abominable - $2m / $57m / $61m
***Downton Abbey - $2m / $92m / $96m

Parasite finished at #11 last weekend. It continues to impress. I believe it's in 80ish theaters this weekend. Jojo Rabbit will be in a similar number this weekend. The Lighthouse is going to 500+ locations, so of those three it's the most likely to make the top 10. Also, Hustlers crossed $100m. That's the third original film of the year to do so, joining Us and Once Upon a Time In Hollywood. It's also Jennifer Lopez's first $100m+ grosser, and Constance Wu's second. This weekend sees three openers. Given the timing, only Countdown will probably perform okay. Then, it'll just the countless crop of PG-13 horror movies no one remembers.

Horrorfest: "Does the basement have a portal to Hell?" - Me on House Hunters

THE BEYOND
(Lucio Fulci, 1981)
I saw my first Fulci 2 or 3 years ago. That was The House by the Cemetery, which I enjoyed. This film follows a young woman who inherits a house in New Orleans. Sounds good until she discovers it's built over one of the seven entrances to Hell. Cool concept, with grisly extended death sequences featuring makeup effects and gushing bloody. There's one involving a swarm of tarantulas that made me squirm. There's definitely some silliness as the film's story occasionally takes some long detours to other characters, particularly anything involving the zombies. GRADE: B

THE LURE
(Agnieszka Smoczynska, 2017)
Fantasy about two mermaids brought on land to join a musical act at an adult night club in Poland. A definite genre bender with lots of pop music, and more fish fucking than The Shape of Water. Splash, it ain't. Some of the details with the world building needed fleshing out. It's never really stated if mermaids are a big part of the world and if there are other fairy tale creatures. Also, why do they have vampire teeth when they turn? I think it would've been interesting if the sisters became a huge musical act, and what that would entail with their secret identity. The music is very catchy, though, and the film casts an alluring spell. GRADE: B

RAVENOUS
(Antonia Bird, 1999)
This was one of my 1999 blindspots, the now 20-year-old film has gained a small cult following since it bombed in theaters that spring. An officer in the 1800's is stationed at an outpost where he tangles with a cannibal in this bloody horror/western. Tonally, it's all over the place and the dialogue and acting are very modern. Even the opening credits don't match the rest of the film. The original director was fired after a few days, and Bird was brought on after being recommended by co-star Robert Carlyle. The film didn't do much for her, as it was her last feature film before working exclusively in television. For a much better film with a similar story, check out Bone Tomahawk. With Guy Pearce, Jeffrey Jones and David Arquette. GRADE: C

Box: Bad guys rule!

1. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil - $38m / $38m / $125m
2. Joker - $30m / $247m / $300m
3. Zombieland: Double Tap - $22m / $22m / $65m
4. The Addams Family - $17m / $58m / $95m
5. Gemini Man - $10m / $38.5m / $58m
6. Abominable - $3.5m / $54m / $60m
7. Downton Abbey - $3m / $88m / $94m
8. Hustlers - $2m / $101.5m / $106m
**Judy - $2m / $19m / $25m
10. It: Chapter 2 - $1.5m / $209.5m / $212m

Last week, Parasite scored the biggest PTA of the year. Not sure how many theaters it is getting this weekend, but should be an exciting run to follow. It will be a big Oscar player and is a foreign film, a rare combo. After all, we don't know how Roma would have done had it been given a typical theatrical rollout. Also opening in limited this weekend is The Lighthouse and Jojo Rabbit. Lighthouse is going nationwide next weekend, probably smart as it doesn't seem to be a mainstream-friendly film. Jojo expands wide in early November, and that one despite mixed reviews is already an audience fave. In wide release this weekend are two sequels to movies that came out 6 years ago and a decade ago, respectively. Neither film will match the grosses of the originals, and Maleficent might not even get half there domestically. Double Tap is entering a market that isn't nearly as friendly to comedies as it was when the first opened.

Horrorfest X: Family Game Night

CHILD'S PLAY
(Lars Klevberg, 2019)
Aubrey Plaza stars in this remake of the late 80's classic. (I know she's 35, but she seems so much younger it's almost shocking to see her with a tween son.) Chucky has been updated for the tech era, though strangely he never seems to require a recharge. Seriously, that bothered me! Why didn't they just let him run out of power? These films were never particularly scary, so the latter installments in the franchise went more comedic and occasionally crude. That's the tone this one mostly hits. Outside of the new design for the doll, this one offers almost nothing new to the franchise. Brian Tyree Henry also appears. GRADE: C

THE DEAD DON'T DIE
(Jim Jarmusch, 2019)
A star-studded cast can't save this rare misfire from Jim Jarmusch. The zombie apocalypse hits a small town, and that's mostly it. The plot proceeds as it typically does, with everyone reacting in a tone so deadpan (no pun intended) that half the cast looks like they are about to fall asleep. The fourth wall breaking lines don't work at all. I appreciate what Tilda Swinton was doing, but it tonally clashes with everything else. A really frustrating waste of both a big cast and the zombie genre, a surprise given how well Jarmusch did with the vampire genre in Only Lovers Left Alive. Bill Murray, Adam Driver and Selena Gomez star. GRADE: C-

READY OR NOT
(Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, 2019)
Amusing horror/comedy about a bride's realization that she's the target in her new family's violent, twisted game of hide and seek. Samara Weaving is a worthy new addition to the long line of Final Girls. She's just terrific! With the humor and gore, it's probably a future cult classic even if for me it's more of a base hit than an outright home run. Adam Brody (no stranger to the genre with Scream 4 and Jennifer's Body) and Andie McDowell (a genre newbie, perhaps?) also appear. GRADE: B

Horrorfest X: Once More With Less Feeling

Among the fun stuff this year....

+10th Anniversary of Jennifer's Body
+The Omen franchise
+I've decided to try and focus on some films I haven't seen from 10/20/30/40?/50? years ago. Expect lots of '09/'99, etc.

ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE
(John McPhail, 2018)
If one were to make a list of most influential films of the new millennium, I'd imagine Shaun of the Dead would probably be on that list. If 28 Days Later brought the zombie film into the post 9/11 world, Shaun was the film that proved the subgenre could be flexible. Thus we have Anna and the Apocalypse, which may be the first zombie musical. A valiant effort that doesn't quite land the way it should, the film follows a young Brit planning on moving away from her small town after she graduates. Just in time for the Christmas holiday, the zombie apocalypse breaks out. Some of the musical numbers are memorable, even if the story never quite sings. Not shocking too learn that there are different cuts of the film, as the world building feels rather abrupt and there's some clumsy jumping between the storylines. GRADE: B-

ANNABELLE COMES HOME
(Gary Dauberman, 2019)
Next chapter in the Conjuring universe that spends most of its running time establishing future installments. After the Warren's (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, only appearing in the bookends) bring home Annabelle to their room of horrors, their daughter's babysitter's friend unleashes the possessed doll along with a plethora of other items. The film mostly takes place over the course of one night in the Warren's home, and it's not as fastly paced as most recent horror outings. (I wouldn't call it slow, though.) I appreciated that the characters weren't just stock horror characters, and the sentiment given to Katie Sarife's character. Props to the production designer for nailing the period as there's a lot of details in the home that made me smile. There's just a bit too much going on with the spirits being unleashed on the various items - and that we'll most likely see all these in future installments. That said, I eagerly await "The Bride" movie. Better than the first Annabelle, not as good as Creation. GRADE: B-

BRIGHTBURN
(David Yarovesky, 2019)
The Superman origin story has been reimagined with a The Bad Seed twist. It's only 90 minutes and not a second is wasted, and that's the problem. The film has no breathing room, it just moves from one set piece to the next. Some work, and there's blood aplenty. I have to wonder why they gave away so much of the film's final act in the trailer. And did you really have to play Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy" in the ending credits? Doesn't really fit tonally. Starring Elizabeth Banks and David Denman. GRADE: C+

MA
(Tate Taylor, 2019)
Octavia Spencer stars a veterinary assistant who befriends a group of high school students, letting them party at her place. Friendship leads to obsession, and it turns out she's seeking revenge for her own high school trauma. Spencer is terrific here, but so much of this should veer toward campy horror that it's ultimately a bore given how straight the material plays out. I'd love to see an all out comedic version of the same story, and Spencer could easily make that work given how strong she is with comic material. Allison Janney has an extended cameo as the vet, while Juliette Lewis and Luke Evans (and his prosthetic penis!) also appear. GRADE: C

Box: Where There's a Will, There's Another Will

1. Joker - $43m / $179m / $255m
2. The Addams Family - $20m / $20m / $60m
3. Gemini Man - $15m / $15m / $44m
4. Abominable - $7m / $48.5m / $64m
5. Downton Abbey - $4.5m / $82m / $93m
6. Jexi - $4m / $4m / $10m
7. Hustlers - $3.5m / $97.5m / $107m
**Judy - $3.5m / $15m / $26m
9. It: Chapter 2 - $2.5m / $206.5m / $211m
10. Ad Astra - $2m / $47m / $50m

Joker has been having very strong weekdays, so legs might be decent after all. Three openers this weekend, led by the long in development animated Addams Family. It should do okay, while there are no reviews yet. Probably not a good sign. Gemini Man does have reviews and they are quite bad. That didn't hurt Will Smith with Aladdin, but that was a brand name. At least it won't be a megaflop like Ang Lee's last technical foray - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. I'm still shocked that didn't even gross $2m. The last opener is the comedy Jexi, which reimagines Her but as a broad comedy. Looks like the typical October comedy that grosses nothing and will be in a $5 DVD bin in a year or so. Lastly, Downton Abbey will in the next week surpass Brokeback Mountain to become Focus Features' highest grossing film, a record the latter held for 14 years. Not sure what exactly happened to Focus. They were the best in the early-to-mid aughts, but their quality dropped off considerably this decade.

Box: Joaquin Phoenix is the only big screen Joker who doesn't have an Oscar.

1. Joker - $85m / $85m / $200m
2. Abominable - $14m / $40.5m / $75m
3. Downton Abbey - $8m / $73m / $90m
4. Hustlers - $7m / $92m / $108m
5. It: Chapter 2 - $5m / $202m / $212m
**Ad Astra - $5m / $44m / $55m
7. Judy - $4.5m / $9m / $25m
8. Rambo: Last Blood - $4m / $40.5m / $48m

The last two movies in the top 10 will probably struggle to do a million. There's a chance The Lion King will still be in the top 10, which is crazy. Joker arrives after a month or so of controversies. There are numerous $100m+ predictions, but I've always thought this was doing numbers very similar to Venom last year. Probably a higher start, lower finish. Judy expands to nearly 1,500 locations after a very strong start last weekend. Opening in limited is the terribly reviewed Lucy in the Sky, with Natalie Portman and Jon Hamm.