Michael and I decided to do a spontaneous Sunday night movie last week. Because of my urging, we ended up in the theater watching (of course) Happy Death Day, as opposed to Lego Ninjago or (another) viewing of Thor: Ragnarok – the two current most logical outcomes of letting Michael pick the movie. And while another viewing of Ragnarok or an initial viewing of Lego Ninjago wouldn’t have been completely insufferable, Happy Death Day turned out to be a really intriguing horror-movie going experience, if only because, well, it turned out to be a bit of an aberration. I was, I admit, underwhelmed by the previews of the cliché killer wearing a creepy mask and stalking a female college student. I didn’t think the film looked horrible, but it didn’t really look scary. And since the “re-live the same day over and over and over” trope is a horror off-shoot of Groundhog’s Day, I wasn’t expecting to be enamored (I mean, Groundhog’s Day is fantastic, but I didn’t think another film like it would work as well). And to be fair, I wasn’t enamored. But there were some surprising elements of the film that made it, well, entertaining to watch, and incredibly distinct from a lot of horror that’s currently out in theaters. Continue reading “Happy Death Day – A Pleasant Surprise”
Blumhouse
Pleasantly Surprised by Ouija: Origin of Evil
I must confess: I adore seeing a newly released horror movie on a late October Friday night. It’s one of those macabrely sweet traditions that makes fall even more worth loving. So I was positively elated when I checked my local cinema’s schedule and found that Ouija: Origin of Evil was coming out Friday evening. Okay, pause, scratch that. Edit verbiage. I wasn’t positively elated. I was somewhat appreciative of an October horror movie release, but I wasn’t expecting a glistening performance. I mean, have you seen the first Ouija? If you haven’t, don’t bother. It was a cheesy Blumhouse bust (and, in general, I’m a fan of Blumhouse films). When Michael and I saw the first Ouija in theaters two years ago on Halloween night, our town experienced a sudden, broad-scale power outage that forced us to leave the movie before it was over. We were in no way devastated by this turn of events – although we did think a Halloween power outage was a little creepy – and chose to use our consolation free passes for a completely different film. In other words, I watched 65% of Ouija, never finished it, and couldn’t care less. But, I figured, if nothing else, Ouija: Origin of Evil was a horror movie on a fall night, and something to write about for my blog. Plus, on his twitter account Jason Blum proudly asserts that he thinks they “got it right this time,” with Origin of Evil, so I was at least a bit intrigued to see if he was feeding his fans a load of bullshit or if he could really make the sequel significantly better than the original. Continue reading “Pleasantly Surprised by Ouija: Origin of Evil”
Hawke Does Horror Fiction — And Does Pretty Well
For Christmas, I was unexpectedly gifted with the book The Haunted City, presented by Jason Blum. Because I’ve seen myriad Blumhouse movies – and have been moderately thrilled to terrified by most of them – I was unquestionably excited by this present. Indeed, the book received much praise, which it splashed across its beginning pages. My excitement intensified. And I stumbled upon a story by Ethan Hawke. We all know him. He seems like a likable enough guy, and certainly a good actor. So I thought to myself: I wonder how Hawke does horror? And I had to find out. As it turns out, he does pretty well, but he left me wanting more. Continue reading “Hawke Does Horror Fiction — And Does Pretty Well”
justdreadfull.com 