Horror Movie Talk

Synopsis

A medical courier named Bryan accepts one last job to deliver to Raccoon City hospital. on his way he is beset by many misadventures involving zombies and monsters. 

Review of Resident Evil (2026)

Zach Cregger was fingered to direct this after the wild success of Barbarian and Weapons. Here he enters the hollywood machine of rehashing tired IP, and in this instance comes out not just unscathed but triumphant. Resident Evil doesn’t have the complexity of his previous movies, but maintains his excellent timing and humor. He basically takes the junky character from weapons and gives him a job inside a video game and we watch the wacky high jinx. Bryan is a couple steps above simpleton and largely has single words as dialogue for the movie, but Austin Abrams gives a great performance as the everyman. I laughed out loud several times in the movie at the reactions of Brian as well as some of the absurd situations throughout. It also has some great jump scares that aren’t endlessly telegraphed like in most jump scares vehicles. The monsters and body horror are all well done and disturbing. It also is extremely well paced and comes in at a nearly extinct runtime of an hour and 30 minutes. Overall it’s a really fun movie and despite the nitpicks of Resident Evil fans it is objectively the best live action film in the franchise. 

Score

9/10

Synopsis

Based on the Richard Bachman/Stephen King novel of the same name, Thinner tells the story of an overweight lawyer who is cursed by a Gypsy to lose weight at an alarming rate. 

Review

It’s a simple premise that makes you wonder, huh what are they going to do with that! The answer is nothing. This is a big ol nothing burger of a movie. I remember seeing it when I was younger but I always assumed it was a made for tv movie, and now I understand why I thought that. The production quality and acting was so bad that it induced incredulity. The movie focuses so much on moving the plot forward that it fails to include a story with characters with clear motivations. It is so focused on getting to the next stage of thinness that it never takes a moment to really communicate what the characters think or feel about the situation. It ends up feeling as hollow as the protagonist’s former pants.

Score

2/10

Synopsis

When young couple Brad and Janet become stranded in the rain, In search of a phone they run into a mysterious castle run by the alien sweet transvestite Dr. Frank-N-Furter. In the midst of an outlandish experiment the couple is given shelter and introduced to a variety of eccentric characters. Through the course of the night, they are put in situations that challenge their sense of self, sexuality, and their relationship. 

Review of The Rocky Horror Picture Show

With the recent passing of Tim Curry I wanted to review a movie this week that truly captured his presence as a person and an actor.

 Every production he was in commanded attention and showcased something special that not all actors have, but I think no role of his is as unforgettable as Dr. Frank N Furter

The red lips, the corset …it’s giving 

Originating as a theatrical production the Rocky Horror Picture show has a rich history which is why it is still so huge in pop culture today

Taking inspiration from the 70’s sexual liberation movement, british glam rock and THE David Bowie, this film is the definition of campy and comes through with stunning over the top performances 

Tim Curry is simply magic and this is a true testament to his range as an actor 

The music if fun, and the visuals chaotic yet cohesive at the same time and you are truly brought into their world of sex and exploration with nods to horror classics

I have a deep appreciation for this film’s intent and execution although it’s not necessarily my cup of tea    

I think it transcends the need for a rating due to the cultural and historical impact, the safety it gave for the queer community at the time, the continued representation, and the balls to do something outlandish and fun. 

Score

8/10

Synopsis

In this 2007 French film, a pregnant woman on Christmas Eve, the night before her induced labor is mourning the recent loss of her husband in a car crash when she is terrorized by a nameless woman in the dark. 

Review

This movie is something else. it uses the equation of vulnerable person + unstoppable psychopath = dread to the maximum effect. It would be bad enough with just the pregnant woman as the protagonist, but we also the the In Utero POV showing the baby suffering from the trauma.

It’s very rare that a horror movie makes me actually feel something. I’m a jaded horror movie reviewer. I’ve seen it all. This film gave me a visceral reaction so deeply that I regressed to childhood and was watching parts of this movie through my fingers. This movie goes hard.

Even with the rather cheesy CGI of the early 2000s, you can’t help but still be disturbed by the ideas that said CGI is portraying.

While I can’t say I enjoyed this film, I can say it is a good film and achieves what it sets out to do.

Score

10/10

Synopsis

Gemma is a mother and a dentist (the two hardest jobs of them all), living in her childhood home with her daughter Maya. When Gemma was a child she watched her mother battle with mental health and eventually kill herself by bashing her own head into the shower wall repeatedly. Why does Gemma continue to live in that house and use that shower? Cause the plot needs her to. After experiencing some insidious events, Gemma must protect her daughter as she tries to reconnect with her past. What happens next will shock you, but spoilers…it’s insidious.

Review of Insidious: Out of the Further

Insidious is a franchise that has been near and dear to my heart. It was one of the first horror movies I really got into as a teenager, probably because it was rated PG-13 and I was too young to buy my own rated R tickets. The first two are gems, the third is okay, and the fourth is so terrible I don’t even want to consider it a part of the franchise. Some studios would have let it die. But not Blumhouse. Blumhouse will NEVER let this franchise die. Insidious 5: The Red Door came out a few years ago, and you know what? I didn’t hate it. But now we get a 6th addition to the story, which is mostly disconnected from the story in the other films and follows its own path. The story is about as good as I expected from a 6th Insidious installment, and it was able to make some lore additions that I found fresh and interesting. If you are looking for a great movie, maybe go rewatch Obsession, Hokum, or the Backrooms. This movie is pretty alright, and I think that is all we can ask of another insidious movie.