Paranormal Activity 2

I've only ever seen the first in this series, so this was the next up on my list of horror franchises I've missed over the years. The second installment of this series was pretty solid. I normally spook easily with films like this, and I did jump a time or three during it. The acting was very solid, which helped propel the story along, and I liked that the script only hinted at motives to the haunting without really drawing them out. The half-knowledge of why this was happening made it more thrilling in my opinion. A solid film, I will be interested to see number three. 3.5/5

Paranormal Activity 2 on Netflix

The Haunting in Connecticut

This isn't a particularly compelling supernatural thriller, although it is decently acted. The direction and effects were pretty good, although the story seemed stale and very by-the-numbers. Supposedly this is based on a novelization of a true story, so I guess I have to forgive the plot clunkiness a bit, but this was really only average for me. 3/5

The Haunting in Connecticut on Netflix

Willow Creek

Bobcat Goldthwait tries his hand at horror and does a decent job of it in this found-footage Bigfoot flick. This is a better version of a "Blair Witch" movie than that god-awful "Blair Witch" sequel was. Just one couple camping in the woods, looking for Bigfoot, and all hell slowly breaks loose. There's a long, extended shot that lasts for several minutes without moving the camera at all towards the end. I thought I would end up being annoyed with it, but the tension build so nicely during it that I was genuinely impressed. I do think that there is a two-second shot at the end that simply doesn't need to be there, but that may be my personal preference for this type of film, which I truly do love. All in all, a good horror film. 3.5/5

Willow Creek on Netflix

Blair Witch

I need to start this review by stating I am perhaps the biggest "The Blair Witch Project" fan in the world. I was so taken and transformed by the original 1999 film that I devoured any and all canonical material about the film/story, of which there was A LOT. So when I saw that this was an "official" Blair Witch sequel, and I saw that the feel of the trailer seemed right, I got really excited. However, this film let me down in a big way. Remember, the first Blair Witch was the first mainstream found-footage film, and Myrick and Sanchez did everything right. Everything we see was film that could be recovered, and we never saw one single sign of the Witch. That last point is important, because by never showing us the Witch (or anything strange or supernatural at all for that matter), the Witch could have been anywhere or everywhere. But by the half way point in this "sequel", we not only begin seeing footage that could not have been recovered, but we see supernatural events unfolding. And the end... I don't even want to dignify it by talking about it. It's cheap and stale and violates everything that was awesome and sacred about the first film. Why Myrick and Sanchez produced this or allowed it to be called a sequel is beyond me, but I, as a long time fan of the original, am horribly disappointed. 2/5

Blair Witch on Netflix

The Invitation

This tense thriller is the very definition of the word "ominous". It unravels the plot very slowly, carefully, and deliberately, all the while allowing the viewer to feel that something is very wrong, but not to know exactly what. The soundscape of the film is just glorious, and it aids the growing tension quite well. The cinematography is thoughtful and allows the viewer to feel caught in the same house as the characters are. But, for me, the crowning glory of this film is the last sixty seconds, which are just perfection. I really enjoyed this film. 4/5

Invitation on Netflix

10 Cloverfield Lane

What a truly excellent film! I loved how it wasn't a sequel to "Cloverfield" at all... until suddenly it was. The set-up and delivery of the plot was perfectly handled. The acting was really solid, and Bear McCreary's score was just top-notch. This was one of the best films I've seen so far this year - a truly solid film top to bottom. 5/5

10 Cloverfield Lane on Netflix

Approaching the Unknown

This is a difficult movie to watch at times. As the utter hopelessness of the situation settles in, the sense of dread becomes palpable and claustrophobic. The direction and acting were kept very minimalist, which I felt enhanced the growing feelings isolation and loneliness. The ending was both triumphant and filled with absolute despair, which was really the only way this film could end. It's a good film, but I'm not sure how fun it was to watch. 3.5/5

Approaching the Unknown on Netflix

Insidious: Chapter 2

I watched the first "Insidious" film before my massive "Saw" marathon, so I didn't realize that Leigh Whannell, the writer of the first three "Saw" films, was also the author of the "Insidious" films. I felt Whannell's presence as a writer in this second film, which I felt was more cohesive and had more plot twists to it than the first in the series. Wan has definitely grown as a director in the last several years, and I thought the style and palette of this film was grainy and mealy as it should be. I liked this second film more than the first - I will be interested to see the third. 3.5/5

Insidious: Chapter 2 on Netflix

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House

Reviewers of this Netflix original psych thriller are heavily divided about it. Half feel this is a work of brilliance, and the other half feel it's a terrible waste of time. Surprisingly, I find myself in the former camp - I thought this film was stunning. I don't mind slow-moving films, but the pace of this is glacial at best, and normally that annoys me quickly. But I could have watched this for hours, I really could have. The tone and atmosphere of it is just breathtaking, and the scenes are interwoven with poetry that is so haunting and lovely that I was mesmerized. I tried to find the opening monologue somewhere online, but it seems no one has capped or transcribed it. I absolutely feel that there are symbolic layers to this I didn't pick up on in this viewing - I'll have to watch it again to get it all I think. Ruth Wilson was captivating in this - I really enjoyed it. I certainly won't forget it. 4/5

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House on Netflix

Anguish

I am so blown away by the cinematography in this film. Every frame was like a piece of fine art. It was lush and framed so perfectly it was just breathtaking. Ryan Simpkins was magical in the lead, which was not an easy part to play in the least. I don't know why the complaints about the ending - I adored it. It was the perfect way to end this film. I loved this. 4.5/5

Anguish on Netflix

The Neon Demon

I never thought I'd say this, but I've finally seen a Nicolas Winding Refn film I didn't like. I'm shocked, I've been so in tune with his style and his narrative that I've loved everything he's done, but this? Not this. It's beautiful, but of course it's beautiful. Refn has an eye that no one else in cinema has, so "The Neon Demon" has all the style in the world. But there is no substance here at all. There's barely a plot, the acting is stilted, and the story banal. So many things were inserted just for shock value alone, such as the necrophilia sequence, and for me it just detracted from what could have been a probative look into what constitutes beauty. I know he was trying to push the envelope with this film, but he could have done so without sacrificing the plot. So, for me, not good, and I'm super disappointed to say that. 2/5

The Neon Demon on Netflix

The Last Exorcism Part II

The problem with this second installment in "The Last Exorcism" series is there is very little exorcising going on. I feel like so many opportunities to deal with demons in creative ways were lost here due to an uncreative script. The shining light that saves this movie from utter banality is the acting of Ashley Bell, who is just amazing in this role. Her physical acting really sells me on her possession, particularly her work with her hands. Only because she's in this and knocking it out of the park did this get a three star rating - other than that it's really not good. 3/5

The Last Exorcism Part II on Netflix

Backtrack

I really enjoyed this twisty thriller, even more so because, unlike many in this genre, it made a fair amount of psychological sense. Brody is excellent as always, and I was always one step behind the plot twists, which kept me guessing. A very solid film. 4/5

Backtrack on Netflix

Ratter

I liked the camera work and the fact that we know very little going in and leaving this story. However, it's a short movie that felt loooong. It dragged a lot, and the acting was shaky at best, and I'm being somewhat kind. Decent premise, but the execution was off. 2.5/5

Ratter on Netflix

And Soon the Darkness

This is one of those horror flicks where, if anyone made one single rational and responsible decision, none of this hell would have happened. A very average fright fest. 2.5/5

And Soon the Darkness on Netflix

These Final Hours

This apocalyptic drama is truly wonderful and shines a light on how we might behave if the end of the world was upon us. Strong script, solid acting, and simple yet effective direction - a real gem. 4.5/5

These Final Hours on Netflix

Megan is Missing

This is, quite honestly, one of the more profoundly and deeply disturbing films I've seen in a while, and I watch a lot of twisted things. The campy cheesiness of the first half of the film paves the way for a second half that grows more dark and horrifying every minute. The end of this film had me so upset I nearly turned it off. I kind of wish I had, as I'm going to have nightmares for days. The only thing stopping me from rating this higher is the acting, which is really bad. Really, truly bad. And because it is so bad, it's hard to really sink into this film as one needs to, but, for me, that was a welcome blessing. Such a dark film. 4/5

Megan is Missing on Netflix

White Rabbit

This gritty film had a lot of potential. Judging from the deleted scenes and alternate ending, it was originally darker and more punchy, but this final edit watered things down too much for me. There was a neat reveal I didn't see coming, I'll give it that. 3/5

White Rabbit on Netflix

Queen of Earth

They don't make movie like this anymore. Decades ago, ambitious filmmakers made artful psychological horror films about people descending into madness, but I haven't seen anything in that vein done convincingly in a while. Until now. "Queen of Earth" looks, feels, and sounds like an Igmar Bergman film in all the right ways - even the trailer is done in a late-period Bergman style. Elizabeth Moss gives the performance of a lifetime with her utter chilling descent into madness, and delivers possibly the single most unnerving line of dialogue in a movie I've ever heard. Masterfully done. 5/5

Queen of Earth on Netflix

The Visit

Seriously, what happened to Shyamalan? This was just awful & the "twist" was ridiculous. Painfully bad. 1.5/5

The Visit on Netflix