The Waterhouse
A good, well made film, except a key plot point is obvious early on, which makes much of what follows pretty predictable. There is still some fun to be had though, especially in the first two acts where there is more mystery and ambiguity over the characters' motives.
7 / 10
Halloween 2023
Halloween 2023
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: Halloween 2023
He Never Left
Not quite the fun Halloween slasher I'd been expecting, this is more serious, even looking at the consequences of people's actions.
Pretty light on gore in the first two acts, including some off-screen kills, but it makes up for this with a bloodier final act.
7 / 10
Not quite the fun Halloween slasher I'd been expecting, this is more serious, even looking at the consequences of people's actions.
Pretty light on gore in the first two acts, including some off-screen kills, but it makes up for this with a bloodier final act.
7 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: Halloween 2023
Maria
It takes a while to get to the fun bit, with some darker and more serious themes explored in the first 40 minutes or so, before letting the brakes off for the more bonkers finale.
A satisfying conclusion and the post-credits sequence helps to build further upon the story.
7.5 / 10
It takes a while to get to the fun bit, with some darker and more serious themes explored in the first 40 minutes or so, before letting the brakes off for the more bonkers
Spoiler:
A satisfying conclusion and the post-credits sequence helps to build further upon the story.
7.5 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: Halloween 2023
Lovely Dark and Deep
A new park ranger encounters increasingly bizarre experiences as she searches for missing people in the forest. A good mystery, although I'm not sure it always fully made sense. It did conclude satisfyingly though.
8 / 10
A new park ranger encounters increasingly bizarre experiences as she searches for missing people in the forest. A good mystery, although I'm not sure it always fully made sense. It did conclude satisfyingly though.
8 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: Halloween 2023
Superposition
I felt that I had seen similar movies to this before, but this is well made and it is good that it comes to a logical conclusion (within the film's own internal logic), even though I could see it coming.
It's interesting that the characters were not more likeable, perhaps the director was going for realism or perhaps it is so that our allegiances shift over the course of the film?
7.5 / 10
I felt that I had seen similar movies to this before, but this is well made and it is good that it comes to a logical conclusion (within the film's own internal logic), even though I could see it coming.
It's interesting that the characters were not more likeable, perhaps the director was going for realism or perhaps it is so that our allegiances shift over the course of the film?
7.5 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: Halloween 2023
Hood Witch
Describing this as an urban witch film doesn't do this justice, nor is it a straight horror film, although there are horrifying moments in this social realism cum chase thriller.
It also reminded me of the French police series Spiral at times, although the police and other authorities are conspicuous by their absence (except to remove corpses!) in the immigrant dominated neighbourhood where superstition holds sway and where most of the film takes place.
Gripping and occasionally quite tense, with moments of despair and poignancy for good measure.
8.5 / 10
Describing this as an urban witch film doesn't do this justice, nor is it a straight horror film, although there are horrifying moments in this social realism cum chase thriller.
It also reminded me of the French police series Spiral at times, although the police and other authorities are conspicuous by their absence (except to remove corpses!) in the immigrant dominated neighbourhood where superstition holds sway and where most of the film takes place.
Gripping and occasionally quite tense, with moments of despair and poignancy for good measure.
8.5 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: Halloween 2023
The Last Video Store
A loving homage to 1980s and '90s genre flicks and video shop culture. I can't fault it's enthusiasm, but clearly it is very low budget and as a film it didn't really work for me, although I'm sure it will find an audience who will have a blast with it.
6 / 10
A loving homage to 1980s and '90s genre flicks and video shop culture. I can't fault it's enthusiasm, but clearly it is very low budget and as a film it didn't really work for me, although I'm sure it will find an audience who will have a blast with it.
6 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: Halloween 2023
Blue Light
There are a few missteps, e.g. the main characters were threatening to get on my nerves early on, but once it really gets going the horror is fun, freaky, disturbing and occasionally nerve-shredding.
This ended up being thoroughly enjoyable and I even started to care about a number of the characters.
8.5 / 10
There are a few missteps, e.g. the main characters were threatening to get on my nerves early on, but once it really gets going the horror is fun, freaky, disturbing and occasionally nerve-shredding.
This ended up being thoroughly enjoyable and I even started to care about a number of the characters.
8.5 / 10
Last edited by Alex J on Sun Oct 29, 2023 8:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: Halloween 2023
Top 3
Joint first: Hood Witch and Blue Light
Third: Lovely Dark and Deep
Joint first: Hood Witch and Blue Light
Third: Lovely Dark and Deep
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.