Synopsis: Following the death of her husband, Alice retreats to her in-laws’ secluded home in hopes of finding comfort. Instead, an ancient evil turns her grieving family into bloodthirsty Deadites, forcing her into a brutal fight for survival where the vows of marriage prove to have terrifying consequences beyond death.
Cast Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan, plus supporting roles
Synopsis When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
Review: I have been a big Zachary Cregger fan for a long time. It started with Whitest Kids U Know, then I followed him and the late great Trevor Moore to Miss March, a funny comedy with Craig Robbinson. I watched him in Wrecked, the TBS parody of Lost. And then I watched the breakout hit Barbarian and have been following his horror journey ever since.
I have been looking forward to Weapons for a few years now. It’s gone through some major delays, but it is finally here. And I know this sounds like a first world problem, but I was on vacation and I had to wait four days to see it. I know. And I avoided all spoilers.
The movie has a slower build up to a wild third act. Like Barbarian. The jump scares throughout are pretty terrifying.
The third act goes pretty nuts in this movie. It is not a predictable movie by any means. There is talk about a possible preque, which I would be onboard for.
Austin Abrams is one of my favorite newer actors and he crushes it in this movie. He stuck with Cregger throughout the whole production and is now starring in his next movie, Resident Evil!
Cast: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger, Tony Todd
Premise: Plagued by a recurring violent nightmare, a college student returns home to find the one person who can break the cycle and save her family from the horrific fate that inevitably awaits them.
Review: I am a huge fan of the Final Destination franchise. I grew up during the days of Devon Sawa adding a few very notable horror movies to his resume. Idle Hands was one of my favorites growing up along with Final Destination. At the same time I was playing Mouse Trap as a kid, I was sneakily watching Final Destination. Luckily, I didn’t have OCD at the time. Well, I probably did, but not as noticeably as these days. Now, the movies just add to my OCD. But that doesn’t stopping me from watching these movies. And rewatching these movies.
Before this new entry came out, the first one in 14 years, I rewatched the first five. Everyone loves the second one. The logging truck scene from part II is the most memorable and memeable to so many people. And don’t get me wrong, I loved it. But I still think the first movie and Final Destination 5 stick out as the best ones to me.
When rewatching them, I honestly can’t recall if I had ever seen Final Destination 3. And as much as I love Ryan Merriman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Amanda Crew, this was my least favorite in the franchise. It was too cheesy, although it was nice having Tony Todd in it and some of the kills were fun.
In 2011, Final Destination 5 came out. It was the second movie to use James Cameron’s 3D cameras. It was the first really comedic entry in the franchise, with cast members like David Koechner and P.J. Byrne. It also had one of my favorite actor/musicians at the time, Mike Fisher. The movie was a blast in the theater and the last scene was fantastic. Something that only a few movies in franchises, like Saw,
What It Reminds Me Of: Final Destination, Annabelle, Twilight Zone
Writer: Oz Perkins, based on a short story by Stephen King
Director: Oz Perkins
Premise: When twin brothers Bill and Hal find their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths start. The siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years.
My Premise: Three couples reunite at a billionaires secluded lake house and true identities come to light as people
Cast: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Converg, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy
I was all in from the moment I saw this trailer. A Stephen King short story. Produced by James Wan. Theo James—and also Theo James. I wasn’t as sold on Oz Perkins after Longlegs left me wildly disappointed, but now? Fully on board with him as a writer/director.
Apparently, I was the only one who didn’t pick up on the comedy in the trailer. It looked so violent and gruesome that I must have missed it. But let me tell you—this movie is hilarious. From start to finish. And not just because of the deaths. The way the characters talk about death, the dynamic between the brothers—there’s even a funeral scene with the mom and two sons that has some of the funniest dialogue in the movie.
It also kicks off with a totally unexpected cameo—one I never saw coming but was so hyped to see. The opening sets up The Monkey and wastes no time with a strong first kill. The second act slows down a bit, but it makes sense for the story and leads up to a wild third act. The movie is basically a sandwich where the meat is on the outsides—the first and third acts are loaded with over-the-top, violent, gruesome deaths. The whole theater was in uproar during the kill scenes, where you either see it coming a mile away or have no clue what’s about to happen. And the body parts? They really fly in this movie.
This year seems to be big for horror, but also big for actors playing multiple roles. Theo James plays twins in The Monkey, Robert Pattinson is tackling at least 17 versions of himself in Mickey 17, and Robert De Niro is pulling double duty as Frank Costello and Vito Genovese in The Alto Knights. I’ve become a huge Theo James fan—just finished watching him in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman series, and of course, he was great in The White Lotus and The Time Traveler’s Wife. He nails the contrast between the two brothers here.
Elijah Wood has been popping up in a lot of horror lately—he’s in Yellowjackets opposite Christina Ricci’s insane Misty, he’s starring in the long-awaited Toxic Avenger reboot, and he has a small but fun part in this movie. Also, seeing Sarah Levy in this? Unexpected but great. She plays a funky, fun character.
The whole thing feels like a Twilight Zone movie with a big budget and zero PG-13 restrictions. When I first saw the trailer, I immediately thought about how it could prime people for Final Destination 6—another movie loaded with random, violent, Rube Goldbergian deaths. Can audiences handle two movies like that in one year? At least there’s a few months between them.
Trivia time: I just learned that Os Perkins was Dorky David in Legally Blonde!
