Borgman (2013)

🎃 Horrorthon 2023 #44 🔥 10th Anniversary

This movie is bizarre and frustratingly ambiguous, but I couldn't stop watching.

The story progression is similar to a fairy tale, and many elements seem to be right on the periphery of folklore: Borgman perching on Marina while she's sleeping, giving her nightmares; the implication of men shapeshifting into dogs; children being lured and assimilated.

By the end of the film, there are no definitive answers, and surprisingly that didn't bother me. The ghoulish undertakings of this seemingly-supernatural group of transients were but a means-to-an-end, and they accomplished their goal and move on.

The conclusion is surreally matter-of-fact and satisfying -- there's no "why" offered because there doesn't need to be.

Watched on Kanopy 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

Rubber (2010)

🎃 Horrorthon 2023 #1

Absurdity for absurdity's sake. Not un-enjoyable... but don't expect any of it to make sense,😂 and be ready for a whole lotta watching a sentient tire roll around having an existential crisis.

Watched on MAX 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

House (1977)

  WTF KIND OF WILLY WONKA PORNO PSYCHOSIS IS THIS MOVIE?!

Watched on HBO Max 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

Jack Goes Home (2016)

HOOOOO BOY, this was way more art-house than I was expecting. For about the first 50 minutes, it was all drama drama drama, and I'm wondering how is this a horror movie? Then he finally goes into the attic and finds The Box, and everything just goes berserk from there.

⚠️ Definite trigger warnings for survivors of sexual assault and abuse.

Watched on Amazon Prime 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

Hagazussa (2017)

🎃 Horrorthon 2022 #37

There is a sparse amount of actual dialogue in this film -- it's mostly comprised of stunning imagery and shocking tragedy and suffocating dread.

Watched on Kanopy 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

The Vigil (2019)

  Much more drama than expected, fair warning.

Watched on Hulu 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

Kwaidan (1965)

Stories of ghosts and demons; visually stunning -- as restored 1960's Japanese folk films are wont to be -- but nooooot very horrifying, by modern standards.

Watched on HBO Max 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

It Follows (2014)

🎃 Horrorthon 2021 #16

  Well done original concept, but left me with more questions than answers!

Watched on DVD (library) 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

Häxan (1922)

🎃 Horrorthon 2020 #38

Original 1922 silent film, restored.

This was really interesting, and horrifying in its own unique way. A bizarre mix of historical instruction and dramatic presentation... but why devils always churning butter?! Churning butter all the time!

Watched on DVD (owned) 👁️ Watch FREE on YouTube  

Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1968)

🎃 Horrorthon 2020 #39

Aging beatniks interpret the original.

WOW this is pretty awesome. You have to have watched the original to appreciate what they've done with it. They sped up the footage a little bit, making it even more surreal. William S. Burroughs' narrations and the translations of the dialogue cards are modernized quite nicely. But by far the BEST aspect is the Jazz score replacing the original score, which really orchestrates the action on the screen in a much more appealing way.

Watched on DVD (owned) 👁️ Watch FREE on YouTube  

The Lords of Salem (2012)

🎃 Horrorthon 2020 #28

I want to say this move is underrated, but I can't.

Visually it's fantastic, it really is, and the cast is great (Meg Foster, wow!)... but something falls flat along the way... something's wrong, I can't quite put my finger on it... maybe it's trying too hard? taking itself too seriously? too much visual, not enough story? Seems like I should like it more than I do, but I just don't. 🤷

Watched on DVD (owned) 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

The Dead Don't Die (2019)

🎃 Horrorthon 2019 #25 🔥 Release Year

The reviews aren't great, but I enjoyed it --- but I can see how other people would not. Would I recommend it? Only to weirdos like me, I guess, lol.

It is slowww and dryyyyy; there is some social commentary re: corporate greed and consumerism that is not subtle and sticks out like a sore-thumb; and one of the character-groups' fate is never resolved to the audience.

Things I liked about it: The cast really saved it for me, Bill Murray and Adam Driver work well together, and Tilda Swinton being weird is always great; the plot is bizarre, but the cause of the zombie outbreak is creative; the running Sturgill Simpson gag (also, the theme song is good); the breaks in the 4th wall. My fave part was probably the WU-PS delivery.

Watched on DVD (library) 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

Midsommar (2019)

🎃 Horrorthon 2019 #12 🔥 Release Year

Well my friend was right when he saw this in-theater and told me I would like it (which is why I just went ahead and bought the DVD when it released). The cinematography is excellent -- gives that inverted (sometimes literally), otherworldly feeling, which was probably my favorite aspect, really. Loved the scandi-pagan-cultist aspects, but it was a low-key slow burn, if that's not your thing.

Watched on DVD (owned) 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

Suspiria (2018)

🎃 Horrorthon 2019 #4

This was OK. I liked it better than the original, but I didn't like the original all that much. This remake has its few great moments. Could have done without the political background plots, which felt forced and were really unnecessary to the story. It's got 3/5 stars on Amazon, and that's about right.

Watched on Amazon Prime 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

The Innocents (1961)

🎃 Horrorthon 2018 #41

Been looking forward to this one! Came highly recommended, screenplay co-written by Truman Capote, and first thing on-screen is creepy child singing in darkness...

Watched on DVD (library) 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016)

🎃 Horrorthon 2018 #3

  Very art-house, if that's your thing.

Watched on Netflix 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

Suspiria (1977)

🎃 Horrorthon 2018 #1

Beautifully composed, the score provided excellent atmospheric soundscape, and the restored DVD version that I watched was gorgeous -- BUT, it was very much a 70's Italian film: the overacting and nonsensical behavior of the characters, and the incongruous storyline with inexplicable plot leaps. OH and the red tempera paint blood, lol.

Watched on DVD (owned) 👁️ Trailer on YouTube  

Mother! (2017)

NUTS! Darren Aronofsky does it again.

Watched on DVD (library) 👁️ Trailer on YouTube