All My Friends Hate Me (2021)
Pete is cautiously excited about reuniting with his college crew for a birthday weekend. But, one by one, his friends turn against him. Is he being punished, is he paranoid, or is he part of some sick joke?
My thoughts: While not horror in the traditional sense, this movie does a brilliant job of building unease in its cringey, paranoia-fueled, darkly humorous exploration of social anxiety. Not exactly horror, but undeniably horrifying.
4.5/5
Nope (2022)
The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.
My thoughts: Takes a long while to get going. When it finally does, it offers an interesting interesting spin on the “alien encounter” storyline, but the creature’s demise is contrived and silly.
3/5
Pearl (2022)
In 1918, a young woman on the brink of madness pursues stardom in a desperate attempt to escape the drudgery, isolation and lovelessness of life on her parents’ farm.
My thoughts: No surprises in the story, but there’s a laudable deftness to the stylized direction. Mia Goth’s performance is incredible, anchored by a late monologue that alone makes her worthy of Oscar consideration.
4/5
Hellraiser (2022)
A take on Clive Barker’s 1987 horror classic where a young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites.
My thoughts: Stellar production design and the Cenobites are exquisitely inspired, but the script is surprisingly restrained, never quite attaining the lurid depths of the original.
3/5
Halloween Ends (2022)
The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode comes to a spine-chilling climax in the final installment of this trilogy.
My thoughts: Gets off to a great start but ultimately devolves into a nonsensical, ludicrous mess.
2.5/5
Today’s Yes/No…
Twinkies Candy Canes? Yes/No
Thanks(?) to @ZabanaBrandon for the tip.https://t.co/osMuB4bXAh pic.twitter.com/2qsLG5SNJC— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴☠️ (@BaronDestructo) December 8, 2022
One of those longest trilogies ever.
Hey Joe, what would be your rating for the original Hellraiser?
It was a long time ago but I think it was a solid 7.5-8.0
Horror’s not my favorite genre, but the first two Hellraiser movies were interesting enough in their own right to be classics. Nightbreed is about a more positive group of people, of course.
I put Pearl on my watchlist. That looks like a good one for me.
I couldn’t get through the 2022 version of Hellraiser. It was just unnecessary & extremely gory.
A lot of the 2022 movies seem to be a hot mess.
Again, a big Thanks for taking one for us watching these flicks. 😉 I hope you have another source of entertainment available for Akemi while you watch these movies?