Screenings in the Bay (Monday 14th to Sunday 20th): Cat People, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Glass

This week Bluray Tuesday definitely has more going on than the city's screenings, but if you want an excuse to go walk in the rain and eat some buttery popcorn, there really is nothing better than going out to the movies. This week the continuation of M. Night Shyamalan's surprise super hero franchise opens everywhere. And from what I can tell, people are pumped, so get your tickets early if you plan to venture in Shyamaland. Tonight's Terror Tuesday has been deemed the gayest of its franchise an will be screening at 10:25 at the Alamo Drafthouse. And this Wednesday the Super Shangri-La Show will be rainging cats and dogs with an themed double feature at the Balboa Theatre.

Opening This Week

Glass (2019)

Early Screenings Thursday 17th (2hrs 9min)

Opens Friday 18th

Drama/ Mystery/ Sci-Fi (IMDB)

From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast. Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb's superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.

Alamo Drafthouse

Terror Tuesday

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (1985)

Tuesday 15th @ 10:25pm (1hr 27min)

Horror (IMDB)

Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton) moves with his family into the home of the lone survivor from a series of attacks by dream-stalking monster Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). There, Jesse is bedeviled by nightmares and inexplicably violent impulses. It turns out Freddy needs a host body to carry out his gruesome vendetta against the youth of Springwood, Ohio. While Freddy gains influence, Jesse and his girlfriend, Lisa (Kim Myers), race against the clock trying to figure out what's going on.

Weird Wednesday

Julien Donkey-Boy (1999)

Wednesday 16th @ 10pm (1hr 34min)

Drama (Rotten Tomatoes)

Harmony Korine's experimental drama about a disturbed young man and his nightmarish family life.

Balboa Theatre

Presented by Action Attraction

Drive (2011)

Tuesday 15th @ 7:30pm (1hr 40min)

Crime/ Drama (IMDB)

Ryan Gosling stars as a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver can't help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac). After a heist intended to pay off Standard's protection money spins unpredictably out of control, Driver finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals. But when he realizes that the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash in his trunk-that they're coming straight for Irene and her son-Driver is forced to shift gears and go on offense.

Super Shangri-La Show Presents

Cat People (1942)

Wednesday 16th @ 7:30pm (1hr 13min)

Fantasy/ Horror/ Thriller (IMDB)

Handed the exploitive title Cat People, RKO producer Val Lewton opted for a thinking man's thriller--a psychological mood piece, more reliant on suspense and suggestion than overt "scare stuff". Simone Simon plays an enigmatic young fashion artist who is curiously affected by the panther cage at the central park zoo. She falls in love with handsome Kent Smith, but loses him to Jane Randolph. After a chance confrontation with a bizarre stranger at a restaurant, Simon becomes obsessed with the notion that she's a Cat Woman--a member of an ancient Serbian tribe that metamorphoses into panthers whenever aroused by jealousy.

-with-

The Hound of Baskervilles (1959)

Wednesday 16th @ 9pm (1hr 27min)

Horror/ Mystery (IMDB)

Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) and Dr. Watson (Andre Morell) are summoned to investigate the murder of Sir Charles Baskerville. The family seems to be cursed because of previous ancestral crimes, and it is assumed Sir Henry may suffer the same fate as Sir Charles. The legend of the curse also tells of a murderous canine that stalks its victims in the shadowy moors that surround the Baskerville estate. This film is the first color feature of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth.

Landmark Clay Theatre

Midnight Madness

Fantastic Planet (1973)

Friday 18th & Saturday 19th @ 11:55pm (1hr 12min)

Animation/ Drama/ Scifi (IMDB)

"This futuristic story takes place on a faraway planet where blue giants rule, and oppressed humanoids rebel against the machine-like leaders."

-Huntress

Bluray Tuesday Featuring: Halloween (2018), Saturday The 14th & Obsession

January 15th 2019

This is the Bluray Tuesday week I've been waiting for! It's the week Halloween (2018) finally hits shelves. I really enjoyed this direct sequel to the original and look forward to adding to my collection. Best Buy will carry an exclusive steelbook with alternate art for this title. Scream Factory is releasing quite a few titles today starting with Brian De Palma's Obsession with new scan and bonus material. Saturday The 14th, Howling 3, The Plague of the Zombies and The Glass Key round out the rest of the titles released from Scream/Shout Factory, all with new scans and bonus material. Goosebumps 2 hits shelves today in both standard Bluray and 4K. I missed this one in theaters and I really enjoyed the first one so I'm hoping this sequel is as much fun. Deadpool 2 got re-edited with new footage to make a holiday inspired PG-13 version titled Once Upon A Deadpool. This release also is a highlight for me. Deadpool 2 was great in its rated R form but now the younger audiences can also enjoy it. There are many films released today, what are you going to buy, rent or skip this week? Let us know in the comments. Until next week!

Halloween (2018): Amazon - $19.99

4K: Amazon - $24.99

It's been 40 years since Laurie Strode survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers on Halloween night. Locked up in an institution, Myers manages to escape when his bus transfer goes horribly wrong. Laurie now faces a terrifying showdown when the masked madman returns to Haddonfield, Ill. -- but this time, she's ready for him.

 

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $29.99

 

Saturday The 14th: Amazon - $22.99

A Family moves into a house inhabited by scary creatures and a number of close calls ensue.Not even a shark fin in the bathtub is enough to convince people (Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss) that their inherited house is haunted.

 

Obsession: Amazon - $31.99

Michael Courtland (Cliff Robertson) is a husband and father whose wife, Elizabeth (Geneviève Bujold), and daughter, Amy (Wanda Blackman), have been kidnapped. When a rescue attempt fails, Elizabeth and Amy are killed, leaving Michael devastated and alone. After years of mourning, Michael travels to Italy and meets Sandra Portinari, a woman with a familiar face. Deeply in love and still haunted by the memory of Elizabeth and Amy, Michael fears that Sandra may face a similar fate.

 

Happy Birthday To Me: Amazon - $7.50

Girl student wants to be part of the school’s most popular clique. But somebody has begun killing the group’s members. Could a deadly accident from her past be connected to the brutal killings?

 

The Plague of the Zombies: Amazon - $23.99

Young workers are dying because of a mysterious epidemic in a little village in Cornwall.
 

 

The Old Man and the Gun: Amazon - $19.99

An elderly bank robber, who had managed to escape from prison over a dozen times in his life before moving to a retirement community, looks to spice things up with another heist.

 

Goosebumps 2: Amazon - $19.99

4K: Amazon - $27.99

While collecting junk one day, best friends Sonny and Sam meet Slappy, a mischievous talking dummy from an unpublished "Goosebumps" book by R.L. Stine. Hoping to start his own family, Slappy kidnaps Sonny's mother and brings all of his ghoulish friends back to life -- just in time for Halloween. As the sleepy town becomes overrun with monsters, witches and other mysterious creatures, Sonny joins forces with his sister, Sam and a kindly neighbor to save Sonny's mom and foil Slappy's plan.

 

 

The Glass Key: Amazon - $24.99

During the campaign for reelection, the crooked politician Paul Madvig decides to clean up his past, refusing the support of the gangster Nick Varna and associating to the respectable reformist politician Ralph Henry.
 

 

Once Upon A Deadpool: Amazon - $14.99

Re-edited PG-13 holiday-themed version of Deadpool 2 featuring new footage with Ryan Reynolds and Fred Savage.

 

The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion: Amazon - $26.99

A repressed young wife’s traumatic sexual assault triggers a depraved obsession with her attacker.

 

Howling 3: Amazon -  $23.99

An Australian scientist (Barry Otto) finds marsupial werewolves, one of whom (Imogen Annesley) finds work in a horror movie.

 

Jack The Ripper: Amazon - $17.99

A serial killer is murdering women in the Whitechapel district of London. An American policeman is brought in to help Scotland Yard solve the case.

 

Jonathan: Amazon - $14.99

Jonathan leaves the office everyday at noon. When he gets home, he goes to sleep. Every morning he wakes up and there is a breakfast prepared for him along with a video telling him about the second part of his day.

 

Speed Kills: Amazon - $17.99

Speedboat racing champion and multimillionaire, Ben Aronoff, leads a double life that lands him in trouble with the law and drug lords.

 

Dry Blood: Amazon - $24.99

In a rural mountain town, an unstable drug addict must unravel a surreal murder mystery as he's terrorized by malevolent ghosts, a deranged sheriff, and the frightening hallucinations from his withdrawal.
 

 

Crimson Peak (Limited Edition): Amazon - $34.99

After marrying the charming and seductive Sir Thomas Sharpe, young Edith (Mia Wasikowska) finds herself swept away to his remote gothic mansion in the English hills. Also living there is Lady Lucille, Thomas' alluring sister and protector of her family's dark secrets. Able to communicate with the dead, Edith tries to decipher the mystery behind the ghostly visions that haunt her new home. As she comes closer to the truth, Edith may learn that true monsters are made of flesh and blood.

 

-The Impostor 

The Overlook Theatre Reviews: Escape Room

Six strangers find themselves in circumstances beyond their control and must use their wits to survive.

7 of 11 viewers "Liked" "Escape Room" (2019, USA)

Creature reviews have been minimally altered in an attempt to maintain their voice:

The Impostor - "January horror releases have become a joke between myself and The Overlook creatures over the past few years, but this year the bad start to the year streak is finally broken! Escape Room is a very entertaining way to start the new year. The acting, story, and visuals were great and each room became more intense and twisted than the last. I damn near had an anxiety attack in some scenes. The film is a mix of The Belko Experiment and Saw films with an escape room setting that works very well. Overall, a great theater experience; I was entertained from beginning to the end. I actually found myself trying to think of how to escape the rooms with the characters. Definite day one Blu-ray purchase." - 4.5 Stars

Eddie the Gamer Ghoul - "Dis was a scenerio where Saw meets Final Destination. Truth be told, da movie was fun but horrible. Didn't like it but enjoyed watch'n with others. None of da characters felt personal and better yet felt like they came outta the elevator from Devil." - 2 Stars

Randy the Reverberator - "Escape Room is a film I knew absolutely nothing about, and if it wasn't for the Overlook creatures taking a field trip on a night before a convenient day off, I probably would have never seen it. The title is self explanatory, and knowing that it was a horror film I had an idea as to where this thing would lead. There aren't many surprises and it's not incredibly original. However, the production design and the rooms were a lot of fun, especially the Eight Ball room. Escape Room also conveniently made its way into my life when I've had a fascination with jig-saw puzzles. Also, the second guitarist for my band Opinions has a brother who owns and operates escape rooms in the Santa Clarita Valley called Arcane Escape Rooms. Is it okay to shamelessly self promote as long as you promote someone else's business at the same time? In the film's final moments I got some heavy Final Destination vibes, and I was honestly kind of excited for a sequel. Then the very last scene happens and it ruined that excitement. I wish the film ended before that, letting us imagine what might happen in the sequel (if there is one) rather than blatantly teasing it." - 2.5 Stars

Lord Battle - "If a horror movie set in an escape room doesn't get your eyes rolling, just wait till you see the lamest puzzle box in horror film history, immediately followed by some of the best suspense, elaborate but not overbearing visual puzzles, and the most effectively disorientating scene in cinema history. Escape Room reminds me of Hitchcock and how he was thought of as a lite entertainer until speaking to Truffaut and I can't help but wonder if Escape Room were a little less fun would it be more artistically worthwhile or respected? Probably not, but you should still see catch this one in the theatre!" - 4 Stars

Huntress - "It was hard not to think of Saw while watching the trailer for Escape Room, but the film itself turned out to be more than just 90 minutes of cheap "homage". It was a string of single setting horror movies (which I love), each filled will some of the most stressful and engaging puzzles I've ever seen. Each room had its own unique character, and each of the characters trapped within had a well defined archetype. And even though I didn't love all of them, I gasped a lot watching them get put through hell. Escape Room was more exciting than the recent Saw movies, and it didn't feel totally hopeless either, which made it an exciting watch, especially for someone who's never done an escape room." - 3.5 Stars

The Berkeley Blazer - "Escape Room is a fun ride that delivers an exciting see once in theatres experience. (This is a good thing). The chemistry of the cast and the creativity of the set pieces keep you engaged and for the most part on your toes, likability and complementary skills and quirks of the main players keep what could get stale pretty fresh.  This one is disturbing enough to keep the tension without being excessively gore-splattered, so a good invite for your less horror prone friends. I went kind of soft on the “da dum DAAAA!” epilogue but everything leading up to it was crafted with love." - 4 Stars

Math Mage *Spoilers* - "The best Saw movie yet! In all seriousness, the film has more in common with Cube (including a girl genius and a black guy as a potential liability). Evil rich people lock randos* in a deadly escape room for the purposes of gambling. Well executed with characters that are actually sympathetic, though many plot elements lean heavily on coincidence and leaps of logic. Though it is refreshing to see odd leaps of logic sometimes succeed (body heat to melt ice was the only way) and sometimes fail (your heart rate needs to be low not high, idiot!) The playtesting scene is perhaps the best in the film, though I feel the third room should have been eliminated in the testing phase." - 3.5 Stars
*A weak link in the film is the impossible level of insight into our victims that villains have. How could anyone know what particular song was being sung during a car crash.

Slayer Swift - "Escape Room was a really fun movie to watch with the Overlook Theatre crowd. The story was predictable and cheesy, but the progression of the different rooms and puzzles was pretty creative and visually interesting. Fans of gore will be disappointed, although there is a scene in which someone grabs a bone fragment from their own thigh to use as a weapon (😱). Most of the deaths were pretty "vanilla." There's never really a satisfying explanation as to why exactly the evil MINOS corporation is doing all of this, and the epilogue is straight-up painful...I'm just going to pretend it never happened. Overall, I would give this film 3.5 stars for the creativity and visual appeal of the sets, solid B-list actors (I'm looking at you, Deborah Ann Woll and Jay Ellis), and the fact that it made for a fun and interactive watch in a crowded theater." - 3.5 Stars

Trash - "My beloved month of January, the dumpster studios use to rid themselves of their least attractive projects, delivers a much more enjoyable movie than anyone expected with Escape Room! Do critics like it? Absolutely not! But I sure as hell did. Great set design, an enjoyable cast, and just enough mystery to keep me guessing. The most fun part is trying to figure out what other movie it's gonna be -- I? The Game? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? And even though it totally falls apart in the last 20 minutes, be it studio meddling or just a jumbled production, I had a great time. And I'd play that escape room. And I'd win." - 3 Stars

Wandering Panda - "Escape Room is a FUN movie!! Not great, but fun. Escape Room got my attention months ago when its trailer played and immediately gave me Saw vibes and I liked that! This film works for me. And I feel it delivers on its name. The rooms were the real stars of the film. The actors are alright. Bearable enough to carry the film but not very memorable. Escape Room pulls from a few films like Final Destination for defining death, Saw for the themed rooms and most recently, Unfriended: Dark Web where the game is bigger than it seems." - 3.5 Stars

Clark Little - "The intricate set designs can’t outweigh a simplistic script that offers uninteresting characters being killed in uninteresting ways. The puzzles grew tiresome. So tiresome that I closed my eyes and escaped the room I was in and fell asleep." - 2 Stars

 

The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*

(Below is for after you've seen the film)

The past 4 years of screenings, I've kept fairly detailed notes on what we saw, where we saw it, and who was there. In preparation for Escape Room, I looked back to the first theatrical field trip of the past 4 years. The list wasn't very motivating...

The Woman in Black 2 (2015)
The Forest (2016)
The Bye Bye Man (2017)
Insidious 4: The Last Key (2018)

I personally thought The Woman in Black 2 was the worst as it was awfully boring (never even managed to wrangle a review) followed by Insidious 4, The Forest, and finally The Bye Bye Man. Time has changed things for me a bit as I have fond memories or talking about The Bye Bye Man on The Overlook Hour Podcast and The Forest invokes a rage that harnesses a lot of energy (and is kinda exhilarating) whereas Insidious 4 falls into an often visually pleasing but mostly forgettable flick. Strangely enough, the director of Insidious 4 also directed Escape Room (and The Taking of Deborah Logan but that's another story).

- Lord Battle

The Overlook Theatre materialized in a Century Theatre for a screening on 1/3/2019

*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not affect the rating.

The Overlook Theatre's Top 10 Horror Movies of 2018

Hail horror film fans! This is Lord Battle speaking, remember me? Despite my lack of contribution to this blog, writing is now natural. And I say blog because I have decided to finally embrace the fact that TheOverlookTheatre.com is just that. I realized while putting together this list exactly how few reviews I had completed this year and couldn't be more bummed about it. 2018 had a very large number of indie and studio releases that could easily grab a spot on any top 10 list and it's a shame that I let films like Upgrade, A Quiet Place, and Butterfly Kisses go without a proper Overlook Theatre review/discussion and all because I was playing around with Wix and Squarespace trying to legitimize our content by getting off of blogger... A serious waste of time and energy and, although I would like to add an interactive calendar for all local horror screenings, I'll be returning to driving content in 2019. Who knows maybe a wizard of websites will fall in my lap and offer to take on this now 3-year task of mine. We'll just have to wait and see.

Every year the creatures are summoned together for a screening of a Krampus film, gift exchange, and verbal battle that needs to end in agreement. Honestly, this year was the smoothest creation of a Top 10 horror list (with heavy participation) yet. Thankfully, Math Mage remembered his formula from last year and we were able to get a satisfactory list done in record time! Note that the number following the film title is to total points acquired by the film. I included this little detail to help show how close some of these films really were (especially #1 & 2).

10.) A Quiet Place (19)

No matter how big your 4K TV is you will not get a full experience unless you are immersed and intimidated by a sound system. Seriously, A Quiet Place is 2018's Don't Breathe using a deafening blanket of silence to choke an audience into a suspense submission hold. The kind that makes you conscious of how loudly you are chewing your popcorn. I don't think I've ever recommended a film with this idea in mind but, if Twilight Zone sci-fi narratives aren't your thing watch it for the on-screen chemistry between Emily Blunt and John Krasinski.

Even though A Quiet Place wasn't one of my personal favorites, it definitely came up a lot in conversations where I found myself defending the classic theatre experience over the new Netflix & fold clothes culture. 

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9.) Terrifier (20)

It's surprising how Terrifier ended up at #9 after all the excitement and celebration from the Overlook earlier this year and to only beat out A Quiet Place by 1 point seems insane to me. I really think the effect of hype in the horror community took a toll on Terrifier. It's kinda like how you want to keep some bands to yourself, but Damien Leone's creation could not be contained. Boasting a grindhouse aesthetic, unflinching gore, and that indie horror unpredictability Terrifier left horror audiences shook and excited. Art the Clown has since been solidified in horror history not necessarily the most popular clown but definitely the scariest.

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8.) Suspiria (24)

Nobody knew what to suspect when it was announced that Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) would helm the remake of the king of complicated kills, Dario Argento's classic Suspiria. Add a soundtrack by Thom Yorke, an all-female cast (including male characters), and a 152 minute run-time, you are bound to receive polarizing reviews. We saw a preview screening of the film with a small group of creatures and couldn't have split the group more down the middle or further apart. Suspira was awarded 24 points by a few creatures that really felt impacted by the film and ends up being the split decision on the list.

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7.) Mandy (27)

The day Mandy came out we had a special VOD screening. Almost every creature in attendance had just left an 8 work day. Those who had seen Beyond the Black Rainbow were now drinking coffee in a wonderful haze of anticipation and fear as no one could fathom what exactly was in store. That night most of us apparently had our pretentious hats on as the crowd of 8-11 was completely silent. I personally remember mustering up all of my energy to intently focus and analyze the many layers of visual narrative. It wasn't until the middle of the 3rd act when The Impostor turned around and said "Is anyone awake!? I don't understand how ya'll so quiet!". At the time I remember being completely caught off guard by this comment but after a second viewing at the Alamo (which intro'd the film with clips of Nicholas Cage screaming) I understood just how much humor there was in Mandy. Honestly, I needed a quiet screening to happen first because I wouldn't have appreciated the overnight fandom at all.

Panos Cosmatos of Beyond the Black Rainbow fame (or infamy) comes off the top rope with Mandy. Half art house visual feast and half Nicholas Cage in the front seat of a rollercoaster of gore, Mandy turns the argument of Movie fun vs Art house film into Fun House Art...

Mandy is 1 of 2 (the other is coming up later) films that made the Overlook Theatre Top 10 Horror Movies list without actually screening on our Thursday review night, which basically means those who saw it REALLY liked it.

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6.) Low Life (34)

Ryan Prows' Low Life is the first ever film screened at the Overlook Theatre (which is a garage) with a member of the film crew present. This of course was exciting and incredibly nerve-wracking as none of us had seen the film prior and were all undoubtedly in fear of the film being terrible and the social situation that was bound to follow...

Thankfully Low Life was exactly what we look for, an unsung shinning example of genre film, exemplary in every category of what makes a film rated-R and filled with characters you'll hate, love, and hopefully understand. I personally loved Low Life and stress that you need to pay attention to Ryan Prows' future film career. It's going to be bright.

Ultimately those in attendance either LOVED or really liked Low Life and I can't help but wonder how well it would have done in a previous year of less talented horror/genre films... If you haven't seen it yet watch this one with your friends, they'll thank you for it. 

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5.) Hell Fest (37)

2018 was a return to slasher roots with major releases like The Strangers: Prey at Night budgeted at 5Mill earning 30Mill & Halloween (2018) with a budget of 10M earning 253M. And then there is our number 5 pick, beating Low Life by just 3 points comes what I would call the underdog of 2018 slashers, Hell Fest.

Subtly navigating genre tropes while hitting hard with gory kills, characters that defy genre stereotypes, and downplayed dark themes, Hell Fest is both a fun casual watch and a devastating think piece. Even though I voted The Strangers 2 as my favorite slasher this year, I think Hell Fest is more than deserving of this spot. Especially when you consider it cost 5.5M and earned 17.5M, which isn't bad, but I'd still call overlooked!

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4.) Butterfly Kisses (*)

Found Footage Horror has stigmatized audiences ever since people were fooled by The Blair Witch Project in 1999. Actually, fooled isn't the best way to put it. Fooled implies the film had malicious intent and was going to point and laugh at you when you found out it wasn't actually footage of three missing people going mad...

Butterfly Kisses is a faux documentary centered on found footage. Or is it? It actually gets a little confusing at times since the film takes possibly the hardest look at Found Footage Horror in the form of... itself? This is a brilliant example of an evolution of indie film in a world saturated by video media and a studio system with no middle ground. If none of this makes sense to you, just know this: when we screened Butterfly Kisses at the Unnamed Footage Festival (2018) it won the audience award by a landslide. When I asked people why this film worked for them 9 of 10 people answered: "There was a point where I couldn't tell if what I was watching was real or not". I've since learned that no matter what the subject, genre, run time, or medium, that is all people want from found footage horror and Butterfly Kisses delivers this blurred reality in spades. Blind buy this one and show your friends, you won't be disappointed!

The asterisk for a point total represents the fact that BK was inadvertently not included in our master recap list. A reviewer emailed in his top 10 with BK included and we had to hold an emergency vote post completing the Top 10 list to see how BK would place. Everyone had Butterfly Kisses high on their list so it may have actually won (after points were averaged and whatnot). If this had happened to any other film we would have just made an honorable mention section, but we LOVE Butterfly Kisses.

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3.) Terrified (40)

Terrified, did exactly that. I believe the Math Mage called the film "Fucking scary" while voting for his top 10 horror movies and verbally expressed his unease during our screening. Terrified manages to subvert every ghost story trope while playing off an audience's familiarity with them allowing the narrative to consistently catch you off guard. Far from the critical acclaim of an "Elevated Genre" feature, but perfect for keeping a crowd awake at night. Terrified made everyone's list who screened it for review.

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2.) Upgrade (41)

Argue whether Leigh Whannell's Upgrade belongs on a horror list all you want, just don't try to deny that this film was massively overlooked and terribly under-celebrated. Taking inspiration from rated-R sci-fi blockbusters like Terminator & RoboCop, Upgrade not only captured a near but far dystopian future but managed to infuse it with combat choreography that felt unique and exhilarating to watch. Upgrade is a Marvel movie without marketing. Do Mr. Whannell and your friends a favor and spread the good word.

I'd also like to point out that Upgrade beat Terrified by 1 point and lost to our #1 by 1 point. These top 3 were neck in neck and they earned it.

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1.) Hereditary (42)

Hereditary is one of those films that makes such an impact on its first round of audiences that the second wave usually reacts poorly. Hereditary is our #1 film of 2018 decided by a vote that went surprisingly smooth and when I asked if people had rewatched it before voting I was answered with a resounding "No". It was a strange thing to experience as the film had seemed to make a mark strong enough to demand recognition without many memories of enjoyment. Hereditary played as a sort of trauma piece reminding people not only how ugly death is, but how irrationally we react when confronted with it.

Again, I would like to point out that Hereditary only beat out Upgrade by 1 point which is truly a compliment to both and if you caught either film in the theatre, you know why.
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Individual Top 10 Lists for 2018:

The Impostor

1. Terrifier

2. Hereditary

3. Hell Fest

4. Terrified

5. Incident in a Ghost Land

6. A Quiet Place

7. Mandy

8. Upgrade

9. Halloween

10. Blood Fest

Huntress

1. Upgrade

2. Butterfly Kisses

3. Terrifier

4. A Quiet Place

5. Hell Fest

6. Hereditary

7. Mandy

8. Terrified

9. Border

10. Unfriended: Dark Web

Clark Little

1. Upgrade

2. Hereditary

3. Low Life

4. Terrified

5. Are We Not Cats

6. The Witch in the Window

7. Overlord

8. The Cleanse

9. The House That Jack Built

10. The Strangers: Prey at Night

Lord Battle

1. Low Life

2. Mandy

3. Suspiria

4.  Hereditary

5. Cam

6. Upgrade

7. The Night Eats the World

8. The House that Jack Built

9. The Strangers: Prey at Night

10. Are We Not Cats

Matte Black Cat

1. Hereditary

2. Sorry To Bother You

3. The House That Jack Built

4. Mandy

5. Eighth Grade

6. Black Panther

7. The Favourite

8. Halloween (2018)

9. Cam

10. The Strangers 2: Prey At Night

Greyranger (in order viewed)

*. The Commuter

*. Ama-san

*. How to Talk to Girls at Parties

*. Zama

*. A Beautiful Sun Inside (aka Let the Sunshine In)

*. First Reformed

*. Milford Graves Full Mantis

*. Blackkklansman

*. The Other Side of the Wind

*. The House That Jack Built

The Ascendant

1. Hereditary

2. First Reformed

3. Blindspotting

4. Suspiria 

5. Black Panther

6. Annihilation 

7. Butterfly Kisses

8. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

9. The Night Comes For Us

10. Christopher Robin

Trash
1. First Reformed
2. The House That Jack Built
3. Blue My Mind
4. Cam
5. Possum
6. Mandy
7. The Witch In The Window
8. Damon Packard’s Fatal Pulse
9. Border
10. 2.0

Wandering Panda
1. A Quiet Place
2. Hereditary
3. Elliot
4. Upgrade
5. Low Life
6. Blood Fest
7. Hell Fest
8. Unfriended: Dark Web
9. Terrified
10. Incident in a Ghost Land

Eddie the Gamer Ghoul
1. The Night Eats the World
2. Terrified
3. Low Life
4. Hell Fest
5. Elliot
6. Upgrade
7. Halloween
8. Pyewacket
9. The Witch in the Window
10. Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich

Math Mage

1. Mandy
2. Terrified
3. Suspiria
4. Low Life
5. Cold Skin
6. Terrifier
7. Hereditary
8. Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich
9. Upgrade
10. Overlord

Bluray Tuesday Featuring: Hell Fest, Blind Date & Castle Rock

January 8th 2019

The second Bluray Tuesday of the year has arrived. This week has some great additions to our collections. First up is last year's haunt slasher film Hell Fest. This film was surprisingly great, entertaining and some cool kills. I highly recommend it. If you missed our review check it out here. Next up this week is Blind Date which is being released by Scorpion Releasing. This title is released for the first time on Bluray with a reversible cover and extras. Stephen King's and JJ Abrams series Castle Rock season one hits shelves today in both Bluray and 4K Bluray editions. This series I've been wanting to see and look forward to a day to binge watch. Rouding out the week is 8MM from Scream Factory, Let The Corpses Tan from Kino Lorber and Jonah Hill directed, coming of age drama Mid 90s. So what will you buy, rent or skip this week? Let us know in the comments. Until next week!

Hell Fest: Amazon - $19.99

4K: Amazon - $24.99

A masked serial killer turns a horror themed amusement park into his own personal playground, terrorizing a group of friends while the rest of the patrons believe that it is all part of the show.

 

 

Blind Date: Amazon - $19.99

A man goes blind when remembering his lost girlfriend, but the doctors can't find anything wrong with his eyes. They fit him with an experimental device which allows him to see with the aid of a computer interface and brain electrodes. Meanwhile, a taxi driver is taking young women up to their apartments, giving them gas, and performing a little fatal amateur surgery on them. Their paths inevitably converge, and the blind man must try to stop the psychopath.

 

Castle Rock (Season One): Amazon - $19.99

4K: Amazon - $33.99

The Stephen King multiverse is the setting for this psychological horror series that takes place in Castle Rock, Maine, which is a location familiar to fans of King's work. "Castle Rock" explores themes and worlds that unite King's canon, including the infamous Shawshank Prison. An anonymous phone call lures death-row attorney Henry Deaver back to Castle Rock. He is unsettled by his hometown, but he returns to help a sinister, mostly mute man being kept in a cage underneath Shawshank.

 

 

What Happened to Aunt Alice?: Amazon - $19.99

Mrs. Marrable (Geraldine Page) is a society matron who's had some shocking news. Her late husband left her only a stamp collection! Determined to maintain her extravagant lifestyle, she takes advantage of an unlikely new source of income - her housekeepers - by robbing them not only of their life savings but also their lives! The turnover rate for help speeds faster than a revolving door...until Mrs. Marrable's latest hire (Ruth Gordon) develops a drive to unearth the terrible secret buried in the front yard!

 

Nemesis: Amazon - $27.99

Los Angeles, 2027. Japan and America have merged, politically and economically. Man and machines have merged as well. But mankind is threatened when the Cyborgs decide they are better suited to rule the planet than humans. When police officer Alex Rain discovers the plot to replace world leaders with Cyborg clones, he embarks on a full-scale war to stop them.

 

Street Law: Amazon - $22.99

Carlo Antonelli, an engineer from Genoa, gets mugged and decides to take justice into his own hands. At first the muggers seem to get the upper hand, but then he's helped by Tommy, a young robber who takes his side.

 

Willie Dynamite: Amazon - $26.99

Willie Dynamite, the flashy and arrogant street pimp, ruthlessly tries to apply capitalist principles to his own prostitution ring. But Willie's grand plans are challenged by competing pimps and corrupt cops who work together to shut him down. As Willie's world begins to crumble, Cora, a determined woman from his past, returns to try and rescue his girls from a future on the streets. Now with pressure mounting and time running out, Cora forces Willie to look at his life and decide whether he wants to go out in a blaze of glory or try and turn his life around.

 

8MM: Amazon - $26.99

Private eye Tom Welles is hired by a wealthy widow to discover whether a "snuff film" found among her late husband's private belongings is authentic or not. He travels to Los Angeles to investigate and is aided by Max, an employee at an adult video store.

 

Mid 90s: Amazon - $14.99

Stevie, a kid in 1990s Los Angeles, escapes his turbulent home life with a new group of friends he meets at a local skate shop, plunging him into a world of fun, danger and excitement.

 

The House That Would Not Die: Amazon - $19.99

A tale of witchcraft, black magic and a haunted house in the Amish country.

 

Let The Corpses Tan: Amazon - $23.99

The Mediterranean summer: blue sea, blazing sun....and 250 kg of gold stolen by Rhino and his gang! They had found the perfect hideout: an abandoned and remote hamlet now taken over by a woman artist in search for inspiration. Unfortunately surprise guests and two cops compromise their plan: the heavenly place where wild happenings and orgies used to take place turns into a gruesome battlefield....Relentless and mindblowing.

 

The Purge (Season One): Amazon - $32.99

Set in an altered United States, several unrelated people discover how far they will go to survive a night where all crime is legal for 12 hours.

 

Monsters & Men: Amazon - $19.99

The aftermath of a police killing of a black man, told through the eyes of the bystander who filmed the act, an African-American police officer and a high-school baseball phenom inspired to take a stand.
 

 

All The Creatures Were Stirring: Amazon - $14.99

On the night before Christmas, encounters with monsters and misfortunes will have some people running for their lives and others landing on the "Naughty" list.

 

An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn: Amazon - $16.99

Lulu Danger's unsatisfying marriage takes a turn for the worse when a mysterious man from her past comes to town to perform an event called "An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn; For One Magical Night Only."

 

-The Impostor