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Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Scary fun
A love this time of year and Halloween themed movies. This movie is fun because it follows 4 different story lines more of an anthology. Terror and scares intersect between stories. Clever movie based on animated short a bit graphic at times but fun nonetheless. Seeing is believing is better than any synopsis I could conjure up.
Trick or Treat (1986)
Good Premise
Clever idea not as well executed as it could have been. Bullied high school student exacts revenge on his tormentors by resurrecting a dead rock star by playing his last record backwards.
I liked how the movie depicts the difficulty trying to fit in at school as a teenager. Watching the dead rock star come back to life and perform is disturbing because the lip syncing is terrible but the soundtrack is kinda cool. A fun movie as long as you check your brain at the door.
Stay Alive (2006)
Clever and scary
Surprisingly scary movie I'm surprised it didn't rate higher. Not sure if people were rating the Unrated version or the PG-13 version and yes there is a big difference. The Unrated version is loosely based on Elizabeth Bathory which is a real person. The PG-13 version completely ignores this part of the story which makes the movie fragmented and confusing.
The Unrated version has better scares and the story makes more sense. See both versions and compare for yourself.
Halloween (2007)
Excessive and Unnecessary
The headline says it all. A very noisy remake lots of screaming and no style just buckets of blood. This movie tries to rationalize Michael Myers violent behavior to a very traumatic back story. He kills because he has had a difficult childhood. Pretty thin plot based on those rules many people have had similar upbringing and haven't turned homicidal it's as if it justifies his behavior.
Movie lacks style with excessive violence replacing real scares. The Laurie Strode character is annoying in this remake you want Myers to kill her so you aren't subjected to 20 minutes of hearing her scream. It's really that annoying I know the producers care less about quality and only green light it because it's a proven formula. Saw it again to see if it stood the test of time it's still an awful movie.
Maximum Overdrive (1986)
Minimum Overdrive
For all the great stories Stephen King has been behind this isn't one of them. King often criticizes directors for poor adaptations of his novels. So he had to direct and this one is a disaster except for a good soundtrack.
People are held hostage by trucks at a local truck stop. Unlikable characters (at least in the movie) really sink this movie, so much that you don't really care about what happens to them. This movie doesn't even play by its own rules. Trucks, video games and even an electric carving knife go amuck. However automobiles aren't affected. People still have the ability to maneuver their own cars and other cars seem unaffected by this cosmic gas.
Good news because this movie tanked I no longer have to listen to Stephen King criticizing other directors for bastardizing his novels. What makes matters worse is King himself claimed that he set out to make a bad movie instead of taking responsibility for its failure commercially and otherwise. I haven't been able to sit through the other movie "Trucks"based on the same story.
It (2017)
Frightening flick
The made for TV mini series was cost prohibitive and limited it's impact although still pretty scary this one pulls all the stops. You already know the story this one is visually stunning followed by an equally scary sequel. The Stephen King movies of late have eclipsed some of the lesser ones The Mist and Dreamcatcher come to mind. Childhood nightmares come to life on a grand scale in this movie.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Scary Fun
Well made sequel Stephen King story. His stories are hit and miss for me, this one hits with a good storyline and characters. A grown up Danny Torrance is summoned through mental telepathy from a young girl.
This group of psychic vampires preying on gifted children to steal their "shine" for nefarious purposes. Danny and the young girl are faced with a showdown with this gang of villains. After the IT remakes this one scores pretty high for me. A good fun scary movie.
Don't Breathe 2 (2021)
Surprisingly good
Not as good as the original but still pretty good. Story goes off in a different direction seeing it is better than anyway I can describe it. Seeing as believing the signature character comes off better this go round but is still a malevolent force.
Blind man takes on an young girl in his care while others seek her for nefarious purposes. A come down from the first film but still pretty satisfying.
Halloween (2018)
Halloween of a good time
The recent 2021 release has encouraged me to defend some of the sequels and this 2018 release doesn't need me to defend it. What it is has in common with some of the better sequels is it has a good storyline and feel to it. My one problem is Michael Myers kills a 11 or 12 year old kid. Completely unnecessary because the kid posed no threat. With that said it was a well made movie until now I wouldn't classify it as a sequel but with this new release I would say it is.
The problem with this movie is like 2 or 3 other entries you were convinced it was the end and by the end of the movie you felt that it was. On its own merits with the exception of some of the excessive violence this is one of the better movies in the franchise and should have been left as such.
Hollywood is clearly out of new ideas and judging by the countless reboots and superhero movies it's a sad day that Halloween Kills is getting so much praise for being such a sub par movie. To finish Halloween 2018 is a solid movie.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
Scary Good
After a 7 year break from the first Halloween sequel Halloween 4 was a nice surprise going back to the original story and I appreciated what Halloween 3 tried to do but failed to do lots of room for improvement for sure. This movie is technically well made and a vast improvement over many of the sequels and reboots.
This movie seems more like the people that made it actually watched the original movie. It is more atmospheric than subsequent entries in this series. Pacing and atmosphere elevate this from many of the sequels including the current 2021 release.
Halloween II (1981)
A good follow up to a classic
Picking up where the last one left off. I've seen slightly different variations of this movie and I like the version where two people survive the night. The toned down violence is more "true" to the original and actually works better in my opinion. The rumor was that studio heads pushed for more violence and John Carpenter was brought in to reshoot some scenes.
This sequel has similar pacing to the original and the look and motion of Michael Myers works unlike any of the subsequent releases where no one really cares about details like that. Definitely one of the better films in this franchise. Scarier than the faster Michael Myers in the sequels. It's like in the later ones Myers has a schedule to keep and has to stalk and kill as many people as possible in the 90 minute time frame.
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Much better than Halloween Kills
In reading the reviews for Halloween Kills this movie gets bashed on quite a bit. Not withstanding the silly reworking of the ending of H20 This movie is clever in its use of technology and is probably better than many of the sequels. What is confusing is Laurie Strode tries unmasking Michael Myers to confirm his identity, wait a second didn't he break into your room five minutes before trying to kill you? The Halloween story centers around the Myers house and at least this movie tries to recreate the house closely to the original. In almost all the sequels the Myers house isn't even close to the original house. Seems trivial but John Carpenter went a long way with a shoestring budget, these other studios with much bigger budgets didn't even try to make the house look like the original.
The lead character in this movie is likable and you want her to survive most of the other characters you could care less about, but like the original movie you had someone to root for. Not as bad as the 2021 release I've given up all hope for this franchise now.
Halloween Kills (2021)
Predictable and Contrived
Spoiler alert the 2018 movie effectively put Michael Myers to rest. NOT!!! After a promising start using flashbacks and a reasonable back story Michael is again unstoppable in this Rob Zombiesgue gore fest. Logic out the window Michael Myers now in his 60's still has the strength of 10 men, tired and contrived with a predictable set up for yet another sequel. I really wanted to like this movie as in films of this genre non of the survivors effectively dispatch Michael to his demise, no decapitation and chopping his hands off and putting them in cement.
I know taste is subjective I'm saddened by the 9 and 10 star reviews Hollywood is clearly out of new ideas I actually liked the 2018 film and was happy if it actually ended there. This film lacked anything that even the worst Halloween sequels and terrible Rob Zombie remakes (taste is subjective). It lacks Style or imagination and none of the characters make sure Michael Myers is dead. Chop his hands off and his head of and bury them in wet cement. Nobody's tried the throw an electrified metal net on him. Sadly 3 different studios green lighted and put up money to make this. I'm done with HALLOWEEN movies, they've become so awful what a joke.
Charlie Charlie (2016)
Ouijoke
Sadly there has been a wave of Ouija themed movies. Two mediocre major studio releases and two sub par independent releases (so far). I don't want to try to explain the plot because that would be of no real service to the reader. So the only spoiler alert you should be warned is this movie is just plain terrible. There aren't even good special effects to save this mess. I appreciate if the movie is laughably bad and this movie doesn't even have that going for it. If a movie is terrible but has the ability to make you laugh then it has entertainment value and this movie has none. It's 80+ minutes of my life I'll never get back. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!!!!
Halloween II (2009)
Dreadful
Scores a 2 because it's slightly better than Rob Zombies remake of the original film. You get an added bonus because part of this review mimics the first remake. I can accept that this movie is for a newer generation audience by turning up the violence and body count. I think what this movie unsuccessfully tries to do is to rationalize Michael Myers behavior because of an unpleasant upbringing. What Michael Myers does is scarier when we don't know what motivates him. This movie doesn't really give the viewer anyone to root for. The Laurie Strode character spends most of the movie screaming and acting like a drama queen. I'm actually rooting for Michael Myers to kill her and end my suffering as well. None of the characters in this movie are so likable that you really care what happens to them and that makes the movie fail in my eyes. Taste is subjective and I'm sure a lot of people liked this mess of a movie.
Seeing the new Halloween Kills it ranks with these Rob Zombie nightmares and I dislike them as much. I can appreciate that taste is subjective and younger people like the over the top violence over style or quality of story. This movie is not terrible but it's not very good either.
Don't Breathe (2016)
Seeing in Believing
Rented this movie recently and wow it kept me on edge the entire time. Like many movies of this genre you have to wonder why the people involved in the story never really make sure that the heavy in the movie is never really dead. That's movie logic for you. Actor Stephen Lang is really effective as the old man in the story. He typically plays bad guys so it's easy to root against him after the characters are established. The only thing I can say is this movie keeps you on the edge of your seat and is worth seeing.
Ouija (2014)
There's Worse Believe that
Just rented a movie called OUIJA 3 and couldn't find one redeeming quality about it. This movie is NOT affiliated with that one. This movie isn't terrible but still pretty forgettable slightly better than its predecessor so that's a plus. It's plot is pretty obvious so I won't give you a spoiler alert trying to explain its premise. What I will say is the quality of this movie is considerably better than two independent releases playing on the OUIJA namesake. This movie may be worth your time if you have some time to kill sadly nothing more