HorrorEnjoyer Reviews

Lousy Carter (2023)

Okay

[6/10 · 18 May 2024]

The movie is centered around an apathetic character, and that is exactly the feeling it evokes.

I don't feel bad about watching it, but I also don't feel like I gained much, if anything.

The main character of the movie is the epitome of watching your life go by you, indifferent to how and when it will end and what you'll leave behind. In a way, all the supporting characters also feel the same way about him - just as indifferent to his existence as he is himself.

I wouldn't really classify it as a comedy. However, there is entertainment to be had if you enjoy cynical/dry humor and making fun of the absurdity of life.

True Detective: Night Country: Part 2 (2024) Season 4, Episode 2

Just unpleasant

[1/10 · 16 March 2024]

I had high hopes after a decent third season, but this one's just WAY off the mark.

Writing is really bad - everyone's openly bigoted, everyone's cursing and talking about sex non-stop. "Female leads" are portrayed as stereotypical alpha-male characters and are not likable at all.

It's a shame because I found the actual detective portion rather interesting. Too bad it only takes up ~10 % of the runtime, while the rest is just characters being jerks to each other, lost in numerous cliche soap opera tropes.

I don't even mind the supernatural aspect, even though previous seasons were pretty grounded in reality - the beginning reminded me slightly of the X-files and actually got me interested. But again, it just seems like the detective story is taking a back seat because writers wanted to be divisive for whatever reason - I guess because it's trendy now.

What a shame.

The Boogeyman (I) (2023)

Good start, but...

[5/10 · 18 January 2024]

The first half of the movie was great - atmospheric and seemed like it was leading to a creepy final act. However, it felt like they suddenly realized that they still had 30 minutes to pad out. So, they just threw together some random scenes that completely ruined the pacing. And then it turns into a creature feature? Why? I thought it was mostly supernatural. And you're telling me that this thing can take ten consecutive shotgun shots and be fine, but a spray can and a lighter is what really messes it up?

Just an OK movie overall - it could've been great without the pacing issues and if they were able to keep the creepy atmosphere of the first half. Unfortunately, as it is, just like many of Stephen King's adaptations, this one is bound to fade in mediocrity.

Lovecraft Country: Sundown (2020) Season 1, Episode 1

Not what I expected

[1/10 · 17 January 2024]

I'm a big fan of H. P. Lovecraft's works and was excited to watch the show that I expected it to be based on, considering the name. However, the extent of the creator's understanding of what Lovecraftian horror is seems to be: "tentacled monsters, scary," which is not really what it is about.

It is supposed to be suspense-driven with Gothic and moody themes, focusing on the character's descent into madness. Unfortunately, at least in the first episode, I didn't find any of said elements. Thus, I will not be proceeding with the remainder of the series because this is just not what I signed up for.

Shows like X-Files and season 1 of True Detective have a lot more to do with Lovecraft than this.

True Detective: The Western Book of the Dead (2015) Season 2, Episode 1

Too much noise

[1/10 · 12 January 2024]

I thought it was writing 101 not to introduce too many characters and plotlines in the first part of the story. Apparently, someone in HBO thinks otherwise.

What a mess - a complete tonal shift from the masterpiece that was the first season. It felt like I was watching a completely different show; I even went back and checked whether there were somehow two "True Detective" shows, and I was watching the wrong one. But NOPE, this was it. They should've released it as a different series at this point.

The episode abruptly switches between perspectives, and it feels like I should've watched an entire season of exposition beforehand because I have no idea what half of these people are and what is going on. I'll try to power through it in hopes that it gets better, but man, my disappointment after jumping into this right after watching season 1 is immeasurable.

Squid Game: The Challenge: One Lucky Day (2023) Season 1, Episode 10

Too random and lazy!

[1/10 · 9 December 2023]

A press of a button, really? And then rock, paper, scissors? The game was already too random by allowing people to get eliminated without getting a chance to do anything about it, but they decided to end it on a completely uninspired, lazy note. It's not interesting to watch, and I'm sure it didn't feel fair for the people who lost. I mostly enjoyed the series overall, but sheesh - what a horrible way to end it!

I'm still going to watch the second season if it doesn't get canceled, but I hope they come up with more creative ways to pick a winner. If it ends up being random nonsense again, I'm not sure whether I would be coming back for the third.

It feels like this show is mostly carried by the original ideas of the TV series, and everything they add on top of it just brings it down, showing that they currently have no creative talent in their writer's room.

Squid Game: The Challenge (2023– )

Great show, bad casting

[6/10 · 28 November 2023]

I was somewhat surprised to see that this show had such a low rating because I liked it and binged the five episodes currently available (Why not release it all at once, though? I hate having to wait for the next episode on a platform, which is pretty much designed for binge-viewing).

The way everything looked was spot on, and the games were great. At least when they stuck to the formula of the TV series. The parts where they tried to diverge were problematic, though. The "War" game was awful, and the "tests" felt cheap. Someone getting eliminated without being given a fighting chance doesn't feel good at all. It's one thing when all contestants are voting, but when it's just one person listing the people they want to eliminate, it just feels lazy.

I think the casting was the biggest problem since they seemed to be focused on picking the most emotionally vulnerable and self-centered people possible. It was hard to find anyone to root for, and the few people I did like got eliminated in the stupidest way.

That being said, I still enjoyed the show and will continue watching it to the end. I hope it gets the second season so they can maybe look at the viewer feedback and correct the mistakes they made.

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Pretty good

[7/10 · 16 October 2023]

I expected another mindless rehash but was pleasantly surprised since they took it in a different direction.

The gore was pretty intense, and the first half of the movie was really spooky and atmospheric. It got crazy toward the end, which all Evil Dead movies do, so it was in line with the rest of the franchise.

That being said, the acting could have been better, and the dialogue was pretty cringey. Again, it is in line with the original movies, so it's not too big of a deal, but for some reason, here it stood out more and, at times, was jarring and immersion-breaking. I also thought that the ending was pretty predictable and didn't care much for the sequel-baiting (was it sequel-baiting? I'm not even sure - it felt like they just put in bits of another movie at the start and at the end for whatever reason).

All in all - it could have been better, but I appreciate trying to take it in a slightly different direction rather than just sticking to the story of the originals.

Nefarious (2023)

It's okay

[6/10 · 13 October 2023]

The movie is decent for what it is - basically, two people talking. I thought that Sean Patrick did a great job playing Nefarious, and transitions between the two personalities were seamless. I didn't like the doctor's character too much. I thought that for someone who is a skeptic and supposedly a seasoned professional, he caved in too easily after the first mention of something personal.

The movie does a decent job navigating theology and skeptic worldviews without really taking any side, and much, apart from a few scenes, is left to interpretation.

One thing I unfortunately didn't like was the ending. I thought it was bordering on cringe-worthy: rushed and not believable at all, betraying the intellectual facade of the rest of the movie. There were also little things like them calling the priest just to send him away after about a minute, never to be seen again. What was the point? It felt like something was cut in post-production.

Overall - it was a slightly flawed but still enjoyable movie that puts forth ideas that many movies these days are afraid to explore.

Beau Is Afraid (2023)

Cut it in half

[5/10 · 9 September 2023]

The first 45 minutes were great, really encompassing the feeling of the Kafkaesque nightmare, but the rest of the movie... meh.

I kind of saw what Ari Aster was trying to do, and I can appreciate the boldness of refusing to compromise and just releasing a 3-hour picture. Nonetheless, the truth remains that he could've told the same story in half the time.

It could even be done in editing - you can literally just cut the entire middle part of the movie, and nothing of value would be lost.

It would have made the movie a lot more watchable for an average viewer and could've reached a much wider audience. But I suppose that's not what Ari Aster was trying to accomplish.

Under the Skin (I) (2013)

Can barely see the screen

[4/10 · 8 September 2023]

It's an interesting movie (if you like slow movies where you only have a vague idea of what is going on). But half of the scenes are WAY too dark.

I especially "loved" the parts when barely anything was going on, and the screen was almost entirely black. At one point, I even got up to check on my device because I thought that I accidentally paused it.

This movie could've been great with more striking visuals and just a little bit more exposition. I definitely got some Kubrick vibes. But unfortunately, it simply falls short.

I would call it mediocre at best. I don't hate it, but I don't feel like I gained much, if anything, by watching it.

Cobweb (2023)

Ruined by the final act

[4/10 · 7 September 2023]

I really enjoyed the movie right up to the final act, when it became something completely different from what it was set up to be.

Everything that happened in the final fifteen minutes bordered from laughable to moronic, and none of it made any sense.

Why would bullies expect the boy to be home alone? What was their plan? If parents were home, wouldn't they just call the police?

How come the monster was easily able to tear everyone else limb from limb but could just barely scratch the teacher and was easily overpowered by the child?

And what's with that ending? Does it imply that the boy and the teacher aren't going to tell anyone? And the boy is going to live at the house alone? What? Are they also going to hide all those bodies? Why would they? Wouldn't they just call the police?

I heard these inconsistencies being explained by the movie being from a child's perspective, but I find it really hard to suspend my disbelief when the rest of it is so grounded in reality.

To me, it just comes off as them not knowing how to finish the movie in a way that would make at least a tiny bit of sense.

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Where's the twist?

[1/10 · 28 February 2023]

Knowing the director, I was expecting to see some exciting twists and turns, but sadly - there were none.

The story plays out as-is with pointless flashbacks, and no explanation is ever given as to why the things are happening.

It would have been a lot more interesting to see the flashbacks from the four assailants and see some of their visions instead of the boring couple.

The movie seems to want to portray a moral dilemma, but it fails even at that because the couple doesn't believe anything until the last few minutes, and they only decide to go through with it because one of them "saw something."

All in all, the storyline comes out as incredibly stupid. Why would some deity set something like this up in the first place? What was it hoping to accomplish? What was learned from this? None of these questions are answered by the movie.

IMO, the story would have been a lot more interesting if the four DID turn out to be delusional members of some cult, and everything was carefully orchestrated by their leader.

Perhaps this story would work better as a mini-series, where each episode would follow a different character? Just some food for thought.

Irrational Man (2015)

SO stupid!

[1/10 · 25 February 2023]

He wants to commit a perfect crime and doesn't realize that the first and the most important rule is to never talk about it? And he's a philosophy professor? He worries about leaving evidence on the internet but leaves a book of "Crime and Punishment" on his work desk with the name of the victim written all over it? How dumb is this guy?!

And his love interest is such a horrible narcissistic person with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I ended up hoping that something horrible would happen to them both. Well, I suppose I got at least half of my wish.

And what's up with all the inappropriate cheerful tunes and cringe-worthy inner dialog? Completely tone-death execution!

It started okayish, although I never understood why anyone would like, let alone be fascinated by, the main character because he was just a pompous jerk from the start. Just because he wrote a few books? Please.

Would NOT recommend this movie to anyone.

The Pledge (I) (2001)

Boring and depressing

[1/10 · 25 January 2023]

The movie feels like it's at least an hour too long - there's just not enough substance to the cliché script, and it just keeps DRAGGING. Combine this with a depressing ending, and you got yourself a pretty miserable experience.

You could basically watch the first 30 minutes and then the last 30, and you wouldn't miss anything of value.

It's a shame to see Jack in this because he has nothing to work with and just ends up looking sad and depressed the entire time.

I kept watching because I kept waiting for SOMETHING to happen, but then it never did.

Would not recommend this to anyone. Just a complete waste of time.

Trade (I) (2007)

Decent production quality ruined by bad acting and horrible dialogue

[4/10 · 3 January 2023]

The movie has a lot of beautiful locations and succeeds in portraying the horrors of human trafficking.

Unfortunately, it is ruined by bad acting and horrible dialogue, especially between the cop and the brother character. There is zero chemistry between them, and their conversations seem to have been lifted straight from some buddy-cop movie, which is completely inappropriate considering the subject matter and totally ruins the atmosphere.

There are also a lot of plot holes and things that don't make much sense, indicating that the writers didn't take enough time to look into the subject matter, which is shameful.

Overall - the movie could have been really good with some minor tweaks and a bit more thought put into it. Unfortunately, in its current state, it is mediocre at best.

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Boring and doesn't respect the original material

[1/10 · 2 January 2023]

In the first two movies, especially in the first one, the long pauses felt deliberate and were used to build tension. In this one, however, it just felt like the movie was wasting my time. There were pretty much zero creepy scenes, and they instead tried to rely solely on jump scares and failed miserably.

To make matters worse, it doesn't stick to Katie's story from the first two movies. She mentioned how "she was scared all the time" and how she would see mist above her bed. There was nothing like it in this movie. Also, it was hinted that the mother of two sisters has gone crazy, but it wasn't explored at all in this film. Finally, pretty sure that the great-grandmother was supposed to be the one who made a deal with the entity, not the grandmother - so that's another thing that the movie gets wrong.

Why did they have to change all these things? Or did they not bother to watch the first two films while making this snooze fest? All they had to do was stick to the original script, and it would have been SO much better! What a letdown!

My recommendation: don't waste your time and stop after the first two movies in the series.

The Unforgivable (2021)

Riddled with jarring plot holes

[4/10 · 1 January 2023]

I actually kind of enjoyed the movie and thought that it was decently put together. However, there were just too many jarring plot holes and things that didn't make any sense.

1. One of the brothers goes from "maybe we should leave her alone" to "we should cold bloodily kill her sister as she watches" in A SINGLE SCENE. Just because she said: "life goes on?" What? If the brothers were some murdering psychos who went to prison themselves, MAYBE I could buy it, but in this case, it just comes off as lazy writing. To me, it was a "jump the shark moment" since It was so painfully obvious that this plot line was artificially fabricated so that they could have a tense ending sequence, and the movie just goes downhill from there.

2. Why does Ruth take the blame for her sister? She's 5, so it's not like she would go to jail. To avoid trauma? As if losing her mother figure is less traumatizing? And wouldn't it have been better if the little sister got some counseling done for what she did instead of pretending that it didn't happen? Even at 5 years old, children don't just grab firearms the second they see them and start blasting indiscriminately unless there are some serious issues that NEED to be dealt with.

3. How could she wield a shotgun at 5 years old anyway? Why not just use a handgun? Did they think that it would not be shocking enough, so they just said: "screw it, no one will care?"

4. Why didn't Ruth tell the guy that he got the wrong girl? I mean, he probably wouldn't have believed her, but still - kind of a jerk move by Ruth, letting a girl who wanted to help potentially take the bullet.

Overall - I'd say, even with all the jarring plot holes, this one is one of the better movies on Netflix. But unfortunately, that isn't saying much.

Smile (V) (2022)

Great for people who liked "It Follows"

[7/10 · 24 December 2022]

It has a similar premise of a curse being passed from person to person. Although, in this movie, it is a lot more urgent and threatening.

I appreciated that movie didn't solely rely on jump-scares, although there may have been a few too many.

One gripe I have is that the monster at the end looks laughable, and it somewhat ruins immersion. If they didn't have a budget to do it properly, they shouldn't have included it in the movie - IMO, the ending would have been a lot more effective without it.

All in all - I enjoyed it. Ever since the release of "It Follows," I wanted to watch something similar, and this movie did not disappoint.

Terrifier 2 (2022)

Big improvement over original!

[8/10 · 23 December 2022]

Terrifier 2 improves over the original, which was mostly just a gore fest, by adding more plot and character development. The characters are also a tad bit smarter this time around, which helps with immersion.

The movie seems to be heavily inspired by "Nightmare on Elm Street," just a lot gorier and A LOT more brutal and believable.

Now the few downsides are that it is a bit too long and slow, and the acting of the boy playing the brother character is lacking, to say the least. I also didn't care much for the bizarre ending and even weirder post-credit sequence. But at least it sets up the third movie, and I'll be looking forward to its release!

Overall - good job! I feel that we don't get enough movies like this after the 80s slasher era.

Terrifier (2016)

Typical Slasher

[6/10 · 21 December 2022]

Lots of gore, high body count, and great practical effects.

The only gripe I have about this movie is that the characters are a bit too dumb and underdeveloped to care about any of them. Furthermore, the killer's effectiveness is highly dependent on said stupidity of his victims.

I would have liked the movie better if it delved more into the creepiness and bizarre nature of the killer like it did in the beginning. When killings start, all plot goes out the window in exchange for senseless violence and the train of victims coming to the killer in an almost comical manner.

All in all - decent for what it is. It could have been a lot better with a bit more substance added to the story, but it is clearly not what they were going for.

Men (2022)

Pretentious mess

[1/10 · 20 December 2022]

The movie starts decent enough, albeit slowly. Unfortunately, after setting up all the interesting characters and gorgeous locations, it throws everything away to deliver "the message."

By the end, the movie gets rid of the plot completely and becomes nothing but a pretentious allegory that takes itself a lot more seriously than it deserves. While the final scene may be shocking to some because of its vividness, it lacks a proper context. Thus, it comes off as a somewhat laughable attempt to jump on current political trends.

Overall, the movie seems to cater to a very specific demographic that favors symbolism over plot or character development. The rest of the audience will likely go away confused or disappointed.

Orphan: First Kill (2022)

Just cast a new actress

[2/10 · 9 December 2022]

I was mildly intrigued to see how they would deal with casting the same actress in a prequel when she was a child in the original. But, unfortunately, they did the absolute bare minimum. They didn't even try to use makeup or CGI to make her seem younger - just a bunch of trick shots making the actress look like a short person with an adult face.

When the whole premise of the story is that everyone thinks she's a little girl and she doesn't look at all like a little girl, it just makes all the characters in the movie look incredibly stupid. It was almost Titania's level of bad, but at least in that film, it was kind of the point that the father character was delusional.

Bottom line - they should have either aged her digitally or cast a different actress.

P. S. Acting in the movie was incredibly stiff, the dialogues were horrendous, the twist was dumb, and everything felt very low-budget. Thus, I wouldn't recommend it even if you somehow could suspend your disbelief regarding the main character's appearance.

Barbarian (2022)

Great first 40 minutes, but it goes downhill fast from there

[6/10 · 5 November 2022]

The first 40 minutes of this movie were AMAZING, and it got me really excited.

Unfortunately, it starts to drag at about the midpoint and becomes a cliché monster feature. Character writing also goes downhill at that point. It almost feels like two different people wrote the movie, and the second one wasn't very competent at their job.

It's disappointing, really, because if the movie could have kept the tension it had in the beginning, it could have been one of the better horror movies this year.

They didn't need to explain the creature's origins to us, especially since their explanation was pretty dumb.

The first part is 9/10, and the rest of the movie is 3/10, so I'm going to give it a 6 for effort.

Speak No Evil (2022)

Anything for a plush!

[4/10 · 23 October 2022]

I can suspend my disbelief and assume that the villains are some master manipulators who can somehow detect the most submissive people on the planet and then invite them to their lodge.

However, even with the setup at the beginning of the movie, I find it very hard to believe that any sane individuals would return to the house of the psychopath just because their daughter started whining about her missing rabbit doll.

That single decision is bordering on comical, and, for me, it pretty much ruins the atmosphere. Well, that, and that the ending just keeps dragging. Pretty sure that it's supposed to be shocking, but since the characters are completely defenseless, it, in a way, robs the movie of any kind of tension, and what's left is just pointless smut.