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jamesdarwell
Reviews
Speak No Evil (2022)
Tense and Unnerving
Being polite has never been as dangerous as it is in Speak No Evil. A couple at their young child happen upon another family while on vacation and they hit it off. After months pass, they are invited to meet this family in their home country which is only an 8 hour drive away. Once there, the family begins showing signs of being thoughtless, vulgar, and even a little bit creepy. Things continue to escalate to a shocking climax.
The strength of Speak No Evil lies in its beautiful cinematography, great performances, and nerve-jangling music/sound design. It can make you uncomfortable and on edge without really showing you anything particularly terrible.
Smile (2022)
Effective But By the Numbers
Smile takes elements of The Ring, It Follows, and many films from the current "elevated horror" trend of trauma horror and blends them into a package that is well-made and well-intentioned by its filmmakers, but doesn't completely satisfy. A few of the jump scares work like gangbusters and some fall flat and remind you of a reheated ghost movie trope from 2003, but the performances are mostly very strong and there's at least a strong mood of dread throughout. As many horror films do, it falls apart by the last 20 minutes and overexplains, brings the monster into the light a little too much, and doesn't know exactly how to draw things to a close in a satisfying way.
April Fool's Day (1986)
Charming Slasher Comedy
A moody secluded island mansion, a bunch of sex-starved joker college kids, and a murderous madwoman on the loose. What could go wrong? April Fool's Day is more than your average slash-a-thon with a nice sense of humor and an appealing cast.
Sette note in nero (1977)
A Classy Fulci Film
The Psychic is one of Lucio Fulci's most well thought out films with less gore than usual and more focus on characters and suspense. Some might find it dull, but I found it refreshing. Who knew he had it in him? Wonderful music score, too!
All-American Murder (1991)
Walken Through a Murder Mystery
This isn't the kind of movie you expect to see Christopher Walken in, but he shows up and delivers a great, quirky performance. For a murder mystery, it's a little dry and can feel a bit like a TV movie, but all the actors are giving it their all.
Phenomena (1985)
Hard to Forget This One
Dario Argento throws everything into a blender from creature features to slashers to whodunit murder mysteries and creates a very unique and somewhat frustrating horror adventure. Jennifer Connelly remains believable throughout even as she's channeling swarms of insects to surround her boarding school, bonding with a chimp, or running away from a black-gloved slasher.
Dèmoni (1985)
Great Imagery and Effects
Demons has the logic of a waking nightmare and might be low on plot and well developed characters, but the pacing moves so fast and the film is so entertaining that you won't really care. The special effects are mind boggling.
Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)
A Slasher Romp
Sleepaway Camp II embraces the campiness already present in the original film and takes it to the next level by turning the film into a gory dark comedy where you actively root for the murderous counselor Angela to carve up a batch of entitled teenagers. The murder scenes are creative and silly and Pamela Springsteen's fun, tongue in cheek performance is the glue that holds everything together.
Lo squartatore di New York (1982)
When Donald Duck Calls
Sleazy is too mild a word for The New York Ripper. It's thematically similar to Bill Lustig's Maniac, but done in a whodunit style with even more gore if that's possible. It's a cruel, mean movie that won't be for everyone's taste, but it's very well shot and put together. The killer's Donald Duck-voiced phone calls are a unique and tonally odd choice.
Superstition (1982)
Supernatural Slashings
An enjoyable mix of supernatural Amityville Horror-style haunts, witchy thrills, and slasher-style kills. It has its slow moments, but the scares work and it's got a wicked mean streak and a lot of style.
Opera (1987)
A Symphony of Violence
Opera might not be regarded as one of Dario Argento's finest films, but it has a vicious energy and style all its own and might be his last truly brilliant film. The idea of being forced to witness horrible acts of violence while having your eye lids suspended by sharp pins is an image that's impossible to forget. The hard rock music that appears during the violent scenes is abrasive in a bad way and not one of the film's best choices.
Watcher (2022)
Very, Very Scary
Few recent horror films have a tenth of the mood, suspense, and dread of Watcher. It's classically suspenseful and impeccably shot with a great central performance by Monroe.
It Follows (2014)
Very Carpenter Inspired
It Follows is one of the films that comes the closest to capturing the same mood and feeling as John Carpenter's Halloween, but with a supernatural twist. It goes along rather effectively until midway through when it jumps the shark a little.
The Stylist (2020)
Worth Watching
A solid mix of character study psychodrama and slasher movie thrills. The pacing takes a nosedive midway through and struggles to get back on track, but the finale is memorable and the film always looks beautiful. The acting isn't half bad either.
Orphan (2009)
Takes Big Risks
Very few modern studio horror films would take as many chances as Orphan does, but I'm so glad this movie had the guts to go for broke and deliver one of the strangest and most memorable horror tales of the past 20 years. It's aggressively sleazy and campy like a Lifetime movie on steroids and it calls to mind those 90s movies like Single White Female or The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.
Nope (2022)
Good Mix of Sci-Fi and Horror
Nope is different in style and scope from Jordan Peele's previous films, but it has a lot of heart, some memorable visuals, and endearing characters even if it's a bit overlong at times.