Shudder Day: The Boy Behind the Door (2021)

 As the last Shudder Review for Black History Month, let me find something a bit different.

Kids in peril is always good for creating emotional resonance.
Does it work for...

Bobby (left) and Kevin (right) are young boys just running around before they have to go to Baseball Practice.

What could go wrong?

They are both kidnapped by an unseen person and driven away.

Kevin is taken inside, while Bobby is left tied up in the trunk of the car.

He manages to break free of it and survive.

He goes to escape...but knows that he can't leave Kevin behind.

Tough decisions ahread.

His attempts to free his friend don't go as well as planned.

One person at the House is able to be disposed of, but the other returns.

Here's...Johnny?

To find out how it all plays out, stream the Film now.

A Film that might not be for everyone, but that worked pretty well for me.

The Plot is nothing super unique, but at least the approach feels different.

This might remind some people of The Black Phone, but I should note that this came out a year prior.

When it works, the Film makes a House and its surrounding area feel very claustrophobic.  You really root for Bobby and Kevin!

It is certainly a minimalist Film.  The Cast is less than a dozen people in total and the singular Setting is apparent.

I haven't been a kid for a long time (except for at heart), but I really empathized with them and thought 'What the hell would I do here?!?'
Thankfully, I never had to find out.

The Boy Behind the Door doesn't do much, but it does it really well.

In fact, it has already- no joke- gotten a Remake from Indonesia!

A tense Film that really hinges upon your ability to follow these 2 kids in peril.  If the Film hooks you, it will keep you through the whole journey.

Shudder Day: Horror Noire (2021)

 I love Horror Anthologies.

This is Black History Month.

I'm out of Tales from the Hood Films, so let's do this!

In "The lake,' a woman with a vaguely dark past moves into a new home with a titular lake next door.

She's warned about going in it, but will she listen?

In 'Brand of Evil,' a man must make a choice between profit and people.

When he gets paid, will everyone else suffer?!?

In 'Bride Before You,' a post-Reconstruction household is rocked by a secret that refuses to stay quiet behind the walls.

Will the truth come out while anyone of them is alive to tell it?

In 'Fugue State,' a man investigates a local Church while strange attacks are going on.

These two things are obviously related, but will they make the connection?

In 'Daddy,' a man who has recently married a woman with a young child of her own struggles to do his best.

Can he find the power he needs?

Lastly, we have 'Sundown.'

A bunch of Campaigners end up in a small Town that doesn't want them to stay after dark.

When they have to, what happens?

To find out, stream it now!

************

A fun, if uneven collection of Horror Shorts.

That's always the case with these, isn't it?  Unless it is ones by a singular team- like, say, Creepshow- there's bound to be a variety in quality and tone.

Some of them- like The Lake and Brand of Evil- have not so subtle Themes to discuss.

Others- like Fugue State- try to muddy things a bit.

Thankfully, we have some more simple ones- like Sundown- which just take a real concept- Sundown Towns- and put a good, Horror spin on them.

The ones that tried to be vague and, to be honest, a bit preachy, were not my favorites.
That said, none of them were outright bad or disgusting.

Hell, even ones that I was mixed on, like Fugue State, have their obvious upsides...

A bunch of Tales that will make you shriek and also make you think.  The best tales can do both...and many of these only do one OR the other.

Streaming Standard: Venom- Let There Be Carnage (2021)

 A Film that was locked behind the door of 'Only Streaming on Starz' until quite recently.

Well, let there be a review!

Cletus Kassady (last seen at the end of Venom) is a Serial Killer who agrees only to talk to Eddie Brock.

Our boy Eddie doesn't get much, but Venom spots a massive clue.

So, Eddie does the only natural thing...

He breaks the story and gets all of the glory.

This is all part of a larger Plot where Eddie wants Venom to not eat people, while the symbiote, well, does want to do that thing.

These boys need a Therapist!

Eventually, Kletus and Eddie end up in close proximity and the former bites the latter.

This leads to him getting his own mutated symbiote and breaking free right before he can be executed.

He has good, dramatic timing!

Cassidy is trying to get back to his lost love- a lady based on but not named Shriek.

Can love bloom between a lady who screams sonic blasts and a symbiote/man who can't stand sonic blasts?

Can Venom and Eddie come together (quite literally) to save the day?

Is the Non-Spider-Man Sony Spider-Man Universe in good hands?

To find out, stream it now (currently on Disney +).

A Film with big characters, big moments and a big issue with pacing.

The Film has some great visual effects, with Venom and Carnage both looking quite good.  Freaky, but good.

Tom Hardy really makes himself look vulnerable as both Eddie and Venom (the voice).  It is interesting to see in a Film like this.

The issue I have is the balance of setup to payoff here.

They spend so much time setting up Kassady, Shriek and then getting together that the Film suffers a bit.  

Carnage, despite being in the Title, takes too long to show up.  Shriek suffers as well.

The Plot is just way too convenient, with somehow Eddie, the Cop, Shriek and Carnage all being intertwined in the 17th Most Populated City in the United States!
Bonkers.

In spite of its flaws, the Film has some good moments, strong visuals and, well, I can finally stop looking for it.

A Film full of interesting ideas and execution.  It's just a shame that the Pacing is just so darn weird!

Re-Review: The Suicide Squad (2021)

 After seeing this Film in a small Theater during the Pandemic, I haven't seen it since.

I got a nice Blu-Ray and, well, this seems like the best time to look back at this one.

This is The Suicide Squad, the 2021 Sequel/Reboot/something to the 2016 Film that people still want to tell you has a super-secret good Cut out there.
I'll be surprised if it does.

Another group of Villains is sent out by Amanda Waller on a strange mission of great importance.  Look forward to reuniting with, well, 3 Characters from the last Film.

This one sadly didn't do well, but did lead to a Streaming Show about one of the Characters.

Is it a Film that is bound to be remembered well or just a bunch of weird nonsense?
To find out, read on...

When Amanda Waller has a mission, she assembles a new Suicide Squad.

This includes Pete Davidsen, Nathan Fillion, Michael Rooker and Jai Courtney playing a bunch of C-D List DC Villains.

They are sent to a Central American Island to destroy some technology and its link to the US Government.

Are they Epstein-ing someone?!?

Wait- if that is The Suicide Squad, what are Bloodsport, Ratcatcher 2, Peacemaker, King Shark and Polka Dot Man doing here?

Well, they're the real Main Characters.

Save for Harley Quinn, who gets her own mini-Movie and Arc inside of this same Movie.

They spend a long time with her and eventually cut back to the rest of them.

She'll eventually join up- don't worry.

Can the group- united with Colonel Flagg- work together to get past a small Army to complete the mission?

Can they hit all of the usual beats- like slow motion walking as a group IN THE RAIN no less- as they do?

What are they fighting now?

What's the deal with that javelin?

Also, wasn't that Taika Waititi in that Flashback earlier?

To find out, stream this or pop your disc in now.

A Film that is both a glowing endorsement for and a warning about what to expect in Gunn's DCEU.

As a reminder, Gunn was briefly fires by Marvel for reasons you'll either rage about or agree with.  Freed up, DC/WB said, 'Make whatever you want- we don't care!'

He did.

The Film is all about manic excess, pure insanity, a heaping of heart and lots of blood.

Seriously, if you are allergic to CGI blood and gore (somehow), this is not for you.

If you only know Gunn from the Guardians Film, this may not be for you.

I've seen far worse, but this Film definitely leans into the brutal violence.  There are moments where they add in flourishes- like Harley's big Action Scene- but it mostly is just there to shock you.

In addition, they do that trick where you see a Scene and then see a Flashback to give it context.  It is neat once.  They do it three times.

Having said all that, I really bought in to the Character moments, the Story, the fun little Cameos and the whole presentation.

I'm a weirdo and I was the Audience.  What about you?

Just remember that Sharks are not as scary IRL as they are on Film...

Next up, let's see if I can get back on Schedule.  It is a Film about a Director and all of his problems.  Stay tuned...

Shudder Day: The Found Footage Phenomenon (2021)

 A Genre that I have a real love/hate relationship.

All bad Movies are bad (obviously), but the Found Footage ones always find more ways to be annoying.

Here are all of them I've covered so far (the List will, of course, include this one too).

The Documentary talks about the Origin of the Horror Subgenre, talking about early Films and how they were influenced.

They thankfully credit such Films as Peeping Tom (below) and others that I'd genuinely not heard of.

Throughout the Film, you hear from various Directors and a few people that study Films.

This means that you hear plenty from guys like this before you eventually learn what Film he made.

They obviously spend lots of time talking about The Blair Witch Project.

If you're not familiar with it, this is informative.

They eventually talk about later ones in the Genre- like REC- and how they were made.

If you like this kind of Behind the Scenes talk, it is nice.

If you don't need every Found Footage Film Director to tell you how clever they are, it is less nice.

No disrespect to Andre Ovredal, of course.

Trollhunter rules.

We hear many times from this lady, who is pretty informative.

She has a French Poster for The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (and no, I didn't need to Google that), so I do like her.

In closing, if you don't know all of the minutia and history of these Films, this is a good watch.

The End.

A pretty enjoyable Documentary, even if it repeats itself a bit.

In fairness, the Film is made up of a couple dozen interviews taken at completely different times.  

I guess they couldn't be bothered to cut out the THIRD Director make the same point.

Joking aside, they got a great number of interesting people to talk about their Films, from Ovredal to Ruggero Deodato to Eduardo Sanchez.

More love for Ghostwatch- yes, please!

I love that they cover the History of the Genre (going back to the 1960s) and the realities of the World that inspired it.  Again- a very informative Film.

My final gripe- they gloss over all of the bad Found Footage Films, somehow not mentioning Area 407 (which this picture appears on if you Google it)...

A very enjoyable and fact-filled Documentary.  Just know that it makes the same points a few times too many throughout the runtime.

Shudder-day: Chucky- Season 1

 At the recommendation of a family member, I finally checked this Show out.

Naturally, I start watching it once it is cancelled.  Oy.

This is the first Season of...

A young guy named Jake is not the most popular guy in School.

He's openly gay and is into making Art out of dolls.

He finds a 'vintage' Good Guy doll to use for his sculpture, but it won't come apart.

With his drunk Dad at home, he can't keep it there, so...

He soon learns that Chucky is alive and has been in hiding since the events of Cult of Chucky (I guess I need to see that one, eh).

He tries to get Jake to kill for him, 'earning' that by killing his Dad with a loose wire.

Jake is antagonized by his classmate Lexy, who is also dating his Cousin.

He tries to resist Chucky's push to kill, while also trying to get anyone to believe him.

Somehow Chucky has killed people since 1988 and nobody believes it.

The Season is 8 Episodes long and I won't recap it all.

I'll give you a brief summary to end this though...

A fiery dance party.  

Death in the Hospital.  

Old(er) faces from the past Films.

To see it how it plays out stream it now.

A Show that is a must-see for fans of the Franchise.

I've never hated the Films (like, say, Hostel), but I've also never been a huge fan of it.

Did it win me over?

Kind of.  I liked the Show's Story, connecting with Jake and his friends.  I wanted to see them win.

Dourif, as always, is great as Chucky.  I was less of a fan of watching him dub over someone who looks like Tommy Wiseau that was supposed to be him from 1988.

The returning Characters was a nice thing.  As someone who didn't watch Cult of Chucky, I was definitely missing some details.

The new additions to Chucky lore were good, but a bit weird.  Things don't get explained super well.  When they resort to the 'it is magic, we don't have to explain it' thing, you know something is a bit off.

The Show is also pretty gory at times, so be warned.

With all that said, I'm curious to see how it all plays out in the next 2 Seasons, regardless of how USA treated it...

A Show that has renewed my interest in the Chucky Franchise.  Let's see where it goes from here.

Streaming Standard: A Quiet Place- Part II

 A watch/review I meant to get up before the new Film came out.  Life got in the way.

Let's take a SPOILER-FREE look at the Sequel while you ponder whether or not to see the Prequel.

The Film begins with a Flashback to how it all began for our Heroes/Heroines.

I guess this part did so well that people demanded a full Film like this perhaps?

This gives us a brief look at life before everything changed and more of a look at the creatures.

Did I miss the point in both Films that they are called 'Death Angels' or is that just from the new Film?

The Film proper follows our Leads as they leave the Farm to spread the word about how to defeat the creatures.

I was getting real 'Walking Dead Episodes where they follow the train tracks' vibes, but thankfully this isn't spread out nearly as long.

They find that the creatures- whatever they are called- aren't the only danger, as they walk into a trap.

However, it turns out to be someone they knew before things got all terrible.

The Plot splits when the Daughter- who is deaf- is convinced to follow a radio signal.  
The man they met- Cillian Murphy- reluctantly goes with her to keep her safe.

Back at the other place, keeping a baby quiet and safe in this World proves to be just as difficult.

To find out what happens, stream it now.

A solid Film that builds upon the same formula and expands it a bit.

To start with, the Flashback Intro is really good.  If that really was the reason to greenlight a Prequel, I get it.

The creatures get time to shine and the chaos is well-orchestrated.

What's also nice here is that plenty of Characters get Arcs here.

The Daughter is the most obvious one, as her confidence is tested and maybe she learns to be careful too.

The Son gets to go from a familial liability to a brave helper.

Cillian's Arc is a mixed one, as it is the fairly standard 'Survivor who has suffered loss' one.  No need to reinvent the wheel, I suppose.

Part of me thought at first that having him as the reluctant Father Figure was a bit lazy, but he's so good that I got over it.

All in all, this does what a Sequel should do.  It expands the Story and Setting, it has bigger moments, and it leaves you wanting to see more.

Just don't SPOIL the new one for me now.

A good Sequel that seemed to fly under the radar a bit.  Why did that...oh right, COVID.