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M3gan (2023)
M3gan (2023)
2023 | Horror
5
7.4 (7 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Nothing Special
Move over, Chucky, there’s a new killer doll in town.

The first “hit” of 2023, M3GAN (whichs stands for Model 3 Generative Android) is exactly what you think it is, the latest spin on a theme that has been seen over and over again - a scientist creates a sentient being that ends up turning on it’s masters.

As Directed by Gerard Johnstone, M3GAN is a winning (enough) entree into this genre, with the twist this time being that the sentient being is a doll (much like the aforementioned Chucky or Annabelle) and M3GAN is created as a companion for a lonely young girl who has lost her parents, as the relationship between M3GAN and Cady (Violet McGraw) grows, M3GAN becomes overly protective of her.

Because the main character is a tween girl, Director Johnstone tries to tow the line between hard-core, R-rated Horror and more “kid-friendly” PG-13 fright/scares. He succeeds as much as he fails in this quest, but…ultimately…the films lands squarely in the middle…not gorey/horror enough for horror fans, but too gorey/horror-y for the younger set that just might be it’s target audience.

As the creator of M3GAN (and the Aunt of Cady), Allison Williams (GET OUT) does a professional job of holding down the center of the film with the rest of the supporting cast/victims being played inconsistently as realistic (the next door neighbor played by Lori Dungey (The Lord of the RINGS trilogy) or too over-the-top like the scum-bag, “only interested in making money” CEO played by comedian Ronny Chieng.

It is these types of inconsistencies - “R-Rated or PG-13”? Realistic or over-the-top acting? That, ultimately, sentences this picture as something that is neither interesting nor uninteresting. It just sits there like a doll on the shelf, staring at you, waiting for you to decide whether or not you wish to play with it.

Letter Grade: C+

5 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
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Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Child's Play (2019) in Movies

Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Jun 22, 2019)  
Child's Play (2019)
Child's Play (2019)
2019 | Horror
Childs Play is a strange & maybe unnecessary reboot of a cult classic series of films that are still going strong. That being said this new film does manage to hold its own as a solo slasher & throws in enough new ideas to keep things feeling fresh & fun while most importantly of all staying faithful to the original formula. Lets get one thing out the way here the doll design of chucky in this film is horrendous & down right hideous looking (not in a good way) I get they needed to change the way he looked slightly but this doll side on especially has one ugly & bulky side profile. Its not so bad when he's face on or half shadowed in darkness & there are some genuinely creepy scenes involving the glowing eyes. Mark Hamill is the perfect choice voice wise & really does bring life, comedy & creepiness to an other wise soulless character. Plot is quite basic & characters are also fairly paint by numbers too but the cast do bring the movie to life with believable acting & fun interactions with each other. Atmosphere is built up nicely especially in the first half as its tense, unnerving & slowly paced making the viewer earn its kills & scares. These a big sense of nostalgia here too & the film does over all feel like it was made in the 80s despite its squeaky clean look at times. References, nods & inspirations litter the film too & genuinely feel clever rather than like a cheap 'remember this'. Delivering on gore this instalment has some nasty death scenes & the finally is deliciously over the top. I did however much prefer the first half over the second half as I found the slower pacing way more tense & creepy especially seeing this doll gradually learn to kill with almost a sense of naivety, innocence & good intention to it. You could also argue the creation of the doll is our fault as consumers & our desire to want more/connect more. Chucky could also be metaphor for how soulless & desensitized we have become too. Childs Play doesnt need to exist at all but manages to stand on its own two feet as a ridiculous, creepy, devilishly funny & extremely entertaining just dont expect anything ground breaking or intelligent & you will be sure to have a blast Buddi.
  
Leprechaun (1993)
Leprechaun (1993)
1993 | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
The original Leprechaun is so so silly. It's low budget, it's brimming with unfunny jokes, it's not scary in the slightest, but dammit it's hard to hate on it too much.

The characters in Leprechaun are mostly typical easy-to-dislike personality voids (apart from my boy Ozzie), but some of the casting is notable. Of course, a pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston takes the lead and is likable enough, but the main star is obviously Warwick Davis. This being the early nineties, the horror genre was firmly set on its villains being the star, following the success of 80s icons such as Freddy Krueger, and the titular creature takes up most of the spotlight.
The Leprechaun himself is so-so. He's more of a little shit than a full blown monster, and the majority of his one liners aren't particularly funny, but Davis is clearly giving his all in this role, and is no doubt the sole reason why this movie spawned an entire franchise, even if Lep is ultimately a poor man's Chucky.

As far as cheesy horror films go, you could do a lot worse than Leprechaun (it's many sequels for example). It's cheap and trashy, but it's still pretty entertaining.
  
Child's Play (2019)
Child's Play (2019)
2019 | Horror
Mark Hammill (0 more)
Took liberties with the original film series' canon. (0 more)
A good modernization of the cult classic killer doll film.
As a man in my 30s, I grew up on the original Child's Play and the sequels that followed. So, I was half excited and half worried when this reboot/remake was announced. So many attempts by Hollywood to bring back beloved and cult classics have failed miserably and ruined the magic of the originals. Through the first 20 or so minutes of this one, I was worried this one would fall into this category. And while I wasn't completely thrilled with the film's liberties taken with the doll's origin story, it was easy to set aside due to some decent storytelling. You get to know Chucky in these scenes and a basis for his later acts is laid. You feel for him, and you laugh (a thing done often in the Child's Play canon.) Then, the 2nd and 3rd acts of the film ramp up and continue to build in an understandable, graphic gorefest with a horror plot to keep you riveted. Although I am a purist and would have preferred they stick closer to the original, I thoroughly enjoyed this modernization of the killer doll tale. (But I'll never forget Charles Lee Ray or the chant of dooey de dim bella, give me the power I beg of you!)
  
Child's Play (2019)
Child's Play (2019)
2019 | Horror
Acting, humour, gore (0 more)
It's not Brad douriff (0 more)
Very good remake
Contains spoilers, click to show
If you watch the movie with the intention to compare it to the original, chances are you won't like it. This is exactly what I did upon first putting the movie on, when it first showed the ibuddy doll I almost immediately turned it off, I mean come on that is NOT how a good guy doll should look. Instead I stopped trying to compare, took it for what it was and ended up enjoying it. The storyline is completely different to original child's play. instead of a murderers soul trapped in a doll trying to find another human to transfer into, it is essentially a smart doll which goes haywire trying to keep Andy for himself. However, for a doll I found it funny that Andy could have conversations with him like he really was human and he thought nothing of it. I don't know about you but if a toy started understanding and communicating with me I would freak out! Anyway, this aside I really enjoyed the movie, the humour was spot on (I laughed way too hard when chucky presented Andy with his mums boyfriends face as a present, including a bow 😂😂), the death scenes were good and gory and acting was great. OK so it wasn't Brad douriff but tear yourself away from the original and you've got a pretty decent slasher.
  
Shelter in Place
Shelter in Place
Nora Roberts | 2018 | Contemporary, Romance, Thriller
4
7.6 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
I bought two chucky paperbacks by Nora Roberts at the same time a few months ago, this and Come Sundown.

This one starts with Simone and her two friends going to the cinema to watch a film together. Simone goes to the toilet and minutes later hears screams and gunshots coming from the room she'd just left. She phones the police as three people go through the mall, killing as many people as they can. Simultaneously, Reed is working at one of the restaurants in the mall and as the shooters begin their killing spree he comes to the rescue of a little boy who's crying for his mum and keeps him safe until the cops arrive and take out the shooters.
Fast forward several years and survivors of the attack start to be killed off one by one and it seems Simone and Reed are on the killers list

I will start by saying that romantic suspense's are not my favourite genre. It has taken me about a month and a half to finish this. The romance definitely felt like an afterthought since it only kicked in about the half way point by which point I was just reading to see them take down the bad guy - whose POV we saw regularly throughout - and whose comeuppance felt like a bit of a disappointment. It all happened within about five pages from them making themselves known to Simone to them being incapacitated.

It's a 500+ page book! The first half was the two main survivors growing up and finding their calling in life - and I was rather bored, hence it taking me over a month to read! - the second half was a really played down romance while the killer made her way through the rest of the survivors on her meandering journey to them on Tranquillity Island.

I normally really enjoy reading Nora Roberts' books but I think I'll stick to her traditional romances and away from romantic suspense's in the future. Come Sundown and this one will be making there way to a charity shop for others to enjoy.
  
Baby Teeth
Baby Teeth
Zoje Stage | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
Everything. This books takes risks for us thriller/horror fans and it pays off! (0 more)
That it had to end. (0 more)
CREEP AF and FANTASTIC!
This book is CREEPY AF! And I gobbled up every deliciously freaky disturbing morsel of it.

Hanna is Looney Tunes - she's like the Poltergeist girl, Firestarter and The Shining twins all wrapped into one with a hearty dash of Chucky. I loved every minute. What is creepier than a cute little kid who wants to kill her mom? I dare you to find something more disturbingly fantastic. Serious anxiety and massive doses of weird are peppered throughout in just the right amounts. I didn't want it to end, but I thought it was flawless from start to finish.

Suzette and Alex seem to be super cool modern parents. I picture them as hipster artists, living in a gorgeous modern home designed by Swedish green architect Alex. Suzette's incredible drawings hung on the walls and her beautiful interior design skills evident throughout. They are so in love and seem to have a perfect little beautiful girl named Hanna. She's adorable and so smart and oh, maybe just a smidge of BAT SH*T CRAZY.

Her "quirks" start pretty tame - she doesn't speak. And 6 years old - not a peep. Cue the creepy child music... soon, she's writing weird, angry messages to her mom, and getting kicked out of schools. Her mom has taken her to endless doctor appointments and had her development skills tested to no avail, but is still convinced there is something wrong with her child. And slowly, with every act of rebellion towards her, Hanna is beginning to scare her. Like, a lot.

The fact that Hanna ADORES Alex, and will do anything for him, is Suzette's biggest struggle. How does she get it through to her husband that the child he thinks as a sweet loving little girl, is trying to kill her? Everything Hanna does is when it's just the two of them. She is calculated, and devious. Is she a witch? Possessed by the devil? Psychopathic? Suzette is losing the battle trying to figure out what is wrong with her child. It's only a matter of time before she plunges a knife through her mother's heart!

There's a lot of talk about this book. I think if you don't like creepy murderous kids, it's probably not the book for you. But this books takes risks, and for us thriller/horror fans, they are applauded. Zoje Stage is at the top of my list of new favorite writers. The marketing campaign behind this book is smart and you can even follow one of the 'characters' adventures on Zoje's Instagram - which is hysterical!

I loved every minute of this book. I will be first in line when Zoje Stage writes the next one.
  
The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring (2013)
2013 | Horror
It’s quite easy to think you have a ghost haunting your home. The creeks and cracks of settling foundation, leaky pipes, drafty windows or appliances can sound aerie. Why is it that our imaginations jump to that conclusion and not simply the truth. In some cases this causes people to essentially “cry wolf”, making it hard for us to believe in the true hauntings that have plagued families for generations. The Perron family was one of the many that had been terrorized by a malevolent spirit in their recently purchased farmhouse.

The story follows Ed and Lorraine Warren who’s lives have spent dealing with hundreds of cases of hauntings all around the US. From small hauntings to haunted items and more importantly exorcisms. The film begins with one of their possession cases that involves two young woman who were under the impression that they were being haunted by a little girl who took a likening to their Annabelle doll. They invited the girl to live inside of the doll not knowing that the entity was a daemon. (I do want to interject that the real Annabelle doll was a raggedy Anne doll but for the films sake they made the doll look like it was related to Chucky).

Annabelle is just an introduction to the audience of what Ed and Lorraine Warren do. One of their bigger cases is that of the Perron family. Roger (Ron Livingston), his wife Carolyn (Lili Taylor) and their five daughters move to an old farmhouse in a remote area not knowing the past of the land or the home itself. Ed and Lorraine agree to help the family exorcise their home, not realizing that the case was more dangerous than they had originally thought.

This film is by far the best true ghost story film that I have seen to date. Granted it has somewhat of a slow beginning, once the scares start happening it gets better and better. The acting was not the best nor the dialogue, however if you pay close attention to the story, those weaknesses of the film are easily forgotten. It is extremely refreshing to not see any CGI in a film like this and knowing that it can be as equally scary if not more with simple camera angles and excellent concepts. I also like the absence of blood and gore that has seen to be quite overdone with most horror films lately. The way that practical makeup was used to create such scary characters is only a small part of how much thought was put into this.

This film is scary and when I say that I really mean it. When I screened this, I was sitting in the middle of two big burley men who also jumped at every surprise. If you have been waiting for a film to scare you, this my friends will do it. It is definitely not for the faint of heart.
  
Freaky (2021)
Freaky (2021)
2021 | Comedy, Horror
More body-switching horror mixed with a bit of comedy. Vince Vaughn was definitely the pull on this for me.

Millie's high school life is derailed when she switches places with a serial killer called The Butcher. She has 24 hours to work out how to switch back or she'll be trapped as a wanted criminal for the rest of her life.

This one... surprised me. I was hoping for an average slasher sort of film, all killer bit of filler, but I actually quite enjoyed the ride on Freaky.

Body swapping isn't a new idea, Big did it, 13 Going On 30, Chucky... sort of. It's a comforting sort of base that gives you room for fun, and in this instance, serial killer and teenage girl was a pretty good combo.

One thing to beware of is that this film is very gory. The beginning starts off as your typical teen horror and moves into the slasher part quite quickly. It's over the top in that ridiculous way that takes away some of the horror factor, and that's how I like these sorts of movies.

When it comes to the acting we get a collection of typical teens, there was nothing that seemed out of place. Solid acting to the expected stereotypes and it absolutely didn't rock the boat.

Vince Vaughn as our menacing murderer was quite terrifying for the moments we saw him in that role. But of course he spent most of the film as Millie. On this point my brain automatically went to the Jack Black comparison in the Jumanji films. His rendition of a teenage girl was great, and Vaughn's was just okay. While both of these roles were over the top, Vaughn's performance was "almost but not quite" and didn't sit right in Freaky.

The flip side of this was Kathryn Newton as Millie. As actual Millie I can't really remember anything about the performance, but as The Butcher there was a definite nutter vibe terminating from her. I'm not sure how they worked on the characters, for Newton the only real guidance was "psycho killer", and I think that left room for a little leeway on this side of the swap.

I was pleased that they took things into consideration during the swap. The struggle of adapting to the bodies was clear and continually there, it wasn't forgotten for the sake of getting on with the story. Millie possessed by The Butcher has a great interaction with another character, and this point is a big focus and heavy on the anxiety to watch because you're caught between a rock and a hard place about what you want the outcome to be.

There is one part of the movie that really weirded me out, I'm sure you'll be able to identify it too so I won't spoil it here. But it didn't feel necessary, it achieved nothing, and felt like it was inserted to get a reaction out of the viewer... exactly as it has here.

Freaky has a good balance between thriller, horror and comedy, and despite the imbalance in the acting/characters I found it to be a great watch. The foreknowledge of the general outcome of a body swap film (because let's face it, we all know how they end) leaves you the time to enjoy the nuttiness of everything else.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/04/freaky-movie-review.html
  
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BackToTheMovies (56 KP) rated Fear Clinic (2014) in Movies

Jun 12, 2019 (Updated Jun 12, 2019)  
Fear Clinic (2014)
Fear Clinic (2014)
2014 |
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A Horror Movie That Makes You Think!
The film revolves around a shooting that takes place in a diner that traumatizes a group of survivors who check themselves into the Fear Clinic, a clinic run by Dr.Andover a man who has created a unique way of treating phobia's using a revolutionary new technology called the fear chamber. The fear chamber works by re-animating your worst fears into hallucinations so you can combat your fear face to face. However within the story the fears start manifesting themselves in the real world and this new technology that Dr.Andover has created is slowly opening up a doorway to allow fear incarnate to wreak havoc on the patients of the clinic.

Fear Clinic has an incredibly strong cast line up with Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street) reprising his role as Dr.Andover, Thomas Dekker (Heroes) as Blake, Fiona Dourif (Curse of Chucky) as Sara a survivor of the diner shooting, Angelina Armani (Chromeskull 2) as another survivor Caylee and Corey Taylor in his first ever acting role as Bauer a porter at the clinic. Joining this stellar cast are a whole host of other amazing talent including Brandon Beemer, Cleopatra Coleman, Kevin Gage and Felisha Tirrell.

The movie as a whole was incredibly strong, what started off as an incredibly slow build up actually built the story up rather nicely and gave us some in depth character building and information, it is rare to see a good character build in indy horrors but Fear Clinic did it maybe even too much at times. Either way the second half of the movie eclipses the first by a long shot, once the story is set the action begins and with Bob Kurtzman and Steve Johnson behind the SPFX team the excitement and effects do not disappoint. As fear incarnate slowly starts to develop in the real world the SPFX team has amazingly brought this character to life taking on a persona that was unsettling to watch (Minus the visible bald cap on Robert Englund's head). The intro to the movie however slow always had a creepy and uncomfortable vibe, almost putting you in the clinic itself, testing your nerves, straining your ability to relax and always putting you on edge for what is about to come. It was a great touch and full credit to the team for drawing it out over the films duration without letting go of that emotion.

The film contains deep undertones and emotional depth in terms of people's fears and phobia's but there are some points within the movie that need to be tightened up a bit. Certain scenes need explaining more and as fear incarnate starts to manifest itself the build up and gore is lacking within the story so even thou the creature looks amazing, it doesn't strike fear into the audience which is a shame as now the audience is isolated from the story. Never the less the movie flows nicely and as it stands its a great introduction to a franchise but it does feels quite rushed in places and action is scarce in places as the build up is painstakingly drawn out, hopefully this is tightened up for the DVD release version or Director's cut.

Convoluted in places but a movie that stands higher than most Horror's that are being released at the present, a new generation of cerebral Horror. A movie that will make you think rather than spaced out watching the screen, a movie that when finished you'll rewind to make the jigsaw pieces fit. A very smart movie.

If you're used to watching Horror movies with a vacant mind then you will be disappointed with Fear Clinic, it's time to engage your brain, the Fear Clinic is open for business.

FEAR ON!