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We Summon the Darkness (2019)
We Summon the Darkness (2019)
2019 | Horror, Thriller
This is fun but there's no reason it shouldn't be gorier, crazier, more inventive, and/or more insightful given the film's insanely clever choice to frame a horror/slasher flick through the lens of religious sects vs. metal culture in the 80s - but I digress, perfectly serviceable fluff trash as it stands. Daddario is awesome in it, and I just can't get enough of Knoxville as a deliciously fire-and-brimstone pastor. I at least appreciate the formality - I'm glad this wasn't an obnoxiously meta "hey, remember this?" nostalgia soundboard like droves of films or shows detrimentally feel the need to become whenever they're set in the 80s now. But at the same time, there's so much potential for super bombastic kills and nuanced commentary that never was, and in their place it just tends to lumber for no real reason. Otherwise entertaining solely on principle, with another dependably cool score from Timothy Williams keeping things entertaining. And yes the twist is as righteous as everyone says. Not going to shake a stick at the amount of blood, enjoyment, and amped-up performances this does end up delivering - it's a decent little throwback slasher on its own - but God could you imagine if like Adam Wingard had made this? Holy hell what a picture that would have been.
  
When the Tripods Came (The Tripods #4)
When the Tripods Came (The Tripods #4)
John Christopher | 1988 | Dystopia, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fourth books in trilogies are inherently inelegant and awkward beasts; Christopher's final Tripods novel is unsurprisingly no exception. 1980s Earth is visited by alien invaders, who (initially at least) are easily repelled. But it turns out that your mum was right when she said that too much TV was bad for your health...

A bit dated, but that's the least of the book's issues. A prequel to the main series was really not required, and the main catalyst for writing it seems to have been the Tripods TV show which was broadcast three or four years earlier. (The TV show the Masters use to take over the world bears a suspicious resemblance to the TV adaptation of the first two books.) It's not really meta, more sort of peeved: peeved at critics of the show's shortcomings, but also peeved at the makers of the show for not doing a better job. As well as being dated, the relationship subplots of the book feel a bit proforma, but the depiction of the world slowly sliding out of human control and the end of modern civilisation is vividly presented in the usual compelling fashion. Whether it should all feel a bit more downbeat and bleak is probably a question of personal taste; Christopher's prose retains its good manners as well as its readability.
  
    Galaxy of Pen & Paper

    Galaxy of Pen & Paper

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Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
1998 | Horror
After the detritus that was Halloween 5 and 6, H20 is a somewhat refreshing sequel that brings the series back to basics. The return of Jamie Lee Curtis is of course a huge plus point. Revisiting her character 20 years later is a pleasure, and Curtis is brings her A-game, as she always does. The rest of the cast are perfectly likable as well.
Story wise, H20 is a direct sequel to the first two movies, ignoring everything that came in between, a good decision considering how convoluted the overarching story became before. Existing in a post Scream world means that H20 has its fair share of meta moments, as EVERY horror immediately following Wes Craven's classic did. It's all a little on the nose, but any horror fan surely can't help but crack a smile during the hugely unsubtle nod to Psycho.

Unfortunately, there are some downfalls. The script leaves a lot to be desired, flitting between quoting the original Halloween (a lot) and just being plain overdramatic. The pacing is also a little iffy - considering the runtime clocks in at under 90 minutes, H20 flirts with boredom more than once. When Michael Myers is finally in the midst of things, it's hard not to be distracted by his weird looking (and frequently changing) mask.

Overall though, H20 is a good time that doesn't take itself too seriously. A pretty middle of the road slasher, but far from the worst in the series.