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HORROR

Gremlin (2017)

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A man receives a mysterious box containing a terrible secret, a creature that will kill everyone else in his family unless he passes it on to someone he loves to continue its never-ending circulation.

Genre : Horror
Country : USA

Cast :
Adam Hampton : Adam Thatcher
Kristy K. Boone : Julia Thatcher
Katie Burgess : Anna Thatcher

Director :
Ryan Bellgardt

My opinion on “Gremlin”

“What do you think happens to us when we die?
I don’t know.
I guess it’s a lot like it is before you’re born.”

First of all, let me warn all of you who assume that this is a continuation of the 1984 masterpiece “Gremlins“. Believe me, this movie has nothing to do with it. Not even close. Not when it’s about the level of entertainment. Not content wise. And certainly not when you look at the acting skills. If there was one particular aspect that got on my nerves while watching this B-category horror, it was the terrible acting. Not only was it silly sometimes. But it felt so amateurish and forced. There is not even a sparkle of humor present in this movie. No malicious Gremlins who organize an orgy in a local pub. Or an elderly lady being launched while sitting in her chair lift. Or were the moronic conversations meant to be humorous? I’m afraid not.

Gremlin

The basic idea sounded great.

However, the starting point and basic idea were quite inventive and original. A metallic cube, with a clock-looking image full of astrological drawings, that contains something you don’t want to be confronted with. And there’s only one golden rule that’ll make sure you’ll get rid of this detestable thing. You just have to pass it on to someone you love. Talking about a dilemma. A poisoned gift for someone you really love. And that’s what James eventually did when his family probably already has been liquidated by the bloodthirsty creature. He gives it to his mother. Little did he know there were more family members in his mum’s house at that moment. And before you know it, the little creature begins using its sharp limbs and bodies start piling up. Eventually it’s Adam Thatcher (Adam Hampton) who’s shackled to the devilish box.

Gremlin

Nice looking little bugger.

The most positive thing about this indie horror, is the design of the-creature-with-a-tireless-killer-instinct. Despite the fact that the budget is significantly lower than most movies with computer-generated creatures, they’ve succeeded in creating a highly realistic little monster. But, as in “Big ass spider“, the non-proportionally shaped copy is of much lower quality. It looks like a fake, plastic figure that comes to life using stop motion techniques (Even “Shaun the sheep” looks better). Similar to the giant insects in SF films of the 70s. Also content wise it was quite creative. For example, it’s not obvious for the Thatcher family to get rid of the cube. If they think that they are put out of their misery just by randomly passing it on to someone (a bit as how the problem was solved in “It follows“), they are in for a disappointment. Apparently, the mysterious creature can feel in a certain way that you don’t really love the new owner. The fact that the box shows up over and over again, regardless of what Adam is trying to do, was to be expected. To be honest, it was utterly annoying after numerous attempts.

Gremlin

It’s not a great movie, despite the positive features.

If this film was made in the 80’s, the end product would be appropriate and undoubtedly added to other released monster-horror films. Unfortunately, the looks of the gremlin (I still wonder why it’s called that way), the rare exciting moments (the confrontation between daughter Anna (Katie Burgess) and the monster) and the intriguing subject won’t make it a great movie. And this is caused, in particular, the inadequate acting, the stupidities, the sometimes bad SE’s (especially the wounds looked kitschy) and the limited story line. The naivety with which certain problems are solved, is sometimes quite ridiculous (like hiding bodies in the basement). And once again, the policemen aren’t smarter than the two idiots from “Dumb and Dumber“. Most hilarious moment was the response of a detective who advised detective Harris (Kyle Pennington) to contact Lucy Anifero, a gypsy and apparently someone who knows something about occult and bizarre things. After Harris got a decent explanation about the devilish cube, the first comment of this detective was : “She’s hot, right?“. You can’t expect that such an idiot would solve the case.

Gremlin

A vintage SF-Horror.

Are you a fan of such a type of SF-horror and you’re a fan of anything that’s related to the 80’s, I can recommend it (there’s even an Alien-like fragment). You won’t be flabbergasted and you won’t be blown away by world-shocking novelties, but it can provide brief entertainment.

PS. I’ve read this hilarious review on Letterboxd and actually it summarizes the movie a bit :
My roommate and I decided to watch a movie tonight. I asked her if she wanted to watch The Dark Tower, ’cause I hadn’t seen it yet. She said “No, I’ve already seen it and it’s the worst movie of the year”. So we watched this instead. Once it was over, her only comment was “We should have watched The Dark Tower…”

My rating 3/10
Links : IMDB

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HORROR

When Evil Lurks | Teaser Trailer — In Theaters October 6th, 2023

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When Evil Lurks Movie Poster (IFC Films)

The following piece was written during the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie material being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Genre: Horror

Release Date: 6 October 2023 in theaters / 27 October 2023 on Shudder

Director: Demián Rugna

Writer: Demián Rugna

Distributed by: IFC Films & Shudder

Production Companies: Shudder, Aramos Cine & Machaco Films

Cast: Ezequiel Rodriguez, Demián Salomon, Luis Ziembrowski, Silvia Sabater & Marcelo Michinaux

Plot

The residents of a small rural town discover that a demon is about to be born among them. They desperately try to escape – but it may be too late…

When Evil Lurks Official Teaser Trailer (IFC Films)

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HORROR

Thanksgiving | Official Trailer — In Theaters November 17, 2023

After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the infamous holiday.

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The following piece was written during the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie material being covered here wouldn’t exist. 

Genre:

Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Release Date:

November 17, 2023

Director:

Eli Roth

Cast:

Patrick dempsey, Rick Hoffman, Gina Gershon, Addison Rae

Plot Summary:

After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the infamous holiday.

 

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HORROR

Talk To Me Delivers A Real Scare, Hands Down!

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Talk to Me Movie Poster (A24)

The following piece was written during the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie material being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Plot

When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.

Sophie Wilde as Mia (A24)

Movie Review

The movie starts off with quite a shocker, leaving you with a few questions. It doesn’t take too long to get into the action and soon you realize you are in for quite a scare. In a nutshell, the movie is about a group of friends playing a timed game where the communicate with the dead using an embalmed hand, and allow the dead to speak through them, with the emphasis on timed. However, as with all rules, some end up broken, and when the game goes on a little too long things go south, resulting in far reaching consequences. The main protagonist in the story Mia plays this game of talking with the dead, while at the same time working through the loss of a loved one as well. As a viewer I experienced her feelings of grief and it felt real because her performance was just next level.

Both Sophie Wilde and Joe Bird‘s performance as Mia and Riley really grips you, making the feelings of fear on-screen real for the audience. The make-up and effects throughout the movie was really done brilliantly. The ending delivers a unique twist making you hungry for more action and story. The cast really brought life in a horror story focusing around the dead.

Talk To Me (A24)

There is no post-credits scene, so no need to wait to the end. Trailer is amazing and delivers an even greater scare and doesn’t spoil any important parts of the movie. My rating for Talk To Me is 5 out of 5. Talk To Me is a bone-chilling supernatural horror that delivers a real scare on-screen, hands down. I’m all for seeing a possible sequel of Talk To Me one day, or even a prequel where the origin of the embalmed hand is unpacked. But the movie is still brilliant as a stand-alone movie.

Make sure to catch it at a cinema near you or watch online.

Talk To Me Official Trailer (A24)

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