Good afternoon! 2023 was a busy year for the horror genre, but it wasn’t the strongest release schedule. It goes to show, horror is a challenging genre to tackle. Also, studio executives are more worried about checking boxes instead of telling a good story. Here are the horror movies I recommend the most from the 2023 roster.
Appendage This Hulu exclusive is definitely the strangest film on today’s post. A woman’s insecurities literally manifest as an evil parasite on her body. It’s almost like a more serious version of Malevolent with a bigger emphasis on suspense instead of action. The parasite becomes stronger and larger as the protagonist struggles with her lack of confidence. Appendage is very interesting, although totally weird. It has a valid message about self-esteem and our personal demons. Some people can overcome these obstacles and others fall prey to their own worst enemy. This movie also makes good use of practical creature effects. I doubt many people watched this film last year, so give it a shot. The Boogeyman I’ve always been a fan of cryptids, urban legends, and folk tales. The Boogeyman is about the shadowy monster that lives in the closet and lurks in the shadows. Most believers of this monster are children, but it menaces adults as well. It’s one of those rare PG-13 horror movies that still works pretty well within the genre. It’s suspenseful, creepy, and the creature effects are pretty cool. I must admit, the pacing can be quite slow, but the overall film is still a decent creature feature. Cocaine Bear This flamboyant movie includes a solid combination of horror and comedy. Cocaine Bear is exactly what you’re imagining: a bear that found a stash of cocaine and went on a murderous rampage. You know what? This loony idea actually works pretty well. The script is surprisingly good, the characters are entertaining, the humor is consistent, and it has plenty of surprises. Believe it or not, this movie is loosely based on a true story. Say no to drugs, everybody! Dark Harvest MGM buried this rural horror film in the 2023 schedule. I don’t understand why they didn’t promote this movie because it should appeal quite well to horror fans. If you enjoy Pumpkinhead, Children of the Corn, and other typed of folk horror, you might want to watch Dark Harvest. The townspeople made a deal with a pagan entity and they must hold a dangerous hunting game every Halloween. If the town’s teenagers can successfully kill a scarecrow-like demon, they will have an excellent harvest. Keep in mind, the townspeople are harboring many secrets and the film has a twist ending. Dark Harvest isn’t a masterpiece, but it might develop a cult following over time. Evil Dead Rise I was pleasantly surprised with the latest entry in the Evil Dead franchise. It has a dark tone and grisly death scenes with a similar flavor to the 2013 remake. This movie takes place in a rundown apartment complex, which is a completely different setting for this franchise. Evil Dead Rise includes a combination of scares, dread, gore, and tragedy. We don’t spend a lot of time with the characters before the story becomes ugly, but it’s easy to feel invested in the characters. If you’re familiar with the other Evil Dead films, you’ll probably assume many characters won’t make it out alive. This movie is another stellar entry in the series. Haunted Mansion It’s hard to imagine a Disney film landing on this post, but here we are. Haunted Mansion might not have bloodcurdling scares or gruesome death scenes, but it’s atmospheric, spooky, and packed with interesting lore. It’s a faithful recreation of the Haunted Mansion theme park ride, including the set pieces and characters. Truthfully, I wouldn’t recommend showing this film to young kids because it’s probably too scary. If you like ghost movies or amusement parks, check out the Haunted Mansion reboot. Insidious: The Red Door Despite having many films in the franchise, the first Insidious remains the strongest entry. However, The Red Door isn’t bad by any means. Many years have passed in the series and the Lambert family is fractured. The son goes to college, but the spectral menace from the previous movies follows him. He paints a red door, which traps the demon temporarily. The runtime is a bit excessive and the film isn’t super frightening. With that said, the story is interesting, the atmosphere is creepy, and it’s refreshing to see an emphasis on different characters. The Red Door is a good step in the right direction for the Insidious franchise. M3GAN Here’s another fun and weird film on this post. M3GAN is a PG-13 horror movie that has plenty of suspense, creepy elements, dark humor, and an effective commentary about AI. This film has a very modern take on AI horror, which makes the story more thought provoking. M3GAN was a pleasant surprise at the beginning of the year and that’s an impressive feat because January is a dumping ground for bad scary movies. The titular character might not be the Terminator, but she’s a formidable foe. Missing It’s always nice to see a rare horror film that focuses on the story. Missing is about a teenager who’s trying to find her missing mother. At first glance, it just seems like the protagonist’s mother is on a romantic trip with her boyfriend, but something doesn’t feel right. It’s a spinoff of the popular film, called Searching, which also had an effective story. Missing has an intriguing mystery and several unexpected moments. The runtime is nearly two hours, but the pacing moves along pretty well. It’s a satisfying watch all the way through the conclusion. The Nun II Sure, The Nun isn’t the most impressive IP in terms of ghost stories. Regardless, I thought this sequel was entertaining in all of the right ways. This movie has a brisk pace, effective jump scares, a spooky church, several creepy moments, and a few returning characters. In fact, I enjoy The Nun II better than its predecessor. Furthermore, this film expands on the lore and leaves the door open for future installments. I wasn’t a fan of the original Annabelle either, but the following movies were quite good. So, I feel optimistic about future spinoffs in The Conjuring universe. Pet Sematary: Bloodlines Some people don’t like the reboot of Pet Sematary, but it works for me. Bloodlines is a prequel to the remake and it’s a serviceable streaming film. It might not sound like a ringing endorsement to you, but I’ve seen much worse on virtually every streaming service. This Paramount+ original is pretty creepy and it explains a big part of the cursed town’s background. Additionally, it’s a unique take on the zombie genre. Bloodlines is the type of film that’s suitable for Halloween and late night viewings. Saw X Public disclaimer: I’m not a fan of the Saw franchise. I can’t believe so many of those movies came to the big screen. They were surprisingly popular in the past. What’s different about Saw X? Unlike most torture porn flicks, this one has a legitimate story. Jigsaw had faulty logic in most of his films, but Saw X has a solid morality tale. It might not be the best storytelling, but this movie makes some good points and the death traps feel justified. I know many people can’t handle these types of films, so view at your own discretion. Scream VI Here’s another iconic franchise that’s moving to a different setting. Scream VI takes place in New York City instead of quaint suburbia. That means the Ghostface Killer can hide in plain sight and attacks more people, including background characters. It changes some elements, but the overall vibe and spirit of Scream remains. This movie features the characters who were introduced in the previous film, kicking Sydney Prescott to the curb. Honestly, it works perfectly fine and I think the franchise needs to move on from the original cast. Scream VI is thrilling, fun, violent, and humorous. It’s hard to maintain a film series for so many entries, but Paramount is doing a good job. Thanksgiving I wouldn’t call this film torture porn, although it’s definitely a hardcore slasher flick with shocking kill scenes. It has the same gore level as Saw and Hostile. Despite this level of gratuitous bloodshed, Thanksgiving is very clever and surprisingly funny. The death scenes are creative and the killer’s big reveal isn’t predictable. Dare I say the writing is decent? I might have to admit this violent slasher movie has a good script that makes valid points about consumerism. The context is tricky to understand without watching the film. Give it a shot if you’re curious. Totally Killer If you like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and other teen slasher flicks, this movie should be on your radar. It’s more accessible to general audiences than many horror movies with a certain amount of violence that won’t make you turn away. However, it’s still a fun viewing with many twists. You might find this part weird, but Totally Killer features a lot of time travel. A teenage girl travels back in time to prevent her mother’s murder and various characters die through repeated attempts to alter history. This film is less confusing than most time travel movies and it still feels like a legitimate horror film. It’s also a good Amazon original, which is a rare occurrence. There you go! Have you watched any of these horror films yet? Do you feel happy or disappointed with the current horror scene? Tell me all about it in the comment section. Some of you probably have a three day weekend, so enjoy it. Be safe, treat each other with respect, and I’ll see you next week.
0 Comments
Welcome back, gaming fans! 2024 is another packed year with new games. It also seems like this year will be quite controversial for the video game industry, but we’ll find out more details within the coming weeks. In the meantime, I’m starting to get through the first games of the year. Did 2024 have a decent opening season or did publishers release a bunch of filler content? Check out my thoughts below. I was disappointed with last year’s brawler games, but 2024 seems to be heading in the right direction. Mayhem Brawler is a 2D side scrolling brawler with a few modern elements, such as branching storylines and different enemy or boss encounters that reflect your choices. That means the game has multiple endings as well. The controls are fluid, the animation takes influences from comic book illustrations, and the basic mechanics are easy to learn yet challenging to master. For example, you can dash toward enemies with the press of a single button instead of double tapping the joystick. Each playable character is a different archetype with their own unique abilities, including a wolf-man, a shark-man, and a superhero in the vein of Captain Marvel. Mayhem Brawler has seven chapters, which feels like the right length. The game also has plenty of replay value because each experience will be somewhat different. Mayhem Brawler might be one of the most commercial brawlers and yes, that’s a good thing. It introduces players to the genre and helps them build skills with their own gameplay style. I wholeheartedly recommend this game and it’s hard to beat the price at $20 digitally. The gaming community waited many years for a new entry in the Prince of Persia series. It’s a side scrolling metroidvania that brings the franchise back to form while adding several modern elements. On the plus side, The Lost Crown has excellent animation, entertaining combat, numerous ways to traverse the environment, and accessibility features to make the game more enjoyable for casual players. You can also take pictures to help you remember locations that require unlocking. However, the inventory and upgrade system feels convoluted. You’ll spend a long time unlocking new abilities and it’s hard to tell what items make the best upgrades. I accumulated large quantities of material, but it just seemed like a collection of stuff. What do all these totems, gems, and sigils mean? Your guess is as good as mine. The map is pretty good, although it needs way more fast travel options for a game of this size. The Lost Crown requires massive amounts of backtracking and it pads on a lot of extra time for no particular reason. After a while, the gameplay and platforming feels highly repetitive with excessive grinding. It just feels like a chore past a certain point. I also experienced a lot of motion sickness. If you’re curious about the new Prince of Persia game, check it out on Ubisoft+ for PC or Xbox. That way, you can try the game without paying full price. People who love metroidvanias will enjoy this game, but it’s not going to be a great experience for newcomers or players who struggle with the genre, despite a multitude of accessibility features. Another Code: Recollection includes two point and click mystery games. The graphics have an anime style and it’s easy to maneuver through the environment. Puzzles are fun with a decent amount of variety. Most of the puzzles are pretty simple, but others are more challenging. The story is quite interesting with influences from various cozy mysteries and light sci-fi excursions. Another Code has solid voice acting and plenty of opportunities to learn more about the characters through dialogue options and letters strewn around the environment. You probably won’t get lost because the game has a map and the puzzles have a hint system. Both games combined have a very meaty runtime at easily twenty hours. This remake collection has a few issues worth mentioning. Some of the mini games require the Switch’s motion controls, which is a pain in the butt. The story drags periodically and the plot can be a bit confusing in the later chapters. It’s not a hard collection, so certain gamers will find the experience dull. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this duo of titles. Another Code: Recollection might not be the best choice for people who are searching for an ultra difficult experience, but it’s good for people who appreciate narrative adventures and mysteries. It even has a fun little sci-fi spin. I will say the price is off putting at $60. You definitely have the option of waiting for a sale. If you’re a fan of courthouse dramas, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy be a good choice. Granted, I was less thrilled with this trilogy compared to The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. The Apollo Justice games have similar elements, such as investigations, crime scenes, interrogations, deductions, and other elements that you’ll see in Law & Order. It seems like 2024 has a lot of anime remakes, including this trilogy. Chronicles had interesting mysteries, well developed characters, clever deduction systems, and plenty of humor. However, the Apollo Justice Trilogy is slow, repetitive, boring, and goofy without being witty. Some people are really huge fans of the Ace Attorney franchise and I’ll bet a few of the stories in this trilogy rank lower on the list. The runtime is unrealistically long at ninety hours. If you play through all of the main stories, you’re looking at days or weeks of gameplay. That’s simply too long for students and adults with busy schedules. I’m only recommending this trilogy for hardcore Ace Attorney fans. The franchise has better entries and I found unrelated games more satisfying, such as Another Code: Recollection and last year’s Murder On the Orient Express. The fighting genre’s renaissance continues with Tekken 8. I was afraid this game would fail to impress me after playing Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1. Good thing I was wrong! Tekken 8 has great controls and countless combinations that can drain your opponent’s health. The new heat system can regenerate your health and temporarily unlock new combos. When your health is low, the game gives you the chance to use a super move that will cripple your opponent. The story mode is surprisingly good and you have other gameplay options, such as the short character stories, multiplayer, and a unique arcade tour. Tekken remains the most challenging and unforgiving of the major fighting IPs, but it has some new elements that can help newcomers. For example, you can turn on the new control scheme that will allow you to perform lengthy combos by mashing a single button. The roster is very impressive with more than thirty characters, including original favorites and new characters to the series.
Ultimately, Tekken 8 is one of the best entries in the franchise and a great addition to the fighting genre. Despite a high level of difficulty, I find this game entirely accessible to casual gamers. I can understand if you want the price to drop below $70 after some time, but the game still has amazing value. That’s all for now! A couple of the games on this post weren’t my cup of tea, but it was actually a really good start for the year. Hopefully, it will be a strong indicator for the rest of 2024. I’m still working on a backlog of games for the next round of reviews. It’s hard to believe the beginning of the year was so packed. Early 2024 started with many layoffs in the gaming industry, rumors about the next Nintendo console, Best Buy eliminating physical movies from their inventory, and Xbox rethinking their business strategy for the future. We still have a long ways to go this year! On that note, have fun watching the Super Bowl, enjoy your Valentine’s Day, and I’ll see you again next week. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2019
Categories |