#the real horror is the cult that preys upon this family’s life

[sleepdepravity]

I’m so sad about devotion again it’s so good. I’m gonna cry. I can’t handle straight up horror because like, I guess many of them give the vibe of being mean-spirited? Maybe that’s not the right word for it, and also I admit that since I don’t really go for horror it’s not my place to say “this is definitively an aspect.” I think I’m mainly thinking about horror video games too. I think horror as a genre is like. Something built to be, in a sense, “hostile” to the audience. It’s trying to scare you, it wants to inspire dread, here’s a health bar, you are powerless, there’s the enemy better watch out. Devotion isn’t hostile to you, the player, it’s more hostile to the character, his troubles and family life, you’re more along as a witness. And even then, it’s not quite so hostile, despite everything, there is love, and oh my god I’m crying, I made myself cry Goddammit

[sas-soulwriter]

Dark ideas for your book

(promts)

The Eclipsed City: In a dystopian future, a city is perpetually shrouded in darkness due to a rare cosmic event. Within its shadows, a mysterious cult thrives, promising salvation to those who embrace the eternal night.

Spectral Inheritance: A family cursed with the ability to see and communicate with ghosts is haunted by a malevolent spirit that seeks to manipulate them into committing unspeakable acts.

The Silence Plague: A mysterious illness sweeps across the world, causing those afflicted to lose the ability to speak. As society collapses, a group of survivors must navigate the eerie quietness and unravel the origins of the plague.

Cabinet of Wonders: An eccentric collector amasses a macabre assortment of cursed artifacts. When a group of thieves attempts to steal from the collection, they unwittingly unleash ancient evils upon the world.

The Labyrinthine Asylum: A renowned psychologist opens an asylum for the criminally insane, but as he delves into the minds of the patients, he discovers a shared, otherworldly experience that threatens to consume them all.

The Dollmaker's Obsession: A toymaker creates eerily lifelike dolls imbued with the souls of the deceased. As the dolls begin to exhibit disturbing behavior, the townspeople must confront the consequences of meddling with the afterlife.

The Whispering Woods: A forest is rumored to house a malevolent entity that preys on the deepest fears of those who enter. A group of friends camping in the woods must confront their inner demons as reality warps around them.

Mirror, Mirror: A cursed mirror reflects not the physical appearance but the innermost desires of those who gaze into it. As individuals succumb to their obsessions, the mirror's dark power grows stronger.

The Forgotten Carnival: A long-abandoned carnival mysteriously reopens, drawing in unsuspecting visitors. However, the attractions harbor supernatural secrets that force patrons to face their darkest fears.

Phantom Limbs: After a groundbreaking medical procedure, patients begin to experience the sensation of phantom limbs that seem to have a life of their own, leading to a series of grisly and unexplainable events.

The Clockwork Curse: A clockmaker crafts a series of intricate, cursed timepieces that manipulate the lives of their owners. As time unravels, the characters must race against the clock to break the curse.

The Wretched Symphony: In a haunted opera house, a composer unwittingly writes a masterpiece that channels the anguish of tormented spirits. The music's power transcends the stage, causing supernatural disturbances throughout the city.

The Soul Market: A hidden market emerges where people can buy and sell souls. Those who partake soon discover the horrifying consequences of trading away their essence.

Tunnels of Despair: A series of mysterious tunnels are discovered beneath a small town, leading to an ancient chamber that houses a malevolent force capable of manifesting the fears of anyone who enters.

The Crimson Masquerade: At a masquerade ball, attendees wearing cursed masks find themselves trapped in a surreal realm where their darkest secrets are revealed, leading to a night of intrigue, betrayal, and horror.

The Oracle's Prophecy: A gifted oracle foretells a series of apocalyptic events, and a group of unlikely heroes must decipher the cryptic messages to prevent the end of the world.

The Coven's Conspiracy: In a secluded village, a coven of witches enacts a dark ritual to unleash a powerful ancient entity. As the villagers begin to vanish, a lone investigator must confront the supernatural forces at play.

The Unseen Gallery: An artist creates paintings that come to life, each depicting a nightmarish realm. As the paintings multiply, they threaten to merge the real world with their grotesque dimensions.

The Haunting Melody: A cursed melody is passed down through generations, causing madness and death to those who hear it. A musician discovers the haunting tune and must find a way to break the curse before it claims more lives.

The Apothecary's Concoction: A mysterious apothecary brews elixirs that grant extraordinary abilities, but at a cost. As users become addicted to the potions, they spiral into madness, leading to a city on the brink of collapse.

[revchainsaw]

Audition (1999)

Greetings my dear followers, and welcome to today's service at the Cult Tent Revival! Today we have on offering a movie who's reputation precedes it. Please brace yourselves for the godmother of torture porn ... Audition.

The Message

When salary man Aoyoma loses his wife he is heart broken. As the years pass his son matures and begins to feel bad for his lonely father. Aoyomas son urges his father to move on and to find love. Spurred by this endorsement Aoyoma shares his lady troubles with close friends, one of whom comes up with a master plan. They will hold a film audition, under the presupposition that there is a major role in an upcoming move to play a wife, many eligible women will come forward and Aoyoma will have his pick of the candidates. When the time comes they will announce that the film lost it's financial backers and Aoyoma will be left with a long list of bachelorettes.

Against his better judgment a lonely Aoyoma agrees to the charade. Many quirky and interesting young ladies from the area show up for interviews and auditions, but the wistful and brooding Asami is the one who catches Aoyomas eye. Though hesitant to act on his deceit Aoyoma eventually caves and begins to see Asami. It is revealed that she is the survivor of quite a bit of loss and abuse, and a former ballerina. Aoyoma seems not to put a whole lot of thought into this and seduces Asami. The stricken Asami asks Aoyoma to promise her that he will love no one else but her. He agrees not making any caveats for his family or deceased relative.

After the relationship is consummated Asami disappears and thus Aoyoma begins a desperate hunt to find his new girlfriend. However, many of the leads Aoyoma trails down using the information he gathered from the audition lead nowhere and the few that do turn up are quite disturbing. Eventually upon returning home Aoyoma sits down and enjoys a nice glass of bourbon, only to find Asami had beat him home and drugged his glass.

Fact and Fiction blur as we are treated to a smorgasbord of graphic horror. Asami beheading her old dancing instructor, feeding vomit to a tortured soul she has been keeping in an old sack, and of course the brutal and horrific torture of Aoyomi himself. Asami is eventually discovered in the midst of brutalizing Aoyomi by his son and suffers a fall. She breaks her neck but not before she repeats her vows to the mutilated Aoyomi and our film ends.

Let's get to the Benediction

Best Aspect: Dead Meat Cute

if you were to remove some of the brutal imagery from the second half of the film, and were to ignore the downright misogyny of a plan that includes a faux audition to lure women into a relationship you would wind up with the formula for a pretty basic rom com. In fact, without the eery score it could be said that a large part of Audition actually plays like a by the numbers love story. It is this morbid inverstion of these roles that actually serves the horror of this movie far more than it's torture porn and graphic imagery. Many people have shyed away from this movie due to it's reputation for fear that it is nothing more than graphic and shocking violence, but this is far from the case. Audition is a good movie, and it's hero and villain are quite sympathetic.

Worst Aspect: It Was All a Dream

There is much debate online regarding what was "real" in this film. Things begin happening where logic is thrown out of the window. I was personally tempted to fall back on the traditional Japanese ghost story themes of wronged women, of which Asami is one, and accept that something supernatural was going on. This was unfortunately negated by the films own director confirming that everything we are seeing on screen is real, just in a jumbled way due to the protagonist's drug induced state. That still doesn't explain some things and it really feels like Takashi Miikie is channeling his inner David Lynch here. The debate rages on even after Miike's revelation, because if you are trying to give this film a logical timeline we are confronted with many logical errors that a drug trip just can't explain away. The Best you can do is just sit back and accept what you are seeing. Enjoy the ride, but don't try to create a timeline or you will have a bad time.

Best and Worst Character: Predators and Prey

Asami and Aoyomi share the first and last place for best and worst character. Asami is a victim, she is taking power back, and she is clearly an intriquing black widow of sorts. Once she dons her torture gear the film is all in on her. We want to see this poor child take the power back into her hands, but she is also misdirected and though Aoyomi is not innocent she is definitely going to irredeemable levels of mistreatment to make her point. She's very unsympathetic and it really downplays Aoyomis wrong doings to the point that many will disagree with me that he deserved any of this.

Aoyomi is often interpreted as this innocent widower. His loss does make him sympathetic. He was genuinely looking for a connection and not just for sex, though if my interpretation of the "dream sequence" is correct, he did cave and have sex with a few of the auditioners besides Asami. That is however left up to your personal interpretation. He was still in the wrong however for his lies. He and his friend intentionally crafted a scenario that was inteded to trap young women so that he could choose from them. In a non horror movie this may have been a quirky object for a meet cute, but in both Audition and real life, it's fucking creepy and wrong. Asami saw this, and so should the audience. Of course I don't think that Aoyomi was evil, just misquided. He did however place himself in a position to do harm and Asami is an avenging Demon to punish the wicked.

What makes this film work however is this ambiguity. This is not a story of Good vs Evil, it's a story of Good and Evil. They both exist within and without one another and Audition is an important reminder of how easily our experiences and our loss can blind us to the moral implications of our actions.

Best Kill: Piano Wire

Within the dream sequence Asami is shown to approach her old dance instructor while he is playing on the Piano. She produces her weapon of choice, a piano wire, and the dance instructor gladly accepts his fate. We are greeted with flashes of several poignant images as she saws back and forth into the flesh of his neck before fully decapitating him, and his severed head lands with a satisfying and bloody thud onto the ground.

Most WTF Moment: In The Dog House

We are treated to an incredibly visceral scenario at one point in the film where Asami feeds her own vomit to a victim. Earlier on in the movie there is a writhing sack in Asami's home that we are left to ponder the contents of. Of course, we presume it is something living. In the dream sequence in the third act the bag is unbound and a man with several missing extremities slithers out. We can hear Asami of camera retching. She makes her way into focus and she produces a silver dog dish full of ... well, you guessed it. She places it before her pet, and the mutilated man gladly accepts his dinner.

Summary

I have stayed away from Audition for a very long time. I remember hearing rumours, though they may be just that, around the time that The Devil's Rejects was released, that there was only one movie that Rob Zombie was too afraid to watch a second time. That movie was Audition. That was enough of a negative endorsement for me. I am a fan of horror, of dread, of fear, but I think that in the pursuit of those experiences repulsion and gore can be excellent servants. but there are many films that think that disgust and gore are enough to inspire fear and that is just not the case. I was afraid that Audition was one of those movies. It is revolting, it is upsetting, and vile. But it is also terrifying and phantasmagoric. Audition walks the line of torture porn expertly and produces something better than a lazy gross out feature. It has layers, it has pathos, and more importantly it allows us to imagine our monsters more complexly.

Overall Grade: B

[joeygoeshollywood]

My 25 Favorite Films of 2018

It’s hard to believe that 2018 is already coming to a close. Here’s my 25 favorite films from the year!

25. Black Panther

Roughly twenty films into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the franchise certainly needed a pallet cleanser. Black Panther was certainly the antidote. Not only did we get a standalone film from a superhero we didn’t know much about, it took us on adventure in the fictional high-tech nation of Wakanda. Chadwick Boseman brings a freshness and a unique charm to the Avengers table and he’s accompanied by a very talented cast including Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, Dana Gurira, and Michael B Jordan, who was easily one of Marvel’s best villains to date. Writer/Director Ryan Coogler (Creed, Fruitvale Station) has established himself as a filmmaker on the rise and his career will not be stopping anytime soon. 

24. Boy Erased

Based on a true story, Boy Erased follows the son of a Baptist preacher and his unsettling experience at a gay conversion program. Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea, Ladybird) continues to prove he’s one of the greatest actors from the millennial generation as a young man who struggles with his sexual identity. Joel Edgerton, who wrote, directed, and starred in the film, strikes a balance between intensity and raw emotion. And Nicole Kidman also gives one of her strongest performances in recent memory as the religious mother who goes on her own journey in embracing her son for who he really is. 

23. Sorry to Bother You

Sorry to Bother You cannot be defined by one genre. Part comedy, part fantasy, part sci-fi, and even part horror, this film from newcomer Boots Riley is an imaginative satire that tackles race, class, and capitalism. This marks the biggest and best role from Lakeith Standfield (Atlanta, Get Out) who stars as a telemarketer who quickly climbs the ranks only to find out that the company he works for has nefarious ambitions. There are a lot of WTF moments in this film that cannot be unseen, but it’s all worth it. 

22. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

What ended up being the best animated film of the year and of the best Spider-Man movies ever, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse reimagines the origin story of this classic Marvel superhero with a new cinematic web-slinger Miles Morales, who teams up with other Spider-Men from other dimensions in order to stop the threat to all of their realities. Between the unique forms of animation, a fun script, and a solid voice cast, Into the Spider-Verse rises above in a year filled with superhero flicks.  

21. The Cloverfield Paradox

When the latest chapter in the Cloverfield franchise dropped on the night of the Super Bowl, everyone rushed to Netflix for the surprise release. And while the critics weren’t exactly kind, The Cloverfield Paradox was still a wild, captivating installment. A group of scientists in space must solve the energy crisis that is causing chaos among nations on Earth, but while doing so find themselves entangled in alternative realities. Gugu Mbathu-Raw, Daniel Brühl, Chris Dowd, David Oyelowo, John Ortiz, Ziyi Zhang, Aksel Hennie and Elizabeth Debicki round out this strong, diverse ensemble. 

20. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

At 56 years old, Tom Cruise continues to defy all odds as he keeps his now 20-year-old franchise alive. Ethan Hunt’s latest mission was fitting enough to be his last as his efforts to once again save the world also has him grappling with questions about his own mortality and the loved ones in his life. One of the best action films of the year, Fallout is a ton of fun and filled with well-choreographed sequences and stunts from Cruise himself. 

19. Bad Times at the El Royale

What is fascinating about Bad Times at the El Royale is how much it felt like a puzzle. With its non-linear editing, every scene felt like an individual puzzle piece that once they come together give you a complete picture. Drew Goddard, the mastermind behind the modern cult classic The Cabin in the Woods, returns with a 60s-era crime thriller with a superb soundtrack, awesome production design, and a stellar cast that features Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Cynthia Erivo, and Chris Hemsworth. 

18. Support the Girls

Support the Girls is a small indie comedy from Andrew Bujalski about a general manager of a sports bar and grill who reaches a boiling point with her life. Regina Hall, best known for her role in the Scary Movie franchise and more recently in Girls Trip, gives the best performance of her career as the heartwarming and heartbreaking Lisa, who while hating her job puts her young waiting staff first. Support the Girls is one of the few films that’s grounded in reality and is a comedic display of ordinary life and the struggles that come with it. 

17. A Simple Favor

What was easily the most Hitchcockian film of the year, A Simple Favor marks a sharp tonal turn from director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy). Anna Kendrick stars a single mother who investigates the strange disappearance of her new friend (played by a terrific Blake Lively). Filled with unexpected turns and a few good laughs, A Simple Favor is a sexy thriller that expanded Feig’s talents.                                                                        

16. Thoroughbreds 

Part psychological thriller, part teenage dark comedy, Thoroughbreds resembles a contemporary Heathers. Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Split) stars as a girl who relies her sociopathic friend (Olivia Cooke) to plot the murder of her awful stepfather. Newcomer Cory Finley makes an outstanding feature debut and is able to strike a balance between the tragedy and humor of this unlikely friendship. 

15. A Quiet Place

John Krasinski wrote, produced, directed, and starred in his second and best feature to date, A Quiet Place. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, a family adapts to living in complete silence in order to keep themselves out of harms way from these deadly creatures who hunt their prey by the sounds they make. Despite the script with barely a page of dialogue, A Quiet Place speaks volumes with high intensity and terrifying performances from Krasinski’s wife Emily Blunt as well as from child actors Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe.  

14. The Death of Stalin

Veep creator Armando Iannucci knows a thing or two about satire. This time, he takes his talents to the big screen with his political comedy The Death of Stalin. As the title explains, the film follows the death of Russian dictator Joseph Stalin and the tug of war over power among his Council of Ministers. The intellectual humor in the screenplay combined with the comical performances of an ensemble cast which includes Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Rupert Friend, Andrea Riseborough, and Jason Isaacs marks one of the best comedies of the year. 

13. Hereditary 

Like a modern day Rosemary’s Baby, Hereditary is an unsettling horror film that surrounds the supernatural occurrences of a grieving family after the passing of its estranged matriarch. Writer/Director Ari Aster masterfully crafts a remarkable yet unexplainable thriller with the help of a career-best performance from Toni Collette. 

12. Three Identical Strangers

Sometimes life is stranger than fiction and there is not a better example of that than Three Identical Strangers, a documentary that tells the real-life story about triplets who were separated at birth who discover each other’s existence in college and their journey to discover the grim circumstances that pulled them apart in the first place. What really felt more like a suspense thriller, Three Identical Strangers is an unpredictable, fascinating film about family and the bonds that hold us together. 

11. Widows

Widows is a grade-a heist film from 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen and Gone Girl screenwriter Gillian Flynn. Viola Davis stars as a widow who settles one final score that was all set by her dead husband (Liam Neeson). Suspenseful and emotional from beginning to end, Widows is a female-dominated drama that features one of the best ensembles of the year, including Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, and Robert Duvall. 

10. Game Night

There was not a more laugh-out-loud funny comedy this year than Game Night. It surrounds a group of friends whose game night takes a wrong turn when what’s supposed to be a fun murder mystery becomes very real. Not only does the plot have plenty of twists and turns, the abundance of self-awareness in this wacky film elevates it from the rest. Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman do their best comedic work in years and they’re accompanied by a hilarious ensemble cast. 

9. Overlord

You don’t often hear of WWII horror films, but Overlord certainly delivers. The J.J. Abrams-produced flick follows a troop of soldiers who stumble upon a gruesome scientific lab where humans are the unfortunate subjects. Overlord is truly an adrenaline rush and the most badass movie of the year. After all, when it comes to Americans kicking some Nazi butt, the gorier the better. 

8. Annihilation 

Annihilation is one of those remarkable films that is so hard to describe. Natalie Portman stars as a biologist who joins a pack of armed explorers in a territory of land where mysteriously the laws of nature are nonexistent. Thought-provoking, captivating, and extremely intense, this female-led sci-fi drama felt like an out-of-body experience. 

7. Crazy Rich Asians

Easily the most enjoyable film of the year, Crazy Rich Asians offers plenty of sights, laughs, and heart. Based off the best-selling novel by Kevin Kwan, this romantic comedy follows NYU professor Rachel (Fresh Off the Boat’s Constance Wu) and her struggle to win over her fiancé’s very judgmental, very crazy, and yes, very rich family. Crazy Rich Asians features eye candy visuals, a fun soundtrack, and a talented ensemble cast. 

6. Roma

Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Children of Men) makes his return with his most personal film yet, Roma. Set in Mexico City in the early 1970s, the Spanish-language film chronicles the life of a middle-class family a maid named Cleo (played by newcomer Yalitza Aparicio). Shot in black and white and with incredible cinematography Roma is timeless story about family, class, and the human spirit. It is easily Netflix’s best original film to date. 

5. If Beale Street Could Talk

Oscar-winning writer/director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) makes a strong return with a tragic love story about a pregnant young woman who struggles to get her fiancé out of jail after he was wrongfully accused of a crime. Based off the book of the same name, If Beale Street Could Talk felt more like watching a play. Along with the gorgeous cinematography and a moving score, this romance is carried by its two leads Kiki Layne and Stephen James as well as Regina King, who gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Layne’s mother. 

4. Eighth Grade

Middle school is the worst and no film has captured the experience better than Bo Burnham’s debut film Eighth Grade. Despite the ever-changing times, this indie comedy manages to connect adult audiences with eighth grader Kayla Day, who struggles to navigate through her adolescence all while attempting to build her presence on social media. Young actress, Elsie Fisher gives a grounded, comical, and sometimes painful performance and Josh Hamilton gives a strong supporting performance as her single father who tries to lift her spirits. 

3. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

If you grew up on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, then this film will certainly hit home. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? showcases the life of a Presbyterian minister who developed of the most iconic, impactful children’s shows in television history and the struggles he faced along the way. The documentary features interviews of his family, the crew, and cast members, all who give insight of the genius that is Fred Rogers. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is an emotional film that, if you’re lucky, will restore your faith in humanity. And be warned; there was not a dry eye in that theater. 

2. American Animals

Director Bart Layton has an incredible gift of making hybrid films. His underrated 2012 documentary The Imposter felt more like a mystery thriller. And with American Animals, since it’s based on a true story, he injects documentary elements into what normally would be a heist film. The story surrounds these four college kids who plan to steal an extremely valuable book from the campus library. The four leads do outstanding work, but Evan Peters (of American Horror Story fame) particularly gives the best performance of his career as one of the irresponsible thieves. With great editing and strong source material, American Animals is the best film of the year that virtually no one saw.  

1. The Favourite

It’s no surprise that The Favourite is the favorite film of the year. Yorgos Lanthimos, the previously unsung filmmaker behind The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, brings the real-life 18th Century story of Queen Anne to the 21st Century and injects his twisted sense of humor. Olivia Colman stars as the neurotic, but hilarious ruler and Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz compete for her affection. Beautifully shot and superbly written, The Favourite is a remarkable, flawless cinematic masterpiece. 

[docholligay]

Hereditary

This post is brought to you @skylineofspace

I feel like anyone who walks away from the first watching of Hereditary not going, “What the fuck?” was not actually trying to engage with the ideas the movie puts forth.

But right off, let me explain my process for reviewing/talking about a movie I have not seen as an independent commission. This is my first independent movie commission, and so I didn’t really know what my process would be before this. NOW I KNOW. I watch the movie four times.

First, I watch the movie just like anyone else would, no notes, no nothing. The second time, I watch it take short notes on themes and ideas the movie is putting forth, supports and detractions from those ideas, symbols, motifs, etc. The third time, I watch it while going back over my notes, adding to them or noting where I’ve gone wrong. The fourth time I watch it while working on the actual meat of the post.

So, 2,000 words on Hereditary. Of course, these are my feelings and my feelings alone, and you are in no way obligated to engage with these ideas in the same way I do. This is a semi-spicy take here at the bottom and it’s perfectly reasonable you may not read the film the same way. Obviously, there are massive spoilers for this movie.

As a horror movie, without even going into the deeper questions put forth by the movie, some of which I think are more successful than others, it’s very well done. I was surprised, when I read some rotten tomatoes after watching this the last time, to find that while critics had sided with me on it being a wonderful horror movie that relies on actual creeping fear and dramatic tension instead of jump scares, the hoi polloi had not really taken to the movie.

Maybe I’m just that dramatically out of touch with people’s preferences.

But for me, the horror in the movie is suitably horrifying, the dark and creeping feeling that something is very off, without being able to quite put a finger on it. It wasn’t until my second viewing of the movie that I even realized Charlie had been possessed since she was a baby, that she had been “given” to her grandmother in a way far beyond I took the throwaway line for. The soundtrack is chilling without playing too deeply into horror tropes so as to be cheesy, the lighting never really gets into the “horror movie lighting” even when it is dark. The scene where Charlie’s voice comes out of her mother is brilliantly shot, harried, and terrifying. The movie never is trying to trick you, and telegraphs many of the most important moments within it. Charlie’s actress does a wonderful job of making her feel otherworldly and almost unlikeable, without without ever tripping into “Just kill the kid!” territory.

And then, the fantastic foreshadowing. The scene with Peter in the classroom asks a question that we will be forced to ask ourselves later in the movie: “If the characters are bound by fate, and there was never anything they could do, does that make it more tragic, or less tragic?” The movie seems to answer itself within the scene, offering up both sides (weakly), but ultimately seeming to side with the idea that it’s more tragic, giving a girl in the scene, who speaks directly after Peter is called upon, this idea in the dialogue about hopelessness in a machine while keeping the camera firmly stuck on Peter. From the get-go it makes no illusions that these characters can escape the fates put before them. It’s like a better written Final Destination.

You can’t talk about the foreshadowing without talking about the beheadings, which I am still not certain I loved in carriage, though I love it in concept. Charlie being the one who cuts off the head of the bird, because she’s already the demon king, and this is the way that all the women are going to removed from the line of succession to make way to inhabit a man. (But we’ll get into that later)

In all, very successful as a horror story and as a movie, in my opinion.

But It Follows was amazing and also people didn’t like it, so I’m used to people being wrong.

Thematically, the movie toys with two ideas, to my mind: Mental illness as possession/inheritance, and the ways in which women are destroyed to elevate men.

I’ll start with the idea of mental illness throughout the movie, because I think that’s the slightly weaker position. Obviously, you have *the mom’s entire family history of mental illness, with her mother having DID, and so literally more than one person in the same body. Almost like possession. Her father starved himself to death, in the way the more than one high-profile possession case is said to actually have caused death. Her brother a schizophrenic with “people inside of him.” . All of these carry with them this same theme of possession as mental illness, or mental illness as possession, inseparable from each other. In a movie about the literal rise of a demon king (so the end seems to suggest) that theme of possession is impossible for me to ignore.

At the end of it all, this cult of Paimon is passed down, is hereditary, the same way Annie fears that mental illness might be passed down to her through her family. And, in that vein, there is the dollhouse, the work and fixation of Annie, how she externalizes the things she sees in her life and holds them at a distance. How she writes the stories as she sees them in her mind, and how, within that workshop space, that space where she holds her thoughts about her life, THAT is the first place that she senses her mother, than she feels preyed upon. That she hears things. That space where things should be real. And the question is, is what is happening to Annie real? Or is she imagining it all? Is she losing time? (I take the tack that it IS real, but those are my own preferences and biases and I get the opposite argument is also pretty defensible)

And then there’s the constant string and question throughout all of Charlie’s presence in the movie. Is she a weird kid, or is she possessed? And where is the line there? How much of Charlie’s oddness is Charlie herself, and how much is that she is the vessel for Paimon? The ending seems to suggest that Charlie IS Paimon. When something like that is so much a part of you, is there a line? Is it different for different people? How much of Annie wanting her to be normal is Annie wanting things for Charlie? How much is wanting things for herself?

Trying this into something I’ll talk about right below, Annie wanted to kill her children. She doused them in paint thinner and lit a match. The first time you watch this, or the first time I did, you think, well, she’s ill or she’s possessed, because when I watched this movie for the first time, this theme and theory was what I was taking away from the whole thing. But now, my thoughts are that her sin was that she wanted to kill her son as well. Her sin was that she wanted to kill the one who could rise to being Paimon. Maybe she was trying to save the family, Maybe the world.

My second and favorite read on the whole situation is the way that women are forced to be destroyed in order to elevate men. The demon king can never rise in a woman, for whatever reason, and mostly, to human beings named Doc who are me, this is because they’re trying to do something, sometimes a bit clumsily, with the idea that women are never allowed these positions of power, so often held down for reasons that seem foolish at best. There’s a couple spots where my theory isn’t something I’m 100% happy with, but WE MAKE DO.

And Charlie is given to the demon king, as a baby. Before she has any say in the matter. Her mother gives her as a sacrifice, in a way that she never did her son. Her son was protected. Her daughter was given into the mouth of hell. Even outside of her not knowing about the demonic stuff itself (And did she not know? REALLY? I’ve seen this four times and still can’t come down on a firm answer, having argued it this way and that several times), her mother was a woman with severe mental health issues that she didn’t trust, and yet allowed her full access to Charlie. She was a disposable child.

And Charlie tells her mother that her grandmother wanted her to be a boy, and Annie doesn’t listen. Annie tells her that she was a tomboy when she was a kid too, but that’s not what Charlie said. Not “I wish I was a boy” or “I like boy’s things” or any shade of that. SHE wanted me to be a boy, and Annie never for a moment asks why she thinks that or challenges that in any way. Charlie had to be a boy to be the vessel of all the things the grandmother wants for their life. It could never be passed down to a woman, for riches do not come that way,and Paimon will bring them riches. (Riches to the conjurer, riches to the woman who makes way for the king through a line of other women.) Ellen could be queen, she could carry the demon, but she could never rule.

From the beginning, Charlie’s life does not matter, because Charlie is a girl, and Paimon has to be “freed from the vessel” because that’s all Charlie could ever be. Even Charlie herself seems to accept this, in the very beginning, when her father comes to get her, after a night in the treehouse where he tells her she could get pneumonia, she goes, “That’s okay.” Despite having an incredibly serious nut allergy, she neither inquires about nuts in the cake or anything, nor has an Epipen. Charlie, or Paimon who lives within Charlie (though, again are they even separable?) seems to be comfortable with courting death, or at least not actively avoiding it, seeking to be elevated by a new, male body.

“Our sacrifice will pale next to the rewards” writes the grandmother, in a note left to Annie. And indeed, they do sacrifice. Annie goes through the wild pain of losing Charlie, the pain of being possessed by Charlie/Paimon as Paimon searches for a male host, the ONLY host that can allow him to take reign.

Annie is the woman who tries, tries to break away from Peter, away from this system that she sees coming out, away from him becoming the demon king, away from her small boy turning into a BAD MAN from a system, a machine, that he can’t stop. She wants to set him on fire as a child, she tries to give herself a miscarriage, and when he screams “Why did you try to kill me?” in tears, she goes, “I didn’t, I wanted to save you.” Wanted to save him from what he was to become, what he had to become.

But she can’t save him, even as she begs her husband to set the book on fire and kill her, to save Peter. And her husband never believes her, about any of the things she’s experiencing, not for one moment.  She can only end up being in thrall to him, possessed by this same machine. Annie, eyes laser-focused on Peter, cuts her own head off. There might have been a million ways for these women to die, but it is always the head that is removed, the sense of all thought and personality and logic, their VOICE, it has to be removed to make way for a man to keep his, and to be allowed to rule.

And Peter? I think the most telling part of the entire thing is when Peter takes Charlie to that party, and she eats nuts, and she is decapitated. The whole thing was an avoidable tragedy but a mistake, a tragedy. But it is his actions AFTER that really speak to the idea I’m going after here. He stops, for a moment, and then wordlessly drives home, away from the scene. He tells no one what he’s done, despite the fact that it could never remain a secret. He goes home, and he goes to bed, and he doesn’t take responsibility for what he’s done. He feels like he can walk away from the situation, like its okay that he’s forcing his mother into the situation of finding her daughter’s headless body, so long as he doesn’t have to turn around, so long as he doesn’t have to face what he’s done. And Annie calls him on this, that he has refused to take responsibility for all of this, that he has blankly and blearily drifted through this whole thing, and it’s such a powerful moment, especially now for me, where so many men have done so much, and we are all just having our Annie moment. And Peter IMMEDIATELY makes it her fault, which, hm, also sounds familiar to a lot of women right now. Peter only suffers at the very close of it all, as he becomes, but still retaining his head, his voice, because while a woman cannot be become, he can.

And what do we come to, at the end of it all? Headless, voiceless women, bowing to a man who is but a child until the moment he is king.

All in all, a great horror movie, and one that offers a lot in the way of “literary merit.” I don’t think I’ll ever be totally satisfied with any read I ever have on this movie, but that’s okay to me largely--I like the pulling out the threads of it, and I really enjoyed the experience of having something that gave me a lot to chew on for awhile.

[sapphire-mage]

Halloween Recommendations: Intermediate Mode

The following recommendations are for Halloween or horror movies for the month of October. Movies listed here will have spoilers and general warnings. Movies listed under 'Intermediate' will involve horror movies that will be scary, but I will provide warnings. Due to the increase of difficulty, jump scare warnings will not be provided.

TAKE NOTE THAT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE FOR ADULTS AND YOUNG ADULTS NOT FULLY COMFORTABLE WITH HORROR! THIS IS NOT MEANT FOR KIDS!

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Conjuring 2 (2016) movie:

If you managed to go through the ‘Easy’ list only to question why this is on the Intermediate, it’s because this movie is slightly harder for one reason: Valak. Valak is the infamous ‘Nun’ of this movie. I know someone who legitimately went from “Conjuring 1? This stuff is for babies!” to “Nope. I’m done watching horror movies! That nun thing freaked me out.” So I can tell you right now: If Valak the demonic nun is too far for you to handle just on general phobias and expectations alone, then I would steer clear of this one. That said, I adore this movie. It is my favorite in the series.

Okay, general plot: A family in London is suddenly being tormented by a demon that is following them wherever they go. When they call upon the help of the Warren family, evidence proves that this spirit may be connected to the hauntings and murders of Amityville (if you don't know the story of Amityville, let the movie explain it, cause the real ACTUAL thing is legitimately scary). The Warrens must find a way to stop this demon before it can harm not only the family but the Warrens themselves.

This is certainly scarier than Conjuring 1. Jump scares are a bit more frequent and heavier than 1. Take note that not only are we dealing with the nun, but also The Crooked Man.

Warnings:

-Child Endangerment

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Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) movie:

Ah, a classic! If you know nothing about this movie, I will explain briefly: The teenagers of Springwood are experiencing bizarre nightmares involving a man in a striped sweater with knife claws hunting them down. When the nightmares begin to lead to grizzly murders, the kids soon learn the horrific legacy of Freddy Krueger.

It should go without saying in a film involving a guy with finger blades, but expect a little bit of gore. I was almost tempted to put this in the ‘easy’ section, but the opening and closing murders are plenty scary. Also, the prospect of being murdered by your nightmares is fairly creepy and has gotten to plenty of people.

I can’t recommend any of the sequels, purely because I haven’t seen them all. I’ve seen Jason vs Freddy, which I can’t recommend unless you like both series (Kelly Rowland memes aside). And don’t watch the remake. I’m not someone who craps on remakes very much (hell, I might even recommend a few), but there is nothing of particular value outside of Quentin Smith (of Dead by Daylight fame).

Warnings:

-Child Endangerment

-Implications of child death

-Sexual predator

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Friday the 13th movie series:

I’m just going to kind of bundle the entire series here. I’m going to be real with you: This series deserves its legacy as being a horror legend, but acting like this series is quality horror is like acting original Lays potato chips is fine dining. Sure, it tastes good, but there are better options, especially for rookies. Although, I’d say the seventh movie in the series (Friday the 13th VII) is closer to ‘Wavy Lays’ or ‘Barbeque Lays’ chip quality, meaning it’s surprisingly good.

When young Jason Voorhees drowns in Crystal Lake due to the negligence of some camp counselors, a dark legacy is born within the campgrounds. Countless horrific murders befall the camp. Could it possibly be the lumbering corpse of Jason, brought back to life for revenge? Or is it someone else entirely? For those who don’t know: Not every Friday the 13th movie is Jason, but most of them are. The first one, in particular, is a different case.

These movies are basic and classic slasher flicks. A bunch of teens hang out like nothing is up, while Jason (or somebody else) goes around violently murdering a majority of them. Only real recommendations I can give:

-The first two movies give a standard explanation of who Jason is. To be fair, almost every Friday the 13th movie explains it, but still, if you’re dying to know. Just take note, I wouldn’t exactly call those two quality movies, and the lore ain’t that deep.

-Friday the 13th VII: A movie where the final girl is different because she’s a telepath! That’s right, Jason Voorhees goes to battle with a teenage girl who can move stuff with her mind. Not going to lie: It’s kind of awesome. And you don’t need any lore outside of basically what I’ve told you.

-Friday the 13th VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan: Absolutely hilarious and stupid. Granted, it’s still the same kind of movie, but Jason inadvertently ends up in Manhattan and just starts murdering people there. What makes it great is the bizarre sense of humor it has throughout, ranging from Jason confused as to why there is a billboard with a hockey mask (his infamous mask) on it... to Jason falcon punching a dude’s head off into an open dumpster.

Honestly, most of the movies are pretty mid in horror, but high in gore. There is also the remake that came out years ago, but I’d say that that one is a bit harder in terms of horror, as most of the ones I’ve mentioned are cheesy. I don’t find the remake ‘good’, but… it’s there and definitely not the worst remake.

Warnings:

-A LOOOOOOOT of sex, but then they get murdered five minutes later.

-Murders vary greatly

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Halloween 2 (1981) movie:

Following up the events of the original movie, Laurie Strode finds that Michael Myers is not yet done with her, and that her connection to him is a lot more real than she could ever believe. Michael returns to hunt his ultimate prey within the confines of Haddonfield Hospital.

This movie is definitely a step up from the low body count and gore of the previous film, but I still prefer the original. From this point on, Halloween becomes a bit more similar to most slasher flicks, but somehow, Michael just makes it entertaining. Halloween 2 manages to be about as creepy as the first. Hospitals are already pretty creepy, so having an entire slasher flick in one with an established horror legend just works. Only problem is that the gore is amped up, ranging from violent stabbings to somebody being completely drained of blood. But if by some chance, the events of Halloween 1 left you wanting a conclusion, this is just one direction you can go. JUST TAKE NOTE, THIS MOVIE IS NOT CANON TO THE EVENTS OF THE RECENT HALLOWEEN MOVIES OF 2019 AND 2021! If you want to go in THAT direction, you will have to enter ‘Hard’ difficulty.

If, by some chance, you’re interested in this series:

-Halloween 3 is an original story without Michael Myers. It has a bit of a cult following after it was considered the worst part of the series for the longest time. It’s certainly not my favorite horror flick, but feel free to look into it. I can assure you, it is not the worst ‘Halloween’ movie. This one didn’t have Coolio.

-Halloween 4 and 5 follows its own canon where Laurie had a daughter, died, and now the daughter is Michael’s new target. Honestly, these are pretty good, especially because Jamie (Laurie’s daughter) has a telepathic link to Michael, leading to some supernatural goodness. Just… don’t watch Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. It ends Jamie’s story in a terrible way and is just… horrendous, no matter how much you like Paul Rudd.

-Halloween 20 Years Later, or H20, follows a story where Laurie didn’t have a daughter or died, but instead, Laurie has a son and is still alive 20 years after the events of Halloween. Of course, Michael is here to start shit and hunt both her and her son. This is followed up by Halloween Resurrection, which is just… HILARIOUSLY AWFUL!

-I will mention the Rob Zombie remakes and the new series in the ‘Hard’ difficulty. I recommend the new series more than the Rob Zombie series, but take note that I would rank all of them on a hard difficulty due to the sheer brutality some of them thrive in.

Warnings:

-Shockingly more violent than the first one

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Trick R Treat (2007) movie:

When this movie came out, I loved it, but I noticed that not many people liked it. Over time, this movie has become a cult classic, and that fascinates me to not end. Trick R Treat is a movie that deals with several storylines happening at the same time. I can’t really go into every story without spoiling some of the awesome surprises. All I can really say is that a bunch of messed up stuff happens on Halloween night in this one town.

This one doesn’t have very many jump scares. Most of the horror comes from the sheer gore and brutality of it all. This movie isn’t afraid to murder kids and quite a few die within the film, but it manages to be a really fun and crazy Halloween ride all the way. And Sam, the ghoulish child spirit of Halloween, is a fantastic mascot. And the Red Riding Hood storyline is one of my favorite story endings in most horror anthology stories.

Honestly, the main thing that’s scary about this one is the gore and the opening scene. Rest of it is just kind of a wild ride of blood and guts taking place during Halloween.

Warnings:

-Child endangerment

-Child death

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Doctor Sleep (2019) movie:

If by some chance you took my recommendation to watch the Shining or you’ve seen the Shining in general, this movie is the follow up.

Dan, the boy from the first movie, has grown up and managed a steady and safe connection with his abilities. However, his abilities suddenly lead him to find a group of similar powered adults who hunting down and murder children who have the same power. Dan must work with a little girl who may be the next target to find and stop these murderous bastards.

If I’m being perfectly honest, I would say this movie is less scary than the Shining… if it weren’t for ONE SCENE! As I mentioned, the villains of this movie hunt and murder children, and this movie has a scene where the villain group up and stab a little boy to death. It is horrifying. The boy begs for his life and sobs as they stab him over and over, feeding off his lifeforce/powers draining from his body.

The actor they got for the scene did such an amazing job that the actors playing the adults would stop during filming and ask if he was okay, the kid would be like, “Oh yeah, I’m fine! Keep going!” with a smile on his face, and it would freak everyone out. Honestly, it’s a funny behind the scenes story you can read about, and it might help take the horror of the scene into a lighter perspective.

If by some chance, the visual image of a young boy being violently murdered while begging for his life sounds too horrible for you, then by all means skip it. I do like this movie quite a bit, but if that scene is too much, it’s certainly not worth it.

Warnings:

-Child endangerment

-CHILD DEATH!

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Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) movies:

Hilariously, both of these movies can pretty much be two different genres of horror, but they should be put together. Alien is a slow burn of a horror flick where the crew of a slow moving spacecraft start to realize that an alien lifeform is inside their ship, and the lifeform is evolving. Aliens is the immediate continuation where the survivor(s) of the first movie are forced to team up with a unit of soldiers in order to combat and execute whatever aliens remain. In other words: Alien (1979) is a suspense horror sci fi, while Aliens (1986) is an action horror sci fi.

Neither movie is particularly ‘gory’, but it does have some gruesome events that involve alien impregnation, which is super gross.

I’m not huge on alien theme horror. I usually don’t find them particularly scary. However, I recognize this movie as an invaluable factor in the horror genre, along with another alien horror flick that I will probably mention here. Also, I wouldn’t recommend any other films of this franchise other than these two, unless you are absolutely DYING for more. Even then, the quality drops from here on.

Warnings:

-Gross alien stuff

-Child endangerment in the second movie

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Predator (1987) and Predator 2 (1990):

Calling these two action flicks a ‘horror movie’ is a stretch, but the Predator species have been seen as horror icons for some time, the same way the Xenomorphs are. So… I’ll count it.

Where Alien dealt with a lifeform that would attack like a violent animal, the Predator lives by a code that lets it kill violently yet efficiently but with a slight moral code. This fact leads to a very interesting monster that picks and chooses its kills, but when it does kill, it goes for either the most efficient kill or the most violent kill. Makes for an awesome horror movie monster.

This first one is essentially an Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie with an entire team of soldiers going against one Predator, as they get picked off one by one. The second movie deals with a Predator attacking the streets of LA, leading to a lot of police and gang violence. In other words, they’re both essentially action flicks.

That said, I can’t understate that these movies are gory. There is a lot of decapitation, spine removal, stabbing, shooting, and a large variety of sci-fi original kills. Also, some people get skinned, so that’s fun! But I wouldn’t recommend these if I didn’t think the Predator is such a cool monster design. Again, this is unfortunately a series I can’t recommend beyond these two movies, but… I do find the first Alien vs Predator to be a guilty pleasure.

Warnings:

-Heavy gore

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Evil Dead (1981) and Evil Dead 2 (1987) movies:

Horror fans might be blinking at me over this ranking, since this series is known for comedy more than horror sometimes. But you guys forget: The first movie had a girl being raped by a tree, and the first possession scene is pretty scary. Don’t question me.

Evil Dead is the story of a bunch of teenagers who decide to hang out in a cabin in the middle of the woods, cause who wouldn’t, and find the book of the dead in the basement of the house, cause who wouldn’t. When they decide to read it, all hell ensues.

This series is pretty famous for being a bit of a horror comedy, but I’ll be real: The first movie plays the horror straight. It is gory. It has jumpscares. It has deaths. It is a horror movie, as silly as it might seem sometimes. A lot of people tend to forget how gory and creepy the first movie is because everyone always praises the second movie a lot more, which… valid. But still, it’s there, and it’s not a bad movie.

If by some chance the first movie seems too extreme for you, you can skip to the second movie, which gives a ten minute recap of the first. The second movie takes place about… five minutes after the first. Like, it literally picks up right after. It is still violent and creepy (especially with the claymation scene), but the horror leans into this… Looney Tunes wackiness where the main character goes balls off the wall insane and slapstick starts taking place. It is a fucking ride! If gore doesn’t bother you at all, then I super recommend it, just because.

Also, if you do see Evil Dead 2, go see Army of Darkness. It’s an immediate sequel, it isn’t scary, and it’s basically a comedy.

And for once, I can recommend the remake… but that would be ranked in ‘Hard’ cause the gore and scares from that one are an entire tier higher.

Warnings:

-Heavy gore

-A girl gets raped by a tree

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The Exorcist (1973) movie:

Personally, I find this movie easy. I watched it as a kid, and the only thing that scared me was the face of the devil. Rest of it is easy as pie. But my experience of people who are afraid of horror movies are sometimes people who come from religious backgrounds, and the Exorcist is the pinnacle of ‘demonic possession’ movies. I’ve heard people call this the ‘scariest movie ever’, but really, it was just scary for its time. I want to say that I’ve seen demonic possession movies that are scarier, but I can’t say I’ve seen that many that are this iconic.

Most of the horror of this movie is purely the ‘inhuman’ aspect of the possessed girl. She’ll move around strangely. She’ll vomit on the priests. She’ll speak in the voices of other people. As a kid who didn’t grow up in a religious background, this movie was kind of hilarious and awesome to me. “She just told the priest to suck her dick! Kids can’t say that!” But make no mistake: Horror movies scared the crap out of me. I was just able to handle this one.

At the end of the day, a classic demonic possession movie is a classic demonic possession movie. And if you do watch it and feel like trying to laugh it off after, maybe consider watching Repossessed (1990), which is a parody of the same movie. Or if you want something slightly scarier, maybe Exorcist III. I haven’t seen it, but it’s widely considered a cult classic along with the original.

Warnings:

-Child endangerment

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Child’s Play (1988) movie:

When a serial killer casts an ancient spell within a toy shop in hopes to cheat death, the attempt leads to him possessing the body of a popular toy known as Buddy. When the possessed doll gets adopted by a young boy, the boy comes to learn that he is not playing with Buddy, but instead… Chucky.

Personally, I’ve never been scared of Chucky, but I know creepy dolls scare the crap out of people, which is fair. Unlike Annabelle, Chucky ABSOLUTELY moves around and kills. This series, in general, has become so silly and absurd, that I can’t in good faith recommend the entire series unless you absolutely love this movie. Not that I don’t watch them myself, I totally do. I find Chucky to be hilarious.

Most of Chucky’s kills are pretty tame. I’d say the worst is an electrocution scene where a guy gets electrocuted toward the point of bleeding out of his eyes and mouth, but that’s it. Honestly, the gore isn’t that bad. Can’t say the same for the rest of the movies, where the gore amplifies, but if you wanted to just do the first movie of this series, it’s pretty safe.

Just… for the love of god, don’t watch the remake.

Warnings:

-Child Endangerment

-Creepy doll

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Creepshow (1982) and Creepshow 2 (1987) movies:

This is an anthology series, and personally, it’s one of the best. Each movie involves multiple stories told throughout. I would say that almost all of them are pretty manageable, but each one tackles a different kind of fear.

The first movie deals with:

-A corrupt and horrible father coming back from the grave to exact revenge

-A man becoming infected with a plant lifeform that begins to consume his body (imo the weakest of the two movies, I always fast forward out of boredom)

-A cheating couple being tormented by the man stuck in their love triangle

-A terrifying monster in a crate frightens a man who desperately wants to kill his wife

-A germaphobe man getting attacked relentless by roaches and insects

Second movie deals with:

-The statue of a Native American coming to life to exact revenge

-A flesh eating blob feeds on a group of people on a raft

-A woman driving home alone is sought out by a violent hitchhiker

I feel like listing the stories might tell you if you’re down for these. I know people who absolutely cannot handle the monster in the box or the flesh eating blob, which I can’t judge because I can’t handle the roach one. So if you ever want to fast forward those stories, that option is always there.

The gore is pretty rough at parts. Quite a bit of decapitation. The scenes where the blob feeds on the swimmers is pretty damn gruesome. Honestly, the only deaths that ever really stuck with me in these movies are the deaths of the old couple in the Native American statue story, and those deaths are framed as a tragedy (the statue doesn’t kill them, some assholes do).

Otherwise, there are some good scary stories with a wide range of horror. I’d recommend all of them, but approach with caution. And don’t be afraid to skip a story if you don’t think you can handle it. Like I said, I often skip the germaphobe one, cause that episode is GROSS.

Warnings:

-Gore

-Slight body horror

-Insect/bug/roach horror (my weakness)

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Haunting of Hill House (2018) Netflix series:

A family that once lived in a haunted house struggles through the trauma they experienced there. However, when one of the siblings dies shockingly, the hauntings return to torment each of them once again. A once broken family must reunite and return to the house that ruined their lives. Episode by episode, the mystery of what happened to Hill House is revealed to us.

I cannot recommend this show enough. As a horror fan. As a human being. As a drama fan. As someone who comes from a complicated family with a lot of siblings. This show is amazing. Now, I will admit that it is dialogue heavy, but that’s for a reason. The characters are struggling through their individual turmoils, and that gets HEAVY. The first few episodes will focus on each individual sibling, which is rocky at first since the two older siblings are kind of dicks (and they are the focus of the first two episodes), but they are absolutely necessary as they help establish what happened. While the first four episodes are quite good, episode 5 will blow your mind. And then you have to finish the show from there.

The horror is strong, but it mostly involves horror that you see coming or horror that is just emotionally overwhelming (in the sense of ‘oh my god, I can’t believe that happened, that’s so horrible’). I really wanted to put this on ‘Easy’, but I think one of the jumpscares and the overall emotional existentialism of this movie could be a lot for some.

Also worth noting: I can’t recommend Bly Manor, in good faith, unless you REALLY liked Hill House. Bly Manor is just not as good as Hill House, but it’s good if you want something more. If by some chance you watched both and were like, “Wow! I liked them, but for some reason, I just want to be MORE DEPRESSED!”, then you can go watch Midnight Mass.

Warnings:

-Child Endangerment

-Child Death

-Suicide

-Childhood Trauma

-Close Ups of Dead Bodies (not in a gory way, but in a ‘this corpse has hit rigor mortis and has white eyes, let’s get a nice close look just to creep you out’)

-Cat death

[wazafam]

2021 is shaping up to be a momentous year, and that includes celebrating the 50th anniversary of these notable horror films released in 1971. Time waits for no man, but time does sometimes seem to wait for movies. Some movies take decades to catch on with audiences, whether that be in the form of being elevated to the status of revered classic, or simply becoming a cult item with a devoted, if small, fanbase. Of course, there are also the instant hits, which standout for their greatness now just as they did back then.

At this point, the 1970s seems like a long time ago, but in the grand scheme of things, it's really not. Compared to the totality of human endeavor, 50 years ago is a mere drop in the bucket, even though in that time millions of new films have been produced, both inside of the horror genre and outside of it. Still, the big 5-0 remains a major milestone to reach, both for people and the art they create, including motion pictures.

Related: Every Horror Movie That Turns 40 Years Old In 2021

The 1970s is often considered one of the greatest decades for horror ever, playing host to such iconic classics as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Exorcist, and Halloween. While none of those released in 1971, a lot of good horror options did, and here are the most notable.

When it comes to iconic horror actors, few are more synonymous with the genre than Vincent Price. The Abominable Dr. Phibes gave Price one of his greatest roles, as a vengeful husband who holds the doctors attending to his wife when she died during surgery responsible for her demise. This leads Phibes to enact horrible vengeance upon them. The film was well-received, and received a sequel in 1972, Dr. Phibes Rises Again.

When most people think of slasher progenitors, films like Halloween and Psycho come to mind, but one shouldn't underestimate the influence of Italian giallo films on the sub-genre, such as director Mario Bava's A Bay of Blood. Featuring a string of graphic murders and a mystery surrounding the killer, and even directly inspiring kills in Friday the 13th Part 2, A Bay of Blood is essential viewing for slasher fans.

A film of Belgian origin, Daughters of Darkness is a vampire film that manages to be extremely classy in style and tone, while also bursting with sex appeal. The story sees a newlywed couple check into a luxury hotel, only to be preyed on and corrupted by a vampire countess named Elizabeth Bathory, a descendant of the famous one. It's one of many erotic vampire movies to come out of the 1970s.

Related: Interview With The Vampire: What Happened To Lestat After The Movie

An extremely controversial piece of religious horror from director Ken Russell, The Devils is actually loosely based on the real life downfall of a 17th-century Catholic priest named Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed), who's accused of witchcraft thanks to the word of a nun (Vanessa Redgrave) who's obsessed with him. The Devils is far from traditional horror, but it's definitely horrifying at times, and downright shockingly graphic at others. The film was heavily censored or banned in multiple countries for decades.

Without Duel, all of Steven Spielberg's amazing films wouldn't exist, as it was his first feature as a director, and got him his first taste of widespread acclaim. Originally aired as a TV movie, Duel is a white-knuckle horror/thriller about a traveling salesman who's targeted and menaced by the driver of a semi-truck for seemingly no real reason. It's a very tense film, and shows that Spielberg's talent was there even in his earliest projects.

Let's Scare Jessica to Death, directed by John Hancock, centers on the titular woman, recently released from a mental hospital. Jessica, her husband, and their friend, head to a remote farmhouse, only to find a young woman named Emily already staying there. They become friends, but before long, Jessica begins to suspect Emily might be a vampire. The problem is, no one wants to believe her, due to her mental illness. Though not a hit upon release, the film has developed a loyal cult following.

Rosemary Baby's Mia Farrow stars in See No Evil, not to be confused with the later WWE Studios horror film starring Kane. Farrow's Sarah has recently been rendered blind, and while staying at her family's secluded estate, is targeted by a psychotic killer. See No Evil is another that wasn't a big success upon release, but has gone on to gain a cult following.

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Directed by the great Sam Peckinpah, Straw Dogs is another film that's been met with much controversy over the years, despite enjoying a generally stellar critical reception. Dustin Hoffman and Susan George star as a married couple who moves to a house in the English countryside, only to be harassed by local thugs, with things progressing to absolutely horrifying degrees, including graphic sexual assault. Before long, the couple is forced to defend their home against their enemies.

Tombs of the Blind Dead is a Spanish/Portuguese horror film, and the first in director Amando de Ossorio's Blind Dead franchise. It focuses on a group of college kids who end up preyed upon by undead Templars, a group of malevolent knights that terrorized the 13th century, leaving death and mayhem in their wake. The title comes from the fact that post-execution for their crimes, birds pecked out their eyes.

Unlike several of the other horror films turning 50 this year, Willard was an immediate hit, and was actually the 12th-highest grossing movie of 1971. Bruce Davison stars as the titular character, a social outcast whose only friends are rats. One day, Willard grows fed up with the abuse he receives from various tormentors, and uses his little rodent friends to exact revenge. Willard got a sequel named Ben, which holds the odd distinction of being a horror film with a theme song by Michael Jackson. Willard was also remade in 2003, starring Crispin Glover.

Also turning 50 in 2021 is The Mephisto Waltz, in which a dying Satanist looks to put his soul into the body of a much younger concert pianist. Then there's the creatively titled demonic possession flick The Blood on Satan's Claw, Dario Argento giallo The Cat o' Nine Tales, Hammer's gender-bending Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, Amicus anthology The House That Dripped Blood, and another creatively titled film, giallo The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave. Those charmed by Daughters of Darkness also shouldn't overlook the sexually-charged Vampyros Lesbos.

More: The Best Decade for Horror Movies: 1970s vs 1980s

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