The Nightingale, The Lighthouse, Joker - 31 Nights of Horror Reviews Year 6

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The Nightingale 

The second feature film from Jennifer Kent, we follow the journey of a widowed mother seeking revenge for her husband and baby, by the British Army she served. After The Babadook, Jennifer Kent became one of those directors I became eager to see what would do next; however, I had a difficult time watching it, due to the rape scenes in the beginning. While it isn’t handled done as disgustingly as I Spit on Your Grave, it’s still beyond uncomfortable to sit through and kind of ruins the rest of the movie for me. I felt like had this movie started where it landed at thirty minutes, then I think it would have been an easier sit through. I say this, because the rest of the film is handled exceptionally well, through the cinematography (that’s 4x3 instead of 16x9), the brilliant acting, and the story as you watch these characters on this journey. I do get the appreciation this film gets, but I don’t think it’s something I’ll be watching again. There are some things that just don’t need to be seen on film, especially in the beginning.

Rating: (skip the first thirty minutes) B+

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The Lighthouse

Following up with his previous film, The VVitch, Robert Eggers returns with his newest cinematic work that truly pays tribute to classic horror; and much like with Kent and The Nightingale, it’s filmed in a 4x3 ratio as opposed to the modern 16x9, and in black in white too. A timberman convict goes to work at a lighthouse, where he is working like a dog and abused by his manager, Tom. However, something about the light within the said lighthouse has some kind of hypnotic aura that this timberman, Winslow, can’t resist. Much like with his last film, Eggers has a true knack for period pieces and atmospheric horror; the pacing is heart pounding, as I never could figure out if all of this was real or some drunk hallucinations that Winslow and Tom were having. Robert Pattinson and Willum Dafoe have such great back and forth, and boy does it get crazy. Also, this film manages to tap into some greek mythology, not just with the mermaids, but also some of the imagery you see, like the last shot of the film, which I won’t spoil. It is a film that does cause a bit of anxiety, if you had one of those parents or bosses that made you work, so be warned going in.

Rating: A

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Joker 

In Todd Phillips’s Joker, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a struggling amateur comedian with mental condition that causes him to laugh uncontrollably when he’s nervous. As the world around him becomes more and more apathetic, he slowly embraces his deepest darkest instincts.

When this film was originally announced after Suicide Squad, I immediately turned my nose up to it, especially after going through films like Catwoman and Venom; I just didn’t see the point of making a solo villain movie, without turning him/her into an anti-hero who has to be good for once. It also didn’t help that Phillips said he was going for an original Joker origin story, which brought me back to Josh Trank’s talks about Fant4stic. However, after hearing it was keeping itself low-budget and being handled as a horror film, my interest spiked high and I’m glad I didn’t miss out on this one. Taking place in the 1980’s (where Gotham is like New York), there is garbage everywhere and everyone is on their own, even family. While it doesn’t specifically adapt any of the comic book origins the Joker has had, you can definitely get a vibe of The Killing Joke, particularly from the ‘failed comedian’ concept. With how empathetic and relatable he makes Arthur Fleck, it truly makes it one of the scariest things about the film: thinking that one day, this could be me if not careful. The longer the film goes on, you begin to realize along with him, just how much you’ve been lied to about your past and what you can or can’t do in society, even after everyone says they believe in you, you can’t help but feel bad for someone you SHOULDN’T be feeling bad for. Joaquin Phoenix gives easily the best performance of his career, and it looks like this might be his year, finally. That last scene of him hauntingly singing Sinatra sends chills down my spine. And being the first billion dollar horror film, I’ll be looking forward to seeing what Todd Phillips has next, if he does come back for a sequel.

Rating: A+

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Child's Play (2019), IT: Chapter 2, Zombieland Double Tap, Missing Link, The Fanatic - 31 Nights of Horror Reviews Year 6

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Child’s Play

A remake of the 1987 film of the same name, this film gives a modern take on a boy named Andy, and his encounters with Chucky the killer doll. However, unlike in the original where Chucky was a serial killer that used magic to transfer his soul into a doll, he’s now a reprogramed A.I. that reads into all your info.

I was hesitant on this one, after hearing how they made this behind the original writer’s back, but considering I wasn’t AS attached to this series as something like A Nightmare on Elm Street, I was tolerant enough to give this a chance. In an era where companies like Google, Amazon, Verizon, AT&T, and etc. have deeper access to our personal data (whether we know it or not, it happens), this film had some really interesting ideas to explore; while some of these themes have been handled better in episodes of Black Mirror, I have to give this film credit for how it’s executed. Aside from Chucky’s face, the film’s production and kills are well utilized; being an Orion production, they captured the look and feel of a traditional slasher film in the best way. Gabriel Bateman and Aubrey Plaza as Andy and his mom have good chemistry, even in the more dire moments. Mark Hamill is delightfully disturbing as the new Chucky, and definitely a worthy choice to take over for Brad Dourif. While nothing you need to immediately see, this is definitely a remake that I actually found not that bad in comparison to others.

Rating: B-

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IT: Chapter 2

IT: Chapter 2 follows the kids from the Losers’ Club, twenty-seven years from the events of the previous film. After frequent disappearances point to the return of Pennywise, and Mike Hanlon, the only member who stayed in Derry, Maine, calls up the others to help finish what they started long ago.

As someone who was enthralled with the first film from 2017, and I stand by that today. Stephen King has always done a good job with nostalgic stories of childhood friends playing together, and that was what people loved most about IT to begin; so to do a film entirely around those parts was a great idea, and I was interested to see if they would do the same here. Instead, what we get was this film being more of a direct remake of the mini-series from 1990, with a bigger budget and cursing; I do like how this film is structured to where you won’t be confused if you haven’t seen the first one yet, but it’s safe to say that this film’s not as strong. It does have a lot of redeeming qualities, especially with the cast of adult losers. Jessica Chastain and Bill Hader as Beverly and Richie were both picks by their younger counterparts, and they really make the most of their roles. James McAvoy, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, and James Ransone are all great as Bill, Mike, Ben, and Eddie, and I also love the casting choice of Eddie’s wife being played by the same actress who plays his mom (nice detail); Andy Bean is also a good Stanley, but I do still wish they utilized him more in the story, which was a complaint I had with the mini-series. Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise carries a whole new hunger and viciousness to him, and his kills are deadly; the mirror maze scene will definitely give me nightmares for a while. I also have to admit, the film does tend to drag (i don’t think this needed to be nearly three-hours), but definitely something I’d recommend, but only if you liked the previous film.

Rating: B

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Zombieland Double Tap

Ten years after the release of the first film, Zombieland Double Tap follows our four mains from last time, continuing to survive in the great apocalypse. After Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) runs away, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone), and their new “friend”, Madison (Zooey Dutche), must search for the refuge dubbed “Babylon”.

Even after all my years of being burnt out from zombie movies, Zombieland Double Tap reminds me what I was missing from most of those films, and that’s enduring characters. Even though these people should not be together, you grow attached to them as they do throughout the movie. The first film was what introduced me to these four actors officially, and seeing them come back and still have the same passion they had last time is refreshing. There’s also a touching theme about growing up and when the right time for change should be, and it is handled very nicely, underneath all the zombie guts. Rosario Dawson as Nevada was a great addition, as well as being a good love interest for Tallahassee. My only real complaint would be Luke Wilson and Thomas Middlevitch’s lack of screentime. I thought these two were doing so well, I thought they would at least stick around until the climax at least (oh well, can’t all be winners).

Would I like Zombieland 3 to happen? Sure, if there’s room for one more.

Rating: B+

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Missing Link

The latest film to come from Laika studios, Missing Link follows the story of Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman), an architect who wants to prove the existence of mythical creatures, in order to be apart of the Society of Great Men. His path leads him on a quest to find the Sasquatch named Mr. Link (Zach Galifianakis), who asks Lionel to find any other of his kind or where he does belong in this world.

This was Laika’s most expensive film at $100 million, but sadly ended up being the biggest animation flop in history, after Mars Needs Moms. It’s a shame, because I love how at the end of their films, they show behind the scenes work on some of their most difficult scenes, illustrating how they put a lot of time and effort into making this. However, when your stuck in a sea of superhero movies like Shazam, Captain Marvel, and especially Avengers Endgame, it smells like people set this up for disaster. It could also be that this film wasn’t quite as strong as their previous works like Kubo and the Two Strings or ParaNorman, being more of a friendly buddy comedy. It also is very cliche, and you can easily tell what plot points are going to hit, but what I liked was the execution (quite literally, at one point, no pun intended). There’s also some good lines of dialogue and the voice acting is nicely done too. Hugh Jackman and Zach Galifinakis have this Laurel and Hardy type of humor that they just balance off of very nicely (my favorite line being when they robbed a nun). Zoe Saldana is feisty as the former love interest, and the villains played by Stephen Fry an dTimothy Olyphant are over the top, but delightful in their quirky delivery. It’s not the best, but it’s not as weak as The Boxtrolls, which didn’t seem to resonate well with me. 

Rating: B

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The Fanatic

Fred Durst’s The Fanatic follows John Travolta as Moose, an autistic street performer on Hollywood Blvd. who is obsessed with the actor, Hunter Dunbar (Devon Sawa). However, after being denied an autograph, Moose becomes obsessed with the actor trying to make things right, but ultimately leading things down a worse path.

I’m not much a fan of John Travolta, especially since the last film I liked of his was Hairspray, but I was kind of surprised here. Being the father of his late-son who had autism, you can definitely see that he studied this performance carefully and this became a lot more of a personal role than I expected (no wonder he’s been campaigning himself for this role). And as someone who has Asperger’s (mild autism), I thought he managed to really represent that fairly well. It’s just a shame that the rest of the film doesn’t really go the extra mile that Travolta does here. Fred Durst just doesn’t do much with this script, other than make it an extended version of a student thesis film. I mean, being a film focused on an Autistic person’s obsession with movies, you’d think he would bring up talks about how one can have a hard time reading people, hence why they go to the movies to escape, but they don’t do something like that, until the very end, briefly. Then again, I’m talking about a film by the lead of Limp Bizkit, who just made his 3rd film. Didn’t think this would turn out disappointing.

Rating: D+ (The best part is Travolta’s performance, which deserved better)

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Glass, Us, Ma, The Perfection, Ready or Not - 31 Nights of Horror Reviews Year 6

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone! Sorry that I’ve been letting things be dormant for the past month or so, but recent life events (including my job) have been taking a strain on me lately, so I haven’t been very focused on my computer as much. There have been some films I had been meaning to talk about, but with how much time has passed since seeing them, I don’t exactly have the right time to truly put it into as much detail as I’d like, so if you will, allow me to get out MOST of the films that I planned on. Here’s the first five:

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Glass

Glass is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and is the third installment of his Eastrail 177 trilogy, following Unbreakable and Split. A couple years after Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), aka The Horde, escaped at the end of Split, he ends up encountering David Dunn (Bruce Willis). The two are then arrested and placed in the very mental facility that David locked up Elijah Price, aka Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson).

After watching Split, discovering it was a sequel to Unbreakable, this ended up becoming one my most anticipated films of that year, but also one of my biggest disappointments. As much as I loved Sam Jackson and James McAvoy’s performances, Bruce Willis doesn’t seem as invested as they do; he’s fine for the most part, but it just feels like another one of his paycheck performances. Sarah Paulson’s character, if this was ONLY a Split sequel and not revealed to be in the same universe as Unbreakable, I wouldn’t mind what she was trying to do, but it does ruin some of the tension. And by the end, it doesn’t exactly feel like anything happened. It’s a shame, because it felt like Shyamalan was finally back on track of his early days; while nowhere near as bad as he was back at the start of this decade, but it’s still a letdown.

Rating: C

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Us

Us is the second feature film from Jordan Peele, and stars Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke as a mother and father taking their kids on vacation, where they are stalked and attacked by their replicas, called “tethered”. The mother’s tethered, named “Red,” however, has a much deeper connection than you’d think, considering she’s the only one speaking perfect English.

I wasn’t too big on Get Out the first time I saw it, but after rewatching for one of my final college classes, I found myself finding a new appreciation for it. And after seeing this film, I stand by that I feel Us has stronger direction, but it seemed like Get Out had the better script (hence, it’s Oscar winning proof). The opening scene, or at least where it ends off before present day, kind of gives a little too much away, making the ending a little more predictable, but there are some really tense moments, and the death scenes had me rethinking of listening to the Beach Boys. Lupita Nyong’o gives one of the best performances of the year, dual role-ing as the mom and Red, and I’m glad to hear she’s getting the praise she deserves (and hopefully, the Oscars will recognize a great horror film performance). Winston Duke was also delightful to watch, as well as the two kids, but it’s clear that Nyong’o steals the whole film. While it’s not as good as Get Out, I’m definitely excited to see what Jordan Peele will bring about next.

Rating: A-

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Ma

Ma is a psychological thriller directed by Tate Taylor (Get On Up, The Help) and follows a group of teens who befriend a lonely woman (Octavia Spencer) into getting them beer and letting them party in her basement. However, she becomes too clingy, and it ends up becoming obsessive with the group and the people around them, leading to some dark secrets about this woman’s past.

Much like Us, the lead actress is the main reason to watch this movie; Octavia Spencer is downright brilliant in this film, as she truly gets under your skin with each passing day within the film’s world. Diane Silvers as the main girl, Maggie, is pretty good too, being her third film of 2019; she and Juliette Lewis have pretty nice chemistry together, but she’s the only one I remembered from the group. Some of the writing felt like it wanted to go into more touchy subject matter, such as when Spencer paints the black kid’s face white, but that could have been something added in when she was casted. While it is better than Tate Taylor’s last film, The Girl on the Train, it’s nothing groundbreaking.

Rating: B

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The Perfection

After a rising cellist student leaves Bachoff to take care of her terminally ill mother, Charlotte Willmore befriends the next star pupil in her place, with the intention of keeping her from making it to the same place as she was, but the motive may be different than you think.

While I think it’s an interesting premise on paper, I was either bored or grossed out by how generic everything felt. While Allison Williams (Get Out) and Logan Browning (Dear White People: The Series) do fine with what material they’re given, it just feels like the script drops the ball in the middle, only to have a climax of coincidences that aren’t satisfying. I get that they wanted to tell a story about how elite schools aren’t as worth it as you think, but it felt like the writers were stuck and looking for easy ways to go to a happy ending, and it ends up lazy. While Netflix has had worse films under their banner, this would not be one I’d recommend.

Rating: C-

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Read or Not

This film is about a bride who marries into a family of game lovers, and ends up picking the rare “hide-n-seek” card, where if she’s caught, she’s dead. Directed by the duo that brought you Devil’s Due, this movie managed to deeply impress me with how entertaining this was. It reminded me a lot of Tucker and Dale vs Evil, where the horror of being hunted by these people is there, but you can’t help but laugh at how absolutely incompitent some of them can be. This family, and how they can’t seem to kill our heroine, Grace, had me and my friend in shock and hysterical laughter. Samara Weaving (who I kept mistaking for Margot Robbie at times) gave one of the biggest breakout performances I had seen this year, and I hope she gets more work in films like this; with every kill she manages to get out, she just kicks ass in every direction. Not much to say else, except this was definitely worth a sit through.

Rating: A-

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Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus - 31 Nights of Horror Movie Reviews Year 6

Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus is directed by Jenny Goldberg and Jay Wyatt, and written by Jhonen Vasquez, based on his Nickelodeon cartoon of the same name. Years have passed after Zim (Richard Horvitz) went into hiding, but now he's ready to begin Phase 2 of his plan. This prompts his rival, Dib (Andy Berman) to come back as well, but without many believing in him, including his dad, he's gonna need help to fight Zim this time.

Growing up, I watched a lot of cartoons that focused entirely on being funny, dumb, and random (something that is still being attempted, even in adult cartoons), but there have been very few exceptions: Invader Zim is one of the only few shows that I can immediately bring up as an example that did it perfectly. It was like my generation’s Rick and Morty, where the main focus is on the absolutely bizarre nature of one’s imagination with the sci-fi and horror genre, but poking fun at it as well. Going back and binging through it on Hulu, it’s impressive how it still holds up even today.

While the show didn’t last long in production (with about 27 episodes made and several recorded, but never animated), it gave us one of the most devoted cult fanbases Nickelodeon has ever had with a show. Conventions have been held in the show’s honor, the cast has kept the fan’s love alive through meetups and q&as, and even Vasquez went on to do a comic continuation of the show. With this newfound love for the show sparking up again, Nick approached Vasquez of a new movie special with the cast returning one last time. However, it was met with some hefty setbacks, particularly with where it was going to be released; after Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie aired on the channel, it was met with very low ratings, due to the current audiences not being that focused on television schedules as older people are, and newer audiences not exactly knowing who any of these characters are from a twenty year old show. So after cutting a deal with Netflix with Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling and Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus, they finally found their place to truly meet the audience demand.

After sitting through the movie twice, and revisiting the show in between those viewings, I can safely say that Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus is both one of the best tv to movie adaptations, but also my favorite animated film of the year. That’s not an exaggeration, I genuinely loved this movie more than Toy Story 4, Frozen II, and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Even if your someone who has never seen the show before, you can still find yourself enjoying the movie as its own thing, even after picking up where the show left off (not counting the Christmas Special, the last episode in canon was “The Frycook From All That Space”). It does help to watch a few episodes, such as “Tak: The Hideous New Girl”, since there are a few characters that reference certain events, but nothing you wouldn’t get.

For television 2D animation, this is probably some of the best I’ve seen from Nick in a while. The action scenes, the song sequences, the climax within the Florpus, it was all so captivating. While the art style might be a tad different from show’s sharper and grimeier design, you have to understand that it had been over a decade since Vasquez and his team worked on Invader Zim, and an artist’s style can change overtime. While it does have a brighter and softer feel to it, they still keep some of the more darker design choices in tact. The only nitpick I have is with Dib’s skin color (Dib’s been his room for a long time, but got tanner); while I understand that Dib’s design is sort of based on Vasquez himself, and he had also developed a darker tone over the years, in the show’s context doesn’t make sense. 

Aside from that, these characters are still just as memorable as when we last left them. Richard Horvitz and Andy Berman are absolute magic together; as Zim and Dib, it doesn’t feel like a day has passed that these two weren’t having fun with each other, whether it was the show or this film. Their timing with the absurdity always had me cracking up, simply from how their inflections of the lines just catches you off guard. I also loved this movie’s theme of appeasing fathers, and how different both Zim and Dib go about trying to prove themselves worthy of respect; and you get to see how each of them represents screwing up to appease them and realizing that they never needed to prove anything to anyone. While it does seem cliche to have those “tender moments” in the theatrical movie adaptations of cartoons, they do execute them in a way that does get to you, but still keep in tone with Vasquez’s humor, particularly with the space prison scenes. Rikki Simmons as GIR always had me laughing, especially his “Peace is Nice” song that had me rolling with laughter. Melissa Fahn and Roger Bumpass as Gaz and her dad, Professor Membrane, are both equally hilarious, especially Bumpass who sounds like he’s having a blast. While he may carry the dumb dad trope of cartoons, he at least makes him one of the funniest characters in his delivery.

With the success of this special and Static Cling, along with the impending loom of the streaming wars up ahead, Nickelodeon and Netflix have signed a deal to produce more revivals of classic content and more; does this mean we’ll get more Invader Zim? I would hope so. After shows like Twelve Forever and Voltron found success on Netflix, along with a little more leniency toward what you can show or do in a cartoon, I think there’s more to get out of than one would think.

Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus was a great return to one of my favorite cartoons, and I’m highly recommending you check it out. Whether you remember watching the show on tv or not, this is one slice of pop culture that I think everyone should give a watch to. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and it’s only an hour and ten minutes, so it never overstays its welcome. And I still standby my comment that this is my favorite animated film of the year, and I won’t back from that.

Rating: A+

Brightburn - 31 Nights of Horror Reviews Year 6

Brightburn is the new superhero horror film, directed by David Yarovesky and written by Brian and Mark Gunn. After an alien life form crash lands on Earth, it’s taken into the custody of Tori and Kyle Breyer, who raise him as if they were their own child; however, unlike Clark Kent, Brandon Breyer as a child becomes power hungry, and is soon a ticking time bomb of danger if he snaps.

After James Gunn was put on timeout by Disney, his involvement as a producer got this film twice the publicity expected; I mean, a horror film about an evil kid Superman, from Sony and the guy who gave us Guardians of the Galaxy, was probably the combination no one ever thought to say out loud. And considering he’s also going to be one of the head honchos for future DC movies, he’s pretty much got every studio wrapped around his finger.

Aside from his brother and cousin writing the script, David Yarovesky also worked for him by directing the Guardians Inferno music video. And for a less than $15 million budget, this became one of the most intriguing movies I couldn’t ignore this year. Did the film live up to that hype? In some ways, yes; in others, it’s a little hard to say.

Yarovesky does a great job building both a comfortable mid-western setting, then shifting into this unsettling atmosphere that creeps on you. Considering this is a teenager figuring out he has powers and is going through puberty, the tension is like living with a ticking time bomb on legs. The scenes involving him and any of his classmates, particularly this one girl Caitlyn (Emmie Hunter), had me really gritting my teeth at what would jump next. It was actually one of the first times in a long while that a jump scare was executed properly, without the loud string chord they use. That’s not to say this film doesn’t have jump scares or any gruesome moments, including chicken murder...wasn’t expecting THAT. The third act is easily the best part of the movie, as the build up shows Brandon finally break loose, and it really gets intense.

Elizabeth Banks and David Denman as the parents do a fine job with their performances, battling out what their son is and what they should do, and the chemistry the two have is engaging, especially when he’s trying to bond with Brandon. You can tell in each of those scenes, there’s a desperation to be the parents they’ve dreamed of being, no matter how difficult it gets.

Jackson A. Dunn as Brandon Beyer, he does well with the traditional ‘secretly demonic kid’ trope to a good level, and he does have some powerful moments. Like I said, the scenes of him with either Caitlyn or his parents, especially as the film goes on, you really feel the tension build, not knowing what he’s going to do next out of a tantrum. 

However, my biggest problem with Brandon has to do with what makes him evil: the asteroid he came in. While it does register that this is a destructive force influencing him, it doesn’t seem to go much into where it came from and why it wants to destroy, but that could be how I’ve adapted to modern films needing to explain everything. There are also a couple moments that feel like the film wanted to dive deeper into, but had to make cuts to work with the small budget they had.

Also, not to give away any spoilers here, but this film does imply that it takes place in the same universe as another James Gunn property...and thinking about that connection does lead to some questions of what their planning or if that’s just an easter egg.

Brightburn is a great concept with a bit of a flimsy execution, but it definitely is worth your time. If you were someone who got impatient with the release of The New Mutants and really wanted to see a modern superhero horror film, this will definitely give you that fix. They make the most with their low budget, when it comes to the superhero parts of the film, but the writing could have used some work, at least in the motives. Other than that, not a bad movie.

Rating: B-

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - 31 Nights of Horror Reviews Year 6

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is directed by André Øvredal, with co-producer and co-writer Guillermo del Toro, based on the books by Alan Schwartz. It’s the Halloween of ‘68, and when a group of kids stumble upon the Bellows’ house, one of them finds the book of Sarah Bellows and her scary stories. Soon the book starts to write itself, featuring the kids one by one, and now they must figure out how to stop the curse.

I’m not someone who read the books as a kid, due to the illustrations by Stephen Gammell freaking me out too much (yeah, I was a wuss). I think I may have overheard some of my older brothers and sisters read it at some point, but I can’t for the life of me remember exactly. So expect this review to be on how the movie works on its own. One major change that’s noticeable is instead of an anthology film, this movie goes more of the route of the Goosebumps movie with Jack Black, where the stories come to life and its up to a group of teens to save the day. Considering Guillermo del Toro was attached to this, that got me hooked; he was intended to direct, but because he got caught up with The Shape of Water, André Øvredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe) was given the job. And after seeing the marketing they had, it was the first time I was excited to see a PG-13 horror film, especially with this being one of CBS Films’ last theatrical releases.

In terms of production value, the film looks pretty damn good for a $30 million. The 60’s small town setting is both nostalgic and fitting for the season, when Halloween did have some magic left to it. The monsters are gruesome and disturbing, just as I would suspect from a del Toro production, and each of their scenes gave me chills; the biggest standouts being the Pale Lady and Sarah Bellows’s ghost in the end. While there is a certain amount of CGI used, they do stick to mostly practical effects and people in suits, such as Javier Botet as the Big Toe corpse.

The main cast is comprised of mostly newcomers, with the exception of Ramon (Michael Garza), who is the lone wolf kid of the group; it’s later revealed as to why he keeps a low profile in the town, and how he keeps his cool with the townsfolk definitely reflects people of that time period, I would imagine.

Zoe Colletti as Stella Nicholls is fantastic; her timing in this film, whether it’s on or offscreen with someone, is impeccable. Being the dorky tomboy with bad gossip, there was definitely a sense of empathy to be had with her character, especially in the climax of the film. She’s definitely the breakout star, and if she chooses more horror films, then I’m all for it. She, along with actresses like Lulu Wilson, Anya-Taylor Joy, and Joey King, show great promise in the horror genre...hopefully for Colletti’s sake, she has a better track record than the latter’s.

There can be a lot of moments that do feel oddly placed, such as Chuck (Austin Zajur) revealing his nightmare out of nowhere, suddenly one character is fine as opposed to being dubbed insane, and that’s where I was noticing some of the script feeling a bit faulty; considering this had five writers in total, I can understand if at times some of this dialogue was not that easy to deliver. The film also constantly plays back some of the Nixon v Humphrey v Wallace election, like it’s trying to be a metaphor for “the real monsters are out there, and in our system”, or give reason for the horrors to still sync in after Halloween. Also, the ending does sequel beg through narration, and if they had just cut that voice over, it would have been perfectly fine to leave it open-ended if they DO get that greenlight. 

There’s a lot more to digest, but in the end, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is flawed at times, but is a very fitting film for anyone looking for some nostalgic horror. Likable characters, gruesome monsters, and while it does ride the Stranger Things train a little bit, it works pretty nicely.

Rating: B+