Halloween Ends Review

 

Halloween Ends is a slasher movie, a sequel to Halloween Kills, as well as the thirteenth installment of the Halloween franchise. It's also the final film it what people have dubbed "The H40 Trilogy", which started with 2018's Halloween. The film is produced by Miramax, Blumhouse Productions, Trancas International Films, and Rough House Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures. Halloween Ends is written by David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, Chris Bernier, and Paul Brad Logan and directed by David Gordon Green.

The story is it's been four years after the events of Halloween Kills. After his last rampage, Michael hasn't been seen since, and has vanished without a trace. As for Laurie, she has finally just let go of her fear and rage of Michael, and has embraced a new life with her granddaughter. But this peacefulness comes to an end, a new brand of terror has come, and there's only one person who bring such a thing. Now Laurie wants to put a stop to Michael, once and for all.

Initial Reaction

I think it's really simple as to why I wanted to see this one. It's the final film to this story. Sure, this hasn't been a perfect trilogy, but it has done a great job at respecting the 1978 film. So, I was very curious as to how this story was finally gonna conclude.

Cons 

There's one thing I can't defend the movie for, and that's there's no balance with the story. We've got the Allyson story, and the Michael/Laurie story. One definitely got more attention than the other, which in return means Michael very much doesn't get enough screentime. The writers really should've found a way for there to be an even balance between the two, that the very justifiable complaint of a lack of Michael wouldn't be so present with a lot of reviews.

Middle Ground

Now while the send off to both Michael and Laurie was handled fairly well, there still was a lot to be desired. I'm saying we needed full insanity like we did with Kills, because it was clear that wasn't what the writers were going for. I'm just saying we could've gotten just a tiny bit of intensity. Especially for Michael and Laurie's big fight. Although I did dig what they did with Michael during the ending, it was brutal and effective. Sure people can say it was melodramatic all they want, but I liked it.

Pros

One thing I practically liked was how character driven this was. That may have been a problem for most fans, but not for me. We really got do see what our characters have been doing after the massacre of the last film, how they've either still been carrying that weight around, or in Laurie's case, move on and stop letting it consume them. It was a nice touch, and definitely something different. What I also enjoyed was the cycle of fear and violence. We're told and shown how after Michael's massacre violent crime has gone up, especially during Halloween. And the fear part stems from how people are still scared Michael will come back. People even fear Laurie because they believe she taunted Michael to come back and kill again. But we know that's not true, cause in the 2018 film, it was someone else's obsession that brought Michael back, and if anybody was "taunting" Michael, it was the angry lynch mob in Kills. The last one is especially true because Laurie couldn't do anything, unless she had some serious pain killing medication to help her move. So this cycle not only showed just how much of a hold Michael has on Haddonfield, but also added another new layer to this movie. The last thing I'll write positively about Ends is the question it brought up. That was what creates a boogeyman? This question was used for a new character introduced for this trilogy. It's really left up in the air of how he became what he became. Was he always liked this deep down inside, and the moment he took lives his true self came out? Or was Haddonfield in such a desperate need for a boogeyman, that they just pointed the finger to him? We don't know, because the answer really it's so simple. Which also really makes me give the writers props for that. Sure, they could've given an answer of what creates a boogeyman. But much like how John Carpenter's original Halloween film, we're never given the answer of why Michael kills. So much like that question of why Michael kills, and the never given straight answer, we'll never know what creates a boogeyman, because maybe the question just can't be answered, or the answer just isn't that simple.

Halloween Ends is definitely the end of a story. While at the same time it can be viewed as an epilogue. Which makes sense, to me anyhow. We got our prologue (the 1978 film), the crazy big story (the 2018 movie & Kills), and the winding down epilogue (Ends). Although that still doesn't change the big unbalanced storylines. While the send off is by no means terrible, there was still some stuff that was left desired. But I think what saves the film was the character driven story, the cycle of fear and violence, and the boogeyman question.

My final rating is Okay.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Oct 17th for my review of Evil Dead II. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

The Unmade Halloween Trilogy

 

With Halloween Ends arriving in theaters and on Peacock tomorrow, I thought it'd be a fun idea to tell you about a trilogy that almost happened.

That trilogy consisted of three films titled Rise of the Boogeyman, The Witching Hour, and Fires of Samhain. But before I can tell those films' stories, it's important we go back in time.

The Pitch

Now I don't have the exact dates of when this idea was pitched. What I think everyone can agree on is the idea was pitched somewhere between Rob Zombie's Halloween II and way before the newest sets of movies were starting up production. Basically, somewhere during that period, writer Stef Hutchinson (the writer of Halloween comics such as Nightdance), came up with an idea that would've not only been a reboot, but also would've tied in all of the films, that would've explained the timeline and/or timelines.

Rise of the Boogeyman

Now before I tell you about how the timelines would've connected, I think I should go over the stories of each film from the trilogy. For Rise of the Boogeyman, the story would've been essentially been an origin story of how Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis meet, and also how Michael escaped from the asylum. The story would've been set in the 1980s, Michael Myers isn't dubbed with his real name, instead he's called "The Shape". He would've killed two people on Halloween night. During this time not only is Loomis married and has a son, but he would've been haunted by that night because a patient is linked to the case. Then after meeting Michael, Loomis would've accidentally dropped a lighter, which in return helped Michael escaped. We also would learn that Michael seems to form from a netherworld called "The Luminal".

Things would've only gotten worse, because in this story Laurie Strode would've died. The ending was also no better. By the end of part one of this trilogy, Loomis would've failed to save anyone, and by the end, Michael arrives and kills Loomis' wife.

The Witching Hour

Just when things couldn't possibly get worse, we arrive in part two of the trilogy. The story is Loomis is trying to recover from the death of his wife, while at the same time coming to terms with the fact that his son was also killed by Michael.

Michael also really has it out for Loomis this time around. During this time, not only do we learn Loomis is getting therapy, but Michael has been spying on his sessions. And with this information, The Shape learns of his biggest fears, which he uses to drive Loomis into insanity.

Fires of Samhain

This is where things take an...interesting turn of events. For the final part of this trilogy, we finally know what Michael's big plan is. Michael would've used his Luminal powers to influence the patients of a local asylum as pawns to kill the residents of the town, all in an effort to have a massive sacrifice.

Then later Loomis would've taken a trip to the Luminal. During that sequence, Loomis would've learned that there is a multiverse with different versions of Michael Myers. Ranging from the 1978 original all the way to Rob Zombie's remake - along with other versions we've never seen before.

What Was The Purpose and Why Didn't It Happen?

While the purpose of this trilogy was to make more Halloween films, Stef Hutchinson's true goal was to free up the franchise. That way not only could future filmmakers not have to worry about continuity, but they could also revisit an old timeline, or go another way and start fresh with their own verison of Michael Myers.

Now the given reason of why this trilogy never happened was because the studio didn't have any interest in doing another reboot, after the Rob Zombie films. Understandable, but I think maybe the other reason was the multiverse factor. While Halloween has gone more supernatural in the past, just look at Season of the Witch and Halloween 4-6. Having a multiverse is a little more of a sci-fi thing. So I think the studio didn't want to incorporate sci-fi elements in a franchise that tries to be more reality base. Note that I said TRIES. So while I am curious of what could've been, I think this might be one of the few times where I actually agree with the studio executives.

I hope you enjoyed this little bit of history. I actually had a lot of fun learning about this cancelled reboot, even if I didn't agree with the idea. Anyhow, come back on Saturday, Oct 15th for my review of Halloween Ends. Really looking forward to that one, but until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind Review

 

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is a animated direct-to-video adult animated marital arts film, as well as the sequel to Battle of the Realms, and the third overall film in the Legends film series. The film is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and NetherRealm Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is written by Jeremy Adams and directed by Rick Morales.

The story is it's been many years after the events of Battle of the Realms. Everything seems to be peaceful, but that all changes when Kano is seeking retribution, and terrorizes and destroys everything in his path along with an army of Black Dragons. After young fighter Kenshi is blinded, he goes through intense training with an older Kuai-Liang all in an effort to stop to Kano.

Initial Reaction

Now even though this film series hasn't been 100% perfect, the Legends series has been pretty entertaining. So when I found out a new one was coming out, I didn't waste anytime with this film, and waited, then watched.

Cons

If there was one thing I wished we got more of, it's this new world. We're introduced to a new post-apocalyptic setting this time around, and we're not given much. We're given a quick explanation of how Kano rose to power, and we're told, but barely shown how dangerous revenants are. But never felt like we were giving a bigger sense of danger with them, at best we got a flashback, and told what they did to land. Also during this post-apocalyptic world, we don't really know what happened to the other classic characters, just Sub-Zero and Kano. I guess maybe the filmmakers didn't dive too deep into this because then the film would be longer than what it needed to be. But I think maybe a couple of quick flashbacks could've done the job just fine.

Middle Ground

I've got nothing, so just move on.

Pros

Now I'm gonna be quick about three things, because I've pretty much praised them in my previous reviews regarding this franchise, so giving a long explanation would seem repetitive. If there's three things the Legends series has remained consist on it's the art style, animation, and gore. Especially that last one. Those three aspects have always been a great selling point for this film series, and I still love those three things to this day. Now if there's one thing I love about this is the smaller scale. The reason why that's such a big thing is because even though I still liked Battle of the Realms, I still took issue with the fact it should've been a two-parter. But here, it's a really good small story, where it didn't need to deal with so much. Speaking of story, I really felt like there was a nice balance between Kenshi and Sub-Zero. Kenshi goes through a good story of how he was cocky, but no only lost his sight, but also got humbled, and learned to be a true warrior. And we have Sub-Zero not only being a teacher, but also needed to get back into the fight, while at the same time get redemption from a mistake he made many years ago. So both their stories were perfectly brought together. Speaking of Kenshi, it was really nice to see him get the spotlight. Cause sure, I'll also have some love for the classic characters such as Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Kitana, Sonya, Raiden, and etc. But the fun thing about Mortal Kombat (as with many other fighting games) is it's wide variety of characters, and many of them are truly underrated and could very well get some attention on them. So seeing Kenshi get some love is very welcoming, and I imagine that aspect of the film made a lot of Kenshi fans happy as well. The last thing I'll praise is the ending. It's very bitter sweet, which I liked, and it did make sense to the story. But it also left me guessing of what's next? Cause we are getting another film titled Cage Match (take a wild guess of who's gonna be the focus on that), but it makes me wonder, will we get a story set in this post-apocalyptic world, or something set in the past? I don't know, but I find that very exciting.

Overall I really enjoyed Snow Blind. I though it was pretty awesome. We as usual get a good art style, great animation, and plenty of gory action. A nicely done smaller scale, a good balance between Kenshi and Sub-Zero's stories, and a refreshing story focusing on Mortal Kombat's more underrated characters. All perfectly wrapped up with a bitter sweet ending, that makes you wonder, what's next? Although I do wish we could've explored more of the world our characters now live in.

My final rating is Good.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Oct 13th, because on that day, I'll tell you the story of an unmade Halloween trilogy. All in celebration of Halloween Ends. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Hellraiser (2022) Review

 

Hellraiser is a supernatural horror film, a remake of the 1987 film of the same name, as well as a reboot to the Hellraiser film franchise. Both this and the 1987 film were based on Clive Barker's novel The Hellbound Heart. The movie's produced by 20th Century Studios, Spyglass Media Group, and Phantom Four Films and distributed by Hulu. Hellraiser is written by Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski, and David S. Goyer and directed by David Bruckner.

The story is a young woman named Riley is struggling with her addiction. During this sad time in her life, she comes across an ancient puzzle box. At first she naturally believes it's just a puzzle box, but soon she learns of it's true nature. That nature being, it can summon the deadly and sadistic Cenobites.

Initial Reaction

Now being a fan of the Hellraiser series, it was only natural that I'd be looking forward to this film. Although much like every other fan, I was highly skeptical. Because after Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, all of the sequels have really sucked. Cause you have Bloodline, which was Hellraiser in space, then you have those direct-to-video sequels from the early 2000's that weren't even supposed to be Hellraiser films to begin with, they were just scripts quickly rewritten to be Hellraiser sequels. Then you have Revelations, that wasn't just a poor attempt, but also really boring. There was also Judgment, which was a decent try, but forgettable. So this film had a lot on its shoulders when it comes to quality.

Cons

I've got nothing, just move on.

Middle Ground

One okay part of the movie was the pacing. There are times when the slow pace was necessary, and we do have times when it's really perfect, but you also have moments that are slow, that really didn't need to be. Such as the finale. It felt a lot slower. Almost to the point it felt like the filmmakers were milking it. Then we have our characters. Now Riley is actually good. She struggles with drug addiction, so already we have a good reason to care for her. Then when the Cenobites come, we actually do feel bad for her, cause it's clear as day that she never wanted any of these horrors to happen. Then we have everyone else. Some are okay, but then you have those other characters where it's clearly obvious they're just there to feel up a body count.

Pros

Now we have more positives aspects such as David Bruckner's directing. With some of the previous films (not counting the first three), I never was really interested in the directing of each film. They either felt uninspired, or just plain generic. But with this one, this is a sense of style being displayed. There's this really beautiful lighting effect during the end of the film, that I really liked. Then there's the special effects. Even if a majority of them are CGI, they're very convincing CG effects. I think there was only two times when it was noticable. Other than that, very top notch work. Sadly as we all know Doug Bradley didn't come back for this, instead we got Jamie Clayton, who I can with 100% confidence surprised me. Sure Doug is still my number one, always has been, and always will be. But she did great. She was mysterious, as well as creepy. Now for how scary is was. The movie does fairly well with the typical hook and chains tearing apart flesh, but even when that doesn't happen, the film still provides a very good uneasiness to it. Throughout the runtime, you have a really good unsettling feeling. Which does hold back for just enough time for when the Cenobites make their very appropriate appearance.

While Hellraiser (2022) isn't perfect, what with its less than stellar pacing and characters that range from good to okay to just there to die. But the movie makes up for that with great directing, good special effects, a even greater performance from Jamie Clayton, and best of all, it can be quite scary.

My final rating is Good.

For my next review I'll be taking a detour away from the horror films. Cause on Monday, Oct 10th I'll be reviewing Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

A Look Back at Hellraiser (1987)

 

With the remake coming out soon, it's time once again for me to look back into the past and review the film that started it all.

Hellraiser is a 1987 British supernatural horror film, based on Clive Barker's 1986 novel, The Hellbound Heart. The movie's produced by Film Future and distributed by Entertainment Film Distributors. Hellraiser was written and directed by Clive Barker.

The story is Frank Cotton bought a mysterious puzzle box that's said to open a door to a realm of otherworldly pleasures. Once he solves it, he's welcomed by hooked chains and mysterious figures called the Cenobites. Sometime later Frank is back but he's flesh and everything else is gone, he convinces his brother's wife to lure men back into the apartment so he can be reconstruct himself. However, what Frank doesn't know is the Cenobites have cut a deal with someone to bring him back.

• Negatives

I've got nothing to say, so just move onto the next part.

• Mix

It's no surprise that people of praised the practical effects. Rightfully so too, they are truly a work of disturbing art. But I'm not here, too take a slight issue with those, my slight issue is with non-practical effects. In I want to say the last five-to-ten minutes of the movie, the non-practical effects are very bad. It's especially bad because when compare them to other effects to other 80's horror flicks, it just gets worse. But, but I willing to kind of forgive that, 1) They were working on a very limited budget, and 2) the movie makes up for this downside, with those spectacular practical effects.

• Positives

Now let's get this out of the way, the story is very common. Woman falls in love with the more dangerous and aloof guy, because the guy she's currently with just doesn't excite her. However, what really helps that element of the story isn't just the S&M aspect, but because of Clive Barker's horror element as well. So when people describe this as a twisted love story, it's very accurate.

Since I brought up the horror aspect, or this case body horror as it's classified it's time I told you about it. It's takes a lot for a horror flick to make me feel grossed out, scared, or cringe, and Hellraiser managed to do all three of those. I was scared of the Cenobites, I was grossed out by the more body horror elements, and I cringed because the effects of the hooks penetrating human flesh, looked so real, once again props to the special effects artists.

I also thought the performances were done really well too. The actors/actresses not only did a fantastic job with the horror bits, but I also thought they were really great for the more dramatic/character focused parts as well. Granted, they were a couple of times when the acting was a bit hammy, but that can be easily forgiven given everything else I saw. And do I even need to say anything regrading Doug Bradley as Pinhead? The guy just nails the role, even when you're watching an absolutely terrible excuse for a Hellraiser sequel (for any of that are fans of this franchise, you know the ones I'm talking about), he's amazing.

The last thing I'll praise is and it's something I never really thought about when watching it the first time, and that's how this also deals with being a character driven story. Sure, the blood and guts is still there, but to perfectly add in some character development, is always a welcomed surprise. Instead of this family storyline dragging the film down, it actually helps increase the film's quality.

Hellraiser is a great horror film. It's got a very common love story, but manages to make it work by adding in a twisted horror element, the body horror is excellent, the performances were also great, and the added drama/more character focus aspect was a nice touch. For a majority of the film the special effects are incredible, but those last ones aren't anything to write home too.

My final rating is Great.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Oct 8th for my review of the Hellraiser remake. I'm really hoping that'll be a good one. Anyhow, enjoy the rest of your day.

The Evil Dead Review

 

Originally I was gonna review the all of the Evil Dead films when the newest movie (Evil Dead Rise) came out, but that got pushed back to April 21st, 2023. So I'd now just review these for good old fashioned Halloween season fun. And no, I won't be reviewing the Ash vs. Evil Dead tv series. I got enough of my plate as it is.

The Evil Dead is a 1981 supernatural horror film. It was produced by Renaissance Pictures and distributed by New Line Cinema. The Evil Dead was written and directed by Sam Raimi.

The story is five college kids decide to take a vacation in a small cabin in the woods. Things quickly take a turn when the five find a tape recorder that not only tells them about the Book of the Dead, but also chants an incantation. Because of this, the group is soon thrusted into a fight for survival against demonic forces.

• Negatives

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

• Mix

The only gray point in the movie, for me anyhow, is the characters. They're not too bad. There could've been just a bit more, but there was plenty of stuff with them to make you care if they get killed or not. If anything the characterization is acceptable. Which isn't too bad, it's serviceable.

• Positives

Now let's get into the positives, one of those being Sam Raimi's directing. It's truly amazing how this was his first feature film, and yet there was none of that that give it away. His visual style is fantastic, and there are so many creepy shots. Not too mention, that even if the film had a low budget ($357,000 to be exact), Sam really did let it show too much. What I learned when doing behind the scenes research for this movie, is the cellular door and the cellular itself it actually filmed in two different locations. One in shot in Tennessee and months later they filmed the basement scenes in Michigan. And it's cut together so well, you wouldn't even notice. Again, for one of Raimi's first, it's very well put together.

Another aspect of The Evil Dead that makes it an amazing horror flick, is the pacing. The movie's only an 1hr and 25 minutes, and yet that runtime time just breezes by. I mean it too. Cause as I was watching it really didn't feel like I was sitting on my couch for an hour. It almost felt like only a few minutes went by.

What also worked for the movie was yes, the blood and gore. Not only is it used when it's needed, but it also has some range. There's your typically f*ck yeah gore, but then there were times when it was just gross. Like whenever the Deadites are killed, they gush out blood, pus, and some weird slime stuff. But the worse was the ankle stab. No seriously, that looked painful. I'm even cringing just thinking about.

Now that a got that sort of joke out of the way, another thing I loved about this flick was the makeup and special effects. Again, despite the low $370,000 budget, everything was very well done. Whether it be something practical like a Deadite getting chopped up, or something really good claymation at the end of the movie.

The last thing I'll give credit to is the suspense. Even when there's nothing violent going on, there's still plenty of creepy moments. Heck, the moment we arrive at the cabin, you already don't have a good feeling about it, whether you've seen this movie or not. Sounds also played a big factor in this as well. Especially with the Deadites. Their disturbing echoing voices were very effective, and I'm even getting a tiny bit of chill just thinking about them as I'm writing this. Sometimes even the way the camera moves gave an unsettling feeling. It's like the camera itself was an evil entity, just watching over our characters and waiting for their demises, whether that was the purpose or not.

The Evil Dead is definitely one of my many favorite horror movies. While character is just serviceable at best, the movie makes up for that with Sam Raimi's spectacular directing, top notch pacing, the perfect amount of blood and gore, nicely done makeup and special effects, and perfect suspense.

My final rating is Great.

That was a fun watch. Due come back on Thursday, Oct 6th for my A Look Back at review for 1987's Hellraiser. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Hocus Pocus 2 Review

 

Hocus Pocus 2 is a fantasy horror comedy film, and the sequel to the 1993 film. It's produced by Walt Disney Pictures and David Kirschner Productions and distributed by Disney+. Hocus Pocus 2 is written by David Kirschner, Blake Harris, and Jen D'Angelo and directed by Anne Fletcher.

The story is it's been twenty-nine years since the last movie, and Salem has been doing great. Sadly that all changes when a new group of teens accidentally bring back the evil witches, the Sanderson sisters. Now they must work together to stop the sisters before the cause chaos...once again.

Initial Reaction

I think it's pretty obvious why I was going to watch then review this. I really liked the first movie. I thought it was entertaining, and had quite the charm to it. So naturally I would want to see how the sequel would turn out.

Cons

Really the only thing that bothered was how one character was easily forgiven. Which made no sense to me. This guy tricked our main characters into resurrecting the Sanderson sisters, believed they [the Sandersons] were ahead of their time (which makes me think he deliberately ignored the child killing thing, despite basically being an expert in both the Sandersons and the supernatural in general), and because of these events, not only was Salem nearly doomed, but so was the entire world. And the only reason he helped was because his life was in danger. All of these are very unforgivable, but our heroes were like "Yeah we forgive you and your terrible actions. See ya next week."

Middle Ground

There are three decent things about Hocus Pocus 2, and one of them is the special effects. If you read my review of the first movie, then you'd know this something I also wrote about in a section similar to this but, what I said in that is in the first film effects can range from okay to really good. Here, there are still good special effects, but then you have instances where they're bad. I think there were two scenes where you can clearly tell the actors/actresses are in front of a green screen. The other decent aspect was the lighter tone. Now in the first, while it was still a family Halloween movie, there was quite a few times when things were dark. Here, while the lighter tone didn't bother me too much, there were times where I felt like "okay, this could've been a little bit darker. That could've been darker", and so forth. I wasn't begging for a flow blown horror flick, just something where the tone was much closer to the original. Then there's the post-credit scene. While I do like how it's wasn't a set up for a stupid joke like a lot of post-credit scenes seem to be nowadays, I do wonder if it entirely necessary? Because it's a good scene, but considering the ending, it almost makes me think it shouldn't be there.

Pros

There are two really good things about this film, and one was the performances from Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. Once again their chemistry made for an entertaining experience, and that's what also made the best part of the entire film, even though the story isn't exactly the best. Then there's the humor. Much like the first, while some jokes don't work, there were quite a few times where I had a good laugh.

Hocus Pocus 2 isn't as good as the first, but I overall don't think it's horrible. There was somethings that could've been improved on such as the effects, a tone that could've been closer to the first, and the post-credit scene. What was good was the performances from Midler, Parker, and Najimy and the humor. The only thing I couldn't get behind was how one character was forgiven, despite the absolutely horrible things he did.

My final rating is Okay.

While I don't have the movie, you should just stick with the first. So, this wasn't the most horrifying way I wanted to start off my Halloween themed reviews, but luckily that's going to change. Come back on Monday, Oct 3rd for my review of Sam Raimi's 1981 horror flick, The Evil Dead. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, and I hope you have a fun Halloween season this year.