Bria Lou Reviews

  There are a few movies on this year's horror-themed bucket list that I've seen before and written posts on in the past, but this is the only one so far that I've wanted to write a second post on. Before I started watching the film I re-read what I wrote about it previously, and not only was it a really short post, but I didn't like the film that time as much as I had when I first saw it. And I assumed that this re-watch would be the same. So I was really surprised by how much I loved the film this time around! So much that I think it definitely deserved a proper review. My main reason for not loving it before was that not much happened, but for some reason, I completely disagree with that now, upon this third (or fourth) re-watch. There is a sinister undertone the entire way through, every single thing that happens in tinged with a feeling of unease and apprehension. Before anything even happens, before Rosemary is even pregnant, the audience is on edge, even though w...

  After a surprise confession causes chaos a week before their wedding, Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) wonder if they can still make it down the aisle. I'd heard really mixed things about this movie before seeing it, on polar opposite scales, so while I was looking forward to it, I didn't have exceptionally high hopes. I liked the film, but all-in-all it felt quite average. There were things about it that I really liked but I didn't love it overall. But I have to start with the confession that kicks everything off. For me the whole situation felt a bit weird. Without spoiling anything, the confession was based on something that hadn't actually happened, mixed in with other confessions from people who actually had done things. So while I understand why that might give you slight pause when thinking of marrying someone, it felt like a lot of what happened as a result was a bit dramatic and based on a character's own issues than the confession itself. Th...

  I'd never heard of this film, and the premise was vague while still being interesting, so I was looking forward to seeing it. The opening score, before the film even starts, really sets a tone. It's creepy and unsettling, and even though you have no idea what you're in for, you already know the feeling the filmmakers are going for. The first 10 minutes of the film are so well done. It's really powerful to hear the sounds of the murders while seeing the end result. It shows us exactly who this character is, even though we've barely seen him on screen. We feel worried for characters we don't (and will never) know, and this alone makes us really invested in what's to come. And from here, whenever we actually see a character killed on screen, it seems to carry less weight. It's much scarier to imagine what's happening than to actually see it. Michael Rooker, who plays Henry, is great in the role. Everything about the performance, from the way he speaks...

  While trying to raise his children following the unexpected loss of his wife, a man (Benedict Cumberbatch) has to deal with the physical manifestation of his grief. I heard about this film a while ago but it took me way too long to actually see it! That said, I'm glad I finally saw it because I liked it. From the first second, it feels really authentic. You never doubt that the characters are going through exactly what is being shown. Depicting grief in this way is really powerful. Even before the grief becomes physical, we really get to understand the characters through the way they grieve. The actors are great. Cumberbatch is fantastic in the role, and the child actors, Richard and Henry Boxall, are perfect and very authentic. There are times when the metaphor feels heavy-handed, particularly when the crow makes a speech. I don't think things needed to be spelled out for the audience like this. In fact, it took something away from the overall idea to make things too obvious...

  Like a few movies on the bucket list this year I've seen the remake but not the original, so I was looking forward to this one! I liked this film. It's great when a mystery film can get the audience invested right from the beginning, and this film does it well. Not only are we interested in solving the mystery, but we're instantly as wary of the residents of the town as the Sergeant is. One way I'd describe this film is 'odd'. It's a major plot point, every character acts a bit weird, the setting is a bit off, everything is off kilter. It straddles the line of being fantastical and grounded, and that makes it a really interesting watch. I can't say this is the most entertaining movie. You're interested in the mystery, but from here, most of the film is about the town and seeing the odd way they live. So after you get over the weirdness, your interest ebbs and flows. For me, I was still interested in solving the mystery, but the eerie nature of the ...

  When five ballerinas find themselves trapped in a roadside inn with the dangerous inhabitants, they have to use all of their skills to save themselves. I'd heard mixed things about this film before deciding to watch it. The plot was kind of vague so I wasn't completely sure what to expect. I really liked this film. For a start, the cast is great! The film stars Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor, Avantika, Millicent Simmonds, Iris Apatow and Uma Thurman, and all of the actors do a fantastic job portraying their characters. It's engaging from the very first moment to the moment the credits roll. The beginning of the film feels very odd, it's hard to know what to make of it. But once the real plot gets going, you're completely locked in.  The dialogue is probably the thing that lets the film down a bit. It takes a while for the characters to actually sound like real people, even when the acting is great. This is particularly true of the villains, a few of which just felt l...

  I've seen the 2005 remake of this film but I only have a vague memory of what it was about, so this is definitely like a new watch entirely - one I was looking forward to! I really liked this film! It took a while to actually start. The credits were still coming up after 12 minutes when it felt like we should have been actually getting into the story, especially because the film is only 90 minutes. I really liked the characters. There's a lot of time in the beginning of the film where we're entirely focused on the characters with the fog being just an ominous presence in the background, and it's great to get to spend time with them. Not only do we really get to understand the world, but when the fog does hit, we're more invested. This also added to how close the town felt. We see the different ways people are affected, how their stories come together, and it's great to see their connections. I really liked the visuals. The film is shot in a really interesting ...

  After the events of the first two chapters, Maya ( Madelaine Petsch)  faces off against the masked killers one last time. I don't know why I keep doing it to myself with these movies, but at least the franchise is (hopefully) over now. As expected, this was not a good film. I have no idea why the writers went down the route of giving the killers a backstory, because in all of horror history, these are the killers that least need an explanation. The only reason the first two movies outside of this trilogy worked so well is because there was no reason! I actually liked the way the film began, maybe I was just hopeful that they would move on from Maya's story, because that's exactly what the movie needed. New characters, fresh blood, another new start. But that's where the good things started and ended. There were way too many characters in this one. But in addition to that, they're all dull and badly written. Maya as a main character is one of the issues - I barely ...

  After picking up a hitchhiker on a deserted road, young newlyweds April and Eddie soon find themselves haunted by a string of unsolved murders. The premise of this book was such an interesting   one that I really couldn't wait to get into it. Before I opened the book, I thought it would make a great movie or series based on the description alone. I really liked another of the author's books, The Sun Down Motel, so this was on my list immediately! Unfortunately the actual story was a bit disappointing. But it was great that we get into things right away. The characters are picking up the hitchhiker in maybe the first chapter and that first section is really intriguing and genuinely creepy. Then from here, things start to go downhill. Rather than staying with the scares and creepiness, the story pivots to 'the police think our heroes are the killers', and it stays here for way too long. I get why it went in this direction, it definitely made the story feel more authenti...

  I think everyone has heard of this film, horror fan or not. But I've never actually seen it so I'm really glad it's on the list! I liked this film! I loved the opening scene. It captures the essence of the horror before you even understand what's happening and you're immediately invested. Despite the depiction of the zombies themselves being quite old-fashioned compared to modern versions, they're still scary and intimidating, while also being fun to watch. It's really well written. Everything said feels authentic and real, and you truly believe that these characters are really going through this. And speaking of characters, they're all great. We only get to know them in the context of this situation but that's enough to feel like we're on this journey with them. Ben in particular is such a great hero. He's the character you want to follow, he's the one you're most interested in and he's played really well by Duane Jones. The st...

  After escaping from prison, Jeffery (Channing Tatum) breaks into a Toys R Us and finds a way to live there for months in secret. But when he falls for employee and single mother Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), his secret becomes compromised. I'd heard really good things about this film, so it was the first one I watched once the Oscars were over. And I agree with all the good things, I liked this movie more than I initially thought I would. Your impression of the film is entirely based on how you feel about Jeffery as a character, and I loved him. I found him really endearing and fun to watch. You can really root for him. The opening scene sets the tone of the whole film really well, particularly when it comes to the humour. Despite the subject, the film has an overtone of joy and whimsy, and that makes it such a great watch. You can forget the characters' pasts, forget what might happen to them in the future, and just focus on the present. It took a really interesting direction. It...

  I'd heard of this movie in passing but never knew what it was about so it was a bit of a random pick! I had really mixed feelings about this film. I completely disliked the first hour, but by the end I liked it more than I thought I was going to. It took a little while for me to really get into this. It can be hard to work out exactly what's going on, and even when you get it, you're left wondering what it can actually be about. There's a lot going on here, especially in the first 30 minutes or so - it's hard to keep up with all the characters and how they fit into the story. I didn't really know how to feel for a really long time. I didn't feel anything for the characters, the story itself wasn't particularly gripping, and a couple of unexpected scenes just bothered me to the point where I ended up with a negative impression of the film as a whole. It moved slowly and quickly at the same time. So much happened that I felt like I couldn't keep up, ...

After being left at the altar, Matt (Kevin James) decides to take his honeymoon solo, and finds more than he ever expected. This film was mainly on my radar because of the actors involved - the premise was one that could go either way but I was hopeful! Thankfully, I liked the film. The introduction to the main character, Matt, was great. We get to know him quickly, he's likeable right away, and it's great to be on this journey with him. You're invested in the story from really early on. I loved the group of characters that we're introduced to. The film also stars Nicole Grimaudo, Alyson Hannigan, Kim Coates, Jonathan Roumie and Julee Cerda, and they're all really great and believable in their roles. It's the kind of friend group that you can imagine watching a sitcom about! I loved the way the new friendships were portrayed. They almost had a found-family feel to them, which was really sweet to watch. I thought the overall tone of the film would be funnier, mos...

  This isn't one I was looking forward to. I wrote in my review of 28 Years Later that I didn't like the first film in the franchise, this film. While that's probably true, it's been so long since I saw it that I couldn't even remember many of the plot details, all I could really remember before this re-watch was the feeling of not liking it. So I did try to go into this re-watch with more of an open mind. And thankfully, I did like it more than I did on my first watch. I think the characters are great. We only see them in this perilous situation but we get to know so much about them purely through their looks and interactions with each other. And most of this is down to how good the acting is - all of the actors do a great job with their characters, though they're also well-written, which helps. I also liked the character relationships, which is something that each movie in the franchise does well. It's really interesting to see the way the characters conne...

  I hadn't heard of this film before but I loved the premise so I was excited to see it! I really liked this film. The way everything started was great. We get to know our main characters and we're with them, literally and otherwise, the whole way through. It's on the shorter side and does a lot with its time. We're not waiting too long for the scares to start, we're not bored during exposition, everything that happens feels necessary to the plot while also being entertaining. One of the best things about slasher movies is that there doesn't need to be any reason for the killings. Someone breaks in, kills people at random and leaves, and it never has to be any more than that to be a good movie. Which means that everything that happens in the movie can be purely for entertainment, and this film does a really good job of that in the first half, when everything seems random. That being said, when we start to realise that this isn't random, it comes at the perfe...

  When two best friends (Paul Rudd and Jack Black) who dream of remaking their favourite movie, Anaconda, finally get the opportunity, they travel to the Amazon jungle to begin filming. But they soon find themselves in their own movie when they start being stalked by a giant bloodthirsty anaconda. I like the original Anaconda movie, so I was interested in seeing this one. And I was even more interested to see that it was meta, set in a world where the original movie already exists, rather than an entire remake. I liked this film, though that's not to say it was an amazing movie. As I said, I loved the idea of the characters themselves remaking the original, rather than this being a straightforward remake, mostly because the film really didn't need a traditional remake. The actors and their characters are so much fun. The film wouldn't have worked if anyone involved took it slightly more seriously than they did - it was a great balance of humour and drama, leaning much more ...

  This is a first-time watch, but also the fourth Evil Dead movie I've watched, because I haven't gone in order. I wouldn't say I've absolutely loved any of the Evil Dead movies I've seen before this, but I am intrigued about this one. Not least because it's included on a list of classic horror movies and the first one isn't. I have mixed feelings about this film, but I definitely liked it more than at least two of the other Evil Dead movies I've watched, so that's something! It's really fascinating to have shots from the point of view of the entity. Watching the characters run away or be possessed from this point of view puts the audience right in the centre of the action. We're immediately invested. Some of the visuals were a bit too out-there and fantastical for me, even if this is a fantastical film. They took me out of the moment and almost felt comedic (which could have been the intention). I read that stop-motion animation and prosthet...

  Screenwriter Misha knows how hard it is to make it in Hollywood. So when he achieves success with an Oscar nomination, it seems like everything is finally going his way. But after refusing to kill the gay characters in his newest TV show, he finds out there's a target on his back, as monsters from his past begin haunting him and his friends. Can he find a way to get the literal and figurative monsters off his back before it's too late? I liked how unique the premise of this book was, and I was really looking forward to it. In my search for horror books, this one seemed both original but also closer to traditional horror, so I wanted to see how it played out. I loved this book! For a start, as a film fan, I loved that it was set within the film industry. Even though Misha is a writer rather than an actor, we get a lot of insight into how Hollywood works, and it felt really authentic. One of my worries about horror books with monsters, particularly original ones, is that it can...

  The description of this film says that it 'paved the way for future slasher flicks', so given how much I love the slasher genre, I was really looking forward to seeing it. Unfortunately, I didn't love this film. The opening scene is great - starting with twists and turns puts the audience on the back foot from the beginning. We're invested, but we have no idea where the story is going. But after this opening, things started to slow down a bit. Given that the film is only 80 minutes, you would think the pace would be a lot faster. The film actually feels a lot longer than it is because of this. And because of this, it didn't really capture my attention. Yes I enjoyed the opening scene, but because you don't know those people, the scene doesn't mean much. And because after this, many characters are introduced in quick succession, you can start to lose your grip on the actual story. One of the best things about a slasher for me is when the movie is a 'who...

  I was really looking forward to this one. Over the years I lose track of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies I've seen, but I'm hoping I've seen them all because I love the franchise, and this is where it all began! From the very beginning of the film you know exactly what you're in for. The opening images are really powerful and do a good job of putting the viewer on edge. Plus the make-up and prosthetics are really well done. I love that this film is so undeniably 70s. The music, the style, the way it's shot, it's so much a product of its time, and yet it's a story that has continued to be relevant and create more stories for half a century. And so many of the stories are the same base with a different background - a group of friends going somewhere they shouldn't and running into Leatherface. Bonus points if they pick up a hitchhiker, or if someone unexpected turns out to be related to the killer. But that's also something I love - when you'r...

In the afterlife, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) finds herself torn between her husband of many decades (Miles Teller), and her first love who has been waiting for her to arrive (Callum Turner). With one week to decide who she spends eternity with, Joan has to make the hardest decision of her life. I loved the concept of this film. The idea is so unique, and yet you immediately understand it and can put yourself in the character's shoes. I really wanted to see how it would be dealt with. I liked this film a lot. Though that said, even with how fantastical the concept is, I did have to suspend my disbelief. Mainly because of the way this situation is treated, as if this kind of thing is a one off that has never happened before and would never happen again. I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that, in this world, no one before Joan had ever lost a spouse, remarried, and then had to choose between them - it doesn't make sense to me! Based on the description alone I didn't...

  I was looking forward to re-watching this one.  I've seen both this original and remake, and while this one is the best version, I love the story enough that I really enjoy both versions. I was especially looking forward to it because of how much I loved 'Dressed to Kill' by the same director - and I loved that Nancy Allen was in both movies! The whole cast was great. They all played their roles really well, and Sissy Spacek was perfect as Carrie. The cast is one of the best things about the film - they make the characters feel really authentic. Spacek and Piper Laurie, who plays Margaret White, were fantastic together. The relationship between mother and daughter is the most important one in the film and they both put so much into it. Every moment of their time on screen together is so powerful and is the main reason the film is as iconic as it is. Of course, this being a Stephen King adaptation means that the story is probably going to be good, and this is completely th...

When Linda (Rachel McAdams) and her boss Bradley (Dylan O'Brien) become stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash, they have to overcome their differences and work together to make it out alive. I couldn't really guess what the tone of the film would be based on the description alone, other than knowing it was a horror comedy, so I definitely tried to go in with an open mind. Unfortunately I didn't love this film. For a start, as I've mentioned the tone, I really couldn't work it out. It felt like the characters and the world were two entirely separate entities that were forced together even though they didn't really fit. I would have liked the office scenes to be extended, and the plane crashing scenes to be shorter. I felt like I really wanted to know these characters before we got to the plane crash, or at the very least just Linda. That would have made it easier to connect with them and become invested in their futures. As it was, I didn't really...

  This is a re-watch that I was looking forward to - anything about Exorcisms and I'm all in, but especially when it's a classic like this! I grew up being told that this was one of the scariest movies to ever exist, so all I can remember is being so excited to see it for the first time and preparing to be really really scared. And as much as I liked the film, it's definitely not as scary for a modern audience as it was at the time it came out. But that doesn't lessen its quality. I liked that we really got to know the characters. The film takes the time to let us sit with these people, to understand them and essentially become a part of their lives before the horrors really start, which makes them that much more effective. The performances in this film are outstanding. Ellen Burstyn and Jason Miller are fantastic in the lead roles and Linda Blair is incredible as Regan. The film thrives based on these performances, particularly Blair. The visuals are great. The deterio...

  When Todd (Shane Jensen) and his dog Indy move homes, Indy begins to feel a presence haunting their new home. But can he save his owner before it's too late? I was sceptical about this film. It was marketed as a possession movie from the point of view of a dog, and that wasn't particularly interesting to me. Plus the mixed reviews suggested this would be something you either really like or hate, and I didn't know what camp I would be in. Thankfully, I'm in the loved it camp! I didn't know how the concept would work, but it just does. It's a really creative, original idea. Because there was such a strong gimmick in the dog being the main character, I thought the story or scares would suffer, but thankfully, this isn't the case. It's genuinely creepy, which is great! I loved the relationship between Indy and Todd, and it's one of the reasons why the film works. We care more about Todd because of how much Indy loves him, and when things start happenin...