Bria Lou Reviews

  One thing I would add to the bucket list is a lot more psychological horrors. I feel like this is a really underrated sub-genre, particularly when looking at classic movies, so even though I knew nothing about this movie, seeing it classed as a psychological horror made me excited to see it. I liked this film. The best thing about movies like this is the way everything builds. Going in blind, you don't even really know what the movie is about, so you get to fall deeper and deeper into it in the same way that the main character does. The pace is great, a lot happens in a short space of time. You're immediately invested, and the more room there is for weirder things to happen, the more interested you are. This does sometimes make the film feel longer than it is, as it packs a lot into a short time, but because you're interested in what's happening the runtime never really becomes an issue. As the audience, we feel like we're living in this apartment alongside the ch...

The film is called 'Mask of Satan' on the bucket list poster and I actually prefer that name! I'd never heard of this film before seeing it on the bucket list, but the premise looked really interesting so I was looking forward to seeing it. I liked this film, but I feel like the idea of it was better than the execution, at least for me. Witches and witchcraft are always interesting genres for horror movies, and there's definitely not enough of them on the list. But combining that with revenge and female rage is such a great idea and makes for a satisfying watch. But this film also manages to be a vampire movie, which turns the typical witch movie on its head. I probably would have preferred it to lean further into the witch aspect but I appreciate the way these are mixed. I wanted to see a lot more of the female characters. Their stories carried the film, so I wanted to know as much about them as possible. And while we do follow them, it wasn't enough for my liking....

  I hadn't heard of this film before the bucket list, and the premise was a bit vague so it felt like going in blind. Unfortunately I didn't love this one. This is a 1973/4 movie, but even for the 70s, everything feels old-fashioned. And it doesn't seem that this was a stylistic choice; it wasn't set further in the past. If I had to guess the time period I would have said much earlier. We're thrown into the story with not much context. We don't know who we're following or why, which is a positive and negative. On the one hand, we're able to understand the main character's frame of mind because she's also in a new place with no context for what the town is. But on the other hand, it makes it harder to get into the story. And for me it was hard to get into for quite a while. The film is at its best when it really leans into the horror. Sometimes subtle horror really works, but for this one in particular I would have preferred much more overt horror...

  I'd seen this film a few times before this re-watch, but it had been a good few years so I was looking forward to seeing it again. I liked this film. The cast of the film is great. Gregory Peck and Lee Remick are fantastic in their roles, but Henry Spencer Stephens is fantastic as Damien. The film rests on his performance and it really works because of how authentic he feels in the role. I loved the feel of the film. You could watch two minutes of any scene and know that it's a 70s movie. In an era where a lot of films look the same, it's great to watch older movies and see how distinct they feel to their decade. It's really well written - the way things are teased out slowly is really impactful. As the viewer, due to how iconic the movie is, even on a first watch we know exactly who and what Damien is. But the fun of the film is seeing the people around him, particularly his parents, figuring things out. The horrors are created really well. The scariest thing about t...

  I'd heard of this film in passing but didn't know much about it - and even then it was probably the remake that I was hearing about, so this version wasn't really on my radar. I liked this film. One of the first things that stands out is how good the writing is. The dialogue works so well with the individual characters, and you're invested almost immediately. This is the second film on the bucket list starring Vincent Price, who is clearly a horror icon, and it's not hard to see why. He was the best thing about 'The Masque of the Red Death' and 10 minutes in, he's already one of the best parts of this movie too. I really want to check out more of his movies. The characters are really fun. The film makes a point of saying that the host picked people specifically for their differences, and while we don't explore all of the characters as much as we'd like to, it's great to have the mix of personality and mentalities, particularly when it comes...

  I had heard great things about this film for years but just never got around to watching it, so I'm really glad that it was on the bucket list to give me the excuse to finally check it out! I knew very little about the film before putting it on, so the first 10 minutes were intense. And it doesn't really let up. The film mixes psychological horror and bloody gory violence really well, when usually we'd expect one or the other. It elevated the film from just being a revenge story, to being a story about trauma amongst a host of other themes. One of the best things about the film is the friendship between Lucie and Anna, and the way this is depicted. You get to know them by seeing how they interact with each other. Both actresses did an amazing job with these characters. They really allowed the audience to understand their complexities and why they make the decisions they do. It goes in an interesting direction. I had no idea how the story would move on after the 50-minute ...

  I'd never heard of this film before it was on the bucket list, but after seeing that it was a black vampire movie I was looking forward to seeing it. I ended up having mixed feelings about the film. It took a little while to really get going, and in that time I didn't feel like we got to know the characters as well as we could have. It's shot in a really interesting way. It feels like a product of its time, and very 70s, but the grainy footage also gives everything a sense of authenticity and realism. One of the things about this film that really works is the dialogue. The characters feel extremely authentic and that's down to the way they speak and the conversations they have with each other. At times, when the plot isn't focused on the fantastical, it feels like watching a documentary. I can't say this is the most entertaining movie. While the characters are great, not much happens, and there's often a while between events. So when something of note does...

  This is a re-watch that I was really looking forward to. I've seen all of the Final Destination movies countless times and really love the franchise as a whole, so any time I have an excuse to watch one of them, I'm always down! This one in particular, while not my favourite of the franchise, is iconic as the one that started it all, and certainly earns the 'classic' title. First of all, we have to talk about the originality of the story. It's an idea that allows the audience to put themselves in the characters' situation in a way that's both fun and genuinely scary. But this one in particular, starting off on a plane, was a great way to capitalise on real common fears. Even if you're not someone who's scared of flying, seeing the plane scene definitely sends a chill down your spine. And then on top of that, you realise it's a vision, and you're forced to think about what you'd do in that situation. The actors are all great, whether pla...

  I hadn't heard of this movie previously, and it wasn't until I put it on that I actually looked at the premise. I love traditional horror and this seemed like it was going in that direction, so I immediately wanted to get into it. I have mixed feelings about this film. For me, one of the most underrated forms of horror is hauntings, especially haunted houses. The ideas can be quite simple, but there's so much to play with and explore. There are so many amazing movies that use this concept, some of which I've really loved. I also liked the mystery element. It's really engaging to watch the characters try to solve the mystery of the house, especially because we want to find out the truth too. The movie itself is quite slow. Things take a while to happen, and the instances of hauntings start small. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if your attention isn't captured at the beginning of the film, it may take a while to really gel with the story. Though the...

  I'd never heard of this film before seeing it on the bucket list, but I absolutely loved the premise so I was looking forward to watching it. I loved this movie. I loved that the film was broken down into distinct stories. Not only does it make the story as a whole easier to digest, but they're short stories that are allowed to be fleshed out without needing to know about the backstories of the characters. I love that the film uses horror to explain and explore a lot of poignant political issues. In fact, I think horror is the perfect genre mix with politics, and this is an example of how to do it right. But let's get into the individual stories. The first story completely caught me off guard. I didn't know what the individual stories would be about, and this one started from a place that was so timely and uncomfortable and political, and it really set a tone for the rest of the film. And then it went in such an interesting direction. I didn't expect it to be as t...

  I'd never heard of this film before seeing it on the bucket list, but the fact that it's directed by Guillermo Del Toro made me very intrigued about it. I have mixed feelings about this one. It starts in an interesting place. We don't know anything about the characters at all but we're instantly invested in Carlos's story. He's easy to follow and sympathise with. The pacing feels slow and quick at the same time. The story itself is moving quickly, but a lot of time is spent setting the scene and allowing us to get to know the characters, which is great. The actual horror elements start slowly, which allows them to ramp up over time. But it does end up feeling longer than it is. There are definitely parts in the middle that don't feel 100% needed to tell the story. The horror elements are also quite few and far between, at least for the first half of the movie. The most interesting thing about the film is the characters. The story itself is somewhat interes...

  I'd never heard of this film before, and the premise was quite vague, so I definitely felt like I was going in completely blind. This one wasn't for me. The best thing about short movies is that you don't have to wait long to get into the action. There's no time to make any initial judgments because you're quickly wrapped up in the story. The score gives the film more of a comedic undertone, and I don't know if that worked for me. I probably took it less seriously than I should have because of that. I found it really hard to stay interested in the story and characters. There was nothing that initially peaked my interest, so trying to find interest further down the line proved quite difficult. The story didn't really draw me in and I felt nothing for the characters. Despite the short runtime, the film feels longer than it is, mostly because the filmmakers make the most of their runtime. A lot happens, there's a lot of dialogue, it feels like it goes on ...

  This is another re-watch that I was really looking forward to seeing again. I've seen this a few times, but not for about 7ish years, so as well as I know the story, it still felt like I could come to this again with a somewhat fresh perspective. I like this film a lot. Re-watching this, it's clear how much it has influenced modern horror. There are so many iconic moments, scenes and lines that you'd know of regardless of whether or not you've actually seen the film. I loved that the film gets right into it. Less than 5 minutes in, we're seeing Carol Anne at the TV, and the horrors never really slow down from here. While the visuals are outdated when viewed from the lens of a modern audience, they were really original and inventive. Even ideas that have been used before and since this film, like clown dolls, feel extremely unique in the film. Some of the acting isn't great, but a lot of the actors do a good job and are really committed to their performances - ...

  This is a re-watch that I was really looking forward to. I watched it for the first time last year and really enjoyed it, so I was glad it was on the list! As with my first watch, I really like this film. It's great that the mystery was held for as long as it could be. The audience are in the same position as the characters, trying to work out what's actually happening, and as this is teased out to us, it is also teased out for them. As someone who's not always the biggest fan of sci-fi/horror, this film is the perfect blend of both genres. The visuals are so great. Not only do the creatures look unique and original, but they also look genuinely scary. They're really well designed and, at times, hard to look at. Outside of the horror aspect, it's really interesting to watch the group dynamics. To see the way their relationships change and they start to lose trust in each other as the events continue. Most of the characters get the chance to develop and it's re...

  I decided to watch and write about these films together due to them both being quite short, as well as the second being a direct sequel. Plus after watching The Bride!, I was really in the mood for more Frankenstein content! I liked these movies. First up is Frankenstein. As short as the film is, I was surprised by how long it took to really get into the story. It was interesting to get the background, but after watching so many adaptations, I just wanted to see where it would go. The film spends time letting us get to know the characters, and as great as this is, it takes a while to see or get to know the character we're actually here to meet. But when we do get to meet the creature, it's definitely worth the wait! The design of the creature is great. Simple for today's standards but it really works. It's an iconic image. But what makes it work so well are the movements and actions. The creature is played amazingly by Boris Karloff. If I had one criticism of the char...

  I'd never heard of this film before seeing it on the bucket list but the premise was really interesting. I liked this film. It took a while to get going, particularly knowing what the film is actually about. But it was great that this time was used to develop the characters and have the audience become really acquainted with them. Getting to know the characters really helps in terms of how interested and engaged the audience is, but even without knowing the main character that well this film is really engaging, particularly after about 30 minutes when we really get into it. There are some really interesting shots and techniques used here, particularly the split screen to show exactly how much time is passing. It allows the audience to build frustration and eagerness, which again adds to how engaging it is. I didn't expect the film to be so timely - it could be made today and be at least as relevant as it was at the time, if not moreso. The characters are great. Not only are t...

  I hadn't seen this film in years before this re-watch, but I had seen the remake more recently, so I was looking forward to watching this one again. I liked this movie. Before you even get into the film itself, the concept of the film is so unique and engaging. It's a simple idea that's expanded on to the point that it becomes truly scary. The idea of most of the horror taking place in dreams means that the filmmakers can take many creative liberties involving the design of Freddy. He can look as fantastical as possible. And the design is truly iconic. Freddy is one of the most visually recognisable horror villains and it's not hard to work out why. While all of the acting wasn't amazing, the actors were great! I particularly loved seeing Lin Shaye in such an early role (particularly as it's been announced that a new Insidious movie is coming out this year!). But Heather Langenkamp was also great as Nancy, and of course Robert Englund is iconic as Freddy. It...

  I think everyone has probably heard of this movie before, but I'd never seen it so I was glad it was on the list. Despite being on the bucket list, the film wasn't really on my radar to watch until I saw a video recently where someone commented on how amazing the ending was. So after I saw that, I wanted to watch it as soon as I could. I loved this film. The premise is such an interesting one. The audience has an outsider's perspective, which makes things that much more intriguing because we have no idea who these characters were before the film started. We have to take everything at face value. It's so well written - a lot of the horror elements of the film come directly from the dialogue. The idea in itself is scary, but seeing and hearing the reactions of the characters makes it even scarier. The pacing is great - at 1/2 an hour in, so much has already happened. Things are teased out really slowly, and the situation escalates in a way that has you completely glued ...

  This was a first-time watch. I'd heard of the film in passing, but not enough to know the general public consensus of it, or what it was actually about beyond the one major plot point. This was a weird one for me. I liked the film, but I also had a hard time engaging and connecting with it. It took a little while for the film to grab me. I was interested in what was happening but I felt like I was having to force myself to be interested, rather than this happening naturally. It also could be that I just wasn't in the right mood to watch it, which isn't something I experience that often. Because while I could enjoy what was happening, I struggled to stay engaged. The relationship between Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) and Eli (Lina Leandersson) is the best part of the film. The actors play their parts amazingly well, especially because they were so young when they made the film. And it's the thing that makes the film stand out from other vampire movies - there's something ...

  I'd never heard of this film before seeing it on the bucket list, but the premise looked interesting and vague enough that it could be terrible, amazing or anything in between, so I was looking forward to seeing it. Unfortunately I didn't like the film. The score is the first thing you notice while watching it. It really changes the tone of the film, and at times can become overpowering. The sounds are as prominent as the dialogue, which is really interesting. And similarly, the soundtrack, particularly at the beginning, makes the film feel like anything but horror. It takes a little while for this to feel like a horror film at all, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, as it's interesting getting to know this world before the horror kicks in. It's shot and edited in a really unique way. It takes a while to get used to, if you get used to it at all, but it's definitely original! I don't know yet if the style was for me, at times it felt like my screen wa...