Bria Lou Reviews

  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...