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Book Review: Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

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  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...
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A Bay of Blood | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  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...
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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  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...
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Eternity | Film Review

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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...
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Carrie (1976) | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  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...
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Send Help | Film Review

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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...
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The Exorcist | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  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...
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