The pandemic has been a series of unfortunate events, but I don’t let it get me down. Have you ever had a movie or show you want to watch, but could never stop procrastinating and just watch it? If there’s one thing I managed to progress through while indoors, it was my movie and tv show list.
Being the horror fanatic I am, I binged mostly horror films that I’ve been interested in and have heard good things about. Though, there are few films that lean towards being thriller.
While I watched most of the movies listed on streaming platforms (I’ve attached the links along the way), I watched some on DVD. Here’s some movies that I will touch on: Ginger Snaps (2000), Crawl (2019), Underwater (2020), Midsommar (2019), Suspiria (2018), Doctor Sleep (2019), and The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005).
For the rest that I binged, feel free to view the attached links to see my Twitter reviews: Donnie Darko (2001), Look Away (2018), The Gallows (2015), Soul Survivors (2001), Alice, Sweet Alice (1976), The Exorcist (1973) and Crimson Peak (2015).
Most of these films, I enjoyed much more than others. Then, there’s few that were okay, and one or two that were kind of dumb. After each film, I posted a short review on Twitter, so I will reference my tweets and expand from them.
I won’t take long explaining the films, only what’s necessary for context, so that I get my point across to why I rated them the way I did. Without further ado, here’s my take.
[8/10] Ginger Snaps (2000)
I thought I would like this film more, but after watching, I didn’t enjoy the spin on the werewolf lore. I could be biased because of the lore in other universes, such as The Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf.
It was a clever take plot-wise though. Ginger is ferociously bitten by a werewolf around the time she finally gets her period. Her younger sister, Brigette, tries to help her from lashing out and killing.
The humoring aspect that relates to the real-world, is the way Ginger’s horomones boost her sex drive as a teenager and she is more confident and lustful. Simultaneously, her hormones drive her to be unintentionally homicidal because of the werewolf bite. It’s brilliant.
[10/10] Crawl (2019)
As I mentioned in my twitter review, I really enjoyed this movie, especially the accuracy of the southern dialogue, being that I grew up in Alabama for 14-15 years.
Haley, the main character who is conveniently a swimmer for sport, drives to a part of Florida where her dad resides, which is dangerously near hurricane territory. While trying to find her dad in the basement, she is aggressively greeted by an alligator.
Get this, there is a nearby alligator farm and their sewer system underground is connected to it. Convenient, but that is so Florida. The hurricane set the alligators loose by flooding the farm, and they roamed the flooded area.
The fact that this seemed, by my short knowledge of Florida and alligators, realistic has me not wanting to vacation to Florida again.
The best part of this movie is the dog lives. Sure, her dad loses an arm, which was gnarly, but the dog lives! As for the execution of this movie, it was well-done and keeps you on edge.
[10/10] Underwater (2020)
Might I say, Kristen Stewart was stunning, as were the visuals of this movie. The darkness of being underwater was frustrating to not see, though understandable as it’s intentionally unsettling. I personally have a fear for deep waters, so this movie kept me on edge.
Overall, as I had written on Twitter, “The aesthetic was nice, character variety was present, emotion and character background was there. It didn’t seem like anything was pointlessly added.” and it felt like a fresh film.
[10/10] Midsommar (2019)
This movie is subtly disturbing. I feel that’s the perfect way of wording it for those who have seen it, but what I mean is that because of how innocent it is in the beginning (besides the suicide-homicide scene), the sudden horror is surprising.
Through subtle revelation, the horror unveils, and because everyone in the community is kind and the festival is a normalcy in their town, that adds onto that disturbing subtleness.
It was kind of slow for the build up considering everything and everyone seemed innocent at first, but eventually it all came together in the end. The community that is celebrating midsummer (the summer solstice) are not as they seem.
The community turns out to be cult-like. Their tradition and practices are revealed as morbid. This film did not shy away from explicit aspects, such as nudity, rape, and death that are involved in the festival. It honestly striked me as wary of exploring other countries now.
The movie hit me emotionally, and I’m not sure why, but overall “It was so… subtly horrific and sinisterly poetic.”
[10/10] Suspiria (2018)
This film is a remake of the 1977 cult classic. There are some differences, but I liked the remake more. Liking a remake is not common!
I appreciate the original, but I admire it more for its whimsical and vibrant aesthetic. As I wrote on Twitter, “I find that the original set itself up for being iconic, and being a foundation for the remake to [be] able to expand and really do more.”
I referred to how there’s more dance incorporated, considering the movie revolves around a prestigious dance academy in Germany. The dancing was symbolically portrayed well with the witch aspect. Dance was not showcased much in the original.
“I feel there was much more of these elements portrayed than the original was probably able to do. The parallels and symbolism and comparison of dance, sex, and witchcraft was just immaculately portrayed in this remake.” Nonetheless, I love both movies!
[10/10] Doctor Sleep (2019)
I didn’t go into a deep review for this on Twitter, because as I wrote, “It’s not that I love the movie; I just have nothing to point out that I didn’t like, so it was a fair watch and decent sequel in my opinion!”
Therefore, it’s simply a really interesting watch if you like movies that deal with the mind supernaturally. Plus, it’s a sequel to cult classic The Shining, which is more the reason to check it out! It ties in the prequel very well.
[8/10] The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Based on the true story of Anneliese Michel, this movie presents a court case feud of religion versus medicine/science persecuting the priest regarding the death of Emily Rose.
The facts and implications as presented in the movie make it hard for even viewers to decide on if what caused her death was supernatural, or medical, despite her death ruled by malnutrition.
The execution of filming did really well in portraying both the description of what it looked for her to be possessed, versus how the physical and mental episodes she had looked medically.
Overall, it’s now been a year since quarantine happened. At least there’s one thing I’ve found to do in my time, which is catching up on my watch list. If any of these films piqued your interest, perhaps your watch list can be expanded!
With that said, I hope my insight has enlightened you and I’d love to talk about this in-depth! If you’d like to see more of my random content or would like to contact me, you can find me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr. You may also email me at jrnw99@gmail.com if you prefer.
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