Horrorfest 2022 Presents Barbarian (2022, Zach Cregger)

Funny how horror movies make basements creepy or scary. I never found them to be as such outside of movies, as I’ve spent way too much time hanging out with friends in basements. I used to set up a TV in my parents’ basement so I could watch shows uninterrupted. Both of my grandparents’ old houses had pretty nice basements. Barbarian eagerly goes to work on making you terrified of basements, although Salem’s Lot also comes to mind. In horror movies basements hide deep, evil bleak secrets and unknown terrors lurking, waiting for new victims.

Zach Cregger’s movie begins rather innocently enough with Tess (Georgina Campbell, the movie’s MVP) and Keith (Bill Skarsgård showing us he can play a likable yet still creepy awkward human being) both at the same rental house. This mistake leads the viewer and them into a situation that I will not reveal. You’ll have to just watch the movie yourself, but let me just say this flick is not for the weak hearted or those who don’t regularly watch horror movies. I’m a die hard horror fan and this movie disturbed and freaked me out. It digs under your skin and lingers in your brain long after the end credits finish rolling.

Spooky!

Oh and the movie even throws in Justin Long, just to see if you were still paying attention at that point or not. See this movie in theaters, avoid spoilers and give it a chance. The only thing is I feel some character decisions existed to keep the plot going, but hey that often happens in movies. I can excuse this one for it’s few sins when it delivers this kind of freaky entertainment. Also Barbarian would pair nicely with both It Follows and Don’t Breathe for Detroit horror movies.

Horrorfest 2017 Presents: IT Chapter One (2017, Andy Muschietti)

Despite the obvious limitations of it being a TV mini-series in the early 1990s, I rather enjoyed the 1990 IT adaptation. The young cast and Tim Curry were the best aspects of the whole project, and the original mini-series was not afraid to show plenty of violence for being on network television at the time. The newer version that I saw in theaters back in 2017 improves upon the material, although granted this new version of IT has a bigger budget and they wisely split the movie into two parts. Andy Muschietti also put together a talented young cast as well, and his Pennywise is in some ways different from Curry’s take on the character while also being just as scary in his own way. I feel that Curry’s was more sinister, however both versions of Pennywise made you believe that they would destroy you in a heartbeat and also devour anyone and everyone you ever loved or cared about. That is one important underlying thing about the movie and the book’s monster, how if you were not careful whatever mistakes you committed would be your last. Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise embodies that aspect very well.

Plus the newer version is unlimited by how much gore and violence can be unleashed upon the viewer. The infamous sewer scene is expanded upon and is far more terrifying, especially since Muschietti wisely slowly unfurls what is happening. Poor Bill (Jaeden Martell) is left haunted forever by that experience, and I really dug the young cast assembled here: Jeremy Ray Taylor and Sophia Lillis are the standouts, although Finn Wolfhard almost steals the movie as as young Richie. Chosen Jacobs, Wyatt Oleff and Jack Dylan Grazer also round out the pretty talented main cast, and as I’ve noted before child actors are no longer a hinderance to most cinema: they’re expected to be able to act as well as their adult co-actors. Getting the young cast right was important, as this film and the mini-series both reflected the book in that the flashbacks to the younger days are the best things about all of them.

Although some parts failed to scare me, the projector scene in the garage was pretty terrifying to me and some parts worked incredibly well. Unfortunately even this movie gives into the modern reliance on jump scares too much, so there was some parts that didn’t work at all for me. The lady in the painting was at least really creepy, and there is one scene that is probably one of the bloodiest moments in all of cinema that doesn’t feature anyone being murdered. I am disappointed that the turtle elements were mostly dropped from the movie, although perhaps that stuff was just too weird and not really necessary to advance the movie’s plot. I suppose you either prefer the original 1990 version or this one (I happen to really like both) yet in the end I prefer this take on the material. Besides the original didn’t have Ben professing his love for New Kids On The Block, and that is one moment I wouldn’t have missed for the world ha ha. As for the second part, that’s for a later review…all hail the Losers Club!

2018 Movie Viewing Log

At this point, I do these simply to recall everything I watch every year. The 100+ movie viewing streak is alive and well, for now anyways.

Top 10 of the Year-

1. Heat (1995, Mann)
2. Requiem For A Dream (2000, Aronofsky)
3. Lady Bird (2017, Gerwig)
4. The Rider (2017, Zhao)
5. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
6. Sorry To Bother You (2018, Riley)
7. The Shape of Water (2017, del Toro)
8. Call Me by Your Name (2017, Guadagnino)
9. Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018, Sollima)
10. Mandy (2018, Cosmatos)

January:

1. Requiem For A Dream (2000, Aronofsky)-100, Netflix Instant Viewing
2. New Year’s Evil (1980, Alston)-75, YouTube
3. The Giant Gila Monster (1959, Kellogg)-5, Netflix Instant Viewing
4. Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971, Banno)-81, DVD
5. Godzilla vs Gigan (1972, Fukuda)-65, DVD
6. The Post (2017, Speilberg)-96, Theater Viewing
7. The Protector (1985, Glickenhaus)-88, Public Libray Blu Ray
8. Crime Story (1993, Wong)-84, Public Library Blu Ray
9. Darkest Hour (2017, Wright)-87, Theater Viewing

Movie of the Month: Requiem For A Dream (2000, Aronofsky)-100, Netflix Instant Viewing

February:

10. Time Chasers (1994, David Giancola)-50, Netflix Instant Viewing
11. The King’s Speech (2010, Hooper)-83, DVD
12. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017, McDonagh)-97, Theater Viewing
13. The Shape of Water (2017, del Toro)-98, Theater Viewing
14. Call Me by Your Name (2017, Guadagnino)-98, Theater Viewing
15. Phantom Thread (2017, Anderson)-95, Theater Viewing

Movie of the Month: The Shape of Water (2017, Del Toro)-98, Theater Viewing

March:

16. The Florida Project (2017, Baker)-93, RedBox
17. Lady Bird (2017, Gerwig)-100, Theater Viewing
18. Sleeping With Other People (2015, Headland)-85, Netflix Instant Viewing
19. Black Panther (2018, Coogler)-94, Theater Viewing
20. Blood Feast (1963, Lewis)-80, Blu Ray
21. Vertigo (1958, Hitchcock)-100, First Time Theater Viewing
22. Hostiles (2017, Cooper)-84, Theater Viewing
23. Real Genius (1985, Coolidge)-93, DVD

Movie of the Month: Lady Bird (2017, Gerwig)-100, Theater Viewing

April:

24. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017, Kasdan)-86, Theater Viewing
25. A Quiet Place (2018, Krasinski)-95, Theater Viewing
26. Isle of Dogs (2018, Anderson)-96, Theater Viewing
27. Game Night (2018, Daley and Goldstein)-90, Theater Viewing
28. Heat (1995, Mann)-100, Netflix Instant Viewing

Movie of the Month: Heat (1995, Mann)-100, Netflix Instant Viewing

May:

29. Avengers: Infinity War (2018, Russo Brothers)-95, Theater Viewing
30. Pump Up The Volume (1990, Moyle)-90, DVD
31. Deadpool 2 (2018, Leitch)-92, Theater Viewing
32. Shin Godzilla (2016, Anno and Higuchi)-88, Blu Ray
33. Porco Rosso (1992, Miyazaki)-95, First Time Theater Viewing
34. Guide Dog (2006, Plympton)-88, Theater Viewing
35. Day of Anger (1967, Valerii)-91, Blu Ray

Movie of the Month: Porco Rosso (1992, Miyazaki)-95, First Time Theater Viewing

June:

36. RoboCop 3 (1993, Dekker)-68, Comet TV
37. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018, Howard)-81, Theater Viewing
38. Dark City (1998, Proyas)-90, Blu Ray
39. The Rider (2017, Zhao)-100, Theater Viewing
40. Dead or Alive (1999, Miike)-97, Blu Ray
41. Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961, Edwards)-95, Netflix Instant Viewing

Movie of the Month: The Rider (2017, Zhao)-100, Theater Viewing

July:

42. American Made (2017, Liman)-88, Public Library
43. Blade Runner 2049 (2017, Villeneuve)-90, Blu Ray
44. Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018, Sollima)-98, Theater Viewing
45. Bao (2018, Shi)-83, Theater Viewing
46. Incredibles 2 (2018, Bird)-86, Theater Viewing
47. The Prowler (1981, Zito)-70, Shudder
48. Sorry To Bother You (2018, Riley)-98, Theater Viewing

Movie Of The Month: Sorry To Bother You (2018, Riley)-98, Theater Viewing

August:

49. Tourist Trap (1979, Schmoeller)-84, Shudder
50. Sleepaway Camp (1983, Hiltzik)-75, Shudder
51. Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988, DeCoteau)-53, Shudder
52. Daughters Of Darkness (1971, Kümel)-82, Shudder
53. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018, McQuarrie)-95, Theater Viewing
54. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018, Reed)-90, Theater Viewing
55. Basket Case (1982, Henenlotter)-79, Shudder
56. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016, Zwick)-88, Hulu
57. The Meg (2018, Turteltaub)-80, Theater Viewing

Movie of the Month: Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018, McQuarrie)-95, Theater Viewing

September:

58. I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988, Wayans)-84, Tubi TV
59. The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009, Zombie)-60, Tubi TV
60. The Void (2016, Gillespie and Kostanski)-83, Netflix Instant Viewing
61. Smokey and the Bandit (1977, Hal Needham)-90, Theater Viewing
62. A Simple Favor (2018, Feig)-91, Theater Viewing
63. The Addiction (1995, Ferrara)-92, Public Library
64. Killing Zoe (1994, Avary)-88, Tubi TV

Movie of the Month: The Addiction (1995, Ferrara)-92, Public Library

October:

65. Bad Moon (1996, Red)-70, Tubi TV
66. House by the Cemetery (1981, Fulci)-93, Shudder
67. Don’t Go In The Woods (1981, Bryan)-30, Shudder
68. Curtains (1983, Ciupka)-70, FilmRise TV
69. Magic (1978, Attenborough)-91, Shudder
70. Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971, Cavara)-81, Shudder
71. Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988, Simpson), Tubi TV
72. Smokey and the Bandit (1977, Needham)-90, Theater Viewing
73. Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989, Simpson)-45, Tubi TV
74. Scream Blacula Scream (1973, Kelljan)-70, Tubi TV
75. Split (2017, Shyamalan)-88, Public Library
76. Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (1981, Bianchi)
77. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989, Tsukamoto )-100, Shudder
78. Cannibal Holocaust (1980, Deodato)-90, Shudder
79. The Giant Spider Invasion (1975, Rebane)-31, Tubi TV
80. Teenage Zombies (1959, Warren)-22, Tubi TV
81. Dracula (1973, Curtis)-80, Shuddder
82. Creepshow 2 (1987, Gornick)-85, Shudder
83. Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977,Barry)-35, Shudder
84. Zombie Holocaust (1980, Girolami)-90, Shudder
85. The Gate (1987, Takács)-82, Shudder TV
86. Chopping Mall (1986, Wynorski)-80, Tubi TV
87. Halloween (2018, Green)-87, Theater Viewing
88. Hell of the Living Dead (1980, Mattei)-60, Shudder
89. The Bat (1959, Wilbur)-75, Tubi TV
90. Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994, Coscarelli)-75, Shudder
91. Contamination (1980, Cozzi)-80, Shudder
92. We Always Find Ourselves in the Sea (2017, Hogan)-83, Shudder
93. Madman (1982, Giannone )-87, Tubi TV
94. Willow Creek (2014, Goldthwait)-81, Shudder
95. Ghostwatch (1992, Manning)-92, Shudder
96. The New York Ripper (1982, Fulci)-87, DVD
97. The Deadly Spawn (1983, Douglas McKeown)-66, DVD
98. The Curse of the Werewolf (1961, Fisher)-90, Blu Ray
99. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986, Hooper)-83, Blu Ray

Movie of the Month: Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)-100, Shudder

November:

100. The Wraith (1986, Marvin)-84, Shudder
101. WolfCop (2014, Dean)-77, Shudder
102. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018, Singer)-87, Theater Viewing
103. Overlord (2018, Avery)-92, Theater Viewing
104. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018, Coen Brothers)-80, Netflix

Movie of the Month: Overlord (2018, Avery)-92, Theater Viewing

December:

105. Mandy (2018, Cosmatos)-98, Shudder
106. Maniac (1980, Lustig)-80, Shudder
107. Christmas Evil (1980, Jackson)-88, Shudder
108. Christmas Vacation (1989, Chechik)-87, Theater Viewing
109. Blue Sunshine (1977, Lieberman)-90, Shudder
110. Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998, Coscarelli)-83, Shudder
111. Phantasm: Ravager (2016, Hartman)-63, Shudder
112. Amsterdamned (1988, Maas)-80, Shudder
113. The Christmas Chronicles (2018, Kaytis)-82, Netflix
114. Liquid Sky (1982, Tsukerman)-95, Shudder
115. The Last Dragon (1985, Schultz)-83, Netflix Instant Viewing
116. Revenge (2018, Fargeat)-93, Shudder

Movie of the Month: Mandy (2018, Cosmatos)-98, Shudder