Halloween II, 1981
it seems like the only way to get me to watch a movie these days is by chance. halloween II was on tv while i was channel surfing, and that is that. ive always loved this one — it was my favorite halloween movie for a while — but i loved it even more tonight, watching it at the dead of night all alone. the vibe was just right and it was a perfect experience. you see, this is a nocturnal movie. myers goes after his sole survivor after she's taken to a hospital, but he doesn't wait long; he goes the very same night. so it's probably after midnight and the streets are deserted and even the hospital is nearly empty; most of the lights are out and there are only a handful of employees there. this is where i tell you i love horror movies about unsuspecting victims working the graveyard shift. think body bags, think after midnight. it is one of my favorite horror tropes, and here it is played to perfection. myers takes out hospital workers one by one slowly; the kills are cold and almost silent; we get dozens of shots of empty, dark hospital hallways (which i love), and then some of hallways that should be empty but are not (which i love even more). the entire thing is so low-key and restrained. it might sound like i'm describing a dull movie but this is a fucking thriller, but it has a very distinct late-night vibe, which i felt entirely immersed in when watching it at 4 in the morning. i feel like i never Got this one like i did tonight, even though i've seen it countless times. and of course, my 'seeing it countless times' also added to my experience. at this point i know this like the back of my hand. i had every bit memorized, knowing lines of dialogue before they were even said. i usually refrain from rewatching movies over and over as i usually get bored around the third time, when i feel a movie has nothing else to offer me, but with this one it's never like that. what it offers me is a pitch-perfect experience of late-night cozy dread-slash-comfort. i just can't get tired of it.
some notes i have: i remember reluctantly saying i could see some giallo influence in this, and now i'm absolutely sure this borrows a Lot from that. it's in the neon lighting; the vibrant red of the fake blood; the framing, everything. the shot of a dead nurse on a gurney with violent-red all over the ground is pure giallo and i love that so much. i also love laurie's big chase scene so so so much. you see, laurie spends most of the movie sedated (a big reason why the movie feels so sparse and lowkey), but when push comes to shove she gets the fuck up and runs away, and michael chases her through the emtpy hospital after hes taken out almost everyone. this bit is agonizing and it always, and i mean always, has me on the edge of my seat. she repeatedly almost gets killed but somehow makes it, and that red lighting shows up to scream danger at you, and when she finally makes it out she cant even get away so all she can do is hide. this is one of those rare horror movie moments where a protagonist does everything right, she thinks fast and runs faster and manages to survive by a thread and it only makes it more stressing because you realize things are so bad that even if you make the right choices you still end up in a terrible situation. it is one of my favorite moments in this franchise, and one of my favorite horror scenes ever.
Demons, 1985
i don't need to tell you the movie about a cursed theater playing a horror movie that turns the audience into demon zombies is fun.
what i do need to tell you is:
— this is the grossest movie i've seen since dead alive. which coincidentally is also a zombie movie that is full of pus and vomit. and like. ew! gross! but also, i love those. why did we ever stop making them?
— if we're comparing it to dead alive, demons wins easily, even if it doesn't reach the same levels of gore (it does come close): as expected from any italian horror classic, this is stylish as fuck. 80s italy was the world capital of neon lighting, elaborate sets and sexy sweaty men. dead alive just can't beat that.
— this is riddled with one my favorite demon movie clichés: the character (basically everyone in here) that turns their face as if hiding away from the camera, just to dramatically turn around and reveal they're already possessed. it happens like 80 times in here, and it works every time.
so yeah, this is the most fun i've had with a movie in a while. go check it out.
The Booth, 2005
well EYE think he didn't suffer enough! waterboard his ass!
works best if you dont think too hard about it because if you do it just falls apart. a few plot holes and clunky details can go unnoticed if you're giving this the benefit of the doubt. it is a pretty gripping, somewhat well made horror flick, and it manages to be quite creepy at some points. also very nice that it is Really short (clocks out at 74 minutes ugh i love a movie that knows how to get to the point). the bottle setting (not really bottle — there's a bunch of flashbacks out of the booth) never gets boring; the main actor is good enough that you can dislike him without wanting him off the screen; the few glimpses of Paranormal Activity are creepy enough. it's only that it doesn't always deliver on the tension it works hard to create, which makes it not-so-satisfying. still; it's creepy, it's short; it's worth a watch. i do wish they tortured the protagonist a bit more! to quote contemporary philosopher Catherine Zeta-Jones — he had it coming!
The Psychic, 1977
call this movie the checkov's firing squad. it sets up checkov's gun after gun after gun and keeps you waiting for the shot and it's thrilling every time a gun goes off. i caught myself gasping out loud more times than i could count.
started watching this in the worst film-watching mood — when i feel fidgety and stressed and my attention span is 2.5 seconds long and i just can't get into a movie — and it still managed to reach to me and drag my sleep deprived ass into its own stylish, atmospheric world. i just love everything about it. it's so obvious and familiar and that’s precisely why it works — you know exactly what's coming. either because you've been warned or because you've seen it before in movie after movie, you already know where things are going, and fulci manages to surprise you in spite of that. i love it when a movie tells you exactly what's going to happen and then things unravel in a way that you STILL get surprised when things happen the way you were warned they would. the whole inevitable tragedy "she's been dead since the beginning" self-fulfilling prophecy (oh oh no oh no oh no no) stuff is VERY pleasing to me. love it love it love it
History of the Occult, 2020
a story this confusing & mysterious and that leaves more questions than answers could easily end up frustrating & alienating but that doesnt happen here! the countdown to midnight keeps it focused & gives it a sense of urgency that doesn’t let it stall; also helps that it’s such a weird n pretty movie with the b&w & the 4:3 aspect ratio & a ghostwatch-like recreation of late-night live tv that i can’t help but love. sometimes you can sense that this is a little cheap n rough around the edges but most of the time the suspension of disbelief got the best of me n i just enjoyed the vibes.
did i get the ending? not really. did that make me like it any less? hell no! love how this is so weird and elusive; leading you to expect an answer then leaving you in the dark. kinda wanna rewatch it already just to see what i missed the first time because i’m sure there’s a lot to unpack here.
i WILL say this feels like the good, intriguing debut feature from a guy that will make something absolutely awful in the near future. think the eyes of my mother before the grudge. it just gives me that vibe. hope i’m wrong!
