Charles W Jones

American Fright Fest (2018) was one of those movies that I figured, I’d start watching and if it got dumb, I’d turn it off. I have to tell you it wasn’t one of those after all. It starts out with a bang and continues the momentum throughout. The gore level is exceptional and the effects are spot on with an eclectic array of kills. I wasn’t sure how the acting was gonna be based on the type of film, but after meeting the characters, I’m happy to report that it was just fine; daytime drama level, but that’s OK. Speaking of soaps, it has Robert Scott Wilson, who plays Ben on Days of Our Lives. And let’s not forget Pancho Moler; he’s always great to watch. American Fright Fest hit all the things I like about slasher films and had some unexpected stuff. I know some of you don’t like Tubi, but that’s where this film is (it might be somewhere else too but I didn’t check) and you really need to see it. I gave American Fright Fest 5 out of 5 Stars. American Fright Fest (2018) #Slasher #Delight

I Trapped the Devil (2018) isn’t what expected and that is a huge thing for me. There are so many films made recently that are just an attempt to remake something and put a new name on it. This one wasn’t like that. Matt and Karen go to visit his brother, Steve, over Christmas to learn that he has someone locked in the cellar. He says it’s the devil, but, of course, neither of his uninvited guests really believe him. The thing that got me the most about this film was the insanity level. I wanted to believe Steve so much but I thought he’d just lost a nut. He’s very manic, which is amazing. And his explanation didn’t sit right. I was glad that he proved me wrong and made me a believer. I Trapped the Devil is truly sinister with an unnerving ending. I gave it 4 out of 5 Stars. I Trapped the Devil (2018) #Dark #Thriller Click To Tweet

Vivarium (2019) follows Tom and Gemma as they search for the perfect home, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots. The developer they visit is kooky and has them follow him to the subdivision several miles out of town. All the houses are the same, just like the song Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds, except they’re all green. As they think about if they want the house, the salesman disappears. Because of the maze-like setup of the development, they can’t figure out how to get out and somehow find their way back to the house. When the baby is delivered in a cardboard box, it gets interesting. I must give kudos to the young actor, Senan Jennings, who played The Boy. Wow. Just. Wow. This kid is fantastic. He was creepy and weird when needed. You must see this film to understand, so… Vivarium was entertaining and trippy and I gave it 4 out of 5 Stars.

In The Final Scream (2019), Kia Anderson is desperate to make her debut in the film world. While she can’t land a role, she doesn’t give up, turning to an online service her agent warned her not to use, getting a part she’s been dying for. This film has a prolonged start, well, almost to the end. However, the creators did throw in some fun scenes to break up the boredom. When the action finally started, I was impressed with the depravity that Scott Jeffrey filmed. From that point, I was glad that it wasn’t a run-of-the-mill survival film. The way the story was woven from the start was genius, making the final scenes more hard-hitting. The gore level was good, as was the creepiness. The Final Scream is a film that shouldn’t be overlooked, and I gave it 3.5 out of 5 Stars. The Final Scream (2019) #LastGirl #Horror Click To Tweet

Day 13 (2020) reminded me of Rear Window (1954) and Disturbia (2007), with the guy watching the creepy house across the street and seeing things in the windows. I almost turned it off, but I didn’t. While it does resemble the films above, it’s not a direct duplicate. Colton, the voyeur, does see things happening in the house across the street; he thinks the girl’s father is abusing her. He falls for her when he meets Heather and promises to help her. Well, as typical cat and mouse films go, this one was at least creepy and kept me guessing what was going to happen next. Then the ending sequences show that what Colton thought was happening wasn’t. The man who adopted Heather wasn’t exactly abusing her. Day 13 had a great twist ending that I didn’t see coming, and I gave it 3.5 out of 5 Stars. Day 13 (2020) #Unexpected #Thriller Click To Tweet

The idea of An Unquiet Grave (2020) is fantastic, and the things the creators could’ve done with it are endless, but they went the way of a Blumhouse production and made it boring. I should’ve promised to turn it off if it wasn’t turning me on, but I didn’t.  It is about Jaime and Ava; he was married to Ava’s sister, Jules, and they decide to perform a spell to revive her. See, it’s a great concept.  First off, they talk way too much. Do something scary. But they don’t. When the ritual began, there was a moment when I was like, this is it, this is where the shit is going to hit the fan. Nope. Even when he realizes something is up with what he did, it’s uneventful.  In the entire 72 minutes, absolutely nothing happened that was remotely frightening. Honestly, I get more heebeegeebees watching Dr. Pimple Popper. Please don’t waste your time with An Unquiet Grave. I gave it .5 out of 5 Stars. An Unquiet Grave (2020) #Bleh #Horror Click To Tweet

X (2022) is a typical slasher. However, it took too long to get to the action and focused more on porn. I get it. Slashers have a tendency to be tied to sex, and that’s what this film was about, but they at least could’ve done some stabby-stabby during those scenes. I found it a little weird for Brittany Snow to be in the role she was in, but I adjusted. The other actor I recognized was Martin Henderson; he was on Grey’s Anatomy for a minute. The rest of the cast was unknown to me, and I enjoyed their performances. The house reminded me of the one from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and at any moment, I expected a child of the elderly couple to jump out and do the killing; that didn’t happen. When the kills did start, I was happy with the gore quantity.  I just wish they hadn’t waited until the last 30 minutes to get to it. Even with X taking so long to launch, I had a good time and gave it 3.5 out of 5 Stars. X (2022) #slasher #horror Click To Tweet

I only watched Monstrous (2022) because of Christina Ricci. I hadn’t even heard of it until recently when I was scrolling through free OnDemand content. It’s about a woman who takes her son to hide from her abusive husband. Her son wants to go home, but she refuses.  The house is cool, and everything is weird about the small quaint town she found for them to live in. Something is off, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Oh, and a monster in the pond stalks her son. The effects focus on the “pretty lady” because there’s nothing else in this so-called horror that needs it.  The monster is good, but I’ve seen her before. Christina Ricci puts on a stellar performance, but I still feel like something is amock. Even the taunting landlady is out of sorts. When the twist hits, it all makes sense, and the feeling of disconnect disappears. Monstrous isn’t really horror but a sad tale of loss similar to The Twin (2022). I gave it 3 out of 5 Stars. Monstrous (2022) #psychological #horror Click

Sometimes I don’t know what to say about films that I’ve seen, and Smile (2022) is one of them. I’ll start by saying I didn’t hate it. I liked the idea of it, but I’m not sure this film told it the best it could. The psychological aspects were off the charts, which is good since that’s the type of horror it is. After the initial shock of the opening, I felt like I was watching an episode of a cop drama, but at least it kept the edginess going. When Rose figured out the truth, I was lost because the motivation of the “entity” felt off. Even when she spoke to it, it was on the lame side. The effects were good, nothing spectacular, though much of it was regurgitation from other films. That’s not horrible, I get it, Hollywood has lost its creativity. Then again, that’s not anything new.  In the end, I liked Smile, it wasn’t horrible (believe me, I’ve seen worse). I gave it 3 out of 5 Stars. Smile (2022) #psychological #horror Click To Tweet

Allegoria (2022) starts with some sort of “find your inner animal” exercise with a professor that I wished would shut up. His voice was so annoying I almost stopped watching. When one student became her inner beast and took out the professor, I cheered. After the opening, the film becomes an anthology, telling the story of individuals and how their inner monster controls them. I liked how they were still tied together, and one part of a phone conversation seen from a character’s point of view is flipped later on to hear the other side. The minimal effects are good, but nothing special. There’s a total absence of jump scares, which I thought would thrive in this movie. The ending, well, was different. The monologue was a lot, and I felt underwhelmed with it just stopping with no real satisfaction. I gave Allegoria 3 out of 5 Stars Allegoria (2022) #Anthology #Horror Click To Tweet

Studio 666 (2022) started strong; too bad it didn’t keep me entranced. As I watched, I kept thinking, Are the Foo Fighters still a thing? I’m sure I’ve heard their music on the radio, but for the life of me, I couldn’t tell you the title of one. And when they appeared on the screen, I had no idea who they were, except that they were not actors. Supposedly it’s a horror comedy, but it felt like a bad plug for the band, and no, they are not actors. Maybe, that’s where the comedy part came from. At one point, about halfway through this super-long movie (106 minutes felt like a decade), I stopped watching it because Dave Grohl was too annoying. I did come back to it a day later to finish it. The gore was the best part of the film. I haven’t seen so much fake blood in a movie in quite a while; everything is too thinky (I know it’s not a word) lately, which I have come to realize is probably because of the same generation who is trying to cancel the thumbs-up emoji. Get over yourselves. Hor

On The Third Day (2021) starts with Cecilia taking her son in the middle of the night and crashing into an oncoming car. She wakes in an abandoned office, unaware of what happened during the past few days. As the story unfolds, she traces her steps back to that office, desperate to find her son. This film is filled with strangeness, and I didn’t understand how all the pieces fit together until the very end, which was a delight and unusual for me. A priest has something in a crate that he’s transporting somewhere when the crash happens. I’m trying not to spoil anything because I want you to experience this film for yourself, so this is where I stop. Please see On The Third Day. I gave it 4.5 out of 5 Stars. On The Third Day (2021) #Bizarre #Horror Click To Tweet

Raven’s Hollow (2022) is about events that happened to Edgar Allan Poe while he was a cadet in West Point and the alleged inspiration for The Raven. I’m a Poe fan to the point of his written works. I do not go past that. I know little about his life except that he was haunted and had a drug problem. (I think that’s right.) There wasn’t a blurb I remember seeing at the beginning that said this was based on a true story, so I am taking it as 100% fiction. The darkness in this film was extraordinary and wonderful. Everything from what the cadets find and going to Raven’s Hallow is creepy. When we meet the townsfolk, there’s a sinister edge that I’ve been craving. What confused me was that Poe became Sherlock Holmes investigating a man’s murder. It just seemed strange for him, but I’ll let it slide since this is fiction. The set is beautiful and dark. The creature is frightening. I also tip my hat to the story references throughout the film. Then there’s the ending. I had a hard time accep

One day, Linda Blair said I’m broke, so I’ll just do anything, and Grotesque (1987) came into the world. That’s probably not how this bizarre, disjointed film came to be, but someone was desperate. I don’t remember hearing about this film, and honestly, I wish I hadn’t. It starts with a demented woman brushing a nasty wig on her head and a freaky man coming down the hall. I had a hard time following her monologue, but it’s not important because it turns out it was the screening of a film produced by Orville Kruger. Then we go to Linda Blair and her “girlfriend” going to her family’s house in the mountains. A group of punks, who I swear were in Mad Max and Weird Science, are broken down on the side of the road and try to get into their car. Well, they drive off, and everything is great. After the punks break into the house and kill everyone except for Patrick, the movie is like it was something they pulled from the cutting room floor. Then we find out it’s another screening. Oh, oops,

If you expect exceptional horror from Blumhouse, you should reconsider your life choices. (Yes, I’m talking to myself.) They absolutely ruined the Halloween franchise with Halloween Ends (2022). It begins with a “babysitting” scene, and I think, oh fun, Michael is starting right away. But nope. What does happen is brutal and good, but had they paid attention to the other films in the series, they would’ve known it didn’t quite fit.  Then it jumps ahead three years, cool, fine, whatever, with Corey getting his bearings on life. He works as a mechanic for his uncle. This is followed by a lot of nothing except that Laurie is writing her memoirs, but still, it’s nothing magical. Oh, and the budding relationship between Corey and Laurie’s granddaughter, Allyson, was OK if I wanted to watch a romance, though it was a dark romance.  Now we get to the part where we jump around with Corey, the high school bullies, and Michael in the sewers under Haddonfield. And this is where it really started

Necromancer (1988) has a disturbing opening with three guys raping Julie because she discovered them breaking into a professor’s office, who she had/has a crush on. Later, they blackmailed her with a love letter they found she wrote to the professor to keep quiet. Julie confides in Freda, who wants her to go to the police but refuses. Later, Freda finds an ad for revenge. I enjoyed the effects. While they were minimal, they were done well. The story, on the other hand, was scattered. I’m not sure if it was how they edited everything together because it didn’t feel cohesive. It started strong with the character introductions, then fell apart. Julie’s boyfriend overacted, making his role funny.  Then there’s the guy who tried to stop the Necromancer, his part was limited and weird, and it was mostly unclear what he was doing and why. Necromancer (1988) has a great concept that wasn’t enacted well. I gave it 3 out of 5 Stars. Necromancer (1988) #Voodoo #Revenge #horror Click To Tweet

Who Invited Them (2022) is about Adam and Margo, who throw a housewarming party. Their friends are kind of bitchy because they seem jealous that the couple got such a nice house. They notice Tom and Sasha and try to figure out who they are. OMG, Tom and Sasha turn out to be Adam and Margo’s new Best Friends Forever. There were several “couples therapy” moments in this film (is that a theme for 2022?), but not as bad as some I’ve seen this year. The male-to-male conversations were pervy, like locker room or poker night stuff, while the female discussions were about empowerment. I knew the twist before it happened and didn’t get it wrong. The creepiness of this film kept me on the edge of my seat, making me wonder what would happen next. This isn’t one that you can blink through because you might miss something dark and twisty. I loved Who Invited Them and gave it 5 out of 5 Stars. Who Invited Them (2022) #unexpected #horror Click To Tweet

The Banishing (2020) takes place in the 1930s and follows a vicar who moves into Morley Hall with his wife, Marianne, and stepdaughter, Adelaide, who they say is her niece; the reason is explained. Soon things start coming undone in the house as Adelaide starts talking to “no one,” and Marianne starts hallucinating. I found an exploitation element to this film surprising as it isn’t the norm for a haunted house story. It was an excellent addition to this already frightening movie. The effects are minimal but well used, not making it over-the-top or cheesy. Some strange elements involved an occultist, who I assumed was a grifter. When I read some information about this film, I learned that the character Harry Reed was inspired by Harry Price, one of the first “ghost hunters.” Another thing that surprised me was the Nazi influence in this tale, as I didn’t know the timeframe when I started watching it. Once I realized the period, it made more sense. And that brings me to the ending that

I’d never heard of Hide and Go Shriek (1988) until I was scrolling through a streaming service’s neverending list of titles. I read the short sentence describing it and was interested, but I thought I’d seen something similar recently (The Initiation). I don’t remember ever wanting to break into a store and stay the night in it. I had nightmares about getting locked in and the mannequins scaring me. In this film, a group of teenagers sneaks into their friend John’s dad’s furniture store to hang out on the furniture….what the hell? Why? Anyway, when they meet the new warehouse worker who just got out of prison, they are freaked out by him because of his size. Then there’s this transvestite who’s killing hookers. Yeah, it’s got a lot of pieces, but it does work.  The teenage shenanigans go on a little too long, but the creepiness makes up for it. There are some great kills by the transvestite who somehow got inside and locked all the doors. (Talk about planning.) Let’s not forget the rev

I watched Speak No Evil (2022) because Shudder posted it on Instagram. As I’ve said before, Shudder’s films sometimes aren’t the best but not as bad as Blumhouse tends to be….anyway. I promised myself I’d turn it off if it didn’t grab my attention immediately. (I know I always do that but end up watching garabage.) This time was different. I was curious why Bjørn and Louise accepted the strange offer to visit a family they met while on vacation. I can’t say that I would’ve. I guess their curiosity got the better of them because they went. What they found there was bizarre, with a definite sinister edge that I couldn’t figure out, which is always excellent.  When the pieces came together, it was a delight to know that I wasn’t just toyed with, and something wicked was there all along. Speak No Evil is a must-see. My only criticism was that the captioning wasn’t always there when someone spoke a non-English language, but that wasn’t bad. I gave it 4.5 out of 5 Stars. Speak No Evil (2022)