Charles W Jones

My Little Sister (2016) stole from so many movies in this sub-genre that I wished I had a bingo card as I watched because I would’ve gotten a blackout. A group of friends goes camping in the woods while not heeding warnings to not pitch a tent there. Well, that’s how the description goes, but actually, one couple isn’t at the campsite. I enjoyed the sinister feeling and the torture/kill scenes were entertaining. The effects weren’t horrible either. The strangeness was nice too. What I liked the most was that all my questions were answered in the end. And that Last Girl tag I gave it in the title, well, you’ll just have to see it if you want. If you’re bored and there’s nothing else that you haven’t seen. My Little Sister was a collage of so many movies of this type, but it kept me interested. I gave it 3 out of 5 Stars.

I’d been wanting to see The 13th Friday (2017) since I heard about it a few years ago, and I finally found it on Tubi. I base a lot of what I want to see on the poster or the little burb, when I do watch trailers, I take them with a grain of salt because many times they show the best bits of the movie in that short teaser. I’m not sure if my desire to see this movie would’ve changed. The beginning is so disconnected that I had a hard time understanding who was who and how they fit into the story. I’m still not sure about one of the characters at the beginning from the lesbian breakup scene. Then there were flashes of a girl inside a house and teenagers outside having a party, daring each other to go inside. From there, I wasn’t sure what was happening or why. They did try to connect the dots, but it was a little too complicated for me at times. While the acting was low budget, almost feeling like a high school performance, the effects were not; except for the spinning lampshade and the...

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 #hor...

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

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 ...

I had no idea Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021) existed until the other day. I figured it was coming but hadn’t heard about it until I was scrolling through the neverending guide. It has some flashes of the first film at the beginning, then takes Zoey and Ben to New York City to play a new game with other unwilling participants. This installment wasn’t as hard-hitting as the first. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat while the contestants worked through the puzzles or shocked by anything that happened. The new players were OK. I liked seeing Indya Moore somewhere beside Pose, though her character wasn’t anything different from that. The effects were the same as the first. The one thing I didn’t feel from this film was the urgency. It was palpable in the 2019 installment, but this one was like whatever. Even the ending just made me shrug. I’m not sure if there will be another, though they left it open. If they do, they need to step it up. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions was O...

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. An author goes to a secluded location to write a new novel. House on Straw Hill (1976) adds to the vast stack of films and books with this theme, but this one is slightly different because I think it’s soft porn. Oh, by the way, this film is also known as Exposé and Trauma. It starts with sex and ends with death, so I guess it balances out. Linda Hayden plays Linda Hindstatt, Paul’s secretary, who is quite the nymphomaniac; she was Angela Blake in The Blood on Satan’s Claw. Linda types while Paul dictates and serves him coffee at a specific time. I can’t say that there’s an actual story, though Paul’s nightmares are fun; maybe this is the original, and Dreamaniac (1986) is the remake because they are both very similar. Linda’s craziness level raises with every passing scene, which kept me enthralled with this film. House on Straw Hill is one of those films that usually I would turn off, but like a trainwreck, I couldn’t look away. I gave it...

If A Tree Falls (2010) isn’t much different from other survival horror films. It starts with a gory hook, then goes into a typical teen horror. Where would horror be without a gang of psychopaths attacking people in the woods? Or found footage? The creators tried to put a spin on something that’s been many times over, and for the most part, did a good job, but I got bored. I also missed the point of what was happening, if there was one. In the end, If A Tree Falls was OK and I gave it 3 out of 5 Stars. If A Tree Falls (2010) #Explotation #Survival #Horror Click To Tweet

Lucky (2020) is a strange thriller about May, who has a masked stalker that breaks into her house every night to kill her. It’s along the lines of Groundhog’s Day. Even her husband is aware of the killer, telling her that the man is trying to kill her. That was very odd when it happened and how I was drawn into it. As the film progresses, it gets dull with her attempts to kill the stalker every night. Of course, there’s a deeper meaning to this film, which turned me off as I realized what it was. It did ruin the movie for me completely. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. There’s good drama, tension, and some tasteful gore leading up to the ending that reveals the whys of what is happening to May. Lucky was OK, and I gave it 3 out of 5 Stars. Lucky (2020) #Thriller Click To Tweet

Dementer (2019) is not what I thought it was going to be, but it’s been on the list for a while so I might have forgotten why I added it. It’s about Katie, who leaves a cult and gets a job taking care of special needs adults. The strangeness of this film kept me watching as I wanted to see what would happen next (that’s a very important key that some filmmakers forget). Katie has flashbacks to her days in the cult and the leader instructing her what to do. There are parts of the film that I would’ve scrapped because I hate it when they kill animals (even pretend). For a low-budget film, Dementer is good, and I gave it 3 out of 5 Stars. Dementer (2019) #lowbudget #horror Click To Tweet

Here Comes Hell (2018) is annoying with the black and white and the horrible filter used to make it feel like an old film. That aside, it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen, not the best either. A group of friends goes to a mansion that has seen better days because their friend from college, George, bought it. There is a class bias thing between Christine and Elizabeth; it’s because Christine is jealous that her ex brought Elizabeth as a date to the party. Then there’s a medium that shows up, and this is where it gets good, though I guess my standards are low because it wasn’t that great; it made me laugh at least. As I said initially, the film effects are annoying, but they got some classic camera angles, so I guess it makes it OK. Then the end came, and it was the Fall of the House of Usher, so yeah, while entertaining, not original. All in all, Here Comes Hell wasn’t horrible and I gave it 3 out of 5 Stars.

The Prey (1983) hits it out of the park with bizarre scenes and blood-curdling screams. It opens with a scene of a forest fire that happened in 1948 and for me, it could’ve been shorter because it didn’t really add that much besides time to the already short film (80 minutes). Then it jumps to 1980 with a group of young adults traveling by panel van into the mountains to go hiking. So yes, very stereotypical for a slasher flick and even something that I used for my short story The Road to Nowhere. As it continues, I kept expecting David Attenborough to start giving commentary about what the wildlife was doing as the shots of the wildlife were abundant, more fluff that could’ve been omitted as it didn’t add anything. The sexual tension between the characters at times is the lead into a soft-porn flick that’d be aired on Max After Dark. There’s not enough else in this film to make it worthwhile to see, though I was intrigued by the entire film. It felt like they ran out of money so they ...

I’ve been apprehensive about seeing Spiral: From The Book of SAW (2021), well, because of Chris Rock. I don’t picture him in horror or anything too serious. His first scene proved that point, and I contemplated turning it off. I’m glad I didn’t. Backing up a bit, the movie starts with a cat and mouse chase with a cop and a purse snatcher that the cop follows down a utility hole. The “puzzle’ the cop finds himself in is accurate for SAW and satisfied my gore needs. When there wasn’t SAW-action, it was on the bland side with Spiral. The story behind it wasn’t anything I haven’t seen on Chicago PD or any other police drama from the past few decades. The ending is where the best parts came with an exciting twist that left it open for another sequel in this already overloaded franchise. I enjoyed Spiral, but not as much as others in this series, and I gave it 3 out of 5 Stars. Spiral: From The Book of SAW (2021) #NotSoGreat #SAW #Horror Click To Tweet

I’ve seen The Immortalizer (1989) several times and then don’t think much about it for years until I see it listed again. It’s almost a typical teen horror film with slight differences that you have to see for yourself to understand what I mean. There are many details that I don’t like about this film, and the biggest one is the voiceovers when the patients receive their new bodies. It doesn’t make sense because they didn’t transfer the voice box, only the…not telling. The maniacal facial expressions of Dr. Divine crack me up though that is the only saving grace of the actor, Ron Ray. I’m sure he was a super nice guy in real life, but this role ruined him for me. When I saw this recently, it occurred to me that this film inspired Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017) as the theme is remarkably identical. While he changed it from using teenagers to people of color, it’s still the same. The Immortalizer has its moments of awesomeness, though they are fleeting. It’s an OK film, so I gave it ...

Waxwork (1988) is one of the strangest anthology films I’ve ever seen. It begins as a horribly acted teen horror flick, then progresses into something good and unbelievably amazing, though the acting doesn’t improve. It’s weird. I don’t remember Zach Galligan’s acting skills to be so bad in Gremlins. It’s also a remake of sorts of House of Wax (1953). This movie’s cheesiness is super high, and the effects aren’t the worst I’ve seen. The ending fire is reminiscent of AIP, with it obviously not touching the building. If you’re looking for some good old-fashioned 80s horror that doesn’t require you to think, Waxwork is if the film for you. I give it 3.5 out of 5 Stars. Waxwork is an OK remake of House of Wax. Click To Tweet Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992) begins where the first ended with the super creepy hand (wait, is that Thing?) crawling away and our heroes escaping the evil world. Since I watched both films back-to-back, it’s obvious that they Sarah Brightman recast with Monika Schna...

Death Room is a short story by R.P. Healy, revolving around Edward, a lonely office worker looking for something extreme. He takes to watching pay-per-view snuff films on the internet and finds himself experiencing what he’s viewed. Yes, this story is not for everyone with hardcore content, including murder, sexual content, and rape fantasies. Those things aside, the way Healy wrote the story makes it hard to digest at times. Here’s an example of the first paragraph. It was quiet outside. There was a heavy mist, there were a few birds out, chirping, probably freezing, too. Even with the problems with the way it was written, I was captivated by the story itself and the strange twist at the end, giving it a “Fan Fiction” feel for Clive Barker’s Hellbound Heart (Hellraiser). I gave Death Room 3 out of 5 Stars.   [button id=”88d415ce4ca959dac3b484ba0e0bf542″ label=”Get Death Room” button_type=”{‹²›button_type_select‹²›:‹²›normal_button‹²›,‹²›normal_button‹...

Incarnate (2016) gives an interesting twist on Exorcism that had me thinking of the Insidious franchise much of the time. And for some reason, I convinced myself that the boys were the same actors from Insidious and Sinister, which isn’t true at all; I think it’s because of the likeness among them. Aaron Eckhart plays Dr. Seth Ember, who had figured out that when he dreams, he could connect with the realm where the parasitic entities reside; see similar to Insidious. The one called Maggie caused a head-on collision, killing his wife and son, and now he’s on the hunt for “her” to destroy her. The thing with Incarnate that I wanted and didn’t get and that was more. There were so many missed opportunities to make this a fantastic horror film, but they saved everything for the end as they do so much these days; someone mention on a Facebook group that the individual was desensitized, maybe, that’s what’s happened with me. But anyway, if the Incarnate creators would’ve given more throughout...

I was hoping that Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) would’ve kept better secrets as the first in this strange horror franchise, but it didn’t. There’s something to be said about not knowing who is doing the kills that adds more suspense than knowing upfront. I’ll get to more of that later. It begins with a campfire story, then someone tells about what happened at Camp Arawak years before. There are some details that others around the fire tell about, that are bizarre, though, in this world believable. When a young woman comes to collect a teenage girl while she continues the tale, it’s weird, but not really in a good way, even for the 1980s. As the film continues, I am delighted with what Angela is doing, cleaning up the camp of the impure boys and girls. While in the first film, she took care of the ones who picked on her. She’s devout now, so apparently, her therapy at the institution made her the punisher of those who sinned, which isn’t really a reach. The deserted cabin in...

An American Werewolf in Paris (1997) doesn’t have any ties to An American Werewolf in London; thank the celluloid gods because it might have been a lot worse for it. I didn’t have any expectations that they would be linked. The opening scene is enticing, then fades to a bro comedy. I could’ve done without it), but it is a horror-comedy, so they had to start somewhere, I guess. Some scenes felt like they took them from an unknown National Lampoons screenplay. When Amy enters the film, it gets so much dumber for a while until we get into the meat of the movie. The visual effects in An American Werewolf in Paris are what you’d expect from the late 90s with the CGI takeover, but at least there’s some delightful gore and werewolf action. But to end the film as a RomCom was more than I could stomach after the blood and guts. An American Werewolf in Paris was OK, but no more than 3 out of 5 Stars. An American Werewolf in Paris is not a horrible follow-up to An American Werewolf in London. Cli...