Category: Reviews
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Don’t Listen (2020)
I’ve changed my mind a bunch of times about what should be the last weekday horror movie in October that’s not a part of the Hellbound Halloween. Lot of caveats there, I know. I eventually decided it would be one of the movies I was going to watch for this week’s Movie Night. And the selections were… very different. The Gay Bed and Breakfast of Terror is a bad movie and I have a lot to say about it, but that’s going to have to wait until November cause I want to talk about something actually good before the month…
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Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)
Film rights are a can of worms. They are the reason the Marvel Cinematic Universe was created without mutants, despite the Avengers and X-Men both being owned by Marvel. It’s also partially why Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are no longer Magneto’s children (as of time of writing, the Trial of Magneto may have a weird ending). Whenever you hear about film rights, it’s typically never a good sign. That’s the case with Hellraiser: Revelations, a rushed entry in the Hellraiser franchise made so Dimension could keep the film rights. The Hellbound Halloween has hit its lowest point. This is…
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Banshee Chapter (2013)
You know that scene in Doctor Strange that the MCU has used a couple more times where the Ancient One punches Steven Strange’s soul out of his body? Every so often I come across a movie that does something incredibly similar to me. I don’t know how else to describe it beyond that; it’s not necessarily bad, but it certainly kicks the metaphorical wind out of me and raises questions about what the hell is going on. Banshee Chapter has one of those moments when veteran actor Mr. Ted Levine playing a parody of Hunter S Thompson asks the lead…
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Book of Blood (2009)
Not every movie in this interlude near the middle of the Hellbound Halloween is going to have ties to Hellraiser. The previous two films–Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions–are connected through comics and novels, but that still counts (sort of). Book of Blood, however, is just a ghost story. It does have ties to other films, but no obvious connection to Pinhead and his ilk. They can’t all fit the theme perfectly.
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When They Cry: Kai – Season 2, Episodes 2 – 5
It’s time once again to talk about Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Kai, AKA When They Cry: Kai, the second season/series. We’ve learned a bit about the time loops the main characters seem to be stuck in, but so many questions still remain. We know that one girl in the friend group–Rika Furude–is keenly aware she’s trapped in these loops, remembering each and every one. What does it all mean? Why is the village of Hinamizawa trapped in this unending loop of misery and death? This arc, Disaster Awakening, does not answer those questions at all, but it does provide…
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Lord of Illusions (1995)
On the surface, Lord of Illusions has very little to do with the Hellraiser franchise. One is about a shrewd detective in way over his head among supernatural nonsense, while the other is all about Hell. But what if I were to tell you that they take place in the same universe? Because that’s absolutely the case, straight from Mr. Clive Barker himself. So this film actually does fit into this year’s October themed event, The Hellbound Halloween! But I’m getting ahead of myself.
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Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)
Last year I said that The Blair Witch Project is a great film, and I will always stand by that statement. Sure, it unleashed a plague of cheap found footage garbage, but can you really blame the good thing for all the cheap knockoffs that follow? Speaking of cheap knockoffs, this year we’re talking about Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, a mistake on just about every level. Sure, that sounds a bit unfair, but how else am I supposed to feel about a movie called “Book of Shadows” that doesn’t ever feature–or even reference or mention–a spooky and/or witchy…
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Nightbreed (1990)
Welcome back to the Hellbound Halloween and the first film in sort of interlude. See, the last two films in the Hellraiser franchise are their own kind of bad, so I need to take a short break before wrapping this all up with them. But that gave me an opportunity to check out some of Mr. Clive Barker’s other films that are tangentially related to the Hellraiser series, starting with 1990’s Nightbreed.
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CORN (2021)
I can understand the logic behind wanting to make a knockoff movie. Something is popular, so some would want to get on the bandwagon before interest dies down. But CORN is just… confusing. Sure, there’s the 2020 Children of the Corn prequel/reboot, but apparently only 10 people saw it and I’m not sure if it will ever have a digital release (trust me, I’ve spent a lot of time looking into it). And as I have said multiple times, Children of the Corn is nobody’s favorite horror franchise. But it’s okay! Because CORN’s plot has absolutely nothing to do with…
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Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
Hellraiser: Hellworld is a real turning point in the Hellraiser franchise. Not only is it a bad movie in itself that was filmed back-to-back with Hellraiser: Deader, but it’s also the last time that the incomparable Mr. Doug Bradley would play Pinhead. What a completely lackluster ending to such an iconic performance! It’s actually a little sad, and exhausting in a way I can’t really describe. I’m sure I’ll figure out my feelings by the time we reach the end of this installment of the Hellbound Halloween.
Chwineka Watches 