PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I’ve officially reached week 5 of my 365 Horror Movie Challenge! To catch up on last week’s choices, click here. The first month was fantastic! I finally got the motivation to view films I’ve been pushing off for years. Let’s hope February keeps the momentum going!
January 29 – Laid To Rest
(Synopsis provided by IMDb.com):
A terrifying story of a young girl who wakes up in a casket with a traumatic head injury and no memory of her identity. She quickly realizes she was abducted by a Deranged Serial Murderer and in an isolated rural town she must survive the night and outsmart the technologically inclined killer who is hellbent on finishing what he started.
I first came across Laid To Rest in a music video, showcasing the greatest gory death scenes. Being a big fan of gore flicks, I had to check this one out! I will say, this film definitely didn’t skimp out on the gore. Other than that, the story could’ve been better. The focus was on the wrong character in my opinion. The two side characters were much more interesting and sympathetic. The film offers a mysterious character we know nothing about, and gives a pretty anticlimactic twist. I may be nitpicking, but I just wasn’t really that satisfied with the ending. Laid To Rest has some epic kill scenes though, so I don’t consider the film a complete waste of time.
Verdict: Laid To Rest was definitely a one-and-done film for me, but I’d still recommend it for gore fans!
January 30 – Deadly Virtues
(Synopsis provided by IMDb.com):
A stranger breaks into the house of a couple, ties up the husband and, having a whole weekend at his hand, plays a slow game with the woman, a game of threats, fear, obedience – and intimacy.
I love home invasion films, and after checking out the synopsis to Deadly Virtues, I was immediately intrigued. Unfortunately, this film just frustrated the hell out of me! Its biggest flaw is it flipped the antagonist around. It leaves you rooting for nobody. It could’ve been done so much better if they made it an actual struggle for survival. The ending was very anticlimactic and unnecessary. I rarely consider a horror film a waste of time. This was one of those rare moments.
Verdict: I definitely do NOT recommend Deadly Virtues.
January 31 – The Corpse Of Anna Fritz
(Synopsis provided by IMDb.com):
Anna Fritz, a famous and beautiful actress, has died recently. Three young men sneak into the morgue to see her naked, fascinated by her beauty.
I’m a HUGE fan of revenge flicks. I always love evil people getting their comeuppance, and this revenge story seemed right up my ally. I was honestly not expecting it to go where it did, but I loved it! I was left with a question that never got answered, but it did move the plot forward. I’ve never anticipated an ending more than with this film. It’s hard to really explain my thoughts on it without spoiling anything, but it was very well done, and it actually had me hooked every second. I sometimes forget that subtitles are a deal-breaker for most people, so I will warn you and say this film requires subtitles.
Verdict: The Corpse Of Anna Fritz is a simple and thrilling film, and as long as you don’t mind subtitles, I highly recommend it!
February 1. – Cannibal Ferox
(Synopsis provided by IMDb.com):
Three friends out to disprove cannibalism meet two men on the run who tortured and enslaved a cannibal tribe to find emeralds, and now the tribe is out for revenge.
Cannibal Holocaust was honestly a one-and-done film for me. Although, after watching it, I wanted to watch Cannibal Ferox just to see if I would like it more. I do prefer this film over Cannibal Holocaust, if I may be honest. The characters and the storyline were a lot more interesting to me. One problem I do have with this film was that it also has real animal deaths that were so horrific, they caused me to look away, something I rarely do. Other than that, I definitely get where the inspiration for Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno came from. The Green Inferno had more in common with this film than with Cannibal Holocaust. Cannibal Ferox has some good death scenes, and I do think I’ll add this one to my horror collection.
Verdict: If you’re a fan of films like Cannibal Holocaust, I definitely recommend Cannibal Ferox!
February 2 – House
(Synopsis provided by IMDb.com):
A troubled writer moves into a haunted house after inheriting it from his aunt.
I’ve seen House mentioned many times by the horror community. It seemed like a film I had to watch at least once. I’ve pushed it off for a while, but, for the sake of the challenge, I decided to just watch it. I made the mistake of going into this film expecting a serious horror movie. I love the concept, but the execution was pretty goofy. It started out with the potential of a creepy horror film, then crept into silly, Evil Dead 2 territory. It had a good story, a good mystery, and very likable characters. George Wendt is always a plus. I just found myself deeply disappointed with the film, especially with the ending.
Verdict: I might feel the wrath of the horror community, but I don’t recommend House.
February 3 – Happy Birthday To Me
(Synopsis provided by IMDb.com):
At the snobby Crawford Academy, Virginia’s group of friends start to go missing years after horrible events that happened to her as a child around her birthday.
I’ve seen clips of Happy Birthday To Me in Going To Pieces. The story and kill scenes intrigued me, so I wanted to check it out. This was a very interesting slasher. The kill scenes were unique and had plenty of ‘80s gore and special effects. Although I already knew the movie’s twist beforehand, it still confused me, especially regarding the relationship between the killer and the main character. Also, the pacing was slowed down with certain flashback scenes that got the point across the first time. The characters weren’t really sympathetic, so I was sitting there waiting in boredom to see how each of them would die.
Verdict: Happy Birthday To Me was a decent slasher film, but I don’t see myself ever watching it again. I’m honestly not sure whether or not I’d recommend this film.
February 4 – The Cloverfield Paradox
(Synopsis provided by IMDb.com):
Orbiting a planet on the brink of war, scientists test a device to solve an energy crisis, and end up face-to-face with a dark alternate reality.
I absolutely loved the first Cloverfield film. Watching this one was a last minute decision, because, as most of you know, The Cloverfield Paradox was released on Netflix immediately after the Super Bowl. I had to see for myself how this sequel held up. You can definitely tell that this film started out as an original script that was turned into a sequel to Cloverfield. With that being said, this film wasn’t bad! I love where they went with the story, and how they connected it with the first film. The filmmakers created a decent pace and had some genuinely entertaining characters. It did have one twist that wasn’t really necessary to the plot, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker for me.
Verdict: I recommend The Cloverfield Paradox to sci-fi horror fans!
My favorite film this week is definitely The Corpse Of Anna Fritz. I love a good revenge film, and that was a fantastic one! Which one of these films do you love the most? I’m always looking for horror movie recommendations, so if you have any you think I should watch, let me know in the comments!
