Duets: Annabelle and The Sacrament

I know, I know—another Duet. They’re just…so much easier than full-length reviews. However, I just saw a film that undoubtedly warrants a lengthier review (and you can probably guess the film), so expect that sometime next week. In the meantime, I saw two thoroughly mediocre horror films because I am apparently a glutton for punishment. One is currently in theaters, and the other came out on DVD not too long ago.

Duets: Honeymoon and Bad Words

Well I had a new movie-watching experience for this Duet—I rented something from iTunes. Have you guys rented stuff from them before? I don’t know if I want to make a habit of it, but I was eager to see Honeymoon, and since it was a super limited release, iTunes was pretty much my only option. I decided to pair that with a new DVD release, Bad Words. I figured pairing a horror with a comedy would be good for me. Haha. Anyway, let’s sing a little movie duet, shall we?

As Above, So Below: creative ideas, average execution

As many of you already know, I’m kind of a horror movie nut. Not the gross stuff and not the super schlocky stuff, but give me classics like Psycho and The Exorcist, spooky ghost stories like The Orphanage or The Conjuring, or fun horror-comedies like Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland, and I am a happy camper.

Duets: I, Frankenstein and Only Lovers Left Alive

Here we go again! Got another Duet for you guys! This one tackles a couple of recent DVD releases. Correction: one is recent and the other I thought was recent, yet I discovered it was released in May. Haha. But it works out because both of these movies address classic monsters, though one does a better job than the other.

Duets: Tammy and Deliver Us from Evil

The warning signs were all there: low percentages on Rotten Tomatoes, poor scores on IMDb, less than favorable reviews from my fellow bloggers…but I went anyway. And neither of these films was worth the ticket price (and I only paid four bucks for one of them). Prepare yourselves, my friends—these might be my saddest Duets reviews yet. Here we go…

Oculus: a tense, clever mind bender

I gotta say, the horror offerings of 2014 have not been particularly impressive thus far. Of course, I haven’t seen everything, but what I have seen has been…well, “lackluster” is putting it politely.

Devil’s Due: a found-footage Rosemary’s Baby…that’s not very good

I feel like the horror genre has had a rough run lately. The Conjuring and You’re Next may have freshened things up last summer, but what have we had since then? Insidious: Chapter 2? Not as good as the original. Carrie? An unnecessary remake.

Carrie: reimagining a classic…or at least trying to

Film remakes can be tricky—especially remakes of classic horrors. For a film like Carrie that’s been around for nearly 40 years, there’s naturally going to be a large fan base, meaning it’ll be hard to please everyone.

Insidious: Chapter 2: less is definitely more

It may not be the best horror film out there, but I really enjoy the first Insidious. In fact, it’s probably one of my favorite horrors of the last few years. There’s a wonderful old-school vibe to it, the family is likeable, the ghouls are creepy, and there’s a nice surprise at the end—all things that make it a fun ride. So when I heard that Chapter 2 was on its way

You’re Next: a fox, a tiger, and a lamb break into a house…everybody dies

The subtitle needs a better punchline, doesn’t it? Too bad I’ve never been very good at jokes. Although it’s not supposed to be funny. Well…it’s kind of supposed to be funny. You’re Next is something of a dark comedy, so it’s only appropriate to handle this review with some levity. And although not everybody dies, fair warning: a lot of freaking people die.