Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) Review

On Halloween, 1968, in the small town of Mill Valley, Pennsylvania, four teens take on the town’s ghost, literally, when they enter a haunted house and find a book written in blood.

Producer and co-writer Guillermo del Toro brings Alvin Schwartz’s book series to life. With plenty of visual flair and imagination, it’s wonderfully directed by André Øvredal, who offers an uplifting throwback to old-fashioned Goonies-like investigative teens. It has genuinely creepy moments, there’s an authentic charm from the leads especially in the intriguing first act. The gruesome effects are impressive, along with the production values and acting.

However, it does have some issues, the scares seem too scary and harrowing, it can’t decide who it’s trying to scare. The 1960 setting has very little impact, at times it feels like it could be the present day. Its runtime and plotting feels strained during the third act, and the character development is thin especially given the film’s length.

Overall, Scary Stories is a fun visual horror with folkloric fantasy. It’s gross and spooky and occasionally frightening but it is jumbled. It’s too scary for youngsters and frustratiing for nostalgic adults who’ll compare it to IT and the Goonies.

Midnight Mass (2021) Review

An isolated island community experiences supernatural events after the arrival of a mysterious priest.

Mike Flanagan offers a well produced product, great acting, nicely filmed but is derivative as they come; unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ve see it ten times or more. Yes, there’s well timed jump scares, solid effects (including make up and CGI), folklore and fake blood. The Infuse some Midnight Mass (2003), From Dusk Till Dawn, Stephen King, especially Salem’s Lot, H.P Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth and James Herbert’s Shrine, throw in the setting of Dead and Buried to name a few and you’ve seen it already.

Performances are ripe, if a little underdeveloped given the run time. Familiar faces from The Haunting anthology Kate Seigel, Carla Gugino Henry Thomas, Rahul Kohli to name a few appear. Samantha Sloyan as Bev Keane is particularly notable. At times feels like a showcase of 60s/70s singer-songwriters, a Holy soundtrack of vivid montages including Neil Diamond. Flanagan toys with religious symbolism delivering a horror drama with social commentary, particularly where island politics are concerned. It’s all interesting but does not maketh the show. It unashamedly borrows throughout, even its ending echoes 30 Days of Night.

Overall, if you want more of the same old questions about faith, people struggling with their differing interpretations of life’s purpose, paced over seven episodes, indulge.

Shadows of Dismemberment (2021) Chiller Thriller

In 1938 a heinous serial murderer inexplicably slipped through the fingers of Eliot Ness, one of Americas most revered investigators.

Over 80 years later, haunted veteran and ex-private investigator John Sartori finds himself following in Ness’ footsteps when body parts are found discarded under mysterious circumstances.

What makes a serial killer kill? Following clues from one side of the globe to the other, rumours of curses, rituals and lost souls scupper his case. Soon he becomes immersed in a macabre world of death and supernatural mayhem.

John thought his horrifying past encounters had tested his psyche but when faced with a diabolical murderer things are never as they seem.

To try and stop a serial killer is deadly… To follow in their shadow is hell!

The dead talk; you just have to listen…

Order, sample, share: https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Dismemberment-M-Esmonde-ebook/dp/B08XY83Q31

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DeVe8p4Fzw

Malignant (2021) Review

Contains Spoilers!

Madison, is having nightmarish visions of murders by a monstrous killer called Gabriel, soon she discovers that her visions are really happening and sets out to stop him.

Director James Wan offers offers a slasher gore B movie premise with big budget style and execution. Wan; Ingrid Bisu and Akela Cooper’s story borrows and pays homage to other films including David Cronenberg’s The Brood (1979), It’s Alive (1974) to name a few; while the main twist echoes the Basket Case (1982), also the killer garbs and telephone comms is straight from the novel Shadows of Dismemberment. Although the costly wispy gymnastic CGI SFX are unnecessary, the operation and head splitting gore effects are wonderfully effective.

The acting is a mixed bag possibly due to – at times arguably clunky script, that said, lead Annabelle Wallis is impressive and George Young’s Detective Shaw is notable. Wan should be commended on delivering creepy old school, gooey bloody shlock for a new age; it’s reminiscent of those great 70s and 80s horror thriller flicks that just aren’t made any more. Accompanied by a great Joseph Bishara score, Wan single-handedly reignites the genre by dusting off those horror film tropes and twists.

Overall, good gory fun. Leave your brain and the person inside your head at the door.