Change Your Image
henrygrazer
Reviews
Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva (2023)
ramped up from the first
The first one was a true hidden gem of an indie production and it caught me off guard. This one took everything that was exciting from the first one and plopped it down across the entire run time. Brilliant on their behalf for not following the same structure of the first one and building up to a major ending.........but (tiny spoiler) this one has a crazy heart pounding ending too! This one has the footage split up and throughout the movie which was slightly confusing the first time watching. Then when you take a visual cue about whats being filmed and by who it get scarier. I thought they could have just stayed with Minerva or at least intertwined the stories but that is my only nit pick.
Grave Encounters (2011)
I don't get the hype
Run of the mill with very mediocre acting and truly unbelievable acting. Sorry not sorry. The first scene made me laugh. I didn't jump a few times but other than that, standard ff.
The Found Footage Phenomenon (2021)
Props for everything except James Cullen Bresak
This was a fun watch especially for a found footage hound! They did rely on the only lady a little too much but other than that, I liked the revisit to path this genre has taken **except** for the James Cullen Berzerk guy, the one that made "hate crime" the most awful, exploitation movie of the last ten years. Why put him in this??
No Exit (2022)
Nice little thriller.....BUT...
It's still so hard for me to look past the ALL STATE guy and see him as a character in a movie, but this time, I did. He's believable in it and holds it together. The main actress, Havana Rose, is awesome. I laughed so hard at the very first scene with her, her reaction to the girl talking about pushing a rock up a hill is hysterical.
BUT
SPOILER
My only gripe with the story is that they made the kidnapped little girl not only unlikeable, but loathsome. It kind of looses steam after the scene with her humiliating her maid. Not that any child deserves to be kidnapped but my god, this one was a monster.
V/H/S/94 (2021)
Mixed Bag
For being the upteenth installment in this franchise, I kind of expected more out of it? Granted, this series has its roots set in super low budget film making, but still. I did really like it though. I was surprised that Simon's all took place in one room, but it was my favorite. The ratman thing is just ridiculous. But what I was most taken back with was Timo Tjahjanto's piece. It looked like it was shot on a red cam and then very lazily had a filter thrown onto it. I'm sure he shot it on high end and then transferred it to vhs...which is still silly...but it took me out of the illusion of it all.
Howard's Mill (2021)
Would rate Zero if possible. Don't label a fictional movie a DOCUMENTARY
This feels very overproduced the entire way through. The acting is mediocre at best, especially from the main husband of the missing woman. It's a shame that this was allowed to be listed as a real doc.
Baghead (2008)
Talent shines through the missing budget
I love movies like this. I don't care that it was made for the price of a bus pass. It's entertaining and the low budget makes me love it even more. It switched genres a few times, but that is forgivable. Awesome indie flick. I wouldn't call it horror, but it's great.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
I can't say it was bad...but?
It was a stark reminder that this one was not directed by James Wan. The acting is incredible, for the most part, but it was almost a frenzy at times. The beginning almost had me plugging my ears. Screeching sounds for extended periods of time does not make something scary, just unbearable. Wilson and Farmiga are the glue that holds this together.
As Above, So Below (2014)
NO TO CGI!!!
This movie was RUINED by bad CGI! I was fully invested in this one and then came all the bad CGI shenanigans. Ruined the whole movie and took away the amazing dread it had built up for itself. Boooooo.
The Tunnel (2011)
CLAUSTROPHOBIA!!
This movie almost suffocated me! Good God! The deeper they go the most I could hardly watch this. It's effectively done and there's something about that accent that makes me buy about everything they say. Highly recommend. The terror is real with this one.
The Bay (2012)
I may never eat again..
I've been binging FF movie since I joined a FF movie group on Facebook recently. This one was recommended a lot and it stands out amongst its piers. Mainly because it has a Hollywood level budget and a "team" behind it. I don't think it deserves all the praise I've seen for it, but it's a decent flick.
The Blackwell Ghost (2017)
I like it
It took me a while to watch this one. Something about the poster made it seem cheap. Having said that, it's certainly not a big budget flick, but it has charm. It did succeed in actually creeping me out a few times and wanting to turn the lights on. Aside form the main guy seeming incredibly full of himself, I think he did a great job with this!
Followed (2018)
Elisa Lamb?
This was very well made but I thought it was really distracting that it emulated a few "real life" things (like the Elisa lamb case) but made them out to be something else. It made it feel like a reenactment show on the lifetime Chanel or something like that. The main character was over the top obnoxious. It was worth the watch though.
It Stains the Sands Red (2016)
loved it!
A lil too much walking at some parts but this was a sick movie! The girl is smoking hot and helarious. I shouted when she didn't get on the plane to mexico with the coke heads.
Horror in the High Desert (2021)
Indie Gem
One of the slickest lil indie flicks i've seen in a minute. Tubi wouldn't let me pause for whatev reason so I couldn't google if this was real or not and I was 100 thinking it was until the finale then I was like theres no freakin way this is real hahah.
Bad Ben (2016)
Hmmmmm
I am noy quite sure what to say about this one. The whole running time I was thinking to myself.....THIS guy is the one who creates this? What? You'd expect this from a college student or teen, but not a man of this age, which I think is what keeps alot of people watching. It's not bad per se, at all, just distracting that this one person does literally everything.
You have to commend him for it, it got me in some moments.