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scurryizzo
Reviews
The Innkeepers (2011)
Tried several times to finish it but....
I typically love West's work and thought this would be a perfect evening in, snowstorm movie. After about 45 minutes I found I had completely spaced out, tried again a different day and about a half hour in just turned it off, tried AGAIN and questioned why I was so committed to boring myself. I can't tell you much about the characters other than it feels like what would happen if someone decided to make a reality show out of a mundane workplace (it seems like it would be funny or interesting but really no one wants to see friend/employee/client interactions). The back and forth felt real I guess, but I'm not watching a movie to see two friends just be two friends. If you like "atmosphere" then ..sure? I guess? But I don't know how atmosphere alone drives a movie with no plot. To be fair, I didn't finish it, but I also can't imagine any ending being so incredibly masterful it negates the mind numbing path to get there.
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor (2023)
It could have been so much better
First off I LOVED the first three movies, truly. This one just wasn't it for me. The lead that played Margot was insufferable and fell into that horror movie trope of the selfish "protagonist" who disregards everyone else's feelings and (justified) absolute terror and hysterics, and just yells "wait! Stop! Just listen! Ok, we will as soon as ___". As least with the original group led by Alex there was some explanation why people had a sense of duty to stay, some larger objective, even in the following movies the motives made sense (as far as that can go in a horror movie). In this she just felt like a bully that yelled louder and louder, or made false promises, until her girlfriend did what she wanted (points to the Rebecca character for trying to nope out of there asap but...love I guess?).
The backstory with Patrick didn't add a whole lot until (I guess?) The end, and the loose connection to Margot felt like an afterthought. This movie felt like a sequel in that there was a deviation from a central storyline and too many side plots that just didn't come together.
I'm actually really bummed about this, the Hell House trilogy is one I wish I could experience for the first time over and over, and this was just disappointing.
The Dark Tapes (2016)
Surprisingly unique, really fun find
I have a soft spot for found footage and I love supernatural horror though I'm also pretty critical and have no problem calling out lazy or redundant stories. That said, I have to say, there was some really unique storylines, the main of which I'm still thinking about. I've been wracking my brain to think if I've seen the same plots elsewhere and I'm not coming up with anything - the Amanda's Revenge story is maybe the closest, but still had an interesting slant. Acting is meh, but most of these actors are unknowns. The visual effects are also no great, but thankfully the sections that show creatures are pretty fleeting glimpses and didn't completely take me out of the film. I also tend to get very bored VERY QUICKLY, and this really kept my attention the entire way though. I'm still enjoying thinking about how they all tie together, and I think if you watch the date for each section it starts to move the thread.
I walked away from this with the same feeling I had watching "Cleansing Hour" (also really fun if you haven't seen yet). Having a giant budget doesn't mean a movie will be good, and having a shoestring budget doesn't have to mean corney and cheap. If you have an afternoon or evening to kill and are looking for something unique, give it a try!