Movie: Candlewood (2016)

Funny thing. I chose Candlewood completely at random (Tubi) for an afternoon movie. It just so happens to take place in a Connecticut town next to where I lived as a kid, and where my family still lives. You'd think I would have heard of this one, if not from family, then from still-local friends.

Then again, maybe not. This movie is a real stinker. 

There’s a lot to say about how the town is presented, but there’s no point. Fact is, I couldn’t get through more than 30 minutes of Candlewood before I had to turn it off. I counted 3 worn out movie tropes in that time, and some of the worst acting I’ve seen in a long time. Skip this one. Really.

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Movie: Cube (1997)

In a perplexing state of "WTF did I just watch" I bring you Cube (1997, Tubi), written and directed by Vincenzo Natali. It was his first movie! It opened to stellar reviews and gained a metric ton of awards for both film and filmmaker. I don't know how I missed it, except that I was pretty busy in 1997.

Cube is about seven strangers who wake up in a strange room with no memory of how they got there. It's lit up, its got hatches on all sides that open onto rooms just like the one they're in, but different colors. They come to find out that some of the rooms are booby-trapped in a variety of sinister, deadly ways.

 

Cube took me three days to get through. I kept pausing it to come back later.

 

From the premise, it brought to mind this sci-fi story I read when I was really young. It's called House of Stairs, by William Sleator. It's about five teenagers who wake up, with no memory of how they got there, in a strange structure that's all stairways. Like that Escher painting. Eventually we are told who/what/why. The teens all make it out in the end, changed though they may be.

 

But Cube is a different story...one that never answers who/what/why.

 

So, that's Cube. If you like your stories wrapped up in the end, you'll hate it. If, however, you're into psychological/thriller/industrial mystery, give it a whirl! There's a sequel, and at least one remake, so have fun.

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Movie: It Feeds (2025)

Alright folks, this post is about a new movie, out this year: It Feeds. Now, every time I post in the Horror Facebook Group I'm in, first I do a Search on the title to make sure someone didn't already post about it. If someone did, then I just Comment on their post with my thoughts rather than start a new one...

But funny thing about It Feeds...there IS a post already. In fact, there are six! Only thing is? There are no Comments! I figure since it's so new, people didn't get a chance to see it yet when those posts were made. So this time, I made a new one. And you know what? Nobody Commented! What is it about this movie?

 

It Feeds opens on blackness, and a woman's soft voice saying "Relax." When the picture becomes visible, Cynthia is walking through a kind of horror dreamscape. It soon becomes clear that Cynthia is clairvoyant, and a psychiatrist. She practices out of her home, giving people therapy sessions during which she wanders through their subconscious. If only, right? 

 

The action moves swiftly in this movie. The next scene introduces an unexpected young visitor with a demonic problem, that rapidly becomes Cynthia's problem to solve when her 17 year old daughter defies Cynthia's order to let it go. Daughter Jordan does NOT let it go, and we're taken on a wild, jump scare filled, haunted buried memory ride through to the strong women-led conclusion. Seriously, the women in this movie are badass.

 

Now, there are some plot holes you could drive a van through. 

 

But I enjoyed It Feeds so much, I'm not too concerned with plot holes.

 

I'd say it's worth a watch. If you do watch it, or already have, do Comment! It'll be fun to hear what you guys think!

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Movie: Exists (2015)

I randomly chose Exists from the Found Footage menu on Tubi without realizing that it’s a Bigfoot movie. It came out in 2015. It’s no award-winner, but I actually liked it! Therefore I was surprised to find it so thoroughly panned online (Rotten Tomators, IMDB). The consensus seems to be dumb, annoying characters badly acted, question about why it was even done as FF (no reason for a camera in the hands a character), and poor writing and directing. My reaction to finding out that that’s what people think of Exists was “Huh.” I guess I didn’t really notice any of that, and here’s my retort: it was FF because one of the characters wants to make documentaries, which he explains, plus later on when everything goes sideways he confesses that he and his brother knew there were Bigfoot rumors all along, which is why he kept shooting. No wonder he had so many GoPro and trail cameras and infrared! And I didn’t think the acting was bad, or the characters particularly annoying—certainly not as annoying as the three knuckleheads in Blair Witch. As for directorial style, yeah I agree the camera is swinging crazily and lands on the ground at an advantageous angle…isn’t that ALL Found Footage? All told, I’m not sure why Exists gets such a bad rap out there in the Blogosphere. I found it entertaining, with good makeup—you actually get a GOOD look at the creatures by the end, unlike Willow Creek, another Bigfoot-hunting FF that only suggests a creature. Worth a viewing, and let me know your thoughts!

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Movie: Evidence (2013)

This was a surprise! I just watched Evidence (2013) on Tubi. Don't confuse it with the 2012 movie of the same name. In this one, two detectives watch three hours of footage found at a crime scene on four different cameras. The Nevada desert crime scene is gory, and there are two survivors.

It's kinda cheating to place Evidence in the Found Footage genre, because it's only when they're watching the videos that it's FF. But we agreed a few months ago that The Cleansing Hour can join the party, so this should be fair play.

 

I liked the way the action built up, and rather quickly too. There were some gruesome murders! The camera was maybe a bit too swingy and dizzying (Blair Witch-core) but that's ameliorated by the detectives watching, one of which is an expert at deciphering video. He has the video paused, lightened, sharpened and all kinds of tricks to get it to give up its secrets. It's really cool.

 

Most of all, Evidence kept me guessing right up to the end. I haven't changed my mind about the killer's identity so much since my husband and I binged all the giallo we could find. I was really engaged with Evidence. 

 

A nice surprise on a Sunday afternoon.

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Movie: The Mansfield Ghost (2022)

Well. Where to start with The Mansfield Ghost. I must say that I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The build-up was very compelling indeed. Lilly has 100,000 Followers and wants more, so she’s branching out from makeup tutorials to ghost hunting . She gets paid to stay in a “haunted” house. She streams video at the house, for three days leading up to Halloween. The videos are entertaining enough I guess, and when I said “compelling” I meant they keep you watching through a blend of Lilly’s personality, her friends, the weird way the video freeze frames and there’s sound from presumably other ghost hunts, strange noises that might be the neighbors, and the unfolding tale of who the ghost might be. 

 

The most compelling thing is that a dark figure could be briefly seen behind Lilly as she walks through the house. Once it happens, it gets you watching the video closely, to catch it again! Especially when Lilly and her tech guy bring in a psychic to conduct a seance! Lilly hears noises and walks around some more…

 

Then the movie just…ends. I swore so loud when it ended (I won’t elaborate on the scene to save from spoilers) that my husband came to see what happened! All the lead-up had me thinking it was going somewhere. 

 

That being the case, I can’t really recommend The Mansfield Ghost. I mean, I guess it’s entertaining, but the abrupt ending really pissed me off! If you think you won’t mind, sure, see what you think and come back to discuss!

 

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Movie: Azrael (2024)

You know what? I had no idea Azrael was a scary movie when I put it on—I only glanced at the description. I registered the words “post-apocalyptic” and pressed play. 

I was pleasantly surprised! I love a woman featured as a badass, and Samara Weaving is a total badass. In the movie’s universe, it’s like there’s a religious reason that people don’t talk. Almost no dialogue in this one! One guy, driving a truck no less, speaks Esperanto—his existence is never explained. Also not explained is the gang of mute hunters who seem to want to feed people to these absolutely horrific zombie-like burned-up creatures. Azrael has to continually fight and escape from both the hunters and the burned zombies. I can’t really explain it (it doesn’t make a lot of sense actually) but I liked Azrael a lot! Good fight scenes, good kills. 

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