horror movie reviews – Dahlia DeWinters

Blogtoberfest – 10 Scary Movies in Black and White

Let’s be honest. Given the huge number of gross-out, slash ‘em up films that are under “horror movie” genre, watching someone get stabbed, or hung or cut apart gets a little tedious. Blood and guts can be scary, yes, but the real “horror” is sometimes only in our minds: the stuff we can’t see, or even worse, the stuff we imagine we see. Following this, and based upon a comment from one of my Facebook friends, I compiled a list of horror/scary movies in black and white that you may enjoy. Where possible, I’ve placed the date and time it’s on the air, but otherwise, I’m sure you can find them on either a streaming service or even on YouTube. When I was a seventies child, these movies were perfect for a rainy Saturday or Sunday afternoon, and were scary enough to keep you awake with some nightmares… Continued

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Horror Movie Review: Sinister

Title: Sinister Date: 2012 Starring: Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Fred Thompson Director: Scott Derrickson Sinister is a supernatural horror film in which a crime writer, Ellison Oswald (Ethan Hawke), moves his family to a new house in order to work on a new book. (What a great name, by the way, right?) His last real hit was ten years ago and since then, his books haven’t done well. This is his last ditch effort to make money on a family’s murder and disappearance of the daughter. However, he does not tell his family that they’ve moved into the house where the actual murders took place. And when he finds a box of film reels and projected in the attic, he begins watching them, unwittingly giving strength to a supernatural force than intends on possessing his family. Sinister is not a movie we haven’t seen before, but the execution and the

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Horror Movie Review: Paranormal Activity

Title: Paranormal Activity (2007) Genre: Horror, Drama, Not so bad after all Summary: After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence. (from IMDB) Yes. The film is over ten years old, but I wanted to include some of the horror movies that made a splash in more recent times. Also, I rather liked Paranormal Activity. It’s a charming little film that doles out the scares just enough to keep the you interested. There are two main characters, Katie and Micah, a couple who have a cute little home except for the issue of what may or may not be an issue with haunting. The film is shot in POV style, which is a fancy way of saying one of the characters has a camera and makes it their business to film any and everything thing. In this case, it goes with the

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Horror Movie Review: The Bye Bye Man

Title: The Bye Bye Man Genre: Horror, Drama, it wasn’t terrible….. Summary: Three friends stumble upon the horrific origins of a mysterious figure they discover is the root cause of the evil behind unspeakable acts. (from IMDB) There’s an old song, from the seventies, that says, “Where do I begin/To tell the story of how sweet a love can be?” In this case, I would change the words to: Where do I begin/to tell the story of how crap this film it be? The movie begins in what looks like the 1960s where some dude with glasses is walking around with a shotgun chanting “Don’t think it, don’t say it” and systematically shooting everyone in his house and finally himself. Okay. That’s fine. It is a horror, after all. Fast forward to the present time, and the good ol’ pack of those kind of young folks that you see in

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Horror Movie Review: The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Title: The Autopsy of Jane Doe Genre: Horror, Drama Summary: A father and son, both coroners, are pulled into a complex mystery while attempting to identify the body of a young woman, who was apparently harboring dark secrets. (from IMDB) Starring: Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox Brian Cox is ‘that guy’ for me. I remember him as Daphne Moon’s gadabout father from Frasier and as Col Stryker from the first series of X-Men movies. I love the way he pops up as a villain or as a supporting character in the movies I enjoy watching. He has presence and improves any scene he appears in. On the other hand, I only know Emile Hirsch from some strange movie called “Alpha Dog” in which he plays a kidnap “victim”. I can’t remember seeing him in anything much at all, although his IMDB resume reveals more than a few films and TV

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Horror Movie Review: The Ritual

Title: The Ritual Genre: Horror, Drama, Snoozefest Summary: A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that’s stalking them. (from IMDB) Starring: This Guy, That Guy, Glasses Guy, Red Coat Guy Usually I’m down for a horror movie where the actors go on a hike and get lost in the woods. They can find anything there, from an evil killer, to a time loop or even a supernatural force that will tear them limb from limb. A good monster, such as Bigfoot or the Jersey Devil does well too. Alsi, alien invasions, government experiments gone wrong or mechanic cannibals. Basically, anything. I’ve seen everything I’ve listed and more and have enjoyed the movie at one level or another.. or simply turned it off halfway through. The Ritual is based on a book that my daughter is currently reading