THE FINAL GIRLS

THE FINAL GIRLS (2015). Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson. 

Max (Taissa Farmiga) is the daughter of the late actress, Nancy (Malin Akerman), whose claim to fame was appearing in Camp Bloodbath twenty years earlier. Max is importuned to go with Chris (Alexander Ludwig), a boy she has a crush on, to a special showing of the film and its sequel. When a fire breaks out in the theater, Max, Chris and other friends escape through a hole in the screen and inexplicably wind up in the movie, where Max encounters her own mother, who is now about her age. Max and the others are hoping that the killer of the film, the tormented Billy turned maniac, will not go after them, but on that they are wrong. Meanwhile, as in You Might Be the Killer, there's an argument over which of the ladies will be the "final girl" who will kill Billy. 

While one could argue that the premise of Final Girls is somewhat clever, the execution is another story. The movie doesn't wallow in gore, but aside from one creepy and suspenseful sequence, it doesn't do much else. The acting is competent, but the screenplay becomes incredibly silly. A slow-motion chase sequence just when the film should be most exciting makes no sense at all. 

The cast of Final Girls

The movie, vastly overpraised, supposedly engenders some moments of "emotional depth" (having to do with mother and daughter, I suppose) but this is probably because the average slasher film fanatic wouldn't know emotional depth if it bit them on ass. We never learn if there were any survivors of what appears to be a terrible fire, and none of these young people even bother to ask -- so much for depth. One sequence is backed up by Kim Carnes choking out "Bette Davis Eyes." Ultimately, you can hardly wait for the film to just be over. It's like the cinematic equivalent of a Young Adult horror novel, and not one of the better ones. Outtakes make it clear that the cast had more fun making the movie than we did watching it. 

Verdict: A promising idea that quickly turns to schlock. *3/4. 

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2025)

The cast of I Know

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2025). Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. 

A group of young people are involved in a deadly car accident, cover it up, and discover that someone is stalking and killing them. When they discover that something very similar happened nearly thirty years ago, they get in touch with a survivor of the original I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) -- Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) -- for help. 

Freddie Prinze Jr.

Billy Campbell, Brandy Norwood (from I Still Know What You Did Last Summer) Sarah Michelle Gellar (of The Grudge) and Freddie Prinze Jr. also appear in the film, the last two reprising their roles from the original. This combination of sequel and remake is entertaining, the action sequences well-done, although I have to say I simply did not believe the ending, the revelation of the killer's identity, for a minute. Still, as slasher films go, I Know What You Did Last Summer is fun enough, and while it's bloody, it isn't bloody disgusting.

Verdict: If you like slashers and don't worry too much about motives. ***. 

HEART EYES

HEART EYES (2025). Director: Josh Rubin.

A serial slayer known as HEK (Heart Eyes Killer) has already struck on Valentine's Day, targeting couples and others who get in his way, when he makes his presence known in grisly fashion in Seattle. Advertising woman Ally (Olivia Holt of Totally Killer) and newcomer Jay (Mason Gooding), carry on a budding, awkward romance while dodging attacks from the killer. Finally cornered, they find out the dread secret of the Heart Eyes maniac.

The Heart Eyes Killer

Heart Eyes begins with a sequence in a winery where a female victim is literally crushed in a wine press, her head being graphically smushed for the edification of disaffected gore geeks. Then we get a whole series of rom-com type scenes which are completely out of sync with the opening sequence. There's a scene when our young couple inadvertently lead the maniac to a drive-in theater, where he proceeds to hack and slash at dozens of people -- this is a highly uncomfortable reminder of such real-life scenes of slaughter (albeit this killer doesn't use a gun). 

Gooding and Holt

Okay, Heart Eyes doesn't get points for good taste, nor for its rather self-absorbed lead characters (Ally takes forever to start thinking about the many innocent victims and never really expresses much dismay over the people she literally sees killed right in front of her.) However, the climax, which has at least one surprise, is well-done and satisfying. Mason Gooding, an appealing actor, is the son of Cuba Gooding, Jr. 

Verdict: An odd mix of humor and gore that unlike the early Scream movies, doesn't quite work. **1/4. 

PHENOMENA / CREEPERS

PHENOMENA (aka Creepers/1985). Director: Dario Argento. 

At the Richard Wagner International School for Girls in Switzerland, Jennifer (Jennifer Connelly), a new student with a sleepwalking problem, develops a strange affinity for insects. This comes in handy in tracking down an unknown maniac who is murdering several of the students. Donald Pleasence plays the entomologist, McGregor, and Daria Nicolodi is Frau Bruckner, who is keeping a deadly secret. Heroine Connelly is too inexperienced to convincingly carry the film, but considering the things she's called upon to do one has to say that she earns her pay and then some. Pleasence, Nicolodi, and a lovable chimp are much better. This is a somewhat zany but likable picture with a few memorably gruesome sequences. 

Verdict: A fascinating Gothic nightmare. ***. 

TERROR TRAIN 2

Robyn Alomar and Tim Rozon

TERROR TRAIN 2 (2022). Director: Philippe Gagnon. A Tubi Original. 

In this sequel to Terror Train, medical student Alana (Robyn Alomar) is still feeling the effects of her battle with a serial killer in the first film. Alana's roommate Claudia (Nia Roam) importunes her to follow her shrink's advice and face up to her fears by taking another trip on the "Terror Train" on New Year's Eve, a pretty ridiculous notion considering. Of course another killer begins slicing his or her way through the passengers, which include the President of the Fraternity (Dakota Jamal Wellman); the Magician (Tim Rozon); the obnoxious, hateful Pet (Romy Weltman); Pet's pal, Mary (Tori Barban); returning conductor Sadie (Nadine Bhabha); and her new assistant JP (Matthew Villeneuve). Could the mad killer from the first installment, whose body disappeared, still be on the loose? If a lunatic on the loose weren't bad enough, Pet and her friends' callous attitude towards what happened in the first film just makes things worse for Alana. 

Dakota Jamal Wellman

Much of the multi-cultural cast who survived the first film return for this sequel. In general the acting is quite good, with these young people dealing with their roles and the often absurd situations with aplomb. Tim Rozon, returning as the Magician, makes a nice impression. Claudia, who is keeping secrets, apparently has a huge crush on Alana, and this business is handled rather awkwardly, out of keeping with more modern looks at gay characters. But the biggest problem is that Terror Train 2, filmed back to back with the first film, seems a bit thrown together, and while it holds the attention, it doesn't emerge as an especially memorable horror movie. 

Verdict: They should have stuck with just one. **1/4. 

STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER

STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER (aka Nude per l'assassino/1975). Director: Andrea Bianchi. 

After a woman dies during an abortion, the doctor (Gianni Airo) covers it up by having an unseen assistant dump her body in her bathtub. Not much later there are a series of murders tied to the Albatross modeling agency. Initial victims include a photographer's assistant, Mario (Claudio Pelligrini), hopeful model Lucia (Femi Benussi), and others. Among the chief suspects are the agency's owners, Gisella (Amanda) and her obese, impotent husband, Maurizio (Franco Diogene), not to mention gal-happy photographer Carlo (Nino Castelnuovo). Magda (Edwige Fenech) is a photographer's assistant who isn't certain if she wants to pursue a career with a camera or as a model. Meanwhile the killer stalks his victims while dressed in a black leather motorcycle outfit complete with helmet and butcher knife. Fenech and the other ladies in the film take off their clothing as much as possible, and a couple of the men, including Diogene, do the same. 

Edwige Fenech and Nino Castelnuovo

While not on the level of the best of Dario Argento, Strip Nude for Your Killer is an intriguing giallo film with plenty of murders and some suspense over the identity of the killer and his or her motives. The murder sequences, while not distressingly graphic, are nevertheless tense and creepy. The softcore sex scenes are rather more graphic and seem to go on forever. Although the film is sub-titled, some of the actors -- particularly French star Fenech -- seem dubbed. The acting is more than adequate, and the director keeps things moving at a good pace. Ten years earlier Castelnuovo starred in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. 

Verdict: One of your better giallo films. ***.  

THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDJ

George Hilton and Edwige Fenech

THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDJ (aka Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh/1971). Director: Sergio Martino. 

In order to get away from her abusive lover, Jean (Ivan Rassimov), Julie  (Edwige Fenech) married her more pliable husband, Neil Wardh (Alberto de Mendoza), first secretary at the American embassy. Jean is still pursuing her when she meets the cousin, George (George Hilton), of her friend Carol (Conchita Airoldi), and with some initial reluctance begins an affair with him. Meanwhile a mad razor slasher is running around the city of Venice where they all live, brutally murdering young women. The latest victim, who went to a park to confront a man blackmailing Julie over her affair, is Carol. Unable to deal with it all, Julie runs off to Spain with George, where her final fate awaits her ... 

the underground garage sequence

The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardj is better-known in shortened versions under the titles Next! or Next Victim! or Blade of the Ripper. Although listed on imdb.com as being 81 minutes long, Strange Vice actually runs 97 minutes (and could have used a little trimming frankly). Still, it's an intriguing giallo film under any title. There is a terrific sequence in an underground parking garage where the killer pursues Julie, and another suspenseful sequence in the gardens of the Schonbrunn Palace. And, of course, the umpteenth shower murder sequence, although this is not done with much elan. Sergio Martino's direction is adequate but not exactly stylish. 

Ivan Rassimov

Edwige Fenech, who made a career starring in movies like this and stripping to her birthday suit at the drop of a hat, is adequate as the unsympathetic heroine, but she was never hired for her acting skills. Born in Uruguay, George Hilton has a certain presence and appeared in a large number of foreign productions, as did Ivan Rassimov, who was actually born in Italy. He was also in Planet of the Vampires. Sergio Martino also directed Torso. 

Verdict: A twisty and unpredictable script will keep you guessing. ***.  

EATER BUNNY MASSACRE: THE BLOODY TRAIL

EASTER BUNNY MASSACRE: THE BLOODY TRAIL (aka Easter Bunny Massacre 2/Easter Killing 2/2022). Director: Jeremy Chi-Hang Au. 

Star (Coco Taylor) and her boyfriend Mark (Harry Boxley, who also wrote the screenplay) go to a five-year reunion party of some old high school friends. The hostess and her boyfriend have already been murdered (in a fairly dull pre-credit sequence), so the bitchy Carla (Charlie Esquer) has taken over. Other guests include Danny (Elliott Eason), Dina (Natasha Rose Mills), Alex (Amber Doig-Thorne) and so on. They all freak out when a tape recording is played and out comes the voice of the dead Lexi (Jenny Miller), who may have committed suicide five years before or may have been murdered after her drink was spiked. Then someone in a ragged bunny suit comes after the group, murdering them one by one. 

The Bloody Trail is a sequel to -- or remake of -- Easter Bunny Massacre as both films basically have the exact same plot. Like the first film, it is an amalgam of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, and has little originality. A somewhat interesting aspect is that there is a gay male couple in the film but you don't know who they are until the flick is nearly over. The cast perform admirably considering that their characters are only lightly sketched in. Charlie Esquer is certainly vivid as the very mean girl Carla, although one could argue that she overplays badly at times, but Elliott Eason hits the mark as the heavily-tattooed Danny. The movie isn't well-paced, but once you get past the tedium of the opening minutes, it will either cast a strange spell on you -- a kind of bad movie voodoo -- or put you to sleep. The flick isn't particularly good but it does have some suspense and surprises. 

Verdict: The bunny outfit in this one isn't very scary. **1/4. 

TOTALLY KILLER

TOTALLY KILLER (2023). Director: Nahnatchka Khan. On Amazon Prime.

35 years ago three 16-year-old girls were butchered by an unknown maniac eventually christened the "sweet 16" killer. Although one young lady, Pam (Julie Bowen), received a threatening note, she was spared -- until the killer shows up again in 2023 and kills her. Pam's grieving daughter, Jamie (Kiernan Shipka), seeks shelter in a time machine built by a friend when the killer pursues her, and inadvertently winds up back in the past on the very day the first murder is to occur. She decides to do everything she can to not only save her mother from her ultimate fate, but save the other girls as well. But it won't be easy, as her teenage mother (Olivia Holt) and her friends are basically all "mean girls." She also finds out that events are not unfolding exactly as they did in the past, meaning no one is safe ...

While I could have done without the film's flippant approach -- obviously trying to come off like a Scream movie -- I must say that the screenplay has some inventive and clever aspects to it. There's a very good sequence dealing with a "Quantum Drop" spaceship ride in the carnival, and more than one good twist. The identity of the killer is a complete surprise but there are still a couple of surprises even after the maniac, who actually has a solid motive, is unmasked. However, haven't we all had enough of mean girls and dumb jocks in horror movies? Shipka and the rest of the cast go through their paces competently. There are frequent references to Back to the Future. 

Verdict: Despite the sillier aspects, this is a decent time-travel slasher movie. ***. 

SCREAM VI

SCREAM VI (2023). Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. 

A lovely young woman is butchered in an alleyway outside a trendy restaurant in Manhattan, but the killer takes off his ghostface mask for the audience to see. Is this a radical change in the Scream franchise formula, will we know who the killer is from the beginning of the film? No, because this psycho is dispatched with by someone else, and then it's anybody's guess as to who's slicing and dicing up anyone who gets in the way of killing heroine Samantha Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) and her little sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega), who were also major characters in the last Scream installment. They and their friends who survived the massacre of the last film have moved to New York City, where of course no one ever gets murdered. But someone is still out to get them. 

Who is Ghostface this time?

Scream VI is slick, effective slasher film material which keeps you in suspense, keeps you guessing, and has you wondering not only who the killer is but which of the characters -- including the "legacy" ones such as reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) -- will survive the latest rampage of the masked Ghostface killer. If you're looking for anything else aside from some spurts of blood and excitement, you won't find it, but the flick is quite entertaining.

Some cast members of Scream VI

There are a couple of stand-out sequences, such as one involving a few cast members trying to escape the slasher by climbing on a precarious ladder that spans across and high above an alleyway. Then there's a creepy scene on the subway, and a climax that takes place in an abandoned movie theater that's been turned into a shrine to the Stab movies-within-a-movie. The acting from a large cast is all professional, although no one will be taking home any Oscars. The trouble with leading lady Barrera is that she just isn't that distinctive. This is better than the last Scream, which had the same two directors.  

Verdict: There's life in the Scream franchise after all, although this may be the last hurrah. *** 

BODYCOUNT

BODYCOUNT (aka Camping del terrore aka Body Count/1986). Director: Ruggero Deodato. 

A group of young people in Colorado pick up Ben (Nicola Farron), a soldier returning home, and he invites them to stay at his parents' camp. Unfortunately his father, Robert (David Hess), isn't thrilled with this idea as the camp has been closed since a couple of murders over a decade ago. Convinced the killer was an "old Indian Shaman," Robert has placed deadly boobytraps throughout the woods. Worse, the Shaman -- or at least a masked killer -- is back, working his way through the cast with mostly knifes and an occasional ax. And Robert's wife Julia (Mimsy Farmer of Four Flies on Gray Velvet) is having an affair with an old boyfriend named Charlie, who happens to be the sheriff  (Charles Napier). Will anyone survive the slaughter and just who is the maniac in charge? 

Clearly influenced by Friday the 13th and other slasher flicks, Bodycount is actually an Italian film, but if you're hoping for a stylish giallo exercise and an intricate plot a la Dario Argento, look elsewhere. The film never picks up speed or tension but just plods along almost haphazardly. The acting is variable but generally efficient, and Hess, Farmer and Napier are clearly the professionals in the bunch. The movie is so underlit at times that it's hard to make out who's being killed in the nighttime sequences. The music includes a snappy rock theme but otherwise the score does little for the picture. 

Verdict: A slasher flick you can miss. **. 

SICK

SICK (2022). Director: John Hyams. Peacock streaming Original.

Parker (Gideon Adlon) and her best friend, Miri (Bethlehem Million), retreat to the former's beautiful and huge family cabin to ride out the pandemic. There are two unexpected visitors, however. DJ (Dylan Sprayberry) is a friend of the ladies who was apparently lured to the cabin. Then there's a masked and murderous assailant who has already sliced and diced a young man named Tyler (Joel Courtney) and is now looking to do the same to the others. Parker goes into survival mode when her friends are viciously attacked. Hoping a woman on the highway will let her into her car so she can escape, she is told she has to wear a mask. Are you kidding me? she screams.

Sick is a lively and suspenseful slasher film that isn't too gross, moves quickly, is generally well-acted, and also gives the killer a very realistic motive for once. (One could argue that it sort of trivializes all the deaths caused by Covid, although I'm surprised there haven't been more crimes/lawsuits inspired by them and other people's irresponsibility.) There is at least one great twist as well. Co-written by Kevin Williamson of Scream fame. 

Verdict: Worth at least one look for slasher fans. ***. 

SCREAM (2022)

SCREAM (2022). Directors: Matt Bettinelli- Olpin and Tyler Gillett. 

Well, a killer wearing a ghostface mask is again on the loose in Woodsboro, 25 years after the events in Scream, and again killing teens and others. Eventually the original participants -- Sidney (Neve Campbell), Dewey (David Arquette) and Gail Weathers (Courteney Cox), all of whom look great -- get involved in trying to find out who's responsible. The trouble with 2022's Scream -- which is basically Scream 5 whether it's called that or not -- is its sheer over-familiarity, In the first "kill" -- as gore geeks refer to the murder scenes -- the victim looks more like a child than a teen, and the word "overkill" occurs for some of the slasher sequences. The move is well-acted by the large cast -- very talented Jenna Ortega is a stand-out -- but not that well-helmed by two -- count 'em -- two directors. Basically this is just a retread of Scream 4, which was better and cleverer. 

Verdict: By no means terrible, but I think we've all had enough screaming. **3/4. 

I'LL ALWAYS KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

Brooke Nevin and David Paetkau

I'LL ALWAYS KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2006). Director: Sylvain White. 

At a 4th of July celebration in a small town in Colorado, a prank that revolves around a series of slayings years ago turns into a tragedy and a resulting cover-up.  A year later Amber (Brooke Nevin), her boyfriend, Colby (David Paetkau) and their friends receive "I Know What You Did" text messages and eventually find themselves stalked and murdered by the fisherman-with-a-hook killer of the first two films in this series. 

The cast discover a corpse

I'll Always Know is, surprisingly, not a remake of I Know What You Did Last Summer, but the second sequel to the film, and it refers to events in the first two movies. The fisherman killer has been turned into a kind of supernatural force -- a la Freddie, Jason and Michael Myers -- which may explain the character's ability to cheat death but is most likely an attempt to create a new horror franchise. This is unlikely, given that the film is mediocre, has an off-putting lack of style, as well as a lack of energy and thrills, and is poorly directed and edited. Horror fanatics may watch it until the end -- and it does hold the attention for the most part -- but it's not a memorable entry in the slasher sweepstakes. 

Verdict: One summer you don't need to revisit. **. 

TRICK

Omar Epps and Ellen Adair

TRICK (2019). Directed and co-written by Patrick Lussier. 

At a high school Halloween party one of the guests, Patrick Weaver (Thom Niemann), suddenly goes berserk, hacking and slashing at everyone and killing several people. Cheryl (Kristina Reyes) manages to subdue him and he is brought to the hospital, where he escapes after falling out of a window. Detective Mike Denver (Omar Epps) is convinced that Patrick -- known as "Trick" -- managed to survive a hail of bullets and a three-story fall, but Sheriff Lisa Jayne (Ellen Adair) isn't so certain. The police determine that "Patrick Weaver" never existed but have no clue as to who he really is. Each year on Halloween more murders occur, with Denver assuming "Trick" is behind them and Jayne thinking it has to be a copycat. After the grisly death of two FBI agents at the hands of Trick, Epps loses his job. but on the next Halloween night he is importuned to get involved again with the maniac he has now been pursuing for several years. Will he survive long enough to get the answers he seeks?

Trick at first seems to be an attempt to duplicate the success of Halloween and Michael Myers, with suggestions of the supernatural, but instead comes up with a reasonably clever -- if rather far-fetched -- explanation for the gruesome goings-on. The trouble with Trick isn't necessarily the screenplay but the mediocre direction, with the film at times seeming disjointed, a slow pace, and moments that are genuinely boring when you should actually be at the edge of your seat. The acting is okay, but my favorite performance is by little Melody Hurd as a cute black girl who quite sensibly wants to get out of a scary Halloween maze that her big sister keeps dragging her into. The only name actors in the film are Jamie Kennedy as a doctor and Tom Atkins as the owner of the local diner. The film goes on too long with a silly coda that adds nothing to the picture but tries to set up an unlikely sequel. The movie could have been an excellent thriller but its sensibilities turn it into just another mediocre slasher film. 

Verdict: Another hoary Halloween horror with some tricks if not treats. **1/4. 

MINER'S MASSACRE/ CURSE OF THE FORTY-NINER

Stephen Wastell as Axl

MINER'S MASSACRE (aka Curse of the Forty-Niner/2002). Director: John Carl Buechler. 

Three couples, including Axl (Stephen Wastell) and Tori (Sangie), set off to a small town because they have been told that there's a mess of gold in a mine there. But a hideous figure -- an old (and deceased) "forty-niner" (Brad H. Arden) -- takes exception to this and begins killing them all off. This is a by-the-numbers slasher film with an uninteresting maniac, and characters that no one can care about. 

John Phillip Law 

The most interesting thing about the movie is the cast. Not the young people -- although they are all professional -- but such veterans as John Phillip Law as the sheriff; Karen Black channeling Agnes Moorehead from Hush ... Hush Sweet Charlotte as batty Aunt Nelly; Martin Kove as her neighbor, Cabel; Richard Lynch as "Old Man Prichard," an early victim of the forty-niner; and Jeff Conaway playing a preacher in a flashback sequence. 

Karen Black as Aunt Nelly

As in Leprechaun, the miner in this wants his stolen gold back -- or else. There is very little originality in the screenplay, which includes flatulence jokes and one scene of Axl having an explosive bowel movement -- what fun! As Axl, Stephen Wastell at least displays some presence. This whole mess was executive- produced by Peter Lupus, who played Willie on Mission: Impossible. His son, Peter Lupus III, produced. 

Verdict: No great reason to waste your time on this one. *1/2. 

HAPPY DEATH DAY

Israel Broussard and Jessica Rothe

HAPPY DEATH DAY (2017). Director: Christopher Landon. Screenplay by Scott Lobdell.

After the death of her mother, college student Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) has turned into a self-absorbed and rather unlikable person. She meets a young man named Carter Davis (Israel Broussard) and finds herself tangled in a Groundhog's Day-type time loop where she relives her birthday over and over. Each time a mysterious figure wearing a goofy clown mask (which somehow makes him more sinister) attacks and kills her. Tree finally figures that only by unmasking and killing her killer can she get back to her normal life. 

Charles Aitken and Jessica Rothe

Happy Death Day has perhaps too many moments of black comedy to sustain tension, but it does hold the attention, and there are a couple of good twists at the end. Rothe is okay as the heroine, who develops a nicer personality throughout her ordeal, and Broussard is appealing as Carter. Ruby Modine makes her mark as Lori, Tree's long-suffering roommate, and Charles Aitken is fine as a teacher with whom she has an affair. Despite the lack of gore, Happy Death Day was a big enough hit to engender a recent sequel Happy Death Day 2U. 

Verdict: Some good surprises help put his over. **1/2. 

RUN, HIDE, DIE

Potential victims

RUN, HIDE, DIE (akaThe Anniversary/2012). Director: Collin Joseph Neal. 

NOTE: This review contains spoilers. 

Addie (Alison Monda) lost her husband to an apparent murder a year ago. To help her get through the memories, a group of girlfriends take her to her former in-laws' cabin for some r and r. After what seems an interminable amount of gal-bonding and silly horseplay (yes, even ladies can make fart jokes), the tone abruptly shifts and the gals all wind up tied up in a bedroom, whimpering and moaning without stop as if they were all eight-years-old. What's strange about this is that their assailant is a middle-aged woman, who turns out to be Addie's former mother-in-law, Janet (Gail Harvey). Then her husband, Jim (Philip D. Clarke) gets in the act. 

star and scripter Alison Monda

Run, Hide, Die was scripted by its star, Alison Monda, who seems out to prove that even female screenwriters can write stories in which women are continuously debased, this time by another woman. There's a kernel of a good idea in this nominal slasher, which takes much too long to get going, and delivers more grossness than genuine horror. The acting is mostly okay, but the direction is pretty routine. One bizarre, almost comical aspect of the story is that Addie knows that her husband actually committed suicide, and doesn't want to tell anyone why. You keep wondering what this shocking revelation could be and it's simply -- get this -- that he's gay? Big whoop! Worse, she finds out that he's gay because he's HIV positive, as if heterosexuals never get HIV. What century is Ms. Monda living in? At least there are a couple of lesbian//bi characters among the young ladies.

But then Monda presents most of the women characters, except the one "final" gal who survives, as utterly helpless whiners who don't seem capable of doing a single thing to fight back against their much, much older attacker. In one tediously drawn-out sequence, none of the women even seem to get angry that they are being held captive. 

Verdict: Perfectly okay, if you've never seen a single other horror flick. *1/2. 

HALLOWEEN (2018)

Michael

HALLOWEEN  (2018). Director: David Gordon Green. 

Forty years after his killing spree in Haddonfield, IL, Michael Myers is transferred to a different facility and, naturally, escapes. His sister, Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis), who has turned her home into a fortress in preparation for his return, sets out with her shotgun to kill him. Meanwhile, Michael murders several individuals. Will Laurie finally wipe out the brother who tried to kill her? 

Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie

Who cares? I was never a particularly big fan of the original Halloween, only saw a couple of the mostly mediocre sequels, and found this one (which, I believe, ignores the events of the previous "sequels") to be distinctly unoriginal, and eventually, rather dull. The script is disjointed, the pacing is off, and there are only a couple of moments of suspense and very few thrills. Oddly, critics seemed to like the movie even more than the fans, some even finding it "terrifying" and "well-directed." I can only imagine they fell asleep and had a scary nightmare. 

Laurie's daughter and grand-daughter in the cellar

One critic liked the film because of its suggestion of female empowerment, since Laurie, her daughter, and her grand-daughter, all square off against Michael at the climax, but apparently this very young reviewer hasn't seen many slasher films and has no awareness of the whole "final girl" trope. There are a couple of likable kids in the movie: a young boy who tells his father that he likes spending time with him hunting, but would rather go to dance class that night (Billy Elliot?) -- too bad that he doesn't -- and little Julian (Jibrail Nanttambu), a black kid whose babysitter comes to a bad end. 

Verdict: The film doesn't have enough energy for its own good. *1/2.