Gore & More Movie Reviews

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  • Last Night in Soho (2021) Movie Review

    I. Plot

    Last Night in Soho is sort of like a supernatural adventure, a terrifying one at that, into the great depths of the unknown. From Writer and Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Ant-Man, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, & Baby Driver). Comes a supernatural mystery and pseudo-psychological thriller so masterfully put together that no one could have seen it coming. The film centers around a young woman named Eloise, played by the lovely and radiant Thomasin Mckenzie, who, reeling from the tragedy of losing her mother to suicide, is leaving the care of her justifiably overprotective maternal grandmother (Rita Tushingham) to travel to London to begin studying fashion. We learn very quickly that Eloise has the power to see the supernatural, as she sees her deceased mother in her bedroom mirror before she departs for London. 

    Upon arriving in London, Eloise very quickly realizes that it’s not all she thought it would be. Her roommate (Synnove Karlsen) turns out to be quite unhinged, smoking cigarettes and drinking in the room. There were also several instances of bullying and being made fun of. Jocasta’s presence in this film actually ends up being very important, as we will find out later. For now, Eloise decides it’s in her best interest to find lodging elsewhere. As a result, she rents a room upstairs in an older woman’s house (Ms. Collins; played by Diana Rigg) hoping she’ll be able to live a quieter life. Unfortunately, that’s not what happens. When she goes to sleep at night, she’s transported back to the 1960s where she encounters this woman named Sandie (Anya-Taylor Joy). 

    Every time she goes to sleep in that house at night, she sees this woman dancing and performing on stage. Apparently, it was Sandie’s dream to sing and perform. She was told to talk to a man named Jack who would get her set up with some gigs, but unfortunately, they were not singing and dancing gigs, they used her as their “serial whore”. Eloise then thinks she sees Sandie get murdered by Jack, and at the same time, she is being haunted by all these older male ghosts and we, the audience, have seemingly no clue what is going on. As it turns out, Sandie is Eloise’s landlord and the ghosts who have been haunting her are hundreds of men that she stabbed and killed and hid in the walls and under the floorboards of her house. In the end, Eloise empathizes with her landlord, not killing her, and getting her and her very loyal friend John out of that burning house.

    II. Analysis

    There are several key components from the film to go over, some routine, some not:

    1. Acting: Obviously Thomasin Mckenzie’s performance as Eloise was the glue that held this film together in multiple ways. First, whenever she had to act like a person who was completely crazy and insane, she was able to do it, do it incredibly frequently, and make it believable every single time. Through her facial expressions and body language, as well as tone of voice, you could tell what she was feeling and how others around her were making her feel. Anya Taylor-Joy put on a great show acting as Sandie. She was a voluptuous dancer, good singer, and came across as a very competent partner. You could easily tell she liked the dancing but not what she had to do at the end of it all. Michael Ajao as John was very believable as an overly concerned friend. He was unconditionally loyal to Ellie and his superb acting plus his role in the film is a symbol of what a true friend should be. Eloise’s overly concerned grandmother was very sweet, and I thought Rita Tushingham played off this role very well. I really don’t have a negative word to say about anyone from the acting crew. Everyone performed wonderfully!
    2. Twist/Ending: The twist at the end was certainly unexpected, but it perfectly explains why Eloise has been seeing all those male ghosts following her around; because they are all men who Sandie had murdered and then stowed away within the walls and floorboards of her house. Sandie’s motive for killing these men is quite simple: REVENGE! She believes that by turning her into their prostitute, they killed her figuratively, so now she was going to kill them literally. And really what this means is, the souls of these men that she killed are trapped in some sort of purgatory. They are stagnant and can’t move, unless Sandie is killed. But Eloise empathizes with Sandie at the end, agreeing with her that these men deserve to be trapped, and she lets sandie live. Later on, when Eloise looks in the mirror, we see the young version of Sandie look back and wink at her because in some sense, she spared Sandie and brought her back to life somewhat. Now she has her mom AND sandie behind her. Overall, I thought this ending was very well-written, intricately crafted, and quite unpredictable. All the pieces come together. The men stay trapped because what they did to Sandie was completely wrong, and now Eloise has one extra entity looking after her in addition to her mom. 
    3. Purpose of Jocasta: Jocasta was there simply to act as the awful, disgusting roommate so that Eloise would make the judgment that she couldn’t bear the mental torture and look for lodging some place else. Jocasta had to be there because, without her, what would have prompted Eloise to move into the apartment with Ms. Collins and do all she had to do there? 
    4. Why Did She Have a Vision of Sandie Being Stabbed & Not Jack?: When Eloise was lying in bed and having that vision of Sandie being stabbed, even though in real life, Sandie is the one who stabbed Jack 100 times, she saw the opposite because, according to Ms. Collins, that business actually did kill her younger self. With Jack being the man who got Sandie started, it only makes sense symbolically that Eloise sees him stab younger Sandie rather than the other way around. 
    5. Character Development: Even though there aren’t many characters in this movie, I do believe Eloise adopts a sense of strength, bravery, and even empathy, as does John, especially towards the end of the movie. There’s even a bit of quick character development when Ms. Collins finally realizes it’s simply too late for her and so she lets go and pleads for the young college kids to save themselves before the house burns down.  
    6. Setting & Music: The setting & music were quite wonderful. I was not alive in the ‘60s but it certainly seems like a quaint, jazzy time. The dancing looks fun; the records Eloise plays at bedtime are very peaceful and beautiful. I could meditate to some of them. London is also very beautiful. I’ve never been, but I like that gothic look. 

    III.Themes

    1. You Can’t Get Back What You Lost: This theme becomes very evident when we think about the ending to the movie. Thinking of the fact that Sandie killed all those men, yet she never got back what those men took away from her. Killing these men is symbolic of an insane act to bring back the past but, of course, that is not possible. So, while what those men did to Sandie was inexplicable, murdering them was completely pointless. It’s simply an attempt to fill a void that will never be filled. 
    2. You Reap What You Sow: In the case of the men who sexually abused and brutalized Sandie, even though two wrongs do not make a right, the idea of consequence still applies. These men did what they did; they tortured this poor young woman, and they thought they could get away with it, but Sandie made sure they did not. In essence, Sandie was their retribution. And now, the souls of these men remain trapped in that purgatory Sandie has created for them in her house. In essence, this movie’s main theme is about the act of retribution, just performed so, in the harshest of ways. 
    3. Sometimes Being a Loyal Loved One Isn’t Enough: John is a sweet presence throughout the movie as he consistently makes every effort possible to try and help and support to Eloise, despite all the other girls teasing/bullying her and Eloise’s strange behavior. It’s incredibly nice to know you have people such as these in our lives, but sometimes they’re in too deep and or well in over their heads. John simply wouldn’t give up on trying to be there for Eloise, even at the end of the movie, and because of his persistence, he ends up getting hurt (e.g. stabbed in the stomach). Luckily, he survives, but the point here is that in close relationships, boundaries should exist to guide how much of a role each person is allowed to engage in helping the other, this way nobody ends up getting hurt. 

    PLOT: 4.7/5 ACTING: 5/5 SETTING & MUSIC: 4.8/5

    THEMES: 5/5 COSTUMES: 5/5 CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 4.8/5

    OVERALL: ~5/5, A

  • Totally Killer (2024) Movie Review

    I. Plot

    In the movie Totally Killer, directed by Nanatchka Kahn (Always Be My Maybe) and with a screenplay/story written by David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver, and Jen D Angelo, Kiernan Shipka plays Jamie, a teenager in high school, as she lives in the town of North Vernon (in 2023), where it has been 35 years (1987) since the rampage of the Sweet 16 Killer. This serial killer took the lives of three 16-year-old girls, stabbing them all 16 times, the first being Tiffany Clark (Liana Liberato), on her sixteenth birthday.

    Back in present-day, we are introduced to Chris Dubasage (Jonathan Potts), a crime podcaster who is seemingly obsessed with the 35-year-old murders and is trying to keep the public interested in them with his podcast. It is Halloween Night in 2023, and Jamie wants to go to a concert with her best friend Amelia (Kelcey Melwama), and Pam Miller (Julie Bowen), who is incredibly careful this time of year each year due to her presence around the time of the killings in 1987, asks her husband to drive her to make sure she is safe. 

    Unfortunately, being alone in the house will cost Pam her life. She is attacked in her home by a killer dawning the same clothing and mask as the Sweet 16 Killer back in 1987 and after what is a strong and valiant fight put up by Pam, she is cornered as she is stabbed 16 times this masked maniac. Jamie, who had been so rude before leaving for the concert, is completely distraught. Then, on the next day, Jamie is chased by the killer into Amelia’s non-working time machine.

    However, upon the killer stabbing the counsel with his knife, the machine works and brings Jamie back to October 27th, 1987, as that’s the date of the first Sweet 16 murder. Upon arriving, Jamie comes to realize that all the Sweet 16 victims, including her mother, are all part of the same friend group called the Mollies, due to their mutual worship of Molly Ringwald. She also meets the younger version of Amelia’s mother, Lauren Creston (Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson), whom she explains her situation to. While Jamie tries to fit in with the Mollies and prevent the murders from happening so she can save her mom 35 years later, Lauren tries to work on a new time machine to eventually get Jamie back home to 2023.

    II. Analysis

    Opening Scene: The opening scene to the film, where the Sweet 16 Killer returns and takes Pam’s life is thrilling and exciting at first because she puts up one hell of a fight. She even yells out when he starts to attack her, “Don’t you think I’ve been ready to be potentially murdered for the last 35 years?” The audience can see Pam knows self-defense and is incredibly resourceful with weapons as well when trying to win the battle. The best part is probably the killer goes out the back door and then surprises Pam by coming back and rushing her through the front. It is incredibly sad when Pam is finally overtaken and killed, especially when one sees how upset and distraught Jamie is. Now the undertone for the movie is set. Pam’s death must be avenged. This scene is so clever as it establishes a wild mystery that provokes a lot of thought and curiosity.

    Why wait 35 years (such a long time)? Why Pam? Because she was a Molly?

    Similarities to Other Films: There were both allusions to other films and similarities to a number of others. For example, as will be discussed more later in the section describing the movie’s themes, the Mollies were huge bullies. Young Pam (Olivia Holt) even names a numerous amount of classmates they’ve bullied by their bullied nicknames. This is like a Mean Girls situation and Jamie even calls it exactly that in the movie. In reference to the murders, two other movies that were directly referenced were Halloween and Scream, which, in my opinion, this particular movie is a slight upgrade from in that the killer is much less clumsy here and the victims do put up valiant fights. Also, Jamie brings up Back to the Future about a thousand times as she tries to find a way to convince the local police and the Mollies that her story is true. 

    Finally, although not directly referenced in the movie, other slasher films similar to this one that have time travel in it include: Tim Cut, Happy Death Day 2U, Detention, & The Final Girls. Time Cut was probably the most similar, and in fact, almost a carbon copy of Totally Killer, which is not good since it came out a year later. However, the overall plot and ending in Time Cut make no sense, so our movie here still holds itself together better. Happy Death Day 2U is also very emotionally charged like Totally Killer in the sense that the main character, due to being transferred to a parallel universe by one of the character’s Sisysphus Quantum Cooling Reactors (SISSY); probably a little more sophisticated than a time machine, where her mother is still alive, as opposed to her own timeline, where her mother is dead. So, the heroine must make a choice on which timeline to stay in. The difference here is that Jamie is actively trying to save her mother by preventing these murders. There is never a time at all where she gives it a second thought. The climax in all these movies cannot compare to the one in Totally Killer though.

    Dark Comedy: Totally Killer certainly had a dark and wicked sense of humor and sometimes the humor is so ridiculous and exaggerated that it’s laugh-out-loud funny. A few examples would be:

    • Dodgeball in the gym with Coach Zane after Jamie transports back to 1987 and is told to go to gym class. The girls are literally beating the snot out of each other with the dodgeballs. It’s actually quite similar to that scene from the movie Dodgeball (1993), where the coach yells, “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!”
    • When the Mollies, Randy, Blake, and Jamie are at the cabin in the woods and Jamie is trying to get them to be careful and all of the sudden yells out, “Oh my God!” Then there’s a long pause, meant to trick the audience into thinking that she saw something trouble, but then a few seconds later she says, “I forgot to bring vodka!”
    • When Jamie gives the police the killer’s blood, thinking they could use his DNA to find him, not realizing it’s 1987 and that technology hadn’t been invented yet. The officers had a field day with her, mocking her and being super sarcastic. It was, however, fairly comical in its own dark way. 

    Thus, I think horror-comedy was very much achieved by the screenwriters of this film. I don’t believe this film could have been as exceptional as it was without all the dark comedy. 

    Climax: Totally Killer has a thrilling, action-packed, unexpected climax. In an effort to catch the killer once and for all, the Mollies and Jamie used Marisa as bait to draw the killer to the House of Horrors at the carnival, where each of them is hiding, waiting with weapons ready to fight, strike, and kill the Sweet 16 Killer once and for all. However, there’s a twist: there’s 2 killers!

    Killer #1: Young Doug, a teen who knew of the Mollies but ended up becoming more of an outsider, was the first killer. Kara, daughter of her father who is Chief of Police, stabbed him through the chest with her scythe, killing him. No one could understand why Doug could have wanted him to target the Mollies. Then, Jamie sees a locket he is wearing, a picture of himself with some girl the Mollies dub Fat Trish. They were apparently in a romantic relationship, yet there was a rumor going around that Trish slept with Coach Zane. The Mollies (except Pam which is why she was spared) invited Trish to a sleepover where they got her insanely drunk in an effort to get her to tell the truth. She forced her way out, apparently calling Doug on the way, and then died in a car accident one year ago. The murders in 1987 line up perfectly with the car accident from one year ago. This is a feel very similar to a slasher saga such as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). In my opinion, the execution of the kills, the creation of an elaborate motive based on revenge, and the ritualistic significance of the number 16 were all perfect. The only slight criticism I have is when Lurch and Jamie are in the parking lot with Doug and he gets a little too excited about videogame graphics and brags about having taken 8 years of Karate.

    Killer #2: Killer #2 is quite complicated. You see, in most movies where there are multiple killers, such as Scream, The Strangers, Happy Death Day 2U, & Heart Eyes, Killer #2 in this movie was a complete lone wolf because he was not around in 1987. Killer #2 is Chris Dubusage from the future! From 2023! He’s the one who dressed up like the Sweet 16 Killer and murdered Jamie’s mom, Pam, in 2023. Then, when he saw the details of the murders being altered back in 1987 due to Jamie trying to prevent them, 2023 Chris used the time machine so he could go back to 1987 and hopefully stop Jamie to keep the story of the murders alive. And what was his motive for killing Pam in 2023? Well, “it’s hard to sustain interest in 3 murders that happened 35 years ago.” Thus, his motive, partly driven by childhood neglect as his own father was obsessed with his personal legacy, was simply to kill Pam so the story could continue, and he could become more famous. In the end, Jamie wins the fight and kills Chris and returns to 2023 with both parents alive. Ameila’s mother gives Jamie a book she wrote about all the differences from her previous 2023 life.

    Even though fame is a common motive for murder in these types of movies, I think that the writers and director pulled it off perfectly. Throwing in a little childhood trauma and envy of his father and even the fact that his father won 2 Pulitzers likely created great resentment. So, Chris wanted to create his own legacy, and he tried to do this through his podcast about the murders. But with interest dwindling after 35 years, he had to reignite it. Thus, he started by killing Pam and made an attempt to go after Jamie but she escaped in Amelia’s time machine. The writing, the motive, the fights and altercations, all executed to near perfection. Only criticism would be that Chris was SO involved and obsessed with the investigation, which had me thinking in the very back of my mind that he could be involved, but it’s only a tiny, tiny critique. 

    Acting: The acting in this movie was pretty damn exceptional, especially coming from a Bhorror slasher film such as this. The main crew in both 1987 and 2023 did the best. Kiernan Shipka was so incredibly endearing with such expressive eyes throughout the whole film. You could see the moments of sorrow and grief just by looking at her face, and particularly directly into her eyes. When she was sobbing over her mom’s murder, you just wanted to hold her tight and tell her that everything would be alright. In 2023, Julie Bowen plays off the role of concerned mother well and then fighting against the killer like she was Wonder Woman or something! In 2023, Amelia, played by Kelcey Malwema, seemed to legitimately express geuine care and affection towards Jamie, as can be seen when she tries like Hell to fix the time machine so she can go to 1987 and get Jamie out of there. Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson playing Amelia’s mother in 1987 also showed a similar level of care and affection towards Jamie (expressed in her face) and she was committed to creating a time machine to get Amy back to 2023. The whole Mean Girls thing was nice for a while, but the character development that took place in and outside the main friend group when they finally started taking Jamie seriously was quite refreshing. 

    Setting & Music: The setting was absolutely perfect for the 1980s. There wasn’t much law enforcement or security/checking at the school, everybody smoked weed, everybody drank alcohol, and nobody had a care in the world. It was a great depiction of what the 80s were really like, albeit with quite a bit of exaggeration as is a common occurrence in this film. The exaggeration works well though. It allows the audience to be drawn into this nostalgic atmosphere and sort of have an otherworldly experience as the movie plays on. 

    III.  Themes

    There are several different themes that emerge as the movie plays. One is obvious: bullying. The presence of bullying in our schools and in our society is a travesty. Bullying someone can have long-lasting, perhaps completely destructive effects on that person. Look at what happened to Trish! She got super drunk, drove home, and got in a car accident, which unleashed the Sweet 16 killer one year later! There should never be any bullying. No Mean Girls (Mollies). Just kindness, caring, love, and respect. Racism/Prejudice is also an underlying theme. A perfect example of this is the picture of the Indian smoking the cigarette on the side of the school. No good! And neither is Underage Drinking/Drug Use. This is incredibly dangerous for so many reasons. In this movie, it killed Trish and unleashed the Sweet 16 Killer. This film is obviously taking a shot at underage drinking, and it is very successful. Also, looking at the evolution of Chris Dubasage, we see Trauma & Neglect during childhood can ripple downstream and create another monster.  And finally, Live in The Moment! Cherish those you love. And let them know you love them. You never know when it’ll be the last time you can see them. 

    There was another theme that emerged when Chris and Jamie were in the Quantum Drop at the end. Chris talks about being like Michael Myers and how the more people know about the Sweet 16 Killer, the more famous he becomes! He even bellows out, “Maybe one day I’ll win a Pulitzer!” This is all clearly an extreme manifestation of Grandiose Narcissism. The fantasies of wealth, popularity and success, the manipulation/exploitation of others (through his podcast), his inherent belief that he’s special and unique, and his craving for power all point to this unfortunate situation. I would go as far to say as, even though he didn’t say it directly, Chris was likely to keep killing in the present day and then use his podcast as a way of getting people interested in them. I mean, as he says, “he’s the expert!” And you know why he’s the expert? Because he’s the one committing the murders! So in order to prevent a copycat serial killer in the making from getting away, she had to stop him. NOW. And she did. Which brings us to our final theme: Grandiose Narcissism may make you feel large, powerful, special, & unique, but the exact opposite is true. The more grandiose you get, the smaller you become and the less power you have. Eventually the grandiosity will overcome you completely and you won’t have any power at all (e.g. Chris’s violent death against the wall of the Quantum Drop is a symbol for this).

    Individual Scores

    PLOT: 4.8/5                            ACTING: 4.7/5                               SETTING & MUSIC: 4.3/5

    THEMES: 4.5/5                      COSTUMES: 4.7/5              

    OVERALL: ~4.5 out of 5, A-

  • Last Straw (2023) Movie Review

    I.   Plot

    We find out at the start of the movie that Nancy Osborne, the main character played by Jessica Belkin, is pregnant. At this point in the movie, Nancy seems unsure of who the father is or what to do about the baby, but it seems like she’s leaning towards getting an abortion. We soon find out she works at a diner called the Fat Bottom Bistro that her and her father own together. We also find out her mother passed away some years ago and that was potentially traumatic for her. Nancy is a manager at the diner, but no one, especially the main cook, Jake Collins played by Taylor Kowalski, seem to respect her at all. In fact, when the motorcycle gang of crazy teens invades the restaurants, starts threatening Nancy and dropping tons of profanities at her, Jake is laughing and making and making fun of her the whole time. 

    As a result of Jake’s asinine behavior, Nancy impulsively decides to fire him. Then everybody else, including Jake’s brother Petey who appears to be on the Autism spectrum and Bobby, who clearly has a crush on Nancy, all walk out of the restaurant like they plan to go on strike. Later that night, it appears Nancy is being attacked by the same kids from the before on the mopeds as they are dawning the same masks and torturing her in the same way. She calls the police, and they send the sheriff over, but they kill him. Then the assailants pull off their masks to reveal that it was the other employees from the restaurant, including Jake Collins whom she fired, who were behind the whole attack.

    We now flash back to the story from Jake’s point-of-view. He had pled with Nancy to keep this job because he needs money for his medications and other important bills, but she wouldn’t hear of it. He was done. He tried to get his medication anyway but couldn’t but instead smoked a ton of crack instead. He and Petey then came across the kids with the mopeds, brutally murdered them, and stole their weapons, masks, and mopeds. Jake recruited everyone else at the diner to torture Nancy and now we see the night played out through the point-of-view of the assailants. 

    Jake fell out of control and started killing everybody that didn’t abide by his orders, such as Bobby, who didn’t want to be a part of this because he loved Nancy. Nancy stabbed Jake in the back in the front of the diner. But then Jake takes a large knife and stabs Nancy 3 times, including once where her baby should be. Although it looks like she’s dead, she wakes up towards the very end, goes to Jake’s mobile home, and slashes his throat wide open, killing him. Nancy is then walking through a field, grunting because she is in a lot of pain. She falls to the ground, and we see a flashback where she’s asking her friend Tabitha, “What’s the point of it all?

    What’s the point in going on?” Her father finds her, and she says, “Daddy, my baby.”

    II. Analysis

     Firstly, the only one who displayed major character development was Nancy. In the beginning of the movie, when she found out she was pregnant, she was ready to get an abortion, almost like she didn’t have much regard for human life. However, by the end of the movie, this seems to have changed. She seems to become more of an altruistic force and no longer narcissistic. She says to her father at the end of the movie, “Daddy, my baby.” It seems like, for the first time, she is genuinely caring about this baby, something/someone other than herself, which is a huge, positive character development and personality change for her.

    Clearly, the attack on Nancy at the diner by her fellow workers is representative of the darkness and evil that results when you treat others selfishly, rudely, and disrespectfully. Jake took Nancy’s behavior towards him and turned into a night of torture and mayhem for her. Also, what really drove Jake to act so crazy was clearly the drugs he was using to cope. He was smoking crack, and this caused him to go out of his mind, kill the moped kids, recruit everyone else, and go after Nancy.

    There were also parallels to other home invasion films. Notably, there were numerous similarities to The Strangers (2008). In both movies, the beginning scenes start by displaying the “after” shot of what happened, in other words, the dead bodies, bloody floors and weapons, a call to 911, etc. This type of beginning scene is also done in He’s Out There (2018). Furthermore, there are several scenes of knocking and pounding on the windows and doors of the diner, whereas in The Strangers (2008), the assailants try to scare Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman with loud knocking and banging on the front door as well. Also, there is a lot of different music played both by Nancy and the killers and the assailants in The Strangers (2008) also play records on the record machine. In both instances, this method works well to add to the eerie setting of each movie. There was also a scene in The Strangers (2008) where the main characters are tied up in chairs before they are stabbed to death by “The Strangers”. There is a similar scene in this movie where Nancy and Bobby are tied to chairs using duct tape and Nancy asks, “Why are you doing this to me?” Just like Liv Tyler asks “The Strangers” but Nancy and Bobby aren’t stabbed while in the chairs.

    Finally, there is a major parallel between this movie and the one called I See You (2019). In this movie, similarly to this one, the first half is told through the point-of-view of the protagonist, but then, it shifts to the other side halfway through to the point-of-view of the young man who had been living in the house waiting to reek revenge because the protagonist had abducted him as a little boy. So, very similar plot structures here, which, I think strengthen the movie rather than bring it down.

    III. Acting, Setting, & Music

    The acting wasn’t all that great outside of Jessica Belkin who played Nancy. She seemed legitimately scared and frightened, especially when yelling at the sheriff, for example. But her crying was also believable and also when she wasn’t feeling well. And the ending scene where she talks about the meaning of life and what’s the point in going on was well-done. She did a good job conveying herself as a disillusioned 20-year-old who has no idea what she’s doing with her life. Very sad. Everyone else really over-acted their parts. Too much screaming, cursing, etc. when there didn’t need to be. Not really all that believable. The only other one that was believable was Bobby. He had a crush on Nancy, and the actor did an excellent job displaying that crush and his immense disappointment that she didn’t feel the same way. Oh, and by the way, if I’m interpreting this right from the movie, I’m pretty sure Nancy’s baby is his. 

    The setting for this movie was nearly perfect. An isolated diner in the middle of nowhere, middle of the night, no one around. Just an incredibly clever spin on the usual type of setting to a home invasion film. Actually, reminds me of When a Stranger Calls (2006). That was a 3-story house, so lots of room to move around in, but also lots of room to move around in the diner even though it’s small. Never know when something or somebody is going to pop up! The music in this movie was unique. There was a lot of techno and hard rock that I do believe made the atmosphere quite special. 

    IV. Themes

    The following themes are apparent to me in this movie:

    1. Always try to be altruistic and care about others in addition to yourself. Narcissism will only lead to loneliness and people potentially wanting to seek vengeance against you.
    2. Always try to find some reason to keep going on. I promise you, it’s there (e.g. for Nancy, it’s her baby). Life does have meaning. We just have to find it somewhere.
    3. Don’t use drugs and alcohol as a replacement for prescription medicine.
    4. “Trauma is a gateway drug” ~Jake Collins from the movie.

    PLOT: 4/5                    ACTING: 3/5                   SETTING: 4.5/5                            MUSIC: 4/5

    CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 4/5 (Nancy).          TOTAL:  3.9/5, B+

  • Welcome to My Movie Review Website!

    Welcome to Gore & More Movie Reviews, my official movie review page, primarily for reviews of horror movies. Just a warning, THERE ARE SPOILERS in my reviews as I like to dig deep and really analyze the substance and what is at the root of the themes and underlying motives for driving the action that is happening in the movie and characters. Occasionally I may review a movie that is not horror, or, if by some chance I feel like posting a work of literature, such as a poem or a short story, I may do that as well. At minimum I’ll try to post something new at least once per week. Enjoy!

    -Michael