Categories: Movie and Series Reviews, Horror

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 3/5

Categories 3/5, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews

A Nightmare on Elm Street trips over a lot of rough acting and disproportional responses by characters. Also there is no way all *that part* happened in the span of 10 minutes.

Some effects do not work at all, like stepping into bowls of oatmeal or the terrible door-pull, but they are sparse. The worst offenders take place anytime anyone is running anywhere. I don’t think Wes Craven knew what running is supposed to look like or how silly it looked having supernatural Freddy sorta-trip over a trash can that wasn’t really in the way. The boobytrap stuff also feels silly and wrecks the tone a bit. That all being said, Freddy is a presence to be afraid of and genre defining moments shine even by modern expectations.

It is easy to see how A Nightmare on Elm Street is significant to film as a whole.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024) 3.5/5

Categories 3.5/5, Action, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews

I’m actually excited about this movie, even though I only initially tuned in as a way to waste some time. I heard the reviews, and I was ready for something bad. This isn’t that though. I thought the characters were great and the setting was fun. It is not a perfect movie but I hope there is a world where Jack Kesy gets to be Hellboy again.

Speak No Evil (2024) 3.5/5

Categories 3.5/5, Drama, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews, Thriller

The theme of masculinity runs through the film, and I can see a lot of people misplacing frustration at certain characters actions and missing the point. It is definitely more of a slow moving train, but its actors all do a job of carrying that pace.

Alien: Covenant (2017) 2.5/5

Categories 2.5/5, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews, Sci-Fi, Thriller

The ending, begging you to be surprised but just sucking all of the excitement out of the action packed air because you know what is coming, takes the movie down a lot. The start of the film was great, promising something that blended Prometheus and its philosophical side with a bit more horror. However, it all derails.

Additionally, you never get the sense of fear from daring stunts or horrifying sights that you would expect, like you got from the original Alien. You are seeing awful things and witnessing daring stunts, but the characters aren’t responding as if that is what is going on.

I’m really bothered by Covenant in a similar way to Prometheus, it is so damn uneven in its executions. What ultimately hurts the movie most though is the former, you cannot build suspense for so long on something that is so obvious.

I will say that the aesthetic of the franchise feels more realized here than in Prometheus. Plus, just like in Prometheus, there are a couple of scenes that are cool on their own.