My weekend watches:
The Invitation: I had heard some props to this movie, so I didn't peep the trailer...and thank God. I went in pretty blind and I think that might be the only way this movie works. There's an air of mystery and twist that becomes more and more obvious as you watch, but the trailer just gives that shyt away and ruins the intrigue of the movie. But, without the trailer we get a Gothic Romance with a dark twist on our usual POV. So it is very much paint by numbers if you know what it's about, but if you go in blind then it's a bit of intrigue that gives way to a genuine horror movie.
On the scare-factor...it's best hits are jump scares unfortunately. But I'll give this director credit in switching up the timing. At this point, we've all gotten too adjusted to the timing and cadence of a jump scare. You know when to expect one and most directors only throw you off the scent with fake jump scares to let your guard down. This movie had a couple that truly came out of no where and I liked that. But otherwise, this is more fun than scary. I think the dialogue is the highlight.
I'd rate it average more than anything, but a fun popcorn type of movie. I've seen complaints because it didn't reinvent the wheel, but that's fine by me. Sometimes I just want a good old fashioned horror and this kinda fit that bill.
The Last Broadcast: This was a horror bucket-list movie for me. Everyone that talks found-footage mentions this with the Blair Witch as the first couple of legit found footage movies. So while I'm binging that particular horror genre, I tried it out. It's essentially a documentary film about three men who went into the woods in search of the Jersey Devil for a public access show and wound up disappearing or dead. Only one man returned and he was immediately locked up for murder, but the cops rushed to conclusions and the found footage points to something or someone else being involved.
I thought it was really engaging and interesting. It plays out like a good docuseries with the story unfolding next to interviews and revelations from friends and colleagues. The narrator has a creepy voice and the score is really strong to add to the vibe...plus the Pine Barrens woods are pretty creepy to me in real life. But there's a last-minute twist and reveal that sorta ruined the whole vibe for me. I went from genuinely creeped out and curious for answers to rolling my eyes as the credits rolled. It's definitely worth a watch for aficionados but the anticlimax probably explains why it didn't blow like Blair Witch or some found footage joints that followed.
The Andy Baker Tape: I started this one, but in terms of slow burns...this went over half an hour without a scare and then when it got close to something creepy it was redoing a scare from a VHS short. So I cut out early and put it on my "maybe I'll get back to it" pile.
was horror itself
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