FRIGHT FEST: LISA FRANKENSTEIN

Set in 1989, Lisa Frankenstein follows traumatized teen Lisa Swallows. Alienated and outcast, she spends most of her time in a dilapidated graveyard where she befriends a handsome headstone. When an intense bolt of lightning sends the corpse buried under said headstone stumbling to Lisa’s front door, together they embark on a murderous mission to make the corpse whole again.

Lisa Frankenstein is Diablo Cody’s return to horror-comedies after a fifteen year absence. Her previous effort was the wildly popular Jennifer’s Body (directed by Karyn Kusama). While that film tried to do both horror and comedy equally, Lisa Frankenstein leans fully into the comedy with better results. 

Kathryn Newton plays the titular Lisa, and does a pretty good job (Certainly better than her efforts in Quantumania). She makes Lisa a very likable character, even as she grows into an arguably worse person as the flick rolls on. Carla Gugino (QUEEN!), plays Janet, the reluctant and hateful adoptive mother of Lisa. While her role/performance can’t match the insane heights of her role in The Fall of the House of Usher, Gugino is still very funny and memorable with limited screen time (and yes, thankfully there is a RHPS joke involving her). 

Liza Soberano is very good as Taffy, Lisa’s adopted sister. Taffy is one of the cool, popular girls at school. She’s shown to be fairly dumb and vain, but is one of the few characters who treats Lisa with any kind of kindness and empathy. She’s surprisingly likable and memorable. 

Cole Sprouse (of Zack and Cody and Riverdale fame) plays the re-animated corpse that Lisa falls for. He is mute for 99% of the movie, but his reactions to events are highly entertaining. He does a lot with just his body language, the way he moves, and his facial expressions. It also doesn’t hurt that Cody grew up to be pretty damn cute (and all of his outfits look great on him)! He just about steals every scene he’s in. I can’t wait to see him in more movies.

Zelda Williams (daughter of Robin Williams) directs Lisa Frankenstein. She has directed some very independent films before, but she seems to have mostly directed music videos. Under her direction, Lisa leans heavily into the goofy and the silly. It can be a bit jarring, but at least it’s consistent with its humorous tone. 

Mark Worthington is in charge of production design and Paula Huidobro does cinematography (and is it just me, or is Huidobro too much fun to say?). Lisa Frankenstein is highly stylized, so-much-so it practically bleeds style. The film looks and feels like it’s set in the late 80s, to the point where audiences should be able to tell the time period it’s set in just by the way the flick looks (we don’t get confirmation of the year until well into the 2nd act). Lisa features two delightful animated sequences as well as a fun dream sequence. These, as well as the overall tone and style, help to set Lisa Frankenstein apart from other films of its ilk.

Those expecting any kind of horror from Lisa Frankenstein are bound to be disappointed. It would seem Diablo Cody learned lessons from Jennifer’s Body and has decided to stick to what she does best: Comedy. Lisa is practically wall-to-wall jokes, and most work incredibly well. There’s also a good deal of heart and sweetness hidden under the cotton-candy bubblegum aesthetics. Lisa does feel like it wraps up a little too quickly, but when that’s the biggest problem with your film, there is little need to worry. 

Lisa Frankenstein is certainly flawed in some respects, but damn if it isn’t a bunch of laugh-filled fun. Diablo Cody’s return to horror-comedies is mostly a success. Luckily for us, this flick is far from a shambling, stumbling corpse. It’s confident, assured, and fairly memorable. Teens and adults should find much to enjoy with this macabre, funny flick.

3 STARS

FRIGHT FEST: IMMACULATE

In Immaculate, Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney) moves from the U.S. to Italy to take her vows and become a nun. While boarding at the local convent, she awakens to find that she has become miraculously pregnant. Those at the convent begin to worship Cecilia, seeing this as the work of God, but Cecilia isn't so sure. Things might not be as they appear. 

Immaculate is way more of a bonkers, silly B-movie than you would expect (I’m honestly not sure the film knew it was silly/ a B-movie). It reminded me of A Cure For Wellness in a weird way. Sydney Sweeney easily earns her status as a scream queen. Álvaro Morte as Father Sal Tedeschi is great as well. Bernadetta Percarolli as Sister Gwen is memorable in a supporting role with minimal screen time. 

There isn’t much development for our characters (Sister Gwen, Sydney Sweeney’s Sister Cicelia, and Father Sal Tedeschi get the most, and even then it’s pretty thread bare), and the film feels fairly simple and straight-forward. There’s also a good deal of jump-scares, none of which are all that effective or scary. 

It’s not until the start of the third act that Immaculate reveals it’s secretly been a B-movie all along. The last 20 minutes goes-for-broke, and the final 3 or 4 minutes are quite memorable (though I wish they had shown more). Immaculate is entertaining/ “fun”, very fucked up, and very sacrilegious. Not today, Satan!

3 STARS

FRIGHT FEST: THE FIRST OMEN

 The First Omen follows Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), a young nun who travels from Massachusetts to Rome to “take the veil”. Once situated in a convent/orphanage, she befriends a troubled teen named Carlita (Nicole Sorace) and stumbles upon a dark conspiracy involving the Catholic Church that threatens not only both of their lives, but potentially the entire world.

The First Omen is directed by Arkasha Stevenson. This is her feature film debut. Previously she had mostly directed episodes of tv shows like Legion (one episode), Brand New Cherry Flavor (one episode), and Channel Zero (six episodes). For her first theatrical effort, she hits an absolute home-run. Her direction is superb and precise. The First Omen is written by Arkasha Stevenson, Tim Smith, and Keith Thomas (The Vigil). The screenplay is pretty great and effective.

The First Omen is set in 1971 (five years prior to the events of The Omen). The film not only looks and feels accurate to the time period (props to the costume design by Paco Delgado and the production design by Eve Stewart), it also feels like it was made in that era as well. It’s an atmospheric, tense slow-burn that plays like a mixture of The Omen and Rosemary’s Baby. The aforementioned direction by Arkasha Stevenson and the exquisite, haunting cinematography by Aaron Morton help to cement the illusion (there’s even film grain!!!). The score crafted by Mark Korven is sure to send chills down your spine, and adds to the atmosphere and tension.

Bill Nighy, Charles Harris, and Eugenia Delbue are memorable in small roles (Delbue in particular is incredibly disturbing as an unfortunate pregnant woman). Ralph Inneson is perfection as Father Brennan, an ex-communicated priest determined to stop the Catholic Church’s plans. He feels like he belongs in the 70s and milks the most out of his supporting role (The character also plays a supporting role in the og Omen). Inneson’s rough, gravelly voice should be enough to keep most audience members pinned to their seat whenever he is on screen.

Nicole Sorace is great as Carlita. She does creepy well. Nell Tiger Free is phenomenal as Margaret, our heroine. Margaret has a troubled past (hence why she bonds with Carlita), and is plagued by horrific, disturbing visions. As she delves deeper into the Catholic church’s dark secret/s, the more her grasp on her own sanity begins to waver. Nell Tiger Free puts on a powerhouse, tour-de-force performance that is gripping, and even scary in some moments. Through it all she remains very likable. The First Omen acts as an incredible calling card for the young actress. You definitely won’t forget about her after the end credits roll.

While The First Omen teases who the Catholic Church is after, the truth is pretty easy to guess. There aren’t many surprises here, but the ride this film takes you on is top-notch and often incredibly disturbing and graphic (the imagery is consistently striking, horrifying, and memorable). The First Omen came very close to receiving an NC-17 rating, and it’s not hard to see why. This flick will F you up!

While certainly no one was asking for a prequel to The Omen, and the trailers didn’t do much to inspire excitement or hope, The First Omen succeeds at just about everything it set out to do. It’s a faithful prequel to The Omen, it’s the best religious horror film we’ve gotten in a long time, and it’s a refreshing return to the old-school/70s style of horror movie-making. The First Omen also has some scarily pertinent commentary on the Catholic Church. This film is, against all odds, a masterpiece and an absolute classic in the making. See it on the biggest screen you can, and buckle up. Things are about to get REAL!

5 STARS

FRIGHT FEST: THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER ONE COPY-AND-PASTES IT'S WAY TO FAILURE

 If you’ve seen the OG Strangers, there is absolutely no reason to see this. Despite being marketed as a prequel, this is not that. First of all, it’s set in modern day (so that prequel promise goes right out the window). The filmmakers, for whatever stupid, misguided reason, seem dead-set on remaking the first film.

Boyfriend leaves temporarily so Strangers can terrorize girlfriend? CHECK! Old-timey songs are played on a record? CHECK! Fake scare where it appears a Stranger is about to find the girlfriend, but it’s actually the bf? CHECK! Cell phone is destroyed? CHECK! Gf tries reaching police but has difficulty with audibility? CHECK! BF accidentally shoots an innocent? CHECK! Bf and gf end up tied up together, where they profess their love? CHECK! Bf and gf are about to have sex when a Stranger knocks on the door and asks for Tamara? CHECK! Stranger unscrews porch light to make it darker when she knocks? CHECK!

The film makes sure to check off just about every single beat from the OG. The very little that is new does not amount to much. The bf has asthma, there’s a scene where our heroes escape through a crawl space, the police are dispatched to help (but don’t arrive until after the Strangers are finished), the bf gets the one-up on one of the Strangers (via a shotgun) but waits too long to take his shot, our couple’s attempt at escape is thwarted when one of the Strangers pins their vehicle against a tree, the town and it’s inhabitants are more of a character (and will presumably be more important in future films), and the gf ends up surviving.

There are so many opportunities to take the story down a different path or even subvert audience expectations, but our filmmakers stubbornly refuse every single damned time. The direction by Renny Harlin is fine. Attempts at tension/suspense are made (I suppose some might find them effective… I didn’t). The cinematography by José David Montero is decent (There are some pretty atmospheric shots in the third act). The score by Justin Caine Burnett is good/servicable. Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez are easy on the eyes. The film is mercifully short. That’s literally it for the good.

The screenplay by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland is very, very, very bad. Previously the two wrote fifteen episodes of King of the Hill and co-penned the screenplay for Due Date. Their work here flat out sucks. Our couple continually make dumb decisions (they might as well be carrying around signs that read KILL ME) and much of the dialogue is laughably bad and feels forced and unnatural. There’s also a good deal of expository dialogue as well.  

This is one of the tamest R rated horror films I’ve seen in a long time. There is little violence, blood, or gore. When it starts with a cut-away kill, you know you’re in trouble. The Strangers attempt to kill our characters at the end involve stabbing each of them once and only once (Seriously, how was the gf the only one who survived? Because she was stabbed a few minutes later after the bf? Because the bf had asthma? BULLSHIT!)

Froy Gutierrez’s Ryan is written very poorly (as are all of our characters). He falls prey to his masculinity a good deal of the time, acts like an dumb asshole a decent amount , and is all-around very stupid. Madelaine Petsch’s Maya fares ever so slightly better, but she is still far from a compelling heroine. Richard Brake is completely wasted as the Sheriff. He has no dialogue and only appears for less than a minute in the first act (You have to assume he will play a bigger role in the upcoming sequels). The titular Strangers aren’t particularly intimidating or scary, either. 

In the end The Strangers: Chapter One is bad, but harmless. Average horror fans might have some fun (same goes for fans of bad movies). It definitely doesn’t give much hope for the future sequels since they are also penned by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland. In other words, I wouldn’t expect any originality, creativity, or good characters from the upcoming films (Chapter Two looks set to be a rote revenge thriller).

The Strangers: Chapter One is a paint-by-numbers job done by a child with little skill and no craftsmanship. It might work for those that haven’t seen the OG. Everyone else need not apply.

1.5 STARS

FRIGHT FEST: UNIVERSAL FINALLY GETS ITS DARK UNIVERSE MOVIE WITH ABIGAIL

 Ain’t no party like a vampire party!

In Abigail, a group of un-professional criminals kidnap the daughter of a wealthy businessman. They hide out with the daughter in a mansion, waiting for him to pay up the fee. When their co-horts start to drop like flies, the remaining members of the group find  that all exits have been barricaded. Much to their horror, they realize that the daughter has been hiding a deadly secret: she is a vampire, and they are her prey. Let the fun commence!

Abigail stars Melissa Barrera as Joey, Dan Stevens as Frank, Kathryn Newton as Sammy, Kevin Durand as Peter, and Alisha Weir as Abigail. Most of the cast shine in their roles and are very memorable. It’s great to see Dan Stevens back in a horror film, and it’s clear he’s enjoying himself here. Melissa Barrera is better than she was in the Scream films. Kathryn Newton gets some memorable lines and a killer dance scene. Kevin Durand is much fun as the burly dum-dum.

Naturally, this is Abigail’s film and Alisha Weir (who previously played Matilda in Netflix’s Matilda the Musical) puts on a career-making performance. She’s having a lot of fun playing the pint-sized menace who enjoys playing with her food. She’s also fantastic at ballet and dancing. It’s easy to buy her as a centuries old monster masquerading as a child, and Alisha puts plenty of gleeful menace and snark into her role. There’s no doubt about it, Abigail easily emerges as a new horror icon!

Radio Silence (the maestros behind Scream V, Scream VI, and Ready or Not) are responsible for Abigail. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet direct. Stephen Shields and Guy Busick Penn the screenplay. Both the direction and writing are superb. Abigail takes itself seriously enough, but isn’t afraid to crack some great jokes on occasion (don’t be surprised if you get some hearty laughs at times).

Produced by Universal, Abigail sets out to be a modern re-invention of the vampire mythos/lore. It’s too much fun watching Radio Silence put their own creative spin on vampires, their weaknesses, and their strengths. The production design by Susie Cullen is aces as well. The mansion Abigail is set in is rich, elaborate, and gorgeous. Much like its titular antagonist, the mansion also comes with a few secrets.

Imagine if you mixed together Return of the Living Dead, The Ransom of Red Chief, Dracula’s Daughter, and the atmosphere of a Hammer horror film. The intoxicating mixture would result in Abigail. It takes 40-45 minutes to get to the meat of the movie, the third act has some twists which don’t land perfectly, and there is a good deal of CGI blood (there are practical effects featured as well), but these minor nitpicks aren’t enough to stake an otherwise gory good time at the theater. Horror freaks and vampire fans should  find much to enjoy here. With The Invisible Man, Abigail, and the upcoming The Wolf Man, I’d say Universal’s modern re-invention of their classic monsters is finally hitting all the right notes.

4.5 STARS

FRIGHT FEST: MAXXXINE

“I will not accept a life I do not deserve.”

In MaXXXine, Maxine has moved to Hollywood and become a big name in the adult film industry, but she’s ready for the next step: movie star. When she’s cast in a horror movie sequel, she finds reality mimicking fiction as a serial killer begins to hunt her, killing off anyone she is close to along the way. While dealing with her possible impending doom, Maxine also grapples with her guilt over the death of her friends back in X and the trauma that continues to linger after the events of that film.

MaXXXine is a sexy, stylish, and very cool slasher that leans heavily into its character study elements (it also often feels like a Brian De Palma film… maybe like Body Double). Every character is immensely entertaining and well-performed from Giancarlo Esposito’s Hollywood agent, to Elizabeth Debicki’s director, to Kevin Bacon’s corrupt/dirty PI (what a dick), to Bobby Canavale and Michelle Monaghan’s detectives, to Moses Sumney’s video store clerk. Of course, Mia Goth outshines them all as Maxine Minx (the one who gets closest to her level is Kevin Bacon). It’s nice to delve into her psyche and get a better sense of who she is as a person. 

MaXXXine makes the most out of its Hollywood setting. The streets of LA feel dirty and grimy, and the backlots feel shiny and clean. There’s even a chase that takes us through the Courthouse/Courtyard from BTTF to the interior of the Psycho House from Psycho. The Bates Motel and Psycho House are featured prominently in two scenes, and it is so cool to see these horror icons back on the big screen. The score and soundtrack are great too (MaXXXine opens with ‘Give Me All Your Lovin’ and ends with ‘Bette Davis Eyes’).

MaXXXine attempts to mix together elements of Pearl and X. This film has a message about the Satanic Panic of the 80s, and is also partially a character study about Maxine. It features quite a few references, winks, and nods to those films as well. Unfortunately, the message found here is undone by the silly final 20-25 minutes or so (It makes it hard to take the message seriously). The who-dun-it elements are fairly fun, even though the person behind the killer’s giallo-inspired costume is fairly obvious. There is some blood and gore, but not as much as you might hope. There’s also very little nudity.

MaXXXine is the weakest of the X trilogy, but it is by no means a weak film. It’s actually fairly great, and a lot of fun. It’s easily the coolest horror film of 2024 thus far.

4 STARS

FRIGHT FEST: HOUSE OF WAX

 In House of Wax (2005), a group of rowdy college students take a road trip to a college football game. After camping out for a night, they awaken the next morning to find one of their cars has had their fan belt severed. Making a quick detour into the small town of Ambrose for a replacement, they find their trip delayed indefinitely as they will find only terror, torture, and death in the small town and it's waxy tourist traps.

House of Wax was a film that seriously fucked me up when I first saw it back in 2005/2006, and it still holds up surprisingly well today. Elisha Cuthbert (Carly) and Chad Michael Murray (Nick) make for great heroes who are easy to root for. Their friends…not so much, though Jared Padalecki has a very disturbing extended scene. Also, Paris Hilton isn't as terrible as you might expect.

Our two leads do share a believable amount of chemistry (some might say too much chemistry. Not this reviewer, though), and it's easy to buy them as siblings/twins. Brian Van Holt (Bo) and Sam Harkess (Vincent) are effective monsters with decent backstories, although the partially CGI face reveal of Vincent in the 3rd act does leave much to be desired.

The screenplay isn’t the strongest as there is A LOT of expository dialogue early on (though I do really dig the themes involving twins/siblings). Everything after the 21 minute mark kicks ass, though, and all the horror hits its mark. The  House of Wax and Town of Wax are possibly the real stars here, as they are creepy, scary, disturbing creations. The film itself does share similarities to 1979's Tourist Trap (Both are set in tourist traps that feature life-like, creepy figures), though it would be unfair to call House of Wax a remake of that movie.

With a cool, fiery finale, House of Wax remains an effective, brutal and scary horror flick. It’s one of the best horror films of the early-mid aughts (Bonus points for choosing My Chemical Romance's Helena for the end credits song. Easily the band's best song.). Between Orphan and this, director Jaume Collet-Sera easily earns his horror degree.

4 STARS

FRIGHT FEST: IN A VIOLENT NATURE

 In A Violent Nature is your typical "cabin in the woods" scenario. A bunch of stupid horned-up college kids pocket an old totem left behind from a tragedy many years ago. Removing the totem re-awakens Johnny; a hulking, mentally-deficient monster to whom the totem belongs. Thrown into a violent, murderous rage, Johnny sets out to retrieve what is his. The thing that sets In A violent Nature apart from other "cabin in the woods"-esque scenarios is that the story is told solely and completely from Johnny POV.

In a Violent Nature is an inventive and clever riff on Friday the 13th. It could also be considered a secret Cabin in the Woods (2012) film. I like that as we follow around Johnny/the killer, we can tell that there is a regular slasher film actively happening around him. There is some very good sound design and cinematography here.

This flick moves very slowly (at least 80% is just watching Johnny walk) and is very quiet, but everything from the yoga scene to the final kill is top tier. I also really didn’t mind the first act either. My only real complaint is the last 20 minutes or so suck and could have easily been cut. They seem to exist so director/writer Chris Nash could sneak in a memorable line (sorry, dude… wasn’t worth it).

In the end, there is more good than bad here. Some gnarly and memorable kills, a cool supernatural killer, and some top-tier technical elements make In A Violent Nature an original horror film any patient horror fan should check out.

3.5 STARS

FRIGHT FEST: SMILE 2 SURPRISES

 “I love wearing your skin.”

In Smile 2, Pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott)  is making a successful comeback after a notorious drug addiction spiral. Said spiral ended when the car her boyfriend (Paul, played by Ray Nicholson) was driving with her in it crashed, killing him and nearly taking her life as well. Right when things start to look better, a stop by a high school friend-turned drug dealer’s place goes bad. He kills himself in front of Skye, passing the Smile monster on to her. Cursed and slowly going insane, Skye has to find a way to finally beat the Smile monster or die.

The first Smile was a popular but underwhelming film. With Smile 2, director/writer Parker Finn exceeds expectations. Here, he is let loose. The filmmaking on display is often aggressive and feels immediate. The cinematography by Charlie Sarroff and editing by Elliot Greenberg is stellar and trippy, effectively bringing us into the world of the Smile Monster. The score by Cristobal Tapia de Veer can veer into delicious Synth-y territory at the best of times and is certainly worth a listen on it’s own.

Kyle Gallner returns for a killer opening sequence, after which it’s the Naomi Scott show. We could discuss some supporting players, but there’s not much point since most get minor screen time. Miles Gutierrez-Riley deserves a call-out as Joshua, a friend of Skye’s. He manages to make the most out of his minimal screen time. Dylan Gelula is great and shows potential as Gemma, ex-best friend to Skye. Unfortunately, she’s literally only in three scenes. Luckily, Scott is so compelling as Skye that these small flaws are forgivable. 

Naomi Scott previously played Jasmine in the Aladdin remake. She was one of the best parts of that film. Is it any surprise she's upped her game since then? Naomi Scott deserves every bit of praise for her work here. Her performance isn't just fearless, but also surprisingly physical. There are multiple dance sequences throughout where she rehearses for shows. Scott slays her choreography in these scenes. She also proves she’s got the pipes to be a Scream Queen. Scott’s Skye Riley is given a good backstory, and she is more likable than the protagonist in the first Smile was. Naomi Scott is Queen as Skye Riley, and she puts on one of the best performances of 2024.

Smile 2 has an incredibly strong first act, but it loses its footing just a tiny bit during acts 2 and 3. It starts out so strong and fast, that it’s hard to maintain that momentum for a full two hours. This isn't enough to knock Smile 2 any points, but it is noticeable. The third act also makes a questionable choice that will likely frustrate or even anger some fans.

The kills and gore on display in Smile 2 easily out-do anything found in the first Smile. The high school friend’s death (Lewis, played by Lukas Gage) is easily an unforgettable highlight. There is a lot of blood and a lot of gore throughout . There are also plenty of creepy smiling people stalking the corners of the film as well. If you came to Smile 2 looking for fun, old-fashioned, bloody, squirm-inducing horror… you’ve come to the right place.

Smile opened the doors wide for Parker Finn to really show us what he can do, and with Smile 2, he doesn’t disappoint. With this second outing, Finn puts the pedal to the metal and delivers a thrilling, thoughtful, freaky, wild, and fun film that continues the first Smile’s exploration of trauma hidden behind fake smiles. Everything here is better: the story, the score, the cinematography, the editing… It all adds up to a sequel that is infinitely better than the first film. You better believe Smile 2 is one of the best horror films of 2024. It will put a smile on your face.

4.5 STARS

FRIGHT FEST: TERRIFIER 3 DECKS THE HALLS WITH ARTERIEL SPURTS OF RED

 In Terrifier 3, It's five years after the events of Terrifier 2 and Christmas-time is here. Sienna (Lauren LaVera) is living in a home for the mentally unwell, haunted by hallucinations of her slaughtered love ones. Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) is busy in college and doesn't have time for talk about Art. Sienna is invited to shack up with her uncle Greg (Bryce Johnson), aunt Jessica (Margaret Anne Florence), and young cousin Gabbie (Antonella Rose) for Christmas, but Art (David Howard Thornton) re-awakens with a crazed and evil Vicky (Samantha Scaffidi) in tow. While Art and Vicky have themselves a very merry Christmas, Sienna tries to hold it together as she can't be sure the glimpses of the carnage she catches is real or just a symptom of her fragile mental state.

Terrifier 3 has had a lot of buzz surrounding it for a while. From the rumors that a young child would be graphically murdered in the opening scene to the reports of multiple people leaving the theater within the first eleven minutes of the film. Can Terrifier 3 possibly live up to such hype and expectations? You bet your ass it can! On a sidenote: I personally found the bits that followed the opening scene to be far more graphic and disturbing than the opening scene itself was. As for the rumors about a young child being axed...This is a Terrifier film, what do you expect?

Terrifier 3 is directed by Damien Leone, the same man who directed, edited, and wrote the previous two Terrifier films. Many lauded much praise upon Terrifier 2, but I has my issues with the film. Luckily, Terrifier 3 is a large step up from the previous installment. This go-round, we actually have a plot, the screenplay is pretty solid, and every character is well-written and likable.

For example, Jonathan has a room mate, Cole (Mason Mecartea). Cole has a smoking hot girlfriend, Mia (Alexa Blair Robertson). In most films, Mia would just exist to be a slutty, untrustworthy, and unimportant side character. Here, she has some development. She has her own true crime podcast and is obsessed with Art the Clown. She totally loses her cool whenever she runs into Jonathan or Sienna, as she is both a major fan and would also kill to have them on her show. While some might call her a leech, Mia comes across as bubbly and cute. She never seems to have ill intent.

As for Cole, it feel like he should be your typical douchey jock-bro. However, he is never shown to be cruel or arrogant. In fact, he seems like a mostly nice dude. He encourages Jonathan to get out and be social. Cole can even be seen cringing in the background whenever Mia nerds out over Jonathan or Sienna. Greg and Jessica also get some development too. Greg has reservations about hosting Sienna concerning her mental state, but he never ostracizes her and is generally pretty nice and accommodating. All of our cast feel real and human this time.

What about the gore, I hear you ask? You know how the colors of Christmas are red and green? Well, Terrifier 3 says "Screw green, it's all about the red, baby"! Every single kill scene plays like the filmmakers asked themselves how they could one-up the bedroom slaughter from Terrifier 2. Oh yes, Terrifier 3 aggressively pushes the boundaries of good taste. This is easily the meanest, most brutal, bloodiest, and goriest Christmas horror film I've seen in a long time. There's also a decent amount of sacrilegious imagery. For me, every single kill after the opening scene floored me in both good and bad ways. I'm tempted to call Terrifier 3 transgressive, that's how intense this flick gets.

Lauren LaVera remains one of the great final girls of modern horror. She nailed her role in Terrifier 2, and she does so again here. In fact, she's actually better in this one. LaVera has a lot to play with here, and she impresses. Antonella Rose as Gabby is totally winsome and adorable. Gabby and Sienna make for a great team, so look forward to that in future films, I guess.

David Howard Thornton has always been iconic as Art, but this is easily his best turn as the character yet. It just feels right to have Samantha Scaffidi from the first film return for round 3, and the film gives Vicky a lot to do this time. Terrifier 3 likely could have easily put anyone under the prosthetics and we likely would have been none the wiser, so it means a lot they brought the original actress back.

Unfortunately, not all is shiny and bright with Terrifier 3. Yes, this flick does A LOT right...but it's still not without its flaws. Let's talk about Jonathan. I love Jonathan, he was one of the brightest spots of Terrifier 2. Elliott Fullam has a career as a musician/singer as well, so that might explain why Jonathan is treated the way he is here. Jonathan is actively running from the memories of Terrifier 2. He would prefer to live a normal, ordinary life. He's even disowned punk music. In other words: Jonathan has changed. We watch him struggle with himself and his choices. Where his character ends up plays like waving a gigantic middle finger in the face of the audience/Terrifier fans. It also makes everything surrounding him and his college seem meaningless/pointless, including the characters of Mia and Cole. If future Terrifier films commit to what Terrifier 3 set up in regards to Jonathan, I'll give them this: They have gigantic, swinging balls.

Terrifier 3 sets up that Sienna is dealing with severe trauma from the events of Terrifier 2. This trauma heavily affects Sienna throughout Terrifier 3. While it is tempting to roll your eyes at the mention of the word trauma (Trauma is the hot word in horror right now, after all), these parts are handled very well. In fact, there should have been more hallucinations. As is, we get less than a handful. Something is better than nothing, I guess.

Those walking in hoping for answers to questions raised during Terrifier 2 are going to be disappointed. The Clown Cafe plays no role here except for two brief callbacks. There is no explanation as to how Art and Sienna's dad is connected (Terrifier 3 seems to say that Sienna's dad was obsessed with Art and his killings...so that might be the answer. If so...LAME!!!!). There's also no explanation as to how The Terrifier is important in all of this. A tiny bit of lore is added, but it's not much. Terrifier 3 seems to be more focused on the film at hand than on setting up future pieces, which is a good thing (duh). 

Likely my biggest complaint with Terrifier 3 is its ending. This flick feels bombastic and excessive with how many kills occur and with the manner in which each victim is killed. So it's a bit disappointing when it all leads to an ellipsis or a cliffhanger. I can also understand the kind of thinking that led Damien Leone and crew to leave the character of Sienna where they choose to leave her, but it still feels a bit edgelord. Dark and mean just for the sake of being dark and mean. The finale is appropriately brutal and savage, but surprisingly small scale. It’s effective and tense, but can’t quite match the setting of the Terrifier in Terrifier 2. 

Horror films aren't supposed to appeal to mass audiences. They're supposed to shock you, scare you, piss you off. They're supposed to challenge you and make you uncomfortable, maybe even make you sick. Horror films push boundaries. Terrifier 3 understands this. There's a lot here that's going to anger or offend many, and that's a good thing. Terrifier 3 is easily the best of the Terrifier trilogy. It's also one of the greatest/best horror films of 2024. This one leaves a mark.

4.5 STARS

FRIGHT FEST: IT'S WHAT'S INSIDE

 In It's What's Inside, a pre-wedding party descends into chaos when an estranged friend shows up with a mysterious game.

First off: David Thompson is unbelievably perfect as Forbes. That demented smile he wears during his first scene says it all: “I’m going to fuck all of you motherfuckers up, and I’m going to have a blast doing it.” The blank eyed smile he gives Cyrus while Cyrus is going off on a monologue to him… too perfect. Forbes perfectly embodies the trickster archetype. He’s come here to party at literally EVERYONE’S expense, and I’m here for it.

The cinematography (by Kevin Fletcher), production design (by Terry Watson), art direction (by Karl Lefèvre), and score (by Andrew Hewitt) are all superb. The design of the mansion is eclectic and cool. There are several rooms that feel like they shouldn’t exist in this mansion, and the place itself feels enormous.

The use of color here is impressive and cool. The lighting and colors are beautifully trippy and surreal. The color red is particularly important. The score is very wacky and eclectic as well. It stands out, in a good way, and fits the film it accompanies perfectly.

It's What's Inside is Greg Jardin's first feature film as director and screenwriter. He mostly worked on promos and music videos prior to this, which honestly isn't surprising as much of It's What's Inside has a trippy/psychedelic music video aesthetic to it. Jardin does an unbelievably good job for his first time. It's What's Inside is like a hard sci-fi twist on Bodies Bodies Bodies. It's got plenty of killer twists and turns throughout. It's always fun watching a bunch of horrible people get what's coming to them.

4 STARS

FRIGHT FEST: HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS 33 TRIP REPORT

 On Friday, Sept. 20 I made the trek up to Orlando for Halloween Horror Nights. This would be a different trip, though. The reason I was attending the event this year was because a childhood friend and fellow horror hound would be going to HHN for his first time. I never miss an event if I can help it, but this being my buddy's first time made this year an absolute do-not-miss. So, how did this year fare?

ICONS

While technically, this year doesn't have any OFFICIAL Icons, Horror Nights was nice enough to roll out two brand new unofficial Icons in the form of SINIST3R and SURR3AL. These two insidious ladies are in the business of collecting our screams and haunting our nightmares. SINIST3R is in charge of the houses Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America, Triplets of Terror, Major Sweets Candy Factory, Goblin's Feast, and Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines. SURR3AL is in charge of the houses A Quiet Place, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Insidious: The Further, Slaughter Sinema 2, and The Museum: Deadly Exhibit. Like Dr. Richard Oddfellow before them, SINIST3R and SURR3AL are given free reign to roam several scare zones including Duality of Fear, Torture Faire, and Demon Ladies. They are both visually striking and memorable, and are easily highlights of this year's event.

THEME

Theme isn't necessarily vital to HHN, but when the event does decide to utilize theme it can make or break the year. This year, the theme was very scatter-shot. The first ads teased lore involving some kind of gigantic creature slumbering under Universal Studios. Next, marketing teased the iconic Universal entrance arch re-designed/re-imagined as a gigantic Lovecraftian monstrosity lovingly named Otis.  Then the first merch items utilized 90's/00's skater culture/punk aesthetic in much of it's designs. Finally, they unveiled SINIST3R and SURR3AL as the unofficial Icons. It isn't hard to see that the overall theme for HHN 33 was confusion/chaos. Nothing added up or gelled together, and all the individual pieces seemed at war with each other. Coherent, HHN 33 was not. The severe mishandling of theme wasn't enough to completely sink this year's event, but it was bad enough to remain in most's memories and shade how many would perceive this year. It also doesn't help that budget cuts played a role in HHN 33 and Hollywood definitely seemed to be in charge this go-round.

SCAREZONES

DUALITY OF FEAR

As soon as you enter the gates of Halloween Horror Nights, you must choose a path: follow SINIST3R, the manifestation of visceral horror. Or follow SURR3AL,the incarnation of unearthly terror.

This zone is located at the front of the park, and utilizes the famous iconic HHN arch. SINIST3R and SURR3AL can often be found atop the arch, berating and yelling at their victims down below. The theming of the duo's minions isn't great and there are no props or sets used. Projections are beamed down from the arch to the ground below, which is really as much theming as you get here. So yeah, this scarezone is...close to being non-existent. SINIST3R and SURR3AL carry this entire zone on their backs, and even then it's not enough to save it. This is where the Chainsaw Drill Team loiter about. 

4/10

DEMON QUEENS

Get caught in an otherworldly hellscape ripped from the darkest corners of your mind. Four merciless queens loyal to SURR3AL rule, surrounded by hordes of fanatical followers

Another "meh" scarezone. This one is in the Hollywood area, and features more minions of SURR3AL. There is a bit more theming here, and more scares...but I couldn't sparse the story (Something about SURR3AL wearing down our defenses until she's able to enter our minds and torment us). We didn't spend much time here, and it didn't leave much of an impression.

4/10

ENTER THE BLUMHOUSE

Escape a terrifying gauntlet of Blumhouse characters. From sinister sadists from The Purge and Black Phone to M3GAN dancing into your nightmares, you’ve never known horror like this.

This zone was located in the San Fran area, and was also light on theming. it consisted of several small stages where Blumhouse characters from M3GAN, The Purge. The Black Phone, and other films strut and pose. There are some scares here (None from the characters on stage, mind you), but the theming is (once again) just about non-existent. 

4/10

TORTURE FAIRE

Come one, come all, to SINIST3R’s renaissance faire with the devious theme of medieval torture. Brave the gloriously gory homemade torture devices ‘til you’re put out of your misery.

A zone I wasn't looking forward to, but it ended up impressing me. Set in the NYC area, Torture Faire had plenty of theming, lots of props, and multiple stages. A Blood Eagle is even featured (for whatever reason). All the scareactors seemed to get the assignment, and there were plenty of screams to be had here. A bonus was getting to watch SINIST3R roam and survey her domain on occasion. 

8.5/10

SWAMP OF THE UNDEAD

In backwaters Louisiana, you unwittingly wander onto private property, where you’re swamped by zombies borne from the bodies of other trespassers who were killed and dumped in a nearby bog.

Set in the Central Park area, this scarezone continues the tradition of Central Park having the most beautiful scarezones at HHN. Swamp of the Undead perfectly captures the atmosphere and ambiance of the Louisana Bayou. The zombies look pretty cool, but didn't provide much scares. luckily,  the theming and details were gorgeous. Definitely a zone I would have loved to have been able to linger in.

8.5/10  

HOUSES

MONSTRUOS: THE MONSTERS OF LATIN AMERICA

¡Ten cuidado! With La Muerte as your guide, try to survive the night with three terrifying legends: Tlahuelpuchi, La Lechuza and El Silbón.

This was the first house we hit (Meaning it's also my friend's first official HHN house). It felt very much related to 2013's Urban Legends: La Llorona. The theming is gorgeous throughout as most of the house consists of small Latin-American villages and alleyways with monsters just waiting to pop out from dark corners, doorways, and windows. There was one or two animatronics that looked ripped out of Spirit Halloween (WTF?!) and I had no idea who the monsters featured in the house are or what their lore/backstories are, but overall this was a mostly solid little sleeper house.

7/10

A QUIET PLACE

Silence your screams if you want to survive the terrifying, post-apocalyptic world. Like the Abbott family, you must keep quiet as you travel from the farmhouse to the woods, to the foundry. As soon as you make a sound, monstrous creatures who can hear the slightest noise, will hunt you down and silence you for good.

This is not a sound-based house like the marketing would have you believe...that said, it's one of the best of the night. Yeah, I wasn't expecting that. The house is very accurate to the films in the Quiet Place franchise (I don't think Day One was featured, though). The facade is the toy store from the beginning of the first Quiet Place, complete with the beeping space shuttle. Next, you enter a pitch-black tunnel using binaural audio (think the tunnel from 2019's Graveyard Games) that has a Death Angel lying in wait. From there, you are hit with a wide-open room with the title card for the house. Every Death Angel in the house is either a puppet, an animatronic, or an arm slashing wildly though a door. The movements of the Death Angels were spot-on and precise, and there were many featured throughout. The environments and sets were elaborate, realistic, and felt lived-in. This was absolutely a house I had no anticipation or excitement for, and it only continues to prove that Universal is THE BEST at crafting quality haunted houses from IPs many like myself might not be as enthused with (Just look at what they did with AVP, The Thing 2011, Dracula Untold, The Exorcist: Believer, and The Wolfman 2010).

8.5/10

GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE

A bone-chilling new specter has escaped from an ancient artifact, and he’ll stop you cold. The Ghostbusters must team up to save you and the rest of the world from a second Ice Age.

So yeah, the film this house is based on wasn't great. That said, Universal has a way of making treasure out of the mediocre. How did they do here? Not bad. There's some cold rooms and rooms with snow, one of the Garrakas got all up in my business, and there's even a room paying tribute to Vigo and the Ghostbusters 2 slime. Not a bad house, but after we had a ghostbusters house in 2019, it felt a little too soon for another one.

7/10

TRIPLETS OF TERROR

You’re invited to the Barmy triplets’ birthday celebration. But their kind of party involves recreating the murders of their entire family.

This house feels like classic HHN. There weren't many scares, but it told a full story. The story here follows the Barmy triplets, who savagely slaughter their family, then go on to recreate the murder ten years later. We start out visiting the original slaughter, walk through a dark room narrated by a child hosting a podcast about the Barmy triplets, and then we walk through their next killing spree ten years later. The locations/environments are pretty cool, including the Barmy house, back alleys, fronts of houses, and more. Triplets of Terror was not the best house of the night, but it was still very memorable and impressive. 

8/10

INSIDIOUS: THE FURTHER

 Don’t get trapped in The Further as terrifying demons try to ensnare you. The Red-Faced Demon will lure you into his lair behind The Red Door, so he can possess your living body. And KeyFace will unlock your fears with his key-tipped fingers to keep your soul trapped in The Further forever.

This was the most buzzed-about house of the event. It was being highly hyped by many event-goers as the scariest house in HHN history. I....can't agree, unfortunately. The red door façade optical illusion (where the door grows larger the closer you to get to it), the red curtain/Darth Maul Demon rooms (Where the Darth maul Demons were perfectly synced), and the two mannequin rooms (where the room is filled with mannequins, hiding amongst which are several live scare actors. These rooms are classic HHN, and I always LOVE when a house decides to utilize them) were highlights. This house was definitely the scariest of the night, but I feel the first Insidious house from 2014 was better themed and scarier. Maybe I've just grown desensitized to HHN?

8/10

MAJOR SWEETS CANDY FACTORY

 You’ve been invited to chaperone a field trip to a candy factory. But this sweet tour is about to turn sour when free samples transform the kids into candy-coated killers wielding sharpened candies.

I was expecting a lot out of this house, and it didn't exactly deliver. I LOVE the idea of a candy maker who's products turn children into sugar-crazed monsters. There is some creativity on display throughout the house, and it was certainly fun getting to explore Major Sweets' warehouse. It felt like this house should have been a mix between Giggles and Gore Inc. and Leave It To Cleaver. Good news: this house is definitely better than Giggles and Gore. Bad news: It's nowhere near as classic as Cleaver. There is some humor here, and once again, it is a fun house to walk through...but it doesn't rank near the top of the night. 

7/10

UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: ETERNAL BLOODLINES

Join Saskia Van Helsing and the Bride of Frankenstein as they face off against Dracula's Daughter and her monstrous alliance.

The story here is pretty great and engaging. Saskia Van Helsing is the last of her lineage, the rest having all been killed by Dracula and other monsters. Heartbroken and enraged, Saskia sets out for vengeance, targeting Dracula's daughter. The story is easy enough to follow, and the opening scene was pretty cool (It's raining in a graveyard, Saskia is crying in front of a grave, we enter into a crypt/mausoleum). There are some cool moments in here, and I appreciate the dark ending Saskia's story gets. This house has been getting a lot of hate, but I'd place it about on the same level of Braide of Frankenstein...maybe higher. 

7/10

GOBLIN'S FEAST

 Visit a goblin village, where hordes of bloodthirsty goblins, orcs, hobgoblins and witches would love to have you for dinner.

Another attempt at a classic HHN house. I wasn't exactly looking forward to this house, but I had hopes. Sure enough, the detail work inside is very well-done, but the interiors don't feel as large or lived-in as they could. There was nothing in here that truly wowed or scared. It feels adjacent to Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate or Wicked Growth, but never gets close to those insane heights.

7/10

SLAUGHTER SINEMA 2

 If you’re dying for a B-movie horror marathon, head to the Carey Drive-in. Scream through scenes from creature features, grindhouse gore, spaghetti westerns and more.

I have heard so much high praise for the first Slaughter Sinema over the years, so I was more than eager to see what I was missing out on. Turns out...not much. This house wasn't necessarily bad, it just felt like a lesser version of H.R. Bloodengutz from 2011. It's always great to have a house set in Carey, Ohio...but this house just didn't do it for me. I've heard from event-goers that the first Slaughter Sinema was better. I'm not surprised. Not a bad house, just...I've seen better versions of this kind of house.

7/10

THE MUSEUM: DEADLY EXHIBIT

You decide to visit the new folklore museum exhibit, The Rotting Stone, when an evil escapes from within, destroying everything in its path.

Now THIS was more up my alley! A local museum decides to showcase a mysterious artifact dubbed 'The Rotting Stone', which starts to slowly infect and warp the museum once it arrives on site. This house was weird, freaky, gross, and surreal. It's really interesting and cool to see how The Rotting Stone transforms the museum around it: masks and walls come to life, security guards melt and morph, and more! This was the last house we queued up for, and it was a great way to end the night!

8.5/10 

SUMMARY

There were warning signs for HHN 33 from the very start. As far as I'm concerned, HHN 33 is another HHN 22...a weak, disappointing year. I might say it's worse than HHN 22. HHN 22 had all-timer houses like Gothic and Dead End. While there aren't any bad houses this year, there are no all-timers either. I'm always happy to support my friends, and I'm glad he had an absolute blast his first year. I'll never pass up an opportunity to attend HHN, but let's hope next year is a significant improvement. 

7/10

RANKING

SCARE ZONES

1. Swamp of the Undead

2. Torture Faire

3. Demon Queens

4. Duality of Evil

5. Blumhouse

HOUSES

1. The Museum: Deadly Exhibit

2. A Quiet Place

3. Triplets of Terror

4. Insidious: The Further

5. Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America

6. Goblin's Feast

7. Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines

8. Major Sweets Candy Factory

9. Slaughter Sinema 2

10. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire