abashima

Do you enjoy watching originals _after_ seeing the sequel? Then may I recommend seeing Ghostbusters: Afterlife after seeing Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. See, we had no idea there were two of them, let alone an order. Anyway, Afterlife was much better. Better plot and character development.

Do you enjoy undiscovered gems of well-performed unique vampire horror with almost no gore? Then may I recommend Blood (2022), a small story with a fresh angle script that is realized by the actors who work so well together that the movie has an unexpected heft. Michelle Monaghan in particular. I wish there was a sequel—I want to know what her character does next. Includes...
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Do you enjoy big budget thrillers that try a little too hard? Then may I recommend Trap. Please compare/contrast w/ tonight’s earlier thriller, Till Death—cast of 5, straight to it and effective. Trap takes the long way, winds through thousands of extras and an unneeded subplot to an end w/ an overpowered can-do-anything villain but by then you’re a bit worn down from it all,...
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Do you enjoy cozy simple thrillers? Then may I recommend Till Death, which has a decidedly unusual plot. Try seeing it without watching a preview and let it come to you. Also there are a couple movie magic moments, but that’s OK. It’s all for the thrills! Good performance by Megan Fox, tbh.

Do you enjoy movies that are shockingly good and surprisingly powerful? Then may I recommend Woman of the Hour which is not about the story or the characters—it’s about something else. I initially wasn’t going to watch because I know the IRL story. So glad I did. Great direction by Kendrick. Great movie.

Do you enjoy movies with violent fight choreography with not much of a plot to get in the way of more violent fight choreography? Then may I recommend The Shadow Strays, which does have a plot but loses itself but by that time it doesn’t much matter, we’re all here for the cool moves and this has *oodles* of them, including some wicked cool ones.

Do you enjoy horror so scary that it will leave you shaky after it ends? Then may I recommend Smile 2, almost certainly the best horror of the year. It masterfully uses jump scares to make a whole movie out of them, something I didn’t think possible to be done this well. Maximum scare. Intense. Horrific. Impactful. *Amazing* lead performance.

So scary that—no hyperbole—we saw...
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Do you enjoy hypergore so over the top you find it comforting? Then may I recommend Terrifier 3, which is an acquired taste of grindhouse cinematography and exaggerated foley effects that, if you like it—you’ll love it. This one has all the hits. And cuts. And chainsaws, and hammers and so SO much more. Not much more one can say than IYKYK for this genre....
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Do you enjoy surprisingly mediocre vampire horror movies that aren’t scary? Then may I recommend Salem’s Lot (2024), which somehow manages to be perfectly averagely bland. Striking though is how the original 1979 TV movie made some scenes horrifying and this made them matter-of-fact—despite budget and expertise.

It’s good to have on in the background, maybe start your October off with this light offering so...
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Do you enjoy very slow burn supernatural thrillers? Then may I recommend Marrowbone, which has a wonderful cast carrying a script that still manages to hit everything it needs to deliver. Good production, cozy, creepy, and while it doesn’t flash after the slow burn, it’s still worth the watch.