Horror Watch 2025 - Day 12 - Host (2020)

  Okay, the first thing you need to know is that this poster is wildly overselling this movie.  It is not the scariest film of the past decade.  Not even close.  Content warning:  blood, violence

Bored in quarantine, six friends get together on a Zoom call to have a seance.  Only Haley (Haley Bishop) is a true believer; the rest are just there for a good time.  But when Jemma's (Jemma Moore) joking angers an entity, all the participants are suddenly fighting for their lives.

Before I delve too deeply, let me say that I enjoyed watching this.  It's not a bad movie.  Better than Paranormal Activity but not quite as good as Unfriended.  Maybe because I saw Unfriended first.  I had to get my praise in early, because the rest of this is probably going to sound super negative.  

This was filmed during the pandemic and it is not subtle.  All of the characters are isolated, forced to watch their friends suffering, unable to help or even help themselves as an invisible force invades their homes and kills them.  It is 56 minutes long, so it barely even qualifies as a feature-length film but that works to its advantage.  There's no time to really establish them as characters unless you have been part of a similar kind of friend group.  Then you can do some mental shortcuts.  Should they have spent more time fleshing them out?  Eh.  I was good with just the bare bones, especially since that meant there was more time to focus on the supernatural shit happening.  If anything, I would have put extra into the ending, since that did feel very rushed and unsatisfying.  Can't hate the hustle, though!  It's currently streaming on Netflix.

Horror Watch 2025 - Day 11 - Stay (2025)

  Man, if you think relationship counseling sucks, imagine if your therapist was a spirit.  Can't even escape your problems in death.  Content warning:  drowning, suicide

Kiara (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and Miles (Mo McRae) were a couple once.  But now they are separated, estranged, and trying to move the rest of their stuff out of what they thought was going to be their forever home.  Desperate to feel some kind of connection, Kiara performs a spell to reach back to the spirits of her ancestors, but frees something else instead, trapping her and Miles in the house.

This is like the sweeter, kinder version of Bring Her Back.  There's no gore, no blood, just a lot of crying and watching a couple Go Through It.  It's steeped in West African folklore, which is great to see.  I would have like a sharper script but honestly, I'm not mad at it.  It's nice.  This is a ghost story for people who don't like horror.  Which is fine!  Baby steps are still steps!  Maybe you just want a little something spooky  that isn't going to raise your blood pressure.  This is for you!  It's streaming on Hulu.

Horror Watch 2025 - Day 10 - Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Meyers (1988)

  It's not a Halloween horror watch without a legacy franchise sequel.  Also, I ran out of streaming services really quickly so we're back to my TBW list.  Content warning:  blood, some gore

Michael Myers (George P. Wilbur) was confined to a state facility after murdering a whole bunch of people in 1978.  Now, a decade later, he is being transferred to a different one.  It seems safe since he's in a coma after being shot and set on fire by his former psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance).  But one of the transfer doctors casually mentions that Myers has a 7-year-old niece, Jamie (Danielle Harris), living in his hometown, which snaps him out of it pretty handily.  Refreshed and looking to once again end his family line, Myers powerwalks to Haddonfield.  Loomis knows Myers is Evil Incarnate and is not looking to add another tiny victim to his conscience.  He reaches out to the Sheriff (Beau Starr) as well as the local drunk vigilante group, because he is taking no chances.

This movie does not overstay its welcome, I can tell you that.  It is a tight 88 minutes and it gets right to the point.  It's also a lot more tame than I was expecting.  There's violence, sure, but not nearly as graphic or lurid as other entries.  There is a lot of crying, though.  Like a LOT.  

It's streaming on AMC+ which I get through Amazon.

2025 Horror Watch - Day 9 - Organ Trail (2023)

  This one is just a victim of its own marketing.  How are you going to call yourself Organ Trail and not have cannibals??  I don't even feel bad about it.  You did this to yourself.  Content warning:  dead animal (rabbit), blood, dog/wolf whimpering (not on-screen, but audibly a dog/wolf/coyote gets caught in a trap and chews its own foot off, then leaves a blood trail.  It's not part of the plot and is never referred to again so if you are sensitive, I would fast-forward about a minute before pressing play.)

A family in the wilderness come across another covered wagon that had its inhabitants murdered.  They take in the survivor (Olivia Grace Applegate) only to learn the hard way that she is not what she seems.  Now Abigale (Zoe de Grand Maison) must find a way to survive and avenge her family from the gang of murderers who would deliberately injure a woman to use her as bait.  

Ah, the return of Women's Horror proper.  This isn't terrible, but it's also not very good.  It's fine.  Clearly, a lot of effort and thought went into it.  It's just that the characters aren't compelling and the story is basic.  There's nothing about it that makes it unique or special.  It's not a rape-revenge, thank God, and it was written by a woman (also a plus) who gave her female characters agency and recognized that Black people existed in the Old West as landowners and contemporaries, not just slaves and servants.  All good.  I just don't think it went far enough.

If you like a little smashing-the-patriarchy with your Halloween candy, it's currently streaming on Paramount+.

2025 Horror Watch - Day 8 - Bring Her Back (2025)

  I know this is supposed to be the new hotness this year but I think it's wildly overhyped.  Content warning:  blood, dead animals (chicken), vomit, child endangerment

When Andy (Bill Barrett) and his blind step-sister, Piper (Sora Wong) are orphaned, they are adamant that they not be separated.  The system puts them with Laura (Sally Hawkins), a former child counselor, who seems like an ideal match.  She even had a daughter (Mischa Heywood) who was also blind so she knows the accommodations Piper needs without coddling her.  But when the kids arrive, Andy finds that Laura isn't all that she seems and the other foster child in the house, Ollie (Jonah Wren Phillips), a selective mute, is almost unbearably creepy.  The more he tries to figure things out, the more isolated he becomes from Piper, who is literally and metaphorically blind.  

This is an A24 film and it's trying really hard to be an A24 film.  Honestly, I think Hereditary ruined some people.  Like, do they know it's okay to make horror movies that aren't about the grieving process?  There is some really cool imagery here and the makeup design for Ollie is excellent but it's so sad and just drags on forever.  Very disappointing.  

It's currently streaming on HBO Max or whatever the hell it's calling itself now.

2025 Horror Watch - Day 7 - Haunted Mansion (2023)

  This is not the one with Eddie Murphy though they are both based on the same Disney ride.  Content warning:  Jared Leto

A widower (LaKeith Stanfield) takes a substantial payout from a single mother (Rosario Dawson) to do spectral photography inside her new mansion.  He thinks the job is bullshit until a watery ghost follows him home and he learns that the hauntings only stop once he returns to the mansion.  Now, trapped inside with a priest (Owen Wilson), a medium (Tiffany Haddish), and a local historian (Danny DeVito), he must discover what kind of spirit is behind the truly shocking number of murders committed on the property.

Stanfield is just one of those ridiculously charismatic actors.  Even in this shameless cash grab, he was riveting.  Far better than the movie deserved.  He almost single-handedly elevates this from "annoying, gimmicky schlock" to "mostly fun, if a little forgettable and corny."  The child actor, Chase Dillon, was also very good and has a promising career ahead of him.  There are a bunch of cameos from Jamie Lee Curtis, Daniel Levy, Winona Ryder, Jo Koy, and Marilu Henner.  Dawson never gets the credit she deserves but she put in her time here and I respect it.  

If you really, really like the Haunted Mansion ride or your kids have seen pretty much all the other family-friendly Halloween movies already, this isn't bad.  It's streaming on Disney+.

2025 Horror Watch - Day 6 - Dead of Night (1945)

  Okay, I cheated a little bit to break that weird streak.  This one is from my TBW queue.  Content warning:  ventriloquist dummy, suicide

Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns) keeps having a recurring nightmare about meeting six people at a country house and having something horrible happen.  He tries to convince them that his dreams are real, but Dr. Van Straaten (Frederick Valk), a psychiatrist, disbelieves.  So several of the guests take turns recounting their own brushes with the supernatural.  

This movie is great.  The framing device is a little weak but the cast is phenomenal.  Each story feels fully fleshed out, like its own full episode, but doesn't drag the movie down.  Now, not every story is a winner.  The golf one irritated the shit out of me, personally.  But I can recognize that it was meant to be a mood lightener.  Obviously, the final one is the standout with an incredible performance by Michael Redgrave.  And Hugo, of course.  People talk about "dream logic" in films, which never lands for me, but the nightmare sequence here is actually quite jarring.  There are some great makeup effects in the crowd scenes.  

It's streaming for free on Kanopy, if you have a library card and it's definitely worth checking out if you like your horror more atmospheric and British.

2025 Horror Watch - Day 5 - Match (2025)

  As the poster says, this is Tubi Original, so I did not have high expectations but it turned out to be really fun.  Content warning:  gore, blood, vomit, attempted sexual assault, dead animal (rat), maggots, some body horror (fingernails, toes, penis)

Paola (Humberly González) is braving the online dating scene when she finally finds what she thinks is a true match in Henry (Luke Volker), who is hot, smart, and likes all the same Turner Classic Movies that she likes.  Against her sister's (Shaeane Jimenez) advice, Paola accepts an invitation to dinner at Henry's house, only to be greeted at the door by his mother (Dianne Simpson), the first of many rude awakenings she is going to have over the course of the next couple of days.

Ah, Millennial horror!  This is a nice complement to Women's horror, which is again just stuff that happens to women.  As someone who is newly single myself, it was very easy to relate to the character early on because the dating scene has always been exactly this bleak.  Catfishing has always been a thing, as far back as Cyrano de Bergerac.  Still, this was a highly entertaining horror romp, even if it verged a little far into overt grossness for me.  There's some queer representation, a lot of disability representation, and most of the cast was people of color.  If this is checking any of your boxes and you don't mind ad breaks, give it a shot on Tubi.

2025 Horror Watch - Day 4 - CAM (2018)

  I do think it's very funny that so far I've been alternating between 2025 and 2018.  I don't know why it worked out like that but I'm not mad about it.  Content warning:  suicides (gun, knife), blood

Alice (Madeline Brewer) works as a camgirl.  As Lola, her popularity is rising, especially as she does more extreme shows, but she can't quite break into the top ranks.  One day, she opens her computer to see that her channel has been stolen by someone who looks exactly like her.  IT support is useless, the cops are worse, and Alice is growing increasingly concerned that she's not the only one being replaced.

When this came out, it was probably really interesting as a concept but now we have Tilly Norwood so the horror of real life has once again eclipsed the horror of imagination.  This future is stupid.  It doesn't ever come out and say what or who is behind the fake account, but we know.

I feel terrible saying it but Brewer will forever be Janine from Handmaid's Tale to me.  The whole time I was watching this, I was like "mmm-hmm, this is why Aunt Lydia hated you."  But bless her, she was very game, considering the entire movie rested on her performance.  

The movie is pretty positive towards the cam performers, which I am not well-versed enough in to know if it's an accurate portrayal of the industry.  Some shit seems pretty universal, though.  It's more of a thriller than straight horror.  There's no jump scares or supernatural flourishes.  If that's your bag, you'll probably enjoy this.  It's streaming on Netflix.

2025 Horror Watch - Day 3- House on Eden (2025)

  Another goddamn found footage movie.  I should have known better.  Content warning:  mild gore

A trio of ghost hunters get a tip about an abandoned house off Eden Road.  When they arrive (30 minutes into a 78-minute long movie), they discover a fully furnished, immaculately clean Victorian house and immediately break in.  They deploy all their various ghost-hunting paraphernalia and make contact with something.

This is every bad found footage trope you can imagine.  It's lazy, derivative, and wastes a potentially cool demon/entity by not doing the most basic research.  And the shaky-cam!  Horrendous.  At one point, I was praying a ghost would take the camera because then it would at least be steady.  And possibly in focus.  There is zero reason to waste your time on this one, but nonetheless it is streaming on Shudder which I get through Amazon Prime.

2025 Horror Watch - Day 2 - The Meg (2018)

  There's no theme this year.  It's whatever pops up first on whatever streaming service I happen to be running.  Unfortunately, since I now have to pay for my own Hulu account, I lost all the curated recommendations and this was what the new one offered.  Content warning:  dead sea animals (inc. whales :(, sharks, and squid), moderate gore, some dismembered human limbs.

An investigative sub is exploring previously uncharted depths in the Mariana Trench and discover a prehistoric shark that they accidentally release into populated waters.  So they hire Jason Statham to rescue everyone.

I forgot he started out as a professional diver.  Every time he jumped in the water, I was like "damn, that was really clean."  

This is a big dumb action movie, not a horror movie, but it's still pretty entertaining.  It did drag in the middle, because it's trying to do that lull-you-into-a-false-sense-of-security thing, but it mostly just felt like the movie was about to be over and then it just kept going.  I checked and there was still 45 minutes left on the runtime!  

If you like Jason Statham, this is a slam-dunk.  He bounces between charming rogue and steely-eyed hero like he always does, but still has time to give Boyfriend Material vibes to the hot single mom (Bingbing Li) by being nice to her adorable moppet (Shuya Sophia Cai).  It's streaming on Hulu.

2025 Horror Watch - Day 1 - Weapons (2025)

  I thought Barbarian was good, but this is great.  Zach Creggar is who I wanted Oz Perkins to be.  Content warning:  gore, blood, cannibalism, vomit, clowns

An entire schoolroom of children vanish overnight, leaving a town's worth of parents angry and grieving.  One, Archer (Josh Brolin), is convinced the kids' teacher, Justine (Julia Garner), knows more than she's saying so he begins stalking her.  Justine is sure that the only boy left behind, Alex (Cary Christopher), is the key but she's been forbidden from talking to him directly by the principal (Benedict Wong), who is rightly concerned for her physical safety.  Neither Archer nor Justine is prepared for the truth:  something much older and darker.

Movie Club had a special group watch as soon as this dropped on digital because some people had seen it in theaters and knew there would be massive spoilers posted as soon as people could get screenshots.  And they were right.  The etiquette is that everyone mutes themselves, which is also the right decision, because no one needed to hear me absolutely cackling over this film.  It is outright hilarious, especially the last 10 minutes.  Instant classic horror comedy.

I am cheating a bit because I did watch this a couple of weeks ago but it's been a difficult year for me and I'm not entirely sure I can do an entire month of horror.  I'm going to try really hard but don't expect much of a theme this year.  

Weapons is still only available to rent or buy but it is 100% worth the rental, especially if you're planning to watch with friends.