Horror Movie Talk

Synopsis Trap is a movie that follows Cooper, a seemingly normal dad who takes his daughter, Riley, to her favorite artist’s concert. Once there, Cooper is told that the whole concert is a trap to catch a serial killer who is colloquially called The Butcher. Plot twist (but not a plot twist because it is given in the trailer) is that Cooper is the Butcher, and he needs to find a way to escape the heavily guarded arena without getting caught. Review I was very excited for this movie, I thought the trailer looked awesome and M Night has some good hits (The Visit, Signs, obviously The Sixth Sense). After about fifteen minutes of pure concert, I was completely checked out. This movie is boring, it is unfulfilling, the trailer gives away most of the interesting plot. Even though a serial killer trying not to get caught while surrounded by SWAT teams and the FBI is really high stakes, the movie doesn’t make that apparent whatsoever. The classic ending “twist” that M Night always does falls flat in this one, and at that point I was honestly just waiting for it to be over. Josh Hartnett is an impeccable actor, but with this crappy script he didn’t have much to work with, and most of the other actors are not up to his caliber. I didn’t care much for the characters and overall it was just boring. A complete drag. The only character that was redeemable was the vendor played by Jonathan Langdon, his performance solidified by the fun post credit scene. And when Josh Harnett took his shirt off, it gained a point back in my book. I can see this getting mixed reviews, like most of M Night’s films, and I am a part of the dislike club. Score 3/10

Synopsis Oddity is a morality tale about why you shouldn’t cross witchy women. When a blind woman’s sister is murdered in a remote country estate, she uses her arcane knowledge and abilities to uncover the true identity of her murderer.  Review of Oddity I really liked this movie. It came under the radar and we almost didn’t review it, but I’m glad we did, because I think I actually did like this one better than Longlegs. The film starts out basically with a prologue of what you see in the trailer, and acts as a really taut short film. A Woman answers the door to a creepy one eyed man that says that she’s not safe inside and needs to let him in. We are given just enough information to make this situation plausible and build dread. That is a common thread through the film. We are given just enough information to constantly be uneasy and uncertain throughout the whole film. It really is structurally impressive, plot-wise. There isn’t a ton of character development, but there is a constant stream of revelations and situations that keep the film engaging.  One criticism may be that there isn’t much of an emotional element in the film, the characters all seem very cold. However, each character has enough of a personality and backstory to make their interactions and decisions interesting. There are several moments and lines that had me laughing out loud, including the ending. There were also some really effective jumpscares. On the surface, this movie utilizes a lot of tropes that are crutches for a lot of supernatural horror movies. The spooky dark house. The strange sounds in the darkness. Stretches of tense silence leading up to jump scares. But for some reason, instead of rolling my eyes, I was truly engaged with this movie. I think it’s because all of the reality-based elements seem plausible, and all the supernatural elements seem interesting or novel.  I think it’s a great movie, and honestly I don’t have any real criticisms or anything that bothered me with it.  Score  10/10 Interview with Amber Victoria from The Skeleton Key Odditorium Bryce: Today, we welcome Amber Victoria, owner and operator of the Skeleton Key Auditorium Museum and Oddity Shop in Portland, Oregon. It’s a retail shop that specializes in oddities, antiques, curiosities, Gothic art, gifts, crystals, tarot cards, dolls, metaphysical items, clothing, and souvenirs. The auditorium is a historical museum designed to provide intrigue and a better understanding of the human experience through exploring the strange, unusual, and gloomy characteristics of our history. It was recently voted as the runner-up for Portland’s Best Museum, just underneath the multi-million dollar Portland Art Museum and OMSI. So, it’s pretty high praise for a museum. Anyways, welcome, Amber Victoria! Sydney: Welcome! Amber: Hello. Yay, thank you. Thank you for having me. Bryce: So, Amber, why don’t you tell us a little bit about how you got started? What’s the story with you and the Skeleton Key? Amber: Well, it kind of started almost 10 years ago. I’ve always loved old things and was more of a Ren fair kind of person. I was doing immersion events and collected a lot of odd things. Eventually, I started collecting too much stuff, so I began selling items at Curiosities Vintage Mall about nine years ago. It just evolved from there. People really liked my odd things, so I decided to open a brick-and-mortar shop in 2020. And here we are, still doing it. Bryce: So, when did you open the brick-and-mortar shop? Amber: I opened it in 2020 on Belmont. It was a small oddity shop, about 600 square feet. When the lease was up, we moved downtown, and I brought my partner along. We decided to open a museum because there was so much knowledge and so many items. People were always asking questions, and we wanted to educate and preserve these items in a fun, interactive space full of oddities. Bryce: Awesome. When you opened the brick-and-mortar, how much did you have to augment your existing collection to open the store? Amber: I literally brought everything from my house. I had been planning it for a long time. I would find things and think, “This is going to be the register table,” and it would sit in my garage until the moment was right. The pandemic really pushed me to do it because I was working in the service industry, and we lost that opportunity in 2020. So, I crowdfunded and finally opened up my shop. Bryce: That’s awesome. It must have been hard to start a business during the pandemic. Sydney: That’s so exciting. Amber: It was pretty brave, a bold move, but at that time, you were thinking, “I might just die, so why not?” Sydney: Yeah, exactly. Bryce: Nice. So, if someone comes into the shop—actually, my first question is, you said you watched “Oddity” last night. What’s your impression of the movie, and how accurate is it for an oddities dealer? Amber: I was curious why I was being interviewed for this movie, so I watched it and thought, “I see.” It was a good movie; I kind of figured out the plot early on. The fun part was the psychic character who claimed the items were haunted. I can understand that because these items have been around for hundreds of years, and there’s this law called the law of contamination. When you touch an item, it imprints your energy on it. Sometimes, you pick up an old, macabre piece and feel the sadness. While these items aren’t cursed, they’re definitely kind of haunted in a way. Bryce: Nice, creepy. Sydney, did you have any questions? Sydney: Yeah, what’s your favorite piece in either the store or the museum? Also, what’s the most haunted or cursed item, and are they the same? Amber: I don’t think haunted and cursed are the same. My favorite piece in the museum is a hair wreath from 1883 with the name “Grandma Elizabeth Sorensen” on the back. They used to take a person’s hair and weave it into flowers to make a wreath as a way to honor them after death. It’s a beautiful example of Victorian mourning practices. The most haunted object, in my opinion, is a Civil War-era child’s casket. When I brought it into my home, I had a dream about a little girl with curls holding her stomach, and I realized that might be the energy imprinted on the object. Haunted and cursed objects can affect people differently, depending on their intuition. Sydney: Interesting. Bryce: What’s the most common question people ask when they come into the store? Amber: The most common question is, “What is this place?” Many people don’t know what an oddity is. They ask why we’re selling these little things in jars, and I tell them it’s for fun and preservation. Bryce: Yeah, give our audience an idea of what kind of items they can find in your store. Amber: I’m an antique enthusiast, especially when it comes to odd antiques. An oddity is anything with an odd story. For example, a mundane item like a bell becomes an oddity when you attach a macabre story to it. We have items like branding irons, hair jewelry, and salt dishes. They might seem mundane, but with the right story, they become oddities. Bryce: Nice. Have you always enjoyed creepy stuff, or was there a moment when you started liking it? Amber: When I was about 11, my best friend and I would rent the goriest movies and watch “Tales from the Crypt” and “Faces of Death.” I’ve always been into it. I was a goth and a witch in my youth, and this is just who I am. It has evolved into this. Sydney: Hell yeah. Bryce: What’s your favorite horror movie? Amber: As an adult, I struggle with anxiety, so I prefer lighter stuff now. But “Killer Clowns from Outer Space” is my favorite. I love clowns. Sydney: That’s awesome. I’m actually going to Salem, Massachusetts tomorrow. There are some shops there with oddities, and some have a real presence. Do you have taxidermy in your shop, or is it more inanimate items? Amber: We have taxidermy, including ethically sourced animals from local preservation artists. For example, we have little mice dressed as fairies. We also have a baboon and raccoons. We sell some gimmicky things as part of retail, but we try to keep it authentic. I’m a picker, so I go out a few times a week looking for unique antiques. Bryce: I saw on your website that you have wet specimens. Do you have formaldehyde snakes and similar items? Amber: Yes, we do. For example, we have a puppy with gastroschisis in a jar, among other specimens. Sydney: That’s cool. I used to have a stingray in formaldehyde. It was our pet in college. If I ever move to Portland, I’m working for you because this is so cool. Amber: It’s a fun space for me. I definitely enjoy curating it. Bryce: Two questions: Is there any white whale or item you wish you had in the store but haven’t found yet? Amber: My dream pieces are an 1890 Ouija board, the original William Fuld board, and a first edition of “Dracula.” I’ve seen the Ouija board online for about $2,000, but I want to find it in the wild. The oldest Ouija board I own is from 1907. The first edition “Dracula” is a $28,000 book, but I’m always searching estate sales for it. Bryce: Nice. I wonder if PALS has ever had a first edition “Dracula.” Amber: If they did, they would know what they had. Bryce: And the last question: What’s the strangest thing you’ve come across or had in your shop? Amber: Everything’s pretty strange, but one standout is a two-headed calf from the 1930s sideshow circuit. A local oddity dealer walked in and sold it to me because he wanted to buy a two-headed kitten. Sydney: It’s a fair trade. Two-headed calves are cool and rare. Amber: Yeah, I want kittens too. Bryce: Where can people find you online, and how can our listeners support you? Amber: You can visit us at skeletonkeyauditorium.com. We don’t do much retail online because most items are locally sourced, but you can come into the space and explore. The museum is about 2,500 square feet. Bryce: If you’re in Portland, we’re located at 939 Southwest 10th Avenue, just down the street from the Art Museum. Check out skeletonkeyauditorium.com, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook at Skeleton Key Auditorium. Thank you so much, Amber Victoria, for coming on the show. I’ll definitely visit your store soon. Amber: We’d love to see you. Thank you for having me. Sydney: Yeah, thank you. It was nice to meet you. This was really fun. Amber: Nice to meet you too. Visit The Skeleton Key Odditorium oddities store and museum in Portland, OR.

Synopsis Grave Encounters follows a Zak Baggins/Ghost Adventures type crew while they film their first season of the titular show, constantly in search of new scares and not afraid to create their own for movie magic. They go to stay at an abandoned mental hospital in Maryland, where they get locked inside for 8 hours in hopes of getting some good footage and getting the hell out of there. Not expecting to see anything out of the ordinary, they are in for more than they bargained for. Review of Grave Encounters This is a very fun movie. There’s plenty of things to laugh at throughout to relieve you from the unexpected jump scares of ghouls and goblins. It’s not as serious and dreadful as something like Paranormal Activity, but it’s not trying to be something like that. They don’t waste much time getting into the nitty gritty of how haunted the asylum really is. The pacing is good and the scares are effective even on a repeat watch. The main problem I have with this movie is that the end drags on for a bit too long, it could have been a little tighter in the beginning and in the end, but the meat in the middle works. All in all, it is a good scary movie, it’s a fun time, but as you watch it multiple times it gets less effective.  Score 7/10

Synopsis Maxxxine follows the titular character as she attempts to leave the porno film industry and enter into mainstream Hollywood. She’s haunted by her past and is traumatized by the events of X that happened 6 years previously where she was the sole survivor of a homicidal elderly couple (spoilers). While struggling with the trauma and the difficulties of navigating Hollywood, several of her friends and acquaintances are murdered by a mysterious figure with black leather gloves. Will she achieve hollywood stardom? Will she be charged for murdering an elderly woman in Texas? Will she foil Dr Claw’s plan to use a missile silo to launch a missile to destroy Metro City? Watch Maxxxine or skip forward to our spoiler section to find out. Review of Maxxine Maxxine continues the exploitation genre throwback vibe of X and Pearl, but this one is much less stylized, and frankly, less horror focused. It’s more of a thriller/horror that is about as close as you come to an American Giallo. Maxine is surrounded by colleagues and acquaintances, but the maximum extent of the character development for them is “gay”. They end up all being disposable fodder for the prototypical faceless Giallo villain. Maxxxine, as we’ve seen in X is super capable and driven, and it ends up being one of the pitfalls of the movie. She is such a bad bitch that you never really believe she is in danger. Therefore, there isn’t much of an arc in her character or the plot. It ends up being a waiting game to learn whodunnit. The cast is great, and includes Kevin Bacon doing an impression of Daniel Craig’s Cajun accent. Giancarlo Esposito plays a character that isn’t a rip off of Gus Fring, and there are other actors too. This film is a tribute to 80s cinema, and as such Ti West limited technology to that of the time period. It doesn’t really seem noticeable in terms of quality of the visuals, but there are some very visceral practical effects that 80s horror fans will love. It’s an enjoyable movie, and if you liked X and Pearl, this is a good capper, but for me it wasn’t as interesting as those films. Score 7/10

Synopsis 1408 is a film that follows Mike Enslin, played by John Cusack, a corny horror novelist who specializes in writing about the scariest, spookiest places he’s ever been. Although he spends a lot of time in “haunted” places, he has never seen any paranormal activity and does not believe in ghosts. He then receives a cryptic postcard from the Dolphin Hotel in New York City that states, “Don’t stay in 1408.” Intrigued by this gesture and not at all deterred, he goes against the wishes of the postcard and of the staff of the hotel and books the room, hoping to finally get scared. Review This is the ultimate sleeper pick. This movie is not very well known or well talked about in horror movie communities, to my knowledge anyway, and after a second viewing I firmly believe this is one of the best horror movies. The viewer is never bored, stuff happens so quickly and so often in this film that it was extremely difficult to take notes on it because I almost always missed something. The pacing is something to look up to, it keeps you engaged from the moment you turn it on to the moment it ends. It is scary and certainly anxiety inducing. This is a great adaptation of a Stephen King and even if you don’t love Stephen King, you will love this movie if you are a horror fan. There are not many problems with this movie. Sometimes the directing style is a bit dated and the acting can be a little slapstick at times, but it doesn’t fully take away from how good it is. It is definitely not perfect, but it is entertaining and quite dreadful. Score 8/10

Synopsis The Exorcism is about Farther Gabriel Amorth played by Russel Crowe, who…wait no sorry that’s the popes exorcist I keep getting confused. The exorcism is really about Anthony or Tony played by Russel Crowe who is a washed up actor who tries out for a leading role in an upcoming exorcism movie while attempting to overcome his serious drinking problem. With the loss of his wife, Tony sends his teenage daughter Lee to a catholic boarding school, but when she is kicked out for in her words “protesting” but in the words of the law “vandalism”, she returns home and the reunion is tense. When Tony lands the role as the exorcist in this new emotional drama in the format of a horror movie weird things start happening on and off set. Will Tony survive the making of this movie? Will his family survive his alcoholism? Will Russel Crowe be in another exorcism movie next year? Whose to say. Review of The Exorcism My review for the exorcism is that it is pretty much exactly what I expected it to be. Its a catholic horror movie about a demon who needs to be exorcised. The scares aren’t that interesting, and some of the jump scares are so loud and quickly cut that I literally didn’t even know what happening. It was just startling and gave me zero information about what was actually going on in the film. Russel Crowes acting was actually pretty good in my opinion, but I think his voice is so deep and gravelly that it could be that I just enjoyed listening to him talk. The other star of the movie for me was the director played by Adam Goldberg who delivers both the funniest lines in the movie and the most emotionally brutal lines. The rest of the cast is kind of whatever to me. My favorite part of the movie was how it demonstrated the exploitation of trauma in the film industry which was pretty sad to watch. My least favorite parts were anything dealing with the demon cause I didn’t even really get what was happening or why. Maybe this really was a drama cloaked as a horror movie after all. Score 4/10

https://youtu.be/lju9lJVRlGM Synopsis The film follows the lives of two women as they navigate an uncharted territory of human experience, exploring themes of desire, taboo, and the limits of societal norms. The narrative delves into the depths of physical and emotional extremes. It starts out in medias res with a young couple engaging in a love making session, after which, they enjoy a home cooked meal. However, the film quickly turns dark as they both develop food poisoning. Their bond remains strong and they struggle through sickness together powered by their love. Review Not since Skinamarink have I seen such a daring and controversial film push the boundaries of conventional filmmaking and audience tolerance.  Unlike Skinamarink, 2 Girls 1 Cup lives up to the hype, andI felt engaged throughout the duration of the film. It’s not without it’s faults. I would have preferred more character development and I felt the pacing was too fast to digest on first viewing. The soundtrack at times felt like it was disconnected from the action on screen. I know a lot of films score against the tone of the film to great effect, such as in Tarantino films, but this one just felt out of place and overly maudlin.  What I liked about the film was it’s unflinching portrayal of two lovers struggling through hardship together. It’s a film that will stay with me for some time, and I imagine I’ll revisit again in the future. Score 10/10 

Who watches the watchers? We do! In this episode of Horror Movie Talk, we review the nepo baby Ishana Night Shyamalan’s new horror movie The Watchers. Should you watch it? Watch to find out. Synopsis The watchers is the first feature length film by writer/director Ishana Night Shyamalan, the daughter of M Night Shyamalan. Her previous work includes being a writer/director on her father’s Servant series on Apple TV+. In this film, Dakota Fanning plays Mina, an American expat in Ireland who is tasked with delivering a parrot. Along the way she gets lost in some weird woods from which there is no escape. There she finds a group of people that have also been stranded in the woods. They lead her into a solitary shelter in the middle of the forest and explain that they are to stand as display in a two way mirror for mysterious killer creatures that come out at night. As the days pass, Mina attempts to learn more about the woods to find an escape. Review of The Watchers The film sits currently at 32% on Rotten Tomatoes, and I can say that that seems pretty harsh. It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s not great either. As they say in the old country, The Shyamalan doesn’t fall far from the tree. This film suffers from some of the same on-the nose dialogue and an overreliance on exposition to tell the story. The set up is ripe for possibilities. Could it be a human zoo run by aliens or interdimensional travelers? Could it be an elaborate hallucination? Could it be a time loop? In the end, the explanation is a little more close to home and fantastical that science fiction, which was actually a welcome surprise. However, I still feel there was a lot of lost opportunity around hallucination, and shape shifting, which are both present in the story. The film was bought purportedly for 30 million, and hasn’t yet made back half of that in the box office. If you are wondering if it is worth it to see in the theaters, I think the litmus test is whether you thought it was worth it to see Old in the theaters. Score 5/10

Synopsis The Grudge 2004 is an Americanized version of the movie Ju-on, a Japanese franchise about a curse of resentment and anger. Both Ju-on and The Grudge are directed by Takashi Shimizu, and the Grudge is produced by (among others) Sam Raimi. The movie stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as Karen, an American who moved to Japan with her boyfriend to study nursing. While attending to her first in-home patient, Emma, who is an elderly woman with dementia, she realizes that there might be something dark lurking in the home. After some creepy occurrences, Karen has no choice but to dig deeper into the house’s history and the legends surrounding it.  Review The Grudge has interesting ghost lore, which isn’t too different from the way we view ghosts in America, but adds emphasis on reliving the violent past, which I think is fun and gives the viewer a bit more to latch onto as far as why the ghost exists. The ghost looks extremely creepy in most scenes, with a face that genuinely terrified me as a kid, even before I had seen the movie. Its mark on pop culture is undeniable. However, a part of me likes my memory of this movie more than the movie itself. Some of the scenes feel pretty copy and paste, especially the scenes about Karen trying to research the house and learn clues. Some of the scares came off as a bit goofy, which is fine, except that the tone of the movie is very heavy, so these silly-looking scares can feel a little out of place and unintentional. Still, the movie is good, in my opinion, and has a place within my mind that will never go away.  Score: 8/10