Hell Of A Summer (2025)

 

**This review contains spoilers**

The Story- Jason (Fred Hechinger) returns to Camp Pineway, assuming the role of camp leader. The head counselors, Kathy (Rosebud Baker) and John (Adam Pally), are nowhere to be found, but Jason eagerly accepts the task of running the camp.

Jason faces a number of irritating challenges during his failed attempts to organize activities for the group. The team of counselors, including Mike (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Demi (Pardis Saremi), Chris (Finn Wolfhard), Bobby (Billy Bryk), Shannon (Krista Nazaire), Miley (Julia Doyle), Ari (Daniel Gravelle), Noelle (Julia Lalonde), and Ezra (Matthew Finlan) all ignore Jason’s attempts to unite the group for a fun summer camp experience.

Claire (Abby Quinn) tries to support and protect Jason. But the counselors will have bigger problems to worry about, after a bloody dead body pops up, and a killer wearing a devil mask appears. Does Jason have what it takes to protect and save the group?

My Thoughts- Jason is a loser, but he’s also a likable loser. Yes, it’s easy to laugh and poke fun at a grown man, who’s weirdly excited and happy about returning to summer camp. But taking on the role of a head counselor means A LOT to Jason. He needs to grow up and find a real job, and Jason has a bad case of arrested development. There’s no denying Jason really needs to take those first big steps into the real world, but he’s a good and genuinely nice guy, who just wants to enjoy life before he’s sucked into the meat grinder known as adulthood.

Fred Hechinger really delivers a solid performance as Jason. It’s easy to believe he’s this socially awkward guy, and I did get a few good laughs out of Jason’s failed attempts at trying to crack jokes, or Jason’s cringy comedian act. I wanted Jason to succeed, because he takes a lot of crap from the other counselors, but he never lashes out, and he doesn’t have the urge to seek vengeance. Providing a positive and safe summer camp experience is important to Jason, even if he has to risk his life to accomplish those goals.

Two killers! Revealing Demi and Mike as the killers works as a solid and surprising twist. They’re both narcissists, but Mike comes off as more of a goofball and an airhead. Demi? She’s genuinely more nasty and aggressive. Demi basks in the glory of being the cerebral mastermind behind the murders. She wants all the credit, and Demi desperately seeks the fame that’ll inevitably come with being one of the survivors of a bloody massacre. 

One of my favorite moments in the movie happens towards the end. Jason is tied up. He’s pleading with Demi to come to her senses, because he still doesn’t believe she’s a bad person. Jason wants to believe Mike is the puppeteer, who’s controlling her. Demi’s response? She mocks the idea of needing to be guided and controlled by a man, reminding Jason that she’s a strong and fierce woman. Pardis Saremi’s snarky and hopeless victim act before she tears into Jason is just perfect, easily one of the best scenes in the movie. 

A good number of dead and mutilated bodies throughout Hell Of A Summer, but the characters still have depth and different personalities. Whether it’s Matthew Finlan playing the pretentious play-actor, Julia Lalonde’s Noelle believing she’s a clairvoyant, or Finn Wolfhard’s Chris filling the role of a normal and nerdy kid, Hell Of A Summer makes an earnest attempt to avoid the easy way out to raise the kill count with disposable characters. It’s mostly easy to predict who’ll make it to the end alive, but you’re still able to care about the main cast of characters, and you can at least believe in the possibility of everyone having a shot to make it out alive.

The humor and the jokes are fairly consistent, the overall cast is solid, and Pardis Saremi is easily the standout star in the supporting cast, playing a vain social media influencer with a dark side. Hell Of A Summer is a harmless slasher comedy, featuring a nice twist for revealing the bad guys. There’s a good balance for slasher movie elements, the comedy, and the approach to deliver an unconventional coming-of-age film. Also, I’ll give some bonus points for a handful of creative and gruesome kills. A knife dipped in peanut butter used to kill someone with a peanut allergy? Yikes! 

Is it predictable in certain spots? Yes, but Hell Of A Summer is still a fun film that’s not afraid to be fully self-aware, while leaning into a lot of horror cliches. Tires are slashed, cars won’t start, and Ezra happily saying “I’ve always wanted to say that!” when the group finds out the phone lines are down is just hilarious. 

In the end, the villains got what they deserved, and the survivors enjoyed their happy endings. That’s more than enough for a silly film that wasn’t trying to be a groundbreaking movie, or reinvent the formula for slashers. Also, it’s impossible to ignore the irony for the majority of the group pointing their fingers at Jason for being the original suspect. A man named Jason is being accused of murdering camp counselors? That sounds familiar, and maybe they could’ve used one a shot of a hockey mask, but I guess that would’ve been too much.

Rating- 7/10

Hell Of A Summer (2025)(Minor Spoilers)

 **This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Jason (Fred Hechinger) returns to Camp Pineway, assuming the role of camp leader. The head counselors, Kathy (Rosebud Baker) and John (Adam Pally), are nowhere to be found, but Jason eagerly accepts the task of running the camp.

Jason faces a number of irritating challenges during his failed attempts to organize activities for the group. The team of counselors, including Mike (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Demi (Pardis Saremi), Chris (Finn Wolfhard), Bobby (Billy Bryk), Shannon (Krista Nazaire), Miley (Julia Doyle), Ari (Daniel Gravelle), Noelle (Julia Lalonde), and Ezra (Matthew Finlan) all ignore Jason’s attempts to unite the group for a fun summer camp experience.

Claire (Abby Quinn) tries to support and protect Jason. But the counselors will have bigger problems to worry about, after a bloody dead body pops up, and a killer wearing a devil mask appears. Does Jason have what it takes to protect and save the group?

My Thoughts- Jason is a loser, but he’s also a likable loser. Yes, it’s easy to laugh and poke fun at a grown man, who’s weirdly excited and happy about returning to summer camp. But taking on the role of a head counselor means A LOT to Jason. He needs to grow up and find a real job, and Jason has a bad case of arrested development. There’s no denying Jason really needs to take those first big steps into the real world, but he’s a good and genuinely nice guy, who just wants to enjoy life before he’s sucked into the meat grinder known as adulthood.

Fred Hechinger really delivers a solid performance as Jason. It’s easy to believe he’s this socially awkward guy, and I did get a few good laughs out of Jason’s failed attempts at trying to crack jokes, or Jason’s cringy comedian act. I wanted Jason to succeed, because he takes a lot of crap from the other counselors, but he never lashes out, and he doesn’t have the urge to seek vengeance. Providing a positive and safe summer camp experience is important to Jason, even if he has to risk his life to accomplish those goals.

A good number of dead and mutilated bodies throughout Hell Of A Summer, but the characters still have depth and different personalities. Whether it’s Matthew Finlan playing the pretentious play-actor, Julia Lalonde’s Noelle believing she’s a clairvoyant, or Finn Wolfhard’s Chris filling the role of a normal and nerdy kid, Hell Of A Summer makes an earnest attempt to avoid the easy way out to raise the kill count with disposable characters. It’s mostly easy to predict who’ll make it to the end alive, but you’re still able to care about the main cast of characters, and you can at least believe in the possibility of everyone having a shot to make it out alive.

The humor and the jokes are fairly consistent, the overall cast is solid, and Pardis Saremi is easily the standout star in the supporting cast, playing a vain social media influencer with a dark side. Hell Of A Summer is a harmless slasher comedy, featuring a nice twist for revealing the bad guys. There’s a good balance for slasher movie elements, the comedy, and the approach to deliver an unconventional coming-of-age film. Also, I’ll give some bonus points for a handful of creative and gruesome kills. A knife dipped in peanut butter used to kill someone with a peanut allergy? Yikes! 

Is it predictable in certain spots? Yes, but Hell Of A Summer is still a fun film that’s not afraid to be fully self-aware, while leaning into a lot of horror cliches. Tires are slashed, cars won’t start, and Ezra happily saying “I’ve always wanted to say that!” when the group finds out the phone lines are down is just hilarious. 

In the end, the villains got what they deserved, and the survivors enjoyed their happy endings. That’s more than enough for a silly film that wasn’t trying to be a groundbreaking movie, or reinvent the formula for slashers. Also, it’s impossible to ignore the irony for the majority of the group pointing their fingers at Jason for being the original suspect. A man named Jason is being accused of murdering camp counselors? That sounds familiar, and maybe they could’ve used one a shot of a hockey mask, but I guess that would’ve been too much.

Rating- 7/10

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) brings her new girlfriend, Bee (Maria Bakalova) to a hurricane party at her best friend David’s (Pete Davidson) mansion. At the party, Sophie reunites with Jordan (Myha’la), Emma (Chase Sui Wonders), and Alice (Rachel Sennott). 

Before the storm hits, the group agrees to play Bodies Bodies Bodies, a murder mystery party game. But the game takes a dark turn, when a real death happens. Alice’s new boyfriend, Greg (Lee Pace) is the primary suspect. And Max (Conner O’Malley), another friend in the group, is nowhere to be found after a heated altercation with David. Mistrust and nasty finger-pointing slowly tears the group apart, as they struggle to answer one crucial question: Who is the killer?

My Thoughts- Bee is struggling to fit in, but at least she’s trying? If I had to go with a pick for the best performance, Maria Bakalova easily takes the top spot. It’s easy to believe and buy into Bee’s personality. The shyness, Bee being afraid to speak up, Bee nervously voicing her opinions, and the awkwardness Bee feels, as she tries to loosen up. 

Sophie and her friends? They’re vultures ready to pick any bones clean, after the first dead body pops up. Bee? You can see she’s scared and nervous, carefully choosing her words, because Bee knows someone is waiting to snap on her during all the mud slinging. Bakalova does a good job of building sympathy for Bee. She’s a genuinely good person, who just wants to make friends, and she doesn’t want to disappoint Sophie. But she’s stuck in a mansion with a bunch of overly dramatic and whiny narcissists and cry babies, who are actively looking for a reason to shit on each other.

The overall cast features a number of good performances. Pete Davidson plays a goof, but David is also a jealous, deeply insecure, and thin-skinned young man. Lee Pace is hilarious as Greg. On the surface, Greg comes off as a laid back guy, with a hippie/surfer dude personality. But if you push Greg’s buttons too much, he flips the switch to activate a more mean and serious personality. 

Myha’la, playing an angry and agitated character, really nails Jordan. Taking Jordan’s side during the arguments works as the logical choice. She’s not afraid to speak unfiltered truths, but on the other side of that, it’s hard to not roll your eyes, because she’s clearly a bitter and mean-spirited person.

Rachel Sennott delivers a lot of laughs as Alice, complete with some genuinely funny hysterics. Alice is perky, and she’s kind of an airhead, and Sennott’s comedic timing is excellent. Also, Chase Sui Wonders delivers a solid performance as Emma, the actress, who makes herself an easy target in shark infested waters, because she’s too emotional.

Who is the killer? Well, David accidentally slit his own throat with a sword. That’s right. No mystery, no killer, David offed himself, because he was trying to prove he could pop a cork on a champagne bottle. Greg effortlessly did it earlier in the movie, and of course, David couldn’t handle another man upstaging him, or watching all the attention and praise go to someone else.  So David’s solution was to show he’s also capable of doing the sword trick, but it cost him his life.

Truly a surprising ending. I didn’t see it coming at all, but David doing something stupid is believable. Imagine that. Four friends said hurtful and unforgivable things to each other. Pointed fingers with serious accusations, and destroyed their friendships, because they believed one of them was a killer running around in the dark. David and Emma’s deaths were freak accidents, Bee murdered Greg, and Jordan accidentally shot and killed Alice. The stupefied looks on Sophie and Bee’s faces during the end, when Bee realizes she has reception on her phone, after watching David’s video with the champagne bottle and the sword is just perfect.

Bodies Bodies Bodies does a good job of balancing the comedy and serious moments for the appropriate reactions, whether it’s laughs or a jaw-dropping moments, cleverly interweaving the tonal shifts, when it’s necessary. It’s almost impossible to not laugh at the cast of characters here. There’s a chance a killer is on the loose, you’re stuck in a mansion with no power during a hurricane, but you’re wasting time arguing over petty bullshit? Please, take one second and look at the big picture!

You can feel sympathy for the victims here, but it’s also hilarious once you realize the bloodshed (excluding one death) could’ve been avoided, if everyone just came together as friends, one unit working TOGETHER to figure out what’s going on. What happened instead? A bunch of spoiled and rich youngsters wasted too much time trying to belittle and one-up each other for their manufactured “struggles.” 

One of my favorite scenes in the movie happens towards the end during the big group argument. Alice coldly reminds Jordan that she comes from an “upper middle-class” background…and Jordan gets upset? So someone else reminds you that your journey in life hasn’t been difficult, and that’s enough to piss you off? Seriously?

They threw in the car won’t start cliche for this one. There’s a good reason for it, and you can see it coming from a mile away. Personally, I’m just not a big fan of car trouble mishaps in horror movies. Still, Bodies Bodies Bodies really works as a funny and entertaining whodunit black comedy slasher-esque horror film, complete with a genuinely shocking finale for the big reveal. 

Screenwriter Sarah DeLappe does a phenomenal job of convincing you that anyone is capable of being the killer, leading to a conclusion that’ll either make you laugh, or at least crack a smile at how a seemingly normal party descended into chaos. The casting is great. Everyone is a perfect fit for their characters, and you can easily pick one highlight reel worthy moment from each member of the cast throughout the movie. 

Bodies Bodies Bodies hits all the right checkpoints as a riff on people (usually the younger crowd), who will go to great lengths to convince themselves that their alleged hardships in life are too much to deal with. They’re stuck in a loop of always complaining and feeling sorry for themselves, because they can’t break out of their victim complexes. Also, I’m always a big fan of horror films with isolated settings. The big quiet mansion out in the middle of nowhere. A hurricane is roaring outside. No power, it’s dark indoors, and the remaining survivors are slowly turning on each other? Truly a good recipe for a chaotic, nutty, and hilarious film.

Rating 8/10

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)(Minor Spoilers)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) brings her new girlfriend, Bee (Maria Bakalova) to a hurricane party at her best friend David’s (Pete Davidson) mansion. At the party, Sophie reunites with Jordan (Myha’la), Emma (Chase Sui Wonders), and Alice (Rachel Sennott). 

Before the storm hits, the group agrees to play Bodies Bodies Bodies, a murder mystery party game. But the game takes a dark turn, when a real death happens. Alice’s new boyfriend, Greg (Lee Pace) is the primary suspect. And Max (Conner O’Malley), another friend in the group, is nowhere to be found after a heated altercation with David. Mistrust and nasty finger-pointing slowly tears the group apart, as they struggle to answer one crucial question: Who is the killer?

My Thoughts- Bee is struggling to fit in, but at least she’s trying? If I had to go with a pick for the best performance, Maria Bakalova easily takes the top spot. It’s easy to believe and buy into Bee’s personality. The shyness, Bee being afraid to speak up, Bee nervously voicing her opinions, and the awkwardness Bee feels, as she tries to loosen up.

Sophie and her friends? They’re vultures ready to pick any bones clean, after the first dead body pops up. Bee? You can see she’s scared and nervous, carefully choosing her words, because Bee knows someone is waiting to snap on her during all the mud slinging. Bakalova does a good job of building sympathy for Bee. She’s a genuinely good person, who just wants to make friends, and she doesn’t want to disappoint Sophie. But she’s stuck in a mansion with a bunch of overly dramatic and whiny narcissists and cry babies, who are actively looking for a reason to shit on each other.

The overall cast features a number of good performances. Pete Davidson plays a goof, but David is also a jealous, deeply insecure, and thin-skinned young man. Lee Pace is hilarious as Greg. On the surface, Greg comes off as a laid back guy, with a hippie/surfer dude personality. But if you push Greg’s buttons too much, he flips the switch to activate a more mean and serious personality. 

Myha’la, playing an angry and agitated character, really nails Jordan. Taking Jordan’s side during the arguments works as the logical choice. She’s not afraid to speak unfiltered truths, but on the other side of that, it’s hard to not roll your eyes, because she’s clearly a bitter and mean-spirited person.

Rachel Sennott delivers a lot of laughs as Alice, complete with some genuinely funny hysterics. Alice is perky, and she’s kind of an airhead, and Sennott’s comedic timing is excellent. Also, Chase Sui Wonders delivers a solid performance as Emma, the actress, who makes herself an easy target in shark infested waters, because she’s too emotional.

Bodies Bodies Bodies does a good job of balancing the comedy and serious moments for the appropriate reactions, whether it’s laughs or a jaw-dropping moments, cleverly interweaving the tonal shifts, when it’s necessary. It’s almost impossible to not laugh at the cast of characters here. There’s a chance a killer is on the loose, you’re stuck in a mansion with no power during a hurricane, but you’re wasting time arguing over petty bullshit? Please, take one second and look at the big picture!

You can feel sympathy for the victims here, but it’s also hilarious once you realize the bloodshed (excluding one death) could’ve been avoided, if everyone just came together as friends, one unit working TOGETHER to figure out what’s going on. What happened instead? A bunch of spoiled and rich youngsters wasted too much time trying to belittle and one-up each other for their manufactured “struggles.” 

One of my favorite scenes in the movie happens towards the end during the big group argument. Alice coldly reminds Jordan that she comes from an “upper middle-class” background…and Jordan gets upset? So someone else reminds you that your journey in life hasn’t been difficult, and that’s enough to piss you off? Seriously?

They threw in the car won’t start cliche for this one. There’s a good reason for it, and you can see it coming from a mile away. Personally, I’m just not a big fan of car trouble mishaps in horror movies. Still, Bodies Bodies Bodies really works as a funny and entertaining whodunit black comedy slasher-esque horror film, complete with a genuinely shocking finale for the big reveal. 

Screenwriter Sarah DeLappe does a phenomenal job of convincing you that anyone is capable of being the killer, leading to a conclusion that’ll either make you laugh, or at least crack a smile at how a seemingly normal party descended into chaos. The casting is great. Everyone is a perfect fit for their characters, and you can easily pick one highlight reel worthy moment from each member of the cast throughout the movie. 

Bodies Bodies Bodies hits all the right checkpoints as a riff on people (usually the younger crowd), who will go to great lengths to convince themselves that their alleged hardships in life are too much to deal with. They’re stuck in a loop of always complaining and feeling sorry for themselves, because they can’t break out of their victim complexes. Also, I’m always a big fan of horror films with isolated settings. The big quiet mansion out in the middle of nowhere. A hurricane is roaring outside. No power, it’s dark indoors, and the remaining survivors are slowly turning on each other? Truly a good recipe for a chaotic, nutty, and hilarious film.

Rating 8/10

Character Spotlight- Maddie- Night Of The Demons

 

**This post contains spoilers**

Halloween night is here! Maddie (Monica Keena) is all smiles, and she’s ready to go to the big Halloween bash at The Broussard Family Mansion, hosted by Angela Feld (Shannon Elizabeth). Maddie arrives at the party with her friends, Suzanne (Bobbi Sue Luther) and Lily (Diora Baird). Loud music, drinks, an electric atmosphere, and the duo of Jason (John F. Beach) and Dex (Michael Copon) eventually joins the trio. Everything is seemingly perfect, right?

Sure, Maddie sees potential setbacks. She spots her ex-boyfriend, Colin (Edward Furlong), and the party is officially over, after the arrival of a group of police officers (Angela didn’t get a permit!). But Maddie has bigger problems to worry about, when Angela is unknowingly possessed by a demon. After a game of spin the bottle, Angela passes the demon to Dex, starting a chain reaction, that involves Dex, Lily, and Suzanne being sucked into the first round of possessions.

Facing slim hopes of making it to sunrise, Maddie is forced to fight to survive. Maddie slowly emerges as the leader. There’s two specific scenes, where Maddie aggressively speaks up as the voice of reason. Jason freaks out about a possessed Suzanne showing no signs of any damage after he stabs her with a fireplace poker. Also, let’s not forget about Maddie realizing how important it was to protect the spells written on the walls in the upstairs room.

And Maddie has to interrupt the bickering between Colin and Jason to show them a possible alternate exit in the basement. Colin starts whining about his problems, and Maddie sternly reminds him that Jason was just murdered by Angela, and he transformed into a demon. Colin witnessed a demon ripping Jason’s guts out, and he’s still only thinking about himself? Come on, man!

Maddie also plays the role of a babysitter for Jason and Colin. She’s a caring person, and you can see she still believes there’s some hope for Colin to turn his life around. Colin pleaded with Maddie to leave him alone, when he fell through the floor. Yeah, Colin turned into a demon, and she barely escaped, but Maddie still took a big risk to go down and check on him.

Eventually, the story reaches a point, where Maddie is the last woman standing. Everyone else is a demon, and Maddie realizes she can’t wait it out. No more running, or hiding. No, Maddie had to go for the last stand and fight. 

One of my favorite moments in all of the Night Of The Demons films shows Maddie walking up to the camera in the dark during the finale. She scans what’s in front of her, cocks the shotgun, and she boldly says “come and get me, motherfuckers.” Truly a cool moment, daring the demons to attack her, because Maddie knew what she had to do.

Monica Keena brings a mix of a wholesome and ordinary presence to Maddie. You’d never believe this is someone, who’s capable of fighting off demons. Maddie has a perky personality, and she justifiably panics every now and then. But Maddie shows flashes of fire in certain scenes. One moment that sticks out for me happens during the scene, where Maddie slams the door in Angela’s face, because she was sick of her taunting and failed attempts to scare her. She gave it her all, but Maddie couldn’t save everyone, and you have to believe losing Colin to a demonic possession was a tough pill to swallow. 

Still, Maddie fought off and outsmarted the demons to walk away as the sole survivor. For me, the best shot in the movie shows the aftermath of Maddie calmly landing on the ground after she faked an attempt to hang herself. It’s daylight outside. Maddie is standing there, exhausted, and she’s covered in blood, but she’s also smiling. Maddie, the gutsy and scrappy final girl, beat the odds to escape. No missing limbs, or serious injuries for the woman, who just wanted to hang out and have fun with her friends at a Halloween party. 

Y2K (2024)(Minor Spoilers)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- On December 31, 1999, Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny’s (Julian Dennison) planned night of fun turns into a disaster, when the Y2K bug hits at a New Year’s Eve party. Eli teams up with Laura (Rachel Zegler), Ash (Lachlan Watson), Garrett (Kyle Mooney), and CJ (Daniel Zolghadri) to fight back against Amalgamation, a sinister algorithm, and a violent horde of sentient machines. A plan is in place to stop Amalgamation and the machines from enslaving humanity, but the group runs into a series of setbacks during the last stand to save the world….

My Thoughts- Eli is the shy and socially awkward nerd, who’s chasing Laura, the girl of his dreams. Danny? Well, he’s a geek, but he’s far more outgoing and confident, if we’re comparing him to Eli. Ash, and her group friends, including Farkas (Eduardo Franco), proudly fill the roles of the “rejects,” or the “freaks.” And Chris (The Kid Laroi) is the douchey big man on campus, a jock, who arrogantly sticks his chest out as king of the cool kids. 

Y2K is loaded with the usual archetypes for high schoolers, but Rachel Zegler’s Laura slightly breaks the mold to stand out a little bit. Yes, Laura is popular, but she’s not cocky, selfish, or conceited, and she’s not a mean girl. Laura is genuinely surprised by any negative reactions, or assumptions about her character. She never went out of her way to become popular. She didn’t cut anyone down, or step on anyone, who she might’ve believed was beneath her. In her own words, Laura’s rise in the social hierarchy “just happened” without her putting in any real effort to be on top. That’s right, she got there by just being herself, no matter how much her personality rubbed certain people the wrong way.

If you’re looking for 90’s nostalgia, Y2K has just about everything that you could possibly think of and more. The music (The Thong Song takes center stage here), dial-up internet, AOL (you’ve got mail!), Tae Bo, a Men In Black reference, Limp Bizkit, and Fred Durst! The grainy POVs from Ash’s treasured video recorder adds to the nostalgia to give you the feeling you’re watching something straight out of the 90’s. On top of that, Garrett works in a video rental store, and a VHS recording of Varsity Blues is used a deadly weapon in one scene. I’m a 90’s/early 2000’s kid, so it was easy to spot numerous “I remember that!” moments and callbacks throughout the movie.

Outside of one big and surprising death, Y2K goes through the motions. It’s not hard to predict how the story of the nerd (Eli), who’s pursuing the girl (Laura), who’s supposed to be out of his league will end. But Y2K is still an enjoyable post-apocalyptic horror comedy. It’s a silly and harmless coming-of-age movie, with a satisfying conclusion and a happy ending. Also, the kills and the death scenes are hilarious, including the microwave, a blender attacking someone’s private parts, and a can of hairspray being used as a flamethrower.

The casting is excellent, because everyone is a perfect fit for their characters. The dynamic between Eli’s parents provides a few laughs. Howard (Tim Heidecker), Eli’s father, is clearly more uptight, nerdy, and proper. On the flip side of that, Robin (Alicia Silverstone) is a free spirit, but she’s still a kind and loving mother.

A big thumbs up for Kyle Mooney playing the eccentric hippie stoner, and Mason Gooding’s Jonas is basically cut from the same cloth. The big difference between Garrett and Jonas is, Garrett is bold and kind of reckless. Jonas takes a safer and more laid back approach to dealing with the machines. He helps out on crowd control to give Eli a chance to deliver his big rah-rah speech at the school. Garrett? Well, let’s just say running towards a machine for a one on one fight is not a good idea, if you want to stop the global uprising. 

Lachlan Watson easily delivers one of the best performances as Ash. Watson plays a conflicted teenager. Ash is an outsider, but you can also see she’s angry. She’s confused, and Ash is hesitant to let her guard down around certain people, so she clings to the trash-talking punk kid side of her personality. Truly a good performance from Watson, especially during the scenes, when Ash shows the vulnerable and emotional side of her personality.

The story of a group of unlikely heroes (including Fred Durst) teaming up to stop a seemingly unstoppable and powerful force? It’s a formula that’s almost impossible to screw up. You’re going to get something out of it, and Y2K mostly gets it right. The core group of characters change in different ways after the big showdown at the high school. Everyone’s journey comes full circle after a bloody and gory humans vs machines battle with high stakes, proving the fighting human spirit will always have an advantage over crafty technology and machines. 

Rating- 6/10

Y2K (2024)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- On December 31, 1999, Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny’s (Julian Dennison) planned night of fun turns into a disaster, when the Y2K bug hits at a New Year’s Eve party. Eli teams up with Laura (Rachel Zegler), Ash (Lachlan Watson), Garrett (Kyle Mooney), and CJ (Daniel Zolghadri) to fight back against Amalgamation, a sinister algorithm, and a violent horde of sentient machines. A plan is in place to stop Amalgamation and the machines from enslaving humanity, but the group runs into a series of setbacks during the last stand to save the world….

My Thoughts- Eli is the shy and socially awkward nerd, who’s chasing Laura, the girl of his dreams. Danny? Well, he’s a geek, but he’s far more outgoing and confident, if we’re comparing him to Eli. Ash, and her group friends, including Farkas (Eduardo Franco), proudly fill the roles of the “rejects,” or the “freaks.” And Chris (The Kid Laroi) is the douchey big man on campus, a jock, who arrogantly sticks his chest out as king of the cool kids. 

Y2K is loaded with the usual archetypes for high schoolers, but Rachel Zegler’s Laura slightly breaks the mold to stand out a little bit. Yes, Laura is popular, but she’s not cocky, selfish, or conceited, and she’s not a mean girl. Laura is genuinely surprised by any negative reactions, or assumptions about her character. She never went out of her way to become popular. She didn’t cut anyone down, or step on anyone, who she might’ve believed was beneath her. In her own words, Laura’s rise in the social hierarchy “just happened” without her putting in any real effort to be on top. That’s right, she got there by just being herself, no matter how much her personality rubbed certain people the wrong way.

Danny’s death at Chris’ house did catch me off guard. The best friends have to make out alive in the end, right? That’s what I believed early on, because Y2K is a film that largely plays it safe, but Danny’s death adds a good emotional layer for this one. Eli, without his one true friend, is forced to push forward with a heavy heart, so he can stop the attack before it’s too late.

Eli uses the one condom gifted to him by Danny, allowing Laura to safely upload the kill code without being electrocuted? Hilariously clever. It’s a nutty ending, when you realize Eli and Laura needed protection to safely penetrate a giant computer, using one of Danny’s condoms, a condom that Danny was saving for Eli to use for his first time with Laura.

If you’re looking for 90’s nostalgia, Y2K has just about everything that you could possibly think of and more. The music (The Thong Song takes center stage here), dial-up internet, AOL (you’ve got mail!), Tae Bo, a Men In Black reference, Limp Bizkit, and Fred Durst! The grainy POVs from Ash’s treasured video recorder adds to the nostalgia to give you the feeling you’re watching something straight out of the 90’s. On top of that, Garrett works in a video rental store, and a VHS recording of Varsity Blues is used a deadly weapon in one scene. I’m a 90’s/early 2000’s kid, so it was easy to spot numerous “I remember that!” moments and callbacks throughout the movie.

Outside of one big and surprising death, Y2K goes through the motions. It’s not hard to predict how the story of the nerd (Eli), who’s pursuing the girl (Laura), who’s supposed to be out of his league will end. But Y2K is still an enjoyable post-apocalyptic horror comedy. It’s a silly and harmless coming-of-age movie, with a satisfying conclusion and a happy ending. Also, the kills and the death scenes are hilarious, including the microwave, a blender attacking someone’s private parts, and a can of hairspray being used as a flamethrower.

The casting is excellent, because everyone is a perfect fit for their characters. The dynamic between Eli’s parents provides a few laughs. Howard (Tim Heidecker), Eli’s father, is clearly more uptight, nerdy, and proper. On the flip side of that, Robin (Alicia Silverstone) is a free spirit, but she’s still a kind and loving mother. 

A big thumbs up for Kyle Mooney playing the eccentric hippie stoner, and Mason Gooding’s Jonas is basically cut from the same cloth. The big difference between Garrett and Jonas is, Garrett is bold and kind of reckless. Jonas takes a safer and more laid back approach to dealing with the machines. He helps out on crowd control to give Eli a chance to deliver his big rah-rah speech at the school. Garrett? Well, let’s just say running towards a machine for a one on one fight is not a good idea, if you want to stop the global uprising. 

Lachlan Watson easily delivers one of the best performances as Ash. Watson plays a conflicted teenager. Ash is an outsider, but you can also see she’s angry. She’s confused, and Ash is hesitant to let her guard down around certain people, so she clings to the trash-talking punk kid side of her personality. Truly a good performance from Watson, especially during the scenes, when Ash shows the vulnerable and emotional side of her personality.

The story of a group of unlikely heroes (including Fred Durst) teaming up to stop a seemingly unstoppable and powerful force? It’s a formula that’s almost impossible to screw up. You’re going to get something out of it, and Y2K mostly gets it right. The core group of characters change in different ways after the big showdown at the high school. Everyone’s journey comes full circle after a bloody and gory humans vs machines battle with high stakes, proving the fighting human spirit will always have an advantage over crafty technology and machines. 

Rating- 6/10

Death Of A Unicorn (2025)(Minor Spoilers)

 

**This review contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- During a business trip with his daughter, Ridley (Jenna Ortega), Elliot (Paul Rudd) hits a unicorn with his rental car. Nervous and determined to make a good impression on his boss, Odell (Richard E. Grant), his wife, Belinda (Tea Leoni), and their son, Shepard (Will Poulter), Elliot decides to hide the body in the back of the car, but the unicorn suddenly awakes, sparking a series of chaotic events. Survival becomes the main goal, when the unicorn’s parents arrive at Odell’s ranch, determined to retrieve their child. Can Ridley’s research save Elliot, Odell, his family, and the others?

My Thoughts- Blood, guts, and unicorns! I’ll admit, I’m not an expert on unicorns, or the mythology behind them, so putting those words together sounds strange. Whimsical, mysterious, or majestic? Going by everything I’ve seen over the years, whether it’s in movies, TV shows, or commercials, that’s what pops into my head, when I think about unicorns. 

Sure, you can see the awe-inspiring aura for the unicorns throughout the movie. There’s no denying that, but when the parents enter the picture, things change. We’re introduced to two large and ferocious beasts. Yeah, you CAN wound the unicorns. Maybe you can slow them down to buy yourself some more time to run and hide. The “if it bleeds, we can kill it” approach doesn’t work here, adding another layer to how the unicorns are presented as an unstoppable force. Lots of purple blood from the unicorns is spilled after Elliot hits the child, and guess what? The humans (the bad ones) pay the price with their lives.

It’s impossible to ignore the hilarity of watching everyone running from unicorns, because, well, they’re unicorns. But writer/director Alex Scharfman still manages to toe the line in a way, where escaping the unicorns never looks too silly or goofy. The unicorns are a dangerous and deadly threat. It’s true you can look at the galloping creatures with a big smile and a stunned wide-eyed expression, but they’re also capable of easily ripping your guts out. Unicorns in Death Of A Unicorn are treated with the highest levels of respect. Also, the lore and the mythology for the unicorns is just excellent, telling the story of a mystical and brutal past, filled with rich details and clever tales about the history between humans and unicorns.

Elliot? In the early stages of the movie, you’ll get the impression the guy is just a shameless ass-kisser. He’s a pushover, who’s willing to do anything to get the seal of approval from Odell and his family. But towards the end, you’ll see a man and a father, who’s just trying to do his best. Maybe he went about doing it the wrong way, but Elliot swore to honor a promise to Ridley’s mother.

Paul Rudd is genuinely hilarious here. Elliot is goofy. He’s constantly nervous and walking on eggshells, and Elliot is kind of a klutz. But Rudd has more believable serious moments, when he has to protect Ridley, and when Elliot finally realizes he’s just an expendable asset for Odell, Shepard, and Belinda.

Jenna Ortega’s character is a bit cliched. Ridley is a bratty teenager, who’s not afraid to speak her mind, and she’s into vaping! But you’ll also see there’s more to her character as the story progresses. Ridley is smart. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, and Ridley quickly realizes Odell and his family are nothing more than rich and greedy snobs. She’s rebellious, but we’re also talking about a kid, who’s still hurting inside, because she misses her mom. 

Ortega delivers a noticeably confident performance, and she brings some good humor to Ridley. The awkward and rocky bonding experience between Ridley and Elliot is one the bigger highlights for this one. Lots of good laughs, and a satisfying full circle ending during the home stretch of the movie.

Odell, Shepard, and Belinda? They’re all terrible people. It’s easy to feel sympathy for Odell. He’s old, he’s sick, he’s dying, and he’s a fragile dude, who’s one bad fall away from kicking the bucket. But Odell shows his true colors after receiving a big boost from hefty amounts of blood from the baby unicorn. He’s a nasty and greedy old man. A dying man should use his second chance at life to be more appreciative and cherish the world around him more, right? Nope. Odell is too wrapped up in his massive ego. After everything that happened in the woods, Odell thinks it’s perfectly okay to try and touch the unicorn’s horn? Idiot. 

Tea Leoni plays the sympathetic figure in the family. Yes, she’s complicit in the family’s ill deeds, and she’s a pompous and pretentious character. But Belinda actually cares about her husband and her son. Leoni hams it up with Belinda’s exaggerated accent to the point, where you’ll either laugh, or start shaking your head at how silly it is, but she still delivers a solid overall performance. 

Will Poulter easily steals the show here. Poulter embodies everything you’d expect from a rich and spoiled brat as Shepard. He’s entitled, whiny, a coward, and on top of all that, Shepard’s personality is a mix of an annoying douchebag frat boy and a cocky dude-bro. From one scene to the next, Poulter’s performance is truly fun to watch, as the situation spirals out of control. The guy actually gets hooked on snorting and smoking unicorn parts to replace his bad drug habit. Priceless.

Odell and his family had the chance to do the right thing. You find UNICORNS, creatures that have blood that’s full of magical healing powers, blood that also has the ability to cure cancer. Saving lives should’ve been the top priority, but they only had one main goal: profit. But what else would you expect from a group of wealthy elitists, completely disconnected from the real world, while living in a large estate with servants, who are ready to obey any commands without any real resistance.

Odell, Shepard, and Belinda? They all got what they deserved in the end. Poetic justice hits hard for Odell and his family. It’s also hilariously ironic, when you remember the nature preserve is named after Odell. Protecting the unicorns would’ve been so much easier and simple, but having a god complex was his downfall. 

The CGI and the special effects for the unicorns loses its wow factor during the daytime scenes, but Death Of A Unicorn is still a good film. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega share terrific chemistry as a father/daughter duo. The cast is excellent from top to bottom, including performances from Sunita Mani, Stephen Park, and Jessica Hynes. Anthony Carrigan’s Griff is one of the more entertaining characters here. Griff is a jittery mess, the butler, who’s scared of disobeying his employers. But Griff has his moments towards the end, when he finally decides to stand up for himself. 

Consistent laughs, a handful of gnarly kills and death scenes, lots of blood and gore, and an emotional story about a father and his daughter trying to live a normal life again after a tragedy. Death Of A Unicorn checks off more than enough boxes for a wild and bizarre horror comedy.

And I can’t forget about the strong similarities to Jurassic Park, just Replace raptors with unicorns, complete with bloody and graphic death scenes. There’s also a scene that’s eerily similar to a scene from The Lost World. Julianne Moore, Jeff Goldblum, and Vince Vaughn are together. They’re nervous, and they’re trying to return the baby T-Rex to his parents, hoping it’ll be a smooth peace offering transaction. Well, Ridley comes up with a plan that mirrors what happened in The Lost World. But the big difference is, poor Dr. Bhatia (Sunita Mani) doesn’t have the luxury of relying on a skilled and experienced team to save her.

Rating- 9/10

Death Of A Unicorn (2025)

 

**This review contains spoilers**

The Story- During a business trip with his daughter, Ridley (Jenna Ortega), Elliot (Paul Rudd) hits a unicorn with his rental car. Nervous and determined to make a good impression on his boss, Odell (Richard E. Grant), his wife, Belinda (Tea Leoni), and their son, Shepard (Will Poulter), Elliot decides to hide the body in the back of the car, but the unicorn suddenly awakes, sparking a series of chaotic events. Survival becomes the main goal, when the unicorn’s parents arrive at Odell’s ranch, determined to retrieve their child. Can Ridley’s research save Elliot, Odell, his family, and the others?

My Thoughts- Blood, guts, and unicorns! I’ll admit, I’m not an expert on unicorns, or the mythology behind them, so putting those words together sounds strange. Whimsical, mysterious, or majestic? Going by everything I’ve seen over the years, whether it’s in movies, TV shows, or commercials, that’s what pops into my head, when I think about unicorns. 

Sure, you can see the awe-inspiring aura for the unicorns throughout the movie. There’s no denying that, but when the parents enter the picture, things change. We’re introduced to two large and ferocious beasts. Yeah, you CAN wound the unicorns. Maybe you can slow them down to buy yourself some more time to run and hide. The “if it bleeds, we can kill it” approach doesn’t work here, adding another layer to how the unicorns are presented as an unstoppable force. Lots of purple blood from the unicorns is spilled after Elliot hits the child, and guess what? The humans (the bad ones) pay the price with their lives.

It’s impossible to ignore the hilarity of watching everyone running from unicorns, because, well, they’re unicorns. But writer/director Alex Scharfman still manages to toe the line in a way, where escaping the unicorns never looks too silly or goofy. The unicorns are a dangerous and deadly threat. It’s true you can look at the galloping creatures with a big smile and a stunned wide-eyed expression, but they’re also capable of easily ripping your guts out. Unicorns in Death Of A Unicorn are treated with the highest levels of respect. Also, the lore and the mythology for the unicorns is just excellent, telling the story of a mystical and brutal past, filled with rich details and clever tales about the history between humans and unicorns.

Elliot? In the early stages of the movie, you’ll get the impression the guy is just a shameless ass-kisser. He’s a pushover, who’s willing to do anything to get the seal of approval from Odell and his family. But towards the end, you’ll see a man and a father, who’s just trying to do his best. Maybe he went about doing it the wrong way, but Elliot swore to honor a promise to Ridley’s mother.

Paul Rudd is genuinely hilarious here. Elliot is goofy. He’s constantly nervous and walking on eggshells, and Elliot is kind of a klutz. But Rudd has more believable serious moments, when he has to protect Ridley, and when Elliot finally realizes he’s just an expendable asset for Odell, Shepard, and Belinda.

Jenna Ortega’s character is a bit cliched. Ridley is a bratty teenager, who’s not afraid to speak her mind, and she’s into vaping! But you’ll also see there’s more to her character as the story progresses. Ridley is smart. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, and Ridley quickly realizes Odell and his family are nothing more than rich and greedy snobs. She’s rebellious, but we’re also talking about a kid, who’s still hurting inside, because she misses her mom. 

Ortega delivers a noticeably confident performance, and she brings some good humor to Ridley. The awkward and rocky bonding experience between Ridley and Elliot is one the bigger highlights for this one. Lots of good laughs, and a satisfying full circle ending during the home stretch of the movie.

Odell, Shepard, and Belinda? They’re all terrible people. It’s easy to feel sympathy for Odell. He’s old, he’s sick, he’s dying, and he’s a fragile dude, who’s one bad fall away from kicking the bucket. But Odell shows his true colors after receiving a big boost from hefty amounts of blood from the baby unicorn. He’s a nasty and greedy old man. A dying man should use his second chance at life to be more appreciative and cherish the world around him more, right? Nope. Odell is too wrapped up in his massive ego. After everything that happened in the woods, Odell thinks it’s perfectly okay to try and touch the unicorn’s horn? Idiot. 

Tea Leoni plays the sympathetic figure in the family. Yes, she’s complicit in the family’s ill deeds, and she’s a pompous and pretentious character. But Belinda actually cares about her husband and her son. Leoni hams it up with Belinda’s exaggerated accent to the point, where you’ll either laugh, or start shaking your head at how silly it is, but she still delivers a solid overall performance. 

Will Poulter easily steals the show here. Poulter embodies everything you’d expect from a rich and spoiled brat as Shepard. He’s entitled, whiny, a coward, and on top of all that, Shepard’s personality is a mix of an annoying douchebag frat boy and a cocky dude-bro. From one scene to the next, Poulter’s performance is truly fun to watch, as the situation spirals out of control. The guy actually gets hooked on snorting and smoking unicorn parts to replace his bad drug habit. Priceless.

Odell and his family had the chance to do the right thing. You find UNICORNS, creatures that have blood that’s full of magical healing powers, blood that also has the ability to cure cancer. Saving lives should’ve been the top priority, but they only had one main goal: profit. But what else would you expect from a group of wealthy elitists, completely disconnected from the real world, while living in a large estate with servants, who are ready to obey any commands without any real resistance.

Odell, Shepard, and Belinda? They all got what they deserved in the end. Poetic justice hits hard for Odell and his family. It’s also hilariously ironic, when you remember the nature preserve is named after Odell. Protecting the unicorns would’ve been so much easier and simple, but having a god complex was his downfall. 

I never believed Elliot was truly dead after Shepard stabbed him, not for one second. Jenna Ortega did a fantastic job of selling Ridley’s devastated reaction, but after everything they went through, Elliot dying would’ve been too much of a downer for the ending. Was it predictable? Yes, there’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Still, it’s a feel-good moment to see Elliot and Ridley together, rounding out the surviving trio. And I did get a good laugh out of Shepard being on the receiving end of a fatal mule kick from one of the unicorns. Similar to his father, a crazed ego cost Shepard his life.

The CGI and the special effects for the unicorns loses its wow factor during the daytime scenes, but Death Of A Unicorn is still a good film. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega share terrific chemistry as a father/daughter duo. The cast is excellent from top to bottom, including performances from Sunita Mani, Stephen Park, and Jessica Hynes. Anthony Carrigan’s Griff is one of the more entertaining characters here. Griff is a jittery mess, the butler, who’s scared of disobeying his employers. But Griff has his moments towards the end, when he finally decides to stand up for himself. 

Consistent laughs, a handful of gnarly kills and death scenes, lots of blood and gore, and an emotional story about a father and his daughter trying to live a normal life again after a tragedy. Death Of A Unicorn checks off more than enough boxes for a wild and bizarre horror comedy.

And I can’t forget about the strong similarities to Jurassic Park, just Replace raptors with unicorns, complete with bloody and graphic death scenes. There’s also a scene that’s eerily similar to a scene from The Lost World. Julianne Moore, Jeff Goldblum, and Vince Vaughn are together. They’re nervous, and they’re trying to return the baby T-Rex to his parents, hoping it’ll be a smooth peace offering transaction. Well, Ridley comes up with a plan that mirrors what happened in The Lost World. But the big difference is, poor Dr. Bhatia (Sunita Mani) doesn’t have the luxury of relying on a skilled and experienced team to save her.

Rating- 9/10

Character Spotlight- Brad- Night Of The Creeps

 

**This post contains spoilers**

He’s young, he’s confident, his hair is perfect, and he’s the leader of a fraternity! So what’s wrong with Brad (Allan Kayser)? Well, he’s not a nice guy. To be more blunt, Brad is a jerk. Brad’s personality is a detestable mix of an asshole jock and a cocky surfer dude, who believes he’s untouchable. He’s exactly the kind of guy you’d expect to have a big ego, as the head honcho of a fraternity, the ultimate narcissist, who thinks the world should bow at his feet.

It’s almost impossible to believe Cynthia Cronenberg (Jill Whitlow) is his girlfriend, but the clock is ticking on her relationship with Brad. Brad goes too far with his bullying. His plans to toy with and humiliate Chris Romero (Jason Lively), and his friend, J.C. Hooper (Steve Marshall) backfired. Brad thought he got the last laugh, kicking one of J.C.’s crutches, which caused him to fall flat on his face. But Cynthia wasn’t amused. Cynthia dumped Brad in front of a crowd, slowly raising her middle finger to throw more salt in the wound. The Bradster’s fragile ego was shattered in front of other people, so you know he was pissed, no matter how hard he tried to hide genuine feelings of embarrassment. 

Brad loses Cynthia to Chris, and his own fraternity bros are quick to poke fun at him? Ouch, that’s gotta hurt! But things only get worse for Brad, as the story unfolds. Drunk and miserable, Brad gets caught off guard outside of Cynthia’s sorority house, when one of the alien slugs jumps into his mouth. So Brad goes from being the popular big man on campus fraternity leader, to a mindless zombie infected by alien slugs? Wow. That’s a big downgrade for sure, and a hard fall from grace.

You have to tip your hat to Allan Kayser for his performance. He IS the reason why you’d want to punch Brad in the face. Kayser speaks in a weirdly pretentious cadence, adding another noticeably annoying character trait to Brad. Whether he’s simply talking, or going on one of his pompous rants, you’ll quickly notice Brad always believes he’s the most important voice in the room (or outside). No one else’s opinions should matter, because he’s the almighty Brad, and you’re not supposed to question him.

Brad’s story ended on the steps of Cynthia’s sorority house, when he wasn’t his normal self. Infested with alien slugs, Brad’s head was blown wide open by Detective Ray Cameron (Tom Atkins), causing a group of slugs to spill out of his skull. To make matters worse, Chris used the flamethrower to torch Brad’s decaying corpse. Brad lost everything, and he got exactly what he deserved, a prime example of a character receiving their comeuppance in the worst possible ways imaginable. 

Chris twisted the knife after he killed Brad (with Ray’s help). Chris took one final look at Brad, staring a hole through his flaming dead body, and he calmly said, “Sorry, Brad. Don’t take it personal.” Brad would’ve loved to dish out one more snarky insult, but Chris got the last laugh, AND he saved Cynthia from Brad’s attack. The douchey ex-boyfriend was literally destroyed by a nerd, someone, who Brad believed was beneath him in the ranks of the social hierarchy on a college campus. A strange and unconventional rivalry, because Chris beat Brad, truly a full circle story, complete with an insanely brutal and gory ending.

Character Spotlight- Chris, J.C., & Cynthia- Night Of The Creeps

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The alien invasion has begun! Send the military, send tanks, send all of the fire power that’s available, because the world desperately needs heroes to fight back! What about Chris Romero (Jason Lively) and his best friend, J.C. Hooper (Steve Marshall)? But Chris and J.C. don’t have big muscles. They’re not skilled in hand to hand combat, and while you could say Chris knows the basics about using weapons, J.C. and Chris really don’t check off any of the boxes for a duo that’s capable of stopping crafty alien slugs. 

Chris and J.C. are nerds. Chris is still carrying a heavy heart and moping around after losing his high school sweetheart. He’s socially awkward, and he’s scared to talk to women. J.C.? He’s a comedian with a quick and snappy sense of humor, a jokester, who doesn’t mind poking fun at himself and his disabilities. For a kid who’s forced to get around on crutches, J.C. still manages to have a positive outlook on life. 

J.C. is the true definition of a good and loyal friend. When Chris spots Cynthia Cronenberg (Jill Whitlow), J.C. does everything he can do to help Chris. Pulling off a prank to join a fraternity, lead by a despicable tool named Brad (Allan Kayser)? Done. When Chris starts whining about J.C.’s habit to make a joke out of everything, J.C. gets annoyed and irritated, but he doesn’t abandon Chris. Chris and J.C. stick together, no matter what, even if they’re staring at an old frozen corpse! 

During her first appearance, Cynthia Cronenberg gets the spotlight, complete with fitting background music for someone, who’s presented as the perfect dream girl. She’s sweet, innocent, and Cynthia has a majestic aura about herself. Okay, she’s dating Brad, but when Cynthia learns the truth about the slug infested walking corpse, who showed up at her window, she dumps Brad. Tricking two good guys into doing a prank that involves a dead body, when you had no intentions of accepting them into your fraternity, is probably a line you shouldn’t cross. And Brad kicking away one of J.C.’s crutches didn’t help things. Everyone has a breaking point. 

Night Of The Creeps shows us college life can be fun. Chris has a fresh tuxedo, Brad is out of the picture, and he’s finally ready to go on his first date with Cynthia! Things are looking up for Chris…..but the invading alien slugs have other plans. J.C. is dead, after coming out on the losing end of an attack from the slugs in the bathroom. So who else is available to help Chris fight against the aliens? Detective Ray Cameron (Tom Atkins)! Yes, Ray is still haunted by the memories of finding the dismembered corpse of his high school sweetheart. But Ray is a tough wisecracking ball of fire, who won’t quit.

Still, Chris needs one more person to join his team. Outnumbered with their backs against the wall, Cynthia steps up to help Chris and Ray. One of my absolute favorite shots from Night Of The Creeps shows Chris and Cynthia together, armed with a flamethrower and Ray’s trusty twelve gauge shotgun, slowly walking towards the basement in Cynthia’s sorority house. Chris is serious, while he’s urging Cynthia’s sorority sisters to get out of the house, knowing they’re all risking their lives, if they stay inside. A cool handful of moments, and, well it’s kind of a bad ass shot, in a comical way of course. 

Ray Cameron jokingly used the nicknames Spanky (Chris) and Alfalfa (J.C.) for Chris and J.C. Fitting nicknames for the duo, because you could say Chris and J.C. are two Little Rascals in their own ways. Chris starts out as a bumbling and nervous geek, but he finds his courage, as the story develops. Chris found the motivation to fight back, after he listened to J.C.’s emotional farewell message on a tape recorder. He couldn’t sit back and hide, or wait it out. No, Chris had to avenge his best friend’s death.

Did Chris, J.C., Cynthia, and Ray stop the alien invasion? Well, no. If you’ve seen the theatrical cut and the director’s cut for Night Of The Creeps, you’ll know both versions ended with cliffhangers. But Chris fought back. Chris, with Cynthia by his side, marched right into the fire to take on the alien slugs. It’s an unlikely and ironic story for an alien invasion, because Chris, J.C., and Cynthia are not exactly the cast of characters you’d expect to try and save the world. 

As far as Chris goes, he survived. Filled with a strong sense of pride, while standing tall with his new girlfriend, Cynthia, Chris finally had a reason to be happy again after Ray’s sacrifice. J.C. is gone, but Chris finally pulled himself out of a miserable stupor, AND he fought through hell to transform himself into a gutsy hero? Not a bad ending for a guy, who started out as someone, who was genuinely terrified at the thought of simply talking to Cynthia.

Coming Attractions- Cold Storage

 

Release Date- February 6, 2026

Lots of nasty gore, exploding bodies, AND a good cast? I’m all in for Cold Storage. It’s a completely bonkers trailer, loaded with tons of silly and over the top carnage, and some good laughs. The teaser also shows signs of a fun and energetic horror comedy, featuring a grisly and morbid sense of humor.

I’ve always been a big fan of David Koepp. He’s the author of the Cold Storage novel, and he wrote the screenplay, so you have to believe it’ll be a faithful adaptation of the source material. I’m going to put the book on my must-read list, because Cold Storage has all the right ingredients for a memorable film.

Coming Attractions- Now You See Me: Now You Don’t

 

Director- Ruben Fleischer

Release Date- November 14, 2025

The Now You See Me films are strange. Fun and exciting storylines, and excellent casting all around, because everyone perfectly fits their characters, especially Morgan Freeman. Daniel Radcliffe played a solid antagonist in the previous film, as the snotty and entitled brat. But I’ve always had the feeling something was off or missing from Now You See Me (2013) and Now You See Me 2? Maybe it’s just me, but movies about world-class magicians pulling off impossible heists should have a stronger spark, or at least have the feeling of a big must-see event.

A slick and flashy trailer for Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, and there’s some strong potential for Rosamund Pike as the villain. Also, there’s a possibility they’re planting some seeds for the future. Jesse Eisenberg is training a younger team, and plans are already in place for another sequel. 

Kid Cannabis (2014)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Nate Norman (Jonathan Daniel Brown) teams up with his best friend, Christopher (Kenny Wormald) to smuggle marijuana from Canada to Idaho. Motivated by dreams to provide a better life for his mother, Teressia (Amanda Tapping), and his little brother, Philip (Mark Hills), Nate relentlessly pursues the life of a drug kingpin.

In Canada, Nicole Grefard (Merritt Patterson) introduces Nate and Christopher (or “Topher”) to her father, John (John C. McGinely), her mother, Elke (Christina Cox), and her little sister, Ella. John, the mastermind behind growing and selling a high quality strain of marijuana, becomes Nate and Topher’s trusted supplier. And Nate further strengthens his empire by forming a partnership with Barry Lerner (Ron Perlman). 

Nate builds a team of runners, including Topher, Scuzz (Bryce Hodgson), and others. Millions are rolling in, as Nate’s team sneaks bricks of marijuana across the Canadian border. But Nate runs into some trouble during a feud with his rival, Brendan Butler (Aaron Yoo).

My Thoughts- Really? THIS guy? If you take one look at Nate Norman, you’d never guess he was capable of smoothly running a weed empire worth millions. Jonathan Daniel Brown delivers a convincing and good performance as Nate Norman. The nasally voice, Nate’s awkward demeanor, his attempts at trying to play it cool during Nate’s close calls, and Nate’s hilarious transition to being a more cocky drug kingpin. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a show-stealing performance, but there’s no denying Brown’s dedication to playing Nate Norman.

Ron Perlman brings a strong and commanding presence to Barry Lerner. The scene in the car, where Barry warns Nate about betraying him is terrific. Perlman is genuinely menacing, while Barry calmly threatens Nate. A good scene, with a bit of humor added to it, because Barry’s young and oblivious son is in the backseat, while Barry goes over the gory details for what’ll happen, if Nate flips on him.

John C. McGinely plays the enlightened weed supplier. Together, The Grefard Family shares a bond as a carefree and relaxed clan. They’re basically stoner hippies, and with limited screen time, McGinely really nails John for one of the best performances in the movie, easily. 

Brendan Butler? Oh, boy. Kudos to Aaron Yoo for believably playing an egotistical and annoying shithead. Butler is obviously trying way too hard to be tough and crazy, because he’s a deeply insecure young man.

Nate’s empire crumbles, and he’s going to jail! Is it a big surprise? Well, no. You could see it all coming from a mile away. As soon as Topher starts complaining about Nate screwing him out of his fair share of the money, you know what’s coming. 

Someone in the crew, who was trying to make some extra money on the side gets caught, and guess what? He chooses to be an informant to save his own ass. Of course, Kid Cannabis has a heavier comedic tone, but if you’ve seen enough crime dramas, you should know there’s never a happy ending for the big kingpin. 

Although, I’ll give a thumbs up for how they presented the interrogations. Everyone in Nate’s crew turns on him. Topher is shown as the last one to expose Nate as the ringleader. Just going by his facial expressions, Topher looks like someone, who’s conflicted about giving up his friend, but he’s also angry and bitter about Nate treating him like another lackey, after they started the business together by themselves, while Topher was doing most of the groundwork and the heavy lifting. Remember, Topher is the one, who started the conversation with Nicole, a conversation that led both of them to John.

Clowns. They’re both clowns. It’s hard to believe Nate Norman and Brendan Butler were able to pull this off, building two empires, while raking in tons of cash. But I guess that’s the appeal of Kid Cannabis? The irony and the absurdity for two young guys, cosplaying as hardcore gangsters, works as a crazy story that’s almost too impossible to believe. And of course, when Nate finally realizes he’s way in over his head for trying to control his crew, while dodging the authorities, it’s too late.

Kid Cannabis follows a lot of the familiar tropes for movies based on a true crime story. I didn’t need to do any kind of research online, or use Google to figure out how Nate’s story ends. The mistrust between Nate and Topher, Topher questioning Nate’s leadership, crack’s in Nate’s crew, Nate’s greed, his ego, his carelessness, AND you add cocaine into the mix? Too many missteps and bad habits. It’s only a matter of time before it all comes back to bite you in the ass.

A strange real-life story, because I can at least understand why Nate chose a risky path. He’s a high school dropout, who works a dead end job delivering pizzas for a living. And Nate’s mother works as a waitress, so of course money is tight.

You could say being broke, and the frustrations for living a life that’s clearly going nowhere gave Nate the push that he needed. But Nate was truly inspired, when he delivered a pizza to a successful weed dealer named Taser (Lochlyn Munro). The big house, lots of women, and Taser is a wealthy and confident man. 

Is it foolish to risk your life and a lengthy jail sentence for that lifestyle? Yes, but you can also understand why it appeals to Nate. He’s a geeky and socially awkward guy, who was bullied in high school. Nate is shy and nervous around women, so of course he’s going to jump all over the chance to be the cool guy in town, knowing women will throw themselves at him, because he’s rich and powerful. Simply put, tearing off the label for being a loser means A LOT to someone like Nate.

The tedious cliches are hard to ignore. And what happened to the relationship between Nicole and Topher? Nicole just disappears, as the story progresses. No explanations, and they didn’t mention her again, after she helps Topher with one of his weed runs through the woods. Nicole is the reason why Nate and Topher were able to take their business to the next level, so the vanishing act is kind of strange.

But Kid Cannabis is still an entertaining true crime comedy. Director/writer John Stockwell makes some successful attempts to bring an energetic spark to Kid Cannabis. A handful of GoPro style shots, and the numerous scenes featuring security camera footage works to add more realism to the movie. And the violence is kept to a minimum here. You’ll only see one bloody scene, when a hitman Brendan hired turns on him by choking and stabbing Brendan to death. Giovanni (Corey Large) brutally murders Brendan, while his brother watches, one of the scenes that’s on a short list of heavy and series moments. 

Kid Cannabis features a well-rounded cast, including two notable and good performances from John C. McGinely and Ron Perlman. If we’re talking about different personalities, Bryce Hodgson’s Scuzz stands out in Nate’s crew of grunts, as the rebellious live-wire, who’s not afraid to challenge Nate’s authority. The laughs are also consistent. One scene that sticks out for me happens, when Nate, wearing an obvious fake mask, goes to visit a lawyer named Joe Loya (Ben Cotton) for legal advice. A genuinely hilarious scene from start to finish. 

Also, Kid Cannabis opens with some social commentary about “the war on pot.” Nate starts off the movie talking about the feds prioritizing spending $42 billion going after his operation over the war on terror, and stopping Osama Bin Laden. And let’s not forget Teressia tearfully dismissing Nate’s impending legal troubles, because “it’s just pot.” 

Kid Cannabis is a refreshing pick, if you’re looking for something different in the realm of stoner comedies. Maybe it’s a toss up for landing on the side of sympathy for Nate, what he did, and how he chose to handled everything. But one thing’s for sure, the story about a young pizza delivery driver turned weed kingpin from a small town in Idaho, is filled with a hefty amount of turbulent ups, downs, twists, and turns. 

Rating- 7/10

Kid Cannabis (2014)(Minor Spoilers)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Nate Norman (Jonathan Daniel Brown) teams up with his best friend, Christopher (Kenny Wormald) to smuggle marijuana from Canada to Idaho. Motivated by dreams to provide a better life for his mother, Teressia (Amanda Tapping), and his little brother, Philip (Mark Hills), Nate relentlessly pursues the life of a drug kingpin.

In Canada, Nicole Grefard (Merritt Patterson) introduces Nate and Christopher (or “Topher”) to her father, John (John C. McGinely), her mother, Elke (Christina Cox), and her little sister, Ella. John, the mastermind behind growing and selling a high quality strain of marijuana, becomes Nate and Topher’s trusted supplier. And Nate further strengthens his empire by forming a partnership with Barry Lerner (Ron Perlman). 

Nate builds a team of runners, including Topher, Scuzz (Bryce Hodgson), and others. Millions are rolling in, as Nate’s team sneaks bricks of marijuana across the Canadian border. But Nate runs into some trouble during a feud with his rival, Brendan Butler (Aaron Yoo).

My Thoughts- Really? THIS guy? If you take one look at Nate Norman, you’d never guess he was capable of smoothly running a weed empire worth millions. Jonathan Daniel Brown delivers a convincing and good performance as Nate Norman. The nasally voice, Nate’s awkward demeanor, his attempts at trying to play it cool during Nate’s close calls, and Nate’s hilarious transition to being a more cocky drug kingpin. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a show-stealing performance, but there’s no denying Brown’s dedication to playing Nate Norman.

Ron Perlman brings a strong and commanding presence to Barry Lerner. The scene in the car, where Barry warns Nate about betraying him is terrific. Perlman is genuinely menacing, while Barry calmly threatens Nate. A good scene, with a bit of humor added to it, because Barry’s young and oblivious son is in the backseat, while Barry goes over the gory details for what’ll happen, if Nate flips on him.

John C. McGinely plays the enlightened weed supplier. Together, The Grefard Family shares a bond as a carefree and relaxed clan. They’re basically stoner hippies, and with limited screen time, McGinely really nails John for one of the best performances in the movie, easily.

Brendan Butler? Oh, boy. Kudos to Aaron Yoo for believably playing an egotistical and annoying shithead. Butler is obviously trying way too hard to be tough and crazy, because he’s a deeply insecure young man.

Clowns. They’re both clowns. It’s hard to believe Nate Norman and Brendan Butler were able to pull this off, building two empires, while raking in tons of cash. But I guess that’s the appeal of Kid Cannabis? The irony and the absurdity for two young guys, cosplaying as hardcore gangsters, works as a crazy story that’s almost too impossible to believe. And of course, when Nate finally realizes he’s way in over his head for trying to control his crew, while dodging the authorities, it’s too late.

Kid Cannabis follows a lot of the familiar tropes for movies based on a true crime story. I didn’t need to do any kind of research online, or use Google to figure out how Nate’s story ends. The mistrust between Nate and Topher, Topher questioning Nate’s leadership, cracks in Nate’s crew, Nate’s greed, his ego, his carelessness, AND you add cocaine into the mix? Too many missteps and bad habits. It’s only a matter of time before it all comes back to bite you in the ass.

A strange real-life story, because I can at least understand why Nate chose a risky path. He’s a high school dropout, who works a dead end job delivering pizzas for a living. And Nate’s mother works as a waitress, so of course money is tight.

You could say being broke, and the frustrations for living a life that’s clearly going nowhere gave Nate the push that he needed. But Nate was truly inspired, when he delivered a pizza to a successful weed dealer named Taser (Lochlyn Munro). The big house, lots of women, and Taser is a wealthy and confident man. 

Is it foolish to risk your life and a lengthy jail sentence for that lifestyle? Yes, but you can also understand why it appeals to Nate. He’s a geeky and socially awkward guy, who was bullied in high school. Nate is shy and nervous around women, so of course he’s going to jump all over the chance to be the cool guy in town, knowing women will throw themselves at him, because he’s rich and powerful. Simply put, tearing off the label for being a loser means A LOT to someone like Nate.

The tedious cliches are hard to ignore. And what happened to the relationship between Nicole and Topher? Nicole just disappears, as the story progresses. No explanations, and they didn’t mention her again, after she helps Topher with one of his weed runs through the woods. Nicole is the reason why Nate and Topher were able to take their business to the next level, so the vanishing act is kind of strange.

But Kid Cannabis is still an entertaining true crime comedy. Director/writer John Stockwell makes some successful attempts to bring an energetic spark to Kid Cannabis. A handful of GoPro style shots, and the numerous scenes featuring security camera footage works to add more realism to the movie. And the violence is kept to a minimum here. 

Kid Cannabis features a well-rounded cast, including two notable and good performances from John C. McGinely and Ron Perlman. If we’re talking about different personalities, Bryce Hodgson’s Scuzz stands out in Nate’s crew of grunts, as the rebellious live-wire, who’s not afraid to challenge Nate’s authority. The laughs are also consistent. One scene that sticks out for me happens, when Nate, wearing an obvious fake mask, goes to visit a lawyer named Joe Loya (Ben Cotton) for legal advice. A genuinely hilarious scene from start to finish.

Also, Kid Cannabis opens with some social commentary about “the war on pot.” Nate starts off the movie talking about the feds prioritizing spending $42 billion going after his operation over the war on terror, and stopping Osama Bin Laden. And let’s not forget Teressia tearfully dismissing Nate’s impending legal troubles, because “it’s just pot.” 

Kid Cannabis is a refreshing pick, if you’re looking for something different in the realm of stoner comedies. Maybe it’s a toss up for landing on the side of sympathy for Nate, what he did, and how he chose to handled everything. But one thing’s for sure, the story about a young pizza delivery driver turned weed kingpin from a small town in Idaho, is filled with a hefty amount of turbulent ups, downs, twists, and turns.

Rating- 7/10

Night Of The Demons (2009)(2025 Redo)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Evangeline Broussard (Tatyana Kanavka) hosts a seance at her mansion in 1920’s New Orleans. Madly in love with Louis Devereaux (Michael Arata), Evangeline uses the seance to spark a romantic connection with Louis. But Evangeline is unknowingly tricked by seven demons, unleashing a massacre inside the mansion.

Eighty-five years later, Angela Feld (Shannon Elizabeth) hosts a Halloween party at The Broussard Family Mansion. Angela invites Maddie (Monica Keena), Lily (Diora Baird), Suzanne (Bobbi Sue Luther), Dex (Michael Copon), Jason (John F. Beach), and others, while Colin (Edward Furlong) bribes Diana (Tiffany Shepis) for access to the party. The police force, led by Sergeant Dawson (Lance Nichols), pulls the plug on Angela’s party, but the group has bigger problems to worry about, when Angela and Colin discover seven skeletons in the basement. 

My Thoughts- Amelia Kinkade’s Angela was a goth nerd, the outsider, who was into witchcraft and the occult. Shannon Elizabeth’s Angela? She’s clearly more popular, has a wild side, and Elizabeth brings out a more cocky and confident side of herself, when the demonic possession takes over. There’s a scene, where Angela is taunting Maddie about her chances of survival and Maddie’s feelings for Colin. Good stuff from Elizabeth during this scene, as her eyes are deviously wandering around the room, with that big smirk on her face, because you can see Angela’s having fun toying with Maddie. 

The remake fills out the rest of the cast with likable characters, who are easy to root for. Monica Keena’s Maddie easily leads the pack, the scrappy fighter, who slowly emerges as the leader, and a sensible voice of reason. Keena brings a wholesomeness to Maddie, but she steps up to FIERCELY fight back towards the end. “Come and get me, motherfuckers” is one of the cooler one-liners in the movie. Keena really nails the delivery for that line, and the timing is perfect, because it comes at point, where the odds are not in Maddie’s favor, but she’s not going down without a fight.

Edward Furlong’s Colin is a sad sap. He’s a struggling drug dealer, who just can’t catch a break. You get the impression life has just run him into the ground, and to make matters worse, he’s on a hit list, if he doesn’t make enough money after Angela’s party. 

John F. Beach is consistently hilarious. No denying he owns all of his scenes and numerous moments throughout the movie, with nervous or spirited rants and outbursts. The paintball scene (“NO COSTUME, NO CANDY, MOTHERFUCKER!”)  is a good pick, and his explanation for what happened with Lily after the lipstick scene is just priceless.

Characters with bit parts and limited screen time deliver some notable highlights here. Tiffany Shepis is good for a few laughs as Diana. She’s sneaky, and Diana doesn’t care about breaking Angela’s rules, if she can make some extra cash on the side.

I wish Jamie Harris’ Nigel had a bigger role in the movie. Real show stealing stuff from him during his scene with Furlong, while Harris is laying it on thick as this unhinged crime boss. And another thumbs up for Lance Nichols playing the grinning and smarmy cop, who gladly leads the charge to ruin Angela’s party. 

Dex, Lily, and Suzanne? No complaints about the performances from Diora Baird, Bobbi Sue Luther, and Michael Copon, but I just wish their characters had a bit more depth. Dex is a normal and nice guy, and that’s it? Lily’s entire personality basically revolves around being obsessed with Dex. Suzanne is spunky and she likes to have fun. But Bobbi Sue Luther brings some good positive energy to Suzanne, and I did get a laugh out of the costume snafu with Lily, because they’re not just cats, they’re pussy cats! 

No more Hull House! If I’m being honest, I actually prefer the dark history and the lore behind Evangeline, her disastrous seance, and The Broussard Family Mansion over Hull House and “Old Man Hull.” Everything behind Evangeline and the demons feels more sinister. The thought of this seemingly innocent woman going to extraordinary lengths to chase the man of her dreams, and her quest for love blowing up in her face in the worst possible ways, is more of an impactful story.

I’m always a sucker for fine details, and there’s no denying The Broussard Family Mansion has a rich history. The secret room in the basement, underground tunnels, the protective spells written on the walls by Evangeline’s maid (Tiffany Billiot) in the safe room, and they drop a few hints for bootlegging runs throughout the mansion during prohibition. If we’re talking about overall visuals, I guess you could make the argument for Hull House (limited to the original Night Of The Demons and Part 2 only) being more spooky, but Broussard Manor still works as a death trap that you’d want to avoid at all costs.

The demons! The designs and the makeup for the demons in the remake are far more grotesque and bizarre. Boobs with tentacles, horns, and bloody, decaying flesh? Oh, the horror! I never had any real problems with the designs for the demons in the original trilogy, but the demons in the 2009 film are more believable as monstrous creatures. 

Going back to the lore behind the demons and details reinforcing the demons as serious threats, after doing some research, Maddie reveals the seven demons were cast out of hell, because they were too much to handle. Imagine that. You get kicked out of HELL, because you can’t follow the rules.

The front gate is a problem here. Again. It’s one of those strange plot holes, and I’m wondering if they did it intentionally as a weird wink to the original, and the problems with the gate in that film. One gate is capable of causing so much trouble? Sorry, not buying it.

The stuff with the gate is still annoying, but Night Of The Demons 2009 is a good remake. The 1988 original works as the quintessential 80’s horror film. But NOTD 2009 proves you can still make an entertaining film, without settling for a lazy shot for shot remake. 

Adam Gierasch and Jace Anderson created their own version of Night Of The Demons, while still paying homage to the original. Angela is different, Linnea Quigley’s cameo is a callback to the convenience store scene in the original, and Suzanne’s disappearing lipstick scene makes a comeback! But the magic trick with the tube of lipstick goes a few steps further in this one. The puddle of blood on the floor, and Lily’s blood soaked hand, when she yanks the tube of lipstick out is something else. Also, a big thumbs up for all the effort they put into Evangeline’s backstory. Starting things off in 1925 with the old style black and white silent films era was a nice touch for something unexpected. 

New Orleans! During, the opening there’s some short highlights of Halloween festivities in New Orleans. Before the cops show up, Angela’s Halloween party is a big bash. Remember, in the ‘88 original it was just supposed to be a little get-together between a small group of friends at a dusty old funeral home. Nigel briefly mentions how New Orleans is still struggling after Hurricane Katrina, but it’s not a big plot point for the story.

Night Of The Demons 2009 is truly different, because you can see a lot of noticeable changes. They left out the underground stream acting as a barrier that prevents demons from leaving the property. More graphic gore, a lot of blood, and overall, NOTD 2009 is a more extreme film, if we’re comparing it to the original. There’s also more sexual innuendos and jokes. NOTD 2009 also reveals it’s possible to pass demonic possessions through anal sex. So, yeah, that’s a thing here.

NOTD 2009 delivers consistent humor and laughs, including the post-credits scene, and all the bickering between Maddie, Colin, and Jason, when things go south. It’s a bloody and fun horror remake, good practical effects, a hefty amount of gory violence, and there’s one really good jump scare that plays around with the usual tropes for mirror jump scares.

As far as the music goes, I’ll give the edge to the original for the overall better soundtrack, and how they used each song from that soundtrack. But Night Of The Demons by 45 Grave is a perfect fit for the remake. It’s catchy, campy, and it’s a good choice for the fight scene after the demons invade the mansion. 

Rating- 8/10