No Real Danger

I did it, folks! Over 31 new-to-me horror films watched since Oct. 1st. This and 31 full reviews are just a couple of the perks of being unemployed! (laughter devolves into sobs)

44 Hell Hole (2024) – An American fracking operation in Serbia digs up a live man infected with an aggressive cephalopod-like parasite. I had high hopes for this one from the filmmaking family behind the superb Hellbender. Unfortunately, it is a very cheesy plot with a lot of uneven acting, bad CGI, wonky practical effects, and a disappointing creature design.

43 Fatal Games (1983) – College athletes with Olympic hopes are picked off one by one by a hooded javelin thrower. Early formulaic slasher with lots of T&A. 

42 Blood on the Stars (1975) – A Welsh children’s choir offs the stars of an upcoming event so they can be top billed. This is a weird one! Fun and very short. 

41 Rats! (2024) – A teen is arrested by the local overzealous/psycho cop and forced to move in with his dealer cousin to spy on him. Gross out humor and splattery violence ensues. Some genuinely funny moments and some goofy, goopy, bloody fun. 

40 Caddo Lake (2024) – A man’s quest to find out what was really going on with his late mother’s mysterious seizures intersects with the search for a missing girl. This is one of those “go in blind” movies. Just know that it is unique and twisty and very well done. 

39 Carnage for Christmas (2024) – A trans woman (important to the plot) finds some success as a true crime podcaster and returns to her hometown where a serial killer in a Santa suit starts killing people close to her. Fairly clichéd slasher that suffers from bad acting and amateurish direction, but isn’t a total failure. I didn’t hate it. 

38 Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) – Four teens run afoul of local bullies and the local vengeful ghost with deadly repercussions. Beloved director, André Øvredal, has taken this beloved middle readers book and made it into an intense PG-13 horror complete with graphic kills and spooky characters. Bravo!

37 The Ward (2010) – Kristen is picked up after setting fire to a barn and admitted to a mental institution where she and several other young women are terrorized by the ghost of a former patient. Our King, J. C., has made some of the best horror movies ever. This isn’t one of them. But it’s a hell of a lot better than most. An enjoyable haunter that probably won’t compel repeat viewings.

36 House II: The Second Story (1987) – Jesse inherits a mansion that has been in his family “for generations” only to find that it is a focal point for a mystical crystal skull’s wacky interdimensional powers. No need to have seen the original House for this goofy fun sequel to be enjoyable. This one fully leans into kookiness with puppets and stop-motion animation.

35 She Dies Tomorrow – A young woman has an overwhelming feeling that she will die tomorrow and tells her friend, who then catches the feeling and passes it on to others. A very introspective film of existential ennui. Slow and dreadful.

34 28 Years Later (2025) – Rage virus has ravaged England for 28 years as a young boy sets out on his first hunt on the mainland away from his safe island compound, learning about family along the way. I had the same reaction when the credits rolled as I did when this sequel was announced – “hmm, ok.” Pretty good overall with some bloody kills and touching moments.

33 Tiger Stripes (2023) – A Malaysian girl starts to go through mysterious changes as soon as she has her first period. The girl getting her period and experiencing supernatural changes thing is a certifiable trope I guess. The film tells an engrossing story with only a couple of cheesy effects. I was very impressed with this film’s young cast.

32 The Nun (2018) – A priest and a pre-vows nun investigate a suicide at a rural Romanian convent. Hijinks ensue. The hijinks part is a joke, but so is the writing for this turd. A few jump scares and some spooky Catholic/demonic imagery may make it watchable for some.

31 R. L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead (2025) – Woman and her teen sons move to a tiny farm town and run afoul of the local farmer when her youngest steals his prized pumpkin that happens to be connected to a bunch of missing children. A fun PG-13 Stine story with an impressive use of practical effects. Matty Finochio is excellent as the local kook.

30 Be My Cat: A Film for Anne (2015) – A man films himself acting out scenes for the film he hopes to make with Anne Hathaway with actresses who may not make it out of their scenes alive. A supremely creepy found footage film with a convincingly psychopathic lead. This one really might get under your skin!

29 Haunt (2019) – A group of friends visits a haunted house attraction that may be a lot more realistic than they bargained for. Another movie with annoying people being picked off by masked killers with unclear motivations. Not particularly good but it isn’t a total wash either. Would be fine as something to turn on in the background at your Halloween party.

28 Watcher (2022) – A struggling actress moves to Romania without knowing the language or anyone there. Her isolation makes her paranoid about the weirdo in the window across the street, but maybe it’s not just paranoia. A middle-of-the-road thriller that pushes into horror with a couple of bloody scenes. 

27 Red Rooms (2023) – A woman becomes obsessed with the trial of a man accused of torturing women on camera for dark web clients. Excellent performances and horrific subject matter make this worth checking out for horror enthusiasts, but it will definitely disappoint those looking for blood and gore.

26 Humane (2024) – In a post-ecological collapse society, the Department of Citizen Strategy collects volunteers to be euthanized and they will collect the number of people on their paperwork even if someone changes their mind. Wealthy family turns on one another with fairly predictable results. Maybe a metaphor for society or maybe just a so-so family drama thriller with a smattering of violence.

25 Azrael (2024) – A woman and her boyfriend try to escape a violent post-apocalyptic cult whose members all have their vocal chords cut out. Essentially a dialogue-less cat-and-mouse story with brutal violence and a possibly supernatural influence. Well worth a watch.

24 Breathing In (2023) – A soldier and his injured general hide out in a shack with a witch and her daughter. Based on a play and plays out like one. But that’s not a bad thing in this case. Michele Burgers is perfect in this surreal nightmare of an ordeal for a soldier at the end of his rope.

23 Macabre (1958) – A William Castle film with a ticking clock gimmick meant to keep viewers on edge while a distraught father searches for his kidnapped and buried alive daughter. Despite ridiculous character logic, this is another fun Castle chiller with high stakes and higher contrivances. Not the best from him, but not the worst either.

22 Uncle Peckerhead (2020) – A fledgling punk band brings on an affable roadie/driver for their first mini-tour who happens to turn into a flesh eating monster every midnight. There’s a lot of fun to be had with this one. Goofiness and blood abound.

21 Sissy (2022) – A woman reunites with a childhood nemesis during a bachelorette party with disastrous results. A slight twist on the slasher narrative that effectively delivers some satisfying kills but overall misses the mark on truly thrilling the audience. 

20 Psychopaths (2017) – An evil is released on the population when a serial killer is executed, pushing several people over the edge and into murderous psychopathy. Loosely connected kills and set pieces with very little plot. Keating’s homage to several influences may be too shallow for some. 

19 Lowlifes (2024) – Family on a road trip encounter a family of poor backwoods types with deadly results. A twist is revealed too soon to carry any real weight. A couple of good kills and a tiny bit of humor prop up a thin plot.  

18 Koko-di Koko-da (2019) – A grieving couple get stuck in a surreal time loop in which they are repeatedly murdered by a mysterious trio. Phenomenal use of nightmare logic. The creepy trio deserves a place among horror icons. 

17 All the Gods in the Sky – A man caring for his disabled sister in their decaying family farmhouse prepares for salvation from a supernatural source. Excellent performances and a rock solid reality-or-insanity plot. 

16 Celluloid Bloodbath: More Prevues from Hell (2012) – Horror host puppet, Happy, and a slew of genre actors, writers, directors, and other horror hosts present dozens of horror trailers. I love watching trailers – the good, the bad, and the ugly – so this is right up my alley. I could have done with a lot less of the scripted segues though.

15 Invader (2024) – A woman runs into a killer while trying to visit family. Keating delivers the indie goods once again. Swanberg stands out in his killer role. 

14 Vesper (2022) – A girl and her drone/father navigate a brutal dystopian world of severe wealth inequality. Great Cronenbergian biotech, a plucky protagonist, and the evils of man. Top notch indie sci-fi horror!

13 Ghostwatch (1992) – A BBC news special on a suburban haunted house goes disastrously wrong. The framing device is perfect for this fun little creeper with a jaw-dropping payoff. 

12 Offseason (2021) – A woman visits her late mother’s hometown to find a community of creeps. An effective eldritch mystery. Another indie gem from Keating.

11 Random Acts of Violence (2019) – A comic book artist and his crew road trip into a serial killer’s turf. Straightforward story with a predictable twist and some weak character logic. Creative kills make it passable. 

10 Starfish (2018) – Young woman mourns the loss of her friend who left her a fetch quest for cassettes that might save the world from an alien(?) invasion. Great lead performance in this gem of an indie cosmic horror. Minor dings for rough CGI. 

9 Brooklyn 45 (2023) – Post-WWII army buddies have a very bad time after a seance gone wrong. Supernatural elements and the interpersonal conflicts of 12 Angry Men. Would make a great spooky stage play. 

8 Bring Her Back (2025) – Orphaned teens siblings are sent to the foster home of a quirky lady who may have sinister plans for them. An outstanding creeper that keeps the audience on its toes from the rip.

7 V/H/S/Halloween (2025) – Anthology of shorts centered around Halloween. One of the best entries in the franchise. Nothing mind blowing, but all segments are above average. High praise for an anthology!

6 Heretic (2024) – Two Mormon missionaries end up trapped with a pedantic psychopath. Great pot boiler that ratchets up the tension until all hell breaks loose. 

5 Dangerous Animals (2025) – Surf nomad becomes a prisoner of a serial killer who uses sharks to murder his victims. Very solid serial killer/cat & mouse story. Jai Courtney is menacing!

4 Demonic (2021) – Carly’s comatose mother can only be reached via a virtual reality rig. Visiting her is easy but she’s possessed! Great premise ruined by poor execution, poor logic, and dull effects.

3 Bystanders (2024) – Men rape & release women into the woods to be hunted. Hunters become the hunted when bystanders stop to help. Micro-budget slasher with micro-budget problems that is surprisingly not bad! Interesting story and characters make it watchable

2 Booger (2023) – Anna’s friend dies in an accident and their friendly stray cat bites her leading to some gruesome changes and delayed grief. Solid indie body horror that uses metaphor to great effect.

1 Your Monster (2024) – Laura is at a low point in her life when the monster that lives in her closet helps her get back on top via friendship, emotional support & violence. Not super horrific, but a great story with a monster & a mending heart at its core.