I've wanted to do this all year and made myself wait for the end of the year... and since my next movie isn't until Scream in 2022, it's finally time to do so!
These are the nine movies I saw in order of seeing them...
Wrong Turn
The Unholy
Spiral
The Forever Purge
Escape Room 2
The Green Knight
Candyman
Halloween Kills
Resident Evil
Let's get to the ranks! Slight spoilers ahead... so skip a movies review if you haven't seen it and want to.
9. The Green Knight
So the only reason I saw this was because my BF really wanted to... and let me tell you... this shit was AWFUL. I mean he liked it, but for me? Complete trash. I literally fell asleep in the theatre and I have never done that in my life before. Ever. My major complaint with the movie was there was no talking? Like at all? And it came off as very pretentious... like despite the fact I hated it and slept through the third act... I still KNEW the plot and I guess 'twists'? But it is one of those movies where its like, you're not supposed to understand what happened because it is soooo elevated and sophisticated and you're supposed to be confused, and if you don't like it you just don't get it. Like no hun, I got it, it just sucked. As simple as that.
8. Spiral
This was THE biggest letdown for me this year. I didn't expect to like The Green Knight... I expected to be slayed by Spiral. She did not slay me. For starters, the movie was very... predictable. Like I remember turning to my BF at the latest halfway through and saying this is the killer. I hated how they didn't use Tobin Bells voice... the new one sounded silly. And my biggest gripe with the movie was a mistake they made before... but doubled down on it and made it worse. The traps were inescapable. I kinda hate when a Saw movie does that? It takes away from the concept of what makes Saw unique. It isn't JUST torture porn (I mean it is) but it also has that thought provoking situations where would I cut my arm off to save my life? Could I be able to? When there is no situation where it is on the person... it just feels wrong and torturing people just to torture them. Also the best character died off in the most impossible trap and that left a bitter taste in my mouth.
7. The Unholy
So now that I got the movies I really didn't like at all out of the way this ranking will turn slightly more positive. I didn't really expect anything going into The Unholy, and I didn't really get anything leaving it. The movie was good, not great. It had its flaws and it had its strengths. It's kind of just your run of the mill horror. Nothing special, nothing new. It did it's job and I would watch it again. I just wouldn't be shouting from the windows telling people they have to see this.
6. Halloween Kills
So anyone who knows me knows I am a horror movie fanatic... and my unpopular horror opinion is Halloween as a series has never been iconic for me. With that being said, I really enjoyed the 2018 reboot a lot. I was pretty hyped for Halloween Kills... and actually saw it on opening day. I will say of all 9 movies I saw, this was the only one with a crowded and rude theatre that did bring down the viewing experience (prays Scream isn't like that) and it possibly did bring down my views on the film. But I actually didn't have any negative feelings about this one... until they killed off the best character at the very end. So robbed. For absolutely no reason. Who am I supposed to look forward to in the third and final one now? :(
5. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
This was an uninspired, but solid, sequel to the original. I love the original Escape Room. I love the concept of the movie, I've seen so many LOW budget no names of the same theming, but to see one with a theatrical release and a decent budget was so iconic for me. This kind of silly plot are my favorites in horror movies so maybe I'm a bit biased? I did have my complaints with the movie... the ending felt extremely rushed, the new characters that were icons were just kinda killed off so quick and out of the blue it made no sense (even tho they may not be killed off like someone else), and on the topic of that they brought back someone I loved and was not expecting to see. I love the actress and I loved the character, I felt like she had the most complexity of characters in the original film and that was a treat that boosted the film up sm for me. But yeah, the rooms were cool and well done again, but pacing was very off, but all in all she was a sequel I'd rewatch and left me wanting a third.
4. The Forever Purge
Okay... now we are in the portion where these movies absolutely slayed me to no end and I adored them. I went into this movie expecting it to be SHIT. I really did. BUT, I really wanted to see it bc mom Leven Rambin/Glimmer from THG was in it and I can't help but stan her after that iconic and revolutionary role portrayal. But yeah... I really expected TFP to me shit. Then I saw it... and it was actually pretty good? I still think Election Year is my favorite in the series... but honestly The Forever Purge is my second favorite. I would 100% recommend seeing this one if you haven't seen it yet, she did the Purge series very well and IMO was a great way of finishing off this stayed for too long series.
3. Candyman (2021)
So once again, I was really expecting to not like this one. I remember talking to #Thirteen about it before it came out, and for me... the original Candyman is one of my all time favorite movies and honestly IMO one of the best done horror movies of all time. The sequels were shit, and I was not getting my hopes up for a reboot. It kind of felt like one of those movies where you just had no room to possibly improve upon the original so why even try? But let me tell you, this movie did it extremely well. It connected itself to the original in a respectable way, but made itself its own movie without relying on the original. It wasn't a carbon copy remake, and it's story was very well done and kept me captivated throughout. I kind of stan this movie so hard, and it is not as good as the OG, but it was a really great movie and we love her sm. Go watch her!
2. Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City
This movie was so camp. I've been on a Resident Evil kick this year, so it really came out at the perfect time for me. I played Resident Evil 5 & 6 with my BF, and then we recently watched the entire original series... I've been very high on it for some reason. I have my slight unnecessary complaints about this one of me being overly analytical, but really the only thing this movie suffered from was a bad budget that resulted in really awful CGI. Other than that, I really loved the more true to the Video Game series that it had. The pacing also was a bit tragic because it shoved two games into one movie... but I still feel like it was handled very well, and gave me a good viewing experience. Let's all pray to the movie gods that this will start another Resident Evil series because the first one... she had her ups and then she had her depths of hell lows. Twas a really fun watch and I want more!
1. Wrong Turn (2021)
So obviously, this was the year of reboots... and once again, I was not expecting this one to be great. I was excited that this series (one I love and hold near and dear to my heart) was getting a theatrical release for the first time since the OG. The straight to DVDs had a campy charm to them, but objectively the original was the most balanced and well done movie. This movie took a direction I didn't know how to process... I wanted my cannibal hicks... but after sitting on it and rewatching it... I really fucking loved it. This movie was so well done, and really evolved the series into something new that I could honestly get down with if they make more. If I'm remembering correctly, this movie only had a limited release and had like two days in the theaters? That's a shame because it truly is a movie that people should have had more time to see. It felt modern in a good way, not a forced way, and the characters were really fun to get to know. The plot was done in an extremely captivating way, and go watch this one! We loved her.
Also, if people wanted or I were interested I'd be down to do a ranking of major franchises that I hold dear? I would obvi want it to facilitate conversation and my fellow horror lovers could geek out with me in debate bc I do have some controversial picks...
But franchise ideas I have and could rank...
Scream / Saw / Wrong Turn / Final Destination / Friday The 13th / Resident Evil
I could do Nightmare... but that series is... she's a mess.
@WannaBeeFreinds I do get how people wouldn't like the Resident Evil reboot. I liked it, but i get it. The Candyman one surprised me in a positive way though. I guess low expectations yield higher results.
JourdanBabyXoXo Oh I know... it was... if they continue the spiral series they should fix that because it was a whole ass mess. Nonetheless, I'm more excited for Saw 10 than Spiral 2...
Oswordo3 Hm... I mean, I'd get roasted with my ranks but it's fine.
I actually am interested and will read through these - are there a lot of spoilers? Bc I may restrict how much I read to not ruin but if it鈥檚 only minor spoilers idc I still will watch if it seems interesting jaxon
Kindred7 Not like major spoilers... I'd say the two with the closest would be Spiral & Escape Room... but I avoided saying any characters names etc and specific events.
