This film came out at the beginning of January 2024, and from the original trailer it had my interest. The overall idea of a haunted body of water is not original, but condensed into a pool, does seem original to my memory. This post will not be a complete breakdown of the film, only a brief summary.
***SPOILER FREE***
The first trailer is what originally caught my interest, and the best part about it was that it gave nothing away only the general idea of the plot. A family moves into a house that has a pool, and at some point during its use people are almost got by something. The cinematography and sound design was good. The characters all acted believable so the writing, or at least the acting was good. The creature design, which you do see a little of in the trailer is eh. I think a lot more could have been done with this movie, but it is a decent film.
Verdict: 3/5
***SPOILER WARNING***
Now you might be wondering: “Operator, why did you put the second trailer in the spoiler section?” You would be justified for asking. The second trailer virtually gives away the entire movie. The son encounters the ghost daughter who was sacrificed, to the water spirit (?), by her mom who was a previous owner. The daughter nearly gets got by the entity. The parents are oblivious until The Mom (current owner) notices her son acting odd. After being told that weird stuff happened and doing a bit of research she seeks out the previous owner mom only to realize that what happened to her is happening to her husband. That is why you see him freaking out. Also, the demon, or water spirit, or whatever it is gets the cat Cider.
Why do I not know what this entity is? Because the film never tells us and current owner mom does not look into it beyond the ton of people who have gone missing. This, the discovery and establishment of the antagonist, is lacking. I feel that more time should have been given to the mom to research because in the end they just fill in the pool. Does this “defeat” the demon, spirit, djinn, etc.? Does it even confine it to their pool? After all, the pool guy states that the whole area was known for healing springs. Who knows?, Probably not even the writer. The villain is there and conquered easily enough. Accept that it must be paid regardless of whose wish it grants.
About the only thing the trailer does not give away is the ending. The dad, Captain America, who is the recipient of a wish and therefore has his health restored, sacrifices himself to save his son.
The world building is pretty good except for the massive gapping hole where we should have learned who and/or what the antagonist is. I saw this film in theaters and paid $24.00 including popcorn and drink. It is available on Amazon for $30! I think someone is greatly overestimating the demand for this movie. I might have paid $30 if it were in Imax, but not to watch it in my house.
When I first saw the original The Exorcist (1973) during my high school years 2005-2009 I did not appreciate the impact it had on some. My dad admitted it gave him nightmares. I wish I could have see it through his eyes. Having rewatched the original in preparation for this review, the difference in quality is noticeable. That being said, while this 2023 movie did get one jump scare in on me, I cannot say it is terribly scary. So, lets get into The Exorcist: Believer.
***SPOILER FREE***
The movie is boring. The cinematography is well done, the music is fine, and the acting kind of falls short in places. The characters are almost nonexistent in that there is only one, Mr. Fielding. The story is an interesting one of fate, choice, love, regret, faith, and family. Too bad that the film only illuminates these ideas about as well as flashlight with a dying battery. It is a sequel to the original 1973 film and you will find some lines of dialog and at least one shot tying the two together.
Overall, if you want to watch a good exorcist movie, watch the original or The Pope’s Exorcist (2023). Don’t get me wrong, it could always be worse, but it could have been better.
Verdict: 2.6/5
***SPOILER WARNING***
The story is about two teen girls who, like in the original, are dabbling with what could be perceived as witchcraft. In this case Mr. Fielding’s daughter is trying to communicate with her deceased mother — using a pendulum? So you can use pendulums in spirit communication, but what the girls describe is not something as mundane as pendulum work but full on channeling, so I am not sure why they have a pendulum. Anyway, they sneak off to the woods, as you do, to perform their “ritual” ( I am putting that in quotes not because they call it that but because I am calling it that). They awake three days later having missing time. After they go missing the parents are introduced and we meet the other not characters. Everyone in this story except for Mr. Fielding is a foil strictly speaking regardless of what the writer/director/executive producer David Green intended. The West family is basically a caricature of the picture perfect “Christian” family. The dad is pretty much introduced as a dick and never really redeems himself, except maybe a little at the end and even that is walked back. The mom is quiet and submissive as I suspect some stereotype Christian women to be.
Once it is established that this is not a medical problem the story quickly shifts to full blown supernatural mode. Remember in the original film when the mom spent a lot of the movie trying to find a medical answer, and established characters as people who could help? It gave depth to the world as even psychiatry was looked down upon by the doctors, but here it is all, as Nick Fury puts it, “black girl magic!” Don’t get me wrong magic is magic no matter whose culture it comes from, but every Christian person and every Christian action taken or presented in this movie is weak, impotent, and second rate to the root magic of Dr. Beehibe. Oh, and I wouldn’t wan to forget to mention Ellen Burstyn reprising her role as Chris MacNeil except that she shows up just long enough to have her eyes stabbed out and does not contribute anything of substance except to complain about the patriarchy.
Moving on, the who diverse community of non-characters and Mr. Fielding come together for an exorcist. You have Mr. and Mrs. West, their pastor, generic Christian friend, Dr. Beehibe, and random nurse neighbor. A priest does eventually show up only to get his head spun 90 degrees which the special effects did looked pretty good. By the end however, a choice must be made: They must choose the form of the destructor, no wait that was a better movie… They must choose which girl to save. Like in Ghostbusters the decision is left up to the first person to speak up, and like the bad guy in Indian Jones and the Last Crusade they chose poorly. Funny thing actually, there is no choice. Mr. Fielding’s daughter received a prenatal blessing (more black girl magic) and Mr. West’s daughter had not been baptized, it is the West daughter who is sacrificed on the proverbial alter of “white Christians bad.” Does the film say this? Not explicitly, but every man who is a foil in this movie are depicted as weak, ineffectual, overbearing, tone deaf, or irresolute. Every woman and person of color is shown as selfless, in-charge, and willing to do whatever is necessary to storm the gates of Hell and fight evil incarnate.
Mr. Fielding, who presumably having lost his faith at the beginning of the film after loosing his wife, comes full circle and believes once again. He lovingly embraces his daughter while the West’s daughter is drug to hell. Unfortunately however, we are left guessing as the nature of Mr. Fielding’s faith at the beginning of the film as it is not shown and only brought up in a throw away line of dialog.
With that said, it is not a bad movie, but it was not worth seeing in the cinema. If you want to see it, I would rent it.
So I know I am like a month late to this one, but if you can get to a theater to see this movie do it. I was not going to see this movie, but after hearing praise from EFAP, I knew it had to be good.
The movie starts strong from the get go. The soundtrack, cinematography, effects, acting, costuming, sets, creature design, all of it was superb. There were only two points that slightly detracted. The first being that our protagonist has a beautiful woman and child seemingly thrust into his life as if by fate. This came across very anime (and there is nothing wrong with anime). The other is an incident of plot armor. While you do see people get stomped and bitten, there is no blood or gore. It is rated PG13 and I would estimate that it is more tame than Jurassic Park (1993). That being said, if you are a fan of Godzilla, go see this movie. I will warn you that it is a human story about honor, duty, family, and PTSD, but do not let that deter you. I know the most popular complaint about Godzilla (2014) was too much human and not enough monster. Make no mistake the story does revolve around the human protagonists, but Godzilla is the star and antagonist.
If you do go, there are not any mid- or end-credit scenes, but in the closing scenes there is hope for a sequel.
I saw Thanksgiving (2023) the day before Thanksgiving, and now the day after Thanksgiving I am going to give you my initial reaction. Happy Thanksgiving by the way!
*** SPOILER FREE ***
Watching the trailer gives nothing away and it gives a pretty gauge for the overall feel of the movie. I would say that Thanksgiving is firmly planted in the suspense genre with a hint of a “who done it” murder mystery. The story revolves around a group of high school friends and the main character’s family who are slowly being murdered and/or abducted. If you like body horror then this movie is probably for you.
My only complaints that there are too many characters, no character development, and some of the kills, while they look good, stretch my suspension of disbelief.
Verdict: 3/5
*** SPOILER WARNING ***
Having seen the movie, If you are security or law enforcement, the trailer kind of gives away who the killer is with the close ups on the boots. You might assume that the killer is some random person who was caught in the inciting event. However, you are introduced to all of the characters including a couple of red herring characters as well.
The movie starts with Black Friday which starts on Thursday night and not Friday morning. Cut to the big box store with an insane crowd of irate impatient shoppers. Because our main characters get in before everyone else through an employee entrance, Football Jock gets his hands on a megaphone and causes a stampede leading to the deaths of at least two people. Several other NPCs get killed due to the ensuring mayhem. And because capitalism bad of course the business owner gets the blame for only having two security guards on duty (one of whom died trying to save the Football Jock). Due to the utter inhumanity of the crowd and lunacy of the scenario pushed my suspension of disbelief to the limit. According to BlackFridayDeathCount.com there have been 17 deaths and 125 injures on Black Friday from 2006-2021. I am not going to go into that any deeper until the review.
Anyway, this inciting incident motivates the killer to to go on a killing spree against the people he blames for the deaths, mainly our main characters, Football Jock and his Cheerleader, snobby Waitress, cowardly Security Guard, and the protagonist’s father and step mother who own the store. The kills look good even if they do not follow the laws of physics or may be convenient. There were a few scenes that made me chuckle although it may have just been me.
Overall the characters act like relatable yet stereotypically stupid teenagers and the police are not negligently incompetent but actually somewhat believable. I feel they could have written a better story and added some depth to the characters not just for the killer. I would say anyone who are fans of body horror and slasher films will probably enjoy Thanksgiving.
So, the new Ghostbusters’ trailer: Ghostbusters Frozen Empire (2024) dropped last week and it has a lot of people excited. Let’s take a look at what is in it.
It opens on some summer scenes in New York City first seeing Lady Liberty which has been returned to her pedistol from Ghostbusters 2, and ending up on the beach while heat wave warnings play in the background. At the beach an ominous cloud with lightning draws to the coast as ice sickles sprout from the sand prompting everyone to flee. This freezing continues right up the the doors of the firehouse. Cut to Ecto 1 doing a hand brake turn, probably on a different day. Next we get variatable smorgasbord of scenses that almost flash by laying out the overall plot. There is a spirit who employs the “Death Chill” where they can literally scare people to death. These scenes take us to several new locations and at least one familiar to Ghostbusters fans, the New York Library. As with the overall look, I feel it is in keeping with the Ghostbusters aesthetic and feel.
We also get shown the cast of the film. Many of the favorites are reprising their roles. Obviously the original cast are coming back as well as the main cast from Afterlife. Furthermore, we will be seeing Janine Melnitz and Walter Peck return. The new additions are characters played by Patton Oswald, James Acaster, and Kumail Nanjiani. Their character names have not been revealed. Also possibly shown is a look at the film’s antagonist. There are some shots of a ghostly tall figure with blue eyes near the end of the trailer, but I am refering to blue devilish figure who is seen attaching one of his horns as the antagonist. I do not feel they are one and the same.
As a trailer, it introduces us to the cast and does not give away the plot while still hinting at a major mechanic of the story.
Now let’s look even closer.
***Possible Spoilers Ahead***
IMdB has this plot summary: “The Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.”
With that in mind, what do I think of the trailer? I am hopeful, and as much as I am excited about the prospects of a new Ghostbusters, I have some reservations. Lets breakdown what actually is in this trailer.
The first 40 seconds are the build up to the plot drop and presumably the antigonist’s introduction as it makes landfall.
As the dark onimous clouds stake their claim over the city and as a procession of ice sickles strong enough to skewer a taxi make their way to Ghostbuster’s HQ, I am left wondering why would an entity need to scare people to death when it could impale everyone with ice. And another thing, who would not be scared of freezing to death? I am not sure they thought this out.
The Ecto 1 shot looks good with lights and siren blaring.
Next we see: • Pheobe standing probably in the firehouse next to the pole possibly covered in frozen slime (we are pretty sure the slime blowers will be making a return); James Acaster, Trevor, and Luck standing around; • 2 Figures: 1 frozen mid-reach and the other standing in front of the reaching person. Some have speculated that it is a flashback since the decor looks reminiscent of a previous decade. Maybe, the shot is not well lit so it is hard to tell. Whatever happened, the reaching person might have been trying to stop the other from something as opposed to fleeing. We do not get to see the second person, but it might be Callie as she is in the next shot and the outline of her hair is similar; Callie Spangler in the firehouse turning around; • A door slowy freezing and then bursting as a dark cloud envelopes what appears to be an apartment; • Pheobe and Podcast look pensivly at something as she asks “What is it?” • In the same scene we see Kumail’s character and cut back to Phoebe and Podcast this time in a wider shot to show Ray standing next to them who explains it is the death chill, it is “the power to kill by fear itself”; • We see some mist issue from a crack in the wall or maybe a door, and retract quickly; • There is a shot of Gary; • We see Winston and Peter suited up in the firehouse; • A lion statue roars at someone, possibly Ray (I am basing this ID off of the jean jacket so don’t hold me to it); • Probably the lead up the the final battle where the doors to the firehouse fly open and ice sickles sprout as the ground splits separating the floor of the firehouse in two and causing damage to the containment unit in the basement; • Lucky standing in a dark room possibly a lab of some sort slightly reminiscent of the lab Egon had in Afterlife; • A blue devil looking entity attaching both of its horns to its head; • James shining a flashlight in the new Ghostbusters’ parka; • Gary, Callie, and Pheobe pose while looking throuhg what might be a window, maybe from the second floor of the firehouse, all are suited up; • Ray, Patton, Podcast, and Pheobe getting into an elevator and the look on Patton’s face… I don’t know what he is trying to emote, but it is just ridiculous. Is the elevator door really that heavy? I am assuming this scene is just before the one with Ray, Podcast, and Phoebe where Ray explains the death chill; • Kumail and maybe Lucky entering a guilded room seemingly hidden behind the wall of a cupboard, possibly in the same apartment with the frozen door; • Lucky gets frozen by the death chill; • Callie and Gary standing around; • Another scene with Patton and probably Phoebe, maybe in the library after the elevator; • Trevor blasting a proton pack, but in normal clothing; • Title drop • A possible shadowy glimpse of the antagonist presumably after the floor of the firehouse had been split and the doors ripped off; and • Trevor, Callie, Gary, and Pheobe standing on the roof maybe of the firehouse all suited up possibly during the final battle. Note they are wearing red parkas that the entire fandom seem to be loosing their minds over.
I hope it will be a good movie, but Peter played by Bill Murray in the only shot he is seen in looks – just done. I am not sure about the death by fear mechanic, it has potential but I have to see more trailer before I am sold. The addition of Oswald and Nanjiani have some questioning the quality of the production as they, or at least Oswald, are not held in high regard for their opinions or comedy. I personally do not know anything about them. That being said, some were not happy about the inclusion of the entire Afterlife cast including Gary played by Paul Rudd. It will be interesting to see how much a role each charater has seeing that we are being introduced to at least three new characters and possibly losing Lucky, the only black female protagonist [insert meme here “That’s a bold stategy Cotton…”].
The other big problem I have seen others have is how are they all in New York? Well it is summer after all and school is out. Not to mention Lucky has probably graduated and Trevor is probably close to graduating. Podcast is a little harder to explain, but I am sure it will be laid out in the movie as just a summer vacation.
As for the story and antagonists, it is too early to make predictions, but I feel the trailer only showed us scenes from maybe the second act low point where our protagonists are losing before they rally to victory.
Initial Reaction & Review of It Lives Inside (2023)
SPOILER FREE
For those who follow me on Facebook, You may have seen I went to the movies this past weekend. As you can tell from the subtitle, I saw It lives Inside.
The movie takes place in somewhere America and follows the story of an Indian girl who struggles against her mother’s perception of what she should be, finding her place amongst her peers, and vanquishing a demon. This is what the director and writer probably intended, but is may not be what everyone takes away from it. The dialog is not terrible. The cinematography and photography are pretty good, and the horror aspect is done fairly well as the monster is hinted at, but you do not see it fully until the end. The story is very simple, but it did not deliver the story I was expecting. That said there is a good idea in there, but it could have been done better.
Verdict 2.0/5
***SPOILER WARNING***
Why I do not like this movie. The protagonist is a bitch and we are not given a reason beyond the superficial worry of not being accepted by the end. She alienates almost everyone including her childhood best friend who she almost kills. The mom is very traditional and wants our protagonist Sam to keep true to her roots and Sam does not want to, even through she never explains why. Sam is on a first name basis with her teacher. These issues alone, I feel, do no represent eastern cultures where respecting your elders is paramount.
So, here is the story. Sam is a public school student who seems brilliant and successful at everything she does. Her ostracized best friend is being weird like she in on drugs. The friend has found a jar with a trapped demon and she goes to Sam for help wherein Sam almost immediately releases the demon and causes the friend to be captured and fed on. As payback, now the demon is following Sam. People get got by the demon, and Sam is central to these murder cases, but is never seen being questioned by the police. She discovers a journal and with help from her teacher and eventually her mom, she figures how to capture the demon within herself. Besides seeing her eat what looks like raw meat and a single tear at the end we have no idea what the ramifications for her actions are, but most seems right with the world.
In the story, we do not get to really know the main character, her family or friends until the end. There is no explanation and it makes it feel like a short story not a feature film.
Here is what we do know about the mom She is shown as a rather religious person and keeper of tradition. So, why would Sam, knowing this, feel her mom would not believe her when she says there is a demon tracking her? The mom, who speaks and reads Hindi is the key, so I guess the movie has to movie. I wish they had written a mother/daughter team up, but instead she teams up with her supposedly three-quarters dead best friend who probably would not have been much help.
I would have loved more cultural info. Hindu mythology and religion is a vast and colorful arena to draw from, and while the monster is Indian, and the fix is Indian, I feel the social dynamic between Sam and her mom could have been better. The food is probably the most cultural part, and the food looks absolutely delicious. It is also given focus at the end with the raw meat in stark contrast to the commercial quality meals the moms has previously prepared.
The creature design is alright until the end when you see it in full light. I think it would have been better to have kept it a shadow creature with a rough outline. The idea where it keeps you alive to feed over several days was good, but I do not fell like Sam’s friend was on death’s door when Sam arrives.
Overall, I would not recommend seeing this one in the cinema.
Initial Reaction to American Werewolves (2023), a documentary by Small Town Monsters
Ordinarily, I put a trailer at the top of my review posts, but since the whole film is free on YouTube, I am going to give you my two cents and post it below.
Initial reaction 5/5.
American Werewolves was published on YouTube July 20 and is available on the FilmRise Movies channel.
This documentary is a must see. It is well edited, the cinematography is great, and the sound design for an independent project is superb (as are most projects from Small Town Monster).
The dogman is a relatively common cryptid that is seen in the US, probably second only to bigfoot. The biggest difference is that the dogman, which may be a Werewolf, is a predator that has and will hunt humans as a food source. So, I guess it’s time to invest in silver and cast some .450 rounds.
Many of the interviews in the documentary seem sincere with at least one being brought nearly to tears. Several of the accounts state the creature was or was perceived as actively hunting them. This includes experienced hunters themselves, not just random passersby.
The most chilling interview detailed a horrific scene from April 2006 when female went for a jog and never returned. The interviewee who is a researcher found the remains of this lady’s clothing that were soaked in still wet blood. It happened in the area of Germantown, OH. Other interviews while not gruesome are equally as harrowing leaving many with trauma and nightmares.
This 1hr and 21min documentary is free on the FilmRise Movies YouTube channel.
Additionally, Werewolves Unearthed which will drop on the Small Town Monster’s YouTube channel October 1st at 2pm. In the meantime do check out FilmRise Movies and Small Town Monsters cannels. The latter just uploaded a new episode of On the Trail of Bigfoot.
So, A haunting in Venice released the other week and I happened to be at the cinema see another film so I stuck around for a double feature. I was rewatching the Nun 2 if you are curious. See my reaction and review of The Nun I/II.
My initial reaction is 4.5/5.
A Haunting in Venice is based on Agatha Christie’s novel Hallowe’en Party 1969. I would not call it scary although it is definitely an easy PG-13. Our protagonist Hercule Poirot, played by Kenneth Branagh, is in retirement living out his years in Venice when along comes an old acquaintance who needs his help debunking a psychic medium played by Michelle Yeoh. It is a murder mystery that you will be challenged to solve. I have not seen any of the other Agatha Christie adaptation movies or read her books, so I am a blank slate with no expectations.
I would recommend seeing this movie in cinemas. The atmosphere, cinematography, and imagery make it worth the ticket. Moreover, all the actors play their roles to a “t.” The best part is the juxtaposition of Hercule being a scientific analytical man facing the existential question of whether there is an afterlife. That being said, he spends some of the film experiencing the paranormal and questioning his own sanity. If you watch the trailer, be warned there is only one slight of hand edit. Everything in the trailer is in the movie. By the end Hercule may not be completely sold on the idea of the paranormal, but the movie and Hercule leave room for its possibility.
This movie came out in 2018, and by most accounts came and went. But is it really all that bad? I have watched it recently in conjunction with The Nun II (2023) and it could be worse.
Directed by Corin Hardy and written by Gary Dauberman, the film focusses on a demon who takes the form of a nun in the convent of St. Carta Romania and the Vatican contingent of Sister Irene and Father Burk. Irene and the demon Valak are the main characters. Essentially, Valak is attempting to get out of the convent so it can be free to roam and do demon things, but the abbey is fully of pesky praying nuns who attempt to keep it prisoner. Nearly all the nuns are dead when the last two attempt to access a holy relic, the actual blood of Christ to seal up the breach and vanquish Valak. This fails as the last nun defenestrates herself ending in a short drop and a sudden stop. Why didn’t the nuns reach out to the Vatican for help rallying all the forces of Christendom like they show in a flashback to the Middle Ages? So the movie can happen.
Word of this self-deletion gets to the Vatican, and they dispatch Father Burk and Sister Irrene who is not a fully fledged bride of Christ, but she is assigned anyway because her family is familiar with the area even though she has never been to Romania. They meet the playful, charming local, who isn’t local, Frenchie. He found the body and takes supplies to the abbey. After believing Irene was a nighttime conquest, he reluctantly takes the pair to the abbey. So far the pacing is good, but the dialogue especially from Burk is a bit clunky.
At the abbey they start to see things, hear things, and wonder if the ground is still holy. They are assigned quarters in the convent that has a radio? An electronic radio is the only electronics shown. You don’t see any powerline so how is this thing working? Anyway, Burk gets drawn out of the convent and into a graveyard by an apparition of a boy who died during one of his exorcisms. This leads to him being buried alive. Luckily Irene wakes and is able to find him with her holy vision. Digging up Burk they discover books of occult knowledge which give them Valak’s name although they do not know this demon is Valak presumably. Why, after being buried alive, and experiencing apparitions do they not call in reinforcements? An argument could be made that they are in the backwoods of Romania without a guide and no way back to the village. Fine, but I would have walked back.
Once things really start popping off and Irene realizes she has been talking with ghosts this whole time, they realize the demon is trying to escape and that the last nun chose self-deletion so she would not be possessed. Irene takes her vows to become a nun and they go to battle with Frenchie in tow having returned for the final act. Eventually, they get the relic and vanquish Valak by covering it in the blood of Christ, or so they think. As the group prepares to return to the village, it is shown that Frenchie has an inverted cross seemingly branded on the back of his neck. In the parting scene Irene gives Frenchie a pack of tomato seeds since his dad was a tomato farmer, and Frenchie jokingly explains a life debt since he did save Irene’s life. Roll credits.
Overall, I did not think this movie was terrible, I also did not feel it was very scary. The dialogue was kind of clunky. The set design and cinematography were done well, and I would say the acting was pretty good. At best however, I am rating this a 2.5/5 average. This seems consistent with others as it has a 24% on the tomato meter with 35% audience score. IMDb rates it a 5.3/10 and it has a 46 on Metacritic.
According to Wikipedia (whose particular article has good sources) this movie grossed “$365.6 million against a production budget of $22 million, becoming the highest-grossing film in the [Conjuring] franchise.” Furthermore, it profited around $155 million.
Verdict: 2.5/5
Part Duex
As a sequel, it’s okay. There is a similar formula and story to the first. In fact, you don’t need to see the first to understand it. Normally that would be a good thing, showcasing a strong stand-alone movie, but not in this case. The first movie is referenced a lot and this is probably because the director assumed you do not remember it. For me, however, rewatching a movie in preparation for a sequel is part of the experience. It is not a beat for beat redo, but you can recognize some of the copy and past elements especially the climax.
This time the movie is directed by Michael Chaves and written by Ian Goldberg et al. As the story goes, Irene is a nun at a boarding school in France, and almost immediately we are introduced to Debra a too cool for school, cigarette smoking, to-be nun from Mississippi who had her house bunt down by white folk. I don’t care, and the story never gets me to care, nor is it brought up again, but at least they can check that DEI box. The Vatican shows up and requests Irene perform another miracle and fight the demon. Well, they don’t actually say that so much as they want her to find out what it wants. Most of the movie cuts between Irene and Debra parading though Europe on the trail of Valak and a second boarding school where Frenchie is staring in The Parent Trap part 2 Demonic Bugaloo. Effectively the movie has two “A” plots. While sleuthing, Irene comes across a magazine stand and thus the best scene in the whole movie. This scene was in the trailer, and I think it would have been better to have experienced it on the big screen first. As pages flip open Valak slowly rises from the ground manifesting in the images of the magazines done with practical effects. Bravo. Meanwhile shenanigans ensue as Sophie plays matchmaker between her mom and Frenchie, and Valak terrorizes and kills a few people. Thanks to some visions and deus ex librarian, Irene is able to work out that Valak is killing people who are descended from Saint Lucy – a blind saint with visions, who has been brought up or hinted at several times. Saint Lucy was killed by the pagans. They tried to burn her alive, but she would not burn so they cut out her eyes. Where could this lead, I wonder? Irene also figures out that the demon escaped Romania in Frenchie. Knowing who they are after and where to go Irene and Debra, who is just sort of there, race off to find the St. Lucy Relic and fight the demon. But why? Why not alert the Vatican or at the very least summon every priest in the parish to your assistance? There is not a ticking clock argument here as Valak is not good at finding relics, the blood of Christ relic eluded it for decades.
Anyway, they get to the boarding school, knock Frenchie out, tie him up, and locate the relic. After this the feces really hits the fan with an eight foot tall goat demon chasing students and Debra around, and Valak attempting to retrieve the relic but conveniently failing to kill anyone who might get in its way. Eventually Valak is successful in absorbing the relic’s power and all seems lost until the writer introduces a universe breaking mechanic. Let us remember the ending to the first movie: Irene uses the blood of Christ to defeat Valak. Here, she does not have the blood of Christ. However, she does have barrels upon barrels on vine. I have to hand it to the writer, this is a payoff to an earlier scene about parts of our faith being real only because we believe, specifically referencing communion. A short prayer later and all that wine is the literal blood of Christ. How does this break the universe? The writer just gave every exorcist a golden gun. The blood of Christ should be a top tear, finite resource that while it can defeat anything, can only be wielded by the most skillful, and is reserved for the worst-case scenario. That is how a magic system should work. Here however, the blood of Christ is an infinite resource that anyone who believes may summon and wield with a little vine. And thus, the day is saved.
My original reaction gave it a 2.5; it has dropped to a 2.0. Here is why. The dialogue did improve from the first movie, but the characters development did not. Irene is the only actual character that has an arch, and even it is flimsy. Irene goes from being a nun to a saint theoretically because she is related to Saint Lucy and having fully realized her potential is now Sister Saint Mary Sue. What about the other characters? Frenchie goes from being possessed to not possessed. The surrogate family who are not really characters, more plot devices, go from being a two-some to a three. Debra starts the movie not fully believing in the power of faith and is supposed to believe fully by the end, although it is not shown. Overall, Debra’s character, who was actually a foil like Father Burk, could have been cut along with the librarian who hand delivers the location of the relic and Valak’s motive. Furthermore, after watching the first movie, there seems to be a lot of copy and paste. The first movie starts with a crucifix spontaneously combusting and in the second it is a priest. Frenchie is the charming playful handyman/local fixer who is attracted to a beautiful woman. In the first Burk is led astray by a boy apparition, in the second the Reverend Mother is killed by a boy apparition. In the last act additional knowledge is pulled out of nowhere that is needed for the plot. Valak is defeated by the blood of Christ. There is more, but I will leave it there.
How did other people receive it? As of 9/17 IMDb has it at a 6.0/10, Metacritic is 47, and Rotten Tomatoes is rotten at 50% critic score but a 74% audience score. According to boxofficepro.com it is underperforming with only $56.5 million so far as opposed to the original making $85.1 million at the same point. Also, costing around 35-40 million dollars to make, it has almost broke even all things considered. You may say this is due to a post-COVID world where people don’t go to the cinema. Sadly, you might be correct. This is no excuse for mediocrity.
Today is September 10, and I just watched The Nun 2 (2023) which released this past Friday. Granted it is Sunday and during the day (1pm), but there were might have been 20 cars in the parking lot and about a dozen people in my theater. So, what did I think about the move?
My initial reaction is 2/5. I am not a self-described fan of horror, but I understand how movies are supposed to work, thanks MauLer and EFAP. Make no mistake is not a bad movie, but it was not scary and only verged on suspenseful. Also, you do not need to see the first Nun to understand the sequel. The had a lot of call backs, but they were spelled out as you were led by the hand through the basic plot of the first movie. The visuals were great; it looked good, as was the audio. The acting was okay. The characters were believable all for one which I will mention in the spoiler section. Everyone’s motives seemed to make sense and all of the scenes melded together into a coherent story. So why a 2.5/5? The ending is telegraphed. Maybe I am being a bit harsh, but to me it is just eh.
Again, this is just my initial reaction. I am going to see it again Friday so maybe I’ll have a different opinion. However, if you want to watch a better movie, go see The Pope’s Exorcist (2023) or Talk To Me (2023)
***SPOILER WARNING***
The ending did not land well. It is literally, The Nun (2018) round 2, and I have yet to see The Nun. I know this is the case because the movie told me. Speaking of which, I am a fan of show don’t tell and I think they could have done a better job. It is not a shot for shot redo, but the idea is the same with a minor payoff which might have been a writer’s jab at Christianity saying essentially our faith is only real because we believe it is.
The one character that did not seem to fit is Debra played by Storm Reid. And, Before you pull out all the -ists and phobes, I think it was the writing. Her character is too cool for school, don’t really care, kind of a stoic. She portrays no emotion and is so calm under pressure she might as well be Captain Marvel. That being said when she does show emotion, I can tell she is acting, like she was not given enough direction. Over all, her character is not really needed. It feels like the original intent was for her to be a foil or side kick for Irene played by Taissa Farmiga’s character to bounce off of, and there appears to be some chemistry between them. But there is no growth of their friendship, Debra does not grow as a character, in fact she should probably be traumatized, so I am getting some DEI vibes.
Paranormal Operator 