What current horror trend are you excited about?
What is your most anticipated horror film for 2024?
Five writers are sent to a writing retreat and one of them disappears during a snowstorm. Paranoia takes over when they realize there are cameras all over the house and that the host of the retreat has been spying on them. There were a few good twists. I wish the characters had all been developed more and that there was less focus on what they were writing since that ended up being irrelevant. Also, there were a LOT of cliches in this book! "Stung me like a bee" "hit me like a tidal wave" "flowed out like water," etc. For a debut novel (which you can take your time with), that's pretty disappointing. But I don't solely blame the author--were the editors asleep or something?
Another thing...I wish they hadn't shown us the story the main character was writing because multiple characters were praising the writing itself, but it was terrible. It completely pulled me out of the story because I was like, "There is no way a group of professional writers think this is good." 😂 Anyway, aside from that, it was a decent thriller. I feel like I ranted pretty hard on this one, but it has its moments. This was just a mixed bag for me. 3/5 stars
After Winnie saves her town from a psychotic killer, her life turns upside down a year later. She wishes she had never been born and ends up trapped in a parallel universe where she never existed--and the murderer is still alive and killing. I loved the premise and while it definitely had some fun moments, it fell flat for me in some ways. Not quite as funny as I hoped, and also kind of a mediocre slasher film. Justin Long was barely in it, and he wasn't given a lot of funny material to work with. There was one interesting twist near the middle, but that wasn't executed as well as it could have been. There is also a big plothole at the end that I guess is supposed to be explained by the power of friendship? In a movie like this, I'm not going to get hung up on plotholes, but it was just unnecessary. Anyway, it's fun but ultimately forgettable. I don't think I'll ever watch it again, but if you are a big fan of holiday horror films, you might want to check this out. The friendship storyline is cute, and it's a feel good holiday film despite the blood. 3/5 stars
Join me @MovieMisfits channel in just a few hours for our Final Girl Tournament! 64 finals girls and only 1 winner! Come help us decide who should be the last woman standing! 🔪
youtube.com/live/Dom_Jxi0_nA?si=cbPUVZkG9MGC08vR
I had a feeling I was going to like this based on the trailer, and it surpassed my expectations. After a Black Friday incident ends in death and mutilation, a serial killer hunts down those he feels are responsible for the mayhem. It's funny, stylish, and the kills are creative and full of holiday cheer! It's fun like Violent Night, and it has the same vibe as Scream. It strikes the right balance between comedy, gore, and camp, and it has a few very suspenseful scenes where I was on the edge of my seat wondering if the character was going to survive. Also, I might have been traumatized by a certain dinner scene. The night after I saw this when I started cutting into a chicken leg, I got flashbacks to this movie and got a little queasy. That's not easy to do to this horror fan! Anyway, I think I'm done buttering you all up to see this movie. Just make sure you CARVE out some time to see this one. It's a real treat. 🔪🦃 🍽️ 4.5/5 stars
On December 10th, (9 PM EST), I'll be on @MovieMisfits channel where we'll be eliminating characters one-by-one in our Final Girl Tournament until we get our FINAL final girl. Here is the bracket for the tournament if you want to try to guess who the last woman standing will be! I hope you'll join us Sunday night for a bloody good time!
bracketfights.com/create/the-final-girl-survivor-s…
This. Freaking. Book. Is. Amazing. It was a wild ride from beginning to end. It's three locked rooms mysteries that are interconnected in a freezing cold setting (a perfect wintertime story). The first story takes place on a bus that crashed and several survivors get trapped in the bus--only they soon learn the accident appears to have been planned. Another story revolves around a group of people trapped on a ski lift with a dead body. And the last story revolves around a group of survivors at a ski resort who start to die or go missing one-by-one. Overall, I was very satisfied with all the twists and turns, and the way the stories came together. You'll hear me talk about this one during one of my "best of the year" videos for sure. 5/5 stars
I was pleasantly surprised by No One Will Save You (on Hulu). While the aliens are nothing special to look at, and might actually be the weakest element of this movie, the paranoia this film creates is fantastic. The main character repeatedly tries and fails to find safety from the town that alienated her due to a terrible mistake she made as a child. The ending is strange, but the juxtaposition in the final shot between "perfectness" and weirdness is oddly satisfying and disturbing. This film won't be for everyone--the main character never speaks a line of dialogue, and eventually I got used to it, but I was hoping that when the big mystery behind her childhood trauma was revealed that she might say something. Had that happened, I probably would have given this a better score, but I have to say I respect the hell out of the actress for managing to make me care about her character despite her never saying a single word. Overall, 3.5/5 stars (but the acting is a solid 5/5 stars!)
Hi! My name is Madison Estes, and I'm a horror author, editor and writing instructor. I post videos about writing, books, and other forms of storytelling.
Please subscribe and leave comments. I'd love to hear from you!