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I'll be in for 31 again this year. I mostly try to watch movies I haven't seen but will also watch some that I own that I haven't seen in a while. I will also be watching the Nightmare on Elm Street series (maybe or maybe not including the reboot) since I found the series cheap at Half Price Books and I haven't seen most of them for 20+ years. Looking forward to any challenges as well, that was fun last year!
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Sep 29, 2019 01:53
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1. Truth or Dare (2017) (Netflix Streaming)   "You played the game. You opened the door." - Donna Boone The Syfy movie. A spooky demon haunts a house and hosts games of truth or dare, collecting the souls of the participants who fail to complete their dares or lie when asked for a truth. The characters and plot are fairly shallow, and there's not a whole lot going on here. I will say the concept of "sharing" the dares was a little novel, and when looking up the trivia apparently by sharing the last dare both characters still living are still both breathing at the end. I don't have a ton else to say about this movie, it's fine for what it is but I won't be clamoring to rewatch it any time soon. 2.5/5 2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - Rewatch (DVD)    "This is just a dream, this isn't real." - Nancy Thompson As I mentioned I'll be watching all the movies in this series. For the most part I haven't seen these movies (at least the 80's movies) in over 20 years so my memories of them are very fuzzy. I do remember renting this on VHS from my local Blockbuster in high school and watching it in my basement with a few friends. Of the "big three" old school franchises (this series, Halloween and Friday the 13th) this was always my favorite, mostly because to me the concept of getting killed in your dreams is a lot more scary than a hulking killer in a mask. This first movie has a lot less Freddy Krueger than I recalled (7 minutes of screen time according to the trivia) and has a lot more character drama compared to some of the sequels. All in all this is a solid first movie. 4/5
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Oct 16, 2019 02:50
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3. Brightburn (2019) (Netflix DVD)   "...I just know I'm something else. Something superior." - Brandon Breyer As others have said, this movie is basically "What if Superman, but evil?" The story starts out familiar, with a couple finding a crashed space ship with a baby inside. They decide to raise the child as their own, and things seem normal until he reaches adolescence and begins discovering his latent powers. I thought Jackson Dunn did a decent job playing a young sociopath and wish him success going forward. Overall this movie was entertaining and decent enough, and had a couple gnarly scenes (the uncle's death and Caitlyn's mom pulling the piece of glass out of her eye). Glancing at the Wikipedia article it looks like there may be a sequel at some point with, of course, more super powered beings coming out of the woodwork. I suppose that could be interesting but I'm of the opinion not every story needs an expanded universe. 4. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) (Shudder)    "You're talking about him as if he were a human being. That part of him died years ago." - Dr. Loomis I haven't seen many of the Halloween movies (1-3 and the Rob Zombie ones) as I was not a big fan of the first, but since this and Halloween 5 are on Shudder I felt I should give them a watch to fill in some gaps. In this movie Michael Myers has somehow survived the events of the end of Halloween II and has been in a coma for ten years. He comes out of his coma and of course heads back to Haddonfield to kill. Unfortunately Laurie Strode has died off screen in a car accident, and so now Michael is after her daughter Jamie. Halloween 4 is okay, most of my favorite scenes involve Donald Pleasance as Dr. Loomis. I guess I just don't find the character of Michael Myers that interesting, and so these movies are just not very compelling to me. 2/5
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Oct 23, 2019 14:21
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5. Apostle (2018) (Netflix Streaming)   Apostle tells the story of a man attempting to rescue his sister from a cult that has demanded a ransom. I appreciate so-called folk horror and this was no exception. The story flows organically, and I liked how not everything was explained. There is some nice cinematography as well. I recall a number of horror thread posters being down on this movie when it came out but I liked it. 3.5/5 6. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) - Rewatch (DVD)    "We got special work to do here, you and me." - Freddy Krueger I saw this one some time in high school as well, but I don't remember if my friends and I picked up on the (very clear to me now) gay subtext. Watching it now, it's super obvious, and it kind of sucks that being in this movie cost Mark Patton a better career due to attitudes at the time. There's more Freddy in this movie compared to the last but the character isn't consistent. This is probably the least of the Nightmare movies but is interesting in that (as well as compared to its peers) it has a male protagonist. 2.5/5
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Oct 28, 2019 02:06
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7. Child's Play (2019) (Netflix DVD)   "This is for Tupac!" - Chucky I went into this movie fully expecting nothing, but ended up really liking it. It's not so much a remake as a re-imagining, and it could probably have stood on its own without the Child's Play label slapped on it. The major difference, of course, is that unlike being possessed by a serial killer now Chucky is an AI with filters removed. I think this is best emphasized in the three set-piece deaths. The movie goes out of its way to show Andy's mom's boyfriend Shane and Gabe the building maintenance man as bad people, so the audience feels a certain pleasure at their deaths. But Doreen, Andy's kind neighbor, suffers the same fate as the other two when she comes between Andy and Chucky. Although it didn't bother me on a first watch, the tone is a little inconsistent, going back and forth between comedic and more straight horror. I thought Gabriel Bateman did a great job as Andy in this movie and is good at producing agonized expressions. (For those of you unfamiliar with it, here he is a little younger in this relevant music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG8iAtpavK4) This is one of the better remakes that I've seen and look forward to a rewatch. 4/5 8. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) (Shudder)    "You think if you kill them all it will go away." - Dr. Loomis A direct continuation of the previous installment. Michael Myers has survived the climax of Halloween 4 and is again looking to kill his niece Jamie, but now they are psychically linked. The climax with Michael fighting Dr. Loomis is pretty decent, and there are some okay death scenes. The scenes of the cops with wacky noises is a strange choice, kind of like the slide whistle preceding Nedry's death in Jurassic Park. The end of this movie I assume leads to the next (Curse of Michael Myers) with the whole Man in Black thing, so I'll have to watch that at some point. I liked this one a little more than the last, but I'm still not jazzed on this series. 2.5/5
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Oct 29, 2019 02:48
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9. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) (Neflix Streaming)  Super Samhain Challenge #1 - The Best Month    "Every body has a secret." - Tommy I had low expectations going in, but this was a decent movie. The world can always use more Brian Cox. I'm not sure what I was expecting the autopsy to reveal, but was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be witch related, as this subject hasn't been as played out as some things it could have been. I don't recall why I avoided watching this before now, but I think someone whose opinion I normally trust said it wasn't that great. I actually enjoyed it for the most part. 3/5 10. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) - Rewatch (DVD)    "Welcome to Prime Time, bitch!" - Freddy Krueger This is where the Nightmare series hits its stride. Freddy is more fleshed out and has more to do, and there is a lot more dream logic on display. Some of the practical effects are really nice as well, although the stop-motion skeleton fight is a little lame. This lays the foundation for the next few films, with the inclusion of Sister Mary Helena and the introduction of the dream warrior concept. 3.5/5
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Oct 30, 2019 03:04
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11. The Ranger (2018) (Shudder) Super Samhain Challenge #4 - Inktober 16. Wild    "We're the same." - The Ranger The Ranger is not that great. It starts out as some kind of Diet Green Room, as a group of punks plot to sell drugs and end up critically injuring a cop. They run away to the family property of the main character Chelsea to lay low, and run afoul of the titular Ranger. I think I saw someone else say it as well, but the Ranger character seems like he belongs in a different movie. Overall this is pretty mediocre. 2/5 12. Tremors (1990) - Rewatch (DVD)    "Broke into the wrong goddamn rec room, didn't ya you bastard!" - Burt Gummer Tremors had a VHS cover that I recall staring at as a kid and being scared. When I finally watched it years later I realized that Tremors is actually a fun film. I know there are about six of these, are any of the sequels worth watching? 3.5/5
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Oct 30, 2019 13:55
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13. Pet Sematary (2019) (Netflix DVD) Super Samhain Challenge #6 - Sometimes They Come Back    "God can get His own loving kid." - Louis Creed Unlike the 2019 Child's Play, this remake doesn't really do anything different with the story other than having the daughter be the one to get killed. I did kind of like that fake out, but it doesn't redeem the work as a whole. Jason Clarke and John Lithgow give decent performances and I did like some of the visuals, such as the end shot. All in all I guess this is worth watching once. I had originally intended to rewatch the original as well, but the used copy I picked up for cheap is too scratched up, even after a cleaning. 2.5/5 14. Orphan (2009) - Rewatch (DVD)    "Stop talking to me like I'm a child!" - Esther If the Maniac challenge would have been posted before I watched this I probably would have used this movie, as I feel the consensus is down on it, but I like it. The movie concerns a couple adopting an orphan to fill the gap in their family after a miscarriage. Isabelle Fuhrman plays Esther, the orphan in question, who is really a grown woman with a hormone disorder. Once things ramp up they really do, and there are some good disturbing scenes. 3.5/5
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Oct 31, 2019 00:53
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Darthemed posted:Just wanna say I've really been enjoying your screenshot picks, Wet Tie Affair. Thanks. I feel like sometimes I lack the words to say what I want about a movie but can pick out the visuals that stood out for me and at least share those. And let me say that I am impressed by the sheer amount of movies you watch during these challenges! 15. Creepshow (1982) - Rewatch (DVD)    "Where's my cake, Bedelia?" - Nathan Grantham I can't name many (any?) anthologies as fun as Creepshow. When I was a kid the EC comics (Tales From the Crypt, etc.) were getting reprinted and this a great homage to those. "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" has maybe the best Stephen King role and is fun while also being creepy. "Something to Tide You Over" and "They're Creeping Up on You" are strong. My favorite segment is "The Crate," based on King's story. My first time watching this as a young child I was scared of the monster, but as I watch it now I appreciate the long-shot scheme by the professor to get rid of his wife. If there is a weak point it's in the first segment "Father's Day." It drags on a bit too long and there's not much to it. Although I find myself asking "Where's my cake?" sometimes when I can't find something. 4.5/5 16. The House That Jack Built (2018) (Showtime) Super Samhain Challenge #2 - Dead and Buried (Bruno Ganz)    "When I was ten years old I discovered that, through the negative, you could see the real, inner demonic quality of the light. The dark light." - Jack This was only the second Von Trier movie I've seen (the other was Antichrist, which I liked). The movie concerns Jack, a serial killer who is having a discussion with Verge (who is actually the poet Virgil) about his life and philosophy. There's a lot going on here, and I feel like I would need to watch this again to get a really good sense things. On my surface reading Jack appears to be kind of a Patrick Bateman character in that he puts so much weight behind his work as Mr. Sophistication but ultimately he's just a killer with a bunch of corpses in a freezer. I think this is emphasized in the scene (in Incident 2) where Jack goes back to the motel room to take more pictures. He thinks he is creating works of art but they're just photos of dead bodies thrown on the bed and floor. I did have a laugh when there's some conversation about "true art" and then it's just clips of other Von Trier movies. Matt Dillon did a great job in this, and I'll be watching it again at some point, maybe after visiting some earlier Von Trier movies I've missed.
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Oct 31, 2019 01:58
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It's crunch time, so some of these reviews may be a little light on content. 17. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) - Rewatch (DVD)    "You shouldn't have buried me. I'm not dead." - Freddy Krueger I'm fairly certain this was the first Nightmare movie I saw as a kid (I have a vivid memory of the beginning with the dog pissing fire). Freddy's back, going after the survivors of the last movie and some new teens trying to stop him. This is another solid entry and has its own kickin' rad theme song. 3.5/5 18. One Cut of the Dead (2017) (Shudder)  "Pom!" - Harumi Higurashi Like everyone recommended I went in blind. I was ready to turn it off after about 15 minutes (I really hate anything related to zombies) but I'm glad I finished watching. It's also cool that the first segment really was one take. 3.5/5
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Nov 1, 2019 00:39
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19. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) - Rewatch (DVD)   "It's a boy!" - Freddy Krueger This Freddy guy has a problem staying dead. While killing more teens he attempts to come back to life again through an unborn child. Not much more to say, there are entertaining dream sequences and visuals again in this installment. 3.5/5 20. In the Tall Grass (2019) (Netflix Streaming) Super Samhain Challenge #11 - All Hail the King    Another King adaptation that is just pretty good. Patrick Wilson is the standout here, especially his speech about the rock. There are some decent ideas in this movie, they just don't hold up to scrutiny. 2.5/5
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Nov 1, 2019 01:43
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21. Midsommar (2019) (Netflix DVD) Super Samhain Challenge #8 - Happy Holidays!    "As Harga takes, so Harga also gives." - Siv Hereditary was my favorite movie of 2018, so this was one of the movies I was most looking forward to watching for this challenge. I'm still not sure how I feel about this movie, and may need to watch it a second time. I liked it, but the way things are set up it's more like the audience is meant to root for the cult community and as result don't really care if the main characters live or die. Or maybe that's just how it seemed to me. Dani may seem like she gets somewhat of a happy ending based on her smile, but the ending of the movie reminds me of the "triumphant" ending of Hereditary. Although Midsommar is quite long, the time doesn't feel wasted, and after reading about them some of the deleted scenes would have been nice to see. 3.5/5 22. The Noonday Witch (2016) (Shudder) Super Samhain Challenge #5 - Tourist Trap (Czech Republic)    This was probably the hardest challenge for me this year as I have intentionally sought out a lot of international horror movies in the past. I also almost watched this movie a few months ago, so I'm glad I didn't. Another horror movie that takes place primarily during the day. I don't have much to say about this one, but it's another film that would make a good companion film to The Babadook. 3/5
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Nov 1, 2019 02:02
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23. Deadbeat at Dawn (1988) (Shudder) Super Samhain Challenge #10 - Navel Gazing    "I am the best motherfucker you ever saw, man!" - Bonecrusher I had never heard of this movie or Jim Van Bebber but I'm glad I picked this to watch. Low budget but with a lot of heart, Deadbeat at Dawn showcases a grimy city and grimier individuals. It seems like everyone is on drugs or in a gang in this movie. I appreciated Goose's reaction to his girlfriend dying is to pull a Frank Reynold's and throw her in the trash. 3/5 24. Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) - Rewatch (DVD)    "In my line of work things tend to happen when it gets dark." - Elise Rainier Insidious is a direct continuation of the first movie, but also somewhat of a prequel as it delves into the backstory of Patrick Wilson's character Josh and the spirit that continues to haunt him. It's okay, but I'm of the opinion that the least interesting parts of horror sequels is where everything is given an origin or explained in detail. On a second watch of both this year, I think I like this one a little more than the first as it's a little faster paced. 3/5
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Nov 1, 2019 02:31
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25. Us (2019) (Netflix DVD) Super Samhain Challenge #3 - Horror Noire    "...the shadow hated the girl so much for so long until one day the shadow realized she was being tested by God." - Red I liked Get Out, so I was definitely on board to check out Jordan Peele's follow up. Us oozes style. Much more so than Get Out, and that excites me to see what Peele puts out in the future. The character design, visuals and references are very impressive. Unfortunately the movie's central conceit doesn't make any sense - no matter how much effort is put into comprehending it (which is probably why the exposition is very brief). Still, I look forward to watching this one again. 3.5/5 26. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) - Rewatch (DVD)    "Every town has an Elm Street!" - Freddy Krueger Once again Freddy attempts to expand his soul gathering, this time through his previously unmentioned child. This movie features Freddy at his wackiest, but also has some of the best death scenes. 3.5/5
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Nov 1, 2019 03:08
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27. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) (DVD)   "This is still a script, right Wes?" - Heather Langenkamp This was the only entry of the original run of the Nightmare movies I had never seen before. In this movie Heather Langenkamp and other actors play themselves as the specter of Freddy Krueger starts to bleed into the real world. I liked this one quite a bit and I'm sorry I missed it back when it came out. 4/5 28. Freddy vs. Jason (2003) - Rewatch (DVD)    "I've been away from my children for far too long." - Freddy Krueger Freddy Krueger tries to get back his power by convincing Jason Vorhees to kill for him in order to take credit for the killings and get young people to remember him again. Overall this is a pretty fun movie, and when Freddy and Jason eventually fight it's really fun. 3/5 29. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) (Netflix DVD)    "He brought us here so that we would remember what he did to us." - Nancy Holbrook I went into this with an open mind, but after being cautiously optimistic for the first 10 minutes or so it soured on me the more Freddy showed up. Jackie Earle Hayley appeared to be doing his best Mickey Rourke as Marv in Sin City impression and there was just no life to his portrayal. I understand and appreciate he didn't want to exactly replicate what Robert Englund did but there was no personality to his lines. Some of the scenes are taken directly from the original, but there is a lot of crappy cgi on display here. 1.5/5
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Nov 1, 2019 10:55
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30. Friend Request (2016) (Netflix Streaming) - Super Samhain Challenge #9 - Hackers    "Unfriend that dead bitch!" - Olivia Friend Request sure is a movie. It starts with a strange girl sending a friend request to her classmate and then essentially stalking her. It starts out okay, but probably peaks around the time of the video of Marina hanging herself. The rest of the movie is fairly predictable and just isn't the most interesting. 1.5/5 31. XX (2017) (Netflix Streaming) - Super Samhain Challenge #12 - Cavalcade of Creepiness    "I'm not hungry." - Danny Jacobs An anthology with four segments all directed by women. The first, "The Box," based on story by Jack Ketchum is the best of the bunch but was hard to watch for me. (I had actually started this movie before but stopped when I saw what kicked it off.) The story, which I had read before, triggers feelings of dread in me. The idea of starving yourself is very disturbing to me, and the idea of watching your children/spouse die of intentional starvation doubly so. The second segment, "The Birthday Party," directed by St. Vincent, is the most fun. Although, were we meant to think that the wife had anything to do with her husband's death? "Don't Fall," the third segment, is decent as a little creature slasher, but it would have been nice to get a slightly deeper story. The last segment is intended to be a continuation of Rosemary's Baby. Again, it's okay but this one could benefit from being fleshed out. The scene in the principal's office was decently disturbing. This doesn't really have a wrap-around but has some interesting visuals that reminded me instantly of a Tool music video. 2.5/5
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Nov 1, 2019 11:09
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Last reviews. I'll post a summary sometime later today. 32. Sadako vs. Kayako (2016) (Shudder) - Super Samhain Challenge #7 - Monster Mash-up    I couldn't find anything else that fit the challenge in time, so I chose this out of inertia. I haven't seen a Ring movie since the second American one, and I only saw the American remake of the Grudge. This movie is somehow the 12th movie in each of these franchises. I feel like I was missing lots of understanding in terms of some of the characters, who seemed like they might have been from other entries in the other movies. There's a lot of build up to the actual fight between these two ghosts and it's okay, lots of hair and weird noises. Just as a side note, I'm not sure if it's supposed to be this way, but I laughed out loud a couple times whenever the Grudge-related kid opened his mouth and cat noises came out. 2/5 33. Jigsaw (2017) - Rewatch (Amazon Prime) - Super Samhain Challenge #13 - Maniac    "You want mercy? Play by the rules." - John Kramer The Saw movies are my guilty pleasure films I guess. The series is one of the more internally consistent horror series, although things do get a little ridiculous with how many Jigsaw apprentices there are. This entry pulls a familiar twist (the main game story wasn't happening in the present, it was happening 10 years ago!) but is still pretty decent. Taking a glance at Wikipedia it looks like the Chris Rock involved movie is happening, scheduled for a May release. 3.5/5
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Nov 1, 2019 11:14
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This was my second year actually finishing this. I liked that for all the challenges except the last we had to watch a movie new to us. 1. Truth or Dare (2017) 2.5/5 2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - Rewatch 4/5 3. Brightburn (2019) 3/5 4. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) 2/5 5. Apostle (2018) 3.5/5 6. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) - Rewatch 2.5/5 7. Child's Play (2019) 4/5 8. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) 2.5/5 9. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) 3/5 Super Samhain Challenge #1 - The Best Month 10. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) - Rewatch 3.5/5 11. The Ranger (2018) (Shudder) 2/5 Super Samhain Challenge #4 - Inktober 16. Wild 12. Tremors (1990) - Rewatch 3.5/5 13. Pet Sematary (2019) 2.5/5 Super Samhain Challenge #6 - Sometimes They Come Back 14. Orphan (2009) - Rewatch 3.5/5 15. Creepshow (1982) - Rewatch 4.5/5 16. The House That Jack Built (2018) 3.5/5 Super Samhain Challenge #2 - Dead and Buried (Bruno Ganz) 17. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) - Rewatch 3.5/5 18. One Cut of the Dead (2017) 3.5/5 19. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) - Rewatch 3.5/5 20. In the Tall Grass (2019) 2.5/5 Super Samhain Challenge #11 - All Hail the King 21. Midsommar (2019) 3.5/5 Super Samhain Challenge #8 - Happy Holidays! 22. The Noonday Witch (2016) 3/5 Super Samhain Challenge #5 - Tourist Trap (Czech Republic) 23. Deadbeat at Dawn (1988) 3/5 Super Samhain Challenge #10 - Navel Gazing 24. Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) - Rewatch 3/5 25. Us (2019) 3.5/5 Super Samhain Challenge #3 - Horror Noire 26. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) - Rewatch 3.5/5 27. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) 4/5 28. Freddy vs. Jason (2003) - Rewatch 3/5 29. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) 1.5/5 30. Friend Request (2016) 1.5/5 Super Samhain Challenge #9 - Hackers 31. XX (2017) 2.5/5 Super Samhain Challenge #12 - Cavalcade of Creepiness 32. Sadako vs. Kayako (2016) 2/5 Super Samhain Challenge #7 - Monster Mash-up 33. Jigsaw (2017) - Rewatch 3.5/5 Super Samhain Challenge #13 - Maniac
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Nov 2, 2019 01:05
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