Thoughts on Horror

I watch a lot of horror films. Too many. Some I wish I could unsee.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Here I will share my thoughts on horror films. Those thoughts may not be that interesting.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Skylines (2020): A human/alien hybrid lady who helped win the war against the invaders is made part of an expedition to the alien planet, ostensibly to stop a virus. Does a lot on a low budget. Not full of surprises but it’s a lot of fun and a good extension of the universe.

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Skyline (2010): Some folk having a party in an apartment witness an alien invasion that ravages LA. Well designed aliens and effects that hold up remarkably well given its budget. Has quite an unusual ending, both in tone and style. Has its detractors but I like it.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Beyond Skyline (2017): A bunch of people stuck underground when the attack happens survive being taken into a spaceship and then crashing in Laos. They team up with some heroin smugglers to fight aliens. A mad sequel that has a bit of everything, with Grillo and Uwais added too.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Quarantine (2008): A news team following some firemen around get trapped in an apartment building as a virus breaks out. Well made and performed but it’s so similar to Rec which it’s a remake of that it feels irrelevant. Which is a shame really.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Malevolence 3: Killer (2018): Martin Bristol tries to track down his mother whilst the feds are on his trail. Nowhere near as good as the two previous installments, due to slow pacing and questionable acting. Still has some good moments though and good makeup effects.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Malevolence (2003): After a bank robbery goes a bit wrong, some thieves hide out at an abandoned house along with a mother and daughter as hostages. They’ve stumbled onto the turf of a killer though. Very lo-fi and feels like a throwback to 70s slashers, especially with its score

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Bereavement (2010): A young boy who doesn’t feel pain is abducted by a serial killer and raised to kill young women. Prequel with higher production values that adds something to the series more than just a back story. Incredibly bleak and a little disturbing. Really good film.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025): A bunch of friends cause a fatal car crash and hide their involvement. A year later the inevitable happens. Somehow this one works quite well by doing something a bit different. The legacy stars aren’t wasted. Good young cast too.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

I Know What You Did Last Summer
(1997): A year after four friends covered up a fatal hit and run, somebody starts stalking and killing them. Well made and with a great cast, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it is a pretty good slasher.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006): A group of idiots pull a prank that results in the death of their friend. A year later someone comes after them. Dreadful film that seems like a remake for a while but actually connects to the previous one. Some awful editing.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Cold Prey (2006): Five friends on a skiing trip end up in a seemingly abandoned hotel after one suffers an injury. A crazy bloke lives there unfortunately. A fairly typical slasher elevated by its location and cinematography into something greater. Good film.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Insidious: The Red Door (2023): A grown up Dalton starts college and starts remembering what his “coma” was all about. It ends up with him and his dad in the Further again. Perhaps more of a family drama than straight up horror, but it is good in that regard. Still effective.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Insidious (2010): After a family move into a new home, the eldest son falls into a coma and strange things start occurring. Turns out the kid has drifted off to another plane of existence. Elaborate premise that is masterfully executed. Full of freaky jump scares. Great film.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Insidious: The Last Key 2019): Elise gets a call from someone living in her childhood home who has a problem with an evil presence. She experienced some bad shit herself there growing up. Very cool looking demon in a pretty good fourth instalment. Not as scary but a good story.

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28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026): Young survivor Spike joins Jimmy Crystal’s band of lunatics, and Dr Kelson makes friends with one of the infected. Absolutely deranged in parts thanks to magnificent performances from O’Connell and Fiennes. Brilliant sequel that teases more

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

28 Days Later (2002): A bloke wakes up from a coma to find that London has been wiped out by a virus. He joins other survivors. An exceptional film that gets more and more harrowing as it goes on. A great cast and a fantastic score help to build a horrifying world.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

28 Years Later (2025): A father takes his son to the mainland to teach him to hunt. The boy then takes his sick mother to see a strange doctor. Excellent sequel that is very much a film of two distinct halves. Comer and the young lad Williams are exceptional. A bold update.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

1408 (2007): A writer who reviews haunted hotel rooms is determined to review a cursed room in a New York hotel. Goes wrong obviously. An old fashioned horror that doesn’t really on violence or jump scares but rather largely practical effects and a great performance from Cusack.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Bring Her Back (2025): A young girl with limited vision and her older step brother are sent to stay with an eccentric foster mum after their dad dies. Another kid staying there seems a bit odd. Genuinely horrifying, devastatingly sad and magnificently made and performed.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Hush (2016): A deaf and mute writer living on her own in a remote location is trapped in her house by a serial killer. Does a lot with a small amount of parts, and stands out from similar slashers due to its central conceit and an excellent performance from Siegel. Great film.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

The Bride! (2026): A lonely monster resurrects a murdered woman with the help of a doctor. The couple then go on something of a rampage. A mad hybrid of genres with two great leads. Bizarrely includes an awesome dance sequence. Excellent film.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

Grindhouse (2007): A double bill of 70s inspired horrors as well as a bunch of fake trailers. Death Proof is much the better film, with an insane car chase, but Planet Terror is a lot of fun. The fake trailers are brilliant, particularly the Rob Zombie one. A fantastic concept.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

The Mummy Returns (2001): A bunch of idiots wake up the angry mummy again and the protagonists of the first one plus a couple of new additions try to stop him by pitting him against a scorpion king. Convoluted and has one of the worst CGI uses of all time. But the action is fun.

[Thoughts on Horror @thoughtshorror1]

The Mummy (1999): An American chap in Egypt is recruited by an English woman and her brother to find a lost tomb. They end up waking up a right bastard of a mummy. Daft but it’s a pretty good blockbuster with effects that have mostly held up well. Entertaining stuff.