Aurora is scary movie lite: sometimes spooky, sometimes silly, and mostly boring.
A ship has crashed offshore, ruining a nearby hotel’s ocean view. Leana and her sister therefore find themselves running an empty hotel—until unexpected visitors arrive . . .
The climax is well done, both scary and exciting. The rest of the movie is not. Uneventful scenes try to build a spooky tension, but in reality are just boring. When things do happen, they are often not scary, or add nothing to the story.
It is difficult to describe the point of Climax.
A dance team has finally nailed its act. Before taking the show on the road, it’s time to party! The crew relaxes, dances, gossips. It’s a good time—until somebody spikes the punch. Whatever was used, it does not mix well with the crowd.
Watching these pros dance is a good time. Music and camerawork help you experience their flow. But at several points, the director interrupts: with advertisements, credits, or philosophical messages; it’s unclear. Put that choppiness together with the horrific descent of the characters into lunacy, and the movie can feel unapproachable. Maybe that’s the point?
Pooka is unsettling—and not in the way a horror movie should be.
Wilson is a struggling actor. Big break nowhere in sight, he tries his luck as a costumed children’s entertainer. Initially, he wouldn’t dream of donning this suit. Now, he literally cannot live without it.
This movie plays with the audience. This makes the timeline confusing, if not straight-up wrong. The end tries to reconcile this and other quirks, but it’s unsatisfying, and raises more questions than answers.
Art meets horror in Velvet Buzzsaw.
Josephina is fed up with the shallowness of the art world. Then she stumbles upon a collection of masterworks, guaranteed to make her rich. She’s ready to play the game once again, and her perfectly pretentious colleagues all vie for a piece of the action.
The problem? This art was created by a man haunted, who didn’t want his pain shared with the world. If his creations are exhibited against his wishes, the price to pay will be high indeed.
This is a good concept for a horror movie, and it provides some fun, symbolic death scenes. Although character development is lacking, you’ll get the picture.
The Train to Busan might be the only way to hide from the zombies.
Workaholic Seok-woo has neglected his daughter for the last time. Soo-an is fed up, and demands to see her mother in Busan. Dad obliges, buying two train tickets. Why, then, is Soo-an still so upset? A zombie infection tearing through the population might have something to do with it.
This is a good, exciting story. And the movie doesn’t rely on jump scares or manipulative music.
What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary about vampires.
Vampires usually live in castles. Not these few, who have decided to room together in Wellington, New Zealand. A film crew has been promised immunity to document the unusual flat, providing insight into the never-before-seen life of modern vampires.
Endless clever jokes and special effects almost make up for a storyline that lacks a compelling crescendo.
It Follows is a slow, building burn that will envelop you. This is a horror movie at its finest.
Jay navigates adolescence in her dilapidated town without much help from family. She's not doing a terrible job. Then something strange happens. Somebody—or something—starts to follow her wherever she goes.
In contrast with many a horror flick, the characters' reactions are believable. The story flow, music, and cinematography are masterful.