Halloween in December: “Crimson Peak”

For day 20 of the Halloween in December movie marathon, I thought I would return to the world of del Toro for a film that, I feel, got a bit of a bad rap when it first released. Wanting to revisit it, I watched it again and there’s plenty more than a number of original impressions never gave me, leading me to think this film’s shortcomings are the result of too much focus on the wrong pieces of its marketing and development.

Halloween in December: “I Spit on Your Grave (2010)”

It has now been 20 days since I began my marathon, and though I originally had it in mind to revisit the 1978 version of this movie, I decided to try out the remake instead. I Spit on Your Grave is a remake that advertises itself as a brutal revenge story, and there is definitely some form of revenge here, but it trips on basically every level.

Halloween in December: “Under The Skin”

It is day 19 of the Halloween in December marathon and today’s excursion dates back to 2013, starring Scarlett Johansson as a nameless alien to inhabits a human body to prey on people. If that sounds at all like a spoiler, it’s not- the establishing information is done to start this movie, and what follows is a disturbing but mesmerizing experience.

Halloween in December: “May”

For day 18 of the Halloween in December marathon, I wanted to revisit a film I haven’t watched in quite awhile: May. This 2002 horror/drama/comedy finds itself in a bit of an odd niche that certainly has the core of a movie that could easily have just fallen into terrible horror tropes, but instead plays with it a bit to twist the atmosphere. It’s certainly deserving of a look.

Halloween in December: “Black Death”

Day 17 of the Halloween in December marathon is here, and with it comes a 2010 “horror action” film directed by Christopher Smith called Black Death. As the name suggests, the film takes place during the first outbreak of the bubonic plague in England, but by the movie’s end, it’s far from the most pressing concern. The journey we follow certainly is not quite what one might expect, even if it’s not perfect in how it gets there.

Halloween in December: “Holidays (2016)”

Time for day 16 of the Halloween in December horror movie marathon and today, I’m reviewing this horror anthology movie I randomly found on Netflix. If that particular description doesn’t sound enthusiastic, it’s because it isn’t, with plenty of good reason to wish this film could be erased from my memory altogether.

Halloween in December: “Circle (2015)”

It is day 15 of the Halloween in December marathon and today I’m going to be looking at a suggestion a work friend of mine gave me, a film from 2015 I overlooked called Circle.

Halloween in December: “The Devil’s Backbone”

And so day 14 of my Halloween in December marathon is here, and it’s del Toro’s turn at the front. Despite being one of my more favorite directors, I’ve yet to review anything for him for this month even though he’s a prolific horror/paranormal example. With this 2001 odyssey, del Toro sets the stage for one of the greatest works of the past 100 years, even if Backbone doesn’t quite reach the same level.

Halloween in December: “I Know What You Did Last Summer”

For day 13 of the Halloween in December marathon, I opted to select a style of film that originally wasn’t really included in my list of horror films: a slasher. After 23 years and a list full of horror films to watch, it dawned on me that I hadn’t put a single slasher on it. So, in 2020, exactly how well does this 90s slasher flick hold up? Not terribly well.

Halloween in December: “Hell House LLC”

Day 12 of Halloween in December is already here, somehow, and today I’ve decided to go ahead and remain a bit more “true” to horror with something more conventional. Directed by Stephen Cognetti and released in 2015, this psuedo-documentary horror film combines elements of found footage, documentary filmmaking, and horror to surprisingly good effect.