Here are some quick reviews from this week’s movies. Check out the full schedule here. Joe Bob’s Haunted Halloween Hangout on Shudder featured Elvira’s Haunted Hills and Popcorn.
Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2001) – 5/10 – I appreciate Elvira as a horror host, but I’m sometimes not a huge fan of the comedic style. I don’t know if I’d ever seen this one, but it was fun enough at times, as usual. It’d be a lot cooler, of course, if she could do something like this with the Universal monsters.
Popcorn (1991) – 6/10 – This was the first time I’d seen this one in a while, and it holds up pretty well. I really like the movies within the movie. Is there a DVD release that has them all as shorts? If not, there really should be.
Terror Train (2022) – 5/10 – This is probably more like a 4/10, but I really appreciate Tubi making it and would be totally fine with them making more stuff like this. The original Terror Train is one of my favorites, so I went into this with very low expectations. However, it managed to be better than it had any right to be. It starts as a very close remake (set on Halloween instead of New Year’s Eve), but it starts to change things just enough to let you know the plot twist will be a little different this time. Worth a watch for slasher fans.
House of Wax (2005) – 5/10 – OK, I know everybody hated this movie when it came out, but I thought it was actually not terrible this time. It feels very 2005, whether that’s a good or bad thing. I personally have found myself to be more tolerant (maybe nostalgic?) for some of the early-aughts stuff I’ve revisited lately. And I know a lot of the hate involved Paris Hilton, but honestly her character is barely even in the film.
Snow in Southtown Christmas Podcast 