Look it’s dumb but sometimes I require dumb.

Honestly a little sad writing this review. Gladiator was one of my favorites when it came out which is why I think I waited as long as I did to finally watch this. I kept waiting for the same moments of awe & emotion that Gladiator brought & they didn't come. The shark moment was kind of insane also let’s be honest. I’m going to have to revisit the original & listen to the soundtrack just to redeem this.

My mouth was 😮 the entire last 30 minutes.

There are moments I genuinely liked this - mostly when no one was talking or opening their mouth. The dialogue is PAINFUL.

Airheads meets Evil Dead meets Nick Cutter.

Enjoyed this. Watched it after Christmas but either way, I feel like I could see myself watching this every Christmas season. I FELT BAD FOR THAT DAMN ELF. He was so cute.

I love when Cage is just allowed to be Cage because somehow, it always works. This movie was good - I think a few small tweaks would have made it better (do I know what these are, no) but ultimately I enjoyed it. The first scene was pure high school fantasy & I loved it.

This is so metal it hurts. I loved it. & WOW the camera / angles / it was truly just beautiful to look at. I felt like I was on a journey the whole time & a very John Wick meets acid trip. Highly recommend.

Guys, this is just gay. It's not horrifying or mind bending or traumatic. It's just queer coded kink lol Maybe not that "one scene" but everything else felt fairly uneventful tbh. I will say the ending "twist" felt really lackluster & tacked on, like OMG GUYS, I'm sure you had no idea this whole time. Meanwhile we can clearly see that the character is dark & has alternative motives. Felt a bit like the director didn't truly believe we were smart enough to get it & I kind of wish it was just left without the final hospital bed scene. You can leave the dancing one though.

Honestly think this deserves a higher rating but I do have some problems with it. Coraline / Malignant tones - the idea of the story feels fairly original which I appreciate, & adored the teacher. The parents were truly haunting so can't say I was surprised by the twist but I feel like the camera work did a great job of building that tension as we progressed.

Watched this after watching When Evil Lurks & the common thread of unrelenting horror from minute one is definitely there. I rated it 3.5 stars but honestly need to sit on it. I do love that this director choses a range of stories to coexist because it feels bigger, larger, more impactful.

The deaths were great as well - the subtle shift in perspective (now you see it now you don't) made literal chills crawl up my spine as well as the idea of dealing with such a human moment (ie the heartattack scene) in the midst of that horror.

I'm kind of torn on opinions on this one. A few other people stated they don't view it as a horror & I think I'd agree to an extent. There's a feeling of complete unease & discomfort the entire movie that doesn't relent. Even in the "softer" moments. I enjoyed it.