Charles W Jones

In Terror Train (1980), Jamie Lee Curtis plays Alana Maxwell, who is reluctant to go on the New Year’s Party with her college friends because of a prank that went wrong during pledge night. Well, she was right. She shouldn’t have gone. No one should have, including David Copperfield. This movie has been on my list to rewatch for a while, and it finally showed up on one of the thousand channels that I have. I remembered very little about Terror Train as I started watching it again, and it was pretty obvious to me who was doing the killing and why. That’s not to say that I wasn’t thoroughly entertained with it because I was. There were moments when I wasn’t sure my suspicion was correct, but in the end, Alana realized who it was, making me right. Terror Train is a fun slasher but didn’t really bring the oompf of others JLC was in, so I only gave it 2.5 out of 5 Stars. Terror Train (1980) #Horror #Classic #Slasher Click To Tweet

Don’t Breathe 2 (2021) picks up eight years after the first film that I’m surprised I didn’t write about because I enjoyed it a lot. It’s just as violent as the first with interesting additions to the story.  Phoenix finds out the truth about who she is and why her father wants her. Unfortunately, it’s not for the best. Of course, Norman goes to rescue her from them. His goal is to keep her safe and that’s what he does. Throughout the years, he’s trained her how to get away and defend herself. As I write this, I ponder the film and wonder what the point is besides Norman keeping Phoenix safe, and actually, that’s all there is. Does it need more? Does it need to have an elaborate plot? No, because the goals of the lead characters are met. Don’t Breathe 2 was as good as the first and I gave it 4 out of 5 Stars. Don’t Breathe 2 (2021) #Review Click To Tweet

The Mother of Tears: The Third Mother (2007) nicely wraps up the 3 Mothers Trilogy, the first being Suspiria (1977) followed by Inferno (1980). I still don’t understand the connection between the three films, but I enjoyed each of them. I enjoyed the monsters at the beginning and the strange voice that helps Sarah Mandy escape them. The suspense in this one is higher than the others and kept me on the edge of my seat. As the story progresses, many things are revealed that were tied to the first two movies and answer the questions from them. The camera angles are as great as the preceding films and give it a spooky feel. I don’t have much else to say about this film because I don’t want to spoil anything. I will say that even if you haven’t seen the first two, you won’t be lost. The Mother of Tears: The Third Mother is a great film that I highly recommend, and I gave it 4 out of 5 Stars. The Mother of Tears: The Third Mother (2007) #Witches #Horror Click To Tweet

Don’t Kill Me (2021) is an Italian horror film that follows Mirta, who dies from a drug overdose. Soon she rises again, and her new life begins. What I say next has no bearing on the movie but needs to be discussed (I hope briefly). The voice actors are horrible, especially the male characters. They were like robots with no emotion. Now back to the movie. I enjoyed this film. It was weird and dark, and I felt empathy for Mirta when she came back to life. As the story progresses, she finds out more about the abilities and needs she acquired. She’s like a zombie, and electricity is her Kryptonite.  Don’t Kill Me is a badass twist to the zombie genre, and I recommend you see it if you haven’t already. I gave it 4 out of 5 Stars. Don't Kill Me (2021) #Horror #Review Click To Tweet

Sweet Sixteen (1983) has a feel similar to Sleepaway Camp (1983). It stars Dana Kimmel of Friday the Thirteenth fame and a cast of other familiar faces who seemed out of place for me in their roles here, the biggest being Bo Hopkins. This film revolves around Melissa Morgan, who’s moved to town with her parents. Her father is an archaeologist, and her mother was from there. Every time she shows interest in a boy, he ends up stabbed to death. Of course, the redneck bigots of the town think it’s the Native Americans, but law enforcement doesn’t. The gore and suspense in this film are at a reasonable level and not overdone. And the revelation of the killer adds a great twist as I thought it was someone else. Sweet Sixteen is a fun relic that should be dusted off. I gave it 3.5 out of 5 Stars. Sweet Sixteen (1983) #80s #Flashback #Horror Click To Tweet

The Privilege (2022) is a German horror film about wealthy teens. The intense opening kept me on the edge of my seat, and then it skipped forward several years with Finn in some sort of therapy.  There’s a lot of strangeness happening that kept me interested. The supernatural aspects were creepy, and I thoroughly enjoyed this film until I realized what I was seeing. It’s a remake of Get Out (2017), the difference being this involved putting demonic souls into the wealthy young people instead of old white souls. Sorry if I spoiled either movie. Since I wasn’t a fan of Get Out, I tried to block it from my mind as I continued with The Privilege. I’m glad it wasn’t an exact duplicate and made more sense because this is much better than the other. The Privilege kept me interested and I gave it 4 out of 5 Stars. The Privilege (2022) #Horror #Review Click To Tweet

Morturary (1983) is one of those 1980s Horror Movies that isn’t exactly original but does have some unexpectedness that it was hard to turn away. It stars a very young Bill Paxton who portrays a sweet young man named Paul Andrews. He works as an embalmer in his father’s mortuary and has a crush on Christie Parson, though she only has eyes for Greg Stevens. There’s a lot of strangeness in this film, too, though it’s not very campy. I liked the amount of gore, and the ominous stalker is great. Another thing of interest about his film is that Howard Avedis wrote and directed it. He’s responsible for several other films during the mid-1970s and late 1980s. But what is truly weird about it is that Edward L. Montoro produced it; yeah, he’s the guy who produced The Exorcist and Jaws. Based on the content of this movie, I’m surprised by Montoro’s involvement. Not that it’s terrible or anything like that, just unexpected. Then again, he produced Grizzly (1976). As you probably noticed, I said v...

Lucky (2020) is a strange thriller about May, who has a masked stalker that breaks into her house every night to kill her. It’s along the lines of Groundhog’s Day. Even her husband is aware of the killer, telling her that the man is trying to kill her. That was very odd when it happened and how I was drawn into it. As the film progresses, it gets dull with her attempts to kill the stalker every night. Of course, there’s a deeper meaning to this film, which turned me off as I realized what it was. It did ruin the movie for me completely. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. There’s good drama, tension, and some tasteful gore leading up to the ending that reveals the whys of what is happening to May. Lucky was OK, and I gave it 3 out of 5 Stars. Lucky (2020) #Thriller Click To Tweet

I haven’t seen The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) since it first came out on VHS. Well, saying that I’ve seen it in its entirety is a stretch since I fell asleep watching it the first time. In my defense, I’d gone to college all day, then did a shift at work, so I was pretty tired. Well, the second attempt at viewing this film didn’t go much better, but at least I didn’t fall asleep, I guess. This film had a hard time holding my interest, so I’m not surprised I fell asleep the first time. While it did have some good parts, though they were few and far between, there just wasn’t enough to keep me. My mind wandered, I checked Facebook a few times, and I stalked the pantry. The visions were incredible, but that wasn’t enough because the story wasn’t anything special, and I didn’t connect with any of the characters as I expected, at least a little bit. I’m not sure if I should pat myself on the back for staying with it until the end. The Serpent and the Rainbow was disappointing, and I gav...

Dementer (2019) is not what I thought it was going to be, but it’s been on the list for a while so I might have forgotten why I added it. It’s about Katie, who leaves a cult and gets a job taking care of special needs adults. The strangeness of this film kept me watching as I wanted to see what would happen next (that’s a very important key that some filmmakers forget). Katie has flashbacks to her days in the cult and the leader instructing her what to do. There are parts of the film that I would’ve scrapped because I hate it when they kill animals (even pretend). For a low-budget film, Dementer is good, and I gave it 3 out of 5 Stars. Dementer (2019) #lowbudget #horror Click To Tweet

Choose ( 2010 ) has an interesting premise that they could’ve done so much more with than they did. It begins with a family being abducted in their home (something that baffled me was how the intruder got inside), and the daughter must decide to either kill Mom or Dad. If she refuses to kill either, then the intruder will kill the entire family. As the movie progresses, Fionna, who’s dad is a cop, starts to piece things together. Unfortunately, it’s on the bland side at times, then there’s a pivot in the library where she’s trying to find some books, and Choose gets much better. Even the disfigurements are tame for the most part. For a change, the acting is on a higher level than I’ve seen in a while, but that’s not to say it’s perfect. Choose’s back story is suitable and added to the film’s strangeness that was more thriller than horror. At least all my questions were answered when the credits began to roll. I should mention that there is a fair amount of gore that is SAW-ish. I enjoy...

The Night House is a strange tale about Beth, who recently lost her husband. It tries very hard to disclose what happens to us when we die but never does. The concept was good, adding paranormal themes along the way, though it did get muddled at times. Of course, there were parts of the film that I didn’t understand and didn’t even receive an answer for; the young women running from the woods and jumping off a cliff to get away from whatever chased them. Maybe, it would make sense if I watched it again, but I’m not going to do that. Some mysteries shall remain. The cinematography was excellent, with creepy angles and great lighting. The minimal effects gave a tingling ambiance that would’ve been lost had it been more. The Night House is an excellent example of blurred reality, showing how a woman coped with her husband’s suicide. I gave it 3.5 out of 5 Stars. The Night House (2021) #Parnormal #Thriller Click To Tweet

For some reason, I never saw Queen of the Damned (2002) until recently. I remember all the drama around it, including Aaliyah’s death, and I think that’s why I never bothered. Based on the title, I thought it would be more about Akasha than it was, and I kept looking at the female cast, thinking, that’s not Aaliyah. When she finally did appear, I was bored, as the role didn’t make sense to me. But that’s not the only thing that didn’t make sense. This film was more about Lestat, how he became a vampire, and Jesse Reeves than the Queen of the Damned. Then there comes the thing that always bugs me about vampires; they are all sexy. Seriously, there isn’t a gross one in the bunch? Or one who doesn’t have a ripped body? But that doesn’t have anything to do with this film, or does it? Anyway, the gore scenes are good. I’m not complaining about that at all. I wasn’t scared in the least bit, ever, not even any jump scenes. One of the things that made me scratch my head was that Lestat co...

Choose or Die (2022), formerly known as CURS>R (which they should’ve kept), is a survival horror film similar to SAW and Escape Room (any of the movies with the same name). It follows Kayla, who finds a cassette game (Woah, flashbacks) in a box at her friend Hal’s place. The opening scene hooked me and gave me a glimpse of what to expect. I was not disappointed. The effects were excellent, and the 64bit renderings were a great touch to keep the whole found 80s game thing going. I wish some of the game segments were longer. My favorite was in the diner, which was ridiculously good. It seems they left it open for a sequel too, so we’ll see if that happens. I loved Choose or Die and gave it 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

Darkness (2002) isn’t what I expected. It has the standard weird, haunted house vibe that builds throughout the film, but it also has a Dan Brown feel. The mystery of what is happening slowly reveals itself with an exciting twist. The effects are nothing special, but the camera work is wonderful. I always love weird angles, and this film satisfies. The story is a little strange at times, and I wondered how it fit. Believe me, it does. I also want to point out that the acting is good, considering this is a Dimension Films production. I’m not saying that their films tend to have bad acting; they aren’t usually so smooth. In the end, when everything was revealed, I was satisfied. Another good thing about Darkness is that they made it just the right length. If you’re looking for something that has some good jump scenes and total creepiness, I highly recommend this film. I gave Darkness 3.5 out of 5 Stars. Darkness (2002) #HorrorMovie Review Click To Tweet

So this might sound strange, but I found The Farm (2018) kinda hot. I can’t give more details because I’m not sure why. The story is so overdone. I should’ve turned it off because it wasn’t anything new. And the acting, well, let’s just say, I’m glad most of the characters didn’t speak behind their animal farm masks. The suspense wasn’t really since I’ve seen it so many times before in other films of the same type. The gore and shock value wasn’t horrible, though it wasn’t enough to make The Farm spectacular. Nope nothing new here, and I won’t say more about it, except you can skip it or not. Maybe, you should see it to explain to me why I thought it was kind of hot.   I gave The Farm 2 out of 5 Stars.

I had contemplated not writing a review for Erasurehead (1977) because I’m not sure what I saw. It’s a black and white film probably to cover up the low budget factor of the effects. Also, in the beginning, I thought it was a silent film as no one speaks until Henry Spencer returns home and his neighbor tells him of a dinner invitation from his girlfriend. From what I’ve read about Eraserhead, it is considered ‘body horror,’ though it’s not like anything else I’ve seen in this sub-genre. The effects weren’t as bad as I originally led you to believe, I just can’t wrap my head around what I saw. I don’t know what “the man in the planet” had to do with anything. Even after sitting on writing this review for a few days, I still don’t know what this movie was about. The child that Mary X insisted was Henry’s was gross, so that’s a good thing. But again, it didn’t make sense. Well at least, it’s another film that I can take off my watch list. I’m not sure why this film was even ma...

Here Comes Hell (2018) is annoying with the black and white and the horrible filter used to make it feel like an old film. That aside, it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen, not the best either. A group of friends goes to a mansion that has seen better days because their friend from college, George, bought it. There is a class bias thing between Christine and Elizabeth; it’s because Christine is jealous that her ex brought Elizabeth as a date to the party. Then there’s a medium that shows up, and this is where it gets good, though I guess my standards are low because it wasn’t that great; it made me laugh at least. As I said initially, the film effects are annoying, but they got some classic camera angles, so I guess it makes it OK. Then the end came, and it was the Fall of the House of Usher, so yeah, while entertaining, not original. All in all, Here Comes Hell wasn’t horrible and I gave it 3 out of 5 Stars.

The Prey (1983) hits it out of the park with bizarre scenes and blood-curdling screams. It opens with a scene of a forest fire that happened in 1948 and for me, it could’ve been shorter because it didn’t really add that much besides time to the already short film (80 minutes). Then it jumps to 1980 with a group of young adults traveling by panel van into the mountains to go hiking. So yes, very stereotypical for a slasher flick and even something that I used for my short story The Road to Nowhere. As it continues, I kept expecting David Attenborough to start giving commentary about what the wildlife was doing as the shots of the wildlife were abundant, more fluff that could’ve been omitted as it didn’t add anything. The sexual tension between the characters at times is the lead into a soft-porn flick that’d be aired on Max After Dark. There’s not enough else in this film to make it worthwhile to see, though I was intrigued by the entire film. It felt like they ran out of money so they ...

Based on the title, you’d think that Aftermath (2021) was a post-apocalyptic film, but it’s not. It follows Natalie and Kevin, who are having marital problems because she cheated. So in hopes of rekindling their marriage, they buy a house where brutal murders were committed. (This sounds like a great thing to do.) Kevin cleaned the blood and gore up since that’s his job. Their dog, Cody, freaks out at the closet. Throughout the film, there are scenes of them at the couple’s counselor’s office, discussing their issues. The creepiness doesn’t wait to happen with subtle occurrences from the moment they move into the house. Of course, Kevin doesn’t directly experience them, which is a bone of contention during their sessions. As the suspense grows and more drastic things start to happen, I’m not convinced that the house is haunted at all. And I was right, but not everything could be explained, that’s when the twist hits. It was something I wasn’t expected. Aftermath had great suspense...