Let's Cee a Movie

The Boogeyman’s Return

A solid requel (Spoilers)

After the attempt to turn the series into an anthology didn’t work out, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers does exactly what the subtitle says it does. It brings back the boogeyman, this time without John Carpenter. This entry is notable as the first film in the series without Carpenter’s involvement. Much like Halloween (2018), the broad strokes of the plot are identical to the original, although it differs in some specific details.

The Hand That Rules The World

A good cult classic and fine remake (Spoilers)

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is a movie that came out as part of the yuppie nightmare cycle that was all the rage in the ’80s and ’90s. It was directed by Curtis Hansen and written by Amanda Silver, who would later pen several blockbusters with her husband, Rick Jaffa. A remake of the film was recently released on Hulu. It was directed by Michelle Garza Cervera, who previously helmed Huesera: The Bone Woman, and was written by Micah Bloomberg.

The Modern Prometheus

An umpteenth adaptation that’s fine (Spoilers)

The plot of Frankenstein is something that you’re probably already familiar with, but let’s do this one more time. It’s about a mad scientist who brings to life a makeshift man, only for it to go horribly wrong. This new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s often-told tale was written and directed by Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro. Its all-star cast features Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the Creature, aka Frankenstein’s monster.

More phones, more problems

A familiar nightmare, but solid sequel

Years after the events of the previous film, the Grabber (Ethan Hawke) returns from beyond the grave. One of the things I liked about the first Black Phone was that even though it was a ghost story, the threat was a mundane serial killer. Of course, I don’t know how they’d be able to do a sequel without Hawke, so the route they took was ultimately for the best.

O Death

A lost in translation adaption (Spoilers)

Until Dawn is a loose adaptation of the interactive video game of the same name. The way the game works is that if you do this thing in Level 1, then that thing will happen in Level 3, which will then kill you. How do you translate that into a movie? One way is to make an interactive film like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (NSFW). However, writers Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler instead go with Option B, which is to make a time warp movie.

A Van Helsing Story

A little slow, but good (Spoilers)

Abraham’s Boys is an adaptation of a short story of the same name by Joe Hill. Abraham Van Helsing (Titus Welliver) has relocated to California with his wife, Mina Van Helsing (née Murray, formerly Harker) (Jocelin Donahue), and their two sons, Max (Brady Hepner) and Rudy (Judah Mackey). The short story has frequently been compared to Frailty, which I recommend watching before reading the rest of this review.

Blood and Pixie Dust

Good, but not quite what I was hoping for (Spoilers)

In the latest installment of the Twisted Childhood Universe, Peter Pan (Martin Portlock) is now a cross between Pennywise and the Grabber (though the two are more similar than Joe Hill had intended). He abducts boys to send them to Neverland for a higher power who is implied to be the bogeyman. Part of his modus operandi is calling his victims’ families, playing the song “Hush, Hush, Here Comes the Bogeyman,” and telling them that he has taken their child to Neverland.

The Jester Combo

A mixed Halloween bag (Spoilers)

The Jester (2023) and The Jester 2 are both based on a trilogy of short films, all directed by Colin Krawchuk and starring Michael Sheffield. Each installment is about a sinister entity that’s traded the classic jester outfit for a snazzy orange suit and top hat. If I were the Jester (Sheffield), I would have gone with a coat borrowed from James Dean and a thorny crown, but to each his own.

The Walking Man

Hard to watch, but not due to quality (Spoilers)

In a dystopian world that may or may not be the ’70s, the United States has started a nationwide contest called the Long Walk. Two of this year’s participants are Ray Garraty (Copper Hoffman) and Pete McVries (David Jonsson). The winner of the contest gets rich and one wish. The losers are shot and killed by a squad of soldiers led by the Major (Mark Hamill).

Sonja, Not Sonya

Flawed, but enjoyable fun (Spoilers)

Red Sonja (2025) stars a character who was originally created by Robert E. Howard, but was revamped by Roy Thomas for a Marvel, later Dynamite, comic book series. It’s also the second film adaptation of the material after a 1985 movie starring Brigitte Nielsen. I’ll tell you right off the bat that this new version is better than the Nielsen film, which, for me, straddled the line between being bad and enjoyably bad.