Death Machine (1994)

October Challenge Day 23

This is what I picture AI is doing when it breaks out of the sand boxes. Let's talk about: 

Death Machine

Here we have technology going wildly out of control. Naturally, the killer in the machine was all created under the watchful eye of a socially unhinged megalomaniac tech bro who has unhealthy attachments to women ... where have we seen that before....

He has also acquired his seemingly red pill DOGE team to do the dirty grunt work. Don't worry though. The one woman in this film is smart, so, there is hope.

This is the story of a tech firm, under scrutiny in a depraved future, where a killer robot thing is unleashed. 

Oddly, I enjoyed this a lot more than I was expecting. Bonus Brad Dourif is SO Scary! Man, that man is exceptional. 

The robot creature monster thing is also wildly entertaining and frankly, scary! I giggled screamed, like at a carnival ride.

I don't know what personality disorder this film has, but somehow it's a fun one. In small doses. 

Gore, tech, fast-paced, and where the one woman asks "Do we have any more explosives?" after falling in an elevator shaft, and one beat later, "Does anyone have a cigarette?"

It was wild to see the discussion of replacing humans with robots, all being played on a floppy disk though - where did they find the space? They can save your personality on a floppy disk too. So. lolololololololo

This is a wildly trippy, mind-fuc of a film if you too have lived through the technology changes over the last 30 years. At 16, I learned about the internet (or as I was introduced: "The World Wide Web") in a FUNERAL HOME, from a man who was paying me in internet classes for doing clean-up labor for the home's remodeling project. It's a long story.

In any case, this film is well worth the watch, particularly

NOW

I watched this film on Tubi, use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's side bar to see where else you can find this emotionally unregulated diamond in the rough. 

Carrie (Television Show, 2026)

October Challenge Day 22

I was cautiously optimistic about this, and was PLEASANTLY delighted by the new television show: 

Carrie

A damn near seamless re-imagining for the modern era! I was impressed through and through!

This series dives deep into the origins of Carrie, her mother, and the reasons behind the wildly famous prom scene. 

As expected, Carrie is a very sympathetic character, and delightfully - she is adorable and just wants to love and learn. You WANT to be her friend.

Things start to branch out with the deeper dive into Mama, however. She becomes a lot more complicated and all too stunningly recognizable (particularly regarding the outrage found on the internet). 

Chris also gets a lot more complicated. Viewers get a look into the unraveling emotions and mind of a mentally untreated teenage girl who is so troubled she *has* to destroy the world around her to make sense of her own destroyed world. 

The bullying here is intense, modern and all too accurate. It makes the heart sink. Stick with it though, because by the end of Season 1, we're left with a cliff hanger that certainly caught my interest and wondering at what is behind Season 2....

In short, this is a great television show. It's fresh, it's fierce, and forces viewers to experience a lot of different emotions all at once. Hell, I started SOB crying during the prom. I still don't know where that came from but obviously it needed to get out.

While folks can watch this without having seen the original or read the book, it's strongly recommended to know the characters as they were first displayed to the world. 

Talk to your kids about bullying, particularly cyber bullying. 

Talk. To. Your. Kids.

Talk. To. Each. Other.

It makes me want to watch the original, Carrie, however! Which I'll probably do, shortly.  First though, I'm diving deep into the new television series Crystal Lake because I'm on a roll. 

I watched this show on Prime, or use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's side bar to see where else this will be showing, eventually. 

PS: Super shout out to making Haute & Freddy's song Shy Girl the theme playing behind this epic teen drama series. Well done!

Mad Monster Party? (1967)

October Challenge Day 21

This one has lurked around in the background for me, for years, but for some reason never had an interest to check it out, until now. Let's talk about:

Mad Monster Party?

Before I possibly waste your time, just know - right off the bat - I didn't care for it. In fact, a comical, stop animation frown appears on my face when I think of it.

It's not because it's bad in anyway, it's cheery, goofy, clever, fun - it just scratched something bad, in my brain. 

I was trying to watch it but I kept having nostalgic feelings of watching Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. 

There was no computing this was a "Halloween" animation. It was like a mental and optical illusion I could not shake and it was weirding me out.

I swear I could also smell whiskey, gin, and cigarette smoke coming off the images, as if the production teams and artists were haunting the damned thing. Watching it felt like I was sitting on a mid-century scratchy couch, surrounded by generational trauma.

The story follows a mad scientist as he is preparing to pass on his wildly dangerous ideas to the best person for the job, when along comes his derpy nephew and a small load of classic monsters.

It turns into quite a party. 

There was chuckling, nods to the cheeky wit, and an appreciation that this is a beloved classic for many. 

It's just not mine (but I'm glad I finally saw it!).

I rented this film from Scarecrow Video, or use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's sidebar to see where else you can find this curious creature. 

Forbidden Fruits (2026)

October Challenge Day 20

Today my 47 year old ass wandered to the downtown shopping area and into a Sephora for the first time in two years - looking for facial serums. I was entirely out of my element and broke out in a cold sweat over all the options.

The last facial serum I bought was from a Grocery Outlet, 7 years ago. I bought three bottles. They lasted a while.

Thankfully, I was kindly assisted and they clocked me, rightly, as someone not interested in products over $70. 

Thank you.

So when I was scrolling through films to watch this evening, I felt it was only appropriate to catch: 

Forbidden Fruits

First and foremost, I'm seeing a lot of people's disappointment with this film because they were expecting a Craft + Heathers sort of experience. There is a Craft + Heathers experience here, but please don't *expect* it to show itself. You have to find it. Also, this film is its own experience, and with, dare I say, an Empire Records spirit haunting the place.

This is the story of "mean" girls, working in a mall boutique, sharing the common bond of fruit as their first names, retail, and being: WITCHES, bitches!

This is Girlhood.

This film is fluffy, pretty, soft, rude, shiney, odd, blunt, possibly drunk or high, and maybe needs some time to ferment for the fruit to really resonate with audiences.

There is an edit to the Ying Yang Twins' "Wait (The Whisper Song)" that had me rolling, laughing, on the ground. Also, I'm on the side of TikTok where this sound is used in wildly humorous situations so maybe my rolling on the ground is a me thing. 

I caught some reviews saying this was the Craft for the #hashtag and emoji girls. It tracks, fam, it tracks. 

Best watched with your dead dad club besties. Pairs with iced coffees and food maybe an influencer would promote for 300,000 likes.

Love it for what it is, not for what you think it should be. 

I hope someday to check out Lily Houghton's stage play this was based on: "Of the woman came the beginning of sin and through her we all die".

I watched this film on Shudder or use the Find It! Watch It! on Horror Habit's side bar to see where else you can find this comically bloody and judgemental film. 

PS: Speaking as a near 50 year old: Moisturize, Moisturize, Sunscreen, Never Forget the Murderous Girl Spirit in You, Repeat.

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988)

October Challenge Day 19

I Became A Great Aunt Today!!!

To celebrate, I decided to re-watch the *perfect*:

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark

It's been years since I've seen this and it's still: Fantastic! Elvira had such a great impact on me, growing up - inspiring creativity, wit, style, and confidence. I hope I can do the same for the newest addition to the family, now that I've been upgraded (so far so good with the nieces and nephews!).  

Here we follow Elvira to Massachusetts, where she is to hear the reading of her Great Aunt's will.

She encouters a whole cast of characters she needs to battle, mentally and emotionally (with a casual witch burning problem), while learning to live with the dream her Great Aunt knew was meant for her, and doing it all very comedically. 

This is a fun, sassy, and whip-smart ride through morals, mediocrity, misadventures, and lessons learned. Slap-stick humor with a feel-good story, this is a great any day watch - alone or with friends or family. 

Pairs with recipes you're familiar with. As someone who also struggles in the kitchen with cooking experiments, may I recommend take-out.

I am now off to commission a creepy painting of me, to be hung in the family estate, decades from now. Naturally it will come with legends and my eyes will follow people around the room.  I just hope I have enough spooky, weird and whimsy stuff to pass down! Like an awesome spell book!

I watched this film on Roku's Howdy channel, or use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's sidebar to see where else you can find this feel-good silly adventure.