The Voices (2014)

October Challenge Day 6:

Oh dear. This ...  this film is a doozy. 

The Voices

I enjoy horror comedies - a lot - but this one ran a fine line between humor and horror. I don't know how else to explain it. 

As I've said before, my degree is in behavioral science, and when I noticed what started out as an adorkable shalsher film was quickly becoming sad and scary, I actually was pretty unnerved watching the spectical before me. 

This is a frightening film because of the realism of mental illness. This one takes viewers on a terrifying trip through the mind of someone suffering. 

It's a classic tale about a young man, just trying to get by in life, talking to his dog and cat ... who talk back ...

He tries to do a good job at work, move on from his past, and looking for love and purpose, but those pesky voices start to get in the way - to a brutal and bloody degree. 

Loaded with symbolism and laughs when you don't want to, this film, in the end, is rough. The ending credits making it more mendbending and uncomfortable.  

It's a really decent film that can be incredibly difficult to watch when you look deeper into the story. 

You might even cry a little bit. For the sadness and horror of it all. 

The mental and physical suffering of people REALLY upsets me. Long time followers of Horror Habit will likely take note of the suffering I watched my now deceased husband go through. 

F*CKING ROUGH! 

My degree and experience doesn't shield me from being deeply moved by what I can now observe with better calculation and profound empathy - which could be a part of the reason I was pretty shook by this film. Particularly when medication and therapy was there to help but he didn't want it. He didn't like who he was on it. I know that *voice* and logic well. 

In all, this film was disturbing to me, and I enjoyed the story it shared and how it was shared. 

Best watched alone but with the knowledge you can watch it with others. Pairs with cereal and Chinese food. 

I watched this film on HBO or use the Find! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's side bar to see where else you can find this soul crushing feature. 

Willy's Wonderland (2021)

October Challenge Day 5:

I am a huge fan of the Five Nights At Freddy's video game series. I  never made it through the nights. Ever. Although I don't play a lot of video games, it stands as one of the scariest I've ever played - outdoing the previously held record by Fatal Frame. Oh what the hell, they're tied in my book. 

So when I heard a film was being created about killer animatronics, and staring the ever delightfully weird Nicolas Cage, I was all: SIGN ME UP for: 

Willy's Wonderland

Killer animatronics - HELL YEAH!

And then I was informed this film isn't based on FNaF, in fact an actual movie about the game is currently in the works!

At first I just stared blankly - I mean, this film is about surviving a night from killer machines in a Chucky-E-Cheese like place .... this, you mean to say this is *not* based on FNaF....?

But then I was all, f*ck it! I'll watch both - take my money you twos.

Cage steals the show, by far, and he never says a word. It's a Cage vs demonic resurrected serial killers in machine form BATTLE TO THE DEATH show!

I loved it. It's sunburned and dingy, clinging to your '70s, '80s, and '90s youth in a brown and gaudy smoked-stenched hell hole - also known as either your living room or the rare family dinner out. 

I might have just revealed too much about my own rearing.....

While it's not clearly understood why Cage is just rolling into this deserted town or why he knows exactly what to do to battle these machines, it is super fun to watch and and hilariously over-the-top. 

My first experience with an animatronic family dinner was at a tourist stop somewhere in Montana, around age 9.  I stood in horror at the machines on stage. 

Even at 9 I was all: What In The Actual F Is This Demon Sh*t? Family asking if I'm having fun, no. No I am NOT having fun [pointing with alarm at the stage]. 

This could be why I totally understood why this film's premise is so relatable - as is the FNaF game. Who thought these musical *creatures* were a good idea?!?!?!

I tried to turn memories around when I turned 23 years old and hosted my own birthday party at an actual Chuck-E-Cheese. I'm not sure if I made things better or (likely worse) for myself, for everyone. 

This film is ridiculous and that's what it's exactly suppose to be. Have fun ... if you can!!!!

Best watched in a small group, pairs with pizza and LOTS of soda. Be sure to keep your string of tickets in a safe place - spend them all at once on a really really stupid item. 

I watched this movie on Hulu, or use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's side bar to locate where else you can find this terribly great idea. 

In the Spider’s Web (2007)

October Challenge Day 4: 

Saints preserve us - this is not a good film, but sometimes you need a little bit of that dirty, rotten, no good, made-for-TV good stuff. 

And I'm also going to watch pretty much anything Lance Henriksen is in, so - let me introduce you to:

In the Spider's Web

It's spider season in Seattle right now - a well recognized, and some could argue, official season if you live in the area. There's a few spiders that make a very big appearance at this time, but it's the Giant House Spider that will taken even a hardened lifer of the area back a bit. 

I shared on Facebook with friends how I woke up one morning several years ago with one of these spiders, dead, in MY MOUTH! Everyone was horrified and friends outside of Seattle were fascinated by tales of these creatures. Just the other night, one of these giant but harmless monsters ran from beneath my chair, in-between my feet, and TOP SPEED raced across the apartment. Not even my cats could cope with what they were seeing. 

...it's still here, in the apartment somewhere...

So I thought it would be a bit of fun to watch some fresh trashness in celebration of our monster creatures that new comers are never warned about before arrival. 

Like I said earlier, this film is not good. The first few minutes will make that clear right away. Here we have a collection of young world travelers hiking through a jungle. There's no back story, there is no lead up. We're just suddenly in the jungle with strangers with strange accents for no clear reason.

Someone gets a spider bite and that leads the splintered group to either go to a legendary remote village or to the not legendary remote village. Both groups are facked. 

Enter bizarre doctor and "priest" from the legendary village and the somewhat bumbling police force from the not legendary village. Together they battle a spider cult, all fighting for survival. 

I know I'm not really selling this one but fans of these types of films understand how fun they honestly can be. This one is no exception. Get ready to be covered in some spiders though...

Best watched while day drinking or have on in the background, pairs with beers and rotting fruit in an unusually humid area. 

I watched this film on Paramount+ (formally CBS All Access), or use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's side bar to see where else you can find this very much mid 2000s CGIed film. 

Vicious Fun (2020)

October Challenge Day 3:

I absolutely splurged on some decadence this morning. Slept in, had my two cats snuggled up with me as I read - essentially I lounged in bed in my robe for hours, even served myself up some breakfast in bed! 

At the recommendation of a friend and before I was ready to really get *out* of bed, I decided to fit in a horror movie. 

This Sunday morning decadence festival introduced me to:

Vicious Fun

It's hard to describe how a horror film can be a great Sunday movie pick - but this one is most certainly a perfect example for me. 

Here we have an adorably derpy horror movie reviewer who accidently get's wrapped up in a talk session group with some serial killers. 

As a derpy horror movie reviewer, from South Dakota, I had an exceptionally hard laugh at when one of the serial killers were questioned about their background and it was stated "Oh she's from the South Dakota chapter". LOLOLOLOLO - still laughing.

Things go Full On Slasher as soon it's discovered that the derpy horror movie reviewer is not actually a serial killer. Just embrace the antics from there. 

Light hearted and super fun, with your casual strangulation by intestine, An Alarming amount of items going through the head and neck, and mutilated bodies littering the place, this was an EXCELLENT, lazy Sunday morning pick. I know I'm not alone in this understanding ... you know... just sitting in your robe and shouting excitedly at the TV, "Yeah! Right through the eye!!" You get it right?

Solid, fun, gory, and very funny (I laughed out loud so many times), I would recommend this film for not just Sunday mornings - but anytime and for pretty much all horror fans - even the queasy ones. 

Best watched on the laziest days - pairs with whatever you can eat in bed, while in your robe, and so not to disturbed the cats. 

I watched this film on Shudder or use the Find It! Watch It! links to see where else you can find this road trip down 1980's slasher lane.

Ms .45 (1981)

 October Challenge Day 2: 

This cult classic roamed around in the background of my To-Watch list for quite some time. I didn't know a *whole* lot about it, but I knew it involved rape and that, well, that is just a big nope in my case most of the time. Most. 

But this one came up in my Shudder account and decided to finally give it a try. I think it might have been the revenge aspect that really caught my eye. 

Let me introduce you to the cringe binge fest that is:

Ms. 45

Here we have a young, mute woman who it attacked not once, but twice in one day as she's just going about her world, living her best life.

She SNAPS.

This film is full of social commentary and can lead to long discussions after viewing. Particularly in regards to the approach and evolution of the revenge she inflicts on the patriarchy - which, yeah, at first I'm not even going to stop her. 

Her being mute is a VERY interesting aspect and you'll have to watch until the itty bitty end to see how much of an impact her not being able to speak, actually speaks to the focus of the story and the film's message. 

In all I was blown away by this film. As usual, I came across a film that I avoided for vague reasons only to have it blow my f*cking mind. I love when this happens and I am proven wrong on my initial reactions to a movie description. 

This film is gritty, raw, absolutely beautiful, stunning, and f*cking bad ass. Again, I want to stress - although bad ass - it's the evolution of the bad assery that is absolutely fascinating. 

Best watched with your best ladies - particularly a small group. Pairs with dishes made from a deteriorating cook book. Fans of cult films: Do Not Miss This One.

I watched this film on Shudder, or use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's side bar to see where else you can find this remarkable film.