A Good Woman Is Hard to Find (2019)

I had settled into the night, a cross stitch project in hand, trying to figure out what to watch when I stumbled upon this curious find. I was instantly taken by the succinct yet somewhat allusive description:

"A recently widowed young mother will go to any lengths to protect her children as she seeks the truth behind her husband's murder."

I was all, "...I'm a widow..." AND I have just recently (finally) began to really, truly appreciate the shear terror, art, and joy of revenge horror films. I've avoided most of them for years simply because I could never really find a good head space to prepare myself for the premise that most revenge films rely on: sexual assault. 

So when I deduced this film was most likely a revenge film, and I was madly - madly - stabbing away at my cross stitch project because I just got word of the threat to repeal Roe v Wade, and since it's Mother's Day coming up, I figured:

"Let's see what this bad bitch is going to do!!"

Let me introduce you to the fabulous: 

A Good Woman Is Hard to Find

And let me tell ya - She's A BAD BITCH, ya'll! And I'm here for it!!

The landscape is drizzly, on the poorer side of a poor town, drugs are running pretty rampant, and this very young woman with two very young kids is just trying to make it minute to minute.  

She's not getting any information from the cops about her husband's murder in a park, in fact it's mostly dismissed. She's not getting any great support from a mother who has been upset she married that man in the first place, and then suddenly a drug deal outside goes down - badly - and she suddenly finds herself face to face with a man named Tito standing in her kitchen. 

Things go on a thrilling hell ride from there!

Note, fine folks, there's a dildo involved in this film (and not in the way you think ... exactly) that plays such a dark humored role at first and then such a pivotal role later - it still impresses me with its symbolism and sharp, witty use. To me, it spoke a wide variety of volumes about power, sex, and women. I loved it. Loved. It. 

I was genuinely impressed with this film. It really surprised me because on the surface, it's a simple film. When you dive deeper, however, you find onion layer after onion layer of social commentary but also a straight up film about a woman who ran out of options one day and just wasn't going to take it anymore. 

This stellar film will make a great double feature with another BRILLIANT revenge film, simply titled: Revenge. I'm sure I'm fine but I watch this film maybe a little too much.... 

Or, if you want to go the more rock n' roll psychedelic revenge angle, but with the same amount of intensity, I highly recommend Mandy. Either of these would pair nicely as a double feature with the stunner that is A Good Woman Is Hard to Find. 

Best watched alone or with a trusted person. Pairs with TV dinners and a shit ton of bad assery. Might I recommend a cross stitch to stab at? 

Stay:

ladies!

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 find find this work of art. 

Evil Dead 2 by Hourglass Escapes AND Evil Dead II (1987)

My family are puzzle people. We LOVE Puzzles! Almost any kind - with the exception of 99% of word puzzles... 

But back to FUN puzzles! 

So we love puzzles, particularly jigsaw puzzles and hours long board games. With that, a brother and I are particularly fond of escape rooms! So, when I asked what he wanted to do for his birthday he said he wanted to do an escape room and would look for one that looked like fun. 

A few days later I get a call: 

Him: "Hey, Jolie. I found an escape room. Can you guess which one?"

Me: "Is it scary?"

Him: "Yes ... it's a movie..."

Me: "Is it Evil Dead!?"

Him: "Yes! How did you know?"

Because I'm good, that's how. No really, I had heard that something like this exists and I was certain he was going to find it and would want to check it out. Siblings. 

So this particular post is going to be a little different because it's both a shout out to an EXCELLENT escape room experience - my favorite so far! AND and little review/reminder of the amazing Evil Dead II.

First, the Shout Out:

If you're like some of my co-workers and friends who just gave me a blank look when I excitedly shared that I went to an escape room over the weekend, let me summarize the experience:

An escape room is where you get locked into a room and you have to solve a series of hidden physical clues within the room to get to additional rooms and or simply get out. Now, this can be a rather claustrophobic experience for some because some of the rooms can be rather small. I actually went to a 'mad scientist horror show' escape room and actually had a bit of a panic because it was #1: felt too small #2: I was getting frustrated at not finding clues.  Sometimes booze helps before these adventures, sometimes it doesn't. 

In all, these rooms require a lot of fun team work and collective critical, analytical thinking. You know, a utopia and what I envision as world peace. 

So that's a summary of an escape room. There are rooms all over the country and they all have fun, exciting, themes that come in all shapes, sizes, and - if it's your flavor like mine - scares. 

With that, since I have been to so many escape rooms, and enjoyed them all, Evil Dead 2tm by Hourglass Escapes has by far been my favorite! My very favorite! This room was exceptionally and lovingly detailed with very clever clues. It was fun the entire time (instead of frustrating) and if you're an Evil Dead fan, all the more the bonus. It will blow your mind with the amount of Easter eggs and tributes - you can tell some love and fandom went into building these rooms.

So yay you, Evil Dead 2 by Hourglass Escapes! IT WAS A BLAST! And great job!

Second, the Movie:

I can't tell you how many times I've seen this film, but I can say it's an utter delight every time I do watch it. It's also a bit of a shock to me when I reference this film (or film series), fully expecting something like "Shop smart, shop S-Mart" as a response, when all I get is a blank stare. I really don't know what to do with myself in those situations and I usually make it worse by trying to share *more* quotes, which, naturally, just digs me deeper into the awkward hole. So, if this film is new to you, let me introduce you to:

Evil Dead II

There is a wild madness to this film. A wild madness that I can never stop looking at, and was honed in on after the making of the first Evil Dead (also an excellent, excellent film, but I think horror fans from all walks will agree that Evil Dead II is better than the original. I mean, hell - there's an entire escape room dedicated to film #2). 

The wild madness is about the first thing viewers will notice - the erratic monster vision, the nonsensical plot line beginnings, and the BRILLIANCE of Bruce mf Campbell (love you). 

Here we have a story about a couple that plan a stay in a remote cabin in the woods. A book of the dead is discovered and demons are unleashed on an epic, gory, hilarious, and outrageous level. I mean, on levels not ever quite seen before or since. 

I was re-watching this film after the escape room and I [insert the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at the TV with a beer in his hand meme] was delighted af to see all the very, very sharp attention to detail with both this film and the escape room fan room. I could even point to certain scenes in this film where I was able solve parts of the Evil Dead escape room - and didn't realize it at the time. Clever, clever, clever. 

This film is madness in all forms and it's super fun, super gross, super brilliant. It's one-of-kind for sure. A must not miss if you're a horror fan and quite likely a film that will come up in conversation if you're new to horror films. It's a classic and must see. Again. And again. And again. And again. 

This particular escape room is best experienced in a small (around 3, probably no more than 4 person) group. You have 70 minutes to solve the clues and get out or you're dragged straight to hell by a gaggle of demons. Good Luck!

The film is best watched in a much larger group, probably after you just escaped the grasp of being dragged to hell. Pairs best with laughter, booze, pot (probably a lot of pot) and insane snacks that don't sound like they should work or taste good but actually do both and it blows everyone's mind. 

Again, shout out to Hourglass Escapes! If you're in the Seattle area, be sure to check them out. If you're not in the Seattle area please check out your local escape rooms if puzzle rooms are your thing!

I own Evil Dead II or use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's side bar to see where else you can find this MUST SEE and can NEVER FORGET film.

Lone Wolf (1988)

OH MY WORD

Where has this absolutely insane and seriously laugh-out-loud movie been all my life?

Werewolf films have always been one of my favorites, despite it being hard to come by a quality werewolf film. And then this movie trots in front of my face on a random Saturday morning and it's an instant gem - A GEM - for probably all the wrong reasons. 

Looking for 40 year old teenagers in a picture-perfect example of 1988 horror movie culture? Well look no further than: 

Lone Wolf

Here we have a bunch of 'teenagers' doing 'teenager' stuff all 1988 style (making out in cars, getting in hallway fights, going to nightclubs, being in professional bands, etc) with the added fun of focusing on Computer Class. Folks, DOS is changing the world here - the hot new topic - all while a werewolf is running wild in town.

This film quickly skyrocketed to the top of favorite werewolf films list. Not because it's good ... per se ... but because it's so epicly wrong in all the right - no, best - ways. 

Delightful, accidentally hilarious, and legitimately entertaining, I'm not exaggerating when I say this film is a ton of fun!

There's not much else to add about this charmer. Fans of campy 1980's horror films know what they are getting into when a diamond like this is found - you just can't help but love every adorable quirk, outrageous dialogue, the gory kill scenes, practical effects, and who can forget the *totally believable* romances...

In all, fellow fans, if this one has not crossed your path yet then be sure to check it out! You can thank me later. 

I saw some reviewers suggest a double feature movie night with this film and Night Shadow. I see why but that's a LOT of 1980's werewolf camp to take in one sitting. 

Best watched when you want nothing but the fun stuff on a fun/lazy/snugly afternoon or evening. I watched this film on Tubi (as a note, Tubi is an EXCELLENT source for the campness), or use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's sidebar to see where else you can find this keeper of a werewolf flick. 

Fresh (2022)

I recently got back into the dating scene. It's an ... interesting place. A wild west, lawless sort of place, complete with a vast and nearly incomprehensible array of profiles, pictures, and people. I'm speaking particularly with online dating, of course. 

Online dating doesn't have the same feeling and allure as the classic meet-cute story, however. Those are always fun or ... disastrous, as evident in: 

Fresh

Here we have a young woman who is trying the online dating thing, not liking it much, when she meets a handsome man in the produce section of a grocery store. Things escalate quickly, sweetly, and she decides to go on a trip out of town with this promising man. 

Folks, as someone who sends my friends photos of my date, time of date, location of said date, and expected time to return home from date: NEVER EVER GO TO AN UNKNOWN LOCATION WITH A STRANGER. I DON'T CARE HOW CUTE HE IS.

It's a scary and dangerous world out there, and this film both highlighted that AND made fun of it, in a satirical yet gruesomely real way. 

While the plot becomes somewhat predictable at points, it comes around with some pretty epic unexpected punches and alarmingly real moments. In particular, the very, very end scenes - which, after the earlier blood bath of the film (also epic), had me laugh out loud. So help me, I just watched carnage and mayhem and I laughed out loud at some pretty typical dating topics. 

In short, this is a fun, brutally gory, and very telling story about the dangers of getting to know someone/making yourself vulnerable. 

Best watched with a best friend over wine, brunch, or after a disastrous date the night before. Pairs with vegetarian dishes. Suggestion: text someone "U up" at an ungodly hour. 

This movie came recommended to me by a Tinder match. I watched it on Hulu, or use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's side bar to see where else you can find gory "love" story. 

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

The other day I stopped by my local pub to ready myself, via a couple beers, before embarking on the nightmare that is shopping at my local grocery store (there was someone wielding an axe in the doorway of said store the other week, just to give you a taste of this new level of shopping experience hell...).

I was sitting at the very edge of the long bar, going through email, when suddenly a young man saddled up to the bar stool next to me and asked if he could sit there while he waited for his drink. Sure, no problem, I said as I was filing away emails. I was already a little annoyed, however, because out of all the empty bar stools available he sat next to me.

Immediately he wanted to chat, I sighed, but was relived when he stated, excitedly, that he was waiting for his date to arrive. He then pointed to a seemingly random booth and stated "We're going to sit there."

Alarm bells began quietly chiming in my head but I shrugged them off , thinking that perhaps it was just his nerves about this first date that was making him appear a little "off". 

But then his continued comments began ringing the bells louder. 

Such as: I asked how long he's known his date. His response: "Not more than 4 weeks but more than 2 weeks." He asked if I was a "...nerd, or something?", to which I flatly replied Yes. He asked my name, I gave it, and then he proceeded to repeat it several times out loud. He asked me to stay and sit next to him (when I was getting up off the stool) until exactly 7 minutes before his date was to arrive (which was expected to be shortly). I reluctantly agreed and watched the clock closely. 

Time arrived and he went to sit at his prespecified booth. I went back to my email and avoided eye contact. That is, until he suddenly shouted my name. I turned around and he was raising a glass to me, with an unsettling smile. I raised a glass back, turned around, and discreetly signaled to the bartenders that I wanted to close my tab. 

20 minutes after the date was scheduled to arrive, still no one was occupying the opposite seat in his booth. I began feeling a little sorry for the guy, thinking he was stood up, when suddenly, I heard him bellowing with laughter and actively engaging with someone sitting opposite him. There was no one there. He was having a full on conversation with someone only he could see.  

And yet, he still saw me when I took the last sip of my beer and began to make my way out. He caught me midway and begged me to stay and join him. I declined and insisted I had to go. He offered to buy my drinks and pleaded I stay. I still said no and extended my had to shake goodbye. He didn't take my hand but instead went in for a full on hug. The kind of hug that is a little too tight, a little too close, and got even tighter when you do the polite tap-the-back to say you're done. 

And that's when I realized, with whatever episode that was going on in his head, he was desperate - DESPERATE - for human connection. To be seen and heard, to be recognized as existing.

By this time, the bartenders were keeping an exhausted eye on their newest patron, and I took the opportunity to slip out the door, unseen, when he went back to the booth and started shouting at the window to people walking down the sidewalk: "Hey, hey, hey! Are you a dinosaur?!" 

Clearly the fella was going through *something*. It was a sad something. 

I got home and thought about the experience quite a bit. Wondering if he recognizes the horror of being trapped in his head and own world. Wondering if he was having a mental breakdown. If his date was ever a real person or perhaps a bad breakup that pushed him over the edge into a delusional and surreal land. I thought most about how I don't think I've ever seen someone so desperate for companionship. 

I decided to search for a film to watch that night that could possibly mirror my experience, or better capture what this young man could possibly be going through in his head. You know, a psychological horror. 

Aside from werewolves, the monsters of the brain are the horror stories that frighten me the most.

I stumbled upon a menshealth.com article of the 34 best psychological thrillers, and while I've seen 98% of them, my eye caught: 

Synecdoche, New York

I think what my eye caught most was this statement in the article: 

"The movie, which stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a theater director struggling through work and life, started of in off in theory when Sony talked with Spike Jonze and [Charlie] Kaufman about a horror movie, and he realized the themes that truly scared him: mortality, illness, relationship struggles, and loneliness. And the movie has droves of all that."

And my goodness, how this statement was spot-on in this film's description AND seemed a perfect reflection of my experience with the troubled young man encounter. 

One reviewer described the film as pretentious. While yes I've seen pretentious films, and I can never keep a straight face when watching them, I wouldn't call it pretentious and this film is going to haunt me for a while. At points I was even pacing back and forth, the anxiety was so high. 

The anxiety of relatability and understanding the plights of life but having difficulty finding the words to explain them. The aching and beautiful absurdity of existing, and the existential dread of loving life so much despite knowing it's going to kill you in the end. 

This film is a slow burn mind trip. A mind bending and heart breaking tumble down the artist expression of relaying humdrum reality while also the thoughts, dreams, and wishes of a human life. Reality and time is distorted in this film. Much as our brains become unreliable narrators for our own lives as we continue them - as we watch them unfold before our eyes like a movie or a play.  

This is certainly not a film for everyone, and plenty will argue this is not a horror film. But as with any 'drama' film that ends up on this blog - if it's here it gave me soul crushing nightmares.

In all, I suggest walking into this film a little blind. Or perhaps, take in consideration the personal experience I relayed above and place those characters in this movie.  

Best watched during a small existential crisis and in a dirty, dingy, and neglected place. Pairs with beer and groceries that are still in their paper bag, and not being put away in the fridge or cupboard. 

I rented this film from Amazon Prime or use Horror Habit's Find It! Watch It! links to see where else you can find this lump-in-the-throat feature.