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Black Phone 2 came out swinging harder than most people expected and honestly it set his up for possible franchise almost trying to take Nightmare on Elm Street place and I would usually notice this but didnt even care about with Gwen and Finn were doing so great, yes there are areas where the movie lacks but the fight scenes were awesome and the chemistry between brothers was on point. When they first announced a sequel I was sitting there thinking okay how the hell are they going to pull this off, The Grabber died in the first movie so what now, are they going to resurrect him and make some weird ghost story that does not make sense, is the Grabber the new Jason?. But Scott Derrickson really knows what he is doing with horror because this thing actually worked way better than I thought, it makes you care about the character without the need to really scare you to death. The whole supernatural angle they went with feels like a mix of Nightmare on Elm Street vibes without being a straight up copy, they made it their own thing and those dream sequences were absolutely insane to watch, shot on grainy looking stuff that gave it this creepy old school feel. Madeleine McGraw as Gwen basically steals the whole damn movie, she loves to run her mouth on everyone else, she is the one dealing with most of the horror stuff this time around, her character goes through so much shit in this movie that by the end I was actually feeling bad for her. Mason Thames returns as Finny and the kid has grown up, not just physically but his whole vibe is different now, he is angrier and more closed off because of what happened in the first movie witch makes total sense when you think about it. The movie picks up four years after the events from the first one and both kids are still dealing with trauma but in very different ways, Finny beats up anyone who even mentions what happened to him and Gwen is having these crazy dreams that feel more intense than anything she experienced before.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29644189/

Rottentomatoes Rating

Source The first 45 minutes drag a bit but its mainly because the movie is setting everything up and reintroducing the characters witch is fine but it feels slow as hell before things actually start happening. You get this whole mystery about dead kids and phone calls and some camp called Alpine Lake that The Grabber used to work at back in the 60s, they use to call him Wild Bill Hickok although he kept saying that was not his name, he was the janitor there witch is such a cliche but whatever it works I guess. Once the mystery kicks in and we start learning more about The Grabber and his past though, that is when the movie gets you locked in and wont even think about taking a break. They do not ruin the character by explaining too much but they give you enough to understand how he came back and some of that backstory actually made me look at the first movie differently witch is always cool when a sequel can do that. The whole idea is that The Grabber killed three boys at this camp way back and their bodys were never found so their souls are trap and that is what gives him power to come back as this supernatural force, its like he is stuck between life and death and can mess with people in their dreams now and in real life, talk about hybrid situation. Ethan Hawke does not get as much screen time this round but when he shows up its effective, his voice work is really creepy and menacing even though you can not always see him on screen witch was an interesting choice.

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Source The movie realy goes hard with the gore and violence this time, like way harder than the first one with multiple scenes where kids get killed on screen even felt like a slasher at times, they show you the damage and its brutal as hell, one scene involves an axe to the face and another has someone getting dragged across a frozen lake and it looks pain full as shit. Gwen ends up at this Christian camp for a weekend with Finny and this new "boyfriend" named Ernesto who is actually the younger brother of Robin from the first movie witch I did not realize until he and Finn talk about Robin. The camp is closed because of a massive snow storm so they are stuck there with just a few counselors and of course that is when The Grabber starts showing up in the dream world but also messing with people in real life to. They do this thing where he has powers in both the death and the life realm and throws Gwen around a room and everyone can see it happening but they can not see him witch was a cool scene even though it raises some questions about the rules, so they did Krueger but change the rules?! I know many are going to pick up on this one and say hheeellll nah, but I have to admit it was entertaining, besides there is a big generation that dont even know who the F is Freddy Crugger. The Grabber can attack people in real life why does he even need the dream stuff, it felt like the movie was making up rules as it went along sometimes but I was having to much fun to really care that much. The way they shot the dream sequences on that grainy super 8 looking camera was perfect, it gave you a visual cue so you always knew when someone was dreaming versus awake and the music in those scenes was creepy as hell to.

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Source The final fight happens on this frozen lake where the three dead boys bodys are hidden under the ice and Gwen has to dive into the freezing water to pull them out, all this while she is dreaming, this so their souls can be free witch will take away The Grabbers power. Now here is where I had some issues because Gwen jumps into sub zero water and somehow does not die from hypothermia or drown even though she is under there for like five minutes because yes he is on her dreams and her body outside but if the rules apply when she gets cut by the Grabber during her dreams I mean her body bleeds too then why her body doesnt freeze too? they show her body getting all wet by water like water came out of her so this are some of the inconsistencies I can call on, the movie established that if you get hurt in the dream you get hurt in real life so why does that not apply here. The Grabber shows up wearing ice skates made of frozen blood on his feet and he is skating around the lake trying to kill everyone witch sounds ridiculουs but it actually looked cool as hell. Finny ends up fighting him even though he cant see him and starts bashing his face into the ice until he is just a bloody mess, then the dead boys grab him and drag him down to the bottom of the lake and that is supposed to be the end of him, BUT I notice before going down he grabs his mask, he doesnt leave it behind, what does that means?. The ending clearly explains that Gwen's dreams are her gift and not a curse and gives her some closure about everything that happened, it was a sweet moment and Madeleine McGraw really sold it with her acting even though we never see the mom on screen. I wish they would have killed more people honestly, the body count felt low for how brutal some of the kills were and The Grabber deserved to rack up more victims to really show how dangerous he still is even as a ghost or whatever supernatural thing he became, on the first movie they gave him all that body count but we never got to see anything about it.

Overall this movie worked for me way more than I expected, I know some people are going to hate that opinion but I am just being real here, its entertainment that you cant take too serious unless you are a hard core fan of Nightmare on Elm Street, if they keep making these and come up with smart ways to bring The Grabber back I would not mind seeing more. The first movie was great but it felt like a complete story that did not need a sequel, this one justifies its existence by going bigger and crazier with the supernatural elements. Scott Derrickson clearly loves Nightmare on Elm Street and you can feel that influence all over this movie, some people might say it copy to much from Freddy Krueger but when you have not had a thing from that franchise in so long you cant denied that even if Krueger never existed Black Phone 2 is a cool movie. The relationship between Finny and Gwen is still the heart of the story and watching them work together to stop The Grabber again was satisfying, they both grew as characters and dealt with their trauma in ways that felt earned by the end. I have to admit the setup takes to long and yes some of the logic does not make sense but once this thing gets going its a wild ride that kept me entertained the whole way. I would give Black Phone 2 a solid 8 out of 10, its not perfect but its a hell of a lot better than most horror sequels we get these days and if you liked the first one you should definitely check this out.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #horror, #sequel, #supernatural, #thriller, #dreams, #grabber, #revenge, #ghost, #nightmare, #violence, #gore, #mystery, #camp, #frozen, #trauma, #psychic, #killer, #slasher, #suspense, #scary, #brutal, #terrifying, #death, #survival, #haunted

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The Black Phone turned out way better than I thought it would be based on the idea that it was another serial killer movie, this thing could have gone completely off the rails with that whole idea of a kid stuck in a basement getting phone calls from dead people but Scott Derrickson somehow made it work without turning it into some cheesy mess. When you first hear about the concept you think okay this sounds interesting but theres no way they can pull this off for a full two hour movie. Ethan Hawke is absolutely terrifying even though you never really see his face the entire time because of that creepy ass mask he wears with multiple stages like no mouth or nose, the smile, the sad face, the dude manages to be scary just through his voice and the way he moves around, very Mandalorian like when Pedro Pascal bring the character to life. You got these kids dealing with some really dark shit at home with an abusive drunk father who beats them with a belt and then on top of that you got this serial killer running around town snatching up children left and right, but the center of the movie is the relationship between Finney and his sister Gwen. Those two kids can actually act and you end up caring way more about what happens to them than most horror movies, specially Gwen who has this mouth on her that made me laugh because she is swearing out adults and talking shit to cops and praying to Jesus in the most hilarious ways, that moment she wakes up and pulls a "Jesus what the fuck, no dreams?", she has these psychic dreams that show her clues about where the kids are getting taken witch ties into their dead mother who also had visions and ended up killing herself because of it. The jump scares actually work here too, most movies just throw them in for no damn reason but in this one they feel earned and they add to the tension instead of feeling cheap and lazy, Scott Derrickson knows his way around horror because the guy made Sinister witch was creepy as hell so you know he understands how to build up that suspense and make you feel uncomfortable without going completely overboard with the gore and violence.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7144666/
• Platform: PRIME VIDEO

Rottentomatoes Rating

Source Ethan Hawke dissapears into this role as The Grabber, you forget your watching the guy from Training Day because he becomes this twisted psycho who kidnaps kids and plays these sick games with them before killing them, the mask design is brilliant too because it comes in different pieces so he can change up his expression depending on what kind of mood hes in or what kind of game hes playing. The devil horns on top and then the bottom part can be a smile or a sad phase or nothing at all, that was a very creative touch, when Finney rips the mask off near the end and The Grabber just completely freaks out at first I though it was because he had to be disfigured or something but then I realize thats his safe place, the mask gave him some kind of power, he cant handle being seen without it because then he probably dont want to do those things in the first place, makes me think someone really abuse him as a kid. The whole movie has this vintage 1970s look to it that really works, it feels like your watching something from that era with the way they shot it and the colors they used, everything has this kind of washed out look that makes it seem more real and less like a polished Hollywood production witch adds to the whole atmosphere of danger and isolation, specially during Gwen dreams. The dead kids calling Finney through the disconnected phone could have been really dumb but it works even when kids disappear like they were just ghosts, each one gives him a different piece of the puzzle to help him escape, some of them work but others dont, its how each one of them try to escape, like one kid tells him about the hole in the floor, another one tells him about the cable in the wall, another one gives him the combination to the front door lock. Its like each of the dead kids are doing there part to make sure this bastard finally gets stopped so there deaths werent completely pointless and meaningless, the kid who plays Finney does a great job of showing how terrified he is but also how he was slowly building up the courage to fight back, you can see the change in him as the movie goes on from this scared kid who cant even stand up to bullies at school to someone whos willing to bash someones head in with a phone to survive.

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Source The movie does have some issues tho, like theres a bunch of stuff that gets left hanging at the end with no real answers or closure, you never find out why The Grabber is doing this, like what his deal is or why he targets these specific kids or what his childhood was like. The movie hints that maybe he was abused as a kid in that same basement but they never actually confirm it or go into detail, his brother Max is staying upstairs the whole time doing coke and working on this investigation into the kidnappings without realizing his own brother is the damn killer witch is pretty funny in a dark way but also feels like wasted potential because they could have done more with that character. He just seemed like a strange addition without much purpose except to show how oblivious people can be to whats happening right under there nose, the whole subplot with Gwens psychic dreams and the detectives feels like it belongs in a different movie sometimes because it takes away from the tension of Finney being trapped in that basement trying to survive. Every time it cuts away to her riding her bike around town looking for the house from her dreams it kills the momentum, but at the same time her character is so damn good that you dont mind it too much, she absolutely steals every scene she is in with that mouth of hers and the way she talks to adults like they are idiots. The pacing drags a bit in the middle too when your waiting for something to happen but Finney just keeps getting this calls that end up on failed attempts to escape, there are moments where it feels like the movie is spinning around instead of moving forward, but then it picks back up again when things start getting intense with Finney trying different escape plans that the dead kids give him through the phone.

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Source The ending is badass tho, Finney uses everything the dead kids taught him and sets up this improvise trap, he trips The Grabber into the hole with the cable, smashes his face with the dirt filled phone, rips off his mask and then strangles him to death with the phone cord while the ghosts of the dead kids talk to him through the receiver telling him to finish it, although it was kinda convenient for Finney that taking the mask did the trick because The Grabber totally breaks down when that happens and didnt even try to fight back but just covers his face. It was satisfying as hell to watch this kid who started out so scared and helpless turn into this survivor who takes down a serial killer, the whole sequence is brutal with Finney finally loosing it and going full savage mode, you really feel every hit and every moment of Finneys rage coming out after everything he has been through with his abusive father and the bullies at school and now this psycho trying to kill him. When he finally gets out of that basement Gwen was waiting for him right outside the house, well she though it was the house across the street, theres this sense of relief but also this understanding that things are never going to be the same for this family, they all went through hell and came out the other side but not without some baggage. When Finney goes back school was one of the most satisfiying moments as now everyone respects him without even saying a word even the kids who use to bully him, showing how the experience changed him and made him stronger even if it also messed him up, Scott Derrickson and Ethan Hawke make a hell of a team because there previous collaboration on Sinister was awesome and this one just set the bar higher for them.

I give The Black Phone like an 8 out of 10, its defintely worth watching if you want a horror movie that actually tries to be scary and tell a real story instead of just relying on cheap jump scares and gore, the acting is solid across the board especially from the kids who carry most of the emotional weight. The atmosphere and cinematography are on point, the villain is creepy and menacing without being over the top and it keeps you locked in for the whole movie even when it drags a bit in the middle during those slower moments, it is not perfect because of the pacing issues and the lack of answers about The Grabbers backstory leaving room for a sequel or even a franchise, plus that whole psychic sister subplot sound like unnecessary at first but latter on plays out very well, but overall this is one of the best horror movies to come out in recent years because it feels like it has some actual substance, story and heart to it instead of just being another forgettable slasher or evil possession story. The relationship between Finney and Gwen is really what makes the movie work because you care about these kids and want to see them make it out alive, the 1970s setting adds a lot to the dread too by making everything feel more isolated and dangerous since there are no cell phones or internet to call for help, just a disconnected phone that somehow connects to the dead witch sounds ridiculous but works surprisingly well , if your looking for a solid horror movie that will actually keep you interested and maybe even make you jump a few times then give The Black Phone a shot, just dont expect all your questions to get answered by the end because some things are left hanging there without closure.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #horror, #phone, #kidnapping, #supernatural, #ghosts, #murder, #thriller, #masks, #basement, #escape, #psychic, #dreams, #violence, #revenge, #brother, #sister, #bullies, #magician, #killer, #survivor, #tension, #scary, #blumhouse, #ethan, #sinister

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The Curse of La Llorona came out back in 2019 and I remember hearing all this noise about it been part of the Conjuring universe because James Wan was producing it, they even threw in Father Perez from the Annabelle movies to make that connection feel more real but after watching it I can tell you none of that matters when the actual movie is this boring and lazy. This thing made like 123 million dollars worldwide which is insane to me because it really did not deserve any of that success, the whole thing feels like they were just trying to cash in on people who wanted to see something about Mexican folklore and instead gave them this forgettable mess that does not do anything interesting with the legend at all, its just another jump scare fest that you will probably not remember a week from now. Linda Cardellini plays this social worker named Anna whose husband died and she is raising two kids on her own, she works for Child Protective Services and gets involved with this case where a mom is trying to protect her kids from La Llorona by locking them up in a closet but of course Anna thinks the mom is crazy and takes the kids away which ends up getting them killed. The mom warns her that she just made a huge mistake and that La Llorona is gonna come after her own kids now, then boom the ghost starts showing up at her house and you already know where this is heading because every single haunting movie does the exact same thing, there is no originality here at all.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4913966/

Rottentomatoes Rating Source What really pisses me off about this movie is that they had all the pieces to actually make something good, the legend of La Llorona is genuinely creepy and has been scaring kids for generations in Mexican culture, its about this woman who drowns her own children in a river after she finds her husband cheating on her with someone younger and then she kills herself out of guilt, now she is cursed to wander around looking for kids to replace the ones she murdered. That is dark as hell and there is so much you could do with that story but instead they just made another generic jump scare movie where the ghost pops out from behind corners and screams really loud to make you jump, I am not saying jump scares are always bad but when that is literally all you got going for you then your movie sucks. The scares are so predictable that you see them coming from a mile away, its always the same setup where someone hears a noise and walks slowly towards it and then La Llorona jumps out and screams, they do this like twenty times throughout the entire movie and it gets old real fast after the third or fourth time.

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Source There are a couple moments that were neat, this is why I dont completely trash this movie and at least gave it a 5 although I wouldnt recommend it, like when the little girl opens that see through umbrela by the pool and you can see the ghost standing there for a second, that was actually pretty cool because it did not rely on a loud noise to scare you, it was just this creepy flash that gets you, but most of the scares are just loud and annoying and they do not actually make you feel scared, they just make you jump for a second and then you move on and forget about it five minutes later because there is like no real horror in them, its like they were not even trying to build any real tension or atmosphere. The movie also tries to throw in some random humor that does not fit at all with the rest of the tone, like there is this character played by Raymond Cruz who shows up in the third part and he is supposed to be this ex priest who uses science and religion to fight ghosts or whatever, he has some funny lines but it feels so out of place in a movie that is trying to be a serious horror story, its like they could not decide if they wanted to make a scary movie or a comedy.

Source Source I would say that the worst part of the movie is that the characters itself felt kinda lame and stupid, its like the girl in Annabelle Comes Home that actually kick on the movie by doing dumb stuff, same here they make so many dumb decisions just so the plot can keep moving forward and its frustrating to watch people been this idiotic. There is this one scene where they set up all these protections around the house to keep La Llorona out, they use these special seeds from a tree or something and it creates a barier that she can not cross, but then the little girl sees her doll outside the barrier and she reaches for it and breaks the line and lets the ghost in, like come on where the fuck is the adult looking for this children. Your mom just told you that this ghost is trying to kill you and you are gonna risk everyones life for a stupid toy, it makes no sense and its just lazy writting to create drama. After I think about, her mom is just the same sht, she notice burn marks on her kids arms that look exactly like the ones from the other kids who died and she does not even ask about it and just ignores it until the detective shows up and accused her ass for been abusive to her own kids, this is another clear example of either they high, crazy or stupid and the movie feeds from this stupidity so they could have that scene where she almost gets arrested and you are sitting there thinking how can she not see whats going on.

The whole movie just felt lazy to me like they were not even trying to do something diferent or interesting, they were just checking boxes and rushing through everything to get to the next jump scare without caring about building any real story or characters that you actually care about. The pacing is weird too because nothing really happens for the first half of the movie and then in the third part they try to cram in all this stuff about the legend and how to stop La Llorona but its too late by then because you already stopped caring about what happens to these people. They have this whole thing where they rub eggs all over the house to detect evil spirits and it looks so dumb, I know its supposed to be a real Mexican tradition or whatever but the way they did it just felt forced and cheesy like they were trying too hard to make it feel authentic. At the end they defeat La Llorona by showing her one of the necklaces that belonged to her dead children and she just gives up and leaves, no big climax or anything just oh here is your dead kids necklace now go away, it was such a weak ending that left me feeling like I wasted my time watching this garbage. The Curse of La Llorona is rated R for some reason even though there is nothing in it that would make it deserve that rating, they could have easily made it PG 13 and probably made more money off of it, there is no real violence or gore or anything disturbing its just a watered down horror movie that tries to act like its scarier than it actually is. This is one of those movies that makes me mad because it had potential and they completely wasted it, they took a genuinely scary legend and turned it into another forgettable mess, if you want to see a good horror movie go watch something like Hereditary or The Conjuring or even Sinister, do not waste your time with this one unless you just want to see some predictable jump scares and bad acting, I would give this thing a 5 out of 10 and that is been very very generous.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #horror, #llorona, #weeping, #woman, #ghost, #scary, #jumpscare, #conjuring, #annabelle, #legend, #mexican, #folklore, #supernatural, #haunting, #spirit, #curse, #thriller, #suspense, #terror, #scream, #demon, #paranormal, #possession, #ritual, #exorcism

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Bone Lake is one of those movies that sounds stupid as hell when you try explaining it to somebody but then you actually sit down and watch it and realize this thing works way better than it should, a couple goes on vacation to this really nice Airbnb and another couple shows up because of a double booking situation and they all decide to share the mansion instead of one group leaving and things get weird real fast like really weird. Mercedes Bryce Morgan directed this thing and she knows how to handle these kind of story where people are trying to keep up appearances even when everything around them is going to shit, the cast is solid too with Alex Roe and Maddie Hasson plus Marco Pigossi and Andra Nechita and everyone did there thing and made there characters feel real even when the situation gets absolutely crazy and honestly its the script that sometimes lags although the actors were on kill for the most time. This movie mixes thriller and horror in a way that feels a perfect mix, it touches on relationships and how complicated things are today without being preachy or annoying about it, this aspect is just good writing that makes sense for the world we live in right now, the third part is where this thing really takes off and the gore comes in heavy and the tension just explodes and you start grabbing your chair arm hard as they start to chase each other, its crazy. I didnt know what to expect and came out thinking this might be one of the best movies this year probably a top 10, sitting somewhere around an 7 or 8 for me and the ending alone makes it worth watching, if you like these kind of keeping up appearances type story where strangers show up and everyone is trying not to look bad or overreact then this one nails it.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26783625/

Rottentomatoes Rating

Source The whole setup is pretty simple when you think about it, Sage and Diego are this couple who arrive at this beautiful lake house mansion type place for a weekend getaway and you can tell right away they got some issues going on between them. Diego quit his teaching job to write a book full time witch is never a good idea unless you already got published and Sage had to leave her freelance writing to take an editor position just to pay the bills and keep things afloat, so there is already some tension there about money and career choices and you can feel it even when they are trying to have a good time. Then this other couple shows up, Will and Cin, and they claim they also booked the place for the same weekend and instead of one couple leaving like normal people would do they all decide to be adults about it and just share the damn place because its huge and has enough room for everyone. The thing is Will and Cin seem a little too friendly right from the start, like they are trying way to hard to make everyone comfortable and suggesting they all hang out and party together and play games, and you start getting this feeling that something is not right with these two but you cannot quite put your finger on what it is yet, the funny part is that they also gamble many times to push Sage and Diego away like when Will tells Diego to just "Rock, Papers, Scissors" the house and who ever wins stays, thats a free pass for them without even knowing, there are many of this during the movie.

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Source Slowly but surely I saw how the movie builds up the awkwardness and discomfort between these four people, like Will and Cin keep doing these little things that cross boundaries and make Diego and Sage uncomfortable but not enough to make them leave or cause a scene. Will ends up stealing Diegos grandmothers ring and proposing to Cin with it right in front of Diego and Diego just lets it happen instead of calling him out on it witch seems insane when you think about it but the movie does a good job of showing how people will put up with crazy shit just to avoid conflict or looking rude, if Diego had stood up it would be the end of the game still Will went for it on purpose, Will and Cin are just adrenaline junkies. Then you got Cin trying to lure Diego into her; but not in a bad way yet, and telling him she can get his book to some famous author she knows and Will is doing the same thing with Sage and trying to get in her head about there relationship problems and its all part of this game they are playing to mess with this couple and see how far they can push them before they break, they hole concept is to find out if they really love each other but mostly they just looking for the perfect couple that doesnt exist. The whole middle part of the movie is just watching these two couples interact and I was trying to figure out what the hell is actually going on, like are Will and Cin just swingers who want to have some fun or is there something darker happening here and the movie keeps you guessing for a while witch I really liked, because at first you had no prove they were the one from the first scene chasing a couple through the woods and eventually killing them to recreate a paint scene so you literally think its all mistake they bump into each other.

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Source Then shit hits the fan in the third part of the movie when Diego and Sage discover that Will and Cin actually own the house and have been doing this to other couples for a while now, by the way Sage is the one who discover all this and was so sweet that she did trust Diego after Will tried to get on her head, they find this whole murder headquarters type room with newspaper clippings about missing couples and files on all the people they have killed before and you realize these two are straight up serial killers who get off on playing these sick games with people. The twist is that Will and Sin are actually brother and sister witch I saw coming from a mile away but it still works because the movie does not try to make it seem like some huge shocking reveal, they have this whole thing where they grew up really close and killed there parents when they found out about there relationship and now they just do this for fun because they think other peoples relationships are fake and full of lies. Once the truth comes out the movie turns into a full on survival horror situation and the violence gets brutal real quick and I love this because even when the cat is out of the bag is there when the movie decides to go full throttle with violence, we are talking chainsaws and axes and people getting there faces cut off and blood everywhere and its the kind of stuff that makes you go oh damn they really went there. The final fight between these two couples is intense as hell and even though Diego and Sage seemed pretty weak and passive for most of the movie they end up fighting back hard and taking these psychos down in some really satisfying ending.

I dont want to throw dirt on the movie saying that the ending is what save this movie although the ending is the cherry on top, because after all the craziness and violence Diego and Sage end up in the boat covered in blood and he proposes to her with his grandmothers ring that he got back and she says yes and they are just laughing about the whole situation like they just survived something that brought them closer together, the craziest part is that he actually cut off Cin fingers and took the ring from her, its hilarious. Its dark as hell but it works because the movie has been building to this moment the whole time, showing how this couple who could not communicate and had all these problems ended up having to fight for there lives together was probably the moral aspect or message of the movie, even when you are going through hell things can turn better??!! at least thats what I got from it. Mercedes Bryce Morgan knows how to direct a movie that feels trashy and fun without being dumb about it, she gives you characters who feel real even when they are doing stupid things and she builds tension in a way that keeps you locked in even during the slower parts, and when the violence comes it feels earned and not just thrown in there for shock value. The whole cast does a great job making you care about what happens and the way the movie looks is gorgeous with this really nice shots outdoors that makes everything feel sweaty and intense and dangerous. I would give this thing an 7 out of 10 easy, its not perfect, it was sold as a Sex and Violence movie but it honestly lacks the sex part, its more like erotic and just that, I know some people might think the middle drags a little bit but I think it builds the tension just right and the payoff at the end makes it all worth it.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #bone, #lake, #horror, #thriller, #airbnb, #couples, #vacation, #survival, #serial, #killers, #manipulation, #tension, #violence, #gore, #twist, #relationships, #mercedes, #morgan, #maddie, #hasson, #marco, #pigossi, #sexual, #psychological, #indie

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Annabelle Comes Home really caught me off guard when it came out, remember watching this one in theater, I remember going into this movie I was already pretty tired of The Conjuring Universe pumping out sequel after sequel but damn this one kind of won me over with its throwback energy that felt almost like something new compared to the rest. The whole concept is very simple, Ed and Lorraine Warren played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga bring that creepy ass doll to their house and lock it up in what is basically a museum of cursed objects, then they leave their daughter Judy with a babysitter and her nosy friend Daniela who ends up opening Annabelles case because she wants to talk to her dead dad. Once that happens all hell breaks loose and multiple demons start terrorizing these girls throughout the house, you got The Ferryman The Bride some hellhound running around outside and a bunch of other nightmare fuel, what really worked for me was that the movie did not just rely on one demon, they threw several at us so if one did not land there were others to keep things interesting. Sure the first half dragged a bit and some scenes could have been trimmed down because watching someone walk around a room for what feels like forever gets old fast, but once everything ramped up near the end I was actually having a good time, the movie takes itself way too seriously for what it is which is a cliche horror setup about a babysitter in a haunted house, but honestly I had more fun with this than I expected and walked away thinking it was worth the watch, probably a solid 7 out of 10 for me.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8350360/
• Platform: HULU

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The thing about this movie is it felt more like a paranormal survival night than your typical Conjuring Franchise horror setup where you know exactly whats coming, you have three young girls stuck in this house with literally every cursed object coming to life at once and its chaos at every corner. Daniela is that friend who you want to slap through the screen because she touches everything she was not supposed to touch but it was hilarious to be honest, she opens a door with multiple locks and warning signs all over them and you sit there thinking girl what the hell are you doing, but then you find out she was grieving her father who died in a car accident and suddenly it all makes sense why she was so desperate to contact him through any means necessary. I get it grief makes you do stupid shit and the movie does a decent job making her sympathetic by the end, even though for most part of the movie I wanted to throw something at her because she kept doing dumb stuff that you know is going to end badly, the babysitter Mary Ellen and Judy both have this sweet dynamic going on where they feel more like sisters than anything else which I really like because it made you care about what happened to them. McKenna Grace who plays Judy absolutely killed it in this role, she has got this thing going on where she can see spirits kind of like the kid from The Sixth Sense and watching her try to go through all this evil stuff while being just a kid was engaging to watch, she brought a level of seriousness to the role that could have easily been over the top but she pulled it off without making it feel forced or annoying. Honestly one of the best young performances I have seen in a horror movie but that is just my opinion, Im no expert.

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Source Now lets talk about the actual scares because thats where the magic of any horror movie is, in this case some of them worked really well and some of them felt like they were just going through the motions without much payoff which was disappointing. The Ferryman was probably my favorite of all the demons running around because every time you heard those coins rubbing together you knew something bad was about to go down, that background audio alone was more effective than half the jump scares in the movie and I wish they had done more with him instead of just having him pop up a few times and disapear without much explanation. The Bride on the other hand felt underutilized in a big way, theres this whole thing where the wedding dress makes people violent and she stabs Daniela except it turns out to be a fake out and then she vomits blood into her mouth which was gross as hell but then nothing really comes from it like no possession no lasting effects it just moves on like it never happened which felt like a huge missed opportunity to do something actualy scary. The hellhound was cool in concept but again not enough screen time to make it feel like a real threat, same with the samurai armor that just screams at people in Japanese and does basically nothing else besides look creepy in the background, it felt like the movie was trying to cram in as many different demons as possible without giving any of them enough room to breathe and develop into something truly terrifying. By the time the third act rolled around I was getting tired of seeing new threats pop up without any of them getting proper resolution, its like they wanted to set up future spin off movies more than they wanted to tell a cohesive story here which is frustrating when youre trying to enjoy the movie in front of you.

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Source What I did like the most though was how the movie tried to keep things feeling grounded even with all the supernatural chaos happening around these characters, the 70s setting worked really well, for the most part this is something I really enjoy from the Conjuring Franchise since they nail the era either if its 60s, 70s, for the most part it works out, this time give the whole thing a retro vibe that separated it from modern horror where everyone has a cell phone to call for help or look stuff up. Here these girls are stuck with rotary phones and dim lighting and creepy wallpaper everywhere which just adds to the atmosphere in a way that feels authentic, Gary Doberman who directed this did a solid job with the visuals and keeping the tension up even when the script wasnt doing him any favors. Some of the shots where you could see something lurking in the background while the characters were clueless and unaware, were very creepy and reminded me of why I fell in love with this franchise in the first place, there was this one scene with coins on someones eyes that actually felt the chills without it even doing much. The music was also on point throughout the whole thing, it never overpowered the scenes but it was always there in the background adding just enough dread to make you uncomfortable and just keeps adding to the overall experience. The performances across the board were strong and everyone seemed committed to selling this ridiculous horror story because lets face it, if it wasnt for a girl who wanted to talk to her dad none of this had happen, Madison Iseman as Mary Ellen and Katie Sarife as Daniela both brought their A game and made me care about what happened to them even when Daniela was being an idiot. There is also this boyfriend character Bob who shows up and he was mostly there for comic relief but hes so sweet and genuine that you cant help but root for him to survive the night, the kid literally fights off a hellhound with his guitar which sounds ridiculous on paper but somehow works in the context of the movie.

Lets keep things grounded and realize this is just entertainment and wont be perfect because there are some holes on this movie and Im not going to pretend it doesnt have some serious issues that bothered me, at the end of the day this is a pretty cliche horror setup about a babysitter in a haunted house but it acts like its trying to be this grand epic statement about good versus evil which just doesnt land for me. Its when Annabelle gets locked back in her case everything goes back to normal instantly and all the demons just vanish like they were never there, which felt like a cop out because it didnt really explain why that worked or what the rules were supposed to be in this universe and the only logic I could find is that there is a legion of demons inside Annabelle and not just one, I guess the doll is also like a beacon for spirits so once she was contained they have no anchor but it would have been nice to get a little more clarity on that instead of just hand waving it away. The pacing is also all over the place with the first half moving at a snails pace with long drawn out scenes of people walking around in the dark looking at stuff and then the second half tries to throw everything at you at once and it ends up feeling messy like they ran out of time. I wish they had spread out the action more evenly instead of front loading all the boring parts and then trying to make up for it with chaos at the end, it would have made for a much better viewing experience if things had been balanced out better. Despite all that I still had more fun with this than I expected, its not perfect and its not going to blow anyones mind or reinvent the horror genre but its a solid entry in The Conjuring Universe that does enough right to make it worth watching if you go in with reasonable expectations. If you just want a fun horror movie to kill an evening with you will probably have a good time.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #annabelle, #horror, #conjuring, #warrens, #demons, #ferryman, #bride, #hellhound, #supernatural, #possession, #haunted, #scary, #thriller, #paranormal, #doll, #spirits, #evil, #cursed, #objects, #survival, #mckenna, #grace, #babysitter, #seventies, #review

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The Witcher Season 4 is pretty much what everyone saw coming from a mile away, a total disaster that nobody really wanted but Netflix forced it on us anyway because they already filmed everything back to back with season 5, so there is no turning back now, even though Im going to complain a bit on this post its not as bad as most people say online. Liam Hemsworth steps in as Geralt and as I was just saying the guy is not terrible at all, but he is also not Henry Cavill, so now you got this weird copy of a copy situation going on that feels lifeless and just kind of there. The show tries to explain the recast with this future character named Nimue, who is telling stories about Geralt and she argues with some old dude about what Geralt looked like, suddenly its Liam instead of Henry, they basically pulled the same move James Gunn did with Peacemaker season 2 where they just swapped actors mid scene and called it a day, not the smoothest transition ever. The real problem is not even Liam taking over the role though, the biggest issue with season 4 is the same damn problem this show has had since day one working on top of the source material and changing things around, Im not the type of guy who loose my head for it as long as its entertaining but that is what the internet has been saying since day one, although the game from my understand add things that were not on the books. After four seasons of people complaining online, nothing has changed at all since they keep treating the books like some rough outline, instead of the actual story that readers and gamers fell in love with years ago, essentially you watch them butcher characters, storylines, relationships, over and over again, with zero improvement whatsoever, you would think they would learn by now.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5180504
• Platform: NETFLIX

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Source Season 4 splits up Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri for basically the entire season AGAIN!!, so your watching three completely separate shows that barely connect to each other at all that by now has become and old joke that doesnt has effect anymore, this is just me talking about the entertaining side of things without knowing if this is how the books play out, it makes the whole thing feel disjointed and messy. Geralt just wanders around with his new company, fighting random monsters, meeting people who either join his quest or die along the way, most of them you dont really care about because there not given enough time to develop properly. Ciri hangs out with the Rats doing robberies, catching feelings for Mistle, from what I could find out online that whole relationship is suppose to be way more messed up, problematic and uncomfortable than how the show presents it and honestly the hole Rats thing was very cringe AF. Yennefer gets stuck recruiting mages all over the continent to fight Vilgefortz, witch takes forever to actually get interesting because they took the first four episodes for build up that felt more like everyone was lost, its repetitive as hell. Geralts storyline is probably the best part of the season because at least your following the main character doing stuff that kind of matters so they should have nailed this part easily. He meets Regis, who is played by Laurence Fishburne and honestly Regis is one of the few bright spots this season, they use a lot of animated content when it comes to his backstory that I like very much, he went on a violent rampage that got him killed and it took him 50 years to regenerate from being torn apart, its a powerful metaphor for redemption. They make his character more about him wanting peace, witch makes it so odd compared to the classic vampire we get from fantasy stories, this one is a day walker, eats food, control his thirst for blood and help others.

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Source Yennefers storyline is hands down the worst part of season 4, but at the same time gave me the best battle of the season too. She spends the whole season teleporting around, recruiting mages to form the Lodge of Sorceresses, and fight Vilgefortz, witch sounds cool on paper but the execution is so boring, repetitive and dragged out that you just stop caring after a while. The show makes the lodge seem like this heroic feminist group, fighting for the greater good, when they are manipulative, power hungry witches, who most likely will try to control Ciri for there own purposes, in my opinion nothing has change is just that they all had their asses on fire with Vilgefortz on kill mode, they are villains not heroes. Philippa Eilhart is suppose to be a cold, ruthless villain, one of the main antagonists actually but the show turned her into this sympathetic character who helps Yennefer instead, you can tell nobody in there likes Yennefer. The show turns Yennefer into some generic badass leader, training mages with swords, under the supervision of Lambert and Cohan, witch is not so hard to believe based on the show since they know how close Geralt and Yennefer are so yeah they just want to help although if you based that concept on the book Im over 110% it was very unlikely, why are sorceresses learning sword fighting when they have magic?? thats another point, the amount of inconsistencies along the show, not only mages sword fighting but there were some scenes that make no sense if there isnt magic in between. Theres also this weird witch on a broomstick scene, with a character wearing a pointy hat, black robes, that feels totally out of place, like are we doing classical witch vibes now or what??, its so inconsistent with the rest of the shows visuals. The final battle at Monte Calvo is actualy pretty cool, with all the mages fighting Vilgefortz army, portaling around, throwing fireballs, its decent action but it takes FOUR fkn episodes to get there. Oh and Vilgefortz escapes anyway, the had one job, so the whole thing feels pointless, like what was even the point of all that buildup if he was just gonna run away, Yennefer goes after him alone at the end witch I guess sets up Season 5.

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Source Ciris storyline with the Rats is super rushed and cringe story I have seen on TV in a long time, I hated every time the rats come on scene aside from them been heavy into drugs and alcohol, it never feels like your average drunk, when they completely botch the Mistle relationship I think they do the drugs thing to stay controversial but from my understanding on the books this is way worst and has a bigger impact on her story but Im not using the books to put up my opinion since Im just an average viewer who have never read the books or play the games just like Geralt as a bad ass fighter. Now Ciri fight scenes they were on point, I think they did an awesome job with Freya Allan, I could see Ciri having a sparing session with Geralt and getting him on trouble more than once. From the start I never like the whole Falka thing, the series makes the Rats seem like this fun group of outlaws, doing Robin Hood type stuff, robbing tax collectors, helping villagers and her relationship with Mistle comes off as cute, romantic, wholesome, instead of deeply problematic, toxic, born from trauma as they clearly didnt want to deal with the uncomfortable aspects of the story, so they just sanitized everything, made it easy for mainstream audiences, but honestly this is a reality as adaptations are for the MAINSTREAM not for the fans, I get it that anyways they did it wrong because Ciri story sux for the most part but this is where I have a problem with people that gives a 2/10 to an episode or the entire series just because its not like the books or the game, everyone has an opinion but lets be realistic this is not a 2/10 Season. Remember how I mention inconsistencies?? well Ciri had a huge one when she caught up a cart going out of the city on foot, they even zoom out latter when she is rushing out on horse mount to save the Rats, the town was like a marathon away, like WTF. All this after she finally decided to escape this hole Robin Hood world she was living in that clearly was not her and now has to go back to reality, they really tone it down there because my understanding is that the Rats in the books abuse her at first. Towards the end of the season Leo Bonhart shows up, kills all the Rats in this brutal fight scene that actually looks pretty good, the choreography, camera work, violence, is all solid, Sharlto Copley does a great job as Bonhart even though his storyline feels like a speedrun. He just shows up, murders everyone in like 2 minutes, captures Ciri, no buildup, no tension, just bam heres Bonhart now he is gone. Ciri tries to fight him but loses easily, gets captured, tied up and this turns in another cliff hanger for season 5, she basically look helpless against someone like Bonhart, who collects Witcher medallions from all the Witchers hes killed, wears them as trophys, now thats a real bad ass mf.

The action scenes this season are honestly pretty dam good, probably the best the show has ever done in terms of fight choreography, special effects, practical stunts, its a noticeable improvement. Geralts fight with the troll during the finale looks fantastic, the creature design is solid, the way Liam moves during the fight and honestly Liam Hemsworth actually handles the action really well, better than I expected, they lean into a more agile, acrobatic fighting style for him compared to Henry Cavils version, witch makes sense because Liam is not this massive tank as Cavill look like. Theres also a cool scene where Geralt and Cahir fight side by side on a bridge, against Nilfgaardian soldiers and it feels like a proper Witcher battle, brutal, bloody, Geralt props Cahir after the fight, witch is a nice moment between them, shows there growing trust, respect for each other. The special effects are hit or miss though, some stuff looks great, like the rusalka in the swamp or that random wraith fight in the elven cemetery, witch look good but just too short. Overall it feels like the series tries to do too much with either not enough budget or even time as they come up with this very short fights and everything ends up feeling inconsistent. The ending is suppose to be what keeps you wanting to watch season 5 with Yennefer going after Vilgefortz alone, Emhyr sending some monster after Geralt that look like a dragon from the noises and the cave it was in, out of nowhere Nimue was chosen to go to Aretuza to study, none of it feels earned, exciting or interesting, its just like someone gave them a check list for a formula for a proper ending, having people kidnap and others with a pending bone to pick up. Critics on RTT are giving this show a 6 out of 10 that is very realistic, but on the other hand the audience online have already checked out and gave it a 2/10. Season 5 is suppose to adapt both Tower of the Swallow and Lady of the Lake two entire fkn books for 8 episodes so its gonna be even more rushed, compressed, messy than this season was, cramming two whole books into one season, at this point they should just end it already, put everyone out of there misery, let the Witcher IP rest for a while. This season gets a 6 out of 10 from me, its not completely unwatchable, has some decent moments but its also not good enough to recommend unless your a die hard fan who needs to see how it ends or just for the entertaining side because if you are like me who have never read the books or play the games you are going to enjoy the series but when you see the recast and how Season 4 doesnt hold to the previous 3 you are going to say well this was not as good.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #witcher, #netflix, #geralt, #yennefer, #ciri, #season4, #review, #liam, #hemsworth, #henry, #cavill, #regis, #vilgefortz, #rats, #mistle, #bonhart, #books, #adaptation, #fantasy, #series, #hissrich, #baptism, #fire, #lodge, #sorceresses

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Normally, I wouldn’t pick Pain Hustlers to watch. On Netflix, it’s labeled as a drama, and that’s not usually my go-to genre. However, when I checked IMDb and saw a 6.6 rating, which I consider pretty good, and read that it’s based on real events, I decided to give it a try.

And I m glad I did.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15257160/

A drama, but not only this. A (true) drug crime, and a docudrama (first time I saw this document+drama) as it is based on a book, that is based on true events (you see details at the end of the movie)

Story:

Liza dreams of a better life for herself and her daughter. Hired to work for a bankrupt pharmaceutical company, Liza skyrockets with sales and into the high life, putting her in the middle of a federal criminal conspiracy.

The movie starts in an interesting way. We see people testifying to the police, while at the same time, we catch glimpses of a divorced woman’s life,strong but struggling to survive and raise her daughter in difficult circumstances.

I can’t say that Emily Blunt is one of my favorite actresses, but every time I’ve seen her in a film, she has done a good job, and this one is no exception.

All the actors were great and to be honest I only realized that I was seeing Andy Garcia when I checked out the cast!

If you dont remember who Catherine is, she was the mum in Home Alone

The story revolves around a pharmaceutical company that’s about to shut down, until Liza enters the scene in an unexpected way. Suddenly, following Liza's initiatives and talent, the company starts to blossom, making huge profits and turning everyone’s life around.

Everyone’s happy, or not?

Soon, things take a darker turn. Something starts happening to the patients taking the company’s drug. Some things catch the police attention.

Will they get caught? What what’s really been going on behind the scenes, is something you’ll have to discover by watching the movie yourself.

Overall, Pain Hustlers is a film that combines ambition, greed, and moral dilemmas in a story that feels all too real. In my opinion, it is definitely worth watching, especially knowing that it’s inspired by true events.

You can watch the trailer here:

Screenshots are taken from imdb & from the movie trailer

Thank you for your support, I hope that you will enjoy it!

About the book: The book is called "Pain Hustlers: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup," which was originally published as "The Hard Sell" by Evan Hughes. It was the source material for the 2023 movie of the same name. Author: Evan Hughes Original title: "The Hard Sell" Topic: The book is a non-fiction account of the pharmaceutical startup Insys Therapeutics and its aggressive, sometimes deceptive, marketing of a powerful fentanyl-based painkiller.

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IT Welcome to Derry Episode 2 keeps the same energy from the first episode and honestly it might be even better than what we got last week, this show is not messing around with anything at all. Right after all those kids got killed at the theater last week the town tries to move on super fast by blaming the easiest target they can find witch is the black projectionist Hank, because of course they do, this is 1962 Derry and they need someone to pin this on real quick so they can all move forward like nothing happened, the police chief knows damn well this guy has an alibi but he gets pressured into arresting him anyway by two racist ass councilmen who just want someone behind bars weather its the right person or not, and his daughter Ronnie is pissed as hell because she tried to do the right thing by helping those kids escape and now her dad is getting screwed over for it witch just feels wrong on every single level you can imagine, the whole situation is just messed up and shows how terrible people can be when there looking for someone to blame instead of facing the real problem witch is a killer clown running around town eating kids. I wonder if at some point Ronnie would embrace evil and get carry away because I honestly though she was going to tip over at school when she was arguing with Lily.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19244304/
• Platform: HBO MAX

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Source Pennywise is still out there terrorizing both Ronnie and Lilly with some seriously messed up nightmare sequences that didnt made me feel that scary for myself but for Ronnie, the Lily one was more terror but Ronnie could easy get eaten, like these are not your typical jump scares, these are psychological torture sessions that mess with your head and I was not ready for any of it at all, Ronnie gets attacked by her dead mother crawling out of what looks like a placenta sack on her bed with glowing yellow eyes trying to pull her back in with the umbilical cord still attached, the whole thing plays on her guilt about thinking she killed her mom during childbirth witch is just insane to watch and super messed up because not only she is getting all this trash talking from her dead mother of how SHE, Ronnie killed her but then she pulls her back into her "belly" but its an actual monster trying to eat her, Pennywise knows exactly were to hit people were it hurts the most and he does not hold back at all. Lilly has this completely fucked up vision at the grocery store were pickle jars start moving around on there own trapping her in this maze of shelves that keep reorganizing, then she sees all her dead friends faces on cereal boxes with Pennywises name written on them saying great taste because he eats kids witch is dark as hell and then her dad shows up as this pickle creature thing covered in goo and its just disgusting, its nasty and will probably flashback next time you eating pickles, the way HBO is using practical effects here is just top tier stuff, like you can tell they spent serious money on making these scares look real and not some cheap CGI nonsense that looks fake and takes you out of the moment completely.

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The show also brings in the Hanlon family witch is super important because Will is Mike Hanlons dad from the movies so we know this kid makes it out alive at least, Leroy the dad finds out the military brought him to Derry for some secret weapon project that uses fear as a weapon and they need him because he has no fear after getting brain damage in combat during the Korean War witch sounds completely insane, General Shaw tells him they are looking for something buried under Derry that generates debilitating fear in people and could theoretically kill someone on the spot witch is obviously Pennywise or at least parts of the meteorite that brought him to earth millions of years ago, his wife Charlotte is dealing with racism everywhere she goes in town because its 1962 and people are terrible, she sees kids beating up another kid in broad daylight and nobody does anything about it like everyone just walks by and ignores it because Pennywise has this whole town in some kind of trance were everyone just ignores the bad stuff happening around them like its completely normal, the butcher even says boys will be boys and its just gross how people turn a blind eye to everything, there son Will is getting bullied at school for being the new kid and for being smart as hell, he is into science and telescopes and space instead of sports witch his dad Leroy does not really understand because Leroy is more of a throw the ball around type of guy but Will does not care about that stuff at all and I love that about his character, the military subplot is wild because it adds this whole other layer to the story that I was not expecting at all, like I thought this was just going to be about kids fighting a clown but now we have the government trying to weaponize Pennywise to win the Cold War witch is the dumbest plan I have ever heard but also super interesting to watch.

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Source The kids are also starting to form there own version of the losers club here and its nice to see new characters after losing so many last week, Will and Ronnie end up in detention together and they bond over being outsiders and you can tell these two are going to be close friends by the end of the season, the way they talk about science and feeling like they do not fit in just feels real and not forced at all witch is hard to pull off with kid actors sometimes but these two nail it completely, Rich shows up to and he seems like a cool kid who plays drums in the marching band and has a crush on Marge, I also like how the show sometimes breaks the scene for example at school while Rich is talking to Will, another kid randomly throws a smoke bomb in the hallway as a prank and its funny as hell watching him just smile and eat his empanada while chaos unfolds around him and then tells Will to RRRUNNNN!!!, there is also this whole thing were Lilly is trying to fit in with the popular girls but they keep making fun of her and its just typical mean girl bullshit that happens in every high school ever, the queen bee Patty is super manipulative and gets her friends to laugh at this one girl for having a crush on some kid named Scotty and then turns around and makes fun of Marge for wearing the same sweater two days in a row, like who cares about that kind of stuff when kids are getting murdered by a clown but I guess priorities are different for some people, Lilly ends up getting manipulated by the police chief into basically snitching on Hank even though she did not mean to, he threatens to send her back to Juniper Hill witch is this asylum were she was sent before after her dad died and she clearly has trauma from that place, at the end of the episode she gets sent back there anyway witch sucks because she was trying to do the right thing and it backfired completely.

After two episodes I am giving this a solid 8 out of 10 because the scares are brutal and creative in ways that most horror shows would never even attempt, the acting is great across the board especially from the kids who are carrying a lot of the emotional weight and not just screaming and running around like idiots, the story is building up to something big that I can not wait to see play out over the rest of the season and its not easy to pull off this type of prequel shows because you usually know were everything is going, this is how you do a prequel series for real, it respects the source material but also adds new stuff that feels fresh and not just a retread of what we already saw in the movies, Alien Earth tried this too but was not as good as Welcome to Derry. HBO really spent the budget on this show because it looks like a movie not a TV series at all, the production value is insane and you can tell they did not cheap out on any aspect of the show from the costumes to the sets to the practical effects everything just looks expensive and polished, the opening credits are also incredible with this animated postcard style showing all the horrible events that happened in Derry over the years from the Paul Bunyan statue to the Bradley gang shootout were Pennywise was hanging out a window with a gun witch is insane, if they keep this quality up for the remaining episodes this could end up being one of the best Stephen King adaptations we have gotten in years and I would even say that not even the movies had this kind of impact, I can not wait for episode 3 to see were this all goes and if the kids finally meet Pennywise face to face or if they keep teasing us for a few more episodes witch would be fine by me because the buildup is working.