hlebov Reviews

Dwelling (2016)

Genuinely creepy

[7/10 · 16 November 2019]

With a plot and setting that is far from original, "Dwelling" is able to inject a healthy dose of creepiness that makes up for most, but not all, of its flaws.

Mostly devoid of gore and jump scares, this film relies heavily on suspense and glimpses of terror. Those solely looking for gruesomeness will be sorely disappointed, but fans of the supernatural should find enough scares to make this worth a watch. I'll even give the film some credit for having more depth than most in the horror genre.

Now for the bad: the dialogue could not have been worse. I'm not convinced that the acting was all that bad, but the script left quite a bit to be desired. Plus, there were a few head scratching plot points that undoubtedly detracted from the film.

Despite the flaws, of which there were plenty, the evil did just enough to overcome and earn a respectable score. 6.5/10

Polaroid (I) (2019)

A fine scary movie

[6/10 · 7 November 2019]

Not original, not special, but did not disappoint. I can appreciate a movie like this one that doesn't try to do too much, and is just content telling a streamlined little story. It had a decent premise and provided some good scares without too many eye-roll moments.

I wouldn't watch this one again, and it probably won't win any awards, but I liked it. If you're just flipping around looking for a scary movie and you've seen all the must-sees that the genre has to offer, then this will be a fine scary movie to occupy your time.

Charlotte The Return (2019)

Another horror anthology

[3/10 · 23 October 2019]

Just another horror anthology here, and not a particularly good one. Some stories were better than others, but none of them were really worth watching.

No common theme throughout any of the stories; just disjointed, half-witted tales that offered more yawns than scares. It makes me wonder how movies like these even get made.

Do yourself a favor and go find literally any other horror movie to watch.

Discarnate (2018)

Mostly drivel

[3/10 · 16 October 2019]

With an interesting and not entirely unoriginal premise, I thought this movie had potential. Evidently, any potential that might have been present was quickly squandered by shoddy acting and even shoddier writing.

The one redeeming quality about this one was that the creature was actually pretty freaky looking, and wasn't insultingly cheap. It's backstory, however, was as cheap as it gets and went completely unexplained.

The rest of the film was muddled drivel and hardly worth the paper it was written on - it certainly is not worth your time. Look elsewhere.

Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

Disappointing but still good

[7/10 · 16 October 2019]

The Conjuring series is maybe my favorite current horror series, but this one really was a shell of its predecessors.

Ed and Lorraine Warren were largely nonexistent throughout, and the movie centered around what I thought were peripheral characters. The evil was meandering and Annabelle was hardly the lead despite having her name on the cover.

I hate to say it, but nostalgia carried this one to a large extent. I still liked it, albeit begrudgingly.

Fractured (I) (2019)

Entertaining but predictable

[6/10 · 16 October 2019]

Despite being somewhat derivative with a narrow storyline, this little film actually entertained well and was surprisingly gripping.

Let's be honest, it's not winning any awards for creativity, and it offered less surprises that than one would hope for in a mystery/thriller, but it was still good for what it was.

The lead was solid and the pace was relatively fast despite the stagnated setting. You could do worse if you're trying to kill an hour and a half. I gave this film a 6, but it's a lot closer to a 5 than it is to a 7. Consider this a lukewarm recommendation.

Eloise (2016)

Absolute drivel.

[2/10 · 7 October 2019]

If you like strobe lights, wandering hallways, and furrowed eyebrows, then you might actually like this movie. For the rest of us, a nonexistent plot and compete lack of scares make this "horror movie" one to forget; or, if you're fortunate enough to see this review first, one that you'll quickly pass over.

Synopsis: four people who barely know each other wander around an old, abandoned insane asylum searching for documents that inexplicably are not where they should be.

Save yourself the time and find something worthwhile; or, at least find something better than this, which shouldn't be hard.

Lake Mungo (2008)

Creepy but slow moving

[5/10 · 1 October 2019]

Shot in documentary form, Lake Mungo combines well the story telling elements of a documentary with the hair-raising quality of grainy found footage.

As is the case with many documentaries, I found this one slow moving. I also don't think the horror genre lends itself particular well to the documentary form, and unfortunately this movie was no exception.

More importantly, the story was good, but not great; entertaining and creepy at times, but also took a few turns that didn't deliver. The acting was surprisingly good, to the point where I forgot I was watching a movie and not a real documentary, but it was ultimately too dull to score higher than a 5.5.

The Possession of Michael King (2014)

Press play

[8/10 · 28 September 2019]

Watch this movie. Just needed to blurt that out up front so that if you read nothing else in this review, you at least saw that.

I was very skeptical before watching because both the found footage subgenre and the demon-possession subgenre are so tirelessly played out. I've watched a lot of bad scary movies, but this was certainly not that. This wasn't just some barely-pieced-together B-level horror movie, this was a legitimately good scary movie.

This film punched well above its weight class, given what I assume to have been a shoestring budget. The lead was fantastic, the story had more depth than most, and the transitions between frames were devilishly good.

I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly engaged throughout. Highly recommend if you're a fan of the genre.

68 Kill (2017)

Bizarre and brutal (but in a good way)

[8/10 · 18 September 2019]

With each scene more chaotic than the last, 68 Kill certainly delivered with plenty of action, dark comedy and murder to go around.

The story might have been only slightly more thought out than the main characters' boneheaded plans, but it was a very fun ride nonetheless.

Sure, it may have been a little far fetched to think that a person as even keeled as the lead could get dragged along and duped into commiting multiple felonies, but his naivety was somehow charming. The writers may have taken the idea that "men will do anything for a pretty face" a bit too far, but point well taken.

Don't think too hard with this one. If you're looking for action, guns, blood, money, killing, drugs, sex and multiple life sentences worth of criminal activity, then look no further.

The Dark (2005)

Not scary, not good

[5/10 · 16 September 2019]

By the time the movie ended, I felt like I was in the dark about what had happened.

The film showed flashes of a good movie, but ultimately disappointed far more than it delivered. It built decently but the payoff was far from satisfying. It was generally predictable, and perhaps worst of all, it was pretty short on the scares.

In sum, a 5/10 might be too generous. I guess you could do worse, but I'd also say look elsewhere.

The Possession of Hannah Grace (2018)

Not new but also not bad

[6/10 · 14 September 2019]

There was nothing new about this movie; it's a story you've seen before and it doesn't have many, if any, unexpected turns. Yet, there was something endearing about the lead actress and something entertaining about the film for the most part.

It has a bit more depth than most possession/exorcism themed flicks, and it did a decent job balancing the lead's inner demons with the actual demon lurking around the halls.

As a side note, I actually thought the setting, Boston City Hall, which was given a facelift to portray a hospital, was perfectly creepy given the brutalist architecture of the building (Google it).

I liked the setting; I liked the lead; and all in all, it was a fun little horror movie. It was nothing special, but it also wasn't bad.

Book of Monsters (2018)

Good for what it is

[7/10 · 7 September 2019]

This movie clearly falls into the horror-comedy genre, and very intentionally so. It doesn't take itself too seriously and neither should you. If you're looking for an actual horror movie, it will disappoint, but if you want to see idiot high schoolers get gored by monsters, then look no further.

I'm a fan of a good horror-comedy mashup like Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, and although this movie was certainly not even close to being as funny as that, I still got a few laughs out of it.

Bottom line, as far as this genre goes, this one was pretty good. Even though the monsters were B-level at best, the movie was nonetheless entertaining. It's not actually a good movie, but it was good for what it was.

Pet (I) (2016)

Very good but not great

[7/10 · 4 September 2019]

I tend to shy away from movies that look like they spend the majority of the time in one location, but this film did a comendable job of remaining relatively gripping throughout, desipite the simple setting. The interplay between the two leads more than made up for the lack of diversity from scene to scene.

I'm sick and tired of B-level horror movies with poor writing and even worse acting; this certainly was not that. This film was creative, gritty, tense at times and overall well done.

It is not, however, generous with its action scenes or stingy with its dialogue. It nonetheless built wonderfully but ultimately ends in somewhat of a let down. A few good twists at the end save the story but it still felt like it was missing something, or that it could have done more, given the fantastic build up.

I really wish that IMBD did half point ratings because I would have given this one a 6.5 - it's clearly above average but just not great.

The Gravedancers (2006)

It's a pass from me

[3/10 · 3 September 2019]

I must admit, there were some interesting parts to the story and it had a few good scares. However, in the end, there were just too many laughably bad scenes and too much poor acting to look past.

I really tried to give this film the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't completely unwatchable, but the climax in the third act was comically bad.

I wouldn't say hard pass but definitely pass...

The Axiom (2018)

So close to being great

[5/10 · 28 August 2019]

This movie was so close to being great but a high rating disappeared the further into "The Axiom" we went. First of all, much praise for a Stranger Things-esque premise that really worked and acting that was head and shoulders above most horror movies of this elk.

The story starts a little bit scattered but quickly comes together in the second act. As well as the movie transitioned from the first act to the second act, it fell apart equally quickly between the second act and the third act.

Despite all that was good - if not great - about this film, I can't help but wonder why the **** the writers/directors decided to dismantle the story the way they did.

Because of the frustrating and confusing direction the film went, I cannot rate this movie higher than I did. It had all the potential in the world to be great, and almost was, but it ultimately tried to do too much when it really didn't need to.

The Haunting of Helena (2012)

Potential squandered

[4/10 · 27 August 2019]

Like many underachieving horror movies, it started strong but ended weak. Other than an intriguing premise and a clever twist, the bad acting and muddled plot overshadowed what otherwise could have been a good flick.

I always welcome a new or different interpretation of an old trope -- in this case, the "tooth fairy" -- but the film complicates itself unnecessarily and in such ways that did not ultimately pay off.

I can deal with B-list acting in low budget horror movies but one can only suspend disbelief to an extent. I hate to say it but I really had trouble looking past the mediocrity of the two leads' performances.

Again, I liked the story, it had potential, but it ended up as nothing more than a way to pass the time before bed, unfortunately. Cannot say I'd recommend but you could do worse, I suppose.

Head Count (2018)

Finally something different

[7/10 · 19 August 2019]

My biggest gripe with the horror genre is that there are never any new ideas, and it's always the same old tropes barely repackaged into different presentations.

I give this movie a lot of credit for trying something different, and in doing so, succeeding in more ways than not. If you're a fan of the genre and don't get your thrills solely from guts and gore, this will be worth the watch.

Another reviewer here said it best: the movie was interesting. It kept my attention, and better yet, it kept me guessing. Pay attention to the details - specifically, the interactions of the characters in each frame - and you'll find yourself engaged. Scroll through twitter while you're watching and you'll miss everything that made this movie great.

The Demon Inside (2017)

Unintentional comedy

[3/10 · 9 June 2019]

This movie showed flashes of good horror and creativity but was ultimately overshadowed by a thin, cliche plot, bad acting and an embarrassing unawareness of its own comedy. I don't think this was intended to fall into the horror/comedy genre but it made it there.

Other than "The Ghost Killers," which was obviously intended to be a satire of those garbage, cable TV ghost hunter shows, the characters (even the ghost killers when they were not trying to show off for TV) were comically stupid. It felt like the director needed to pick a lane; either stick to horror or lean into the horror/comedy.

Go into this with movie with low expectations. If you're looking to kill an hour and a half and just want some mindless entertainment, there might be something here for you. But if you're looking for a legitimate scary movie, look elsewhere.