I would have thought this movie had a rating of at least 5 or 6. I'm surprised to see that it has less than 4 stars. I knew many people thought this was a bad movie, but I thought just as many loved it too. This is no Oscar winning movie and the script isn't profound, but it's cute and touching with some funny and heartbreaking moments. There are many, many movies that are worse than this that have better ratings, but it's all subjective. Britney Spears is also absolutely adorable in this and her acting is not bad at all. She actually does a decent job. Taryn Manning and Zoe Saldana also make a good effort. As a kid I was a big Britney Spears fan, so I loved this movie. I might just be biased because of that but I watched it again as an adult and it still holds up. This movie is so nostalgic. I give it a 6.5.
Reviews
10 Reviews
Scream
(I) (2022)
Great addition to the franchise
16 January 2022
Scream (2022) is a great addition to the franchise despite some of its flaws. As another reviewer stated, Wes would be proud. I had a lot of fun watching it. It had good humor (albeit a few corny lines), a couple of scary heart-pounding moments, and of course I love seeing the original three cast members (Neve, David, and Courtney). These are some of the pros and cons for me:
Pros:
*Great kill scenes. There were three in particular that I absolutely loved. The build up in one of the kill scenes is excellent.
*Some good funny lines throughout.
*Loved how meta it was which is what Scream is known for.
*Seeing Sidney, Dewey, and Gale together again. And watching Sidney and Gale kick a** together.
*Suspensful, a few scary moments, great build up in some scenes.
*Great writing (for the most part).
*Opening scene paid homage to the opening scene in Scream (1996). It wasn't as iconic but it was still good and I enjoyed it.
*I liked new characters Tara, Sam, Wes, and Richie. I thought Richie was funny and I thought it was cool to discover the actor is the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.
*I love that they named a character after Wes. How sweet. I also loved that they paid tribute for him before the ending credits.
*I loved seeing Heather Matarazzo reprise her role even if only for a few seconds.
Cons:
*The soundtrack sucked.
*No character development for new characters.
*There's a scene where the characters are being attacked in the hospital and the hospital is completely empty. Hospitals are NOT empty like that. They are filled with doctors It, nurses, patients, and other hospital staff. It was just a little too unrealistic to me and one thing that bothered me about Scream 4 as well.
*The reveal for who the killers were was extremely underwhelming. It was not shocking at all and their motive was stupid. I feel really disappointed with that one. It's almost like they didn't give much thought about who the killers would be or what their motives would be. They could have come up with something better than that.
Overall an 8/10. I was so hyped for this and it was worth the wait, and worth watching it in theaters. I found myself smiling a lot throughout this movie. It was just so nostalgic and I'm such a big fan of all the Scream movies.
***Just a little side note to add: one of the characters gets stabbed multiple times and lives. Some people are saying this is impossible. Hasn't anyone ever heard of Payton Leutner AKA the Slenderman stabbing? It is totally possible to be stabbed that many times and survive so that's an unfair critique of the movie.
Pros:
*Great kill scenes. There were three in particular that I absolutely loved. The build up in one of the kill scenes is excellent.
*Some good funny lines throughout.
*Loved how meta it was which is what Scream is known for.
*Seeing Sidney, Dewey, and Gale together again. And watching Sidney and Gale kick a** together.
*Suspensful, a few scary moments, great build up in some scenes.
*Great writing (for the most part).
*Opening scene paid homage to the opening scene in Scream (1996). It wasn't as iconic but it was still good and I enjoyed it.
*I liked new characters Tara, Sam, Wes, and Richie. I thought Richie was funny and I thought it was cool to discover the actor is the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.
*I love that they named a character after Wes. How sweet. I also loved that they paid tribute for him before the ending credits.
*I loved seeing Heather Matarazzo reprise her role even if only for a few seconds.
Cons:
*The soundtrack sucked.
*No character development for new characters.
*There's a scene where the characters are being attacked in the hospital and the hospital is completely empty. Hospitals are NOT empty like that. They are filled with doctors It, nurses, patients, and other hospital staff. It was just a little too unrealistic to me and one thing that bothered me about Scream 4 as well.
*The reveal for who the killers were was extremely underwhelming. It was not shocking at all and their motive was stupid. I feel really disappointed with that one. It's almost like they didn't give much thought about who the killers would be or what their motives would be. They could have come up with something better than that.
Overall an 8/10. I was so hyped for this and it was worth the wait, and worth watching it in theaters. I found myself smiling a lot throughout this movie. It was just so nostalgic and I'm such a big fan of all the Scream movies.
***Just a little side note to add: one of the characters gets stabbed multiple times and lives. Some people are saying this is impossible. Hasn't anyone ever heard of Payton Leutner AKA the Slenderman stabbing? It is totally possible to be stabbed that many times and survive so that's an unfair critique of the movie.
Swallow
(I) (2019)
Better than I expected
5 September 2021
I didn't have high expectations for this movie. I watched it out of curiosity after reading the description and just decided to give it a chance. It was way better than I expected.
It's one of the strangest movies I've seen and I couldn't turn away from it. But it's also a beautiful and sad movie about a woman in an unhappy marriage struggling with her mental health. It's way more than just a movie about woman who eats inedible objects therefore I feel the title does the movie injustice. I feel it should have been titled something else. It also shouldn't be advertised as a horror or thriller because it's not.
7/10.
It's one of the strangest movies I've seen and I couldn't turn away from it. But it's also a beautiful and sad movie about a woman in an unhappy marriage struggling with her mental health. It's way more than just a movie about woman who eats inedible objects therefore I feel the title does the movie injustice. I feel it should have been titled something else. It also shouldn't be advertised as a horror or thriller because it's not.
7/10.
Don't Breathe 2
(2021)
Disappointing
5 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was entertaining enough to keep me watching until the end. With that being said, it was very disappointing as a fan of the first one. This movie is not related to the first movie at all and doesn't really feel like a sequel.
My biggest problem is that they made a ruthless killer and r*pist the hero/protagonist. Why? I see that many people didn't have a problem with that. In fact, some people liked this changed. But I find it to be problematic. I'm not going to root for the rapist regardless of how much they try to make us empathize with him. And I found it cheap the way they tried doing this, it was clear as day that they wanted us to empathize with and feel bad for him. And they almost had me when he not only didn't kill the dog but also saved it from the fire, but I wasn't going to fall for it like some viewers did. And then they try to make us empathize and root for him even more when the twist is revealed that the little girl's parents are evil and only want her for her heart. What were they trying to do here?
I think I would have liked this a lot better if it were more of a continuation of the first and if it didn't make the the blind man the protagonist. They could have written it so that the family of the girl he kidnapped from the first movie came to avenge their daughter. I think that would have been a better watch but that's just my opinion.
Also a couple questions I would have liked to know the answer to: How did they find the blind man? How did they know he had their daughter?
My biggest problem is that they made a ruthless killer and r*pist the hero/protagonist. Why? I see that many people didn't have a problem with that. In fact, some people liked this changed. But I find it to be problematic. I'm not going to root for the rapist regardless of how much they try to make us empathize with him. And I found it cheap the way they tried doing this, it was clear as day that they wanted us to empathize with and feel bad for him. And they almost had me when he not only didn't kill the dog but also saved it from the fire, but I wasn't going to fall for it like some viewers did. And then they try to make us empathize and root for him even more when the twist is revealed that the little girl's parents are evil and only want her for her heart. What were they trying to do here?
I think I would have liked this a lot better if it were more of a continuation of the first and if it didn't make the the blind man the protagonist. They could have written it so that the family of the girl he kidnapped from the first movie came to avenge their daughter. I think that would have been a better watch but that's just my opinion.
Also a couple questions I would have liked to know the answer to: How did they find the blind man? How did they know he had their daughter?
Halloween II
(2009)
Nonsensical and ridiculous
8 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
There are so many things wrong with this movie, I don't even know where to start. Rob Zombie is an interesting character. I liked House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Reject. I even liked his first Halloween. But this one was just ridiculous. I don't know why he decided to add supernatural elements to it. It's a slasher, not supernatural although you could argue that Michael Meyers is supernatural since he never dies. However, adding ghosts to this was just dumb. Why is he seeing his mother and his younger self? You think it's just his imagination but then it's revealed that Laurie can see them too. And if they are ghosts then why are they seeing a young Michael? It just doesn't make sense. Rob Zombie must have been on something when he wrote this. I also don't understand why Michael's ghost mom encourages him to kill. In Rob Zombie's first Halloween, we see that his mom is horrified by his crimes and doesn't encourage them. So why is this version of his mom so different? It seemed incredibly pointless like literally the only reason Rob Zombie created these ghost characters is so he could give his wife screen time. Also, the child actor who played Michael in the first one was a much better actor and was really good at giving off creepy vibes. It seemed unnecessary to even have scenes of Michael as a child if they couldn't get the same actor to play him.
My other issue with this movie is that it's incredibly violent. Don't get me wrong, I love horror as much as the next person and I'm even a fan of Saw and Hostel which are known to be violent horror movies. However, this movie just seemed over the top on the violence, blood, and gore. That's not what makes a movie scary. Hostel and Saw were violent/gorey but they had a plot. This movie doesn't. It's just violence, blood, gore, slow motion scenes, and ghosts. We don't need to see someone be stabbed 50 times in order to be scared. We just see random characters get killed along the way of him searching for Laurie. Literally no plot and no character development. Also, writing Michael as a homeless woodsman who eats dogs doesn't make the movie scarier either. That dog eating scene was incredibly pointless.
Dr. Loomis is also incredibly pointless in this movie. He serves no purpose other than to be the reason Laurie finds out she's Michael's sister and get killed at the end. He's suddenly a Prima Dona who adds no substance to the movie. And finally, why is Laurie a completely different person from the first movie? I understand she went through trauma but there is no resemblance of who she was in the first movie. All of a sudden, she's a rock chick who doesn't know how to use a hairbrush. There are just so many things that don't make sense. Nice try, Rob Zombie but I give it a 2/10. The only reason I don't give it is 1 is because it obviously kept me entertained enough to watch it until the end, and I liked the surprise appearance of Octavia Spencer (she was less known at the time so it makes sense) although I didn't enjoy watching her get stabbed over and over.
If you enjoy watching violent movies with no plot or story to tell, this movie is for you!
My other issue with this movie is that it's incredibly violent. Don't get me wrong, I love horror as much as the next person and I'm even a fan of Saw and Hostel which are known to be violent horror movies. However, this movie just seemed over the top on the violence, blood, and gore. That's not what makes a movie scary. Hostel and Saw were violent/gorey but they had a plot. This movie doesn't. It's just violence, blood, gore, slow motion scenes, and ghosts. We don't need to see someone be stabbed 50 times in order to be scared. We just see random characters get killed along the way of him searching for Laurie. Literally no plot and no character development. Also, writing Michael as a homeless woodsman who eats dogs doesn't make the movie scarier either. That dog eating scene was incredibly pointless.
Dr. Loomis is also incredibly pointless in this movie. He serves no purpose other than to be the reason Laurie finds out she's Michael's sister and get killed at the end. He's suddenly a Prima Dona who adds no substance to the movie. And finally, why is Laurie a completely different person from the first movie? I understand she went through trauma but there is no resemblance of who she was in the first movie. All of a sudden, she's a rock chick who doesn't know how to use a hairbrush. There are just so many things that don't make sense. Nice try, Rob Zombie but I give it a 2/10. The only reason I don't give it is 1 is because it obviously kept me entertained enough to watch it until the end, and I liked the surprise appearance of Octavia Spencer (she was less known at the time so it makes sense) although I didn't enjoy watching her get stabbed over and over.
If you enjoy watching violent movies with no plot or story to tell, this movie is for you!
Old
(2021)
Great movie that kept me entertained
29 July 2021
I'm surprised by all the negative reviews. It's always interesting to me how everyone views things so differently. I thought this was a great movie and it's one of my favorites of the year. I like to own movies that I enjoyed so I will definitely be adding this one to my collection. It kept me entertained and wanting to know what's going to happen next, which is all I ask for in a movie. I just want to watch a gripping movie that keeps me on the edge of my seat. I feel like some people take movies too seriously and those kinds of people are unable to suspend their disbelief. Just accept the movie for what it is.
Some of the acting was poor, but I enjoyed the performances by the kids, Alex Wolff, Thomasin McKenzie, and Vicky Krieps. The cinematography and scenery were beautiful to look at. There were inconsistencies but they didn't take away from the overall movie for me. I liked this movie a lot better than M. Night's more recent movies like Split, Glass, and The Visit. I liked the twist in The Visit but overall, that movie was corny to me so I'm surprised that it has better reviews than Old.
You may love it or you may hate it, but you won't know until you watch it so give it a chance!
Some of the acting was poor, but I enjoyed the performances by the kids, Alex Wolff, Thomasin McKenzie, and Vicky Krieps. The cinematography and scenery were beautiful to look at. There were inconsistencies but they didn't take away from the overall movie for me. I liked this movie a lot better than M. Night's more recent movies like Split, Glass, and The Visit. I liked the twist in The Visit but overall, that movie was corny to me so I'm surprised that it has better reviews than Old.
You may love it or you may hate it, but you won't know until you watch it so give it a chance!
A Nightmare on Elm Street
(2010)
Horrible remake
2 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the worst, if not THE worst, remakes I have ever seen. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is my favorite horror film and Freddy Krueger is my favorite horror character so I had high expectations for this. I was really disappointed. I wasn't expecting it to be better than original because that wouldn't be possible, but I was expecting it to be a good remake.
I suppose what I dislike most about this movie is the actor who was chosen to play Freddy. I just don't think anyone but Robert Englund can be Freddy. He is Freddy. He made the character what he is. Jackie Earle Haley is a good actor but he is not a good Freddy. The makeup didn't look right on him and his voice didn't fit the character, if that makes sense. If Hollywood remakes A Nightmare on Elm Street again, they need to cast an actor who can come close to Englund. An actor who can recreate how well Englund played him. If they can't do that then they need to leave it alone.
I also very much dislike how they changed Freddy's origin story and made him a child molestor. It doesn't make Freddy scarier if that's what they were trying to accomplish. It was just unnecessary.
They tried to recreate some of the most iconic scenes in the original like when Tina (renamed Kris) is murdered by Freddy while Rod (renamed Jesse) helplessly watches, but it just didn't work. That scene is much more horrifying in the original. The best part about this movie is Rooney Mara but even she couldn't save it. And although I like Rooney Mara, her acting in this isn't as good as her acting in other movies and she is certainly no Nancy. Heather Langenkamp was a much better Nancy. I think that's another flaw with this movie: the characters are just bland.
Maybe I'm just being biased because I love the original so much or maybe this movie really does suck. I'm going with the latter. I give it a 4/10 (and that's me being generous) vs a 10/10 for the original.
I suppose what I dislike most about this movie is the actor who was chosen to play Freddy. I just don't think anyone but Robert Englund can be Freddy. He is Freddy. He made the character what he is. Jackie Earle Haley is a good actor but he is not a good Freddy. The makeup didn't look right on him and his voice didn't fit the character, if that makes sense. If Hollywood remakes A Nightmare on Elm Street again, they need to cast an actor who can come close to Englund. An actor who can recreate how well Englund played him. If they can't do that then they need to leave it alone.
I also very much dislike how they changed Freddy's origin story and made him a child molestor. It doesn't make Freddy scarier if that's what they were trying to accomplish. It was just unnecessary.
They tried to recreate some of the most iconic scenes in the original like when Tina (renamed Kris) is murdered by Freddy while Rod (renamed Jesse) helplessly watches, but it just didn't work. That scene is much more horrifying in the original. The best part about this movie is Rooney Mara but even she couldn't save it. And although I like Rooney Mara, her acting in this isn't as good as her acting in other movies and she is certainly no Nancy. Heather Langenkamp was a much better Nancy. I think that's another flaw with this movie: the characters are just bland.
Maybe I'm just being biased because I love the original so much or maybe this movie really does suck. I'm going with the latter. I give it a 4/10 (and that's me being generous) vs a 10/10 for the original.
The Golden Girls
(1985–1992)
Hilarious, wholesome show
1 February 2020
The Golden Girls is one of my favorite TV shows. It is hilarious and still delivers the laughs 28 years after its final episode. My mom watched The Golden Girls with my grandma, and I grew up watching it with my mom. It's thanks to her why I love this show so much. I have a feeling that this show will live on in my family for generations.
I love Blanche's suave and sassiness, I love Sophia and Dorothy's sarcasm, and I love Rose's naivety and innocence. I love Rose's Back in St. Olaf stories and Sophia's Picture This stories. Every character has funny lines, but Sophia is the funniest to me. Not only is this show hilarious and still makes me laugh no matter how many times I watch it, but it's also really wholesome. It's about friendship and the love between friends. They always have each other's backs and they're there for each other through the hard times, even when they fight like any genuine friendship.
I recommend this show to everyone. Give it a chance if you haven't already. If you like a good laugh, you will enjoy this no matter who you are.
I love Blanche's suave and sassiness, I love Sophia and Dorothy's sarcasm, and I love Rose's naivety and innocence. I love Rose's Back in St. Olaf stories and Sophia's Picture This stories. Every character has funny lines, but Sophia is the funniest to me. Not only is this show hilarious and still makes me laugh no matter how many times I watch it, but it's also really wholesome. It's about friendship and the love between friends. They always have each other's backs and they're there for each other through the hard times, even when they fight like any genuine friendship.
I recommend this show to everyone. Give it a chance if you haven't already. If you like a good laugh, you will enjoy this no matter who you are.
Hilarious!
24 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I think this movie is hilarious. It still makes me laugh no matter how many times I've watched it. For that, it is one of my favorite comedies and probably always will be. It's not just a stoner film. Sure, they get high a few times throughout the movie, but as someone else mentioned, the comedy isn't just based on the fact that they're high like so many other stoner films. There's a lot of great social commentary and satire regarding racial stereotypes, which I love and appreciate.
One of the reviews for this movie said that this is predictable. In what way is it predictable? Soo.. you predicted that Harold and Kumar would ride on a cheetah, pick up Neil Patrick Harris on the side of the road, hide in a bathroom stall while listening to the British girls play battle sh#ts, and all the other random scenes in the movie? Sure, Jan.
I'm a fan of all three Harold and Kumar movies, but this is definitely the best one. If you haven't seen this movie already, what are you waiting for? It's a fun watch. Just enjoy the movie for what it is and don't take it too seriously, otherwise you'll suck the fun out of it.
One of the reviews for this movie said that this is predictable. In what way is it predictable? Soo.. you predicted that Harold and Kumar would ride on a cheetah, pick up Neil Patrick Harris on the side of the road, hide in a bathroom stall while listening to the British girls play battle sh#ts, and all the other random scenes in the movie? Sure, Jan.
I'm a fan of all three Harold and Kumar movies, but this is definitely the best one. If you haven't seen this movie already, what are you waiting for? It's a fun watch. Just enjoy the movie for what it is and don't take it too seriously, otherwise you'll suck the fun out of it.
The Strangers
(2008)
Is Tamera Home?
24 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Warning: major spoilers.
I saw this movie when it was released in theaters in 2008 and it instantly became one of my favorite horror movies. Nearly twelve years later and it's still one of my favorites. It has a slow build up, but it's worth the suspense that follows. I like the eerie music and the creepy atmosphere. I love the creepy lines such as "Is Tamera home?". "See you later", and my favorite of all "Because you were home." One of my favorite scenes is when The Man in the Mask appears in the background unbeknownst to Kristen. I remember thinking how terrifying that was the first time I saw it.
Despite my love for this movie, I see why people don't like it. The main characters make some incredibly dumb decisions. Kristen (Liv Tyler) is home alone when her boyfriend James (Scott Speedman) goes out to buy cigarettes, and she hears repetitive banging on the door. She hears the voice of Dollface, one of the Strangers, who had previously knocked on the door to ask for Tamera. Instead of calling 911, she calls James and that's when the Strangers cut the phone line. Kristen finds that her cellphone is missing and the smoke alarm that she placed on the floor is now sitting on a chair. The Strangers continue banging on the door, and she sees The Man in the Mask through the window and then sees Dollface standing outside the front door. When James returns, Kristen tells him that she saw a man wearing a mask outside. She doesn't mention the cellphone, the smoke alarm, or that she saw also saw a girl wearing a mask standing at the front door. Eventually, she does tell him that her cellphone is missing and his response is to tell her that her phone is actually not missing, that she just misplaced it, and he doesn't believe her when she says that someone has been in the house. Why wouldn't he believe her and what kind of gaslighting BS is that? He finally believes her when he sees that the cellphone he left in his car is now inside the house. They run to the car and try to take off, but Pin-Up girl rams them with a truck. Their car is still running and they could easily escape, all they have to do is press on the gas and drive forward, but instead they run back inside the house. What kind of sense does that make? They find a shotgun which they should have been looking for to start with and they accidentally kill James's best friend Mike, which makes me upset every time I see that scene. The Strangers break Mike's windshield while he's leaving a voicemail for James. He gets out of his car, sees that James's car has been rammed and the windows are broken, then he sees that the front door is open and there is obviously something wrong. But he doesn't call 911. Instead, he walks through the house, doesn't turn off the music or announce himself, and in turn gets himself killed. James decides he's going to call for help on the radio in the barn and he tells Kristen to stay inside the house. But why? You have the shotgun and they could kill Kristen while you're gone. Why would you not want her to come with you? He just assumes that she's going to be safe inside by herself even after everything that's gone down. When he's outside, he is getting ready to shoot Pin-Up Girl but The Man in the Mask comes at home from behind. If Kristen had gone with him, she could have been the lookout for him. How did he not shoot The Man in the Mask when he came at him from behind? We hear a gunshot but apparently he missed? How ridiculous. Kristen goes after James and tries to call for help on the radio, but she trips and twists her ankle somehow? Why do people always trip and fall in horror movies? She crawls on the ground instead of hopping on one leg until she gets close to the house. When she's back inside the house, she doesn't grab a weapon before she hides. Why didn't she have a weapon on her the whole time anyway? I could continue going on and on about the dumb decisions they make. I get that horror movie characters have to make stupid decisions otherwise there wouldn't be a story. If they shot the Strangers one by one like they should have, the movie would be over shortly. Still, there has to be some sense of realism.
But I still love this movie. Despite the stupid decisions the main characters make, you still care about them and feel empathetic towards them (at least I do). The entertainment, suspense, music, and creepiness of it all make it worth the watch. I like that we don't ever see the Strangers faces even when they take their masks off. I like that it doesn't rely on gore and physical torture to deliver the scares. Home invasion movies have been done a million times before, but in my opinion The Strangers is not like all other home invasion movies.
I saw this movie when it was released in theaters in 2008 and it instantly became one of my favorite horror movies. Nearly twelve years later and it's still one of my favorites. It has a slow build up, but it's worth the suspense that follows. I like the eerie music and the creepy atmosphere. I love the creepy lines such as "Is Tamera home?". "See you later", and my favorite of all "Because you were home." One of my favorite scenes is when The Man in the Mask appears in the background unbeknownst to Kristen. I remember thinking how terrifying that was the first time I saw it.
Despite my love for this movie, I see why people don't like it. The main characters make some incredibly dumb decisions. Kristen (Liv Tyler) is home alone when her boyfriend James (Scott Speedman) goes out to buy cigarettes, and she hears repetitive banging on the door. She hears the voice of Dollface, one of the Strangers, who had previously knocked on the door to ask for Tamera. Instead of calling 911, she calls James and that's when the Strangers cut the phone line. Kristen finds that her cellphone is missing and the smoke alarm that she placed on the floor is now sitting on a chair. The Strangers continue banging on the door, and she sees The Man in the Mask through the window and then sees Dollface standing outside the front door. When James returns, Kristen tells him that she saw a man wearing a mask outside. She doesn't mention the cellphone, the smoke alarm, or that she saw also saw a girl wearing a mask standing at the front door. Eventually, she does tell him that her cellphone is missing and his response is to tell her that her phone is actually not missing, that she just misplaced it, and he doesn't believe her when she says that someone has been in the house. Why wouldn't he believe her and what kind of gaslighting BS is that? He finally believes her when he sees that the cellphone he left in his car is now inside the house. They run to the car and try to take off, but Pin-Up girl rams them with a truck. Their car is still running and they could easily escape, all they have to do is press on the gas and drive forward, but instead they run back inside the house. What kind of sense does that make? They find a shotgun which they should have been looking for to start with and they accidentally kill James's best friend Mike, which makes me upset every time I see that scene. The Strangers break Mike's windshield while he's leaving a voicemail for James. He gets out of his car, sees that James's car has been rammed and the windows are broken, then he sees that the front door is open and there is obviously something wrong. But he doesn't call 911. Instead, he walks through the house, doesn't turn off the music or announce himself, and in turn gets himself killed. James decides he's going to call for help on the radio in the barn and he tells Kristen to stay inside the house. But why? You have the shotgun and they could kill Kristen while you're gone. Why would you not want her to come with you? He just assumes that she's going to be safe inside by herself even after everything that's gone down. When he's outside, he is getting ready to shoot Pin-Up Girl but The Man in the Mask comes at home from behind. If Kristen had gone with him, she could have been the lookout for him. How did he not shoot The Man in the Mask when he came at him from behind? We hear a gunshot but apparently he missed? How ridiculous. Kristen goes after James and tries to call for help on the radio, but she trips and twists her ankle somehow? Why do people always trip and fall in horror movies? She crawls on the ground instead of hopping on one leg until she gets close to the house. When she's back inside the house, she doesn't grab a weapon before she hides. Why didn't she have a weapon on her the whole time anyway? I could continue going on and on about the dumb decisions they make. I get that horror movie characters have to make stupid decisions otherwise there wouldn't be a story. If they shot the Strangers one by one like they should have, the movie would be over shortly. Still, there has to be some sense of realism.
But I still love this movie. Despite the stupid decisions the main characters make, you still care about them and feel empathetic towards them (at least I do). The entertainment, suspense, music, and creepiness of it all make it worth the watch. I like that we don't ever see the Strangers faces even when they take their masks off. I like that it doesn't rely on gore and physical torture to deliver the scares. Home invasion movies have been done a million times before, but in my opinion The Strangers is not like all other home invasion movies.
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