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10-27-25

Temps have finally lowered to a point that I can stand, but now I'm cold all the time, haha. I can really tell I'm off testosterone, I no longer feel so overheated. The weather outside finally fits my mood. My partner and I have given up yet again on our Hooptober list. I just get distracted so easily with what I want to watch, and for the past couple of months I've had little interest in any movies, let alone the ones I'm supposed to watch. We did sit down to watch Weapons recently, though, and that sparked some interest in me. It was fun, it was unsettling, and I had no idea what was going to happen when I went in. I had enough fun with Barbarian (more than my partner, I think...) so I was intrigued by what Zach Cregger had coming up. I was a WKYK fan as a teen, so maybe that kept me willing to give him another try (a privilege I will not give Oz Perkins that hack).

I'm coming along now to the concept that horror can be fun and scary. I've been having fun with horror-- all the themed V/H/S movies come to mind, with the latest Halloween being particularly beloved by me at the moment-- but I haven't been scared by much as of late. When Evil Lurks got me good, before that was Cure from Kurosawa, then Skinamarink back in theater, with over a hundred horrors between then and now. I've had a lot of love for the genre since I was a teen, and have seen a LOT of horror, both good and bad (463 logged on Letterboxd and counting) so maybe I've just gotten used to things. Realized in a discussion today that not being scared of much of anything in horror is more a reflection on me and my numbness than anything about the state of horror films. I do feel a newfound need to see what's out there.

I've been disappointed a lot with modern horror that has been hyped up in online spaces. I'm in a Fangoria fan group on another site that has so much love for all the things I've disliked, making it feel like I'm an odd man out among horror hounds, or some sort of old fuddy duddy. In A Violent Nature pissed me the hell off, which could be a rant all in of it's own. I am not a fan at all of Daniel Leone or his Terrifier series, even if I do love Art the Clown's design. I liked the look of Longlegs but could not have rolled my eyes more at the Monkey, and am not looking forward to anything Oz has to put out moving forward. I'm trying to turn my gaze outward to other countries and take in their offerings. Kurosawa's Chime was probably my favorite offering of this year, though his rarely miss with me. Smaller offerings, too, can really take the cake.

For the season, I'd like to make a few offerings for those seeking to be deeply unsettled.

  • The Vanishing-- 1988, dir. by George Sluizer. Rex and Saskia stop at a rest stop on vacation and Saskia goes missing. After three years and no sign of her, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor. Haunting and sad, a true gaze into the abyss.
  • Under the Skin-- 2013, dir. by Jonathan Glazer. A seductive strangers prowls the streets in search of prey. Strange and etherial. An examination of what it means to be a predator, and what it means to be prey.
  • What Ever Happened to Baby Jane-- 1962, dir. by Robert Aldrich. A former child star torments her parapalegic sister in their decaying old mansion. Feeds on the real life, life long hatred shared between stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The feeling of being trapped and having to handle whatever happens to you is pervasive, and explores a lifetime of resentment that led to the stunning end.
  • The Wailing-- 2016, dir. by Na Hong-jin. A stranger arrives in a small village and soon after a mysterious sickness spreads. The first time I watched this, I got so worked up I had to leave the room and go do some deep breathing exercises. It creates an atmosphere of fear and suspicion that will choke you.
  • Cure-- 1997, dir. by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. A detective begins to spiral when a wave of gruesome murders begin to sweep Tokyo. Genuinely, honestly, the most terrifying thing I have ever seen. I watched this over a year ago and I am still thinking about it, still have nightmares about this. Make sure you have a dark and quiet room, put your phone somewhere else, and commit to the dread.