Hey there, fans of all the horror movies. Let’s talk about a couple I watched recently…yes, two movies for the price of one post.
First, I decided to go see A Quiet Place in the theaters.
Movie poster for the 2018 horror film A Quiet Place
My esteemed colleague Brian posted his thoughts on this movie, so go read it here, he is absolutely right. The silence in this movie is breathtaking. The crinkle of my M&M bag made me cringe. When someone sneezed in the theater, I almost cried out “WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE NOW THANKS!”. But I didn’t. I’m not a movie-ruiner. Seriously, I was too busy sitting on the edge of my seat and holding my breath.
When I first saw the trailer, I was undecided as to whether I would see it in the theater…or later…or whenever. The premise, the promise of a creature (that I wondered if it would be worth waiting to see or not), and the silence didn’t grab me. However, the more commercials I watched, the more my interest grew until I NEEDED to see it.
That’s how the movie went. It built and climbed to the final end. Bit by bit. Silent moment by silent moment, I marveled at how sound suddenly became dangerous…that darn noisy M&M bag and the person who sneezed twice and nearly killed us all.
We are shown a world, one where strange beings have devastated the human population, one where people have realized what draws these things. A family searches an abandoned store for medicine. Quiet drapes over us, as they go to great lengths to make no sound. Because sound brings them, these creatures.
Then we see one, and the danger becomes real.
The creatures were awesome! Did they come from space, from the deep secret tunnels of the Earth, from a rogue science experiment, from the bowels of Hell? WHERE?!?!?!! Why are they there to feed on us, destroy us, wipe our planet clean? For possibly no other reason then pure evil destruction? And we never know. Not knowing is scary.
We don’t need to know. It’s not about them.
As much as I loved the creepy creatures, I loved the family more. Their story shines. The tale of parents and siblings who struggle with loss, with guilt, with forgiveness, with surviving, and with learning the one thing we do need to know…the creature’s weakness.
The end…dude…the end. WOW.
I am so glad I went. Though the sound of the movie next to us bled through the walls…slightly annoying, I will never regret seeing it in the theater. And I do not regret the M&Ms, even with the loud bag.
DID YOU SEE IT? DID YOU?
But let’s continue the conversation, because two movies for one post!
Second! I didn’t go see Happy Death Day in the theaters. It looked weird, but didn’t call to me. However, when the DVD came out, I waved to it for weeks. When the price was right, I bought it. Last week my brain had focus issues, so on Tuesday night I decided to have a movie night and popped Happy Death Day in the player. You can find my impromptu live-tweet at #watchamoviewithKathy #HappyDeathDay on Twitter.
Movie poster for the 2017 horror-thriller Happy Death Day
What a fun movie! I did not think I would like it as much as I did. A bit of Groundhog Day mixed with a slasher film, some college drama, and a little rom-com thrown in for kicks, this movie works when I didn’t think it would…or maybe I didn’t think it should. I laughed as much as I cringed. A few splashes of blood balanced the happy sighs.
Live forever so you can discover who wants to kill you, while reliving your walk of shame every time the loop begins again. The movie hit some good feels as the main character Tree (short for Teresa) goes from a girl I am glad to see die (can you be more of a “witch”?) to someone I root for, who sees her flaws and wants to change.
The killer in the baby-face mask is totally creepy. The scene in the dark tunnel with the music box…all the yes. The mystery unfolds leading us to answer the question…who wants Tree dead? And I didn’t see it coming. Though that isn’t saying much, I don’t do mysteries well, my brain doesn’t work that way. I applaud the added twist that the dying over an over again has consequences, but was disappointed when that idea fizzled.
Otherwise, not super haunt-your-dreams scary, the movie was fun and made me smile.
And for those with the DVD that has the alternate ending. Watch it.