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Comments
I haven’t watched either Black Phones. I liked Joe’s story a lot and I guess I want to keep it his and his alone.
1. Nosferatu (2024) 4/5
2. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2002) 2,5/5
3. The Long Walk (2025) 4,5/5
4. Priest (2011) A vampire movie built on a graphic novel with Paul Bettany, Karl Urban in the leads and Christopher Plummer, Maggie Q and Lily collins supporting them. Meh. This was not anything special but i wouldn't say a total fail. 2/5
Stop-motion animation dark fairy tale with woodland creatures fighting over an effigy.
An eerily beautiful creation that took a lone animator 13 years to complete, Blood Tea and Red String is reminiscent of Czech animator Jan Švankmajer, known for his organic designs and dark eccentricity. While it is included in the folk horror collection All the Haunts Be Ours Volume 2, it’s hard to call this one outright horror, although several of the familiar folk horror tropes are present: an effigy, the strange ways of insular remote cultures, magic and costumes. The creature designs are simple yet effective, and practically every frame oozes with charm and whimsy, with a lightly dark undertone.
Story-wise, this is all admittedly a bit thin, with atmosphere and visual aesthetic being more important than plot. Things move slowly but I can’t say I was ever bored; the film is very accessible and I kept wanting to see what new visual wonders came next. There is an oddly comforting feel to the movie, this is a more cozy than menacing version of folk horror. Imagine if The Fantastic Mr. Fox was a silent film about mysticism and nature, you’d be on the right track to getting into the mindset of Blood Tea and Red String.
Enchanting little discovery.
4 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2025 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Woman in the Yard 2/5 (FTV)
2. The Addiction 3/5 (FTV)
3. Blood Tea and Red String 4/5 (FTV)
Another Edgar Wright recommend. The Pure Cinema podcast about this 1960 film was interesting. (2022, Underrated British Horror episode).
2025 list
1. The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon*— Bev’s Board
2. The Hand — Tubi
5. Peeping Tom* — Tubi
Something strange is happening to the inhabitants of a French village during a festival of the dead—people who enter bodies of water dissolve away, while others begin acting more deranged by the minute.
You hear the term “fever dream” thrown around quite a bit when it comes to unconventional horror films, and sometimes I think this term is used as a bit of crutch when the plot comes up nonsensical. That being said, Litan truly earns the label, feeling like a dizzying nightmare from the very start and not letting up until the end. But there’s an actual reason why crazy things are happening, and like the main characters we’re just trying to figure it out amidst the madness. If you trust in the film and go along for the ride, you’ll get answers eventually. I can’t say if you’ll be satisfied with the answers, but they are there.
Another film in the All The Haunts Be Ours volume 2 folk horror box set, Litan’s festival for the dead in a small European town contributes nicely to the off-kilter feel, what with masked characters lurking around every corner and barely seen in the background of nearly every shot. It’s sometimes difficult to tell what’s really happening and what’s just part of the usual festival shenanigans—think Devil’s night on steroids, or if “The Purge” was done by French surrealists. The film can be disorienting, but the pacing is relentless and the film very watchable.
A worthy addition to the “normal couple stranded in a town gone mad” genre.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2025 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Woman in the Yard 2/5 (FTV)
2. The Addiction 3/5 (FTV)
3. Blood Tea and Red String 4/5 (FTV)
4. Litan 3.5/5 (FTV)
6 part series.
"The Jedi Master contends with the consequences of his greatest defeat -- the downfall and corruption of his one-time friend and apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader."
I loved this, it took me right back to childhood.
Flakes' October (NON) Horror List:
1) "Source Code" - 2011 (FTV)
2) "Obi-Wan Kenobi" - 2022 (FTV)
Where it all 'began'. Looooove this movie.
Flakes' October (NON) Horror List:
3) "Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope" (1977)
Pure Cinema, Edgar Wright recommend. Fun enough.
2025 list
1. The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon*— Bev’s Board
2. The Hand — Tubi
5. Peeping Tom* — Tubi
6. Dr. Jekyll, Sister Hyde — Tubi
Dr. Frankenstein wants to construct the ideal man to start a master race, but his sister has other ideas what to do with him.
Directed by Andy Warhol protégé Paul Morrissey and starring Warhol superstar Joey Dallesandro, Flesh for Frankenstein is surprisingly lush and colorful for the otherwise dark and gritty film era of 1973. I was expecting much lower production values but the film really pops, sometimes literally--if you are able to view it in 3D, I highly recommend doing so (the opening 3D credits are a bit dizzying, but things settle down after that). Udo Kier is perfectly cast as the over-the-top bombastic Frankenstein and really commits to the role, it’s hard to take your eyes off him.
This film does not shy away from sexuality and was actually rated X, but the sexual elements play more like a standard softcore feature. I suspect the rating had more to do with the extreme gore--it appears the effects person made a trip to the butcher shop for some cow liver and gallbladder, and there’s plenty of blood. Although not marketed as a comedy, the film is pretty funny between the zany performances and outrageous makeup effects. I was never bored and occasionally hooted with laughter.
A thoroughly 1970’s take on the Frankenstein story.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2025 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Woman in the Yard 2/5 (FTV)
2. The Addiction 3/5 (FTV)
3. Blood Tea and Red String 4/5 (FTV)
4. Litan 3.5/5 (FTV)
5. Flesh for Frankenstein 3.5/5 (FTV)
"The Rebel Alliance led by Princess Leia valiantly fights the Galactic Empire. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker attempts to master the Force and become a Jedi warrior."
I'm loving these revisits. 🥰
Flakes' October (NON) Horror List:
4) "Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
2025 list
1. The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon*— Bev’s Board
2. The Hand — Tubi
5. Peeping Tom* — Tubi
6. Dr. Jekyll, Sister Hyde — Tubi
7. Cobweb* — Netflix
"Luke Skywalker attempts to bring his father back to the light side of the Force. At the same time, the rebels hatch a plan to destroy the second Death Star."
Flakes' October (NON) Horror List:
5) "Star Wars - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi" (1983)
1. Nosferatu (2024) 4/5
2. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2002) 2,5/5
3. The Long Walk (2025) 4,5/5
4. Priest (2011) 2/5
5. Alien Earth Season 1, episode 1&2. New Tv series. The episodes are 1 hour each so i cant two ep as one. This was not bad as an opener but we will see where it goes. The scary aliens are at it again but no ripley. I liked this start. Promising.
Ghost story told from the first-person point of view of the ghost has a miserable family moving into an old house while the daughter copes with the recent deaths of two of her friends.
I was intrigued by the possibilities of the concept, a ghost story where the camera shows us the POV of the ghost, and when I heard it was directed by Steven Soderbergh I had high hopes. Unfortunately, not only is this one of Soderbergh's most disappointing films, it’s just not a very good film period. Essentially the gimmick of the film is of minor importance and the film falls back into familiar tropes—the POV concept feels more like lazy filmmaking than anything else. Also, we have yet another film with mostly unlikable characters, which would be fine if they were at least interesting, but they are some of the most boring people I’ve ever been subjected to (and I used to work in the banking industry, so trust me on this).
I’ve said this before, but this feels like it was made by a person who doesn’t really understand what a horror movie is and how one can work. Sure, occasional outsiders have produced some of the best horror films in the genre (Kubrick, Lynch, even Adrian Lyne) but Soderbergh is completely not up to the task for this one. If he just wanted to make a film about a cranky family bickering and icky teenage boys, then that’s what he should have made--just don’t call it a horror movie.
If you want to see a movie about the loneliness of being a suburban house ghost, watch 2017’s A Ghost Story instead.
2 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2025 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Woman in the Yard 2/5 (FTV)
2. The Addiction 3/5 (FTV)
3. Blood Tea and Red String 4/5 (FTV)
4. Litan 3.5/5 (FTV)
5. Flesh for Frankenstein 3.5/5 (FTV)
6. Presence 2/5 (FTV)
Four men in 17th century England must carry a coffin along miles of a lonely haunted countryside road to consecrated ground.
Clocking in at a trim 45 minutes, this isn’t quite feature length but closer to TV movie, which I believe is deliberate—this plays like one of those old British Christmas ghost story movies (of which I’m admittedly quite fond of). Another film from the All The Haunts Be Ours Volume 2 folk horror box set, To Fire explores the possibilities of England’s old “coffin roads”, which were public causeways set up to transport your dead without having to go through villages and upset (or infect) the locals. The result is a very isolated and grim experience for the pallbearers, and when you add a little local folklore into the mix, it’s easy to see why this is excellent fodder for a horror film.
The actors speak period English and are always spouting colorful phrases—I now know calling someone a “shabaroon” or a “slyboots” isn’t very nice. One of the pallbearers is a put-upon gentleman of upper class, two others are working class and a bit doltish, and the fourth (and most cunningly colorful) character is from the “drinking class”, to put it nicely. As the dark evening wears on, tempers begin to flare, evil comes from within and without, and dark secrets are revealed. The film feels more like a stage play at times, but it’s shot in a nice crisp black and white that makes things more cinematic, and entirely appropriate for the subject and setting.
Enjoyable spooky little film perfect for Halloween.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2025 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Woman in the Yard 2/5 (FTV)
2. The Addiction 3/5 (FTV)
3. Blood Tea and Red String 4/5 (FTV)
4. Litan 3.5/5 (FTV)
5. Flesh for Frankenstein 3.5/5 (FTV)
6. Presence 2/5 (FTV)
7. To Fire You Come At Last 3.5 (FTV)
1. Nosferatu (2024) 4/5
2. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2002) 2,5/5
3. The Long Walk (2025) 4,5/5
4. Priest (2011) 2/5
5. Alien Earth Season 1, episode 1&2.
6. The Wicker Man (1973) Rewatching a classic. Directed by Robin Hardy with Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland and Ingrid Pitt in the leads. Woodward a police officer looking for a missing child. Set on a distant english island where Lee leads a sect. Starts Normal and gets creepier and creepier without ever being really violent. But the creepy finale can give you nightmares if you are so inclined. 4,5/5
"Jedi warriors Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi are tasked with protecting a princess during a trade dispute between planets. During their mission, they meet a small boy who has the Force within him."
Both Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson. Totally spoiled, I am. 😁
Flakes' October (NON) Horror List:
6) "Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace" (1999)
1. Nosferatu (2024) 4/5
2. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2002) 2,5/5
3. The Long Walk (2025) 4,5/5
4. Priest (2011) 2/5
5. Alien Earth Season 1, episode 1&2.
6. The Wicker Man (1973) 4,5/5
7. The Invisible Man (2020) 3,5/5 Loosely based on Wells story updated to a contemporary setting. Elisabeth Moss in the lead does a fine job as the women who the very controlling and sociopathic invisible man tries to control. But its hard to believe that someone is invisible and even her friends wont believe her.. Good movie.
Teens in a farm town are terrorized by the local bread company’s mascot—a creepy clown named Frendo.
I had low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. No, it’s not the launch of the next big thing, and that’s okay. Sometimes you just want a simple slasher movie that’s not trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s nice to see that the genre can still work in the modern age without too much post-Scream era self-awareness and winking at the camera.
Despite the teens falling into predictable stereotypes, I kinda liked this crew of kids, and the performances all served their purpose effectively. Of course, all the actors playing teens are actually in their twenties, another horror movie tradition dating back to Steve McQueen in The Blob. The whole “parents vs teens” vibe was reminiscent of Footloose in all the best ways. Thankfully the special effects were mostly practical and simple with lots of blood. Think chainsaws and guns and crossbows. If you like classic slashers, you’ll have a good time.
Title says it all.
3 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2025 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Woman in the Yard 2/5 (FTV)
2. The Addiction 3/5 (FTV)
3. Blood Tea and Red String 4/5 (FTV)
4. Litan 3.5/5 (FTV)
5. Flesh for Frankenstein 3.5/5 (FTV)
6. Presence 2/5 (FTV)
7. To Fire You Come At Last 3.5 (FTV)
8. Clown in a Cornfield 3/5 (FTV)
2. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2002) 2,5/5
3. The Long Walk (2025) 4,5/5
4. Priest (2011) 2/5
5. Alien Earth Season 1, episode 1&2.
6. The Wicker Man (1973) 4,5/5
7. The Invisible Man (2020) 3,5/5
8. The Watchers (2024) 3/5 I thought this was gonna be a movie version of Koontz novel. I was wrong. This is based on A.M. Shines novel from 2020. Not read. Directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of you know who. Starring Dakota Fanning. She is getting lost in an irish forest with monster fairies all around her trying to make her day miserable. It was critically panned but i thought it was ok. Not a masterpiece for the ages but well worth watching and considering its her first movie its a good one.