Us (2019)

March 25th, 2019

Directed by: Jordan Peele

Written by: Jordon Peele

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss

Budget: $20,000,000

Quote: "hey look exactly like us. They think like us. They know where we are. We need to move and keep moving. They won't stop until they kill us... or we kill them."

Trivia: The Bible verse that continuously appears in the film (Jeremiah 11:11) reads: "Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them."


Jordan Peele has once again created an original and excited new entry into the horror genre. I cannot believe that half the comedy duo of Key & Peele (which had a really funny show on Comedy Central) has become one of the most exciting new voices in the horror genre (and soon to be science fiction as the new host of the rebooted Twilight Zone). Like his first movie Get Out, Us also looks at identity, individuality, and what it all means in the broader social context. However, Get Out leaned more towards the psychological thriller genre (despite the very bloody ending), even being classified as a comedy by the Golden Globes (which it simply is not). Instead, Us places both Peele and the movie firmly in the horror camp without any reservations. Us is bloody, intense, and thought provoking. It also boasts incredible performances by all the actors particularly Lupita Nyong'o who absolutely steals the movie. There are dozens of theories about the social and socioeconomic meanings behind the film. There is a lot of merit in these broader implications. But theories aside, the film is a bloody fun ride that never lets up as soon as it begins.

Hush (2016)

November 8, 2018

Directed by: Mike Flanagan

Written by: Mike Flanagan, Kate Siegel

Starring: John Gallagher Jr., Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco

Budget: $1,000,000

Quote: "I can come in anytime I want. And I can get you, anytime I want. But I'm not going to. Not until it's time. When you wish you're dead... that's when I'll come inside."

Trivia: Contains less than 15 minutes of dialogue, meaning that more than 70 minutes occur without a single word spoken.




This film has been lauded by such horror luminaries as Stephen King and William Friedkin (The Exorcist) as one of the best horror movies, not just of the year, but of all time. I don't know if I completely agree with their enthusiasm, but it was a pretty cool movie based on a solid premise, the home invasion of a deaf woman. Director Mike Flanagan wrote the film with his wife, the film's star, Kate Siegel. What the duo offer is a great scary movie, in the classic sense, with no frills, jump scares, or even special effects. It is simply a straight forward movie, shot in one location, with only five actors, and very little dialogue. That being said, it is really impressive that the filmmakers could make so much out of so little because the movie has some really suspenseful moments and the tension builds and builds until it finally explodes at the film's climax.

The Purge (2013)

July 17, 2018

Directed by: James DeMonaco

Written by: James DeMonaco

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder

Budget: $2,700,000 - $3,000,000

Quotes: Our target for this year's purge is hiding in your home. You have one hour to find him and give him to us or we will kill all of you. We will be coming in.

Trivia: According to the director, the idea for The Purge happened like this: He and his wife were driving on the freeway when a drunk driver cut them off nearly killing them. After both cars stopped, the other driver's lack of remorse enraged DeMonaco enough to engage in a fistfight and police eventually had to get involved. After the incident was over, DeMonaco's wife turned to him and commented how great it would be to have one free murder a year.

This was the first time I had seen a Purge movie. Somehow I had missed the big Purge hype over the past five years for no particular reason. The movie was incredibly successful at the box office and nearly all my friends had seen it. I knew the basic plot of the movie and it seemed like a really interesting premise so I decided to finally watch it last night. Unfortunately, I was not blown away by the picture. There were definitely some great moments, but overall the film was fairly predictable and the Purge premise was hamstringed by the film's plot taking place as a home invasion movie.

Ils (Them) (2006)

June 30, 2018

I decided to choose a French film to celebrate France's victory over Argentina in the World Cup Final-16. There are three films that websites claim are responsible for introducing the world to French horror cinema: High Tension, Martyrs, and Them. I saw High Tension twelve or so years ago when a bunch of my friends and I were part of a horror club where we would meet monthly to watch horror movies and play games. I was blown away by the film especially the twist ending. With that thought in mind I decided on Them and I was not disappointed.

When a Stranger Calls (1979)

June 22, 2018

The first twenty minutes of this film are some of the greatest twenty minutes in horror movie history! In these twenty minutes the babysitter, played by Carol Kane, keeps receiving calls form a man asking her if she's "checked on the children?" and "why haven't you checked on the children?" Their is an especially scary moment when the killer states that what he wants is to be covered in the babysitter's blood. Her fear intensifies until the climax where she finds out the calls are coming from inside the house. We see the killer's shadow moving towards the stairs right as she opens the front door and a police officer is there to rescue her. Kane's performance is amazing and this scene would be the inspiration for the Drew Barrymore scene from Wes Craven's Scream. We learn that the killer had been upstairs with the children dead covered in their blood for hours .