31 Nights of Halloween: Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th (2023)
Starring: Amanda Worley, Sidney Gates, and 
Director: Alex Magana
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

It's not the greatest short film in the world, no. It's just a tribute.

In this two minute short, Alex Magana gives us a taste of the Friday the 13th slasher series, as well as a sampling of his own style... and some of the grisly humor that is often present in his films. I was having a hard time deciding how to observe a Friday the 13th during the 31 Nights of Halloween... and then this premiered on the ACM Official YouTube Channel!

It's just two minutes long, but you'll still get several great moments. Amanda Worley has the best of these, but almost everything here is perfectly timed. Check it out!

It makes sense that a filmmaker who's become something of a fixture during the 31 Nights of Halloween should be the one to provide the perfect tidbit, at just the right time! (Although I am starting to wonder how that parking garage stays open, what with the number of unsolved disappearances and brutal murders that happen there. It has to be the most dangerous place in the Maganaverse...)

And speaking of "Tribute"... after you watch the great Friday the 13th tribute, rock out to the song that the opening lines for this review are a tribute to.

31 Nights of Halloween: The Nun

 

Over the past couple years, filmmaker and writer Alex Magana has become something of a mainstay of the 31 Nights of Halloween celebrations. I'm a tremendous fan of his work, and I hope to feature his work here at least once every week until Halloween. As the title of this one might imply, Sunday is the perfect day to bring this film to you!

The Nun (2023)

Starring: Erin Sunisa, Shaun Holmes, and Eteri Sher

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

While "The Nun" may not be the best Magana has brought us so far, it's still an excellent little horror film. It's only flaw, in my opinion is that Magana let the film run for one jump scare too many. I feel like he had a chance to give us a perfect and extremely creepy ending, but he blew it. (It's not just my general dislike of jump-scares at play here... it's that this particular jump-scare undermines the film's story.)

That complaint aside, I like everything else about "The Nun", especially the fact that it's a thoroughly modern film, with a couple of YouTubers making content for their channel by testing an urban legend. I also continue to be amused by Magana's blatant product placement in his films by having actors wear shirts with his production company's logo on the front. It reminds me of how many independent filmmakers and even large studios during the early days of silent movies would put their company logos somewhere on the sets of their films in an effort to stop unauthorized distribution and theft of their films through retitling/rebranding. I wonder if something similar is motivating Magana here, what with the way some YouTube channels do nothing but "borrow" from filmmakers and repost their films without so much as a link back to the source.

Maybe I'll drop him a line and ask some day. Although, it's probably a fact that the simple answer is the right answer: Characters wear the ACM-branded shirts because Magana wants to move the stuff for sale in his YouTube channel's merch store.

Ouija Board Wednesday: Ouija 2

Ouija 2 (2022)
Starring: Juliett Rojas and Eteri Coast
Director: Alex Magana
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Two sisters (Coast and Rojas) receive a mysterious package containing a Ouija board. They decide to try to reach out to the spirits... with a dire outcome.

 "Ouija 2" is predictable but well executed and creepy. It's well-staged, well-paced, and stars a pair of talented child actors. It may not be one of Magana's best films, but he's working with confining material and trodding well-covered ground in a very traditional way... and he delivers what viewers should expect.

31 Nights of Halloween: Missing

This Magana Monday offering is equal parts spooky and heartbreaking. It's something of a change-of-pace of Mr. Magana... and it's excellent! (It's also another of his films that works equally well if you view the ending as an ending-- or as the beginning of something entirely different. And it helps him keep a lock on his position as our current favorite creator of horror short films!)

Missing (2022)
Starring: Heather Clark
Director: Alex Magana
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Selfies

On this, the 22nd Night of Halloween we bring you a two-part tale of terror, smart phones, and photo-bombing phantoms!

Selfie (2021)
Starring: Katy Ford and Rory Ross
Director: Alex Magana
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Selfie 2 (2021)

Starring: Riley Introcaso and Katy Ford

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Ouija

Ouija (2022)
Starring: Anna Mia, Keira Weiss, and William Sibley
Director: Alex Magana
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Teen girls (Mia and Weiss) make the mistake many teen girls have made before them...

Every October, silly girls taunt the spirits and tempt Fate by playing around with Ouija boards. Will they ever learn by the dire results suffered by others?

If tonight's offering from 31 Nights of Halloween mainstay Alex Magana is any indication--no, no they will not. We pretty much know what's coming from the get-go, but Magana and his cast once again packs a whole lot of excellence into a small package! 

31 Nights of Halloween: The Mime 2

Alex Magana is back for a second time this year! We're just going to make it official and declare Magana Mondays for the entirely of the 31 Nights of Halloween! 

The Mime 2 (2022)
Starring: Orion Smith and Isabella Moore

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A commuter (Smith) comes to regret slighting a street-performing mime (Moore).

 "The Mime 2" sees writer/director Alex Magana returning to a familiar set-up: An unfortunate Normie encounters a wrathful or inscrutable supernatural being on a deserted railway platform late at night. And it's a fine return to his old stomping ground. (As with most films this short, the more I say, the more likely I am to ruin the freaky spookiness of the piece... so I will stop typing and instead just recommend you click below. I assure you that, by the end, you will think twice about not tipping performers, as well as catching that late-night train.)

31 Nights of Halloween: Bloody Mary 2

Films by Alex Magana were a cornerstone of last year's 31 Nights of Halloween, and his Smiling Woman series kept us spooked as we waited for darkness to settle across the land yet again. And, this year, we will be bringing out more tiny terror tidbits from Mr. Magana, and we hope you find them as effective as we did!

For Magana's first 2022 31 Nights entry, we bring you his second piece chronicling foolish young ladies testing Bloody Mary. (It goes as well for them as you might expect...)

Illustration by Loran DeSore

Bloody Mary 2 (2022)
Starring: Anna Mia, Willow Leitner, and Sarah Ullerich
Director: Alex Magana
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Terror on the 13th: Smiling Woman 4 and 5

Alex Magana's "Smiling Woman" films have been getting more elaborate as time has gone on. The series began with two actresses at simple locations (a train station passenger platform at night, a closed public parking garage). With "Smiling Woman 4" and "Smiling Woman 5", the series featured more characters and several different sets, as the Smiling Woman grins her way through a hospital.

Smiling Woman 4 (2021)
Starring: Anna Dahl, Felissa Rose, and Michelle Twarowska
Director: Alex Magana
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A mysterious phantom--the Smiling Woman in Yellow--spreads death and terror in a hospital.

 "Smiling Woman 4" (which is actually the fifth entry in the series, since the actual #4 was released out of order, something we've fixed with our presentation of the series here at Terror Titans) is step up for Alex Magana. First, the film features an honest-to-God horror movie semi-icon, Felissa Rose and several different sets/locations within a hospital. For the first, time, the Smiling Woman also goes through several victims in one film.

The film follows the same basic pattern as those that have gone before. In some ways, it feels like a small step backwards, because the Smiling Woman in Part Six (the actual Part Four) seemed more interactive than she had been up to this point. On the other hand, it captures the eeriness of what its like being in an building that is bustling with people and activity during the day, but which is empty at night.

Check out one of the most elaborate entry in the "Smiling Woman" series so far, by clicking below. It's another fine effort!

One thing that struck me for the first time while watching "Smiling Woman 4" is that the yellow dress changes with each "incarnation". Why is that? (And if you haven't noticed that the dress changes from victim to victim, just look at the stills used to illustrate the reviews in this post. Anna Dahl and Felissa Rose are wearing different dresses in their respective incarnations as the Smiling Woman.)

I know I shouldn't use the phrase "that makes no sense" about a series of short films where the unifying factor is a spirit that leaps from body to body, but why does the dress change? My first thought was that the dress was what was possessing the victims--in the second film of the series, it's shown that the victim leaves behind whatever clothes she was wearing when she becomes the next Smiling Woman, 

so the dress must either morph into a different piece of clothing with each victim... or maybe the previous vessel of the Smiling Woman dissolves into a new yellow dress for the next victim to wear? (This seems to be the most sensible theory, since the detectives and crime scene technicians in "Smiling Woman 6" didn't make any reference to there being two dead bodies at the laundromat, and as you saw in "Smiling Woman 4", there was only one body delivered to the morgue.)

Smiling Woman 5 (2021)
Starring: Katy Ford, Felissa Rose, and Jessi Sampogna
Director: Alex Magana
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

The entity known as the Smiling Woman continues to claim victims within a hospital.

"Smiling Woman 5" is another excellent, supremely spooky entry in the series. Felissa Rose (as the most recent Smiling Woman) and Katy Ford (as the recuperating patient and next possible victim) both give fine performances--the first being creepy and crazed, and the other confused and frightened. This matches "Smiling Woman 4" in being one of the most horrifying entries in the series, because, like that one, the target of the Smiling Woman ends up in a completely hopeless situation as the end draws near.

This episode also brought another question to my mind: How is it that these films always begin at 1:01am? Up until this point, I thought maybe the Smiling Woman spent the day wandering the city and then settled on her next victim through some unknown (and perhaps even unknowable) means. But as of this entry that theory doesn't seem to work anymore. 

Take a look and feel free to share any theories YOU may have about the Smiling Woman in the comments below!

Beginning on October 1--some two short weeks from now--Terror Titans will once again observe the 31 Nights of Halloween. There will be at least one post daily for the entire month of October, most of them featuring a short film along with writen commentary. Will the Smiling Woman make an appearance and claim more victims? As of this writing, that is one of the many unanswered questions that surround this terrifying creature! 

Time will tell!

Terror on the 13th: Smiling Woman 6

Right now, some of you out there may be saying to yourselves. "'Smiling Woman 6'? What happened 'Smiling Woman 4' and 'Smiling Woman 5'?"

Well, for some reason--perhaps because of production difficulties, or just wanting to get a pair of installments in the series that starred an actress with marquee value out quickly-- this entry in the series was held back and released out of order. As a result, if you were watching these as they initially appeared on Alex Magana's YouTube Channel, it seemed like Magana was either restarting the series, or perhaps the Smiling Woman skipped a step in the curse.

But with this film restored to its proper place in the cycle, the pattern continues. In fact, it becomes even clearer. (You'll see what I mean when you watch "Smiling Woman 4", either here in a couple months or at YouTube whenever the mood strikes you.)

Smiling Woman 6 (2021)
Starring: Michelle Twarowska and Teru Hara
Director: Alex Magana
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A late-night trip to the laundromat turns nightmarish when an asthmatic woman (Twarowaska) is left breathless by the latest vessel for the Smiling Woman (Hara).

 

Terror on the 13th: Smiling Woman 3

The yellow-clad, text-messaging ghost of the Smiling Woman series engages in a little home invasion to pass along the curse in this installment of what is something of a signature series for filmmaker Alex Magana.

Smiling Woman 3 (2021)

Starring: Teru Hara and Prathyusha

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Terror on the 13th: Smiling Woman 2

 As the title makes obvious, tonight's selection is a sequel; you can watch the first film in this series, here. 

The Smiling Woman series is something of a signature effort for writer/director Alex Magana. In this installment, it emerges that the ghost of the title is something of a "wandering curse", an element we also find in another of Magana's short film series, Don't Fall Asleep. 

We hope you enjoy this spooky film... and that you, too, will begin to wonder why the Smiling Woman is haunting women who are alone in the early hours of the day. (We have a "fan fiction"-type backstory for what's going on that maybe we'll share in this space some day; we hope these films will inspire similar your imaginations, too!)

 

Smiling Woman 2
Starring: Prathyusha and Ariel Fullinwider
Director: Alex Magana
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

An officer worker (Prathyusha) at the end of a long day is pursued through a deserted parking garage by a crazed woman in a yellow dress (Fullinwider).

2/2/22--Day of the Doppelgangers!

We turn to writer/director Alex Magana for the perfect short film with which to observe this auspicious date, 2/2/22. He delivers his usual offbeat chills... and he once again makes us wish for a sequel/continuation! (I can imagine at least two more chapters to this little horror saga.)

Doppelganger (2021)

Starring: Orion Smith and Abigail Blythe

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Terror on the 13th: Smiling Woman

Every month, on the 13th, you'll find another short film here. We hope it will pass the time until Terror Titans springs back to full life next October for another 31 Nights of Halloween!

We're leading off with the first installment of what currently appears to be writer/director Alex Magana's signature series, Smiling Woman. It features a nice merging of a ghost story with modern technology, along with a healthy dose of urban legend sensibility. 

 
Smiling Woman (2019)

Starring: Ariel Fullinwider and Merlynda Sol

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

It's a few moments past 1AM, the train station is all but deserted, and a young woman (Fullinwider) is about to have a strange encounter...

We Wish You A Scary Christmas!

Writer/director Alex Magana returns to Terror Titans and offers up a little holiday fear!

Gift Wrapped (2020)

Starring: Dylynn Abbey

Director: Alex Magna

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Red Riding Hood

Halloween 2021 is coming to a close, but you must still beware... because the monsters are still on the prowl, looking to pull tricks so you can become their treats...

Red Riding Hood (2021)
Starring: Alexa Kopitnik

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

It's Halloween, and a young woman (Kopitnik) dressed like Little Red Riding Hood has an encounter with a Big, Bad Wolf.

 

California-based filmmaker Alex Magana was our talent in the spotlight for this year's 31 Nights of Halloween, in the sense that we featured more films from him than any other creator this year (with two of them on this very night. His work will continue to be featured here once every couple months until next October, keeping the chills going. So, please stop by every now and then!

As for "Red Riding Hood", Magana makes great use the "fake threat" horror movie mainstay as this film unfolds. The fact that he adheres to the "rule of three"  The ending we ultimately reach wont surprise anyone, but getting there is quite the creepy bit of fun.

And with that--all we have left is to thank you for joining us for this year's month-long Halloween celebration. As mentioned above, there will be posts appearing regularly here. In fact, the first will be tomorrow--in observation of the Day of the Dead!

(If you want some more Red Riding Hood-themed entertainment, check out these posts at our sister blog Shades of of Gray.

31 Nights of Halloween: Pumpkin Man

The Halloween celebration continues here, until just before Midnight and the beginning of the Day of the Dead! Here's another tale of a Halloween run-in with the supernatural!

Pumpkin Man (2021)
Starring: Brooklyn Robinson, Milla Kessler, and Noelani Pese
Director: Alex Magana
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Three friends (Kessler, Pese and Robinson) out committing some Halloween pranks and vandalism come to learn the truth about the legend of the Pumpkin Man.

Have you heard the urban legend of the Pumpkin Man? Well, don't worry if you haven't, dear reader, because filmmaker Alex Magana and his talented cast of teenaged actors are going to tell you all about it... and make you a believer!

"Pumpkin Man" is another fun trip into terror from the guy who brought us "Don't Fall Asleep", and several other shorts. Like so many of his films, this one starts in the middle of action and ends where the main story beats are sort-of resolved, but great mysteries and unanswered questions are still looming. If you've liked Magana's other films, I think you'll like this one, too.

You might really like it if you, like me, get angry at Halloween vandalism that damages the carved pumpkins and other Halloween decorations that people put work into so that the rest of us can be entertained. I always hope that Karma will get those vandals... so I rather wish that the legend of the Pumpkin Man was real....

31 Nights of Halloween: Double Feature

Writer/director Alex Magana has several series of short films going (like the one involving a mysterious, murderous clown that we brought you here and here, earlier during this year's Halloween lead-up.

One of those series involve a "wandering curse" that transfers itself from victim to victim and kills them as they sleep. As of this dark and stormy night, with Halloween right around the corner, two installments have been released. Like Magana's "Clown" series, it leaves me wanting to know more about what's going on and what has brought on where the curse/haunting.

Below are "Don't Fall Asleep" #1 and #2 for you to watch and enjoy. Maybe you, too, will stay awake after watching them. Like most of Magana's other shorts, they are well-paced and technically well-executed in almost every way. (I am starting to wish the soundtracks were a little less overblown, but that could be brought on by having watched a whole bunch of his films in short order. I also have a couple nitpicky problems with the first of tonight's film, but if you don't notice them while watching, then they were indeed not even worth mentioning. Also, any minor failings are in the first film are more than made up with the nice cinematography in the second.)

Don't Fall Asleep (2021)

Starring; Katy Ford, Justin Gubersky, and Olivia Rand

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Don't Fall Asleep 2

Starring: Justin Gubersky, Linda Paice, Katy Ford, and Olivia Rand

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: It Comes for You

Jogging can be hazardous during the 31 Nights of Halloween, as tonight's horror nugget demonstrates...

It Comes for You (2020)

Starring: Michelle Torian

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A girl jogging in the woods (Torian) attracts unwanted attention of the supernatural kind.

Many of writer/director Alex Magana's films can more properly be described as vignettes than proper films. This is one of those. Many of his films also have a dreamlike or nightmarish quality about them. This is also one those. And, as I've said about other Magana films, this one ends with me wanting more--in a good way. I want to know more about the girl, I want to know more about the ghost, and I want to know what comes after the abrupt ending of this film--basically, I just want more!

"It Comes for You" is an expertly crafted little film with nice camerawork and great pacing. There's also a couple of relatively simple special effects shots, but they are deployed in such a fantastic fashion that not only do they manage to make the cartoon "sheet ghost" into something scary, but they should make S-FX artists who work with ten times the resources sit up and take notice.

The only complaint I have is the lines of dialog spoken by actress Michelle Torian, but I think perhaps that boils down to nitpicking more than anything else. (It's not Torian's delivery--she does a fine job throughout the film--it's the line itself.. That said, its ridiculousness does add to the overall dream-like feeling of the piece, so it may not be all bad.)

But why don't you just watch the film for yourself? Click below and sit back and let the Halloween spirit flow! 

31 Nights of Halloween: Do Not Open

Alex Magana delivers another film that makes me want to know so much more about what's going on. I want to know what went before, what comes after... and just so much more. Check out this great little flick about a young woman and a mysterious box... and tell me that you don't share my desire to see the bigger story that's unfolding around it! (At the very least, you'll agree that this is warm-up for Halloween.)

Don't Open (2020)
Starring: Samantha Cruz, Winter Bassett, and Andrew Hughes
Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars