The annual Halloween celebration here at Terror Titans got brought to a screeching halt by the horror show that is real life. So, instead we're going to be sharing some of the stuff we had INTENDED to post during the second half of October in 2024 on a sporadic basis throughout the coming year... starting now!
We're starting things with a surpringly good cover by the Melodika Brothers. It's not surprising that they once again have delivered something clever and well-conceived... no, what's surprising is how effective Ricky Martin's famous party anthem "Living La Vida Loca" translates into the horror genre! I mean, it's been there the whole time, but I've just never noticed!
And the video--which tells the tale of a ghost hunt--is excellent!
A woman finds a walled-up, hidden room in her house that's full of life-like wax figures.
"Wax" is a brand-new release from family-run short film production company Buried Hatchet, and we're certain that you'll find the three or so minutes it'll take to watch it is time well spent. The only quibble I have with it is that I would have liked a wide shot of the secret room, and I would liked to see some profile two-shots of Aleman's character discovering and interacting with the main wax figure.
But my issues with the cinematography are minor when compared to the fact that this film has earned the greatest praise I can give to any short film or short story: I want to know the backstory of the secret room, the wax figures within it. (My desire to know more was made even stronger by the coffee cup Aleman's character examines in the room. Look closely at it and I'm sure you'll understand why.)
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.
All it takes is a minute to provide viewers with top-notch horror entertainment... as tonight's offering proves beyond a shadow of a doubt. (It can also be a cautionary tale; it's dangerous to be alone at night, this close to Halloween... because you may not actually be alone!)
Alone (2020)
Starring: Anonymous Actress
Director: Shane P. Liao
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars
The only complaint I have with this film--which is not related to the excellence on the screen--is the lack of credits. Yes, it's only one minute long, but there's a bit of black at the very end where at the very least the main actress' name could have been provided. I like giving credit where credit is due... but it feels odd to say this film stars "The Sushi", because that's all the information I have from the video's YouTube description.)
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
If a sign says an area is closed, it's always the intelligent thing to stay out; you never know what danger might be within. There is no time where that statement is more true than during the 31 Nights of Halloween... as the young shopper discovers in tonight's short film.
The Changing Room (2022) Starring: Jamie Taylor Ballesta Director: Sam Evenson Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
Pen Pals (2022) Starring: Aniqa Mazumder Director: Dominc Grose Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
A young woman (Mazumder) communicates with an otherworldly pen pan through an enchanted notebook... but there is a slight problem...
"Pen Pals" is straightforward and to the point. It hits the ground running and doesn't let up until it's over. It's a lowkey film that relies more on what isn't shown that what is. It builds tension and mood the hard way... and the last minute-and-a-half of the run-time is absolutely perfect.
That gripe aside, I found "Pen Pals" an excellent film. In fact, it is so excellent that it fed my imagination, and I created some roleplaying game rules for enchanted notebooks like the one in the film. Click here to check out a draft of those at the NUELOW Games blog. (But enjoy this cool movie first!)
Hello? (2021) Starring: Emmy James, Brian McGuire, and Jules Nurrish Director: Tim Shechmeister
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
A young actress (James) visiting Hollywood for a series of auditions rents a furnished apartment with a storied history. Unfortunately, she soon discovers there's one story the book isn't closed on.
"Hello?" is a creepy little film that goes in a different direction that its opening scenes led me to expect. It's a ghost story that features a character who tries to interact with the phantom menacing her on its terms as she tries to distract and appease it. I appreciated the fact the filmmakers presented us with a character who tries something other than hiding, fighting, or just screaming in response to the supernatural. I appreciated it even more, because it's also well-acted and well-filmed.
This element might have a stronger appeal for me than for many others, because I, too, have my fun with casting now-obscure but once-famous real-life Hollywood actresses in tales of the supernatural and horror. The main figure in such efforts on my part has been Bessie Love, but Joan Blondell has also been the subject of a flight of fancy or two.
Whether you like fictionalized versions of Old Hollywood or just well-crafted horror stories that don't go where you expect them to, I think you'll enjoy "Hello?"
When us Gen Xers were kids, we were taught to never get into a cars driven by strangers. That admonition carried into adulthood, at least for young women. With the arrival of "ride-sharing apps" like Lyft and Uber, that warning has gone by the wayside... now EVERYONE gets in cars with strangers, and they're letting strangers get into their cars.
This can be a very, very bad idea. Especially during the 31 Nights of Halloween....
Dead Bride (2022) Starring: Jennifer Mischiati, Christopher Hulsen, Douglas Dean, David White, Sean James Sutton, and Luna Francavilla Director: Francesco Picone Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
After her biological father dies, Alyson (Mischiati), together with her newborn child and her husband (Hulson), moves back to the isolated mansion where she grew up. Here, as dark memories return, and her long struggle with sleep paralysis grows more intense, a supernatural evil stirs and a family curse returns in full force.
"Dead Bride" is a love letter to the classic horror films and ghost movies. It even runs slightly less than an hour-and-a-half, which, to me, remains the ideal length for a horror flick.
This is also a film that relies more on mood created by lighting and camera angles and performances by the actors than special effects. What practical effects are present all serve enhance the plot as well as creepiness, instead of the movement in recent years toward the effects being present for their own sake more than anything else. The film is also perfectly paced, from its mysterious and creepy pre-credit sequence through the literally out-of-this-world climactic sequence when Alyson undertakes a spiritual journey to save her son. The final half-hour of this picture is among the spookiest and trippiest I've seen in recent years.
I have very few complaints I can mount regarding this movie, and most of them are nitpicky. As is my habit, I'm not going to bother with those, but instead just deal with major issues.
First, there are many examples of clunky dialogue in the film. The actors do their best with it, but it is just too stilted to work, no matter how well they deliver their lines. At its worst, this weakness distracted from and undermined a couple otherwise well-filmed and well-acted scenes.
Further, there are three major story elements that I feel were not properly developed or resolved, and I'm in two minds about the way "Dead Bride" wraps up--I both love and hate the horror of it. It fits well enough with the rest of the film--although it only exists because of a couple completely dropped plot threads--but it's not quite the ending I excepted or wanted. (Well, it is, in part. It really suffers because of a key story element that seems to get forgotten once the climax starts. I am borderline harping on that now, but it had enough of an impact that I waffled between giving "Dead Bride" a Seven rather than the Eight rating I ultimately settled on.)
I can't really say more about those undeveloped/unresolved story elements, nor the ending, without spoiling the film. And, since this movie is being released on streaming platforms on October 4, 2022, roughly around the time I am posting this review, I would much rather have those of you out there who love classic ghost movies and haunted house films (and we can even throw flicks featuring demons and demonic cults into the mix) check out "Dead Bride" and then come back and give their take on what might be lacking in the comments section below.
Actually, I'd much rather have all of you reading this go watch "Dead Bride" on Prime Video, iTunes, Google Play, XBox, and other streaming services including some local cable and satellite providers, and then tell us what you LIKED about it in the comments. I think you'll find it to be worthy of your time during this Halloween Season.
To further help in your decision-making, here's a preview of the film:
Cursed Umbrella (2021) Starring: Yuki Shinyokoyama Director: Yuki Shinyokoyama Rating: Six of Ten Stars
The witness to a particularly gory traffic accident (Shinyokoyama) is haunted by the angry spirit of the victim.
One thing that's constant about Japanese ghosts is that they don't give a rat's ass who they target; guilty, innocent... if you happen to be in the general area when their life ends, you're in deep trouble! As we see in this offering from Japanese filmmaker Yuki Shinyokoyama...
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).
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.
I recently came across writer/artist/filmmaker Yuki Shinyokoyama's YouTube channel, and he has a bunch of really interesting little horror filmlets there. They are a bit rough around the edges and the special effects leave a little to be desired, but they are still neat, ghost-centric horror shorts.
Here's the first of a handful of films that'll be featured here at Terror Titans, as we wait for the 31 Nights of Halloween to return. Here's hoping it doesn't put you off hiking!
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...
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!
The Hidden (2021) Starring: Thomas Nicholson and Zakiah Dumasky Director: Michael Leigh Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
A detective (Nicholson) makes one final attempt to find and interview an elusive witness (Dumasky) who can seal the case against a murderer.
This is one of several films featured during this year's 31 Nights of Halloween that made us wish it was a full-length film. Check it out--let us know what you think! At the very least, it should begin to stir that Halloween Spirit within and around you!
If you like roleplaying games, I think "The Hidden" might also contain character and campaign ideas. Those ideas can be further fed by this post featuring d20 System rules that can be used to characters like the one at the center of tonight's film.
Sadly, Halloween may be basically cancelled throughout the United States and possibly the world--why I can't figure out, since wearing masks is what Halloween is all about!--but I hope you have some candy on hand, just in case some trick-or-treaters come knocking. And if you don't... well, I hope you fare better than the subject of this tale.
