Truth or Dare Review (Film, 2017) #31DaysofHorror

Do not be confused or mistaken by the following phenomena. Have you ever come across a horror film that looks just like another horror film you know is coming out? It has a similar (if not identical) title, a similar poster, and even a similar plot, but it’s not the same film. It’s a separate film that is coming out around the same time. Sometimes, it’s pure coincidence—there are only so many spins on a ghost story or a slasher. Other times, it’s intentional—there are studios who will release a slapstick shark horror/comedy to compete with each SyFy movie of the week release (or, more often, vice versa—SyFy loves their own version of a could-be hit). No matter the circumstances, just be aware that you aren’t imagining things. Horror is filled with carbon copy releases that sometimes are significantly better than the main release.

Don't Kill It Review (Film, 2017) #31DaysofHorror

Content warning: Don’t Kill It features violence against animals in its opening scene.

Action/horror is one of those combinations we just don’t see too often on film. Action films tend to have a higher budget than what’s typically allocated for horror just to account for the amount of extra staff and production costs—stunt performers, stunt choreographers, safety technicians, more locations, more editing and effects. Yet, when done well, they are a potent combination. Both genres are about an exaggerated exploration of the real world through a highly stylized and unrealistic lens. Action has the chases and stunts, and horror has the scares.

The Cleanse Review (Film, 2018) #31DaysofHorror

Some of the simplest sources for a horror film are different or twisted perspectives on common occurrences. Gremlins is ultimately a film about bringing home a pet as a gift for a loved one. The Conjuring is about the fear of the monster hiding in the closet. The Shining is about anxiety from staying in a hotel far away from home. Little things we take for granted can be terrifying with the right perspective.

The Cleanse is a horror comedy about cleanses.

Venom Review (Film, 2018) #31DaysofHorror

Venom, as a film, is a lot to process. It’s sensory overload even by the loud and special effects heavy standards of the superhero genre. It shares more with the horror genre, specifically the old fashioned Universal-style monster movie, than it does with the modern superhero film, yet it’s clearly an attempt to stand out an in over-saturated superhero market with a new antihero in the Deadpool vein. The film is screaming for its own identity so badly that you wish the studios would just cooperate with each other for mutual financial gain and just let a film in one character’s universe—Spider-Man—actually exist in that universe.