Hello, Max Holland here!! I’m a movie guy. I do movie reviews and stuff and maybe other things in the future. I’m also just an average Joe who works a regular job and blogging is just something I’m doing on the side. You can follow my blog for more posts.
Smile (2022) is a supernatural/psychological horror film written and directed by Parker Finn. It’s based on the 2020 short film “Laura Hasn’t Slept”. The movie was distributed by Paramount Pictures and stars Sosie Bacon on the leading role. It got very positive reviews from critics when it first premiered and was a box office hit. It’s spawned a sequel called Smile 2 (2024).
The plot follows Rose (Sosie Bacon), a therapist working at a mental hospital dealing with patients with schizophrenia and suicidal tendencies. One day, one of her clients told her story and then gives her a creepy smile while slitting her own throat. Rose’s boss (Kal Penn) then suggests that she takes the week off, as it appears she’s going through trauma. Rose then starts hearing and seeing things that no one else can and sees people smiling at her. We later learn that there’s an unknown evil entity that forces people to commit suicide and takes the form of the previous victim while targeting the next victim with a smile.
This entity is now after Rose as this chain has been passed down by her last client. She tells her fiancée and her sister about this, and they both think she's crazy. So, Rose looks up to her ex-boyfriend, and the two work together to stop this monster once and for all. I won’t spoil the ending here, but Rose tracks down the chain back to its roots, and confronts the monster, and it gets crazy from there. That’s about the gist of it.
I watched Smile (2022) for the first time this year and I really enjoyed it. It’s pretty freaky and intense, as well as very creative and original. It’s very well acted and well directed. It’s got great cinematography, and some cool bizarre shots. It has a chilling atmosphere, is quite unsettling, and doesn’t rely too heavily on cheap jumpscares.
I see why this movie got positive reviews. For a directorial debut, it's quite impressive and I look forward to seeing what director Parker Finn has in store in the future. I can't really think of anything negative to say about this movie, though if I had one minor nitpick, it's that it was just a tad longer than it needed to be. It's exactly 2 hours in length, though I feel couldn't been trimmed to about an hour and a half. That's just a "minor nitpick.
Overall, I think Smile (2022) is a very solid and well-done horror flick that's worth checking out (especially if you're into both supernatural horror and psychological horror).
I give Smile (2022) a solid 9/10.
So, have you seen Smile (2022)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.
The Third Saturday in October (2022) is an independent horror/slasher film written, produced and directed by Jay Burleson. It's part of a two-part film project called the "Third Saturday in October" series along with The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022) (which I previously reviewed). There's no 2, 3 or 4, as these films are supposed to play out like a lost slasher franchise from the 80's. Like with Part V, The Third Saturday in October was filmed on location in Alabama (Athens/Elkmont area and Mobile). These movies aren't that well known, but I think they're starting to find a cult audience.
The Third Saturday in October (2022) is set in 1979 in the fictional town of Hackleburg, Alabama. It centers around an annual college football game called "The Third Saturday in October" which is a rivalry game between the Alabama Mobile Seahawks and the Tennessee A&M Commonwealth. During this, a psycho killer by the name of Jakkariah Harding, who survived his execution the night before, is at large and murders unsuspecting victims (particularly the group of people who watch the game). Very little is known about Jakkariah Harding (or "Jack Harding" for short), though it's mentioned he was a drifter and may not really be human. He's seen with a messed-up eye and usually uses a pair of pliers as his signature weapon, though he uses a variety of different weapons (like a chainsaw for instance). He also drives a hearse around and appears to have a thing for cats.
We've got a set of different characters. There's the detective Ricky Dean Logan and his girlfriend/partner Vicky Newton. There's the father/daughter duo Barry Hill and Heather Hill. Heather is a 20-something who lives with her dad and works at the local burger joint Bronco Burger. Barry and Heather have a tradition where they watch The Third Saturday in October together and are convinced that if they don't its bad luck. We've also got our supporting characters/victims. There's Denver, a strange girl with a cocaine addiction and wears pajamas everywhere. She also likes to jam out to her favorite songs as she's usually seen dancing. There's also Uncle Deeter and his girlfriend Bobbi Jo, who like to skinny dip. There's Ned (nicknamed "Neddy Teddy") and Pam. Then there's John Paul who appears to be Heather's love interest.
After having just met John Paul, Heather agrees to join him and his group of peculiar friends to watch the football game, breaking her and her dad's tradition. She tells her dad this, and he's at first reluctant, as he's skeptical about his daughter going with a guy she just met, as he could be a serial killer (Ted Bundy to be exact). Soon after though, Barry gives Heather permission. However, during the game, the killer slips into the house that John Paul and the others are hanging out and kills them one by one. Then Heather, Barry, Ricky Dean Logan and Vicky Newton work together to stop the killer. That's about the gist of it really.
I really enjoyed The Third Saturday in October (2022). Like Part V, this is also a brilliant take off on old school low budget slasher movies. It's got a great vintage aesthetic, great cinematography, a chilling atmosphere, a great soundtrack, an interesting storyline and likable characters, and great kills. It's also funny, freaky, intense, well-acted and well directed. It looks about exactly as if it were a slasher flick made in the late 70's/early 80's. However, personally, I liked Part V a bit better.
I do have one nitpick, and that's regarding the character Heather Hill. She's the supposed "final girl" but a rather disappointing one at that. She's kind of a damsel in distress as she relies on her dad to save her. She can't even use a gun, so she gives it to her dad. Like come on. She makes Maggie and PJ from Part V seem tough in comparison. Come to think of it, Heather's dad is kind of all she's got. She has no other "family" that I'm aware of. There's literally not mention of her having a biological mom (It's not that important but I thought I'd point that out).
Other than that, I think The Third Saturday in October (2022) is a very good indie horror flick and quite impressive given its low budget and production value.
I give The Third Saturday in October (2022) a solid 9/10.
So, have you seen The Third Saturday in October (2022)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.
The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022) is an independent low budget slasher film written, produced and directed by Jay Burleson. It’s part of a two-part film project along with The Third Saturday in October Part I (2022) called the “Third Saturday in October” series that’s meant to play out like a lost slasher franchise. They’re filmed on location in the state of Alabama, particularly the Athens/Elkmont area as well as Mobile. These movies are not that well known yet, but I think they’re slowly finding their cult audience. I watched both of these movies last year the day they became available on digital, and I really enjoyed them.
The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022) is set in the fictional town of Hackleburg, Alabama and is centered on a group of young teenagers/adults handing out to watch a big football game. The game is a rivalry game between two fictional college football teams: The Alabama Mobile Seahawks and the Tennessee A&M Commonwealth. This takes place during the Third Saturday in October, which coincidentally is the day in which a psycho pathic serial killer named Jack Harding emerges and slaughters his victims in gruesome manners. He uses a set of pliers as his signature weapon, though he's also seen using different items. Jack Harding is seen wearing a black tux, a red tie, black gloves and a skull mask. He also jams to his favorite songs while murdering his victims, so he's a pretty entertaining villain/killer.
Our main characters are PJ, a little girl whose parents are Tennessee A&M fans and Maggie, the teenage babysitter entrusted to look after PJ (I call Maggie a "teenager", but I think she's supposed to be a 20-something). Maggie brings PJ along to watch the game with her friends. PJ is dying to eat at a local diner called Catfish Cabin (a real restaurant located in Athens, Alabama), and this is a subplot that gets brought up throughout the movie and eventually has a payoff ("kind of" a spoiler but you could already see it coming). We've got some other entertaining characters. There's Peter, a jock bully whose kind of full of himself and is also the one hosting the party at his house. He also attempts a threesome with a couple of the girls and let's just say it goes horribly wrong.
There's Lester, an overweight and handicapped guy on a wheelchair who is currently undergoing physical therapy. He's a diehard Alabama Mobile fan and is convinced that his team can't win unless he watches them. Lester and Peter appear to be "frenemies" as they're seen bickering. Peter makes fun of Lester and Lester gets triggered to the point that he goes so far as to pulling out his pocketknife at him (the knife is seen again later on as one of Jack Harding's weapons). There's Neil, Lester's physical therapist whom Lester invited to the party and who shows up dressed as a coach. There's Holcomb, Maggie's best friend, and George, Maggie's ex-boyfriend who is friends with Lester and Peter. There's also Sharon, Angela, Amy and Betsy. There's a little thing where Sharon is craving a pizza. So, she asks Peter and his girlfriend to order a pizza, but they ignore her, so she does it herself (this leads to one of the "kills"). After the kill count at Peter's place, Maggie and PJ have an encounter with the killer, so the two work together to take him down. I'm not going to directly spoil the ending, but it does sort of end on an anticlimactic/ambiguous note (in typical horror fashion). That's about the gist of it.
I love this movie. It's a brilliant take off on old school slasher flicks like the original Halloween (1978) and the original Friday the 13th (1980). It's very entertaining, unsettling, funny and has a really neat vintage aesthetic. For B movie horror standards, it's very well done. It's well directed well-acted (for the most part), has great cinematography, a great soundtrack, great kills, and likable characters. I really liked Maggie and PJ's dynamic. The actress Kansas Bowling did a great job with the role of Maggie. I think even the girl who played PJ, Poppy Cunningham did a great job considering her age. What really stood out for me about this movie is that it was filmed on location in Athens, Alabama and Catfish Cabin was involved. I grew up in Athens, Alabama and Catfish Cabin was my favorite place to eat as a kid, so for me that was pure nostalgia (the Catfish Cabin thing may have been local product placement, but I don't care). I don't know what the budget was for this, movie but I want to say it's a bout less that $1 million.
Interestingly, Part V is the movie in this series that you're supposed to watch first as it's meant to capture the feel of watching a horror franchise out of order. Part I acts as a prequel to this. I may get to reviewing Part I some other time, but I wanted to focus on Part V here. Anyway, for what it is, and for low budget indie horror standard, I think The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022) was impressive. Some people on the internet say it's a "failed experiment on nostalgia", but I beg to differ. I think it's a successful experiment on nostalgia in my eyes. Anyway, I love this movie, and I highly recommend it if you're a fan of low budget slasher movies with a vintage aesthetic.
I give The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022) a solid 10/10.
Now with that out of the way, I'd like to comment on a minor inconsistency. We know that Lester is handicapped and undergoing physical therapy. A couple times throughout the movie, some of the guys at the party try to get Lest upstairs, and they really struggle and eventually give up. However, at the part when a couple of the girls tie Peter up to his bed, they get Lester up there to spite him. The girls were somehow able to get him upstairs with ease, with the wheelchair and all. It's not explained how they managed that, and it was a little weird. It's not a nitpick. Just a strange inconsistency.
So, have you seen The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.
Casper (1995) is a supernatural horror comedy that's based on the Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons and comic strip. It stars Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci in major roles. This movie got mixed reviews from critics but was otherwise a box office hit and spawned a couple of direct-to-video spin-off prequels (Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997), Casper Meets Wendy (1998) and Casper’s Haunted Christmas (2000)). Over the years this movie has gotten a bit of a cult following and is now considered a classic. I watched this movie on TV a couple times as a kid and I enjoyed it myself.
The plot follows Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman), a psychologist and widowed father, and his daughter Kathleen Harvey (Christina Ricci). Dr. Harvey has been fascinated with the paranormal since his wife passed away, and part of the plot is him trying to find a way to reconnect with her in the afterlife. The Harvey's move into an abandoned house which is reported to have ghost sightings and is deemed haunted. In that house lives Casper, a ghost child who means well, and his mischievous uncles Stretch, Fatso and Stinky, dubbed the "Ghostly Trio". The Ghostly trio care for Casper, but they also take advantage of and pick on him.
Now I didn't watch that much of the Casper cartoons as a kid. I saw maybe a few of the shorts. But I think in the original cartoons, the Ghostly Trio were the villains as I recall, but here they're more like the anti-heroic comic relief. Kathleen, or "Kat" as she goes by, is trying to fit in in this new town, though she gets picked on by a mean girl at school named Amber. Due to a mishap, the school Halloween dance gets postponed, however Kat and the other students agree to have the dance take place at the haunted house that Kat moved into, after learning about its history and recent sightings.
Amber tries to sabotage the party, but to no avail. Kat meets and befriends Casper, whom she's scared of at first, but the two eventually form a dynamic, and are even shown to be "more than friends". We learn that Casper died of pneumonia after playing outside in the snow for too long, and that his father was a genius inventor who worked to find a way to bring his son back. This is a major plot point as part of the conflict is centered on Casper and Kat figuring out a way to bring the former back to life. We've got our main villains, Catherine "Carrigan" Crittenden (Cathi Moriarty), the main antagonist, and her bumbling sidekick Paul "Dibs" Plutzker (Eric Idle).
Carrigan and Dibs set out to find and steal the treasure hidden within this house, even if it means sabotaging the main characters. That's about the gist of it really.
I recently rewatched this on Amazon Prime, and I'd say it's a pretty decent family friendly horror comedy. It's funny and has an interesting story and likable characters. I thought it was interesting that Casper himself is given a tragic backstory that wasn't addressed in the original cartoon as far as I know. For being the first live action movie based on a cartoon to feature cartoonish computer animated characters, it's not bad. It's not a perfect movie, as the plot is predictable and simplistic, and at times the movie is a bit cheesy.
For instance, there's the whole thing with Casper asking Kat "Can I keep you?" Like, who even says that? What does that mean? Also, (this is a spoiler, but you could already see it coming) I didn't care for the part when Casper is briefly brought back to life for the dance. I get that it was supposed to be a pay off, but compared to his cartoon ghost form, it felt out of place to me. Carrigan and Dr. Harvey's ghost forms were also pretty cheesy. The whole thing where the ghost of Dr. Harvey's wife serves as a "fairy godmother" made very little sense. I'm not complaining because I didn't like the movie. I'm complaining because I didn't love it.
Anyway, I generally enjoyed Casper (1995) for what it is, and having seen and enjoyed it as a kid, I have kind of a soft spot for it despite its miss steps.
I give Casper (1995) a solid 7/10.
Have you seen Casper (1995)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.
You can check out my video review on YouTube:
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