Horror Movie Reviews: Stephanie

I've seen a few horror movies recently and I figured what better way to spend a sleepless few hours reviewing them (without spoilers).  Once again I know there are other platforms to review movies, but I'd rather do it here.

Stephanie

Stephanie is living at home alone. There is something stalking her, an unseen and unknown entity.  

I really enjoyed this movie.  The first few minutes had me holding my breath at some parts.  There were several other parts that had me creeped out.  It takes a lot to get me to that point (I've seen more than a few horror movies). 

If you like a good supernatural horror movie (that's my category), you should watch this one.

The Babysitter review (no spoilers that I know of)

I've seen a few of the Netflix original movies now and I gotta say they are getting entertaining.  Tonight I watched The Babysitter.  If you have time you should also watch Little Evil (a recently married man thinks his new stepson is the Devil incarnate) and Death Note (not the Anime version.  The detectives in the Anime version speculate a lot and somehow their thinking is spot on, similar to Adam West as Batman deciphering a "cryptic message" from the Riddler in the Batman Movie 1966, but not nearly as entertaining as Batman).

The Babysitter

This movie is about a nervous, naive 12 year old boy whose babysitter is hot.  Everyone picks on him except his babysitter. She is supportive of his intelligence and "weirdness". 

Google Samara Weaving, you'll thank me (yes its totally SFW)

His parents go away on "business trip", leaving the babysitter in charge while they are out for the weekend.  His best friend (who happens to be a girl his same age) convinces him that all adults, including his babysitter, have sex when kids are sleeping.  She convinces him to stay awake to spy on his babysitter to prove she is right.

As I said earlier, this is actually an entertaining slasher flick.  It's predictable to an extent but it is still very entertaining.  If you like slasher flicks, watch it.  Also watch (as I said in the intro) Little Evil and the Death Note (again, not the Anime version).

Little Shop of Horrors

Such a cute little thing, I want one.

I remember seeing Little Shop of horrors when I was a kid.  I remember laughing along with the music, the antics of Audrey 2, etc.  As an adult I've come to a few realizations after watching the movie.  It's even better now, especially with these realizations.  I say watch it again, at the time of this posting it's on Hulu.

First realization:  Dr. Orin Scrivello DDS has a great song.  His tenacity for causing pain as a kid is what led him to be a dentist.  And we all know what it's like to visit the dentist.  Let's not forget that everything he does is modeled after The King (that would be Elvis, not Henry).

When I was young and just a bad little kid

My momma noticed funny things I did

Like shootin puppies with a BB gun

I'd poison guppies, and when I was done

I'd find a pussy cat and bash it's head

That's when my momma said

(What did she say?)

She said "My boy, I think someday

You'll find a way to make your natural tendencies pay"

"You'll be a dentist

(Be a dentist)

You have a talent for causing things pain

(Pain)

Son, be a dentist

(Son be a dentist)

People will pay you to be inhumane

(Inhumane)"

Second realization:  Bill Murray makes a cameo.  I completely forgot about this.  This is definitely a great appearance.  Arthur Denton must be masochistic because he is truly enjoying his time with Dr. Orin Scrivello and even embraces the good doctor during a root canal.

He prepped himself and everything while Doc was walking around

Third realization (and last) is the scene after you learn of Audrey 2's plant food.  Spoiler: it's blood.  Then this scene while he's at the radio station attempting to promote the store and the plant:

Shortly after he tries to bite her

When I saw this as a kid I didn't make the connection of what was going on.  I thought he saw a pretty girl and wanted Seymour to make a move.  If you watch the movie, you'll notice shortly before this scene Audrey 2 could smell the blood off Seymour's finger and tried to bite it.  As I watched just now I noticed the subtle sniffing from the plant right after the girl stands in front of it.  I think she might be menstruating.

It Follows Movie Review

I have a tendency to enjoy watching horror movies after my wife goes to sleep (she doesn't like horror movies, I bought myself wireless headphones so I can hear the TV and she can't).  Sometimes I watch something horrible and other times I find something amusing.  This time I found something amusing with a not so subtle message.  I know there are other websites for movie reviews but I want to do it here, so here goes (spoilers ahead).

It Follows

It Follows is about a 19-year-old girl named Jay who, after a sexual encounter, finds herself being stalked by a supernatural entity.  This entity will stop at nothing to get to her after it is "passed" to her by her boyfriend (ex-boyfriend after the incident).  The ex-boyfriend did her a solid and explained what was going to happen to her now that she has this supernatural stalker.

He's not that bad, only used chloroform after consensual sex to tie her up.

The stand up guy explains that the stalker, who can only be seen by anyone who has received this curse and the only way to get rid of the target on her back is to have sex with someone else and "pass it on".  It never fully finishes with the person who passes it on and it will kill her if it catches her (great guy, giving her a death sentence so he doesn't have to die).

Oh, the supernatural being can look like anyone, anytime. Grandma while she is at school

She becomes paranoid after realizing the entity is out to get her and won't stop.  Her friends eventually believe her and one of her guy friends, Greg, admits to having "feelings" for her.  After he realizes Jay will die because of this entity he has sex with her so she can be safe (he dies a little later, at least he was a "hero").

Jay then has sex with some random people at a lake so she can get rid of the curse (does this make her a serial killer, knowing this supernatural being will kill people?).  She realizes this doesn't work because the ghost stalker is back shortly after.

A plan is derived to kill the ghost (because that makes sense) and it appears they succeed and they go home happier.  The other boy in the group confesses his love for Kelly, they hook up and live happily ever after (until the camera pans out and you see the ghost stalker following them still).

Blood in the water after killing the ghost stalker, cause ghosts can bleed.

My Take

So this is a not so subtle jab at STDs.  Just from the Netflix description of this movie "Jay learns that her date has passed on a lethal curse that can only be shed by sleeping with another unsuspecting partner" you can see she contracted something by sleeping with someone.  And, once again, you sleep with someone to pass the curse (STD) to someone else while never fully getting rid of it yourself.

If you want to scare your kids into not having sex, show them this movie and explain this is what happens when you have unprotected sex.  Or you can show them a pic of genital herpes (or any other STD).  I'm going to let you google your own pics of that one (you'll thank me for not putting it here, your own fault if you search the images).

This movie was entertaining enough.  It gave me a couple of jumps, even if it was mostly predictable.  Worth a watch at least once.