Tag Archives: scary movies

Dec23

Groovy Movies: Silent Night, Deadly Night Edition

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Groovy Movies: Silent Night, Deadly Night Edition

Howdy! My blogging bestie, Kate, is the Christmas Queen and I’m pretty sure she has been prepping for the holidays since the last holiday season lol. She has a deep love of Christmas movies and I love that for her because she watches enough for the both of us! I have a handful of holiday flicks that I enjoy but my favorite of all is a good seasonal slasher. I was SO excited to see Silent Night, Deadly Night in theaters and it did not disappoint. Before we begin our discussion in a spoiler free setting, as always, I’ll be placing a trigger warning for graphic violence and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

^^^ I have no rights to this video!

Our main character, Billy, has lived a… colorful life. As a child, he witnessed the murder of his parents by a man named Charlie who was dressed as Santa. Since that fateful night, Santa Charlie has lived on in Billy’s head. With Billy’s eyes, Santa can see all and guides Billy to the people who have been naughty. Their punishment? Death. For every day of the Advent calendar, Billy must kill one person on the naughty list or someone innocent will take their place. After the seasonal murder spree, Santa and Billy can rest until next year’s holiday season.

Due to these unusual circumstances, Billy is a drifter and finds himself in the small town of Hackett to continue his holiday justice. He snags a gig at a local antique store and uses his job to scope out potential victims. And, oh yeah, scope out the gorgeous Pamela whose family owns the shop. Billy doesn’t want Pam to think of him as a bad person but he doesn’t want innocent blood to be shed, either. However, their two worlds are about to collide in a major way and they might be able to do some good after all. Will Billy have his happily ever after? Or will he drift through life alone with Santa Charlie forever? Watch Silent Night, Deadly Night to find out!

I have to admit, I have never seen the original Silent Night, Deadly Night *gasp*. I guess I am going to have to add it to my watch list because I absolutely loved this flick! This was a perfect slasher with a healthy mix of camp, comedy, and gruesome kills. It followed a classic slasher playbook to the T with a holiday twist and it was most definitely my kind of Christmas movie. It was a wacky story, yes, but it was also scary fun. 😀

The first fifteen minutes or so of Silent Night, Deadly Night had me feeling a bit ambivalent. Then, the pace picked up and it was nonstop thrills for the rest of the movie. There were great jump scares, a little romance, and two unlikely characters that you couldn’t help but want a happy ending for. This was a short and sweet flick at barely over an hour and a half and I wish it was longer. After the stage was set, I felt like I blinked and the movie was done. Once I was in, I was so in and I can’t wait to watch it again!

Overall, I am going to rate Silent Night, Deadly Night with an eight out of ten stars. If you love a seasonal slasher too, this is a must see!

What is your favorite Christmas movie? How about your favorite seasonal slasher? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct5

Groovy Movies: The Strangers – Chapter 2 Edition

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Groovy Movies: The Strangers – Chapter 2 Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Groovy Movies! If you are a horror movie fan like me, now is your time to shine. There are countless new scary flicks on the horizon that look awesome and previous releases that share the same sentiments. One movie that I was particularly looking forward to is The Strangers – Chapter 2 because I absolutely love that franchise. I saw it this past week and I really enjoyed it despite the reviews raking it through the coals.

I never go into watching a horror movie with the expectation of a masterpiece and view them as popcorn flicks instead. Regardless of the outcome, I will be entertained and that was very much the case for the newest addition of The Strangers. It was a popcorn flick through and through! Let’s discuss in a spoiler free setting, as always. But, before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on the film for harm to animals, disturbing content, and graphic violence. Now, let’s get to it:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to this video!!

The Strangers – Chapter 2 picks up exactly where Chapter 1 left off. The lone survivor, Maya, is recovering in the hospital after her terrifying first ordeal with The Strangers and is grieving the loss of her beloved fiance. She is wounded, in pain, and an emotional wreck but her problems are far from over. She is the only one who has ever survived an encounter with The Strangers and they aren’t going to let it stay that way. They have already infiltrated the hospital and the mad chase begins.

As Maya becomes the hunted once more, she emerges from the hospital into the rainy night in Venus, Oregon. Is there anyone she can really trust, though? Everywhere she turns, it seems like the whole small town is in on it and The Strangers know her every move before she even makes it. During moments of blessed solitude when Maya tends to her wounds, we learn flashbacks about Pin-Up Girl and Scarecrow when they were children in school as well as the origins of the question on everyone’s mind: Who is Tamara? Maya’s time alone is always short lived and she is outnumbered and has no one or nowhere to turn for help. Will she survive her second night being hunted by The Strangers? We’re going to have to wait for Chapter 3!

As I mentioned earlier, the reviews for The Strangers – Chapter 2 were anything but flattering and it scored a whopping eighteen percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The main qualms being that The Strangers should have been a stand alone film and that we don’t need a backstory into the three villains. My thoughts? The first Strangers movie was brilliant. It’s actually one of my favorite movies and I can see why people would say that it should have just been left alone. Its predecessors pale in comparison but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t entertaining. As for the backstory on The Strangers themselves, I am so there for it. Yes, it’s harrowing that their original reason for their murderous spree was “because you were home”. However, it is enticing to me to learn exactly why that is and how the whole town plays a part in it.

The Strangers – Chapter 2 was fast paced and clocked at just under an hour and forty minutes. For its entire duration, I was on the edge of my seat. It had plenty of good jump scares and the fact that The Strangers always seem to be everywhere was so suspenseful. Even more so because it was easy to root for Maya – seriously can that poor girl catch a break? I was genuinely bummed out when the movie ended on a To Be Continued because I wanted it to keep going and wanted to know more. I don’t know, I really liked it!

Overall, I am going to rate The Strangers – Chapter 2 with a seven out of ten stars. If you are a fan of this franchise, go into it with no preconceived notions. I think you will like it too!

What is your favorite scary movie? What did you think of The Strangers – Chapter 2? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep13

Groovy Movies: The Conjuring Last Rites Edition

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Groovy Movies: The Conjuring Last Rites Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Groovy Movies! If you are a horror movie fan like me, it is your time to shine because there are SO many good scary flicks that have come out or are due to be released soon. One that I was particularly looking forward to was the fourth installment of The Conjuring called Last Rites. I think we can all agree that the first movie was excellent, the second was so so, and the third one sucked on ice. However, those sentiments did not deter me one bit from wanting to see what happens next and I’m glad for it. The Conjuring 4 was better than the second and third one combined! As always, this will be a spoiler free review but I’ll be placing a trigger warning on the movie for pregnancy difficulties, injury to an animal, and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

^^^ I have no rights to this video!!

Ed and Lorraine Warren are getting older and have decided to put their paranormal investigations on an indeterminate hiatus for Ed’s declining heart health. Their days are now spent lecturing and doting on their beloved daughter, Judy, who is now all grown up and dating a young man named Tony. Like her mom, Judy is increasingly having visions of the dead and things that have already happened and are yet to come. It’s a balancing act but both of the ladies manage it the best that they can. Aside from these visions, the Warren’s lives are quiet and peaceful which is in sharp contrast to the Smurl family in a small town called Pittston in Pennsylvania.

The Smurl family compiles of the parents, four daughters, and the father’s parents. They are a devout Catholic family who is in the process of celebrating the confirmation of Heather. The family has a good meal, cake, and Heather is treated to a huge gift from her grandparents: An antique mirror that is as beautiful as it is creepy. Just as soon as the mirror is unwrapped, the entire family begins experiencing paranormal activity to the highest degree. We’re talking levitation, items moving, terrifying spirits, injuries to the family, and a puke storm that would make the little girl in The Exorcist jealous.

Try as they might, the Smurl family cannot find help to rid their home of the angry spirits and take their scary story to the news. The Warren’s are none the wiser about this case but Judy has been keeping up to date and feels the Smurl household drawing her in. After tragedy strikes a dear friend who tried to help the Smurl family, Judy heads to Pennsylvania and her parents follow suit. By the time they arrive in Pittston, Grandma Smurl is being wheeled into an ambulance because something pushed her down the stairs. Judy has already offered her assistance and Ed and Lorraine reluctantly agree to help too. What happens next? You’re going to have to see The Conjuring: Last Rites to find out!

For the most part, I enjoyed this movie. My main qualm I had with it was the pacing because this was a slow burn and I mean slow. The first forty minutes or so of Last Rites was a back and forth situation. It got you up to speed on the Warrens and Judy’s relationship while showing minor instances of the Smurl family haunting. All the while, I was mentally willing this part of the flick to hurry the hell up because I wanted to get to the good stuff. The scary stuff! What transpired in the Smurl home really was scary but it felt like it was over before it even began. The major portion of their haunting consisted of roughly the last thirty-five minutes of the movie and it didn’t feel like it was enough. I always felt like The Conjuring films had an issue with pacing and Last Rites was a shining example of my complaints.

Other than the choppiness of the movie, it really came together once all of the key players of the film were together. Last Rites provided scares reminiscent of the first Conjuring movie – perhaps even more scary. I will never forget my level of fear seeing the first one in theaters and definitely was having similar reactions all of these years later. Also, it is worth saying that any movie with Patrick Wilson is alright by me because he is a dreamboat! If you are a fan of The Conjuring franchise, Last Rites is definitely a must see. Was it great? Absolutely not. But all in all it was a pretty good conclusion to the series.

I am going to rate The Conjuring: Last Rites with a six out of ten stars. It was certainly above average and I will happily watch it again when it comes out on streaming services!

What is your favorite scary movie? What is the last movie you saw in theaters? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep8

Snap & Switch Trick ‘r Treat Sets

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Snap & Switch Trick ‘r Treat Sets

Hello! A few months ago, I saw a preview of 5 Below’s Halloween collection on social media and one thing in particular really caught my eye: A pseudo Lego set called Snap & Switch featuring precious Sam from one of mine and Johnny’s favorite Halloween movies, Trick ‘r Treat. I was on pins and needles to finally snag a set for myself and was keeping my fingers crossed that it would be available during a recent 5 Below trip. Despite the fact that it wasn’t there, I still had a fabulous Halloween haul but, of course, Sam was weighing heavily on my mind.

With my eyes on the prize, I returned back to 5 Below two days later and could not believe my good fortune: The box containing the Trick ‘r Treat builds were on the shipment cart, I asked an employee if I could have one, and actually got two sets. Snap & Switch made a Trick ‘r Treat candy set too! There were only three of each set in the box and I got mine before they even went on the shelves. GREAT SUCCESS. AND Johnny and I built them over the long Labor Day weekend. DOUBLE GREAT SUCCESS! Check it out:

^^^ His lil sucker!!!!

^^^ My lil builder hard at work!

^^^ My Sam plushie has a friend now!! ❤

^^^ Very aware that random black piece doesn’t belong there! -_-

^^^ All done!!! 😀

The first build we tackled was Sam himself and that was easy peasy. It had less than one hundred pieces and we finished it in about fifteen minutes. However, Snap & Switch is obviously no Lego lol. The bricks in the Snap & Switch sets were tiny and I mean TINY and they also were a pain in the butt to snap together. Not a snap at all! Pieces kept flying off constantly and a lot of them were difficult to fit into the build correctly. But, hey, for five bucks what do you expect? I think it’s a great thing that little sets like these are available for on the cheap! You can get a taste for building with bricks without spending an arm and a leg because I guarantee if this were a Lego set, it would be thirty dollars bare minimum. And, regardless of the ease of use for this product, we were still very pleased with the end result!

After quickly building Sam, we expected the candy Snap & Switch to be, well… A snap lol. We couldn’t wait to build Sam’s sucker and then things went horribly wrong. About five steps into the build, we were stumped. The directions were showing one thing but it was very much impossible with the pieces they allowed. Johnny and I tried several different approaches to no avail and we ended up having to use an extra piece to supplement for what couldn’t be done. That left us sans a piece we needed later on, hence the random black Lego brick. For such a small build, this one was frustrating AF and buyer beware that the directions in this set are wrong and you will need an extra piece to complete it fully.

Once we were done with our makeshift sucker, all that was left to do was make the razor blade chocolate. Thankfully, this one went without a hitch because we couldn’t take much more Snap & Switch after the sucker debacle lol. The candy bar was thrown together in under ten minutes and we loved the fact that the piece of chocolate slid off so you can see the danger that looms underneath. This candy set was a surprise because I wasn’t aware of it at all and I am still happy with it although it caused some difficulty. Yes, it bites that the directions weren’t accurate and pieces were missing but, hey, what do you expect for five dollars?!

If you are a Trick ‘r Treat fan, the Sam build is available on 5 Below’s website as far as I know. Definitely worth it for an hour or so of fun with an adorable end result!

Do you like to build with Lego? What is the best off brand Lego? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun20

Groovy Movies: Dangerous Animals Edition

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Groovy Movies: Dangerous Animals Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Groovy Movies! One of my clients is a huge horror movie fan and one of her favorite things to do is catch the newest scary flicks in theaters. Just like me! She also has a passion for creature themed scary movies so Dangerous Animals was an absolute must see for her. We ended up seeing it this past week and it was an excellent choice because we both loved it. In fact, everyone who we talked about it with wants to see it too. In a spoiler free setting, as always, let’s discuss:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to this video!!

Dangerous Animals takes place in beautiful Australia with all of the sun, sand, surf, and… sharks that you could ever imagine. Zephyr, our leading lady, finds solace in the waves and spends her time on the beach, hocking snacks from gas stations, and living in her car. Tucker, our main baddie, also feels the call of the ocean – particularly to the sharks that inhabit the water. He runs a swim with the sharks cage diving adventure via his business “Tucker’s Experience”. When he’s not on his boat getting wasted, he is on the prowl for his newest victim. Tucker’s Experience is not simply cage diving, but a front for his favorite hobby of all: Watching the sharks nosh on the people who were looking for the thrill of a lifetime.

Tucker has been watching Zephyr and is intoxicated by her beauty, skills on the surfboard, and all of the booze that he chugs throughout the day. He must have her and blindsides her during an early morning surf. She wakes up on his boat handcuffed to a bed and meets another girl who got caught in his trap. Crafty Zephyr immediately sets to work to get them out of this deadly situation, but Tucker is just as clever too. With every step Zephyr takes towards freedom, Tucker is always one step ahead. He dubs her his “marlin” because of her fight, but let’s it be known that the marlin will always end up on the fisherman’s boat. Does Zephyr stand a fighting chance? Or will she end up as Tucker’s latest shark bait? Watch Dangerous Animals to find out!

From start to finish, Dangerous Animals was just pure fun and funny too! Jai Courtney as Tucker was a formidable leading man and carried this film with gusto. From his drunken dancing, drunken singing “Baby Shark”, and the ridiculousness he is constantly spewing, you could just tell that Courtney was having a ball playing this character. He was the ideal antagonist to the calm, cool, and collected Zephyr. While she was level headed throughout her terror, Tucker was on an entirely different planet and the juxtaposition between the two of them created a strong sense of urgency. No matter how cool Zephyr played it, crazy Tucker was there to play chess and it was a game of cat and mouse on the open seas.

Dangerous Animals clearly didn’t take itself too seriously and it made for a slasher that was so highly entertaining while still serving that classic horror movie gore. In fact, the humor that was consistent throughout the movie made all of the scares even scarier. It really did lull you into a false sense of complacency! This flick is the perfect summer slasher and was a wild ride. I would love to watch it again and can’t recommend it enough!

Overall, I am going to award Dangerous Animals with an eight out of ten stars. It was innovative, hilarious, and scary all in one and Jai Courtney did a phenomenal job. It’s worth a watch for his performance alone!

What movies are you looking forward to seeing? What was the last movie you saw in theaters? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb24

Groovy Movies: Heart Eyes Edition

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Groovy Movies: Heart Eyes Edition

Hello!! I have had the pleasure of working with my very first client as an Independent Provider again and it is nothing short of a total joy. When I first started working with her almost a decade ago, one of our favorite community outings was going to see scary movies together. We both share a love for horror and slasher flicks and would hit the movie theater at least once per month. This past week, it was the most wonderful deja vu to go see Heart Eyes, as per her suggestion. This Valentine’s Day slasher checked all of my boxes and it was a blast from start to finish. I can’t wait to watch it again with Johnny because we both adore holiday themed scary movies! 😀

^^^ I do not have any rights to this video!

The Heart Eyes Killer or HEK for short has been terrorizing happy couples on Valentine’s Day for the past handful of years. Any cute couple displaying PDA is not safe from the scorn of this serial killer and they are advised to stay inside and keep their affection under wraps. This is no problem for Ally because saying she is unlucky in love is a total understatement. She went through a bad breakup and truly believes that romance is dead. So much so, that she created a dark ad campaign featuring famous death scenes from romance flicks for the jewelry company she works for to celebrate the season.

With the HEK on the loose, this could not have been a worse time for the campaign to launch so her employer sends in the big guns: A handsome freelancer named Jay who will surely create romantic magic to sell jewelry for Love Day. This comes as a HUGE shock to Ally who happened to have a meetcute encounter with Jay at the coffee shop prior to her campaign coming to a screeching halt. Jay would like Ally’s help for the new ad and invites her to dinner to which she agrees with the emphasis on it not being a date but a work meeting.

The restaurant they go to is very romantic and fully decked out for Valentine’s Day. It would be perfect minus the fact that Ally has sworn off of dating and, oh yeah, her ex boyfriend and his new flame have arrived for their reservation. To make her ex jealous, Ally engages Jay in a passionate kiss. Her former love isn’t the only one to see their lip lock – the HEK did too. In the killer’s heart shaped eyes, they broke the most important rule of all: Absolutely no PDA. From the moment Jay and Ally’s lips touched, their fate was sealed and the killer is hot on their tail. Will they survive the night after the Heart Eyes Killer targets them as the newest victims? Or, will true love conquer all? Watch Heart Eyes to find out!

As soon as Heart Eyes started, I was immediately in and remained that way for the entirety of the film. This short and sweet slasher was nonstop fun! It was hilarious, had some pretty nice eye candy, and crazy kills. My client and I couldn’t believe that a movie like this hadn’t been made before because the plot seems somewhat obvious. Then again, no one else has ever thought of it and Heart Eyes twisted this predictable plot into something shockingly fresh. Like I said, Johnny and I have grown most fond of holiday slashers and Heart Eyes is, easily, my favorite one yet. Is it the best scary movie ever? Of course not. Is it worth the watch? Absolutely!

Overall, I am going to rate Heart Eyes with an eight out of ten stars. Based on the fact alone that I wanted to watch it immediately again with Johnny after seeing it, I highly recommend giving it a watch!

What is the last movie you saw in theaters? What is your favorite scary movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct7

Halloween Fun

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Halloween Fun

Hello!! Last year was a pretty rough time for yours truly and although Johnny and I always revel in the Halloween season, we didn’t do a whole lot of anything. I am pleased to report that this year, we are back on our BS in a major way and I love that for us! We have grand plans for this beloved time for the both of us and I can’t wait to complete everything on our Halloween checklist:

Haunted House:

Johnny and I started dating in September of 2019 – mere months before the Covid-19 pandemic. That Halloween was the only time that we went to a haunted house together and I just won’t stand for it. There is an absolutely fantastic haunted house about a half hour or so away from us. It’s called the Factory of Terror and it is one of the largest indoor haunted attractions in the country. This is the haunted house we went to when we first started dating! However, it will be nothing like what we saw during our outing. The cool thing about the Factory of Terror is that they change all five of their haunted houses every year into something unrecognizable to prior visits. I can’t wait to see what it looks like this year!

Something you might not know about me is that my first job was working as an actor at a haunted house called Carnival of Horrors. I know every single trick in the book, yet all that knowledge goes out the window as soon as I go to haunted houses. Much to Johnny’s amusement, I become the prime target for the actors because I get got every time lol. I’m sure it will be the same thing this time around but, hey, that’s the fun of a haunted house. 😀

Pumpkin Patch:

One of my all time favorite Date Days with Johnny was when we visited a local pumpkin patch. We got the cutest tiny pumpkins, took the cutest pictures, and enjoyed a yummy meal afterwards. We also never did this again so we are adding it to the agenda! While we don’t have a yard to decorate due to apartment life, we need a little something and no porch is complete without a few pumpkins. Johnny also takes great pleasure in throwing them at trees so we’ll grab a couple of extra ones for that purpose lol.

Trick or Treat:

Last year, Johnny and I made a bonfire and passed out candy with my parents at their house. It was SO much fun to see all of the kids in their costumes parading throughout the neighborhood and we definitely plan on doing that again. We also will be joining our nieces for their Trick or Treat outing and are looking forward to it so much. We are keeping our fingers crossed that our nieces will share the loot with their Fun Aunt and Uncle! 😀

Costumes:

Johnny and I have never done matching costumes and we are going for it this year. We are going to have Candyland inspired costumes with Johnny being Lord Licorice and me being a Candy Queen. I am so excited for it! In fact, we already have our costumes for next year picked out too: Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl. The hilarious thing about both of these costumes for Johnny is that he literally already has everything he needs in his own wardrobe. Does that mean he’ll go halfsies with me on the costumes I have to buy? #fingerscrossed

31 in 31:

Finally, Johnny and I are VERY committed to completing the 31 scary movies in 31 days challenge this year. We haven’t missed a day yet and it has been great. We have been working our way through Johnny’s silly slashers and my atmospheric picks in alternation. And, of course, wearing our matching spooky pajamas and noshing on movie theater treats. I look forward to what we are going to watch every day upon our return home and it is such a nice change of pace from our usual post-work screenings of SVU!

All aboard the Halloween Fun express because we are living it up this spooky season!

What are your favorite Halloween activities? What is your favorite holiday? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct4

On The Move OOTD Bloopers

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On The Move OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my On The Move OOTD! On Saturday, we took our darling niece out for Treat Day and the most fun was had by all. I even got all dressed down for the occasion, which is something that rarely happens in a normal OOTD post. Hey, sometimes you’ve got to shake things up – exactly what the blooper reel is all about! Let’s take a lookieloo at some WTF moments from the shoot:

Lumbering around an apartment complex near you

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She sticks the landing!!!!! #GOAT

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I swear I’m not calling you all losers, I was doing my impression of taking pictures lol

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Clearly feeling really swell in this one! 😀

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Putting some STANK on it

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Easy, breezy, beautiful CoverGirl

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Johnny and I are avid fans of scary movies and we watch them all year round. They just hit different during spooky season, though! Every October, Johnny and I attempt to watch a scary movie per day to complete the thirty-one movies in thirty-one days challenge. Have we ever completed it? Absolutely not, but we sure do like to try lol. If nothing else, it gives us something to look forward to when we are both home from work and up for a movie screening.

As per our tradition, we alternate between who is picking the movie. Thank goodness because I think we would spend all evening deciding if we went with the mutual option route. Johnny and I have extremely different tastes in scary movies. He loves a slasher and the dumber the better (Winnie the Pooh Blood & Honey, anyone?). Myself, on the other hand, much prefers dark psychological thrillers. They might not always have a jump scare aspect to it, but I really like that they make you think. We are definitely in for an… interesting array of movies all October long!

Regardless of what we watch, I so enjoy a cozy evening in with my main squeeze. Even if he makes fun of me every time I’m startled (Which is often)! 😀

Which scary movies should we add to our watch list? What is your favorite scary movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep17

R&R Weekend

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R&R Weekend

Hello!! This past week was an incredibly busy one for yours truly. On top of my normal work schedule, I also worked two events for my boss, Tim. One to do a presentation for college students at Kent State University and another at the end of summer Misnyland picnic. Both were really fun to attend, but I was exhausted by the time I arrived home on Friday. All of my plans for cooking, cleaning, and weekend activities went out the window once I became one with my couch!

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Hanging with my plushie friend!

After a whirlwind picnic on Friday the 13th, Johnny and I deemed it necessary to have a weekend of R&R. And, in honor of said Friday the 13th, scary movies were in order! Normally, I like to do at least one activity with Johnny during the weekend and as nice as that is, it was so much nicer to laze about with my main squeeze. The only agenda being to actually agree on what horror movies to watch lol. I much prefer an atmospheric psychological thriller and movies to the likes of Saw. Johnny, on the other hand, loves ridiculous slashers like Scream and basically any B-list scary flick that has ever been made. Needless to say, we have very different tastes!

To satisfy both of our preferred horror, we compromised. As we should, we watched a Friday the 13th on the thirteenth. Then on Saturday we watched my pick followed by his. I chose an Australian movie called Run Rabbit Run which was pretty good. It was certainly a slow burn of a film and had some creepy vibes. Was it pure horror? Not especially, but I’m glad we watched it even though I wouldn’t watch it again. After the dreary aesthetic of Run Rabbit Run, we were definitely in the mood for something more fast paced, which brought us to Johnny’s selection…

As we browsed through our options on Netflix, one movie caught both of our eyes. It was called Thanksgiving. Because neither of us have ever seen a scary movie revolving around the holiday, Johnny wanted to give it a go. Even though I rolled my eyes about it, I’ve got to say – Thanksgiving was a total hoot. Long story short, a killer seeks revenge after a Black Friday massacre at one of the local superstores. It was goofy, it was cheesy, but it had the craziest kills that kept us jumping the entire time. We got scared, we had a ton of laughs, and I think Johnny’s pick blew mine out of the water.

As soon as September hit, Johnny and I shifted into spooky season mode. It is our tradition around this time of year to squeeze in as many scary movies as we can and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

What is your favorite scary movie? Have you seen anything in theaters recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep7

Groovy Movies: Longlegs Edition

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Groovy Movies: Longlegs Edition

Hello!! There haven’t been too many movies that have come out in theaters recently that Johnny and I have wanted to see. The only one was Longlegs. We had grand plans to have a Middle Class Fancy night on the town of dinner and a show a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the movie wasn’t playing at any convenient times so we just went home. We both still agreed that we would like to see it sooner than later, so we ended up renting it this past weekend. I honestly haven’t stopped thinking about it since. In the good or bad way? The jury’s still out! But let’s discuss further in a spoiler free setting with a trigger warning placed on Longlegs for graphic violence, gore, and highly disturbing content. Here we go:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to this video.

Long(legs) story short… Agent Lee Harker has been assigned to a serial killer case that has gone cold. In the killings, entire families are annihilated with no rhyme or reason. In fact, physical evidence to place anyone at the scene of the crime is nonexistent. All that is left at every scene is a coded message signed by a person calling themselves Longlegs. A true game of cat and mouse between the FBI and the killer ensues and the only guarantee is that Longlegs will strike again. And soon. Lee Harker must dig deep into her mind and her past because the answers are all there, if she can remember them, of course. What happens next? Watch Longlegs to find out!

OKAY, so when we began our viewing of Longlegs, Johnny and I were SO in. The soundtrack was bumping, the first scene was shocking, and a wild ride of a movie seemed promising. I found Maika Monroe as Lee Harker to be very dull right from the jump and that opinion didn’t change. This was okay, though, because we were exclusively there for Nick Cage. Normally, I would say that that man couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag. As the titular character, however, he was masterful. Eerie, disturbing, and so disgusting to look at that you couldn’t look away. He had me completely hooked and I remained that way until I wasn’t.

The first half of Longlegs was purely procedural cat and mouse. This is mine and Johnny’s favorite type of story line and we were loving it. Then, it took a drastic turn and for the worse. What began as something that *almost* seemed plausible did a total one eighty as it shifted from real life to the demonic. This is when I found my interest fading and fast. Do I understand the delving into the paranormal? Sure. Did I like it? Not one bit. This huge change halfway through the flick seemed haphazard – like a cop out. The supernatural shift also felt incredibly flimsy, as if this was the first thing that stuck to the wall and the director said “okay”. We saw the movie through until the end but my opinion changed to “this was stupid” as opposed to the banner reception I had of the first half.

I feel very conflicted about Longlegs and I think I keep thinking about it because I wanted to like it more than I actually did. I plan on watching it one more time, but I wouldn’t call it a “must watch” by any means. I am going to give it five out of ten stars. Five for the first half and zilch for the rest!

What was the last movie you saw in theaters? What did you think about Longlegs? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah