It’s a mish-mosh of movies in my latest marathon, but one is a definite winner for me. Let’s find out which one.
OF THE DEVIL (2022)
I have to give this low budget possession flick credit for having a few standout moments that could have enhanced a better film, but overall it’s a rather messy, disjointed story plagued by endless moments of a couple reacting unrealistically to the situation their young son is in.
Let’s start off by noting that the hot husband is reason enough to watch the film. His performance is also one of the better ones here.
So the son is out playing in the yard with the neighbor’s dog when a CGI butterfly flutters by and apparently possesses him. The couple soon thinks they’re dealing with a son with a brain tumor, but instead of going the traditional route to treat it, they end up taking him to a witch doctor in Mexico.
We kind of end up with a Pet Sematary possession film. The son dies and then appears back in their yard playing with the neighbor’s dog, and the couple just goes on with life. Of course it soon becomes clear something is very wrong, and eerie occurrences begin plaguing the couple, their son, and the husband’s invalid mother. The son also seems to be having Sixth Sense episodes in which he sees spooky dead people roaming around the house (one of the highlights of the horror).
The unrealistic reactions to everything happening is the biggest problem here, and along with that, the narrative simply doesn’t have a clear path to travel on its way to a final, low key exorcism scene.
Having said that, there are several highlights—a zombie-like Jesus appearing in a hall (I would have taken him as the main threat over the other dead people), the son’s response when his mother tells him to go change his clothes, a creature appearing behind the invalid mother’s caretaker, and the last minute appearance of the Devil at the exorcism.
Oh, and there’s one unexpected surprise…a brief cameo by Vicky of The Real Housewives of Orange County.
Plus, Eileen Dietz, whose claim to fame was playing the stand-in for Linda Blair in The Exorcist, plays the neighbor, and not coincidentally, a statue of Pazuzu makes an appearance.
DEEP FEAR (2023)
A new shark movie popped up on Netflix and I was all excited…especially since I expected absolutely nothing from it but some cheap thrills.
A professional diver is out on a boat alone and about to get involved in a dangerous situation all on her own. And yet the film soon frames her existence in terms of her relationship to men—her love interest, her father.
Anyway, she saves a couple stranded in the water because their boat sunk. They say a family member is still trapped down there, so she offers to go save him.
Several jump scares are delivered thanks to other people who were on the boat and are now dead. There’s also a brief shark attack and chase.
Things take a sudden turn when the main woman finds herself at the mercy of criminals that want her to dive down and rescue bags of cocaine. Bags of cocaine that glitter bomb the shark, which had me expecting a Cocaine Shark movie.
I don’t know if the shark got high from the stuff, but it’s pretty low energy until the last 10 minutes of the film, when it leaps out of the water for a delicious attack scene. That is literally the highlight of the movie. Oh. And wouldn’t you know the main woman’s love interest has to show up to help save her.
HERE FOR BLOOD (2022)
Probably best known for playing Wesker in the Resident Evil franchise, horror hunk Shawn Roberts has been doing horror flicks for 3 decades now, but he’s never been beefier than in this horror comedy.
It’s great to see him as the kick ass hero in a lighter role that plays to his charisma. It’s also great to see him shirtless.
In fact, this one is filled with beefcake in leather and shirtless, reminding us there’s a fine line between a wrestling ring and a gay bar. It definitely earns a spot on the stud stalking page.
See, Shawn plays a pro-wrestler who isn’t making any money, so he takes a babysitting job at an isolated house. The little girl he’s caring for is perfectly cast, and their charming chemistry sets the tone for the night they have ahead of them.
The film starts as a home invasion flick when several masked figures infiltrate the house. One is a hunk who looks like a cross between KISS and The Crow, and another looks quite freaky wearing a mask upside down.
This quickly turns into a quirky, comical splatterfest as Shawn puts his wrestling moves to good use taking down home invaders.
And then…we go into Evil Dead territory with a dash of The Little Shop of Horrors thrown in for good measure.
Not to mention…a beefcake final boss…
Here for Blood is a blast, ideal for a movie watching party, and better fricking come out on disc so I can add it to my movie collection.
