It’s a trio of flicks about girls getting into scary situations, but I wasn’t fully satisfied with any of these. Let’s find out why.
LET’S SCARE JULIE (2019)
We’ve scared Jessica to death, now it’s time to scare Julie! I have to say, I really liked a lot of what this film had to offer. In fact, there’s only one aspect that limits its ability to deliver any scares—it’s one of those movies that is mostly shot in one take, which means the camera must stick to a set location instead of following different characters as they split up.
There’s a group of girls having a little party in one girl’s bedroom. I really liked the group of girls here. Their interactions feel very natural and genuine. The girl who lives in the house tells a creepy story of the neighbor woman, whose father disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind nothing but a photo that was taken of him from behind. This isn’t a found footage film (although it has the same vibe due to the single take approach), but that final photo detail is reminiscent of the “standing in the corner” plot point of the Blair Witch legend.
Anyway, the girls decide to scare the mysterious woman next door. One by one, they head over to the house…and never come back. We’re left with a growing urgency to know what’s happening over there, wherein lies the problem. We don’t get to go with any of them, which leads to a majority of the film focusing on the reactions of the girls who haven’t ventured over to the neighbor’s house yet. On the one hand, that adds to the suspense, but on the other hand, it becomes repetitive.
However, things do eventually narrow down to one final girl, so it is then that we get to follow her to the house for some creepy moments accompanied by orchestral stingers to up the scare factor. The final frame, however, definitely gives big time found footage vibes, with us never actually seeing what the fate of the girls has been all along, a mystery amplified by a simple off-screen scream. Sigh.
Of note is that, whether intentional or not, the movie most definitely makes a statement about girls having their fathers in their lives.
THE CURSE OF THE NECKLACE (2024)
This one mashes up several familiar subgenres of horror, which is about the only reason it brings something “new” to the table. It’s essentially a tween horror flick, because despite a serious storyline, it’s just the usual cheap ghost scares we’ve been subjected to since The Conjuring series became popular.
A woman is trying to raise her two daughters as a single mom. The husband, played by Henry Thomas, is attempting to stay in their lives, but the mother doesn’t want to have much to do with him because of his issues. However, he is a cop, and he comes over for dinner one night and gives the younger daughter a necklace…that he secretly stole from a crime scene. Uh-oh.
Yep. The necklace is cursed. By a little boy. The girls begin getting terrorized by him and a few other entities.
Soon, the mother is digging into the origins of the necklace. There’s a detective, a psychic medium, and just when you think there will be a ghost busting conclusion, the script is flipped and this turns into a possession film for the final act…at just about the point where it started to run too long and bore me, so the rerouting definitely saved it a little, because at least we’re fed some new horror action.
You’ve most likely seen it all before, and there’s a goofy zinger scare scene after the credits that isn’t worth waiting for. It didn’t need to be after the credits because it’s pointless beyond a goal of making twelve-year-old girls at sleepovers squeal.
BLOODY TRIP: THE EQUINOX KILLER (2024)
I seriously have no idea what I just watched with this one. On the bright side, it’s a badly dubbed Italian movie, so I was getting retro 80s Euro horror flashbacks.
Three girls go to an isolated house for a bachelorette party. Conveniently, one of them is into horror, is working on a movie, and tells a story of an equinox curse involving offering sacrifices to a demon to stop the dead from rising.
Just as they finish discussing the tale, someone in a mask shows up at the door. Did they summon him by indulging in the legend? Not sure.
Either way, this quickly becomes reminiscent of The Strangers, as the masked person lurks around outside and the girls try to stay barricaded inside. Even so, one of their male friends manages to arrive and make it inside the house safely.
Then there’s a wacky twist, more baddies arrive, and the main characters try to just stay alive. There’s running around and lots of fighting with a variety of weapons that can do some major damage, but there’s just nothing conclusive happening here…right up to the ending, which says “to be continued.” Ugh. And based on a listing on IMDb, I’m thinking the next movie is going to be a zombie film. Yes, of course I’ll watch it…while I ponder how the masked killer knew the names of all the kids so he could assign each one a personalized candle…
