Movie Nights: Week in review 6.14-6.20
This week was a little random but we had some fun!
13 Cameras (2016)
Watching 13 cameras is a very awkward experience, but it was better than we expected. It’s essentially about a landlord, later called the “slumlord killer” spying on his tenants with secret cameras and it escalating to violence. The acting is a bit uncomfortable and seems forced especially in the beginning. But If you dig voyeurism and repulsive killers you might enjoy this one. The couple in the movie are the worst, Husband Ryan and his pregnant wife Claire (PJ McCabe and Brianne Moncrief) have no chemistry and treat each other awfully, we basically rooted for their deaths. There were a few genuinely creepy parts that really made our skin crawl. The "slumlord/killer (Neville Archambault) is so grotesque, they do a fantastic job making him disgusting. There was one toothbrush scene that was so heinous and you really felt like you were being violated too. It is creepy on a very low key level and it gets better the longer it goes on you just have to give it a chance. We loved the dark ending. This is one to just have fun with and not take too seriously. It's worth it if that’s what you’re down for.
STREAMING ON: AMAZON PRIME (FREE)
Photo Credit IMDB
14 Cameras (2018)
14 Cameras is the direct sequel to 13 cameras so it follows the same “slumlord killer”. (Neville Archambault) We catch up with him and the not so pregnant Claire anymore who he kidnapped and has been holding captive in some kind of underground bunker. He rents a nice house packed with secret cameras to a family on vacation with their teen children and the daughter's friend. It shows him live-streaming the secret camera footage somewhere online, presumably for money. The plot in this one is way more substantial than the first, there are multiple characters that we actually rooted for. We also loved the added aspect of the online viewers, it makes it even more violating and dangerous. We must reiterate how repulsive the slumlord is, he does an amazing job of being the biggest creep and just exuding a nasty vibe. The end is really intense and we really enjoyed it! 14 Cameras is totally worth a stand alone watch but it would be way better if you’ve seen the first so you might as well go down the rabbit hole and start with that one.
STREAMING ON: AMAZON (FREEVEE W/ ADS)
Photo Credit IMDB
15 Cameras (2022)
15 cameras is kinda fun but its not really worth watching, although it does have a nice bloody opening scene it is less straight horror and more horror/comedy. The violence doesn't start until about 15 minutes before the end credits and it doesn’t really hold up compared to the previous two. This story is a unique premise for the third installment in a franchise, we’ll give it that. Everything after that is a little disappointing, the acting is fine but the storyline is a little ridiculous. This young couple Cam and Sky (Will Madden and Angela Wong Carbone) buy a duplex previously owned by the notorious slumlord killer from the previous films. They plan to live in half and rent the other half when Cam discovers a secret room with monitors showing (surprise, surprise) secret cameras hidden throughout the house in a crawlspace and tells nobody. Sky is convinced the killer is still alive after obsessing over the documentary about the Slumlord killer and becomes paranoid. Cam’s behavior becomes increasingly odd, inappropriate and creepy to an almost unbelievable level. The characters are pretty unrelatable with Cam and Sky being a terrible couple and Sky’s sister Carolyn being a little pathetic. The end gets pretty weird and the chain of events makes little to no sense. They replaced the “slumlord killer” with a different actor (James Babson) and he is much less repulsive; it just doesn’t have the same creep factor. We did enjoy the ending, it was pretty funny. If you’re curious and have watched the other two it's not a total waste of time but most definitely not worth a stand alone watch.
STREAMING ON: AMAZON PRIME (FREE)
Photo Credit IMDB
Bad Hair (2020)
We watched Bad Hair on Juneteenth, feeling that it was fitting. It shows a really interesting perspective that you don’t really see very often. It was cool to see more representation and a relatable character especially in horror. Aletha has a very sensitive head (like the main character) and really struggled with her hair before she grew out her dreads so this one really held our attention. The main character Anna (Elle Lorraine) tries to keep her job at a hip MTV like channel in Los Angeles when her boss is replaced. She is told she needs to look the part to fit into the new brand if she wants to move up and is pushed into getting a weave. When she got the hair sewed in it was so cringy and hard to watch it made us queasy, it’s one of the creepiest parts of the film. She soon realizes the hair has a mind of its own and terror ensues. It is kind of like a mix between body horror and supernatural set in 1989 so it has a cool vibe to it. We also see appearances from Usher, Vanessa Williams and Laverne Cox. It is more of a black comedy/horror and it is pretty clever throughout. We liked the ending quite a bit, definitely worth a watch.
STREAMING ON: HULU
Photo Credit IMDB
The Stranger (2020)
The Stranger was almost a complete waste of time but we had so much fun making fun of it throughout it wasn’t the worst movie to hate watch. With two actors we really like Maika Monroe and Dane DeHaan we are not sure how it is so bad, but it is. The script is a joke, the plot makes no sense whatsoever and has so many holes it almost had us thinking it was on purpose. The movie is about a rideshare driver who picks up a passenger that then stalks and harasses her for the rest of the night. The stalker Carl (Dane DeHaan) is somehow magically able to appear anywhere she is and track her every move. The main character Clare (Maika Monroe) makes bad decision after bad decision and it makes absolutely no sense. She is so frustrating to watch because she is doing everything in the most foolish way and being so stupid. It kind of reminded us of “Run Sweetheart Run” in the way that it was a fine premise executed very very poorly. All the characters' behavior is so unbelievable it felt like a fever dream. We also hated the ending so there were no redeeming factors. Don’t waste your time.
STREAMING ON: HULU
Photo Credit IMDB
The Amityville Horror (2005)
The Amityville Horror remake is pretty decent and a bit more fun than the original in our opinion. Ryan Reynolds does a fantastic job in this role, you don’t really see him do many serious roles but he killed it in this and seemed genuinely frightening. All the actors do a good job, this being Chloe Grace Moretz’s debut cinematic appearance she did an incredible job and performed all her own stunts at just 8 years old. There is a lot of good tension building throughout and the rooftop scene with the daughter was really anxious feeling. The mom is super weak at the end but she also sucked in the first one so I guess that tracks. It’s a good chill horror movie to watch if you’re in the mood for a supernatural story that isn’t too deep.
STREAMING ON: HBO
Photo Credit IMDB
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