In Which I Review Some Movies I Watched During Spooky Season

 Hello! So, I recently saw some movies that were more horror-esque for Halloween, and I wanted to talk about them. Yes, I know Halloween's over, but I will keep talking about Halloween-related stuff for pretty much forever. So, let's begin with my review of Scream.

Summary: A year after the murder of her mother, a young girl is tormented by a new killer, who targets her and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game. 

Scream is a 1996 slasher/horror film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy and Drew Barrymore. 

My Thoughts: I really liked this video. Now, I don't have a lot of experience with horror movies and I'm no expert, so feel free to take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I thought it was really well-done. 

While it is a horror movie, it has a bit of a mystery side because you don't know who the killer is until the end, and I was really impressed because I genuinely didn't guess who it would be. I also loved how it paid homage to a lot of other horror/thriller movies. Sort of like how Community has all of its different references/parodies. Also, this is a small thing, but I love recognizing different cast members, and there were so many people here that I knew from other things [I knew Rose McGowan as Paige from Charmed and Matthew Lillard from Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated]. 

Also, I really liked the main character, Sidney. My favorite thing about her is that she's actually smart and capable. There are so many dumb horror movie characters [if you hear a weird noise, don't ask ''who is it?''], and Sidney definitely isn't one. 

Also, I liked both Tatum and Dewey. Tatum because she's sassy but secretly sweet, and Dewey because he's openly sweet. Also, love Randy because he's a film nerd. And, surprisingly, I ended up liking Gayle. I hated her at first, but by the end I liked her. 

Also, even though it's a horror movie, I don't think it's particularly scary [except for the opening scene. That scene is terrifying and will haunt my nightmares], it was very suspenseful and there are a lot of jump scares and a fair amount of gore. 

As a whole, I really liked this movie, and I thought it was really good. Also, I think it would be a really good movie to watch if you're a first-time horror viewer, since it is creepy, but not terrifying.

It's rated R, and it is pretty gory, so, just, like, maybe look into it a little before watching it, in case gore is something that bothers you.

Now, next up.

The Shining was written and directed by Stanley Kubrick [and based on the book by Stephen King], and stars Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson and Phillip Stone. 

Basically, it's about a man named Jack, his wife, Wendy, and their son, Danny-----who has supernatural powers who move up to a hotel in the Colorado mountains for Jack's new job as caretaker, only to find out that it's haunted. 

My Thoughts: I had mixed thoughts on this movie [this is sort of going to be a book vs movie post]. I liked the book, and I kind of liked the movie. I don't mind when artistic changes are made, as long as those changes improve the original work----or, at least-----doesn't detract from it [such as the time jumps in Greta Gerwig's version of Little Women], but, in this version, I felt like the book was better.

For example, Danny has an imaginary friend named Tony-----who frequently communicates with him, and it works a lot better in the book because several chapters are written from Danny's perspective and we actually get to see Tony the way Danny sees him. In the movie, however, we never really see Tony. In order for the audience to know who Tony is, Danny just says what Tony tells him in a weird voice, which I thought didn't work as well. 

I also liked Wendy a lot better in the book. I think Shelley Duvall did a good job, but I just preferred Wendy's character in the book. She's a lot snarkier and more strong-willed in the book, which I like better, but that's just me. 

Also, in the book, the hotel itself is the main villain, which comes across very clearly, which I didn't think came across as clearly in the movie. 

I also didn't like the finale. I thought it was kind of anticlimactic. I also didn't like Hallorann's death-----he stays alive in the book, and I wish he had in the movie. 

With all that said, the movie wasn't all bad. I thought it was genuinely creepy, the cinematography was really cool, and the actors all did a really great job. 

So, I didn't like it as much as the book, so it was kind of a medicore movie for me, but, if you haven't read the book, I still think it's a good horror movie. This one is also rated R, both for gore and nudity [like full nudity], so, if that's not something you want to see, again, look into it a little.

And, for the last movie I'll be reviewing [which is also going to be a book vs. movie comparison].

Dracula was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and stars Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes, Billy Campbell, Sadie Frost and Tom Waits. 

The plot is pretty much the same as the book. It's about a vampire named Dracula who terrorizes a group of people in England, and they have to figure out how to defeat him.

It's been awhile since I've read the book, but I think it's pretty similar [except for a few moments, which we'll get to later]. The major difference is it is a lot more sexual-----like there's a lot of innuendo and some nudity, and other parts that I can't really describe but they're just a lot more erotic------which I didn't really mind, but it is a major difference, and it definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea. Lucy, as a character, is also a lot more flirtatious than her book counterpart. Again, I didn't really mind, but if you're really into book accuracy, you might not like that change.

I really love the cinematography. It's not pretty, but it's very intense with lots of quick, flashing images, which I think worked really well for a creepy story. Also, the entire cast was just fantastic, and I knew a lot of them. Shout out to Gary Oldman [who you probably know as Sirius Black from the Harry Potter movies], who is an absolutely incredible actor. Like I mentioned before, I love it when I recognize actors, and there was a lot of that here. There was him, plus Keanu Reeves [who I know from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure], Winona Ryder [who I know from a lot of different movies and shows], and Cary Elwes [who I know from The Princess Bride and Stranger Things]. All of these actors were good [minus Keanu Reeve's British accent. Accents are not his forte. Winona Ryder's British accent also wasn't great, but it was, at least, consistent, which makes it slightly better than his], as were everyone else who I wasn't familiar with. Sadie Frost, for example. Never seen her in anything before, but she was excellent. The story is mostly the same as the book, and I like the book, so I like the overall plot-----except for one part. 

And that part is the Mina/Dracula romance. 

Her dress is pretty, though.

So, Mina looks a lot like Dracula's wife, Elisabeta, so he becomes infatuated with her, and she does with him [I'm not sure if it's Mina consciously choosing it, or if she somehow is Elisabeta reincarnated or something], but, either way, I was not a fan of that storyline.

As a whole, I liked it as a movie and an adaptation, though the book was better. 

This one is also rated R, for the already-mentioned nudity, and it is also fairly gory, so just be aware of that. 

So, that concludes this massive post. Have you seen any of these movies? Do you want to?