Six Flix: This Week in Horror Movies (4/16-4/21)

Much of our week was focused on revisiting Millennium Horror and embracing the campy fun of teen slashers and entertaining thrillers.

Editor’s Note:

The Rise of J-Horror: The late 90s and early 2000s also saw the rise of Japanese horror (J-Horror) on the international stage. Movies like Ringu (1998) and Ju-on: The Grudge (2002) introduced audiences outside Japan to a new style of horror that relied heavily on atmosphere, dread, and the unsettling nature of the supernatural. These films often featured ghosts and curses rooted in Japanese folklore, which presented a stark contrast to the more explicit violence and gore prevalent in Western horror films at the time.

Psychological Horror and Nuanced Storytelling: This era also welcomed films that explored psychological horror and complex narratives, such as The Sixth Sense (1999) and The Others (2001). These films focused more on mood, character development, and twists that challenged viewers’ perceptions, offering a more cerebral form of horror that appealed to a broader audience.

This week was a win with some sick thrillers and nostalgia watches.

1. SMILE (2022)

The most recently released horror film we watched this week, Smile was quite a surprising treat.

The opening shot is great. We love the colors and transitions throughout the film, and the actors give great performances. It definitely gives It Follows vibes but is much more brutal and gory, which we love. It’s wild to think this was Parker Finn’s Directorial debut.

Our main character is a woman named Rose (Sosie Bacon- Kevin Bacon’s Daughter!). She is a therapist who witnessed a patient kill themselves in front of her and comes to believe she’s inherited a curse from them. She is in a terribly unsupportive relationship with Jessie T Usher who doesn’t believe her and pushes her further into her own “delusions”.  The story unravels really well and has really bloody and creative kills.

There are a few jump scares, but the movie doesn’t rely on them overall to be scary. Unsurprisingly, the creepiest part is the eerie smiles throughout. There are some pretty cool effects all around that make this one fun and frightening.

We loved the way this film was edited and found it genuinely unsettling — an easy recommendation.

2. DISTURBIA (2007)

Disturbia is a fun teen thriller starring Shia LaBeouf and directed by D.J. Caruso. We love this one; it is just too much fun not to enjoy, and it has a great soundtrack.

It starts with Kale (Shia) getting put on house arrest for assaulting his high school Spanish teacher. Bored after his mother revokes his Xbox privileges, he takes to spying on the girl next door and watching his neighbors. When he becomes suspicious that one of them, Mr.Turner (David Morse), is a killer, he and his friends take it into their own hands to get to the bottom of it.

This one is fast-paced and keeps you entertained throughout.

It is a bit predictable, but we still think you’ll have a good time with Disturbia. 

3. HALLOWEEN H20 (1998)

Halloween H20 is one of our favorites. It is just so much fun. We love seeing Jaime Lee Curtis return as Laurie after 20 years. It was also a realistic depiction of what her life might look like after enduring so much trauma, and we really appreciated that. We also love Josh Hartnett, and he is great in his debut role as John, the teenage son.

The Killer’s mask is very silly-looking in this installment. That gripe aside, however, it’s classic Michael Myers shenanigans. You care about the characters a little more than the average slasher sequel. Of course, Laurie and her son are the main attraction.

The tension builds well, and this is another stellar slasher that exemplifies the best of 90s horror. The setting feels like Fall, and we get some really fun and bloody kills throughout.

In our opinion, H20 is the second-best Halloween movie after the original, so, of course, we think it’s worth a watch. 

4. URBAN LEGEND (1998)

5. FREEWAY (1996)

Freeway is so much fun and super nostalgic for us. This extremely dark comedy/thriller stars a young Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland. Growing up in a broken home, her mom is completely insane (Amanda Plummer), working on the street soliciting men in cars for sex, and her stepfather abuses and harasses her in her mother’s absence. They both end up getting arrested.

To avoid returning to the system, our main character “Rose” runs away to her grandmother’s house. (This movie is a twisted take on Little Red Riding Hood.) She ends up getting a ride with a serial killer, and that is just where the fun starts!

For such dark subject matter, this movie is shockingly hilarious. The dialogue is well-written and entertaining. Reese Witherspoon does a phenomenal job in this role; she really makes the movie. Her character is one you love and hate but still root for. You also get a little taste of Brittney Murphy, who gave a great performance.

There are a lot of dark twists and turns with some disturbing and horrific elements, including some graphic sexual dialogue along the way, but more than anything, this movie makes us laugh.

Freeway is a must-see for horror comedy fans.

6. RED EYE (2005)

Red Eye is a fun psychological thriller starring Rachel McAdams as Lisa and Cillian Murphy as Jackson, two strangers who meet in an airport. They are both fantastic actors and give great performances. Their chemistry works really well for these characters.

This film has some really great tension building throughout, especially when they are on the plane; that setting adds claustrophobia and other fear elements (being on a plane is horror in itself). Red Eye is also by Wes Craven, one of our favorites, earning this fun movie bonus points.

It gets a little wild towards the end of the film once they land the plane, and we don’t love the ending, but it’s still a solid little horror thriller.

This is worth a watch if you’re looking for a short and sweet PG-13 thriller with some familiar faces.