January was the longest month. As soon as February hit, it was like life decided to hit fast forward.
Last month was filled with dark enjoyments. As I made a list of everything I watched and read, I noticed a common theme. There wasn’t a lot of fluffiness. Usually I like to mix up my horrors and thrillers with a small sprinkling of Hallmarks and dumb comedies. This past January, there was only one lighter media that I took in.
A novel called “The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year” by Ally Carter. It was a mystery romance that was super fun. I don’t think it had a lot of depth to it or its characters, but sometimes that’s okay. I was looking for something entertaining that I could turn my brain off to, and that’s exactly what I got. It also had good writing, which is better than most Hallmarks, so that gave it another plus.
Onto the heavier side of things, my movie club watched a bunch of winners in January. That doesn’t usually happen. We go into the movies semi-blind and I would say that the chances we get ones that all four of us enjoy is maybe a third of the time. First up was Get Away. It’s about a family that goes on vacation in a remote area and things start going wrong. It was a comedy horror, my favourite genre, and also starred Nick Frost, who is awesome. It took awhile for the movie to get going, which I’m into. I like when I get a good glimpse into character’s lives and emotional state before the story really begins, so this was a good study in that.
Going darker but still fun, we watched Late Phases. This was about an aging, blind veteran who moved into a retirement community and discovers a supernatural presence. This movie was the opposite of Get Away. The action happens very quickly, and since it focuses mostly on the main character, you get a feel for him right away. I also enjoy this type of film, where the pace is fast enough that you don’t need to worry about understanding motive or what’s happening, you can let go and just watch the story unfold before you on the screen. It gave Bubba Ho-Tep vibes but with less slapstick. It’s refreshing to see stories featuring older casts, too.
Lastly, we watched Long Legs. I’ve been a fan of Oz Perkins since Dead and Breakfast, and I love Nic Cage, so this was a must. I’ve seen some varied reviews online which was surprising. I thought the acting was superb, the cinematography super fun, and the story strong. Stories that mix two genres well are great, and this horror had a mystery side to it. Despite most of the characters being a bit…kooky, it didn’t come across as cheesy.
Outside of the group, I watched Strange Darling. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that if you’re looking for inspiration that has a lot of twists and suspension of the plot in general, check this film out.
For TV, all the die-hard Buffy fans have heard the news, I’m sure, that Buffy herself is coming back to the small screen. After years of saying she won’t be returning to the character, Sarah Michelle Gellar has announced that she’s working with Oscar winner Chloe Zhao as Director and THE Dolly Parton as Executive Producer. Fingers crossed that the toxic Xander character will never be mentioned.
If you can’t wait, in the meantime the Korean dark fantasy show, The Judge from Hell is available to fill the void. The plot is pretty much as the title says: a judge from hell is forced to be on earth…also as a judge. The main character kicks ass, builds a scooby gang around her, keeps her enemies close, and takes down evil. I didn’t think there could ever be a show that could truly compare to Buffy’s brilliance, but The Judge from Hell does a great job all the while standing on its own legs. It somehow captured the same formula, at least in my eyes, and it inspired me to want to try something similar.
In January I started stepping into gothic horror, inspired from reading Frankenstein and waiting for Nosferatu being released on streaming. If you have any other gothic horrors you’d like to pass along, let me know in the comments!
Curious if you’re watching severance!