lightninli
JoinedMarch 18, 2018
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By day, Eric is a mild-mannered Architect, bringing great buildings to the good boys and girls of his hometown of Portland, Oregon. By night, he is a disreputable podcaster looking to promote the best and worst of horror movies!

Eric’s Review: Malignant (2021)

★★1/2 out of ★★★★★ Malignant is the sloppy drunk Auntie of horror movies. It meanders along confusingly for the first two thirds of the movie, and then goes preposterously entertaining for a brief spell, and then closes with a logic defying conclusion. It is a hot mess of a movie but it has some redemptive high points.
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The Scariest Things Episode CXXX: Masked Killer Horror!

One hundred thirty episodes in and we're finally getting to what has to be what most horror fans identify as the iconic horror trope of all time: the masked killer! Well fret no longer horror fans, we are coming to one of the cornerstones of the genre. You start with Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Leatherface, but we'll get you to the next level in episode 130!
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The Scariest Things Review: Candyman (2021)

★★★★1/2 and ★★★★ out of ★★★★★ A powerful sequel of a beloved classic slasher movie that establishes that this franchise is perhaps the headiest and most nuanced of all the slasher movies. Director Nia DaCosta shows real visionary talent, and with co-writer Jordan Peele, adds updated depth and texture to an already fascinating urban legend.
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Eric’s Review: Blood Conscious (Popcorn Frights 2021)

★★ out of ★★★★★ Blood Conscious is a movie whose ambitions exceed the execution of the film. This cabin-in-the-woods thriller treads familiar territory and sets up some recognizable trope concepts but never really pays them off.
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Eric’s Review: The Night House (2021)

★★★★ out of ★★★★★ The Night House is a serious, heavy, and somber film full of mystery and dread. Rebecca Hall turns in a powerhouse performance of a woman trying to overcome her grief and understand why her husband killed himself at their idyllic lakeside house. As she uncovers the horrible truth, the secrets unleash a wrathful spirit who wants to claim her as well.
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The Scariest Things Podcast Episode CXXIX: Tricks, Traps, and Puzzle Horror

Shall we play a GAME? For some of the brainiest horror movies, go to the tradition of tricks and traps horror. The punishment for not figuring out how to win the game is often painful and deadly. And face it, you watch reality TV shows to see people get eliminated, right? This horror sub-trope takes that idea to the next bloody level.
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Eric’s Review: Val (2021 Popcorn Frights)

★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★ Come for the promise of a devilishly sexy good time. Stay for some fantastic character arcs and hugely expressive acting performances. Val, which had its world premiere at Popcorn Frights is colorful, saucy, and snappy, with an undercurrent of something dark and ominous just underneath the surface.
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Eric’s Review: The Ex (2021 Popcorn Frights)

★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★ This sexy Russian thriller morphs into the supernatural when a youthful indiscretion comes back to haunt a young engaged couple. This movie packs a lot in: A false villain, a foolish internet posting, a love triangle, and a vengeful ghost. It doesn't always patch its plot holes, but it is entertaining. The Ex has gorgeous cinematography, and, did I mention it's sexy? I think I did.
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Eric’s Review: Ditched (2021 Popcorn Frights)

★★★ out of ★★★★★ After finding themselves upside-down in an ambulance, a group of paramedics, cops, and prisoner patients realize that they are the victims of an ambush, with the mysterious forces closing in around them. This siege thriller goes heavy with gore and extended exposition before settling in on a brutal and memorable final moment.
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Eric’s Review: Superhost (2021 Popcorn Frights Film Festival)

★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★ Smash that Like Button! Two travel YouTubers on a mission to bolster their diminishing viewer interest visit a vacation rental cabin with an eccentric "superhost" who transforms from an off-putting oddball to imminent threat over their vacation stay. This movie has inertia like a locomotive covered in razor blades, with a near-perfect build of tension and release.
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Eric’s Review: Take Back the Night (2021 Popcorn Frights)

★★★★ out of ★★★★★ A not-veiled at all analogy to sexual assault, Take Back the Night relects on the horrors of being attacked by a monster before, during, and after the event. This is a make-a-statement horror movie on a miniscule budget that is fighting well above its weight class, thanks to some standout acting performances and emotional resonance.
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Eric’s Portland Horror Film Festival Review: The Horror Crowd (2020)

★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★ There have been a multitude of horror documentaries that chronicle the classic and most famous films of the genre, and there have been documentaries that celebrate certain favorite eras within horror. Director Ruben Pla focuses his efforts on the Independent films and shines a light on a number of the up-and-coming influencers within today's horror.
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Eric’s Portland Horror Film Festival Review: Red Snow (2021)

★★★★ out of ★★★★★ A struggling horror novel author catches a fortuitous break, when a dashing young vampire crashes into her life. Red Snow is a cheeky and wicked little horror-romcom with great character chemistry that doesn't always go where you would expect.
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Eric’s Portland Horror Film Festival Review: Miimaland (2020)

★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★ A group of paranormal investigators gains access to an abandoned amusement park in Malaysia called Miimaland, as part of a challenge by a shady hustler. What starts out as an amusing lark becomes a deadly curse trap that proves to be a haunted destiny for the crew.
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Popcorn Frights Announces Second Wave of Programming for Virtual Festival!

You can also catch Popcorn Frights from the comfort of your own home! From August 12-19, you can catch the big second wave of films that can arrive straight to your living room. Twenty-one feature films and a plethora of live and animated horror shorts for your entertainment. And, if you fest at home, the popcorn will be so much cheaper!
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The 2021 Portland Horror Film Festival Movie Announces its Film Slate! (And for a short time you can still get a Patron of Horror Pass)

Our beloved local Portland Horror Film Festival has announced its feature film roster for 2021. And for ONE MORE DAY, you can get the Patron of Horror Pass that gets you all of the fantastic swag that PHFF is famous for! The festival is doing a hybrid streaming and theatrical event this year, and you can pick and choose how you want to see the movies.
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Eric’s North Bend Film Fest Review: Tailgate (2021)

★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★ The ultimate road rage movie that collides with a nail-biting home invasion film. This Dutch film absolutely pours the intensity on in a way unseen in many a year. A rude and headstrong man picks the wrong enemy in a highway tailgating incident, subjecting his entire family to the revenge of a nuanced killer who uses rat poison as his weapon of choice.
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Eric’s Review: Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021)

★★★ out of ★★★★★ Once more into the maze! It's still full of tricks, traps, misdirection, and impossible challenges. As it was the last time, the killer escape rooms are hugely imaginative, even if the overriding plot isn't. It's an entertaining low-calorie thrill ride that is as entertaining and exciting as a roller coaster, but it has about as much nuance and character development as an carnie ride as well.
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The Scariest Things Review: The Forever Purge (2021)

★★★1/2 and ★★★★ out of ★★★★★ The Purge series has a way of reflecting the anxieties of the moment, and the latest installment, The Forever Purge, pours gasoline on the subject of immigration and the ugly political divide within the United States. It is a ferocious dystopian view that if you squint, is frightening as to how close we are to this dark reality. Your feelings about this film may get framed largely from your political point of view.
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The Scariest Things Podcast Episode CXXVI: Giallo!

Buona sera! If you like your horror with a large slice of salacious, then look to the Italians and their bloody thriller tradition of Giallo. Where to start? Let the Scariest Things point you the way to a bloody good time.
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Trailer Alert: Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania (2021)

There are few better on-ramps into the horror landscape for little kids than Hotel Transylvania, and the cast is (mostly) back for more monster wackiness. This time out, the Hotel residents find themselves switched into normal human guise by way of a mad science ray experiment. Madcap hinjinx ensue. This one is for Liz!
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