The Devil's Muse

Category: movie

  • Horror Cinema Trivia: Only Lovers Left Alive

    Only Lovers Left Alive is a dreamy tale about vampires that, interestingly, never uses the word “vampire” in the movie. I really enjoyed how this story made me reflect on the passing of time and the feeling of being connected to the past. I liked this tidbit about the movie related to British literature:

    Christopher “Kit” Marlowe (Sir John Hurt) mentions writing Hamlet, and ghostwriting for William Shakespeare to have an outlet for his work. The real Marlowe died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 29, a few weeks before the publication of Shakespeare’s first known play. The Marloweian theory, which is considered fringe by a vast majority of scholars, suggests that he faked his death, and adopted the nom de plume “William Shakespeare.”

    I loved the mix of moodiness and drama in this story.

    Source: IMDb Trivia: Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

    Jarmusch, Jim. Only Lovers Left Alive, Soda Pictures, 2014.

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  • Horror Cinema: Final Destination 5

    Of the Final Destination movies, the fifth one stands out as my favorite. The gore is shockingly and satisfyingly brutal, and the flimsy plot holds up well with good pacing. I liked how the initial gorefest took up a significant portion of the movie, and the domino-effect deaths followed somewhat quickly after. Also, I am always a fan of a 3D horror movie because the gore scenes are much more aggressively directed at the viewer.

    Quale, Steven. Final Destination 5, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2011.

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  • Horror Cinema: Phoenix Forgotten

    Phoenix Forgotten was like The Blair Witch Project in that it was a story about a group of missing individuals told through found video. Where Phoenix Forgotten excelled was in its storytelling. Going into the movie, I had certain expectations based on the trailer that the story would be about an alien abduction. What I liked about the movie most was that it gave me exactly what I wanted from it. The twists and turns, and particularly the pacing of the story and of how the narrative unfolded, were well executed and made for an unexpectedly good movie.

    The characters were sweet, endearing and believable, and the discovery of found video halfway through the narrative was an expert way to take the movie into a direction I did not think it could go, with an ending that was, to me, very satisfying. Highly recommended! 👽

    Barber, Justin. Phoenix Forgotten, Cinelou Films, 2017.

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  • Horror Cinema: Nocturne

    Nocturne was a unique take on a cursed book horror narrative. What made it special, for me, was that it took place in a specific group of people: competitive musicians. The story’s interplay of the cursed book with the drama of a young classical musician trying to make a name for herself made the movie more interesting than if the curse had happened to an average teenager. The movie also had some good bloody visuals and unexpected spooky, mystical moments.

    Quirke, Zu. Nocturne, Amazon Studios, 2020.

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  • Horror Cinema: Urban Myths

    Urban Myths is a series of short horror stories based on urban myths that are loosely woven together to make up the movie. While not every story was my taste, like one about a dentist and a mouth parasite that was gross and good but not my jam, there were enough great ones to make the movie as a whole enjoyable. I particularly liked the paranormal stories. They were gory and fantastic in ways that I could not expect. Highly recommended!

    Image credit: CNN Indonesia

    Won-ki, Hong. Urban Myths, Megabox JoongAng PlusM, 2022.

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  • Horrorscopes

    The solar eclipse today has me in a mood for astrology 😋

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    From Philo Blog: Halloween Horoscope: Scary Movies to Watch for Every Zodiac Sign
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  • Horror Cinema Trivia: Hatchet

    I can’t get enough of the Hatchet franchise. I rewatched Hatchet III this past week, and it stood up as one of my favorites. But, any time I rewatch one of the Hatchet movies, I remember how much I love them! Great combination of lore, urban legend and slasher counts!

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  • Horror Cinema: The Maid

    A ghost, a psycho and a blood bath: The Maid was awesome! Highly recommended!

    Thongkham, Lee. The Maid, Netflix, 2020.

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  • Horror Cinema: Exte – Hair Extensions

    Exte: Hair Extensions is a campy Japanese horror movie. It did a great job of never taking itself too seriously while offering gross-out body horror. The most unforgettable image was when a character’s tongue would grow thick with hair. Something about the idea of hair coming out of your tongue was too disgusting for me 🫣.

    Sono, Sion. Exte: Hair Extensions, Toei Company, 2007.

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  • Horror Cinema: Don’t Knock Twice

    What impressed me most about Don’t Knock Twice was its storytelling. I found the story’s premise to be a tad weak, but how it was told was thoughtful, and the characters were interesting. I wouldn’t recommend you stop everything to watch it, but I would recommend the film if you were looking for a spooky horror movie to watch on a free evening.

    James, Caradog W. Don’t Knock Twice, Seymour Films and Red & Black Films, 2016 (UK release) / 2017 (US release)

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