Halloween Countdown 2025 Watchlist Week 3
Here's what I watched, what about you?
The Halloween Countdown continues at R-Rated Movie Club! Have you watched any scary movies this month? Here’s what I watched the fourth week of 3. Agree with my ratings? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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What I Watched - Week 3
Chopping Mall (1986) 5 out of 5 Nice Days
I couldn’t help but start this week with Chopping Mall, one of my all-time favorite 80s horror schlock masterpieces. It’s silly, it’s charming, it’s mercilessly short. But most of all, it is what a low-budget 80s horror movie should be: a ragtag crew, a unique force of evil, and a shopping mall. Gotta love it!
Final Destination 2 (2002) 3.5 out of 5 Fire (No) Escapes
We’re continuing our marathon of these as a family and digging it so far. This is the one with the infamous log truck traffic accident pile-up. The one that even if you haven’t seen the movie, you may know this scene. Or, you can at least picture this scene. Or, sadly, when you drive near a log truck, you wish you didn’t even know about this scene! This one holds up at the same level as the original for me.
Which scene? This scene!
When Evil Lurks (2023) 4 out of 5 Big, Bushy Beards
FIRST WATCH | I’ve seen several clips of this one on social media, including a very haunting dog attack clip that, well, you can seek out if you want. While I got a little lost during the Argentinian History of the Occult last week, this Argentinian horror film had me on the edge of my seat. Great cinematography, lots of intrigue. I have to agree with a friend who said the two main characters made a lot of weird, foolish mistakes that seemed to move the plot along. But I was along for the ride.
In a Violent Nature (2024) 4 out of 5 OTS POV Shots
FIRST WATCH | A clever horror film told almost exclusively from the point of view of the killer. Not through his eyes, but over his shoulder, following him through the woods as he seeks to reclaim the totem that gave him slumber in his grave. And I mean, isn’t that what we all want in life? Reclaim the totem that gives us slumber? Visually interesting and a slow burn pace that was fascinating to me.
STAY (2025) 1.5 out of 5 Telegraphed Twists
FIRST WATCH | Hulu has a lot of great horror and they play it up for “Huluween” event all month long. This is one of their new originals and I’m sorry, I just couldn’t get into this. It’s basically two people arguing for 90 minutes, all based on a traumatic event that only gets revealed at the end. But to me, I saw it coming. Glad to watch something brand-new, at least.
Hell of a Summer (2025) 3 out of 5 Mess(y!) Halls
FIRST WATCH | This tale of camp staff arriving early came out while I was out of town quite a bit so I missed it in the theater. My understanding is this was Finn Wolfhard’s baby and he put a lot of love into it, with his writing and directing debut. Overall, it works, and it even manages to find a little sweetness in the midst of all the stabbing.
The Hand (1980) 3.5 out of 5 Bad Moods to Worse Moods
Wow, did this movie creep me out as a kid! The moment Jon loses his hand in this early Oliver Stone film is one of those moments seared into my childhood. Maybe I saw it too young but my teenage daughter was the right age to enjoy it, despite its dated vibe. If anything, it is a prime example of Michael Caine having a delightful time making a fun movie!
I wrote about The Hand a little bit last October, too:
Interview with the Vampire (1995) 3 out of 5 Very Fond of Coffins
I didn’t see this when it first came out, but finally rented it in college. This Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt vampire extravaganza is one of those “the parts are better than the whole” works of art. Which I can forgive, because there’s a lot of fun stuff in here. It’s also a bit slow and even in the 90s it felt… 90s. I haven’t seen the new series on Netflix but maybe I should. I heard fans of the book were left saying, “I want more.” Here it is!
The Ring (2002) 4 out of 5 Shocking Closet Scenes
The kids asked for something truly scary, so I obliged them. They were very into it, asking me to go back so we could watch the video again and look for clues. And the ending paid off in a big way for them, too, thanks to the creepiest kid in the movies. We’re a big movie house, so they were already familiar with VHS tapes and VCRs, thankfully. Though the first time I held up a VHS tape to them at Ax-Man’s Surplus Store and asked what it was, their first instinct was it was a book. That’s right, kids, Blues Brothers: The Book!
A Quiet Place (2018) 4 out of 5 Peaceful Waterfalls
We did this one back to back as a trio with The Ring. The kids wanted more scares, so here we are. I told them fine, so long as you turn off your phones, we turn off the lights, and keep quiet ourselves, to feel the vibe. It really worked and the scares came! The kids got hit with the highly-emotional ending, too. This movie really works.
Identity (2003) 3.5 out of 5 Motel Keychains
This was a fun family watch. The kids were intrigued by the mystery as the characters tried to figure out who is killing them, what brought them all together, and what the courtroom scenes have to do with the motel scenes. It’s not quite as tight of a story as I remember, but it is a fun ride. One thing it has going for it is everyone leans hard into playing type and they do really well. Except one: John McGinley plays a fine meek man here instead of his usual smarm charm.
Zombieland (2009) 4 out of 5 Twinkies
This has been a family favorite for years. Good laughs, good gore, great story, fun cast. It had been a few years since we’d seen it, so now that the kids are older it was fun to watch them pick up on details more (“Oh, his name isn’t ‘Columbus,’ it’s his nickname because he’s going to Columbus!”). If you enjoy comedies and zombie movies, this is the one for you.
Side Note: We didn’t see this coming, but this is one of many, many Woody Harrelson movies our kids have seen and really enjoyed. How did Woody Harrelson become one of the biggest stars in our home box office?!
Phenomena (1985) 3.5 out of 5 Chimpanzee Co-Stars
FIRST WATCH | This was recommended by a friend and it was intriguing. A film by delightful Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, we get a young pre-Labyrinth Jennifer Connolly using her psychic powers allowing her to talk to insects to flush out a killer before she’s killed. An interesting story with that European 1980s vibe, it’s a brief watch and fun to watch Connolly get her start. Plus, the ending is this person no this person no this person no this person and I liked that.
Hell House LLC (2015) 2.5 out of 5 The Shows Must Go Ons
FIRST WATCH | I may have to try this one again, because I’ve heard many people really enjoyed it. For me, I had to watch it over several sittings to finally get into it. A found footage film of a spooky haunted house attraction gone horribly wrong when there’s a real murder. Again, if you liked this and I missed something, I’m all ears. For me, I just didn’t quite get there.
Barbarian (2022) 3.5 out of 5 Sunlight Is Good for Vitamin Ds
FIRST WATCH | Having thoroughly enjoyed Weapons this summer, and in the midst of a Halloween Countdown, I decided it was finally time to watch Zach Cregger’s directorial debut. A quiet little house has much more than meets the eye, especially in the sprawling, catacomb-like basement. This film reminded me of Psycho with a false first act (more than just a red herring) that then twisted into another story with the introduction of another character. A cool way to tell the story. It didn’t quite elevate to greatness for me, not like Weapons did, but I’ll keep watching Cregger’s films, 100%.
Night of the Living Dead (1990) 3.5 out of 5 They’re So Slows
This Tom Savini production remake of the classic that reinvented the modern horror genre came at the right time for me as a tween. Classic story told in a modern way that I could get into more than the old one. These days, I obviously prefer the original Night of the Living Dead, but I will say two things work for this remake: Tony Todd owns this movie. And second, I love what Savini did with the Barbara character. No longer passive, she’s an active zombie hunter, and Patricia Tallman nails it.
Scream (1995) 4 out of 5 Everyone’s a Suspects
Speaking of the modern horror genre, if Night of the Living Dead reinvented horror in the 60s, Scream did the same in the 90s. Our youngest wanted to watch this last year and she enjoyed the original three. In fact, Lord help me, I gave her the trilogy for her birthday! That’s my confession for the day, Dear Reader, but I’ll also confess: Scream truly still holds up. Great movie.
Your turn!
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What did you watch this week? Anything spooky? List them in the comments.
Glad you’re here today, Dear Reader. God’s peace and good movies to you!
I sure appreciate your recommendations!