4/1 Exam (2009)

This is one of those “How far would you go to obtain/achieve X” stories, in this case, kinda like Office Space meets Cube meets The Belko Group, but largely without the killer traps and homicidal violence. Eight candidates, one job, a blank test paper, and 80 minutes to answer one question (after figuring out what said question is). Full marks for Reservoir Dogs reference.
3 Skulls

4/2 Capsules (2023)

2 students help an elderly man up from the sidewalk and notice a bottle of pills he dropped. Observing the state the man is in, one of the lads decides to keep the bottle since what’s in it must be some heavy shit. They meet up with their other 2 study partners and decide to all try what’s in the bottle. As one does with an unidentified substance one finds in the street. Things go shockingly badly predictably sideways in a hurry. Michael Talbot-Haynes over at Film Threat says Capsules “features performances that will hit your nervous system like a strychnine buzzsaw” and gave it 7.5 out of 10. I don’t.
2 Skulls

4/4 Reversal Of Fortune (1990)

I can’t believe I let this movie go for this long. I loved every minute of it and its tour de force performances by Glenn Close, Ron Silver, and the can’t-not-watch-him Jeremy Irons. And dude got away with it. Damn.
4.5 Skulls

4/5 A Classic Horror Story (2021)

I checked this out at the behest of my podcast partner in crime, Jorge, and good lord & butter, it’s a weird one. Elisa joins a rideshare with 3 other passengers in an RV driven by Fabrizio. All does not go as planned, and there are some very cool folk horror undertones with a few Texas Chainsaw vibes here and there. I don’t wanna go into too much detail because this has serious hidden gem potential. If you’re not familiar, check it out.
3.5 Skulls

4/23 One-armed Boxer (1972)

Ah yes, the glorious house of Golden Harvest, another post for another time. See, contrary to what might seem intuitively obvious to some folks, I don’t watch horror exclusively. Among my other go-to genres are Noir (often an extremely close second to horror), Documentaries, quirky Mysteries (dig me some Elmore Leonard), Westerns (the more spaghetti, the better), and Martial Arts flicks. One-armed Boxer does what it says on the tin. Rival schools, one of which is involved in criminal activity, face off. The losing school recruits a bunch of ringers to seek revenge. This includes killing the master and tearing an arm of the lead student. In the “That didn’t age well department,” there is some racial unfortunateness as well. And I saw a horrifically dubbed version which. I generally don’t like dubs, but in the case of Hong Kong cinema, often makes things more entertaining for me.
4 Skulls

4/24 Hellhole (2022)

If you’re not following Kainan Becker on Ghost Pirate Entertainment, you’re likely missing out on some primo recommendations. I love this guy, and every episode I watch always gives me a few things to add to the ol’ watchlist. Hellhole was no exception. It’s a Polish horror movie set in a Polish monastery where tormented victims awaiting exorcism are housed. Not a buncha folks talking about this movie, and it’s got some nasty little surprises. Again, I don’t wanna give anything away, but it’s well worth a look.
3.5 Skulls

4/26 Old People (2022)

I don’t recall how I came across this one, and as with other movies on this list, I’m not hearing much about it. I was wary going in that, this movie, as so often happens, was going to demonize aging and/or the aged. It kind of still does, but not in the manner I expected. In the process, the movie raises some sympathy for their plight as well as the younger generations they visit their violent rage upon. It’s a squirmy one to watch, but you won’t regret it.
4 Skulls

4/27 The Spore (2021)

Gimme a story where a fungus of some kind runs amok. I’m talkin’ classic William Hope Hodgson stuff like “The Voice In The Night” which became the basis for Matango. Naturally I was very much looking forward to The Spore. I was let down. I mean, it could have been worse, and for me, the first half of the movie is demonstrably better than the second half. There’s one creature in particular in the third act that took me directly out of the story. The credits make mention of George, Wes, and Tobe, and the alert viewer will pick up on many of those references. I’m guessing that’s why I didn’t like that third act critter. Too much of the Wes Craven kinda stuff that I don’t like versus the stuff I do. Overall, I suppose it’s fun enough.
2 Skulls

4/29 Fantastic Fungi (2019)

Speaking of fungi, did you know that under each step you take, you’re walking across about 300 miles of mycelium? And that was just a little throwaway factoid from this documentary. If you haven’t checked this out, do it now. This. Was. Fascinating. And a little disturbing. I already knew that there is an alarming amount about fungi that remains unknown, but wowzers. It’s a mind blowing doc, and not just because they talk about psilocybin. The dark side of this is it makes stuff like “The Voice In The Night” oh so much more believable.
4 Skulls