Author: BRWC

Halloween Ends: The BRWC Review. By Jake Peffer.

Halloween Ends marks the final installment in the David Gordon Green trilogy that is a direct follow up to the 1978 original John Carpenter film. Whether or not this is the definitive final Halloween movie remains to be seen but it seems likely within the next 5-10 years we’ll see another reboot of some kind. Halloween (2018) kicked off this new trilogy with arguably the best Halloween movie since the original. Last year’s Halloween Kills was a bit underwhelming but still managed to be entertaining despite some odd choices. Does Halloween Ends give the franchise a proper send off or does it drop the ball with its finale?

It’s been 4 years since the events of Halloween Kills. The town of Haddonfield is still not right after Michael Myers tore through the community and wreaked havoc once again on Halloween night. Michael has gone underground and hasn’t made his presence known since that night. Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) are now living together and are still trying to pick up the pieces to their lives. Allyson is introduced to a young guy who has had his own experience dealing with trauma named Corey. A year after the Halloween Kills events, he inadvertently caused a death and has been seen as a new monster of the town, since the community hasn’t had to deal with Michael. As Allyson and Corey’s relationship grows Laurie starts to suspect that he may possess the same evil as Michael as she tries to keep that from spreading into the town.

Right off the bat this is an interesting entry into the franchise. David Gordon Green decides to go in a different direction that we’ve seen before and tries to do something we’ve never seen before from Halloween. The decisions made here are going to be very divisive for the fan base. This entry doesn’t stick to the same formula that most of the other movies do and for better or for worse it’s at least a breath of fresh air to see them attempt something different.

A large problem that Halloween Ends does have is that it focuses most of its runtime to a new character and is less focused on Laurie and Michael. They still play big parts in the storyline but not to the degree that you would think. For it to be the final movie in this new trilogy and it being advertised as the supposed finale to the series, that is going to disappoint some fans to not get more of what they came to see. Personally, for me, I think the decisions to go in a different direction work to the movie’s advantage. They are swinging for the fences here and while I don’t think they knock it out of the park it is effective enough to make things interesting and lead to a satisfying ending.

The kills and the gore are ramped up here, even more so than in the last two movies. Once things kick into gear there is no shortage of gruesome brutality and all of it works for the most part. Jamie Lee Curtis once again kills it, pun definitely intended, as Laurie Strode. Seeing her after losing her daughter and trying to make her relationship with Allyson work all plays out well. She gets plenty of moments to still be a badass and her showdown with Michael makes for an entertaining finale. Andi Matichak is great as Allyson. Her character gets more to do here, and she does well showing how she deals with the trauma of losing her parents and boyfriend. Rohan Campbell who plays the new character Corey is a welcome addition to the cast. He balances being the nice guy and someone who has a lot of built-up anger quite well. Whether you like the decisions made with this character or not it’s hard to deny that Campbell still puts in a solid performance.

In the end, Halloween Ends is going to divide the fanbase. It is ambitious for trying to do something different but that unfortunately is going alienate the people who like seeing the standard formula. For me it works a lot more than it doesn’t. Not every decision is a perfect one, but I enjoyed what David Gordon Green was trying to achieve and I think it makes for one of the best entries in the franchise.

Hellraiser: The BRWC Review. By Jake Peffer.

The Hellraiser franchise has been one of the more overlooked in the horror genre over the years. Outside of a good first entry and a decent sequel the rest of the series is mostly forgettable. It does boast one of the more memorable villains in Pinhead and the Cenobites are an interesting group that we unfortunately never really get to know too much about throughout the series. We are at the point now where the series needs an overhaul, so we have a new take that tries to reignite some life into the series. Director David Bruckner takes over behind the camera and the story used is a lot closer to the original story from Clive Barker.

When a young woman named Riley (Odessa A’zion) comes into contact an ancient puzzle box she inadvertently summons the Cenobites, a group of supernatural beings from another dimension. Riley’s friends and brother end up getting involved with her situation not knowing that the Cenobites will stop at nothing to get what they want. When her brother goes missing Riley, and her friends travel to a mysterious house that may have more going on inside than they think.

David Bruckner does a great job using Clive Barker’s original vision but also adds touches of his own to the story and makes it stand out so well. This is without a doubt the best movie in the franchise since the original and I would say it edges out the original just a bit. Once the story kicks into high gear it never lets up and gives you plenty of gore and great horror elements. The movie is slick, but it never overdoes it with making things too overproduced.

A new Pinhead is introduced here in Jamie Clayton, and she fills the shoes of Doug Bradley very well. This is a character that has made a huge mark on the horror genre, so it is no easy task to take over a role that Bradley has played so effortlessly for eight movies. While not appearing until more than halfway through the movie, Clayton takes the reigns and never lets up. She steals every scene she is in and is a welcome addition as the new Pinhead. To go along with Clayton’s performance, Odessa A’zion as Riley gives a great performance as well. Her character is the driving force of the movie and A’zion flawlessly carries the weight story on her shoulders and puts in stellar work.

Outside of Clayton and A’zionm the rest of the cast does a fine job however none of their characters are very likable or get much depth to them. The story does take some time to really get moving. Pacing is a bit of an issue here as the movie really doesn’t get going until about an hour into it. At just over two hours things feel too long and it seems like cutting maybe 15-20 minutes off the run time would have benefitted the story. There is some CGI used but it looks as if they still have a decent number of practical effects where they can be used, and the movie does a good job blending them together.

Hellraiser (2022) does a great job setting itself apart from the rest of the franchise. Once things get moving it doesn’t let up. The character designs of the Cenobites are fantastic, all the effects work well and the performances of Jamie Clayton and Odessa A’zion are worth the watch alone. This is a great set up to what will hopefully lead to a new string of Hellraiser movies.

Hocus Pocus 2: The BRWC Review. By Jake Peffer.

Hocus Pocus opened in 1993 and was a moderate hit at the box office. Over the years it has become arguably one of the biggest cult classics off all time. From home video to playing on TV to now on streaming this movie has garnered a huge success since its release. This is a mainstay every Halloween for kids, families and adults that grew up with the movie to watch so it was inevitable at some point we would probably see a sequel. The original is a fun and entertaining Halloween movie that doesn’t break any new ground but is a good watch especially for families. Hocus Pocus 2 stays consistent with what worked in the first movie and is able to make a sequel that holds up well against its predecessor.

This time around we follow three new girls: Becca (Whitney Peak), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham). With them being into witchcraft, Becca and Izzy decide to check out the old Sanderson house that tells the story of what happened to the Sanderson Sisters 29 years ago. The girls end up accidentally lighting the candle that can bring the Sanderson Sisters back to life and we see Winifred (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy) all return to wreak havoc on the town of Salem once again.

We are in the age of legacy sequels, so studios are trying to see what IPs are popular enough to center another movie around. Disney obviously has a lot of properties at their disposal and Hocus Pocus made the most sense to give a sequel to after how big its popularity has grown over the years. Anne Fletcher takes over as director here and while not having the greatest track record in the past she does a good job here putting together a solid follow up to the original movie.

The sets and costume designs here are great once again. That was something that stood out in the original and they make it work once again. There are some bad green screen sequences a few times here and there and somehow, they look worse than in the first movie. Outside of the green screen the rest of the effects work to varying degrees but nothing gets worse than those green screen effects.

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy all return as the Sanderson Sisters and once again they are all fantastic. They are the driving force of the movie, and they are chewing the scenery as best they can. It’s great to see them easily step right back into these roles like they never left, and they provide a lot of fun throughout the movie. Outside of them the only other returning character is Billy Butcherson who is again played by Doug Jones. He provides some good comedic moments just as he did in the original. Sam Richardson joins the cast as Garrett, the guy who runs the Sanderson Sister’s house and he does a good job in his role. Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo and Lilia Buckingham are welcome additions to the cast. Their characters get a lot do and the actresses all work well together to make this group a solid successor to the original trio.

Hocus Pocus 2 is an entertaining sequel that provides enough fan service while also adding some new elements to the franchises’ lore. There are some questionable effects and some moments that don’t work entirely. Some of the fan service can be a little much at times but not so much to take you out of the movie. It is a harmless watch that is sure to entertain kids and adults who grew up with the original movie.