Spoiler-Free Review of “The Mouse Trap” on Demand: Mickey Mouse Becomes Our Latest Slasher Villain…

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“Teleportation is still very much on the table…”

The Mouse Trap released on Demand on August 6th 2024. The horror slasher film stars Mackenzie Mills, Sophie McIntosh, Callum Sywyk, Wyatt Dorion, and Simon Phillips. It runs for approximately an hour and twenty minutes.

Alex’s friends decide to surprise her at the arcade she works at for her birthday, but when a masked killer inspired by Steamboat Willie shows up, they are all forced to play a game to survive the night.

Here is the trailer:

The Mouse Trap is basically a mix of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and Five Nights at Freddy’s, placing another public domain character in the spotlight as a bonkers killer. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Gravitas Ventures

Unintentionally funny.

I’ve seen this film also billed as a horror comedy, but the serious moments were actually pretty entertaining to watch unfold. There were some lines that had me laughing out loud. I’m not sure that anyone would actually want a movie to be this terrible, but when it moves into that territory, it becomes so awful that it’s actually hilarious to watch…at least once.

The kills were silly and the plot was completely bonkers, but if you’re a fan of Bloody and Honey, you’ll probably get a kick out of this one. I have to say that I actually enjoyed this one a lot more than Blood and Honey, but that’s not saying much…

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Gravitas Ventures

Takes too long for anything to happen.

This movie was only an hour and twenty minutes and yet we sat around for a really long time before the killing started. Mickey did a lot of skulking in the shadows and waving. The kills weren’t that inventive by the time we got to them and there could have been more of them.

The dialogue was insufferable! The characters started talking about what would happen if they were in a terrible 90’s slasher movie. Guess what? 90’s slashers are amazing and this film doesn’t come anywhere close to them.

I didn’t really care about any of the characters and I hated that we jumped back and forth between the past and the present. We didn’t need to overcomplicate things that much…

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Gravitas Ventures

Unfortunately I’m out on this one…

The Mouse Trap attempts to do too much with its silly premise, making this a confusing watch overall. There were a few laugh-out-loud moments for fans of super cheesy and terrible slasher flicks, but nothing special.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The Mouse Trap in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Gil

THIS COMPETITION IS KILLER…

When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.

Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…

My young adult horror thriller is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Scream Hunt is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Five Nights at Freddy’s” on Peacock: Welcome Back to Horror, Matthew Lillard!

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“I have a job for you…”

Five Nights at Freddy’s released in theaters and on Peacock on October 27th 2023. Based on the popular video game, the horror film stars Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Matthew Lillard. The film runs for an hour and forty-nine minutes.

A security guard with a troubled past takes a job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, quickly learning that the performing animatronics may have a few dangerous tricks up their sleeves.

Here is the trailer:

Five Nights at Freddy’s has some fun moments for fans of the video game, but it ultimately takes itself too seriously instead of indulging in some needed camp. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Peacock

All hail, Matthew Lillard!

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Matthew Lillard and that Stu Macher from Scream is one of my all-time favorite horror characters. I was thrilled to see him in this one and he was the main reason why I tuned in. He delivered his role perfectly. I hope he appears in some more horror films soon because he’s always a blast to watch.

Josh Hutcherson from The Hunger Games did a solid job as well with what he was given and I truly believed the bond between his character and his little sister, which helped me invest in this film a little bit more.

Images courtesy of Peacock

Impressive design on the animatronics.

I was worried that they would seem outrageous and really silly, but I was personally impressed by the animatronics coming to life on screen.

I also thought that this film was a nice step up from kids horror. Pre-teens will probably love certain parts of this film and I think that it’s a fun introduction to the horror genre. I’d recommend kids under twelve watching it with supervision, however.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Peacock

Too much set-up…

I could have personally done without the repetitive flashbacks and dragged out set-up in the beginning. This film wasn’t scary at all and it tried to be like too many other films. It would have benefited from some campy, ridiculous fun, which would have been pure B movie magic gold, but this route was very forgettable.

Willy’s Wonderland did a much better job of this…

The pacing was also really sluggish at times and the dialogue was uninspiring. I’d say that wouldn’t really matter if we had some inventive kills in the mix or some dry humor, but everything was really watered down.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Peacock

I’m 50/50 on this one…

Five Nights at Freddy’s takes a safe and mostly bland route instead of just having fun with this material. There were some entertaining moments sprinkled into the mix, but I’m not sure that I would watch this again.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Five Nights at Freddy’s in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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