*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*
“You have to make the threat feel real..”
She Came from the Woods released in theaters on February 10th 2023. The horror-comedy film stars Cara Buono, Clare Foley, Spencer List, and William Sadler. It runs for approximately an hour and forty minutes.
Set in the 1980’s, a summer camp celebrates the end of its season by conducting a blood ritual, but things go horribly wrong when they accidentally unleash an evil spirit who hunts them down one by one.
Here is the trailer:
She Came from the Woods has a super fun premise and some bloody entertaining moments, but is it worthy of your next watch?Let’s find out…
The Pros:
Images courtesy of Mainframe Pictures
The horror-comedy moments are brilliant!
The best parts of this film involved the campy moments. There were some parts that had me laughing out loud. This film wasn’t afraid to be a little darker with its comedy, which worked in its favor. I loved the overuse of gore and the banter was actually a lot of fun once the film found its groove.
Strong second half.
I much preferred the second half of this movie to the first. It was really entertaining and even though some of the twists and reveals were a little out there, I just went along for the ride and enjoyed it. This film wasn’t afraid to kill off characters and it really put forth a valiant effort to channel films like Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp while still finding a voice of its own.
The Cons:
Images courtesy of Mainframe Pictures
Takes itself too seriously at times…
I personally loved the horror-comedy aspects of this film and even the trailer made it seem like this would be a campy good time. It did have moments of this, but the film also went off on several tangents and tried to be too serious.
The first half of this film was also really slow-moving. The dialogue was painful and the acting wasn’t great, but thankfully things picked up once the evil was unleashed…
So am I in or out?
Images courtesy of Mainframe Pictures
I’m in about 75 percent…
B-movie campy horror fun with plenty of entertaining moments.
This film was far from perfect, but I think horror fans have a lot to enjoy with this one. I just wanted it to fully embrace the horror-comedy angle because that’s where the magic was, but overall I enjoyed my watch.
I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on She Came from the Woodsin 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!
**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**
A horror reality TV series that pays tribute to 80’s campy horror movies? Sign me up please! This show has an amazing premise, as a group of strangers arrive for a reality show called “Summer Camp,” quickly realizing that they are on an entirely different kind of show.
Killer Camp premiered on July 16th, but it was originally released back in 2019 on ITV. It features weekly episodes that will air on The CW.
Killer Camp seems like it could be filled with a lot of slasher and mystery fun, but it’s not easy pulling off a horror reality TV series without looking completely silly from time to time. Let’s not also forget that some people originally thought that contestants were actually being killed off on the series…
Either way, I was all for giving this show a chance and without any further delay, let’s dive right into it.
The Pros:
Images courtesy of The CW
A worthy killer!
I think the best thing about this show is Camp Handyman Bruce! He plays the part very well and really has the creepy killer vibe down pat. Sure, it’s all pretend, but I have to say that I loved watching Handyman Bruce hunt down his victims. This is the kind of campy horror material I want to see on a show like this.
Super awesome premise.
I love that the reality series combines the idea of a survival game show with a murder mystery. It allows you to participate along with the contestants, as we get clues along the way. Do you think you have the killer figured out? Maybe, but I have a feeling a lot of twists will be thrown our way.
The Cons:
Images courtesy of The CW
Jarring host.
I expect a reality show like this to be silly and over-the-top and in order for you to enjoy it at all, you can’t take it seriously. However, part of the problem was that the host was so over-the-top that it became laugh out loud ridiculous. I understand that he is playing the part, but at one point he was screaming a campfire story at the top of his lungs, which just seemed unnecessary.
Not enough horror.
I went into this show expecting it to be different from other reality shows, but the show mostly centers around games that brought me back to my own school field day nightmares. There was really only a little bit of horror sprinkled in during the episode, which made it difficult for me to stick around to see who would be “killed off” next.
So am I in or out?
Images courtesy of The CW
I’m out on this one.
I was really excited about this show, but it just fails to deliver. Maybe it will get better as the episodes continue, but I’m just not that invested in it. I realize that it is difficult to deliver an entertaining reality horror series, but I have seen it done well before. I’m thinking back to a show called “Scream Queens” that aired on VH1 and was hosted by Saw’s Shawnee Smith.
That being said, as long as you don’t take the show too seriously, you may enjoy it if you like reality competition shows and I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Killer Camp in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
PLAY BY THE RULES…STAY ALIVE…
A harmless night of fun turns deadly for six college friends but the game has only just begun. Take a mystery thrill ride right from your own living room. Dash and Seek is out now! I hope you enjoy!
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Happy Thursday TV fans! After watching the FX network’s American Horror Story: 1984 season 9 episode 1 last night, I remembered that perhaps we should listen to creepy gas attendants who tell us that there’s nowhere to run or hide. Or maybe we should go answer a payphone in the middle of the woods when a killer is on the loose. Let’s make some good choices and go back in time to enjoy some 80’s slasher fun with a killer soundtrack! Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.
In last night’s episode, “Camp Redwood,” Brooke, Montana, Xavier, Chet, and Ray all meet at Perfect 10 Aerobics and decide to take summer jobs as camp counselors at Camp Redwood. We hear the campfire chilling story of the infamous killer, Mr. Jingles and it seems like anyone with a half a brain would stay clear of this camp, but where would be the fun in that? My top 5 moments from the American Horror Story: 1984 season 9 episode 1 season premiere are:
5
“I heard serial killers become more active in the summer months when it’s hot.”
Meet Brooke, played by the brilliant and amazing Emma Roberts, who seems to hit it off right away with Montana, played by Billie Lourd, at an aerobics class. Brooke appears to be somewhat of a shy loner and clearly has a past since we witness her looking at an engagement ring in her jewelry box, but I’m already invested in her character and Emma Roberts can do no wrong for me.
4
“You’re a bad-ass!”
So maybe Brooke should have taken her own advice about leaving windows open in her apartment. After initially turning down Xavier’s offer to go to Camp Redwood with them, an intruder breaks into her apartment and takes her jewelry. The stranger claims to be the Night Stalker and seems to heavily worship Satan. Connection to Hotel and Apocalypse?
I’m not sure if this attack was random or not, but Brooke makes excellent use of my favorite weapon of choice…a frying pan, which definitely makes her a bad-ass in my book! And so it’s off to Camp Redwood, since Brooke clearly doesn’t want to stay by herself for the summer.
3
“I have been fighting the lord’s fight against filth around the world for years.”
After our group hits a stranger in front of Camp Redwood with their car, they meet the head of Camp Redwood, Margaret, played by the hilarious and enchanting Leslie Grossman. Seriously, I love this fierce trio of ladies and I’m hoping they can bring the fire again this season.
Margaret seems to be a big fan of following rules and we know what happens when you don’t follow the rules in a slasher film. Margaret reminds them that girls wear red and boys wear blue and that they shouldn’t even try to make purple, which was another fun connection to Apocalypse. Margaret has a vision of making Camp Redwood into a safe and pure place for children, but I’m not sure one can ever really lose the reputation of being the site of the “worst summer camp massacre of all time.”
2
“He liked to kill and he was good at it.”
The opening of the episode flashes back to 1970 and we witness serial killer, Benjamin Richter (aka Mr. Jingles) brutally attacking and killing some camp counselors who were having some late night extracurricular activities together. In 1984, the group gathers around a campfire and Rita, played by Angelica Ross, fills them in on the history and questions why they are all really there.
Mr. Jingles apparently has a thing for collecting ears, which is beyond disturbing and we discover that Margaret is the only survivor from his massacre, showing off her missing ear. We also learn that Mr. Jingles has escaped the asylum he was in during present day (1984), grabbing a new set of keys, as he heads off to Camp Redwood.
Is he looking to eliminate Margaret once and for all or is he just looking to kill as he goes? I’m not sure just yet, but there has to be a lot more to this if we are revealing the identity of the killer in episode 1. Perhaps Margaret is in on it now? It’s an early theory of mine, but we shall see.
1
“It was him! I am not imagining all of this!”
After discovering the stranger from the road hung up on the back of a door, Brooke freaks out and takes off. She is able to escape, but her friends think she is imagining things, especially when the body has mysteriously vanished and the rain coat killer seems to just be a rain coat. Brooke is convinced that what she saw is real and decides to throw all caution out the window by answering a ringing payphone outside.
I’m not really sure this is the best decision, but it does give us a chance to see that the Night Stalker is also lurking in the shadows. Are there two killers on the loose or is this all connected? I’m not sure, but it looks like Brooke is our potential final girl and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Overall, I thought the season 9 premiere was a lot of fun. It provided us with a lot of nostalgia and cleverly reminded us about the slasher movie trope, while keeping us invested in the main plot. It looks like I am planning on staying at Camp Redwood after all. How about you?
**Fun fact: Roy from “Roy’s Gas n Grab” warns our group of characters and tells them that they’re all going to die, which is a fun throwback to Crazy Ralph in Friday the 13thtelling the counselors they are all doomed.
American Horror Story: 1984 episode 1 MusicSoundtrack Highlights:
Bananarama – Cruel Summer
Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me 1984
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Private Eyes
I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on American Horror Story: 1984 below in the comments section. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
**Do you love television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Once Upon a Time, Lost, Charmed, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural?Do you enjoydark fantasy,fairy-tale retellings,paranormal romance, horror, and mystery? Then you may like my book series, Dreaming of Wonderland…available on Amazon! Thank you for taking the time to check it out and I appreciate any feedback as well. I really hope you enjoy!
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Do you love horror series? Of course you do! Please also check out 12 Nights of Horror Series Coming Soon. It’s your home for everything you need to know about new and returning horror television series including new trailers, premiere dates, reviews, recaps, and renewals!
