Spoiler-Free Review of “Stupid Games” on Mometu: Girl Power to the Max!

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

“Play stupid games…win stupid prizes…”

Stupid Games originally released on March 22nd 2024 and is now currently available to stream for free on Mometu. The supernatural horror film stars Cass Huckabay, Alyssa Tortomasi, Saad Rolando, Gage Robinson, and Ashwini Ganpule. It runs for an hour and twenty-six minutes.

The girls invite over three men for a dinner party, but things spiral out of control when they begin to play a game with deadly consequences.

Here is the trailer:

Stupid Games is a clever B-movie that maintains a decent level of intensity until the very end. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

The girls rule!!!

OK, I absolutely loved these three. Cass Huckabay is absolutely delightful in this and I really liked the other female characters as well. In a lot of ways, this film reminded me of We Summon the Darkness. It successfully channeled that vibe in a killer way while still maintaining its own identity. Normally, I can’t stand set-up and fluff, but I actually really enjoyed the banter between these characters and thought the female characters were a lot of fun.

More please!

Twisted ending.

There was a lot of build-up in this one and I was actually on the edge of my seat. The last twenty minutes were fantastic and I really enjoyed the ending. This film didn’t hold back. It unleashed some insane moments that were well worth the wait. I loved how campy this was.

The Cons:

Takes a little while to get going.

This wasn’t a major con, but the second half of the movie was a lot stronger and really turned things up a notch. The first half was entertaining enough, but things really start to get going when we get to the actual game.

So am I in or out?

I’m in!!!

Stupid Games is wicked fun!

I love when lower budget horror films excel like this. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy horror B-movies. It’s worth indulging in.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Stupid Games 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!

READ IF YOU DARE…

Dash and Seek is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “The Watchers” in Theaters: “The Woods are Lovely, Dark and Deep…”

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

“They say it draws in lost souls…”

The Watchers released in theaters on June 7th 2024. The supernatural horror film (written and directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan) stars Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Oliver Finnegan, and Olwen Fouéré. It runs for approximately an hour and forty-two minutes.

A young artist gets lost in a mysterious forest in Ireland. While looking for shelter, she unknowingly traps herself with three strangers who are being stalked by mysterious creatures when the sun goes down.

Here is the trailer:

The Watchers presents the audience with a layered mystery containing lots of chilling potential, but does it do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Breathtaking scenery.

I’ve been seeing a lot of film entries lately set in Ireland and each time, I am presented with some of the most gorgeous scenery ever. Everything in this movie was visually striking. I felt like I was stepping into a watercolor painting filled with mystery and intrigue. Simply magnificent to look at on the big screen!

The lore and mystery were really interesting.

I thought the first half of this movie was so well done. It grabbed my attention and I really wanted to find out what was going on. Certain aspects of this movie reminded me of LOST. It was truly interesting to watch unfold and I found myself getting invested in the outcome.

Oh, and the bird was a scene-stealer and my favorite character by far…

The Cons:

The first half was a lot better than the second half…

I still found it interesting enough, but I think it attempted to do a little too much. It went completely off the rails in the final act. I’m all for wild twists and reveals, but this one felt overstuffed with them, which ultimately took away from the eerie build-up in the first half of the film.

So am I in or out?

I’m in about 75 percent…

The Watchers explores a layered mystery with chilling potential, but it loses steam with its excessive reveals.

This was a complex and intriguing watch overall, but it didn’t stick the landing.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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 “Tarot” in Theaters: Gimmicky Version of Final Destination Feels Familiar

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

“I’ve never seen cards like this before…”

Tarot released in theaters on May 3rd 2024. The supernatural horror film stars Harriet Slater, Avantika Vandananapu, Jacob Batalon, and Adain Bradley. It runs for approximately an hour and thirty minutes.

A group of friends unknowingly unleash a curse on them when they conduct horoscope readings with a box of tarot cards they find.

Here is the trailer:

Tarot attempts to channel films like Final Destination and Stay Alive, but does it do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

2000’s horror nostalgia.

This film brought me back to films like Final Destination, Stay Alive, and One Missed Call. I wouldn’t say that it was as good as any of those, but the premise was fun and creepy enough. There were a few stand-out characters to root for and it didn’t waste too much time with unnecessary fluff.

Investigating the lore behind it all was actually interesting.

I was honestly impressed by the background provided for what was causing the curse on the deck of cards. The film was based off of a 1992 novel named Horrorscope and that probably helped with this. It enhanced the premise a lot more and I was more invested in the outcome because of it.

The Cons:

Predictable with mostly cheesy scares.

There were actually a few well done scares toward the end, but the majority of them felt really watered down…especially in the beginning. This film needed some more edge and perhaps a decent twist to make it stand out. When it leaned more on twisted fun with its villains, it worked better. The dialogue wasn’t great and everything felt very rushed. I wish they would have spent a little bit more time on the lore because that was the most interesting part.

So am I in or out?

I’m in about 75 percent…

Tarot has 2000’s horror energy with some creepy moments built in, but it needed to embrace some twisted fun to make it truly shine.

I wouldn’t say that you need to rush to the theaters to see this one, but it’s worth a quick watch when it comes to streaming.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

THIS COMPETITION IS KILLER…

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 “Baghead” on Shudder: Watered Down Version of “Talk to Me”

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

“You can’t escape this place…”

Baghead released on Shudder on April 5th 2024. It had an initial release back in December 2023. The supernatural horror film stars Freya Allan, Ruby Barker, Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, and Saffron Burrows. It runs for approximately an hour and thirty-five minutes.

Iris inherits a run-down pub from her deceased father and quickly discovers that there is a supernatural being in the basement that can allow others to speak with the dead.

Here is the trailer:

Baghead has an eerie premise and a worthy cast, but does it do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

A chilling premise.

Similar to Talk to Me, this film explored the dangers of reaching out to the dead and the consequences that can occur as a result. I was really intrigued by this entry and I appreciated that it tried to give the audience enough history behind the supernatural being. The effort was definitely there and there were some freaky moments sprinkled in.

Welcome to horror, Freya Allan!

I’m already a fan of hers from The Witcher and I actually really liked her in this film. I hope to see her in more horror entries soon because I think she can really excel in this genre. Her performance pulled me in enough even though I needed a bit more layers to her character.

The rest of the cast was decent enough as well.

The Cons:

Needed more of an edge.

This movie wasn’t bad, but I think it could have been so much better. It had all the ingredients to become a truly creepy entry in the supernatural horror genre and it fell short because of dull pacing, lack of proper character development, and a wishy-washy ending.

A lot of the jump scares felt silly and misplaced. I also wanted a lot more development for the character of Iris and more of an understanding of her relationship with her best friend. She seemed helpful enough, but I wasn’t super invested because I didn’t understand what the two of them had been through together as friends.

I really wanted a lot more from the ending and while there were a few twists and surprises thrown our way, they just felt mediocre and forced.

So am I in or out?

I’m 50/50 on this one…

There were some glimmers of creepy goodness within this film, but it took too long to get anywhere and a lot felt underdeveloped, which was disappointing.

Freya Allan did a good enough job; however, and deserves more horror films to star in.

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

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!

Play if you dare…

Dash and Seek is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe. Thanks for your support!

Spoiler-Free Review of “Imaginary” in Theaters: He’s Not Your Friend…

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

“I found someone else to play with…”

Imaginary released in theaters on March 8th 2024. The supernatural horror film stars DeWanda Wise, Tom Payne, Pyper Braun, and Taegen Burns. It runs for approximately an hour and forty-four minutes.

When Jessica returns to her childhood home, she becomes concerned about her stepdaughter’s behavior when she begins to spend all her time with a stuffed bear named Chauncey.

Here is the trailer:

Imaginary attempts to terrify us with a decent enough premise, but its wild twists get in the way. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Fun premise.

I really loved the idea of an imaginary friend terrorizing people in the form of a cute and cuddly bear. This had all the ingredients to be an entertaining horror film and I think that the first half of this film was creepy and interesting enough.

Decent characters.

I thought the cast did a solid enough job here and I appreciated that our characters were given some layers to explore. It helped me invest more in them and I was rooting for them despite some of my issues with this film.

The Cons:

The second half goes off the rails…

And not in a good way. There were way too many twists in this one and none of them were that satisfying. This was frustrating because I thought this film started off entertaining enough. It’s like the writers decided to take everyone’s idea on how they think the movie should end and mashed them all together hoping it would pay off.

A lot of the reveals felt completely bonkers and laughable. Some of the dialogue was really hard to get through as well…

So am I in or out?

I’m 50/50 on this one…

Imaginary had some genuinely creepy moments built in and it was a lot better than Night Swim, but the crazy second half felt really forced and silly, which was disappointing.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Imaginary 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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Spoiler-Free Review of “Night Swim” in Theaters: Skip the Dip…

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

“I always wanted a pool…”

Night Swim (based off the 2014 short of the same name) released in theaters on January 5th 2024. The supernatural horror film stars Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, and Jodi Long. It runs for approximately an hour and thirty-eight minutes.

A former baseball player moves into a new home and is hoping that their pool can give him the therapy he needs, but a malevolent force is unleashed instead, terrorizing those closest to him.

Here is the trailer:

Night Swim attempts to channel films like Jaws and The Amityville Horror, but goes off the deep end with its reveals. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Eerie premise with a decent enough opening.

The film started off with some potential. I liked the opening and thought we were on our way to experiencing a creepy supernatural flick, but sometimes a film can’t find its way past an initial concept.

That being said, there were some more disturbing moments sprinkled in throughout the film, but nothing to get too excited about…

The Cons:

Takes itself too seriously.

I think this was my biggest issue with this film. It really could have benefited from some campy fun. Instead, it was just laughable and silly in all the wrong ways. The reveal was not worth sticking around for and some of the dialogue was beyond atrocious. The actors were decent enough, but they were stuck in uninspiring roles so it made it difficult for me to really invest in any of them.

This film also relied too heavily on desperate jump scares, which didn’t add anything to the film. Instead, it just showed off how extremely shallow it was.

So am I in or out?

Unfortunately I’m out on this one…

Night Swim gets off to a creepy start, but it never quite finds its way past the concept, making this an uninspiring watch overall.

I was expecting a lot more from my first horror watch of the year.

I hope you enjoyed the review and please feel free to share your thoughts on Night Swim in the comments section!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

IN THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS, HER NIGHT FROM HELL HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN…

After working the night shift, Ashley becomes entangled in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a local street gang, forcing her to come up with a plan to survive the night by turning the tables on them.

Ashley must fight for her life and take them out one by one if she wants to make it to morning…

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

Make it Through the Night is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Dark Harvest” on Demand: A Solid Halloween-Themed Entry to Horror

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

“It’s Halloween…you know what that means…”

Dark Harvest (based on the novel of the same name) is a supernatural horror film that released on October 13th 2023 on demand. It stars Casey Likes, Emyri Crutchfield, Elizabeth Reaser, and Jeremy Davies. The films runs for an hour and thirty-three minutes.

Teens participate in a yearly “run” to hunt down a supernatural creature that emerges from the cornfields on Halloween night.

Here is the trailer:

Dark Harvest is a gory mix of The Purge and The Hunger Games with a nightmare inspiring villain. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Fun for Halloween.

I’ve been loving all of the new entries for Halloween this year and Dark Harvest is another decent entry for sure. Sawtooth Jack is a terrifying villain, but the real horror lies within this small town filled with dark secrets and betrayals.

While this film is far from perfect, I absolutely loved the Halloween feel!

Impressive cinematography.

I was honestly really blown away by this. This film was shot very well and I loved that it took place in the 1960’s. It really had a unique feel to it. I’ve seen plenty of modern day horror entries so this was a nice change of pace.

The Cons

Confusing at times and goes off the rails…

I think I needed to read the book first to really understand what was going on. The audience is thrown into things and I found myself trying to piece together the premise on my own. The characters needed a lot more development so that we would care about what happened to them.

I did think that Emyri Crutchfield was the strongest performer by far as Kelly. A lot of the other characters just kind of faded into non-existence and our main protagonist was slightly frustrating.

The first half of this film was actually really decent and I was impressed by the extreme gore displayed, but some of the twists had me scratching my head and were a little too bonkers for me personally. That may just come down to preference though…

So am I in or out?

I’m in about 75 percent…

Fun Halloween horror with some moments of brilliance, but there were a lot of messy and confusing aspects to deal with as well.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “It Lives Inside” in Theaters: Utterly Terrifying!

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

“There is a dark thing that feeds on those feelings…”

It Lives Inside released in theaters on September 22nd 2023. The supernatural horror film stars Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan, Betty Gabriel, and Gage Marsh. It runs for approximately an hour and forty minutes.

Sam rejects her culture to fit in at school, but when a mythological demonic spirit targets her former best friend, she must learn to accept who she is and where she comes from in order to defeat it.

Here is the trailer:

It Lives Inside is engrossing from start to finish, exploring an intriguing mystery deep rooted in Hindu lore with some spine-tingling moments along the way. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Creepy and unsettling…

I thought that this film successfully built up terror in a very tangible way. It didn’t rely on jump scares or gimmicks. Rather, it created this frightening world and continued to expand on it with effective uses of light and darkness, instilling a real sense of fear in its characters and its audience.

I’ll definitely be having quite a few endless nightmares thanks to this film and I mean that as a compliment! There were a number of times I was on the edge of my seat with dread, watching the terror unfold.

A compelling mystery.

I really loved the mystery and story surrounding this film. Sure, it was creepy as hell, but it also really explored some interesting aspects of Hindu mythology, creating a layered mystery that held my full attention. I loved the tie ins to culture, family, and ancestry here and there were even a few moments that reminded me of Charmed in a way, which had me cheering for these characters all the way!

I really loved Sam as a character and thought she was extremely easy to root for. I also liked all of the supporting characters, which is rare in films like these…especially when you know that everyone is not going to make it.

The Cons:

Plays it safe in some aspects.

I really liked this film, but I think it needed to go one step further to truly immerse us into this terrifying world. It did a great job setting it up, but perhaps it needed a R rating to achieve perfection.

Don’t get me wrong, I was still completely terrified, but I think this film could have been a horror masterpiece if it would have gone a little bit more over the edge.

There also wasn’t too much buzz around this movie. I hope that people go to the theater to see it because it is a worthy entry to horror.

So am I in or out?

I’m in!!!

An unsettling and engrossing watch with a unique mystery at its core.

One of my favorite horror films of the year!

I was so pleasantly surprised by this one. I thoroughly enjoyed my watch and I hope that everyone gives this a chance because it really has a lot going for it.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

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

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Perpetrator” on Shudder: What did I just watch?

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

“I don’t know what to do with her…”

Perpetrator released on Shudder on September 1st 2023. The supernatural horror film stars Alicia Silverstone, Chris Lowell, Kiah McKirnan, and Melanie Liburd. It runs for approximately an hour and forty minutes.

Jonny is sent to live with her aunt right before her 18th birthday, triggering a bewitching transformation that allows her to help find a group of missing girls in her town.

Here is the trailer:

Perpetrator had plenty of bewitching ingredients, but its slow pace and trippy weirdness made this one difficult to enjoy. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

An eerie premise.

I was actually pretty excited to watch this one. I loved the concept and I’m all for a feminist witchy movie featuring a decent enough mystery at its core. This movie should have been a slam dunk based off of the premise, but it never quite executed things in an effective way.

The Cons:

Underwhelming performances…

I expect a lot more from Alicia Silverstone. She’s the main reason why I tuned in for this one and while I felt comforted by her mere presence, her performance seemed really odd. It almost felt like she was over-acting in certain scenes.

Chris Lowell didn’t get too much to do and our main lead was pretty bland. I honestly didn’t care about what happened to her, which didn’t help matters.

Super dull with no real direction.

This one was painfully slow and really confusing. It didn’t follow a logical sequence of events. Rather, it felt more like it mashed together a series of ideas and prayed that the audience wouldn’t notice? I felt like I was watching this one forever even though the runtime was standard. So disappointing…

So am I in or out?

Unfortunately I’m out on this one…

Boring, pointless, and really disappointing.

Shudder has been missing the mark lately. The last few original movies I have watched have been painfully awful.

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

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!

Play if you dare…

Dash and Seek is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe. Thanks for your support!

Spoiler-Free Review of “All Fun and Games” on Demand: Natalia Dyer Stars in this Forgettable Supernatural Horror Film

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

“I will play. I won’t quit…”

All Fun and Games released on Demand on September 1st 2023. The supernatural horror film stars Natalia Dyer, Asa Butterfield, Laurel Marsden, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth. It runs for approximately an hour and sixteen minutes.

A group of teens discover a cursed knife in Salem, which unleashes a demon that forces them to play childhood games until they die.

Here is the trailer:

All Fun and Games has a spooky premise with a decent cast, but does the film do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Good cast.

Natalia Dyer was the main reason why I tuned into this one and she did a good job with her character. The rest of the cast did a decent job too with what they were given, elevating this film as much as they could. There were characters to root for and some that seemed filler, but overall the cast delivered.

The second half was better than the first…

Luckily this film was on the short side or I may have tuned out sooner, but thankfully things picked up steam in the second half. There were some slasher vibes that worked and when everyone started playing the games and working together, it flowed much better.

The Cons:

Silly, watered down scares.

I didn’t jump once. This film was not scary at all and the demons were so ridiculous and laughable at times. I know it’s difficult to instill a sense of dread and fear in films, but it seemed like we needed a lot more effort in this area, which could have made this a much more satisfying watch.

Annoying voice-over narrations.

Luckily they didn’t take over the film, but they added nothing to it and they started explaining things to the audience that didn’t make logical sense. I’m assuming this was just to fill time since the film was already on the short side, but wow these were bad.

So am I in or out?

I’m 50/50 on this one…

I’m in for Natalia Dyer, but this film was cheesy and uninspiring for the most part. I wouldn’t say that you need to rush to see this one, but there were a few glimmers of potential wedged into the middle.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

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

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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