Tag: The Blackening

Ranking my Top 10 Films of 2023: Which Movies Made The Cut?

It’s that time of year again! As we get closer and closer to approaching 2024, I thought it would be the perfect time to count down my Top 10 Films of 2023.

There are still a lot of movies that I have not seen yet, but I wanted to highlight some of my favorites of the year so far!

My Top 10 Films of 2023 are:

10

Totally Killer

Image courtesy of Prime Video

If horror comedy films like Happy Death Day and Freaky are your jam, you’ll find plenty to love in Totally Killer, featuring out of this world performances by both Kiernan Shipka and Olivia Holt.

9

The Passenger

Image courtesy of MGM+

Kyle Gallner gives the performance of his career in this dark and emotional film that was one of the most unique entries to cinema I have watched all year. Moving and resonating.

8

Barbie

Image courtesy of Max

The movie event of the year! Barbie was so much fun! Ryan Gosling gave one of my favorite performances of the year and I loved the humor sprinkled into this bubble gum pop world.

7

Thanksgiving

Image courtesy of TriStar Pictures

Halloween isn’t the only holiday featuring amazing slasher films. Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving channeled 90’s slashers to perfection with plenty of gore and twists around each corner.

6

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Image courtesy of Peacock

The perfect blend of nostalgia for the generation that grew up playing these classic video games mixed with tons of cute and fun moments for kids now, making this a family friendly film worth your time. Plus, Jack Black KILLS it as Bowser and I think I’ll be singing “Peaches” for a very long time.

5

Plane

Image courtesy of Starz

Every now and then, there is a non-stop action film that leaves me cheering and Plane is that movie for 2023. I loved it from start to finish and I’ve already re-watched it several times. It’s filled with adrenaline and plenty of bad-ass moments!

4

Unseen

Image courtesy of Prime Video

An absolute gem that shouldn’t fly under the radar. Unseen is on the shorter side, but it hooks you from the start and features two strong female leads. If you enjoy simple, but effective thrillers, this one is for you!

3

Scream 6

Image courtesy of Paramount+

I didn’t know how I felt about Scream 6 switching up its setting and main character, but it all worked perfectly, making this such a wonderful surprise. It carved its way into the franchise without holding back, creating a bloody good time for Scream fans everywhere.

2

Evil Dead Rise

Image courtesy of Max

Maybe not for everyone, but Evil Dead Rise presents horror fans with gore galore and introduces us to a new bad-ass female lead. I love the Evil Dead franchise and although this one had a very different feel to it, I couldn’t look away and that title card will be haunting me for years to come…

Honorable Mentions:

Leave the World Behind

Missing

No One Will Save You

Sick

The Blackening

Drum roll please…

1

Bottoms

Image courtesy of MGM+

Raunchy, laugh-out-loud funny, and so entertaining! Bottoms is my favorite film of the year! It’s been a long time since I truly fell in love with a teen comedy and this one brought that genre back to life and then some!

I hope to see more films from 2023 soon, but I hope you enjoyed the list!

Did you have a favorite film of 2023? If so, drop it in the comments!

I wish you all a happy and healthy new year and can’t wait to review more new films in 2024! Happy viewing!

Spoiler-Free Review of “The Blackening” in Theaters: So Much Fun!

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

“We are all alone…in a cabin in the woods…”

The Blackening released in theaters on June 16th 2023. The horror comedy film stars Grace Byers, Sinqua Walls, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Dewayne Perkins, and Jermaine Fowler. It runs for approximately an hour and thirty-seven minutes.

A group of friends meet up for a reunion weekend, but things go terribly wrong when they are forced to play a deadly game to survive the night.

Here is the trailer:

The Blackening is a brilliant horror comedy that is spot on with its satire and outrageously funny. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Laugh-out-loud funny and fun references for horror fans.

In a way, this was a smarter version of Scary Movie (which I absolutely love). It created the perfect balance of super funny moments with tons of slasher fun, making this stand out in the horror comedy genre and I think it’s safe to say I’ll be re-watching this one again and again.

The humor worked really well for the most part and I loved the horror references and Easter eggs sprinkled into the mix. It took on horror tropes we have seen again and again in a fun and entertaining way.

Images courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Great characters!

Everyone really held their own, but my favorite character was Dewayne for sure. I loved the chemistry and banter between everyone, which made this film even more entertaining in a lot of ways. Sure, there are a lot of silly and unbelievable things that happen, but as long as you just go with it, you’ll have an absolute blast.

The pacing worked really well and I LOVED that opening!

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Lionsgate Films

The twist is predictable…

I don’t think this took away anything from the movie, but I saw the twist coming a mile away. You could say that it just added to the silly take on the horror tropes so maybe it was intentional, but since we did experience some solid slasher moments in this, I was also hoping for a touch more in terms of this. That being said, I still enjoyed the execution of it so this wasn’t a major con.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Lionsgate Films

I’m in!!!

The Blackening is a witty and delightful horror comedy!

I was so excited to watch this film and it exceeded my expectations in the best way possible.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The Blackening 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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