REVIEW: Double the ‘Beetlejuice,’ double the fun? To an extent, yes

After more than 35 years, the Ghost with the Most (Michael Keaton) is back on the big screen, getting a legacy sequel of his own.

In addition to Betelgeuse, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) also comes back, though she has traded her gothic, rebellious attitude for a TV personality, albeit still wearing black. She has to step away from her paranormal-centric show, though, as she has to attend the funeral of her late father.

Joining her is her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) and daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), though the latter isn’t as excited to be there as she has a strained familial relationship. However, when the family goes back to their old house, some dangerous afterlife shenanigans begin, forcing them to not only band together, but call on help from the titular character.

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REVIEW: Poor narrative breaks ‘Exorcist: Believer’

Keep those tubular bells ringin’, “The Exorcist” series is back. However, unfortunately, the quality of the original film is not.

In this entry to the franchise, Leslie Odom Jr. plays Victor, a single father whose wife died during child birth due to the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. In the ensuing years, Victor loses his faith, but appears to be doing alright as a dad to his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett).

His world gets turned upside down, though, when Angela and her friend Katherine (Olivia O’Neill) go missing. They’re eventually found, much to their parents’ relief. As time goes on though, it appears something sinister has latched on to the two girls. Continue reading “REVIEW: Poor narrative breaks ‘Exorcist: Believer’”

REVIEW: ‘Smile’ will have horror fans smiling

Here in Minnesota, we know all about misleading smiles. It’s called being passive aggressive. The smiles in this film, though, are much more devilish.

Parker Finn makes his feature directorial debut with this new horror film, with Sosie Bacon playing the protagonist Rose. A doctor in a psychiatric ward, Rose regularly works with patients and it’s what brings her into contact with a troubled woman at the movie’s start.

The woman, a PhD student, says she’s been seeing a sinister figure who takes the form of people with an evil grin, before taking her own life. At first, Rose deduces that the woman must have been suffering from a mental ilness, until the same evil force begins appearing before her, too.

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LAMB Movie of the Month: ‘Host’ review

The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t just changed how we watch movies right now, but how we make movies. “Host,” a film focused on paranormal Zoom meeting, is a prime example.

For their regular virtual get-together, the main character Haley (Haley Bishop) brings together her group of friends for an online seance. Haley, who’s hired the medium for the call, is taking the Zoom meeting seriously, but the rest of her friends see it as just harmless fun.

The call does start off innocently enough, with the friends getting settled. However, at one point, something goes wrong and an evil spirit is invited in. As a result, all of the friends are put in danger.

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