#31in31 – “Spontaneous”

Posted on October 4, 2025 by Denise


“It happened again. A lot.”

Story: Senior year baby! Mara is sick to death of high school, and could just explode with ennui. But then one of her classmate actually does explode. Like, all over everybody, and right during calc too. Ew. It’s not an isolated incident, and as Mara’s classmates start to literally poof out of existence, the government, parents, and the students themselves try to figure out what’s happening. Meanwhile, Mara’s got a secret admirer that decides if everybody’s ‘sploding? Why not fess up.

Scares: Nope. Though the story is ooky, it’s more comedy than horror.
Splat Factor: This is literally a movie about spontaneous explosions of human beings. Guess.

Subgenre: High School Horrors
Year Released: 2020
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Based on the 2016 novel by Aaron Starmer.


Trick or Treat?: Damn son. 2020 was a helluva perfect time to release this – during COVID lockdown. A “disease” that nobody understands, locking down the senior class? Fuuuuuuu. I wish I’d watched it then. Still, Spontaneous is a wildly unusual film, that’s not only a commentary on how we interact with The Youths, but how we handle a crisis. Again, damn timely for 2020. And now.

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#31in31 – “Ziam”

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Denise

“This fish is fine.” [It was, in fact, not fine.]

Story: Climate change causes “a major elemental crisis”. Food shortages. Riots. Luckily, the citizens of Thailand are surviving (though not actually thriving) thanks to breeding insects for food, and lots of black market trading. When a strange looking fish is caught for a bunch of powerful businessmen to enjoy, what starts out as dinner turns into a sickness that puts anyone not infected on the menu. Can former Muay Thai fighter Singh rescue his doctor girlfriend from a hospital overrun with hungry ghouls?

Scares: Dread and such.
Splat Factor: As The Traveling Willburys sang, you got it.

Subgenre: Zombies And Muay Thai
Year Released: 2025
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Original, but if this film is anything to go by? The start of a fun series, she said hopefully.

Trick or Treat?: Ziam combines two of my favorite genres; horror, and martial arts. So obviously I had to dig into this one. And I had a blast. Blood, gore, and great Muay Thai? This one’s definitely a Hallow-week re-watch.

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#31in31 – “Fear Street: Prom Queen”

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Denise

“Just breathe… It’s almost over.”

Story: Lori Granger has had a rough time in high school. Her mother Rose was accused of killing Lori’s dad on prom night almost 18 years ago, but even after being acquitted? That shadow lingers. So Lori decides to run for prom queen against the popular Plastics Wolves, a group of catty popular girls, because she wants “…something to change.” Instead, nominees start dropping like flies. Who’s the mysterious Red Raincoat doing the killing? Don’t worry, you’ll guess almost immediately.

Scares: Zero. Zip. Just the horror that I wasted an hour and a half on this.
Splat Factor:  Plenty of low budget gore.

Subgenre: Senior Year Slashers
Year Released: 2025
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Based on “The Prom Queen”
by R. L. Stine. Part of Netflix’s Fear Street universe or whatever.

Trick or Treat?: Queen is the kind of movie that’s the textbook definition of a streaming service cash grab. No style, no substance, nothing to recommend. “Sarah Fier Lives!” may be written in a bathroom stall, to hark back to the entertaining Fear Street trilogy, but Queen is surely the death knell of this franchise. 

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#31in31 – “Shadow of God”

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Denise

“Now you’re just pissing me off.”

Story: After an exorcism in Mexico that cost the life of a fellow priest, Father Mason Harper heads to a small town in Canada. But this the place where he grew up is tainted with horrible memories of a religious cult haunt him. When his long dead father seems to return from the dead, has the coming of God on earth finally begun? Who cares.

Scares: One jump scare in a quickie-mart.
Splat Factor: Meh. Some blood, a decapitation. All done with mid-range FX.

Subgenre: Possession Snoozers
Year Released: 2025
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Original, but you’ll notice a lot of absolute rip-offs “homages” to better films.


Trick or Treat?: Don’t buy what this poster is selling you. God is a boring, muddled slog that runs out of ideas at it’s climax and ends with a “gotcha” that means nothing. This poster is a bait and switch. Don’t fall for it like I did.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza – “Roofman”!

Posted on September 29, 2025 by Denise

I’ve been seeing this trailer around for a while, and now I’m curious. You too? Synopsis!

Based on an unbelievable true story, Roofman follows Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), an Army veteran and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname: Roofman. After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys “R” Us for six months, surviving undetected while planning his next move. But when he falls for Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a divorced mom drawn to his undeniable charm, his double life begins to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.

Ready? Let’s go!

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza – “Good Fortune”

Posted on September 27, 2025 by Denise

Ready for some angelic intervention? Synopsis!

Where: Cinemark Egyptian

In GOOD FORTUNE, a well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker (Aziz Ansari) and a wealthy venture capitalist (Seth Rogen).

Ready? Let’s go!

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In Queue Review – “Madea’s Destination Wedding”

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Denise

“You gonna have an open bar?… We’ll be there.”

Genre: Madea Movies (yes, she’s in a genre all her own, as is just and right)
Release Date: 2025
Where I Watched: Netflix

Gist: When Madea’s granddaughter Tiffany gets engaged, nephew Brian struggles to figure out how he became so distant from his kids. As his ex Debrah plows through plans Tiffany a “lavish” destination wedding in the Bahamas, the family has their own issues. Will Tiffany and her man make it down the aisle? Your guess is as good as mine.

Gotta say: C’mon now. If you clicked on this review, you’ve already got your ideas about Tyler Perry’s most famously infamous character, Madea. And nothing I write will talk you into, or out of, watching this latest installment. So let’s just have fun, you and me, okay? Cool.

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In Queue Review – “She Said Maybe”

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Denise


“She’s coming. To Istanbul.”

Genre: Subtitled Romcoms (oh don’t worry, they’ve got an English dub if you’re tired.)
Release Date: 2025
Where I Watched: Netflix

Gist: Mavi and Can are off to Istanbul for their 2nd dating anniversary. He plans to finally make the perfect proposal while in Turkey. But chaos ensues when Mavi finds out she’s the granddaughter of one of the wealthiest families in Turkey. Can their love withstand the socio-economic changes? Oh look, a kitty!

Gotta say: This German-Turkish riff on Crazy Rich Asians is part romance, part family melodrama, part gorgeous travelog. And it’s a sweet, fun bit of fluff that’s perfect for a lazy day.

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“The Long Walk” – heartbreak and horror

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Denise

“They say it’s a choice to sign up for the walk, but do you know anyone who doesn’t?”

Story: After a “war that tore the nation apart”, there is an annual Hunger Games Long Walk. Fifty young men are chosen from a lottery system to make the trek. Walk at the pace of 3 MPH, and finish. That’s all you’ve gotta do. But slow down, and you get three strikes. Then? You get your ticket punched, and you don’t want that. Last one walking, wins.

Genre I’d put it in: Dramatic Horrors
Release Date: 2025
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the novella of the same name by Richard Bachman, aka Stephen King

Gotta say: This is my favorite “Bachman book”. It’s also the most “King”, to my mind at least. Think of this story as Stand By Me, but with guns at the characters’ heads. It’s a seemingly small story, but Walk packs a hell of a punch.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza – “Him”!

Posted on September 4, 2025 by Denise

This one sounds creepy… And from me, that’s a compliment. Synopsis!

HIM stars former college wide-receiver Tyriq Withers (Atlanta, the upcoming I Know What You Did Last Summer) as Cameron Cade, a rising-star quarterback who has devoted his life, and identity, to football. On the eve of professional football’s annual scouting Combine, Cam is attacked by an unhinged fan and suffers a potentially career-ending brain trauma.


Just when all seems lost, Cam receives a lifeline when his hero, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), a legendary eight-time Championship quarterback and cultural megastar, offers to train Cam at Isaiah’s isolated compound that he shares with his celebrity influencer wife, Elsie White (Julia Fox; Uncut Gems, No Sudden Move). But as Cam’s training accelerates, Isaiah’s charisma begins to curdle into something darker, sending his protégé down a disorienting rabbit hole that may cost him more than he ever bargained for.

Ready? Let’s go!

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