Hellhouse LLC was a surprisingly excellent found footage film, benefitting from a well constructed narrative and great setup. The two followup sequels were increasingly atrocious, providing and expanding an unnecessary mythology. To its credit, this sequel is a vast improvement over its predecessors, but nowhere approaching the ingenuity or scares the first film offered. Rather than continue to expand the backstory of the Abaddon hotel, they shift locales to a foreboding manor in the middle of the woods, and reskin the framing scenario an amateur true crime investigation. These are far from the last horror cliches indulged, in addition to all the found footage tropes here en masse. At this point, the series indulges its own particular tropes, with recycled scares and lots and lots of creepy clowns; coulrophobics best avoid this whole franchise. The performances are wildly uneven, but the direction is decent and quite adept at hiding its budget limitations. The film does make good use of tension and atmosphere building, but tends to disappoint in the execution which normally ends up being someone screaming with a lot of shaky cam. Regardless, things move briskly and manage to cover a lot of information, jumping between different sets of recovered footage and interviews. There’s minimal gore and a few jump scares that do land, but on the whole this entry is crafted for franchise purists who will have more fun making the various connections and spotting the easter eggs.
When Evil Lurks (2023)
After the year’s many derivative takes on the possession formula, this movie hits like a flesh-searing wind tunnel of fresh air. This feels like the Evil Dead successor that should have been, malevolent and bleak, without heroes, humor or hope. There is scant worldbuilding, but effectively conveying a world where faith in spiritual authorities is dead, and possession can afflict anyone and spread like a contagion. The audience always feels at least two steps behind, not entirely knowing the rules or mechanism, but the characters also seem to be in a similar plight. Despite knowing more about the nature of this threat, they make devastating assumptions and mistakes, often acting in defiance of what few rules would keep them and their loved ones safe. While there are moments of exposition, they are delivered organically and appropriate to the plot. The direction is fantastic, brisk and with ever present tension, the ominous inevitability that something horrible is about to happen. And this film never disappoints in that department, with regular intervals of shocking and gut-wrenching moments. This film executes horrors that no hollywood studio would dream of touching, becoming quickly apparent nothing is sacred and no one is safe. But the film isn’t simply relying on horrific sights and sounds, there is a deeply unsettling theme of human hubris and ignorance being the catalyst.It is relentless, uncompromising, and absolutely brutal, delivering horrendous sights and sounds in conjunction with heart-wrenching glimpses at humanity’s worst and most self-destructive flaws.
A
Trash 2023
As a genre fan, one is often subjected to some of the worst offenses committed to celluloid. The horror genre is described as the cheapest and easiest for aspiring filmmakers to breakout from, thus every year the landscape is littered with woeful attempts. More egregious are the studio films with decent budgets, director, casts that yet commit to atrocious scripts and derivative tales, squandering possible potential into something worthless. Here is a quick roundup of some of the worst offenders 2023 has to offer:
Featured
Evil (Series)
Quality often hides in the most unlikely of places, case in point, a CBS supernatural procedural about vatican investigators turns out to be the most fun and inventive horror shows of the last several years. Evil initially doesn’t stray far from the X-FIles investigative formula,pairing a believer and skeptic together in addition to a third party for (mostly) comic relief but demonstrates intelligent writing, great chemistry between the leads, and an appropriately wicked sense of humor. There’s an insidious playfulness behind the different cases, which run the gamut from cryptocurrency schemes and demonic digital assistants, to classic possession and goetic lineages. An easy subtitle for the series might be, ‘the devil is a huge troll’, and each episode demonstrates a keen wit while not afraid to stray into genuinely dark territory. The horrific elements are often truly horrifying, both in subject matter and execution. At the core, the show is about making sense of current reality and where one places their faith and endeavors. It never shies away from covering the darker aspects of humanity, with or without supernatural agenda, even if the tone skews more towards humor than the macabre. Initially the show does a decent job at giving equal weight and creedence to potential scientific or supernatural explanations, even though the metaplot makes no pretense of hiding the presence of supernatural shenanigans. By season 3, the series jettisoned network TV for streaming, where it was truly allowed to unleash its darker potential. Not that it abandoned the zaniness or mischievous aura, but able to take the ongoing story into darker depths, drawing many of the disparate threads into a unified whole that culminates in an epic season finale. The acting is thoroughly excellent throughout, even from a motley of child actors (though some of their antics and constant screaming are insufferable). Unfortunately the belated 4th and final season continues to be delayed due to the strikes, but unless they horribly drop the ball on the various plot threads, I cannot imagine this series deserving less than an:
A
Five Nights At Freddy's (2023)
There are nine core Freddy’s games, which could easily be subtitled ‘jump-scares: the video game’, along with spinoffs, novels, comics, and finally the long gestating film adaptation. This film has been in development hell for almost a decade, with a revolving door of directors and studios before finally landing and the results being.. meh. While waiting for this film to finally be developed, there have been multiple knock-offs (Willies Wonderland and the Banana Splits) that certainly delivered the FNAF experience, and seemingly more in the playful spirit of the games. This movie and the actors play everything surprisingly straight and emotional, despite being in a film about possessed murderous animatronics, with the exception of Mathew Lillard, who knows exactly what movie he’s in. The chances you will enjoy this film is entirely dependent on whether you enjoyed the games and how thrilled you might be to see the characters rendered in live-action. And to be fair, they look great. This is a movie that absolutely revels in fan-service and callouts. However, for a series so utterly devoted to jump scares and increasing tension, this movie has neither. Rather than focus on the danger and threat of the foes, they instead focus heavily on the lore and backstory behind the series, which gets pretty thick, but again with nonexistent scares. This could be a nice ‘intro’ horror movie geared towards younger audiences, and there are some remarkably cute and very fun scenes, but there is not much here that will do much beyond raise the eyebrows of genre enthusiasts. This movie is geared entirely towards fanservice first, family fare second, and horror somewhere near the end of the credits teasing a sequel that hopefully might actually deliver scares.
D (B if you are an existing Freddy’s Fan)
Los Habitantes (2023)
A mexican ghost story from the perspective of an extremely unreliable narrator, fairly well executed but also bleak and dripping with despair. The direction is quite good, and the cinematography would be almost excellent were it not for the colorless palette the movie adheres to. Everything feels gray and desaturated, devoid of color and feeling, which certainly feels like a visual metaphor to the mental state of the character. It feels like he is sleepwalking through events, subject to jump scares and psychological torment, but somewhat detached from emotional investment and warmth. And the movie does justify this, as the protagonist has been in an accident recently with some form of head trauma, which excuses many of the behavioral quirks. The twists are standard, but heart wrenchingly horrific, arguably far worse than the implied supernatural influence, and justifies much of the runtime. Unfortunately, not the entirety of the runtime, as this movie is plodding, overly morose, and far too long. The payoff might be impactful, but it takes far too long for this movie to go anywhere, and once it does far too much is delivered quickly and in an exposition dump. On the whole, there is little genre fans haven’t seen previously, but well executed with some decent atmospherics, scares and overwhelming bleakness.
C+
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
The premise of this movie feels more of a thought experiment, providing contemplation and consideration over genuine scares, even with a weaker story than the source novel that inspired it. There is little actual horror, one or two notably tense scenes, but the majority of any violence or gore is kept or implied offscreen. The film and novel both allude to some form of global apocalypse, with news footage and reports briefly seen, but the entirety of the action is contained around the cabin, telling a more intimate story about family, love and sacrifice.The acting is excellent across the board, with Dave Bautista providing a standout performance, playing against type and delivering a truly moving character study. M. Night Shyamalan is inarguably a skilled director,many of the shots in this film are downright gorgeously shot, and he is demonstrably better at working with other people’s material than writing his own. Unfortunately, this film is easily 40 minutes too long, and in dire need of an editor’s scythe. The film opts to jettison much of the novel’s ambiguity and deeper symbolism in favor of a far easier narrative, which feels somewhat unsatisfying. For a story centered on uncertainty and moral ambiguity, the film offers a sanitized and easy out. As it stands, this is a poor adaptation of better material, but a decent movie that’s nowhere near as deep or challenging as it needed to be.
C
V/H/S 85
As an avowed fan of this franchise, admittedly the quality of series entries has wavered wildly and one’s appreciation wholly dependent on one’s receptiveness to the ‘found footage’ subgenre. There are now 6 core entries and two spinoffs, with the series landing on Shudder with no signs it is about to stop. In this reviewer’s opinion, that is a resoundingly good thing, as 85 provides a solid series entry, more thematically consistent and interconnected than most prior and vastly superior to the last: 99. Admittedly, the novelty of the presentation is exhausted, and there is little new to be offered from the found footage gimmick, yet none of the entries this year are particularly bad, and there is quality storytelling and some decent gore behind most of the individual narratives. This year’s entry adheres to a core 80’s vibe, but doesn’t feel limited by the necessity to make era appropriate callouts. This one leans heavily into an analog horror vibe, akin to youtube channels ‘Gemini Home Entertainment’ or ‘Local 58’ intercut with an interesting wraparound broken into chapters between individual segments. As is the nature with anthology horror, the quality of the segments fluctuates and your milage may vary as to personal preference but there is likely little argument Scott Derrikson’s ‘Dreamkill’ is the standout, simultaneously the most gory and horrific.. As per usual, the the V/H/S series provides a consistent sampler of scares, this one of the better entries and leaving one looking forward to see what timeframe they tackle yet.
B
Leave (2022)
This Norwegian film, while thick with atmosphere, ominous setup and some genuinely creepy dream sequences turns out to be more of a mystery in horror trappings, but not a particularly good one. The setup and premise is reminiscent of many other supernatural orphan films and while it offers some genuine twists and unexpected detours, it all unfortunately moves at a languid pace. Many of the major mysteries are resolved rather quickly, and the movie seems to spin its heels past the 90 minute mark.. It is gorgeously shot, with cinematography and acting excellent across the board and there’s some genuine talent both in front and behind the camera. The filmmakers make great use of the setting, however the major drawback here is with the writing. The main character seems to exist in a state of oblivious entitlement, willing to break every form of social rule, taboo, and basic manners while existing as a stranger in a strange land. She ignores blatant red flags, willingly puts herself into sketchy and mind-bogglingly dangerous situations, and places others at risk simply to satisfy her own whims.Honestly at one point I was watching in hope for more of a reckoning before the filmmakers unveil ultimate foes so cartoonishly evil, they’re impossible to root or sympathize with and, like the main character, you simply want the whole mess to be over. There is a rather decent wrapup, and a ghost-ex-machina that provides a brief and interesting moment or two, but on the whole this is too little a return on the viewer’s investment as a mystery or horror film.
D+
It Lives Inside (2023)
Many films aspire to the rank of ‘elevated’ horror, usually wielding heavy subtext, social commentary and abundant use of ‘monster as metaphor’ in order to rise above genre trappings. This film aims very high, struggling to be considered something ‘greater’ than simple genre, trying to make broad statements on generational and cultural alienation, teenage struggle, depression and angst, in a backdrop of the Indian migrant experience. The filmmakers mine Hindu lore to present a different skin on its demonic entity, and there are some well executed scenes involving the creature’s invisible assault. The acting is well done, with Megan Suri’s expressive eyes almost a character unto themselves, and with much of the cast switching languages on the fly. The direction and cinematography is above average, shadows and lighting rendering some wonderful visual metaphors and visual tricks. Unfortunately in making an attempt at ‘elevated horror,’ one cannot actually neglect the ‘horror’ part of this equation. The movie is bloodless, frightless, and devoid of any real spice or flavor. There’s little remarkable about this film beyond the cultural reskin, and while those aspects are refreshing it is still not enough to elevate this film beyond a woefully derivative script and teen-horror trappings. Were this meal to have a bit more bite, it could have been an exceptional horror entry for the year, as it stands there is a sense of wasted potential and sincere hopes the filmmakers can deliver greater feasts in the future.
C+
The Offering (2023)
Reminiscent of last year’s The Vigil, in that this is a typical demonology plot, but buoyed by the infusion of hasidic/jewish lore. The story is an amalgam of demon possession and haunting stories, but decently executed, nicely filmed and well acted. The atmosphere and settings are nicely ominous, even the darkest scenes well defined and easy to discern, almost to the point of being too bright. The filmmakers do a very good job within the script of detailing the particulars behind the lore and motivations without a deluge of exposition. The acting is decent, yet the characterization is certainly lacking and most of the periphery characters lack anything beyond baseline definition. The creature design comes off rather generic, a little too heavy on the CG, but even the jump scares are consistently good, accompanied with a genuinely malicious spirit behind how events play out and some very chilling moments. Many of the scares and major moments lean into sensationalistic and bombastic, augmented by a decent combination of CG and practical effects, but nonetheless effective. On the whole, this is an unsubtle reskin of generic plots but augmented by the unique lore flavor, good execution and some nicely delivered scares.
C+
Scream VI (2023)
How this series has continued to survive and draw audiences is rather baffling, as is the positive reception to each new entry. The meta commentary riffing on horror tropes has been aped to the point of parody. Anyone remotely following the dialogue while doomscrolling on their phones and simultaneously writing a thesis will still guess the killers quite early into the film. There are the obligatory red herrings and fake-outs, ‘clever’ dialogue and quippy banter that seems better served on the CW network. The hook this round is a change in locale, from suburbia to NYC, which served Jason Vorhees far better than it serves Ghostface. The acting, pacing, plotting is all over the place, and not entirely cohesive. Some actors seem to have gotten different script notes, and some are far more committed to the concept of acting than many of the others. What is good is the framing of the opening and parts of the first act, Jenny Ortega, and that its slightly better than the last movie. However, they haven’t just beaten the dead horse, they’ve repeatedly stabbed and mutilated the remaining chunks where they could only serve as chum. There are hints throughout that the producers intend to build upon the threads begun in the last film into some endgame scenario, but I’d earnestly implore them to just stop here.
D-
Dark Harvest (2023)
This movie is not what i was expecting, starting wickedly with a strange folk rite that ends gruesomely and going down some pretty wild rabbit holes. There is a heavy throwback feeling, especially given the 60’s timeframe and aesthetic, with the flavor of an 80’s splatter horror film. This is another film reveling in a Halloween vibe, with creature designs suggesting Pumpkinhead and Sam had a secret love-child. There is copious gore,creative kills, with veritable buckets of blood being spilled. The direction is very sound, although most of the nighttime scenes could use a bit more lighting , there are some excellently staged shots and great imagery. While unfamiliar with the source material, there is some decent meat on the script, although certainly not the film’s strongest feature. The basic plot is engaging, but when the film tries going for deeper themes or ideas they tend to fall flat. There are conspiracies and hidden secrets, but most of it plays out predictably. The dialogue and performances tend towards over-the-top, but there is a decent crop of younger actors doing above serviceable work, although the main character feels a bit insufferable. On the whole, this is the very definition of a ‘B’ movie, a lot more fun than expected, well directed with good practical effects, and definitely worth an October watch.
B
Cobweb (2023)
This on many levels is what the Boogeyman movie should have been. It also feels very seasonally appropriate, dripping with pumpkins, halloween imagery and October weather, despite its unfortunate initial release of mid-july. This feels like a very spirited Halloween film, in the vein of Trick R. Treat or a Sam Raimi film. The way it is shot and framed oozes with a surrealness and ominous atmosphere, while leaning into an almost hyperrealism. It is framed to present a child’s perspective, and there’s a sense of dark fantasy, fairy-tale aura about proceedings. It is one of the rare films where jump scares and dream sequence fakeouts feel thematically appropriate, and land rather well. The acting by Antony Starr and Lizzy Caplan is spot on, conveying the gamut between parental concern and quiet menace, never quite knowing what they are thinking or how they are motivated. The reveal is certainly far from what the movie was building to, and likely far from what the audience might be expecting. It turns the entire movie on its head, yet a lot of the buildup and symbolism make sense in retrospect. The last act will certainly be divisive and possibly alienate audience members, but if the audience is willing to accept the crazier elements of this film, it is a supremely fun ride.
B
From Black (2023)
A film that wants very badly to be A Dark Song (2016). See, that was a good movie. This is not. Not entirely bad, but mind-bogglingly dull and mediocre, especially in comparison. This strives to be a darker-hued version of that film, sacrificing interesting characters and character development in an attempt to be darker, edgy and spookier. The entire film has its framing narrative structured to educate and reference the format of an occult ritual, telegraphing the journey the main character is attempting to undertake. Unfortunately, the main character is, by design, unlikable and unsympathetic, except where one might emphasize with tragedy that has befallen her. It is =a heart wrenching scenario and understandable how it could drive an individual to demonic extremes; however, there is nothing about the character’s subsequent choices and attitudes that seem appropriate to her drives.. However, this doesn’t make her subsequent actions orWhat is rather good is the lead Anna Camp, who delivers with conviction a career-high performance, even if the film is unworthy of her efforts. There are a handful of creepy moments, well staged scenes and interesting interplay of light and darkness, creepy apparitions and gruesome visions, but the pace is languid, the plot confused, and ultimately the script leans far too much on exposition and bad delivery than actually landing its themes. It is unfortunate, there could be a far better film here,and even a decent rip-off of a Dark Song if any of the elements beyond the strong performances landed.
D
Ostatnia wieczerza (Hellhole) (2022)
A Polish film about a detective’s investigation into monastery disappearances provides some truly chilling atmosphere and creepiness before a final act that unleashes hell. The film sets an expectation in the opening scenes that the audience would be watching another variant on the Omen/Rosemary’s baby, but that notion is expunged by the second act. The first third of the film is a slow building escalation of chilling scenes and moments that certainly play tricks with expectation even if some of them retread similar ground. We are limited to the detective’s perspective for much of the runtime, so subject to the same deception and subterfuge being played upon him as he tries to uncover the secrets hidden within the edifice and clergy. There are a number of predictable twists, but the movie defies overal predictability. Once the nature of the events is unveiled, the movie takes a turn into far more horrific elements and doesn’t relent through a rather inspired ending. While not as glossy or polished as some hollywood productions, this actually works to the film’s favor as it has more of a gritty and grounded feel. The monastery feels authentic and downright dripping with ominous secrets, the actors world-weary and jaded and while the effects lack polish, they are impactful and used effectively. On the whole this is a quality entry that starts slow, but builds into a riveting finale and a gem for fans of the genre.
B+
Haunting of the Queen Mary (2023)
Somewhere out there I imagine a director and screenwriter high-fiving, confident in the delusion they’ve crafted a film that makes sense. It is a shame, as there could be a lot to appreciate here. Based on the history of the RMS Queen Mary, both as a luxury liner and tourist trap, the film makes decent use of the setting to tell parallel horrific events across the span of decades. Initially things present well, with a shocking opening, excellent transitions between past and present events, copious amounts of gore, unsettling specters, glossy production values and a cast acting with the conviction they are in a far better film. Unfortunately the good aspects quickly give way to bafflement as the script twists and swerves into the nonsensical. I understand evoking a sense of bewilderment, to mirror the trials of the characters, but much of the logic breaks down and little makes sense.They keep introducing new characters and new twists into the plot that this already overloaded, stuffed and approaching incomprehensible. In the same vein, as the movie progresses the editing becomes more choppy and disjointed, the shots darker and more indecipherable, and the quality for the entire entire film systemically plummets. What starts as engaging and riveting quickly devolves into a waste of budget, actors, and the viewer’s time.
D-
The Fall of the House of Usher
My love for Mike Flanagan is well established. He is my favorite working horror director, and close to being my favorite director period. Even his worst is leagues above the cesspool of drek littering the landscape and I am overjoyed to report, The Fall of the House of Usher is excellent.
An easy pitch for this series would be ‘Edgar Allen Poe’ meets ‘Succession’, as various plots revolve around the family dynamics and individual motives within a modern dynastic empire. The Usher family is presented amongst the 1% of the 1%, head of a far-reaching pharmaceutical corporation with enough hidden skeletons to populate multiple nations. In the span of two weeks, the empire will crumble with the bloodline severed, and there will be nothing that remains other than an empty emperor sitting on a throne of bones in a crumbling house, literal and metaphorical. Throughout these events, a mysterious figure haunts, seemingly to reap the lives and fortune of each family member, a shadow and memory of promises made and a toll come due. This is all relayed by a potentially unreliable narrator in the oldest framework, telling a tale before a flickering fire.
Like with Bly Manor and Hill House, Flanagan amalgamates numerous stories from Edgar Allen Poe into a singular tale using ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ as his framing narrative. Each episode adapts a specific story, but includes plentiful callouts and easter eggs to the entire body of work. Flanagan finds the sweet-spot in an adaptation, not adhering slavishly to the source, but maintaining tone and themes while adding his own personal flourish, telling his own tales and unafraid to expand and embellish. And this is masterful, because he manages not simply to reskin and update core visuals, framework and ideas, but he dives deep into the thematic undertones that comprise the throughlines and motifs for all Poe’s work. These are tales of hubris and ego, hedonism and indulgence, sorrow, madness, guilt, and of course: Consequence. ‘No one really gets away with anything’ states the patriarch Usher. ‘There are always consequences’, affirms the reaper, ‘tonight you are consequential’.
The writing, production values, acting, framing, setup, are all exceptional. Regular viewers will recognize many of the faces from Flanagan’s regular stable of actors, along with some excellent new additions. Each member of the House of Usher exists in a state of privilege and hubris, not understanding the dues that are owed. Pacts made and checks written to seize the day, but owed to the future. These themes are reflected in each story and tale, with every doomed family member seeking their own ticket to fame, success and immortality, without understanding the pendulum swinging inexorably towards them. The sins of the fathers merging with the sins of the moment, and the price that is owed to those that follow. There is no escape from consequence, especially staring in the dark mirror.
This is far from a 1:1 direct adaptation of Poe, yet somehow a fitting and a near perfect translation. It is gory and lurid, excessively dramatic, flamboyant, verbose and theatrical. It is dark and morbid, ironic and twisted, at times goofy and excessive, yet little feels untrue to the source, even while bringing modern sensibilities and contemporary issues into the fray. What is surprising is how darkly funny this show is. Many of the lines are laugh-out-loud and there are some exceptional monologues and performances. As the episodes pass and the body count rises, much of the initial humor begins to dissipate, but it never vanishes completely. The horrific components are truly gruesome, far gorier and vivid than Flanagan’s previous works. More true to Poe, there’s far less emphasis on supernatural elements, as the horrors and atrocities are of purely human design. There are certainly specters and characters that are haunted, but they are more projections of guilt and remorse, madness and lament. Where the show does stumble is when it goes into some ham-fisted screeds about the horrors of the pharmaceutical industry and capitalism, and while parallels can be found in Poe’s writing, it feels a bit too much like the creator’s soapbox than thematically inline. Regardless, Mike Flanagan once again delivers the highest tier of October treats, his last huzzah for Netflix before moving on to greener amazonian pastures, and a Dark Tower.
A
Saw X
After the abysmal Spiral, I sincerely hoped this franchise was finished. While the first film is above average, the deluge of sequels rightfully earned this franchise a reputation for gratuitous torture porn, forgettable characters and increasingly ridiculous scripts. So imagine my surprise watching Saw X, being treated to an actual quality film. Serving as a semi-prequel, sandwiched between Saw I & II, this movie allows Tobin Bell to finally showcase his acting skills and deliver a film with a surprising amount of emotion and depth. While all the grotesque death traps, moments of body mutilation and torture devices are still font-and-center, the movie does an admirable job of providing reason and rationale behind Jigsaw’s elaborate machinations. This is one of those rare occasions where seeing more of the monster doesn’t diminish, undermine or justify the monstrosities, but strengthens the narrative as a whole. In addition, not only does this film answer some of the franchise's more egregious stretches in plausibility, it manages to provide numerous twists and turns despite knowing the inevitable outcome. That being said, this should be the rightful swan-song to the entire series. Its hand has been played, the last cards turned, and this is a winner. This is the best the series has ever offered, and with this entry the series should finally be laid to rest.
B
Exorcist - Believer (2023)
The same ‘creatives’ behind the destruction of the Halloween franchise paid a lot of money setting their sights on destroying another legacy IP. This film has all the air of a studio-mandate, focus tested, sanitized for consumption ‘product’ as opposed to crafting an actual film. One can almost hear the ‘pitch meeting’: what's scarier than a little girl being possessed by demons? TWO little girls possessed by demons! GENIUS! What was once the focus of a catholic rite is now a community-based free-for-all, even moving beyond ‘faith’ and championing the power of friendship and community spirit to banish evil. However, the messaging here gets a bit muddled, taking plentiful shots at the catholic church and making exorcism cross-faith inclusive, yet… <spoiler> the rite fails and the demons achieve their win condition </spoiler> A truckload of money apparently convinced Ellen Burstyn to play along for a rather anticlimactic cameo, showing up long enough to trigger nostalgia, then be brutally taken out of the equation. The pacing and scripting is atrocious, with an entirely unnecessary 30 minute prologue and a coda doubling down on nostalgia bait in anticipation of sequels to come. Any of these singular points might be forgiven were there a single fright or fear to be had, but there are none. It makes one long for a demonic nun to show up just to inflict a jump scare or two. This is insulting to the source, insulting to fans of the franchise, insulting to the actors, and absolutely insulting to the viewers.