Creepypasta (2023)

After spending the day out and about exploring the trail of the Mothman in Point Pleasant, it was nice to come back to the AirBnB and relax. Luckily,  there were plenty of things to choose from for entertainment,  although this selection was,  well... The 2023 notification flick,  Creepypasta.

Plot: Trapped in an abandoned house, a nameless man desperately searches for clues to how he got there. The answer is hidden within a series of disturbing viral videos - each of which begins to infect his mind.

As a writer and a fan of the Creepypasta genre, I had hoped this would fit into that mold and possibly give me some inspiration. Unfortunately, this hopes we're quickly dashed and I feel into the two of a title sucking me into nothingness.  This low budget entry doesn't do anything to suck you in,  in fact,  it is hard to decide on what the main storyline is.  The cinematography may be the highlight,  and honestly nothing about that stood out.  The performances were uneven,  the stories ran together,  and there was really nothing creepy or scary within the confines of this movie.  So there it is,  and if you couldn't tell from that, there is no way I would recommend this one. 

Mulholland Drive (2001)

I know that I haven’t posted anything in a couple of days. With this being the start of travel softball season for Jo and the girls of Prestige Worldwide, I have been busy with practices and tournaments. However, after returning home rather early from a tournament, I decided that I would jump back into it. My selection was easy. While it has been some time since I revisited the world of David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001), but with the release of Twin Peaks: The Return, I figured it was about time.

Plot/ After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.

It is hard to believe that this film was originally filmed as a pilot. Fortunately, it was not picked up as a series. While I am not saying this as a negative, because it would have made a hell of a series, I am saying it because it allowed Mulholland Drive to grow into one of David Lunch’s best films. While some may not enjoy it due to the strange and twisted storyline that many find confusing, others (like me) will find it a fascinating journey into the surreal. The performances are solid, the story effortlessly transitions from a bizarre landscape into a nightmare, the soundtrack is perfect, the technical aspects are marvelous, and the entire entry is an example of true cinematic mastery. Yes, it does get confusing, but that us but a minor speed bump in what is a truly entertaining flick. In the end, Mulholland Drive in many ways is the best movie from the master of surrealistic cinema, David Lynch. This is a film that must be seen, if you haven’t, you are missing out.

Honeymoon (2014)

After taking a couple days off to get in some fishing with the opening of trout season, a ton of homework in my world building class, and my goal of completing NaPoWriMo drowning my creativity, it was finally time to get back into the swing of the blog. While I have a few movies I still want to see, I finally got a chance to catch one that has seemed interesting in different trailers I see, 2014s Honeymoon.

Plot/ Young newlyweds Paul and Bea travel to remote lake country for their honeymoon. Shortly after arriving, Paul finds Bea wandering and disoriented in the middle of the night. As she becomes more distant and her behavior increasingly peculiar, Paul begins to suspect something more sinister than sleepwalking took place in the woods.

When I finally sat down to watch this, what I found was not what I was expecting. Is that a bad thing? Not in this case, in fact, this slow-building horror flick does a great job at developing the layered storyline in a methodical way that allows the atmosphere to build. To pull this off, the performances had to be great with such a small cast, and they were. Between the outstanding performances, building tension, and an interesting story, this one had just the right mixture to be successful. Yes, the dialog was a touch uneven, and there were some head-scratching moments, but those did little to bring this film down. In the end, this is an entertaining trip into the woods that is better than a lot of the larger budgeted films in the genre. If you have not seen it, check it out!

Open Grave (2013)

There is nothing like taking an evening out to get the blood flowing. Last night, we went to see Hairspray at the State Theatre. That movie is one of Markie’s favorites, and with her birthday in a couple days, it made for an easy gift. That performance was awesome, and I am glad we went. Getting back to the blog, I still have a couple movies I must catch up on. The first is the 2013 mystery/thriller Open Grave.

Plot/ A man wakes up in the wilderness, in a pit full of dead bodies, with no memory and must determine if the murderer is one of the strangers who rescued him, or if he himself is the killer.

I really had no idea what to expect when I picked this up. While the premise on the description seemed interesting, there definitely appeared to be many ways that this could become cliché riddled. What I found was much better than I would have imagined, complete with solid cinematography, decent performances, and an interesting storyline that kept me engaged throughout. Sure, there may have been some repetitive moments in the middle and the ending was somewhat flat, but all in all it was one of the better movies of the type I have watched in some time.  In the end, this was an entertaining and somewhat memorable movie, and one that is much better than what its generic title would suggest. Give it a shot.