ARTaylor

A movie not for the faint of heart. It's intense. It's gory. It's funny. It has the subtlety of a thermonuclear bomb. And it's fascinating.

The story is basically a female actress version of The Nutty Professor, but filtered through the disturbing body horror of David Cronenberg's The Fly. Rather than the comical transformations of Jerry Lewis and Eddie Murphy, we're given a disgusting blood-soaked changes of Jeff Goldblum. The movie holds little back, and several audience members walked out after a while.

But it's not all shock and awe. It's also really funny. The movie knows exactly what kind of story its telling and delivers that in every scene. It's not unlike the darkly twisted works of Stephen King or Rick and Morty. The horrific images are often handled in humorous ways.

Then there's that ending, which perfectly encapsulates everything about the movie to the Nth degree. It's equal parts absurd, hilarious, and disturbing. That third act may be the most memorable ever put to screen.

The cast is amazing. Dennis Quaid is terrific as the sleazy manager, who can make even eating seem vile. Margaret Qualley is fantastic as the kind of Buddy Love version, and does a good job copying Demi Moore that until the credits I thought maybe she was actually Demi's daughter. Of course, it's Moore who is the standout. Like Brendan Fraser in The Whale, she gives the performance of a lifetime and really should have won the Oscar. From the fake smiles, to putting on makeup, to acting under a ton of prosthetics, she gives an incredibly memorable performance.

This seems like the kind of thing people will love or hate. People will either be so bothered by the visuals or embrace the surrealness of it all. Either way, it's one that's worth checking out.

Not since Maximum Overdrive has a movie perfectly captured the twisted dark humor of Stephen King so well, and this one is a lot better. A movie that's gory, funny, offbeat, and played to perfection.

The movie is essentially Final Destination meets Deadpool. The kills are elaborate and unpredictable, each one memorable. Of course, it's Theo James' Hal's reactions to them that make them so fun. His dry wit captures the exhaustion of someone not surprised and tired of the blood. And while Final Destination played their kills straight and over-the-top, this movie embraces the inherent silliness of the situation. So many laughs are had at the awkwardness of it all.

The two actors playing the older and younger twins both are terrific, and the film shoots them well. I really thought that Christian Convery was a set of twin actors. James is good in both roles, though the adult twins don't have nearly as much interactions.

This movie truly feels like it captured the essence of the Master of Horror. King has inspired a lot of really good movies. But Faithful Readers know that very few really capture the quirkiness that King so often brings, particularly his short stories.

The movie is a fun combination of classic 80s slashers and cheesy romantic-comedies. Other movies have tried it, but not as smart as this. The romcom provides motivation for the slasher that feeds into the romcom cliches.

Both elements work great on their own. Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding are good together and have chemistry. They are fun when they're both on screen. There are plenty of suspense and gory kills. HEK is an effective killer with an interesting aura.

What's really holding the film back is the third act. It goes the way of recent Scream movies. The villain reveal is predictable and underwhelming. There is too much talking and overexplaining of everything. It's doesn't quite ruin the movie, but it indulges in the cliches when the earlier scenes played with them.

While not a modern classic, it is better than it had any right to be. It's a good spiritual sequel to My Bloody Valentine, and can be an enjoyable yearly tradition.