Salem Horror Fest 2025, Saturday: House of Ashes (2024) and Troll 2 (1990)

Third day of the Salem Horror Fest, and my second day there. It started with a screening of The Substance followed by a live episode of the Faculty of Horror podcast discussing the film, and ended with a horror trivia contest at the Bit Bar, Salem's retro barcade. (I had fun, let's just say.) In between, I checked out two additional films, the first of which wasn't nearly as good as I hoped it would be and the second of which was exactly as bad as its reputation suggested -- and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

First up...

House of Ashes (2024)

Not rated

Salem Horror Fest 2025, Friday: The Rebrand (2024) and Pater Noster and the Mission of Light (2025)

Now that I live in Massachusetts, the Salem Horror Fest has become my new go-to horror film festival. Work meant that I had to miss the opening night festivities on Thursday, but I was damn sure able to make it to Friday night and check out a pair of indie horror flicks. While the first one was a disappointment, the second one blew my damn socks off.

To start...

The Rebrand (2025)

Not rated

Review: Nosferatu (2024)

Nosferatu (2024)

Rated R for bloody violent content, graphic nudity and some sexual content

Review: Y2K (2024)

Y2K (2024)

Rated R for bloody violence, strong sexual content/nudity, pervasive language, and teen drug/alcohol use

Review: Wicked: Part I (2024)

 Wicked: Part I (2024)

Rated PG-13 for some scary action, thematic material and brief suggestive material

Review Double Feature: Smile (2022) and Smile 2 (2024)

Another day, another double feature, this time of a movie that came out a couple of years ago but which I'm just now getting around to seeing and its newly-released sequel. How were they? Read on...

Smile (2022)

Rated R for strong violent content and grisly images, and language

Review: Stream (2024)

Stream (2024)

Not rated

Review: Terrifier 3 (2024)

Terrifier 3 (2024)

Not rated

Review: The Substance (2024)

The Substance (2024)

Rated R for strong bloody violent content, gore, graphic nudity and language

Review Double Feature: Beetlejuice (1988) and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Another double feature, and once again, it's a classic movie and its nostalgic, decades-later sequel. How do they fare?

Beetlejuice (1988)

Rated PG

Review: Alien: Romulus (2024)

Alien: Romulus (2024)

Rated R for bloody violent content and language

Review: Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, gore and sexual references

Review Double Feature: Twister (1996) and Twisters (2024)

Making this another double feature. This weekend, I went back and rewatched the original Twister, an old nostalgic favorite of mine, just in time for the release of its years-later nostalgic sequel Twisters. Does the original hold up, and does the sequel live up to it?

Twister (1996)

Rated PG-13 for intense depiction of very bad weather

Review: Longlegs (2024)

Longlegs (2024)

Rated R for bloody violence, disturbing images and some language

Review: MaXXXine (2024)

MaXXXine (2024)

Rated R for strong violence, gore, sexual content, graphic nudity, language and drug use

Review: In a Violent Nature (2024)

In a Violent Nature (2024)

Not rated

Review: I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

Rated PG-13 for violent content, some sexual material, thematic elements and teen smoking

Salem Horror Fest 2024 Week 1, Day 4: Welcome Week: A College Horror Anthology (2024)

The last day of the Salem Horror Fest's first weekend had two movies. The second one is one that I really want to talk about... but I can't, because not only was it a secret screening, they also told us not to tell anyone that it was shown at the festival because they didn't want to put a potential distribution deal into jeopardy. This unfortunately leaves me with the first movie I saw that day...

Welcome Week: A College Horror Anthology (2024)

Not rated

Salem Horror Fest 2024 Week 1, Day 3: Cat People (1942), Burned at the Stake (1981), Young Blondes, Stalked and Murdered (2024), and Faceless After Dark (2023)

The third night of the Salem Horror Fest had another theme to it, especially once I got past the retro films they showed earlier in the day. If the second night was Found Footage Night, then this was Hollywood Night, with both of the evening's films revolving around fame, especially that of actresses.

First up, though, comes the older films...

Cat People (1942)

Approved by the Production Code Administration of the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors of America

Review: Abigail (2024)

Abigail (2024)

Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, pervasive language and brief drug use