Second Time's the Charm: The Nun II

5 years ago I told y'all how I went to go see The Nun and I did not like it. At. All. What I never updated you on is that over the years, the movie has totally grown on me. While it is not my favorite movie in The Conjuring universe, I enjoy watching it and this created an excitement to see the sequel, The Nun II.

The sequel picks up 4 years after the original movie. Sister Irene is called to save the world again as it has become clear that the demon from the first film still lives on. She is reunited with Maurice in a French boarding school as she learns that the demon has latched itself to him. 

The sequel is full of jump scares and moments where I had to watch through my fingers (the newsstand scene was INTENSE)! However, something that my friends and I have discussed is this plot hole- at the end of the original Nun movie, they attempt to tie Maurice to the Warrens by showing them exorcise him. I believe this should have been left out and saved for this movie. At the end of The Nun II, we see the Warrens receive a call to jump into action. At what point do they exorcise him if he is rescued with Sister Irene's help at the conclusion of this move? Is it me? Am I the drama? Because it just is not adding up to me.

Overall, this movie was such a good time. I loved Storm Reid's character and I would love to see her come back for a third movie. 

Have you checked out The Nun II yet? Tell me your thoughts in the comments!

Insidious: The Red Door Review

When I saw the first Insidious movie in 2010, I immediately fell in love. The horror lover in me has always been astonished at the story telling mixed with scary moments and the latest venture back into The Further, Insidious: The Red Door, does not disappoint.

This sequel picks up 10 years after the second Insidious movie. Dalton is 18 and off to college and has a strained relationship with his dad Josh. They were hypnotized after their journey into The Further and the family’s relationships were never the same. While moving into his dorm, Dalton meets Chris- a fun spirited young woman that provides great comic relief throughout the film. I had the pleasure of interviewing Sinclair Daniel about what it was like playing Chris and joining this amazing franchise:

Insidious: The Red Door is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. There are so many thrilling moments and people were in the theater literally screaming. What I enjoyed about this movie is we dug a little deeper into Josh’s past to learn that his dad was also able to astral project to The Further. His parenting method has strongly been affected by the father he didn’t have and he finally knows his father attempted to sacrifice himself to save Josh. Josh in turn tries to do the same to save Dalton, but Dalton could never leave his dad behind and finds a way to save him too. The overarching theme of the movie is the father and son bond and the writers did a great job of making it feel authentic in the midst of this scary world.

It was exciting to see cameos of familiar faces from past movies, and the character of Chris was a refreshing addition. This Insidious chapter is a scary and fun entry into this set of films and sets the stage for an upcoming spin-off. This franchise is truly set apart from a lot of horror movies these days. In all of the films, there are way more true scares than jump scares. You will consistently watch some scenes through your fingers. Insidious: The Red Door holds true to that formula and does not disappoint.

The Blackest Weekend Ever

Happy almost Juneteenth! To celebrate this festive occasion, The Blackening is now in theaters, and I strongly suggest you grab a friend and go see it!

I was able to attend an advance screening of the movie and it did not disappoint. The Blackening tells the story of a group of college friends reuniting 10 years later for a Juneteenth weekend at a cabin in the woods. They take some party drugs, pour some drinks, and get their party started. They quickly find the house’s game room and that is where they find “The Blackening,” a board game that tests their Blackness. A TV in the room comes on, revealing one of their friends has been taken by a creepy masked figure. They must play the game to stay alive.

The Blackening is a good time. It is absolutely hilarious but has a good amount of scary moments mixed in. I have expressed disappointment before in how a lot of Black horror movies these days try to take the Get Out formula and fail miserably by doing too much. The Blackening takes pieces from our culture and mixes it in with comedy and horror perfectly.

The twist ending will have you on the edge of your seat ready for more. Check out The Blackening this weekend in theaters!

Haunted House FearFest is Coming to Scare Us This Fall!

A horror movie festival to kick off Spooky Season? Yes please! Haunted House FearFest is coming to New York City this October.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Renee Huff, of Haunted House FearFest. Renee is the owner and executive director of the festival. Haunted House FearFest is described as, “a global independent horror film festival that celebrates our passion for bone-chilling horror films and video games by cutting-edge independent filmmakers and game developers from around the world.”

Renee said that her love for horror started at an early age when she first saw “The People Under the Stairs” which is also a personal favorite of mine.

Renee believes that her personal mission “is to entertain people with fear and make dreams come true.” A goal of the festival is to promote films and video games by creatives of diverse backgrounds. Attendees of the festival can expect to see screenings of new horror films as well as video games. The festival comes to NYC this Fall from October 5th-8th.

You can find the Haunted House FearFest on Instagram at @haunted_housefearfest or at their website https://www.hauntedhousefearfest.com/

You can submit your film or game here: https://www.hauntedhousefearfest.com/submissions

Meet me at the altar in your white dress…

Welcome to Spooky Season- my favorite time of year! To kick October off I decided to watch The Invitation, a movie I have been super excited to see since I saw the trailer.

The Invitation tells the story of Evie, a waitress and artist that does one of those genealogy kits and ends up finding a long lost cousin. Let me tell y’all how I’ve been wanting my family to do these kits for years. Now I see why they’ve repeatedly told me no and after watching this movie, I will not be asking again! Evie’s long lost cousin Oliver asks her to leave NYC and visit England for a family wedding. Evie has no family left besides her best friend so she decides to take a chance (and a free vacation) to meet these distant relatives. Now if I was Evie, I would have absolutely taken a free trip- and a friend. No way I would’ve gone on this trip alone Chile. Nor would I have stayed at a big creepy estate. Hotel me please!

Evie learns that there are three old money families that are bound together (for some reason yet to be revealed) and they love to party together. Evie quickly (and I do mean quickly. Like damn girl slow down) falls for the man who owns the mansion, Walt. What Evie soon discovers is, everything isn’t what it seems to be and she is actually the bride and there are vampires in the mix honey. In order to keep these families bound, Walt must have three brides- one from each family. This is why you don’t just get kidnapped across the pond and stay in random old mansions. Now she’s trapped and is about to be a whole married vampire for the rest of eternity!

I really enjoyed this movie. It had a solid story and the writers made us really care about what happens to Evie. A lot of horror movies these days focus on race relations because of Get Out and that is honestly becoming tiresome. However, I think The Invitation did a great job of blending subtle racial issues into the script while still making the classic vampire tale the center of the story. I loved watching Evie find her strength and take everyone on while dismantling this entire family structure. Watching her get her revenge on Oliver was the icing on the cake!

This is the perfect movie to kick off Halloween season. What did you think about this movie?

Snow Day Binge: Archive 81

The perfect way to spend a snow day is to binge watch something good on Netflix. That’s exactly how I spent mine- watching Netflix’s new release Archive 81. I can’t believe I hadn’t heard about this show until the week of its release. I absolutely love podcasts and this show is based on the hit podcast of the same name. It follows Dan, an archivist that takes a very strange job with a large payout restoring old video tapes that were destroyed in a fire. As he restores tape after tape, he realizes he was chosen to do this job for a reason and that his history is connected to Melody, the woman that recorded the tapes.

I absolutely love Mamoudou Athie and he stuns in this leading role. He is the perfect mix of awkward Black guy and endearing hero. We watch 8 episodes of Mamoudou as Dan, piecing together this mystery and also trying to figure out how his life is intertwined with this mystery that he is unraveling. The tapes center around Melody, a woman using an oral history project about the Visser apartment building as a front to find her long lost mother whose last known address was in this building. As Melody gets more involved in life at the building, she quickly learns that these residents are not who they appear to be and they are really in a cult that is trying to summon a demon. Chile, she had so many chances to escape. But she could not put aside her hunt to figure out her truth. We eventually learn that this was a trap to get her to the building and her mother was never there. In present time, Dan is now determined to save this woman. His own best friend let’s him know this is a foolish mission but Dan can’t stop. In the finale, we discover that saving Melody actually is an option and Dan has to now see it through. I am sure we all gasped when Dan finds Melody and she makes it back to present time and Dan gets sucked back to 1994. This is what happens when you can’t mind your own business honestly. Because now how will Dan make it back to 2022?! It is clear that Dan is truly in 1994, not the Otherworld, as he looks out of the window and sees the Twin Towers. Also, the fuzzy things of the Otherworld are gone.

I adore a good cliffhanger and Archive 81 did not disappoint. We absolutely have to have a season 2 because I refuse to accept Dan is forever stuck in 1994 after he was just trying to do a good deed! I plan to begin binge listening (is that a thing?) to the Archive 81 podcast and hope that Netflix delivers us a season 2 asap!

What are your thoughts about Archive 81? Drop your thoughts below!

The Blacker the Berry...

Everyone knows that spooky season is my favorite! So of course I’m super excited that Amazon Prime has been releasing all of these original horror movies this month. The first one I tried was Black as Night and I absolutely loved it.

Black as Night is the story of a young Black girl named Shawna who spends her summer getting revenge on the vampires that killed her mother. Shawna and her friends infiltrate a coven and basically save the whole hood. I loved that this movie battled self esteem issues as well as struggles of young people growing up in the hood but didn’t make these themes overly pushy. Shawna finds her strength in the courage it takes for her to protect her friends and her home and even though she finds a boo in the process, he only reassures what she is growing to learn about herself.

I love anything based in New Orleans. It’s my favorite city that I’ve ever visited and the rich history always makes it a great backdrop for movies like this.

Black as Night is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. Let me know your thoughts!

What's Scarier Than Monsters? White People.

This past weekend, most of us were so excited to watch Them on Amazon Prime. I get so excited whenever I see Black people flourishing in the horror genre. Executive produced by Lena Waithe, Them tells the story of a Black family in the 1950s that moves from the South to the all-white neighborhood of East Compton. The 10 episodes follows the family’s first 10 days in their new home.

Let me start by saying that I watched two episodes on Friday night and had nightmares. This show was beyond creepy! The show really did a great job of holding you captive but also making you watch certain scenes with one eye open. The acting was phenomenal. Wardrobe? Exceptional. My issue? Why do Black horror stories have to be about our people suffering? Why do our horror stories have to revolve around our abuse at the hands of white people? Other races are able to freely have horror stories that focus on a vast array of topics. Black people? Oh make it racist but make it scary. Racism is scary enough. The fact that 402 years after the first slave ship came to Virginia our people are still oppressed is scary. The fact that we are still fighting to say Black Lives Matter is scary. I don’t need my favorite escape (horror) to remind me of this.

I think the exception to my rant about projects like this is Get Out. I think Get Out was done in such a way that while racism was the key component to this, it didn’t overwhelm you. It was not traumatic. Jordan Peele can take social commentary and make it scary but not beat you over the head with the message. It is subtle but the message is still clear. Them was FULL of unnecessary trauma. Why did we need to watch a Black baby murdered? What did that do for the story that we didn’t already use context clues to figure out? The goal, I suppose, was to scare us and touch on our fears. Ok, job complete. But forcing us to watch so many attacks and abuse of Black people for 10 episodes was overkill. It makes me wonder, who is the audience?

A part of me that is so torn about this show is that I liked parts of it. I liked how scary it was. I enjoyed how the storyline came together of why the Black people that came into this neighborhood were cursed to suffer. I liked the historical accuracy of how the banks manipulated Black people and made them pay extreme interest rates on loans. I loved the rare moments of Black joy. I did like the storyline of Lucky and her mental health. Too often we do not believe Black women and their experiences and just write them off as crazy. In this case, Lucky literally gets sent to a mental hospital. I think this is an important dialogue to have. But at the end of the day, this show was just too much. I am drained.

 Shows like Them and Lovecraft Country are creepy for sure. But what’s really scary about them is watching how much hatred racist white people have for us.

This isn’t Black Horror. It’s Black trauma. And we don’t need any more of that.

Godzilla vs. Kong: King(s) of the Monsters

I’m not sure why but I have been super excited to watch Godzilla vs. Kong. I know I am usually here to discuss horror movies but I can’t deny a good monster movie! While I didn’t really care for the first Godzilla movie, I did enjoy Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Kong: Skull Island, which is why I think I was so excited to see these two movies come together.

This movie takes place after the events of the last Godzilla movie. King Kong is secured and monitored on Skull Island and while this is his home, the containment center is becoming too small for his growing size. Meanwhile, in Florida, Godzilla is in these streets attacking APEX locations (forget the human casualties-he has business to take care of) and now the world is scared that Godzilla is no longer on their side. What we soon realize is APEX has been developing a Mechagodzilla! Godzilla can sense this robotic monster because of the technology they used to create him so he is set on destroying different APEX locations.

Meanwhile, Madison and her friend Josh find Bernie, a podcaster that has infiltrated APEX to find out the truth about what they really know about monsters and what they have been hiding in their laboratories. They discover the truth about Mechagodzilla and get accidentally sent to Hong Kong. This is literally the most unrealistic part of the movie for me. Yes, I know-a movie about monsters crushing cities and ancient underground civilizations and I am stuck on these 3 characters being zapped to Hong Kong. Then, in our other storyline, Kong is taken to Hollow Earth (his true home) and is reminded that he is that ape, been that ape, and will forever be that ape (Megan Thee Stallion reference for those that don’t know) as he literally reclaims his throne. I STAN! I think my other issue here is that after Kong shows up in Hollow Earth and everybody has to bow down to the baddest zaddy in the land, Godzilla uses his laser radiation stuff (look- y’all know what I mean) and blazes his way through the Earth’s core and makes Kong come up to Hong Kong and fight. Again, this is where y’all lose me. How did the writers decide this was the best way to have them jump across the world?

The battle royale at the end of the movie made me so excited. First of all, this movie has amazing special effects. Money well spent on CGI! I love how many fight sequences we actually get. The first fight that left my main man King Kong looking down and out didn’t sit right with me but you know you can’t hold a real monkey down. A lot of people have been reporting that Godzilla ultimately won but I just feel like we didn’t watch the same movie… Ok Kong was down bad at the end and had to be revived by the rocket spaceship thing but at the end of the day he got up and completely ripped Mechagodzilla apart! Godzilla literally didn’t stand a chance without help from Kong. The movie even ends with Kong reigning supreme over Hollow Earth. I feel like that was evidence of victory was it not?

Per usual, let me know your thoughts!

Blackity Black Horror Movies

We Black every day. But in Black History Month (and on Juneteenth) we BLACKITY BLACK Y’ALL!

Happy New Year guys! I hope you spent the holidays watching scary Santa movies and creepy New Year tales. Now Black History Month is here so let’s talk about some of my FAVORITE Black Horror Movies!

Horror Noire – This 2019 documentary is so important to discussing the history of Black Horror. This doc features actors, directors, and cultural experts discussing the African American presence in horror. From exploitive films to movies that truly let us just be Black, this doc covers it all while featuring some of our favorite faces.

Get Out – I am sure y’all are tired of me discussing this movie. I do not care! Get Out is my absolute favorite movie. Jordan Peele completely changed the game when he released this movie in 2017. A black lead and supporting cast. Written and directed by a Black man. A Black man overpowering white people. This movie is just *chef’s kiss*

Eve’s Bayou – This might not be technically described as horror by some but it certainly scared me as a child! The voodoo and supernatural element mixed with the creepy bayou imagery completed this movie about a well off Black family whose secrets come to light one hot, Louisiana summer.

His House – A young couple seeks asylum in an English town but quickly find that their new home is haunted…or is it something even more sinister following them from their past?

Bones – This movie really scared me and I do not care how cheesy that makes me seem! Snoop Dogg perfectly executed the role of Jimmy Bones (Black as night and hard as stone) a gangster returned from the dead to seek vengeance against those that killed him. This movie came out during the height of Black cinema (you know, when all of our Blassics like Love & Basketball and Brown Sugar were released).

Slice – I think this movie is so adorable. Chance the Rapper plays a werewolf in this horror comedy. People are turning up dead in a town where ghosts and living people cohabitate. That alone makes the movie comical.

Tales from the Hood – Another Blassic! I love how this movie took important issues and themes from the Black community such as domestic violence and police brutality and turned them into pure horror stories. The first sequel was extremely disappointing but Tales from the Hood 3 (released in 2020) was surprisingly good!

Candyman – I am still disappointed that 2020 ruined the release of the new Candyman movie but the classic is still a great watch. Set in the projects of Chicago, a white woman can’t mind her business and goes hunting for an urban legend. Her demise is her fault and I can not be concerned with that.

The People Under the Stairs – This Wes Craven movie was so unusual at the time in my opinion. A young Black kid was the star and the movie didn’t demonize or characterize the Black plight. The whole hood literally comes together to fight evil white people and gentrification.

Vampires vs. the Bronx – Netflix really outdid themselves with this movie last year. It is cute and comical and just the right amount of creepy. Watching 3 kids of color defeat vampires and gentrification was so funny. My favorite part? The young Black girl taking out a vampire with her Timberland boot.

JD’s Revenge – A classic Blaxploitation film from the 70s. The effects are a bit cheesy but it’s the 70s! I love a good ghost story and this movie does not disappoint.

Fallen – Everybody loves Denzel. To see Denzel in a movie about demons and supernatural elements spoke to the creepy child inside of me. You think you know how the movie is going to end and then BOOM *plot twist*

What are some of your favorite Black movies? My list could go on and on!

Talkin 'Bout Good & Bad Hair

If you don’t get the School Daze reference in the title you might be too young.

When I first saw the trailer for Bad Hair I did not realize that it was a horror/spoof/satire movie. My assumption was that it was truly a horror film. Once it was released I discovered it was a satire so I tried to keep that in mind while I watched. When I watched the movie on Saturday, I already had a friend tell me she hated it. I was so nervous to watch because I had such high hopes for this movie. While there aren’t too many moments when I really laughed outside of the end, I was intrigued by the story the entire time. The internet has been so divided over this movie for the past few days. Let’s dig in.

Bad Hair is set in 1989 and revolves around Anna, a young woman working as an assistant at a pop culture music video network. Anna’s boss is let go and her new boss (played by Vanessa Williams - who is so good at being bad) lets it be known if Anna had a more appealing look then she could make it much further at the network than her current position an assistant. Anna decides to get her first weave and she is loving all the good stares and compliments she is getting for her new look. But she quickly realizes that hair isn’t just some regular 1B Brazilian bundles. The hair needs blood to survive and in turn, the movie has a high body count. What we then learn by the end of the film, is that the hair from Virgie’s salon comes from witches. Anna’s uncle gives her a book of folklore at the beginning of the movie and the story of a moss haired girl is mentioned repeatedly throughout the movie as foreshadowing. The hair will eventually take over the mind and body of the Black woman wearing it. I will admit, this could have been written better for a clearer understanding but the story still related to what Anna and the women she worked with were going through – being controlled by society’s expectations of what they should be. By the end of the movie, pretty much everyone Anna works with has made a trip to Virgie’s to get a weave so they can “look the part.”

People either loved this movie or absolutely hated it. I haven’t talked to anyone who was in the middle. I absolutely loved it. I thought it was something new and original and sent an important message. My favorite part of the movie was Anna trying to escape her possessed boss Zora and running around the building with Brooke-Lynn (played by Lena Waithe). It was really the funniest part of the movie and added much needed comic relief. I also loved how the whole cast was full of people we know and love. When Usher entered the movie for the first time I swooned. Kelly Rowland also did so good in her role as a possessed pop star.

While Bad Hair is set in the late ‘80s, everything about it still resonates true today. How many times have you or someone you know been judged in the work place for natural or eccentric hair while white counterparts can come in with blue hair? How many times did someone tell you if your hair was straighter or edges more laid you would look more presentable? If you are less “ethnic” then you will get further in your career. Black women are not afforded the opportunity to be ourselves in the workplace. We have to code switch and look and act a certain way. We have to sometimes water down the best parts of ourselves to get half as far as our counterparts of paler complexions. The message of this movie is deeper than horror. That’s why this film is considered a satirical horror film- you have to commit to it for the message. For most Black women, this message has been loud and clear for years. California became the first state to pass the CROWN Act which is a means to end discrimination in the work place over natural hair styles. This just happened in 2019. 

 Bad Hair is currently streaming on Hulu. Give it a chance and tell me your thoughts!

Haunted House - Pandemic Style

Everyone knows I LOVE Fall. Colorful leaves, cute sweaters, cozy weather. But most of all I LOVE Halloween! So of course I was so disappointed that this global pandemic was interfering with my Halloween plans. But then my friend had a perfect idea- there has to be SOME type of socially distant haunted house. There was! I discovered Legends of the Fog – a drive through haunted experience. I wanted us to feel super comfortable and this was about as safe as we could get (because we don’t play about coronavirus).

Legends of the Fog is located in Aberdeen, MD. You have to buy your tickets in advance. Upon arrival, you get in line (everything happens entirely in your vehicle. You do not get out at all) and the staff gives you a code to connect your car’s Bluetooth to hear a spooky soundtrack that you play as you drive through the attraction. You can lower your windows to your comfort level and actors will jump out and scare you.

I absolutely loved the experience. The attraction was well done and everything looked amazing. At one point a clown jumped out of nowhere and scared all of us. It was dark and spooky and even though there weren’t as many actors you still felt the same level of fear from the ones they did have plus the animatronic pieces of the set. I also enjoyed seeing how many people had small kids in their cars – I say scare them young!

Legends of the Fog did a great job adjusting to these current times. Highly recommend *snaps in Z formation*

Don't Mess With the BX!

Everyone knows that one of my top 5 horror movies is Vampires in Brooklyn. I know that is such a strange choice but I’m a Black girl that loves horror movies and there are not a whole lot of horror or thriller films that have a completely Black cast. Trust me. It took a few days to complete a list of 31 films to post everyday in October. And that’s sad. Because we are just now beginning to get more representation in the horror genre (word to Jordan Peele). But this October we have so many great options coming out! One that I was super excited about is the Netflix original Vampires vs. The Bronx.

The film centers around three teenage friends from the Bronx- Miguel, Bobby ,and Luis. The neighborhood they grew up in is rapidly changing. The stores they are so used to are being purchased by a real estate company called Murnau Properties. Miguel is determined to save their favorite business, their local bodega, owned by their friend Tony (played by the real Bodega Boy The Kid Mero who is truly the highlight of this movie). Miguel plans a “Save the Bodega” block party in order to keep this neighborhood staple alive. But with more businesses closing and neighborhood folk going missing, Miguel and his friends can’t help but be on alert.

First of all, gentrification is scary enough. Then you add gentrifying vampires to the mix and this movie gets wild. This movie was really cute and quirky mixed with a few jump scares and lots of comedic moments. Spoiler alert: In a truly New York moment, a character saves the day by taking a vampire down with a TIMBERLAND BOOT! Truly my favorite part of the whole movie. I laughed and hit rewind three times AND sent the clip to a friend from the Bronx. I definitely suggest watching this with a nice cozy blanket this Spooky Szn!

Mary J. Blige. Horror Movie. What?

When I heard that Mary J. Blige was starring in a horror/thriller movie I said “Girl whet?” I’m sure you’re thinking the same thing. But listen. Hear me out. It was good. 

Auntie Mary- oh wait. Did y’all hear she hates being called auntie? I guess she thinks she’s too young but... as a woman in her late 40s she’s auntie age so... anywhoo. Mary plays Renee, a cop back on the force after some time off recovering from the death of her son and an attack on a civilian. On her first night out, one of her coworker friends is attacked and it all goes downhill from there. Renee finds the footage from his dash cam but it only plays for her. She sees something mysterious and supernatural on the footage and this leads her down a path for answers. 

I think this movie found a really unique way to tie in social justice and horror. Because being Black in America is low key a horror film. So when a movie finds a way to tie these things together it’s becomes intriguing. Look at Lovecraft Country or Get Out. The monsters are the white people. The monsters are the police. This is America and it’s scary ya know? 

Mary might not be the best actress but she got the job done. This movie has a similar premise to the action/thriller Black and Blue. Police murder an innocent young Black man and attempt to cover it up. But in this film, the supernatural element gets attached and you find out that sometimes revenge has to come from the other side. Anika Noni Rose plays the mother of the victim and also the woman Renee is chasing down for answers about what the heck is happening around her. 

I definitely suggest getting cozy this first day of Spooky Szn and curling up under a blanket to watch this film. Let me know what you think!

Lovecraft Country: What’s Scarier Than Racism?

I have been waiting for months for the premiere of Lovecraft Country. I even added it to my calendar so I wouldn’t forget. Jordan Peele is an executive producer of the show and we know I love him.  Johnathan Majors (David from Da 5 Bloods - which I loved) is the star and I think he’s fine so *extra points*. Since its premiere on August 16, I have watched the episode two more times. Let’s dig in to why it amazed me so. 

Lovecraft Country is based on a 2016 novel of the same name. The story follows Atticus, a soldier from the Southside of Chicago who returns home to find his missing father. His friend Letitia and his uncle George decide to join him in this cross country journey. Now keep in mind our setting is a racist 1950s America so traveling across the country is no easy feat. Uncle George is helpful in this aspect because he writes guide books. Guide books were used to tell Black people which towns had safe restaurants and places to stay as they traveled. I cringed the entire time the trio visits this small town diner. I just knew it wasn’t going to end well. 30 seconds later our trio has to literally run for their lives as they are chased by white men with guns. This is such a sad reality. The real horror comes later in the episode, when they end up in woods that Letitia’s brother warns them about earlier in the episode. Lots of Black people have gone missing in this area. But is the racist sheriff responsible or something more sinister? When we see what is really lurking in those woods my jaw dropped and I was on her edge of my seat the rest of the episode. 

Speaking to a friend (who is afraid of all things scary) about Sunday’s episode, I told her that the scariest part of the episode was the racism honestly. Watching these Black people trying to make it out of a sundown town with 10 seconds to go before the sunset raised my anxiety. Too often we see Black people in these crazy situations with racist whites and assume the worst will happen. Because history has proven time and time again that when white people are involved the worst does happen. It’s sad. It’s frustrating. It’s America. It’s also so funny to see white people on Twitter learning about America’s racist history through HBO shows. They learned of the Tulsa massacre through Watchmen and are now extra shocked to learn of sundown towns through Lovecraft Country. That’s because American history is white washed with a sprinkle of MLK and Rosa Parks while Black people have had no choice but to educate ourselves and those around us about our own history because we surely weren’t learning it in school. 

I am so excited for the next episodes. The trailers that are available look like this season will be a wild ride and I can’t wait until we are finally introduced to Michael K. Williams’ character. Because. Omar coming. 

A Long Walk- Not After Dark

Daniels Dam

Abandoned 1960s car

Like a lot of people, quarantine has helped me get in touch with nature. My new past time has been finding trails with pretty sights or waterfalls so that I can stay active and also pause to admire what God has created. So imagine my excitement the first time I learned of a trail that led you through an abandoned town. Y’all know I love spooky stuff!

The Daniels trailhead, located in Windsor Mill, MD, takes you along the Patapsco River and leads to Daniels Dam. In and out is about 3 miles total but the detours from the tour to see all of the cool, creepy things will extend your trek. 

Daniels, MD was formed as a small industrial town in the early 1800s. The town’s founder formed the community around his family’s textile mill. The town had stores, churches, a school, and most mill workers lived in the town. If you are from Maryland, then you know the Ellicott City area floods like crazy. This is what wiped the town out and forced many families to abandon Daniels. That is what is so crazy about the trail. Along the way you will see a few cars from the 1960s that were abandoned but are still almost completely whole. 

Another crazy part of the trail are two abandoned churches. The interiors are gone but the outside structures still remain. The Pentecostal church is what you will find once you have neared the end of the trail. It is covered in graffiti. If you take a detour from the path you will find the other church that has a cemetery behind it. Now I love creepy stuff but to be honest with y’all, a girl has her limits so please know I didn’t get that close to that church. I’m not crazy you know? 

If you love nature but like a little creepy stuff at the same time, I definitely recommend taking a walk along Daniels Road. 

Abandoned church near the end of the trail

Abandoned church with the cemetery in the back. Clearly as close as I planned to go!

Inside one of the abandoned churches

Quarantine & Chill

Day 387890 of being in the house. How are y’all holding up? I’m back again with some more streaming suggestions to get you through the next few days!

The Perfection is a wild ride with twists that I did not see coming. It is about a musician that links up with the star of her former school and the crazy things that happen after their initial encounter.

The Haunting of Hill House is one of the scariest shows I’ve ever seen. It was so good. It tells the story of the Crain family and flashes between the past and the present, showing how a summer spent living in a haunted house changed their lives forever. Season 2 is set to come out this year.

What Lies Beneath is a lowkey classic thriller. The movie follows Claire Spencer who is trying to determine if her house is haunted or if she is going crazy. This movie is 20 years old and still captures my attention like it’s my first time watching it.

Sometimes I like my horror to be a little quirky. Cole is in love with his babysitter but when his parents leave him with her for the weekend he discovers she has some dark, wild secrets. This is more comedy than horror but still a slasher film nonetheless.

What to Watch on Hulu

Hey y’all! I’m back again with some things to stream during this staycation we are all on!

Crawlers - Into the Dark

I love the Into the Dark series on Hulu. Blumhouse releases a film on Hulu monthly. Every month there is a theme to go along with a holiday or theme that is happening (Christmas, International Women’s Day, etc). The latest installment is Crawlers, centered around St. Patrick’s Day.

Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad is a cool movie that went under the radar. In 24 hours parents everywhere go nuts and murder their kids. It’s a wild ride.

Wayward Pines

Wayward Pines was a really good sci-fi show that only lasted 2 seasons but still worth the watch. It begins with a Secret Service agent sent to investigate the disappearance of 2 other agents. He ends up in a small town and things get a little crazy.

Light as a Feather

A group of teenage girls decide to play the game light as a feather and things go way left from there. A quick watch because the episodes are less than 30 minutes each.

Prime Horror Movies

The Gift

The Ring

47 Meters Down: Uncaged

Carrie

Hey y’all. By now, most of us are teleworking and in the house looking crazy. So I wanted to suggest some movies that I like on streaming services that you can checkout during your boredom! First up is Amazon Prime. Here are a few options for you!

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The Gift is about a local psychic who gets visions of a high profile murder and puts her life at risk to seek justice.

The Ring is one of my favorite horror movies! A single mom has to save herself and her son after watching a cursed video.

I prefer 47 Meters Down: Uncaged to the original 2017 movie. This sequel has a new cast and you didn’t have to see the first one to see this. 4 high school girls go exploring underwater caves and then it gets real when the sharks come out.

Carrie is a horror classic about a teenage girl with psychic powers that goes nuts on everybody. Everyone remembers the iconic pig’s blood scene.

Annihilation is basically an alien movie with a few high profile actors. Worth a watch.

When Your Invisibae Acts Up...

I’ve been super pressed for the release of The Invisible Man- especially because the first horror movie I saw this year wasn’t that great (see previous post about The Grudge). This film is a remake of the classic Universal movie but of course in 2020, it was much spookier than the one we are used to.

Before we get started I would like to share a brief story about how somebody’s aunty stole my seat in the movie theater. Obviously all seats are reserved these days so when I walked up to E12 and saw Aunt Pam (she looked like a Pam) reclined and living the good life in my favorite end seat I told her she was in my seat. Her response? “Oh chile I don’t know I just sat down.”  Pam! Get tf up!

Ok anywhoo.

The movie tells the story of Cecilia, a woman who has just escaped her abusive husband, Adrian. Not too long after her escape she is informed he has committed suicide. She refuses to believe he would do something like that - knowing how abusive and controlling he is. Cecilia has moved in with her friend James and his daughter Sydney and now that her husband is dead and has left her a boatload of money she thinks Life is Good *Future voice*.

But then things get weird. She has a feeling someone is watching her. Everyone thinks she is crazy and spiraling mentally. But she’s right- Adrian has found a way to turn himself invisible and is torturing her. This movie does a good job of making you think you’re crazy just like Cecilia. Since you know that Adrian is following her you find yourself looking at chairs to see if they move or looking at the air around her to see if you see a breath in the cold air. It’s truly maddening. Once James and Sydney turn on Cecilia, believing she has snapped and punched Sydney, you feel bad for her because now she’s alone. Adrian manages to even kill her sister in public and frame her for the murder because obviously no one sees him. I was clutching my pearls the entire time.

I will say that this movie was predictable as far as the plot goes. The scares were real. It was a thrilling ride. But nothing about the movie really surprised me as far as the plot and the semi happy ending. I did enjoy the movie but it really isn’t something you didn’t see coming from the first scene of the movie. The clues were all there from the very beginning when Cecilia escapes the mansion. The movie was truly spooky and was filmed beautifully. The jump scares didn’t overdo it and it had a creepy feeling throughout.

Since were all stuck at home and the movie theaters have shut down, you can rent the movie on demand or on Prime. For TWENTY dollars. I know. That was my response too- a wtf moment. I suggest waiting until it’s on demand like, for free with one of your movie subscriptions or at least the normal $5 price. It’s a pandemic. That price is wild.