Last Movie You Watched 2026

Think you've summed up pretty much what I thought there, PD. It looks great, I thought Scarlett Johansen was pretty good (and look how prominent she has become in the publicity!), but the script.... ugh. Add to that my favourite trope-to-hate, what we call "the kiddies in peril" in my house, and the result is a formulaic movie.... but better than the last couple of Chris Pratt ones.

It was very successful, so I suspect there will be more in the offing...
 
I watched Audition after someone here recommended it. Very good, very gory (at the end) and, I think, very Japanese. I'm still not sure if the guy only got what he deserved after the way he and his friend treated the women but it was a well made film.
 
Following on with more horror: Hereditary. The first half was quite promising, spooky and shocking. The second half took it too far, got more and more ludicrous, and contained so many consecutive slack-jawed-slow-realisation scenes from the remaining sane character in 15 minutes that it was actually quite funny. Midsommer (the director's second film, which I saw a couple of years ago) was much better.
 
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Ropie said:
Following on with more horror: Hereditary. The first half was quite promising, spooky and shocking. The second half took it too far, got more and more ludicrous, and contained so many consecutive slack-jawed-slow-realisation scenes from the remaining sane character in 15 minutes that it was actually quite funny. Midsommer (the director's second film, which I saw a couple of years ago) was much better.
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Like The Babadook, I didn't get why there was all the positive praise for this movie myself. May have been for the reason you suggested.

But I did like the oddness of Midsommer.... very Wicker Man!
 
Hobbit said:
Like The Babadook, I didn't get why there was all the positive praise for this movie myself. May have been for the reason you suggested.

But I did like the oddness of Midsommer.... very Wicker Man!
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Yes, and Toni Collette is a great actor even in this silly setting, which I think added a bit more weight to the review average. I thought Babadook was just okay and contained about 3 good scenes (a bit like Hereditary). I saw another horror film called Hostel recently but it was just a silly shock-fest really.

Can anyone recommend any good recent horror films, or at least something you enjoyed?
 
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You may want to take my recommendation with a grain of salt -- I thought The Babadook was very good. But I also agree about Midsommer, so maybe there's hope for me.

I've been hit or miss with catching recent horror movies. Sinners and X have been far and away the most entertaining; Weapons was also quite good. The follow-up to X, Pearl doesn't seem so much a horror movie at first, as a character study; then things change. I agree with critics that the third in that trilogy, Maxxxine isn't as strong; it's still a solid movie, though. (The trilogy may be more enjoyable the more you know about the horror traditions being drawn on.) Nosforatu was beautifully done, though I can't decide if it's a patch on either the original silent movie or the Werner Herzog remake. Last Night in Soho is also good, though it may depend on your tolerance for flashbacks.

I have less enthusiasm for The Black Phone but it's still worth a try, and I think mileage may vary for viewers of Smile and Smile 2 -- I didn't really care for the sequel right after watching it, but the ending has stuck with me. Definitely not great but watchable is Abigail although my generally positive memory of it may be less about the overall effect than about a striking late sequence featuring Katherine Newton -- I've seen her for years, starting in Supernatural, and constantly impressed by her.

For the lighter side of horror, I parked my brains in another room and watched Heart Eyes and found it entertaining. Going back a bit further, better options include Happy Deathday and Happy Deathday 2U, and even better yet, Ready or Not (haven't gotten to the sequel yet). If you don't mind more of the same, Scream 6 was one of the better entries in that franchise; I probably find these watchable because they aren't just horror movies, but who-dun-its. Freaky is also fun -- again with Katherine Newton.

One somewhat older movie I'd really push hard, if you haven't seen it, is The Vast of Night. It doesn't come across as horror but it starts hitting some of those notes as it goes along, and is something of an extended homage to Rod Serling.
 
Also seen The Vast of Night: and agree!

Thought The Black Phone was OK, although turning a short story into a much longer movie takes some doing. Have Black Phone 2 on the list to watch- haven't got there yet.

Sinners I also though was OK, but not really deserving all the rapid applause it seems to be getting.

Weapons I really didn't like - it started well, but the creepy old woman killed it for me.

Abigail I quite liked - it was pretty obvious what you were going to get- and got.
 
Thanks, Randy. I did look up most of those and, annoyingly, none of them are available on Prime (my current streaming choice) without further subscriptions. However, I will keep them in mind!
 
Ropie said:
Thanks, Randy. I did look up most of those and, annoyingly, none of them are available on Prime (my current streaming choice) without further subscriptions. However, I will keep them in mind!
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Wouldn't you know.

Not a great selection of recent movies, but they have some I mean to look into but haven't: My Best Friend's Exorcism (based on a Grady Hendrix novel of that name); Susperia (2018); and Neon Demon. There's one, The Deep House, that I found very creepy, though I wasn't sure I liked it. It's decidedly Lovecraftian.

A quick look at Prime shows Totally Killer, which is another horror/comedy, this time with Julie Bowen and Kiernan Shipka; I enjoyed it, thought it found a nice balance between teenage flippancy and teenage angst. But I have a higher tolerance for teen protagonists than some folks. A lot of viewers liked the recent The Invisible Man more than I did. I did enjoy -- if that's the right word -- Candyman; I think it's one of the better sequels updating an older movie.

And Prime is definitely the place for older horror movies. Many of them just terrible.
 
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Deep House looks good but alas it's available to buy only, afraid I dislike having to pay extra for things when I'm subscribed. Neon Demon is apparently 'coming to Prime' in 7 days. I'll wait :)

Have you seen Hell House LLC? It's one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen; found footage done really well. I loved it.
 
Ropie said:
Deep House looks good but alas it's available to buy only, afraid I dislike having to pay extra for things when I'm subscribed. Neon Demon is apparently 'coming to Prime' in 7 days. I'll wait :)
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Geez.
Ropie said:
Have you seen Hell House LLC? It's one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen; found footage done really well. I loved it.
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I haven't but it's on my watch list.
 
Ropie said:
Deep House looks good but alas it's available to buy only, afraid I dislike having to pay extra for things when I'm subscribed. Neon Demon is apparently 'coming to Prime' in 7 days. I'll wait :)

Have you seen Hell House LLC? It's one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen; found footage done really well. I loved it.
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I agree 100% on Hell House LLC. That one creeped me out for days! I loved it
 
Ropie , I completely endorse Randy's recommendations , he knows his stuff . I love that Ti West trilogy .

I'd like to recommend the films which threwback to the late 70s early 80s slasher boom , particularly the first " I know what you did last summer " and " Urban Myth " . Also , I'm a fan of the " Final Destination " series .

Looking further afield have you tried " giallo " ? There are some wonderful films in this sub genre . If interested try directors Sergio Martino , Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci .
 
Hobbit said:
Have now added Hell House LLC to my list.

I only remember The Legend of Hell House, (1973) with Roddy McDowell in it! Suspect it may not have dated well! :)

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Ive not read Mathsens book of which this based but iv seen thrill numerous times . A terrific film and a classic. :cool:


The Last film I saw was. The Odyssey. I went in not expecting to like film . Very very good film and, love Nolan's take on it. It's going to win awards it deserves to , it's that good .:cool:
 
Cicero said:
Ive not read Mathsens book of which this based but iv seen thrill numerous times
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I have read the book, but a long time ago, Cicero.

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I remember it being more adult: not spicy but definitely more adult.
 
Ubergeek said:
I'd like to recommend the films which threwback to the late 70s early 80s slasher boom , particularly the first " I know what you did last summer " and " Urban Myth " . Also , I'm a fan of the " Final Destination " series .

Looking further afield have you tried " giallo " ? There are some wonderful films in this sub genre . If interested try directors Sergio Martino , Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci .
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Thanks, I'll add those to my list! I did see a 'giallo' film a few years ago, about a girl trapped in an underground lair or something. I actually don't really like a lot of gore in films (it doesn't particularly bother me but I just don't find it interesting) and that was all just for shock value.

The last film I watched was Magpie. No genre connection really, except that it stars Daisy Ridley who was Rey in the newer Star Wars travesties. It's actually a romantic thriller, and is by far the best example of this kind of film I've seen. It's the second time I've seen it as it's a brilliant plot, and is even better the second time around. Daisy Ridley is brilliant in it, and she came up with the idea for the film too.

If you want to see it, don't spoil the twist by reading about it!
 
Ropie said:
Thanks, I'll add those to my list! I did see a 'giallo' film a few years ago, about a girl trapped in an underground lair or something. I actually don't really like a lot of gore in films (it doesn't particularly bother me but I just don't find it interesting) and that was all just for shock value.
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For what it's worth, a couple of years ago I got caught up in watching several giallos on Shudder. They ranged from Hitchcock inspired thrillers (The Girl Who Knew Too Much, edited for America into The Evil Eye; or Blood and Black Lace) to surreal horror (Lisa and the Devil) to proto-slashers (Bay of Blood). And those are just the ones directed by Mario Bava (who I would generally recommend, though Bay... and Tenebre might be gorier than you'd be comfortable with).

Those I enjoyed most included,
The Girl Who Knew Too Much/The Evil Eye (I saw the latter version)
Blood and Black Lace (a bit more violent than Girl but I don't recall much gore)
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
Kill, Baby, Kill (terrible title for a good, odd, slightly surreal thriller)
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
Cat O'Nine Tails
Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion
Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (notable for all of the characters being perverse and unsympathetic, but I found the Poe-like atmosphere -- some of which was drawn from a famous Poe story -- irresistible)

I also thought Deep Red was excellent, but it does have some gore. Otherwise, I was drawn more to those that were mysteries rather than horror. Just be prepared for entirely implausible plots.
 
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