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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 573: Skinamarink, Jerky Demons, and Experimental Horror Films

July 29, 2024

You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).

If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.

Mark and Lisa discuss the 2022 experimental supernatural horror film Skinamarink. Directed by Kyle Edward Ball and starring two kids, a jerky demon and a toy phone, the movie focuses on what happens when a jerky demon decides to play a horrible game with two kids. In this episode, they also talk about experimental horror, disappearing toilets, and 2022 horror films. Enjoy!

If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!

You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.

John’s Horror Corner: Dark Angel (1990; aka, I Come in Peace), a generational Sci-Fi mash-up pitting Dolph Lundgren against an interstellar drug dealer.

July 27, 2024

MY CALL: If you’ve never seen or heard of this movie, make this a priority. This is a goulash of 80s Sci-Fi action influence and a pinata of crazy enjoyment mixing slick drug dealers, alien drug dealers, and cop flick one-liners. MORE MOVIES LIKE Dark Angel: For another cop vs alien movie in which the cop doesn’t know he’s hunting an alien, try Split Second (1992). Maybe also consider Screamers (1995).

Director Craig R. Baxley (The A-Team, Action Jackson) seems to be responding to Die Hard (1988) with his own Christmas action movie as a businessman crashes his car into a Christmas tree lot in the city. Meanwhile, a bunch of criminals sporting welding torches spelunk elevator shafts and air vents just like Bruce Willis and those Germans did a few years prior. Only instead of the giant blonde Viking Karl Vreski we have the alien Talec (Matthias Hues; No Retreat No Surrender 2, Kickboxer 2), and instead of Bearer Bonds we’re heisting stacks of cocaine from the police evidence room with Christmas music playing in the lobby. Even the movie poster smacks of Die Hard (1988) more than just a bit. And did I mention Al Leong (Die Hard, Big Trouble in Little China) is in this, too?

Detective Caine (Dolph Lundgren; Red Scorpion, Rocky IV, Skin Trade, Universal Soldier) gets caught between two crimes happening at once: an armed robbery and an undercover drug sting. While Caine handles the gunmen in the robbery, his undercover partner is murdered by a team of no-nonsense cop-killing criminals in slick suits. But before Caine can respond, a giant white-eyed alien launching a Batman Returns (1992) meets Krull (1983)-bladed frisbee-battarang thing slits the throats of many drug dealers and… takes all the heroine for himself? Caine’s ex happens to be the coroner Diane (Betsy Brantley; The Princess Bride, Deep Impact, Double Jeopardy), and she is baffled by the wounds at the crime scene. I also suspect they deliberately cast someone who looks like Linda Hamilton from The Terminator (1984) down to the hairstyle. After all, it seems like every major Sci-Fi action movie that ever was or will be is echoed in at least some small part in this glorious mash-up.

Forced to team up with the FBI, Caine and special agent Smith (Brian Benben; Dream On) begrudgingly work together to apprehend who they reasonably presume to be more criminals while Talec forcibly overdoses victims on heroin and then sucks out their dopamine-rich brain juice with an effect much like the brain bug in Starship Troopers (1997) using his weaponized bracer like in Predator (1987). And speaking of Predator, Talec’s size, roaring (at minute 73), and tossing around of an otherwise large-muscled Germano-slavic hero also feels distinctly modeled. It’s easy to see what movies influenced this. But did this influence the remote battarang in Batman Returns (1992), or the brain bug’s rostral brain juice straw???

But wait, there’s more. Another giant alien (Jay Bilas), this one balding but with dark long hair and matching white eyes, arrives in a manner reminiscent of the Terminator movies, disintegrating matter in its path of arrival. The brunette alien is here to hunt down the blonde, and seems to be willing to apprehend him at any destructive cost necessary. The whole bad alien hunted by the good alien feels like the Critters (1986) dynamic between the Crites and the Bounty Hunters, or like in The Hidden (1987).

Diane, Caine and Smith are coming to learn that their perp has access to dangerous technology, kills people with heroin, shoots explosive bullets with horrible aim, is even bigger and stronger than Dolph Lundgren, bleeds cottage cheese (maybe an Alien(s) android or Predator nod), and is being chased by the brunette giant alien. Meanwhile, Caine is also being hunted by the criminal syndicate that thinks he stole their heroin! THIS. IS. WILD.

Truly, this is such a super fun movie, and it holds up shockingly well among 80s action movies. The fighting, violence, explosions and effects are all up to snuff. Despite the typical eye-rolling tropes, this is decently written, acted, produced and directed. I love this movie. It may be second tier to the likes of The Terminator (1984), Predator (1987) and Total Recall (1990), but it still deserves a lot of love.

MFF Data – Deep Blue Sea is the “Most” Shark Movie Ever Made

July 26, 2024

When it comes to ranking shark films the clear #1 is Jaws. It’s not even close because the movie is an all-timer that features some of the most iconic movie moments of all time and is one of the few horror films to be nominated for Best Picture. Any “Best Shark Movie” list only gets interesting when it comes to picking the second best shark movie as Deep Blue Sea, The Shallows, Under ParisJaws 2, The Reef, Open Water, and The Meg all have sound arguments to be in the #2 spot. 

Since Jaws makes it almost impossible to make an interesting “Best Shark Movie” list. I decided to analyze 15 theatrically released shark films (and Under Paris because it’s awesome) to see which shark movie features the most shark carnage and screen time. Basically, I wanted to know which shark movie is the MOST shark movie. 

Quick Note – If you’ve followed my data posts since 2017 you’ll know that I love Deep Blue Sea and have written many articles about it. I also started Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast in 2020 and I think you should listen to it wherever you listen to podcasts. That being said, I had no idea which movie would be the “Most Shark Movie” and would’ve been totally fine if DBS lost to Jaws 2, The Shallows or The Meg because I love them all. 

Here are the five things I examined:

  • Amount of shark screen time – The shark has to be alive (the dead Megalodon in The Meg doesn’t count) and I counted the time of the entire scene in which the shark is featured. There are moments when the camera cuts to a reaction shot of a human and then back to the shark. I counted it all. 
  • How long until we see the entire shark. In Deep Blue Sea, the ~first full sighting of a shark~ occurs at 3 minutes and 28 seconds. It’s quick! Renny doesn’t mess around.
  • First Attack – ~The first attack in~ ~Jaws~ ~happens at the 4:05 mark~
  • Longest time gaps between shark sightings – In Jaws 2, there’s a 45-minute gap between the first full shark sighting and its next appearance.
  • How many 10-minute gaps are there between shark sightings? 

*Quick Note – I considered a “Most Kills” category but I didn’t want to penalize movies like Open Water and The Reef for having relatively low body counts because they aren’t that kind of shark movie. 

I created a ranking system to see which theatrically released shark movie is the MOST shark movie. The movie with the lowest amount of points wins because it typically ranked #1-3 in every category.

I chose to leave movies like Ghost Shark, Sharknado, Tintorera, Black Demon, and Shark Bait (which I’ve all watched) because it opens a vast world of shark movies that differ in quality.

Fun quotes

The overall winner is Deep Blue Sea because the sharks have almost 27 minutes of screen time and play a major role throughout. Movies like Open Water (divers are left behind while scuba diving and have to deal with sharks), The Reef (A boat sinks and characters have to deal with sharks) and 47 Meters Down (a shark cage sinks and the characters have to deal with sharks) introduce sharks as hurdles to deal with. In Deep Blue Sea, the sharks are front and center as they drive the plot and use a gurney (with Stellan Skarsgård attached to it) to flood a large chunk of the Aquatica facility.

Director Renny Harlin has always been open about how it pays homage to the Jaws (license plate, similar shark kills) and Jurassic Park (genetic modification, Samuel L. Jackson is eaten, separated arms, clever animals, big rainstorms, kitchen fights) franchises, and he made sure to follow their footsteps by creating a wonderful summer blockbuster that pulled in $165 million during the loaded 1999 summer. It’s the type of film that makes it impossible to say something like “It needed more shark action” or “The trailers were misleading. I thought there would be more sharks.” For better or worse, Harlin loaded the film with sharks and I love him for it. I’m happy that this data backs up what Brian Raftery wrote about for Wired in 2017 (~Forget Jaws. The Real Shark Movie to Beat Is Deep Blue Sea~)

Here’s a quick timeline of DBS to prove how much shark action there is (Timestamps were pulled from my digital copy)

  • 00:02:38 – Gen-1 shark attacks a boat
  • 00:03:28 – We see the entire Gen-1 shark
  • 00:07:15 – Tiger Shark is lowered into a holding area
  • 00:09:10 – Carter Blake takes a license plate out of its mouth
  • 00:11:10 – silhouette of the giant Gen-2 shark
  • 00:13:18 – Sharks are seen swimming around
  • 00:18:00 – The tiger shark is eaten
  • 00:19:28 – During the surprise party and the following conversations the sharks are swimming around in their cages
  • 00:25:88 – 00:34:28 – Lots of shark action
  • 40:45 – Gen-2 shark uses Jim’s gurney to destroy wet lab
  • 47:00 – Gen-1 shark enters the Aquatica
  • 51:30 – Gen-1 shark chases Preacher and a shark fight ensues
  • 57:00 – Preacher blows up a Gen 1 shark
  • 01:00:10 – Samuel L. Jackson is eaten by the gen 2 shark
  • 01:06:46 – Gen-2 shark kills janice
  • 01:13:45 – Random shot of a shark fin
  • 01:17:00 – Gen-2 eats Scoggins
  • 01:21:00 – Dr. Susan battles and kills a Gen 1 shark
  • 01:27:00 – The Gen-2 bites Preacher and gets stabbed in the eye with a crucifix
  • 01:33:30 – Gen-2 eats Susan
  • 01:35:50 – Gen-2 shark blows up 

It’s worth noting that the shark films ranked 11-15 have a higher Tomatometer, IMDb, and Letterboxd averages than the films ranked 1-5. So, being the MOST shark films isn’t always ideal. 

11-15 ranked movies – Shark Night, Open Water, The Reef, 47 Meters Down, Jaws

  • Tomatometer Average – 63.8
  • IMDb Average – 5.88
  • Letterboxd Average – 2.92

1-5 ranked movies – Deep Blue Sea, Meg 2: The Trench, The Meg, Bait 3D. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged

  • Tomatometer Average – 44.4
  • IMDb Average – 5.36
  • Letterboxd Average – 2.34

Here are three highest ranked film in each category.

Conclusion – Jaws is the best shark movie and Deep Blue Sea is the MOST shark movie.

John’s Horror Corner: The Amityville Curse (1990), this atrocious 5th Amityville Horror movie is the worst of the bunch so far.

July 26, 2024

MY CALL: Another not-really sequel to chum the bad movie waters. This was not good, even subpar on entertainment value for bad movie connoisseurs. I’d skip it. MORE MOVIES LIKE The Amityville Curse: Uhhhhhh, when it comes to Amityville sequels, I’d stick to Amityville II: The Possession (1982) and otherwise tread carefully into the depths of the extended franchise. Part II has all the dumb fun you’re looking for with great pacing, but Amityville 3-D (1983) and Amityville Horror: The Evil Escapes (1989) are both boring slogs. Amityville Dollhouse (1996) is a solidly fun bad movie, but it truly has nothing to do with Amityville (it is neither sequel nor spin-off, it just has a similar theme and uses “Amityville” in the title for literally no good reason).

There’s a REMAKE?!? Yes. The Amityville Curse (2023) is a Tubi original remake of this 1990 non-sequel! I guess it couldn’t be worse than the original.

After the slaughter of now two different families, a botched paranormal investigation and exorcism, and a cursed yard sale lamp (from the house) shipped to California to raise Hell in another time zone, we now shift to more of a generalized haunted house paradigm as a group of people spend the night in the abandoned and infamous haunted house of Amityville.

Marvin (David Stein) and Debbie (Dawna Wightman) buy the fixer-upper Amityville house and invite their friends and co-investors Abby (Cassandra Gava), Bill (Anthony Dean Rubes) and Frank (Kim Coates; Fantasy Island, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Skinwalkers, Innocent Blood) to help renovate. The house is still fully furnished from its previous unlucky occupants, and our new owners have no idea what happened to them. I feel like their realtor wasn’t fully honest on the details.

Some strange (and unfortunately boring) things start happening during their renovations, including some lame broken mirrors. Nightmares, a bad fall down some stairs, and some eye-rolling tarantula shenanigans follow. PS: tarantulas don’t live in New York outside of pet owners’ terrariums. These effects are quite forgettable, technically awful, and the movie would be better off without them.

Most components of this movie are actually just fine from a filmmaking perspective. The acting, writing, general production value, etc., are more than up to snuff with horror movies of its time. However, the “horror” in this movie is piss poor. It’s like the budget couldn’t spare a single dollar for horror effects, and the director wasn’t even trying when it came to creepy atmosphere. One weird flaw of the film is how Kim Coates is always smoking. And I mean to such extent that it specifically feels awkward.

The effects eventually elevate to a level I’ll designate as “acceptable.” Maggots in a groaty wound, an acid-burned hand with the skin sloughed off, an acid-burned face, a frisbeed buzzsaw blade to the leg… these are the highlights. But they are not long-lasting pleasures. Moreover, as the movie progresses it plays out more like a bad slasher movie than a supernatural haunted house movie… and not in a way that I appreciated. Although, I guess it’s nice that they tried to change things up a bit for this leprosy-rotting franchise that just won’t die. Either that, or they took a haunted house script and slapped “Amityville” on the title with a quick and dirty re-write.

So, yeah, the plot feels rather incongruous. But that is a theme among the Amityville sequels. The cause of everything in the first movie was the angry Native American spirits (angry not evil) whose graves were desecrated by the building of the Amityville house. But the first sequel decided it was instead some Biblical demon of sorts (for no reason at all), the second sequel decided a Gateway to Hell was under the house, and in the third sequel we had a garage sale feisty lamp demon on our hands. Truly, with the Native American burial ground angle, Poltergeist (1982) was as much as sequel to the original as Amityville II: The Possession (1982).

To call this movie terrible is an understatement. I didn’t even enjoy this as a bad movie. It just wasn’t bad in fun ways (at least, not enough); mostly just bad in bad ways.

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) – Review

July 25, 2024

Quick thoughts – Grade – B – For better or worse, Deadpool & Wolverine is a lot. It’s not as subversive as it thinks (the budget is reportedly $275 million – it can’t be too insane), but it will make a lot of money and be a nice distraction while the MCU sorts itself out. 

With a total worldwide haul of $1.56 billion it was only a matter of time until Disney got around to making another Deadpool film after they bought 21st Century Fox in 2019. In hindsight, Disney is lucky that they delayed a sequel because after a rough few years they now have a giant hit on their hands that will give the Marvel Cinematic Universe much needed momentum. Deadpool & Wolverine won’t save the MCU, but it gives the world a reset and opens up new possibilities for a universe loaded with multiverses, planet killing aliens, and a dead celestial wedged into the earth. 

Deadpool & Wolverine focuses on Wade “Deadpool” Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) trying to save Earth-10005 (the home of the X-Men world) after learning from a Time Variance Authority agent named Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) that it will be destroyed. The catalyst of the planned destruction was the death of Wolverine (in 2017’s  Logan), who unknowingly was Earth-10005’s “Anchor Being.” Instead of waiting for the deteriorating planet to die naturally, Mr. Paradox plans on destroying the world in 72 hours so it can be put out of its misery. This forces Deadpool to scour the multiverse for a replacement Wolverine who can save Earth-10005. After a series of mishaps, they are forced to battle a wildly overpowered villain (who loves Enya) named Cassandra Nova (a fun Emma Corrin – who understood the assignment) who stands between them and saving Earth-10005. It’s a bunch of nonsense that gives Ryan Reynolds an excuse to unleash hundreds of profane jokes that will delight millions of Deadpool fans. Spoiling anything else wouldn’t be cool, so just know that the rest of the film features epic fights (that slow the movie down but provide welcome fan service), surprise cameos, mentions of The Proposal, and Hugh Jackman breaking the all-time angry-grunt record.

Between Real Steel, Free Guy, and The Adam Project, director Shawn Levy has worked with Reynolds and Jackman before and is used to directing successful big-budget films. His 12 movies have pulled in $2.7 billion worldwide, so it’s nice knowing that the $275 million budget was in safe hands with a director who doesn’t get lost on giant sets. Levy also realizes that the Deadpool world is safe in Ryan Reynolds hands, and his work as a director is to make sure that Reynolds is free to make as many jokes about nipple rings, butt slaps, and handsy tailors as possible. The return of Hugh Jackman is a bit of a bummer because it cheapens Logan (2017) a bit. However, with the introduction of the multiverse and influx of mutants being brought into the MCU, it’s a no-brainer that Jackman got jacked once again to play the grumpy mutant. Together, Jackman and Reynolds work well together and it’s nice that this might be Jackman’s first X-Men film to clear a billion dollars at the worldwide box office. He’s been part of the superhero cinematic world for 24 years so a victory lap is earned. 


Like the other two Deadpool films, Deadpool & Wolverine will make a lot of money and that’s because Ryan Reynolds loves the Deadpool character. He also knows what Deadpool fans want (poop jokes, violence, drugs, blood, insensitive humor, quips, butt-shots), and he doesn’t hold back. That being said, know that this is a $275 million budgeted Disney film by the guy who directed the Night at the Museum movies. It’s not as edgy or bombastic as some critics are saying, but it’s nice seeing Kevin Feige and his crew letting Ryan Reynolds shake up the MCU a bit. It’s a good sign for things to come.

The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 572: Mission: Impossible III, MacGuffins, and Philip Seymour Hoffman

July 24, 2024

You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).

If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.

Mark and Tom discuss the 2006 action film Mission: Impossible III. Directed by J.J. Abrams and starring Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Maggie Q and a mysterious Macguffin, the movie focuses on what happens when a super spy learns that it’s impossible to live a normal life. In this episode, they also talk about Italian accents, bridge battles, and the excellence of Philip Seymour Hoffman. 

If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!

You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.

Twisters (2024) – Review

July 18, 2024

Quick thoughts – Grade – B- – Director Lee Isaac Chung’s Twisters provides plenty of action and spectacle, but it isn’t propulsive enough to be a memorable summer blockbuster. 

Aside from the incredible VFX and sound design, Twister (1996) worked because of the simplicity of the meat-and-potatoes plot that put its characters directly in front of the finger of God (AKA giant tornadoes). All of the characters knew each other, and the introduction of Dr. Melissa Reeves (Jami Gertz) works because she was new to the tornado chasing world which allowed characters to dump expository dialogue on her while they drove towards impending danger. The familiarity of the characters, coupled with a slimy villain played by Cary Elwes, created a simple narrative that still feels refreshingly propulsive. With Twisters (2024), there are too many elements, characters, or issues that need to be dealt with or overcome. I’d happily watch Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Katy M. O’Brian, Sasha Lane, Anthony Ramos, Brand Perea, and Tunde Adebimpe battle tornadoes, but all the additional elements slow everything down. 

Twisters focuses on an ambitious tornado chaser named Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who gets coerced back into tornado chasing after a five-year hiatus caused by a tragic incident that saw her tornado chasing team get blown away by a gigantic twister. She’s called back into action by Javi (Anthony Ramos), the other survivor of the incident who now owns a company with some expensive tornado tracking technology that could save many lives. Once in Oklahoma, she meets Javi’s well-funded crew (they all have matching polos – which isn’t a good thing in this world), and a rival tornado chasing crew led by Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), a truck driving maniac who loves driving into the middle of tornadoes so he can set off fireworks in their cone. Together, they navigate a rough tornado season that leads to a burgeoning romance and a gigantic tornado that hates movie theaters. On the surface this all sounds great, but toss in corporate greed, family issues, farmhouse flirting, t-shirt jokes, a friendly journalist, and an entire subplot about people from Arkansas not being dummies (it turns out that Tyler and his crew are great people), and you have a little too much plot.


Originally planned to film in Atlanta, Isaac Chung (watch Minari now)  convinced the studio to film in Oklahoma and it was a smart idea (it did force him to have a smaller budget and less shooting days though). The wide open landscapes provide a welcome dose of on-location work that works well with the VFX tornadoes that pummel everything in their way. There are some fun set pieces that involve Owens’ tornado-rigged Dodge Ram that can screw itself into the ground to prevent it from being tossed into the air, and the movie hits on all cylinders whenever Glen Powell is on screen. Whenever Owen and his team (and his Dodge Ram) are visible the movie feels alive and it makes me wish that writer Mark L. Smith leaned into the sillier aspects of maniacs who chase tornadoes into open fields so they can unleash fireworks inside them. It’s an interesting idea to focus on tornado-related trauma, but it slows down the summer blockbuster and makes it less enjoyable than its predecessor.

The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 571 – Any Given Sunday, Oliver Stone, and 1999 Movies

July 17, 2024

You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).

If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.

Mark and Norbert discuss the 1999 sports drama Any Given Sunday. Directed by Oliver Stone, and starring Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx, and LL Cool J, and several excellent speeches, the movie is what happens when Oliver Stone directs a football movie. In this episode, they also talk about football parties, movie soundtracks and 1999 movies. Enjoy!

If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!

You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.

The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Bonus Episode – The Kitchen Fight Michelin Star Guide – The Raid 2

July 15, 2024

You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).

If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.

Mark and Nick discuss whether or not the kitchen fight from The Raid 2 is Michelin Star worthy. This is the beginning of a fun new series that will include the kitchen fights from Sudden Death, Gremlins, Deep Blue Sea, Monkey Man, Under Siege and many more! Enjoy!

If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!

You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.

John’s Horror Corner: Thanksgiving (2023), a solidly entertaining holiday horror with great death scenes.

July 11, 2024

MY CALL: This was good. Pretty good, in fact. I really enjoyed it, it’s very well made, and the death scenes were wonderful and mean and graphic. The only problem is that there is nothing special about this movie. So I’d keep this at a “popcorn horror” recommendation.

We find ourselves in the quaint town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the historical figure John Carver is honored for his involvement in Thanksgiving. Director Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel I-II, Green Inferno) ushers in the holiday season with heaps of New England accents for anyone who hasn’t had enough since Good Will Hunting (1997). The locals are shifting gears from Thanksgiving to preparations for Christmas and tension is rising leading up to the store opening at RightMart for the sale-hungry soccer barbarians to pillage!

Not since Black Friday (2021) have I seen such a brutal Black Friday montage. This is a spectacle! People are literally trampled to death, limbs are stomped and broken, and hair clumps (of Gina Gershon; Voodoo Dawn) caught in shopping cart wheels are yanked out leaving a bloody flopping scalp behind. This scene just made the movie for me!

One year after the RightMart massacre, someone is out for revenge. The teenagers who posted Youtube videos of the catastrophe are being tagged in strange social media posts from a mystery account (TheJohnCarver), there are curious sightings of a man in a John Carver mask, and the strange unannounced return of a young man whose career was ruined by his injury from the event is arousing suspicion. The killer could be anyone. So our local sheriff (Patrick Dempsey; Scream 3) has his hands full while the RightMart owner (Rick Hoffman; Hostel) is handling PR damage control.

Our social media-savvy co-eds are killed one by one, with the survivors tagged in posts with images of the brutally murdered remains as the killer works through his “naughty list” of Black Friday offenders.

The gore and death scenes are more than worthy of our time. After having her face dunked in a water bath, a victim’s face is pressed on the icy door of a walk-in freezer, from which she tears her skin freeing herself only to have her body gorily severed in half at the waste by a dumpster! There’s also a delightfully juicy decapitation, a looney 180-degree neck break, a cleverly stabby trampoline death, a gutty buzzsaw death, an amazing impalement through the face, and an extra messy head smashing. Yeah, this movie is fun.

While movie is pretty basic in concept, it’s also really well-made and features delightful death scenes. The finale is so incredibly hokey, but campily enjoyable so I just don’t care. The great death scenes make it worthwhile. And while there’s nothing particularly special about this movie, it remains well worth a watch, especially approaching the holidays.