61 Nights of Halloween (2025 Edition)

[Link]

Meryl hasn't done any outright horror (as far as I know), but she did star in a Halloween-adjacent gem that happens to be one of my favorite films. I'm saving the rewatch for October.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Meryl hasn't done any outright horror (as far as I know), but she did star in a Halloween-adjacent gem that happens to be one of my favorite films. I'm saving the rewatch for October.

And of course:

 

[Link]

And of course:

Right, I've never seen that! Is it worth a watch?

Also, Anne Hathaway has The Witches remake for Halloween. I might read the book and go for both of the film adaptations if I have the time. I do love my witches.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Right, I've never seen that! Is it worth a watch?

Also, Anne Hathaway has The Witches remake for Halloween. I might read the book and go for both of the film adaptations if I have the time. I do love my witches.

I love it. Not as good as the stage play but everyone's pretty great in it, with Pine's number being a real lol stand out. But it probably does feel a bit more like Christmas fare.

Would be curious to see your opinion on both Witches flicks. Never read the book so have no idea how faithful either of them are.

 

[Lily Adler]

Meryl hasn't done any outright horror (as far as I know), but she did star in a Halloween-adjacent gem that happens to be one of my favorite films. I'm saving the rewatch for October.

All this for Bruce Willis? Smh.

 

[Lily Adler]

My Halloween Party Playlist on Spotify is now like 70% Gaga songs between The Fame Monster, Born This Way, Sour Candy on Chromatica, and Mayhem.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

My Halloween Party Playlist on Spotify is now like 70% Gaga songs between The Fame Monster, Born This Way, Sour Candy on Chromatica, and Mayhem.

Lily was just born this way.

 

[Lily Adler]

Lily was just born this way.

That bridge did not age well and she refuses to change it. Orville Peck did and I prefer his version.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

That bridge did not age well and she refuses to change it. Orville Peck did and I prefer his version.

What's the bridge?

 

[Lily Adler]

What's the bridge?

Oh yeah you're old...

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Oh yeah you're old...

I see. Props to Peck.

 

[Lily Adler]

I see. Props to Peck.

Now I need Sabrina or Chappell to do a monster theme song.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

 

[Lily Adler]

I always wanted to watch this movie, but forgot about it until now. I heard Kesha is in it.

 

[Drizzle]

Would be curious to see your opinion on both Witches flicks. Never read the book so have no idea how faithful either of them are.

From what I remember, the Anjelica Huston Witches was more faithful to the book apart from the happier ending while the Anne Hathaway Witches was more loose with it but kept the bleaker ending of the book.

I just remember reading the book as a class in third grade which was followed by a viewing of the original movie. I had already watched it but I don't think a lot of those kids were ready for the intense practical effects that awaited.

 

[Link]

14th of September:
The Long Walk (2025)

It's been a weekend. Last night, I finished Stephen King's The Long Walk, which — in combination with recent events, hell, the last few years — left me feeling heavy. King wrote the novel in the late 1960s, but it feels achingly accurate almost 60 years later. Tonight, the film adaptation, directed by Francis Lawrence and written by JT Mollner, left me just as melancholic.

This is one of the most intriguing King adaptations that I've seen. It follows the book's structure and aesthetic, but under all that is a refreshing reinvention of the story. Some characters are merged in a typical adaptation fashion, but others — like Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer) — are reimagined with surprising nuance. Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) and Peter McVries (David Jonsson) have lost a bit of their edge, but it serves the film's hyperfocus on their friendship.

The film feels smaller; after all, the novel's 100 walkers have been reduced to 50, and with a 104-minute runtime, the pacing is brisk. This version of the story is more mainstream, but it's also more philosophical and very touching. The biggest change is the ending, which I really don't mind, but it feels a little bit like a lost opportunity. A character utters a perfect line to end the film that would match the harrowing nature of the original ending, but unfortunately the film drags on for at least a minute and ends up showing too much. It's not a big issue, but for such a tense and heartfelt film, it's a shame not to end on a perfect note.

As said, I think this is a fascinating adaptation of Stephen King's novel, but I wouldn't mind seeing it remade one day. Almost two decades ago, Frank Darabont held the rights to the source material and referred to his version of the story as “weird, existential, and very contained.” I'd love to see a weirder version of this one day, with more focus on dreams and hallucinations and a much longer runtime to really feel the walk. Make it downright ambient. It's rare for me to feel so content with an adaptation and still be hungry for more.

Finally, I'd like to mention the score by Jeremiah Fraites. This film is grimdark and sentimental at the same time, and Fraites’ music is a huge part of the reason why it's such a gut-punch. His music feels timeless, and it perfectly accompanies all the beauty and horror onscreen.

The Long Walk, the novel and the film, will be haunting me for quite some time. The beauty of such harrowing storytelling is the glimmer of hope at its core. Maybe one day stories like these will feel more like fiction, but right now — it's pure catharsis.

 

[chamber-music]

Watched Weapons and The Conjuring Last Rites this weekend

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Night 13

34. The Power (2021) dir. Corinna Faith (NEW)

Bite-Sized Review: Some real quality direction in this very British ghost story about trauma, that puts the lead through the ringer. And she delivers.

***1/2

35. Last Straw (2024) dir. Alan Scott Neal (NEW)

Bite-Sized Review: I like how no one is blameless here, but it doesn't change who the villain is.

***1/4

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Watched Weapons and The Conjuring Last Rites this weekend

Nice. What did you think?

 

[Lily Adler]

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Tonight...

Best prequel.

 

[Lily Adler]

 

[Snow Queen]

They borrowed them from RDJ

 

[Lily Adler]

 

[Drizzle]

They borrowed them from RDJ

I like to imagine he'd cover himself in marmalade instead of mud.