Happy Halloween (almost)! This month’s TTRs are all of the horror genre, from gore to ghosts and thrillers to comedies, every film has something horrific about it! If you’d like a bigger selection of horror films in just about every sub-genre to choose from, head on over to Terror Tapes, or check out DOTT’s Halloween Movie Guide for more specific suggestions!

This month’s TTRs consists of: All Hallows’ Eve & All Hallows’ Eve 2; I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025); Mads; The Medium; The Rental; The Scary Movie Collection; V/H/S Halloween; The Woman in Cabin 10.

Directors: Damien Leone (1); Bryan Norton, Antonio Padovan, Jay Holben, James and Jon Kondelik, Andrés Borghi (2)
Writers: Damien Leone (1); Jesse Baget, Elias Benavidez, Mark Byers, Andrés Borghi, Jay Holben, Mike Kochansky, James and Jon Kondelik, Michael Koehler, Bryan Norton, Antonio Padovan, Christopher Probst, Marc Roussel, Mark Thibodeau (2)
Cast: Katie Maguire, Catherine A. Callahan, Kayla Lian, Mike Giannelli, Sydney Freihofer, Cole Mathewson, Marissa Wolf, Minna Taylor, Brandon deSpain (1); Andrea Monier, Damien Monier, Helen Rogers, Tyler Rossell, Ron Basch, Emily Alatalo, Julian Richings, Bob Jaffe, Jared Mark Smith, April Adamson, Robert McLaughlin, Finn Kobler, Griffin Gluck, Christie Lynn Smith, Michael Serrato, James Markidis, Patrick Logothetti, Sergio Berón (2)

In the first mini anthology, a babysitter watches a VHS tape of three grizzly tales that was put into the trick-or-treat bag of one the kids she’s watching, only the ‘tales’ are more real than she knows. As a precursor to Leone’s Terrifier series, it set up Art the Clown quite effectively as a horrifying killer, and the level of gore was high, though not as high as the Terrifier films. The ideas for the three episodes were good, at least on paper, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired (perhaps it was budget restraints, but some of the costumes and performances were sub-par to laughable). If there were less gore this film could have come off as a parody, but it tried to take itself too seriously without the means to actually do so. (2/5) In the second anthology, another woman watches a VHS in which another babysitter meets a horrible end, a husband and wife are plagued by demonic ‘children’, a father and son present an offering to an entity, a woman is stalked by her friend’s killer, three teens participate in a torturous carnival, a young boy has monsters under his bed, a man has two teenage boys imprisoned, and teenage boy is haunted by his dead ex. The second installment is stronger than the first, perhaps because it has a slew of writers rather than Leone alone, and there’s less focus on shock and gore and more on psychological impact. (3/5)

Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Writer: Sam Lansky, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Cast: Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Billy Campbell, Gabbriette Bechtel, Austin Nichols, Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt

The original 1997 IKWYDLS has quite the cult following (beats me why to be honest, it’s not exactly a classic, except to maybe to a few nostalgic millennials), so it’s not surprising that it got this remake/reboot/third sequel (after I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer). It follows pretty much the same kind of premise, in that a group of teens who accidentally caused the death of a person are stalked the next summer by a killer in fisherman’s garb with a giant fish hook. At least this film knows it’s not going to win any awards, so the characters are written (at least some are) to be quite self-aware, to the point of actually being comical at times. But because there is nothing genuinely new or original about it, this one flops harder than the first. At least the ’97 film came at a time when teen movies were seriously on the rise and managed to ride that wave. This one is just riding on the coattails of others but coming up short. You might enjoy the cameos of three of the original teens, though.

Director: David Moreau
Writer: David Moreau
Cast: Milton Riche, Laurie Pavy, Lucille Guillaume, Sasha Rudakova, Yovel Lewkowski

In one mad evening/night, three young people find themselves spreading a strange disease that seems to make people violent and turn on each other. While the premise might not sound all that original nor set it apart from other apparent ‘zombie’ style films, the fact it is a one-shot (the whole thing is one continuous take) is what makes it stand out. It is extremely well done, and the three main actors (along with a few supporting) do an amazing job of keeping up with the action and making events seem as real as possible. Again, although the basic story is familiar, the plot itself is unpredictable. The third act could have perhaps been a little stronger, but the final shot is compelling and certainly leaves us with more questions than answers. For this film, a sequel would be sorely welcome, so long as it’s done right (à la Rec 2).

Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun
Writer: Choi Cha-won, Na Hong-jin, Chantavit Dhanasevi, Siwawut Sewatanon, Banjong Pisanthanakun
Cast: Sawanee Utoomma, Sirani Yankittikan, Narilya Gulmongkolpech, Yasaka Chaisorn, Boonsong Nakphoo, Arunee Wattana

If you want to find a truly good horror film, more often than not us westerners have to look to the east. When the niece of a shaman in the Isan region of Thailand becomes possessed, the shaman has to do everything within her (questionable) power to help her niece while also dealing with some family issues that come to the fore when the girl becomes increasingly violent. It is a very well-paced found-footage style film, building up to the possession by slowly increasing the girl’s strange behaviour and planting good foreshadowing. The frights are mostly frightening indeed, though interspersed with the odd gratuitous jump-scare here and there, and the performances, particularly from Gulmongkolpech as the possessed girl, are excellent and immersive, something not easily come by in a mockumentary-style film. The ending is satisfactory as far as the story goes, but it could have been stronger with more terrifying visuals.

Director: Dave Franco
Writer: Dave Franco, Joe Swanberg, Mike Demski
Cast: Dan Stevens, Alison Brie, Jeremy Allen White, Sheila Vand, Toby Huss

Here comes another film to warn you off of renting Airbnbs. Charlie (Stevens) rents a house for a weekend with his wife Michelle (Brie), his brother Josh (White) and Josh’s girlfriend and Charlie’s work partner Mina (Vand). When Mina discovers a hidden camera all hell starts to break lose, as relationships (and bones) are broken and some of them try to cover up things they’ve done. The premise isn’t exactly original, but some of the twists and turns make up for that a little. It tries to keep the antagonist’s side of the story fairly mysterious, but it ends up leaving us desiring more information about their motives and relation to anyone else in the movie. Again, it tries to make up for that during the end credits (which are a fun extra feature), but on the whole co-writer/director Dave Franco could have easily cut out some of the many scenes of the protagonists running around like headless chickens and instead inserted something more satiating regarding the hunger for a wider story.

Directors: Keenen Ivory Wayans (1 & 2), David Zucker (3 & 4), Malcolm D. Lee (5)
Cast: Anna Faris (1 – 4), Regina Hall (1 – 4), Marlon Wayans (1 – 2), Shawn Wayans (1 – 2), Dave Sheridan (1), Cheri Oteri (1), Lochlyn Munro (1), Shannon Elizabeth (1), David Cross (2)
Tim Curry (2), Christopher Masterson (2), Kathleen Robertson (2), Tori Spelling (2)

Ironically, this series shows zero signs of ever dying off. Beginning with Scary Movie in 2000, running up to Scary Movie V in 2013 and looking to Scary Movie VI in 2026, this series has followed millennials around like a bad smell that you’ve kind of gotten used to and would find weird if it suddenly disappeared. It starts off with a fairly original concept (for the 2000s, anyway) of mocking horror films, but as it progresses through the films, it loses its original MO and pivots into general mocking of films and pop culture. Of course it takes its cues from the earlier film parodies (think Airplane!, Spaceballs, Naked Gun and the like), so it was perhaps only natural that it would seep into other genres. Unfortunately, the humour doesn’t really grow with its audience, and the less involvement the Wayan brothers had as the series went along, the worse it got. We really watch them for nostalgic value these days (reminds me of going into an Odeon cinema to watch the 15-rated Scary Movie 3 in 2003 when some of my friends and I were 14 but the ones among us who were already 15 bought the tickets – felt like badass rebels, didn’t we?), but by the fifth film we’re feeling betrayed by the lack of sense and humour. Here’s hoping Scary Movie VI will bring back some much-needed coherency and Wayan-brother humour.

Directors: Bryan M. Ferguson (Diet Phantasma), Casper Kelly (Fun Size), R.H. Norman & Micheline Pitt-Norman (Home Haunt), Alex Ross Perry (Kidprint), Paco Plaza (Ut Supra Sic Infra), Anna Zlokovic (Coochie Coochie Coo)
Writers: Bryan M. Ferguson (Diet Phantasma), Anna Zlokovic (Coochie Coochie Coo), Alberto Marini & Paco Plaza (UT Supra Six Infra), Casper Kelly (Fun Size), Alex Ross Perry (KidPrint), R.H. Norman & Micheline Pitt-Norman (Home Haunt)

The V/H/S films are up-and-down on the whole, and this one falls somewhere in the average column for the series. In another episodic anthology with one frame narrative running between them all, we come across a demonic soda, a ‘Mommy’ monster that just wants to feed her babies, a mass murder that is investigated to disasterous consequences, Halloween candy made from human parts, a serial killer who focuses on children, and a haunted house that is very, very real. Just like all the other films in the series, the episodes vary in quality but keep you watching to see which ones will stick in your mind as particularly horrifically entertaining. Although they might not be great films on the whole, we want them to keep coming so we can enjoy the episodes that are slightly more original and leave a lingering feeling of fear. If you’re a sturdy fan of the series, you’ll enjoy this entry for the most part.

Director: Simon Stone
Writers: Joe Shrapnel, Anna Waterhouse, Simon Stone, based on the novel by Ruth Ware
Cast: Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce, Art Malik, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Hannah Waddingham

Another day, another mystery crime/thriller film based on a book. This time, we see Keira Knightly as Laura, a journalist who recently discovered a source for a story had been murdered before they got a chance to speak to her. As a way to ‘relax’, she accepts an invitation, along with a group that includes her ex, onto the superyacht of a dying billionaire. While there, she gets caught up in the mystery of the woman in the cabin next to her, who apparently doesn’t exist. This film doesn’t really stand out amongst all the the other mystery films out there, other than it’s set on a superyacht, I suppose (though even then it’s not the first man-overboard mysetery). There seems to be an element of fun to it though, in initially guessing who of the guests onboard may be involved, and the claustrophobic feel that the setting gives is a little unnerving at times. The performances are up and down, with perhaps Guy Pearce giving the best of the bunch. It’s an easy watch, so don’t expect to be surprised by the end, as it’s really quite predictable.