What Meagan Good Loved About Acting Opposite Dennis Quaid In The Intruder

What Meagan Good Loved About Acting Opposite Dennis Quaid In The Intruder

Acting can be a soul-baring exercise, with performers digging deep down into their honest emotional experiences to show off a piece of themselves as they build a character. In the best case scenario, they find an acting partner – and a compassionate director – who can help coax the strongest, most accurate performance that suits the material.

But can you imagine trying to act alongside an industry veteran who has achieved legendary status thanks to their previous credits? Or being as honest and upfront opposite an actor you have admired for years? This is the situation that Meagan Good found herself in when sharing scenes alongside Dennis Quaid for their new thriller The Intruder.

Good told CinemaBlend in an exclusive interview that she initially was intimidated. But in the end, she had no reason whatsoever to worry, as she explained how Quaid made her feel at ease, and part of the process. Meagan Good said:

One of the things I really loved about him is that he’s extremely collaborative. When you are talking to him, he’s listening to you, he’s looking you in the eye, he’s downloading your thoughts [and] processing them. We’re going back and forth and we’re figuring out how we’re going to make this gel together. That’s the best kind of experience to have with another actor. Yes, you are who you are, and you’ve been around for as long as you have, but you have mutual respect, as if we have been doing it for the same amount of time.

That’s the dream scenario. Even if, as it turns out, Dennis Quaid is playing a stalker who is ordered to make life very difficult for the younger couple who just bought his old home. That’s the premise behind The Intruder, which audiences got a look at in theaters last weekend.

However, Meagan Good also told us that she didn’t realize exactly how good her co-star was being in major scenes until she saw the finished product for herself. She went on to say to CinemaBlend:

On set, a lot of just the reacting… I honestly, a lot of things that he did, I didn’t see until I saw the movie. Because I’m just being Annie, and I’m responding and reacting to what I’m feeling. But when I saw the movie? I was like, ‘Yo, he is crazy!’ Like, it’s amazing, he’s so good in this.

Did you head out to see how good Dennis Quaid, Meagan Good and Michael Ealy are in The Intruder last weekend? Sure, a lot of people are still seeing Avengers: Endgame, and a handful of folks checked out Detective Pikachu. But this tense thriller pulled in $7.1 million in its second weekend, and has banked $21M to date. Not bad, for summer blockbuster counterprogramming.

The Intruder is still in theaters, so swing by and check it out while you still have time.

Sinister Serial Killer Movies Based On Real-Life Crimes

Sinister Serial Killer Movies Based On Real-Life Crimes

In recent years the true crime genre has experienced a surge in popularity across different forms of media. Be it the realm of podcasts with Serial, streaming docuseries like Making a Murderer and Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes or dramatic programs like Mindhunter, audiences can’t get enough of stories about real-life crimes.

Perhaps the true crime topic that most captivates people is that of serial killers. Something about our humanity is fascinated by the lack of it in the notorious and prolific killers who committed such heinous acts throughout history. For those who have exhausted all the books and documentaries or just want to see a dramatic interpretation, there are plenty of serial killer movies based on the real life crimes.

While stuff like Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Silence of the Lambs took varying degrees of inspiration from actual events, this list features movies that are more closely about the real life crimes and the real serial killers who perpetrated them, making them more unnerving than any work of pure fiction, even if some are fairly loose translations. Here are a few sinister serial killer movies based on real-life crimes.

Zodiac

In 1995, David Fincher created one of the most-discussed serial killer movies ever with Se7en. then, in 2007 he returned with another film about detectives chasing down an elusive and enigmatic serial killer, Zodiac. Starring a positively lights out cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr., Zodiac tells the story of the Zodiac Killer, a serial killer that operated in Northern California in the late '60s and early '70s, killing at least 5 people and sending taunting letters to the press.

Zodiac is considered to be one of the best serial killer movies ever, with incredible performances and some truly disturbing and frightening moments. It is made all the more chilling by the fact that just like in real life, the case goes unsolved and we never find out the identity of the Zodiac Killer. It is an incredible mystery with a true-to-life ending that offers no easy answers. Zodiac is also probably the most historically accurate film on this list.

Monster

Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins made her feature directorial debut with Monster, a 2003 film that won Charlize Theron a Best Actress Oscar for her unrecognizable portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. It is based on the real life of Aileen Wuornos, one of America’s most famous female serial killers and known as “The Damsel of Death.” While working as a prostitute between 1989 and 1990, Aileen killed seven men, shooting them at point-blank range.

Although she claimed the men were trying to rape her and the murders were self-defense, Aileen Wuornos was found guilty of six of the murders and sentenced to death. Monster follows her from the first murder all the way through her trial. Whenever a serial killer movie focuses on the killer and not the investigation it runs the risk of being too sympathetic and making excuses for their crimes, but through Charlize Theron’s performance, Monster is able to strike a balance, showing the tragedy of Aileen’s life while still making her a horrifying creature befitting the film’s title.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

To many film fans, Michael Rooker might be Yondu from Guardians of the Galaxy, Merle from The Walking Dead or the unfortunate recipient of a chocolate-covered pretzel in Mallrats, but in 1986 he played a truly sinister serial killer. From the director of Wild Things, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is somewhat based on the crimes of Henry Lee Lucas, who operated in the 60s and 70s and was convicted for 11 murders.

What’s fascinating is that Henry Lee Lucas confessed to hundreds of murders, but authorities later believed most of those confessions to be false. This film is inspired by those false confessions though and Henry plays without much of a story, as it just follows Michael Rooker, in a deeply unnerving performance as he goes about his day and occasionally kills people. Although not necessarily gory by today’s standards, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is super dark and was at the time of its release in 1986 considered exploitative, which earned it an “X” rating from the MPAA.

The Snowtown Murders (Snowtown)

Before he directed Michael Fassbender in Macbeth and Assassin’s Creed, Australian director Justin Kurzel debuted with The Snowtown Murders, about one of the most publicized and heinous crimes in Australian history. Also known as the bodies-in-barrels murders, the Snowtown Murders were a series of murders that took place in the 1990s in South Australia. A group of men tortured and killed nearly a dozen people in the most brutal ways.

The Snowtown Murders depicts the events of these murders in an ultra-realistic and thus ultra-violent way. Justin Kurzel primarily used a cast of locals with no acting experience from the area where the murders occurred and filmed in some of the places where the murders happened as well. These killings are as sinister as they come and The Snowtown Murders is unflinching in its depiction of them. This is a highly disturbing, difficult watch, the kind of film that you can’t unsee; described by some as ‘snuff,' The Snowtown Murders is a captivating and intense film that stays with you if you have the stomach to sit through it.

Dahmer

Jeffrey Dahmer is one of history’s most deranged and infamous serial killers. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys. Beyond just the killing, Dahmer would rape his victims, dismember them and after their death sometimes engage in necrophilic and cannibalistic acts with the bodies. He would even keep the skulls and body parts of his victims as trophies. In the little-known 2003 film Dahmer, none other than Hawkeye himself, Jeremy Renner, plays the serial killer.

While not a truly great movie by most metrics, like Monster, Dahmer is still worth checking out for if only for the lead performance. Jeremy Renner’s creepy and compelling portrayal of the unfeeling serial killer is truly unsettling and will show you the range of the affable actor. Dahmer is structured with two timelines with flashbacks to the killer’s troubled youth, leading up to his first kill. Those looking for more Jeffrey Dahmer and the making of the killer, can also check out 2017’s My Friend Dahmer, which is probably a better film but is more origin story than serial killer movie.

Wolf Creek

2005’s horror film Wolf Creek is a looser adaptation than most of the entries on this list, but the crimes it is based on were very real and very sinister. Between 1989 and 1993 in New South Wales, Australia, seven young people were murdered by Ivan Milat. Known as the Backpacker murders, these killings, as well as the murder of a backpacker by Bradley John Murdoch in 2001, served as the inspiration for Wolf Creek.

In the film John Jarratt plays Mick Taylor, a psychopath in the mold of Milat and with the look of Crocodile Dundee, who hunts down three young backpackers in the outback. Wolf Creek gets super gruesome and sadistic and has something of a grindhouse vibe. The Australian horror film from writer-director Greg McLean isn’t for everyone, but it has become something of a cult horror hit, spawning both a sequel film and a TV series where John Jarratt reprises his role as serial killer Mick Taylor.

The Frozen Ground

When it comes to despicable villains, they don’t get much worse than Ramsey Bolton on Game of Thrones, who hunted and tortured his victims. Sadly, Ramsey has something of a real life analog in Robert Christian Hansen, a serial killer who hunted his victims like animals. The man the media dubbed “Butcher Baker” confessed to raping 30 women and throughout the '70s and early '80s he hunted and killed 17 women in Alaska.

The Frozen Ground stars Nicolas Cage as a state trooper trying to capture the serial killer plaguing Anchorage. He partners with a young prostitute who escaped Hansen in order to help him. The young girl Cindy, played by Vanessa Hudgens gets a lot of the focus in the film, which also stars Breaking Bad’s Dean Norris, rapper 50 Cent and John Cusack as Robert Hansen. Although it received mixed reviews, Nicolas Cage was praised for his performance as the Alaska state trooper.

These are just a few of the serial killer movies based on real crimes that are out there to fascinate and repulse. Later this year the Ted Bundy film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile starring Zac Efron will release on Netflix and like some of the titles on this list and any dramatic depiction of real life trauma, it is already the subject of controversy.

Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies headed your way this year.

Latest Avengers: Endgame TV Spot Confirms Another Superhero Team Up From The Movie

Latest Avengers: Endgame TV Spot Confirms Another Superhero Team Up From The Movie

After a long year of waiting, Avengers: Endgame is nearly upon us. The Russo Brothers shocked hardcore fans and casual moviegoers alike by the events of Infinity War, which ended with Thanos' victory over the titular heroes. Fans are eager to see how The Avengers are grappling with life after Thanos' snap (aka The Decimation), and witness new character pairings from the surviving characters.

A new Avengers: Endgame TV spot teased just that, and it'll get fans very excited. Because alongside the footage that we've seen before, this new trailer shows Tony Stark flicking a mini Ant-Man off of his shoulder. You can check it out for yourself below.

In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, the new Avengers: Endgame trailer shows Tony Stark safe and sound back on earth, and working alongside Paul Rudd's Ant-Man. Scott Lang was noticeably absent from Infinity War, so fans are definitely eager to see him crossover with the rest of the heroes when the blockbuster arrives next week.

The new footage from this TV spot is super exciting, and teases the type of interesting team dynamic audiences will be privy to once Avengers: Endgame finally hits theaters. While Infinity War separated the massive cast of heroes into two distinct groups (Team Wakanda and Team Titan), Endgame looks like it'll unite the surviving heroes for one last stand against the Mad Titan. Ant-Man and Iron Man were on opposite sides during Captain America: Civil War, so it'll be great to see these two comedic technology-based heroes working together for Endgame.

Related: Even The Avengers: Infinity War Stars Are Wondering Where Ant-Man Is

In the brief shot of Tony Stark flicking Ant-Man off his shoulder, he's seen wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D. jumpsuit. This is a detail that has thrown fans for a loop, as it's unclear how Nick Fury's organization will come into play during Endgame. Despite being just a week left out of Endgame's arrival, there's still plenty of time for more fan theories. Personally, I think they might just have some S.H.I.E.L.D. gear in Avengers Facility, which appears to be a significant location in the upcoming blockbuster.

The trailers for Avengers: Endgame tease that Paul Rudd's Scott Lang will have a significant role in the battle to come. Fans were bummed when he was noticeably absent from Infinity War alongside Hawkeye. But both of those heroes will help fill in the ranks of The Avengers, now that so many heroes were reduced to ashes after the snap.

When we last saw Ant-Man, he was left stranded in The Quantum Realm after Hope, Janet, and Hank turned to dust. This setting may have a major role to play in Avengers: Endgame, and it should be fascinating to see exactly how Scott ends up at Avengers Facility as seen in the trailers. Luckily, we don't have much longer to wait.

Avengers: Endgame will arrive in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime fill out CinemaBlend's Endgame death pool, and check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Watch Tom Holland Go Full Love Actually Ahead Of Far From Home's Release

Watch Tom Holland Go Full Love Actually Ahead Of Far From Home's Release

2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming was inspired by John Hughes films like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and with Peter Parker taking a much-needed vacation to Europe in this year's Spider-Man: Far From Home, you can’t help but be reminded of the 2004 R-rated comedy EuroTrip. But it is another film from the early 2000s providing inspiration here. Take a look below to see Tom Holland, with hope and agenda, going full Love Actually ahead of Far From Home’s release.

I’m not sure what Love Actually has in common with Spider-Man: Far From Home beyond having scenes set in London, but unlike Andrew Lincoln’s unrequited love for Keira Knightley in the former film, Tom Holland’s grand gesture is one you’ll want to take him up on. That’s because this video from the actor’s Instagram brings awareness to a Spider-Man: Far From Home contest with a far better prize than a weird pity kiss from your best friend’s wife.

The contest offers one lucky winner and a guest a trip to the Los Angeles premiere of Spider-Man: Far From Home. The prize includes round-trip airfare from anywhere in the world, a swanky hotel stay, $1,000 in spending money and the chance to walk the red carpet at the premiere and take a photo with Tom Holland. The winner and their guest also get attend the premiere afterparty as Tom Holland’s guests.

What's perhaps most exciting of all, besides getting to see Spider-Man: Far From Home of course, is the opportunity to meet acclaimed actor Jake Jillenhal or is it Gylnhal? That spelling bit was easily the funniest part of this video, and as someone who has to write Jake Gyllenhaal’s name on occasion (and double check it every time), I sympathize completely. It’s the double ‘L’ and the double ‘A’ that makes it tricky.

Anyone who wants to enter this contest and have Tom Holland say ‘To me, you are perfect…ly the winner of this contest’ has to click on the link in his Instagram bio or head over to Crowdrise. That might have been too much work for the guy in the video, but once you do that, tickets to enter are only $10.

The contest will raise funds for The Brothers Trust charity that Tom Holland runs with his family. The Brothers Trust uses Tom Holland's celebrity and influence to help raise funds for various charities, with an eye towards those charities that get drowned out in the non-profit sector and those that most effectively use donations and funding. In other words, charities where the bulk of the money goes to those who need it and not towards administration of the charity itself.

Using the contest to raise money for charity is certainly in keeping with the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’s efforts to do good, and at only $10 a ticket, it’s a great opportunity for MCU fans to get a chance to attend the premiere of the last Phase 3 movie and the concluding chapter of The Infinity Saga.

Spider-Man: Far From Home swings into theaters on July 2. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the big movies headed your way this summer season.

Rocketman's Director Dismisses Nude Scene Controversy Rumor

Rocketman's Director Dismisses Nude Scene Controversy Rumor

There are certain film genres that always prove to entrance audiences, and chief among them is the biopic. Moviegoers delight in seeing celebrity's stories played out on screen, usually with a touch more drama for good measure. Most recently, Bohemian Rhapsody entranced moviegoers, as Freddie Mercury's life and music was portrayed onscreen. That project ultimately resulted in a ton of award nominations, taking home an impressive four Academy Awards in the process.

The next musical biopic coming down the line is Rocketman, which will tell the story of Elton John's career and personal life. Kingsman's Taron Egerton is highly anticipated as the starring role, although there have been some rumors about the film's editing process. Namely, that Paramount was trying to edit down the gay content and nudity. Now director Dexter Fletcher has addressed these reports on Twitter. Check it out.

Well, that seems to put the kabosh on those rumors. Rocketman will reportedly feature all the content that Dexter Fletcher wants. And this should hopefully include Elton John's same-sex relationships being shown honestly onscreen.

Dexter Fletcher's tweet should be a relief to the Elton John fans that took umbrage with reports of Rocketman's censoring. From the start, Rocketman has been billed a holds-no-bar approach to John's life and career. While the legend is a producer on the project, the upcoming biopic was supposed to show the less flattering side of his time in the public eye. And his sexuality will likely be a major aspect of that characterization.

Rocketman's inclusion of queer content and same-sex romance has been a selling point of the movie ahead of its release. Following insane performance of Bohemian Rhapsody, the Elton John biopoc is expected to build off the success film. For instance, Taron Egerton is singing all of the musical numbers from Elton John's catalogue. Meanwhile, Rami Malek's Oscar winning role as Freddie Mercury only required him to lip synch the music.

Bohemian Rhapsody also got some backlash for not including enough scenes related to Freddie Mercury's sexuality. Instead, Mercury's girlfriend Mary Austin was the subject of most of his attention and affection. So if Rocketman goes full tilt and offers are more authentic view into Elton John's coming out process and personal life, then it could succeed where Bryan Singer's massively successful movie stumbled.

Taron Egerton recently spoke to how Elton John's romantic life would be handled in the upcoming biopic. He told Variety:

The most significant gay relationship explored in the film is Elton’s relationship with John Reid, but if there is a love story in this film, it is the love story between Elton and Bernie Taupin, and the incredible music they have produced over the past 50 years.

Rocketman has been developing for a number of years, so there's a certain level of anticipation and excitement for the upcoming biopic. And with Elton John currently on his goodbye tour, the timing is perfect. Generations of fans already have their focus on the legendary singer, so moviegoers will likely rush to theaters to see Rocketman. At least, that's what Paramount Pictures and Dexter Fletcher are likely hoping.

All will be revealed when Rocketman arrives in theaters on May 31st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

I Am Actually Scared To See Jordan Peele's Us

I Am Actually Scared To See Jordan Peele's Us

Jordan Peele surprised a lot of people with his directorial debut, Get Out. I was one of those people. While I had been a fan of Peele's comedy for a long time, I had no idea what to expect when I sat down to watch his first horror movie. Looking back, it's still the best movie I've seen since February 2017, when it was released. When it was announced that Peele was working on his next project, a movie simply called Us, I was certainly excited. Now here I stand on the eve of being able to finally watch Peele's new movie and I'm confronting a serious problem.

I'm actually a little scared to see this movie.

I still remember the first time i saw the trailer for Us. It was just before Christmas last year. We knew the trailer was imminent; in fact, it was expected to be released online on Christmas Day, so when I went to the theater to do a little end-of-the-year awards season maintenance and watch The Favourite, I certainly wasn't expecting to see that trailer, not yet and not ahead of that movie, but there it was. Jordan Peele's name came up before anything started to get weird in the trailer, so I knew what I was watching, and as I sat in a mostly empty theater I watched one of the scariest trailers I have ever seen unfold over two minutes. Then The Favourite started and I'd be lying if i said I gave the film the proper attention, at least at the start. The trailer was still on my mind.

If you somehow have made it this far without seeing the first look at Us, here's a reminder of what I'm talking about.

I haven't seen anything scarier than that trailer since. In fact, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I have simultaneously been looking forward to Us, possibly more than any other movie this year, while also being terrified to actually see it.

Horror movies are a strange sort of animal. It's the one genre of film that you sometimes hear movie fans seemingly discounting in its entirety. If you hear somebody claim they love movies, but don't watch dramas, you'd wonder what the hell was wrong with them; however, if somebody says that about horror movies, we just move on like it's expected and even makes sense.

Frequently, movies that should be classified as horror get called something else, if only to avoid the stigma that can come along with the genre title. Get Out itself was one of these movies. It didn't have a murderous slasher antagonist or a series of brutal murders of or by teenagers, so by certain definitions, maybe it didn't qualify as a horror movie. It was a horror movie, of course, but if calling it a "thriller" helped Get Out do better at the box office, so be it.

Of course, all that was part of why Get Out worked so well. Because it was absolutely a horror movie, but one that didn't necessarily look that way at first. The film found its horrific elements in other places beyond simply violence. We didn't get the visual horror that we expect from a traditional "slasher movie." However, the scenario was pure nightmare fuel even if the villains didn't wear hockey masks.

And that's part of why Us is feeling so scary to me now now. Based on the early responses by those that saw Us at SXSW, it's clear the movie has more to say than the trailers are letting on, in much the same way that Get Out did, yet in addition to that, the movie also has those elements of "traditional horror" that make this one feel like it's going to be bloody and violent.

I've seen more than my share of horror movies in recent years, it's sort of my job now, but when I was a kid I was certainly one of those people who "didn't do horror." It wasn't so much that I avoided the genre, I simply didn't seek it out. The idea of being uncomfortable while watching a movie just didn't appeal to me -- it wasn't what I went to the movies for. When I did see them, horror movies didn't necessarily scare me, but they always made me nervous that they might.

Horror movies still make me nervous and uncomfortable to some extent now. I mean, they're supposed to, but never has it been like this. I didn't feel like this when I went to see IT, another movie that was actually one of my favorites in 2017. I'm just as excited to see that sequel later this year, without any of the stomach-churning dread that comes with Us.

Also, it should be noted, that "jump scares" get me all the time. Every. Single. Time. Even a movie I've seen before has about a 40% chance of making me spill something with a jump scare. When I'm seeing a movie for the first time, popcorn flying into the aisle is virtually guaranteed.

Everything about the Us trailer makes me uncomfortable in a way that I haven't felt in a really long time. The dark versions of the main characters feel not simply evil, but wrong. The way they look, the way they move, it all feels off. These are scariest movie monsters I've ever encountered, and I've only made it as far as the trailer.

Of course, what might make Us so potentially terrifying is that I'm also so incredibly excited to see it. I'm throwing myself to the wolves with this one in a way that I haven't with any other recent horror movie. It makes me feel vulnerable in a way that I don't usually let myself get with any movie. Even if it wasn't my job to see Us, I would be seeing the new movie from the man that brought us Get Out this weekend.

I have no idea what's in store for me when I see Us this week, although I'm prepared to be terrified on multiple levels. I may have to skip out on bringing snacks due to the aforementioned fear of throwing them all over the aisles. I can't wait.

I Wasn't A Horror Fan But These Movies Have Won Me Over To The Genre

I Wasn't A Horror Fan But These Movies Have Won Me Over To The Genre

Being uninterested in horror was never about being scared of the dark. It was because bloody gore, unnecessarily grotesque creatures and one-dimensional scream queens seemed to rule the genre. It was the jump scares, me yelling at the television screen, asking them to (PLEASE) “find the damn light switch! It’s literally right behind you!” before shaking my head, burying it out of the view of the screen. It happens every time! They literally never learn. It’s stressful y’all. Don’t get me wrong, this is fun every once in a while but I’ve never been an opening-night-ticket-buying horror fan or one that really followed or cared about what was going on with the genre. (Like I would never have guessed there was anywhere close to 11 Halloween movies if my life depended on it.) Cut to today, in which I find myself absolutely geeking out about what the genre has to offer.

I don’t think this is about my own personal growth as a movie fan. I probably could have gone my whole life without seeing bugs infest a decapitated child (if you know, you know). There have been some really amazing entries in the horror genre that have successfully banded together and surrendered me into loving the genre. This horror newbie now has a lot of ground to cover and missed gems, franchises and remakes to start paying attention to, but let’s start with the movies that were my “gateway drugs” in a sense into the genre.

First up is 2017’s Get Out – yes, cliché maybe. The thing about Jordan Peele’s debut into horror is it wasn’t just a must see for the genre, it was a phenomenon that dominated a lot of different conversations about politics, race, Hollywood industry & diversity and was so many things in of itself; a comedy and “social thriller” so I ended up getting around to it. The movie showed me that horror wasn’t just about shock value, it could actually say something profound about the world we live in and in an incredibly smart way that has enticed discussion and theories were still talking about two years later.

Peele is all about intentional filmmaking: which we movie fans absolutely love to pick apart. I love the kind of movies that you can notice something new about with each viewing and you want to jump right back in again and watch immediately after the credits roll. Get Out filled a bit of a hole we forgot was possible to dig up in the movie-watching experience. There’s something beautiful about not having it all spelled out to you on-screen. Something that unravels a conversation much deeper than “Oh, it was pretty good! What did you think?” out of us.

So Get Out felt like a bit of a once-in-a-lifetime kind of horror spectacle but then I found myself intrigued by the idea of checking out A Quiet Place one weekend with a friend. To be honest, some of this was based on my interest in seeing Hollywood’s power couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt finally share the screen. I’m still thanking myself for experiencing this movie in the theater because what a crazy experience. Krasinski (who was also the film’s director) did something special when he played around with silence. I found myself carefully chewing my popcorn and holding off on blurting expletives in service of the environment created so masterfully in A Quiet Place.

There are a ton of reasons why I love A Quiet Place such as the way it disguises itself as an incredibly loving family drama. Without having the genre on its side, it would not have played as well. It taught me a bit about why horror filmmaking can be such a cool and interesting type of movie. It’s all about manipulating the senses and being able to take hold of the audience so well that they are actually able to feel the fear the characters are experiencing. It doesn’t have to be about grossing me out or having a “gotcha moment” with a jump scare. Thus, my horror movie geek out continued.

There were a couple of other recent movies that cemented my interest into giving the genre a real shot. While I’m still confused to this day about what exactly went on in last year’s Annihilation, I loved how weird it was, and the “girl gang” cast featuring Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson. As a sci-fi fan the title spoke to me and the twists that leaned into the “horror” elements added to it and complemented the other, along with delivering a really intriguing message to contemplate.

While I initially ran into the other direction of the Happy Death Day franchise because there was an antagonist with a knife and mask and seemingly some more “2D” teens to unpack (the perfect recipe for typical lazy horror), it delighted me with its subversion of this cliche. Unlike most “horror” with its general description, the movies are made to portray teens as a college-set lighthearted movie would, it gave the main characters their own agency in the situation instead of simply surviving the masked killer. I certainly wouldn’t call the sequel of the “horror” genre but it’s definitely worth checking out!

Then came my “big girl” reintroduction into horror: Hereditary. While all my other picks so far genre-bend in their own rights, Ari Aster’s debut film is straight-up horror and wow was I blown away by what this film had to offer. A couple years ago, I wouldn’t have even given this title the time of day, but after these other movies paved the way into opening my mind to the genre, me, the ex-horror-hater was able to enjoy this very scary, gory, disturbing horror flick thanks to some newfound intrigue into the genre. I already need to see this again. Who am I? What have I become?!

I think horror is having a big-time resurgence and golden age right now as Jordan Peele’s Us  unmistakably strikes a chord with audiences (as shown by its huge opening weekend box office record), and remakes for Pet Sematary, Child’s Play and It soon making their way into theaters. In addition, the Hereditary filmmaker continues with Midsommar, while James Gunn mixes superheroes and horror for his executive-produced Brightburn. I’m ready for them all.