The Old Ways |

Because all the shows being cancelled, like many of us, I’ve spend more time sitting at home than I usually do. Take away not only the shows, but heading into Chicago for movie screenings, or just gathering with friends, it meant much more time in the Krypt. But what that means is that I’ve set a personal record for the number of movies that I’ve watched this year. I think previously my records were in the high 200s. I don’t think I’ve ever broken even 300. Well, this year, I’ve watched a total of 422 titles. So yeah, I took advantage of all of that extra time. Plus, while I usually tend to watch a lot of movies that I’ve seen before, 259 of that total were new movies, or at least new to me. That is one of the many things I love about cinema, that there will never be a time when there won’t be new titles to discover. Whether they were made last month, or a century ago, if you keep looking, you’ll find some amazing pieces of cinema out there. Continue reading →

The Old Ways (2020)
Directed by Christopher Alender
Starring Brigitte Kali Canales, Sal Lopez, Julia Vera, Andrea Cortés, AJ Bowen

One of the key elements for a good horror film is to really hook the audience in caring about what is going on. To do that, you need good, believable characters that the audience will invest time with them. That way when these characters are in peril, it pulls at the audience’s emotions. Now in the ’80s, we had all those slasher films with cookie cutter characters because we were there to see the all the new and creative ways they would die and the special effects surrounding them. Nothing wrong with any of that, because they were going down a particular path in horror entertainment. Nobody went into Slumber Party Massacre III for a good character study or a memorable storyline.

Even with newer films, they can some times get caught up with the gimmick of the plot or whatever the special hook is. But then there are others that spend time developing characters who are wrapped around a simple but effective story, that grab the audience’s attention each step of the way.

Christopher Alender’s The Old Ways does just that. Continue reading →

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2020 Year End Review: Part 3 – Best Viewings!

Movie Review: The Old Ways (2020)