Tag Archives: David Bruckner

Oct 14 2026

Mel’s 5 Second Review: Hellraiser

Hellraiser (2022)
Odessa A’zion, Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Selina Lo, Hiam Abbass, Kit Clarke, Goran Visnjic
Directed by: David Bruckner

I had absolutely no intention of seeing this movie. I’m not a huge fan of Hellraiser in general (though I did love the story, The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker), and I’d also heard that it wasn’t great anyways. But while watching a YouTuber I like, he started talking about this movie and was saying how it had been unfairly judged and that it was a good time. It was on sale on Prime for 8 bucks so I decided, hey why not?

A young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.

So, first off, I wouldn’t call this a remake. The only similarity it has to the first film is the fact that there’s a puzzle box and Cenobites. I’d definitely call this a sequel. The actor who plays Colin isn’t great, but everyone else does fine work. Jamie Clayton, who took over the role of The Priest from Doug Bradley, did a really good job I think. No, she doesn’t have that domineering, bombastic voice that Bradley is so famous for, but she brought a malevolent stillness to the role that I actually think works better. The Cenobites in general felt more… dangerous? The story is also more interesting, more complex than the original’s. Maybe that’s what put a lot of the die-hard fans off the film. Well, that and the fact that The Priest is a woman. The NERVE! *rolls eyes*

And now for the real important part: the makeups. They were really, really well done. I’m not sure if there was any cgi used for certain things, and that’s a good thing. It was gory, but not to the point where I was put off. The end was a little more intense in that regard, but I managed. Excessive gore just makes me uncomfortable. I guess I just don’t get the appeal.

So, do I recommend it? Actually, I do. Only if you’re a fan of horror, though. Someone who’s not into horror will get absolutely nothing out of this. You also have to be ready for the fact that its usual camp is replaced by a bleak atmosphere. It definitely didn’t deserve to be panned the way it was, though. As for me, I give it a solid 7.5/10. I had fun with it.

M.

This movie isn’t streaming anywhere, but it is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime and YouTube.

Mar 14 2026

Mel’s 5 Second Review: The Night House

The Night House (2020)
Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Evan Jonigkeit, Stacy Martin
Directed by: David Bruckner

This movie has been on my Disney+ watchlist since it arrived on the platform. I’ve been really wanting to see it but never seemed to get around to it. I finally did and, well, I’m not sure how I feel about it.

A recently widowed woman comes to think her house is haunted, but is it really her husband?

I didn’t dislike the movie, let’s get that out of the way. I liked it, I think. It was definitely more of a slow burn, but not in a bad way, I was never bored. But I don’t know, there was just something that felt a little off. I think it might have a lot to do with Rebecca Hall’s performance. While not bad, the character just seemed.. off? I’m not sure if that was intentional, or if it’s just something that I imagined, but I didn’t care a whole lot about her because of it.

SPOILERS INCOMING

Although, to be fair, I don’t know how I would react if first, my husband commits suicide seemingly out of the blue and second, has some pretty awful secrets. So maybe she’s not acting weird at all. I did enjoy the end. I’ve seen some others say that it was lacking, but I thought it fit the tone of the rest of the film. There’s a nice sense of dread that permeates the entire film, which is nice. Also, how cute is Evan Jonigkeit as the husband? My goodness. He’s got odd features, but they work.

So, do I recommend it? I do, if slow burn ghost stories are your bag. It gets a pretty good 7.5/10 from me.

M.