Tag Archives: Odessa A’zion

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.

Jun 9 2026

Mel’s 5 Second Review: Until Dawn

Until Dawn (2025)
Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A’zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, Maia Mitchell, Peter Stormare
Directed by: David F Sandberg

I didn’t play the game much, but I did enjoy the vibe of it. I can’t really speak to how accurately the film follows the story of the game, but I had quite a good time with it.

One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one…only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening. They soon realise that they must survive the entire night to get out of the time loop.

Reading reviews left on IMDb, I can see now that this was not a very faithful adaptation of the game. And I saw lots of people say they’d have liked it more had it not had the Until Dawn label on it and I can’t really say I understand that. You either liked the film or you didn’t. Warcraft wasn’t a frame-by-frame recreation of the Warcraft universe (Warcraft 1, 2, and 3, and World of Warcraft) and as an avid player of the game, I still adored that film. But I digress. How about I get to how I liked this film?

I actually quite liked it. No, it didn’t reinvent the wheel or anything, but I thought it was a solid film. The plot might be simple, but it was fun seeing the characters try to live through the same night over and over and, yes, even fun seeing them die. I’m not generally a huge fan of gore, but this one did it in a way that didn’t bother me. There were quite a few jumpscares but, really, this kind of film just calls for them. This isn’t a slow-burn, dread-filled affair, it’s a film about kids dying in a time loop. It knew exactly what it was and what it needed to do to be successful. The characters aren’t super deep, mostly cause we don’t really spend any time with them before the shit hits the fan. The actors did a fine job with what they were given.

Now for what is truly the centerpiece of the film: the makeup and gore effects. And those were stellar. The killers were suitably creepy, the visuals were amazing. The film really looked stunning, if blood and guts can be described as stunning. (Oh, and speaking of stunning, Odessa A’zion as Nina? fans self) There was great care taken to make sure things looked as good as possible with minimal use of cgi. I’ll take actors in masks and makeups over cgi monsters any day.

So do I recommend it? Sure, unless you’re crazy devoted to the game and won’t accept anything but a 100% recreation of the game. If that’s you, maybe skip this one. Me? I give it a solid 8/10. Fine popcorn fun!

M.

This film is currently streaming on Crave. You can also rent or buy on Amazon Prime or YouTube.

ps, my 5 Second Reviews are slowing becoming longer and longer. I may have to change the name of the series! hehe