At the time, H1: Bloodstone Pass didn’t really register for me. But oh how H2: The Mines of Bloodstone grabbed me with its high-level, multi-class pregens.

Mostly unplayable, but I spent hours reading and re-reading it, in awe at how much time I thought it would take to level up that high from 1st.

Damn. That reaction is so unhinged. Yeah, hope those messages just get swallowed up by all the positive ones that appreciate your art

“This Wretched Valley” by Jenny Kiefer reads like a found footage horror, one of my favorite film genres.

It also sets up a small group, remote area, and a menacing influence. I enjoyed how it portrayed unreliable events and characters trying to make good, if ultimately doomed, decisions.

“Boys in the Valley” by Philip Fracassi set up possession, remote area, group of kids, and the consequences thereof.

It was the kind of writing that got me seeing a film of it playing out in my mind. I really enjoyed it!

There are a ton more details I still want to mention, many still about the editing. But they may require some longer form writing to get all down (and may get a bit spoilery).

This has truly been a great year for horror and across many types of horror, from HEART EYES to SINNERS to 28 YEARS LATER.

And where DAYS had breathed fresh life (ha) into the zombie genre, the discussion around it of fast vs. slow was always superficial and secondary to what DAYS actually did in terms of making a compelling, scary story.

Now YEARS adds its own version(s) on top of that.

…and then editing with cool stylistic choices in the visual storytelling that changed with the story’s arc. It’s a movie you could watch in silence and still feel its emotional impact.

(But don’t, because the sound and dialogue are equally strong. Plus, a few really good jokes.)

Usually I’ll first choose from one or more of acting, directing, or writing as a focus of what I liked. Sometimes only one of those stand out. Sometimes all three miss. (I loved all three here.)

But this time the editing struck me first and what made it so effective for me. Tension from scene one…

The funniest/longest I've seen is the beginning of Event Horizon, which relentlessly throws dates at you as a build up to..."Now."

I love the movie and its oh-so-90s-industrial-lite soundtrack, but the first time I saw it felt like sitting through a (future) history class.

It has plenty of ingredients for a lighthearted CoC adventure. The shallow twists may be predictable, but they’re all fun to go along with.

And what CoC character hasn’t kept a shotgun in their closet or delivered a line like,
“Everybody looks brave holding a machine gun.”