The Nightmare Deck’s Second Draw (Movies #53-104)

   Hello, and welcome to the latest draw of cards for the Nightmare Deck. Each “Hand” or “Draw” will consist of 52 movies or 52 videogames (this post you are reading now is the second Draw of the “Movie” wing of the “Nightmare Deck”. 

This list is meant as a celebration of all storytelling, however, and will be a point of reference for other reviews / honorary “Hall of Fame” inductions.

If this draw represents anything specifically, I think I would argue it represents how much more of a footprint women directors are being given a chance to leave in the horror genre. I know that women horror directors aren’t anything new, necessarily, but you can really see the oomph since the turn of the millennium. For me, I find that is very exciting.

We have Prano Bailey-Bond debuting with the masterful horror film Censor (#4 on the list). I patiently await her next film and I cross my fingers she stays with us on the dark side. Then, we have Yolanda Ramke co-directing the strong zombie film Cargo (#11 on the list). We have Leigh Janiak debuting in the shuffle with two solid slasher films in a new film franchise called Fear Street. Emma Tammi directs the enjoyable film The Wind, and although you may not exactly be familiar with it, you’ve more likely heard of her more recent film Five Nights at Freddy’s, which was a massive box-office smash. I think their success shows that audiences will show up to a film with otherwise familiar ingredients, presented with a unique, underrepresented perspective. Like Jordan Peele, whose film Us actually tops this list, is able to draw crowds in droves with his depiction of surrealist horror with a black cast, I think there is a lot of potential in horror for women that hasn’t been pursued to its fullest potential.

Other developments include:

• director Renny Harlin, who I reviewed four films of as a part of a new series. I will continue looking to his filmography and should be represented in the third draw of the Nightmare Deck. I especially look forward to sharing my opinion on the Strangers Trilogy, which is following a similar formula to Janiak’s Fear Street trilogy (in that they were filmed back-to-back-to-back).
• The release of Saw X is a fun development to the Nightmare Deck. I have reviewed the entire series now (until the eleventh film in 2025). The reason Saw X is special is because I consider it as the best film of the Saw franchise. This adds a good feather to Tobin Bell, who has a significant filmography of horror films I haven’t seen. This also adds a feather to Kevin Gruetert’s filmography, having now directed the best Saw film (Saw X) and my favorite Saw of the Hoffman era (Saw VI – my fifth favorite overall). 
• Charles Band’s film The Creep is added to the collection. I consider it to be among the best of Full Moon Features films and a film that does add a feather for me with Charles Band as a director. Part of me is rooting for Charles Band to do well in the Nightmare Deck, even though I know is batting average is next to awful. I know Head of the Family will surely be featured in the next draw.
• Other than that Full Moon Feature, I also reviewed Empire Pictures’ films Prison and Stuart Gordon’s From Beyond, as well as Full Moon Features’ Subspecies 2 and The Killer Doll. I didn’t enjoy any of these films as much as The Creep, personally. It is an unpopular opinion, because I know that most people will go with the Stuart Gordon film. Personally, I like Re-Animator a fair amount, but I don’t think that quality trickles down to From Beyond. It’s a fine enough film, however. 
• James Wan directs his third film for the Nightmare Deck with Malignant, which was enjoyable, even if I wasn’t head over heels for it. I look forward to when I review The Conjuring and its sequel (one of my favorite supernatural horror films) is officially cataloged. I believe that James Wan is one of the modern horror directors that could build up a Hall of Fame caliber body of work when it is all said and finished. 
• Speaking of, I did review the third Conjuring film for this shuffle. It was pretty good in my opinion. It didn’t live up to my expectations of the film (an opinion echoed by most people), but I did enjoy it. This is the first film logged of director Michael Chaves, but I can tell you my reviews of The Curse of La Llorona and The Nun will be logged soon enough (they have already been written, after all). 
• French horror directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo make their debut on the list with a film I particularly didn’t enjoy, but I can tell you I am more positive about them in some reviews yet to be logged. 
• Eli Roth debuts on the log. I can tell you that reviews of Knock Knock and The Green Inferno are already written, and I will also write new reviews of Hostel 2, Cabin Fever, Thanksgiving and the new Borderlands sooner rather than later. The director could even be an eventual part of a series.
• Bong Joon-ho debuts on the list with the very good Snowpiercer, and I can tell you my review of Parasite will be included in the third draw. I may also one day write reviews of The Host and Memories of Murder. 
• Of course, Child’s Play also joins the log for the first time with the original film. I already have reviews written for Curse of Chucky and Cult of Chucky, but I look forward to reviewing Child’s Play 2 very soon (for the longest time, it has actually been my favorite slasher film ever made).
• I was apprehensive about adding Censor and The Boy Behind the Door to the official special Nightmare Deck, and I think further inspection may need to happen. I definitely enjoyed them, but I am afraid that I might be a little overzealous in my reviews for them. I may want to revisit them. I can tell you that I comfortably believe Us, Hereditary, and Snowpiercer, are both strong enough to easily make the cut, however. 

Congratulations to Jordan Peele’s “Us”, Ari Aster’s “Hereditary’, Bong Joon-ho’s “Snowpiercer”, Prano Bailey-Bond’s “Censor”, Tom Holland’s “Child’s Play” and David Charbonier and Justin Powell’s “The Boy Behind the Door” for joining the special Nightmare Deck. We are now at eight films to the Deck. 

1.) Us – review originally written in 2020 (4.5 out of 5.0)

directed by Jordan Peele (1)

2.) Hereditary – review originally written in 2020 (4.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Ari Aster (1)

3.) Snowpiercer – review originally written in 2021 (4.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Bong Joon-ho (1)

4.) Censor – review originally written in 2021 (4.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Prano Bailey-Bond (1)

5.) Child’s Play – review originally written in 2022 (4.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Tom Holland (1)

6.) The Boy Behind the Door – review originally written in 2021 (4.0 out of 5.0)

directed by David Charbonier and Justin Powell

7.) Saw X – review originally written in 2023 (3.7 out of 5.0)

directed by Kevin Greutert (3)

8.) Scream – review originally written in 2022 (3.6 out of 5.0)

directed by Radio Silence (1)

9.) A Quiet Place: Part Two – review originally written in 2021 (3.5 out of 5.0)

directed by John Krasinski (1)

10.) Candyman – review originally written in 2021 (3.5 out of 5.0)

directed by Bernard Rose (1)

11.) Cargo – review originally written in 2021 (3.5 out of 5.0)

directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke (1,1)

12.) The Final – review originally written in 2020 (3.2 out of 5.0)

directed by Joey Stewart

13.) Resolution – review originally written in 2020 (3.2 out of 5.0)

directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead (1,1)

14.) The Mortuary Collection – review originally written in 2021 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Ryan Spindell (1)

15.) The Creeps – review originally written in 2023 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Charles Band (2)

16.) The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It – review originally written in 2021 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Michael Chaves (1)

17.) Malignant – review originally written in 2021 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by James Wan (3)

18.) I See You – review originally written in 2019 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Adam Randal

19.) Maniac (1980) – review originally written in 2021 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by William Lustig (1)

20.) It’s a Wonderful Knife – review originally written in 2023 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Tyler MacIntyre (1)

21.) See For Me – review originally written in 2021 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Randall Okita (1)

22.) A Nightmare on Elm Street IV: The Dream Master – review originally written in 2024 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Renny Harlin (4)

23.) Edge of the Knife – review originally in 2022 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown

24.) Fear Street Part Two: 1978 – review originally written in 2021 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Leigh Janiak (2)

25.) Fear Street Part One: 1994 – review originally written in 2021 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Leigh Janiak (2)

26.) The Wind – review originally written in 2020 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Emma Tammi (1)

27.) I Am Not a Serial Killer – review originally written in 2021 (3.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Billy O’Brien (1)

28.) Mindhunters – review originally written in 2024 – (2.8 out of 5.0)

directed by Renny Harlin (4)

29.) Wrong Turn 2: Dead End – review originally written in 2021 – (2.5 out of 5.0)

directed by Joe Lynch (2)

30.) Suitable Flesh – review originally written in 2023 – (2.5 out of 5.0)

directed by Joe Lynch (2)

31.) Hostel – review originally written in 2020 – (2.5 out of 5.0)

directed by Eli Roth (1)

32.) Prison – review originally written in 2024 – (2.5 out of 5.0)

directed by Renny Harlin (4)

33.) Friday the 13th: Part VI: Jason Lives –  review originally written in 2024 – (2.3 out of 5.0)

directed by Tom McLoughlin (1)

34.) Texas Chainsaw Massacre – review originally written in 2022 – (2.0 out of 5.0)

directed by David Blue Garcia (1)

35.) Halloween Kills – review originally written in 2021 – (2.0 out of 5.0)

directed by David Gordon Green (2)

36.) Don’t Breathe 2 – review originally written in 2021 (2.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Rodo Sayagues (1)

37.) Class of Nuke ‘Em High – review originally written in 2019 (2.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Richard W. Haines and Lloyd Kaufman (1,1)

38.) Killer Klowns from Outer Space – review originally written in 2024 (2.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Stephen Chiodo (1)

39.) From Beyond – review originally written in 2023 (2.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Stuart Gordon (1)

40.) Hatchet 2 – review originally written in 2021 (2.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Adam Green (1)

41.) Black Xmas – review originally written in 2021 (2.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Glen Morgan (1)

42.) Escape Room: Tournament of Champions – review originally written in 2021 (2.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Adam Robitel (1)

43.) The Poughkeepsie Tapes – review originally written in 2020 (2.0 out of 5.0)

directed by John Erick Dowdle (1)

44.) Ichi the Killer – review originally written in 2020 (2.0 out of 5.0) 

directed by Takashi Miike (1)

45.) The Last Matinee – review originally written in 2020 (2.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Maximiliano Contenti (1)

46.) Tow – review originally written in 2023 (2.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Vanessa Alexander (1)

47.) Deep Blue Sea – review originally written in 2024 – (1.5 out of 5.0)

directed by Renny Harlin (4)

48.) Subspecies 2: Bloodstone – review originally written in 2023 – (1.5 out of 5.0)

directed by Ted Nicolaou (2)

49.) Meet the Feebles – review originally written in 2020 (1.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Peter Jackson (1)

50.) Kandisha – review originally written in 2021 – (1.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo

51.) Die’ced – review originally written in 2024 – (1.0 out of 5.0)

directed by Jeremy Rudd (1)

52.) The Killer Eye – review originally written in 2023 – (0.0 out of 0.0)

directed by David DeCoteau (1)