What Katie Watched

Tag: horror

  • The Green Mile (1999)

    3h 9mins

    7/10

    First time watch

    Period Drama – Tragedy – Mystery

    A death row guard is thrown into turmoil when he begins to question whether the latest convict on his watch is truly guilty of the crimes that have condemned him to death.

    I have avoided watching this film for a long time as I struggle to go into a film that is new to me knowing it’s going to be a tearjerker. Plus it’s very long, so you need to purposely carve out enough time to watch a 3 hour film in one sitting.

    Having said that, I am glad that I have finally got around to watching this beautifully touching film.

    Who wouldn’t love the gentle giant inmate, John Coffey ( Michael Clarke Duncan)? His innocent sweet nature is so endearing and has you just as puzzled as prison guard, Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks), as to how on earth he has been convicted of such horrendous crimes. I loved that although Paul knew the men on his ward had committed terrible crimes, he still saw them as worthy of being treated as fellow human beings the whole way up to their last moments.

    I was taken by surprise by the supernatural element of the film, but found it interesting. I knew it was a Stephen King story, but I thought the darkness was going to come from it being set on death row and the use of the electric chair.

    A thought-provoking reflection on the darkness within humanity, the terrible choices people make and the suffering we can cause one another, balanced by a powerful reminder of the importance of recognising the good in others and choosing kindness.

    I’m not sure that I could say I’m racing to watch it again, not because it wasn’t good, but because it was a sad watch and the length of the film. I’m sure I will watch it again in a few years and wouldn’t say no if someone else wanted to watch it with me.

    Would watch again

  • The Substance (2024)

    2h 20mins

    8/10

    Rewatch

    This was my first time watching the film with other people and that somehow made the gruesome scenes feel even more difficult to watch as I was picking up on their discomfort to what was happening. I wonder what it was like to see this with a full audience at the cinema.

    I think this film is great for bringing up interesting conversations around our modern society being so image focused, especially for woman, and our unrealistic beauty expectations.

    My first review on 15th January 2025 still stands:

    I love this film.

    I do have to hide behind my hands for some of it as I’m pretty squeamish, but willing to do that to watch the film.

    It does an excellent job at making you feel uncomfortable.

    I think Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are fantastic in this film!

    Very thought provoking film. Thinking about how aging as a woman is attached to our value/worth in society and the lengths people are willing to go to avoid it.

    I find the last 25 minutes utterly chaotic which is a great climax to the film.

    Would watch again

  • Companion (2025)

    1h 37mins

    8/10

    First time watch in the cinema

    Bloody – Twisted – Hilarious

    A weekend getaway to a remote cabin with a group of friends, we all know in the world of horror/thrillers there’s only one way for this to go down… only this time the danger is not from the outside, the group are not quite as they first seem.

    I was very excited to attend my first Odeon’s Scream Unseen. You get to attend a pre-release screening of a scary film without knowing what you are going to be seeing. I can be very hit and miss with scary films, where if the scare is coming from a lot of gruesome shots and blood baths, I can be spending most of the film behind my hands. Where this film is not driven by its scenes of violence, I really enjoyed it. I would probably categorise it as a sci-fi thriller with moments of comedy.

    My one criticism would be that I feel the movie poster gives too much away. I would have liked this reveal to come as a surprise as they build up to it in the film with a few subtle hints that you might have missed if you weren’t looking for them with the knowledge from the poster. I feel like you would have had that “something feels off” sense as you were watching it and then it would have been a good “ah ha” moment when it’s revealed in the film.

    Having said that, I still loved the film. It had me laughing while also being on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next. Although you can guess what’s going to happen, there’s an excitement to see it played out rather than a “come on and eat on with it feel”.

    If you are a fan of the TV show Black Mirror, I think you’ll really enjoy this.

    Would watch again