♰ Welcome to The Midnight Horror! ♰

I thought I had saved the best for last in my Midnight Horror marathon: The Houses October Built 2. It's a DVD I've clung to for far too long without actually watching. I should note that I've never seen the first film, although I've certainly heard a fair share of both praise and scorn surrounding it. After admiring the hauntingly cool cover art, I figured the sequel would make for a fitting Halloween treat. Little did I know, I was dead wrong.

Co-written and directed by Bobby Roe, the premise is as follows: recovering from the traumas of being kidnapped the previous Halloween by the ominous Blue Skeleton—a group that takes "extreme haunt" to absurd new depths—five friends decide to confront their fears head-on. They hit the road once again to explore haunted house attractions, but as they set off, the signs of the Blue Skeleton's return loom ominously overhead, and a fresh terror begins to unfold...

And yet, here we are: this movie is a catastrophic flop! Though I might lack the context of the first installment, I am well aware of basic plot. For some unfathomable reason, the filmmakers chose to toss the original lore out the window and serve us a bland, uninspired sequel that swaps fright for hokey “extreme haunts” where the only thing scary is how fake the scares feel. No hauntings, no killings—just a sad riff on what could have been a haunting ride, with the filmmakers trying to cash in on the modest success of the first film.

♰ Welcome to The Midnight Horror! ♰

I’m still reeling from the hot mess that is Killers Within. Picture this: an Irish horror film that’s less horror and more crime drama for a good hour before it decides to throw in some snake vampires that feel like a bad homage to From Dusk Till Dawn. Honestly, I’m left asking myself—why on Earth did I actually buy this DVD? The cover art is an eyesore, and the back description is a dazzling display of nothingness. But, in a moment of self-inflicted pain, I needed something to fill my midnight horror slot and thought, “Why not torture myself a little more?”

Written and directed by the duo of Paul Bushe and Brian O’Neill, the film stars a cast of actors likely basking in the glow of fame back in Ireland, but I can’t be bothered to remember their names. The plot kicks off with police officer Amanda Doyle, whose son is being held hostage by a ruthless gang. In a desperate attempt to save her child, she teams up with her ex-husband and a few allies to kidnap a wealthy banker and his unsuspecting family for ransom. But this isn't just any ordinary family—no, as the tale unfolds, it twists intriguingly enough to show that the tables have turned: the hunters have become the hunted. It’s a harrowing fight for survival in which it truly becomes kill or be killed.

♰ Welcome to The Midnight Horror! ♰

Where do I begin this tale of cinematic woe? Tonight's Midnight Horror pick, Predator's World, is a work of such questionable merit that it feels less like horror and more like a softcore adult monster spoof gone awry. Judging by its DVD cover, I anticipated a gloriously cheesy B-sci-fi flick. But oh, how I was mistaken! Instead, I found myself ensnared in a bizarre realm of racy antics, brought to life by former adult star Bree Olson, whose name graces the cover alongside YouTuber Shawn C. Phillips. This seemed to promise something intriguing, but even Phillips, appearing as a hologram in two brief, forgettable scenes, couldn't salvage this sinking ship.

The film, penned by Cameron T. James and helmed by director Jeff Leroy, spins a tale as follows: the TITAN 1C space cruiser—ostensibly the most luxurious star-liner ever crafted—collides with a meteor shower, forcing several survivors into a desperate escape pod. Alas, their plight takes a dire turn when they land on a planet teeming with bloodthirsty aliens, who take their sweet time hunting them down, one hapless soul at a time. Any chance of salvation hinges on their ability to cobble together tech from the remnants of their crash. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place!

♰ Welcome to The Midnight Horror! ♰

Here I am, cutting it close once again... No excuses this time. I watched the film right on schedule, but then, well, I just got lazy. So, here I sit with today’s Midnight Horror pick: the Mexican flick Here Comes the Devil, a title that I’m sure every horror aficionado has already added to their watchlist. Released back in 2012 and available on free streaming sites, this one had been lurking in the shadows of my mind until I finally gave in and watched it last night.

Written and directed by Adrián García Bogliano, the film spins a chilling tale centered around a couple’s son and daughter, who disappear without a trace on a desolate, cave-riddled mountainside. When the kids suddenly reappear after a night gone awry, they're not quite the same; a haunting change in their demeanor raises alarm bells for their parents. In a gripping twist, the worried mother and father delve into local legends, only to discover that their children might have become prey to something far more sinister—an inescapable evil that seems to have shadowed them home.

Now, if you take a gander at the DVD cover, you might think you’re in for some gory zombie escapade—but let me tell you, I was dead wrong. Instead, what unfolded was a bizarre concoction of revenge and doppelgänger melodrama, peppered with a handful of unsettling scenes. The film opens with a blurry to focused shot of two women making love, an opening that is, unfortunately, fleeting—these characters are short-lived, serving merely to establish a legend with shock value rather than any real depth.

The real meat of the story kicks off when the kids go missing while Dad is busy “playing” a rather dubious game with Mom in the car—yes, that actually happens. After a night filled with suspense, when the children mysteriously reappear, they begin to exhibit strange, erratic behavior that leads the parents down a dark path of suspicion. Believing a local miscreant might be to blame, they take matters into their own hands in a gruesome scene that could crawl right out of your nightmares. And speaking of discomfort, the couple decides to shower together afterward to scrub away the remnants of their little… adventure. Fair warning: there’s a hefty dose of uncomfortable nudity in this film, just in case that wasn’t on your bingo card.

♰ Welcome to The Midnight Horror! ♰

I know, I know—I'm a day late on my reviews, but hang in there with me; life has its way of throwing curveballs. Anyway, let's talk about my next Midnight Horror pick: Cruel Peter, a sinister gem from 2019 that crossed the pond to the USA in March 2020, right as the world began to spiral into chaos. This unsettling Italian film is penned by Christian Bisceglia, who co-directed alongside Ascanio Malgarini, featuring a cast that includes Henry Douthwaite, Katia Greco, Rosie Fellner, Aaran Bevan, and Zoe Nochi.

Set against the backdrop of a chilling Christmas Eve in 1908 in Messina—one of the Mediterranean's wealthiest merchant cities—our tale begins with Peter, a 13-year-old boy from an affluent English family. But don’t let his status fool you; he’s a notorious little tyrant, exuding cruelty towards anyone weaker, from children to animals and even the servants underfoot. One fateful night, his reign of terror backfires spectacularly when he finds himself ambushed and wakes up buried alive in a coffin beneath the city's Gothic cemetery, all thanks to a vengeful servant boy from his mother’s estate. As fate would have it, a powerful earthquake then razes Messina, sealing Peter’s grave—and his malicious legacy—in dust and darkness.

Fast forward a century, and we meet Norman, an English archaeologist, and his daughter Bianca, who arrive in the now-forgotten city. Fresh from the shattering loss of her mother, Bianca seeks solace by attempting to contact her spirit. Little does she realize that her heartfelt endeavor unwittingly summons Peter back from the abyss—a 13-year-old specter whose life was steeped in violence and evil, who now seeks to unleash terror from beyond the grave. It’s a race against time as Norman must uncover the truth to save his daughter from succumbing to the curse born of Peter’s twisted past.