The Mummy (1999)

This looked just good enough that I accepted an invitation to see it in a theater with a group, but when it was sold out, I didn't try again. My interest increased slightly after I watched the 1932 movie, which wasn't what I expected and bears only a passing resemblance to this alleged remake. I finally saw it mainly because I'm having trouble finding enough promising horrors for the month.

In 1926, Egyptologists discover a map to the ruins of a fictitious city, Hamunaptra, which I initially misheard as "Hymenoptera." Two teams race to grab as much treasure from it as possible, whether for history or just money. The educated if clumsy Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) makes the mistake of reading a magic book aloud, which brings new life to dishonored priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo). Like Frank in Hellraiser (no wonder the producers wanted Clive Barker to direct), Imhotep becomes less decayed the more he kills. Don't think he'll stop once complete, either: He plans to make Evelyn a vessel to resurrect his princess paramour (Patricia Velásquez), and he casts some of the Ten Plagues in a bid for followers. (Whose idea was it to grant superpowers in a curse, anyway?)

Mirage (2018)

No, not a remake of the 1965 noir. I hadn't heard of this Spanish movie, whose native title is Durante la tormenta ("During the storm"), until I browsed Netflix for something chilling. OK, most sources don't count this as horror, and some don't even call it a thriller, but it certainly involves paranormal phenomena and high-running emotions.

In 2014, in her new house, thirty-something Vera watches a videotape made by a prior resident, preteen Nico, shortly before his accidental death in 1989. An extraordinary thunderstorm at both times allows them to see and hear each other. Vera warns Nico not to make a fatal mistake. Then she discovers a bunch of local changes, most distressingly that she never got together with her would-be husband, David. Nobody else remembers the other timeline, but she hopes to find out what became of Nico and somehow restore what she lost, before the three-day storm ends.

Heretic (2024)

I hadn't heard of this title when I found it in the library, but a summary mentioning Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the same directors as A Quiet Place (not Part II), convinced me to give it a try. Given the religious focus, I opted out of inviting a friend, in case we strongly disagreed on it.

On a rainy day in Boulder, two young adult Mormon missionaries, Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and more experienced Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher), visit the home of one Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who previously expressed interest in discussion of their faith. They gradually realize that despite his amiable demeanor, he'd rather proselytize to them, albeit remaining cagey about "the one true religion." More importantly, he's dishonest and manipulative. Then they discover that the old-fashioned house is designed not to be exited easily or allow phone signals. Reed claims they're free to go; they just have to make careful choices first....

A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

From a trailer, I got the impression that this was actually a prequel. Turns out only the opening scene is a flashback to the day the blind but nearly invincible killer aliens arrived in the main family's hometown. (No, it's not just an excuse to show writer-director and former lead actor John Krasinski again.) After that, it picks up right where the predecessor left off, more than a year later.

At that point, the only known survivors are mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and three of her kids, but at least they have found the aliens' sonic weakness. They head out of their, y'know, quiet place to look for other live humans. The first they find is an old friend of the family, Emmett (Cillian Murphy), who has given up on the future of humanity and refuses to host them for long in his foundry shelter. When deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) learns of an offshore active radio station, she hopes to weaponize it against the aliens. Not trusting her mother to approve, she sets out on a one-day journey alone. Evelyn persuades Emmett to go after her. The party keeps splitting without adequate protection....

The Substance (2024)

When I looked over the DVD section of my library, it occurred to me that I would soon begin my Halloween-y viewings. This appears to be the most esteemed horror of the past few years, even nominated for Academy Best Picture, so I went right for it. Not that the DVD offers much over streaming; the only extra is a one-minute "featurette" in which director Coralie Fargeat summarizes her feminist aims.

Oscar-winning former actress Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) has moved on to hosting an aerobics program, until producer Harvey (Dennis Quaid) dismisses her for turning 50. Then she gets stealthy word of an unnamed, clearly FDA-unapproved product that can make a more youthful clone of her. She goes for it, and her younger self (Margaret Qualley) gets the same job under the alias "Sue." She enjoys major success but has to keep switching her consciousness between bodies weekly, keeping the catatonic body on an IV. When she ignores the supplier's warnings, things go sideways on both sides....

Milly: Queen of Merengue

Another entry in the AFI Latin American film festival, this one not a doc but a bio. It didn't pack the seats to the same degree, having only 20+ IMDb votes so far, but it has a great reputation among its viewers, hence my interest to come with my parents.

In 1996, a middle-aged Milagros "Milly" del Rosario Quezada Borbón is depressed and reclusive. For most of the movie, she reflects on her life starting with her childhood move from the Dominican Republic to New York City (when she was nicknamed Cuquita). In her adolescence, she and her siblings performed rock music in the streets, but they found more success by switching to merengue. As the lead singer, Milly is the most prominent band member, and she proves to stay in the line of work the longest.