Author: Tiffany Renee Harmon

Tiffany Renee Harmon is a poet and mystery enthusiast originally from Cincinnati, OH. She has an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University. Her first novel Suburban Secrets debuted in July 2020, and her second novel Crooked was published by World Castle Publishing in 2023. She is the former Editor-in-Chief of the poetry journal Ephemeral Elegies. In her spare time, she loves spending time in nature, knitting, and doing crossword puzzles. She lives with her husband in a forest nestled in the Ozark mountains.
Movie Review

31 Days of Halloween: The Descent (2005)

Tiffany Renee Harmon

For Day 13 of my 31 Days of Halloween, my pick is The Descent. This is a truly heart-pounding movie that will definitely make you feel extra claustrophobic.

The Descent Poster

IMDB’s Description: “A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.”

This was such a good movie. As the spelunkers get trapped in the cave, you’ll feel trapped too. Visually, most of the movie is very dark since they’re in a cave, and it feels both disorienting and claustrophobic. Once it’s clear that they’re also being pursued by something or someone deadly, the terror really gets going. This was one of the only horror movies that made me feel physically off as I was watching it because there were times where I literally felt stuck and like it was difficult to breathe. I definitely recommend this one!

Movie Review

31 Days of Halloween: The Shining (1980)

Tiffany Renee Harmon

For Day 12 of my 31 Days of Halloween, I have another movie based on a Stephen King novel: The Shining. Adapted and directed by Stanley Kubrick, this has become one of the most iconic horror movies ever.

The Shining Poster

IMDB’s Description: “A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.”

While the movie has a lot of differences from the book, it is still fantastic. There’s something really terrifying about being isolated, and that’s exactly where this family is at. Is this madness cabin fever or something even more sinister? Overall, this is a visually stunning movie with lots of frightening moments.

Movie Review

31 Days of Halloween: Misery (1990)

Tiffany Renee Harmon

Sometimes, realistic things are the scariest. While vampires and werewolves might be fictitious, psychopaths and the deranged definitely are real. I think that’s why Misery was such a great movie (and book!) This is my pick for Day 11 of my 31 Days of Halloween.

Misery Poster

IMDB Description: “After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.”

First, Kathy Bates is a fantastic actress, so this is worth seeing just to watch her in this role. Also, this is one of the least scary movies on my list, but I wanted to include it because it’s just psychologically interesting. Real people can be every bit as horrifying and damaged as this woman. It’s a fascinating analysis of what might constitute a number 1 fan of something. Sometimes, people just break loose from reality in their mind and there can be terrifying results.

Movie Review

31 Days of Halloween: The Conjuring (2013)

Tiffany Renee Harmon

I love a good ghost story! Any sort of haunted house tale excites me, and I remember racing to the theaters to see The Conjuring when it came out. This fascinating story, inspired by true events, is my pick for Day 10 of 31 Days of Halloween!

The Conjuring Poster

IMDB’s Description: “Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.”

Again, this description seems pretty typical for any sort of haunted house tale, but this was a pretty unique movie. First, I loved the general atmosphere of the movie – it was creepy and reminiscent of horror movies from the 60s and 70s. Also, jump scares were used judiciously in order to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Knowing that this was based on a real case from the Warrens who were actual Vatican-sanctioned demonologists made it all the creepier. This is one I’ve watched multiple times, which I think speaks volumes since I typically only watch a horror movie once (maybe twice) since movies become a lot less scary when you’re certain of what happens next.

Movie Review

31 Days of Halloween: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Tiffany Renee Harmon

For Day 9 of my 31 Days of Halloween, I have picked a movie that I’m sure everyone has heard of: The Blair Witch Project. This was one of the first iconic found-footage movies. I remember when it came out. I was only 7, so I didn’t watch it at the time, but I remember people talking about it being real. For so long, my friends and I thought this was a true story, and this made it extra scary when we were finally allowed to watch it.

The Blair Witch Project Poster

IMDB’s Description: “Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.”

One of the scariest things about this movie is the unknown and the feeling of being trapped. Rather than relying on jump scares and haunting visuals, it focuses on creating an eerily familiar atmosphere and the sensation of feeling lost. This worked so well, and I think it’s this believable quality that truly terrified so many moviegoers when it came out. If you haven’t seen this one yet, do so right away!

Movie Review

31 Days of Halloween: Suspiria (1977)

Tiffany Renee Harmon

For Day 8 of 31 Days of Halloween, my pick is Suspiria. This movie (whose remake is coming out really soon!) was my first foray into Italian horror and the wonderfully twisted mind of Dario Argento.

Suspiria Poster

IMDB’s Description: “An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.”

This movie is visually so stunning. It blends mystery and horror together as you try to figure out what is happening at this ballet academy. As the young ballerinas and some of the staff meet untimely ends, it’s clear that something supernatural is at work. While the acting and dialogue are a bit uneven, this is still a tremendous visual masterpiece. I can’t wait to see the remake, which is a full hour longer than the original. I hope it keeps the visual artistry while improving on the character development.

Movie Review

31 Days of Halloween: The Witch (2015)

Tiffany Renee Harmon

For Day 7 of my 31 Days of Halloween, I’m picking something with a more historical bent: The Witch. This film originally had the subtitle “a New England folktale,” and it truly feels like stepping back into the puritanical times of the 1600s.

The Witch Poster

IMDB’s Description: “A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.”

This was such a fascinating movie. It’s a bit slower in pace, but the visuals more than make up for that. It’s artistically filmed and really transports you to a different place in time. I loved the way that the hysteria was portrayed: for most of the movie, you’re wondering if magic is really afoot or if it’s all in their minds. This is a truly unique horror movie. It’s pretty much devoid of jump scares and works by truly providing a fascinating, dark atmosphere that just sucks you in.

Movie Review

31 Days of Halloween: Get Out (2017)

Tiffany Renee Harmon

Sometimes, a horror movie is just so good that even non-horror fans can get behind it. That’s exactly what happened when Get Out came to theaters. This is my Day 6 pick for 31 Days of Halloween, and it’s one of the BEST horror movies I’ve ever seen!

Get Out Poster

IMDB’s Description: “A young African-American visits his white girlfriend’s parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.”

There’s just so much to unpack in this film! There is a cultural critique of racism and tokenism that emerges in this movie in both subtle and overt ways. I don’t want to give anything away just in case you haven’t already seen it, but there are so many images reminiscent of the days of slavery that will make you question how far we’ve really come as a society and show how much work there is left to do.

Like many people, I was intrigued by the fact that this was written and directed by Jordan Peele, who is well-known for more comedic works. However, this movie was near perfection! This is clearly his true milieu, and I can’t wait to see the next horror movie he comes up with. If you only watch one movie on my 31 Days of Halloween list – this should be the one!

Movie Review

31 Days of Halloween: The Darkness (2016)

Tiffany Renee Harmon

Mythology and folklore are often the basis of horror movies. I’m fascinated by urban legends and ancient monster tales. Sometimes the source material is even more interesting than the horror movie itself. A while ago, I watched The Darkness, which deals with Native American folklore in a fascinating way. My expectations weren’t very high, but this one really stuck with me afterwards, which is why I’ve picked it for Day 5 of 31 Days of Halloween.

The Darkness Poster

IMDB’s Description: “A family unknowingly awakens an ancient supernatural entity on a Grand Canyon vacation, and must fight for survival when it follows them home.”

On it’s surface, it seemed like this was going to be just another ghost/demon story rife with jump scares, but I was so pleasantly surprised. While this wasn’t the perfect horror movie by any means, I really appreciated the fresh take on Native American folklore and mythology. This movie has been skewered by critics and other reviewers, but I honestly enjoyed it just for the explanation of the backstory and origin of the supernatural events.

Movie Review

31 Days of Halloween: Hush 2016

Tiffany Renee Harmon

I’ve seen hundreds of horror movies throughout my life, so I’d like to think that it takes a lot to impress me at this point. I’m pretty familiar with the common tropes, so I was thrilled to find a movie recently that just sucked me in with its originality: Hush. This one is my pick for Day 4 of 31 Days of Halloween.

Hush Poster

IMDB’s Description: “A deaf writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.”

This movie was absolutely fascinating. It was the first horror movie I’d ever seen where things were almost always eerily silent (and yes, this one came out before “A Quiet Place.”) The film is shot in the style where we’re closely following the protagonist, Maddie who is deaf. Because of this, almost everything is silent. In fact, there’s about 70 minutes without a single word of dialogue (plus about 15 minutes with dialogue as other characters enter the scenes). This one is a complete rush of adrenaline as we watch Maddie’s silent struggle for survival. She’s obviously a character you want to root for, but the odds are definitely stacked against her.