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Inhabitants is a Psychological Thriller That Will Have You Pondering – Review

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Upon relocating from Arizona to their new residence in California, a past negative energy – spirit haunts Francis (Josh Rivera) and his new age hippie girlfriend Olivia (Anna Jacoby-Heron), which tests their approach into finding a solution for putting the agitated spirit to rest.

Francis receives a home warming package from his mother containing religious artifacts – rosaries, crucifixes, a painting of Jesus and a spiritual postcard. Although he admits that it is something he no longer practices, it seems to upset Olivia who is an alternative healer – using crystals, rocks and mystic emblems.

Francis begins to witness strange occurrences from seeing a silhouette of a man, gas line bursting, to even possibly being possessed. Perhaps Francis mood stabilizers are causing psychosis?

Olivia does some digging into Francis’s past and discovers some disturbing events that happened at a Christian retreat for troubled boys and believes that his ministry director Vernon (Todd Robert Anderson) might be the entity haunting them, for she also begins to witness strange phenomena. Could Olivia be also experiencing psychosis?

Francis explains to Olivia the events that led up to Vernon’s tent catching on fire and to his death, which coincides with the earlier scenes in the movie. Francis blames himself for what happened to Vernon. He visibly is overwhelmed with guilt and sees himself as a sinner – It could be the most logical sense that resulted in his radical emotional outbursts.

Olivia’s solution is to take Francis to see Denny (Kevin Nealon), her boss at the crystal healing shop, to help with banishing the negative spirit. Conflicted with his religious faith to healing crystals Francis decides to reach out to his mother Lillian (Ana Author) for help, which will only invite tension amongst them as Lillian is a devoted Christian who does not approve of her unmarried son living with his girlfriend. Francis overcomes with anxiety and decides to resolve his own issues by taking drastic measures putting his and Olivia’s life at risk. Will faith and, or the power of healing crystals save them from the haunting of Vernon?

Director Matt McClung did a fantastic job on presenting a serious condition that many people struggle with and the challenges they face to live a normal life. Josh Rivera and Anna Jacoby-Heron showed to have great chemistry and delivered a natural performance. I liked that Kevin Nealon brings that soothing zen vibe to the scene. This psychological thriller film will have you pondering if there really was a haunting or was it simply the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Inhabitants releases on February 14, 2025.


Sabrina - Kiddo is the newest member of Countdown City Geeks and is a contributor of movie and television show reviews. Her passion for film derived from her college days where her rhetoric-writing professor focused on the aspects of screenwriting and music lyrics. She also has a knack for saying movie quotes.

Movie Reviews

Final Destination Bloodlines – This wild horror film takes you down memory lane where it all makes “cents”. (Movie Review)

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While patiently waiting and strategizing over a decade, the mysterious entity of Death finally settles the score. Final Destination Bloodlines takes you back to 1968 where it all began. Brec Bassinger makes a solid entrance in the film portraying the young Iris Campbell – The root of all chaos from messing with predestined mortalities.

Richard Harmon takes charge of holding the film together with his role as the rebellious Erik. Harmon knows how to deliver the fright in this arrogant heavily pierced character.

Final Destination Bloodlines has a great storyline, but unfortunately, the remaining cast seemed sapless like twigs.

On the other hand, watching Tony Todd’s last film appearance as William John Bludworth brought out emotions in the theater.  The mystifying backstory of Bludworth was revealed along with his connection to Death’s design – those last words were haunting.

Final Destination Bloodlines is all about the details. It focuses on the small elements that trigger the chain of events making it “crystal clear” the characters will slip through the cracks trying to defy Death. The numerous disaster scenes are truly worth watching in IMAX format. Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein made great use of the color red throughout the film, with an excellent choice of needle drops to set the tone for the characters’ gruesome fatality. One moment I was singing and in a split second screaming.

Nonetheless,  this movie has many shocking twists and plenty of blood splatter to keep horror fans gasping and on the edge of your seat. Unlike the other films in the Final Destination series, this one blends in humor to relieve the tension to create an elevating viewing experience. It also brings back the original tactics that Death had planned to put into motion – careful driving behind a trailer hauling massive logs.

Just like the overall basis of the series, no matter how hard  the characters tried to escape and challenge their fate, Death’s retribution ultimately concludes in Final Destination Bloodline.  

Final Destination Bloodline will be released in theaters May 16, 2025.

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In theaters May 9th is the fascinating sci-fi film, ‘Watch the Skies’ – Review

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Watch the Skies is a heartfelt sci-fi film with a remarkable ensemble cast, showcases the impressive talent of rising star Inez Dahl Torhaug. The story centers on a young protagonist as she unravels the mystery surrounding her father’s disappearance years before. This all happened while he was conducting investigative work on UFOs. The film balances whimsical and quirky moments with deeply profound emotional scenes that are captivating.

A unique blend of British-European humor and sci-fi adventure, Watch the Skies draws inspiration from a real-life Swedish extraterrestrial research group. Sci-fi enthusiasts will find themselves particularly well-equipped to enjoy this charming and thought-provoking cinematic journey.

Synopsis: A rebellious teenage woman’s father went missing years ago and she believes that he didn’t run away but was abducted by aliens. She joins forces with a funky UFO club made up of a lovable group of weirdos and rejects. Together, they embark on an adventure that takes them far beyond the boundaries of the law and ultimately, our world.

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Blake Lively brings extravagant fashion to this murder-mystery comedy movie in ‘Another Simple Favor’ – Review

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When it comes to making a grand entrance in a movie , Blake Lively definitely kills it in Another Simple Favor. She looked sophistically stunning in those posh outfits and lavish shoes! Lively really steals the spotlight portraying the charming and deceptive Emily Nelson / Hope McLanden who disrupts Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) during a book reading to ask for a simple favor. Kendrick is a master in emerging into roles of the sweet, impulsive and vulnerable characters.

This saga takes place in the beautiful Island of Capri, where the extravagant wedding of Emily (Lively) to the handsome Italian mobster Dante Versano (Michele Morrone). When Aunt Linda (Allison Janney) makes a surprise appearance with Emily’s deranged mother Margaret (Elizabeth Perkins), well you know sparks will be bursting. Stephanie (Kendrick) is determined to seek answers to the mysterious occurrences and disappearance of Emily. The plot thickens with mind-bending, jaw-dropping twists, which leads the possibility of a trilogy.

The entire cast was amusing. This movie has a lot of dark raunchy humor, which at times could be a bit “tmi”. From feuding scenes with Henry Golding as Sean Townsend (Emily’s ex-husband) to Blake’s bedroom scene where she playing a dual role – uncomfortable, awkwardness. However, it received plenty of laughter from the audience.

Another Simple Favor will be available on Amazon Prime Video starting May 1, 2025. It will sure be a great suggestion for a girl’s night movie party.

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