2025 - R - 2/10 - Some buttons Aren’t pushed for a reason.

Easily the worst VHS, just when I thought they were hitting a stride. The wrap around is fine, the first segment starts off promising but then drags on and that becomes a theme here. There are a few moments that are good in the 2 hour runtime but it is all overshadowed by one segment that is not only long but also deals with some taboo subjects that are taboo for a reason. Taking all the wrong lessons from Terrifier and combining them with things that are better left implied than explored, hard pass.

2025 - PG-13 - 7/10 - A Nine Inch Nails fueled neon thrill ride.

This movie feels more like a theme park ride than a movie. Thanks mostly to the Nine Inch Nails soundtrack that grabs you and provides a driving force through even the slower parts of the movie, it feels like the movie never lets up. On top of that, the visuals and inventiveness of the art department flood every frame. Yes, there are flaws. No, I don’t know why Jared Leto is in this. Thankfully, none of that becomes enough of a distraction to take away from the brilliant way the synths and neon are woven together.

2025 - R - 9/10 - Suspense! Horror! Humor! Heart! Filmmaking!

In the running for my favorite movie of the year. I love how lean this movie is. It establishes a premise early on, reveals the plot from multiple angles, and sticks to that premise. Without getting into spoilers, the major plot point here is something that would be obvious but “hidden” in a lesser film. Here, it is out in the open and the central driving force of the plot. This no-frills approach keeps things from getting too messy, unfocused, or bogged down as things unfold. Oh, and that end is satisfying.

2023 - R - 8/10 - Punk rock filmmaking like it should be!

Wow. Yeah, this was a surprise. Went into it hoping that there would be some over-the-top Toxie fun but was prepared for this to have some rough edges. Instead, what we got was a movie that actually managed to have some heart and make Toxie a lovable character underneath the punk rock surface. This movie is also packed to the brim with a unique style and humor like classic Troma polished up. You can feel that they had a blast making this movie and it is a blast to watch. We need more big swings like this!

Did you miss us? After a long hiatus, we are back. But where were we and what were we up to? Well, I am happy to report that we were working, some behind the scenes and some visible to get some new things going in the world of Thrills Ville.

The most obvious is probably that we have been leaning in to doing more video content, including doing some instant reactions after movies in the parking lot of our local AMC. Keep an eye on our channel as we continue to dial in all the things.

We also now have a RedBubble store that we have started up and an Ebay store where we are putting some select items you won’t find in the shop.

The easiest way to find them is from the website at https://www.thrillsville618.com/the-store

We also just had the first meeting of Thrills Ville Presents: The Edwardsville Public Library’s Cult Movie Club. Stay tuned here and on our instagram for the next one and come hang out.

So, we have been busy and now we are ramping The Thrilling Times back up to help you stay plugged in to all of those channels. Look for updates next month as we roll out some new spotlights and ways to engage here in the newsletter and on the website.

Thrills Ville Presents: Cult Movie Club

This month, we had the first meeting of the Cult Movie Club, presented by Thrills Ville, and hosted by the Edwardsville Public Library. We weren’t sure how many people to expect, given the relatively contained amount of advertising we did for it but we were pleasantly surprised to have a decent group for our first viewing.

This month we watched The Gate from 1987. We started off chatting a bit beforehand about trivia we knew about the movie and how long it had been since people had seen it. Next thing we knew, we were mid-movie giving it a group MST3K treatment and cracking each other up.

Overall, it was a great first outing and is something we hope gains some momentum and grows. Come join us, help grow our community and see some weird and wonderful cult classics.

The next movie up is the Emilio Estevez classic Repo Man. Join us November 21st at 6pm at the Edwardsville Public Library. We hope you’ll be part of it for a great discussion and some laughs!

A New Way to Support Thrills Ville

As we mentioned above, we now have a RedBubble shop and an Ebay store up and running. We are starting to scale up efforts in those areas but we could use your help.

That is why we are announcing the initial rollout of the Thrills Ville Patreon.

Whether you want to support the podcast, parking lot reviews, brick and mortar store, online efforts, weird short skits, or you just like the fact that we are here building a community and spicing up Edwardsville, you can now support us via Patreon.

We are starting small with a couple of tiers, starting at $5/month. Check the specifics on https://www.patreon.com/ThrillsVille618

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

If you sign up for either of our starting tiers, one of the perks is a 6.66% discount on every purchase you make at the brick and mortar store and we will be making discount codes available for our RedBubble store as well.

As always, we appreciate your support!

Halloween is obviously one of our favorite holidays here at Thrills Ville and, if you don’t know, we are a half block off the Edwardsville Halloween Parade route, perfect for killing time after staking out your spot and setting up your chairs! Stop in on 10/31 from 6 - 9 and get your photo taken with our special guests Michael M. and Jason V., exclusive discounts and some other surprises! Stop by and get spooky!

After the parade, we will be out and about in Downtown Edwardsville so say hi if you see us and you can score a coupon for a future Thrills Ville visit! Stay tuned to our socials for more updates and see you on Halloween!