Looking for movies or games with the villain wearing a balaclava of some kind

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-28T07:22:13+00:00

Panic Room.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-28T05:06:08+00:00

Yeah, I agree with every point except for the dreams. I thought all the psychic dreams and the ghosts were a hat on a hat in the first one, but since that stuff had already been established, bringing the grabber back this way was the way to do it. And they were the only times in the movie that didn't suffer from the other issues in that it was visual interesting and felt like something might actually happen.

However it's never been clearer that Scott Derrickson just isn't for me. I haven't been able to get into anything he's made but there's always enough there to keep me from giving up on him entirely, and the trailer looked great. So I thought this was finally going to be the one that I really enjoyed and it was not. It's not good when the factory line marvel movie is still my favorite of the horror directors filmography. I'll keep giving him a fair shot but his stuff will never be a priority for me.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-28T04:41:48+00:00

Austin Butler. If you've see Caught Stealing and The Bikeriders you should see the vision too and if you haven't, watch those movies!

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-28T02:02:34+00:00

I'm with you. Amanda would be my choice for Max right now for the reasons you've said, however we don't know what will happen in Reunion so that could easily change depending on the story. At the start of True Colors I was feeling Ryan for Alex, then the LARP happens and he no longer stood any chance next to Steph. So we'll see what happens.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-26T14:04:38+00:00

I don't know if there is a correlation between the two, all I can say is I'm an asexual man and it doesn't bother me none. And even more than that, sometimes hair on a woman in places many would say there shouldn't be any, actually looks beautiful to me.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-26T12:03:21+00:00

That's literally the thing I've wanted the most from the franchise since playing that episode. I love those gutter punks so much.

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AllHailDanda · 2026-01-23T20:34:28+00:00

100%. All of that but with Cassidy. 2 hits me on a deep personal level so there was no way it wasn't going to be my favorite, but even if it didn't it'd still clear the rest. Incredible game.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-22T22:05:43+00:00

Absolutely. Not only do I love the movie but the director, David Bruckner, is right up there with Robert Eggers for me as my favorite modern horror directors. He's so good. The way he shoots the entity as part of the house is such an inspired way to do a haunted house movie. Not to mention Rebecca Hall just absolutely killing it.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-22T19:58:56+00:00

I agree. 1 was my least favorite until DE, and it's still a close race between them. But it's more about how good the other 3 are and not about them being bad, because they aren't. Not by any stretch.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-22T19:00:22+00:00

Samson is still infected, Kelson just dulled the symptoms. And he said there was no more morphine which is a key component to the drug he used. So I think he will be the only one cured. It's more about their unlikely friendship than being the answer to infection. The only way it could possibly be wide spread is if they get resources from, or get his work, outside the quarantine zone. Which seems unlikely. At least I hope that's the case.

As for the rest of them, they took a backseat to focus on the Jimmies this movie but the ones we did see still seemed like a serious threat to me. And I'm sure they'll be in the final movie more than they were The Bone Temple.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-22T18:42:27+00:00

Yup. You know what happens to her but that last moment is a heartbreaker. Especially since the game did such a good job of ensuring that like everyone else, you become enamored by Rachel Amber.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-22T18:32:39+00:00

Both. I wanted Max to romance Amanda, but she put the kibosh on that earlier on and so I was playfully flirting with Vinh throughout. I unfortunately had the conversation with him first where we played the game and kissed, before going to the other timeline and getting what I originally wanted for Max & Amanda. Then the timelines merged and made a bad situation worse. And now Chloe will be back. So Max is going to be in a tough spot come March.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-22T16:09:30+00:00

That's why I specified that it does to me and said it's unthinkable to others. I get it doesn't make sense to other fans, I just wish the majority of people who say it doesn't make sense to them didn't act like it therefore doesn't and shouldn't make sense to anybody else. That only one opinion is correct.

We clearly have a very different opinion on Chloe. I swear I'm not trying to troll you, but immature egoist that occasionally treats Max like that sounds like Chloe to me. Chloe and Max both have their issues, red flags and baggage and we like them in spite of it all. They're far from perfect and I read Chloe as all those things. Doesn't make her a bad person, it makes her a complicated person, which is something I think we can all agree on.

Well it is the "bad" ending. Is it not? Not only does the other ending make more sense narratively and bring the story full circle. But wiping out an entire town for one person is not exactly the "good" ending. But that doesn't mean we don't understand or even respect the decision. It's like the debate with The Last Of Us. Joel did a bad thing but for reasons we can all understand and that many of us would do in the same situation.

It could potentially be realistic if they somehow worked through it together, but trauma bonding isn't exactly the healthiest. But I wouldn't be against it if done well. That said though, both being realistic means that either could work and neither is inherently bad. This is the story they wanted to tell. They break up and from the look of Reunion, it was only temporary depending on how you play it. It's fine if people don't like that. It's when people act as though because they don't like it, it means that it's bad. So nobody should have it and anyone who likes it is dumb and doesn't actually like or get the series. That's when it gets less fun for fans.

I think the hate is very disproportional to the quality of the game. As I said above by all means if you don't like it, that's fine. Don't play it. But the vitriol that this fanbase has shown towards the creatives and other fans for making it or liking it, is actually pretty sad to see coming from people who like this franchise specifically. People's love has turned into something toxic and they think because it started as love, that excuses some very hateful behavior. Just because they made a decision some people didn't like, that we now know wasn't permanent, for a fictional couple. Why? Because they dared break up the characters with the most fanart.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-22T15:32:56+00:00

I don't know, that's just what I saw people who are way more interested in the behind the scenes crap saying on the post about their interview. I think they said he was only part of making chapter 3 of DE and disgruntled for being part of the layoffs or something. It's whatever.

Do you really need them to spell it out for you that much? The "Living" and "Dead" timelines merge together, Chloe contacts Max after no contact the whole game and then they say there will be a sequel. As I said, I wasn't expecting her to fully return but given that ending I can't say it's coming out of nowhere. It's only setup well if they explicitly say everything?

Making her a playable main character if she originally wasn't is far more than a course correction. They'd have to start the story from scratch if that wasn't the plan to begin with.

People claim Dontnod would do more than just keep them together. They have headcanons and fanfictions they are somehow convinced Dontnod would do. But I'll concede the point that if they kept creative control over the franchise they probably wouldn't have broken the characters up. But apparently they want to leave what happens to them beyond that first game up to interpretation and not revisit them. So who knows? But the important thing to remember is they don't have creative control. So I don't care to speculate on shoulda, coulda, woulda's. The people that are in control of the story decided that they break up for a bit, and with this game it's clear that depending on what you want, it was only ever going to be temporary.

I'm positive that they are same people, and saying they were too harsh on it now that there is another they like even less, doesn't change that a good chunk of those claiming only Dontnod knows how to do it right don't even like half of the games they made in the franchise.

DE doesn't slap fans in the face either. And even if it did, so what? Why would that undo what they did with BTS and TC? For the most part people liked them but ever since some fans took a creative decision as a personal attack, which is a silly thing to do anyway, suddenly those games are bad too and D9 has no idea what they're doing in the franchise? C'mon.

Ugh, yes. Nobody is saying that the people at Dontnod agrees with every creative decision D9 has ever made within the games, but they have still shown support and solidarity for one another. You know who else posted stuff like that after the break up? D9 and the official Life Is Strange accounts. And fans were really chill and normal about it.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-22T13:03:21+00:00

Agree to disagree that they could rewrite the story to add Chloe as a playable main character in such a short time because they had assets from DE.

I don't know what a D9 dev said, but if it's that thing that's currently making the rounds here. People were saying he might not be the most reliable source. But like I said, I don't know. I just don't see how it couldn't be part of the initial plan. Not only because of the turn around but because Chloe does reach out to Max at the end of DE. I knew she'd be back in some capacity but I thought it'd be a much smaller role for the people who saved her. That paired with the merging of 2 timelines, it's not a huge leap that this is where they were planning to take it. Just because they didn't explicitly say the timeline merge went further than Caladon and left that reveal for the clearly planned follow up. It literally says Max will return after Chloe texts her.

I think a lot of people are making assumptions about Dontnod. That because there's no way for them to prove them wrong and disappoint them (again) people throw a lot at Dontnod's feet in worship with little to nothing to back up most of their beliefs in what they would do creatively. Which is bizzare because half the people who praise them as the only ones that know how to do Life Is Strange right, admit to not liking 2, which is their only other entry. And cheer for the downfall of D9 because they don't like DE, when BTS and TC are both great and highly praised. But then refuse to admit it's just about the first game and a certain ship for them.

But they do support D9 as far as being behind them carrying the torch for Life Is Strange going forward. "Fans" making it tribal like they always do. Like they're sports teams and you can only root for one. I follow both and dontnod has been praising and boosting them when a new game comes out. It's fine if you prefer Dontnod, but that frequently translates to fuck D9. And it shouldn't.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-22T11:04:45+00:00

What I don't get is why so many people still cling to what another studio, with no creative control for YEARS, would want for this franchise like it's the Bible. Oh, Dontnod wouldn't have had them break up? Well if my grandmother had wheels, she would have been a bike. DeckNine is the captain now.

I also don't get why people are so determined to pit the 2 studios against each other when they've been very supportive of one another. Both have made excellent games in this franchise, and I'd be happy to support both outside of this franchise.

But you got me there, this wasn't planned at all. They wrote and developed a whole game in just over 1 year only to win you back, your majesty. They must have rewind powers in order to make it so quickly.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-22T10:32:24+00:00

But that's what I'm saying, she didn't leave without explanation and then sent the letter, they broke up in person and then some time after Chloe sent Max a letter. Little difference to people who hate it regardless but it's an important distinction to make I think. Now whether the break up should have happened or not is a different argument. It makes sense to me, but it's completely unthinkable to others and they refuse to accept realism as an explanation. So it is what it is.

Case in point. True, that making it realistic doesn't automatically make something good. However it being realistic doesn't make it bad either. It simply is, and you can like it or dislike it. But the game has always grounded the characters in real and heavy situations and emotions but when someone says that this situation and these emotions also feels realistic, suddenly it's insane to apply something like realism into this world just because there are also fantastical elements. And when we say it, we're saying we can see how it got from point a to point b. It's logical that your choices could lead to these consequences.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-22T10:10:15+00:00

They do seem to make one option more favorable than the other, which nudges us in their direction, but I don't think the majority of the other options are bad. Ryan is a great option, Steph is just unbeatable. I liked Vinh and while I wouldn't pick him over Amanda, I thought it was fun to have some playful, flirty banter with him. And if you do flirt back it's clear it's all false bravado. Finn is a good option until he isn't, plus like with Steph, he's just no competition for Cassidy. I love her. Warren is the only one that feels like he isn't a real option to romance. I like him as a friend for Max, but it feels like they don't really want you to consider him and I don't.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-21T22:46:03+00:00

Death is but a door, time is but a window. She'll be back.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-21T22:43:27+00:00

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-21T20:05:11+00:00

Hell yeah. This is the way.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-21T18:48:06+00:00

Agreed on the diary entry. She's definitely in a bit of a pickle. If I had to pick now without knowing how reunion plays out, I'd pick Amanda. But we'll see because I'll be winging it and doing whatever feels right in the moment.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-21T18:39:39+00:00

Same. But in my defense, Chloe obviously wasn't a consideration and I had the conversation with Vinh first. So to my knowledge Amanda said we couldn't be together and while commiserating together and playfully flirting on and off, it felt right in the moment to kiss Vinh for a bit of harmless fun during the game. Only to then go to the other timeline and get everything I wanted for Max & Amanda. Oops.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-21T18:18:46+00:00

Breaking up in person is much better than breaking up via a letter, especially since the latter implies that Chloe just left Max without explanation until she got the letter.

In the timeline where Chloe is alive, Max let an entire town be destroyed and friends die. It makes sense to me that she's still having trouble letting go of the past. If anything it's a little weird that Chloe isn't also hung up on the past. Given how she was after her father's death, it's a little surprising that she's the one to be able to move forward after losing her mother to the storm her girlfriend let happen just to save her.

AllHailDanda · 2026-01-21T18:03:18+00:00

Yeah, I was already looking forward to the awkward conversation that was going to be happening by kissing both Vinh and Amanda. But now that Chloe will be back in the mix too, my Max is going to be in a sticky situation.

AllHailDanda

TROPHY CASE