dir. Lukas Feigelfeld. Martha (Claudia Martini) and her pre-teen daughter Albrun (Celina Peter) carve out an austere existence amidst the snow and ice of their 15th century Alpine village. But when Martha becomes sick it falls to her child to look after her, and the layers of their relationship – and perceived beliefs – startContinue reading “REVIEW: Hagazussa – A Heathen’s Curse (2017)”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
REVIEW: Blood Quantum (2019)
dir. Jeff Barnaby. Zombie films have always been tooled up for social commentary, particularly post-colonialism. The word “zombi” in fact first entered Western lexicon via Victorian anthropologists such as William B. Seabrook and Lafcadio Hearn, who uncovered this folkloric myth through their work in Haitian communities who practised Voodoo (a syncretic religion of witchcraft andContinue reading “REVIEW: Blood Quantum (2019)”
RETRO: “Nobody trusts anybody now, and we’re all very tired”: Isolation, alienation and The Thing (1982)
When John Carpenter’s The Thing infiltrated cinemas in 1982, it did so quietly. Despite being located during an incredible run from the director that began with Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) and arguably wouldn’t end until In The Mouth of Madness (1994), it was a down-beat critical and commercial flop. And though it’s since beenContinue reading “RETRO: “Nobody trusts anybody now, and we’re all very tired”: Isolation, alienation and The Thing (1982)”
REVIEW: Butt Boy (2019)
dir. Tyler Cornack. The setup for Butt Boy reads like a bad joke: following his first prostrate exam, IT engineer Chip Gutchel (writer/director Cornack) becomes obsessed with inserting objects into his anus, progressing from soap to animals and ultimately small children. Overcome with remorse at how his voracious kink is hurting others, he tries toContinue reading “REVIEW: Butt Boy (2019)”
REVIEW: We Summon The Darkness (2019)
dir. Marc Meyers. In the late 80s, somewhere in rural Indiana, three young women cut across country en-route to a metal concert. Decked out in leathers, “Lord Lucifer” patches and inverted-crucifixes they’re every inch the Conservative-Evangelical nightmare, whilst headlines warn of a satanic cult that have claimed yet more victims. So when the friends meetContinue reading “REVIEW: We Summon The Darkness (2019)”
REVIEW: A Little More Flesh (2020)
dir. Sam Ashurst. As anyone who listens to the Arrow Video Podcast will know, director Sam Ashurst is a man who loves his blu-ray commentaries. As such it seems only natural – yet utterly original – that one should form the backbone of his sophomore outing. Ostensibly a film within a film, A Little MoreContinue reading “REVIEW: A Little More Flesh (2020)”
REVIEW: Blood On Her Name (2019)
dir. Matthew Pope. “He’s a good kid,” insists single mum Leigh (Bethany Ann Lind) of her teenage son (Jared Ivers). It’s a message he struggles to believe: with his father locked up for trading stolen cars, himself on probation for drug offences and his key worker’s assessment that he’s just like his dad, there’s aContinue reading “REVIEW: Blood On Her Name (2019)”
Shocktober 2018
Every October horror hounds the world over undertake the #31DaysOfHalloween challenge – also known as #Shocktober or even #Hooptober (in honour of genre godfather, the late Tobe Hooper). Now, full disclosure: I’m a dad of three, with a busy day job and freelancing commitments on top, so – like a college kid who promises “I’llContinue reading “Shocktober 2018”
Why I love The Guest
On 12th August 2015, seven days before my father died, I was sitting in my parent’s kitchen watching The Guest on Netflix. This might sound like a weird, even immoral choice: when your dad is literally on his deathbed, who boots up their laptop to catch the latest genre flick? But the reality was thatContinue reading “Why I love The Guest”
"I feel the conflict within you" Initial reactions to Solo: A Star Wars Story
*WARNING – that’s no moon: it’s a spoiler!* It’s gone 1am, and I should really be in bed. But you see, I’ve just got out of a screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story and – well – I had to put my feelings down into words. Not because I loved it (I didn’t). AndContinue reading “"I feel the conflict within you" Initial reactions to Solo: A Star Wars Story”
