HITCHCOCK’S WOMEN: A Secret on Young Shoulders – Charlie Newton in SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943)
Rebecca McCallum returns with a new essay in her series on Hitchcock’s Women, this time zeroing in on a tale of domestic terror which was Hitch’s favourite of his own films… Made in the height of WWII, Hitchcock’s takedown of the American family offers a bleak and brooding tale, reflective of the paranoia and nihilism…
REVIEW: Here For Blood (2022)
dir. Daniel Turres When his girlfriend Phoebe (Joelle Farrow) is swamped with revision for her college exams, amateur wrestler Tom O’Bannon (Shawn Roberts) agrees to cover her babysitting job for a wealthy family. Stuck in an isolated home with a child who just wants to play video games, Tom soon realises that something is amiss…
REVIEW: Little Bone Lodge (2023)
dir. Matthias Hoene Deep in the Scottish Highlands, Mama (Joely Richardson) seems to lead an idyllic – if secluded – existence, spending her days tending to her farm, teenage daughter (Sadie Soverall) and disabled husband (Roger Ajogbe). However when two strangers arrive in the middle of a storm, the question about who is more dangerous…
REVIEW: Hunt Her, Kill Her (2022)
dir. Greg Swinson & Ryan Thiessen Karen (Natalie Terrazzino) starts the first shift of her new job as a lone janitor in a factory, expecting it to be long and dull evening. However, when she becomes the target of intruders, she must act quickly in order to survive the night. A fast-paced cat-and-mouse thriller, Hunt…
REVIEW: Pensive a.k.a. Rupintojelis (2022)
dir. Jonas Trukanas A class of newly graduated high-schoolers let off steam at an end of year rave in this Lithuanian slasher. Among them Marius (Sarunas Rapolas Meliesius) is a quiet student who – despite having friends – feels like an outcast, certainly in contrast to peers like star athlete Rimas (Kipras Masidlauskas) who’s in…
REVIEW: Mother Superior (2022)
dir. Marie Alice Wolfszahn Set in the seventies, Mother Superior follows young nurse Sigrun (Isabella Händler) as she takes on a patient known as Baroness Heidenreich (Inge Maux) in a rural and near-derelict country manor. With the only other inhabitant being Otto (Jochen Nickel), the strange and elusive groundskeeper, Sigrun soon begins to learn that…
REVIEW: #CHADGETSTHEAXE (2022)
dir. Travis Bible Expanding his award-winning short of the same name, director Travis Bible’s latest follows four influencers as they livestream themselves entering Devil’s Manor, the one-time home of a satanic cult. Continuing the recent surge of livestream horrors – such as Dashcam, The Cleansing Hour and, best of the bunch, Deadstream – what #chadgetstheaxe may lack originality it diversifies…
ANALYSIS: Monster Mom and Deadly Dad – Parenthood and Mental Ill-Health in Horror
Trigger warning for suicide, domestic abuse and family annihilation As part of our celebration of Andrzej Żuławski’s POSSESSION (1981) this month, Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana examines the relationship between parenthood and mental ill-health in horror cinema… Battling your demons and haunted by ghosts: both expressions that can be used to describe those dealing mental health problems. As…
BOOK REVIEW: Reanimated (2022)
Author – Laure Mee When something comes back to life it doesn’t necessarily mean it will return in the same guise. And love them or loathe them, remakes are constantly returning from the dead. Like the zombies of a George A. Romero film, the horror remake is far from lifeless. In 2022 alone there were…
ANALYSIS: Sex = Death – Top 10 Virginity Horrors
Spoilers, and trigger warning for sexual assault “That’s why she always outsmarted the killer in the big chase scene at the end. Only virgins can do that, don’t you know the rules?” Randy Meeks, Scream (1996) If there’s one thing Randy taught us in the Scream movies, it’s that there are certain rules one must…
TOP 13: Church Scenes
Spoilers As we dive into Religious Horror on the podcast this month, Kim Morrison puts on her Sunday best to consider the Top 13 films set within churches… Churches are a common sight in the world of horror, regardless of sub-genre, offering creepy imagery, refuge from creatures who cannot cross their boundary and usually the…
TOP 9: Horror Gifts for 2022
It’s me, Billy! Ahem, I mean it’s nearly Christmas! But what to get the horror lover in your life (or maybe a sneaky something for yourself). Alex Kronenburg has you covered with our Top 9 Horror Gift recommendations for 2022… 1. For those who obey… John Carpenter’s cult classic They Live has never been as…
ANALYSIS: Look At Him If You Want To Live: Shifting Gazes in THE TERMINATOR (1984)
The art of looking has long been the subject of horror criticism. Here Vincent M. Gaine zeroes in on the various gazes in James Cameron’s classic robo-slasher… The male gaze is one of the most prevalent theories in academic and journalistic critiques of cinema. Originally published by Laura Mulvey in 1975, the notion of cinema possessing the…
ANALYSIS: The Horror of Reservoir Dogs (1992)
With a new 4K steelbook out now, Tim Coleman revisits Quentin Tarantino’s incendiary debut… Thirty years on, it’s easy to forget just how revolutionary Reservoir Dogs was when it first came out. Unleashed from the mind of a geeky video shop clerk who weaponised his broad diet of genre film into something ferocious, Tarantino’s debut…
TOP 10: Films We Wouldn’t Have Without John Carpenter
He’s one of the most influential horror directors of all time. But what exactly is his impact on other filmmakers? Here Becci Sayce charts 10 films we simply wouldn’t have without John Carpenter… While he may not have enjoyed the success of fellow New Wave directors such as Spielberg, Scorsese and Coppola, John Carpenter is…
HITCHCOCK’S WOMEN: Breaking Silence With A Song – Jo McKenna in THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1956)
Rebecca McCallum continues her essay series exploring the representation of women in the films of Alfred Hitchcock… Ever his own harshest critic, in 1956 Hitchcock sought to remake his 1934 film The Man Who Knew Too Much. He condemned the original as ‘the work of a talented amateur’ but he was clearly pleased with the results…
ANALYSIS: Bad Moon Rising – The Resurgence Of The Werewolf
In recent years the werewolf has made a comeback to the silver screen. But why now, and what is behind the wolf man’s return? Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana howls at the moon to find out… Vampires, ghosts, witches and zombies: classic movie monsters, depicted in countless horror films across the decades. But there’s one creature that is…
ANALYSIS: The Horror of Politeness
In recent years genre films have been exploring “polite horror”: people being trapped in social conventions that prize civility over safety. Alex Kronenburg puts his manners to one side and asks some awkward questions… Predator and prey: two opposing forms that are constantly at odds. A predator is tireless in its pursuit of a kill,…
REVIEW: The Offering (2022)
dir. Oliver Park Returning home for the first time in years, prodigal son Art (Nick Blood) finds himself surrounded by the Orthodox Jewish culture of his childhood. It’s an experience that’s both familiar and steeped in ritual, and – in the figure of his funeral director father (Allan Corduner) – one with a painful history.…
ANALYSIS: “Lived any good books lately?” – IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (1994)
Do you read Sutter Cane? Johnny Restall does, and he’s here to unpack the closing chapter of John Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy… John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness (1994) is widely viewed as the third instalment of the director’s unofficial Apocalypse Trilogy, alongside 1982’s The Thing and 1987’s Prince of Darkness. While the loosely-linked trio share no characters or plotlines,…
ANALYSIS: “This is not a dream” – Finding meaning in PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987)
Spoilers All hail goo Satan, for he towers before you in liquid form and will unleash the will of the Anti-God on this Earth, bringing destruction and death in his wake… Join Iona Smith as she tries to unravel one of John Carpenter’s most divisive films A priest (Donal Pleasence) invites a professor (Victor Wong) and…
ANALYSIS: Proxemic Patterns in HALLOWEEN (1978)
As we all get ready for Halloween Night Becci Sayce takes a closer look at the use of space in John Carpenter’s classic slasher… One reason we consume horror is to experience a visceral reaction. The exposure to terrifying acts – or even the anticipation of them – causes us to react both negatively, through…
REVIEW: Terrifier 2 (2022)
dir. Damien Leone Following the events of the Miles County Massacre, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) is resurrected by a supernatural entity and – accompanied by the spectre of a little girl also dressed in black clown paint – the stage is set for another killer rampage, this time on halloween night. As with…
REVIEW: Everyone Will Burn a.k.a. Y todos arderán (2021)
dir. David Hebrero Following the suicide of her son, María José (Macarena Gómez) is on the verge of killing herself when she’s stopped by the arrival of a strange little girl. Together they travel back to town, but when an encounter with the police turns supernaturally violent María realises this child may be connected to…
REVIEW: Sissy (2022)
dir. Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes Cecilia (Aisha Dee) leads a double life: online she’s a popular influencer, preaching her own brand of well-being and self-acceptance whilst endorsing face masks by Elon Mask, but IRL her flat is a mess and she’s racked with insecurities, something that comes to the fore when she bumps into…
HITCHCOCK’S WOMEN: A Woman Who Knows Her Own Mind – Frances Stevens in TO CATCH A THIEF (1955)
After a short break over the summer senior contributor Rebecca McCallum is back with the next instalment of her essay series exploring the representations of women in the films of Alfred Hitchcock… In her final outing with Hitchcock, Grace Kelly – who the previous year positively glistened in what is arguably her finest performance in Rear…
REVIEW: Bite (2022)
dir. James Owen Down-and-out criminal Nina (Shian Denovan) is thrown onto the streets after her girlfriend Yaz’s (Nansi Nsue) scheme goes awry. Left out in the rain with nowhere to go she hails down passing driver Beryl (Annabelle Lanyon), a seemingly kindly widow who offers her a place to stay. After a strange and unnerving…
REVIEW: Bitch Ass (2022)
dir. Bill Posley When four gang inductees – including the hesitant Q (Teon Kelley) – break into the house of an old rich woman they believe to be dead, they ransack the property room by room. Soon however they discover the truth behind the urban legend of “Bitch Ass”, and are forced to partake in…
REVIEW: Hounded (2022)
dir. Tommy Boulding Making his feature debut with this British twist on The Most Dangerous Game, director Tommy Boulding tells the story of a gang of thieves whose attempt to rob a stately home falls apart when the upper-class owners capture them and reveal their sinister intentions: donning typical fox-hunting gear, the aristocracy intend to hunt…
REVIEW: Feed Me (2022)
dir. Adam Leader and Richard Oakes Wracked by grief and loss, Jed (Christopher Mulvin) meets Lionel (Neal Ward), a stranger who offers him a terrible bargain – he will help Jed end his life if Lionel is allowed to eat him. Having made an impression with their debut Hosts, directors Adam Leader and Richard Oakes…
REVIEW: Cult Hero (2022)
dir. Jesse Thomas Cook There’s a charm to Jesse Thomas Cook’s latest that can’t be denied: by-the-books in many ways its slapstick humour and over-the-top antics show a wry self-awareness, with Cult Hero knowing exactly what it is; silly, gory fun. Ryan Barrett is a standout as Dale Domazar, a reality TV cult deprogrammer who’s fallen on tough…
REVIEW: The Goldsmith a.k.a. L’orafo (2022)
dir. Vincenzo Ricchiuto A trio of thieves break into the home of a jewellery maker and his wife in an attempt to steal his most valuable work. All seems to go to plan until the door closes and they get stuck inside, and the true nature of this older couple is revealed; one filled with…
REVIEW: Moon Garden (2022)
dir. Ryan Stevens Harris After a harrowing domestic accident five year old Emma (Haven Lee Harris) wanders through a comatose dreamscape. As she journeys back to consciousness she’s guided by the voice of her mother (Augie Duke), encountering figures of both beauty and terror within herself. Editor-turned-director Ryan Stevens Harris’ sophomore film is a remarkable…
REVIEW: Candy Land (2022)
dir. John Swab At a US truck stop a community of sex workers spend their days servicing Johns and getting by. They’re a close knit group, with strong friendships, romances, dreams and aspirations. None of them are ashamed or resigned to their situation, but equally neither do they fully embrace it, existing somewhere in-between out…
REVIEW: Final Cut a.k.a. Coupez! (2022)
dir. Michel Hazanavicius There’s a myth that remakes can never work. Horror in particular has a rich history of old stories being injected with fresh blood, emerging from tele-pods in new forms such as David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986) or John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982). A sticking point however is when the sole purpose of…
REVIEW: House of Darkness (2022)
dir. Neil LaBute After driving a woman (Kate Bosworth) back to her secluded countryside mansion in the hopes of getting lucky, Hap (Justin Long) soon realises his night is about to turn sour when the mysterious (and cleverly named) Mina soon becomes more than just the manic pixie dream girl he initially expected. As he…
REVIEW: Megalomaniac (2022)
dir. Karim Ouelhaj Extreme horror is, to put it lightly, not for everyone. But for those who desire a visceral, disturbing experience it’s the ideal conduit for exploring boundaries which are taboo or subversive. In this director Karim Ouelhaj has created an incredibly impressive and utterly brutal examination of evil in his latest, shocking feature.…
ANALYSIS: “Nothing matters” – the problematic representation of mental ill-health in SMILE (2022)
Spoilers and Trigger Warning for Themes of Suicide New horror movie Smile follows a psychiatrist haunted by a demon that drives its victims to take their own lives. But is the film’s representation of mental ill-health helpful, or hampered by confused – and maybe harmful – narrative choices? Early on in Smile – the feature…
REVIEW: The Passenger a.k.a. La Pasajera (2021)
dir. Fernando González Gómez & Raúl Cerezo Four strangers ride-share a van towards a country village when, on a dark and misty road, the driver hits a severely injured woman. However they soon realise that everything is not as it seems, and they must put aside their grievances to fight for their lives against a…
REVIEW: Pennywise – The Story Of IT (2021)
dir. John Campopiano & Chris Griffiths Although Andy Muschietti’s It movies (2017; 2019) broke box-office records and rode high on a wave of post-Stranger Things retro-inflected content, for many their first encounter with Pennywise the Dancing Clown came nearly 30 years earlier, when he crept into their living rooms. Made at the tail-end of the…
ANALYSIS: There’s No Place Like Home – the Unexpected Triumph of PSYCHO II (1983)
How do you follow-up one of the most game-changing horror movies ever made? With an under-rated cult sequel, that’s how. Johnny Restall goes back to the Bates Motel to investigate… Despite its initially lukewarm critical reception, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) went on to become one of the director’s most iconic works, frequently credited with reinventing the horror…
ANALYSIS: A Boy’s Best Friend Is His Mother – Ed Gein in Horror Cinema
His crimes shocked America and became the morbid inspiration for some of the most iconic horror films of the 20th century. But who was Ed Gein, and what is his cinematic legacy? Kim Morrison investigates… In 1957 the small town of Plainfield, Wisconsin was rocked by the revelation that quiet resident Ed Gein had murdered…
REVIEW: The Harbinger (2022)
dir. Andy Mitton During the Covid lockdowns Monique (Gabby Beans) leaves her family quarantine bubble to assist an old friend (Emily Davis) who is dealing with apparently unending nightmares. But it turns out these dreams are contagious, and usher a demonic presence into Monique’s life. Andy Mitton makes great horror: having crawled under viewers’ skin…
REVIEW: She Came From The Woods (2022)
dir. Erik Bloomquist Set at fictitious 80s summer destination Camp Briarbook, She Came from the Woods is a fireside tale in the tradition of The Burning and Friday The 13th. And with a history etched in darkness, Briarbook is also the perfect locale for the curious young staff to partake in a last night ceremony that unleashes…
REVIEW: Something In The Dirt (2022)
dir. Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead Having made their name with intimate, sprawling sci-fi indies that explore the fabric of time and space, directors Benson and Moorhead (Resolution; Spring; The Endless) return with another dizzying work; a lockdown project that follows a pair of neighbours as they become embroiled in an investigation into supernatural events.…
TOP 9: Back to School Horrors
As parents and students both steel themselves for the new school term, Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana takes a look at the Top 9 back to school horrors… People say that school days are the best of your life. They’re liars: school is actual hell. Between power tripping teachers and sadistic bullies it can be like you’re starring…
REVIEW: The Price We Pay (2022)
dir. Ryûhei Kitamura Arriving at a pawn shop to settle her debts Grace (Gigi Zumbado) finds that money troubles are the least of her worries when the store gets robbed. As the heist goes askew and the crims take Grace hostage their escape vehicle breaks down on an unoccupied road and – after taking refuge…
ANALYSIS: Fairytale Gateway Horror with Jim Henson’s THE STORYTELLER
As part of our series on Kid’s Horror, Kim Morrison looks back at one of Jim Henson’s lesser known creations… As a child, there was no denying I was a massive fan of Jim Henson and the magical worlds he created. Films like The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996) were very…
REVIEW: Barbarian (2022)
dir. Zach Cregger Late one night Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives at her Detroit Air BnB. She’s tired after a long drive and just wants to crash: but with the keys missing from the lockbox, the host not picking up and a rain storm rolling in the prospect of a good night’s sleep is off the…
REVIEW: Wolfkin a.k.a. Kommunioun (2022)
dir. Jacques Molitor The horror genre has long provided a framework for the exploration of social issues. In the case of Kommunioun (also known somewhat spoilery as Wolfkin) director Jacques Molitor interweaves various themes including puberty, privilege and parenting. These are explored to different extents in a precise and even delicate way that ensures no point is over-emphasised,…
REVIEW: Night Sky (2022)
dir. Jacob Gentry One night Oren (A J Bowen) crawls into a storage container, bloodied and dying. He’s met by Annie (Brea Grant), who – after apparently healing him – insists he transport her to the middle of nowhere. Meanwhile on their tail is a mysterious figure (Scott Poythress) who is possibly an agent, a…
REVIEW: Who Invited Them (2022)
dir. Duncan Birmingham When married couple Adam (Ryan Hansen) and Margo (Melissa Tang) move into their new house in the Beverley Hills they throw an extravagant housewarming party. However from the get-go it’s clear they’re on different wavelengths: Adam is proud to the point of being obnoxious, desperate to impress his boss with their new…
REVIEW: The Once and Future Smash + End Zone 2 (2022)
dir. Sophia Cacciola & Michael J. Epstein The Once And Future Smash is a mockumentary that surrounds cult film End Zone 2. Interspersed with interviews from horror celebrities such as Mark Patton (A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge) and Victor Miller (the screenwriter for the original Friday the 13th) the doc follows the…
FRIGHTFEST 2022: Fall (2022)
dir. Scott Mann Following a freak climbing accident that claims the life of her husband, traumatised Becky (Grace Fulton) tumbles into a free fall of booze and late night calls to her dead partner’s answer machine whilst her dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) struggles to comfort her. So when estranged friend Hunter (Virginia Gardner) invites Becky…
REVIEW: Powertool Cheerleaders vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead (2022)
dir. Pat Higgins Horror typically works well when it’s mixed with other genres and Powertool Cheerleaders vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead (2022) attempts to give us a horror/comedy/musical all rolled into one. Wasting no time in getting stuck in the first 15 minutes is an intense plot package involving Emily (Charlie Bond) forming…
REVIEW: Everybody Dies By The End (2022)
dir. Ian Tripp & Ryan Schafer Horror is awash with provocative auteurs, figures who take a certain glee at testing the boundaries of taste. Such directors are playfully sent up in Ian Tripp and Ryan Schafer’s Everybody Dies by the End, a terrifically titled horror comedy packed with ideas that unfortunately don’t quite come together. The…
REVIEW: Burial (2022)
dir. Ben Parker London, 1992. A woman (Harriet Walter) spends Christmas watching a news report about the Soviet Union’s dissolution, only for the quiet night to change when a wolf-masked figure breaks into the house. The tables are quickly turned however, and the intruder reveals his arrival is linked to the woman’s past as a…
REVIEW: Sorry About The Demon (2022)
dir. Emily Hagins It has been said that fear and humour are related, two ends of the same strand that coexist like distant relatives. Still, every so often the lines blur and elements from each flavour the other – complimenting without diluting either genre. Sorry About the Demon manages this, coalescing both in near harmony…
REVIEW: New Religion (2022)
dir. Keishi Kondo Newly divorced call girl Miyabi (Kaho Seto) navigates her life following the sudden death of her young daughter. When meeting a client, she is persuaded to allow him to photograph certain areas of her body, which she then discovers can experience her daughter’s spirit. As Miyabi’s obsession with contacting her child becomes…
REVIEW: Living With Chucky (2022)
dir. Kyra Elise Gardner Directed by the daughter of head puppeteer Tony Gardner, Living With Chucky is an extensive yet endearing deep dive into the worldwide phenomenon of everyone’s favourite murder doll. Covering the creation of Don Mancini’s twisted toy to the various sequels and birth of the Chucky TV series, director Kyra Elise Gardner…
REVIEW: The Ghosts of Monday (2022)
dir. Francesco Cinquemani There is potential in the set-up for The Ghosts of Monday, as we follow a film crew attempting to restore their fortunes for a failing show by checking into a supernatural locale in Croatia. Unfortunately director Cinquemani’s latest never manages to match the potential such a setting allows. Genre tropes are not a…
REVIEW: Piggy a.k.a. Cerdita (2022)
dir. Carlota Pereda A young woman named Sara (Laura Galán) is bullied for her weight. Other girls call her “piggy” and it’s made her shy, quiet and suspicious. At the pool one day they nearly drown her before stealing her towel and clothes, but when she’s walking home – cold and embarrassed – Sara sees…
REVIEW: Swallowed (2022)
dir. Carter Smith Celebrating his move to California to become a porn star, Ben (Cooper Koch) spends one last night partying with best friend Dom (Jose Colon). Concerned about his friend’s financial situation, Dom has a plan to earn some fast cash as a going-away present which involves making a mysterious stop. It’s here that…
REVIEW: Stalker (2022)
dir. Steve Johnson At first glance Stalker seems to have a simple premise: a woman, the lead in a horror film, and a man, a cameraman on the film, are trapped together in a hotel lift with only occasional mobile service and no other way to reach hotel staff. It can’t be as simple as that,…
FRIGHTFEST 2022 REVIEW: Follow Her (2022)
dir. Sylvia Caminer Jess Peters (writer Dani Barker) is an aspiring social media star hoping to go viral by secretly filming encounters she experiences through job postings. However despite her online persona, in real life she’s struggling to cope with feeling isolated from her family and the prospect of being kicked out of her apartment.…
REVIEW: Holy Shit! a.k.a. Ach du Scheisse! (2022)
dir. Lukas Rinker From Edgar Allen Poe though to Spooloos, The Descent and Buried, there’s a long tradition of horror featuring confined spaces. Even for non-claustrophobes the idea of being trapped and unable to move is unnerving, and in horror there’s often the added possibility there could be malicious intent behind such imprisonment. Lukas Rinker’s…
REVIEW: Torn Hearts (2022)
dir. Brea Grant Tired: horror movies that depict Southerners as inbred killer hillbillies. Wired: director Brea Grant bringing horror to the Southern glitz of rising pop-country stars. Leigh (Alexxis Lemire) and Jordan (an outstanding Abby Quinn) are the titular “Torn Hearts”, a two-piece country duo playing the small stages of Nashville who are ready to hit…
REVIEW: The Ghost Writer (2022)
dir. Paul Wilkins There’s no shortage of allegory-soaked films that focus on the paralysing fear of creative obstruction, and the horror genre is the perfect place to explore such terrors. In this The Ghost Writer, from writer Guy Fee and co-writer / director Paul Wilkins, makes a valiant effort at tackling such themes in an innovative way…
REVIEW: Wolf Manor (2022)
dir. Dominic Brunt In a manor house a production crew struggle to finish shooting their schlocky vampire flick: with a luvvie lead, and a rag tag crew, is it any wonder they’ve gone over schedule? But, as we soon learn, the firm deadline for their departure has less to do with being fully booked and more…
REVIEW: H4Z4RD (2022)
dir. Jonas Govaerts Noah (Dimitri ‘Vegas’ Thivaios) loves his girlfriend Lea (Jennifer Heylen), their daughter Zita (Mila Rooms) and his Lexus. However when he picks up his cousin Carlos (Jeroen Perceval) – who is getting released from jail – he finds himself immediately pulled into a scheme. Carlos insists it will be a quick job…
REVIEW: Cult of VHS (2022)
dir. Rob Preciado From the opening moments of director Preciado’s feature-length doc about VHS collectors it’s clear this is a love letter to films from fans: with a grainy filter on screen – as if watching an old tape – the familiar message of “this movie has been formatted to fit the TV screen” pops…
REVIEW: Incredible But True (2022)
dir. Quentin Dupieux Sometimes, when dealing with time travel, the best explanation is no explanation at all. And that’s exactly what makes director Dupieux’s latest work; the whimsy of the narrative and impossibility of the science lending to a joyous, heartwarming and – at times – heartbreaking comedy about ageing and growing apart. The French-Belgian production…
REVIEW: Mean Spirited (2022)
dir. Jeff Ryan Sharing a name with the fictional YouTube series that is its narrative focus, Mean Spirited opens brashly, edited to match the hyperactive prank show that its lead character runs. This feels like a stress test, the obnoxious qualities so central to the image Andy (Will Madden) puts out into the world being the ones…
REVIEW: Do Not Disturb (2022)
dir. John Ainslie When newlyweds Chloe (Kimberly Laferriere) and Jack (Rogan Christopher) visit a Miami hotel in the hope of mending their fractured relationship following the loss of a pregnancy, the couple find themselves in possession of a large amount of powerful peyote. As they consume the psychoactive cactus they soon discover they’re experiencing a…
REVIEW: The Creeping (2022)
dir. Jamie Hooper When Anna (Riann Steele) finds her grandmother becoming increasingly erratic she decides to move back home to care for her. But along with family friend Karen (Sophie Thompson) Anna soon discovers an inherent evil that refuses to be forgotten. Although The Creeping marks director Hooper’s debut feature he’s racked up numerous technical…
REVIEW: Super Z (2021)
dir. Julien de Volte and Arnaud Tabarly French comedy-horror Super Z tells the tale of a small group of genetically modified zombies who escape from a secret industrial lab. Able to speak and with distinct wills of their own, the undead misfits form a dysfunctional family unit, creating their own warped domestic utopia in the woods. As…
REVIEW: Raven’s Hollow (2022)
dir. Christopher Hatton The influence of Edgar Allan Poe is strongly felt throughout contemporary horror films, in both subtle and more overt ways – the latter of which Raven’s Hollow fully embraces. Influenced by classic poem The Raven, Christopher Hatton’s film sees a young Poe (William Moseley) and his group of West Point cadet friends in 1830 stumble…
REVIEW: Walking Against The Rain (2022)
dir. Scott Lyus Following the apocalypse the world is plagued by both faceless monsters – known as “The Forsaken” – and religious zealots who interpret these creatures as a sign of some kind of Biblical end times. With civilisation apparently wiped out, survivors Blair (Sophia Eleni) and Tommy (Reece Douglas) begin communicating via walkie-talkies and…
REVIEW: Hypochondriac (2022)
dir. Addison Heimann Opening with the text “based on a real breakdown”, director Heimann’s debut follows Will (Zach Villa) from childhood into adulthood. Aged twelve his mother (Marlene Forte), suffering from a serious mental illness, tried to kill him and because of this when Will becomes an adult he tells his partner Luke (Devon Graye)…
REVIEW: The Leech (2022)
dir. Eric Pennycoff When a kindly priest (Graham Skipper) takes in a struggling couple over Christmas a clash of cultures and personalities soon escalates, with tension ratcheting up and hostilities bubbling over. From the team behind festival hit Sadistic Intentions (2018) this is another horror gem. Eric Pennycoff directs with confidence – heightening his already terrific…
REVIEW: They Wait In The Dark (2022)
dir. Patrick Rea Amy (Sarah McGuire) is on the run with her adopted son Adrian (Patrick McGee) when she hides in her parents’ abandoned farmhouse from vengeful ex Judith (Laurie Catherine Winkel). Whilst there, Adrian seems to be haunted by a presence only he can see, and as things escalate this entity becomes hellbent on…
REVIEW: The Group (2022)
dir. William Higo When Kara (Evangelina Burton) returns to her substance use support group she finds herself – along with the other members – in the midst of a hostage situation, a gunman forcing painful truths to be revealed. There’s an admirable lived-in quality to William Higo’s feature debut, from the mundanity of the community…
REVIEW: The Ones You Didn’t Burn (2022)
dir. Elise Finnerty Following the death of their father, siblings Mirra (Jenna Rose Sander) and Nathan (Nathan Wallace) return to their family farm with a plan to sell the land. But as a tide of memories are unleashed with each box of their dad’s personal effects darker forces swirl around them, enigmatic farm workers Alice…
REVIEW: Cerebrum (2022)
dir. Sébastien Blanc After a car accident leaves him in a coma, William (Tobi King Bakare) finally awakes to return home with his adopted father (Sightseers’ Steve Oram). But when he asks to see his mother who was in the car with him, William soon discovers that his dad is keeping her near-death body in…
REVIEW: Eating Miss Campbell (2022)
dir. Liam Regan As British goth Beth Connor (Lyndsey Craine) drinks a glass of milk laced with pills she explains that – for 17 years – she’s been trapped in horror films. Literally. Her suicides are in the hope that she’ll be able to jump genres, although so far she’s had no such luck. But…
REVIEW: Tiny Cinema (2022)
dir. Tyler Cornack A mysterious Host (Paul Ford) guides us through six strange tales in this unhinged port-manteau from the makers of Butt Boy (2019). If you’re familiar with that movie – a former FrightFest film about a man with a compulsion to stick objects, and ultimately people, inside his anus – you’ll have some…
REVIEW: Wreck (2022) – Episode One
dir. Chris Baugh Aboard an enormous cruise ship, Jamie (Oscar Kennedy) is seeking answers about the mysterious disappearance of his sister Pippa (Jodie Tyack) three months before. To avoid suspicion Jamie goes undercover, meeting the no-nonsense Vivian (Thaddea Graham) at enrolment as they tour the massive vessel with Karen (Harriet Webb), their leader and tormentor. Alongside…
REVIEW: The Summoned (2022)
dir. Mark Meir After an opening which sees a man digging a grave amongst decaying wildlife, the focus shifts to mechanic Elijah (J. Quinton Johnson), travelling with his musician girlfriend Lyn (Emma Fitzpatrick). They’ve been invited – along with another couple – to attend an exclusive self-help retreat, run by the mysterious Doctor Frost (Frederick…
REVIEW: A Wounded Fawn (2022)
dir. Travis Stevens At an auction house an ancient sculpture is up for sale, depicting three female spirits laying waste to a man for his transgressions as a thief and a murderer. The auctioneer explains its mythological significance, though this gruesome tableaux also acts as an allegorical treatise for Travis Steven’s latest film which trades…
REVIEW: Orchestrator of Storms – The Fantastique World of Jean Rollin (2022)
dir. Dima Ballin and Kat Ellinger Idiosyncratic French director Jean Rollin receives a deep-dive retrospective in this feature-length doc. Best known for languid, dreamy horrors such as Requiem for a Vampire (1971) and Lips of Blood (1975), Rollin bridged the gap between exploitation and arthouse, faithfully pursuing a distinctly personal vision despite eternally low budgets, public indifference and critical…
REVIEW: Pussycake a.k.a. Esemsis (2021)
dir. Pablo Parés With its crystal clear nods to 80s horror classics like The Evil Dead (1981), Argentinian schlock horror Pussycake follows an all-female rock band experiencing the struggles of tour life, completely unaware that their world is about to get a lot worse when they inadvertently encounter an inter-dimensional zombie-esque threat. As each member is…
REVIEW: Daughter (2022)
dir. Corey Deshon A young woman runs for her life with two men – Father (Starship Troopers’ Casper Van Dien) and Brother (Ian Alexander) – in pursuit. As a soft ballad plays over the delicate title card the scene changes to reveal the men, now covered in blood. The family is only missing its fourth…
REVIEW: The Eyes Below (2022)
dir. Alexis Bruchon A journalist (Vinicius Coelho) works during the day, seeking to uncover a political scandal before retiring for the night. But as he drifts off a malign presence creeps out the shadows and he finds himself unable to exit the bed, his dreams and reality folding in on themselves in a liminal, inescapable…
REVIEW: The Breach (2022)
dir. Rodrigo Gudiño When a canoe washes up carrying a badly mutilated body it shocks even the town coroner of Lone Crow: if you were going to rank things you wouldn’t want to hear at an autopsy, “Where’d the bones go?” would have to score pretty high. John Hawins (Allan Hawco) is the local cop…
REVIEW: Next Exit (2022)
dir. Mali Elfman In 2022 the ‘right to die’ remains a hot-button issue. Critics of assisted suicide purport that such programs may prey on vulnerable people rather than addressing systemic issues like access to mental health and medical care, homelessness and financial instability. In this climate then Next Exit – the directorial debut of Mali…
REVIEW: Deep Fear (2022)
dir. Grégory Beghin Beneath the streets of Paris Sonia (Sofia Lesaffre) and her two closest friends Max (Kassim Meesters) and Henry (Victor Meutelet) embark on an expedition into the city’s infamous catacombs. As they follow their tour guide – a self confessed ‘cataphile’ – deeper underground, they soon realise the tunnels hold several layers of…
REVIEW: Splinter (2022)
dir. Tom Ryan When Scott (Jim Thalman) inherits the house of his late, estranged mother he moves in with his wife and teenage daughter, seeing it as an opportunity to bury his troubled childhood and start afresh. However while renovating their new home a stubborn splinter embeds itself in his foot, starting a chain of…
REVIEW: Scare Package II – Rad Chad’s Revenge (2022)
dir. Aaron B. Koontz; Alexandra Barreto (Welcome to the 90s); Anthony Cousins (The Night He Came Back Again Part VI: The Night She Came Back); Jed Shepherd (Special Edition); Rachele Wiggins (We’re So Dead) As with the original Scare Package (2019) this sequel is an anthology of horror-comedy shorts covering several sub-genres. But like the…
REVIEW: Croc! (2022)
dir. Paul W. Franklin An idyllic country wedding. An adulterous groom. The Midland’s answer to Jason Momoa. And lots of tasty guests with one very large, very hungry crocodile. The result? The latest entry in a long line of micro budget/giant monster massacre flicks. Ever since 1975, when audiences were cancelling their seaside holidays after being…
REVIEW: The Visitor from the Future a.k.a. Le visiteur du futur (2022)
dir. François Descraques Based on his successful web series of the same name, director Descraques makes his feature debut exploring the moral dilemma of whether the needs of the many really do outweigh the needs of the one. Alice (Enya Baroux) is an eco-conscious young woman concerned about her father’s involvement in building a nuclear…
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