Category: Reviews
My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To
Incredible performances drive an emotional weight that oozes a transcendent power guaranteed to haunt you.
Initiation
Despite some shortcomings, Initiation, particularly in the wake of #MeToo, should be applauded for tackling these issues with gravity.
Threshold
An impressive slow burner that develops beautifully through to a spine-chilling climax, with unexpected, shocking results.
I Blame Society
This at times excruciating feminist satire is propelled forward by Gillian Wallace Horvat’s delightfully deadpan delivery.
Willy’s Wonderland
An unapologetically ridiculous, trippy ride that will satisfy ardent fans of carefree horrors and, of course, Nicolas Cage himself.
Little Nightmares II
With a strangeness equalled by its unambiguity, Little Nightmares II has a fearless simplicity that allows the eerie, ethereal beauty of its visuals, music and sound effects to shine.
Relic
A nuanced study of dementia and its alienating effects; an exceptional screenplay creates thematic cues throughout that can be felt in every microfibre.
Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula
Scratches the surface of what the genre is capable of enunciating, but still provides the pales of gore and absurdity that make it so perpetually fascinating.
Maid of Sker
For gamers who can forgive certain flaws, Maid of Sker has a disturbing atmosphere and some wonderful eccentricities that are worth exploring.
The Unnatural History Museum
This window into Viktor Wynd's unknown world is an invitation to be disarmed and seduced by the strange, the forbidden, and the inexplicable.
The Inner Friend
Much like the work of Don DeLillo or David Lynch, the narrative summons more questions and mysteries than conclusions or answers.
Sea Fever
A terse, tight-fisted thriller possessing an inadvertent power that allows the audience to connect with the characters and their dire circumstances.
The Wind
A highly enjoyable, atmospheric thriller that unfortunately tails off into a mere breeze instead of building into the raging, frenzied tempest it could have been.
Why Don’t You Just Die!
Peppered with moments of pastiche, Kirill Sokolov's debut has a zany, kinetic energy that will appeal to admirers of off-kilter, graphic and darkly comic cult cinema.
VFW
With its gritty cinematography, amplified violence and John Carpenter-esque soundtrack, VFW is a gruesomely entertaining bloodbath that oozes with nostalgia.
Cromwell Stone
A spellbinding tale of forbidden knowledge, ancient otherworldly entities, strange cults, and alien worlds that lurk unseen on the periphery of our own.
Itsy Bitsy
Occasionally eerie but doesn’t surprise us with any unique quirks that make it more than a one-dimensional creature feature.
Hail Satan?
Lane's documentary delivers a unique perspective: an inverted, transposed battle of good vs. evil that’s farcical and horrifying in equal measures.
Shed of the Dead
While this feature has a couple of notably gory moments, it seems to ignore the crucial cues that define and distinguish the genre.
Videoman
Brilliantly tragic and darkly comical performances successfully communicate the nihilistic sentiments at Videoman's core.
Castle Rock
A compelling plot explores Stephen King’s core themes while creating something truly unique with his mammoth bibliography.
American Guinea Pig: Sacrifice
In a stern test for even the most hardened splatter film fanatics, Roberto Scorza offers a powerful solo performance.
The Strangers: Prey At Night
Offering the same taut suspense as its predecessor, there is much to enjoy in this terrific exercise in nerve-wrecking tension.
Habit
With nihilism and transgressional fiction at its core, Habit provides a putrid snapshot into a sordid, untold underworld.
Demon
Darkly absurd humour, with a deeply unsettling score and cinematography that bolster the portentous atmosphere of dread.
Zombiology
Endlessly packed with memorable quirks and some exquisite anime sequences, this eccentric effort is essential viewing.
Caniba
Caniba provides a confidential, intoxicatingly claustrophobic portrait of Issei Sagawa that never fails to subtly unsettle and horrify.
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary Vol. II
While the tales are condensed, key dialogue and memorably nerve-jangling passages are retained. All are hauntingly effective.
Rift
Ambiguous and beautifully insidious as result, Rift is an impressive sophomore effort from Icelandic filmmaker Erlingur Thoroddsen.
A Dark Song
An astonishing and brave feature debut that marks director-writer Liam Gavin as one to watch. Highly recommended.
Kuso
With the potential to become an instant cult classic, Kuso is a 90-minute assault on the senses which begs repeated viewing.
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
Arrow present a limited 4K restoration of Dario Argento's startlingly assured directorial debut.
Demon Hunter
Possessing a strong comic book aesthetic, Demon Hunter echoes the likes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Blade.
Lake Bodom
Masterfully blends suspense with breakneck violence to produce what is perhaps one of the best teen slashers of the 21st century.
Halfworlds Season One
Halfworlds brings a strong aesthetic via excellent concept but is ultimately let down by poor pacing and a bad cast.
Penny Dreadful: The Awakening #1
A huge deviation in tone from the derelict moodiness captured by director J. A. Bayona, despite some wonderful artwork.
We Go On
A fascinating central premise strongly evokes The Twilight Zone, the focused script ensuring an insular, intimate atmosphere.
Rare Breeds
A dark, terse and keenly paced little chiller that brims with unsettling ideas and nightmarish detail, subverting expectations.
Blind Sun
Explores uncomfortable humanitarian and environmental issues, but these themes fail to harmonise with supernatural elements.
Santa Clarita Diet
Drew Barrymore shines in a stylised affair that revels in a refreshing juxtaposition of viscera with middle-class suburbia.
Under the Shadow
A triumphant debut effort which offers unique tension and poignancy and isn’t afraid to confront uncomfortable cultural realities.
Blair Witch
Dream team Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett bring an unusually hit-and-miss affair that nevertheless delivers in a frenetic final act.
Train to Busan
Sardonic elements balance with emphatic characters and sharp camerawork to ensure the film's anxious torsion maintains its focus.
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
Cuts to the core of the horror without ever diluting or compromising M. R. James’ carefully woven plots. Recommended for die-hard enthusiasts.
Lucifer (TV Series)
Featuring the Devil in his most vanilla of forms, horror fans will be left wanting; Lucifer is disappointingly sparse on strong imagery.
Wolf Creek (TV Series)
Australian outback killer Mick Taylor returns in Wolf Creek the series, an addictively unsettling watch that comes highly recommended.
Holidays
As is generally the case for an anthology, Holidays is a mixed bag, touching all bases between effectively chillsome and irritating.
Observance
Presented as more a thought piece than coherent story, Observance is a truly psychological film and effectively unsettling.
The Girl with All the Gifts
Uses all the hallmarks of Britain’s distinctive post-apocalyptic zombie cannon to make for powerfully relatable, bleak scenes.
Cell
Stephen King cultists will find the humour and originality of the author firmly intact, but perhaps only in fragments and flashes.