Category: Reviews

The Night Child

As the epitome of seventies B-movie charm, it boasts the strong elements of enjoyable kitsch that one would hope for.

/ December 3, 2012

Excision

Masquerades as a teen horror comedy, but the real story is the degenerative mental condition of the lead character.

/ November 12, 2012

Some Guy Who Kills People

Wants to be a comedic horror film with hidden depths, but the horror is scarce and the humour largely average.

/ November 8, 2012

Stitches

Lacklustre, featuring little by way of horror or indeed comedy, relying on thinly spread visual gags over real thought.

/ October 26, 2012

Basket Case Trilogy

This limited edition steelbook is a sight for sore eyes; teeming with extras, no B-movie aficionado should be without it.

/ October 23, 2012

The Devil Rides Out

As a classic tale of good versus evil, the film required a strong representative of either side, and does not disappoint.

/ October 22, 2012

Devil Bat Diary

As an independent piece of literature, it’s fun, original, and can stand on its own two legs aside from the movie.

/ October 16, 2012

Cube

Vincenzo Natali's debut holds a beauty in purity that matches the mathematical conundrum its characters find themselves in.

/ October 15, 2012

The Curse of Frankenstein

The transfer does not hold quite the same clarity as other recent restorations; an important package nonetheless.

/ October 15, 2012

Rosewood Lane

Really, this is average TV drama fodder at best, plodding its way to a clumsily made point that makes little sense.

/ October 13, 2012

The Thompsons

More concerned with style over substance; fast and fun, there is no pretence here for anything other than a bloody ride.

/ October 12, 2012

Frankenweenie

The puppetry is simply superb as is texture; it's excellent attention to detail from puppet-makers Mackinnon and Saunders.

/ October 10, 2012

The Harsh Light of Day

An arduous affair with a cringeworthy script that provides no value for the subgenres it attempts to straddle.

/ September 28, 2012

The Pact

Juxtaposes the supernatural with real-life threat, whilst holding a very strong point in maintenance of mystery.

/ September 27, 2012

Arachnoquake

There's very little to recommend this film; any comedy present is lacklustre, while the predictability is too pronounced.

/ September 26, 2012

Zombies At Tiffany’s

Fun, quirky and dark; this is a brilliantly authored piece of steampunk literature, and then some.

/ September 25, 2012

Santa Sangre

A trip that was calculated carefully, the near constant use of slightly off-key circus music adding to its hypnotic quality.

/ September 21, 2012

Dragon Wasps

The biggest mistake here is that the genetically-engineered insects of the title take a backseat. Truly dreadful.

/ September 12, 2012

The Devil’s Business

With a hell that breaks loose quietly, The Devil's Business metes its tension effectively to insidiously creepy result.

/ September 10, 2012

ParaNorman 3D

The puppetry is impressive — the ghosts and zombies are a feast for the eyes — and the stop-motion is fluid.

/ September 6, 2012

A Night in the Woods

A taut atmosphere is effectively created, emphasised by drip-feeding of subplot, with one particular twist genuinely surprising.

/ September 5, 2012

Underground

Dreadful acting and a basic, sweary script is the order of the day, with poor use of light making the film difficult to follow.

/ September 3, 2012

Berberian Sound Studio

Strangely accessible for a giallo come art-house film; a pleasure from beginning to end, with lavish attention to detail.

/ August 31, 2012

The Possession

The exorcism makes a refreshing change in not being Bible-based, but this is strictly Hollywood horror by numbers.

/ August 31, 2012

V/H/S

Naturally there is variance in quality, but overall an exhilarating experience that brings pleasure back to found footage.

/ August 23, 2012

[REC] Genesis

A bizarrely playful addition to the [REC] series that opts for comedy over horror, despite plenty of blood on offer.

/ August 23, 2012

The Inside

Refreshing for its solid reason for found footage, with some effective moments, but let down by uncontrolled camera.

/ August 22, 2012

Supernatural Activity

The humour wears thin due to puerility and the editor needed reining in, but some of the comedy is surprisingly well timed.

/ August 13, 2012

The Reverend

Bordering on unbearable, The Reverend pushes the limits of patience, the script basic and the acting self-consciously bad.

/ July 31, 2012

Zombie 108

A reasonably good start rapidly falls victim to a lack of direction, resulting in an incoherence that does not entertain.

/ July 27, 2012

Axed

Intriguing at first with some style to be had and attention to detail, but let down by a lack of direction and poor acting.

/ July 25, 2012

Absentia

Will keep you guessing, until all possibilities for explanation are eventually tied together in an excellent balance of subplot.

/ July 9, 2012

Grave Encounters

It's pure pantomime and about a decade too late, but with the lights down and sound up there's fun to be had.

/ July 3, 2012

Seance: The Summoning

Despite the potentially ominous setting, this is a lethargic outing augmented by lifeless direction and a leaden script.

/ July 2, 2012

The Innkeepers

It's only really for specific moments that The Innkeepers very obviously feels like a horror film, yet it is effectively creepy.

/ June 25, 2012

Chernobyl Diaries

The set piece needs more attention, but the attacks are done reasonably well, an instil of progressive tension reasonably effective.

/ June 22, 2012

The Amityville Haunting

Cliches abound, as does overkill, while the characters are irritating. And yet, a wound-up tension is impressed without noticing.

/ June 17, 2012

Brain Damage

A delightful piece of fan faction that packs some extra surprises; you can tell Martin enjoyed every second of writing.

/ June 12, 2012

Father’s Day

Has everything one could desire of a daft evening's entertainment, from sibling incest to a meeting with the Devil/God himself.

/ June 11, 2012

Skew

Found footage is a tricky subgenre to add an original concept to and Skew makes a good attempt. But it's not enough.

/ June 10, 2012

666: The Prophecy

You would almost expect tongue planted firmly in cheek, yet this sagging clod of a movie takes itself quite seriously.

/ June 7, 2012

The Watermen

A stalk-and-slash film with very little stalking or slashing, little happens until the inevitably contrived conclusion.

/ June 6, 2012

Return of the Living Dead

A superb package teeming with extras; a fitting tribute to a film that fully justifies its reputation as a cult classic.

/ June 4, 2012

The House

Visually, there are some good moments, but it's a hotchpotch of story-telling technique, none of which stick.

/ June 3, 2012

Juan of the Dead

Zombie fans will enjoy the numerous genre references, but many will see the same old tired and perfunctory plot devices.

/ June 2, 2012

Deadball

Exploitative, splatter-comedy fun that is hugely entertaining and self-knowingly plays to its strengths effectively.

/ May 31, 2012

Island of Lost Souls

The foreboding set piece complements the horrific story wonderfully, while Charles Laughton is genuinely sinister.

/ May 27, 2012

Osombie

Quite possibly one of the most lacklustre attempts at a zombie film ever made, Osombie is simply excruciating.

/ May 14, 2012

Dark Shadows

At first glance Dark Shadows is fun, but there is simply little story to be had, with a script that relies on just the one joke.

/ May 11, 2012

The Monk

An unusually restrained Vincent Cassel is a pleasure, but it's a drawn-out story that runs out of steam before a rushed conclusion.

/ April 27, 2012