What do we expect from a film emblazoned with a title like Fucktoys (2025)? – Something quite specific? Something more abstract? Extreme? Funny? Brutal? Actually, all of those descriptors could fit the bill, either in turn or in a more layered sense; this is such a rich and engaging, if always irreverent and often challenging […]
Whilst it’s rare to start a review with as-yet unqualified praise, needs must in this case: Terrestrial (2025) is such an incredibly clever, ambitious project. This tale for our times is filled with surprises, and it’s a huge credit to director Steve Pink and to writers Connor Diedrich and – good name for a writer […]
Welcome to Gruber Hills, a desirable suburban community established in the 1850s. Great – or is it? As we quickly catch sight of torn pages from a grimoire (I’m convinced grimoires have a style guide) and boxes of ammunition, it seems that the community – and this home in particular – are under a monstrous […]
The Fantasia International Film Festival – now in its 29th year – has long since established itself as a world-beating event, and it hardly needs saying that it’s one of the real highlights of the year for genre film fans, whether those lucky enough to be in attendance or those of us watching and reviewing […]
In the early moments of Dirty Boy, the voiceover of the main character of Isaac (Stan Steinbichler) informs the audience that “Your mind is a bus.” In Isaac’s case, it’s hard to tell who’s at the wheel at any one time, as he’s been raised to obey the strict teaching of a religious cult headed […]
Mark (Shane P. Allen) and Joshua (John Wilcox) are a married couple whose loving relationship has come under recent stress due to a tragic event. Despite the fact that a wedge has clearly been driven between them, they choose to focus instead on their work, which is to guide recently deceased souls into the afterlife. […]
You never really know which way it’s going to go in a survival story based at sea. What will the main issue be? – will it be the elements (The Perfect Storm)? Will it be the failings of the vessel, or human error (Open Water; Dead Calm; Adrift)? Or will there be something potentially supernatural […]
When vlogger Angus (Charlie Robb) gets an opportunity to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of a remote Northumberland retreat, he jumps at the chance to escape the stresses of everyday life and the thought of a digital detox certainly appeals. Well, until he gets there and sets up multiple cameras in order to record his […]
A teenager awakes in hospital; by the time we acknowledge this and what’s going on, she’s already hiding behind her mobile phone and headphones, which establishes a key motif in The Invisible Half (2024): the use of mobile phone technology to either facilitate, or block out, the outside world. We also see that the mobile […]
A woman awakes, alone, in a woodland clearing. She notices she has some injuries on her bare feet, suggesting she was walking for a while; however, she clearly can’t remember how she got there. Limping to the nearest main road, she is able to get her bearings, following the route back to what appears to […]
Mermaid (2025) opens, perhaps deceivingly, on someone living the high life. It certainly looks like the high life at least: here’s a guy, on a yacht, sipping a chilled cocktail and listening to music. It’s textbook high life. The fact that this is a post-divorce celebration mars things slightly, but mainly that happens when a […]