By Comix Aztecs were like the Vikings of the Americas; they were brutal, strong, and had a penchant for worshipping their gods through the blood of their enemies. With an empire that spread from Central Mexico to Northern Guatemala, the Aztecs were a force to be reckoned with, not only by neighboring cities but by […]
By Tristan Bishop Grindhouse. It seems to be becoming as reviled a term in horror/cult circles as ‘found footage’. Much has been written on the co-opting of the term from the original meaning (24 hour theatres showing everything from second-run commercial releases to kung fu to XXX films) to the current usage to denote 70s […]
By Stephanie Scaife Yawn… yup, you’ve guessed it, here we have yet another straight to DVD found footage horror film. This alone should be good enough reason to avoid The Dyatlov Pass Incident (or Devil’s Pass, as it is now known) but for my sins, I’ve sat through it and can confirm that there are […]
By Keri O’Shea I always fucking hated Beverly Hills 90210 with an absolute passion. As imports from the US go, it’s right up there with Ruby Wax and the school prom: a tedious, aspirational display of not-very-much being enacted by people who were far too old to be hanging around a school anyway. So, you […]
Review by Ben Bussey Rock’n’roll, and Satan: not unlike Britain and America, it’s one of those enduring ‘special relationships,’ the source of endless joy for some and endless anxiety for others. I’m often surprised how rarely the subject rears its horned and/or heavily hairsprayed head in the movies. To my mind, 1986’s PMRC-baiting heavy metal […]
Review by Comix Sidekicks have always gotten a bad rap. From ransom fodder to comedy relief, sidekicks have always been the throwaway characters of the comic world. In fact, Robin himself became so expandable that, at one point, in Batman issue #428, readers got to vote if Robin lived or died after a brutal attack […]
Review by Tristan Bishop Ryuhei Kitamura is a talented chap. His breakthrough film Versus rocked international audiences back in 2000, blending Yakuza, zombies and breakneck action sequences, and a couple of years later he made Azumi, a wonderfully entertaining ‘female ninja’ story with quirky characters and breathtaking sword fighting. Unfortunately, when handed Godzilla : Final […]
Review by Ben Bussey Mention the name Adrián García Bogliano, and those who don’t reply “who’s he” will probably all be able to tell you one thing: this is a filmmaker who draws a very fine line between sex and horror. Even if you’ve never seen Penumbra, the image of leading lady Cristina Brondo bound […]
Review by Stephanie Scaife Moderate spoilers ahead. Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession has got to be one of the strangest, most compelling and hyperbolically hysterical films I’ve ever seen. Originally pitched as “a film where a woman fucks an octopus” by Żuławski, it’s understandable that it had trouble finding financial backing. Even Isabelle Adjani, who won the […]
Review by Ben Bussey Desperate times make for desperate people. We may think we’ve got it tough now, but hey, it could be worse; we could be living without technology in an unforgiving wilderness, in the aftermath of the Black Death. Whilst Escape might be reasonably classed as a historical piece, given it’s set in […]
By Keri O’Shea Editor’s note: for another take on this film, be sure to check out Tristan’s FrightFest 2012 review here. Amongst the worst horrors of war are not those things which people find unable to bear, but those which they do. On these occasions, the most harmful, hopeless situations become, somehow, acceptable. Life – […]