Review by Ben Bussey There is a particular potency to films (or stories told in any medium, for that matter) which go to lengths to establish a naturalistic context, then introduce a supernatural element. When we are presented with a story world which we can swallow as real, it gives that bit more power to […]
by Ben Bussey Right then… 2011. Okay. Man, these end of year reviews don’t half do my head in. There’s always a degree of assumption about them; an implication that the one writing the list has impeccable taste and saw everything of note that was released in the twelve months previous. This year more than […]
Review by Keri O’Shea 2011 has been a bumper year for horror comedies, it seems. At least, I’ve had the benefit of a pretty clear run of horror-comedies this year that have worked very well – which is a nice surprise, as it can be rough terrain at times – neither horror nor comedy, fish […]
Review by Nia Edwards-Behi Editor’s note: be warned that this review contains substantial spoilers. For a less spoilery (though not much more postive) appraisal, see Ben’s review from FrightFest. Alternatively, stop reading once you reach the picture of the person in the funny-looking mask… It’s always pleasing to witness a British genre film gain some […]
by Keri O’Shea At this time of year, you invariably hear a great deal about keeping the ‘true meaning’ of Christmas: it’s too schmaltzy, it’s too commercial, it isn’t what it was… well, it certainly isn’t what it was, but the idea that Christmas has always been a peaceable Christian festival is just plain incorrect. […]
Review by Ben Bussey Okay. At least 600 words on a movie about man-eating sharks that swim in the sand instead of the sea. I can do this. Of course I can. Never mind that it basically requires no review as the title, DVD cover and trailer tell you all you need to know. Never […]
Review by Keri O’Shea I’m going to start this review with a confession: I’m not a huge fan of the giallo genre. Gialli are stylish to look at, but once I get over the visual good stuff I find their plots are often contrived to the point of predictability, even when the eventual outcomes are […]
Review by Ben Bussey Sex, mental illness, Japan: these are at the heart of both these films. I should stress straight away that, while I’ve chosen to review the films together, they are not being sold together; they are from neither the same filmmakers nor the same distributor, and were made almost two decades […]
Review by Keri O’Shea Robin Hardy is obviously a man who likes to take his time. It’s been the best part of forty years since The Wicker Man first graced screens and yet, this year, he has – finally – completed and released The Wicker Tree, based on his novel Cowboys for Christ. I saw […]
Review by Ben Bussey An hour and a half of non-stop trailers might not sound like the most entertaining way to spend an evening. However, when the trailers in question are for some of the most ridiculous looking films you’ve ever seen (or, more likely, never seen), plumbing the far reaches of Z-grade horror, ultraviolence, […]
Review by Stephanie Scaife Deadly Blessing was a weird one for me because, despite being directed by Wes Craven and starring Sharon Stone (in her first speaking role no less), I’d never heard of it before sitting down to watch this new DVD release from our good friends at Arrow Video. Turns out there was good […]