In 1934, the body of a young woman was found on a beach in Albury, Australia. She had been shot, and the body had been set on fire to destroy the evidence. Police eventually identified her as Florence Agostini, an English-Australian who had taken her Italian husband’s surname. It took […]
Ashley Lane
Ashley Lane once saw a Dario Argento film, and has ever since been on a quest to find the greatest films known to man. And the worst. Since he has a PhD in philosophy, he is able to go on for hours about minor details, which is very handy for film criticism.
The Owners (2020) A very British home invasion horror movie (Review)
Sick of his dead-end life, a young man called Nathan teams up with his friend Terry to burgle a local doctor’s house whilst the doctor, Richard Huggins, and his wife, Ellen, are away. Terry’s mum works as a cleaner there, and has told him that there’s a safe. They will […]
The Woman in Black (1989): Supernatual Chiller à la Quatermass (Review)
England, 1923. A young London solicitor, Arthur Kidd (Adrian Rawlings), is sent to a small seaside town where a client, Mrs Drablow, has just died. His instructions are to arrange for the cataloguing and sale of her possessions. Whilst at her funeral, where the only other attendee is the estate […]
Kaleidoscope – Great performances marred by an uneven script
Carl lives alone on a London council estate, and has done ever since he got out of prison a short time ago. Tonight promises to be special, as for the first time since his release, he’s going on a date with a young woman he’s met on the internet. But […]
In Fabric – horror-comedy in a stunning red dress (Review)
It’s the 1993 January sales, and Sheila, a bank clerk living in a Thames Valley town, needs a new dress for a date. She visits the local department store, where the persuasive shop assistant Miss Luckmoore sells her a red dress. It’s the only one of its kind ever made, […]
The World is Yours: Scarface via Drunken Hell Holiday islands (Review)
Farès is a small-time drug dealer in France, with little enthusiasm to continue. He’s been trying to become a legitimate businessman, with the idea of setting up a company exporting freeze pops to North Africa. His chance has finally come, and he’s saved up 80,000 Euros for the opportunity… 80,000 […]
Donbass: Episodes of lunacy in Eastern Ukraine (Review)
Welcome to the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine. It’s under the control of the separatists, and the lot of the inhabitants is not a happy one. If you haven’t been bombed out of your home, you’ve probably been injured in a bus attack, or blackmailed by the police, or subjected […]
Death in Venice (1971): Luchino Visconti makes a good film, but a bad adaptation (Review)
A few years before the First World War, the renowned composer Gustav von Aschenbach suffers a serious health scare. He is ordered to take complete rest, so he decides to travel to Venice for an extended holiday. Staying at a high-class hotel, he notices a Polish family there. The children […]
Ring (1998) The Most Important J-Horror For Good Reason (Review)
Hideo Nakata’s Ring is famously the film that triggered the western world’s awareness that yes, Asian countries do make horror films. It also famously triggered a slew of sequels and remakes, from the Korean The Ring Virus to the recent American Rings. It’s undeniably important in horror cinema, but being […]
Revenge (2017): a haunting subversion of rape-revenge tropes (Review)
Jen has gone with her very wealthy boyfriend, Richard, to his isolated retreat in the wilderness where they can enjoy a couple of days away from others – particularly his wife. On the second day there, Richard’s two friends Stan and Dimitri turn up; they are a day early for […]