For all the talk of Nosferatu bringing horny back to the cinema, it’s useful to remind ourselves of the pervertedly lush world of Edogawa Ranpo. Predominantly a mystery writer (say his name fast and you’re close to the writer of “The Purloined Letter”), it’s his unique brand of “Ero guro […]
Ethan Lyon
The Invasion (2007) Derided in its Day, Terrifying in Ours
When Jack Finney published “The Body Snatchers” in serial form in late 1954, he could never have imagined the life it would have in the American imagination. Its genius lies in the basic premise- that people are slowly replaced by alien duplicates, identical in every way except their lack of […]
Daiei Gothic (1959 & 1968) Three Chillingly Beautiful Tales of the Supernatural from Japan
Long before Britain made a subgenre of its folk traditions, Japan was mining its history (with the help of Greek-Irish author Lafcadio Hearn) to create chillingly beautiful tales of the supernatural. Three tales loom large for their influence: The Ghost of Yotsuya (Yotsuya Kaidan), The Snow Woman (Yuki-Onna) and The […]
The Oblong Box (1969) A Flawed piece of Poe-ish Gothic
“Oh, pity me, miserable wretch that I am! –I dared not –I dared not speak! We have put her living in the tomb!” These lines from The Fall of the House of Usher could well apply to much of Poe’s output, such was his fascination with being buried alive. The […]
She is Me, I Am Her (2022) A Sincere Showcase for Fusako Urabe
It’s always a pleasure to see more Japanese cinema made readily available to UK/USA shores, especially that of a more dramatic mode. I love the Gonzo stylings of Tetsuo and Takashi Miike, as much as the next reviewer, but my heart will always be with the contemplative works of Ozu […]
The Substance (2024) One of the Finest Horrors of the Year (Review)
At first blush, Fargeat’s latest feature recalls that recent female-directed Franco-horror opus, Ducournau’s Titane. Both mix sex and horror in provocative ways that reaped laurels at Cannes, with The Substance winning Best Screenplay at this year’s festival. Both display a fascination with smooth surfaces and the ways women become pariahs […]
Laurel and Hardy: The Silent Years (1927)(Review)
There’s a special joy in watching silent comedy legends before their personalities were fully formed, seeing the gradual snowballing of their characters until we get the iconic figures we know and love. Eureka’s new boxset collects the early works of Laurel and Hardy, chronicling their efforts before they mastered the […]
Loop Track (2023): Sometimes It Doesn’t Have To End With A Bang (Review)
One of Arrow’s unsung strengths is their championing of worldwide genre cinema, and much as Tartan had done with J-Horror in the early 2000s, it’s thanks to their efforts that films like Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway, Hounds of Love and Harpoon were all brought to our […]
Night of the Eagle (1962) Behind Every Great Man Is A Magical Woman (Review)
Norman Taylor is the envy of every man on Hempnell Medical College’s campus, and the darling of every teenage girl. He’s young and dynamic, with high grades that make him a shoo-in for tenure, and he’s got the tremendously sexy Tansy waiting at home. He seems to have it all, […]
The Agitator: Three Provocations from the Wild World of Jean-Pierre Mocky (1982-1987)(Review)
Say “Jean-Pierre Mocky” to even the most avid of French film fans on this side of the channel and you’re likely to receive little more than a shrug, but the iconoclastic writer/director/actor/cinema owner was a cult figure in his homeland, winning praise from no less than Jean-Luc Godard over a […]