Once upon a time horror meant something. It was more of a genre than the series of boxes that need to be ticked to provoke an emotional reaction like it is now. The words “it’s terrible, wasn’t even scary”, have become an epitaph of its downfall. The decline of narrative went […]
Rob Simpson
Chief Editor
Host of the Uncut Network. With a love of movies kicked off by Hong Kong Action and Claymation Monsters, Rob has forever been cradled in the bosom of Cinema. Rob has his hands in many a pie, including no budget film making. Filthy
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) The sleeper hit of John Carpenter’s Killer Run (Review)
John Carpenter’s filmography is a curious animal, subject to both wild scrutiny and glorious celebration. What’s more, his work has been remade, twisted and contorted by both genre stalwarts and studio remit with wildly different results – from the heinous [the] Fog to the solidly entertaining Assault on Precinct 13 […]
Jamaica Inn (1939) “Lesser Hitchcock” is more patronizing than it deserves (Review)
Given that he directed some of the finest American films of all time, it’s easy to overlook Alfred Hitchcock’s status as a British filmmaker. Famously characterized as the Master of Suspense, Hitchcock’s work defined much of the 1940s and 50s, back home though most of his work came in the […]
A Special Day (1977) A beautiful study of two souls lost in plain sight (Review)
To see a film open with 10 minutes of historical footage of Hitler and his pre-World War II rallies, without a hint of irony or lazy short-hand, is a little disconcerting. It’s unconventional to see such a villain of modern history portrayed without any filter, perhaps, but there is a […]
Pool of London (1951) Blazing a Trail for Black British Cinema (Review)
Studio Canal’s latest presentation of London’s finest cinema exponent, Ealing studios, defied all expectations for what one of their films should be. Basil Dearden’s Pool of London evokes the charm associated with an Ealing film whilst also including a complexity beyond the studio’s typical relationship with criminality. An approach to […]
Body Double (1984) Misogyny and the self satirising artist? (Review)
Indicator Series has launched this Monday with a wonderful statement of intent, elsewhere on the site you can read our review of John Carpenter’s Christine, a release supplemented with the most definitive roster of extras one could hope for. The same is true of their other debut release, Brian De […]
Dark Water (2002) The Dramatic Face of J-Horror and Creeping Dread (Review)
In a newly recorded interview, director Hideo Nakata not only talks about his rise through the studio system and his big break directing the original Ring, but he also talks about Dramatic Horror. Such a notion is only given credibility by the art-house, independent and marginalized, even in the parts […]
Creepy (2016) Menacing, and gives the bird to decades of police procedural (Review)
Kiyoshi Kurosawa is no stranger to 2016, already his previous film, Journey to the Shore, saw release on Masters of Cinema and that charming albeit misunderstood film took a fascinating posture on saying goodbye. His second film of the year debuted during the London Film festival and, of the two, […]
Electra My Love (1974) The world’s finest historical, political dance movie (Review)
Whether Slovak, Hungarian or South East Asian, a country’s cinematic output requires a degree of cultural and historical context; add (the) former Czechoslovakia, and you have the cross-section that makes up the DNA of Second Run’s remit. Nuances naturally occur, but the consistencies in these nations are modern histories demarcated […]
Psychomania (1973) Black Magic, Low Budgets and glorious British camp (Review)
Rational thought is the last thing in the world you should bring to B-movies, so much so it’ll be difficult to even pass the title card of Psychomania – the latest release on BFI’s wonderful Flipside brand – before the hokum hits the fan. Don Sharp (Rasputin, the Mad Monk) […]