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 […]
Movies & Documentaries
Daddy’s Head (2024) Frightening Exploration of Grief via Polished Filmmaking
Although its title suggests something pulpier, Shudder’s latest release, Daddy’s Head is actually a frightening exploration of grief told via polished filmmaking. It leans towards elevated horror aesthetics, most notably in the modernist house setting which recalls Ex-Machina, Parasite, The Invisible Man, etcetera. It is the distinction between the sharp-edged, […]
Haunted Ulster Live (2023) Ghostwatch… with Laughs (Review)
Arriving just in time for Halloween this year, Haunted Ulster Live is another addition to the horror subgenre that can perhaps best be described as “fake live Halloween broadcast”. Late Night with the Devil earned plenty of plaudits earlier this year, and back in 2018 Inside Number 9‘s Dead Line […]
Sayara (Grimmfest 2024)
Fan favourite director Can Evrenol, whose 2015 film Baskin was well-received in horror circles, had a new film playing this past weekend at Grimmfest, and although it’s not a horror per se, there are certainly grim, dark, and horrific parts to it. Sayara is a quiet young woman from Turkmenistan […]
Children of the Wicker Man (Grimmfest 2024)
The Wicker Man (1973) needs no introduction. To many, myself included, Robin Hardy’s folk-horror classic is considered one of the greatest British horror films – heck, perhaps horror films in general – of all time. However, to two of the director’s sons, Justin and Dominic Hardy, The Wicker Man is […]
Night Of The Living Dead (1968) A Pioneering but Imperfect Trailblazer
At this point in time it’s fair to say that the reputation of George A Romero’s zombie trilogy is so embedded into the history of horror that no amount of criticism would be able to shift their reputation. Even me, apologetically as a first-timer to these films, knew so much […]
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) Vin Diesel’s Patchily Plotted Sci-Fi Space Opera
Like the first film, The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), continues to shape the “Riddick-verse”, enhancing the foundation that was created in Pitch Black (2000). In that first film we’re given a basic story and world view, and it works – in fact, it’s an excellent film because of it. Vin […]
Amsterdam Alert (Grimmfest 2024)
Amsterdam Alert (NL-Alert), played at this year’s Grimmfest, and it’s a hard-hitting, claustrophobic drama/real-life horror sitting perfectly at the 37-minute mark runtime. Directed by Loïs Dols de Jong, this short film tells the story of a young mother in Amsterdam who’s trying to get home to her baby, but during […]
The Black Hole (Fantastic Fest 2024)
The Black Hole, recently played at Fantastic Fest, is a comedy/sci-fi anthology from Estonian director Moonika Siimets. My only experience with Estonian cinema is November (Rainer Sarnet, 2017), a historical, mythic, folkloric fantasy that tells of modern Estonia. However, its cues are primarily identifiable to those familiar with its context, […]
V H S Beyond (2024): Far From Out Of This World
If you look at the list of directors and writers who have contributed to the V H S series, it is impressive how many would go on to huge success such as Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Benson and Moorhead and Chloe Okuno, to name a few. By this point though, […]