The Frightfest line-up is often home to some exceptional documentaries that chronicle everything from cultural curios to cinematic movements. They act as a sort of cinematic sorbet from the fictional chills and thrills that surround them, and this year is no different with two strong examples being Enter the Clones […]
Movies & Documentaries
River (2023) Junta Yamaguchi with another ambitious time-twisting treat (Frightfest 2023) (Review)
Junta Yamaguchi is a filmmaker who loves repeating himself, which is understandable given that his feature film work so far has concerned itself with two-minute cycles and loops in time that infuriate and complicate in equal measure. It should be clear from the outset, however, that this is not necessarily […]
Raging Grace (Frightfest 2023): A Striking Genre Take on Immigration (Review)
In the last few years there have been a couple of interesting horror movies that focused on servitude like The Maid (2020), and Nanny (2022). Raging Grace continues this (hopefully growing), trend by following in Nanny’s footsteps and adding anxiety around immigration to the mix. The tale of an illegal […]
Hostile Dimensions & HERD (Frightfest 2023)(Review)
HOSTILE DIMENSIONS After Death of a Vlogger, Graham Hughes takes another stab at making a distinctly modern found-footage film, and it begins with what you might call a Blair Witch speedrun. A pair of documentarians exploring a derelict house find something uncanny and disappear without a trace. It’s then revealed […]
The Skyhawk (1974) A “not so” Classic passing of the Wong Fei-Hung torch that still carries the weight of history (Review)
There are actors that just become synonymous with certain roles. For instance, if I were to mention Sherlock Holmes then many would think of Benedict Cumberbatch, whilst others would think of Basil Rathbone, and for a character that has appeared in over 250 screen adaptations, that isn’t bad going. The […]
Mother May I? (2023): A Therapeutic Nightmare (Review)
The feature length debut from Laurence Vannicelli, best known up to this point for being a co-writer of Porno, is a memorably twisty, paranoid horror that continues Kyle Gallner’s hit-rate of memorable horror films, matched in energy and commitment by his co-star Holland Roden. In Mother May I? Gallner and […]
Commedia all’italiana: Three Films by Dino Risi (1959-1962) (Review)
Commedia all’italiana, or Italian-style comedy, was a genre of Italian cinema that achieved considerable success from the 1950s through to the 1970s. These films, though farcical and/or satirical, placed a greater emphasis than before on realism, shooting on location and creating believable, three dimensional characters. They were united by the […]
A Moment of Romance (1990): Heroic Bloodshed and Young Love (Review)
A cult classic that ensured iconic status for its star Andy Lau, Benny Chan’s 1990 directorial debut A Moment of Romance is released to Blu-ray by Radiance next week and is a must for anyone who likes a bit of style to their violence. Andy Lau stars as Wah Dee, […]
Johnny Z (2023) Zombie-Actioner extending way beyond its grasp (Review)
Z ombies are one of horror’s great contradictions. The shuffling undead is immediately synonymous with the most macabre of genres, yet at the same time, that community is sick to life and back of the classic monster. The question that any zombie movie has to tackle is how to make […]
Quicksand (2023) Survival Horror, and when it’s the right time to Suck (Review)
Survival horror works by pitting humanity against nature and the elements. The sub-genre, therefore, taps into fears of the unknown, the uncontrollable, and the insurmountable. This could be a mountain, a river, the sea, or a cave, and dangerous beasties are optional. QUICKSAND, directed by Andres Beltran and written by […]