Sound, particularly music, is such a key component of movies. It is pivotal in creating an era, atmosphere, tension, and emotions to the extent that a great deal of the work in a horror movie comes from effective scoring and sound design. Key word there: effective. See, anachronistic music and […]
Reviews
Japan Organised Crime Boss (1969) The Yakuza Movie Before Yakuza Movies
It’s curious the idea that there was a time when the modern yakuza movie wasn’t a thing, but as yakuza film historian Akihiko Ito says, in the extras of Radiance Films lush new release of Kinji Fukasaku’s Japan Organised Crime Boss, that was once the case. They used to be […]
Haxan (1922) One of the Single Most Important Texts for Folk Horror
Sometimes it can be hard to know where to begin with a review, especially when it’s a title like Haxan – Benjamin Christensen’s 1922 hybrid horror documentary-esque essay that, it could be argued, created this type of film. It walks a strange tightrope between over-familiarity and freshness, shock and nostalgia […]
Tomie (1998) She may keep coming back, but the audience won’t be
One of the most common tropes of all time in media is that of a missing or murdered teenage girl — a horror story that is tragically a reality for far too many. Typically, the narrative opens with the detective protagonist studying the life of the subject of their case; […]
Black Tuesday (1954) Roughed-up noir gem with a dark shadow for a soul
The tagline of Hugo Fregonese’s Black Tuesday thunderously announces itself as “the most ruthless Robinson of all time!”, putting its rough-and-ready leading man Edward G. Robinson front and centre of the action. And that’s certainly true; today, not even the cumulative power of Tim Robinson’s screaming sketch comedy oeuvre or […]
Bookworm (2024): Offbeat Coming-of-Age Struggles with Tone
A reunion of Come to Daddy director Ant Timpson, writer Toby Harvard and stars Elijah Wood and Michael Smiley, with the addition of Nell Fisher after her star making turn in Evil Dead Rise, would pique the interest of most horror fans, but despite showing at Frightfest earlier this year, […]
Slap the Monster on Page One (1972): A Still Relevent Look at Media Manipulation
Released to Blu-ray by Radiance this week, Slap the Monster on Page One is a 1972 thriller with a political conscience from director Marco Bellocchio. It stars the great Gian Maria Volonté as Bizanti, the editor of Il giornale, a fictitious right-wing Italian newspaper. The action takes place in Milan, […]
The Creep Tapes (2024) Peachfuzz is Back and Scarier than Ever
In 2014 we were introduced to the weird and wonderful world of Josef/Aaron/we never really know his real name, a serial killer who loves collecting video evidence of his kills and the lead-up to their untimely death. Since then we have had an equally weird and wonderful sequel but fans […]
Rough Justice: Two New Shorts from the North West – Before the Law and Disposal (2024)
Before the Law is the follow up to Greater Manchester-based writer/director Brett Gregory’s stunning 2022 debut feature film, Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist. A contemporary adaptation of Franz Kafka’s 1915 parable of the same name, contained within his novel, The Trial, it stars Andrew Joseph as […]
Made in Japan (2018) and Winny (2023) Tales of Modern Strife in Japan (Review)
From Sakka Films we have a double bill from Yusaku Matsumoto, a Japanese filmmaker who brings us two very thematically linked efforts based around morality and justice in modern day Japan. Made in Japan is a 2018 short that opens with a disturbing, violent murder that is then widely publicised […]