A ‘cadejo’ is a mythic creature in Central American folklore that refers to a dog-like creature that comes in two forms; either the white (blanco) cadejo that protects humans from danger and the black (negro) cadejo that attacks them. This Guatemalan crime drama from American writer/director Justin Lerner clearly posits […]
Reviews
Hell Hole (2024) There’s Something in the Dirt (Review)
Better known as “fracking”, the process of hydraulic fracturing is, if you’ll pardon the expression, a largely untapped well of horror potential. The controversial fossil-fuel mining technique (outlawed here in the UK since 2019), is infamous for causing environmental damage, pollution, sickness, and even earthquakes – making it a real-life […]
Wolves, Pigs & Men (1964) Yakuza Cinema By way of the French New Wave (Review)
The influence that French New Wave had on Japanese cinema throughout the 60s can never be understated. With its swathes of nihilism and cool tragedy, it seemed that one perfectly reflected the emotions of the other, as all sides (just 15-20 years removed from World War II) these children of […]
The Beast Within (2024) An intricate, Slow Burn tale of Dread & Secrets (Review)
From the opening shots of dark woods and a woman calling a name, The Beast Within creates an ominous atmosphere that doesn’t let up throughout its running time. Director Alexander J. Farrell weaves an intricate, slow burn tale of dread, secrets, and various forms of bodily betrayal that both rewards […]
Sting (2024): Fun and Slick Creature Feature with Bite (Review)
It is a strange coincidence that in the same year two nunspolitation films (Immaculate and The First Omen) were released close together, the same has happened with two spider-centric horrors. Infested/Vermines was released on Shudder at the end of April and just over a month later Sting now arrives in […]
Dancing Village: The Curse Begins (2024): Nimbly avoids the curse of Prequels (Review)
When’s the best time to watch a prequel? You’d think it’d be natural to get them in first, and plenty of people do just that. I have several friends who’ve introduced their kids to Star Wars in chronological order, from the crushing disappointment of The Phantom Menace, to the crushing […]
Dial (2024)(Short Film) The Horror of Isolation (Review)
Grief, mental illness and haunting are common bedfellows in cinema, and major feature films like The Babadook, The Father and Relic have interwoven these tropes, manifesting them as something potentially supernatural. Into this fertile emotional ground comes Dial – a short film by writer-director Josh Trett that tells the story […]
Point Break 4K (1991) 100% Pure Adrenaline from Kathryn’s Bigelow’s Iconic Crime Thriller (Review)
The cultural reputation of Point Break might characterise it as a silly film, with gunplay resting alongside homoeroticism, and some new age, hippy-dippy mumbo-jumbo bound up with surfing (Hot Fuzz has a lot to answer for). If one looks closely at the film itself however, Kathryn Bigelow’s action heist/buddy flick […]
Risky Business (1983) An Interesting And Unusual Start To Tom Cruise’s Stardom (Review)
I think I went into Risky Business with the wrong impression. I didn’t grow up in the 1980s, I grew up in the 2010s, so my view of ’80s teen comedies has been entirely shaped by John Hughes and the Brat Pack. I think of films like Ferris Bueller’s Day […]
Santa Sangre (1989): Carnage at the Circus in Jodorowsky’s Chaotic Classic (Review)
What can you say about Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre, or more specifically, what can you say about it that isn’t said somewhere on this enormous four-disc Blu-Ray from Severin Films? The scale of this release is extraordinary, and includes the film itself in 4K and standard forms, a commentary with […]