Peter Weir is a director with an eclectic career. From Witness to Dead Poets Society to The Truman Show to Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Weir’s subject matter and indeed style have rarely fit into easily identifiable boxes. His first international success, 1975’s Picnic at Hanging […]
folk horror
From Black (2023) A rehash of very much discovered Horror territory (Review)
Rituals and resurrections are the themes of Shudder’s latest original offering, From Black, but how does one go about raising the dead and haven’t we seen this all somewhere before? Recently bereaved and recovering addict Cora (Anna Camp, playing against type) is plagued with guilt following the disappearance and subsequent […]
The Owl Service (1969) Unsettling atmosphere, and echoes of folklore in this iconic 60s TV Show (TV Review)
January (2021) A Master Class in imagery, and the conflict between modernity and tradition (Review)
“There’s barely anyone left to die, so I do remember.” Andrey Paounov’s January encompasses the human soul reckoning with itself and the outside world in the midst of a snowstorm and unseen monsters no one will escape from. Andrey Paounov’s January encompasses the human soul reckoning with itself and the […]
Bjork in the Juniper Tree – Pop Screen 81
Dragon’s Return (Drak sa Vracia) 1968: Pure Cinematic Storytelling (Blu-Ray Review)
“A jaw-dropping masterpiece, an exercise in pure cinematic storytelling that captivates, enchants and terrifies in each scene” Yes, it would be remiss of me not to point out that this quote from The Geek Show‘s Graham Williamson adorns the cover of the latest Blu-ray release from Second Run, the 1968 […]
The Feast (2021): the first Welsh-language horror movie doesn’t want for ambition (Cinema Review)
The BFI currently determines which films are eligible to receive tax breaks using two tests: whether a film is British-financed, and whether it is “culturally British”. Breaking that down further, it is straightforward to think of films that are culturally Scottish, culturally English or culturally Irish, but very hard to […]
You Are Not My Mother (2022) Folk Horror Terror in Working Class Ireland (VOD Review)
Irish eyes are certainly not smiling in this tale of domestic horror as ancient Irish folklore creeps its way into the twenty-first century. You are not My Mother’s first time director & writer Kate Dolan delivers a fantastically creepy story, aided by wonderfully strong leading women and a subtlety rarely […]
Mandrake (2022) Unbalanced yet promising Irish Folk Horror (Glasgow Fright Fest Review)
Horror is a genre with many conventions, and adherence or non-adherence to these conventions are what can make or break a horror film. Slow and suggestive can be more effective than fast and furious; commitment to a straightforward premise may work better than a set of convoluted and unnecessary elements. […]