Inspired by nineteenth century gothic literature, Bava’s Black Sunday (La Maschera del Demonio) was released to modest acclaim in 1960. Vampires, with all their unearthly glamour, seem like a perfect fit for Italian horror, though Bava’s directorial debut owes more to the Universal monster movies of the 1930s. Although the film suffered from a huge …Read More
Directed by Maurizio del Iccolo and Roberto del Piccolo, My Little Sister is a micro-budget horror film about a young couple who find themselves at the mercy of a murderous villain who loves to wear the faces of his victims. Sounds familiar right? Well, it’s true that My Little Sister attempts to channel the ferocity …Read More
Synopsis: After moving to a new home a teenager is possessed by an evil spirit. Her mother calls upon the help of a local doctor and a priest to help rid her daughter of the entity. If the synopsis of a young girl getting possessed by a demonic entity feels like nothing new, then you …Read More
Synopsis: A couple of teenagers get their kicks from prank calling strangers; telling them that they’re sick, that there’s an invader in their house or that their daughter is dead. The tables are turned when the pair prank the wrong guy and find out that their late night fun can have deadly consequences. This is …Read More
With the whole world learning to live with a zombie apocalypse, a few islands are immune from the infection. Guess what? Ibiza is one of them! A group of young people head to the party island for sun, sea and sex, but discover a club owner who has a few of his own private walking …Read More
It is rare to find enjoyment in a horror sequel, because very few are able to maintain the impact of the first and develop the story in a way that is refreshing, interesting and worthwhile. However, Stake Land II is a more mellow, but equally as brutal sequel that impressively expands on the story began …Read More
Suspense-Thriller-Horror hybrid ‘Abandoned Dead,’ new from Wild Eye Releasing, delivers decent scares while seeming somewhat familiar: a security guard [Rachel Burke, played by the ever-talented scream-queen Sarah Nicklin] finds herself trapped in a rundown medical clinic somewhere deep in Los Angeles and soon discovers she is not alone. As paranormal disturbances mount, so do her …Read More
Synopsis: A young novelist named Jakob (the splendidly monikered Ross Indecency) announces to his partner Linda (Sandra Bourdonnec) that he needs time alone to work on the follow-up to his recent bestseller. His best friend Kurt (Suleyman Yuceer) has been making ends meet by carrying out hits for the mob, but now wants out. When …Read More
Based on a short story by Clive Barker, The Midnight Meat Train was released in 2008 before being rushed to DVD, and honestly, it isn’t hard to see why. The film suffers from many trends that now seem dated within the genre, and relies on excessive gore and jump scares to create tension. I have …Read More
The true story of Ed Gein – the American serial killer and body snatcher – has inspired many famous horror films, including Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House of 1000 Corpses. Deranged, released in 1974, is one of the most literal interpretations of the Ed Gein story, and though mainly remembered for its lurid …Read More
Synopsis: Carrie White is dealing with the problems that come with adolescence. Her life is under constant duress from her peers at school, as well as her religious fanatic of a mother. While showering in the high school gymnasium, she begins to undergo her first menstruation. Unaware of what’s occurring, she breaks down, and is …Read More
Synopsis: As a woman tries to rekindle her relationship with her daughter Chloe (Lucy Boynton), she starts to believe that Chloe may be embroiled in a dangerous witch legend. There’s nothing scary in Don’t Knock Twice unless you’re scared of doors or knocking, because there’s a lot of slow, ominous zooms in on doors and …Read More
Synopsis: The employees of Belko Industries have a really bad day at the office when they are forced to play a deadly game against their colleagues, bosses, and friends. The Belko Experiment is directed by Greg McLean (Wolf Creek) and written by James Gunn (Slither), and when I heard that winning combination, I was sold. …Read More
Science-fiction thriller Atomica looks rather good, with impressive set designs of a futuristic nuclear power plant and CGI spacecraft. It lacks, however, in the important areas of story, characters, and performances. Abby Dixon (Sarah Habel) is a young, gung-ho, by-the-numbers safety inspector for a corporation that has found a way to convert leaked radiation to …Read More
Set before the events that unravelled in 2016’s masterful Train to Busan, Seoul Station is an animated action-horror that follows various survivors as they fight to survive during a zombie outbreak in South Korea. If you wanted to see the beginning of the zombie outbreak that rages during the intense and nail-biting Train to Busan, …Read More
Ten years after being gunned down during World War II and thrown into a lake with a dark past, a platoon of Nazi soldiers rise again to seek vengeance on a small French town and the Mayor who had them killed. Directed by that prolific master of Eurosleaze, Jean Rollin, 1981 cheapo Zombie Lake checks …Read More
Synopsis: Chip’s problem is that he can’t say no to beautiful women. This weakness gets him into a world of trouble when he agrees to help his girlfriend steal $68,000. “Sweet pussy clouds a man’s mind.” This bit of friendly counsel extended to Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler) in an early scene primly sets the central …Read More
Synopsis: In this short film, an abducted woman wakes up naked and covered in dirt with her captor only inches away. She manages to make a run for it through the forest, but will she be able to escape his clutches? Into the Mud begins well, but there is nothing initially special about its set-up. …Read More
Synopsis: Kill or be killed is the golden rule of the Game of Death. That sucks for seven millennials who ignored that rule. Now each one’s head will explode unless they kill someone. Will they turn on each other to survive, or will this sunny day be the last for the innocent people of their …Read More
One can’t help wondering why a man of ninety is still producing material of the calibre (and I use that word in its loosest sense) of the latest entry in his infamous Death Race film series. Then again producer extraordinaire Roger Corman – king of the Hollywood ‘B’ movie – was never a man bound …Read More
Synopsis: A twenty-something African-American man visits his Caucasian girlfriend’s family home and soon starts to feel that something is not quite right. Get Out wastes no time in getting going and begins immediately as Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and Rose (Allison Williams) discuss the audience-anticipated visit to her parents’ home. There is no needless build-up or …Read More
Released thirty years after Suspiria (and twenty-seven after Inferno), The Mother of Tears is the third and final instalment of Argento’s Three Mothers trilogy. Considering the cult status of the first two films, the long-awaited conclusion was always bound to disappoint fans, especially as work on the film began as early as 1984. Though the …Read More
Synopsis: A group of scientists have developed a serum called death one, which reanimates dead tissue. When terrorists attempt to steal it during a botched robbery, one of them becomes infected, and the surrounding area becomes contaminated. In an attempt to take control of the situation, the military decides to intervene. Soon, some vacationers and …Read More
Synopsis: A Swedish pilot and US covert ops crew get trapped underwater in a mini-submarine, somewhere off the Yellow Sea coast of North Korea. After the craft hull is breached, the crew must repair the damage in order to return to the surface before time runs out and the ship fills with water. A claustrophobic …Read More
Synopsis: A female vampire leads the men she lusts after to their demise as her lust for flesh overtakes her desire to love. Let’s get this straight from the beginning; Female Vampire is softcore porn. Lina Romay is nude for 99% of the time she is on-screen. During these times she’s either writhing around on …Read More
Psychological horror drama Lavender offers little that seasoned viewers of the sub-genre will find new, but it is bolstered by terrific performances, gorgeous cinematography, and Canadian filmmaker Ed Glass-Donnelly’s (The Last Exorcism Part II; Small Town Murder Songs) keen direction. Lavender opens with a stunning tour through a tableau vivant depicting the crime scene of …Read More
Banned on video between 1984 and 2011, Island of Death has gained a reputation as being one of the most shocking and violent films ever made. Filled with rape, incest, murder and bestiality, the film is certainly a transgressive one, even though the point of some of these scenes is often questionable. Nico Mastorakis, the …Read More
Synopsis: A government sponsored group of ‘surveyors’ travel to Skull Island to investigate bizarre eco-system readings. Once there, they awaken, and are forced into battle with, an army of aggravated monsters and the giant, mythical ape that rules them. The timeless King Kong concept continues to fire both film-makers’ and cinema goers’ imaginations eighty years …Read More
Synopsis: In this follow-up to 2014’s Ouija, a woman and her two children face a terrifying evil when they start to use a Ouija board during their scam séances. 2014’s Ouija is a perfectly watchable horror film, but it lacked a punch that would render it memorable. It was your classic “teens get terrorised by …Read More
Michael Aguiar’s thriller After Hours is a short film currently doing the rounds on the festival circuit. Telling the story of Detective Harris, a policeman called to the scene of a murder under mysterious circumstances, After Hours injects strong moments of horror into what can only be described as a condensed episode of Criminal Minds. …Read More
