Random Horror

While my love for horror films may have wavered over the last few years... Hence my recent Hiatus... I have re-found that love and I suppose it all comes down to finding my happy in this world.. Something which gives me the strength and want to do anything and everything I've always wanted to. Well enough of the soppy shit.  Last year a film was released which garnered the kind of public interest usually reserved for huge scale, large budgeted superhero movies... IT. Who doesn't enjoy a good scare at the cinema every now and then. So off I went with my happy to the movie theatre to watch a scary film. The room was very near full. To say that after the film had already been out a week, in our small corner of the world is a huge coup for the local cinema and the coffers it laps up! Anyway, on to the film! We follow Bill, Richie, Beverly, Ben, Mike, Eddie & Stan, a group of young kids dubbed the losers club. The group must band together to battle the wo...

The Boy starts off as seemingly innocent as possible. A young American girl (Greta) is about to start a new job as a nanny in jolly old England. What she doesn’t know is the young boy she is due to care for is actually a life sized doll! Yep, you heard me. A scary ass life sized pot doll complete with scary eyes, perfect hair and a wardrobe to rival the best of us! The story unfolds that the parents, Mr & Mrs Heelshire, did have a living, breathing son who died over 20 years ago and as a coping mechanism, they got attached to a life sized doll in the young departed boys’ stead. The Heelshire’s live, as I said in England, in an amazingly sprawling country house. Their daily routines all revolve around caring for the doll child and catering to it’s/his every whim. Sound strange yet? It should, the Heelshire’s are an old couple now and Mr Heelshire makes his true feelings known to Greta in a quiet setting while emptying the rat traps by admitting that things had gotten ...

Where do I start with this film? I have never had an issue with subtitles, so when my girlfriend suggested a film she saw a trailer for on Netflix, the subtitles quirk did not put me off. A quick stop via YouTube to watch the trailer and I was definitely in the mood for this film! A teenage girl, Veronica, who seems to carry the weight of the world on her young shoulders is introduced to the audience as the mother figure. She not only has to contend with getting herself ready for school every morning but also her 3 young siblings who consist of twin girls Lucia and Irene and youngest, Antonito.  We quickly learn that this family has recently gone through some extremely difficult times as it is gleamed that their father has recently passed away and their mother has to work long hours to support the family. Veronica has obviously decided. Along with her best friend Rosa, that she wants to try and get some closure so with a ouija board in hand, she attempts to mak...

Well here I am again, out of retirement (again) but the opportunity to watch and review a film sent to me by the production company is always a no-brainer. Let me begin by saying this film is not classically HORROR but it's subject matter and the means of delivery firmly set it in the psychological thriller category so it's all good. DARK tells the story of a young former model (Kate) who is struggling with major personal issues. Left alone for the weekend after her girlfriend goes away, her internal hell rears it's ugly face in every possible way. Oh, and to top it all off, it all unfurls during the 2003 New York Black-out (I checked, it was a real thing!) Her descent into madness is beautifully captured as we follow Kate on a journey that takes her from random bars drinking with strangers to being a self-imposed prisoner in her own home. When I say follow, I really do mean follow! I counted very few seconds of screen time without Kate being prominent....

From the first time I watched a trailer via a friends Facebook share, I have been looking forward to seeing Wyrmwood. Even thought the trailer I saw was nothing more than a 30 second teaser, I could still see the potential and so when I spotted a copy in my local HMV, I quickly snapped it up with the intention of watching it immediately. The night came, the kids were asleep and the drinks were ready so in went the newly purchased Blu-ray disc and away we went. The film begins with a future event which perfectly sets the scene of what we are about to enjoy and enjoy is a very mediocre way of describing this film. I don't know about you but I think the Zombie genre has become very stale of late, left to stagnate and rot thanks greatly to the poor efforts of The Walking Dead. Hollywood has an uncanny knack of taking something which has, over a long period of time garnered an impressive following and admiration and turning it into something “for the masses” which ultimately push...

I picked this film up some time a go during one of my “customers also bought” Amazon spending sprees. As with most, it arrived and promptly founds itself placed neatly on my shelf to await such an opportunity to grace my TV screen. Having watched a trailer for a film called The Devils Pass, I went to add it to my wish-list and was happy to learn that I already own it only under a different name. So The Devils Pass or The Dyatlov Pass Incident which ever you want to call it, was set off and I settled down to enjoy. I had already gathered from the trailer that I was once again stepping into the world of the Found Footage variety. As someone who is possibly in a small group of people who love found footage genre no matter how it comes, I was looking forward to seeing what joy's this attempt would bring. We're given a very impressive back story and introduced to the main characters who we'll be getting to know over the next 100 minutes or so, immediately sucked in an...

I sometimes forget where I pick these films up, this one was either 1p on Amazon (Thanks Zoverstocks) or it was £1 in Poundland. Either way, its been in my collection for a while and I randomly selected it for viewing. I learned a long time ago that in no way should you ever judge how good a film may or may not be by the content of its cover. This is no exception. On first glance, a very professional looking cover with a picture that is vague enough to have you instantly intrigued. It even included a cardboard sleeve slip case for extra professionalism. Whichever way you look at it, I was impressed by the presentation. But, what about the important thing, the film itself??? We follow Brandon, You Tube “Star” with a whole 20 views and his friend Shay who is taking Brandon to her, stay with me on this, “hot boy friends” best friend, Michael's house! Still with me? Good! Upon arrival the pair are met by Lynette who is said “hot boyfriends” sister. “Hot boyfriend” will hence...

While out and about doing my weekly shop, I came across a DVD with the tell tale “After Dark Original” banner splashed across the top of the case. I'm something of a Blu-Ray snob these days, so much so that I have just started archiving all of my DVD's in cool little Disc selector while re-buying some of the better ones on BD but its not everyday I find an After Dark Original in my local Tesco store so I made an exception. In hindsight I could of ordered the Blu-Ray on Amazon but I needed something to watch that night so I just bought it. Now I haven't reviewed as many of the After Dark titles as perhaps I should have but I have about 12 in total. From memory, The Task and Husk are probably among the better ones with only The Scream of the Banshee being on the poor side, from the ones I've watched so far. I suppose most people would be saying. Oh no! Not another found footage film about a group of paranormal investigators in some cliché ridden abandoned house ...

As readers of mine may or may not be aware, I have an unrivalled hatred for the “classic” that is The Exorcist. In my humblest of opinions, the single worst “big” horror film ever spawned. That does not make me completely averse to the Possession sub-genre. In fact, The Devil Within proved to be very entertaining indeed but the less said about The Last Exorcism and its unholy sequel the better! I would probably put Eric Bana in the bracket of “bigger” Hollywood stars and it is nice to see some bigger names appearing in these types of films instead of using them as a stepping stone to something bigger. The film carries its own pedigree, Directed by Scott Derrickson whose previous film was the brilliant Sinister. Another bigger horror film starring an established Hollywood actor (Ethan Hawke) and his possession experience spans to the film prior to that, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which put a very enjoyable twist on the sub-genre. When you stand back and take a look, Deliver...

So, here it is. My first blog entry in nearly two years and I have decided to review one of the many films I watched last year which, in my humble opinion, was extremely underrated. I don't think the world has given enough love to the found footage sub-genre of Horror films. A sub-genre which I find highly enjoyable, as evidenced by some of my past posts, Skew, Grave Encounters and V/H/S to name but a few and of course, my number one horror film The Blair Witch Project. The love for this sub-genre, sadly died almost as quickly as it had emerged. From the seldom seen gems like said Witch project to a barrage of low budget, sub-standard and almost identical blunders, it could be easy to see why. As I said though, every now and then we find a film which not only reignites our love for a certain sub-genre but reminds us why we ever loved it at all! Alien Abduction follows the Morris family whose autistic son Riley, is capturing the families camping trip on film. Along w...