No Rest For The Wicked - Fantasia International Film Festival

 

courtesy of Fantasia IFF

Set in the 19th Century on the Faroe Islands, fisherman Baldur lives with his widowed mother amongst their small god fearing community. When Danish sailor Helge ends up on the islands, the two men share more than an attraction for one another. But when tragedy strikes, a darker side to their passion takes hold, one of blood, death and possession.

Full review over at Filmhounds. 

Corpus - Fantasia International Film Festival

Courtesy of Yellow Veil

 

Photographer and drug dealer Sayo is invited to a ‘party’ upstate by his longtime crush and friend Vince, a star on the rise. Whisked away from the busy haze of the city, the boys along with another friend Ross find that the party isn’t exactly what they had in mind. Hosted by three mysterious women who slowly reveal their disturbing agenda, drawing the boys in until its too late for any escape.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Broken Beak - Raindance

Courtesy of Raindance

Folktales are prime subjects for horror films across the globe. Every country has stories from the past that could be used to paint an image of the present. Myths and monsters are perfect to scare and set an uneasy atmosphere, even more so if these creatures take hold of someone in reality. Broken Beak easily sets the stage for something bizarre and deeply disturbing. Though the cinematography in most places is visually compelling, and the central performance from Briar Rose is commendable, Broken Beak isn’t quite the folktale inspired horror film you expect it to be.

Full review over at Filmhounds

Obsession

 

Courtesy of Focus Features
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Human behaviour is always a fantastic place to mine for the next horror story. Mix in a traditional horror element, add some paranoia, finally, some mystery and you have the makings of the next big horror film. Most likely made for a fraction of the cost a studio would spend. But Obsession could very easily have slid into obscurity if it hadn't been for a well executed idea, great performances and the fact that filmmaker Curry Barker had already gained a following on Youtube. The latter element is all everyone is talking about, that and Backrooms and how both films and the creators are challenging the status quo etc. True, both filmmakers cut their craft on Youtube and gained a following, an audience, but the main take away here is that both are seemingly original ideas. While Backrooms explores liminal space, Obsession is a combo of stories we’ve heard before.

Baron, Bear to his friends, has an overwhelming crush on his friend and co-worker Nikki. When he becomes too scared to admit his feelings to her, he decides to make a wish on what he thinks is a novelty toy, a ‘One Wish Willow’. Making the wish that she would love him more than anyone else in the world, with immediate results and the worst possible consequences.

The premise of Obsession is solid, with characters that are not quite fully developed, but we get a good understanding who these people are from context; clothes, attitude, and slight background info. More importantly, we know Bear is very keen on Nikki but even by the little time we spend with her, she doesn't exactly feel the same way about him. What unfolds is a haunting, possession and lack of morals. Bear knows something is immediately wrong and yet his own desperate need to be with Nikki overpowers the need to understand or even fix the issues. Only when Nikki starts to act completely unhinged does he question his safety as well as others around him. Though Nikki is the one who acts obsessed with Bear to the point where no one is safe, it is really Bear’s own obsession with Nikki that leads him down this path. But, he can’t be blamed for not believing the wish willow was real, at first. Bear’s obsession is why this story feels familiar.

We’ve seen stories about stalkers and relationships gone terribly wrong. We’ve also seen plenty of possession stories, which this is in the realm of. Nikki has indeed been possessed by something, we don’t know exactly what. Bear does try to find out more about the wish willow and who made them but all we seem to get is one disturbing phone call that doesn’t really shed any light on anything. This mystery is placed at a perfect time in the story, and it may be frustrating to have no answers, it works far better that we don’t find out more. The wish willow is also a monkey’s paw, an omen that screams be careful what you wish for. This horror trope we have seen in films many times as well, just look at all the Wishmaster films. It doesn’t matter what you wish for, it won’t turn out like you hoped and there is always going to be a sinister twist. Despite the familiar stories that are blended together, 

Obsession still manages to provide unique scares and really does burrow under your skin. Its an intriguing horror story that isn’t so easily explained and ends on a very bloody uneasy note. Just hope that studios don’t try to replicate, as that would not look good.

Pearl

 

Some may say that Pearl is the most beloved, if that word can even be used, film in Ti West’s trilogy. The villain from X has own story to tell and it is as dark as her soul. Thankfully we can now enjoy it in 4K. Second Sight’s releases of Pearl (and MaXXXine) are fantastic as always. Complete with extras on disc, art cards, booklet with various essays all presented in rigid case with brand new artwork and the film itself on 4K. Whether you’re a die-hard fan for the film or new to Pearl’s bloody beginnings, this is a release that worth having on your shelf.

Waiting for her husband to return from war, Pearl dreams of becoming a star, dancing on stage or in movies. But as her dreams are stifled by her overbearing mother, her sick father and her duties on the family farm, Pearl’s inner thoughts and desires start to break through with violent and bloody consequences.

Full review over at Filmhounds. 

Exit 8 - BFI London Film Festival

 

Big and small screen adaptations of video games have been improving over the years, we’re certainly a long way from Doom (2005). Exit 8 came out in 2023, it itself inspired by the Finnish game, I’m On Observation Duty, the game explored liminal spaces and the surreal atmosphere that these spaces offer, a perfect setting for a potentially unhinged game. Exit 8, the film directed by Genki Kawamura, explores this idea while using a very human character to bring us into this space.

A man (Kazunari Ninomiya), on his way to a temp job, becomes lost in an endless subway passage. In order to find his way to Exit 8, he must pass levels by finding anomalies.  If he finds an anomaly, he must turn back, but if there isn’t one, he must continue forward. Fail to notice an anomaly or make a mistake and you have to start all over again.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Hellcat - FrightFest 2025

 

Fresh off its’ World Premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival, Hellcat stalks its’ way to FrightFest for its’ UK Premiere and there could not be a better home for it. Directed by Brock Bodell and starring Dakota Gorman as Lena, Hellcat’s near entire film takes place in a camper van. As she wakes up with no memory of how she found herself in this situation, with a painful wound on her arm and only a voice coming from the taxidermized wolf head on the wall telling her she needs a doctor to stop a unimaginable fate. Lena must piece together what happened and whether she can trust this voice who claims to be ‘a good man, a hunter’.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Saint Clare

 

Religion and horror go together like bread and butter. Add in a devout protagonist who believes all the murders she commits is an act of god and you’re looking at a somewhat enticing premise. Though Bella Thorne made her name from playing mean girls and evil ditzy types, here, she is Clare. She believes in god, attends church, sings in the choir but also struggles with her compulsives need to kills people. Having done the festival circuit in 2024, Saint Clare is finally making her way to our small screens. Unfortunately, this is not quite the film that was herald.

College student Clare appears normal on the surface but tries hard to hide sociopathic tendencies. When girls start disappearing from her small town, with little concern from the police, Clare takes the investigation into her own hands when one of her friends goes missing.

Full review on Filmhounds. 

The Institute - SXSW London

 

As the most adapted author, it is no surprise that there is another adaptation of one of Stephen King’s books making its way to our screens. With The Life of Chuck dancing its way onto the big screens later this year, as well as being the closing film for SXSW London, it makes complete sense that The Institute, a series based on the novel also made its debut at the same festival. With the blessing from King himself, enough to have him on as an Executive Producer, the show already shows promise without delving into this science fiction horror story.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Presence

 

A family of four moves into a large suburban house which seems to be occupied by a ghost, a presence. This presence observes the family as they move in, their day to day and notes the cracks appearing within the family’s relationships. Rebecca, the mother, openly favours Tyler, the son, a swimming champion. She rarely has time or patience for Chloe, the daughter who is grieving the sudden death of her friend. Chris, the father tries to make up for this neglect, trying to help Chloe but he is also having issues with Rebecca, who has equally little patience for him.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

The Damned

 

Eva, a young widow who has inherited a Winter fishing port in an Artic Bay, along with the fishermen struggle with a lean catch. One day as they are about to take out the boat, they all witness a shipwreck at the mouth of the bay. Unable to even feed themselves they decide not to offer aid. In the days that follow the crew end up with a larger than expected catch only for all the food to disappear the next day. Superstitions run high throughout the group as they start to believe they are being attacked by a draugr, a vengeful spirit. As well surviving the harsh Winter, the group try to stay vigilant of each other as well as whatever ghostly spirit haunts them.

Full review over at Filmhounds. 

Your Monster

 

When soft spoken actress Laura (Melissa Barrera) goes back home to recover from surgery and a Cancer diagnosis and a devasting breakup, she discovers something quite terrifying and unexpected. An intimidating, yet strangely charming Monster (Tommy Dewey) has been living in her closet. At first there is resentment for having to share the space, but this unusual set up soon grows into something more. 

Barrera and Dewey as Laura and Monster have effortless and incredibly charming chemistry, its entertaining whether they’re smashing plates, reciting Shakespeare or inciting violent acts. Your Monster perfectly encapsulates how to weave together two opposing genres. Following the beats of a typical rom-com and weaving in horror elements to even compliment the story and the characters is sheer delight. Whether you want to accept the ‘true’ nature of Monster or want to be suspended in disbelief when it comes to the fantastically dramatic and beautifully sung finale. Your Monster is an oddball of a film, complete with familiar but unique characters, its something new and unexpected, plus you’ll think twice before looking under your bed.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

The Balconettes - London Film Festival

 

Mixing genres in film is always an exciting approach, especially if the subject is darker and needs a fresh take. Director and co-writer Noémie Merlant said that she had originally set out to write a love story but ended up with The Balconettes. Though, she also pointed out, there is a love story within the film, one of female friendship. At its core, the film broaches a darker subject, but in order not to sink the characters into despair, comedy with a bit of supernatural weirdness balances the story and ultimately creates that fresh take that is needed. 

During a heatwave, three friends in living in Marseille find themselves cooped up in their apartment. Across the way, they observe a mysterious handsome man. Through a few dramatic and comedic errors, the three of them find themselves in the man’s apartment for drinks. But later that night, one of the friends returns home covered in blood and the three women find themselves living out a nightmare.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

The Substance

 

There is so much to absolutely love and admire about The Substance, as well get frustrated over and grumble about. The general consensus with the film seems to be that is it gloriously bloody, disgusting for sure yet the narrative is questionable. But the praise for the performances for both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley is consistent, they are superb. Having won the Best Screenplay at Cannes 2024 and the intriguing teaser making the rounds, there was a buzz around the film and expectation on how this body horror would shape up. 

When Elizabeth Sparkle, award winning actress and decades long host of an aerobics show, is fired on her 50th birthday, she makes a drastic desperate decision. She is offered a black-market drug, the Substance, which produces a younger, more attractive version of herself, thus giving her another shot at holding the spotlight. But after her alternative self takes advantage of the strict rules, resulting in devastating non changeable effects to her original body, things go from bad to monstrous. 

Going by director Coralie Fargeat’s first feature, Revenge, you are right to expect enough blood spilt that the entire set will be painted red. Where Revenge was literally what it said on the poster, The Substance is more up for debate and there are far more questions to be answered throughout the film, as well as not all of them being answered. This strange bizarre satirical body horror (with some science fiction thrown in) boasts a fascinating concept but with a 2-hour 20-minute run time, there is far too much indulgence gore and crotch shots with less focus on the narrative. 

Shooting from disorientating angles, making use of the long corridor at the studio and the choice of close ups to really express the most disgusting moments, made for an intriguing film. All coupled with the concept of the drug and the complicated rules. A stand out scene in the film is most avidly the birthing of Sue, Elizabeth’s younger version. The ripping of skin and extracting of fluids, the film became a visceral treat for the eyes even before any large amounts of blood was spilled. With a large focus on the characters’ bodies, their stark pale skin against the white titled floors was especially pleasing, design wise, to view on screen. As the film progresses though, so does the body gore, particularly the end section. But all this blood and disturbing images hold a purpose, the themes at the heart of the film, image and beauty. Though Elizabeth Sparkle is still beautiful, her image is outdated and considered too old to even be considered for a revamp of the show. Enter Sue, young, beautiful, wears that pink one piece with ease and is able to pelvic thrust throughout the show without batting an eye. Though we get to see, quite obviously its about beauty standards and how women are treated but at the core of the film is Elizabeth and how she views herself. At one point, after the effects of the drug have take its toll on her, she stops referring to Sue as someone else as she has throughout the story. She finally admits out loud that she hates herself, which may explain her finally grotesque form. There could have been a deeper dive into her psyche but there is only a strange acceptance of herself, eventually, but one that is met with a reaction you see coming a mile off. 

Both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley do give fantastic performances, the former especially during her French cooking phase in the film. Fargeat’s idea is in danger of being better than the execution, but there is more merit the film than there is to be disgusted by.

Orca

 

Strangely enough, Orca actually had some minor success at the box office, but was critically panned as it was deemed too similar to the blockbuster hit, Jaws released two years earlier. Orca is a straight forward cash in. If shark attacks are bringing in an audience, then the, presumably lesser-known orca will bring them in too. Sadly, for the killer whale, it would experience a very different life on screen as seen in Free Willy and such documentaries as Black Fish. Orca has an exciting story and holds the promise of being entertaining at the least, but the comparison with Jaws is woefully exaggerated. The only element thar connects the two films, is that there is a sea creature out for the kill.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Longlegs

 
Being lauded at the scariest film of the decade, there is no doubt that Longlegs has been one of the most anticipated horror films of the year. Combining the morbid fascination with true crime-esque, serial killer cases, occult based horror and morbid curiosity. The film grips you tight, dragging you into the mystery and ominous dread. Boasting one of the most terrifying transformations from Nicolas Cage in recent years and another great turn from scream queen of the moment, Maika Monroe. 

FBI Agent Lee Harker, after showing an aptitude finding criminals, is brought in on a decades long case. A serial killer, targeting families, calling themselves, Longlegs, has left stranger coded letters at the scene of the crime for the last 30 years. Even more strange is that Harker herself has a connection to the case than she has kept buried in her mind since she was a child. 

Without delving too deep into the lore in the film, the occult hints and references to ‘the man downstairs’ taking on more than one meaning, Longlegs’ horror is fascinating as well as painstaking to watch. The hunt for a serial killer and unearthing the crimes committed are devasting to behold, but once the abhorrent truth is revealed, it does feel somewhat anti-climatic at first. With further truths uncovered and the real connection between the killer and Harker coming to light, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place with some foreshadowing storytelling coming full circle as well. 

Whenever Nicolas Cage appears in a film where he is either playing a beyond unusual character or the story is bizarre, it always grabs peoples’ attention. His role of Longlegs is disturbing to the point where you spend half the time desperately looking away yet his voice even cuts deep in a uncomfortable high pitched wail. Maika Monroe didn’t even know what Cage would look like so all her reactions to his presence are genuine fear. This layer of realism is just one part of what makes this film the most talked about. The continuous uncomfortable feeling is what keeps the curiosity and terror alive in the audience. Monroe as Harker relays how the audience feels throughout, curious, determined to find out the truth and continuously disturbed at every turn of the case. 

Although Longlegs does rely heavily on the jump scares the create a sense of discernability, it is the overly long ominous shots and scenes that create the feeling of dread. Director Osgood Perkins has been able to deliver a film that will stay with you when you least want it to. The horror mixture may be subjects tackled separately in previous films, but including the crime procedural with a traditional occult story helps ground the film, slightly, to something more real. Though there are supernatural elements at play, the lead up feels all too real. A devilishly clever way to have those images linger in your mind.

Immaculate

 

Religion and horror go hand in hand, for obvious reasons, with the most popular being Catholicism. Fire and brimstone, hell and the devil, there’s too much temptation to take this religion to it’s darker corners. Immaculate is Sydney Sweeney’s passion project, having been attached to the film for years and eventually ended up being one of the producers as well as starring. This does seem, on the surface, an unlikely role for her to take on. But as soon as Cecilia arrives on screen, as the sweet and somewhat naïve novice nun, it becomes very clear that this is exactly the role Sweeney should be playing. 

No sooner as Cecilia arrives at the impressive convent buried in the Italian countryside, there is an ominous atmosphere that all is not what it seems. Anyone well versed with horror films that focus on religion will recognise the story beats and settle in nicely for the bizarre events ahead. Immaculate hams up the horror to the max, with jump scares every five minutes it feels, mixed in with some disturbing dream sequences that may be real after all. But as every character Cecilia interacts with feels like an omen or doomed ally, this sense of dread is constant leaving very little mystery. 

For those who enjoy an ominous horror and the company of nuns easily manipulated by a priest (as they always seem to be) will enjoy this blood-filled holy fest. Sweeney herself is actually pretty good throughout but her shining moment is at the climax of the film, caked in blood, having a very cathartic primal scream. However, all, the film is entertaining but it doesn’t rise above others made of the same ilk. The mystery is thin and the premise intriguing but nothing that shocking when you realise what’s going on in the catacombs. The fact that this film was stuck in development for a years does show, but luckily Sweeney sticks with it to give the film that shining moment.

A Haunting in Venice

 

Murder mysteries will never die. There will always be another gruesome death, a new case, a new set of suspects, and of course a detective to solve the crime. Although A Haunting in Venice is very, very loosely based on Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party, basically only using some character names and the extremely bare bones of some of the plot, it makes for an exciting new prospect. With such a loose adaption, you have no idea what to expect, making this a fresh take on Christie’s classic. 

Its 1947 and Hercule Poirot has retired to Venice but his solitude is interrupted by the arrival of an old friend, crime writer Ariadne Oliver. She persuades him to join her at a séance to help her debunk the medium, Joyce Reynolds. But when it is revealed that someone in the house was previously murdered, followed by another supernaturally charged murder, Poirot is forced to take the case and find out if ghosts really do exist.

Full review over at Filmhounds HERE.

Blackout - Fantasia Film Festival

 

We’re no strangers to the supernatural in film and we have all definitely been exposed to a typical creature feature. Trying to find a fresh new angle on a subject that has been made countless times before is a difficult task but writer, director and producer Larry Fessenden has possibly found a way to do so by way of a character study and dark self-discovery in Blackout.

Full review over at Filmhounds HERE

Talk to Me - Sundance London

 

There are simple rules you need to follow to ensnare an audience into your horror film. Start with a shock to entice them in, introduce an item that invites the horror in and give as little information about it as possible and finally, forget the jump scares, you will win your audience with prolonged terrifying moments instead. Directors Danny and Michael Philippou have followed these rules and have created something truly spine chilling with some images that stick in your mind long after the end credits roll.

Full review over at Filmhounds HERE.