Hellbender

 

With streaming platforms like Shudder dedicated to a particular genre, horror films have become a sort after commodity. Whether it’s the Hollywood franchises keeping the genre in the mainstream eye or the indies creating buzz and excitement, there is plenty of room for more variety of films and even delving deeper into sub-genre stories. But with variety comes the more diluted films, the low budget movies that slip through the cracks. Some might consider this to be a good thing, more filmmakers out there given opportunities to create new films, more horror fans. However not all will enjoy the homemade style of Hellbender.

Full review over at Filmhounds HERE.

Edinburgh International Film Festival - Martyrs Lane

 

Ghosts are real. At least that that is what we have to accept in Martyrs Lane. As the apparitions we witness are no actually named as ghosts. It is clear from the start that something haunts this family at the centre of the story but never setting in stone that this is a supernatural focused story. Never getting the whole picture with explanations to certain actions, no matter how small, coming a lot later in the film. 

 

Full review and coverage over at Filmhounds HERE.

The Banishing

 

Haunting occultist period dramas have a way of grabbing you by the throat and not letting go until the heart stopping end. I’m thinking of such British horror from more recent years such as Apostle and His House. The British are known for their Hammer horrors and low-grade indie horror films, when it comes to this very specific genre. Although over the years, British horror films are creeping out of the woodwork and the genre is becoming a staple on streaming services. Successes like Saint Maud, getting a cinema release and recognition is a stand out, but the smaller films are getting a chance too, thanks to Shudder and Netflix.

 

A short time after a gruesome death and suspicious activity at Morely Rectory, a new vicar, his wife and their adopted daughter move into the village. Almost immediately Marianne, the young wife feels a presence in the house, as does their daughter Adelaide who was Marianne’s deceased sister’s daughter. Linus, placed in the village by the Bishop instead of being sent to a missionary abroad, is beholden to the Bishop and tries to appease him, especially as he does not approve of Marianne. Further hauntings continue, making the mother and daughter seem like they are going mad. But when Marianne meets the mysterious Harry Reed, he informs her of all the missing pieces of the house’s history and what the intentions of the Bishops really are.

 

There are moments of ominous terror which are always welcome in these types of stories. Not giving away everything straight away creates an intriguing mystery. But the added Nazi threats in the background, make the film feel overcrowded. Is this a conspiracy or is this occult or is this both? It just makes it very confusing and at time difficult to stay focused. The wanton woman trope is also over used and seems a bit pointless. Linus doesn’t want to have sex with his wife but also is jealous at the thought of her seeking pleasure elsewhere. This aspect of the story also doesn’t feel resolved by the end and focuses more on the disappearance of Adelaide which should have been key all along.

 

The Banishing, although not strong in story or character, it does create an unnerving atmosphere, with acting talent trying their best to make this film more than what was given to them to work with. This is more like a starting point to a story, rather than the main event. With fine tuning of the script and a few more ominous notes rather than hitting all the usual genre beats, The Banishing could have been one the stand out horror films of the year.

 

Watch List: April

 

Undine

Full review is over at Filmhounds and can be read HERE. 3/5

 

Slaxx

Full review can be read HERE. 3/5

 

Willy's Wonderland 

 

A film where Nicholas Cage doesn’t utter a single word and fight a load of animatronic robots who have been possessed by the souls of serial killers? Well of course I am going to watch it, even if the murderous robots are terrifying. I don’t understand why children’s places like Willy Wonderland exist as I think they are far too scary for children, and me. But I’ve been told that these are all over the US, they are aren’t a ‘thing’ in the UK, thankfully. The story premise is basic and beautiful. Cage is stranger driving through town and his car breaks down and he’s offered to work of the cost to fix the car in an abandoned theme restaurant. At the same time, a group of stereotype teenagers are planning on burning down the restaurant to get rid of the evil souls within. These two stories collide while chaos rages on throughout the night as each robot attacks and Cage fights back. It’s ridiculous and I loved it. Every single horror trope is hit on the head while also offering something I haven’t seen before. I’ve also been told this is the same premise to a video game but as that isn’t my area of expertise, I’m happy to say I enjoyed the originality in parts of the film. 4/5

Effie Gray 

Full review is over at Filmhounds and can be read HERE. 2/5

 

Into the Labyrinth

Full review is over at Filmhounds and can be read HERE.3/5

 

High Heels and Low Lifes

 

The early 2000s, hanging off the end of the 90s were a mix bag of questionable CGI, mash ups and hybrid productions that were very hit and miss, of course with some great films too, but so does every era. British films went through a trend of including a token American to try and seem like they could sell the film to the US and that was the only way to do it. High Heels and Low Lifes was just such one of these films. Weird comedy crime caper where two friends, Minnie Driver, slightly uptight nurse and Mary McCormack, down on her luck actress, decide to outwit gangsters when they over hear a robbery taking place. The premise is ridiculous but the film was actually enjoyable. Driver and McCormack make a pretty damn good duo and if you can overlook a lot of the plot, its entertaining and not bad for when it was made. 3/5

 

 

Things Seen and Heard

 

First off, the title is very dull. Secondly, I wish I had read the book. The film has that feel to it as if it were adapted and there’s no escaping it, mostly due to the feeling that not everything is being explained here and how George goes from passably average guy to absolute bastard, with no hint in previous years, seems odd. Like horror thrillers before it, there is a continuous ominous feeling that things are not right from the opening scene and this neck tingling unsettlingly feeling never leaves. Some of the themes are also not explored fully which is disappointing, including spirituality, ghosts and the previous owners of the house. There just isn’t enough of the background context to flesh out the film so we’re left with uncomfortable shots of James Norton’s face looking pained, all the time. 2/5

Crisis

 

Full review is over at Filmhounds and can be read HERE. 3/5

 

Slaxx

 

Anytime someone says there’s an inanimate object that comes to life and creates chaos and goes on a murdering rampage is usually a ‘must see’. These sort of films, as there are more than you’d like are usually accompanied by a vague story or a group of characters that are equally as weird as the premise of the story, aside from all of this, you are meant to be guaranteed something entertaining and hopefully funny. However, Slaxx, decides to do something completely different but doesn’t quite pull it off.

 

New employee Libby is excited to be part of this trendy clothing brand, a clothing company that claims to make everything in an ethical way and is fair trade. On the eve of a huge launch of a new line of jeans that adapt to any body type, things don’t quite go according to plan. A pair of jeans comes to life and begins to pick off employees one by one, but there is something more sinister going on behind closed doors in terms of how ethical the company actually is. 

 

Inanimate objects coming to life or being possessed in this case screams horror or comedy or both and to be fair the first act of the film, there is plenty to enjoy. An uptight manager who refers to areas of the store as ecosystems, a surely long-time employee who you just know will be the key to things later on, upbeat naïve character who is our guide into this story and dodgy idealistic company and the mean girls who don’t last long in the story, it’s all there. There are plenty of digs at companies who claim to pay above living wage, no sweat shops and all ethically resourced blah blah blah but really, they’re lying about how they conduct business. There is also space to make fun of influencers and how these big companies reward them with free swag, just for the likes and views. Most importantly the character of Libby, who is the wide-eyed girl starting a job at her dream company because of what it stands for and how great it is for the environment, is played off as the biggest stereotype and it works perfectly. The film is filled with stereotypical characters and genre cliches that are amusing and disgusting at the same time but the film tries to subvert these horror trends but trying to be, serious.

 

The jeans are undoubtedly the star of the film and are given ample screen time and even character development (at a push). They are lethal and supernatural, as they are actually possessed rather than come to life. The jeans are given a backstory at which we are given an insight and the predictable reveal that this ‘cool’ clothing company is not as ethical as it pretends to be. This is where the film loses its edge and heads down the ‘too serious for this genre’ path. Trying to become a warning about what could happen if we as consumers continue our terrible ways, the film also tries to use Libby as a beacon of hope. But she is quickly called out, thankfully, for her real reason for the joining the store, discount on the clothes. Essentially, no one comes off as particularly amazing, not even the jeans who are in fact wreaking revenge for what happened to them. With a bleak ending, to match its bleak third act, the silly fun of the slasher jeans film is long gone. If the film has started as a serious film, this would have been very different.

 

 

Lucky

 

After self-help book author May and her husband Ted are attacked at night by a mysterious man in a mask, she is left in shock by the attack but Ted just shrugs the incident off mentioning it happens every night. But when the masked man returns, even after May has killed him multiple times, she tries to figure out why this keeps happening. Things take another turn when Ted goes missing and other women in her life share the same scares as her.

Full review is over at Filmhounds HERE. 

Anything For Jackson

With hints of Rosemary’s Baby mixed into this gory tale of grief and obsession, Justin G. Dyck’s Anything For Jackson really does get under your skin and stays there even after the bone chilling end.

 

Mourning the tragic death of their grandson, Satanic couple Audrey and Henry, kidnap a pregnant woman in order to use her baby to bring their grandson back. Using an ancient book and reciting a ritual they don’t quite understand, they invite more than Jackson’s spirit into their home.

 

Having made quite an impression at the latter end of last year, Anything for Jackson is something of an oddity as well as any horror film aficionado’s dream. Packing into the film several terrifying moments, twists and turns, the sweetest Satan worshiping couple you’ll ever see and of the most architectural marvels of a house. As the bare bones of the plot is easy to add on to Dyck is able to add more into scenes and the main characters. Beginning with a calm and distressing hoping, which is given context through a flashback later on in the film, the story unfolds in a peculiar way, creating tension and curiosity. This is thanks mostly to our protagonists, Audrey and Henry. They are in a Satanic cult but are also a friendly doctor and devoted grandmother. They are the least suspecting couple to kidnap and perform dangerous and evil filled rituals on, but grief does take us to dark and desperate places. Despite the heinous acts Audrey and Henry commit, they remain themselves, never over dramatic, never cruel. Treating their captive with as much dignity as they can without letting her get away. The bumbling behaviour of people their age is also brilliantly observed and manages to stay authentic amongst the ghosts and Satanic church gatherings. 

 

Strangely enough, director Justin G. Dyck’s background has been in making cheerful, frothy ‘holiday’ films, but they have prepared him for his transition to the dark depths of horror, keeping the family element alive here. With familiar genre tropes used, the injections of dark comedy seep through the crack and a make a clever relief from the gore and blood we’re inflicted with. The best moments and scenes in the film belong to Shelia McCarthy and Julian Richings as the central couple. Their chemistry and charm are what makes this horror an utter delight to watch which you can’t say for any other film in this genre out there. The surprises thrown out throughout the film, including the bloody end, are ones we’ll hopefully see in more ‘traditional’ horror films, just to keep things fresh.