Joseph reviews two features from Australia’s A Night of Horror International Film Festival: German horror satire “Struwwelerror” and Australian folk horror “The Unlit” (AKA “Witches of Blackwood”).
Archive for ‘Reviews’
Joseph’s Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Reviews: After Blue and Ego
Joseph reviews two Brooklyn Horror Film Festival features: French science fiction fantasy/weirdo western mashup “After Blue” and Spanish doppelganger thriller “Ego.”
Eric’s Review: Halloween Kills (2021)
★★ out of ★★★★★
Halloween Kills harkens back to the old traditions of the Halloween sequels. And that’s not a good thing. The movie delivers expert gore effects and the cruel hyperviolence is superbly done. Old-school slasher fans will likely be quite pleased. But, for those who have grown accustomed to smart protagonists and the nuanced scripts of modern horror, you will be disappointed. This movie is simply an exhausting bloody trudge, setting up the next and nominally final chapter to this trilogy.
Mike’s Review: Halloween Kills (2021)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
As demonic crooner Ronnie James Dio once famously opined “when you listen to fools, the mob rules.” Maybe this prescient piece of advice was being plied to the January 6 insurrection, maybe it was being plied to Halloween Kills, but just maybe Dio’s magical ways were sorting out many future truths.
Liz’s Review: Squid Game (2021)
★★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Being picked last on the playground may be an advantage when you’re playing the Squid Game.
Eric’s Review: Cosmic Dawn (2021) – Nightstream
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
UFO abductees and true believers gather together in a secretive communal cult, hoping to reconnect with their alien encounter. Cosmic Dawn is more about the cult and its actions than the actual alien encounters, and threads enough menace and strangeness to keep you conflicted about whether
Mike’s Review: Boarding House (Nightstream Festival, 1982)
★ out of ★★★★★
or
★★★★★ out of ★★★★★
A five star film that’s also simultaneously a one star film? A film that occupies an incredibly rare space. It’s loved. It’s hated. It’s revered. It’s reviled. A film that’s poorly shot, conceived, and acted, but its legendarily awful veneer gives way to a blood soaked interior that’s impossible not to LOVE.
Eric’s Review: Black Goat Episode 1 – The 6000 Steps (2021) (HPLFF)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Destroy all Media has once again teamed up with The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, and are in the process of developing a television series, Black Goat, for which they debuted the pilot at the H.P Lovecraft Film Festival. The Pilot episode drips with cultish dread and portends apocalyptic omens. The cosmic horror universe is ripe for development, and it will be fascinating to see who picks up the series.
Robert’s Review: Chompy & The Girls (2021)
★★★ out of ★★★★★
An oddly touching movie about family, loneliness, depression, and a creepy man who can swallow people whole.
Joseph’s Fantastic Fest Reviews: Zalava and The Timekeepers of Eternity
Joseph reviews two excellent films from Fantastic Fest: Iranian supernatural chiller “Zalava” and the artistic “paper film” remix of Stephen King’s “The Langoliers” enitiled “The Timekeepers of Eternity.”
Joseph’s Review: The Secret of Sinchanee
★★★ out of ★★★★★
The Secret of Sinchanee boasts solid acting from its ensemble cast and an effectively eerie atmosphere, but tries to delve into what feels like too many ideas for one film.
Eric’s Review: The Whisperer in Darkness (2011) (H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
It is wholly appropriate that The Whisperer in the Darkness is an adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft story. As in Love + Craft. It is a lovingly and well-crafted period piece creation of Cosmic horror. Not only does the film take the look of the era when the story was written, but it also captures the film noir aesthetic in glorious shadowy black and white. If you like Cthulhu and cold walks in the rain, this is a movie for you!
Robert’s Review: The Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre (2021)
★★★ out of ★★★★★
Small-time, trailer park professional wrestling meets zombie grindhouse mayhem in director Max Martini’s sophomore outing.
Joseph’s Arrow Video FrightFest 2021 Reviews: Post Mortem; As in Heaven, So on Earth; and Nocturna: Side A — The Great Old Man’s Night
Joseph reviews three films from Arrow Video FrightFest: “Post Mortem,” “As in Heaven, So on Earth,” and “Nocturna: Side A – The Great Old Man’s Night.”
Joseph’s Fantastic Fest Reviews: The Execution and Homebound
Joseph reviews two excellent films from Fantastic Fest: The Russian serial killer feature “The Execution” and U.K. horror mystery “Homebound.”
Eric’s Review: Superdeep (2021)
★★ out of ★★★★★
The fungal body horror Russian showcase Superdeep has the trappings of a better movie, but completely undercuts its fabulous practical effects and makeup work with characters who seem to be willfully stupid in their actions.
Joseph’s Reviews: SLASH Film Festival Horror Shorts: “The Inheritance,” “Lucid,” and “The Last Queen on Earth”
Along with the terrific feature-film lineup from Vienna’s SLASH Film Festival, plenty of short-form fright fare is on tap, too. Here are capsule reviews of just a few of the short films on offer.
Eric’s Review: Malignant (2021)
★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Malignant is the sloppy drunk Auntie of horror movies. It meanders along confusingly for the first two thirds of the movie, and then goes preposterously entertaining for a brief spell, and then closes with a logic defying conclusion. It is a hot mess of a movie but it has some redemptive high points.
Joseph’s Arrow Video FrightFest 2021 Reviews: The Parker Sessions, Killer Concept, and Mystery Spot
Joseph reviews three films from London’s Arrow Video FrightFest: psychochiller “The Parker Sessions,” comedy “Killer Concept,” and the enigmatic “Mystery Spot.”
Joseph’s Japan Cuts Review: Wonderful Paradise
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
If you are looking for something outrageously different, you need look no further than this mind-boggling slice of surreal Japanese comedy.
The Scariest Things Review: Candyman (2021)
★★★★1/2 and ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
A powerful sequel of a beloved classic slasher movie that establishes that this franchise is perhaps the headiest and most nuanced of all the slasher movies. Director Nia DaCosta shows real visionary talent, and with co-writer Jordan Peele, adds updated depth and texture to an already fascinating urban legend.
Eric’s Review: Blood Conscious (Popcorn Frights 2021)
★★ out of ★★★★★
Blood Conscious is a movie whose ambitions exceed the execution of the film. This cabin-in-the-woods thriller treads familiar territory and sets up some recognizable trope concepts but never really pays them off.
Joseph’s Review: On the 3rd Day (Fantasia 2021)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Macabre, mysterious, imaginative, and a delight to watch unfold, this Argentinian chiller is must-see viewing for fans of horror cinema.
Joseph’s Review: Night at the Eagle Inn (Popcorn Frights)
★★★ out of ★★★★★
This frenetic independent chiller is a fun entry in the hotel-horror subgenre.
Eric’s Review: The Night House (2021)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
The Night House is a serious, heavy, and somber film full of mystery and dread. Rebecca Hall turns in a powerhouse performance of a woman trying to overcome her grief and understand why her husband killed himself at their idyllic lakeside house. As she uncovers the horrible truth, the secrets unleash a wrathful spirit who wants to claim her as well.
Robert’s Review: Spontaneous (2020)
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
The directorial debut of super-scribe Brian Duffield is a splatterific horror-adjacent rom/com that brings the feels along with exploding teens.
Joseph’s Review: Hellbender (Fantasia 2021)
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
A true family effort, Hellbender sees a mother and daughter at odds when the youngster discovers a secret that her mother kept from her and the power that it involves.
Eric’s Review: Val (2021 Popcorn Frights)
★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Come for the promise of a devilishly sexy good time. Stay for some fantastic character arcs and hugely expressive acting performances. Val, which had its world premiere at Popcorn Frights is colorful, saucy, and snappy, with an undercurrent of something dark and ominous just underneath the surface.
Liz’s Review: It Came From Below (Popcorn Frights 2021)
★★ out of ★★★★★
Lace up your hiking boots and grab your headlamp for a journey underground in It Came From Below.
Mike’s Review: The Last Matinee (Popcorn Frights 2021)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
The Last Matinee is a loving homage to film. More to the point it’s a loving homage and exploitation of Argento, Fulchi, grindhouse cinema, slashers, grimy movie theaters, and quite possibly the great Lamberto Bava film Demons. Don’t be fooled though. While The Last Matinee pulls from many of the classics, it’s got its own unique style and flavor, and it’s cram-packed with EYEBALLS.