8 Reviews
A Dark and Scary Place
Starring: Aisling Franciosi.
Directed Robert Morgan
Acorn Media International
July 2024
Ella Blake (Aisling Franciosi) lives with her strict, overbearing and controlling elderly mother, who is a stop motion artist. So oppressed is her life that she must sneak out at night just to spend time with her boyfriend and, thus, gets very little sleep. When her mother dies, Ella feels obliged to continue her project, but it isn’t long before she rents a studio apartment to create her own stop motion work. Her creativity is immediate but is missing a spark. Her muse arrives in the form of a little girl who tells her a story about a girl in the woods and a frightening figure called the Ashman who stalks her. Each night the story becomes more real, with the stop motion figures being continuously recreated and the line between fantasy and reality becoming increasingly blurred...
It is said you should write about what you know, and that is certainly the case here. This is quite an original concept at the hands of real life stop motion animator and first-time director Robert Morgan. Of course, Ray Harryhausen was the master of stop motion in a career spanning more than 40 years, with classics such as Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. So, if you’re going to emulate the master, do it differently. It probably exists, but I have never come across stop motion horror before – and certainly not mixed with live action. Fans of body horror will love this, but you shouldn’t pigeonhole this film. It is so much more. What Morgan has created here is an oppressive mood of unreality which is both artistic and distasteful. It builds-up a palpable sense of dread and unease. You don’t enjoy it as much as experience it. Only afterwards do you fully appreciate its merits.
I should take a moment to sing the praises of Aisling Franciosi (The Fall, Game of Thrones, God’s Creatures). Without the believability and conviction of her character being consumed by her work to the point that it takes over her entire being, I don’t think this would have worked half as well. Extras include: An Interview With Aisling Franciosi; An Interview With Robert Morgan; and (a short) Behind-the-Scenes of Stopmotion.
Verdict: 8 out of 10
(Review originally written by Ty Power for reviewgraveyard 2024)
Starring: Hannah Arterton, Freddy Carter, Clare Higgins, Michael Ironside.
Directed Paul Hyett
Thunderbird Releasing
May 2019
When young Persephone dreams about the family barn burning down, and the next day her mother is trapped as the events actually takes place, she is condemned by the local magistrate as a witch. However, the Reverend Mother gives her a reprieve by taking her as a novice to an isolated convent. She is told in no uncertain terms that she must give her life in service to God. But there is a sickness at the convent. Many girls are contracting a virulent fever and are suffering brutal wounds as if being burned or lacerated, before dying – only to return again as something else. The Reverent Mother harbours a deadly secret. Furthermore, she is strict to the point of nastiness, but she isn’t the only evil that Persephone will have to contend with...
Lately, there is an evident craze for demonic or possessed nuns. Haunted house or possession/exorcism films invariably involve a back story of some sort, and Heretiks is no exception. It centres around a group of nuns who years before performed a ritual in the convent aimed at producing a vision of God. Instead, it brought through a demon. The ceremony is described as a conjuring, which is curious because this film owes a significant amount to The Conjuring 2 and The Nun, not least for the nun with the glowing eyes.
As always, it’s great to see Michael Ironside, who loves to play a good villain (if that isn’t a contradiction). He’s grossly under utilised here, seen in only a single scene as the Magistrate. Similarly, Freddy Carter plays Ellis, a young man from the nearest village who has a soft spot for one of the other girls at the convent, but also seems to be serious and have a sensible head on his shoulders. His dispatch whilst attempting to aid the situation is surely only for effect. Persephone knows what the possessed young woman can do but merely stands and watches, not even making an effort to warn the man. Clare Higgins, though, is very effective as the Reverend Mother.
It’s nice to welcome another home grown film. British horror movies should be encouraged, and have certainly been on the increase again during the last ten to twenty years. This one, like many, has a modest budget, and the cast and crew are to be congratulated for creating a believable 17th Century period setting, whilst still managing to incorporate plenty of gore – particularly in the last quarter. Director Paul Hyett also made Howl, which I think was a more enjoyable film, being very character-based. Heretiks is a better than average offering, but does contain many horror clichés. One of the oldest ones in the book is used as a brief after-credits piece.
There is a short Behind-the-Scenes featurette on the disc, but you don’t learn anything about the background of the film; it’s just people saying what the film is about and how much they are enjoying themselves.
Verdict: 6 out of 10
(Review originally written by Ty Power for reviewgraveyard 2019)
Starring: Sarah Hyland, Justin Chon, Clara Mamet.
Directed Jeffrey Hunt
Soda Pictures
January 2017
Two couples on their way to Coachella decide to take a detour to Los Angeles in order to visit some true crime scenes with satanic connections. After a run-in with a particularly obnoxious owner of a shop dedicated to the occult, they follow him to a remote house, and save a young woman apparently about to be sacrificed. However, the victim turns out to be much more than she seems, and soon draws the others into a satanic cult ritual with unrelenting consequences...
There’s a certain inevitability about the premise of this film. But let’s begin with the characters. We have two couples: a goth girl fascinated by the black arts, her party animal boyfriend who will go along with anything for a bit of a lark, and a practical and sensible bloke accompanied by his even more sensible girlfriend, who follows along with her goth friend’s plans just to make her happy. So, essentially a bad couple and a good couple. The former is characterised by the constant stream of expletives emitted, seemingly simply to prove ‘badness’. This trait is compounded by the so-called Satanists themselves who spit, threaten and swear as if it is as mundane and normal as talking about the weather.
Now let’s talk about realism, or the lack thereof. The main quartet of key players don’t act or react like normal people would in a given situation, and they certainly don’t stick to character, but rather change as the plot demands. This cannot be described as evolving, simply changing back and forth. Mr Nice Guy justifiably moans at all the murder or black mass locations he is obliged to visit, but then positively votes to follow a suspected violent Satanist to a secluded house. There the gang wave a torch about when it’s not all that dark, and chatter like excited monkeys before spying so openly on what appears to be a black mass that anyone would have to be completely devoid of senses not to notice them immediately.
After suffering a scare and barely escaping, most people would put as much distance as possible between them and the situation. But instead they get further sucked into the mess, and it’s from this point that the inevitability of the ultimate conclusion takes over the film. I was also disappointed that the suggested time loop wasn’t either explained or played-out. The familiar figure at the window scenario has been utilised so many times now that I instantly recognised it for what it was.
This is not necessarily a derisory attempt at filmmaking, it’s just not been properly thought through in the planning stages. Therefore, we have clichés, lack of character continuity, and no attempt at scripting an imaginative outcome. After all, every story is an attempt at triumph over adversity, even if it doesn’t ultimately succeed. This just… happens. So what we finish up with is an average horror film rather than a bad one.
Verdict: 5 out of 10
(Review originally written by Ty Power for reviewgraveyard 2017)
Starring: Haley Bishop, jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova.
Directed Rob Savage
Second Sight Films
February 2021
A group of young adult women friends and a male friend meet-up in lockdown for an online Zoom meeting séance. The medium gives them instructions, including the important advice that the spirits should be treated with respect at all times. When nothing happens, one of the women makes-up a story about a boy at her school who hung himself, to string the others along. However, the action allows a malevolent spirit through which initially mimics the events of the story, before entering each of the participants’ homes. Terrified, they witness each other’s horrors at the hands of a demon. It might be dangerous to break the Zoom connection. Who, if anyone, will leave the meeting unscathed...
Host can be described as a ‘found footage’ movie, but one with a difference. During lockdown director Rob Savage posted a clip of film about what happened when he ventured up into his loft to clear it out. The shock ending made it go viral, with around 6 million hits. People began talking about the possibility of the first lockdown horror movie. But when nothing had emerged after a couple of months, Savage decided to make one himself. It helped that the actors were all friends, because they seemed to act more naturally. It’s an experience which you’ll initially feel blasé about for the first few minutes, until you are suddenly dragged-in, in the same abrupt manner one of the characters is dragged across the floor. As the film progresses you find your eyes studiously examining the backgrounds of the friends’ screens, forever on the lookout for movement. That’s one of the reasons why this works so well: it knows when to be subtle and when to hit hard.
Many short-sighted people will believe this to be a low-key project with very little involvement. However, whilst maintaining distancing, you have to consider the stunt work which had to be set-up and tested in the relevant houses. Make-up and prosthetics experts had to instruct the victims of the scenes in question how to apply it themselves in a convincing manor. All in all, this experiment of sorts proves to be a great success. You’re both disappointed at the relatively short running time, and simultaneously impressed by the conciseness and tight editing. It’s a moot point, however, as Host has been received critically as a sensation, pretty much across the board. If nothing else, you can’t deny that Host does something which hasn’t been done before in horror – and these days that’s practically unheard of.
The short running time of the film (57 mins) is balanced by the wealth of extra features which are available on this disc. There is a New Exclusive Commentary by Director Rob Savage and Producer Douglas Cox; a New Exclusive Cast Commentary; a New Exclusive Cast Interview; a very interesting Behind-the-Scenes Feature; ‘Is There Goblins Now?’ – the Original Prank Video; ‘Kate Scare’ – Prank Video Test Run; The Host Team Séance (a real online séance from which they obtained some ideas for the film); British Film Institute Q & A with Rob Savage and the main cast; and Evolution of Horror Interview with Rob Savage (director & writer), Gemma Hurley (co-writer), and Jed Shepherd (co-writer). The highlight of the extras is the two short films by the director. Dawn of the Deaf is a zombie short wherein the only living survivors are the deaf. This is highly entertaining and very well-realised, with set-pieces around recognisable London landmarks. Salt is what you might term a short-short about a demon loose in a house where a mother attempts to protect her sick daughter. This one jumps straight into what would be the climatic scene in a full-length movie. Great stuff.
Verdict: 8 out of 10
(Review originally written by Ty Power for reviewgraveyard 2021)
Starring: Elma Begovic, Annette Wozniak, Denise Yuen, Jordan Gray, Lawrence Denkers.
Directed Chad Archibald
Second Sight
October 2016
Casey, a bride-to-be bachelorette, goes on holiday with a bunch of friends. They are told about a secluded lagoon, but Casey is bitten by something unseen in the water. When she develops a rash she isn’t overly concerned, but when they return home her skin begins to form serious pustules. This is just the beginning of a horrifying transmogrification. Casey locks herself in her apartment. Her life systematically unravels as her friends fall out and she distances herself from her fiancé for more than the obvious reason. She struggles to hang on to her humanity, but suddenly that becomes unimportant, because the bite has changed her into something else...
People new to this film will see the DVD cover and the title, along with the key protagonist looking for all the world like she is going to bite into something organic, and make the incorrect assumption that this is some kind of zombie or visceral cannibal flesh-eating story. I can understand many people will be turned off by this apparent premise. Even the promotional blurb doesn’t help by trying to tell the world at large that sick bags were handed out at the world premiere (‘handed out’ doesn’t mean ‘used’).
‘Gross.’ ‘Gut-wrenching.’ These quotes achieve nothing in opening this film to the masses, which is a shame because it has much to offer. Okay, it’s not fantastic, but it does at least try to do something a little different. The body horror is far from being as disgusting as inferred (perhaps in real life it would be!). I would describe the metamorphosis as similar in style to David Cronenberg’s version of The Fly. What makes it work particularly well in this instance is the characterisation. We experience Casey’s every pain, embarrassment and anguish in an emotional sense; as opposed to Jeff Goldblum’s attitude of Oh, dear, my ear’s come off, better put it in the bathroom medicine cabinet!
Of course, it helps that Casey has background as well as character. Before her change we see her and her friends on holiday. We see her indecision and rejection of her impending marriage. We even see the betrayal by one of her best friends. All of this allows the viewer to relate more to her as a fleshed-out (that’s not a pun!) believable individual. I have to say though, as with many new generation horror movies, a superfluous and often nonsensical epilogue leaves more questions than any sort of resolution.
Definitely worth a look.
Verdict: 7 out of 10
(Review originally written by Ty Power for reviewgraveyard 2016)
Starring: Natalie Brown, Jonathan Watton, Melanie Lynskey, Casey Adams, Christina Kirk.
Directed Jovanka Vuckovic, Annie Clark, Roxanne Benjamin, Karyn Kusama
Thunderbird Releasing
May 2017
XX is a Horror Anthology of four tales comprising: The Box, The Birthday Party, Don’t Fall, and Her Only Living Son. It is apparently the first film of its kind to be written and directed by women, and to feature women in prominent roles in all the shorts. The stories are loosely connected with dolls house animation from award winner Sofia Carrillo.
The Box sees a couple and their two children riding the train home after a day out, when the boy becomes curious about what another passenger has in a gift box. The stranger allows the boy to peek inside and from that moment the boy refuses to eat – to the point that he becomes a genuine medical concern. Then the boy’s younger sister wants to share the secret. The Box is based on a story by Jack Ketchum, and written for the screen & directed by Jovanka Vuckovic. I am already aware of this short story, and have to say that it’s pretty well realised here. The characters are portrayed with conviction – particularly the boy and his father. The intrigue is great because there’s nothing more scary than the unknown.
The Birthday Party (written by Roxanne Benjamin & Annie Clark, and directed by Annie Clark) has a woman discover her husband’s dead body and struggle to hide it throughout her young daughter’s birthday party. I would venture as far as to say this is a black comedy. It’s a premise which seems so far-fetched it’s ridiculous, whilst being eminently watchable. However, it is said to be based on a true story.
Don’t Fall (written and directed by Roxanne Benjamin) sees a group of teens travel in a camper van to a remote area for a holiday get-away. After they find some strange cave markings, one of their number undergoes a horrifying transmogrification. This, along with The Box, Is the best of the bunch. A Creature feature which borrows a little from Japanese 1990s innovation.
Her Only Living Son (written and directed by Karyn Kusama) has a woman moving her teenage son to a new area to keep one step ahead of his father. But who or what is his father, and why does he want his son back? This is an urban tale of demonology. Does the boy give in to his heritage or fight for a normal existence?
So, a fine collection of short films topped-off with special features in the form of Director Interviews. But don’t fall for the ‘extra’ which goes under the guise of Making of… It barely starts before it ends, and most of it is stolen from the interviews.
Verdict: 8 out of 10
(Review originally written by Ty Power for reviewgraveyard 2017)
Starring: James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger, Don Stroud, Murray Hamilton.
Directed Stuart Rosenberg
Second Sight
June 2017
George and Kathy Lutz move their young family into a house at Long Island. It is affordable because the house has a dark past wherein a whole family was killed. Not concerned with rumours of ghost stories, they soon rue their decision. A demonic presence begins to change George, and it seems like history might be repeating itself. The church refuses to believe the terrifying experiences of a priest, leaving the family ostracised and very much on their own...
The Amityville Horror is a horror classic by virtue of its highly successful cinematic release in the late seventies. It was certainly considered the definitive ghost story for a long time. The original book by Jay Anson was very popular, and justifiably so. Although the film employs a certain degree of poetic licence, the entire script was sold on the basis of true events. Whether you believe the astounding tale of the Lutz family, or think it hyped publicity, some of the ‘real’ victims are still around to state their case.
But how has the film weathered over the decades? Haunted house stories are by their very nature slow-burners. Otherwise, the householders would be out of there before they had carried in a fraction of their belongings. Therefore, not a great deal happens in the first twenty-five minutes or so. Having said that, without witnessing the two main characters happy and productive, it would make little impact on the viewer when they are progressively changed by these events. The house is made to appear somewhat sinister with the glowing eye-like attic windows.
There are subtle scenes of telekinesis, wherein objects are seen to move, but the much more believable affect the house has on people is to make them ill and physically sick. Priests in these sort of films are invariably troubled and seeking redemption; conversely, Father Delaney (Rod Steiger) is injured twice by the house and, after unsuccessfully attempting to warn the new owners, is incapacitated to the extent that he moves away and becomes a recluse. Much more convincing than returning to the house and facing death.
The triumvirate of actors here is undoubtedly Rod Steiger (very convincing as the priest who is driven away from his calling), James Brolin (of Westworld fame, who plays George Lutz with a gradual immersive regression), and Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in the Christopher Reeve Superman films, as Kathy Lutz).
This is still an enjoyable movie experience; older viewers will recognise this fact, whereas younger ones may be turned off by the slow pace. At nearly forty years old though, this ground-breaking haunted house story deserves proper recognition, so a limited edition steelbook is suitable justification. However, more impressive is the array of extras which alone gains this release an extra point: Separate Interviews with James Brolin, Meeno Peluce (the fiction Lutz boy), Sandor Stern (screenwriter), Lalo Schifrin (soundtrack composer), a Feature-length Documentary with Daniel Lutz, Featurette with James Brolin and Margot Kidder, an Intro by parapsychology PhD Dr. Hans Holzer (author of Murder in Amityville), an Audio Commentary by Holzer, and Trailers.
Verdict: 8 out of 10
(Review originally written by Ty Power for reviewgraveyard 2017)
Starring: Kevin Van Hentenryck, Terri Susan Smith, Beverly Bonner, Annie Ross.
Directed Frank Henenlotter
Second Sight
October 2012
In the first film, Duane checks into a seedy hotel in New York, carrying a wicker basket. Inside the basket is Belial, his deformed siamese twin. The two had been born joined at the hip, Belial a misshapen head and two short arms. Although all the experts had said it would be dangerous to separate them, their father viewed Belial as an abomination and employed the services of a doctor prepared to take on the job. Belial was surgically removed against the express wishes of the brothers and left for dead. However, the two are telepathically linked, and Duane saved his brother and escaped to New York. Now Duane wants his revenge on the Doctor. However, Duane falls in love with the receptionist and tries to keep his liaison secret from Belial, who becomes furious at what he sees as competition for their special relationship...
Understandably, it's many years since I last saw this film. By today's standards it could be described as quaint. Viewers are more likely to laugh than be shocked or appalled, although I should point out that it was writer/director Frank Henenlotter's original intention for it to be a little tongue-in-cheek, if not an outright black comedy horror. Basket Case was a labour of love for him, which began with a more than modest budget of $7,000 but escalated before its completion to $160,000. Even in 1982 this was peanuts for the film industry.
Unlike Henenlotter's 1988 film Brain Damage, Basket Case has much to offer. The stop-motion sequences, particularly the one in which Belial trashes the hotel room, although dated, are well-handled for the time. But this film's strongest asset is the emotional bond between Duane and Belial, something you don't expect when it essentially involves a lump of rubber which spends most of its time in a basket and doesn't talk audibly. This is testament more to the strength of the script than the acting abilities of Kevin Van Hentenryck, who wanders through the proceedings with a Frodo-like startled expression. (6).
The sequel continues directly where the first film left off, with Duane in a straitjacket and locked room in Granny Helen’s house, after his psychotic burst which culminated in his stitching Belial to his side again. Although Belial has been removed, and Duane assures Helen and her house full of ‘special people’ (or freaks as outsiders would call them) that he is quite sane now, Duane harbours resentment at Belial’s romantic attachment to one of the house guests. He also sees himself as normal; he longs to live a normal life, but his mental connection to his brother is impossible to shake off. Can he himself enjoy female companionship...?
A mistake often made in film sequels - particularly genre pieces - is that if one of something proves successful, then many more of the same will work even better. It often has the opposite effect, adding to the detriment of the original premise. These characters, all of which for some reason have bizarrely shaped heads, only add to the numbers, not the intrigue, as most of them are benign. The fact that one looks like a mouse and another like he’s swallowed a set of Pan pipes is merely a showcase for the make-up effects. (4).
In the third film, Helen and her house guests travel in an old school bus to visit a friend in a small town. Belial’s lady friend is pregnant, and no sooner do they arrive than she’s popping out baby Belial's like peas from a pod. Meanwhile, Duane attempts to strike up a relationship with the Sheriff’s daughter, but she has an agenda of her own. A couple of police officers learn of Belial’s presence and break-in to the house to abduct him as a money-making enterprise. However, in a shock reaction they shoot the mother of Belial’s children and take the babies instead. Blood and chaos soon ensues, as Helen’s house guests gang together to take revenge. However, the babies are not as helpless as they first seem...
More of the same here. This is a better constructed film than the first sequel, but it still suffers badly from diminishing returns. There is one new special person... and, of course, the carnivorous babies. You will no doubt feel a brief pang of regret when Belial’s love interest meets her gruesome end, because she is the only one who could curb Belial’s violent tendencies. I know these films are supposed to be darkly humorous as well as gory and weird, but the truth is they’re not. They come from an era of prosthetics and model effects - well before the advent of CGI - so credit must be given for what was achieved. But the bottom line is, although they look very shiny in their new Blu-ray clothes, these films have dated badly, and so will only appeal to a horror collector or someone who has fond memories of them from youth.
I understand there are some extras present on the discs, but as my copies didn’t incorporate them I can’t/won’t comment on them. (5).
Verdict: 5 out of 10
(Review originally written by Ty Power for reviewgraveyard 2012)
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