movie review
Movie reviews for horror fans; from gruesome bone-chillers to dark horror thrillers, a showcase for frightful films that seek to entertain and to terrify.
PAUSE: Under the Mask of 'The Face of Another' (1966)
In a vein similar to French cinema's haunting horror masterpiece 'Eyes Without a Face', Hiroshi Teshigahara's seedy psychological study taken from the novel by Kōbō Abe, unflinchingly explores the loss of identity in the most extreme ways possible. Sadly, the film has not received as much recognition as its French counterpart, but it is renowned instead as something of a hidden gem in Japanese cinema. In the age when Kurosawa was delivering hit after hit with Mifune at the helm, it was easy for a film like 'The Face of Another' to become lost in the misty haze of the samurai epics. This film is in dire need of wider recognition. With exquisite cinematography, phenomenal acting and insidiously arresting moral conundrums, this article takes a deep dive into the film in the hopes of bringing wider recognition to Teshigahara's forgotten masterpiece.
By Dani Buckley6 years ago in Horror
‘Random Acts of Violence’ is a Grisly Critique of Horror Entertainment
The most ingenious line from Wes Craven’s Scream (among many other great soundbites from a continually prescient movie) is Billy Loomis noting, “movies don’t create psychos, movies make psychos more creative.” Jay Baruchel’s Random Acts of Violence appears to espouse the same ethos as it criticizes horror entertainment, in which we frequently deify true crime killers and fictional murderers instead of those getting terrorized. Think about it: you can quickly think of serial killers like Zodiac, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy off the top of your head, but naming some of their victims is probably a different story.
By MovieBabble6 years ago in Horror
My bloody valentine (2009) review 1
Ok so I’m a huge horror fan, ever since I was a kid and I went to see one with my brother, I since have always loved horror movies and also I have always been one to not hesitate to share my options so I wanna give my opinion on the 2009 remake of the slasher film, My bloody valentine.
By Dylan Fletcher 6 years ago in Horror
Horror Movie Review: 'Sputnik'
A cold war based horror thriller in this day and age had better hope an audience is educated enough to understand the tropes at play. Perhaps in Russia the trope of a government capable of murdering astronauts to protect a secret new weapon might seem noteworthy and plausible. In America, the trope exists but it’s aged. The audience for a horror movie in this day and age is unlikely to be old enough to remember the intensity of the cold war and the dangers it posed, especially inside the Iron Curtain.
By Sean Patrick6 years ago in Horror
PAUSE: A Returning Look at 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' (1986)
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is one of those movies that is outwardly deceiving. At first glance, one would assume that this is little more than a low-budget '80s B-Movie slasher, with little substance or purpose other than to shock. However, as you move deeper into the film this misconception melts away into one of absorbed horror; almost like watching a train crash. It's a brutal, uneasy watch but one with truly frightening implications. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, despite its mediocre production value, does the very best with what it has at hand.
By Dani Buckley6 years ago in Horror
Reed Alexander's Horror Review of 'Hobo With A Shotgun' (2011)
This marvelous example of cinematic mastery is not some simple return to the golden age of silver screen classics. Oh no, it has raised the bar for Hollywood and the movie industry as a whole! Hobo With a Shotgun challenges our very concepts of society, culture, philosophy, and dare I say, even God. What we're provided with is not some mere excuse for entertainment, but rather a deep internal reflection on the soul of our humanity. Hobo With A Shotgun pulls back the scabs, renders the flesh, and digs deep into the marrow of what it means to be human.
By Reed Alexander6 years ago in Horror
‘She Dies Tomorrow’: A Solid and Timely Sophomore Feature from Amy Seimetz
She Dies Tomorrow is the latest film from writer/director/actress Amy Seimetz. It is her second feature film in the director’s chair, but she has directed a fair amount of TV including some episodes of Atlanta (the best show currently on TV). Having not seen her directorial debut, Sun Don’t Shine, this was my introduction to Seimetz as a feature film director and since she directed two great episodes of Atlanta, including one of the most interesting episodes of the show, I was curious to see this film. I am happy to report that She Dies Tomorrow is quite good and timely.
By MovieBabble6 years ago in Horror
A Sneak Peek into the Malayalam Horror Movie Universe
Malayalam Horror Movies, well the title should have been- Malayalam Movies & Horror Genre: An Odd Pair? Well, I've seen much better chemistry between Neo and Agent Smith! It's subtle, but fuels the main course now and then.!
By DAN EALAMKUNNAM KURIAKOSE6 years ago in Horror
Movie Review: 'She Dies Tomorrow' is a Stunner
Imagine The Ring, or The Grudge or some other supernatural horror movie minus some goofy, black and white, glitchy, villain covered in goo. That’s kind of what you get with the new horror movie She Dies Tomorrow. Actress turned writer-director, Amy Seimetz, has crafted a horror movie without a villain. She Dies Tomorrow has blood and death and an eerie supernatural atmosphere but none of the other traditional trappings of a horror movie and it feels fresher for that reason.
By Sean Patrick6 years ago in Horror
Reed Alexander's Horror Review of 'Voices' (2014)
This was a fantastic movie that I honestly hoped would lean a little more into comedy. While yes, this movie was absurdist, it cannot be called comedy. Just dark. Dark, dark, dark, absurdism. There was... nothing funny about this movie. This movie is about -in all respects- the final tipping point for a serial killer as he comes apart.
By Reed Alexander6 years ago in Horror
Two Horror Films From The 70s That Are Underrated
I'll just go out and say that I find the 70s to be not only the greatest decades for cinema, but also quite frankly the best decade for horror films, period. Whenever I talk to fellow cinema lovers, they'll generally agree, that is of course if they indulge in that decade as often as I do.
By Michael Couvaras6 years ago in Horror
PAUSE: Unearthing 'The Blood on Satan's Claw' (1971)
Set during the uncertain times of pastoral early eighteenth century England, this period piece is folk horror at its finest. Often grouped in the same vein as 'The Wicker Man' (1973) and 'Witchfinder General' (1968), 'The Blood on Satan's Claw' packs a particularly memorable punch for those who have seen it. And its seeds of eeriness have been sewn in recent horror creations, such as 'A Field in England' (2013) and 'The VVitch' (2015). Despite this, 'The Blood on Satan's Claw' exists primarily these days as a movie dwelling mostly in cult status, with few testaments to its hidden brilliance. This is unfortunate, because, against the unfavourable odds of its low budget and aging special effects, 'TBOSC' is one of the few horror films to have truly unnerved me as of late.
By Dani Buckley6 years ago in Horror
