Movie Review – The Exorcist

The Exorcist US (1973) Dir. William Friedkin Another horror classic for which I am late to the party, but in my defence, it was banned here in the UK for a huge chunk of my youth and never shown on TV until after 1999, by which time I had moved on. A sign of the …

Movie Review – Show Me The Ghost

Show Me The Ghost (syo-mi-deo-go-seu-teu) Korea (2021) Dir. Kim Eun-kyoung There are a lot of things that could jeopardise a long term relationship between friends - lies, betrayal, arguments over money, dating each other’s partners (if the scenario fits) and ghosts. Okay, that last one may not be a typical catalyst for a strained friendship …

Movie Review – Shackled

Shackled (Belenggu) Indonesia (2012) Dir. Upi Avianto Over the past decade, Indonesian cinema has been represented on the international stage mostly by its brutal martial arts action films such as The Raid, yet we know this can’t be the sum of their film output. This gnarly psychological horror is an example of what else Indonesia …

Movie Review – Halloween (2018)

Halloween (2018) US (2018) Dir. David Gordon Green To celebrate the 40th anniversary of a modern horror classic, John Carpenter’s Halloween was resurrected, in the process pretending that the numerous sequels and remakes that were released over the last four decades didn’t happen. That would posit this film as a direct sequel to the original, …

Movie Review – Stare

Stare (Shiraisan) Japan (2019) Dir. Otsuichi Considering the amount of horror films, folklore tales, and urban legends in Japan are based on vengeful women, you’d think the Japanese would learn to treat women better so they wouldn’t need to haunt people after they pass on. Just a thought… Kana (Manami Enosawa) is having a meal …

Movie Review – Titane

Titane France (2021) Dir. Julia Ducournau “Girls will be boys and boys will be girls It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world” So sang Ray Davies in 1970 and whilst things have changed regarding gender identity in the ensuing 50 years, there is still a portion of modern society struggling to understand or …

Movie Review – Seeding Of A Ghost

Seeding Of A Ghost (Zhong gui) Hong Kong (1983) Dir. Chuan Yang Cab drivers must be very confident people as they never know whom they might pick up, whether the customer is pleasant and chatty or a drunken slob about to redecorate the upholstery, yet they still go out night after night to drive strangers …

Movie Review – Poltergeist

Poltergeist US (1982) Dir. Tobe Hooper “They’re here!” Home sweet home. It’s the one place where we can all feel safe and be with the people that matter most in our lives - well, that is the idea anyway. Unfortunately, some of us might have spouses, relatives, or housemates that aren’t very pleasant and make …

Anime Review – ARIA The Animation S1 Collection

ARIA The Animation S1 Collection (Cert U) 3 Discs Blu-ray (Distributor: MVM) Running time: 320 minutes approx. Mars has been the one planet all sci-fi writers have chosen to either set their stories on or have its inhabitants invade earth. From HG Wells to Flash Gordon to Ridley Scott, interpretations of what lies on the …

Movie Review – The Presence (Die Präsenz)

The Presence (Die Präsenz) Germany (2014) Dir. Daniele Grieco Found footage horror films are apparently still a thing two decades after The Blair Witch Project kicked things off and spawned many an imitator. Many countries have had a go at this subgenre, including Spain’s REC series, and this is Germany’s entry. Anthropology student Markus (Matthias …