The Possession of Michael King (2014)

 Following the sudden death of his Wife, Michael King (an excellent performance from Shane Johnson) sets out to prove the existence, or non-existence of supernatural phenomena, recording every moment, but soon, after various experiments in the occult, Michael begins to fear he is indeed possessed by a frightening force.

First time director David Jung takes obvious nods to found footage stalwarts such as "The Blair Witch Project" and the "Paranormal Activity" series, but he packs more than enough jumps and scares into this movie to recommend it, I made the 'mistake' of having the surround sound on, at least half a dozen times Jung had me jumping out of my skin!

A fine raw, creepy horror flick, it's final third is slightly weaker, but it still packs a mean spirited punch through out, and is a very competent debut from the rookie director.

4/5

Scissors (2025)

When a film only has a run time of 63 minutes that spells bad news, the good news this dreadful low budget garbage only runs for 63 minutes!

Here's a run down of the "movie" to save you one hour of your life...

*****THERE BE SPOILERS!!!!*****

0-15 mins, buxom woman gets attacked by a Clown, a young lady, Alison, then tells a psychiatrist  how she is feeling haunted by this Clown, called "Scissors".

(the cast only seem to be largely young attractive women or mostly, cheap strippers)

16-30 mins Alison hangs around a really rough strip bar, still haunted by Coco, sorry, Scissors. (Bare in mind, the acting, of course is dreadful). We get Scissors "story", he was a Clown who killed people with a ....yes, you got it. (one "good" moment, an Office he kills is called "Butters" which is random to say the least!

30-60 mins It's getting painful now. The whole thing is awful but does contain a really good final  twist which totally took me by surprise, but to endeavor even its small running time doesn't justify watching it.

1/5!!

 

Rewind This (2013)

 'Rewind This' is a documentary charting the rise of home video from the late 70s, and the eventual dominance of Sony's VHS for the next 15 years.

Every aspect of this 'golden era' is covered and I was filled with nostalgia over so many of the various interviews with directors, distributors and of course, collectors. Frank Hennenlotter is great fun as he tells tales of how "Basket Case" became a massive success on the small screen ("It paid for this apartment!"), movie geeks (me) discuss travelling miles trawling shops for hard to find releases (usually B movie horror), how they categorise their collection (got to be alphabetical).
The decision by a distributor to sell movies at an 'affordable' price to the public, and the massive success that entailed for company's such as Troma with cult classics such as 'The Toxic Avenger' and the general public with the advent of the workout video.

Intelligent, heart warming stuff, this struck a cord with me from my days in the 80's and early 90's collecting VHS, trading dodgy copies of uncut versions of 'Nekromantik', 'Cannibal Holocaust' etc, and again, scouring rental stores looking for an original copy of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

Highly recommended for movie fans, geeks and nerds (me, me and yes, me)

4/5

The Long Walk (2025)

 The Long Walk is brutal, brilliantly acted and disturbing timely into todays modern era. Cooper Hoffman and David Johnson shine in a fascist America where death is televised for entertainment (how long before that becomes the next reality show?) Mark Hamill is almost unrecognizable as the sadistic 'General', the ending is nihilistic, and with Trump as President it's dystopia feels seems eerily plausible, an unflinching look at a Nation entertained by cruelty to ease the control and suffering it is experiencing.

9/10

Going To Pieces (2006)

 As the title suggests this is a documentary chronicling the rise of the so called slasher movie in the 1980's with such films as "Friday 13th", "Halloween", "Prom Night" and the "Nightmare on Elm Street" right up to the "Scream" series of the mid 90's.

The film contains some great slasher moments (Jason's 'death' etc) but the highlight is the vast array of interviews with big names from the genre, there's the usual big guns such as Wes Craven and John Carpenter, the genius that is Tom Savini, but you also get loads of lesser known names thrown in the mix with plenty of interesting anecdotes such as Paul Lynch ("Prom Night") and Fred Walton ("When a Stranger Calls", "April Fool's Day").

If you're a fan of the genre, which I am, then you'll love this highly enjoyable documentary.

4.5/5

Rapture Palooza (2013)

 

It's the end of the world as we know it, and unless you are a believer (in which case you'll be beamed up to heaven) you'll be left to fend on a, literally, God forsaken Earth With Crows mocking you, evil crickets trying to bite you, oh and the bigger problem  mollten bal
ls of fire spewing onto Earth randomly.

Totally bonkers, and out to offend just about everyone, think Kevin Smith's 'Dogma' cranked to the max, but most importantly, it's funny, very funny. Star of the show is Craig Robinson (US 'The Office') as the anti-Christ, his banter with his "future Bride" Lindsay (Anna Kendrick) is crude but grossly amusing, and how often in a movie will you see God and Satan having a fight in a Jacuzzi?

4/5

Turistas aka Paradise Lost (2006)

 'Paradise Lost' starts off looking like a promising little horror movie.A group of back packers are stranded in Brazil after their bus crashes, they think they've hit the jackpot when they hook up with some locals in a secluded beauty spot, beach, beer and babes, what could go wrong?

Soon though the film descends into a world of 21st Century horror clichés, evil locals, semi naked women, lots of screaming, running and one hell of a lot of swimming!

It transpires that an evil local doctor wants their organs to sell to the rich, the film includes a scene you won't forget in a hurry when a naked girl has her kidney removed, a scene so gory it brought back memory's of the 1980's video nasties!!!
Sadly though there's very little here on offer to recommend this film, we seen it all before in the 'Hostel' and 'Saw' series.

4/5

100 Bloody Acres (2012)

 

Three travellers break down in the remote Australian outback, they are begrudgingly rescued by Reg, trouble is he's in business with his psychotic brother Lindsay (the brilliant Angus Sampson) and their business is blood and bone fertiliser...and it doesn't go "Moo!"

"We're not psycho's all right! We're smart business operators!"

Wonderfully wacky likable characters, star of the show has to be older brother and dominating boss Lindsay, but he's backed up by Damon Herriman as Reg, and the three back packers, what a pleasant change to have three characters that aren't obnoxious. Packed with witty lines ("I don't know why I keep saying DO!", a spaced out LSD trip, granny sex (" I popped in for a few pumpkins"), a goofy gory plot and a red head (Anna McGahan) with a fine rack!

Similar to Tucker And Dale vrs Evil" and just as much fun, bloody good entertainment clobber!!

4/5

Teeth (2007)

 'Teeth' is the "every day" tale of Dawn, a High School student suppressing her sexual desires, only to discover that she has, a,umm toothed vagina!!

Rape, incest, sexual abuse and masturbation are the movies main subjects, so you'd expect some kind repellent twisted grim horror flick, well twisted yes, but the movie has a wonderful black horror humour running through it's veins, wholly original, and pretty clever, and sure to be a bit of an underground cult horror classic with plenty of bite!

4/5

1408 (2007)

 A writer famous for debunking 'haunted house' stories,  stays a night at The Dolphin Hotel in the infamous room 1408, the owner begs him not too, previous guests have taken their lives to 'escape' the horrors it apparently hides.
A superb psychological, claustrophobic horror, adapted from a short story by Stephen King and very similar in tone to the masterful 'The Shining'.The film relies on genuine scares and not buckets of blood or dopey American teens running away from rednecks, and is one of the finest mature horror films of recent years.

4.5./10

Living With Chucky (2022)

 

"Living with Chucky"is a heartfelt tribute to the Child’s Play franchise, revealing the deep affection cast and crew hold for the killer doll saga. Through interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, it celebrates the series’ perfect blend of horror and dark comedy. The documentary’s warmth and nostalgia make it a must-watch for fans of Chucky’s twisted charm and such an enjoyable film franchise.

4/5