Hostel (2005)

 

'Hostel' is infamous for many reasons not least as it was what became the start of the so called "torture porn" genre, so I though I'd give it a rewatch 20+ years after it's release. Two young American back packers go on a European trip in search of "good time's", and they get it in the first half of the movie that's for sure! This film really is a tale of two stories, the first half they're partying, hooking up with good looking ladies (how I don't know, talk a bout punching above the weight, and then things go Pete Tong, seriously. One of the back packers apparently has checked out of the hotel, and in searching for his mate is druged, kidnapped....then the "fun" starts. It's a well made and well acted movie, plenty of gore as you might expect, and it must be said is a pretty good solid slice of horror, the copy I "got" featured the alternative ending which is well worth seeking out, something I' m pretty sure I hadn't seen viewing all those years ago.

4/5

Movies Of The Month May 2026

A massive month for great new movies, all released in 2026!!! (and all horror!!)

1.Obsession (one of the movies of 2026)

2.Over Your Dead Body (an absolute blood filled blast)

3.Lee Cronin's Mummy (the surprise of the year)

4.Normal (Bob does what Bob does best)

5.Killing Mary Sue (crazy fun)

And the good news is coming very soon are 'Passenger' and 'Backrooms' (which I plan to see next week)

(and it must be a good month if the excellent documentary 'The Crash' doesn't make the top 5)

Fuze (2026)

 

An unexploded bomb is found in central London, during the chaos of an evacuation a crew of wrong 'uns exploit the chaos to crack a bank vault. It's got to be said I'd never heard of this movie, but looking at the positive reviews, I thought I'd give it a go and it doesn't disappoint. A film which you genuinly don't know what's a round the corner, the actual robbery makes up the first third of the film, but then we get the usual back stabbing but there are so many twists, this makes it a thoroughly entertaining flick with a good fresh cast.

4.5/5

Dead Man's Wire (2025)

Now 'Dog Day Afternoon' from 1975 starring Al Pacino and John Cazale is a classic, based on the true story of a bank robbery that goes wrong, and this flick is a kind of remake? The story is different though, Bill Skarsgard stars as a desperate man who wants justice from the bank he believed ripped him off in a property deal, he takes the son of the Bank's CEO (played brilliantly by Al Pacino) wires a shotgun around his neck, demanding compensation, but most of all, an apology, something Pacino's character refuses! It's a quality film throughout, the 70's is brilliantly recreated, everything's beige, smoke fills every room, Skarsgard is brilliant, as is Dacre Montgomery as the unfortunate kidnap victim, and of course Pacino (though he sadly is only in a few scenes) This is out on Sky Movies, I'd never heard of it until seeing it advertised, and it's well worth checking out.

4/5

Over Your Dead Body (2025)

 

Now when a horror film stars Samara Weaving (Ready Or Not, Guns Akinmo, The Babysitter) it's a must watch, and especially when she's co-starring with Jason Segal (This Is the End, Knocked Up) and this really doesn't disappoint. A couple on the verge of splitting up plan a trip to sew up their marriage, little do they know that they are both planning to kill each other, and then some escaped convicts turn up and it gets really messy... This is a blood soaked laugh riot from start to finish, all the cast are just having a ball, the violence is pure comic book splatter with not one but two shotguns to the head kills! Great fun throughout and another must watch horror flick of 2026.

"Your nose taste's like shit!!!"

4.5/5

Down Terrace (2009)

 

Director Ben Wheatley has had some highs and lows in his directorial life, just a few day's I watched his most recent, the excellent 'Normal' and 'Sightseers' was a classic, a few duds though 'Meg 2' was a stinker, it's a Megalodon for fucks sake, how can you balls up that concept? Anyways, this is his debut feature and it's a low key, very British, gangster flick, when I say gangster, theses guys aren't Scarface. A good solid cast, lovely to see Julie Deakin, who was Alan Partridge's fling, the "red head in the corner smoking a fag", equally nasty and comical, the murders (executions) are almost treated like an everyday occurrence to be brushed over. Totally mad characters, just wait for the finale, low key, almost all set in their house, no big crash bang wallop moments but quality British film making.

4/5

Normal (2026)

Two 'words' Bob Odenkirk, I love this guy, I'm in! I'd seen an early review of this on one of my favourite youtube channels (I think it was Cody Leach) and he said it was one of the big surprises of film festival he saw it at, and boy is this one big surprise. It all starts off pretty low key with a kind of 'Fargo' feel, Bob is a Sherriff posted to a sleepy Midwestern US town, Normal, hoping for a quiet life after the stress of his marital woes and previous work moral woes. The town is hit with a Bank robbery, which in itself is unheard of, but this isn't just a 'normal' bank but one that the locals want to keep secret, and that's when things kick off, and I mean, KICK OFF!

I won't give anything away, just to say this is an absolute riot from there on, great humor throughout, funny, ridiculous characters and completely over the top candy carnage! With a juicy 90 minute runtime, it doesn't overstay it's bloody runtime, packing in laughs and gore throughout!

4.5/5 

EDIT I forgot to say, it also stars Henry Winkler, The Fonz as the town Mayor!

The Best 35 Horror Films From The Past Decade!!!!!!!

 

Here you go folks, a list of all the great horror movies from the past 10 years that I highly, highly recommend!! (in no order)

*The Black Phone (2021)

*The Invisible Man (2020)

*The First Omen (2024)

*It: Chapter 1 (2017)

*Orphan: First Kill (2022)

*The Invitation (2015)

*Project Wolf Hunting (2022)

* X & Pearl (2022)

*Weapons (2025)

*Obsession (2026)

*It Follows (2014)

*Becky/Wrath Of Becky (20/23)

*Renfield (2023)

*Last Voyage Of Dementer (2023)

*Cobweb (2023)

*Totally Killer (2023)

*Host (2020)

*The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020)

*Raw (2016)

*Violent Night (2022)

*Speak No Evil (2022)

*Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)

*The Sadness (2021)

*The Innocents (2021)

*Smile/Smile 2 (22/24)

*Terrifier 2/3(21/24)

*The Coffee Table (2022)

*Nosferatu (2024)

*Frankenstein (2025)

*Saw VI (2009)

*Send Help (2026)

*Crawl (2019)

*Harpoon (2019)

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026)

 

Now I've never been a fan of The Mummy movies, in all fairness I can't recall bothering to watch any of them, from the early Universal flicks right up to 1999's Brendan Fraser outing, so when when this was announced I really had no interest. Then the reviews came out, it was a total reworking of the story and directed by the man who brought us the awesome 'Evil Dead' reboot back in 2013, one of the great horror movies of the 21st Century, and boy does this deliver! This time a young girl disappears, only to be found 8 years later, great news think the family, not really it must be said. This is just wild, a heady mix of 'The Exorcist' but mostly, it's great to say 'Evil Dead'. This is a blood drenched full on gore-a-thon, stabbings, vomiting, scorpions burrowing out of peoples throats, you name it, it doesn't hold back! A running time of 2 hours 15 mins flies by, highly recommended for all us gore hounds, this and 'Obsession' on the same day!

4.5

Obsession (2026)

Now this is the one I've been really looking forward to, a young Man still in 'love' with his childhood crush, uses what he thinks is a "joke" "make a wish" stick, he wishes that the woman will love him, little does he know how it pans out. This is pure Twilight Zone stuff, but ramped up to 10, the build up is slow and tense, once the wish is fulfilled, well the gloves are off in the horror masterclass. The sense of dread is nerve racking, the tension at times unbearable. What happens isn't the main horror, it your sense of what is around the corner..Inde Navarrette as the love interest Nikki puts in an astonishing performance, a masterclass in modern horror, the screams she bellows out, her facial expressions, that sinister long lasting 'smile, he body movement, a truly Oscar winning performance. The one moment people will remember is the jump scene and what immediately happens afterwards, this is just a baseball bat to the face moment, the lead up to the scene making it even more gut wrenching. Quite easily one of the best horror films of the past decade and this years 'Weapons' in the cinema world of terror!

4.5/5

The Crash (2026) Netflix

 

A teenager has a high speed crash, killing two other people, her boyfriend and his best friend, what looks like a tragic accident soon uncovers something sinister, was it actually an 'accident'? This is a superbly produced documentary from Netflix, it plays out slowly building up the story with genuine footage of the horrendous aftermath of the crash, CCTV footage of the actual crash and interviews with the Police, family and close friends. The outcome is quite shocking, with real footage from the Courtroom on making their judgment and the outcome to all those involved. Essential viewing.

4.5/5

Believe Me (2026) TV Series

 

This is a ITV dramatization of the horrendous case of John Warboys, a serial rapist in the early 2000's, who preyed on women he picked up in his black cab, and the victims fight for justice and his subsequent "successful" parole appeal. Spread over four episodes this is thoughtful, grim, and brilliantly acted television. Daniel Mays as always is top notch, as the pathetic vile Warboys, the two lead actress's Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Aasiya Shah are just superb as two of the victims, as they fight for justice, Warboys has been jailed, but they were never believed, cast aside by an utterly inept Metropolitan  Police Force, a disgrace to justice. Hard hitting, it will depress you but equally anger you that these two woman, if believed and properly investigated, could have prevented further horrifying attack on young women, who's lives would be damaged immeasurably.

4.5/5

Barbarian (2012)

 

From the Director who brought us the awesome 'Weapons' last year this was  Zach Kreuger's debut full length feature, and though, of course, not up to the extreme horror of it's processor, it's still a fine piece of twisted horror. A woman rent's an Airbnb in a rough neighborhood of Detroit, and it's not all what it seems.  As you would expect it's a creepy dark eerie movie, Georgina Campbell as the main star is excellent throughout, the film unravels a twisted tale, a sure sign of a confident director which is unleashed fully a few years later with his masterpiece of horror unleashed a few years later. Quality horror, the aforementioned 'Weapons'  went full throttle, and this guy really is one to watch, with the rumors being he wants to bring back Freddy Kreuger for a new 'Nightmare On Elm Street' movie, yes please!

4/5

Faces Of Death (2026)

 

Now this is the sequel/remake nobody expected, not least me! The original was a grimy video nasty 'documentary' infamous back then for showing real life footage of death and murder, quite tame by standards nowadays, so what on earth would this be about? In this re-imaging of the original, a woman has the job of moderating online content, and comes across a series of video's what seems to be reproducing the deaths in the original release. Now this is one gnarly dirty horror flick, shades of 'Hostile', it doesn't flinch with the violence, is it any good? Well yeah, but not one you would give a rewatch, a brave slice of horror, worth a look but one that will probably be forgotten about quite soon.

3.5/5

The Bank Job (2018)

Jason Statham.

Yes, it is him, and I can't believe this one slipped past me. I love the Stath's, who doesn't, so I had the usual "expectations"for this one."Based" on a true story of a real life robbery back in the early 70's,  the Stath's recruits  a rag bag gang for a big bucks high stakes bank job (clue in the title). It's got a big ass Brit cast, Saffron Burrows (the posh one), Daniel Mays, Peter Bowles (another posh one), Keeley Hawes and even Craig Fairbrass turns up as the 'muscle'. It's good fun, not much ass kicking from the main man, it's riddled with cliched characters, but it's all dumb harmless fun.

3.5/5
 

The Client (1994)

 

We're blasting back 30 years to the glorious 90's and this film has that feel. A great cast, Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones for starters, always great value for money as is the young Brad Refro in his debut as "The Client" Mark Sway who has to testify against a Mob gang. The ensemble cast is great too, William H Macy, J T Walsh, Will Patton etc, it's a heady mix of drama, tension, some court room drama which I just love, all combined by the 90's legend Joel Schumacher who brought us such big 90's hits as 'Flatliners', 'Falling Down' and 'St Elmo's Fire' and 'The Lost Boys' from the heady 80's. Great entertainment throughout and one I'm pleased to finally catch up with.

4/5

Killing Mary Sue (2025)

 

A corrupt Senator (aren't they all ) plans to kill his stepdaughter who is scandal prone and very bad for his image, especially with an up coming election. This is great violent gory fun from the off, Sierra McCormack as Sue is just brilliant, loud mouthed, brash with a great set of killing skill, which are explained later, it can't surely just from playing video games you may think. The violence is off the scale, great humour throughout, larger than life fun characters, the film never slows down and is perfect popcorn fun, a heady mix of 'John Wick' and numerous other bloody carnage flicks, and highly recommended!

4.5/5

Kraken (2026)

 

I was so looking forward to this, I love monster movies, so I eagerly awaited some creature feature candy...what a let down. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad movie, just not very good! The premise is good, strange things are afoot in a Norwegian fjord including the grisly death of two teenagers, all signs point to a mythical creature deep in the water. The acting all round is high quality, the plot builds perfectly, the scenery is just stunning, it's just this film doesn't combine all these elements. It's low budget, so the beast is pretty much just rubber tentacles flailing about, no real monster "action", no tension, and by the end it's a case of "meh, is that it?"

3/5

Hunting Season (2025)

 

Got to admit the first thing I drew my attention to this little known drama/thriller was Mel Gibson, always loved "mad" Mel, from his early days of the 'Mad Max' and 'Lethal Weapon' movies right up to lesser known stuff such as the excellent 'Fat Man' and 'Dragged Across Concrete', he's always value for money, and he doesn't disappoint here. Mel plays Bowdrie who lives a secluded life with his daughter 'Tag', their life is changed when 'Tag' discovers a young Woman in the woodland, shot and beaten. A dubious bunch are out to finish the job and he must use all his wits to defend her, but foremost his daughter. Solid performances throughout, a good strong story, yes we've seen this kind of thing before, but its entertaining with all guns blazing in the OTT finale, and well worth a viewing.

4/5

Obsession (2026) **COMING SOON** 15/5/26

 

2026 is dishing out some really cool movies so far, and this one looks the dogs boll**ks. A lonely young Man uses a cursed "toy" to get his childhood crush to fall in love with him...with dire consequences, it's not all candle light dinners and romantic vacations. It comes out 15th May, and has received huge critical praise, 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film looks so chilling and apparently Inde Navarrette's performance as the focus of the "obsession" Nikki,  give's a powerhouse performance, which you get small twisted glimpses of in in the trailer, of what looks like a brutal, totally unsettling performance. Strap me in!!

'Drumdums' Youtube review