Deathstalker (2025)

 

Now cards on the table I've never seen any Deathstalker movie, I vaguely remember the original only because of it's slightly saucy poster. So when this remake was online my interest was zero until I found out the director Steven Kostanski directed the awesome 'Psycho Goreman', so I had to give it a watch...sweet jubus! This film is so bad, that yes, its so good, wooden acting, ridiculous plot, just what the fuck is going on, and the most OTT practical effects you can imagine, goblins, pigmen, a flying screaming head, a giant eyeball with legs. Utter rubbish, should have had at least 15 mins shaved off the runtime, but the film went from boring to leaving a smile on my face.

2.5/5 (4/5 for so good it's....)

A Woman Scorned (2025)

 

I love a good revenge movie so my expectations weren't high for this, low budget, straight to Amazon Prime, but I had to give it a go. Well it all starts off promising, two sisters on a vacation, run into some local fucknuts, all goes pear shaped, other Sister goes out for bloody revenge, and boy she does. Loads of stabbing, shooting, chainsaw and axe action you can't fault, but with a running time of 90 minutes it gets really silly in very little time, our heroine turns into Rambo, she 's dispatching bad guy after bad guy, she kills four or five then another truck turns up with reinforcements! Silly nonsense, worth a watch? yeah, why not.

3/5

Inside Number 9: The Devil Of Christmas (2016)

 

I have to admit I've hardly watched any episodes of "Inside Number 9", something on my list to do next year, but I thought I'd start off with one of the Christmas specials. It's a Krampus story but with the director giving an occasional voice over on the making of, it's a cheap and cheesy low budget show he's making which he relish's in, the classic Krampus is the core of the story, but being 'Inside Number 9' created by the brilliant Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton (and in this episode starring the wonderful Rula Lenska) you just know there will be  a dark denouement, great stuff, and I'm looking forward to further exploring this show.

4/5

Exhibit A (2007)

 

Exhibit A is a chilling descent into domestic chaos, charting the transformation of a father from comical, almost childish antics (staging fake video's for prize money) into seething rage and borderline madness. What begins with lighthearted humor quickly unravels as his web of lies tightens, exposing cracks in his fragile facade. The shift is both unsettling and compelling, with each moment of denial pushing him closer to collapse. By the end, the film delivers a brutal gut wrenching finale that will linger in your memory ...

4.5/5

Violent Ends (2025)

 Got to admit I'd never heard of this straight to stream flick, but with reading favorable reviews I though I'd give it a go, and it's well worth your time. Violent Ends is a deliberate slow-burn thriller that rewards patience with strong performances and unsettling tension. The acting anchors the story, giving weight to its brooding pace. Just when the atmosphere feels almost too restrained, sudden bursts of shocking violence will erupt, reminding us of the danger simmering beneath the surface, these sharp contrasts elevate the film, making it a solid thriller.

4/5

One Battle After Another (2025)

 

When a movie has a running time of over 2.5 hours you know you're in for the long haul, many, many movies have had these big run times, The Shawshank Redemption (142 mins), The Departed (151 mins), Pulp Fiction (154 mins) all great movies and well worth every minute but some, well the recent Running Man weighing out at "just" 133 minutes was stretching it a bit. So when this flick got all the rave reviews I thought I'd get my Welsh ass up to Vue for a, um, viewing but then I saw the run time....nah, I'll wait to see it on my sofa in front of the 65" OLED...so does it justify your time? Oh yes. Absolute quality from the off, the movie never slows down, I absolutely love De Caprio and Sean Penn, who is a legend, and these guys are firing on all cylinder's throughout. The plot thunder's along, some great action set pieces, the film just sparkles with life, top 5 of the year easily.

4.5/5

The Running Man (2025)

 

The original "Running Man" movie from back in the late 80's I did watch, just once, all I can remember is that it starred Arnie, was written by Stephen King and that's about it. So when a remake was announced I can't say I was that excited, until I heard Edgar Wright (Baby Driver, The Cornetto Trilogy) was directing. So on a 2 day trip in London with two free Odeon tickets I thought I'd give it a go on the big screen, and 2 hours 15 minutes (!) later what did I think? Well it's bloody long, I mean 2hrs + of a bloke being chased around, in all honesty it's not really thrilling or exciting, I thought it might have some Robocop style political satire with some ultra-violence thrown in (there is some which got my attention) but the main Character Ben played by Glen Powell is rather unlikeable so it's hard to get involved in a movie that seems to go on for ever. You'll watch it once and forget about it sadly.

3.5/5

The Woman In Cabin 10 (2025)

 The movie boasts a good cast of Keira Knightley, Guy Pierce and Hannah Waddington as a pissed up lush, but the movie sails along (pun intended) gently and you get no real feel of actual tension, it's the type of movie Channel 5 or Hallmark would show at 3pm on a Winter's Sunday evening when you could cozy up with a cup of tea and a blanket. It's not a bad film in all fairness but not one that will have you on the edge of your seat.

3.5/5

The Price We Pay (2012)

 Don't judge a book by it's cover, or it's Movie poster as I did with this one. I was expecting a run of the mill heist movie goes awry, and that's how it sets its stall out for a good half hour. Three thugs rob a Pawn shop, take a hostage (the lovely Gigi Zumbado) then on the run, take refuge in a remote farm house...then it's take the most about turn you can imagine. Think Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Hostile "horror torture porn", I really wasn't expecting this, the final third is batshit bonkers with an utterly insane Hellraiser inspired finale all played out in the unforgiving bright sunny daylight. Available on Amazon Prime this is a twisted, bloody gore soaked surprise.

4.5/5

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) Classic video clip

 One of the hottest horror clips ever.

The Thing (1982) Classic Spider Head scene clip

 

One of the greatest sfx moments in Horror, incredible practical effects from the legend that is Rob Bottin, and quite easily an all time classic genre movie.

10/10

Beast Of War (2025)

 

Set during WW2 a group of soldiers are stranded in the middle of the Ocean after their Ship is sunk by the enemy, now they must survive without water and limited food....and a Great White hunting them with a terrible attitude! I didn't really have high hopes for this but the reviews were quite positive and it turns out to be a real tense well made thriller. Filmed with a dark misty "damp" look, there's some great humour throughout, almost Jaws meets Crocodile Dundee with it's quirky Aussie cast, and the shark, no CGI, looks pretty good and there's ample lashings of the red stuff with blood, guts (literally) and body parts getting sliced open and apart. Great fun!

       4.5/5

 

Ozzy Osbourne: No Escape From Now (2025)

 What can you say about Sabbath, but particularly John 'Ozzy' Osbourne that hasn't already been said before? Well it changed my life musically forever the first time I heard the killer doom and riffs of "War Pigs" back in 1979 aged 12 years old. Ozzy was THE madman of rock, out drank, out snorted every Band, even going to sniff piss covered Ants off a sidewalk to outdo Motley Crue. But beneath the Prince Of Darkness persona he was deeply loved, Sharon pretty much saved his life and endured great, and dark bad times with him, but they both got stronger through numerous health scares etc. This heart warming, and equally heartbreaking, 2 hour programme documents what hell they endured, Ozzy almost paralized by a fuck up American Surgeon, his fight to play the "Back To The Beginning" show, and the fact it was an enormous success, his performance far exceeding what fans and critics feared, would he play just a couple of tracks, or none at all?  He passed away just weeks later, I'm sure the roar of the crowd still ringing in his ears as he took his final bow....10/10

Black Phone 2 (2025)

 

The original Black Phone release back in 2021 was an absolute blast, a nasty down and dirty eerie horror thriller, this release is a sluggish, disappointing sequel that panders its original premise with a painfully ponderous downright boring first half. The pacing drags, the tension ponderous, only when 'The Grabber' finally shows up does it kick into life with two good scenes, oh and a decapitation, during another bloody dream sequence of course, but this is far to late to save this bore-fest. One of the most disappointing releases for many a year, and one I thankfully didn't waste good money on at the Cinema for.

       2/5

 

Coyotes (2025)

 

This flick is pure popcorn mayhem horror fun. A movie with it's tongue firmly entrenched in it's bloody toothed cheek, great likeable characters, yeah the Coyotes are CGI but look great and fantastically menacing with their yellow evil eyes, teeth like razor blades, dribbling drool then blood, in a way this reminds me of 90's horror flicks such as the wonderful 'Tremors', no pretentions, just a a film maker who wants the viewer to have a bloody (pun intended) good laugh!

4/5 

Rec 3:Genesis 2012

 

The original 'Rec' film released way back in 2007 is a  21st Century horror classic, it was followed up by a few sequels which for some reason I just ignored, that is  until watching a youtuber  ( I think it was The Flick Connection) highly rated this one, and boy was it worth it. It's a blood soaked Wedding massacre, brutal, stylish and darkly funny, the Spanish know how to make nasty horror, this is a gory gem well worth a watch during these dark long nights.

(oh and it's a available on the wonderful Shudder Channel)

4.5/5

The War Game (1966)

 

In 1966 the BBC produced a grim horrifying docu-drama on the depicting the aftermath of a Nuclear attack on the UK, it had a limited Cinema release but won an Oscar the following year for best documentary, though it was never given a TV broadcast, the BBC saying it was "too distressing for viewers, especially Children and the vulnerable", in reality the Government stepped in citing it pro Left/CND and essentially put pressure to have it 'banned' (not much has changed then). I have to admit I'd never heard of this until it was featured a few months ago along with an accompanying short intro from Michael Asple (who featured in the original doc) and also a welcome broadcast of the stunning 'Threads'. So, was it worth the near 60 year wait? Good giddey god, this is a soul breaking, devastating piece of film, with a running time of just under 50 minutes it packs the same visceral punch of the aforementioned 'Threads', it's an incredible punch in the throat, the acting just superb, the real life terror unimaginable.

5/5

A House Of Dynamite (2025)

 

'A House Of Dynamite' is Kathryn Bigalows first feature length movie since the superb 'Detroit' back in 2017, yes we've had to wait 8 whole years for a new movie from this superbly talented lady. Her back catalogue is pure class, the aforementioned 'Detroit', 'Zero Dark Thirty', 'The Hurt Locker' and of course one of the great Vampire movies of the modern era 'Near Dark' which wipes the blood soaked floor of 'The Lost Boys' pretty boy/girl alternative. This of course is chock full of talent, Ibris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Clarke etc. The story is told through three scenarios of Ministers, Military big wigs and ultimately the President of the USA. Like I said the acting is top notch, the dread and impending horror for the future of mankind slowly builds, but some "critics" complained about the ending....we're dealing with Nuclear assured destruction, this isn't a Roland Emmerich ('Day After Tomorrow') movie, stick to your popcorn movies and leave stuff like this for the grown ups!

4.5/5

All The Devils Are Here (2025)

 

Four thieves hide out after a robbery that's resulted in a violent unnecessary murder, sitting a on a pile of money, they await instructions from above,  as the days slowly pass by, and tempers and sanity start to crack. Anything starring the fabulous Eddie Marsen is always worth a look and this is no exception, a claustrophobic setting, brooding characters with time to do nothing, just wait for orders in an isolated cottage in the middle of nowhere, this is a classy grim gangster thriller with a wicked sinister  twist, a solid quality Brit Flick.

4.5/5

The Jester (2023)

 

Two Sisters Emma and Jocelyn, reunite in a small Baltimore town after their father's death. On Halloween night, they’re stalked by a sinister figure known as The Jester..It has to be said this flew well below my radar, even The Guardian reviewed it, so when a sequel popped up and a mate gave it a thumbs up I'd thought I'd dive in at the beginning. Sadly what we have here is a very weak ass Art The Clown (Terrifier) flick, the villain wears a mask (it's good, but compared to the superb makeup for Art it's Poundland) The horror is weak, as is the plot, much of the acting and dialogue, and what gore there is, is cheap, plus the pacing of the whole movie is at time's laborious, with a Hallmark channel cheesiness.

2/5

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (2025)

 

Now I've seen the 1992 original, so being over 30 years ago, I can't remember much about it, only it involved a nutcase Babysitter (Rebecca De Mornay) and that's about it, no reason for a rewatch. So the prospect of a remake all these years later didn't really excite me that much, but reading some good early reviews, I thought on a miserable wet day, I'd give a go. Well it must be said it's pretty good in all fairness, Maika Munroe and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are both excellent as the 'leads', it's a good solid story with a very interesting twist, quality production values etc throughout. My only niggle is the cliched  'Fatal Attraction' finale, and the fact that certain characters turn into human Terminators no matter what injuries they sustain (broken bottle in the stomach anyone?), but all in all, it's definitely an easy to watch, slightly bad ass, thriller.

4/5

The Perfect Neighbor (2025)

 

This is a chilling all-footage documentary of a devastating "tragedy" which occurred in a Florida neighbourhood  in June 2023, when an innocent Wife and Mother was shot dead (through a locked door) by her neighbour over a minor dispute. All the footage is from Police body cams and original interviews, the documentary is so well edited you would think it was a found footage drama, the scenes when the terrible event occurs is quite shocking and harrowing. This is a heart breaking immersive piece of film-making and highly recommended.

4.5/5

A House on Bayou (2021)

 

A Woman discovers her Husband has been cheating on her, rather than end the Marriage, she is 'happy' with the comfortable life she has enjoyed, and decide they, with their Teen daughter, should go on a weekend vacation to a mansion in the middle of nowhere!

On arriving the the owners of the local store turn out to be..well slightly dodgy rednecks, then things get really weird. With a nice slim 88 minute running time this is a very enjoyable curioso, who are the rednecks, do they want to rob them, then half way through there's a real 'supernatural' twist, well worth a watch, with a strange creepy finale.

4/5

Screamboat (2025)

 

It's what we've all been waiting for, a Mickey Mouse horror flick, or should I say Steam (scream) boat Willy! Is it worth a watch, humm...it's a hard slog even for me being a "so bad it's good" horror movie fan, this is generally just bad. The villain is a quite ridiculous cross between a Rat, Leprechaun and an Ewok. The characters (bar a few) and dialogue are pretty awful, a prime example being..

"Who you calling asshole, dicknose?"

"Hey fuck you!"

"Fuck me?

"Fuck all three of you!"

Things do pick up a little when the majority of the cast are killed off, including the most excruciatingly  annoying women on a birthday trip (on the Statten Island Ferry?!) There's an amusing kill involving a tv set and a severed penis, but it really needed a good 20 minutes trimmed off it's 1hr 40minutes bloated running time.

2/5

Scarred Shitless (2025)

 

"Sometimes...shit happens"

Any horror flick that dares to call itself "Scared Shitless" deserves a watch and with a slim running time of 1hr 15m why not.

When a 'genetically modified' creature escapes into the plumbing system of an apartment building it reeks havoc attacking the residents minding their own business having a 'Brad Pitt'

Utterly ridiculous, but with likeable characters, decent practical effects and a nice 80/90's low budget horror tone and with it's tongue firmly in it's (ass) cheek,  its well worth your time.

3.5/5

Monster:The Ed Gein Story (2025)

The Ed Gein story is the latest in Netflix 'Monster' series based on true life serial killers, the last outing being the story of the Ramierez brothers. Charlie Hunnam is excellent as the lead, the series comprises 8 episodes and the first half dozen are 'entertaining' though obviously very shocking considering the levels of depravity Gein commits, the tone of the series is set by the final scene of episode one when he stands over his dead Mother to commit the most awful act imaginable. The trouble is once he's incarcerated in the seventh episode the whole series runs out of steam, too many 'dream' sequences and how he apparently helped the FBI to catch Ted Bundy (which is just  pure fiction) the whole show just fizzles out sadly, and could have been trimmed down easily to just the six episodes.

3.5/5
 

Psycho Goreman (2020)

 

Released in 2020 this was one of my favourite movies released that year I was well up for a rewatch during my annual Shocktober fest and it's lost none of its, um, charm! A great blend of over the top violenceand dark humour, lead Nita-Josee  is a delight as the Goremans 'owner'. The violence is pure comic book, Psycho Goremans practical effects are fantastic, one of the great movie monsters in recent years, it's blood soaked, mad and yes, psychotic, and it makes you root for the cosmic warlord.

4.5/5

The Wretched (2019)

 

I'm not a great fan of the folklore horror genre but this is a cut above, a child is haunted by a sinister Witch (as opposed to the nice friendly ones)
and starts to blur what is real and imaginary. Eerie, creepy and haunting from start to finish, it's a quality horror flick well worth seeking out with some great nasty practical (I think) effects.

 *It was listed as available on Netflix  but I think that it might be only on the US site, because the Atlantic Ocean in between us makes it not possible to be available here for f***s sake

4/5

Bad Milo (2013)

An everyday tale of an office worker Duncan (Ken Marino) who lives with a demonic creature up his rectum which reeks vengeance on those who have angered him

Firmly with it's tongue in it's (ass) cheek, 'Bad Milo' comes from the same stable as 'legendary' 80's shlock horror monster movies such as 'Terrorvision'. 'The Deadly Spawn' and of course Frank Henenlotter's classic 'Basketcase'.

 The plot is pure madness, the monster, cheap, runner and ridiculous, the blood is spayed in bucket loads, and the film finishes with the towns folk hunting down the monster whilst carrying burning torches (ala Karloff's Frankenstein)

Utter rubbish, loved it.

3.5/5

No One Lives (2025)

 A bunch of rednecks mess with the wrong couple, especially as one of them "Driver" (the excellent Luke Evans) is an absolute batshit crazy psycho!

Grim, gripping with brutal violence, one scene in particular was highlighted on a Youtube channel as one of the great recent  horror death scenes, and boy is it fun, not that you see it....hearing what you know is happening is enough.

Strong performances all round, great pacing,  great late night revenge horror...oh and the final piece of dialogue in the movie..."NO ONE LIVES!"

4/5

Dark Room (2013)

 

A young Woman Michelle (Kaylee DeFerr) receiving counselling and rehabilitation after killing three friends in a drink driving accident is given a modelling job, upon arrival at the venue, a huge Mansion, she realises things are as they should be, and soon she is in a desperate bid to escape three psychotic siblings hell bent (literally) on purging her of her sins!

With a relatively short running time of 80 minutes the movie zips along at a good pace, good performances from the pretty  much unknown cast, especially Kayley DeFerr, a rough and tough "scream queen" with balls (not literally!) reminiscent of Jennifer Lawrence in the mediocre 'House At The End Of The Street'. The movie is in the  'Hostel' style genre, but it's well put together, suitably creep cine footage flashbacks, and sinister sound effects and musical score.

A genre movie that doesn't deserve to slip under the radar.

4/5

Carrie (2013)

 

Yet  another horror remake, but have no fear I thought, yeah there's been a few turkeys, anything Rob Zombie touches for example, but we've seen some solid nasty reboots of 'Evil Dead', 'The Hills Have Eyes' and 'Maniac' in recent years, both as vicious and grim as their 70/80's originals, so with starring roles for Chloe Grace Moretz as Carrie and Julianne Phillips as her Bible bashing nutso Mum the omens were good....oh dear.

Yes Chloe and Julianne are excellent, as always, the prom scene with all its pigs blood is expertly recreated, but that's about it, the madness of Carries mother is never really explored, yes the world of cyber bullying is introduced into the modern reimagining, but director Kimberley Pierce has nothing new to add, the film is efficient, but ultimately pointless.

2/5

The Surrender (2025)

 

A woman Barbera is caring for her sick  Husband who eventually dies from Cancer, takes the unhinged idea to resurrect him, forgoing  all her's, and her daughters inheritance, to bring him back to life in an almost satanic ritual...it doesn't go well. The finale is grim to say the least, and this is another tough watch. Kate Burton as the grieving, slightly (to say the least) unhinged widow, is excellent, reminding me of the great horror actress Lin Shay. As is, this is a tough watch, and anything but "popcorn" horror for the masses.

4/5

No Tears In Hell (2025)

 

 Based on the true life crimes of Russian serial killer Alexander Spesivtsev who is suspected of 80 murders in 1996, this is brutal, unflinching grim horror of the 'highest' order, the film is not some low budget gore flick, but well made and supremely acted. Luke Baines,who plays Alex, delivers a terrifying portrait of a cold hearted psycho with zero humanity. Incredibly grim and harrowing this is not for the faint hearted but brutal horror of the highest order.

4/5

V/H/S Beyond (2024)

 

The V/H/S series have always been a bit hit and miss, and this one is no exception. The trouble is the average ones are those that seem to throw you into a story, build it up, then just run out of any idea how to successfully conclude it ,the Indian actress episode being a prime case. Then, on the plus points, are the ones that work, the Skydive episode  is well shot, great creatures, super creepy, as is the mental Doggy Day Care Centre piece, the lead a dead ringer for Kathy Bates character in 'Misery' with a crack pot ending. All in all well worth a look but I'm still waiting for a return to the first V/H/S which was all killer no filler.

3.5/5

Good Boy (2025)

 

You don't often get Dogs in horror films, I mean they're Man's best friend, and the last one featuring a pooch I can remember was the criminally under-rated "Cujo", but this is is far different beast (no pun intended).

In Good Boy a loyal dog owner, who is obviously  unwell, moves to a rural family home only to discover "supernatural forces" are present in the home. A real Pooch performer adds a raw sad authenticity to the film, the Dog almost acting through it's worried eyes, with reactions to sounds around the house. Dialogue is minimal throughout, mainly slightly muffled conversations which hype up the tension and growing dread. The Dogs 'Indy' (his real life name) presence is both endearing and unsettling, a hugely original release..and the Dog really is a good boy and utterly adorable.

4/5

Strange Harvest (2025)

 

Strange Harvest is a crime mockumentary that follows the investigation into a serial killer nicknamed "Mr Shiny". The film is so well shot you would believe it to an actual documentary, the give away being shown the actual atrocities the killer commits, grim, brutal and ritualistic. Intercut with Police body-cam footage, interviews with witnesses and the Police this is a quality piece of film, my only criticism being the slightly X-Files final act which I could have done without, but other than that, if you can find it, well worth a watch. (it's listed on US Amazon Prime but not UK, what a surprise)

4/5

The Coffee Table (2024)

The Coffee Table is like no other "horror" film I have experienced in many  years, a guy called Jesus (!) makes a mundane purchase of a glass Coffee table his partner likes, an accident involving the table, so utterly horrific, it is not shown, but quickly you fathom out what has happened. Guilt stricken Jesus, slowly losing his mind and descending into madness, tries to conceal what has happened, culminating in a final scene so brutal, emotionally raw and merciless, it will stick in your mind for some time.

 One of the movies of the not just decade, but 21st Century.

5/5

Night Of The Demon (1957)

 

Night of the Demon I last (first) saw was was probably when I was 11 or 12 years old when BBC2 would screen a fabulous horror double bill every Saturday night (oh the days of creative programing) and all these years later has aged remarkably well, retaining its eerie tension and atmospheric dread. The movie culminates culminating in a terrifying finale where the demon—seen briefly at the start—returns in full monstrous glory. The creature’s design, though practical, remains striking and for a film of it's age looks fantastic. A chilling horror classic that rewards repeat viewings.

4.5/5

Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

 A savage landmark in exploitation cinema, Cannibal Holocaust remains infamous for its brutal violence and real abhorrent animal killings which sparked global outrage. Its ferocious finale blurs fiction and reality so convincingly that director Ruggero Deodato was forced to prove in court in Italy that his actors weren’t actually murdered!

Heavily censored in the UK for decades it, can now be easily picked up on Blu-ray uncut from Amazon, how time's have changed, this grim found-footage Italian "nasty" is both as disturbing and just as hard hintingly grim all these decades later.....

4/5

The Toxic Avenger Unrated (2025)

 

This movie was kind of released two years ago, but didn't get a proper release due to distribution problems, but last month it finally saw the light of day. Has it been worth it? Well on the whole yes, it's just as cheesy and deranged as it's infamous Troma original from back in the 80's, crazy characters, OTT practical gore effects etc..The only downside is it's pacing, the first hour is quite sluggish, you really want the film to hit the ground running with Toxie dishing out justice, but the violent acts of revenge seem to be scattered over the running time, and I was expecting more. I suppose with the recent "Terrifier" releases it's hard to live up to the standards of those past two releases, but this if fun and goofy with a good solid class, Kevin Bacon always delivering the goods, so sit back, turn the brain off and watch some brains getting splattered across the screen!

3.5/5

Brute 1976 (2025)

 

Set in the 70's, as the title suggests, this is a grainy homage to "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Hills Have Eyes" grind core. Plus points are the story's pretty solid as is the acting, well I've seen far worse, but it's biggest letdown is the running time, 1hr 45, seriously? It runs out of steam at 90 minutes and then takes a Horror folk-lore twist (a genre that bores me) and the pace is sooo slow, worst of all is the lack of on screen gore and violence, one scene is actually censored when some poor guy gets a drill bit down his Johnson!

2.5/5 

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