Posts tagged horror

Review: Juan of the Dead

Juan of the Dead, or Cuban’s answer to Shaun of the Dead managed nothing but to fulfil my already low expectations of it. Rarely am I put off by budget constraints, but when there is a lack of resources then talent needs to step up in order to keep proceedings from veering into weak schlock territory and in this case it appears that there was little of that on hand.

Read more »

Review: Piggy

Joe (Martin Compston) suffers from crippling shyness. He’s overcoming it with the help of his big brother John (Neil Maskell), but one night John is murdered on his way home from the pub. Joe’s in a tailspin until he gets a visit from the charismatic Piggy (Paul Anderson), who takes him under his wing. Piggy’s got a plan to get back at the men who murdered John, and he wants Joe to help.

Read more »

Review: The Monk

Fans of Gothic literature will tell you that Matthew Lewis’ 1796 novel is one of the defining works of the genre. Highly controversial at the time, the book is packed with the tropes, types, and twists that have littered the horror genre ever since. So the prospect of a film adaptation starring Vincent Cassel in the title role was very exciting indeed.

Read more »

DVD Review: A Horrible Way to Die

Director, Adam Wingard, presents a horror film that is involving, disorientating and emotionally intelligent. Garrick Turrell (AJ Bowen) a vicious murderer has escaped from prison in pursuit of his ex-girlfriend, Sarah. From the start it is unsettling and affecting, as an anonymous male removes a bound and gagged woman from the trunk of a car. The tense opening scene is set against a vast, empty landscape capturing the sense of despair and utter loneliness of a grisly demise.

Read more »

Review: The Cabin in the Woods

With the imminent release of The Avengers, it’s been easy to forget that nerd culture godhead Joss Whedon has another project coming out. Filming started in 2009 but The Cabin in the Woods was mired in MGM’s bankruptcy crisis. It’s escaped that pit of despair (and rumours of a 3D conversion) courtesy of a release by Lionsgate and we’re very happy to report that it’s definitely worth a visit.

Read more »

Interview with Simon Oakes: President & CEO of Hammer and Vice Chairman of Exclusive Media

Originally founded in 1934, legendary British film studio Hammer has delivered a hugely successful run of films over the years including Dracula, Frankenstein Created Woman, One Million Years B.C. and The Vampire Lovers. Not in production since the 1980s, Hammer marked their return to features in 2010 with the release of the critically acclaimed Let Me In. In 2011, Hammer released Antti Jokinen’s The Resident starring Hilary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hammer legend Sir Christopher Lee. Today sees the UK release of The Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe.

Simon Oakes took the time to sit down with Cinetalk in a roundtable discussion to talk about the future of Hammer, the possible re-boot of The Quatermass Experiment and the making of The Woman in Black.

Read more »

Review: The Woman in Black

There are two things in this world that are truly terrifying, birds (I blame Hitchcock) and creepy toys; The Woman in Black has both of these things and uses them to full effect. An atmospheric, tension builder that places importance on both the story and the scares that will make you jump out of your seat (or close your eyes a lot)…

Read more »