aka The Philosophers Year: 2014 Director: John Huddles Cast: James D’Arcy, Rhys Wakefield, Sophie Lowe, Daryl Sabara, Bonnie Wright Themes: end of the world, atomic war, morals, survival, philosophy If the world was going to end due to an atomic… Read More ›
Reviews
Bloody Birthday (1981) (UK Blu-ray Review).
Year: 1981 Director: Ed Hunt Cast: Lori Lethin, Elizabeth Hoy, Julie Brown, K.C Martel, Billy Jayne, Andy Freeman Themes: Murderous kids, Slasher, Weird Eclipses, Stabbings, Shooting Disc specifications: Picture: 1080p 1.85:1, Audio: LPCM 2.0 Stereo 1981 was a cracking year… Read More ›
James Simpson Reviews The Mirror (2014).
Year: 2014 Director: Edward Boase Cast: Jemma Dallender, Joshua Dickinson, Nnate Fellows Themes: found footage, suspense, urban legend, news story, haunted, possession Horror and ‘reality’ are often paired together in the world of film. Many a blockbuster or B-movie has… Read More ›
James Simpson Reviews The Last Horror Film (1982) (UK Blu-ray review)
Year: 1982 aka: Fanatic Director: David Winters Cast: Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Judd Hamilton, Devin Goldenberg, David Winters Theme’s: Gore, Stalking, Insanity, Fantasy, Murder Disc specification: Video: 1.85:1, 1080p Audio: 2.0 Stereo LPCM Joe Spinell is perhaps best known to… Read More ›
L’Assassino aka The Ladykiller of Rome (1961) (UK Blu-ray Review).
Year: 1961 aka: The Ladykiller of Rome Director: Elio Petri Cast: Marcello Mastroianni, Micheline Presle, Salvo Randone, Cristina Gaioni Themes: Thriller, Noir, Dark, Murder, Mystery Disc Specification: Video: 1.85:1 , 1080p, Audio Uncompressed Mono 2.0 PCM Italian director, the late… Read More ›
Re-Animator 1985 (UK Blu-ray Review).
Year: 1985 Director: Stuart Gordon Cast: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Robert Sampson Themes: Zombies, Mad Scientists, Reanimation, Splatstick, Comedy, Gore Disc specification: Video: 1.78:1, 1080p, Audio DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 /LPCM Stereo So few… Read More ›
Marek Z. Reviews Erotic Nights of the Living Dead (1980).
Year: (1980) Aka: Sexy Nights of the Living Dead; Le notti erotiche dei morti viventi; Nite of the Zombies, Le Notte Erotiche; Le Notte Degli Zombies Director: Joe D’Amato (aka Aristide Massaccesi) Cast: Mark Shannon, George Eastman, Laura Gemser, Dirce… Read More ›
Final Exam (1981) (US Blu-ray Review).
Year: 1981. Director: Jimmy Hutson. Cast: Cecile Bagdadi, Joel S. Rice, Ralph Brown, DeAnna Robbins, Sherry Willis-Burch, JohnFallon. Themes: Slasher, Murder, On Campus horror, Teens, Unnamed Killer, Fraternity Antics. If there is one subgenre of horror that encompasses the eighties,… Read More ›
Alain Robbe- Grillet Six Films 1963-1974 (BFI Blu-ray/ DVD Boxset review).
The language of film is a pervasive one. Since the inception of cinema, people have learned the codes and subliminal language of film. As time marches on new codes are invented, messages change, yet underneath it all the same traditions… Read More ›
Dr. Catsu Reviews Absentia 2011 (UK Blu-ray).
Year: 2011 Director: Mike Flanagan US Release: Available DVD, VOD; Blu-Ray unconfirmed UK Release: Available DVD, VOD; Blu-Ray 7th July 2014 Cast: Courtney Bell, Morgan Peter Brown, James Flanagan, Doug Jones, Dave Levine, Katie Parker Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1, 1080p, 23.98fps… Read More ›
Dr. Catsu Reviews Under the Skin (2013).
Year: 2013 US Release: 15th July 2014; available VOD UK Release: 14th July 2014; 7th July 2014 VOD Director: Jonathan Glazer Cast: Paul Brannigan, Scott Dymond, Krystof Hadek, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Moreland, Adam Pearson, Jeremy McWilliams Themes: alien, beauty, deformity,… Read More ›
Dr. Catsu Reviews All Cheerleaders Die (2013).
Year: 2013 US Cinema Release: 13th June 2014 (limited run); available VOD UK Cinema Release: 12th September 2014; VOD unannounced Director: Lucky McKee & Chris Sivertson Cast: Brooke Butler, Amanda Grace Cooper, Reanin Johannink, Leigh Parker, Sianoa Smit-McPhee, Caitlin Stasey,… Read More ›
Marek Z Reviews Sonno Profondo (2013).
Year: 2013 Director: Luciano Onetti Cast: Luciano Onetti, Daiana Garcia, Silvia Duhalde Themes: Giallo, Thriller, Italian Horror The debut film of Argentinean director Luciano Onetti, Sonno Profondo represents not just a labour of love- as Onetti also writes, acts, films… Read More ›
Dr. Catsu Reviews Savaged (2013).
Horror as a genre, by its very nature, is one of extremes and excesses. Endemic violence, gratuitous nudity, and blanket coverage of the darkest recesses of the human soul are all well catered for and widely available. It is… Read More ›
Dr. Catsu Reviews Dracula 3D (2012).
There are precious few landmark filmmakers still working in horror. Wes Craven, a major force behind the explosion of the slasher during the Eighties and its renaissance during the Nineties, is all but retired these days; William Friedkin is hardly… Read More ›
Dr. Catsu Reviews The Sacrament (2013).
Horror is a genre of tribute. In a very real sense, the visceral thrills and chills on offer speak to the darkest heart of the human condition, our fascination with the macabre and perverse; it is the sensation of fear… Read More ›
Dr. Catsu Reviews Patrick: Evil Awakens (2014).
To the rest of the world, Australia has hardly been a hotbed of great cinema over the years. Due to geographical limitations many cinematic triumphs did not make the leap out of the country and get the opportunity to garner… Read More ›
Dr. Catsu Reviews Banshee Chapter (2013).
In the UK, by far the biggest event in the horror calendar is the ‘Film4 Frightfest’ held annually over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Each year the great and the good assemble for a range of horror-themed events as well… Read More ›
Dr. Catsu Reviews The Pit aka Jug Face (2013).
What is horror? As covered in many of my reviews, it is such a broad topic open to an enormous expanse of diverse interpretations. Horror movies cater to so many different tastes too; from bloody gorefests, through creepy, atmospheric ghost… Read More ›
Stiggy’s Film of the Day Sugar Hill (1974)
Year: 1974. Director: Paul Maslansky. Cast: Marki Bey, Robert Quarry, Don Pedro Colley, Zara Cully, Charles Robinson. Themes: Voodoo, Hoodoo, blaxploitation, revenge killings, zombies. Blaxploitation/horror was never an extensive sub-genre of film. The most remembered films from this period… Read More ›
Stiggy’s Film of the Day Funeral Parade of Roses (1969).
The Story. Funeral Parade of Roses is at first glance the simple tale of minor squabbling at a flourishing gay bar in Tokyo. Head hostess, Leda and the enigmatic- and vastly more attractive- Eddie bicker it out for the attentions… Read More ›
Oculus (2013) Review.
Year: 2013. US Cinema release 14/04/14, UK Cinema release 13/6/14. Director: Mike Flanagan. Cast: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane, Annalise Basso, Garrett Ryan. Themes: Possession, hauntings, family murder, domestic violence, supernatural. Siblings Kaylie and Tim Russell hold… Read More ›
Dr. Catsu reviews Stage Fright (2014).
The slasher has frequently been accused of, amongst many other things, being a stale and predictable genre and, objectively, it is easy to see why. The concepts and plot points that give fans warmth and reassurance can also provide the… Read More ›
Dr. Catsu Reviews Cheerleader Camp (1988).
Cheerleaders are popular subject matter for horror movies. Whilst a rather twee device, it is a simple way of getting together a group of young, often attractive, women to be lined up then chopped up as required; often there is… Read More ›
Chris Cummings reviews Dolls (1987): UK Blu-ray 101 Films review.
Many would consider Stuart Gordon a horror legend due to some of the classic films he directed, especially early on in his career. Films such as Re-Animator, From Beyond, and this fantastical little horror flick called Dolls. I remember seeing… Read More ›