Wolfwalkers: Never Cage Something That Is Wild

Wolfwalkers is an animated fantasy film directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart. The plot sees a girl and her father move to an Irish hamlet in the 1600’s to kill wolves and to start a new life. However said girl Robyn (Honour Kneafsey), finds that there is more to the wolves than any of the towns people know and that the pack is being controlled by a mother daughter Wolfwalker duo, who she soon makes friends with.

This film is a heartbreaker, the plot won’t leave a dry line in the house. It has so many layers to it many of them deeply sad it makes for a very melancholic watch. The later scenes between Robyn and her Dad (Sean Bean), are particularly hard to watch, when he keeps making the situation worse and worse before he realises the error of his ways.

I enjoyed the friendship between Robyn and Mebh ‘Og Mac Tire (Eva Whittaker), I thought it was nice to see their friendship develop over the course of the film and to watch them grow up during such a difficult time period, I’m sure there was a metaphor in there somewhere. I thought this part of the story and its innocence nicely contrasted with the more adult moments.

Finally, I thought it was nice to see a return to 2D animation. It has been too long, and it looked really beautiful throughout, you could tell a lot of work had gone into it and it really helped the film to standout amongst the 2020 animation landscape.

Overall, a beautifully thoughtful and heart breakingly sad animated film that you owe it to yourself to see.

Pros.

A return to 2D animation

The friendship between the two girls

The emotional beats

The father daughter relationship

The look at Irish/Celtic mythology

Cons.

It is desperately sad

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Pixie: Risque Photo-Shoots

Pixie is a crime comedy film directed by Barnaby Thompson. The plot sees a robbery go wrong and a lot of people end up dead leaving two boys with a big bag of drugs and a lot of trouble coming after them; in steps Pixie (Oliva Cooke), to save the day and to have some fun along the way.

This film is a star making turn for Cooke, it is nothing short of a damn shame that her other killer breakout roles in Thoroughbreds and Ready Player One have not rewarded her with more of the mainstream spotlight, but hopefully this film will right that wrong. She makes this film, her Pixie is charming and funny, but also a character you never know if you can fully trust. Without Cooke in this film it would be infinitely worse

As far as crime comedies go, usually one of those two elements is placed above the other thereby ruining it as a crime comedy, however here both the crime and the comedy elements are given equal attention and are handled well. There are several scenes such as the photography scene early on that are genuinely funny, in addition there are also scenes that are suitably tense and uncomfortable.

I also applaud the film for not being afraid to go dark when needed. Despite being a crime comedy film the tone of this film is quite light for the most part, but it does stray from that a few times especially when it comes to Pixie’s backstory which is quite upsetting. I think the choice to give her such an emotional and turbulent past is an inspired one as it makes her feel far more human and relatable.

Overall, a very charming crime comedy film, that hopefully leads to big things for Cooke.

Pros.

Oliva Cooke

The shootout scene is well done

Both the crime and comedy elements are there, and both feel distinct

I enjoyed the characters and the world

Cons.

It does have bloat and could do with being shorter

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Conjuring: A Fun Game Of Clap Hide And Seek, Anyone?

The Conjuring is a horror film directed by James Wan, loosely based on the real-life adventures of Ed and Lorraine Warren. The plot sees the Warren’s summoned to a farmhouse to help a family that is being plagued by a malicious spirit.

The mainline Conjuring films are defiantly the best this shared universe has to offer, while the Nun and the later Annabelle films had some good moments, by and large they were reliant on jump scares, whereas these films especially the first was not so.

The film builds its scares organically, and focuses on character, mystery and atmosphere knowing that they can lead to stronger scares. The blind folded clapping scene from this film is far scarier and far more impactful than 100 jump scares.

The casting of Patrick Wilson and Vega Farmiga as the Warrens was sheer genius as they are the perfect protagonists, both believable enough to think that they can actually defeat the demons, but also human enough to be relatable and warm. They are very likeable, and you end up rooting for them throughout. I strongly believe the casting of these two makes this film what it is, without them and with lesser stars it could easily have faded into the bland horror background.

Overall, this shows the strong origins of the series before they gave in to jump scares.

Pros.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga

The scares

Building atmosphere

Cons.

The family as a whole is quite forgettable and generic

It feels a little samey after a while

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Hellraiser 3: A Late Night Satanic Standup Performance At A Local Church, It Is A Laugh Riot

Hellraiser 3 is a horror film directed by Anthony Hickox. The plot again serves as a continuation of the last film, wherein Pin Head (Doug Bradley), became imprisoned in a statue. Obviously, he tricks some gullible humans into feeding him their friends, thereby restoring him, he then goes on a rampage. The only people willing to fight back are news reporter Joey (Terry Farrell) and the manifestation of Pin Heads good side, also played by Bradley.

After the god awful second film I very nearly gave up with this series, but a part of me wanted to see if it could get worse. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this film is hands and shoulders better than the second film, whilst still being leagues off the first film.

The main thing I enjoyed about this film was that it does not even try and be serious, or even remotely like Barker’s short story anymore, it just goes full on goofy. I found the 90’s charm of having these evil beings cracking wise to be somewhat charming.

I thought this film have several memorable moments such as the church scene as well as some of the early club stuff while still imprisoned, these are really well done and are suitably tense.

The new final girl does not have a patch on Kirsty and that is a simple fact.

Overall, a good end point for the series as it manages to claw back some of its dignity. I know this is not the end, but I am leaving it here (for now).

Pros.

It abandons any serious notion

Several memorable scenes

The one liners

Cons.

The new characters are bland

It has lost all sense of identity’

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Wild Child: The Most Confusing Accent You Have Ever Heard

Wild Child is a teen comedy film directed by Nick Moore. The plot follows spoilt suburban girl Poppy as she is (Emma Roberts), sent away to a stuffy English boarding school; a beneficial culture clash ensues.

This film won’t win points for originality, as this plot line has been done to the point of nauseum. However, the dry comedic talents of Roberts managed to save this film, honestly if it hadn’t been for her then I would have probably stopped watching. She was believable as the brat, but also loveable when she turned it around; she had a lot of that all important rootability.

The humour of this film is very relatable, it reminds you of a lot of the concerns you had when you were a teen. I enjoyed seeing the friendships develop between the girls, with the romance getting a back seat; normally in these sort of films it would be front and centre.

My favourite moment of this film was the short cameo from Nick Frost, it made me laugh quite a bit. I don’t fully understand what sort of accent he is supposed to be doing, but he is still my favourite bit about this film.

Overall, a fun teen romp that is made by Emma Roberts, with a surprisingly great cameo from Frost and the wise choice to focus on friendships over relationships.

Pros.

Emma Roberts

Nick Frost

Focusing on friendship over relationships

It is very relatable

Cons.

You have seen this before

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Rec: Yet More Found Footage

Rec is a Spanish found footage horror film directed by Jaume Balaguero. The plot sees a reporter (Angela Vidal), cover a firefighter intervention at a nearby apartment complex, however, as the night draws on she becomes locked down in the building with in becoming ever more clear that something else is going on.

Much like when I reviewed Rosemary’s Baby the other day, I feel like because this film is so highly regarded in the horror community I should like it, that was the main reason I gave it a chance in the first place, but I have to say after seeing it I really don’t see what all the fuss is about.

The one pro I will give this film is that I enjoyed the tight confined setting of an apartment block, I thought it gave the film a strong claustrophobic sense of atmosphere that helped it greatly.

Conversely, I thought the characters were poorly written. I didn’t care about them and that made all of the drama and the tension in the film become rendered null for me, the reporter didn’t seem to have much personality beyond being a reporter.

Likewise, the scares and the situation did little for me because I have seen it before, and better. The idea of an outbreak with people turning into these monsters (maybe Zombies?), is not a new concept and this film fails to do anything interesting with it.

Overall, strongly disappointing.

Pros.

The claustrophobic setting

Cons.

The main character has no personality

The scares feel done before

I could guess how it would end

I left disappointed

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

A Bay Of Blood: The Granddaddy Of The Slasher Genre

A Bay Of Blood is an Italian giallo film directed by Mario Bava. The plot follows a series of murders taking place around the titular bay.

I enjoyed seeing early slasher elements pop up in this film, I thought it was very interesting to see the genre cross pollination. For example the bed spear scene would later be used in Friday The 13^th Part 2, as well as the machete to the face kill. If you are a fan of genre cinema or film history that is a really rewarding part of the film.

I thought keeping us guessing about who the killer was, rather than showing us outright was a smart move as I often had my expectations subverted and the end reveal feels satisfying. This is defiantly less of a traditional giallo film as the mystery of who the killer is feels secondary to the body count, which is suitably creative and gory.

I thought it was well paced and none of the scenes felt too long, which is often a complaint of mine. The acting was also strong and all the performances seemed genuine and real, a lot can be learnt by comparing the performances of the teen ‘victim’ character in films like this and in our modern day slasher films; it is night and day, with a less favourable view going to today’s performers. Have our standards dropped?

Overall, if you’re a fan of slasher cinema then you owe it to yourself to watch this film.

Pros.

Keeping the killer mysterious

The kills

The pacing and the acting

It’s a big part of horror history

Cons.

It is a little dry by today’s horror standards

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Sleepy Hollow: Christopher Walken In All His Snarly Goodness

Sleepy Hollow is a horror fantasy film directed by Tim Burton, based on The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. We follow Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp), a New York police constable who is sent out to the small village of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of murders.

I remember watching this a lot when I was younger, it was my go-to horror film, especially on Halloween, for a long time. However, I recently rewatched it and saw it entirely differently then I did when I was younger and am now left thinking how much of my remembered enjoyment is the fabled rose-tinted glasses.

I still enjoyed some of the horror elements of the film, such as Ichabod’s tragic back story and the flashbacks involving his mother, as well as the headless horseman as a character. I find the fact that said horseman is silent for most of the film makes him more scary and you have to use your imagination. Having Christopher Walken play him when he does have a head is a masterstroke as he fits the role so well, stuffing it with malice and fear.

The acting is all fairly solid, Christina Ricci and Johnny Deep basically play similar characters to what they normally do, so your enjoyment of their performances will come down to how you find them in other roles.

My big complaint with the film that I didn’t previously notice is the tone; in that it is all over the place. Despite claiming not to be, this feels very much like family friendly horror, the darker elements are counter balanced with these oddly comedic moments and the two clash horribly as you would imagine.

Overall, it is still good when it is being scary, but the odd ball humour really ruins it as a whole.

Pros.

The headless horseman

Christopher Walken

The gore and so genuine malice

Cons.

The main performances from Depp and Ricci are just them playing characters that they have played before again and claiming it is new.

The humour really hurts any kind of tension

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Blood And Black Lace: Even Killers Need Dress Codes

Blood and Black Lace is a giallo horror film directed by Mario Bava. The plot sees a series of brutal murders involving models at a Roman fashion house, these murders seem to be in aim of recovering a secret laden diary.

So, this film shifts from the standard giallo to some degree we start to see more of an early proto slasher, complete with white face mask, much like the one Michael Myers would come to wear years later.

I thought the mystery of the film was probably it’s strongest part, with the focus often straying towards the killer being a good thing for the film in the long run. The mystery itself was not obvious or overly simplistic, it kept me guessing until the end, but when revealed felt natural and well built towards.

The acting is strong if a little over the top, but that adds to the charm. None of the performances particularly blew me away, but nor did they bring me out of it.

Though I can understand why this film is important, in genre, to me it just felt a bit too similar to other giallo films I have watched recently, they have all started to blend together.

Overall, though I can see it’s important the strong mystery and over the top slightly campy performances are the only selling points the rest of the film feel very by the numbers.

Pros.

The mystery

The genre importance

The over the top camp

Cons.

Very by the numbers

The characters feel quite thin

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

A Nightmare On Elm Street: Put The Bottle Down, An After School Special

A Nightmare On Elm Street is a slasher horror film directed by Wes Craven. The plot sees a group of kids become the target of a vicious serial killer, Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund). However Freddy has been dead for quite some time but has returned as a creature of dreams to carry on killing the youth of America.

I have always been torn on this film; it is neither my favourite slasher film nor is it my most loathed it is somewhere in-between. I can see it’s important to the sub-genre, but also don’t think it holds a candle to Halloween (the Carpenter original), or to Craven’s own Scream that would come out years later.

I enjoyed the dreamlike elements in the film and how it played with reality. In this respect I thought the ending that served as a subversion was well done and actually quite surprising. I thought the sequences within the dreams all felt a little similar, but at least later films would correct this issue.

The iconic kills are all there and they still feel impactful, though the effects seem a little dated. The blood tornado death is still probably the most impressive to me from a technical point of view.

I thought Freddy felt a little toned back and docile here, though I am more use to the later films where he is churning out one liners every five minutes like it is going out of style. I thought Englund was good, but he did not blow my socks off.

Overall, my memory of this film has aged better than the film itself and while it is by no means bad it certainly has lost something over the years.

Pros.

The kills

The dream like parts

The subversive ending

Cons.

Freddy seems quite tame

The effects are noticeably bad

It is somewhat disappointing

3/5

Reviewed by Luke