American Horror Stories: Game Over

1/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The series returns to Murder House once again but this time it seems to all be within a videogame.

This is easily the worst episode of American Horror Stories and is amongst the worst episodes of the entire franchise. Why? Where to begin.

Firstly, this episode teases us with the destruction of Murder House, it does not deliver on this and instead gives us one of the worst bait and switch endings ever, it would have been less insulting to say it was all a dream; actually what they do isn’t that far off this.

Moreover, this big episode that will have huge ramifications for the show, at least in set up in actuality it changes nothing, they couldn’t be bothered to bring most of the main murder house cast back. Really? I understand people like Evan Peters and Jessica Lange might be too pricy to return but surely the show has a budget and could have got them to come back for this special episode.

The actual plot itself whereby American Horror Story exists within the universe of the show, but also doesn’t makes very little sense. The constant twist reveals of ‘oh you thought this was real no it’s a videogame’ become so overdone that the episode comes apart at the seams and ends up showcasing the very worst writing that the series has to offer.

Overall, a painfully bad episode that could easily ruin the spin-off series for a lot of people.

Pros.

A few good scares

Cons.

It is meaningless and effects nothing

They don’t bring a lot of the main cast back

The son is awful and completely annoying

The ending sucks so much

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Candyman: Watch Out For Bee Stings

4.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Years after the events of the previous films Anthony McCoy, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, learns the legend of Candyman. As the struggling artist learns more about the figure he suddenly finds inspiration, however, he also starts to become haunted by the spector- with Candyman himself having a dark purpose for Anthony.

As I tweeted after I saw this, I think this might be the horror film of the summer. Throughout the entire time I was watching this I had a smile on my face. I loved how this film explored the world and lore of Candyman and expanded upon what we had got from previous movies and furthered this idea of possession. I thought the transformation, was also done really well and I think the make up effects that are used are done in a very convincing way, the wounds look painful.

Moreover, I think DaCosta perfectly manages to capture elements of social commentary and weave them into the horror in such a way that the two feel intimately linked together. The horror certainly works on two levels, both of which propagate the other. I thought the final scene in the police car was particularly effecting and powerful. After seeing this I am very, very excited to see what DaCosta does with the Marvels.

It goes without saying, but those that don’t like films that have political messages and who often complain about things being ‘too woke’ should stay far, far away from this film and let the rest of us enjoy it.

I think the performances across the cast were terrific with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Colman Domingo and Teyonah Parris each giving magnificent turns and really proving what they can do. Each member of the cast brings something different to the table here, but each are valuable and important in their own way.

My one complaint and it is only a small one, as I think this film is pretty marvellous, is that I wish we got more Tony Todd. Todd is a favourite of mine in the horror genre, and we don’t see anywhere as much of him anymore as we used to and that is a crying shame. We only get a brief tease of him here, but his scene is memorable. Maybe he can come back more if this film gets a sequel.

Overall, simply fantastic, this film restores my hope in these long running horror sagas that we might have another golden age ahead of us rather than the glory days being behind us.

Pros.

The horror

The lore and world building

The message and the emotion

The physical make-up effects

The acting

Cons.

I wish we had more Tony Todd

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Demonic: The Fight Against Demons Has Evolved

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Carly, Carly Pope, has to meet her mum after years of cutting her out after she committed a series of murders. As she enters her mum’s mind, literally, she begins to see things were far darker and more supernatural than they first appeared. A battle for Carly’s soul soon follows.

For full disclosure here, I am a big fan of Neill Blomkamp so bare that in mind throughout this review.

After Chappie, which I have a soft spot for, but a lot of people didn’t like, Neill Blomkamp had a lot of bad luck. Both his Alien and Robocop projects were passed on and it wasn’t clear what was next for the director. However, then I saw the first trailer for this and knew he was back.

There is a lot of demonic possession films out there, I have seen, and reviewed for this blog tons and tons of them. After a point all of these films start to feel similar and you start looking for something new and different enough to bring you back to the genre again, this film did that. Whether it is the black ops army of priests hunting demons, or the new tech that allows said priests and others to venture into the mind of the possessed to fight demons in cyberspace, there are a lot of new ideas here and they mostly work.

Moreover, I enjoyed that the demon looked distinctly different from what we usually see in these type of films, which is either a human with glowing eyes or a red skinned horned entity. I thought the look of the demon with the bird head was distinct enough to be memorable and crucially scary.

In terms of scares this isn’t the scariest film in the world, but it did give me a few good scares throughout.

Overall, it is nice to see Blomkamp back in the game and bringing something new to the genre.

Pros.

The demon costume design

The new tech focus

The army of black ops exorcists

A few good scares

Cons.

It could do with being scarier

A few pacing issues

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Attack The Block: Aliens Should Have Thought Better Than To Attack Inner-City London

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Aliens land in a London council estate during Bonfire Night, a gang of youths are the only thing standing in their way to world domination.

Personally, I think this film is a little overrated. It is a mostly good film sure, but it is not a classic as some seem to view it as.

I dislike the way the characters in this film talk, the street slang sort of language is quickly overdone, and worse yet it perpetuates stereotypes about the youth of the working class; there will be plenty of people in the same situation that don’t talk like that and that aren’t in gangs. So presenting the majority of the tower block being criminal in some fashion feels a little off to me.

Moreover, the film lacks the charm of an Edgar Wright picture, if you will pardon the comparison. The characters feel hard to root for or care about because they don’t really do or say anything to make you like them. The only two that I felt any kind of positive feeling towards are Luke Treadway’s Brewis and Nick Frosts Ron, the latter of whom I only really like because Wright has conditioned me to always find him charming whenever he is on screen.

The thing I will give this film credit for is the scale and spectacle of it. For a modestly budgeted film they do a lot with the effects and the way they build tension. So much so that even though you only ever see the aliens for a moment here and there it feels like more, and enough is left to the imagination to make it interesting.

Overall, as a one off I think this film is a fine watch, it doesn’t need a sequel though, however.

Pros.

The scale and spectacle

Treadaway and Frost

The aliens

Cons.

None of the characters are particularly likeable

How it portrays working class youths

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The Night House: Nothing Is After You

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A woman, Rebecca Hall, learns, posthumously, that her late husband had a secret life. However, the further she digs the closer the threat gets.

When I heard that this film was by the same director who did The Ritual I knew I was in for a good time. By Jove I was right, Bruckner is on fine form here.

I appreciate the horror in this film as it is not always straight forward, as the credits rolled I was still left asking a lot of questions and trying to piece things together. I much prefer that to a film that is very clear cut and worse yet one that goes out of its way to explain everything. I found the film to uses jump scares quite effectively to heighten the threat posed by the entity in the house. The film uses them sparingly but to great effect.

I also enjoyed the fact that we didn’t see the entity or presence but did interact with it a number of times throughout the film. Though I am not saying that films that show the monster or demon are inherently lesser, as some use the look of the creature to great effect, I am however, saying there is something to leave the monster to the imagination.

I found Hall’s character as a horror protagonist refreshing. She was troubled and clearly burdened but that was not her defining characteristic. She had sexual scenes but was not overly sexualised or visually lusted after. Perhaps most importantly of all she solved the mystery and faced the villain on her own, she did not call in for help, she did not need a family member or friend to come round, no she faced it on her own. Though it may be a cringey thing to say I think there is something empowering about that.

My criticism would come from mild pacing issues, as there were a few scenes were the film noticeably slowed down and his worked against the tension and scares.

Overall, a strong horror film that is probably destined to be a sleeper hit.

Pros.

Hall

The monster

The scares

The mystery

Cons.

A few slow scenes

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Don’t Breathe 2: Possibly The Worst Parents Ever

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The Blind Man, Stephen Lang, has found and adopted a daughter, Madelyn Grace however, her past catches up to her and it might spell doom for all.

As many reviews have pointed out this film does make the Blind Man the sympathetic lead character, now is this in good taste considering he is a monster in the first film? Probably not. However, this film achieves this task by having the villains of this film be incredibly evil, they are the daughter’s former parents who have been abducting people to try and steal their organs and now they want to harvest their own daughter. This realistically was the only way the film could have him be the lead who the audience is supposed to root for, the lesser of two evils.

The whole film basically acts as a redemption arc for the character with him taking a beating at nearly every turn and losing those close to him. The Blind Man even supposedly, until the third film, gives his life to save the girl as a final act of atonement, does this make up for keeping a woman prisoner and breeding her against her will? Not by a long shot. The character is in no way likeable, but he is pitiable and maybe that was the way he was always supposed to be.

This is a hard film to watch for a lot of reasons, chief among them is the fact that this film is bleak and oppressive at nearly every turn. If I had to describe this film in a few words it would be manically depressing. Nearly every horrible thing that could happen does and the film often lingers on these scenes for far too long. For example there is a scene where the Blind Man’s dog dies and he finds the corpse, now rather than have the scene end there it goes on and shows the man sticking his hand into the dead dogs innards to try and find a bullet. Needless. There are countless other scenes like this in the film that almost feel put in for shock value.

Overall, not an enjoyable film to watch by any means, however if you like the first film or bleak depressing fare than you might find something to enjoy here.

Pros

Lang

It is watchable

The tension

Cons.

It is depressing

A fair few scenes are needlessly unpleasant

A lack of a likeable lead

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American Horror Stories: Feral

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

After losing their child in a national park, a couple returns to begin the search anew. However, what they find is far more frightening and poses a threat to the entire country if not the world.

This was certainly one of the strongest episodes of American Horror Stories so far. I enjoyed the twist and the possibly supernatural cannibal people. I would like to see them return again at some other point within the universe, I think there is a lot more to be tapped their with regard to their mythology.

There were a number of memorable scenes here such as when the parents finally do get to meet their kid again and he tells his cannibal friends to eat them. I think the episode gets the tone just right and plays up the horror situation whilst doing it with a wink and a nod, so it is also funny.

I thought the two lead performers didn’t bring much to their respective roles. However, this is offset by the fact that returning AHS veteran Cody Fern is a riot. I enjoyed the character and thought that he was quite commanding, whilst also having just enough air of mystery to him that you never quite feel like you can let your guard down. Moreover, perhaps most importantly of all he is also the funniest, Fern’s attempt at an Australian accent is so laughably bad that you just can’t help but laugh. I find it endearing ultimately.

Overall, a fairly strong episode with an interesting new antagonist for the universe.

Pros.

The monster

Cody Fern

The kid letting his parents be eaten

It felt fresh

Cons.

It should have got to the cannibals sooner

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Don’t Breath: You’ll Never Look At A Turkey Baster The Same Again

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A group of troubled youths break into the home of a blind man, Stephen Lang, expecting an easy pay day; what they get however is far more than they could have ever bargained for.

The issue with this film, and others like it, is that it suffers from a lack of likeable characters. There is no tension to a situation when both the ‘hero’ and the ‘villain’ are both bad people as you don’t really like either, so you don’t care who wins. Yes Jane Levy’s Rocky is as close to a good character as you get in this film, but even then she is hardly a character you root for.

I think the mid-film twist works wonders to recontextualise the situation, changing the robbers from the bad guys to the victims, and having the Blind Man be the real villain of the piece. What’s more this is the film that really made me take notice of Stephen Lang as an actor, he is terrific here this is his film, and he sells both the threat and the action hard.

Moreover, the most impressive feat of this film is that it manages to maintain its tension consistently throughout, with their being close to no lulls throughout. This is a strong asset of the film as it keeps you engaged and pardon the cliché, on the edge of your seat.

Overall, Stephen Lang is terrific, and the tension is well maintained. The issues come from a lack of any clear likeable lead which takes away from the impact of events.

Pros.

Stephen Lang

The tension

The mid-film twist

Cons.

No likeable characters

The ending is ridiculous in a bad way

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American Horror Stories: BA’AL

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A woman finally gets pregnant after months of trying, however, once she has the baby things start to unravel as she begins to worry about otherworldly forces trying to take her baby away.

So this is basically just Rosemary’s Baby with a few tweaks. Rather than have a demon be the literal father of the child they have it be a fertility totem, though she does have a demon baby at the end of the episode. Moreover, rather than have those around her be part of some sinister demonic cult they are now instead trying to gaslight her into signing away all her money to her husband, those two things aside this is almost a carbon copy with a slightly different ending.

I like Billie Lourd and think that she has a lot to offer the right project, however, this isn’t it. Her talents go mostly wasted for a large part of the episode and when she finally gets to have some fun the episode soon ends, which is sad as that is when it is at its best. I thought the final scene when Lourd’s character had managed to control the demon and was using it to get her pregnant was hilarious and easily the best scene of the episode, sadly the rest wasn’t of the same quality.

Finally, more of a throw away point, but there is a line in this episode that feels really clunky and out of place. When Lourd’s character is searching for a way to rid herself of the demon she talks to a young woman who claims to be into magic and know a thing or two, she doesn’t and is trying to gaslight the lead, and when she starts discussing the various grimoires she has she comments how they are all written by ‘old white men’. Now why is this line needed? What social cause does is serve? Surely the answer to both of these questions is that it is not, and it does not, there is no point in hating on works of art or literature or whatever because the person who wrote it is not the same race as you or the same gender as you, it seems incredibly limiting to be this way. I would guess the line was just to stir the pot, but it really ends up derailing that scene.

Overall, a lazy episode that is a bit too familiar.

Pros.

Lourd is trying but they give her nothing to work with

It is watchable

Cons.

It is overly familiar

The ‘old white men’ line

The twist reveal

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The Visit: The Grandparents Aren’t All Right

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Two children who have never met their grandparents before are send to go and stay with them for a week, however, once they get their they start noticing their Grandparents behaving strangely- this quickly escalates.

In my mind this is Shyamalan’s best film, easily. Yes, there will be many out there that will make a case for Signs or The Sixth Sense, but I truly believe this is the man at his finest. Every aspect of the film works in perfect harmony, with the film feeling like something other than the twist is being built to. This is a common issue with Shyamalan’s work as often the films feel built around the twist and as such can’t function without it, which is bad writing, however, here the events of the film could work without the twist and the twist itself feels like it only enhances the strangeness further.

I enjoyed the tension and the slowly growing unease throughout. I thought the film showed great promise when it made seemingly every day activities that anyone would do with their elderly relatives feel some how off-kilter, this is of course ramped up as the film continues but never ends up feeling over the top.

The performances are mostly good. With Child actors one never goes in expecting much, but I thought both leads were passable. The one thing I will say is Ed Oxenbould does have moments where he becomes annoying, such as the rapping scenes or when he has to call out a female singers name instead of swearing, though there is some unintentional comedy in there to.

Overall, probably my favourite Shyamalan film.

Pros.

The twist

The tension in the seemingly ordinary

The ending

A few solid jokes

Cons.

The rapping is annoying

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