The Power: Seventies London Has Never Been This Depressing Before On Screen

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Boy for this one you better have a hundred videos of kittens and puppies playing happily loaded up on your phone to fend off the dark thoughts, yes it is that depressing. My main criticism of this film is that I would not call it scary rather unpleasant and possibly distressing.

There are a number of scenes that feel suitably tense and that take you on a nice little ride, however, they are preceded by and followed by pointless scenes that go on and on forever- pacing issues a plenty.

I felt the acting was equally a mixed bag, some of the actors were giving strong memorable performances, whereas others just felt like they were playing themselves just in Seventies period clothing.

The ending of the film was perhaps the most contentious part of the film for me. The film heavily invests in one storyline, going out of its way to make you think that is the answer to the wider mystery, however, this is abandoned about twenty minutes from the end when something entirely out of left field happens. Again I am mixed on this because on the one hand it is a perfect use of a red herring, however, the actual ending doesn’t feel set up in any way therefore making it incredibly weak as a twist.

Overall, a very mixed bag that has more promise than issues just about.

Pros.

The lead performance

A few tense scenes

Good use of lighting and darkness

Cons.

A very slow start

The ending feels very abrupt

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Boys From County Hell: Only Heroes Get Barred From Their Local Pubs

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I found this film to be surprisingly good. I went in with very average expectations and found myself pleased with what I was offered.

Firstly I appreciated that this film differed from standard vampire lore, going so far as to show how certain tropes of the sub-genre don’t work in this world. I thought that by doing this the film felt original and refreshing, I also enjoyed the uniquely Irish feeling to the film and would like to see more horror comedies or even straight horrors come from the Country.

Furthermore, the character interactions and relationships are well done and actually deeper than they first appear. The father- son relationship, the broken friendship, etc all of these emotional arcs are explored and given a satisfying conclusion by the end of the film and I tip my hat to the filmmakers for that.

In terms of horror comedy balance I would say the film has instances of both, but ultimately leans more into the comedy. The comedy I found to be a mixed bag, and the main issue with the film as there are a few scenes that will make you laugh but for the most part the jokes don’t work; but as I often say comedy is subjective- almost a personal catchphrase at this point.

Overall, I felt something of an early Edgar Wright here- need I say more?

Pros.

Strong character works/ arc

A few funny scenes

The unique twist on vampires

Irish representation within the horror genre

Cons.

It is not particularly scary.

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Interview With Writer/Producer/ Director Gino Alfonso: The Hostage Indiegogo

I recently had a chance to chat to Gino Alfonso about the Indiegogo campaign for his upcoming horror feature The Hostage. We discuss the pros and cons of using Indiegogo and other means of crowdfunding to make a film, creative freedom and pre-production processes.

Q: How important do you find crowdfunding as a means to provide filmmaker’s with true creative freedom?

A: I think crowdfunding is a great way for filmmakers to have the creative freedom to tell the story they want to tell and not be tied down by the studio system.

Q: Does the experience of crowdfunding your films with your fans feel more communal?

A: I feel it makes it very communal, giving your backers something tangible and moving fast helps and having the same team on your projects too.

Q: What are the things you consider when brining a film into pre-production?

A: I always look at the 6 P’s of production Piss Poor Planning = Piss Poor Production you have to take everything into account during prepro

Q: Why should people contribute to your crowdfunding campaign?

A: I think people should contribute to The Hostage because it is an original urban horror film that will entertain and scare the hell out of you!

Q: What is your film going to be about?

A: The Hostage is about Two amateur drug dealers sell to a buyer that screws them out of $10,000 they decide to kidnap his girlfriend that unbeknownst to them is possessed by a demon looking to bring on Armageddon. In tradition of Evil Dead (2013), Trespass (1992), The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) and Reservoir Dogs (1993).

Q: How did you get into filmmaking?

A: I got into filmmaking at a young age when I saw Jurassic Park when I was 10 years old, that was when I learned what being a Director was and seeing Steven Spielberg’s name on the screen.

Q: Do you have any lessons for those who might just be starting out trying to make their own films?

A: Lessons in starting out and making your own films, just go out and do it there’s to many resources out there today not too build your network. Everyone wants to make movies, even if you’re in a small town there’s always an actor or 3 and someone that knows how to run a camera just go do it!

If you would like to check out Alfonso’s Indiegogo click on the link below.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-hostage#/

If you enjoyed this interview, then please head over to my Patreon to support me, I offer personalized shoutouts, one on one Q and As, the ability for you to pick what I review next and full access to my Patreon exclusive game reviews. Check it out!

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Drag Me To Hell: Watch Out For Vomiting Corpses At Your Next Wake

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I remember watching this years ago and at the time thinking it to be quite frightening, however, upon watching it again now it really isn’t, and if anything the more overt comedy elements go out of their way to take away any genuine fear from the proceedings.

Likewise the use of practical effects and gross out scenes become a double edged sword within the film, as they both add an element of realness and grimness to the film which does enhance it to a degree, but also often look quite bad by modern standards almost to a humorous degree. Scenes such as when the lead goes to the wake and has the corpse leak fluid into her mouth a few times are funny, however this takes away from the threat and fear of the film.

I have written about this several times, the key to creating a good comedy horror film is to allow the film to be both scary and funny throughout the film without favouring one over the other. The issue here is that clearly Raimi has favoured the comedy over the horror.

I think the premise of the film is strong, if a little reliant on outdated cliches, and the idea of being dragged to hell in a number of days is a terrifying concept. I found it evoking of films like The Ring wherein our protagonist has to desperately hunt down a mystery way to free themselves from the situation often for it not to work out the way they hoped, highlighting the futility of the struggle: the ending of this film is very reflective of this concept.

Overall, Raimi has an interesting premise here but loses any real scares to indulge in a juvenile sense of humour.

Pros.

The concept

The ending

The performances

Cons.

The practical effects are horribly dated

The comedy

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Blackstock Boneyard: Back To Bore You To Death

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Though this film is good enough horror shlock, there is not enough to it to make it compelling or anywhere near above average.

I will admit I often found this film to be funny, though more often than not in an unintentional way on the part of the film. There were parts of the film that almost played like a comedy, everything was so laughably over the top, though I did like that about the film.

I enjoyed the B movie charm of this film and thought the dumb spectacle was very entertaining. Sadly, the characters were very milk toast and failed to inspire any kind of reaction in me; other than one of boredom.

Moreover, the film suffered from pacing issues throughout with the film feeling about double its actual length. There were times when the film entirely lost me, and I found it very hard to keep paying attention to it.

Overall, entertaining enough, but not without deep issues that bog it down.

Pros.

The spectacle

It is dumb fun

Cons.

The acting

The pacing

Frequent excursions into boring

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Ebola Rex: Does What It Says On The Tin

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This film will never win any awards, it will never be lauded, but it will entertain you for a little over an hour and provide you with some good, switch your brain off, trashy, fun.

The characters are all paper thin, but again you aren’t really watching this film for nuance or for rich meaningful character arcs, you are watching it to see a T-Rex with a deadly disease destroy things and just generally be a pain. In that regard there is plenty of b movie esque destruction and carnage, enough to easily pad the film out.

The pacing of the film generally works. I found that the film was starting to run out of steam by the end, and had it been any longer it would almost certainly have suffered from pacing issues, but as it stands it feels well balanced.

I think how much you enjoy this film will come down to how much you enjoy B movie monster films.

Overall, fun but nothing to write home about.

Pros.

Mindless fun destruction

B movie charm

Well-paced

Cons.

Paper thin characters

The gimmick gets old fast.

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The Conjuring, The Devil Made Me Do It: Always Remember Your Heart Pills

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I am very mixed on this film. It is different from the other two Conjuring films, but that is both a good thing and a bad thing.

As a good thing it is nice to see the film focus on one case that is very self-contained and does not feel like it is setting up a few hundred tie in sequels, prequels and spin offs. I thought the story itself was interesting and told well.

However, my issue with this film comes from its stakes. So the previous films have had the Warren’s square off against demons, sometimes a few at the same time, however here they are facing a far more human threat. The villain of this film is an evil Satanist because we still need to add to the fears of the Satanic Panic, years after it was all the rage. Whilst this could have been a cool idea it does feel quite anti-climatic and like a step back after what we have already had.

Moreover, I feel like this film is really stretching the ‘based on a true story’ concept, as yes technically it is but if you read up on the real life events you will quickly see just how loose that is.

I enjoyed Farmiga and Wilson as always and I thought John Noble was a nice addition to the cast: the acting in the film is definitely a high point.

My question really is where do they do with the series from here? They are quickly running out of stories from the Warren well, and the ‘based on a true story’ narrative is also starting to wear thin. They need to fast track some of those spin offs to fill the void, cough, cough Crooked Man.

Overall, still good, just a bit underwhelming.

Pros.

Wilson

Farmiga

Nobel

Cons.

The villain feels like a step back
It feels very final I don’t know how they will be able to continue it

The based on a true story line is starting to become a lie

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A Quiet Place 2: Much Like The Walking Dead This Post Apocalypse Feels Repetitive

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

There was a lot of hype and excitement going into this film for me, many had said it was the film that was going to save cinemas, or that it was an experience unlike any other. As such I went in with high expectations hoping for the perfect sequel I had been promised, and honestly I was left disappointed.

If I had to describe this film to someone in a sentence I would say, ‘more of the same’, really there is nothing new here it is the same gimmick from the first film just done again. This time around they do explore the world a bit more, or at least that small part of it, and we get new situations that result in noise and monsters; the issue is these situations feel very similar to what we have already seen.

From a story perspective this film does not really push the needle for me, the big ending of this film feels like an afterthought of the first films ending and the whole journey there feels anticlimactic. A lot of things are shown and not explained, for no reason other than padding out the plot.

Finally, and on a positive note, I did enjoy the newcomer of Cillian Murphy I thought he fulfilled the surrogate father role rather well, and his was easily the most interesting arc across the film; I only wish we had more time with him.

Overall, this is nothing new if you liked the first film you will like this. I would not say this is the film to rush out and see in cinemas if you haven’t already been back as honestly I don’t think seeing it in that format, as opposed to watching it at home, adds all that much.

Pros.

Murphy

Blunt

Giving the kids more to do

Cons.

The padding

The ending is a retread

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Seance: A Boarding School For Mature Students

2.5/5

I have been very impressed by the prior work of Simon Barrett, he was involved in the creation of two of my favourite films of all time The Guest and You’re Next; however, in both cases he also had Adam Wingard as backup. Here Barrett is on his own, with this being his directional debut and it becomes clear very early on just how much Barrett needs his fellow mumblecore pioneers like Wingard, as this film begins to fall apart.

So before getting into all the reasons the film doesn’t work I want to give it praise for what it does well. The twist, that I won’t spoil here, that comes in towards the end of the film is actually surprising and I didn’t see it coming, it flips the film on its head which makes it infinitely more interesting.

The issues with this film mainly come from how cliché a lot of it is, all the teen angst/ mean girls stuff is incredibly played out from the beginning; and it is more than a little weird that all these ‘teen girls’ at this boarding school are actually late twenty/ early thirty year olds in real life- it makes the film somewhat unbelievable.

Furthermore, I did not find this film scary. The supernatural element feels again familiar and poses nothing new for genre fans or even those who watch more than one horror film a year: I found the scare set ups to be incredibly obvious as well.

Overall, very generic and mediocre.

Pros.

The twist

It is relatively well paced

Cons.

The supernatural element

The scares

The mean girls story cliches

If you enjoyed this review, then please head over to my Patreon to support me. I offer personalized shoutouts, one on one Q and As, the ability for you to pick what I review next and full access to my Patreon exclusive game reviews. Check it out!

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MA: Never Party With Someone Double Your Age

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This film started with all the promise in the world, the idea of a middle aged woman who lures teens back to her basement to party has all sorts of troubling undertones. However, it is from there that this film starts to struggle.

The threat and the horror of this film are very human, yet that can only go so far, maybe if the writing was better, alas. We quickly get into a very overly familiar story of an unpopular girl who is picked on by the popular kids and then wants revenge, with some poisoning of your kid to keep them dependent on you thrown in there for good measure. From about the first third in I could accurately tell what was going to happen.

I don’t know what blackmail Blumhouse have on Octavia Spencer, but clearly it must be sizeable to get her to walk away from beloved TV shows and award winning films to star in this; a by all means average horror effort.

Overall, the film has promise, but then doesn’t do anything with it.

Pros.

A strong premise

A few good scares

Cons.

Overly familiar

Octavia Spencer deserves better than this

Not all that scary

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