Confessions Of A Haunting: Passing On

Written by Luke Barnes

Confessions of a Haunting is a horror, drama short film directed by Andre J.D Robinson. The plot sees a woman (Julie Mainville) talk into an online confessional about a recent loss she has suffered in her family, as she does a voice can be heard talking back- presumably a voice from the other-side.

I will never cease to be surprised by the wonders filmmakers are achieving during lockdown. Though the premise and set up of this film are quite simple, they are used to great effect, both in terms of horror and drama.

On the drama side of things, the monologue delivered by Mainville is deeply personal and touching. We have all lost someone in our lives, or most at least, and can relate to what she is going through. The dialogue manages to become affecting and have an emotional impact which is always a positive sign.

In terms of horror, when we first hear the voice from the other-side it is shocking, because as you approach the midpoint you think that the short will be about this person coming to terms with their loss and that the horror on display will be emotional. However, when it does take a supernatural turn it is surprising and unnerving and you being to question what is happening.

Overall, a sad and creepy affair that is made as strong as it is by the writing.

Pros.

It is well written

It makes you feel something

The supernatural turn is unexpected

Mainville

Cons.

Could do with further expansion, maybe a few extra minutes

4/5

Interview With Hunter Farris: Writer, Director, Producer and Actor For Cursed Camera

Written by Luke

Hey Everyone! I recently had the chance to sit down and chat to Hunter Farris about his new horror shot Cursed Camera, which is a delightful play on the found footage demonic possession genre, with the camera itself being possessed by a demon and killing anyone who goes off screen. We chat about, curses, found footage horror and Martin Scorsese’s quotes on cinema. I hope you enjoy.

Q: If you had to sum your film up in one word what would it be?

A: Experimental.

Q: Who is your filmmaking inspiration?

A: Todd Strauss-Schulson. I love how he used movies about movies to explore deep, universal themes.

Q: Do you have any funny on set stories?

A: I forgot to write the last scene until almost the last day of shooting. It wasn’t even in the outline; it was just an afterthought. But because of that, our cinematographer/editor was unable to plan the shot properly. So he solved the problem by taking a single screenshot and focusing on that with everything in voice-over.

Q: If you could travel back in time to when you were first starting in filmmaking out what would you say to your younger self?

A: First starting out in filmmaking. Slash your budget down to nothing. Then work with what you get. First starting out on this video? Everything will work out just fine. There were a few issues with production that caused me a lot of stress in the moment (like recasting someone on the day of filming), but none of them ultimately affected the finished product.

Q: What would you do if you were caught on the cursed camera?

A: Oh gosh… The whole point of a horror movie is that you can’t win. I mean, sure, I could try to outsmart it by following the rules and staying onscreen… until the rules change, and the camera starts randomly turning off and on. So I guess the best thing to do is turn the camera toward the wall and report the camera to the rental house so they can take care of it.

Q: What was your catalyst for making this film?

A: Honestly? I just wanted to make something that could go to a festival, without spending a dime on production. A found footage movie seemed like the most narratively interesting excuse for no budget and killing off characters was an easy way to make sure people only had to show up for a few hours of filming. So when I asked how they could die without spending money on makeup, effect, props, or costumes, I remembered Martin Scorsese’s quote (“cinema is the art of what’s in the frame and what’s not in the frame”) and decided to play around with the relationship between the character and the camera.

Q: Are there any particular films you are homaging, referencing, or spoofing with curse camera?

A: I’m gonna be honest, I haven’t watched a single found footage movie or possession movie yet, and pre-production went so fast that I didn’t have time to research. So I didn’t want to comment on any movies I hadn’t seen, so I was more commenting on the very idea of a camera. Not many movies make the camera diegetic, and I wanted to make the camera as diegetic as possible to play around with the idea of the interaction between character and camera.

Q: What is your favourite possession film?

A: I wish I could give you a good answer, but I don’t think I’ve seen any possession movies yet. I look forward to watching a lot of possession movies.

Q: How would you describe the state of modern horror?

A: It seems to me that modern horror is splitting into 2 camps: One wants to use horror as a vehicle to explore a theme, and the other wants to use horror as a vehicle to have fun with fear. And I think those are equally valid camps.

Q: If you ever won an Oscar or other award who would you thank in your acceptance speech?

A: I’m always deeply grateful to *every* member of the cast and crew. If I can, I always like to express gratitude to each one by name. And I’d definitely be thanking the people who financially support me while I’m chasing my dreams of filmmaking.

If you want to check out Cursed Camera you can find it on Youtube, and as always there is a review of the short up on my site now!

Cursed Camera: Video Killed…. Well Everyone

Written by Luke Barnes

Cursed Camera is a horror short directed by Hunter Farris. The plot sees a group of budding filmmakers become the unwitting victims of a demon after they start using a cursed camera that kills those who appear on its lens.

This is what horror cinema is all about, the wonderful shorts that breath life back into the genre! I greatly enjoyed this film for the short time it was on, as I thought it was very clever and it made me laugh.

If you have ever made a short yourself before, then you will find the premise itself quite hilarious and more than a little relatable. Moreover, I think the film’s lampoon of possession tropes is spot on, and I was laughing for the entire runtime of the film.

I thought the acting was also quite good, and even though each character was only on screen a minute amount of time before they are killed off most still have their moment to shine and for the most part nail it.

Overall, this was a lot of fun to watch and if you have a spare few minutes you should definitely check it out, eagerly awaiting what the filmmaker does next.

Pros.

A novel premise

A strong lampoon

Many funny scenes

The cast are strong

The ending perfectly sets up more fun

Cons.

None

5/5

The Parish: Nuns Are Always Creepy

The Parish is a horror film directed by David S. Hogan. The plot sees single mum Liz (Angela DiMarco), and her daughter move after Liz’s husband dies- looking for a fresh start. However, upon arrival Liz and her daughter quickly find themselves caught up in a decades old mystery as well as a millennium long battle between good and evil.

The main thing that drew me to this film was Bill Oberst Jr. I am a big fan of the films of Rob Zombie (particularly the Firefly trilogy), so seeing his name attached instantly attracted my attention. Oberst Jr, does not disappoint and is as good here as he is in the final instalment in that trilogy, stealing damn near every scene he is in and managing to be the coolest thing about the film.

Another strong point about the film is it’s scares. Though the film starts off slow, by the twenty minute mark you can see things are a miss, and when Liz starts having horrific nightmare that’s when the film really starts getting going: the nightmares provide the film with some strong horror visuals, but it is the general scene of creepiness brought about by the atmosphere and the plot that makes the film unsettling. This film sat with me for a while after I watched it, which is always a good sign for a horror film.

Overall, a terrifically creepy affair with an excellent, as always, turn from Bill Oberst Jr.

Pros.

Oberst Jr

DiMarco

The scares

The mystery

The final showdown

Cons.

The opening is a little slow

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Todd: The Life Of A Budding Killer

Todd is a thriller film directed by Aaron Warren. The plot follows the titular Todd (Hans Hernke), as we see his decent into becoming a budding madman/ killer, due to intense social isolation and abuse.

I appreciated this film not taking the easy road, they could have made a film that used all the evil kid, budding serial killer cliches for Todd and made him out to be an unsympathetic, obvious monster. However, instead the film explores the character further and takes a more nuanced approach to the discussion, showing that he has layers and that his situation has driven him to do what he does.

I thought the tense stalking sequences of the later film were also well done, too often is the term ‘on the edge of your seat’ used, but here I would describe a similar feeling. There is a lot of great suspense around how far will Todd go, when will he be caught. As such the cat and mouse game that escalates from it is very fun to watch.

Overall, the writing really helps to elevate this film beyond mediocrity and make it memorable and dare I say it, impactful?

Pros.

Layered writing

A lens towards society

A strong sense of tension

Cons.

The character’s other than Todd are all quite weak and poorly fleshed out

A few pacing issues

3/5

Beyond The Gates: If You Find A Random Video Tape Throw It Away!

Beyond The Gates is a horror film directed by Jackson Stewart. The plot serves to homage classic 90s genre films and has two brother (Graham Skipper and Chase Williamson, respectively), beginning playing a supernatural board game that has very real-world consequences and threatens to endanger their lives.

This film was a lot of fun, I enjoyed its wink and a nod tone and thought that it was a perfect retro throwback. However, it was also far more than that, I also thought that the premise was quite inspired, it was like a hellish version of Jumanji but with less time spent in the other world, I am surprised I have not seen this done before, but I haven’t, and it felt fresh to me.

Skipper, Williamson and Margot McKenzie who make up the main trio all do solid work and sell the scares. I thought the shotgun scene was particularly well done on the part of Skipper and Williamson, they both seemed genuinely scared, like they weren’t acting, and that allowed me to become more emotionally invested in the scene as a result.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not talk about horror veteran Barbara Crampton who is also in this film. She plays the guide of the game, a figure who can communicate between worlds, and she is just as magnificent as you would expect and does a lot with a minimal amount of screen time.

Overall, an unexpected treat.

Pros.

Crampton

The leads

The horror

The retro throwback feeling

Cons.

It is a little slow to start

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Nest Of Vampires: Sucking Blood In The UK

Nest Of Vampires is a British action horror film directed by Chris Sanders. The plot sees an MI5 officer become wrapped up in the affairs of a vampiric cult after trying to find the people responsible for the death of his wife and the disappearance of his daughter.

There is something of an early Neil Marshall here, still rough but full of promise.

I enjoy British horror quite a lot, not knocking anywhere else’s horror, but there has always been something special to me about homegrown horror; there is just a certain edge to it that I haven’t seen elsewhere. The last Marshal comparison I will make today, in Dog Soldiers you can see what I mean about this edge, the dark countryside area, the rough practical effects, the gore- there is just something to it.

That is very much the case here as well, there is a grime to it all- I think that is the best word for that special British something that I am talking about. The grime makes everything just pop that little bit more. The violence stands out and becomes even more visceral, and the characters and the world feel real and lived in.

I enjoyed the plot of the film for the most part, there were a few pacing issues here and there, but I thought it worked well and I have not seen a vampire film like this in a while and it had almost a retro like appeal to it that I enjoyed.

I thought the horror of the film was strong, I wouldn’t call it scary rather oppressive as the action elements often stop there from being jump scares and that sort of thing. However, I do think the action and the horror work well together to create almost a dark fantasy film, which again is an under represented genre in current cinema.

Overall, a very entertaining watch, more so perhaps if you are already a fan of British horror cinema.

Pros.

That special something

The action

The horror elements

A strong villain

Cons.

A few light pacing problems

The lead could do with more development

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Know Fear: Commune With The Darkness

Written by Luke Barnes

Know Fear is a horror film directed by Jamison S. LoCascio. The plot follows a family who come under demonic attack and must do battle with an otherworldly beast. Each member of the family has to commune with the demon in order to fight back, this takes multiple forms for each different family member, but one by one they do battle.

Demonic possession films are a dime a dozen at his point, and the genre is oversaturated, and that is why this film makes me happy- because it provides us with something fresh. The demon here doesn’t just target the kids, or the wife no it goes after everyone which makes for a nice change from the usual Conjuring Universe shenanigans.

Moreover, this film has far more of an intensely personal dimension to it, than a lot of other genre fare. We are given a very intimate look into the film of this film; we view them as real people more so than characters in a film and that makes the scares and the threat far more impactful.

Overall, a nice breath of fresh air in an overcrowded subgenre.

Pros.

The intimate feel

Focusing on the whole family and each individually

The scares

The freshness of it

Cons.

A bit slow at times

4/5

Ghostbusters: Loud Does Not Equal Funny, An Irritation

Ghostbusters is a science fiction comedy film directed by Paul Feig. The plot sees a new group of Ghostbusters rise up to take the fight to everything that goes bump in the night.

Yes, much like my Rise Of Skywalker review this will be a long one so buckle up.

I have seen this film 3 times now, the first two times were on release when I firstly went to see if it was as bad as I had heard, and then secondly went after being invited by a friend. After the second time I vowed that I would just forget about this film and move on, however, the other night (years later), I saw in on streaming and thought ‘eh maybe I am remembering it worse than it is’, nope….. It is just as bad as I remembered.

Do you know what the main issue is with this film? It seems too much creative freedom was given, usually it is a good thing for the creative in control of making a film to have a large amount of freedom, not here however, as they abused that privilege.

This film feels like a sketch that they dragged out for over two hours (that is a common complaint of mine with the films of Kristen Wiig, but it is especially true here). There is far too much improv comedy, that reeks to me of them thinking that they are naturally funnier then they are. The original Ghostbusters were silly, yes they were comedy films, but there was also a seriousness to them. The balance between comedy and seriousness is maintained and used well hence why they are funny, here the balance is way, way off and it is painfully unfunny.

As many others have said, the only funny thing about this film is Chris Hemsworth’s dumb receptionist character, which in itself could be viewed as a harmful stereotype adding to the ‘hot but dumb’ cliché. Hemsworth is the only part of the film that actually worked for me in a comedic sense, there was not even any unintentional humour as you might expect from this kind of thing, no it was all just flat and repetitive.

Moreover, the characters are all almost entirely unlikeable, they all seem to have one personality trait that is played up and up and up to the point of mind-blowing annoyance, to be funny? They have all the depth of a puddle of vomit, and seem to go out of their way to be confrontational towards the audience in kind of a meta way that just comes across as petty that it was left in.

Overall, this will be remembered as one of the biggest misfires in the history of modern Hollywood and for very good reasons the sequel to it is dead in the water, with the next film in the series ignoring it all together. Just bad all-round.
Pros.

Chris Hemsworth is funny when he is on-screen

Cons.

The rest of the cast are painfully unfunny

The comments scene feels overly petty

The characters are one note and annoying

This is a stain on the career of everyone involved in it, with the exception of Hemsworth

The CGI is bad

0.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Curse Of The Blind Dead: The Templars Were Even More Evil Than Assassin’s Creed Led Us To Believe

Curse Of The Blind Dead is an action horror film directed by Raffaele Picchio. The plot sees the restless spirits of a group of satanic Knights Templar haunt a forest after being massacred by a group of locals. Years later in a far-flung future a father and his daughter must be battle against the undead knights along with a post-apocalyptic murderous religious sect led by a mad preacher.

So, there is a lot going on with this one and I do mean a lot. What might on the surface sound overly complicated or too much actually works really well here. The old and the new come together beautifully, in a way I would not expect them to, really giving this film a nice sense of originality and personality.

I enjoyed the horror and the gory violence of this film. I thought the gore was just right, it was nice and visceral but also not too much. The battle scenes, if you can call them that, with the knights are well done and leave quite a menacing impression. Moreover, the scares are quite strong here it is not so much jump scares scary as it is an oppressive atmosphere that builds over time, until a satisfying and impactful climax.

Overall, it ticks all the boxes you would want it too based on the premise and is mostly satisfying, no major complaints.

Pros.

The gore

The Knights Templar

It is an interesting idea

The future and the past plotlines actually complement each other quite well.

Cons.

The leads are lifeless and dull, but its okay as the gory action is what you are watching it for

4/5

Reviewed by Luke