The Nun

The Nun is the latest film in the Conjuring Universe, fleshing out the character of Valak, the Nun, who first appeared in the Conjuring 2.
The plot of the film is a Valak origin story, set in a Romanian convent during the 1950’s. Following Sister Irene, (Taissa Farmiga), Father Burke, (Demian Bichir), and Frenchie, (Jonas Bloquet), as they investigate a suicide at the convent; which is much more than it appears.
The Nun is not a horror film at least I didn’t think it was, yes it does have jump scares, more on that later, but on the whole, it felt akin to a Gothic adventure film, not too far from the likes of Crimson Peak. The reason for this is the horror the film presents.
The jump scares, though well done, are predictable, so the film is left to rely on its atmosphere; which is not constantly menacing, like many other horror films are, instead it is gothic in it’s purest form. The non-horror nature of this film is a hard thing to describe; the closest parallel I can draw is to the Hugh Jackman staring Van Helsing film, yes there are horror elements, but it is an adventure film first and foremost.
Why the film chose to structure itself like this is anyone’s guess, but evidence for it comes from the protagonist’s quest to find the blood of Jesus, even some of the shots in the film are more in line with the Brother Grimm as opposed to something like Insidious.
That said, I liked the atmosphere and, the film itself.
The actors themselves do their best with the material they have, Farmiga, in particular, is very good. However, despite this, they are all underdeveloped, outside of the role they play in the narrative; which is a shame as they could have been so much more. Frenchie, in particular, proves my earlier point, he is the comedy relief of the film. Without him, the film would be a lot darker, a lot more like a traditional horror film, but his oneliners and, demon zombie killing shotgun prowess make the tone of the film similar to something like last year’s the Mummy, neither wholly action or horror.
To conclude if you like jump scares this film won’t let you down. However, if you like well-crafted horror films it will. With a tone similar to that of the Dark Universe this film is more gothic action adventure than horror. A strange film in many ways, but crucially not a bad one.
3/5
Reviewed by Luke.

Upgrade

Upgrade is an action horror film, produced by Blumhouse, of Insidious fame, being the companies first venture into the action genre. The plot follows Grey, (Logan Marshall-Green), as a man who loses his wife and his ability to move at the hands of a group of armed men. When all seems lost in steps, Eron Keen, (Harrison Gilbertson), with a device called Stem, that can give him both the ability to walk again and, the tools for getting revenge. What follows is a surprisingly deep dive into the symbiotic relationship between man and machine, revealing a collection of harrowing truths.

This film has some much to praise, such as merging the action, horror and dark comedy genre; to an outstanding effect. The film’s action feels very real and weighty, with there being some incredibly gory sequences; which are surprisingly effective from a narrative standpoint. The only issue is that there isn’t enough of it, after the very slow build at the beginning, the delivery is superb yet sparse. The action scenes are fantastic but, they are too few. The film’s horror is incredibly strong, perhaps the best element of the film. It all derives from a conversation about technology, can it be trusted and what has it done to earn our trust? The answers the film gives to these questions are both harrowing and fascinating. Said themes and ideas serve to show the complexity of the narrative; with a lot going on beneath the surface. The comedy of the film is pitch dark, and spot on near every time, never failing to make you shudder as much as you laugh.

The performances in the film are a mixed bag. Marshall-Green sells every scene he is in, conveying a wide array of emotions in a few facial expressions. His performance is much more layered then you would expect from an action film leading man. However, the supporting cast doesn’t get any near the same level, with Cortez, (Betty Gabriel), being a clear example. Cortez is a frustrating character, even sometimes annoying, but this is no fault of Gabriel as her lines are weak and uninspired. Cortez has no development, the scenes she is in you are left asking why she’s there. The main issue with her weak narrative is that it deflates the film’s emotional climax, cheapening it somewhat.

Overall this is a surprising success, very deserving of all the praise it is getting, yes it has some minor issue, but on the whole, it is superb. A must see for the message alone. Another hit for Blumhouse.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Slender Man

Slender Man is a horror film based on the notorious, internet creepypasta. Slender Man for those of you who don’t know is a being who torments, targets and in some cases kills people, mainly children. The plot of the film focuses on a group of friends who summon Slender Man, swiftly things begin to go wrong. The screenplay suffers from incredibly poor writing, with baffling, nonsensical decision making; such as the reasoning behind why the girls summon Slender Man: being another group of people are doing it, so they think why not. That’s it.

On a positive note, the film did make some welcome additions to the Slender Man lore; this is only thing the film gets right. However, even this is a double-edged sword as the mythology they set up also serves to demystify Slender Man to a dulling effect.

What’s more, the film fails to make Slender Man creepy, which is laughable as they had so much to work with, instead, he is forgettable; even when he is in his full form he doesn’t inspire thoughts of fear, rather disappointment.

The dialogue in the film is not even laughably bad, that would be too warm a term, it is a collection of the most out of touch, cringey, maddening lines you will ever hear– with the writer trying and failing to capture the essence of Teenage lingo. Said, Teenagers are so bland and forgettable it is hard, even during the film, to remember their names; let alone care about them.

Overall this film reeks of meddling, with absent sequences and has character’s storylines going unresolved; despite a resolution being central to the narrative. To me, this a cynical attempt to cash in on a brand with very little thought given to anything else; Slender Man deserves better than this.

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Unfriended: Dark Web

Unfriended: Dark Web is a horror film and sequel to 2014’s Unfriended. However, it is a sequel in name alone: as none of the characters from the first film are revisited. The main similarity with the first film is its layout, with most of the film taking place online. This layout is initially jarring, but over time becomes more and more natural. The plot of this instalment centres around Matias, (Colin Woodell), as he starts using a strange laptop, he stole. Once, he begins using the laptop things quickly devolve, with him and his friends finding themselves in one of the darkest corners of the internet- thus beginning a life or death struggle.

Something that hugely benefits this film is the change in threat. Where the first film had a restless, malicious spirit seeking vengeance, this one has an altogether much more real menace. This menace is, of course, a group of depraved dark web dwellers, who hire people to slowly torture and kill, unsuspecting victims. This choice of focus makes the scares all the more terrifying: the fact that something like this could happen in real life makes the threat far more- intimate. This film didn’t make me scared in the traditional sense; instead, it made me anxious.

The anxiety of the film comes from the fear of what might happen to the characters. The film achieves an incredible task, it makes you care about the protagonists, all of whom are boring and in one case very annoying. The characters are the usual collection of stereotypes, and you’ll forget about them as soon as the credits roll. To call them bland would be an understatement, they are devoid of personality; with the character development being all but non-existent. The romance between Matias and Amaya, (Stephanie Nogueras), is well done to a degree and is convincing, though is still not all that memorable.

Finally, the film has two different endings, which I won’t spoil here, but I just wanted to make a note of it: because I think it is an ingenious move that makes this film unique.

Overall, the uneasy tension and the feeling of dread throughout makes up for the poor character work. A must see for all genre fans!

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Hereditary

Hereditary focuses on the after-effects of a death in the family, in this case, the Grandmother; portraying themes of family and life after death. Toni Collette who stars as Annie gives a powerhouse performance here. With Annie also having incredibly nuanced dialogue that makes you question whether the supernatural happenings are real, or if it is simply her deeply broken mind. Another fantastic performance is by Alex Wolff who is a scene stealer, managing to capture a true and unrelenting sense of fear and helplessness. The cinematography is gorgeous, with every shot looking almost handcrafted, one such example is the dollhouse scenes with the cut between the zoom on the dollhouse, and then the corresponding scene in the actual house, working to great effect. What’s more the minimalised sound design really helps to build a sense of tension and unease, as the audience is straining to hear any sound to figure out where the scare is coming from. Hereditary is the tensest film you will watch this year, with a lot of truly harrowing scenes and unexpected twists; keeping you near perpetually on the edge of your seat. The film does use the odd jump scare here and there, but in general it gets its scares from the unexpected events and even from dialogue. The final 20 minutes are truly the scariest part of the film because the other acts of the film so excellently set them up. Hereditary is a master class in storytelling with each shot revealing something regarding the film’s many mysteries. My only negative is some of the plot points in the films first act feel a little heavy-handed and unrealistic, clearly written in to foreshadow and set up later events.
Overall, this is a must-see for horror fans.
4.5/5

Revenge

Revenge focuses on Jen, (Matilda Lutz), who goes on a hunting expedition with her boyfriend and his, “associates” only to be assaulted and left for dead; managing to survive and seek out vengeance. This film has a strong sense of style, best shown through the film’s score and eye-popping visuals. The visual style of this film is quite distinct, with a strong use of colour contrast, as well as vistas to show both the beauty and the hardness of the desert setting. Furthermore, the use of Phoenix symbolism, in the latter part of the film, is great as it represents both the change in Jen as a character, whilst also the ideas of the Rape and Revenge sub-genre. Lutz’s is fantastic as Jen, with her character being not only believable but, also one you form a strong emotional attachment with; to the extent that each time she is hurt you actively worried about her. This film knows it’s a B movie, and relishes it; in all, it’s gory splendour. The violence in this film is ridiculous, being reminiscent of Robert Rodriguez’s early works or, something suitably bloody. My personal favourite scene of the film is when Stanley, (Vincent Colombe) must pull a shard of glass out of his foot: being my favourite simply because of how wince-inducing it is. The sound design here is fantastic, probably the best of the year, with the juxtapositions of diegetic and non-diegetic music being incredible. Such as when Stanley is listening to music with lyrics like “I’m in love”, only to cut to a violent scene with a mad rush of non-diegetic music as well of plenty of diegetic screaming. Another example is during the peyote scene, with the non-diegetic music bridging over into the world of the film as a product of Jen’s drug-infused mind, helping to tear down the wall between the film and the audience. The climax of the film is incredibly tense with Jen hunting down her boyfriend Richard, (Kevin Janssens), with match on actions shots, ramping up the sense of mortality. The villains of the film are all menacing in their own separate ways, with Richard being the most intense, with his tendency toward unannounced aggression making him a truly memorable villain. Overall this film is not for the faint of heart, it can be incredibly tough to watch at times and if you are squeamish this is not the film for you. However, if you do venture to see it you will see one of the best horror films of recent memory.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke.

The Strangers: Prey at Night

The Strangers: Prey at Night is a slasher film focusing on a family as they are terrorised by 3 masked killers. Now before we begin I just want to say that I love the slasher films of the 1980’s. Prey at Night is not new or original, it is the same thing you’ve seen before, however, the unoriginality isn’t a bad thing here. What I mean by that is, though every cliché in the slasher genre is used here, Prey at Night is happy to point out the cliches and have a laugh at them. This film in many ways is a very loving homage to 80’s slasher films, with everything from the near unstoppable killers to the rebellious teenager, proving that this film is very aware of its DNA. To phrase my overall thoughts in a succinct way this is “horror junk food” it is dumb scary fun to be enjoyed until better, more inventive horror films, like Hereditary, arrive. I think in many ways this film is better for being a sequel, as the scope is far larger, yes, it is still confined to one family but, at the same time, the new setting, of a trailer park, allows for far more grizzly potential than the house setting of the first film. The overall mythology of the Strangers themselves is kept maddingly vague; beyond the “Why not” mantra. The 3 Strangers are all suitable menacing, with Doll Face and The Man in the Mask being particularly threatening. The weak point of the film comes from the family Cindy, Mike, Kinsey and Luke, (Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison and Lewis Pullman, respectively) being so bland. Hendricks who is the films big star is barely in it, with Henderson and Pullman being so bland and generic that you forget who they are after a while. However, the saving grace comes from Bailee Madison. Madison’s Kinsey is the only real, compelling character who is given motivations and is somewhat developed; and, I would be very interested to see a third Strangers film focusing on her. My final two notes about the film are one: the score is fantastic, with the 80’s song choices helping to give this film some identity and cement it as a homage to the Craven era slasher. With the other being that the ending is left open enough to set up a third film, depending on how well this one does, and that is a prospect I quite welcome. Overall there is some genuinely good scares here and a strong amount of tension, defiantly a step up from the first film but, it’s still only slightly above average.

2/5

Reviewed by Luke.

Truth or Dare

Spoilers ahead!

This film follows a group of friends who are forced to play a game of truth or dare that is possessed by a demon; with this concept being quite reminiscent of the Ouija films. The greatest criticism I can level against this film is that no one asked for it. This film fails at being scary at every turn deciding instead to use incredibly obvious jump scares. The film itself ranges from dull to instantly forgettable. Lucy Hale doesn’t bring anything to the film outside of being whiny and annoying. However, the rest of the cast is worst comprising of a whole host of teenage stereotypes and all the worst ones at that. You never care about a single character even finding it hard to remember their names whilst you watch it. The script is utterly terrible being a mess of horror movie cliches with dialogue that is laughably bad. The overall shocks and scares of this movie mainly rely on facial distortion; with the end result being more funny than scary. Furthermore, there is needless subplot after needless subplots, such as a love triangle that sticks around far past its welcome. Ultimately this film is just a waste of your time, with the ending being the most sequel baiting thing I have ever seen. Don’t go and see this, you will be left sorely disappointed. Truth or Dare is without a doubt Blumhouse’s weakest film, with it’s the biggest crime being how lazy, unscary and boring it is
1/5
Reviewed by Luke

Thoroughbreds

Thoroughbreds revolves around two friends, Lilly,(Anya Taylor-Joy) and Amanda, (Olivia Cooke), as they try and murder Lilly’s stepfather Mark. Both actresses give fantastic performances, with Olivia Cooke, in particular, being a show stopper. Cooke’s lack of emotion is eerily clear and will make you feel uncomfortable; with the film using some wonderfully slow scenes showing her staring off into space, thereby building a feeling of quiet uneasiness. Anya Taylor-Joy’s Lilly is also fantastic as we see that she is also incredibly cold, but rather than let that show she builds false personas. What Thoroughbreds does, in my opinion, better than any other film I’ve seen this year, is build great three dimensional characters, that you can empathize with. That is the genius of this film: even though Lilly and Amanda do terrible things throughout, you still feel sorry for them even in a way you root for them. The film is paced superbly, giving the character there due time, without wasting a single scene. Anton Yelchin plays Tim, a drug dealer the girls originally try and blackmail into doing the hit for them. Yelchin’s performance is genuinely layered, with him being initially quite menacing and threatening, whilst later on, he’s more sympathetic. The use of sound design in this film is incredibly clever, with the sound of the rowing machine, slowly driving Lilly into insanity being very reminiscent of the works of Edgar Allen Poe. I felt quite a lot of Poe’s influence in the film with elements reminding me of both the TellTale heart and the Raven. Furthermore, the use of the violins and cowbells, as non-diegetic parts of the score, was inspired as it has a wonderful off-kilter quality. The ending was genuinely upsetting, which is a testament to how much you end up caring about these fundamentally bad characters. Overall this is a very cold film in the best possible way, being incredibly tense, but also oddly warm at times. This is definitely a must see, but be warned it most certainly isn’t for everyone.
4.5/5
Reviewed by Luke

Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories focuses on Professor Phillip Goodman, (Andy Nyman), a sceptic, as he tries to explain 3 of his ideals cases; revolving around different types of supernatural entities. The 3 cases are all very unique, giving each one a strong sense of identity. Nyman’s character of Goodman has a very strong arc, slowly transitioning to a believer the more the film goes on: as he sees things he can’t explain. The ending, which I’ll talk more about later, really helps to develop Goodman’s character; whilst also showing his motivations for trying to disprove what he would deem delusions. The first case revolves around a night watchman as he is pursued by restless spirits, this case is menacing as it prays on a person’s fear of what lurks in the dark. The second case focuses on a hit and run accident, on a deserted country road, whilst that may sound like a cliché horror movie set up, the performance by Alex Lawther truly elevates it. Lawther constant twitching wide-eyed performance really conveys the unhinged nature of his character bringing a great amount of believability to the role. This second case is the most frightening, with 3 truly haunting words of diegetic dialogue; that you will remember long after you’ve heard them. The third case revolves around Martin Freeman’s character of Mike Priddle, as he talks about the poltergeist that plagued his family. This third case is the weakest having by far the least amount of scares. Ghost Stories plays upon natural humans fears: whether that is the dark or isolated places; forcing the viewer to contemplate whether there is more to the world then they choose to believe, making it a very unsettling film. The ending, in one way it is a triumph, as the message of the film is be careful what you believe in, and the ending certainly hits that message home. However, it is also an anti-climax as it seems to throw away all of the atmosphere and the general feeling of uneasiness, that the film has built.
Overall this is a strong British horror and I would definitely recommend it to genre fans.
4/5
Reviewed by Luke