Tag Archives: Horror

Clayface – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – While there are moments of brilliance and a real commitment to body horror, a flaw in the central premise and some very clunky dialogue hold it back.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen looking at his reflection.

Clayface Review Introduction

In today’s review, we are looking at a film that is in many ways an experiment: are audiences willing to sit through a hard body-horror exploration of the comic book world? That might indeed turn out to be a hard sell. Indeed, the character of Clayface has gone from being completely off my radar to having two or three different versions in the last few years alone. However, the DCU is not afraid of some experiments, but will it be the Joker or Joker 2?

So, to set the scene, Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is the talk of the film scene in Coastal City, even earning his first Academy Award nomination. However, when he is back in Gotham City for publicity, the city he and his best friend (Joshua James) grew up in, they head out to the club. The music is bouncing, the lights are flashing, and the dancing is good. But while his friend tries to warn Matt, nothing stops the actor from dancing and spending the night with Theresa (Ruby Sear), the girlfriend of local crime lord Markos Szabo (David Dencik). After finding them in bed together, he promptly rips Matt’s face apart before bribing everyone involved to make the problem disappear. Matt is ruined and without hope when he sees a news report of the work Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie) is doing with nanobots, and maybe there is hope for him still.

Continue reading →

Other Mommy – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – Great production cannot save a profoundly hollow film from falling like a thud.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a post-credit sting that you do not have to stay for.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes with flashing lights.

A soft toy vulture on the top of a ball pit.

Other Mommy Review Introduction

Today we look at a film that is an odd duality. From the outside, this is a strongly constructed movie with a strong cast, engaging editing, strong cinematography, and an interesting spin on the supernatural monster mythology. It is also an insipid, hollow, dull exercise that turns a ninety-minute film into a slog.

So, to set the scene, on the surface, the Martin family of Ursula (Jessica Chastain), Russ (Jay Duplass), and little Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) are the perfect unit. Maybe mum works a bit too much, maybe dad should have more going on in his life beyond painting miniatures, oh, and maybe Bela should not see Other Mommy (Jessica Chastain) in her closet at night.

Continue reading →

Resident Evil (2026) – Movie Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – Blood, Gore, Screams, Gunshots, and that is just the first ten minutes

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Warning – Contains scenes with flashing lights.

Hands and feet spall out from a door.

Resident Evil Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a very interesting film, a grounded take on a surreal world. Growing up, even though we were not a PlayStation family, you knew of Resident Evil from sheer reputation alone. One of the pillars of horror gaming. I even liked the Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Apocalypse films back in the day, though by the time of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter it was clearly shambling along to the finish line. That is a lot of baggage for a film, but add Zach Cregger fresh off Weapons into the mix, and suddenly you have the potential for something truly fascinating. 

So, to set the scene, it has been a very long day for Bryan (Austin Abrams), who is trying to make money as a medical courier. He thought he was done for the day, but then a last-minute package for Raccoon City General Hospital arrived, and that was a job he could not turn down. It is a hard drive as a blizzard rolls in; he was distracted so much so that he didn’t even see the figure on the road until his car hit it at speed. This would have been disastrous, but then why won’t the police pick up? Why does this house look like a fight has just happened? And why is that very dead lady now running at full speed towards me?  

Continue reading →

Hope (Hopeu/호프) – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – This is honestly one of the most bonkers films I have ever watched, both good [the action] and bad [the animation], and everything in between [the tonal whiplash].

Rating: 4 out of 5.

And/Or

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Two men stand on either side of a creature sized hole that has been made in the wall of a building.

Hope Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a profoundly odd film, a film that bamboozles and weirds you out in equal measures. I will be honest: I spent the entire time I was watching this film on the edge of my seat, not knowing what would come next, good or bad. It constantly keeps you off balance, not knowing what will happen next.  

So, to set the scene, Ko Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) is the police chief of Hope Harbour, a town in South Korea near the border with the North. Early one morning, he is called out of town by his cousin Ko Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), where they find a large bull that has been eviscerated by something larger than a bear. Concerned that a wild animal is this close to the town, Ko Bum-seok makes his way back into town to try and organise patrols to keep people safe, which is when explosions and screams cry out into the early morning.

Continue reading →

Big Baby – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – Unfortunately, this film fails at almost every level.

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film.

Big Baby stands illuminated in green light.

Big Baby Review Introduction

Today, I am reviewing a very odd film, one that seems openly hostile toward film critics, whether their criticism is made in good faith or not. Thus, do I critique a film about film criticism or not? All of this is made harder by the fact that Big Baby was a real slog to get through.  
 
So, to set the scene, we open as Adam Lewis (Brandon Scott) is ripped to shreds by dudes on the internet, rocked by the thoughts that even though he is successful enough to be earning a comfortable living for his work, he may never win an Oscar. Adam stays up late, drunk, trying to write a new film. He dreams of a Big Baby (Adam Marcinowski) slashing his way through his house. This might be his new muse, or it could be a monster waiting to strike?

Continue reading →

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – While it does not nail its universe-upscaling, it is still an entertaining, bloody action comedy.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ subscription used to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

All the representatives of the families.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come Review Introduction

Ready or Not was one of those films I entirely slept on, which was a mistake. It was one of those few films that completely understood the power and limits of dark comedy. It was a riot of gory fun, but one of those films that I was surprised it got a sequel, but it did, and this time I am not sleeping on it.  

So, to set the scene, we start right after the end of Ready or Not as Grace (Samara Weaving) is rushed to hospital suffering from shock and blood loss. What she doesn’t know is that by winning the game of Hide and Seek, she has triggered a rare clause in the agreement that binds all the powerful families together. Now, ultimate power is up for grabs, and every family wants a bite of the apple. Grace was hoping to go home, but when her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) arrives at the hospital, none of them was ready to be kidnapped, dragged to the hotel of Chester Danforth (David Cronenberg), and forced to hide again, handcuffed together.

Continue reading →

We Bury the Dead – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix subscription used to watch this film.

A zombie opens its eye.

We Bury the Dead Review Introduction

Today’s offering has been bubbling around in the Australian cinematic landscape for quite a bit before it got its theatrical release earlier this year. Unfortunately, while there were no well-timed screenings near me at the time, it has now made its way onto streaming, and this is the perfect time for me to give it a watch.  

So, to set the scene, one day an accidental detonation of an experimental weapon off the coast of Tasmania destroyed the capital city of Hobart. However, an EMP wave stretched further, destroying the brains of all living creatures on the island. It is a catastrophe of epic proportions, and a whole mobilisation effort has been activated to help identify and recover the bodies of the 500,000-odd dead. However, now and again, some of the dead wake up, and they are no longer themselves. Ava Newman (Daisy Ridley) is one of the volunteers, hoping to find out what happened to her husband, who was at a conference on the south of the island. Those who do reanimate are completely docile and not a problem, or so the Army says.

Continue reading →

The End of Oak Street – Movie Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – This 80s homage film triumphs on one important facet: Anne Hathaway fighting dinosaurs.  

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

A dog looks up to see a weird light.

The End of Oak Street Review Introduction

Now, if you know me, I make absolutely no apologies that I am a dinosaur fiend when it comes to media. Give me your Jurassic Parks, your Dinotopias, heck, you want to add dinosaurs to Star Trek, I am here for it. But if you are going to add dinosaurs to a film, they can’t just be a token addition; they need to mean something, and thankfully that is not an issue today.

So, to set the scene, in 1982 there is a quintessential suburb in America called Flowervale that does all the stereotypical things. They have block parties, the kids ride around on their bikes, and neighbours get upset with dogs pooping in their yards. On Oak Street in this suburb lives the Platt family: wife Denise (Anne Hathaway), husband Greg (Ewan McGregor), daughter Audrey (Maisy Stella), and son Brian (Christian Convery). They are the perfect nuclear family on the surface, but in private the cracks in Denise and Greg’s relationship are threatening to become a gorge. But all of that changes one night when the lights start to flicker, everyone’s ears pop, and odd noises start coming from the forest. That’s when the screams start.

Continue reading →

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – Movie Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – An incredibly confronting film that made me regret eating dinner but reveals a wealth of thematic depth beneath the gore.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

The Bone Temple at dusk.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Review Introduction

Today we’re looking at an unusual sequel. After decades of waiting for 28 Years Later, The Bone Temple arrived so quickly afterwards that some audiences may have assumed it was the same film. I tried to watch it in cinemas, but the scheduling never worked out. But now it’s out on streaming, it’s time to give it a watch.

So, to set the scene, we open in the moments after the end of 28 Years Later with Spike (Alfie Williams) having to fight for his life in front of Jimmy (Jack O’Connell) and his cult of Jimmies. Meanwhile, around the Bone Temple, Dr Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) has made some odd discoveries about Sampson (Chi Lewis-Parry) that the alpha might indeed be his friend, or more importantly, the real person might still be in there. There is a bit of assumed knowledge going into this film, as it does expect that you have watched the previous film.

Continue reading →

The Last House – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – This is a film that is trying something, but it is working in a space where other contemporaries have excelled.  

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix subscription used to watch this film.

Water filling in the cracks of shattered glass.

The Last House Review Introduction

Today we are looking at something that is becoming increasingly rare in modern cinema: a genuinely original film. Not adapted, not spun off, and not based on a toy from 50 years ago. Given how uncommon these projects have become, I knew I had to give The Last House a watch.

So, to set the scene, one Sunday morning a surprise rainstorm appeared on the horizon. It felt like a normal day, but then the internet failed. But even stranger was the fact that none of the doors or windows would open. That’s okay, because you can break windows, right? No, the glass cracks but doesn’t break. Now, you and everyone you know are stuck in their houses, with only the food you happened to have inside.

Continue reading →