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Reviews
Instruments of Evil (2016)
Excellent comedy horror
A quartet of demons created by Norse God Loki have been banished to four quarters of the Earth. Should they ever converge, mankind will be doomed. Odin sends his ultimate warrior to Earth on a mission to locate each musical demon and slay them.
Instruments of Evil is a low budget comedy horror ripe with ideas, its plot unfolding in energetic vignette style. Writer-director Huw D Evans is king of the puns and keeps the pace lively with plenty of gore, giggles and - most importantly - ideas.
The music is great (from hip hop zombies to a violin-weilding slasher, heavy metal demons and beyond), performances are enthusiastically camp and the whole thing is consistently entertaining.
A good time all round.
Don't You Recognise Me? (2016)
Tense
Don't You Recognise Me? is a thriller which begins on a tense note and never lets up.
The performances are what truly make it, each cast member is amazing as the action intensifies. The script is astute in that it tackles the pain of loss, guilt and so on while continually driving a revenge theme of heartbreaking gravity.
Fans of violence aren't shortchanged either. The economic plot allows for some (literally) bone-crunching scenes in the film's second half.
Director Jason Figgis has impressed previously with the visually stunning, cerebral horror films Children of a Darker Dawn and The Ecstasy of Isabel Mann. And Don't You Recognise Me? is another gem to add to his canon.
If you like great acting, intelligent writing, strong cinematography and almost unbearable tension which never lets up, give this one a go.
Terror Nation (2010)
Excellent British horror
Terror Nation, from the director of the startlingly offensive Fantacide, is a real find.
Very British, extremely gory and at times totally irreverent, it's also a quick, clever and witty crime-horror-thriller hybrid that builds intelligently towards a shocking climax.
The political intrigue and conspiracy theories are there for those who want them.
For everyone else, there are healthy doses of dark humour and bloody action.
If you can find it online, seek out the Director's Cut.
Fantacide (2007)
Fan - tastic
In a decade where British horror films have made a big splash (Shaun Of The Dead, Broken, The Descent, Eden Lake etc), Fanacide has unfortunately been overlooked by many. Which is a real shame as it's a fantastic gore epic, the likes of which we haven't seen since the late 80s (think Peter Jackson's Bad Taste, Jim Muro's Street Trash). There aren't any other gore films from this decade with such an impact, mixing gore, offensive humour and creativity with such deftness. What's more, the film is never going to get past the BBFC. Not only are the gore FX sublime (and plentiful), the film is also blessed with near-hardcore sexual violence and swipes at just about any and every minority. In short, Fantacide is stupendously gory, explicit, riotously funny and politically incorrect. But more than that, it's also highly original and deceptively well-made. Seek it out. Highly recommended. So long as you don't have a weak stomach and can take the constant barrage of laugh-out-loud obscenities.
The Land of College Prophets (2005)
Great film
Great film, which demonstrates what can be achieved on a budget.
There's credible acting, fantastic fight choreography.
There's also some unexpectedly serious gore and gorgeous cinematography - all of which combines to make you realise LAND OF COLLEGE PROPHETS is a masterpiece of low budget, independent cinema.
Great fun, and surprisingly moving at times too. A muscle fest for the main part though ... recommended!
Good luck to Tom, Phil and the guys on their next project.
Please support the collective, as there is huge promise in films like this.