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The Siren (I) (2019)
9/10
A hauntingly beautiful film...
14 July 2019
THE SIREN is a deeply engrossing tale about the tragedy of love, co-dependency and addition. This is the second feature from Director Perry Blackshear who proves here that you can make a stunning film with a solid story, fantastic cast and a limited budget.

Inspired by the legend of The Rusalka, Blackshear has crafted a microscale creature feature taking time and effort to create something very special. Romantic and whimsical, Blackshear harnesses his unique aestetic to wrap his audience in a tragic love story that, at times, taps into its horror elements and executes them very effectively.

The cast are fantastic. As the "titular monster" Margaret Ying Drake is superb. Her performance as Nina is equal bits charming, dark and strangely sweet. Starring opposite her is Evan Doumouchel as Tom who appears as the catalyst for change. Handling his role with the right amount of charm and faith, Doumouchel not only stands his own but his presence is very much welcomed. Together, there is no denying the chemistry between the leads as this shines brightly like a lamp across a dimly lit lake. It's really beautiful to watch.

Rounding up the cast is MacLeod Andrews who plays Al, a man who is searching for his husband's killer. In the film, his character quickly forms a friendship with Tom but it's not long before he soon starts to suspect Nina is responsible for his husbands death. In the role Andrews nails each emotional beat of his character with precision.

Although this film is clearly not for everyone, I was blown away with what the team have brought to the table. As a film, it made me smile, it broke my heart... It was an emotional rollercoaster and it has me excited for what Blackshear comes up with next!
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Truth or Dare (II) (2013)
7/10
Brutal, Shocking and damn right offensive...
29 August 2014
Jessica Cameron's TRUTH OR DARE comes with it an incredible reputation after receiving critical praise at the various festivals that it has played at. It has won many awards including Best of Fest Award at Shockfest Film Festival where Cameron picked up the prize for Best Director and Best Actress. So before I watched the film I was asking myself if the hype justified?

Truth or Dare follows six colleague students who go under the name of the Truth or Daredevils on YouTube. After their video featuring a game of Russian roulette goes viral after one of their team is seemingly killed, it is announced on a talk show that it was a hoax. As the group talk about their next video a disgruntled fan in the audience tries to interact with the team but is quickly shunned away only to appear later at the groups shoot taking control and forcing the team to play their very last game of Truth or Dare.

Despite its micro budget what we have here is a thriller that works well and one that goes to some incredibly dark places. Brutal, shocking and damn right offensive, Jessica Cameron's Truth or Dare pushes the boundaries of acceptability. Its direct mean-spirited approach reminded me of James Cullen Bressick's Hate Crime which is also one of the most disturbing films i've ever seen. Featuring some truly twisted dares and it has enough gore to make Hostel look like a Saturday morning TV show.

As Director Cameron spares nothing and no one as she crafts a thriller that accelerates in ferocity leaving her audience speechless. As for performances Jessica herself steps in to play one of the leads and is joined by Ryan Kiser, Heather Dorff and Devanny Pinn. The entire cast do a great job to sell the reality of the film without going over the top or feeling forced.

Overall, I liked Truth or Dare and despite its budgetary restrictions, I think Cameron did a great job as director. So if the secrets shared during the FIlm4 Frightfest Q&A after the film turn out to be true then it won't be long before Truth or Dare 2 goes into production.
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10/10
A cute yet terrifying crowd pleaser!
29 August 2012
The Pierce Brothers have gained many fans worldwide after showing their feature "Deadheads" around the festival circuit and through a limited theatre release. Now The Pierce Brothers are back with their crowd funded short "Smush" and their fans couldn't be any more happier!

A prequel to their motion feature, "Smush" tells the tale of Annabelle, a little girl who has been left home alone during a zombie outbreak. On discovering a noise in her garage, she makes an unlikely friend with a flesh-starved intruder.

With fantastic performances from the cast including new comer Georgia Rose Matlack, Markus Taylor, and Greg Dow, the short is packed with heart, humour, and horror. I can give you my personal assurance that "Smush" will not fail to entertain any self-respecting horror fan. If you get the chance to see this make sure you do as I can assure you that you will not be disappointed!
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Deadheads (2011)
9/10
Horror, Action, Romance... a fantastic ride with awesome facial hair!!
23 November 2011
This film was a delight to watch and had everything every self-respecting movie buff would want... horror, comedy, action, and romance supported by a solid story and a highly entertaining script. The Pierce Brothers deliver plenty of laughs and tender moments between the onslaught of gore that is expected from any decent zombie movie.

The story is described as: "Two zombie slackers, Mike and Brent, find themselves surprisingly reborn from the dead amid a disastrous zombie outbreak. After discovering an engagement ring in his coat pocket, Mike enlists his new found zombie pal, Brent, to embark on a quest in search of his lost love. What ensues is a hilarious cross country road trip as these two reformed flesh-eating pals hitch-hike across the country as they are pursued by a team of zombie killin' bounty hunters!"

The cast are fantastic! Michael McKiddy and Ross Kidder play a great duo as our leads but the noteworthy nods go to Ben Webster's Zombie Assassin McDinkle and Marcus Taylor playing the lovable deadite Cheese. Both performances steal almost every scene they appear in!

I am pleased that the film has been given a US distribution as I'm sure people will love it as I do!! Check it out, you won't be disappointed!!
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