louisdut Reviews

The Quantum Devil (2023)

SYFY channel here we come

[5/10 · 17 December 2023]

H. P Lovecraft wrote The Call of Cthulhu in 1926 and ever since then filmmakers have attempted to bring the tentacled, mind-bending monster, to life. Although some productions have broken into cultural relevance with mainstream financial and critical success (The Mist, The Cabin in the Woods, Color out of Space and The Void) most attempts have been abysmal failures. The recent resurgence of Quantum Physics as a creative framework of cinematic exploration (Ant Man: Quantumania, Everything Everywhere All At Once) also opened new, and previously unexplored, avenues for genre filmmakers to probe and examine.

Director and Co-Writer Larry Wade Carrell is the latest filmmaker to venture into a creative amalgamation of these metacognitive and theoretical realms with The Quantum Devil.

An international team of scientists are summoned to a remote location in eastern Europe in an effort to breach the quantum barrier and travel to another dimension. Their shady pasts are revealed, and the true nature of the experiment is beyond anything they could have predicted.

The scope of creating a Lovecraftian horror film is a staggering challenge due to the magnitude of the literary creature and the profoundly existential mythology created since H. P Lovecraft's original works. Filmmakers often struggle to do these aspects justice and fail miserably in the execution of intricate, yet universal, meta-physical concepts. Carrell's approach to the topic is fantastically ambitious as he not only explores the Cthulhu mythos, but also connects it with more modern films, including the science fiction elements of Minority Report and Inception, the claustrophobic paranoia of Escape Room and Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, as well as hints of body-horror from Hellraiser and Dawn of the Dead. These elements blend together seamlessly enough to pay homage to the originals as well as justify the ambitions of the director.

The Quantum Devil does suffer significantly from a lack of likeable characters and an inordinate use of scientific jargon that feels rehearsed and unnaturally performed. The cast of scientists are truly unbelievable as serious Academics, with both female protagonists (Tamara Radovanovic and Ariadna Cabrol) either dressed as early 2000's ravers, prostitutes, or at best, Alice from the Resident Evil franchise. Their male counterparts, Tyler Tackett and Edward Apeagyei, are given more development and pathos, but ultimately, they too, are left floundering in a sea of chaotic dialogue and underdeveloped motivations. The standout performance of the film is undoubtably Neil Dickson (Inland Empire, Haunting of the Innocent) as the disgraced Physicist, Dr. Richard Cernovich, who calls the other scientists together to complete his quantum experiment. Dickson's intense, but fun performance is a much needed, professional, and devious delight.

The second half of The Quantum Devil leans heavily into the horror aspect of the Lovecraftian mythology, unfortunately, with SyFy channel quality CGI, but rectifies the flawed special effects with high-standard practical gore. The visualisation of Cthulhu is a stunning sight to behold, and the voice-acting cameo is a stroke of sublime genius.

Larry Wade Carrell is obviously a H. P Lovecraft fan and his attempt at creating something in the author's literary universe is commendable and brave. His affinity bleeds through The Quantum Devil's narrative, with easter-eggs and foreshadowing, playfully, sprinkled throughout the film, and although the lofty ambitions weren't fully realized, there is definitely some bloodstained fun to be had by all horror fans.

The Pope's Exorcist (2023)

Nothing new here

[6/10 · 17 December 2023]

Horror filmmakers have attempted to replicate the phenomenal cultural success of The Exorcist since its release in 1973. Some have come close to achieving this accolade, including The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) and the found-footage entry, The Last Exorcism (2010). The possession sub-genre has even spawned a few phenomenally financially successful franchises (Insidious, The Conjuring), but no single film has ever caught the imagination as fully as William Friedkin's masterpiece.

Julius Avery made a splash with his gratuitous, splat-gore zombie war-thriller Overlord in 2018. With The Pope's Exorcist, Avery is taking aim at more established, but controversial, topics of religious mythology and possession.

In 1987, the Pope (Franco Nero) sends his chief exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe) to investigate a strange case of possession of a young boy. Amorth is joined by a younger priest, Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto), and together they battle the demon and discover a centuries-long secret that could destroy the Vatican.

Avery's approach to The Pope's Exorcist is astute, following the highly lucrative template established by the financial juggernaut that is the Conjuring franchise. His focus on the "true" files of an actual Catholic Priest is reminiscent of the "based on true events" promised by protagonists Ed and Lorraine Warren. The fact that the Warrens have been proven to be fraudsters and hoaxers, notwithstanding. Avery also shrewdly aligned himself with two screenwriters who have created relatively successful possession/exorcism scripts, Michael Petroni, The Rite (2011) and Evan Spiliotopolous, The Unholy (2021). But without question, the biggest masterstroke of The Pope's Exorcist 's approach, is the choice of subject, Father Amorth himself. Amorth even caught the eye of William Friedkin, who filmed the clergyman for a documentary, The Devil and Father Amorth. The gregarious and enchanting man of the cloth would have had numerous tall tales to tell, once boasting to have successfully completing "100 000 exorcisms" and enjoyed the company of an obviously undoubting audience.

Russell Crowe portrays the holy man with an unvarnished charisma, a staple of the Australian actor, subverting the traditional view of religious fundamentalists and creating a very amiable human character. Crowe also playfully pulls off the often-misplaced humour and the interactions with fellow priest Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto) easily could have devolved into a simplistic buddy-cop trope, but the chemistry between the actors ground the performances. Amorth is a cynical, almost sceptical, character, while Esquibel is a more naïve, devoted follower of the Catholic status quo. The storyline plays out like a religious adventure a' la The Da Vinci Code, whilst Crowe exudes a James Bond-like bravado, which makes for a fun, fresh approach to the sub-genre. Crowe's abysmal attempt at an Italian accent, however, is truly shocking, but at least it is a slight improvement on his voice-work in Thor: Love and Thunder.

The cinematography by Khalid Mohtaseb is also noteworthy and commendable. The movement and positioning of the camera creates a claustrophobic, menacing, but mischievous mood, creating a feeling of seeing the events from the point of view of the clandestine demon. The atmosphere feels oppressive and bristling with threat.

The plot and story of The Pope's Exorcist does unfortunately become incredibly self-serving and predictable, with the gruff priest refusing to pass the torch to the younger man and the final twist of the Vatican's secret feeling disingenuous and even disrespectful to the memory of those who were actually affected by the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition.

Father Amorth once told The Sunday Telegraph- "You must always go to the doctor before you go to the exorcist..." I could not agree more. There is nothing too offensive about The Pope's Exorcist, but there is no reason to search any further than the classic The Exorcist, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023, for an exhilarating, shocking and petrifying exorcism film.

She Will (2021)

Fantastic

[9/10 · 17 December 2023]

"It's not creepy, it's a tragedy." With these words, writer-director Charlotte Colbert unequivocally announces her intentions with her award-winning directorial debut, She Will. Colbert brings a uniquely feminine vision to the predominantly male centric horror industry, but has aligned herself astutely with a master of the genre, Dario Argento.

Argento's exploration of witches (Suspiria) and his origins in Giallo (The Bird With the Crystal Plumage) are clearly evident in She Will, but Colbert adds a modern, feminist edge to the film and pays homage to numerous other horror influences including John Carpenter and Wes Craven, both of whom have a career-long predilection for strong female leads.

An aging film star Veronica (Alice Krige) retreats to a Scottish countryside retreat with her nurse Desi (Kota Eberhardt) to recover from a double mastectomy. Veronica is confronted by her traumatic past and effected by mysterious forces after discovering the area's bloody history with female persecution and the burning of "witches".

The Witch-horror sub-genre has a checkered history with a limited rate of cinematic success, from the frivolous (Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic) to the misguided (The Lords of Salem, Season of the Witch), while truly visionary efforts like The Witch, Suspiria and The Blair Witch Project are astonishingly rare. She Will is an understated, but ambitious attempt by Charlotte Colbert to add herself to the short list of filmmakers who have created these standout productions. In collaborating with Argento, Colbert has given herself the best chance at creating something seminal and distinct, but Colbert's shrewd decision-making did not end there. The addition of composer Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, The Fountain) was another stroke of genius. Mansell's compositions are mesmerising and dream-like, adding a layer of intrigue to the film that leaves the viewer unnerved and breathless. The cinematography of Jamie Ramsey (Living, See How They Run) is equally noteworthy as he allows scenes to be filled with subtle movement and deeply vivid colours, whilst creating a vastness and isolation in each image which leaves the viewer almost completely untethered. Reality is creatively blurred with fog and kaleidoscopic fragments with the characters' awakenings stunningly visualised as they become aware of their own powers and new-found boundaries.

However, it is the addition of Alice Krige (Sleepwalkers, Silent Hill), who gives a career best performance and is the most magnificent highlight of the film. The often-underappreciated working-actor, brings defiant gravitas and unflinching realism to a character who has been stripped of her beauty and fame, which she previously used as a mask and defence against the men who have mistreated and abused her. She is laid bare and left with only the most basic essence of herself, and the belief that survival depends on her being "all teeth and claws". Krige embodies this character with a lived-in confidence and a powerful vulnerability as she accepts her trauma and is ultimately empowered by it.

Veronica (Krige) not only empowers herself, but extends the opportunity to the more submissive Desi (Kota Eberhardt). She hands the key to female sovereignty to the younger female and reminds her that apologies are not needed for independence and gender equality. This concession is hard fought and at the expense of Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Halloween), the abusive film director who catapulted Veronica to fame at the age of 13. Every interaction with male characters is a battle of attrition, which initially leaves the female characters marginalised and stifled, until they find their own power and wield it without mercy.

Colbert has crafted a majestic piece of cinematic art. The deliberate, meandering pacing might be an obstacle for some, but even this creative choice adds a contemporary, elevated dimension to a beautifully constructed film.

Scare Attraction (2019)

Nothing scary here

[4/10 · 17 December 2023]

Indie Genre filmmaking has become more accessible to the average person as technology and equipment have become increasingly affordable. The main hurdles left for prospective filmmakers is a great story and a half-decent budget. Although high budgets have been proven not to be the be-all-and-end-all of a successful horror film, as The Blair Witch Project (1999), The Evil Dead (1981) and One Cut of the Dead (2017) has shown, it is a completely different challenge when your budget is a scanty £12,000, as is the case with Scare Attraction. But even such a meagre budget could be offset by a singular creative vision and the benefit of a unique and gripping story. When you also consider the fact that the film was shot in 4 days and filmed back-to-back with another Steven M. Smith production, Dead Again, you truly see how enormous the challenge would have been.

The plot to Scare Attraction is relatively straight-forward; Reality TV stars Peter (Elliot Cable) and Susie (Primrose Bigwood) attend a Halloween scare attraction in an effort to raise their profile. The pair are joined by a small entourage of managers, handlers and bodyguards.

After touring the Mafia, Boxing and Clown rooms, the entire group is led into the "crème-dela- crème" of escape rooms, where they are locked in and eventually gassed and fall unconscious.

When they eventually awake, the group find themselves bound and trapped in a puzzling torture chamber.

The limitations of low-budget filmmaking are often brutally obvious to the discerning viewer, but Steven M. Smith manages to accomplish something quite exciting in the early stages of Scare Attraction, regardless of the tight production turn-around, incredibly low budget and staggering workload. The film starts off with a mundane opening sequence, but the actual opening credits create a foreboding and intriguing atmosphere of what the filmmaker has in store for the viewer. The creature design is on full display during these clips and the potential for horror and gore is promising, while we are also semi-introduced to our protagonists.

The found-footage, mockumentary style and obviously improvised dialogue could so easily have been a cliched hinderance, but instead Smith impresses with a wonderful extended no-cut scene, filled with quirky interactions, led by Jon-Paul Gates, who hams it up in all of his scenes as the tour guide. Gates is used sparingly, which is a shame, as his frequent pop-culture references and playful, charismatic performance is such a delight.

The sound design and score also stands out, as Darren Wonnacott (The Man Who Killed Hitler Then The Bigfoot) creates an energetic, menacing soundtrack which enhances the action without being too bombastic or distracting.

But, inevitably, it is in the execution of the story where it all seems to fall apart for Scare Attraction. Although Smith makes an attempt to explore the vapid and dismissive nature of celebrity culture and influence, all characters are shockingly underdeveloped and although it wouldn't be a fatal error to have so many unlikeable characters, of which Peter and Susie are the most petulant and whiny, everyone seems pedestrian, stale and without any depth. The mystery is confused and fractured, with scenes bleeding into each other without rhyme, reason or discernible structure or purpose. It feels suspiciously as if the overlapping productions of Dead Again and Scare Attraction contributed to a chaotic and disorientated mixture of footage. The central mystery is equally undercooked, while the traditional post- Sixth Sense-style twist is astoundingly unearned and uninspired.

Scare Attraction is, unfortunately, a misnomer, as there are little to no scares and no interesting story or characters to attract the viewer.

My Cherry Pie (2021)

Sweet sweet Cherry Pie

[6/10 · 17 December 2023]

Ozploitation became a phenomena in cinema during the early parts of the 1970's, when Australian filmmakers began to experiment with a new wave of productions which amalgamated low-budget horror, action, sexploitation and comedy together. Although Mad Max (1979) propelled the genre into the mainstream limelight, films like Razorback (1984), Long Weekend (1978) and Walkabout (1971) were equally influential on home soil.

With My Cherry Pie, Heath and Jakupi have thrown their hat in the Ozploitation ring, while also adding a fresh infusion of Giallo slasher and Tarantino-esque crime thriller to the mix, with a pinch of nasty Grindhouse for added flavour.

Freddy (Sotiris Tzelios) is released from prison and collected by his fellow criminal friends Jack (Dylan Heath) and Green (Tim Jason Wicks). The crew go on an ill-fated crime spree and they make a run for it out of Melbourne. When their car dies along a rural road, local Edwin Crow (Glenn Maynard) offers them food and shelter, with the promise of towing their car in the morning. During the night, the men are introduced to Edwin's seductive, but simple, niece Cherry (Trudi Ranik) and they discover their fight for freedom has only just begun.

Co-Directors Addison Heath and Jasmine Jakupi, working from a screenplay by Heath, creates a very distinctive eighties aesthetic, while also melding together familiar sub genres, and influenced by the success of X and Pearl, but at its core My Cherry Pie is a grimy slasher flick with a disturbing familial twist. The addition of Tarantino inspired dialogue, and character traits, makes it a fresh take on a well explored plot, with the banter between the three main protagonists, playfully injecting some much-needed humour into a storyline which features a few triggering and traumatic topics towards the climax.

The use of practical effects, although typical low-budget fare, is impressive. Makeup effects artists Nick Kocsis and Armanda Pozzetto pull out all the stops to create a number of memorable, gory, set pieces. The kills are gloriously brutal and bloody, which is the main consideration for exploitation fans and there is a lot to enjoy on that front. Eye-slicing violence and gratuitous dismemberment is lovingly crafted by filmmakers who obviously have a passion for the genre and a generous level of respect for their audience.

The film falters on set design and cinematography, the usual culprits when it comes to Indie filmmaking, however. The location in use, a disused psychiatric hospital, holds enormous potential and shows ambition, but creepy hallways are underutilised, while off-white walls and outdated curtains are overused. Performances by all the players are par for a low-to-zero budget production, and the hints of comedy and snappy dialogue almost elevates these efforts, but ultimately the lack of any real surprise or genuine originality hampers any prospects for elevation beyond standard Indie quality.

Horror fans will find much to enjoy as My Cherry Pie blazes a bloody trail through the Australian woods and gives the viewer all the blood splatter and evisceration they could possibly desire.

Hyde's Secret Nightmare (2011)

Undercooked

[4/10 · 17 December 2023]

As the director of Confessions of a Necrophile Girl, Deep Web XXX, and eROTik, Domiziano Cristopharo has made his creative impulses crystal clear since his feature debut, House of Flesh Mannequins in 2009. The Italian director frequently takes inspiration from controversial Erotica Horror filmmaker Joe D'Amato and directly referenced this influence in Hyde's Secret Nightmare with a significant focus on graphic sexual deviancy and ultra violence.

Henry Chagall (Claudio Zanelli) is a sexually impotent scientist who starts to experiment with unusual and unethical methods to cure his condition. The scientist, and his assistant Hans (Giovanni la Gorga), succeeds in reanimating the reproductive organs of a fresh corpse and the men find themselves devolving into a surreal and brutal sexual odyssey.

Sex and death, in cinema, are inextricably linked since John Carpenter brought these concepts stunningly together in Halloween (1978), but some directors have made even closer connections between these concepts in an attempt to blur the lines of decency and art, including Frank Henelotter's Frankenhooker (1990) and Brian Yuzna's Bride of Re-Animator (1989). Necrophilia, however, is the final taboo in horror cinema as mainstream audiences remain unaccepting of this unsavoury topic. European filmmakers are often more willing to approach these highly controversial ideas, and Cristopharo, in particular, seems eager to explore the deviant depths of sexual depravity and abhorrent violence.

With Hyde's Secret Nightmare, Cristopharo also makes a token, and tenuous, effort at linking established and meritorious literature to his perversion, as he views the project as an erotic reinterpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson's gothic novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But Hyde's Secret Nightmare is, simply put, an unbalanced exercise in absurdity and vulgarity, where pornography and banal body horror is mixed together like a poorly prepped pub Hot Pot. The use of nudity is unstimulating and extraneous, without purpose or creative merit. The use of Italian porn actor Roberta Gemma is a deliberate attempt to titillate, and push established cinematic boundaries aside, but her ample appeal fizzles out amongst the unrefined profanities and ludicrous actions of her male counterparts.

Cristopharo fills each scene with macabre, yet meaningless images, with the sole aim to shock, but only succeeds in expressing a staggering level of immaturity and a lack of style. The film ultimately fails at mirroring the shock value and carnage found in similar low-budget, cult 70s/80s exploitation horror and only compounds foul and appalling sequences into segments of obtuse nastiness. The squirming discomfort I felt whilst watching Hyde's Secret Nightmare was not due to being mentally challenged out of my metaphorical comfort zone, but instead, because the film was tedious, overly experimental, and inconsequential. The project plays out like a juvenile, pimple-faced sixth-grader's multi-media school project, which resulted in a stern speaking to by the school's Head Teacher.

Lars von Trier (Antichrist), Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film) and Tom Six (The Human Centipede) were able to bring our collective nightmares to life with visceral and profoundly impactful and thought-provoking films, which included intense, and sometimes vulgar events, while Domiziano Cristopharo fails miserably at achieving anything near meaning, reflection or art.

Family Dinner (I) (2022)

Delicious surprise

[6/10 · 17 December 2023]

Family Dinner is the feature debut of writer and director Peter Hengl, who had only produced short films previously. However, the bold red title font emblazoned across the opening credits, hint at the pedigree of the filmmaker as it reminds the viewer that he is a past student under the tutelage of the legendary Michael Heneke (Funny Games, Hidden) at the Vienna Film Academy. Hengl wears this influence on his sleeve as he crafts a morbid, murky, and brooding film that would garner praise from his former professor.

An overweight teenager (Nina Katlein) spends the Easter holidays at her famous nutritionist aunt's farm in the hope of getting help to lose weight, but soon after her arrival, she begins to suspect that something is very wrong and that her family should not be trusted.

Experienced horror fans will have no problem predicting where Family Dinner will go at its conclusion, but the journey will be mesmerising and harrowing. The German-language film is very deliberately paced in the rich history of elevated European cinema, but each scene crackles with intent and intensity. The viewer is left unnerved and unbalanced with each new interaction between characters who clearly have hidden motives.

Nina Katlein is a revelation as the determined Simi. The character sets her mind to something and fully commits to it and the actor beautifully manages to capture the duelling parts of Simi's personality as she struggles to make sense of the escalating tensions in the home of her aunt. Katlein effortlessly shifts between determination, compassion, fear, and bravery, as she crafts a fully-fledged three-dimensional person with specific goals and uncertain boundaries. She grapples with her unhealthy habits, but remains focused on body positivity and staying true to herself throughout the attempt to lose excess weight.

Pia Hierzegger is equally superb as the jittery and manipulative Aunt Claudia whose dialogue is layered with venom and disdain. Her performance is grotesque, unhinged and hypnotic, with each scene building momentum towards a brutal outcome which our protagonist is oblivious to.

The sound design for Family Dinner is a character in its own right as it gets under the viewer's skin. Creepy, but fun sound-effects make connections between the food being consumed, the physical changes the characters undergo and the continuous build-up of tension. The audience becomes a complicit voyeur, as Hengl immerses them in a strained and weird, but relatable, family dynamic, while the pacing keeps us, and Simi, mystified by the unsettling and perplexing events. The foreshadowing wonderfully pays off as a reward for anyone paying close attention to the unfolding madness.

Family Dinner is a deviously delicious recipe of psychological manipulation and macabre horror that combines effectively into a feast of a meal and gives us a cinematic first; a horror film set during the Easter period. Move over Halloween and Friday the 13th. Give way Killer Santa because the Easter Bunny has a malicious and creepy tale to tell.

Death Metal (2023)

Out of tune

[4/10 · 17 December 2023]

Death metal is an extreme subgenre of metal music. The specific sound is easily identifiable by its use of bass-heavy guitar distortions, ear-splitting, often growled or bellowed vocals, and particular brand of compositional complexity. This musical subgenre is a perfect fit, as well as having an overlapping fanbase, with horror cinema. With Death Metal, Michael Kuciak, producer and short film director, attempts to combine these genres and fanbases in a cacophony of violence and chaos.

A Death metal band, AbyssSinister, is about to be dropped from their label, after a catastrophic European tour. The group hire a legendary Producer and hole up inside a remote farm house to record a brand-new album to rejuvenate their careers. Ivan, the lead guitarist, plans to incorporate The Devil's Concerto, a demented, mythological piece of music, which drives the listener insane. The band start work on the album and quickly discover that the concerto is truly the work of pure evil.

In 2022, Dave Grohl and the rest of the Foo Fighter boys also tried to amalgamate music and horror and although this is not a new impulse, with Trick or Treat (1986), The Lords of Salem (2012) and Lords of Chaos (2018) making similar attempts, they discovered that bloodstained vinyl does not equal art. The gravest mistake a horror filmmaker can make, is taking his material too seriously when the concepts are absurd, outlandish and downright silly. Elevated Horror has garnered critical and financial success over the last decade by playing the storylines straight and serious, but the appeal of bonkers horror like Re-animator (1985), Slither (2006) and Malignant (2021) remain intact due to the undercurrent, if not blatant focus, on tongue-in-cheek humour. The filmmakers are aware of the absurd nature of their premise and give a knowing wink to their audience. Kuciak is either unaware of the ridiculousness of his material or is unable to insert any nuanced fun into his supernatural plot.

Gorehounds will find some entertainment in one singular kill, but the make-up design on the reanimated band members are top notch. The Hellraiser-esque elements are a nice touch. These elements, however, are underutilized and undercooked within the context of the storyline. There is no fun in the kills and no internal logic, with the viewer left befuddled with a number of creative decisions made by the director, including a strange extra-terrestrial, alien abduction inspired sequence that feels so out of place that its almost whiplash inducing.

That said, there is potential here. The horror-music trope is a deep well of cinematic opportunity, but the script of Death Metal is flat and uninspired, with acting performances that are forgettable. Kuciak and his crew shouldn't be too hard on themselves though, as Grohl and the boys had no better success themselves.

Cube (2021)

Homage gold

[8/10 · 17 December 2023]

Horror and Science Fiction have combined successfully throughout the years to create some of the most iconic and original films in cinema. This would include seminal entries such as Alien (1979), The Thing (1982), The Fly (1986) and Event Horizon (1997). These productions were frequently based on earlier, acclaimed, literature and was produced with considerable, to enormous, budgets and raised vast amounts at the box office. In 1997, Vincenzo Natali wrote and directed Cube, which instantly became an influential and inspirational cult classic. The fact that the film was completed on a budget of $700 000, and resulted in a number of sequels, only highlights the effectiveness and originality of the storyline.

When Hollywood pounces on the ingenuity and profitability of a new production, it is inevitably and predictably remade, most often when a foreign, non-English language film, reaches cultural relevance and mainstream success, like Oldboy, The Ring (Ringu), 12 Monkeys (La Jetee) and The Departed (Infernal Affairs). But interestingly, the opposite happened when Japanese writer, Kôji Tokuo adapted Natali's script, to remake the 1997 Canadian/American original Cube in 2021.

A group of strangers wake up in mysterious room inscribed with an unfamiliar code. Looking for ways to escape, they discover the room is riddled with lethal traps. As fear and distrust swirl around them, the group must work together to survive and escape.

As Natali's original script was only adapted, mostly for modern Japanese audiences, there are limited changes from the 1997 film. The core concept of a group of strangers stuck in a mysterious box remains intact. Yasuhiko Shimizu does, however, include a few new creative flourishes and narrative adjustments and specifically adds distinct colours to differentiate between different cubes and traps as well as adding social commentary more reflective of Japanese culture, including ageism and technological dependence. The storyline flows in a more straightforward and traditional fashion as characters are clearly developed and their connections revealed in a rational and consistent manner. The viewer is made aware of how the clues and puzzles are resolved and this is one of the major improvements from the original film.

One of the biggest departures from the 1997 version, however, does create some distraction. Yuichi Goto (Masaki Suda) is the main protagonist, and his backstory is thoroughly explored through flashbacks of events outside of the Cube.

Although this development assists the audience in understanding his motivations better, it also breaks full immersion and dilutes the sense of claustrophobia and unnerving paranoia, which was such a large part of the original.

Shimizu's Cube retains many familiar beats from its predecessor, but adds enough psychological intensity and social conflict to create an interesting new product. The design of the traps rely heavily on CGI, but performances and sound production sells the tension and energy of each traumatic attempt as escape. Shimizu is clearly a fan of the original as he pays artful homage to the entire series, and lovingly touches on the mythology created. The pacing may be problematic for some, as Asian cinema often explores a more deliberate and languid progression, with a focus on the drama of each interaction and loss, leaving the vulgarity of gore, to be imagined and not witnessed.

The 1997 Cube may have been a precursor to torture porn (Saw, Hostel, The Collector), but the Japanese version aims for something more refined and analytical, and sticks the landing with a nuanced ending that is a clear, but delightful, departure from the original. Fans of the original may prefer the unnerving, chaotic 1997 version, but the fresh and stylised Cube 2023 is a fantastic addition to the cultural phenomenon and popularity of hard Sci-Fi Horror.

An Awful Thing Has Gone and Happened (2022)

An awful thing...

[2/10 · 17 December 2023]

Deborah and Christopher Mitchell have crafted a respected and distinguished career in factual TV as they have written, filmed and produced for many of the major American True Crime channels, including Discovery ID, SNAPPED, National Enquirer Investigates and The First 48. The pair pulled their resources together and co-wrote and directed An Awful Thing has Gone And Happened, a crime thriller directly from their collective true crime wheelhouse.

When her brother is killed, a young woman (Maggie Wehr) is called back home to a small mountain town. Her father is missing and the police become suspicious about his involvement, but the killer continues to terrorize the local community and the woman has to face up to a big secret before she too becomes a victim.

The appeal of true crime TV drama lies in the cat and mouse dynamic between devious criminals and the dedicated detectives on their trail, the re-enactments and talking head interviews drip-feeding the necessary information and building tensions until the culprits are inevitably, and cleverly, captured or shot down in a blaze of gunfire. The constant battle between the criminally insane and the long arm of justice, playing out in real life with personal and communal repercussions on full display. Deborah and Christopher Mitchell, on paper, seem perfectly qualified to undertake a fictional crime plot, with their years of immersion in factual criminality and abhorrent behaviours. In reality though, there is a wide chasm between true crime editorials and a fictional thriller story execution.

The Mitchells start of well, by crafting a very human protagonist. Maggie Wehr, as the young woman who discovers her estranged brother has been murdered, is a likeable and vulnerable character, the epitome of our view on victims and the affect crimes have on the innocent. Wehr portrays the part with doe-eyed virtue, which disarms the most cynical viewer and wears her distress on her metaphorical sleeve. The addition of Robert Lasardo, the quintessential gangster heavy in some of the most popular TV crime dramas, like CSI: Miami, NYPD Blue and Nash Bridges, as the criminal element, is a great coup for the production. Lasardo brings a gravitas to the role and his experience and talent shines through, although an unintentionally hilarious scene where he attempts to hide his identity from the police by using a floral pillowcase completely derails the tension the character actor was aiming for.

Humour, intentional or not, is sprinkled throughout An Awful Thing Has Gone And Happened. This is not unique to the sub-genre, with many successful and award-winning crime dramas like Fargo (1996), No Country For Old Men (2007), Reservoir Dogs (1992) and The Departed (2006) utilizing humour and witty repartee quite effectively to counterbalance the violence. An Awful Thing...however struggles to create harmony between these opposing aspects. The sub plot concerning an office manager, ala Office Space, feels completely out of place and the comedic schtick employed by Coroner Tucker Riddles (Erik Hoover) is utterly perplexing.

A further issue is the stuttering pacing of the plot and clunky dialogue. Tension is lost, when it should be escalating, with characters verbalizing threats and fears, but the audience left in the dark as to the origins or motivations for any of it. The biggest offence committed is the lack of tightness in the script and editing, with the storyline significantly undermined by these shortcomings.

It Be an Evil Moon (2023)

Glorious potential

[7/10 · 19 November 2023]

I discovered It Be an Evil Moon by chance and just loved the concept. There is a definite Trauma Films vibe throughout with hints of the Toxic Avenger sprinkled in. The standout performance is by Rod Glenn who is stellar, and hilarious, in a dual role.

The cinematography in the daydreaming sequences are wonderful and adds to the somewhat surreal feel of the film.

The Indie roots and accompanying low budget is obvious, and the script feels a little undercooked and underdeveloped, but the actors give their best and obviously had a lot of fun on set.

There is a lot of fun to be had watching this film.

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Dud Blood

[6/10 · 9 November 2023]

Sam Raimi created the indie phenomenon, The Evil Dead in 1981 and instantly became synonymous with guerilla-style, no-budget, ultra-violent and hyper-humorous filmmaking. The behind-the-scenes anecdotes and creativity of the original entry has become legendary and modern filmmakers are still falling over themselves to copy, replicate and steal from this seminal horror classic. Raimi, himself, was so invested in the project that he remade the original with a higher budget and released it as a more polished sequel and introduced more of his nonpareil Three Stooges-like comedy. This peculiar mixture of violence and farce would be ramped up even further for the Army of Darkness, the third entry in the Evil Dead trilogy. With the conclusion of this original trilogy, it would take another 20 years before Fede Alvarez would join forces with Sam Raimi to resurrect the Evil Dead. Alvarez was a controversial choice for director as he had only worked on a number of short films, but the decision paid off as he crafted a beautifully grotesque homage to the original film, elevating the gore to a breath-taking level of intensity and soaking the celluloid in buckets of blood.

Ten years later, Evil Dead Rise, had become one of the most anticipated films of 2023. The trailer promised a unique take on the well-trodden Deadite mythology and the introduction of new environments and scenarios to explore with a distinct departure from the cabin in the woods' trope.

Beth (Lilly Sullivan) pays a long-overdue visit to her older sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), who is raising three children alone in a small Los Angeles apartment. The reunion is interrupted by the discovery of the Necronomicon in the depths of Ellie's building, giving rise to flesh-possessing Deadites and forcing Beth to battle the ultimate evil.

Like Fede Alvarez, Lee Cronin was an unknown director prior to his work on Evil Dead Rise. He had garnered some accolades for The Hole In The Ground, a well-crafted paranoia-based thriller which interestingly also features natural disasters and mommy-issues, but mostly worked on short films. With Sam Raimi once again attached to the new entry as a Producer, Cronin would be well placed and supported along the way. The partnership is obvious to see during the opening sequences as the camera movement and location playfully echoes the original trilogy and sets the scene for a familiar horror set up in the hands of capable, knowledgeable filmmakers. The familiarity and comfort of the opening hooks the viewer instantly and then we are transported to a completely new and previously unexplored environment for the Deadites.

Alyssa Sutherland, as the single-mother, gives an incredible performance with memorable physical and facial expressions. Her interactions with her three children seem honest and settled, with a grounded sense of realism and affection. The child actors, Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher all give capable and personable performances alongside Lilly Sullivan, who plays their guitar engineer aunt, Beth.

The sound design on Evil Dead Rise is wonderfully effective, laying the groundwork for the bedlam to come as the atmosphere builds and tension escalates to an almost fever pitch, and leaving menacing, but not too subtle, clues to a jump scare just around the corner.

The trademark Sam Raimi humour is hinted at, but is quickly disregarded and replaced by ever-escalating scenes of lacerations, bone-snapping, blood-spewing splatter, and gore. And if we as fans are completely honest, that is exactly why we bought a ticket for Evil Dead Rise. The blood quota has been significantly increased, to the extent that characters are completely covered in claret for the majority of the final half hour of the film.

But here lies the rub. Blood and gore may have been enough for the 1980's, but audiences have become more discerning and sophisticated. Torture Porn and Body Horror are both incredibly popular sub-genres, but they inevitably remain outside of the mainstream due to their blatant and banal focus on dehumanised violence. It is the script, however, that is the biggest concern. The story unravels like a Paint-By-Numbers, Artificial Intelligence generated script, ticking all the required narrative boxes, but missing out the heart and soul of the original trilogy.

Characters also make frustratingly incomprehensible choices, whilst standing dumbfoundedly around as unspeakable chaos erupts around them. Residents from different floors of the apartment building appear implausibly oblivious to the murder, mayhem, numerous reanimated corpses, and copious amounts of blood spilled in hallways and even flooding the elevators. This stretches believability beyond the point of snapping like a brittle Ulna. And with the initial mundane resolution of the lead Deadite simply being locked out of the apartment, the film almost comes to a screeching halt. Although the final showdown concludes in a crescendo of blood and viscera, and the introduction of a creature-feature element, it still feels perfunctory and dull.

The set up for Evil Dead Rise feels small in scope, but not claustrophobic enough and falls victim to the, understandably, lofty expectations from decades of cinematic reputation and creative innovation. The series will not lose any fans, but there is nothing here to convince the horror-centrists that a new dawn in horror is about to break.

Cocaine Bear (2023)

On the hunt.

[8/10 · 9 November 2023]

Steven Spielberg's 1975 masterpiece, Jaws, blazed the way for a slew of animal creature features, which shocked and horrified audiences and almost single-handedly ushered in the era of the modern blockbuster. This seminal film inspired production companies and producers to try and emulate the staggering success of Jaws by copying the template, which led to Piranha (1978), Arachnophobia (1990) and Anaconda (1997). Inevitably, filmmakers would venture further away from the more serious, dramatic blueprint of their original influences, and veered towards the comedic, often sophomoric, and with significantly cheaper budgets. Black Sheep (2006) and Zombeavers (2014) were early adopters of this new SyFy channel approach to filmmaking, but it was undeniably Snakes on a Plane (2006) and Sharknado (2013) which propelled the satire-filled, gonzo-action science fiction genre into the popular zeitgeist.

When the trailer for Cocaine Bear hit cinemas in early 2023, audiences would have been forgiven to assume that this entry, by actor-cum-director Elizabeth Banks (Slither, The 40-year-old Virgin, Brightburn), would fall snugly within the category of disposable, witless and frivolous cinema fodder. But what audiences were confronted with, was a gory horror-comedy that's a mixture of the sublime and the ridiculous, with a dash of true story and a large bag of illicit drugs.

Drug smugglers drop a shipment of cocaine from a plane, leading a detective and a motley crew of small-time criminals on a race to find the dropped bags of drugs.

In the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, an American black bear consumes some of the cocaine, making her highly aggressive and she goes on a relentless and brutal killing spree.

Unaware of the dangerous situation unfolding, a young girl and her best friend, skip school and they trek through the national park. When her mother (Keri Russell) realizes her daughter is missing from school, she ventures into the park, looking for her.

When the drug-runners fail to secure the drugs, kingpin Syd White (Ray Liotta) joins the search and the entire group comes face-to-face with the Cocaine Bear!

The highly intriguing concept of Cocaine Bear would usually imply a major focus on the titular Ursidae and a distinct lack of development in any of the characters that would end up as victims to be picked off. But Elizabeth Banks populates the film with a number of colourful, idiosyncratic, and relatable characters. Keri Russel, as the doting mother, and Alden Ehrenreich as Eddie, both stand out, but the small ensemble work well together and bring life to side characters who are often rote and hollow. Both child actors, Brooklynn Prince and Christian Convery, almost steal the show, with their foul-mouthed and playfully energetic performances.

The bloody rampage inflicted by the bear is equally humorous, horrific and inventive, which will most definitely satisfy gore hounds. Although the violence would be a prerequisite for modern filmgoers, it is the humour, and more surprisingly, the humanity of the individual story arcs, that really nestles at the heart of Cocaine Bear.

Cocaine Bear is a superior schlocky entry, which will entertain and surprise anyone who dares to go on the hunt for it.