Mystery
The Black Phone
Following stellar early reviews from festival screenings, Scott Derrickson’s latest horror The Black Phone was pushed from what was probably going to be a quiet January opening to a killer summer release slot backed by a huge m...
The Batman
Disclaimer: The Batman is a film that will reward repeat viewings down the line, and even without that, there’s a lot here to digest and unpack. These thoughts below are but a brief, immediate response to the film. As Nir...
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
Well, this is a strange one. After the grisly Saw series wrapped up its complex and overarching narrative in the now-humorously titled seventh film Saw 3D: The Final Chapter, seven years later brought yet another sequel in 2017...
The Oak Room
Much like the mysterious character within it played by Breaking Bad’s RJ Mitte, here is a film that has seemingly come out of nowhere to enthral us with a dark and twisted tale of suspense that would have the master Alfred Hitc...
Sicario
Denis Villeneuve has steadily built an enviable body of work since his Oscar-nominated war drama Incendies (2010). With a penchant for restrained and confident storytelling, the tense and intelligent Prisoners and Enemy – made ...
Paper Towns
Based on the book by The Fault In Our Stars writer John Green, Paper Towns comes with the burden of being model-turned-actress Cara Delevingne’s first mainstream cinema release. Yes she appeared last year in Face Of An Angel bu...
Mr Holmes
Obviously, everyone loves a sexy Sherlock. But there’s no trace of one here, which is terribly worrying: will anyone under 50 go to see Mr Holmes? Bill Condon’s take on Sherlock in his twilight years is gentle and complex and i...
White Bird In A Blizzard
White Bird In A Blizzard writer director Gregg Araki has spent most of his career telling subverted coming of age stories. A director who revels in youth in revolt but White Bird doesn’t focus so much on a rebellious teenager a...
Interstellar
Interstellar director Christopher Nolan is, like the protagonists in his latest film, something of a pioneer, a filmmaker who likes to carve his own path and ignore the studio rules as to what a film should adhere to. There are...
Gone Girl
Gone Girl director David Fincher has always been a filmmaker who likes to plant dark thoughts in his audiences’ mind. Films that stay with you long after the credits have rolled and you’re back home realising the sheer impact a...
Non-Stop
Planes can be excellent places for thrillers, even though they’re statistically still the safest way to travel. There have been many memorable films made around planes/people in planes in jeopardy, from Fearless, to Airpo...
Last Passenger
Of all the excuses British Rail has churned out over the years, from the wrong snow on the track to “slippery rain”, it’s unlikely you’ve heard “crazed man has taken the train hostage” but this is the concept behind action thri...
The Wicker Man – The Final Cut
Given 2013 marks The Wicker Man’s 40th Anniversary it is a high accolade indeed that it is still considered one of the greatest horror films of all time. With an original, previously thought lost, cut recently discovered, the ...
Haunter – FrightFest Review
Surprise; they were dead all long! It’s been used in many horror films over the years, but nearly always at the last minute as a final “what a twist!”. However, Haunter does things very differently, as, thou...
