Reviews

I very much welcomed the opportunity to view short film Justice Served, having enjoyed director Patrick Rea's feature film Arbor Demon (AKA Enclosure), where he marked himself out as a director not afraid to do something different to the norm. With Justice Served Rea again confounds expectations and comes up with a twisted, darkly humorous tale that takes a short while to click into gear but once it does it's a subversive delight.

What first appears to be a straightforward trial – proving whether a young man pushed a small girl in front of an oncoming car – soon reveals itself to be anything but. Nothing is what it seems and the less said about the direction Justice Served takes the better. I'd rather viewers see this as I did without any spoilers. Likened to The Twilight Zone by the director, Justice Served relishes playing against expectations and is one short that warrants repeat viewings.

Arbor Demon (2016)

It's not often the case that I am presented with a title to review that I know very little about in advance, especially in this age of media saturation, but with Arbor Demon I knew zilch. However, as I fancied a change from the wodge of zombie flicks I had been inflicted with of late, I took comfort in the presence of the word 'demon' in the title and stuck it on. Initially Arbor Demon played like yet ANOTHER in the other currently over-saturated sub-genre of found-footage but fortunately it was not to be, and whilst far from perfect Arbor Demon made for a refreshing change and was all the welcome for simply offering something different and being confident enough to successfully pull it off.

Young couple Dana and Charles (Fiona Dourif and Kevin Ryan) go camping at his insistence that doing so would afford them the opportunity reconnect with each other. You wouldn't guess that any reconnecting was necessary from the set-up but apparently it is (I suppose there wouldn't be a camping trip otherwise and a rather short empty movie being the result). Dana is pregnant and keeping the news a secret from Charles, the reason? Charles has told her that they aren't the sort of couple that have children. As the film opened with a heavily pregnant woman being pursued through woodland, before something unseen closed in on her, it would appear that something similar may happen for Dana later in the woods, given that she too is expecting.

After a bunch of rowdy bikers/hunters are wiped out by something unseen Dana and Charles find themselves trapped within the tight confines of their tent. They are soon joined by a wounded man Sean (Jake Busey), the only survivor of the bloody attack. During their conversation with the rather obnoxious Sean, our young couple learn more about what maybe lurking outside the flimsy trappings of their tent and fortunately for us it's as much a surprise for us as it is for the characters making Arbor Demon a superior creature feature.

For a genre critic, who sometimes feels that he has seen it all before, Arbor Demon (originally entitled as Enclosure) made for a welcome relief from the norm. It reminded a little of 1990's The Guardian, not tonally or quality-wise fortunately, but more in the respect that it's a horror story tying into nature. Director Patrick Rea, along with co-writer Michelle Davidson, prove rather heavy-handed with the exposition and early nods as to what may come, but otherwise both have succeeded in delivering something unique in a marketplace afraid to deliver outside of the established comfort zone.

Roll up! Roll up! Roll up for the greatest show on Earth! It's 1947. England. Witness as naughty old plastic surgeon Dr. Rossiter (Anton Diffring) changes his identity to hide from the police following a bodged, illegal operation he has performed! Gasp as he starts a new life in France under the name of Dr Bernard Shuler with his too-keen-to- please assistants (Griffith and Hylton). And scream as he takes ownership of a failing circus after watching its previous owner Vanet (Donald Pleasance) be mauled by his own bear!

Using the circus as a means to continue his plastic surgery he takes criminals (deformed or otherwise) under his wing, altering their visage and turning them into circus performers. However whenever one of them threatens to leave, Shuler / Rossiter arranges for them to die via an arranged 'accident' which brings the circus to the attention of a reporter and Scotland Yard.

With Hammer enjoying some success by upping the gore and sexual content in their movies, other film companies were keen to eat into that box office pie. Director Sidney Hayers' Circus of Horrors was one such product. Indeed so extreme was the content considered at its time of release that the movie was one of three British horror movies produced by Anglo-Amalgamated that was dubbed by film critic David Pirie as the 'Sadian Trilogy' (the other two movies are Peeping Tom and Horrors of the Black Museum - both 1959). The content may have been taboo at the time but its all old hat now, although none-the-less entertaining for it.

Circus of Horrors moves at a nice pace and proves a lot more fun than Hayers' rather overwrought Night of the Eagle. There is much fun to be had with some of the more dated aspects of it, such as the dancing bear that ends up killing Donald Pleasance's character Vanet. It is so obviously someone wearing an ill-fitting costume, when it is not an inanimate prop that any possible gasp of shock that the scene may have intended to illicit gets lost under a barrage of sniggers. Even worse than the dancing bear is the ape thing we see permanently angry in its cage. It is wisely shown in brief shots or in shadow, but warrants a chuckle nonetheless.

Anton Diffring (The Man Who Could Cheat Death) anchors the picture, making for a satisfying lead / villain. He brings to mind the actor Paul Freeman, best known for his role as Belloq in the first Indiana Jones movie. He is well supported by Kenneth Griffith and Jan Hylton as brother and sister, Martin and Angela. The characters in the movie are better defined than normal, although Yvonne Monlaur (Brides of Dracula) seems a little old to be playing the naive teenage Yvette Vanet.

Circus of Horrors plays the odd surprise such as showing a knife in a girl's neck, which naturally would have been seen as more explicit or shocking on its original release, but still pleases now. There are also effective circus audience shots and trapeze performances to weigh up the absurdness of the basic plot.

There is some fun to be had from seeing people tell Rossiter that they will leave after their next performance, when they know from past experience that anyone that tries to leave ends up dead during their last show. Wouldn't you just keep quiet and sneak off into the night rather than announce how dumb you are before being killed off? Also how Rossiter thinks he will not be recognised when his circus returns to London ten years later, regardless of whether people believe he is dead or not, also begs belief, with or without the earlier beard and moustache.

The song used throughout called 'Look for a Star' is OK to begin with but begins to grate the more it is heard and it gets heard a lot. Funnily enough, the song went onto become a chart success on both sides of the Atlantic and was written by Mark Anthony, real name Tony Hatch - the same bugger that gave us such joys as the ancient TV series Crossroads theme. "Shudder".

Six teens, all qualifying for the title of 'America's Most Irritating', wake up in an old warehouse. They soon realise that they are on the set for a reality show called 'Are You Scared?' for which they had all sent audition tapes sometime ago. What they didn't know at the time is that the tasks in which they face their greatest fears on the show are no wins – if they don't participate they are eliminated, quite spectacularly by being blown up, and in doing the task they also won't win. A scarred freak watches over them all on his bank of TV sets, his agenda revealing itself to be more personal for one particular participant, as two standard inept cops close in on him.

Chances are if the idea of a below average version of the silly franchise Saw gets you buzzing then this is the ideal evening's entertainment for you. For everyone else it is a passable watch that borders occasionally on irritating, making little sense with its retarded 'to get what you want in life you have to suffer' ethos.

If people have to suffer for what they want to the extent that they end up dead, then how did the suffering actually get them to learn that message for any longer than it takes them to be blown up or drilled in the head? And at the end of the day it all seems to have been geared by the villain to get his daughter back for setting him on fire rather than anything else, making his agenda of suffering for what you want suck big time.

The villain, referred to as Shadow Man in the credits, has obviously spent too much time watching the Saw franchise affecting spooky 'do you want to play a game' styled voice-overs and leaving a key inside a victim for them to cut out or die. What he forgot to do was do it well. Still there's a nicely done decapitation and a cheer-worthy body explosion that could have benefited from more guts, in both senses, but they both still hit the spot nicely.

The camera moves around a lot and there is a nifty use of lighting to disguise the fact that the sets are really quite crap. Witness the after-titles sequence whereby armed police point their guns in various corners of the latest crime scene laughably exposing the limited set around them rather than provide anything else of use to the viewer.

Marvel at how one minute the token black character starts off squealing and panicking about the bandaged wound he woke up with, suddenly start giggling and whooping for joy when he thinks he is on a reality TV show. Or is it a comment on today's Heat culture of non-achieving-celebrities? You decide. Despite each character being oblivious to the danger they are facing it doesn't distract from them watching their audition piece for the 'programme' even when they are being pursued or bleeding to death.

Alethea Kutscher makes for a spunky lead and Brent Fidler makes for an imposing shape as 'Shadow Man' however even at a short seventy nine minutes, chances are you'll feel aged like you have just spent a day watching it. Do yourself a favour. Turn the disc off and watch something else instead.

Nightmare Code (2014) Review

Nightmare Code begins with a nightmare scenario, practically a whole team of people are shot dead with the shooter then taking his own life. The shooter was programmer Foster Cotton (Googy Gress). Cotton was working on a top secret surveillance program, along with his team, that can determine an individual's next course of action. The selling point for such coding is that the program would help cut down on criminal activity by sussing out when an individual is about to perpetrate a crime before they've actually committed it (very much like Minority Report then).

Keen to finish Cotton's work the company bring in Brett Desmond (Andrew J. West), a notorious code wizard, to investigate what went wrong prior to the massacre, sort out the code and thus deliver a final workable product. Desmond starts by watching clips left by the previous programmer, the shooter Foster Cotton. It appears that the code is rewriting itself and has more secrets than it is willing to give up and reveal. Will Desmond end up going 'Columbine', like his predecessor, or will Nightmare Code surprise us all and finish on a happy note? Here's a clue. There are no surprises in Nightmare Code but that doesn't prevent it from being entertaining if a little familiar.

Computer paranoia seems old hat now with everyone a willing slave to technology. Back when the likes of Demon Seed (1977) and The Lawnmower Man (1992) were released there was scope to chill an audience with the potential dangers of giving technology free reign and taking over. Fortunately the film is saved by some strong writing at the start, a rarity in low budget horror, where the techno babble is digestible and the set-up initially intriguing. Otherwise there's little new on offer that hasn't been touched upon in some shape or form before with the plot also unfolds pretty much as you would expect it to right up to an unnecessary 'one more shock' ending.

Speaking about technology having a mind of its own the press link to view the film was via Vimeo. Unlike other screeners I have received, that were viewed on the same format, the playing of the film kept stalling. It took an age to play, and therefore watch the film, so what should have been ninety minute's viewing pleasure took three hours instead killing the film's momentum. It seemed paradoxical that I was watching a film about dangers with modern technology when the technology itself seemed unable to play a flick about it properly.

Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

Toolbox Murders 2 (2013)

What passes for the film's plot is simple on the page but convoluted and messy on screen where it makes no real sense at all. For the most part the film concentrates on one poor young woman's horrific plight as she is caged in a serial killer's gloomy abode. There are flashbacks and supernatural elements none of which seem to make much sense and just add to confusing what should have been a straight forward exercise in exploitation. Rather than make a pig's ear of trying to explain things I'll hand over to the film's writer and director Dean C Jones who details the plot as below.

Hollywood, California is turned upside down by a series of strange and horrific murders creating chaos and turmoil in tinsel town. One particular victim, Samantha Forester (Chauntal Lewis), is kidnapped, held captive and subjected to witness the torture and murder of numerous other victims. It is by her will, strength, and faith that she must survive the ordeal. Her escape seems hopeless and only worsens when outside supernatural forces become more difficult to contend with than her captor.

This alleges to be a sequel to Tobe Hooper's reasonable 2004 remake of the 1978 cult favourite The Toolbox Murders bringing back that film's killer Coffin Baby for another stab at a franchise. Quite how two-time Academy Award nominee Bruce Dern (as Vance Henrickson) was convinced to star in this muddle will remain a mystery although to be fair, and possibly to Dern's relief, he's barely in it five minutes. The same applies to the film's other recognisable face Brian Krause, starring as Detective Chad Cole, who appears and disappears quickly from proceedings.

Originally shot back in 2011 Toolbox Murders 2 had additional footage added by the director, unbeknownst to the studio, following a poor festival reception and was retitled called Coffin Baby. This was independently released in 2013. Due to legal issues it is only now that the film can be released as Toolbox Murders 2 and here it is. From the Se7en style opening credits (it's like twenty years now since that film opened and people are STILL imitating it, enough already) through to its nonsensical ending Toolbox Murders 2 is more of an ordeal for the viewer than it is for the leading lady. So much about this film irks, rather than entertains, its audience from huge gaps in logic - how come not one cop sees Samantha taken from the police car - to how clean Samantha remains in such a hell-hole given the period of time she is incarcerated.

I was also rather perplexed by how it is not one person has ever spotted where our serial killer lurks and works. It's not like the building he takes his victims to be off the beaten track; in fact it looks rather localised. Perhaps our killer needs to be near the local amenities; after all he does need to pick up a nice bottle of wine and cooking condiments to add to the taste of his victims. It would also explain where he managed to find such a lovely fresh flower to offer to Samantha as the only nice gift he thinks to give her.

Toolbox Murders 2 feels thrown together rather than edited with any sense or meaning. The acting is miserable and the film is ultimately pointless. Gore-hounds will get off on the decently handled make-up effects - a victim sawn in half is a particular highlight - but otherwise this is a resounding dud. You'll get more satisfaction out of watching a clock tick away for an hour and a half than you will from watching this and I rather wish I had.

Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

A Haunting at Preston Castle (2012)

Poor old Liz (Mackenzie Firgens) has been dumped. It's getting towards the end of her college break and she is sat sulking turning down an offer to go out with her mother, because she is feeling THAT miserable. Her best friend Ashley (Heather Tocquigny) thinks she knows just the thing to cheer her buddy up. Ashley arranges a hook-up with Liz's high school ex-boyfriend Danny (Jake White) and the threesome head off to spooky Preston Castle with a view to rekindling Liz and Danny's romance.

Danny appears to know a lot about Preston Castle's hideous history recounting grisly tales to the girls. Preston Castle is an abandoned boy's correctional institute hardly the place I'd pick to reignite an old romance. Ashley leaves the two prospective love-birds alone as she listens to their shenanigans from the above room. However it is not long before Ashley goes missing with the other two having no idea where to find here. Doors close of their own account, shadows appear out of nowhere and being bitten by things unseen, all of which is right up my street!

I'm a sucker for a good ghostly yarn, in fact I'm a sucker for a poor one too, and such is my love for the haunted house sub-genre, so please bare that in mind when reading my critique of A Haunting at Preston Castle. The film is inspired by true events that happened at the Californian location and the location has featured on TV's Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures. Please don't think that there really was a Liz, Ashley and Danny that visited Preston Castle recently, you're taking the 'inspired/based on' angle too literally if you do, but I just know some of you will.

There are gripes - why do Liz's friends seem surprised by her insistence on filming everything? It's how it is now, everyone films or photos everything. It's the culture so this questioning by Liz's friends felt a little irrelevant. Also in spite of the evidence right there in front of her Liz continues to believe there are no such things as ghosts. It becomes rather infuriating. Far too much time is spent having Liz and Danny searching for the missing Ashley. This section could have been tighter.

It's not all bad. There are pluses and healthy ones too. The characters are well defined, if a little irritating they feel more feel than the usual ciphers present in genre output. Co-writer/director Martin Rosenberg's film offers nothing wholly new overall but does twist a little from the norm - former lovers fall out again rather than reconcile in the face of adversity, they have a working phone so none of that 'oh no, we've got no signal' - and it's these little touches that lift it above average.

If you prefer body count over mood and atmosphere you'll be left wanting. I found A Haunting at Preston Castle refreshing that it didn't adhere to that and relied on mood instead. I loathe flicks that feel the need to have something startling happen every ten minutes or so just for the sake of it. That's not good horror that's scary bits in search of a narrative. Here we have a narrative and it's pretty good too and although it runs out of steam towards the end for my money it makes for a reasonable night's entertainment.

Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

Krampus: The Christmas Devil (2013)

In the very same week that saw director Michael Dougherty's trailer for the Adam Scott/Toni Collette starrer Krampus (2015) take off on the internet I suddenly received this screener evidently being rush-released on retail in the UK to cash-in by the title character association. For those of you that didn't know Krampus is Santa Claus' evil brother according to ancient mythology. Whereas his chubby sibling takes to dishing out presents to the good boys and girls of the world, Krampus is about dishing out punishment to those children that have been naughty. In this, director Jason Hull's third film, Krampus takes the form of punishment to the more extreme, he doesn't just punish them he kills them too.

Back in 1983 one such child, Jeremy (Jared Sidun), manages to escape Krampus. Years later Jeremy is a police officer (now played by A.J. Leslie). Jeremy is tormented and hell-bent on killing the monster who fortunately happens to have concentrated his efforts in Jeremy's neck- of-the-woods again. If that wasn't enough to trouble for our hero, he soon learns that the beast has his eyes on Jeremy's daughter. There's also the niggling matter of a recently released felon Brian Hatt (Bill Oberst) that seeks vengeance for Jeremy having incarcerating him.

At its very best Krampus: The Christmas Devil is an ill-conceived mess that's not even so bad as to be funny. It's so bad it actually hurts you to watch it. There's awful oversights in plotting for the convenience of plotting. Also quite why no one has been able to locate our titular demon is rather astonishing given that he seems to move at a remarkably slow pace - the sort of pace that even someone with riddled with chronic arthritis through both legs would even manage to out walk - and he carries out most of his victim kidnapping in the plain sight of day in populated locations. And yet no one seems to know where he is. Just look out of your window. There he is. Seriously!

Surely there are naughty kids the world over for Krampus to put a grisly end to but alas no, he seems to be concentrated on this dull little place in the middle of nowhere rather than taking his efforts globally. Perhaps he's just lazy. And what constitutes being a naughty child? Well apparently having a hissy fit during a game of Monopoly is enough for a snot-nosed brat to labelled a naughty child and added to Krampus' hit list.

Krampus seems rather tame compared to his 'brother' Santa Claus who cusses and rages with an anger sadly lacking in our title character. But then everything in this flick is here for shock effect rather than reason undermining what passes for a plot and reducing the flick to a collection of barely amateur performances that pain you to sit through. And what's with Krampus' hands? As Krampus traces his fingers upon a victim they bend up, just like an ill-fitting glove bought from a bog standard fancy dress shop, because, yes, that's exactly what they are. Genre favourite Bill Oberst Jr. has a small role in the film but it's yet another appearance by an otherwise competent actor in a below standard flick that is chipping away at his former solid career track record.

Krampus The Christmas Devil is yet another title that has been afforded great reviews on-line that it doesn't merit effectively discrediting the purpose of effective criticism. If the reviews have been written by friends of the director then I will insist that they write his next flick for him as their writing is rather more effective than his own.

Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

Bound to Vengeance (2015)

Director José Manuel Cravioto's feature début is a grubby affair, the sort of film that you feel like needing a good scrub after. It delves into the all too prevalent and real horrors that are sexual abuse and human trafficking. Eve (Tina Ivlev), one such victim, turns on her keeper Phil (Richard Tyson) when he brings food to her. Displaying terrific survival instincts, and some savvy when it comes to turning the tables on Phil, she hoists the battered Phil out of the cellar she has kept her prisoner in for six months. Finding Polaroid photos of other girls, being stashed away for the same purpose, Eve demands that Phil tell her where each is being held. So begins a night of twists and turns for our spunky lead.

Bound to Vengeance, originally entitled Reversal, is one short film, weighing in at seventy-five minutes of screen-time, excluding the end credits however you will not feel short changed. That lean running time is all that is needed to deliver a fast paced, edge-of-the-seat premise that would otherwise feel stretched. Every event that unfolds on-screen leads somewhere. There's no needless padding. If there is a grumble with the plotting it's that there's a couple of 'surprises' that aren't surprises really. You can see them coming a mile off but otherwise it's still an involving watch.

Tina Ivlev, a near dead ringer for Jennifer Lawrence, is exceptional. Ivlev captures the mixture of vulnerability and aggressor, that the role calls for, and I for one couldn't take my eyes off her. A very strong female lead! Naming the lead character Eve is rather unsubtle but unlike most woman-revenge flicks she is well-rounded, rather than one note, and we are drawn into her plight, even if she is a little slow in guessing what the viewer has already sussed from the start. Richard Tyson, as Phil, can do no wrong in my eyes. He has always been a favourite actor of mine, I really enjoyed his turn in Big Bad Wolf (2006) and he's equally as nasty here.

Human trafficking and sexual abuse are not subjects conducive to an evening of light entertainment. Fortunately Bound for Vengeance is focused more on the aftermath that occurs when one particular victim gets free and becomes the aggressor, rather than dwelling on the more sensationalistic aspects. Edge-of-the-seat, fast-paced and to-the-point this is an excellent calling card for director Cravioto and his lead Tina Ivlev. Recommended.

Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

Zardoz (1974)

Set in the year 2293 Zardoz sees society split between the hippy-like 'Eternals' and the poverty-stricken Brutals. The Eternals have established a new order, following the breakdown of civilzation, and are separated by the more undesirable elements of society, the Brutals, by a force field called The Vortex. For The Eternals there's is no illness and no death, hence their name. They are immortal - well, pretty much but this comes at a price. The Eternal males can no longer achieve erection and therefore no future offspring and frankly look too effete to be up for the challenge either way.

They have established and control The Tabernacle, an artificial intelligence similar to the Internet now although without irritating pop-up advertisements and each Eternal is linked to The Tabernacle via a crystal surgically-implanted in their forehead. This enables them to tap into the vast source of information the artificial intelligence holds whenever they chose. The Eternals also wear a communication ring that permits them to issue orders and transmit holograms.

There's another downside to being an Eternal. If the others consider you too independent in actions and thinking then you will be banished and your aging process speeded up. You'd end up banished to an old people's home, labelled a Renegade and become senile very very quickly.

The Eternals don't have much time for those that live on the other side of the Vortex turning a blind eye to their poverty and sickness. The Brutals are kept in line by a massive floating head, a false god named Zardoz that barks out little nuggets of information such as 'the penis is evil' and 'the gun is good' thus encouraging them not to breed but to kill instead. This mantra keeps the number of Brutals down and therefore ensures that the Eternals life of luxury will never be threatened.

Sean Connery stars as Zed, both a Brutal and an executioner of other Brutals. He sneaks into the floating stone head that is represents Zardoz and is taken back through the Vortex to The Eternals. He is found and captured by the Eternals who are both repelled and fascinated by him in equal measure - hardly surprising some are fascinated by him given what a hunk he is, adorned in just a red loin-cloth.

Eternal May (Sara Kestelman) is keen to study Zed. She discovers that he is a genetic mutant with the scope to become even more intelligent that the Eternals are. Consuella (Charlotte Rampling) sees Zed as a threat to the Eternals' way of life shooting Zed continually filthy looks lest we, the viewer, forget how she feels about him. However a male Eternal, named 'Friend' (John Alderton), sees Zed as a servant and effectively employs him as such. As Zed begins to learn more about the Eternals, himself and The Tabernacle the scene is set for a showdown.

Boorman was looking for a project following the cancellation of his intended adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Following the terrific critical and financial success that Deliverance (1972) afforded him Boorman could make pretty much anything he wanted. And he did. He wrote Zardoz. Boorman originally had his Deliverance star Burt Reynolds in mind for the lead. Reynolds was unable to commit due to illness so in stepped Sean Connery, three years after his last official outing as James Bond, marking a complete departure careerwise for the legendary Scot. This change of pace for Connery obviously appealed to him as he went on to dabble with the sci-fi and the fantastical again in the likes of Time Bandits (1981) and Outland (1981).

John Boorman's Zardoz is a remarkable amalgamation of elements from A Clockwork Orange, 1984 and Planet of the Apes that, despite its influences, still plays as a unique viewing experience. Complemented by wonderful photography (from 2001: A Space Odyssey's Geoffrey Unsworth) and incredible imagery Zardoz exhibits an imagination that lacks now in mainstream sci-fi following the advent of Star Wars A New Hope. From semi-naked people draped over the imagination sets to Sean Connery in a red loin-cloth, and a rather absurd pony-tail, everything looks absurd. It shouldn't work but somehow it does.

Zardoz has become a cult movie following a poor box office showing and being panned by critics upon its initial release. Brave, indulgent and full of invention Boorman's film loses its own thread towards the end drowning a little in a kind of hippie philosophy but it's still jaw- dropping stuff. There's some rather surprising moments, such as where Charlotte Rampling's character looks to turn Connery on with some saucy imagery only to find that he is more aroused by her, meaning that the film still feels fresh regardless of the dated hippy imagery. Recommended.

Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

Bloodsucking Bastards (2015)

If the film's title Bloodsucking Bastards hasn't given you a clue as to what to expect here then maybe the tagline 'Work it sucks the life out of you' will. Yep, this a vampire comedy horror billed as 'Office Space meets Shaun of the Dead'. By comparing itself to two cult flicks where laughs are high sets an awfully high precedent for director Brian James Connell's movie. It is a level that it fails to reach but that doesn't mean that his premise, where the bosses are literally sucking the staff dry in order to improve a company's performance, is without any charm or fun along the way.

It's initially difficult to warm to our lead character Evan (Fran Kranz). He's no Shaun, as in Shaun of the Dead. Sure Shaun is put upon at work, has a slobby best mate and girlfriend issues, but his circumstances are more or believable, and therefore more relatable. Evan is too much of a victim. for the most part, so it's no easy to emphasis with him.

Evan has messed up with HR director Amanda (Emma Fitzpatrick), with whom he is romantically entangled, or was until he responded badly to her saying she loved him one evening. Evan finds solace in believing that a forthcoming promotion to Sales Manager will be his only to find it offered to a company outsider. The outsider is smarmy, slimy, slick Max (Pedro Pascal), an old rival of Evan's. No sooner has Max made himself known co-workers start disappearing and/or change into a more aggressive persona with Evan's colleagues slow to pick up on the changes.

Obviously filmed on a budget, but filmed and played with enthusiasm and glee, Bloodsucking Bastards overcomes its shaky start - it takes awhile to warm to the characters - and never overplays the vampire angle with puny related puns. Some visual panache is called for rather than the static camera-work on offer and it's also slow in finding its feet. The screenwriters clearly enjoyed dispensing the earlier 'witty' and crude insults, failing to realise that their script works better with the lighter asides - such as colleagues asking what the character Dave actually does each day at work aside from going around telling people they owe him money.

Fran Kranz (Evan) will be familiar to genre fans as the stoner from the overrated The Cabin in the Woods however the real stars in Bloodsucking Bastards are Joey Kern, as Evan's laid-back best friend Tim and David F. Park as Dave who seems to have no real function in their workplace. Things get suitably bloody come the climax and the earlier reservations are completely forgotten. Bloodsucking Bastards plays like Shaun of the Dead, albeit with vampires and not zombies, and whilst it's not in the same league is does pick up halfway through and becomes a lot of fun.

Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

The Visit (2015)

Back in the summer of 2008 I was ostracised by two good friends. I had arranged to meet with them for a couple of drinks before viewing The Happening, the then latest twist-in-the-tale flick from twist-in-the- tale merchant M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan had made his name with 1999's The Sixth Sense a film with a twist that became a major talking point (even if it was effectively pulling the same end 'shock' as Jacob's Ladder and the original Carnival of Souls before it) and both critics and audiences alike felt subsequently cheated when he repeated the same stunt of plonking a twist in each tale he then committed to the big screen.

What I felt was missed by mainstream critics is that Shyamalan may have incorporated the same gimmick of w twist each time however he was also bold enough to come up with an original story that was indeed unique that in itself is a rare beast in commercial cinema. I'm not saying his ideas necessarily worked but fair game to him for attempting to pull off something different. 2008's The Happening being one such example.

I was unable to meet my friends for The Happening as my bus back from Exeter, some hundred miles from home, was caught up in bad traffic. My friends saw the film and both shunned me soon after telling me I didn't show up on purpose. It was some months later that I watched the same film with my then partner and I could see why.

There was an interesting idea at work in The Happening but the execution of it was shoddy. The Happening also played as if the studio had recut the film to a shape where it played shorter but made less sense than it should have. Subsequently Shyamalan's name on a film became a dirty word. But that could be about to change. The Visit is about the writer/director wrestling back artistic control after seeing many of his prior movies taken away from him and final cut denied, such as with the aforementioned The Happening.

Teenage brother and sister Rebecca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) are packed off by their mother Paula (Kathryn Hahn) to spend a week with their grandparents as she pops off on a cruise with her new boyfriend. This will be a baptism of fire for both the youngsters and the wrinklies as the kids have never been in the company of their grandparents. Rebecca uses the occasion to make a documentary given her aspirations to as a budding film-maker.

The reason for the teenagers having never met their grandparents is because their mother eloped with her high-school teacher leading to a 'disagreement' - full details of which are unknown. Naturally, given this is a horror film of sorts, their grandparents' abode is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and wouldn't you just know it their elders prove to be rather bonkers. Things start strangely and become increasingly bizarre for the teenage siblings.

The Visit sees the man formerly only revered for The Sixth Sense back to some sort of decent form. It's by no means perfect and doesn't work well under close scrutiny but it is entertaining and it IS scary. Mark Kermode slated The Visit but then he's traded being a proper critic for easy headlines whilst nursing his Zec Efron man crush and making an unneeded appearance in the recent Absolutely Fabulous episodes - hardly leaves him in a position to throw stones at others. After all he's as much a one-trick pony as Shyamalan still dining out on his reputation born out of waffling on about The Exorcist.

In the same year that his The Sixth Sense broke records there was another horror flick that became a substantial hit. This other film's success gave birth to the found-footage sub genre. It was called The Blair Witch Project. Jump forward fifteen years and here is Shyamalan aping a format rather than creating his own but unlike many that came in the wake of Blair Witch Shyamalan's movie actually works. Shyamalan's voice is still evident in the writing, especially in that of the documentary-making daughter, and it irks a little. It is far more restrained than when he wrote himself a character in his Lady in the Water, a character that happens to write something that will change our world for the better - talk about delusions of grandeur.

The feel-good ending may jars tonally and feels tacked on. No one would be so smiley and casual about recounting such horrors even a few months on from the event. You'd be scarred for life. To detail my other niggles about The Visit would mean giving away spoilers so instead I'll summarise. There are laughs, there are scares, it's well acted but hugely flawed and it's a far better film than the director's previous form would have indicated and bodes well for his next outing despite what Mr Kermode says.

Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

Wind Walkers (2015) A group of friends venture out into the remote Florida Everglades for their annual hunting trip. In doing so they have inadvertently upset the spirit realm and consequently become hunted by an ancient and rather grumpy curse in the form of 'wind walkers'. Our protagonists are soldiers, two of which have recently returned from combat abroad. Whatever it is that the duo have witnessed abroad has had a rather detrimental effect on one of them Sean Kotz (Zane Holtz). We know this because Sean is unable to give his girlfriend the quickie she is gagging for at the back of the store she works at. He is also taking medication for schizophrenia. Writer/director Russell Friedenberg also offers up the possibility that Sean may be possessed by the wind walkers. One thing is certain, Sean is pretty nifty at running and he does an awful lot of it throughout the film. Upon reaching the hut, that they intend to use as their base for the trip, we see a mighty mean storm kicking off however one flashback later and I was kind of wondering whether the storm had blown over and wondering what the point of including it momentarily was. Yes I 'get' the storm represents the spirits expressing their anger with the hunters so why didn't the wind walkers just keep the storm going so the hunt would get rained off and never happen? The group starts distrusting Sean. They question whether Sean 'brought' something back from his time away serving in the Middle East. It would appear so from the physical manifestation of the well-miffed entity. It's also rather difficult to keep with the plotting given that it kind of jumps all over the place with little in the way of logic almost as if someone else took over the writing without fully reading what had come before. Other critics have been rather generous with their reviewing of Wind Walkers. They readily admitting that the film's structure is muddled and weak but give it a good review without justification in their critique for actually doing so. I've come across situations like this before where reviews are amended to appease the film-makers or their marketing company. I can only think that a similar thing has happened here. It's great for getting punters to rent/buy/view the flick but it's under false pretences too. Heavy on mood but rather lacking in a coherent narrative Wind Walkers is one-note and confused. There's a little bit of Wolfen in the mix and its sense of paranoia mirrors John Carpenter's The Thing, even with a nod to the outburst about being tied up. Ultimately Wind Walkers offers little new and in offering up staid ideas it really needed something special elsewhere to make this worth sitting through. It doesn't.

Paranormal Island (2014)

Three college students have taken up posts as summer staff at a bar. The bar in question happens to be in the middle of nowhere - standard horror film scenario - Blarney Island, off the coast of Grass Lake, Illinois. The only access to their employment is by boat both to and from the location. The threesome are aware of that staying at the island after hours is a bad idea but do so anyway partaking in a few drinks after their shift has ended. Why is it a bad idea? Well they now have no means of transport back to the mainland and the island is rumoured to be haunted by a malevolent spirit known as The Caretaker.

The Caretaker is the spirit of the island's previous owner who had decided that losing a game of poker was good enough reason to commit suicide. For whatever reason said ghost feels he has grounds on which to kill off those that remain behind on the island apparently for revenge. This idea doesn't seem ideologically sound to me but then we are talking about someone who took losing a card game rather too much to heart.

One of the students Mike (Randy Wayne) is looking to obtain a degree in forensic science with a heavy leaning to his real interest of the paranormal and debunking it. Mike sees this situation as an opportunity to do so however he and his friends, Lori (Sarah Karges) and Henry (Ben Elliot), find out the hard way that on Blarney Island that the paranormal activity is not only real but kills too.

Paranormal Island has an interesting, if familiar, premise but is rather one note in its execution. There's no tension or surprises and consequently no scares either. What is refreshing in writer/director Marty Murray's is that the young cast are likable rather than irritating and their performances are agreeable. Where Murray loses the ball is in the plot details some of which are vague. Why, for example, is The Caretaker (the film's original better title) killing off folks that have no connection to him?

Big on set-up but lacking much in the way of a pay off Paranormal Island wastes Sorority Row's Briana Evigan - so good tiger horror flick Burning Bright (2010) - to be the point that she actually seems she would rather be somewhere else. You will too as everything quickly becomes flaccid soon after our threesome start work at the island. It's a shame as there seemed to be so much potential upfront.

Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

Fellini's Casanova (1976)

Giacomo Casanova (Donald Sutherland) was a bit of a lad. He loved the ladies. His life was a collection of sexual escapades that whilst initially fulfilling left him feeling empty and bereft as an individual. Acclaimed director Federico Fellini's film follows Casanova through his various adventures in 18th century Europe.

We first meet the charlatan as he entertains an unseen voyeur by defiling a fake nun. Once the act has reached its climax Casanova does his utmost to impress the rich, and still unseen, voyeur by recounting his interest in alchemical research. He soon realises that he is talking to himself, literally, and leaves.

Upon arriving back on the mainland he is arrested and imprisoned for his catalogue of debauchery. He soon escapes and travels around Europe. From an aged woman looking to have her soul transformed into that of a man, through sex to Casanova, to cuddling up with a mechanical woman Fellini's Casanova is episodic and surreal.

This is cinema as art rather than entertainment but that's not to say that Casanova fails to entertain within its artistic confines. Touching upon religion, death, spiritualism, and intellectualism and, of course, sexuality Fellini drew upon the aspects of Italian society that both appalled and intrigued him with little regard to historical accuracy. Director Federico Fellini's Casanova is an exquisite feast for the senses that threatens to become more style than substance if it wasn't for the hugely charismatic performance of Donald Sutherland.

Adapted from the autobiography of Giacomo Casanova, the 18th Century adventurer and writer Fellini's masterpiece is by turns dazzling, funny and bewitching. What is even more astonishing is learning that the entire film was shot on stage – the Cinecittà studios in Rome – a monumental achievement in set and production design. Little touches such as the turbulent sea Casanova rows upon made up of black plastic sheets add to what Fellini felt was the plasticity of Casanova's life.

Original producer Dino De Laurentiis had Robert Redford in mind for the lead, but then more often than not, De Lauentiis was very rarely right in his choices (one only has to look at his career CV as a producer to see what we mean). Paul Newman, Al Pacino and Marlon Brando were also considered. Fellini refused the notion of Redford as his film's lead and, after breaking from De Laurentiis as producer Fellini, cast Donald Sutherland instead, having the actor shave the front part of his hair and don a prosthetic nose and chin.

Dreamlike and consistently enthralling Fellini's flick encompasses an individual that the noted director disliked intensely however in shooting his script he found some empathy for his lead character. He amended his initially brutal treatment of Casanova in his script focusing instead on the man's inability to love despite falling in love too easily - the inclusion of the mechanical doll and dream ending were his compensation for this.

Magical and absorbing from start to finish Fellini considered this film to be his masterpiece. He was heartbroken when the film failed to be received critically in the States. This is inconceivable! Each and every frame of the film is abundant in detail and colour, truly ravishing to behold. It's not difficult to see why Danilo Donati was awarded an Academy Awrd for Best Costume Design. Fellini regular Nina Rota composed the score that initially grates a little but becomes more haunting and enchanting as the story unfolds. An embarrassment of riches Fellini's Casanova demands your attention and deserves repeated viewings. In case you've missed it, we really liked it.

Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

Nightmare City (1980)

When director Umberto Lenzi was approached to helm Nightmare City he was presented with an original script for a short film about zombies. Lenzi balked at the idea feeling that the material should be longer and, more importantly for him, not about zombies. He considered that George A. Romero had covered zombies fully by then with both his original Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead and there was little more he could add. Instead Lenzi adapted the script using the Seveso incident of July 1976 fine-tuning it into a film that attacks the military and the effects of chemicals on the environment. What he has actually made is a pure exploitation film. There is a plot of sorts but don't dwell on it because no one involved in the writing of this film did. It's frankly absurd. Local television news reporter Dean Miller (Hugo Stiglitz) arrives at an airport with his cameraman. They are there to cover the arrival of famous doctor Professor Hagenbeck. Quite how they know the scientist is arriving there is never made clear as no one else at the airport is aware of the plane arriving and are treating it with the highest level of suspicion. Just as well really as when the plane's doors open out pop a tonne of blood- thirsty creatures who waste no time chowing down on the soldiers.

Rather oddly the infected fail to notice Dean and his cameraman - and rather conveniently too as the plot needs Dean to get the word out and warn the public - not that anyone will listen of course. It appears that the plane that Dean saw spill out its deadly formerly-human cargo had been exposed to radiation. It's a form of radiation that doesn't seem to affect the creatures too adversely, they can still run and chase potential victims. That's hardly in keeping with the known effects from radiation exposure. Instead they just get a little crusty in the facial make-up department (it looks awful) and drink blood from the uninfected.

Dean has no joy in trying to broadcast an urgent transmission. He is stopped by the military who would rather that the public not be panicked (no, we'll just have them killed by the radiation crazies that we cannot contain instead, makes perfect sense). The military, led by General Murchison (Mel Ferrer) do nothing except take phone calls and ponteficate whereas Dean is more proactive. He is constantly trying to get hold of his wife Dr. Anna Miller (Laura Trotter) but she's having none of his nonsense, silly cow. However once she's onboard and looking to escape from the nameless city she does nothing but scream and expect her wooden hubby to rescue her when all she has to do is move.

Lenzi claims that his film heavily influenced director Danny Boyle's later 28 Days Later, with it's running infected, as well as some of Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror. And like Danny Boyle Lenzi refutes that his film is a zombie film and quite rightly too. Lenzi sees his film as anti-military and that his ghouls are infected by radiation sickness and therefore not zombies. His 'infected' have an awful habit of ripping off the clothes from a female victim, to reveal their boobies, rather than simply kill them as they do the men that fall victim to them. I found this distasteful. No really I did. Pure misogyny at it's ugliest!

Nightmare City (also known as Incubo Sulla Città Contaminate and City of the Walking Dead) is not a particularly good film but it IS a fun watch, aside from the wanton misogyny. It moves at such a pace that you can easily overlook it's numerous shortcomings. It is what one would call a 'guilty pleasure' - it's trash but you can't help but warm to it. Make- up artist Tom Savini is remaking Nightmare City and supervising the film's special make-up effects too. It is due for release in 2016. Here's hoping it plays better than his misguided Night of the Living Dead remake.

Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973)

Coming eight years after the monumental black and white bore that was The Saragossa Manuscript, writer/director Wojciech Has has fashioned a surreal, philosophical adaptation of Bruno Schulz's Sanatorium Under The Sign of the Hourglass. Whilst technically brilliant, in fact a marvel of camera-work and production design, its intellectual bent will leave many sagging under the weight of its pretentiousness and sluggish pace. Painstakingly restored the movie is a joy to behold visually, courtesy of cinematographer Witold Sobocinski, with each frame alive with an abundance of colour and vivid imagery the likes of which Terry Gilliam can merely take to bended knee and give worship to. Accompanied by a wonderfully discordant score from composer Jerzy Maksymiuk and a haunting atmospheric vibe, similar to the vibe that David Lynch would go on to make his own, there's much to admire about The Hourglass Sanatorium outside of the plot.

The plot feels needlessly convoluted and random and one can only image that this will appeal to only those that either have a rabid love of Polish cinema or deliberately embrace the obscure for no other reason than to feel snobbish about more commercial fare. They will no doubt praise THE Hourglass Sanatorium with big and important sounding words when in fact outside of the main story arc they will be as clueless as the next person.

Set in pre-World War II era the film opens with a young man called Józef (Jan Nowicki) travelling on a dilapidated train crammed with an odd assortment of people including a blind train conductor (Mieczyslaw Voit). His destination is a sanatorium in the middle of the Polish countryside where he is to visit his dying father Jakub (Tadeusz Kondrat). Upon arriving he finds the grounds untended and the building in a state of disarray both outside and in. Undeterred he enters and is met by an indifferent nurse (Janina Sokolowska) and his father's doctor (Gustaw Holoubek). Józef discovers that time runs differently at the sanatorium, slowed down in order to maintain his father's life signs.

He soon meets with his childhood friend, a young boy called Rudolph (Filip Zylber), whose postage stamp collection triggers episodes within the narrative, all of which could be childhood memories in which the adult Józef is very much treated as an infant. This leads to encounters involving spooky mannequins re-enacting the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, references to exotic birds and colonial black mercenaries.

There's an abundance of female boobs on screen and it seems that no woman can be shown on in the movie without either one or both of her mammaries showing. In writer/director Has' movie women appear to be sexualized, objectified or promiscuous.

From the arresting and dreamlike opening image of a bird flying, to the decrepit and decaying sanatorium of the title, there is much to admire in terms of the visuals and terrific production design. If it wasn't for the astonishing visuals, chances are you'd give up watching. Crammed with unusual and haunting images such as the clockwork mannequins it's a shame that the philosophical bent the plot arc takes ends up leaving the viewer with nothing else but exquisite frames of film on which to hang their boredom and frustration.

Check out more of my reviews on www.mybloodyreviews.com

Madman (1982)

Madman opens with a camp-fire scene. A spooky tale is told by way of song by T.P. (Tony Fish) to some rather lifeless kids who couldn't look more uninterested if they tried. In fact T.P's tune only appears to be of interest to the other camp counsellors. The song is rather awful introduction and doesn't bode well for what's to come, especially as there are clips hinting as the counsellors' fates cut into the scene. You have the urge to turn off there and then. You've seen what's coming so why endure more? After all there maybe more dire songs (and there are).

There's also another story to be blabbed out, this time courtesy of senior counsellor Max (Carl Fredericks). He recounts the urban legend of the aptly named Madman Marz (Paul Ehlers) a local guy who killed his whole family, even his kids! It just so happens that close to where our bunch are mindlessly recounting the guy's tale is Marz's home, now dilapidated. We learn that If you say his name out loud Marz will come and kill you and probably anyone else to hand too.

Max evidently believes in the legend and is not best pleased when younger counsellor Richie (Jimmy Steele) shouts out for the madman to come and get him. This feels contradictory, I mean, Max has just been saying Marz's name out loud in recounting the grisly malnourished tale and he KNOWS what happens when you say the name out loud - perhaps Max has a death wish? Or just didn't like the kids and their counsellors and wanted to get Marz to come and clobber them all. It would explain why Max buggers off for the remainder of the movie leaving the rest to fend for themselves as the killer runs amok. Or it could be because the main counsellor in the original Friday the 13th buggered off and left the younger counsellors to fend themselves and the writer here simply cribbed it. And that's pretty much it for the set up. What follows is the usual silly people doing silly things that lead to silly killings as they individually venture out to find the same idiot that kick-started the murder spree - Ritchie!

Like most genre flicks the main aim behind the making of the film was to make money rather than a quality product. With John Carpenter's Halloween raking in the money studios were naturally keen to cash in. They turned to the independents to see what horror produce they had that they could fling out into theatres quickly. And that's how Madman came about. Following its theatrical release in January 1982 Madman went on to be a sleeper hit on the US drive-in circuit before garnering a cult following on home video. In watching the disc's extras it would appear that the cast and crew are stunned to still be talking about the film so many years after its release. I would be too.

It looks like the good folk involved have been looking to produce a remake/reimaging now for some years. They reason that Jason, Michael and Freddie have had remakes and franchises but fail to recognise that the characters mentioned were all from much more successful movies hence why they were franchised and remade. Madman is a cult movie and remaking a cult movie doesn't really work. It has a limited appeal.

Madman is a perfect example of a film that is so bad that it's actually pretty good. It's hugely derivative and quite frankly awful. Madman constantly rips off far better slasher movies throughout often to its detriment. Madman plays like a greatest hits collection of horror clichés all covered by a lesser-known artists. There's the camp-fire tale that sets the scene (see also John Carpenter's The Fog, The Burning, Friday the 13th Part 2 amongst others), a hot tub scene (see also Halloween II amongst others) and, well you get the picture, even leading up to the ambiguous open ending screaming out for a sequel that, for this film, never comes. What Madman lacks in originality it more than makes up for with unintentional laughs and inventive, if poorly executed killings. The acting is awful but this adds to the fun.

You find yourself wondering why so many adults are employed for the supervision of a handful of 'gifted' children, so gifted they never utter a word, and why oh why are the police never called when it's apparent things have gone very wrong indeed. Watching a hysterical woman, a poor attempt at aping Jamie Lee Curtis, empty a fridge in haste to hide from Madman Marz is so absurd you need to replay the scene for it to sink in that it actually did happen. Madman is a guilty pleasure, absurd, annoying but thoroughly watchable in an awful kind of way. You shouldn't like it but you do.

This review and others feature on my site www.mybloodyreviews.com

You may think that you have had bad days. Imagine this, being stuck in a small Alaskan town with no sunlight, not just for one day but for THIRTY during its winter period. For those affected with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) this would be bad enough. Factor in a bunch of vicious vampires making the most of the darkness offered and chances are things couldn't really get much worse.

Not everyone chooses to stay around in Barrow during this period of extended darkness, with most of the small town's five hundred population heading south, leaving just 152 willing to brave it out. Into this community comes a stranger (Ben Foster) who sets about stealing and burning all mobile phones (rather improbable), trashing the only helicopter and ((SOB)) offing all the doggies.

Incarcerated by Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) and his estranged wife Stella (Melissa George), the stranger continues to put a downer on things by announcing that death is coming to the small town. Pretty much as the words fall from his gob the town's power is cut off - as if it wasn't dark enough already - and a pack of vampires attack the town in a spectacular and devastating fashion.

With the nearest town eighty miles away the surviving members of the initial attack band together to find a way out of their extraordinary situation.

Considering how dire much of the output from Sam Raimi's Ghost House Productions has been, it is pleasing to report that their latest, 30 Days of Night, is doing exactly what you'd expect of a production company out to spook. Based on the graphic novel by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, the first of a comic book miniseries of the same name published in 2002, the aim was to make a scary vampire movie from the source given that there had been a lack of these of late.

Director David Slade exploded onto the movie scene with his acclaimed feature-début the goollie-worrying Hard Candy (2005). His style feels like early (read, better) John Carpenter. Think Assault on Precinct 13 set against the snowy wilderness of The Thing and you get some idea of the vibe Slade has created - even the film's soundtrack feels very Carpenter.

Slade's movie brings to mind Zack Synder's Dawn of the Dead remake. In much the same way that Zynder had his zombies full on, Slade has his vamps jumping and leaping and even has a little girl vampire as Synder had a girl zombie for his sensational opening. And like zombies these vampires can be shot in the head in order to be dispatched.

In terms of performances, the always-reliable Danny Huston is a stand- out as vampire leader Marlow. Given that his performance is restricted to snarling and speaking in an ancient dialect it's not exactly a role geared to elicit a thespian's strengths, so it's to his credit that he still manages to exude an extraordinary level of menace. This is one sucker you definitely don't want to bump into.

Watch out also for Mark Boone Jnr as Beau Brower, the local snowplough driver. A fixture in many genre pictures, from the underrated Dead Birds to the fun Frankenfish, Boone Jnr adds another credible support character to his belt and steals the show with a key scene involving his snow plough.

Interestingly the leads Josh Harnett and Melissa George, with genre pleasers Halloween H20, The Faculty and WAZ between them, have the least interesting roles as the estranged couple but it's their relationship that ultimately shapes how the vampires are defeated come the rather melodramatic ending. In fact the estranged lead couple is a story thread that has been done to death but here it feels a welcome comfort like saying hello to an old friend.

That said 30 Days of Night is not about building up believable characters, it's more about situation. This is a story ripped down to basics. It's relentless and never feels tired all the while toying with genre conventions. The movie plays it straight, no silly throwaway quips. This is a proper hide behind the cushion / snuggle-up-to-your- loved-one movie. It isn't just about gore. It's about cranking up the tension and it does it with aplomb. Vampire movies don't get much better than this.

Check out more of our reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

There would appear to be a revival of sorts for horror flicks of a Nazi soldier bent. With both the Outpost and Dead Snow franchises doing reasonable business, especially in the retail market, it was inevitable that others would look to tap into the same lucrative vein looking to reap similar rewards. Earlier this year we were treated to the retail release of Backtrack: Nazi Vengeance. This British flick, again using Nazi's as its primal force, was a bit of a mess. With that still playing in the back of my mind I approached this feature début for former TV, commercial and music video director Mark Nuttall, with some trepidation.

Fortunately both Nuttall and screenwriter Nigel Horne have fashioned a tale that manages to feel both familiar yet fresh at the same time. Soldiers of the Damned is fresh in the way that it doesn't completely cover the same tracks as the aforementioned movies, although there are some similarities - the Nazi's interest in the occult for example. It also impressively manages to capture the period it is set in. Both the production design and hair and make-up teams are to be applauded for their work on the film within such a limited budget.

Unlike its comtemporary-based counterparts Soldiers of the Damned dares to be period set taking place in 1944 on the Eastern Front when the Russians are pushing the German Army back through Romania. Major Kurt Fleischer (Gil Darnell) is instructed to escort female scientist Professor Anna Kappel (Miriam Cooke) into a forest behind enemy lines so that an ancient relic can be retrieved. The soldiers in Fleischer's ensemble say that the forest is spooked or possessed but he doesn't initially believe them. Soon ghostly visions are seen and soldiers disappear as if burnt to ashes before their very eyes. Fleischer doesn't take long to suss that there is something far more sinister than expected lurking within the forest and has to figure out exactly what that something is before he and his team are completely wiped out.

For the best part of an hour our interest is maintained with something of interest happening throughout. However when it comes to wrapping up proceedings the energy on-screen flags under the weight of a script that has run out of more decent ideas. It also jars that the mainly British cast talk in English accents when they are meant to be German otherwise the performances are decent with Miriam Cooke particularly impressing in the key role of Professor Anna Kappel.

Mark Nuttall proves himself as a name to watch. His work in the director's chair is assured and bodes well for his future career in films. Despite the flaws mentioned Soldiers of the Damned is worth seeking out. For its limited budget the film sounds, looks and plays like a bigger studio production. Soldiers of the Damned is a breathe of fresh air in a genre that is otherwise currently stagnating under the weight of wearisome found footage and cheap zombie flicks. It's surprising, involving and far better than you would perhaps expect.

Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com