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Horror Films

JamesWhitehead said:
Returning to Lovecraft's fiction never makes me like it more; it's overcooked. Yet, as a critic, he was astute: his essay on Gothic Fiction shows a thorough understanding of the genre. :dunno:
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I very much enjoy Lovecraft, but one aspect that brings my willing suspension of disbelief crashing down is a particular strand of his portrayal of time:

The sterile inhumanity of space and dead stars beyond number?

Chilling thought—check.

The appalling otherness of ancient civilisations that rose and fell before the advent of man?

Certainly puts us mere humans in the correct context!

The indescribably stiffing atmosphere of some crumbling Marblehead mansion from colonial days?

Not really.

Off the top of my head, my old school, my local church and my favourite pub are all centuries older than that and I'm sad to say that I never felt that possession by the spirits of my ancestors or a slip into a dream-like vision of history were plausible risks.
 
Yithian said:
I very much enjoy Lovecraft, but one aspect brings my willing suspension of disbelief crashing down is a particular strand of his portrayal of time:

The sterile inhumanity of space and dead stars beyond number?

Chilling thought—check.

The appalling otherness of ancient civilisations that rose and fell before the advent of man?

Certainly puts us mere humans in the correct context!

The indescribably stiffing atmosphere of some crumbling Marblehead mansion from colonial days?

Not really.

Off the top of my head, my old school, my local church and my favourite pub are all centuries older than that and I'm sad to say that I never felt that possession by the spirits of my ancestors or a slip into a dream-like vision of history were plausible risks.
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He was writing that around a hundred years ago. Those colonial mansions are probably fifty percent older now (if they haven't entirely crumbled and collapsed into the subterranean pits bored beneath them by ancient and fell monstrosities). I suppose people of a younger country have a different sense of time.
 
ramonmercado said:
All About Horror in 2024
Scares, frights, and other delights! Strap in, because we're running down everything we know about the horror movies and shows coming in 2024 and beyond! We cover everything from 'Lisa Frankenstein' to 'A Quiet Place: Day One,' 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' to 'Terrifier 3.'

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi323012377/
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I wonder how Beetlejuice will age. It was fun, but I tend not to enjoy sequels. A Quiet Place (I saw the second) premise just does not engage me.
 
brownmane said:
I wonder how Beetlejuice will age. It was fun, but I tend not to enjoy sequels. A Quiet Place (I saw the second) premise just does not engage me.
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I never really liked Beetlejuice that much but I'll probably see the sequel. AQP2 was pretty good imo, looking forward to the prequel.
 
I loved Beetlejuice but I think it was a one shot thing, especially given the time that's passed. They explored that world pretty thoroughly in the original, it doesn't need fleshing out. But I wish them the best of luck with it. I'm interested to see what they do but not especially eager.
 
My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009): I saw it on TV so it wasn't in 3D. A remake of the 1981 original which has influenced many fils and TV shows. It works ell enough but is no classic. Basically Harry Warden killed 5 other miners on Valentine;s Day 1997 after a mine explosion so that he would have enough oxygen to survive. Warden is in a coma but awakens a year later and massacres hospital staff and patients. He makes his way to the now abandoned mine tunnel to find that teens are partying there that night, recovering his weapon of choice, a pickax, another slaughter ensues. Warden is shot and apparently killed on a cave-in. Ten years later the murders start up again, is Warden back? Pretty gruesome and gory, whilst Warden specialises in dispatching his victims with a pickax. He also cuts out their hearts and delivers them in heart shaped boxes to the police and friends/families of the dead. Extreme violence occurs from the opening sequences of the film with hospital rooms and corridors littered with severed limbs and heads. There is what at a superficial level appears to be a soap like antagonism between some of the survivors of 1998 massacre but it's crucial to the unfolding of the narrative. There is also a subtext about small towns being economically destroyed by mine closures. Some interesting plot twists but perhaps not all of the strands are pulled together tightly enough at the end. Still, it's a satisfying slasher film. Directed, written by Todd Farmer, Zane Smith and Stephen Miller. 7/10.

Saw it on Sky Sci-Fi.
 
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Double Blind: Claire (Millie Brady) is broke so she volunteers as a guinea pig to test an experimental drug. Along with six others she will be incommunicado for five days, Most of those involved have taken part in many tests, it is literally a job for them. When things start to go wrong, the doctor ( Pollyanna McIntosh) supervising the test contacts the pharmaceutical company executives but is told to continue and up the dose. As things worsen, Claire and the others cannot sleep and wish to quit the trial but are offered €30k each to continue, Eventually a participant dies, it becomes clear that the test subjects must stay awake if they are to survive (Not A spoiler, this is flagged in all publicity for the film). The survivors are then sealed inside the laboratory for at least 24 hours as an emergency protocol kicks in.. Some particularly gruesome death scenes with the victims looking as if they are suffering from a Rabies/Ebola hybrid disease. Claire and the others start to become paranoid due to lack of sleep and begin to mistrust each other. An interesting examination of drug tests on marginalised people counterposed with those on mice showing how to Big Pharma both are equally disposable. This idea is taken to some frightening lengths. Pretty good dialogue, especially when the participants record their musings to their phones: one: about how much compensation he might get due to the trial going wrong; others more bleakly leaving last messages, This "found footage" helps to round some of the characters' back stories. A disturbing, violent tale of horror, existential despair and exploitation. Directed by Ian Hunt-Duffy, Written by Darach McGarrigle. 8/10.

In cinemas.
 
Homebound: Interesting horror film if a bit flawed. Had the feel of a Shirley Jackson tale crossed with The Turn of the Screw A newly married couple, Holly (Aisling Loftus) and Richard (Tom Goodman-Hill) head to the country to meet Richard's ex-wife Nina and children. When they arrive at the stately pile they find that Nina has gone away for a few days so just Richard's teen son, Ralph ( Lukas Rolfe) and daughter Lucia (Hattie Gotobed), along with the younger daughter Anna (Raffiella Chapman) are there to greet them. Richard's mood swings along with the children'e increasingly erratic, even violent behaviour makes Holly feel uneasy. Actually she should have ran away there were so many warning lights flashing. This is a dark, disturbing film, the sprawling old house with it's creepy basement and myriad stairs and corridors adds to the Gothic feel. The violence and threat of violence are very real for most of Homebound. even in the early scenes Richard cajoles Lucia into breaking the neck of the duck rhey will have for dinner. Richard's later actions suggest that we are dealing with a seriously dysfunctional family. Some reviewers have found the ending unsatisfactory, it is open to a few interpretations though,.also the narrative seems undertold with a 71 minute running time. There is some impressive acting though, especially from the young actors. Written and Directed by Sebastian Godwin. 7/10.

Saw it on BBC2. On iplayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001wcxd/homebound
 
ramonmercado said:
Saltburn: A black comedy/psychological thriller which slides into the slipstream of horror. 2006, Barry Keoghan plays Oliver Quick, a working class lad from a grim background who makes it to Oxford University on a scholarship. He ifeels unable to fit in with the In Crowd but one day does a favour for the popular, aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). this gets him (literally) a seat at the table with the society he longs to join. When Oliver's father dies, Felix invites him to his stately home, Saltburn for the Summer. The Catton family are ghastly, Felix hears them gossiping about his family, when he is presented to them they feign love and interest. Everything is so shallow about them though the father. Richard E. Grant is quite manic in his role, constantly grinning. Felix's mother (Rosamund Pike) also pretends to care about people but only for appearances sake. his sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) suffers from bulimia but appears to interest Oliver. Things morph from a comedy of manners to a dark horror comedy as Oliver shows hidden depths. Some really disturbing scenes which are leavened by the blackest of black comedy. A Dickensian tale mixed with Brideshead Revisited, a dash of Ripping Yarns with a soupcon of The Talented Mr Ripley. A film you will mull over long after the final credits have rolled. Written, Directed and Produced by Emerald Fennell. 8.5/10.

In cinemas.
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I thought Saltburn would be a shoo-in for best British movie at tonight's Baftas, but it's just been given to a movie I hadn't even heard of instead - The Zone of Interest.
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
I thought Saltburn would be a shoo-in for best British movie at tonight's Baftas, but it's just been given to a movie I hadn't even heard of instead - The Zone of Interest.
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The Zone of Interest is also worthy of the best British movie Bafta.

The Zone of Interest: It's 1943, Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), commandant of Auschwitz along with his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) and their five children enjoy an idyllic lifestyle in their house next to the camp. They go on picnics, the children squabble in the car on the way home, Hoss turns off the lights and locks the doors at night, you a;most expect to hear gutten nacht JungeJohann. The house has a beautiful garden, Hedwig is proud of it and has camp inmates as gardeners. She also has maids in the house who are literally on a ticket of leave from death. Hedwig is sometimes kind to the women but when angry threatens to have their ashes scattered, Hoss gains financially from the camp, it is implied that he is bribed by industrialists who he supplies with slave labour, favouring some with having the first pick of new arrivals at the camp. Two contractors arrive at the camp, they have designs for a new more energy efficient crematorium. Hedwig also gains, getting fur coats and diamonds stolen from the inmates. Even the oldest son (about 15) has a collection of gold teeth. Hoss reads fairy tales to his daughter but the grim stories echo what is going on in the camp. W never see the camp itself, only the bits that loom over the garden wall and smoke, along with screams, shouted command, gunfire, the hum of the furnaces. Written and Directed by Jonathan Glazer, loosely based on the 2014 novel by Martin Amis. Glazer brilliantly portrays the banality of evil. 9/10.
 
ramonmercado said:
The Bridge Curse: Urban Legend/Found Footage. Students decide to test the legend about a student who drowned herself a ns haunts a bridge. They shouldn't have but you know that already! Filmed mostly on phones and vidcams but you even get proper film because a tv presenter is making a show about the dead students. All a bit meta. Vengeful ghosts, rising from, water, scampering along ceilings, killing people. It seems familiar and is a tad derivative but it's worth watching. Directed by Lester Hsi from a screenplay by Keng-Ming Chan and Po-Hsiang Hao. On Netflix. 6/10.
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The Bridge Curse: Ritual: Taiwanese horror film. Set in 2019 this is more of a prequel rather than a remake. The bridge and it's angry ghosts feature but these are mostly in relation to one character. The action centres around the university's buildings and again is largely composed of found footage. In 2016 a student tries to beta test a Role Playing Game he is creating, to see if it will also arouse the interest of reputed ghosts. Things go horribly wrong as he is attacked by invisible forces and ends up in a coma. 2019, his sister along with other students try to finish creating his game. She beta rests it in the same building and despite being twice attacked, apparently by ghosts she is intent on continuing as are her student friends. Have this lot never watched a horror film? Some effective jump scares and convincing ghosts along with an in-between dimension which has to be traversed. Time slips are also involved. Things do get a bit confusing as the film chops back and forward betwixt the timelines. There are some very angry ghosts and warped Feng Shui at work here. A ten minute cut it's running time might have improved things as well, still it's worth watching. Directed by Lester Hsi, Writers Keng-Ming Chang, Po-Hsiang Hao and Shih-yuan Lu. On Netflix. 6/10.
 
I can recommend Mr Sardonicus (1961) - available on You Tube etc.
Black & White, directed by William Castle.
Hokey story - a man cursed for grave robbing his father's tomb - and the effects (when used) are 'of the day', this film isn't very scary by modern standards, but there's a good amount of psychological terror.
 
Stormkhan said:
I can recommend Mr Sardonicus (1961) - available on You Tube etc.
Black & White, directed by William Castle.
Hokey story - a man cursed for grave robbing his father's tomb - and the effects (when used) are 'of the day', this film isn't very scary by modern standards, but there's a good amount of psychological terror.
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One of my favourites, that. The original short story by Ray Russell (who wrote the screenplay too) is even better- and if adapted literally would have turned audiences' hair white. While the movie is toned-down, with regard to the sexual content, the adaptation of the portion showing Sardonicus' "origin" is transliterated to the screen with such exactitude that I couldn't believe they had done it. Love it to bits. And the blu-ray is gorgeous. Recommended.
 
Stormkhan said:
I can recommend Mr Sardonicus (1961) - available on You Tube etc.
Black & White, directed by William Castle.
Hokey story - a man cursed for grave robbing his father's tomb - and the effects (when used) are 'of the day', this film isn't very scary by modern standards, but there's a good amount of psychological terror.
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I don't think I have ever seen this. I'll have to look it up.
 
Lisa Frankenstein: 1989, Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) seems like a typical goth girl, is misunderstood, listens to The Cure, hangs out in graveyards, pays particular attention to the grave of a young musician who had died in 1837 after being struck by lightning before a broken heart could finish him off. Lisa's mother was killed by an ax murderer and her father has married a horrible narcissist (Carla Gugino) who being a psychiatric nurse personifies Nurse Ratchet. She also gains a stepsister, Taffy (Liza Soberano). There are elements of Cinderella here, cruel stepmother, but while the stepsister is a cheerleader, three hours practise daily, and Lisa has to work part time, Taffy isn't mean to her, rather encourages her in a clumsy fashion. After getting an electric shock from a faulty tanning bed Lisa's drink is spiked at a party. Escaping from a lecherous creep she goes to the grave of the dead musician, expressing a desire to be with him, shortly afterwards the grave is struck by lightning and the musician rises from the dead. Lisa is initially terrified by him but they are soon hanging out together. The Creature (Cole Sprouse) starts to kill those who threaten Lisa. eventually getting her to join in. This is a very dark horror comedy, the humour is twisted and will likely offend the prissy; the horror is in your face, bloody and gory, not for the squeamish or fainthearted. The revenge meted out to the miscreants is really over the top, At first the risen musician looks like a Zombie but as he gradually acquires body parts to replace the missing bits, Lisa sews them on and uses the tanning bed to shock them into place, he starts to look human. A new twist on the Frankenstein tale involving Goth Culture and Teen slasher tropes along with a love which reaches beyond the grave. Indeed it bears comparison with Poor Things though it doesn't quite achieve the heights of that film. Directed by Zelda Williams, in her feature-length directorial debut, Written and produced by Diablo Cody. (Cody says that Lisa Frankenstein is set in the same fictional universe as Jennifer's Body which she wrote.) 8/10.

In cinemas,
 
Shake Rattle & Roll Extreme: Filipino anthology horror film with Three segments. Nothing particularly original and the CGI is a bit shaky at times but it's worth watching. The three chapters are each 45 minutes long, a running time which is justified only in Rage. Glitch: if you're a little girl then be careful of borrowing your nanny's phone and coming across an old children's TV show hosted by Gary the Goat. He comes to life possessing a stuffed toy goat (now it's overstuffed) and mayhem ensues. Some very graphic violent scenes as a pet and people are slain. The demon looks like Krampus and there;s a reason for this which becomes clear as the story unfolds. Directed by Richard V. Somes, Written by Noreen Capili & Anton Santamaria. 5.5/10. Mukbang: a group of social influencers travel to a mansion to collaborate with two influencers who live there. A hard wokking chef influencer cooks up interesting cuts of meat, It soon becomes clear to us that the pork involved is actually long pig. The influencers are attacked by shapeshifters - Aswangs. who then assume their identities. Some really dark humour and satire as well as plenty of gore. Directed by Jerrold Tarog, Written by Tarog & Rona Lean Sales. 6/10. Rage: Meteors fall, parasitic creatures emerge and turn humans into crazed Zomboids. They are violent and fast moving, charging in hordes and individually. Retaining most of their intelligence they're smarter than your average Zombie. Much hacking with hatchets, biting, shooting and running over Zomboids who seem to be still alive if "possessed". It becomes clear that the meteors have fallen in at least 40 countries, this is a world wide event. This segment has the potential to be expanded into a full length movie. Directed by Joey de Guzman, Written by Trisha Mae Delez. 8/10. On Netflix. Overall score 6.5/10.
 
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Imaginary: The whole is less than the sum of its parts in this interesting film. We have a little girl, Alice, with an imaginary friend who appears after she moves with her stepmother Jessica to the house where Jessica was raised until age 5. Jessica also had an imaginary friend there! Alice's mother Samantha escapes from a psychiatric hospital and attacks Jessica (couldn't they have kept her in the attic ala Mrs Rochester?). The father Max is a rock musician, away a lot of the time and there's also a teenage sister Taylor who is at odds with Jessica. Lets not forget the strange old lady who hangs around outside the house. Then there's Jessica's father Ben who is also mentally disturbed, he caused or negligently allowed Jessica to be injured at age 5, just as Samantha did with Alice! A lot of coincidences here! The Imaginary friend is Chauncey, a terrible teddy bear, Alice threatens those who annoy her that Chauncey will eat them.There are rituals, doorways into other realms and even explanations for an Urban Legend. All of this doesn't fit together too well though. The film needs to be restructured, scenes and sequences moved around. Some scenes are unintentionally funny, this is more due to timing though as there are a few good jump scares. There is also a reveal regarding Chauncey. Directed by Jeff Wadlow, Written by Wadlow, Greg Erb, and Jason Oremland. 6/10.

In cinemas.
 
Late Night with the Devil: Found footage/horror/black comedy. Jack Delroy is the host of 1970s late night variety show Night Owls. A docu-drama into gives the backstory of the shows origin in 1971, its ups and downs and it's struggle for survival as it dipped in the ratings, Delroy and his producer used increasingly provocative and controversial methods to try and recover. Then came the 1977 Halloween Special fraturing a Psychic, a noted Skeptic and a Parapsychologist along with her protege, a possessed thirteen year old girl. Things take a strange turn fron the beginning, at first the Psychic seems an obvious fraud before having a fit after clashing with the Skeptic who is obviously based on James Randi. After that the young girls shows that she is very self possessed. Some really good effects, not just levitation and vomiting but out and out mayhem as the demon emerges. The Skeptic demonstrates how mass hypnosis may be carried out but he soon realises that there is more than just fraud afoot. The humour here is very dark but I can't complain as it made me laugh at a really horrific decapitation, Touches of Carrie and other Stephen King tropes certainly inform the possessed girls story as does the Satanic Ritual Abuse craze of the era., she's the only survivor of a Satanic Cult who died in a fire after police stormed their HQ. In between the segments we get black and white sequences of back stage banter as the film proceeds to its Twilight Zone style denouement. Directed & Written by Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes. 8/10.

In cinemas.
 
Last night I discovered Craze (1974) on You Tube.
Jack Palance chews the scenery as an antiques dealer, called Neal Mottram, being obsessed with worshipping an African deity-statue. Lots of big stars such as Julie Ege, Michael Jayston, Diana Dors, Trevor Howard and (not yet Dame) Edith Evans.
While a bit hokey - of it's day - I'd argue that the film qualifies as horror, not supernatural but psychological horror as Mottram descends into murderous insanity. How much of his timely good fortune is the result of sacrifice to his god Chuku?
 
Immaculate: Some nuns have nasty habits in this tale of an Italian convent and hospice for dying nuns. The prologue prepares us for what is to come; a none too pleased young sister tries to flee from the convent but is captured by three hooded figures, she awakens in a coffin, buried alive! Sister Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney) comes from the US to join the convent, she swiftly gets on the wrong side of Sister Isabella a senior nun who seems to be simmering with rage and jealous of Cecilia, but makes friends with another young postulant who gives off a bad girl vibe, sister Gwen. Cecilia and Gwen along with other young women make their initial vows before a Cardinal who seems to be based in the Convent. Things start to go pear shaped, Cecilia has strange dreams/visions, she encounters a nun wearing a red mask. She is called before the Cardinal and a doctor who informs her that she is pregnant. She convinces them that she has not broken her vows and they proclaim that the pregnancy is an Immaculate Conception. It is difficult to say more about how the narrative unfolds without introducing spoilers but the film does head off in an unexpected direction. Suffice to say that this is a grim, dark film with gory scenes of violence. A heavy crucifix is used to bash someone's head in, a rosary serves as a garrote, a nun comes crashing down from a height and we even get a chase through catacombs. Some really crazy clerics about but there are also ethereal scenes, the nuns dress Cecilia in a blue robe and she looks just like a BVM statue, nuns moving through sheets pegged out on lines. This isn't a film for the squeamish, there is a truly grand guignol denouement. Directed by Michael Mohan, Written by Andrew Lobel. 7.5/10.



In cinemas.
 
ramonmercado said:
Eileen: A Noir film with not just one but possibly two Femmes Fatale (depending on how you look at it). This movie strides through the genres: from lesbian romance akin to Carol to Classic Noir to Horror, even a touch of Hitchcock with a soupcon of Black Comedy. Massachusetts, early 1960s Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie) is a young secretary in a juvenile prison, she's lonely, dreams of love with one of the young guards, is fascinated by an inmate Lee Polk who killed his father, the Polk family are central to the unfolding of the narrative. Eileen looks after her alcoholic ex-cop father, he's verbally abusive but some of this might be designed to drive hr away to her away, to find a life of her own. A new prison Psychologist, Rebecca (Anne Hathaway) arrives and sweeps Eileen off her feet, takes her drinking and dancing, then involves her on a strange and dangerous situation. There is a plot twist at this point that cannot be revealed here without giving too much of the storey line away. The Classic Noir tinged with Horror takes over at this point, Eileen reveals her own hidden depths of depravity. matching or even outclassing Rebecca. Her fantasy life has always been quite violent and some of this may have have bled through to influence her real life actions. Great performances from McKenzie. Hathaway and Marin Ireland as Rita Polk, Lee's mother.Directed by William Oldroyd with a screenplay by by Ottessa Moshfegh and Luke Goebel. 8/10.

In cinemas.
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Mothers' Instinct (2024): Another early 1960s suburban melodrama which segues into Noir and perhaps enters the slipstream of Horror. Alice (Jessica Chastain) and Céline (Anne Hathaway) are next door neighbours, best friends just as their eight year old sons are buddies. Céline's son Max dies in a tragic accident which Alice tried to prevent but was too late. Céline avoids Alice and goes into a hospital, she returns seeming still somewhat strained but reconnects with Alice and her son Theo. Alice worries about how close Céline is getting to Theo and fears that he might be at risk. Theo is allergic to peanuts and sometimes behaves oddly for an eight year old, acting both younger (carrying around a teddy bear). yet also being inquisitive beyond his years. Alice wonders if Céline is gaslighting her or is her old paranoia and depression returning. Does this Noir tale contain a femme fatale? If so who is it? No spoilers from me you're going to have watch the film to find out. Beautifully filmed in faded pastel tones it even has scenes reminiscent of Carol and the recent Noir film Eileen. Great performances from Hathaway and Chastain with good support from Eamon Patrick O'Connell as Theo. Something bold is attempted here and while it may not quite achieve what the director aspired to, it's nevertheless a fascinating film. Directed by Benoît Delhomme, Adapted for the screen by Sarah Conradt from the novel Derrière la haine by Barbara Abel. 7.5/10

In cinemas.
 
The Origin of Evil; A French and Canadian Noir Black comedy which flirts with the slipstream of Horror. Nathalie (Laura Calamy) is a Ripleyesque character, an identity thief who now attempts to assume the role of Stephane the long lost daughter of a wealthy man, Serge (Jacques Weber). His family are not happy to see her, George (Doria Tillier), her "half sister" is especially suspicious. Serge's wife Louise (Dominique Blanc) is also unwelcoming at first but begins to see Nathalie as a possible companion. Though she works in a fish canning plant on the production line, Nathalie pretends that she owns the factory. It is certainly an odd household, Georges's daughter Jeanne (Celeste Brunnquell) describes it as a madhouse, Louise obsessively buys all sorts of things online, every room in the villa has unopened boxes, Jeanne continuously takes photographs. The family are uncaring towards Serge, bullying him since he had a stroke, not helping him up when he falls, trying to gain power of attorney over his business. The housekeeper Agnes is a spy for Louise and George. Serge sees Nathalie as a potential ally who can be a witness at his competency hearing. But there are many plot twists to come as Nathalie reveals hidden strengths to emerge as a very talented Ms Ripley indeed as her intentions become more refined. But even she has problems as her imprisoned lover ( Suzanne Clement) retains an interest in her. Sharp dialogue, an interesting use of split screen, sometimes up to five different viewpoints simultaneously and the darkest of humour speed this narrative along. Great acting from an ensemble cast. The ghost of Patricia Highsmith is smiling down on this production. Directed and Co-Written by Sebastien Marnier. 8/10.

In cinemas.
 
Eight for Silver: A rollicking werewolf film set in France. The Somme, 1916, a wounded French captain has bullrts removed from his andomen but along with three German bullets there is a silver one. Flashback to rural France in 1881, local notables clash with Romani who have camped on common land. The Romani have an arguable case legally to camping rights but the landowners hire mercenaries to slaughter them. Revenge comes from beyond the grave as a werewolf preys on relative of the notables. This is a pretty savage and gory film, a male Romani is dismembered and made into a living scarecrow by the mercenaries, a Romani woman is buried alive. How the curse is started and the first bie is performed provides an interesting addition to werewolf lore, not one I've encountered before. Locals are also plagued by strange dreams. The werewolves when we finally see them are impressive creatures but bald all over, not like werewolves we are accustomed to. People are toen to pieces or turned, seemingly at a whim but there is a darker agenda at play. Some interesting plot twists and enigmatic characters, many of whom appear to descendants of the Irish diaspora to France in the late !7th Century. Two important criticisms though, the pacing is off, at a 113 minute running time it could easily have lost 15 minutes and been a better film. The clothing and weapons of the French locals would seem to be more appropriate to Ireland or England in the 1830s, Still well worth watching though and an interesting addition to the Werewolf Film Canon. Written, directed and co-produced by Sean Ellis. On Netflix. 7/10.
 
The First Omen: Though similar in plot to Immaculate at a superficial level this film sticks to the supernatural in the attempts to create the Antichrist. In the prologue an aged Father Harris (Charles Dance) is at confession with Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson), he relates a garbled tale about a baby created through a woman mating with the Devil. The progeny is destined to be the mother of the Antichrist. Shortly afterwards Father Harris is impaled in the head by stained glass from a shattered church window. Rome, 1971, Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) arrives from the US to take her vows at a school/orphanage, herself an orphan she was raised by the Roman Catholic Church. She is met by Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy) who a decade before had counselled her when she was having troubles. They travel to the Convent to the background of Trade Union and Student protests; the Cardinal reflects on how the RCC is also losing the support of young people.

The Convent seems to be a happy place, the children are treated well, they have parties, nuns bounce on trampolines, even the elder sisters smoke and crack jokes. However Margaret finds that one child Carlita (Nicole Sorace) is often kept in a room, tied to a bed even. Carlita acts up is violent, draws strange pictures, Margaret realises that Carlita is acting like she did years ago, suffering from nightmares and visions so she bonds with her. Similar to Immaculate there is a naughty novitiate, Luz (Maria Caballero) she browbeats Carlita into going dancing and drinking, after all one must live before leaving secular life. They dance with young men and Carlita wakes the next morning with no memory of getting home. Things have taken an odd turn at the orphanage, Carlita has terrifying visions, a strange blind young nun commits suicide. The by now excommunicated Father Brennan reappears and tries to convince Margaret that a conspiracy is at play to create the Antichrist. The plot now takes an interesting turn which it would be a spoiler to reveal. Of course it introduces a few characters who featured in the 1976 film The Omen and even pays homage to several of it's gory death scenes (improving on at least one of those).

The First Omen is a largely satisfying film in it's own right and promises to take the franchise off at an angle to the previous films. There are scenes of graphic horror, not least in the birth scenes where elements of body horror are introduced along with Margaret's visions of the risen dead. Some good jump scares but the pacing of the film takes away from the effect of a couple of these. A tightening up of the convent scenes with additional exposition of Margaret's backstory would have improved the flow of the narrative. Nell Tiger Free's part demands a lot and she is equal to it as her character develops. She is aided and abetted by Maria Caballero who is wonderful in her nunsploitation role and young Nicole Sorace. Bill Nighy gives further support as the enigmatic and pragmatic Cardinal. Directed by Arkasha Stevenson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Tim Smith and Keith Thomas from a story by Ben Jacoby. 8/10.

Saw it at a preview.
 
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