FrightFest

I was dubious about the new comedy approach going into the film, but I thought this solo effort by Paco Plaza worked pretty well. The humour was well pitched and fitted in nicely with the more traditional action and horror. The new location also made an attractive and welcome change from the appartm...

Hard to score, as the segments were of varying quality / originality. My favourite was the college night (1st tape played by the gang), while I enjoyed several others (Grand Canyon trip, Halloween night and the backwoods slasher). Very trippy in places, pretty freaky at times, and yes, even occasion...

Visceral and brutal, with an interesting Chilean viewpoint on life - men are violent and / or rapists, while women are sexual objects (from the men's perspective), but ultimately they can be just as dangerous too. I thought the main girl was great on her film debut, while the director's debut was al...

Couldn't see this topic anywhere else - apologies if it is. Biehn was right in his intro that this wouldn't be a memorable film and unfortunately I had guessed the twist from the synopsis. The acting and story were reasonable enough for this kind of film, but neither really stood out sufficiently to...

This was new for me, having never seen the original release, and I liked the story and the creatures. Clearly the guys involved have done a great job finding and restoring the film so far, although some scenes are still some way off being ready for release. I would love to see more of this universe ...

This Irish creature feature yarn had plenty of charm, humour and likeable characters, although I struggled to understand some of the accents at times. I thought the main beast was a little inconsistent in its aggression too, but overall this was a pretty decent finale to opening night. 7 / 10

A fun East End romp, with a bank robbery, a zombie apocalypse and an old people's home all thrown in. There was plenty of humour, some good characters and heart in the story. However, this may struggle to stand out in the overcrowded zombie subgenre, while it will be interesting to see how this tran...

Excellent opening film, with a strong, realistic story set during the Balkans conflict. A superb debut performance from Rosie Day in the lead role, while Paul Hyett does a fine job on his directorial debut too. Very dark, but not as brutal as "Martyrs", with good use made of hidey-holes! S...

After much deliberation and the heart-breaking exclusion of some much loved films, here's my top 10 (in order, with hopefully the right years next to them!): 1. An American Werewolf In London (1981) 2. Alien (1979) 3. Cannibal Holocaust (1979) 4. Halloween (1978) 5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974...

Many thanks to Alan, Ian, Paul and Greg, the cinema staff and the casts and crews of the films for another enjoyable Frightfest Allnighter. If only the cinema wasn't sooo hot! For me, three films were successes (Livid, HC II and Cold Sweat), the other three less so, but it was definitely worth the t...

90210 meets Harpoon in this weak US effort, full of characters that I couldn't wait to be killed off. This film lacked originality, characters to root for and tension. However, there were some scenes to please gorehounds. 5.5 / 10

Tense, fast-moving and different, this was a refreshingly taut rollercoaster from Argentina. Not sure if the political element worked as well as it could have done, but the film was well made with plenty of social commentary. I really enjoyed this one. 8 / 10

I wanted to like this one, and while the premise was interesting, the clunky dialogue, character actions and plot points really let it down. Any tension was destroyed by some laughable moments, making this a missed opportunity. 6.5 / 10

Very dark, very twisted, almost documentary-style movie shot in black and white. Although the main plotline is similar to the first film, the feel is quite different. Not for all tastes, while the sexual elements will be offputting for some. A good performance from the actor who played Martin helped...

Deliciously freaky and intense, with stunning cinematography - but unfortunately it didn't always make a whole lot of sense, at least to me. The old house was suitably unsettling and creepy, while it was good to see some strong female characters. Like a dreamlike fairytale - or should that be a nigh...