Monolith
A disgraced journalist takes on an "unexplained" podcast and gets sucked down a rabbit hole of urban legend, conspiracy and perhaps something else....
I love these thrilling and chilling mysteries and Lily Sullivan leads this well as the storyline becomes increasingly unnerving.
8 / 10
FF23 film reviews
Re: FF23 film reviews
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
Cobweb
One for Barbarian fans. Peter's childhood is troubled by a bully and his own controlling mother, then the tapping on his bedroom wall begins....
Lots of fun, with a good twist, albeit the like of which I have seen done before, plus some crowd pleasing setpieces, although it does feel like some of the action is being kept off-screen at times.
I thought Lizzy Caplan was overacting to begin with, but given the 3rd act it doesn't feel out of place after all.
8 / 10
One for Barbarian fans. Peter's childhood is troubled by a bully and his own controlling mother, then the tapping on his bedroom wall begins....
Lots of fun, with a good twist, albeit the like of which I have seen done before, plus some crowd pleasing setpieces, although it does feel like some of the action is being kept off-screen at times.
I thought Lizzy Caplan was overacting to begin with, but given the 3rd act it doesn't feel out of place after all.
8 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
The Moor
Brilliant, I absolutely loved this, a very effective portrayal of the aftermath after a serial child killer has struck, particularly the search for bodies on the moor.
There is a twist at the start of the 3rd act that's likely to be divisive - I didn't like it to begin with, but by the end I had to applaud the audacity and how superb it turned out to be.
Some great performances and the moor itself is suitably bleak and treacherous, complementing the broken minds of those who walk upon it.
9 / 10
Brilliant, I absolutely loved this, a very effective portrayal of the aftermath after a serial child killer has struck, particularly the search for bodies on the moor.
There is a twist at the start of the 3rd act that's likely to be divisive - I didn't like it to begin with, but by the end I had to applaud the audacity and how superb it turned out to be.
Some great performances and the moor itself is suitably bleak and treacherous, complementing the broken minds of those who walk upon it.
9 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
Herd
A largely generic zombie outbreak flick that focuses on the competing groups of humans that remain rather than the monsters, enlivened by the central relationship and dynamics of that with the locals.
6.5 / 10
A largely generic zombie outbreak flick that focuses on the competing groups of humans that remain rather than the monsters, enlivened by the central relationship and dynamics of that with the locals.
6.5 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
The Glenarma Tapes
An unexpected treat, this takes the found footage formula and does a bit more with it, including some twists on the usual fare.
This film also has charm, particularly in the relationships of the students as they set off into the woods. When the horror begins it's suitably nightmarish.
8 / 10
An unexpected treat, this takes the found footage formula and does a bit more with it, including some twists on the usual fare.
This film also has charm, particularly in the relationships of the students as they set off into the woods. When the horror begins it's suitably nightmarish.
8 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
Transmission
I sadly struggled to keep my eyes open through this one, although it wasn't the film's fault! The channel hopping isn't as bad as it sounds and didn't cause me any motion sickness issues, while the tale becomes increasingly intriguing as we go down the rabbit hole as the mystery unravels. Fun and occasionally dread-inducing.
7.5 / 10
I sadly struggled to keep my eyes open through this one, although it wasn't the film's fault! The channel hopping isn't as bad as it sounds and didn't cause me any motion sickness issues, while the tale becomes increasingly intriguing as we go down the rabbit hole as the mystery unravels. Fun and occasionally dread-inducing.
7.5 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
The Piper
I really wanted to love this one and there are plenty of things to like about it, not least the opening sequence. This is fun, albeit in a teen horror way, but there are some missteps, including some elements of the film seem out of keeping with other parts, not least a tone that varies quite noticeably at times. Still, a bit tighter control and a sequel could be interesting.
7 / 10
I really wanted to love this one and there are plenty of things to like about it, not least the opening sequence. This is fun, albeit in a teen horror way, but there are some missteps, including some elements of the film seem out of keeping with other parts, not least a tone that varies quite noticeably at times. Still, a bit tighter control and a sequel could be interesting.
7 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
The Seeding
A slow burning shocker with some deliciously brutal scenes. A film that takes no prisoners, ironic as it is about a hiker stranded in an inescapable canyon with a woman who seemingly accepts her fate, while tribalistic "stray" boys keep them captive.
8 / 10
A slow burning shocker with some deliciously brutal scenes. A film that takes no prisoners, ironic as it is about a hiker stranded in an inescapable canyon with a woman who seemingly accepts her fate, while tribalistic "stray" boys keep them captive.
8 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
Cold Meat
One I wasn't sure about but glad that I stayed in the main screen to see it. A traveller has a confrontation at a diner, but that's only the beginning as a blizzard leads to a crash and further peril, with revelations being revealed to exquisite effect. A good use of a limited number of locations and characters.
8.5 / 10
One I wasn't sure about but glad that I stayed in the main screen to see it. A traveller has a confrontation at a diner, but that's only the beginning as a blizzard leads to a crash and further peril, with revelations being revealed to exquisite effect. A good use of a limited number of locations and characters.
8.5 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
Raging Grace
There's little overt horror in this culture clash between an immigrant mother and daughter and the wealthy but terminally ill old man they go to care for. However, there's more going on at the house and the occasional tense and creepy moments remind you this is a genre film and a very good one at that.
8.5 / 10
There's little overt horror in this culture clash between an immigrant mother and daughter and the wealthy but terminally ill old man they go to care for. However, there's more going on at the house and the occasional tense and creepy moments remind you this is a genre film and a very good one at that.
8.5 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
Eight Eyes
Although this is set in the present day it often feels like a lost 1970s Euro horror, grotty, weird, brutal and with a slightly convoluted reason behind it all.
Definitely one for fans of exploitation cinema, a travelogue tale gatecrashed by an increasingly overbearing local and it just gets odder thereafter...
7.5 / 10
Although this is set in the present day it often feels like a lost 1970s Euro horror, grotty, weird, brutal and with a slightly convoluted reason behind it all.
Definitely one for fans of exploitation cinema, a travelogue tale gatecrashed by an increasingly overbearing local and it just gets odder thereafter...
7.5 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
My Mother's Eyes
I may have nodded off a little, but this didn't always seem to make sense and it culminates in a bloody and slightly bonkers conclusion. A cautionary tale of making connections through technology.
7 / 10
I may have nodded off a little, but this didn't always seem to make sense and it culminates in a bloody and slightly bonkers conclusion. A cautionary tale of making connections through technology.
7 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
Founders Day
A fun if occasionally silly teen slasher movie set against a backdrop of a small town mayoral election, that actually cuts a little deeper at times.
Plenty of mystery and guessing "whodunnit?" too. Some of the twists are fairly predictable, but an undemanding stalk and slash with some surprises along the way.
7 / 10
A fun if occasionally silly teen slasher movie set against a backdrop of a small town mayoral election, that actually cuts a little deeper at times.
Plenty of mystery and guessing "whodunnit?" too. Some of the twists are fairly predictable, but an undemanding stalk and slash with some surprises along the way.
7 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
Home Sweet Home: Where Evil Lives
A very solid one-shot chiller featuring a fine performance by the female lead. Suitably creepy at times and it has a real-life atrocity at the heart of the mystery.
8 / 10
A very solid one-shot chiller featuring a fine performance by the female lead. Suitably creepy at times and it has a real-life atrocity at the heart of the mystery.
8 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.
Re: FF23 film reviews
The Exorcist
A genuine classic, arguably the best horror movie of all time, that stood up well after 50 years and looked great on the jumbo screen. Fantastic Q&A with Mr Kermode too.
10 / 10
A genuine classic, arguably the best horror movie of all time, that stood up well after 50 years and looked great on the jumbo screen. Fantastic Q&A with Mr Kermode too.
10 / 10
No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.