Tag Archives: Horror
Review in Brief: A Cure for Wellness (2016/17)
A CURE FOR WELLNESS is clean and cold, calculated and stylish horror. It’s about time we had a psychological scarer about that oft-heard euphemism “Going to Switzerland”. I think it’s aiming to be a scathing critique of non-stop modern work … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
At least the first one had momentum. RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER represents a tired franchise thankfully put to bed (until the reboot). The competent action is made far less enjoyable by Paul WS Anderson’s usual janky editing and tendency … Continue reading
Review in Brief: The Void (2017)
THE VOID, appropriately enough, starts with a void. It also starts as a taut, tense suspense horror but disappointingly becomes too derivative and something far less in its final act. Cult psychos without, Lovecraftian horrors within; the film is at … Continue reading
Review: Alien: Covenant (2017)
There’s a reason ALIEN: COVENANT re-adopts the parent franchise title. PROMETHEUS seemed stuck in an identity crisis, whereas Covenant is proudly a proper Alien movie. You’ll get everything you expect and then some from Ridley Scott’s real return to marshaling … Continue reading
Series Retrospective: Scott-directed Aliens
Just in time(ish) for the release of ALIEN: COVENANT, I thought I’d look back at Ridley Scott’s two previous encounters with Xenomorphs, Engineers and Last Women Standing. ALIEN (1979) It’s sometimes hard to believe that this was only Ridley Scott’s … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Justice League Dark (2017)
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK is appropriately dark and pleasingly weird, with incantations, jumping between plains of reality and a giant poo monster charging round a hospital. Yes, you read that last one right. It’s not every day you see Batman (Jason … Continue reading
Netflix Original Triple Bill: Ghosts, More Ghosts & Greetings Cards
Another day and still a load of original content produced for streaming on Netflix. As ever it’s a varied(ish) bunch and I’d sooner recommend some efforts than others. I AM THE PRETTY THING THAT LIVES IN THE HOUSE (2016) Yes, … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Train to Busan (2016)
It must be a nightmare thinking up new ways to portray zombies, but the walking-seizuring, rictus-grinning infected of TRAIN TO BUSAN are certainly original, creepy and funny creations. You don’t need much of a shake-up in terms of the confined … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Blair Witch (2016)
From the off, you get a reference to “footage assembled from DV cards” and it’s clear the world has changed since Adam Wingard took over this series. Following film school students trying out technology for a documentary class makes a … Continue reading
Review in Brief: The Witch (2015/16)
The first half of THE WITCH – slow, rich, slow, unforgiving, slow, naturalistic, and did I mention slow? – is far more successful than the second. There’s a gradual, creeping dread and very little of note that is actually happening. … Continue reading
SSP Thinks Film 