Director: Phillipe Mora Starring: Barry Otto, Max Fairchild, Imogen Annesley, Frank Thring, Michael Pate, Burnham Burnham, Barry Humphries. Australia . 1h 38m
Easily the most Australian of the Howling franchise and possibly the most Australian movie ever. If you’re a fan of the 80’s Australian Horror genre then you might just have a soft spot for this turd instalment in an iconic werewolf series. In saying that, if that’s not your into garish lit scenes, vulgar humor, vile body horror and ransom nun, commandos and Aboriginal spiritual warriors popping in at random points then this might be hard to get into. I do wholeheartedly agree that it’s not a brilliant made movie, it doesn’t really make sense, and is more comedy than horror, but is Howling 3 really that bad? A film so bad it didn’t even get a cinematic release in its home country?
Director: J P Valkeapää Starring: Pekka Strang, Ester Geislerova .Finland. 1h 45m
Sometimes those big life events can shake a person from one life into another, after moving through a period of massive grief and shock, J P Valkeapää’s lead Juha (Strang) finds himself in some sort of sado sexual purgatory, a surreal life path, which happens to become fantastically gripping in this somewhat violent dark comedy.
Dogs Don’t Wear Pants is one of the ultimate sad stories. It begins after the lowest part of Juha’s life, his soulmate had died after a tragic drowning accident. Struggling on with his crippling grief he does his best to look after his teenage daughter and keeps his head down at work. There are hints that Juha is already a bit of a perv, no idea what life was like before, we can only assume his creative adaptation of self gratification is new as he tries to find some kind of satisfaction alone.
This took some time to warm up, but once it got the gears in motion it’s a pretty rough ride for an Australian family travelling across the country. After stopping at a gas station they believe their sons to be tucked up in bed in their caravan, not realising the whereabouts of both boys and the strange hitch hiker that may have snuck on board.
There’s a lot which isi sign posted and some hardcore horror fans will pick up on them straight away. But even with the hiccups, it’s still a well shot and interesting short from Nathan Lacey, that takes some of the more real darker fears from American road films and any parents’ nightmares.
AKA Black Voodoo, as well as Beyond the Living, Hospital of Terror, Killer’s Curse, and Hands of Death.
Director: Al Adamson Starring: Jill Jacobson, Marilyn Joi, Geoffrey Land , Prentiss Moulden. USA. 1h 28m
Nurse Sheri is a dramatic possession horror/slasher from the height of the exploitation era it tantalises with sexual innuendos and buckets of psychedelic entity antics as Sheri tries to battle against a dark forces that were brought into the hospital by a dying cult member.
Al Adamsson uses a combination of grindhouse trashy murders with mediocre acting, a touch of eroticism and some animated graphics to highlight the story of a nurse who is accidently present when an occultist dies in her hospital and becomes a vessel for an otherworldly feind on a mission.
Director: Luke Goss Starring: Luke Goss, Robert Davi, Luis Gatica .USA/Mexico. 1h 36m
Tell me if you’ve heard this before.. a man manages to remotely catch the violent abduction of his loved ones, but this man has a unique art of skills and some dodgy connections and he’ll do anything to get his loved ones back. It’s not another part of the Taken (2008) universe but a poor relation to the revenge genre, written and directed by Luke Goss.
I have to admit that it’s not a terrible attempt for a debut movie, but for someone who has a wealth of direct to DVD movies under his belt, along with co-starring in some major movies, I’d have expected a lot more from him being behind the camera. It would be a common assumption that something from Guillermo Del Toro would have worn off on him from their work together in both sequels to Hellboy (2004) and Blade (1998)??
Director: Olly Blackburn Starring: Tom Burke, Sian Breckin, Nichola Burley. UK. 1h 39m
This might just be one of the most marmite movies of the year. Donkey Punch really plays with some exceptional ideas but squanders all the good intentions of a nasty thriller, instead of building up to something more palatable it just gets under the skin for all the wrong reasons.
The first half of the movie, everything is set up perfectly. A group of twentysomethings are on holiday in the sun desperately seeking a good time with all the sex, booze, drugs and tunes that any young person could desire. Taking their party on board a luxury yacht anchored off the coast on an unnamed Spanish island, the film turns into an episode of The Only Way is Essex meets Knife In the Water directed by Larry Clark.
Director: Martin Radich
Starring: Denis Menochet, Barry Keoghan, Goda Letkaustie. UK. 1h 23m
Sometimes cinema can be drab and unkind, which is the unnerving feeling you’ll end up with after watching Martin Radich’s Surreal coming of age art house drama.
The downtrodden ,depressing atmosphere permeates from the screen, as a father attempts to protect and train his son. While living off the grid in a remote rural location the two have strained relationship, mulling around their isolated home, their only connection is watching tv together. Unbeknowst to the son, a job from the past has caught up with his father and now their lives are in danger and one more murder must be commited, just one more contract or one more act of revenge.
Please note this post discussion is a post discussion, therefore it’s full of spoilers it discloses information about the ENTIRE film (yes including the ending) and these following movies, Funny Games (1997), The Babadook (2014) . Persona (1966), The Visit(2015)
So if you’ve not seen them it’s probably better not to read on.. instead check out the non spoiler review here
Back in 2015 Goodnight Mommy started to terrify international audiences, but what could be so frightening about a drama about a family living in a ultra-modern home and to want for nothing? There are threads of terror and curiosity webbed across the debut from writer/director Severin Fiala’s successful art-house horror that spun the director into the realms of other great directions such as Michael Haneke as the everyday becomes dark and violent as with his Funny Games (1997) as the pair of films share a sadistic brutality often instigated by a pair of fresh-faced young men dressed in white.
Falling in love just might be the easy part in this explosive Nigeria classic, not only do a couple of friends both find the women of their dreams, they manage to lose them due to irrational reactions and lack of attention and empathy.
Frederick Leonard plays an attractive bachelor, who’s hooked up with an old flame and within months of reuniting they are getting married. The love is lost and all goes bad on the wedding night when his new bride wakes up, and before she’s got her faculties together and in a total daze, she’s asking to be paid for her nightly rate! Utterly shocked Frederick realises he’s married ex prostitute, disgusted and pained verbally beats the woman down, leaving her in their hotel suite with some cash, the message is clear, the arrangement is over. At her most vulnerable state her best friend also takes advantage of her and ashamed she moves on with her life.
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