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3/5
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Don't Move
(2024)
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Paul Mount
|
Don’t Move is a decent, unassuming and utterly unpretentious little thriller perfect for those nights when you really can’t be bothered to engage your brain and just fancy something that will keep you entertained for 90 minutes or so.
Posted Nov 07, 2024
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4/5
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Heretic
(2024)
|
Paul Mount
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Heretic is an intelligent, thought-provoking and refreshingly unshowy horror film.
Posted Nov 07, 2024
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2/5
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The Radleys
(2024)
|
Paul Mount
|
Euros Lyn, whose TV work is usually fast, vibrant and lively, doesn't seem to be able to get a handle On this at all, but he's not helped by an anaemic, joyless script that's managed to suck all the life out of Matt Haig's sprightly novel.
Posted Oct 30, 2024
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4/5
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My Name is Alfred Hitchcock
(2022)
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Martin Unsworth
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My Name is Alfred Hitchcock provides an enlightening look at the master’s oeuvre and how he managed to evoke such powerful emotions from his audience.
Posted Oct 30, 2024
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2/5
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The Front Room
(2024)
|
Jonathan Anderson
|
Expected twists never quite materialise, and decent turns from Brandy and Hunter can’t quite save a forgettable horror. Still, it might make you appreciate your mother-in-law.
Posted Oct 23, 2024
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3/5
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Dominique
(2024)
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Martin Unsworth
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Thrill-packed and not as predictable as many of its type, director (and co-writer) Michael S. Ojeda’s film is often startlingly brutal and a must-see for action fans.
Posted Oct 23, 2024
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2/5
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Clawfoot
(2023)
|
Rich Cross
|
The repeated lurches in tone flatten the impact of the dark comedy, the jump scares and the gruesome blood-letting. Little of the story lands convincingly, and everything ends up feeling as soulless as Janet’s taste in home decor.
Posted Oct 23, 2024
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3/5
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Blood Star
(2024)
|
Martin Unsworth
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Blood Star is thrilling and frustrating in almost equal measure, but worth the ride.
Posted Oct 18, 2024
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4/5
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Smile 2
(2024)
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Joel Harley
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It’s a marked improvement over what came before, upping the ante on what was already a perfectly respectable supernatural thriller.
Posted Oct 18, 2024
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4/5
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Salem's Lot
(2024)
|
Paul Mount
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Salem’s Lot as a whole is better for having no pretensions, no hidden meanings, and no purpose other than to present a spooky horror story about mad-eyed vampires on the rampage.
Posted Oct 18, 2024
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4/5
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V/H/S/Beyond
(2024)
|
Jack Bottomley
|
We look forward to next year’s entry in what has now become a much welcome pre-Halloween Shudder tradition, and at this rate, it could run to infinity and, ahem, beyond.
Posted Oct 16, 2024
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2/5
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The Crow
(2024)
|
Jack Bottomley
|
Despite the odd violent flourish, this film is not artistically satisfying nor as emotionally impactful as it should be... Dead on arrival sadly.
Posted Oct 16, 2024
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3/5
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We Are Zombies
(2023)
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Spleeny Dotson
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Fun but thin, We Are Zombies may leave you hungry for something more substantial, or with more braaaains.
Posted Oct 09, 2024
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2/5
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Joker: Folie à Deux
(2024)
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Laura Potier
|
Joker: Folie à Deux has nothing interesting or relevant to say, seems to resent its existence, and wastes its performers. Phoenix doesn’t even look like he wants to be there. And frankly, we have to agree.
Posted Oct 07, 2024
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8/10
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Kill, Baby... Kill!
(1966)
|
Scott Clark
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A perfect Gothic horror film, and a kind of sign-off from the "classic" phase of the genre.
Posted Sep 27, 2024
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4/5
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The Island
(1980)
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Martin Unsworth
|
Opening with a shockingly gory slaughter, this adaptation of Peter Benchley’s novel (who also provides the screenplay) is a rollicking modern pirate adventure that, while not wholly successful, stands the test of time...
Posted Sep 27, 2024
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3/5
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The Workout
(2024)
|
Martin Unsworth
|
While some of the acting is a bit melodramatic, it’s a solid thriller that won’t disappoint fans of martial arts and full-on fist-fight movies.
Posted Sep 27, 2024
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4/5
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A Man Called Tiger
(1972)
|
Alan Mount
|
Wang Yu brings his own brand of kick-ass charisma to Tiger as the heroic Chin Fu who tracks down the killers of his father to Japan... [Full review in Spanish]
Posted Sep 27, 2024
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3/5
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Test Screening
(2024)
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Martin Unsworth
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Baker has crafted his own take on the theme perfectly, populating his town with characters who are fleshed out well. This test screening is one you shouldn’t skip.
Posted Sep 27, 2024
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4.5/5
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The Substance
(2024)
|
Margot Harrison
|
Watching this movie is like opening the tackiest of sparkly wrappings to find a literal bleeding heart.
Posted Sep 27, 2024
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3/5
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The Final Pact
(2024)
|
Paul Mount
|
Compelling performances are supported by Rabbath’s assured, subtle direction that belies the film’s tiny budget and whilst The Final Pact won’t appeal to everyone, it’s an interesting, well-crafted and highly-moral fable...
Posted Sep 26, 2024
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5/5
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Ebony and Ivory
(2024)
|
Martin Unsworth
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Ebony and Ivory delivers in abundance. It’s an almost theatrical two-hander that gives both actors their time to shine.
Posted Sep 24, 2024
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4/5
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The Hitcher
(1986)
|
Christian Jones
|
Harmon’s tightly controlled direction generates an increasingly taut atmosphere as the body count rises, and Halsey futilely tries to extricate himself from the madness.
Posted Sep 24, 2024
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3/5
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Skincare
(2024)
|
Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Skincare is like a bad facial: inconsequential in the beginning but irritates your skin shortly after.
Posted Sep 18, 2024
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|
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Never Let Go
(2024)
|
Laura Potier
|
... If it fails to make a lasting impact, Aja’s latest is nonetheless an entertaining, polished horror for both horror junkies and the more casual cinemagoers looking for some spooky-season viewing.
Posted Sep 17, 2024
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4/5
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You're Next
(2023)
|
Christian Jones
|
Wingard takes the well-worn slasher/home-invasion tropes and has fun with them, expertly weaving them together.
Posted Sep 16, 2024
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3/5
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Subservience
(2024)
|
Martin Unsworth
|
While it may not go full-on Terminator (Alice does go to some nasty places, though), there’s enough tension and action to make it worth your while.
Posted Sep 16, 2024
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3/5
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Hellboy: The Crooked Man
(2024)
|
Joel Harley
|
What The Crooked Man lacks in blockbuster bombast, this ambitious comic book adaptation makes up for with gothic chills and bloody action straight out of an Evil Dead film.
Posted Sep 13, 2024
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4/5
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Bloody Bridget
(2023)
|
Martin Unsworth
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Despite (or perhaps because of) the shoestring budget, Elfman’s film delights in filling the screen with skin and gore, but it also boasts an independent spirit for not only the artists involved but the characters themselves.
Posted Sep 11, 2024
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4/5
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Speak No Evil
(2024)
|
Jonathan Anderson
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While the twist is obvious from the start, the top-notch acting from the cast and the well-timed descent into feelings of discomfort and dread make the film highly watchable.
Posted Sep 10, 2024
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5/5
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
(2024)
|
Jack Bottomley
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is Tim Burton firing on all cylinders, and at the most mischievous he has been in years. A sequel that, after years of waiting, delivers an inventive, giddy, laugh-out-loud funny, tender and a truly special big screen experience...
Posted Sep 10, 2024
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3/5
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Crumb Catcher
(2023)
|
Spleeny Dotson
|
Equally, flashes of sharp and taut direction are followed by long moments of nothing very much, leading to a rollercoaster ride where every jump can be seen coming, and every stomach lurch is followed by enough recovery time to forget all about it.
Posted Sep 06, 2024
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3/5
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The Vourdalak
(2023)
|
Spleeny Dotson
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Sparse, tense, and claustrophobic, if you can get past the spooky puppet, The Vourdalak is a solid addition to cinema’s eternally bulging vampire canon.
Posted Sep 06, 2024
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4/5
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Red Rooms
(2023)
|
Rebecca Sayce
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Pascal Plante’s thoroughly disturbing Red Rooms takes the over-saturated true crime courtroom drama and gives it a fresh, surreal twist to create something utterly horrifying.
Posted Sep 06, 2024
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4/5
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The Last Ashes
(2023)
|
Joel Harley
|
The Last Ashes is a beautiful, horrifying version of the revenge thriller that compels to the last breath. Move over The Northman, the woman from Luxembourg is here.
Posted Aug 30, 2024
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2/5
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Saint Clare
(2023)
|
Joel Harley
|
Unfortunately, these goofier elements clash with the film’s heavy-handed religious imagery and its attempts at seriousness.
Posted Aug 28, 2024
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4/5
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Blink Twice
(2024)
|
Paul Mount
|
Its morality is generally pretty grey, but ultimately, this is a film about manipulation, memory and the monstrous ways human beings can treat one another.
Posted Aug 28, 2024
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2/5
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Jackpot!
(2024)
|
Paul Mount
|
Noisy, raucous, undisciplined, Jackpot! is really a self-indulgent mess...
Posted Aug 28, 2024
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|
3/5
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The Union
(2024)
|
Paul Mount
|
The Union is very much Bond-lite stuff...
Posted Aug 28, 2024
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4/5
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Video Vision
(2024)
|
Martin Unsworth
|
Michael Turney has crafted a visually stunning film, particularly if you’re a fan of looking at old media items. While the script goes overboard a little on some issues, it’s always handled sensitively and level-headed.
Posted Aug 27, 2024
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3/5
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A Desert
(2024)
|
Joel Harley
|
This gritty thriller by Joshua Erkman blends Hitchcockian mystery with the urbanoia chills of a Texas Chain Saw Massacre or Deliverance.
Posted Aug 27, 2024
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5/5
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The Substance
(2024)
|
Joel Harley
|
... A transcendent work of boobs-to-the-wall Grand Guignol which cements The Substance as one of the most incendiary body horror films of all time.
Posted Aug 27, 2024
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3/5
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Scared Shitless
(2024)
|
Joel Harley
|
Scared Shitless is a brisk, breezy work of toilet terror featuring dynamic performances and deviously gory action. But, like a good poop foiled by over-greased bowels, it’s over too soon.
Posted Aug 27, 2024
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4/5
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Azrael
(2024)
|
Joel Harley
|
The final act may frustrate as much as it satiates, but it’s delivered with gusto, and full of bloody surprises.
Posted Aug 26, 2024
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4/5
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Invader
(2024)
|
Joel Harley
|
Running at a brisk 70 minutes, Invader burns hot and fast, staying just long enough to kick the doors in and trash the joint.
Posted Aug 26, 2024
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4/5
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Dead Mail
(2024)
|
Joel Harley
|
It’s Fargo by way of Misery, and those who enjoyed the visual element of Longlegs should find much to like here too, even if it favours absurdism over scares.
Posted Aug 26, 2024
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3/5
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Members Club
(2024)
|
Joel Harley
|
A crude, oafish work, but one that possesses a certain vulgar charm.
Posted Aug 26, 2024
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3/5
|
7 Keys
(2024)
|
Joel Harley
|
7 Keys is a deviously dark British thriller with an irresistible premise, but doesn’t quite have the ending locked down.
Posted Aug 26, 2024
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4/5
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Strange Darling
(2023)
|
Joel Harley
|
Ferocious, disorienting, difficult, electric, dangerous; all hold true of Strange Darling, assemble as you will.
Posted Aug 26, 2024
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4/5
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Boutique: To Preserve and Collect
(2024)
|
Martin Unsworth
|
From the early days of Criterion’s laserdisc releases to the eclectic catalogues of the growing array of labels that are springing up worldwide, the documentary celebrates the strange, the obscure, and the downright bad...
Posted Aug 26, 2024
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