Psycho (1960) - Will's Review

Once again, I'm going to assume that if you're reading this you have either seen Psycho, or absorbed enough horror knowledge to have had it spoiled for you.

On the off chance that you are in that 0.01% of the population who do not know what surprises the movie holds, please I BEG YOU go and see it now... You camera check out my spoiler-free notes on my own blog HERE, but please, please, read no more on the subject than that until you have seen this masterpiece.

Halloween (1978) - Will's Review

First let me make it clear that I do not worship at the alter of John Carpenter, I find him to be one of horror's most inconsistent figures; at his best, he's undeniably a genius, but for every The Thing, there's a Ghosts of Mars...

Still, if you're reading a horror blog, there's really no point dragging out any suspense about this one; Halloween is an amazing movie, which cemented the slasher as a sub-genre, and inspired directors for the next 30 some years.

Frankenstein - Will's Review

Before James Whale cut loose in the previously reviewed Bride of Frankenstein, he adapted (parts of) Shelly's famous novel in this 1931 masterpiece.

Not scary to a modern audience, it's hard to understand the effect this had on audiences over 7 decades ago. What today is a classic movie which seems more horror-inspired than actual horror, once had audiences fleeing theatres in terror.

Jaws - Will's Review

As we approach the end of the list, it's no surprise that we're encountering more and more bonafide classics, but Jaws is one of those rare genre movies which is also a modern classic of mainstream cinema; in fact, this is the movie which more or less invented the summer blockbuster.

Dead of Night - Will's Review

This 1946 anthology movie sees an architect, Walter, arrive at the home of a perspective client during a party. After experiencing déjà vu, Walter realises that he has dreamed of this night, and is filled with dread. This, of course, turns the conversation to the supernatural, and 5 guests each tell a tale of their own.

Maybe I'm a little ADHD, but I love anthology movies; there's something about the bite-size story that appeals to me no matter how obvious the twist.

The Thing (1982) - Will's Review

Another genuine horror classic which you have either seen, or else should see, this is going to be a very short review, as with nothing to criticise, there's not much to say!

John Carpenter's remake of 1951's "The Thing From Another World" ditches everything about the original (even most of the title) keeping only the polar basecamp, and the fact that an alien crash-lands there.

Alien (1979) - Will's Review

Alien was groundbreaking in its depiction of space travel; it was (and to a large degree, still is) the norm to show all space travel, no matter how far in the future, as being the domain of pioneers and explorers, in gleaming white console rooms. Here space travel has clearly been going on for a while, and the crew of the Nostromo are basically space-truckers (or at best the space-merchant-navy), while the ship itself is industrial looking and lived-in.

When they accidentally pick up the Alien, the confined setting gives plenty of scope for claustrophobia, while the labyrinth of corridors which comprise much of the ship give the creature plenty of room to hide, allowing that the Alien could be anywhere. This mixture of claustrophobia and hiding spots gives the movie a lot to play with in the way of suspense.

Martyrs - Will's Review

One of the great things about watching movies from a list you didn't write, is that occasionally you get to go into a film completely cold. For my money the best way to see any film is with absolutely no knowledge of it at all, but when choosing films for yourself it's all but impossible.

I'm pleased to say that I went into Martyrs knowing exactly nothing. If you like your horror movies brutal, and don't mind subtitles (it's a French film) I STRONGLY recommend that you stop reading. Come back when you've seen it.

Night of the Living Dead - Will's Review

When the dead start to rise and feast on the flesh of the living. A group of survivors haul up in an abandoned farmhouse.

Although the word "zombie" is never uttered on screen (the undead are referred to as "ghouls", Night of the Living Dead gave us the the modern zombie movie; until NOTLD, "zombies" referred to the sometimes undead, often hypnotised or brainwashed living people, used as slaves in Haitian Voodoo. Whereas old-school zombies would usually be present in small numbers, Romero gave us the horde of the undead working independently of a master.

More than the creatures themselves though, NOTLD supplied the blueprint still used in most zombie movies (and AMC's "The Walking Dead") to this day; a group of survivors hauled up in a semi-secure location, with in-fighting being every bit as dangerous as the horde outside.

An American Werewolf in London - Will's Review

2 young American backpackers are attacked in the Yorkshire dales, one of them (Jack) is killed; the other (David) is badly injured and sent to hospital in London. The Dales' Locals cover up the truth behind the savage attack, claiming it was a madman; but when David comes too, the spirit of Jack is on hand to tell him the truth; they were attacked by a werewolf, and only the distraction of the wolf's "bloodline" can rescue his victims from purgatory.

David, naturally, questions his own sanity, rather than simply accepting the visions as fact... But the full moon is in its way.

Carrie - Will's Review

Stephen King spins a great story but film adaptations of his work, while usually entertaining, are veritable in quality to say the least.

In Carry, I think one of his books was captured properly; of course some things were changed, books and movies are different mediums, but none of those changes take anything away from one of Kings most identifiable novels.

Don't Look Now - Will's Review

I can only assume this movie wasn't available on video during the early 80's, or between opening with a child death, featuring a fairly graphic sex scene, and it's "Don't" title, it would surely have found itself on the DPP list.

As well acted as the movie is, the real star of the show though, is the editor, who takes a simple story about a couple's grief and turns it to to an atmospheric, compelling movie, full of scenes from the present intercut wonderfully with flashback (and other) material. Totally this movie is very similar to Possesion; dealing with grief in much the same way that movie dealt with a failing relationship... Only without the rubber monster!

Audition - Will's Review

This isn't the first time I've seen Audition, but I'm Damned if I remembered more than 10 minutes of it, so for all intents and purposes I went in cold on this one.

After his young adult son suggest it's time he remarries, widower Shigeharu enlists the help of a film producer friend to hold a fake Audition for a non existent roll, so that he may find a woman he wishes to date. He becomes immediately infatuated with one woman in particular (Asami) and pursues her.

Asami is receptive to Shingeharu's advances, but this being a horror movie, it's no spoiler to tell you that not everything goes smoothly, and that someone isn't what they appear.

Eyes Without A Face - Will's Review

Eyes without a face is a French-Italian co-production. Were it not for the subtitles there would very little clue to this, feeling instead like one of the many American produced sci-fi horrors put out by Universal or MGM at about the same time, indeed, this would sit well on a shelf next to Village of the Damned, being one of the more thoughtful, sympathetic, examples of the genre.

Nosferatu - Will's Review

Right off the bat I think it's only fair to point out that silent movies aren't really my thing; I don't have the experience necessarily to compare one to another, or to know which of my complaints or comments apply to any particular movie, rather than being typical of the time.

What I will say, is that in the print I watched the tinting had been preserved (it was not uncommon for silent film to be tinted on a scene by scene basis to show mood or time of day), and the image was sharp and crisp; a vast improvement over last time I attempted to watch this in a poor quality grayscale transfer.

The Fly (1986) - Will's Review

Not that long ago, I said that I enjoyed Cronenberg's more liner work, and The Fly is the perfect example of Cronenberg at his strange, but lucid, best.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - Will's Review

A Nightmare on Elm Street was the first movie box set I owned on DVD, even going so far as to import the North American version (back when that meant shopping with relatively small companies based in Canada, because the likes of Amazon weren't importing / exporting then) to make sure I got all 7 movies and the bonus disc (the UK version at the time only had the first 6 movies, and we're still waiting for an official release of the 8th disc). A few years ago Never Sleep again was released, and I knocked out the whole thing (a 4 hour documentary, 8 hours of extras, and the documentary again with commentary) in a couple of days.

It's fair to say I am a huge Freddy fan... But that hasn't always been the case.

The Descent - Will's Review

This Review was originally published on Will's solo blog

Partial synopsis (seriously, don't read a full synopsis until you have seen the movie: don't even read the back of the damn DVD case):

Six women go on a caving holiday, and things go wrong. Hundreds of feet underground, with no hope of rescue, it is up to them to try to save themselves and find their own way back to the surface.

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Rage (2010) - Will's Review

NOTE: In honour of Halloween, We're taking a break from the TimeOut 100 Greatest Best Horror Movies.

This month, reviewers have been given a free choice of any horror movie they haven't yet seen.

While parking his car, Dennis inadvertently cuts up a biker. It proves to be a far bigger mistake than he could have guessed.
Starting with childish baiting, and working his way up, the baker spends the day stalking and terrorising Dennis from behind his tinted visor, taking a simple disagreement way beyond road rage, and turning it into a terrifying ordeal.

Deep Red - Will's Review

For my money, Deep Red is Dario Argento's best, certainly his most accessible, movie. 

It highlights everything good about Argento's work; great cinematography, a killer soundtrack by Goblin, and a good dose of suspense, while eschewing some of his more off-putting trademarks; the story, for one thing, is fairly straight forward (which isn't to say dull or simplistic), and the weird coloured lighting isn't present.