Review Category: Movie

All-girl punk band MS-45 (a nice nod to the Abel Ferrara film) literally kick up a storm during their latest show as an all-out riot breaks out when the lead singer Amy (Michelle Argyris) doesn’t take kindly to being groped by one of the thugs in the bar. After the show, guitarist Emma (Emily Alatalo) is approached by a creepy-looking guy, Sam (Jason Rouse), who will later run them off the road. They are picked up by the local sheriff who takes them to a junkyard to ‘get them help’. Unfortunately, the band are kidnapped, have their hands chopped off to be replaced by various weapons and made to fight gladiator-style for a weird religious cult.

Spare Parts sets it stable out in the opening moments, even before we get to the barroom battle. We see woman with a fake leg pick up several dismembered limbs that are discarded from the junkyard. The band’s introduction is handled brilliantly. The dynamics between the girls set out during the post-gig merchandise sale: two sisters with intense rivalry and two lovers who are expecting a child.

Once the story shifts to the Thunderdome-style fighting, it’s a gory and often exhilarating ride. Sam has the hots for Emma so she gets preferential treatment. She still has to fight but it puts a strain on the already flimsy relationship with her sister. The concept of the cult, headed by an ‘Emperor’ (Julian Richings) is a fun twist on the folk horror traditions. The blood must feed the land, however, what’s going to come from that in a place filled with wrecked cars is beside the point. It’s a great set-up for some bloody battles but doesn’t really fulfil its potential. That said, the fact that it’s well acted and has some really gruesome gore means it’s a whole lot of fun.

Josie (Riley Scott) forgoes a Christmas party and a chance for fun to babysit for a famous music producer. When they return home early, she continues playing hide and seek with young Sophia (Scarlett Hazan), but the game is interrupted when a cult-following trio invade the house in an attempt to open a portal to Hell. Josie must use her skills learnt in her annual Mustard Seed camp to evade and overcome the attackers.

Often playing like a blood-soaked version of Home Alone, Kohl Glass’ film is brief but action-packed. Not everything lands at the right pace though. The juxtaposition of the camp badges appearing on screen in a Scott Pilgrim style when Josie performs something outstanding against the acts of violence being carried out in the house is a little jarring, since there’s not much humour elsewhere. It’s well shot, though, and there are plenty of edge-of-the-seat moments but ultimately, we know the pantomime villains will be thwarted, however nasty they may be.

Motherhood and ancient legends meet head on in this brooding Argentinian drama.

Set in South America in the early twentieth century, the wife of a wealthy landowner suffers a miscarriage and prays that the spirit of the Iguazú will help her bear her own child. Unfortunately, this pact brings with it a curse for others, who return from the jungle as possessed, black-eyed zombie-like figures.

Laura Casabé’s film – presented in several chapters depicting different viewpoints – takes the plight of the indigenous South America people and adds a supernatural element as well as the occasional outburst of gore and violence. It’s a dense, ponderous film with an ominous, dread-filled soundtrack. It’s in this element – as well as the stunning location photography and eerie images – that The Returned works best. Arguably, it would be more terrifying without the storied elements, relying purely on the visuals to provide the prevailing horror.

The trope of having a film that can literally kill isn’t new. Think Ringu, or the one at the heart of John Carpenter’s Cigarette Burns. Antrum sets its stall out right from the start. Opening with documentary talking heads discussing the film you’re about to see. It’s only public screenings had culminated in death and destruction. All the festival programmers who watched it died within hours. You may think you’ve seen it all, but stick with this as Antrum is truly something else.

Apparently made in 1979, the film itself is follows a brother and sister attempting to conjure the devil to resurrect a lost dog. It looks authentic enough, with muted colours, scratched print, and an eerie, disconcerting soundtrack. Look closely, though, and you’ll see the scratches are symbolic of something much more evil. Subliminal frames have been spliced into the print making the viewing experience even more disturbing. Antrum comes across at times like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as directed by David Lynch.

Anyone who has a fondness for seventies grindhouse or even arthouse obscurities will find something to enjoy here, such is the attention to detail. Everything about the film-within-a-film appears authentic. Even the documentary wraparound is convincing once you get over the preconceived thought that they’re just going to build up the hype to nothing. The narration is a note-perfect replication of what we could expect from a serious BBC doc. This is clever, engrossing filmmaking that we don’t see enough of.

Watching the supposed cursed film is an unsettling experience. Not because we think there might be some harm to come from it, but purely because of the combination of all the elements. The sound design is fantastic, particularly the use of Alicia Fricker’s ethereal harmonic score, which evokes memories of arty European horror films, while the rumbling hum on some scenes burrows into your mind. The visuals, performances (even the kid is good!), and plot all work to unnerve. Are we right to think this is all fake, or is what we’re watching the real deal?

You may not be risking death by watching Antrum, but you’ll certainly be missing out if you give it a swerve.

Kai (Hideki Nagai) runs a photography business where the majority of his clients want their image touched up, blemishes removed, and generally made to look more like the perceived version of ‘beauty’. Away from his day job, he is passionate about photographing insects (his companion at home is a praying mantis – a heavy piece of symbolism and a character in itself). While out pursuing his hobby, a woman, Kyoko (Itsuki Otaki) falls out of the trees in front of him while attempting to take a shot for her social media followers. She asks for a ride back and when seeing his photo studio, lets him digitally remove her scar. From there, an awkward friendship (he doesn’t to speak to her) begins as their obsessions take over.

Writer/director Takeshi Kushida’s film tackles a subject that’s incredibly relevant with the digital age in which we can’t believe what we see, but as long as no harm is done, “A good lie can make people happy”, as one character says. Kyoko learns that her scars – which don’t heal – are part of her, and her followers seem to like it, but it’d not a moral that works out in the social media world. It takes a while to get into any elements of genre, but once it does, comparisons to Cronenberg are evident. Long passages without dialogue allow the viewer to concentrate on the visuals and sound design, often giving an ASMR reaction.

Woman in the Photographs looks at how body image has become something fake and relationships more distant. Beautifully filmed, and engagingly acted, it’s a curious, rewarding watch.

CERT: TBC / FORMAT: VOD, THEATRICAL (US) / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 16TH (US), TBC (UK)

A group of people witness a guy getting beaten to death in the park but stand, watch, and do nothing to intervene. One even films it on their phone. It’s something that unfortunately could happen every day the way the world’s going now, but in Don’t Look Back, it triggers a series of repercussions that sees the five who did nothing dead or in fear of their lives. Is something out there trying to get them? Why does one of them, Caitlin (Kourtney Bell) keep seeing the dead man and is seemingly being followed by a cawing crow. Is karma catching up with them?

If the plot sounds a little familiar, it’ll be no surprise that it was written by Final Destination’s Jeffrey Reddick. He makes his feature directing debut here, too, expanding on his short film Good Samaritan (2014). Unfortunately, there’s nothing substantial to add to the short as this is full of predictable scares and clunky dialogue. It also lacks the fun gore aspect that made the Final Destination movies so entertaining. Apart from Caitlin, most of the characters are intensely unlikable, most probably because she’s the only one who’s given any sort of backstory. An undemanding audience may enjoy the cheap thrills and get what they deserve, but hardened horror fans will find it a turn off.

CERT: TBC / RELEASE DATE: TBC

Writer/director/composer/actor David Simpson’s first feature is an audacious one, and a true commitment from filmmaker and viewer seeing that it is three hours long. For those with the buttock muscles strong enough to take it, however, there’s plenty to take in.

Presented in separate parts, each skewing the viewpoint for the audience, it tells the story of a severely mentally ill Bridget (Bridget Graham), who is obsessed with fellow college kid Jordan (Andrew Robert Wilson). We meet him when he’s dropping off her stuff after breaking up with her. His mate, Jun (James An), is his emotional support (“Don’t be a pussy!”) but things take a turn for the worse and her threat of committing suicide proves true. Fortunately, Jordan manages to get the police to her in time. In part two, Bridget is being sent by her brother, Tom (director Simpson) to spend time in a remote cabin to see if she can get Jordan out of her system and prove she can take her meds and be responsible. It’s the only way the school will let her back and her brother won’t cut her out of any inheritance. It’s from there the film takes a major turn for the sinister, details of which be major spoilers we won’t reveal.

Adapting his own novel, one-man band Simpson shows great promise with his directorial skills. The discordant, synth score is also impressive and certainly complements the psychotic episodes, but has the unfortunate effect of rendering some of the dialogue hard to hear. A problem when the majority – and an important aspect – of the film is talking. The interchanges range from self-aware Scream-like banter of the two friends in part one (these too are carefully crafted and not just throwaway lines) to some self-absorbed, psychotically narcissistic god complex rants later on. For the most part, the exchanges are deep and philosophical, with musings on morality and humanity, which can get a little too heavy.

For such a long film, there’s a lot going on and, ultimately, it’s worth the ride if you may not get the conclusion you’d wish for. A bit like life, really.