Phantasm (1979)

This Sci-Fi fantasy horror tells the story of two brothers who investigate the strange happenings at a morgue after the youngest brother witnesses the 'Tall Man' steal their friends coffin after his funeral. The more they investigate the stranger their discoveries become, including the living dead, gateways into other worlds and some strange metal spheres that drill into their victims heads! This is a little undiscovered gem of a film. Both interesting and original. Early 80s fun and a good watch. 

6.5/10

The Headless Eyes (1971)

Directed by Kent Bateman this low budget grind house spectacle has seen better days print wise. Sounds not great, with grimey picture quality.... All the things I love! The plot is simple. A misunderstood artist while stealing money from someone's apartment gets his eye gauged out with a spoon. After the acidic looping of his cries 'My eye... My eye!' He recovers, although the incident sends him somewhat 'twisted' and he embarks on a killing spree incorporating his victims eyes into his sculptures. This film is mental. At times its attempts to visually interpret the killers descent into madness which is deliciously insane. It's a tough watch don't get me wrong but there's some great dialogue and fun to be had. Be forgiving and it's oddly enjoyable.

4/10

Curse of Chucky (2013)

I'm sure this played at Frightfest and with Alan Jones recommendation on the box it was worth a watch, even if the premiss of the film and it's many predesessors are somewhat ridiculous. Basically, Chucky gets delivered to a house where a woman in a wheelchair and her mother reside. The mum gets bumped off pretty quick and when the family stay for the funeral our red headed doll leaps into action. Overall, it's got some smart twists but predictably it's not great and somewhat throw away. 

5/10

The Innkeepers (2011)

Written and directed by Ti West, this ghost story focuses on two employees -come wanna be ghost hunters, who work at the soon to be closed Yankee Pedlar Inn. The final days of the hotel is coming to an end and with it comes a barrage of unexplained supernatural events. Overall it's well done, good characters, effects and nice cinematography. Trouble is its pace is very very slow and it hasn't got enough of a story. Nothing really happens, nothing is really explained. It's an ok film but hardly the classic it's been made out to be. Basically a modern yet poor mans 'Shining'. 

5/10

Outpost II (Black Sun) (2012)

Written & directed by Steve Barker & with a fairly strong cast & crew I watched this with a little apprehension having not seen the first film. The story seems to follow on without relying on its predesessor too much. It seems our main female protagonist is continuing work in searching down old Nazi war criminals & bringing them to justice. This search brings her to cross paths with another guy who is after the same Nazi General, but for a whole different reason. It seems the Nazis have been busy using sophisticated equipment to reanimate an army of indestructible SS soldiers! Ok... So overall there's some minor flaws but in short it's a very well made film. Not overly my cup of tea but it's pace and great set & costume design lend itself to an enjoyable watch. Pretty good story moving the plot on it seems from the first film, mixing Horror with a dash of Sci Fi. Probably not something I'd watch again, but certainly a pleasant surprise. 

6/10

Dawn Of The Dead (1978)

It's hard to really say anything about this that hasn't been said a thousand times. You forget how George Romero laid the template for the whole zombie genre including series like The Walking Dead over 35 years ago. Dawn is still a great social comment on consumerism and building an unsatisfactory utopia through possessions, alongside the idea of the 'survivors' becoming the biggest threat when the dead walk the earth. I Havn't watched this for years but it's still great with the pace becoming fever pitched towards the end. A true modern classic.

9/10

Savage Streets (1984)

Linda Blair leads the charge in this classic 80s rape revenge sleaze fest. When her deaf sister is violated and best friend killed by a gang of local hoodlums Linda seeks bloody revenge. Sleazy teen exploitation that you either love or hate... It has to be said there's a lot to enjoy here.

7/10