Sinister (2012)

Written and directed by Scott Derrickson and from what I'm told a highlight of this years Frightfest. The film tells the tale of a well known crime writer who knowingly moves his family into the house were a family has died and a small girl has dissapeared. There he uncovers some old cine films that detail their deaths and uncover a supernatural force that puts his own family in the firing line. In essence the film has a nice old school creepy feel and has some good jumps and a great soundtrack, including Warp's Boards Of Canada. Some absurd and unbelievable dialogue alongside an overplayed final quater lets it down, loosing its potentially strong individual creepiness. A good effort but could have been better.
6.5/10

A Horrible Way To Die (2011)

Very stylisic and melancolic film about a recovering alcoholic who finds out her ex boyfriend (a notorious serial killer) has escaped from prison and maybe on the hunt for her. Falling for another ex drinker at an AA meeting the pair await the inevitable confrontation as the bodies start to mount up in the killers wake. Directed by Adam Wingard the film is well put together, really atmospheric and well acted. My only critisicism lies in the camera work being too shakey and overly stylised in places and ultimately the plot and storyline. Which i feel was alittle too vague and alittle weak. Could have been so much better, but certainly has an originality about it. Overall better than your average new school thriller/horror.
5/10

Tabloid (2010)

Eroll Morris directs this intrigueing documentry on Joyce McKinney. Who was at the centre of media histeria in the late seventies when it was alledged she kidnapped a mormon missionary and raped him for 3 days in a cottage in Devon. Interviewing Joyce, the film shows her side of this weird story and her life after the media attention. The film also depicts the media battle between paper giants the Mirror and the Daily Express and marks Joyce as potentially one of the first media driven celebrities of our time. Very interesting and entertaining. A definate watch on this one.
8/10

A Lonely Place To Die (2011)

Nice little British Horror/Thriller that tells the tale of 5 rock climbers in Scotland stumbling across a small Serbian girl buried in the wilderness. Realising she has been kidnapped the group realise they've stumbled into a delicate situation with the kidnappers soon chasing after the group. The film has a real UK festival feel to it and although the script and acting is pretty good the film drifts off alittle in the second half and becomes alittle stagnant. As new UK genre films go its not at all bad, but wont find itself in the 'classics of its time' pile.
6/10

Eyes Without A Face (1960)

Directed by Georges Franju this slick black & white french film tells a simple but haunting tale about a professor come surgeon who with the aid of his partner, kidnaps young girls in an attempt to remove their faces and graft them onto his own disfigured daughter's. Blaming himself for his daughters facial disfigurement the film touches on themes such as anguish, guilt, desperation and loneliness. The cinematography is wonderful, as are the costumes and mask of the young girl. The music's great too and overall has a genuinely haunting and creepy feel to it. A triumph of its age and well worth checking out.
7/10

Dance of the Dead (2008)

Teen Horror Comedy set around a high school prom where zombies invade the proceedings. The obvious stereotypical 'no date' misfits save the day from the impending zombie apocolypse. Some humerous moments and solid characters and script set this apart from your average fare, and with a running time of around 80 minutes it doesn't outstay its welcome. OK , however... personally it still languishes in adverage zombie territory.
5/10

Creepshow 3 (2006)

Unfortunatley this new attempt at furthering Romero and King's Creepshow series comes no way near its predecessors.... Even the slightly ridiculous Creepshow 2! Bad graphics, animation and effects are its main bugbear alongside the quality of the 5 new stories it presents. Trying to tie in the stories at the end doesnt really work either. Overall its quite fun with some amusing moments but fails to deliver on storyline and good old fashioned gore.
3/10