 | Doctor Sleep 2019 Direct sequel to Stanley Kubrick's cult film "The Shining" based on Stephen King's novel and always hated by him for the many liberties taken in the screenplay compared to the original text. Directed by Mike Flanagan, a horror expert (Oculus 2013). Unfortunately, the comparison with the 1980 film does not hold up. The narration is too classic and tasteless and the nostalgia factor does not fascinate as it would like, furthermore the film is too long and slow. But the many horror and supernatural scenes are of great quality and are truly disturbing, so much so that they gave me bad nightmares. The cast is good, although I do not... Read More |
 | Renfield 2023 Renfield is a tribute that is a bit splatter and a bit black comedy to the classic vampire horror films where in the role of Count Dracula we find an eccentric Nicolas Cage thirty years after his performance in "Vampire's Kiss" and in that of the servant Nicholas Hoult. Stuffed with fight scenes where heads and limbs fly endlessly in the long run it is repulsive and boring, the film is worth watching only for the two good and charming protagonists, who move through seductive sets in a very 80s atmosphere that I like so much. Finally I can only say that my great expectations for this film were unfortunately disappointed. |
 | Late Night with the Devil 2023 Late Night with the Devil by directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes uses a retro TV show setting to create an unnerving atmosphere that draws viewers into a slowly intensifying horror. The film’s attention to detail, from the 70s grainy footage style to shifting between black-and-white and color, sets the tone perfectly. The clever cinematography immerses audiences as if they’re watching a live broadcast unraveling in real time, a technique that intensifies the suspense, especially during the eerie "commercial breaks." David Dastmalchian’s portrayal of Jack Delroy is a highlight, conveying both desperation and a subtle descent... Read More |
 | Gretel & Hansel 2020 Anyone familiar with the original versions of classic fairy tales like “Hansel and Gretel” already knows that they have lots of horror movie potential. As a rule though, most attempts to capture these tales on film tend to miss the mark. It’s clear from the conspicuous reversal of the titular names that Gretel & Hansel hopes to distinguish itself from the rest of the pack right from the get-go, but does it actually do the job, or are you better off spending 90 minutes of your time on some other film?
Gretel & Hansel is the brainchild of writer/director Oz Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That... Read More |
 | Ritual 2013 A married couple with a complicated relationship, a corpse, and a room at a less than reputable motel. It’s a classic formula for a horror movie that’s no doubt familiar for many genre fans. It’s also the set-up for Mickey Keating’s 2013 film, Ritual. Ritual is the 14th original film distributed by After Dark Originals. It stars Dean Cates (Pod) and Lisa Summerscales as married couple, Tom and Lovely. Additional costars include Derek Phillips (Serum), Brian Lally, and Katherine Skelton.
Ritual opens with a warning title card, promising plenty of violence to come. It then shifts to a beautifully filmed sequence that introduces us... Read More |
 | The Black Room 2016 When it comes to classic horror tropes – like haunted houses and the dark secrets they hide – there’s definitely more than one way to approach material that is very familiar to the average genre fan by now. More and more modern filmmakers are adopting a cerebral approach and turning their haunted house movies into social commentaries with something larger to say. Others are focused on simply telling a good scary story with plenty of jump scares and special effects. Still more go for an exploitive approach that is almost intentionally trashy. The Black Room could probably best be described as the third type.
The Black Room was... Read More |
