Sunday, October 30

Beyond the Black Rainbow

Director: Panos Cosmatos

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1534085

Review: Delivers a lot of audio-visual flair and a few interesting ideas but not entirely sure what it wants to be.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that is very style heavy.

And if you liked: Stranger Things, Pi, THX 1138

Saturday, October 29

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

Director: Scott Glosserman

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437857

Review: Despite keeping it light and funny for most of its running time still manages to bring up the tension in its final act.

Watch it if: You like seeing deconstructions of the slasher genre.

And if you liked: Scream, The Cabin in the Woods, The Blair Witch Project

Friday, October 28

The Battery

Director: Jeremy Gardner

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2272350

Review: Really gets to what these kinds of films should be doing with a genuine relationship at its centre and good use of music.

Watch it if: You want a zombie movie that brings it back to basics.

And if you liked: They Look Like People, The Walking Dead, Easy Rider

Thursday, October 27

Cannibal Holocaust

Director: Ruggero Deodato

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078935

Review: Heavy and tough to watch with convincing special effects and some extremely effective scenes.

Watch it if: You can deal with a few sickening scenes of genuine animal abuse.

And if you liked: Zombie Flesh Eaters, Deliverance, The Blair Witch Project

Timecrimes

Director: Nacho Vigalondo

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480669

Review: Unfolds a little slower than you do but still brings plenty of intrigue and tension to the table.

Watch it if: You're interested in a time travel story that doesn't break its own rules.

And if you liked: Primer, V/H/S Viral, La jetée

Wednesday, October 26

Baskin

Director: Can Evrenol

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4935418

Review: A little confusing in its mythology but delivers some moody tension and a deeply unsettling villain.

Watch it if: You can handle some fairly gnarly violence.

And if you liked: Let the Right One In, Hellraiser

Monday, October 24

Circle

Director: Mario Miscone and Aaron Hann

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3118452

Review: Manages to maintain interest with very little with an interesting premise and well defined characters, especially considering the amount.

Watch it if: You're ok with something with a fun journey even if it doesn't quote stick the landing.

And if you liked: Cube, The Mist, Saw V

Sunday, October 23

The Snowtown Murders

Director: Justin Kurzel

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1680114

Review: Moody and tense throughout with some deep discomfort and a some chilling performances.

Watch it if: You can deal with some strong unpleasantness.

And if you liked: Winter's Bone, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Prevenge

Check this out: The Snowtown Murders

Saturday, October 22

Prevenge

Director: Alice Lowe

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5154288

Review: Awkwardly and darkly funny with a strong central performance and a clear sense of atmosphere.

Watch it if: You're ok with some gore and violence.

And if you liked: Sightseers, Dead Man's Shoes

Friday, October 21

Demons

Director: Lamberto Bava

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089013

Review: Meanders a little but delivers enough strong tone and schlocky fun that it remains enjoyable.

Watch it if: You're ok with a lot of over the top gore.

And if you liked: The Neon Demon, Berberian Sound Studio, The Evil Dead, Return of the Living Dead

Thursday, October 20

Creepshow 3

Director: Ana Clavell and James Dudelson

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478125

Review: Very cheap and shaky without any real sense of what it wants to say.

Watch it if: You're plumbing the depths of horror anthologies.

And if you liked: Creepshow 2, Goosebumps, Cosmic Slop

Wednesday, October 19

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie

Director: John Harrison

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100740

Review: Feels like three decent episodes of a TV show but it's a good TV show so there's plenty of fun to be had.

Watch it if: You enjoy slightly hokey but enjoyable horror anthology stories.

And if you liked: Tales from the Crypt, Creepshow, Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Check this out: Lot No. 249, The Cat from Hell

Sunday, October 16

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Director: André Øvredal

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3289956

Review: Competently put together and structured but hits a point where you either go with it or don't and I could not go with it.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that has plenty of (admittedly well-delivered) cliché in its horror.

And if you liked: Pontypool, Don't Breathe, 30 Days of Night

Saturday, October 15

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Director: John McNaughton

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099763

Review: Oddly and darkly comic for much of its runtime but confronting and brutal when it needs to be.

Watch it if: You can handle some fairly stark violence.

And if you liked: Halloween, Basket Case, The Devil's Rejects

Check this out: Henry Lee Lucas

Friday, October 14

Maniac Cop 2

Director: William Lustig

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100107

Review: Not as clever or witty as the first but still brings enough to keep you watching as it goes.

Watch it if: You're cool with fairly standard cheap 80s fare.

And if you liked: Maniac Cop, Dirty Harry, Friday the 13th

Thursday, October 13

Maniac Cop

Director: William Lustig

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095583

Review: Well put together yet bonkers with some effective action and great casting.

Watch it if: You want to see something that is bizarrely topical nearly 30 years later.

And if you liked: Night of the Creeps, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Child's Play

The Nightmare

Director: Rodney Ascher

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3317522

Review: A little repetitive in its stories but effectively gets its tone across with some genuinely chilling imagery.

Watch it if: You're not easily triggered into sleep related issues.

And if you liked: The Arbor, Paperhouse, Insidious

Wednesday, October 12

ABCs of Death 2

Director: E.L. Katz, Julian Barratt, Julian Gibney, Robert Morgan, Alejandro Brugués, Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado, Jim Hosking, Bill Plympton, Erik Matti, Dennison Ramalho, Kristina, Buožytė, Bruno Samper, Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, Robert Boocheck, Larry Fessenden, Hajime Ohata, Todd Rohal, Rodney Ascher, Marvin Kren, Juan Martinez Moreno, Jen Soska, Silvia Soska, Vincenzo Natali, Jerome Sable, Steven Kostanski, Julen Maury, Alexandre Bustillo, Soichi Umezawa and Chris Nash

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2926810

Review: More unified in tone than the first one with more successful segments but lower peaks.

Watch it if: You can handle some icky gore and dodgy special effects.

And if you liked: The ABCs of Death, V/H/S, Holidays

The ABCs of Death

Director: Nacho Vigalondo, Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, Marcel Sarmiento, Angela Bettis, Noburu Iguchi, Andrew Traucki, Thomas Malling, Jorge Michel Grau, Yûdai Yamaguchi, Anders Morgenthaler, Timo Tjahjanto, Ti West, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Bruno Forzani, Héléne Cattet, Simon Rumley, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Srđan Spasojević, Jake West, Lee Hardcastle, Ben Wheatley, Kaare Andrews, Jon Schnepp, Xavier Gens, Jason Eisener and Yoshihiro Nishimura

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935896

Review: Some ups and some downs with a couple of decent laughs and a fair few strong ideas.

Watch it if: You can handle some uncomfortable gross-out moments.

And if you liked: V/H/S, Holidays, Creepshow

Monday, October 10

The Legend of Hell House

Director: John Hough

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070294

Review: Slow burning and smart with an interesting story and a nice tone that holds throughout.

Watch it if: You're interested in a classic example of a scientist surveying a haunted house.

And if you liked: The Devil Rides Out, The Sentinel, House on Haunted Hill

Check this out: Hell House

Westworld

Director: Michael Crichton

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070909

Review: A great idea, well executed with a fun honking score and a pace that never sags.

Watch it if: You enjoy a good simple science fiction movie.

And if you liked: Jurassic Park, The Cabin in the Woods, Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Friday, October 7

Holidays

Director: Kevin Kölsch, Denis Widmyer, Gary Shore, Nicholas McCarthy, Sarah Adina Smith, Anthony Scott Burns, Kevin Smith and Scott Stewart

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4419364

Review: A mixed bag with some fun spooky moments and acerbic humour but also some cliched aspects and some unpleasant nastiness.

Watch it if: You can sit through at least one utterly awful segment.

And if you liked: Tales from the Crypt, Krampus

Felt

Director: Jason Banker

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3854104

Review: Difficult to watch in parts with a clear message and some truly bizarre imagery.

Watch it if: You can handle some uncomfortable body contact scenes.

And if you liked: They Look Like People, The Skin I Live In

Thursday, October 6

High-Rise

Director: Ben Wheatley

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462335

Review: Strange and unnerving in its tone with a soundtrack that pulls you into its beautifully constructed shots.

Watch it if: You're interested in broad satire that explores the bizarre.

And if you liked: A Clockwork Orange, Under the Skin, Down Terrace

Check this out: High-Rise

Wednesday, October 5

They Look Like People

Director: Perry Blackshear

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4105970

Review: Holds tension very well while still maintaining its questions with great use of jump-cuts.

Watch it if: You're ok with something a little more ambiguous.

And if you liked: Upstream Color, Martin, Bug

Tuesday, October 4

Nightbreed

Director: Clive Barker

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100260

Review: Some interesting ideas and monster designs but dragged down by a meandering plot and overlong running time.

Watch it if: You're interested in Clive Barker's directorial work beyond Hellraiser.

And if you liked: Hellraiser, Dust Devil, Lord of Illusions

Check this out: Cabal

He Never Died

Director: Jason Crawczyk

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2386404

Review: An intriguing plot carried through a charismatic performance with an interesting tone and some nice ideas.

Watch it if: You're interested in seeing Henry Rollins in a lead role.

And if you liked: Horns, Bubba Hotep, Taxi Driver

Dead Silence

Director: James Wan

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455760

Review: A little bit too much frantic editing but follows a decent story pretty well with a strong atmosphere and some genuinely chilling moments.

Watch it if: You can handle a lot of creepy ventriloquist dummies.

And if you liked: Candyman, The Ring, The Woman in Black (2012)

Monday, October 3

The Fly

Director: Kurt Neumann

IMDB: IMDB URL

Review: Unfolds in a nicely intriguing way with strong performances and some deeply unsettling moments.

Watch it if: You can handle a slower paced story with a strong payoff.

And if you liked: From Beyond, Frankenstein, House on Haunted Hill

Check this out: The Fly

V/H/S Viral

Director: Marcel Sarmiento, Gregg Bishop, Nacho Vigalondo, Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead

IMDB: IMDB URL

Review: Has a few nice ideas that it doesn't do a lot with and seems to end with a deeply dopey message but one segment shines through fairly well.

Watch it if: You can handle stuff that ignores its own rules enough that it may as well not have them.

And if you liked: V/H/S, V/H/S/2, Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Deathgasm

Director: Jason Lei Howden

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3705412

Review: Mired somewhat by an unnecessary male-gazey streak but still has a lot to offer in terms of fun, action and humour.

Watch it if: You can handle a lot of bloody gore.

And if you liked: Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, Evil Dead 2, Braindead

Sunday, October 2

Hush

Director: Mike Flanagan

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5022702

Review: Lulls a little in a few places but brings a lot of tension and fresh ideas to the table.

Watch it if: You can handle some fairly brutal violence.

And if you liked: Oculus, Scream, The Purge, Don't Breathe

We Are Still Here

Director: Ted Geoghegan

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3520418

Review: Sits in used tropes a little but brings an unfolding story to the table well with a some nice bits of imagery and some well put together violence.

Watch it if: You can handle some splatter gore.

And if you liked: The Innkeepers, The House of the Devil

Now You See Me 2

Director: Jon M. Chu

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3110958

Review: Riddled with holes and lapses in logic but silly and frothy enough to keep the fun going.

Watch it if: You're not likely to get too tripped up by lack of sense.

And if you liked: Bottle Rocket, Point Break

Saturday, October 1

The Invitation

Director: Karyn Kusama

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2400463

Review: Well crafted in its tension and character building with a consistently mysterious plot and an excellent use of sound.

Watch it if: You want a film that can keep you guessing all the way through.

And if you liked: You're Next, The House of the Devil, The Gift