After a ten year wait for a follow up to the dismal Ghosts of Mars (2001), a wait which at numerous points in the last decade seemed like it was never going to end. One of the true masters of modern cinematic suspense John Carpenter finally returns to feature filmmaking with The Ward. The film tells the story of an unstable young woman named Kristen (Amber Heard) who is institutionalized after burning down a farmhouse. Once she arrives on the ward she begins to be stalked by the ghost of a vengeful former patient. The biggest question going into this film was, after such a long absence from feature filmmaking, does Carpenter still have it? [click to continue…]
Gore
In 1978 John Carpenter made a film which redefined the horror genre and became one of the most imitated movies of all time. Halloween was shot on a shoestring budget in the Spring of 1978. It’s young director was hugely influenced by Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, and references the film many times in Halloween most notably in casting Janet Leigh’s daughter, the then unknown Jamie Lee Curtis in the lead role alongside veteran actor Donald Pleasence as Doctor Loomis. The phenomenal success of Halloween has resulted in seven sequels, a remake and a sequel to the remake. However, the quality of these sequels vary greatly and in this article I will put forward the idea that the Halloween franchise is best studied as a trilogy of: Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981) and Halloween H20 (1998). [click to continue…]
3D is a source of consistent frustration for me. In the vast majority of cases it is simply a money making gimmick which, in the vast majority of cases does not work. The other few instances in which 3D works is if it is used as an extension of depth of field or if a director understands and appreciates the form as a gimmick for cheap audience thrills; and this is exactly what Paul W.S Anderson does with Resident Evil: Afterlife. [click to continue…]
I adore 1980’s action movies, on the grounds that films such as Die Hard, The Terminator, First Blood, Cobra and Commando established a strong set of genre conventions and requirements. In short, these films laid the groundwork for an entire genre. However, these kind of action movies are simply not being made any more. With this in mind I went into The Expendables with high hopes that I would witness something which would sit proudly alongside its forbears in the action genre, and I did. Sort of. [click to continue…]
After the phenomenal success of The Descent (2005), Neil Marshall earned himself a reputation as one of the brightest young horror directors in the world, with this success brought associations with the so-called ‘Splat Pack’ of new generation horror filmmakers. As well as this somewhat dubious association Marshall was awarded a higher budget for his follow up; Doomsday (2008). This greater monetary clout did not have the desired effect for Marshall as the film received mixed reviews and a lukewarm reception at the box office. As a result of this Centurion is a crucial film in terms of the direction which Marshall’s career will go in the next few years. [click to continue…]
