Film: Charlie's Farm

Four friends head off on a road trip but when they mention their intended destination to the locals they are met with strong advice to turn around and go home. Do they listen? Of course not.

American Pie's Tara Reid heads the cast of this Australian slasher flick which also features former WWE wrestler Nathan Jones and Jason Voorhees himself, Kane Hodder.

This is standard slasher movie fare but there are some nice touches of humour and performances from all involved that elevate it above the usual straight to DVD efforts.

Horror fans will also be pleased at Hodder's mask free turn and the fight between him and Charlie (Jones) is a highlight.

Available on DVD now.

Ric's Rating: Good.
 

Film: No One Lives

A young couple travel across rural America as they move to a new home. Along the way they encounter a violent group of Rednecks but it looks like these guys have picked the wrong person to mess with.

A series of brutal killings and cheesy one-liners ensues with Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6) perfectly cast as the seemingly unassuming traveller who turns the tables on the outlaws.

Director Ryuhei Kitamura’s previous work includes the under-rated The Midnight Meat Train and anyone who enjoyed that film will like this one too. It’s a crazy mash-up of films like Wrong Turn, Friday The 13^th and Saw so most horror fans should be satisfied, although after the initial surprise it delivers no more twists.

No One Lives is available on DVD in the UK from 23^rd September 2013.

Ric’s Rating: Good 

Film: Citadel

Following a brutal attack on his pregnant partner, Tommy (Aneurin Barnard), is reduced to a nervous wreck who can’t leave his house, but he must overcome these fears if he wants to keep his baby daughter.

This UK horror film opens with a scene so nasty I wasn’t sure I could continue to watch but Aneurin Barnard’s performance as the distraught Tommy is so compelling that I just couldn’t switch off.

Tommy consults guidance councillors and the local Priest (James Cosmo) in a bid to tackle his fears but they are soon realised when his daughter is taken and Tommy is forced to take action.

Like a lot of horrors these days Citadel starts really well and, in this case, the tension continues until the true identity of the hooded villains is revealed. It’s all a bit silly after that but this remains an enjoyable British horror.

Citadel is released on DVD in the UK on 30^th September 2013.

Ric’s Rating: Good  

Film: Dark Skies

Something strange is happening in the Barrett family home. There are noises during the night and wife & Mother Lacy even wakens up to find an elaborate structure made out of household items. Are the children suffering from a sleep disorder or is there something more sinister going on?

Soon young Sam mentions “The Sandman” who comes to his room at night and events spiral out of control when both parents begin to have seizures. All of this does teenager Jesse’s blossoming love life no good at all.

The title probably gives away the cause of these events but I’m not going to do it here as the less you know the better.

The tension mounts gradually and there are some very creepy moments leading to a nerve-shredding climax with a nifty twist.

Dark Skies is available on DVD in the UK from 5^th August 2013.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.

Film: Slice & Dice: The Slasher Film Forever

This documentary film explores the history of the slasher movie. Love them or hate them you simply can’t ignore them and everyone has a favourite slasher movie bad guy. Freddy Kruger, Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees have been with us for around 30 years and survived countless rubbish sequels and re-makes of varying quality.

Slice & Dice explores the origins of the genre. Psycho features heavily and the “video nasties” of the late seventies / early eighties are also covered extensively. Contributors include Corey Feldman, Tobe Hooper and Tom Holland along with recent slasher type directors Patrick Lussier and Jeffrey Reddick.

Unfortunately this is a bit too laden down with clips. There are countless showings of beheadings and various other death scenes and these too vary greatly in quality. From grainy straight to video flicks like The Burning to recent re-makes like My Bloody Valentine 3D.

This is more aimed at the slasher movie connoisseur than the casual fan but the feature packed 2 disc set does contain some fantastic footage that helps increase the value of the package on offer.

Slice & Dice: The Slasher Film Forever is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Good.    

Film: World War Z

A virus outbreak that turns people into vicious killers quickly traverses the globe and in order to ensure that his family is protected former United Nations representative Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) must return to the field and search for the origin of the virus.

World War Z immediately throws the viewer into the heart of the action as a seemingly ordinary day descends into a fight for survival for the Lane family. 

Following the explosive opening sequence (partly filmed in my home city of Glasgow) we are off on a round-the-world trip with Lane as he looks for clues to explain what the virus is and how it can be combated.

It seems that reports of re-shoots, re-edits, arguments and studio interference may have put people of this unnecessarily. Regardless of how the movie came to be in its finished state there is no doubt that this is the best zombie film since the brilliant 28 Days Later.

The undead featured here are like a pack of hungry wolves and even move like them on occasion. Pitt is as charismatic as ever as the determined investigator and the supporting cast (including The Killing’s Marielle Enos) all perform well, even the zombies!

World War Z is an action-fest with cool zombies and a bona-fide superstar getting right in the middle of it. What more could you ask for? A bit more emotion maybe.

Check it out in cinemas now.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.

Film: Entity

A British tv crew head to remote Russia to explore the place where 32 bodies were discovered.

A renowned psychic (Dervla Kirwan) is part of the crew and she soon begins to see visions of the dead who lead her and the team to an abandoned building.

Needless to say this was the scene of some pretty horrific crimes and some strange forces still linger.

Fans of Paranormal Activity may enjoy Entity but if, like me, you are tired of the whole found footage / shaky camera genre then any interest in this will quickly evaporate.

Entity is available on DVD in the UK from 24th June 2013.

Ric's Rating: Poor

Film: Dead Mine

The Descent meets Outpost as a team of explorers are trapped in an abandoned mine.

Unused since World War II the mine reportedly contains a vast amount of lost gold but it also harbours some very strange inhabitants.

 Looking like a cross between Gollum and The Walking Dead the bad guys finally appear after almost 45 minutes. The surprisingly strong and agile underground dwellers are actually prisoners of war who have been experimented on.

Then their captors also appear!

Led by an unintentionally hilarious (and weirdly preserved) Japanese soldier who thinks the war is still going on these guys soon join in the game of hunting down our intrepid team.

Dead Mine does provide a few laughs and turns out to be quite good fun in the end, although I suspect my reaction to it isn’t the intended one.

Available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy.   

Film: The Facility

In a remote medical facility in the English countryside a group of volunteers agree to try out the latest innovative drug, the mysterious Pro 9.

One by one they are administered the drug but soon afterwards some of their number experience intense pain which then manifests itself in increasingly bizarre and violent behaviour.

Featuring a largely little known cast, this UK horror/thriller has some wonderfully intense moments but doesn't quite manage to maintain the tense atmosphere throughout.

One big plus is that this isn't a zombie film in disguise, the affected patients retain their humanity while becoming increasingly dangerous and the audience is kept guessing as to who is going to be affected and who has taken a placebo.

The facility is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Good. 

Film: Come Out And Play

A newlywed American couple visit a remote Mexican island but soon realise that something isn’t quite right.

There seems to be hardly any people on the island and almost all of the ones they see are children. It turns out that the island’s children have succumb to some sort of madness which makes them attack adults, with deadly results.

Our couple are soon fleeing for their lives from the nasty and violent gang.

What’s worse than a scary kid film? A film with a whole bunch of scary kids.

At times this is really unintentionally funny as the little boys and girls attempt to look menacing. There are some shocking scenes of violence but that’s mostly when the hero decides to fight back, overall this is just silly.

Come Out And Play is available on DVD in the UK from 6^th May 2013.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy.  

Film: The Lords of Salem

Musician turned director Rob Zombie casts his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, as a late night radio host who unwittingly summons a coven of witches in this shocker.

A parcel arrives at the radio station containing a vinyl record by a band called The Lords. This strange recording has a weird effect on the host and many female members of the audience resulting in countless acts of violence and murder.

The heavy metal soundtrack and the grating resonance of the strange record immediately made me reach for the volume control, I get that this was meant to be unsettling but the feeling created was just one of annoyance.

There is also a constant stream of devil-worshipping type images that includes goats, big hairy monsters, silly guys with masks and naked old ladies. This is often unintentionally hilarious and miserably fails to provoke the intended reaction.

A brilliant straight-to-video cast is largely wasted here. Bruce Davison (V, The X Men), Dee Wallace (E.T), Meg Foster (They Live) and Ken Foree (Dawn Of The Dead) all appear, as does Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes) but unfortunately he is hidden behind a mask.

With The Lords Of Salem Rob Zombie has attempted to move (albeit sideways) away from his previous efforts which include the Halloween remake and the brilliant The Devil’s Rejects. Unfortunately it just doesn’t work.

The Lords Of Salem is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Poor.      

Film: I Didn't Come Here To Die

A group of volunteers head off into the American wilderness to build a camp for future organised tours but it isn’t long until things begin to go awry.

The camp comes with the story of a murdered girl who still wanders the woods seeking revenge.

Thankfully the film concentrates on a series of fatal mishaps and the diminishing sanity of the volunteers instead of the gruesome legend.

Each member of the group has their own reasons for being there and these are nicely explored around the campfire, endearing some of the characters and alienating others. 

If you can get past the silly grindhouse type opening scene and the continually grainy presentation you’ll find a little movie that isn’t half bad. Well timed moments of humour remind the viewer that this isn’t taking itself too seriously while the tension and gore will keep horror fans happy.

I Didn’t Come Here To Die is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Good.

Film: The Echo

An ex-convict attempts to get his life back on track but when he moves into his deceased Mother’s apartment strange events begin to occur.

Bobby Reynolds (Jesse Bradford) starts to hear weird noises in the old apartment and then there’s the neighbours to worry about. A Mother and her young daughter seem to be at the mercy of the abusive man of the house, but Bobby daren’t confront him as he just happens to be a cop.

While all this is happening he also attempts to hold down a job and rekindle an old romance.

Bradford gives a decent performance in this compact chiller but the good work done in the first 45 minutes unfortunately makes way for yet another scary kid story. Am I the only one who’s had enough of them?

That being said there are plenty of worse horrors out there and this works well as a late night popcorn ghost story.

The Echo is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Good.  

Film: Mama

Two young girls are rescued after spending years fending for themselves in a remote cabin and are sent to live with their Uncle and his musician girlfriend.

As the girls attempt to adjust to regular life the questions remain about how they managed to survive alone for so long.

It quickly becomes apparent that they weren’t exactly alone. Someone or something was watching over them, and they call her Mama.

This ghost story is superior to many similar films thanks to a great script and some fine performances. Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nelisse are fantastic as the girls who struggle to live in everyday family life while still enjoying the company of their ghostly guardian.

The story behind Mama herself is also the type of tragedy befitting such a tale.

Ignore the silly special effects and enjoy a good old fashioned scary movie.

Mama is in UK cinemas now.

Ric’s Rating: Good. 

Film: Baghead

Four struggling actors decide to take a trip to an isolated cabin in an attempt to get their creative juices flowing.

Eventually they come up with the idea to make a movie about a killer roaming the woods with, you guessed it, a bag over his head but the fictional character soon appears leaving the group terrified and fighting for their lives.

This low budget effort from 2008 does manage to crank up the tension but it takes too long to get there and ultimately delivers an ending that was easy to figure out.

Undemanding fun that will appeal to fans of The Blair Witch Project.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy

Film: Lovely Molly

Molly (Gretchen Lodge) and Tim (Johnny Lewis) decide to move into the long-time vacant house where Molly grew up, unaware that this would bring back forgotten memories of traumatic events.

Former drug user Molly begins to experience some strange feelings in the house and she is particularly vulnerable while Tim is away working. As her behaviour becomes more and more erratic she finds herself in trouble at work and begins to seek solace in the drugs she battled to quit.

Gretchen Lodge delivers a fantastic performance as the woman attempting to forget past demons but struggling to stay on an even keel. If only they hadn’t bothered with the “spooky” element this would have been so much better.

Lovely Molly is available on DVD in the UK from 22^nd October 2012.

Ric’s Rating: Good.

Film: Sinister

A struggling true crime writer moves his family into the house that previously belonged to the family that he is writing about. They were found hanged in the back garden...and their young daughter is missing.

Billed as a “terrifying horror” this actually begins an interesting murder investigation story. Ethan Hawke (Training Day) is fine as the desperate author striving for success and much of the film relies heavily on his portrayal of a man absorbed into something darker than he imagined.

Unfortunately what could have been a fantastic serial-killer movie becomes a silly story of Ghouls and the occult which goes on to present the most hackneyed character in horror films of recent years, the scary kid.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy   

Film: Bereavement

Following the death of her parents a teenage girl moves in with her uncle and his family and while out running she spots a young boy who went missing years earlier.

It turns out that the remaining occupant of a dilapidated family abattoir has been abducting young women (and the one boy) for years and subjecting them to procedures formerly carried out on the animals.

Bereavement is far better than many in this genre, particularly at the straight-to-dvd end. The production is reasonably good and there are some decent performances on display. Michael Biehn (The Terminator) is the most famous cast member and he is perfect as the estranged Uncle but Alexandra Daddario is excellent as the misguided and still grieving Allison.

Be warned though, there are some very uncomfortable moments involving the young boy, Martin. He has a rare condition which makes his brain unable to process pain, meaning that he is subjected to some vicious actions to which the character does not react. This makes for extremely unpleasant viewing but does make the film a pretty intense experience.

This is a superior horror / serial-killer film but many may find the scenes mentioned just too unpleasant to bear.

Bereavement is available on DVD in the UK from 1^st October 2012.

Ric’s Rating: Good. 

Film: The Monk

An abandoned baby is left on the steps of a monastery in this French gothic horror.

The boy soon grows up to be the most charismatic Monk within the order and people flock from far & wide to hear him preach, but when a strange newcomer arrives things begin to spiral out of control quickly for the revered Ambrosio  (Vincent Cassell)

The new arrival is a boy called Valerio who wears a mask to hide burns sustained in a house fire. The mask makes Valerio a very creepy character indeed and the whispering voice that accompanies the chilling look adds to his unnerving presence.

Sadly the mask soon comes off and the entire film takes a turn for the worse when Valerio’s true identity is revealed.

Even a few murders and a great performance from Cassell can’t get this back on track. When the tension is gone, it’s gone.

The Monk is a potentially genuinely scary horror that suffers by turning into a tale of forbidden love.

It’s available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Poor.   

Film: Sometimes They Come back

Recently released on DVD in the UK this 1991 shocker is based on a story by horror guru Stephen King.

Tim Matheson stars as a schoolteacher who returns to his childhood hometown and quickly realises that tragic events from the past have returned to wreak havoc on his new life and family.

The bullies who cased the death of his brother (Chris Demetral from the brilliant 90’s tv comedy Dream On) have somehow returned from the dead and are masquerading as students in his class.

I actually saw this on VHS back in the early nineties and it holds up reasonably well.
Matheson gives a terrific performance as the tormented adult who still grieves for his big brother and some genuinely touching moments help this rise above the mostly shoddy material.

Ric’s Rating: Good