Author Archives: surgeons of horror

Preachy and Painless: Shadow of God Lacks Spirit

08 Tuesday Apr 2025

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An exorcism film with nothing to exorcise but your patience.

Exorcism horror is a subgenre rich with potential—questions of faith, frailty, and fear, all wrapped in layers of the unknown. Unfortunately, Shadow of God, the latest Shudder original, squanders that potential with glacial pacing, overwrought storytelling, and bargain-bin visual effects that break whatever immersion its lofty premise tries to build.

The film follows Father Mason Harper (Mark O’Brien), a Vatican exorcist drawn back to his hometown after a mysterious string of clergy deaths. What should be a chilling homecoming quickly devolves into a murky theological slog, especially when Mason’s long-thought-dead father, Angus (Shaun Johnston), reemerges—changed, and possibly possessed… not by the devil, but something supposedly divine. It’s a neat inversion on paper, but in execution, it’s all empty sermon and no soul.

Director Michael Peterson leans heavily into a tone of self-importance, mistaking laborious dialogue for depth. The film drowns in exposition and symbolism so on-the-nose it feels like you’re being bludgeoned by scripture. What could have been a taut, unsettling exploration of corrupted holiness instead becomes an exercise in patience.

Worse still are the effects. When Shadow of God tries to finally erupt into spectacle—visions, possessions, biblical cataclysm—it falters hard. Cheap CGI and awkward choreography undercut whatever tension might’ve remained, ejecting the viewer from the already tenuous atmosphere. It doesn’t help that the performances, while earnest, are often lost in the noise of a bloated script and uncertain direction.

Mark O’Brien does what he can with a lead role that demands more whispery brooding than range, while Shaun Johnston’s Angus never fully sells the “divine possession” angle. Jacqueline Byers, so compelling in Prey for the Devil, is underused here. And while the supporting cast (Josh Cruddas, Adrian Hough, David Haysom) put in respectable work, they’re ultimately swallowed by the film’s somber, meandering tone.

The Prognosis:

Shadow of God wants to wrestle with grand themes—faith, legacy, divine intervention—but the execution is so leaden and clunky that it all feels like a sermon no one asked to hear. Instead of soul-searching, we get soul-sapping.

  • Saul Muerte

Grafted (2025) review: A Haunting Exploration of Beauty and Identity

08 Tuesday Apr 2025

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Sasha Rainbow’s Grafted is an unsettling body horror film that blends themes of identity, beauty standards, and cultural pressure with grotesque yet effective visuals. The film explores the psychological and physical toll of striving for perfection, offering an eerie commentary on how far one might go to fit in.

The story unfolds at a deliberate pace, which can feel sluggish at times, making it difficult to fully connect with the protagonist’s journey. However, the film’s strong pulse comes from its commitment to disturbing imagery and practical effects, which elevate the horror elements. The lead performance is commendable, portraying both vulnerability and a creeping sense of detachment as the character undergoes a grotesque transformation.

Visually, Grafted is striking, utilising cold, sterile environments that contrast with the organic and unsettling nature of the body horror sequences. The cinematography and lighting work to create an almost dreamlike quality, amplifying the protagonist’s descent into obsession. However, the screenplay struggles to maintain a gripping narrative, often losing momentum in its quieter moments.

Despite its flaws, Grafted offers enough unsettling moments to leave an impression. Fans of slow-burning horror with a focus on psychological and body horror will find much to appreciate, even if the film doesn’t fully capitalise on its intriguing premise.

The Prognosis:

A visually striking yet sluggish horror film that explores beauty and obsession through an unsettling lens. While Grafted may not resonate with all audiences, its strong effects and eerie atmosphere make it worth a watch for genre enthusiasts.

  • Saul Muerte

Dead Sea (2025) Review – A Tense Maritime Thriller That Treads Familiar Waters

07 Monday Apr 2025

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Phil Volken’s Dead Sea takes the tried-and-true formula of oceanic survival horror and blends it with a grim and unsettling reality of human trafficking. While the film doesn’t reinvent the genre, it provides a tense and serviceable thriller that delivers a slow-building dread, punctuated by moments of sheer brutality.

The performances elevate the film above its straight-to-home-entertainment origins. Kaya, played with conviction by Isabel Gravitt, anchors the film with a blend of vulnerability and resilience. The dynamic between the three stranded friends feels natural, making their plight all the more gripping. The real standout, however, is the ship’s captain, Ray (Alexander Wraith)—portrayed with an eerie mix of menace and charm, making him a truly detestable villain.

Despite its strengths, Dead Sea treads a somewhat predictable path. The film borrows heavily from survival horror tropes, and seasoned viewers will see many of the twists coming. While the tension remains effective, the screenplay doesn’t fully capitalise on the psychological terror that could have been explored in such a confined setting. The cinematography, though competent, lacks the stylistic flair that could have made the film visually more memorable.

That said, Dead Sea still delivers enough suspense to keep audiences engaged. The film does well to maintain a sense of claustrophobic dread aboard the trawler, and when the violence erupts, it doesn’t hold back. The film’s commentary on human trafficking and black-market organ trade adds an extra layer of horror, making it more unsettling than your average lost-at-sea thriller.

For fans of survival horror and maritime thrillers, Dead Sea offers a solid—if not groundbreaking—entry into the genre. It’s a film that will keep you engaged but likely won’t linger in your mind.

The Prognosis:

A solid effort in the home entertainment space, Dead Sea delivers competent performances and steady tension but ultimately follows a familiar course without breaking new ground.

  • Saul Muerte

Available to rent or buy on Digital at Apple TV, Prime Video, Google TV, YouTube, and Fetch (AU). Own it on DVD at JB Hi-Fi and Sanity from April 9th.

Late Night Trains (1975) – A Familiar Journey into Unrelenting Terror

07 Monday Apr 2025

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Aldo Lado’s Late Night Trains (L’ultimo treno della notte, 1975) arrived at the height of Italy’s exploitation boom, a time when filmmakers weren’t shy about pushing boundaries. A clear product of the era’s fascination with transgressive horror, the film wears its influences on its sleeve—most notably Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left (1972). While it doesn’t reinvent the formula, Late Night Trains still manages to carve out its own identity, delivering a nihilistic nightmare that lingers in the mind, even as it struggles to justify its existence beyond sheer brutality.

The setup is all too familiar: Two young women, Margaret and Lisa, board a train home for Christmas, unaware that their holiday journey will become a waking nightmare. As the train moves through the cold European night, they fall prey to two sadistic criminals and a demented woman who seems to relish the violence as much as they do. The film unfolds as an exercise in cruelty, culminating in the expected revenge-fueled third act.

Lado’s direction is both slick and suffocating, using the cramped confines of the train to heighten the claustrophobia. Unlike Craven’s grimy, almost documentary-like approach, Late Night Trains boasts a more polished aesthetic, with an unsettling score by Ennio Morricone that contrasts its horrors with an eerie, melancholic beauty. This visual and auditory elegance makes the film’s brutality hit even harder, though it never quite transcends its exploitation roots.

Where Late Night Trains stumbles is in its lack of depth. While The Last House on the Left (for all its flaws) attempted to grapple with themes of cyclical violence and societal decay, Lado’s film largely exists to shock. The social commentary feels tacked on rather than fully explored, and the violence, while effectively harrowing, leaves little room for nuance. Still, as a piece of grindhouse cinema, it succeeds in delivering an experience that’s undeniably disturbing.

Fifty years later, Late Night Trains remains a controversial and haunting film, albeit one that struggles to differentiate itself from the many Last House imitators of the era. It’s a rough watch—not just for its unrelenting cruelty but for its sense of inevitability. There’s no escape here, just an unrelenting descent into torment. While not a masterpiece of the genre, its cold, methodical savagery ensures that once seen, it’s not easily forgotten.

  • Saul Muerte

From Hell House to Ashland Falls: Cognetti’s Eerie Evolution

06 Sunday Apr 2025

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The Hell House LLC director slows things down for a moody, multi-perspective mystery.

A slow-burning mystery from the creator of Hell House LLC, soaked in dread and small-town secrets.

After a family tragedy, Chuck Wilson (Joe Falcone) moves to the quiet town of Ashland Falls with his wife Maria (Elizabeth Vermilyea) and younger sister Isabelle (Kathryn Miller), hoping for a fresh start. But peace proves elusive as the trio becomes entangled in the unsettling lore of their new home—specifically the ominous mystery surrounding a woman named Helen Foster. As the story unfolds from the perspectives of each family member, the true nature of Ashland Falls begins to take shape—and it’s far from comforting.

Stephen Cognetti, best known for his Hell House LLC trilogy, steps away from the chaos of found-footage terror to deliver a more measured, psychological horror in 825 Forest Road. The scares are subtle, the pacing deliberate, and the dread seeps in slowly as the audience is invited to peel back the layers of each character’s experience. By splitting the narrative into three viewpoints, Cognetti crafts an eerie puzzle box of grief, guilt, and unresolved trauma, all tethered to a town that harbors something rotten at its core.

While some may find the pacing too slow or miss the jolting immediacy of Hell House LLC, there’s a quiet confidence in Cognetti’s restraint. He’s developing his voice beyond found footage, proving that he can unsettle audiences without relying on the genre’s usual tricks. The performances—especially Vermilyea as the emotionally fraying Maria—ground the film and help build a creeping sense of paranoia.

The Prognosis:

825 Forest Road may not fully capitalise on its premise, and its ambiguity might frustrate some, but it marks another intriguing step in Cognetti’s horror journey. It’s a film that whispers rather than screams—but it leaves behind a chill all the same.

  • Saul Muerte

825 Forest Road is now streaming on Shudder.

Blind Beast (1969) – A Haunting Dive into Obsession and Madness

05 Saturday Apr 2025

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Few films capture the terrifying extremes of desire and artistic obsession as viscerally as Blind Beast (盲獣, 1969), directed by Yasuzō Masumura. Adapted from Edogawa Rampo’s twisted tale, this haunting psychological horror film immerses viewers in a nightmarish world where the boundaries between love, art, and cruelty blur beyond recognition. As a prime example of Japan’s pinku eiga movement, Blind Beast is both provocative and deeply unsettling, an eerie descent into madness that remains as hypnotic as it is disturbing.

The film follows a blind sculptor, Michio, who kidnaps an artists’ model, Aki, and imprisons her in his warehouse studio—a surreal, cavernous space adorned with grotesque sculptures of oversized body parts. In this tactile prison, Michio seeks to craft the ultimate masterpiece, guided only by touch and an all-consuming obsession with the female form. As the two become locked in a perverse battle of control and submission, their dynamic spirals into a shocking climax that pushes the limits of psychological horror.

Masumura’s direction transforms Blind Beast into a fever dream of sensual horror. The set design alone is unforgettable—giant, looming sculptures of lips, breasts, and limbs create a surrealist landscape that feels more like a descent into the subconscious than a physical location. This oppressive, tactile environment enhances the film’s themes of blindness, sensation, and the distortion of reality. The film’s use of lighting, shadow, and close-ups amplifies the claustrophobia, making Aki’s entrapment feel as much psychological as it is physical.

Unlike many films within the pinku eiga genre, Blind Beast isn’t merely an exercise in exploitation; it’s a deeply unsettling meditation on power, art, and the consuming nature of obsession. The performances, particularly by Mako Midori as Aki, elevate the material beyond its pulp origins. Her transformation from victim to something far more complex is both terrifying and mesmerising, reinforcing the film’s psychological depth.

That said, Blind Beast isn’t for everyone. Its slow, methodical pacing and unnerving themes may alienate viewers looking for more conventional horror. However, for those drawn to the eerie, the grotesque, and the philosophical, it stands as a singularly unique film—a macabre masterpiece.

  • Saul Muerte

Scream Baby Scream (1969) – A Psychedelic Nightmare with More Style Than Substance

04 Friday Apr 2025

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The late 1960s saw an influx of bizarre, low-budget horror films that leaned into surrealism and psychological horror. Scream Baby Scream (1969), directed by Joseph Adler, fits squarely into this niche—an oddball mix of artsy horror and grindhouse sleaze. While the film struggles with pacing and lacks narrative depth, its eerie dreamlike atmosphere and grotesque imagery make it a strangely compelling relic of its time.

The plot follows a deranged artist who kidnaps models and disfigures their faces to create his own “masterpieces,” a setup that recalls Eyes Without a Face (1960) but with a much grimier, low-rent execution. The film attempts to explore themes of artistic obsession and vanity but never fully commits, instead relying on a series of repetitive kidnappings and hallucinatory sequences that teeter between hypnotic and tedious.

Where Scream Baby Scream excels is in its visuals. While the budgetary constraints are obvious, the film embraces a psychedelic aesthetic with strange lighting, distorted imagery, and an eerie, off-kilter score that adds to its nightmarish quality. The scenes of the artist at work, transforming his victims into grotesque creations, are genuinely unsettling, even if the effects aren’t always convincing.

However, the film suffers from a sluggish pace and a script that struggles to maintain tension. The dialogue is clunky, and the characters feel more like sketches than real people, making it difficult to invest in their fates. Despite its flaws, the film’s feverish tone and macabre concept give it an undeniable cult appeal.

The Prognosis:

While not a lost classic, Scream Baby Scream is an intriguing example of late-’60s horror, where artistic ambition and exploitation filmmaking collided in strange and sometimes fascinating ways. Fans of obscure, surreal horror may find something to appreciate here, but casual viewers may find the experience more frustrating than frightening.

  • Saul Muerte

A Horrible Double-Faced Man (1975) – A Forgotten Gem of Korean Sci-Fi Horror

02 Wednesday Apr 2025

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South Korean horror cinema in the 1970s rarely delved into the mad scientist subgenre, making A Horrible Double-Faced Man (공포의 이중인간), directed by Lee Yong-min, a fascinating oddity. Mixing elements of gothic horror, psychological terror, and pulp sci-fi, the film weaves a macabre tale of resurrection gone horribly wrong. While it suffers from uneven pacing and some narrative absurdities, it remains an intriguing, if flawed, effort that deserves a closer look.

The film follows Dr. Jeong, a morally corrupt scientist whose obsession with reviving the dead leads him to commit unspeakable acts. His ultimate goal is to resurrect Ono, a war criminal who hid a fortune in diamonds, using a twisted method that involves transplanting a dying man’s soul into a dead body. The result is a monstrous “double-faced man” – a being with a fractured existence, caught between life and death. It’s a compelling concept, one that recalls Frankenstein, Eyes Without a Face, and even Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but infused with distinctly Korean cinematic sensibilities.

Lee Yong-min, best known for A Devilish Homicide (1965), once again showcases a flair for eerie atmosphere. The film makes excellent use of stormy weather, dimly lit laboratories, and desolate graveyards to craft a moody, almost dreamlike setting. However, the execution of its horror elements is inconsistent. Some moments, particularly those involving the resurrected Ono’s eerie movements and disjointed identity, carry an unsettling edge, while others feel unintentionally campy due to the era’s limited special effects and melodramatic performances.

The film’s thematic depth, exploring the dangers of unchecked ambition and the consequences of playing god, gives it an intellectual weight beyond its B-movie trappings. Yet, its pacing can be sluggish, and the narrative sometimes loses focus, shifting between horror, crime thriller, and supernatural drama without fully committing to any.

While A Horrible Double-Faced Man never achieved international recognition, it remains an interesting relic of 1970s Korean horror—one that blends genre influences into something both familiar and uniquely strange. Fans of vintage sci-fi horror will appreciate its eerie concept, even if its execution doesn’t fully realise its potential.

  • Saul Muerte

The Bell Keeper (2025) – A Hollow Ring to its Terror

01 Tuesday Apr 2025

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Urban legends and supernatural slashers have long been a staple of horror, but The Bell Keeper, directed by Colton Tran, struggles to summon anything beyond the familiar. With a premise that hints at The Evil Dead meets Final Destination, the film follows a group of friends venturing to a secluded campsite to film a documentary about a haunted bell. The legend? Ring it at midnight, and you’ll awaken a vengeful killer. What follows is a mix of ghostly folklore, possession horror, and slasher tropes, but the result never quite coalesces into a satisfying whole.

The film boasts an interesting cast, including UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and horror mainstay Bonnie Aarons, best known as the sinister nun from The Conjuring series. However, despite their genre credibility, their presence does little to elevate the script, which leans too heavily on exposition and underdeveloped character dynamics. The group’s descent into paranoia and infighting—key to the film’s horror—feels more obligatory than organic, leaving little emotional investment in their fates.

Visually, The Bell Keeper has moments of eerie atmosphere, with shadowed forests and flickering lanterns providing the requisite setting for a campfire horror tale. Unfortunately, the tension fizzles under the weight of generic jump scares and predictable plot beats. The titular Keeper, a hulking menace overseeing the cursed land, should have been an imposing figure, but the execution feels lacklustre.

There’s an attempt to blend supernatural horror with slasher brutality, but the film never leans far enough into either to make a lasting impression. The involvement of Final Destination creator Jeffrey Reddick as an executive producer suggests a promise of creative kills or unique horror set pieces, but these never materialise in any memorable way.

The Prognosis:

At its best, The Bell Keeper is a late-night curiosity for undemanding horror fans who enjoy the ritual of watching a group of victims fall prey to an ancient curse. At its worst, it’s a forgettable effort that rings hollow.

  • Saul Muerte

“Legend of the Werewolf” (1975) – A Gothic Horror with Visual Flair but Uneven Bite

30 Sunday Mar 2025

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Freddie Francis’ Legend of the Werewolf (1975) is an atmospheric entry in the world of lycanthropic horror, offering a blend of Gothic visual style and the usual blood-soaked thrills of a werewolf tale. Set in 19th century France, it introduces us to a feral boy who, raised in a travelling circus, undergoes a chilling transformation as he grows into adulthood. His fate is sealed when a grisly murder sets off a chain of events, leading to a bloodthirsty rampage that culminates in a vicious pursuit across Paris.

The film opens with a certain rawness, beginning with a young, mute boy found in the woods by a circus troupe. This “wolf boy,” as they call him, is put on display, his feral nature captivating the audience while unsettling anyone who sees him. As he grows older, the boy, played by the imposing David Rintoul, slowly becomes a creature of terror, tormented by his animal instincts. This descent into savagery is fascinating to watch, especially under Francis’ directorial eye, known for his command over visual horror. The atmosphere is rich, and the sets create a lovely period feel, heightened by the interplay of shadow and light that Francis has become renowned for.

What elevates the film for me—despite its shortcomings—is the presence of Peter Cushing. Cushing, as always, brings gravitas to the role of the determined police surgeon, a man who becomes the obsessive pursuer of the wolfman. Even when the story meanders or becomes predictable, Cushing’s charisma and commitment to the role inject it with life, as only he can. His role isn’t expansive, but his screen time is always a treat, especially in a genre film like this one, where his presence provides a certain sense of respectability and class.

That said, Legend of the Werewolf does have its issues. The pacing feels uneven, and while the visual elements are appealing, the narrative stumbles in parts. The transformation scenes, while not without their intrigue, lack the oomph that might have made this a standout entry in the werewolf genre. The character development is relatively shallow, and the final act, while tense, feels like it lacks the emotional resonance of some other lycanthrope stories. The script offers little depth, focusing more on the physical horror rather than the psychological torment of its characters, something that could have given the film more weight.

The romance element between the werewolf and a prostitute, which forms a significant part of the film, feels underdeveloped, making the tension between love, obsession, and violence seem somewhat contrived. This weakens the central narrative, as the werewolf’s descent into madness could have been more nuanced.

That said, there is still enjoyment to be found in Legend of the Werewolf, particularly for those who appreciate period horror and are fond of Francis’ visual flair. It’s a decent 70s horror outing that ultimately serves as a solid but not spectacular entry into the genre.

A Brief About Tyburn Films Productions Ltd.

Tyburn Films Productions Ltd. was a British film production company that specialised in low-budget horror films during the 1970s, often dealing with themes of the supernatural, the macabre, and the grotesque. While the company didn’t boast a vast library of films, the few it did produce left a significant impact on the genre, particularly in the UK.

Tyburn was founded by Michael Klinger, who had a vision of reviving classic horror with a more contemporary twist. The films produced by Tyburn were often heavily reliant on atmosphere and shock value, something that perfectly fit into the popular tastes of the 1970s, which was a golden era for horror cinema. Legend of the Werewolf is an example of Tyburn’s signature style—more mood-driven than plot-driven, with its focus on visuals and atmosphere. Tyburn’s other notable films include The Ghoul (1975) and The House That Vanished (1973), which, like Legend of the Werewolf, combined old-fashioned Gothic horror tropes with modern sensibilities. Tyburn Films was not in the business of subtlety, often leaning into lurid exploitation and grotesque imagery to make their mark.

While the company didn’t last long, and its filmography remains niche in the broader world of horror, Tyburn’s contributions to the genre continue to be appreciated by fans of vintage, atmospheric horror films.

  • Saul Muerte