Category Archives: Movie review

Movie Review: Puzzle Box (2023)

16 Saturday Sep 2023

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When Jack Dignan launched his directorial debut feature, After She Died at A Night of Horror International Film Festival last year, it came with a bold, well-structured, pot-boiler of a movie that etched out the pangs of grief with minute detail. It was enough to make one sit up and take notice, eager to know where Dignan would go next in his creative celluloid venture.

This year, he has chosen to serve a familiar tale woven through the theme of a broken psyche. Choosing to self-rehabilitate at a secluded house in the woods (always a troublesome sign), a young drug addict, Kate (Kaitlyn Boyé – The Furies) is accompanied by her older sister, Olivia (Laneikka Denne) to aid her through the process, As the night unfolds, and they unpack the shared and isolated trauma that the siblings have gone through, the inadvertently fall through the cracks of time and dimension, trapped in a continuing vortex of sequences, fighting to find their way out of their turmoil.

The Puzzle Box is a metaphor for the predicament that the sisters find themselves in as each door within the remote house opens and slides different sections of time and dimensions, in a convoluted vessel of complexities that will force the pair to search deep within themselves and solve the paradox.

Dignan hones his visual prowess in this film, choosing to use a found footage approach to the narrative through his cinematography to convey his concept. The result is an unsettling, and nauseating feel to the final product to deliberately set the viewer off kilter. To double the sense of dread, we’re also presented with a screaming, ‘banshee-like-woman’ (Gotta love a good banshee!!) to hound and barrage both Kate and the audience in a relentless pursuit, that seems to have no end. 

The Prognosis:

Jack Dignan comes out swinging for his sophomore feature and delivers a haunting and harrowing journey into a paranoia filled rabbit hole. The shifts and turns are deliberately jarring and part of Puzzle Box’s charm is the unsettling way he drags the viewer down and pulls you along the disturbing pathway into a perpetual void.

– Saul Muerte

Puzzle Box is screening at A Night of Horror International Film Festival on Friday Sept 29th at 7pm.

Plus Q&A with writer/director Jack Dignan and actors Kaitlyn Boyé, Cassandre Girard and Laneikka Denne 

It also screens with short feature, Merger

Movie Review: Devil’s Work (2023)

15 Friday Sep 2023

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Ursula Dabrowsky has been slowly crafting her Demon Trilogy to continue her fascination with demonic possession and the fragility of the human mind. Where Family Demons (2009) and Inner Demon (2014) fostered the fears and anxieties that unfold through isolation and complexities of a disturbing or unsettled ménage, her third instalment, Devil’s Work grounds these ideas and gradually shifts the sands of perspectives in an almost seamless single take.

Once again, Dabrowsky chooses a remote setting as her playground, following a couple, Charlie (Cassandra Kane) and Dustin (Mark Fantasia (Bad Girl Boogey) who plan a romantic getaway at a quiet cottage away from life’s ailments; only to be hounded by Charlie’s sibling, Linda (Luca Asta Sardelis – Storm Boy).

Dabrowsky delightfully unfolds the traumatic episode with ripples of paranoia, meticulously crafting a simmering storyline, ready to boil over at any given moment.

As the audience is tantalisingly told about Lindy by her sibling Charlie, we begin to paint the picture of a disturbed mind, who is on the brink of sanity, harbouring some ill feelings and terrorised by a darkness that consumes her. Once the scene is set or our predetermined ideas settle about Lindy and her deranged behaviour, the audience is then presented with a harrowing notion; Charlie and Dustin are not alone. Somehow Lindy has found out where they are and is about to rip apart any ideals of mystique that the couple had hoped would be born out of their weekend.

It is the solitude that will haunt them and determine if they are to survive their ordeal and the extremes that Lindy will put them through.

The Prognosis:

Every family has their ailments, but what if a sibling was so dangerously unhooked that a very real danger could threaten your world?

Ursula Dabrowsky is well and truly in her comfort zone, revisiting similar themes for her third feature.  Beneath this simple premise is a dark and disturbing tale that moulds itself around you and slowly consumes you.

Dabrowsky not only has the gift of piloting the voyeur through a disconcerting vision, but she is also ably supported by cinematographer, Maxx Corkindale to lure into a false trance, before subjecting us with Luca Asta Sardellis’ wonderfully fractured portrayal of Lindy.

These are how stories should be told to unsettle the soul.

– Saul Muerte

Devils Work is screening as the Opening Night feature for A Night of Horror International Film Festival on Thursday 28 Sept @6.30pm.

Plus Q&A with Ursula Dabrowsky and Cassandra Kane.

It also screens with short feature, Mother Tongue

Movie Review: Outpost (2023)

11 Monday Sep 2023

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Writer, director Joe Lo Truglio makes a curious choice for his feature length directorial debut.

We initially side with Kate (Beth Dover – Orange Is The New Black) a victim of domestic violence, but decides to remain head strong and vigilant in her recovery process.

Her decision is somewhat marred however as she ventures to a remote location to mend her wounds, which just so happens to be an outpost designed to spot fires in the surrounding woodland and alert the authorities to prevent widespread.

The issue is that by segregating herself from the world, albeit within range of a local town community, she not only is running away from her fears but is also doing so in a place where she is forced to live with her own thoughts, surrounded by the threat of danger, lurking at any moment. Naturally, Kate is on hyper alert at all times nursing herself through the aftermath of a traumatic experience.

All of this bodes well in theory and people seem to be bending over backwards to support her needs so that she can feel that sense of accomplishment, but things soon start to unravel as her paranoia sets in and her trepidation escalates.

It is from this point that there are clumsy choices that soon push the viewer from empathy to disdain, as gradually Kate goes from victim to  assailant, acting out her pent up aggression and unleashes on all who cross her path.

Whilst you can understand the transgression, the twists and turns she takes in order to get there are drastic, forcing the viewer to disconnect with our initial protagonist and abandoned without any sense of direction or where their loyalty should belong.

The Prognosis:

For a debut feature, Joe Lo Truglio goes bold, but fails to pull off his vision due to a lack of cohesion, nor depth in his skill set for it to land successfully.

A lot of promise, but ultimately stranding the audience without a solid ground from which to draw conclusions from.

– Saul Muerte

Outpost (2022) is available on major streaming platforms in UK & Ireland from September 11th and Australia & NZ from September 13th.

iTunes Link:  https://itunes.apple.com/au/movie/outpost-2022/id1700740637

Movie review: Butchers (2023)

09 Saturday Sep 2023

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It’s clear from the get-go that this film is Director Adrian Langley’s love song for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Butchers follows a similar path, or should I say journey?. as we follow a small group of friends travelling across the remote Canadian landscape when their car breaks down ala Wrong Turn. Instead of inbred hillbillies, they encounter a pair of sadistic butchers who have taken the law into their own hands. If anyone dares to enter their domain, it’s fair game and there’s a strong possibility that they could be carved on the cutting block

While it tends to stick along the line of predictability, there is a little more going on beneath the engine of a cannibalistic gorefest. Langley and his writing partner Daniel Weissenberger take the literal concept of butchery to the extreme as the barbarous Watson brothers, Owen (Simon Phillips) and Oswald (Michael Swatton) take pleasure in kidnapping and impregnating women with plans of breeding them for more meat. This warped outlook makes for gruesome viewing in spite of walking the all-too-familiar lines of a well-trodden formula.

Naturally, our would-be-victims fight tooth and nail for survival, making ridiculous choices along the way to meet their demise, including battling their own internal conflicts,  but the performance holds strong enough to keep you engaged throughout, most notably Phillips’ smart and gruelling butcher and potential final girl in the mix, Julie Mainville.

The Prognosis:

Much like his more recent feature Bunker, Adrian Langley offers a mediocre-yet-fun movie that puts the characters through the paces. The tension mounts with a steady pace, and the conflicts are torturous on the right side of entertainment. 

It may not offer anything new or even stretch the realms of originality, but Butchers is a tough ride that will apply the hook and keep you gripped to the end.

  • Saul Muerte

Butchers is currently streaming on VOD and available for Home Entertainment.

Movie review: Poundcake (2023)

07 Thursday Sep 2023

Posted by in Movie review, Sydney Underground Film Festival

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Having been a loyal supporter of the Sydney Underground Film Festival for the past six years, I’m certainly no stranger to the diverse and eclectic choices that make up the film list year on year. The organisers proudly wear the latest weird and wonderful of the celluloid vein as part of its staple line up and Poundcake by Director Onur Tukel is no exception. Tukel is no stranger in taking on controversial conversations which centre  on the subject of relationships or gender, and with Poundcake he picks up the tendentious topics and rams it into the ground, pulverising it into a pulp. For those unaccustomed to the director’s visual and political stance, it’s fair to say that Tukel doesn’t shy away from areas that are too uncomfortable for some, and deliberately pushes those buttons in order to not only get a response but to also create discussion.

In his latest venture, Tukel directs and performs in a tale which is billed as a serial killer in New York City who is going around killing straight white men and no one blinks an eye. On face value, this is filled with intrigue, and it’s premise hooked me in along with the gimp mask wearing, beefy-looking serial killer, but these moments are fleeting, and somewhat shocking as his chosen method of killing is by raping his victims. The majority of the time, the film is told by a group of podcasters and members of the community who all share their polarising views. This dampens the moments of horror and instead squashes and distances the viewer with the bombardment of messages.

The Prognosis:

SUFF will hang their hat on the weird and wonderful moments in film, and with this Poundcake fits the bill. Horror lovers may find themselves wanting however, as this film is a socially political narrative from a director who will challenge some with his views. Personally, I found them a little jarring, but maybe you have a different spin on things and feel that he is deliberately provoking commentary.

Why not judge for yourself and post your thoughts here.

  • Saul Muerte

Poundcake will be screening at the Sydney Underground Film Festival, Friday 8th September at 6pm. 

Movie Review: Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls (2023)

05 Tuesday Sep 2023

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Since the early 2000’s Director/Actor Andrew Bowser has been honing his craft with a unique blend of comedy and fantasy. It’s fair to say that in recent years, his greatest creation thus far is Marcus J. Trillbury aka Onyx the Fortuitous, a comic book enthusiast, video game player, and quirky nerd, and features in a number of youtube clips that have gone viral. It’s little wonder then, that Bowser would invest in bringing his fabrication to a feature length scale in Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls. 

Onyx is struggling in life, both at home and at work, drifting aimlessly with his heart on becoming a successful occultist, when he gets a call to the mansion of his idol Bartok the Great with an invitation to raise the spirit of an ancient demon. 

Like a warped wonka-esque tale in which the golden ticket promises a wondrous experience, Onyx along with four other devotees have been carefully selected to take part in the ritual. Each taking on a specific role that may condemn their souls for all eternity. Is Onyx destined to fall once more and succumb to the greater evil or has destiny something else in store?

The Prognosis:

Bowser has no option but to go all in to enhance his alter-ego Onyx the Fortuitous on the big screen. There are some that may not warm to his persona but his eccentricity but others will find it warming and infectious. Beneath the comical, fantastical exterior is a smart and enduring narrative with a steady rhythm pulsating to a satisfying climax. 

Bowser also brings in the strength of a solid supporting cast to add weight to the proceedings, namely Olivia Taylor Dudley (The Magicians), and the reuniting of Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator). Where he stretches the believability with his vision, it taps into an unearthly charm and resonates with an insatiable charisma. May Onyx the Fortuitous find more tales of the occult to lure you into his zen.

  • Saul Muerte

Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls will be screening as the Closing Film for Sydney Underground Film Festival on Sunday, September 10, 2023. 

Movie review: Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism (2023)

03 Sunday Sep 2023

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There is more than meets the eye with this low budget Australian flick. Beneath the veil of this family drama, nestles a disturbing and modern insight into the paranormal; a balance between scientific understanding of a troubled mind, and the delicate belief in a possessed soul.

Lara (Georgia Eyers – soon to appear in upcoming film Violett) has been experiencing horrific visions that seem to have manifested since a horrific car accident, which led to the death of her baby son. One would presume that this trauma has brought about these hallucinations, her bodys’ way of coping with this deeply psychological scar. Her husband though, (a devout, religious man) Ron (Dan Ewing – Operation Rainfall franchise) is drawn into a web of religious zealots, clouded by their beliefs that Lara is possessed by a demonic spirit. This has not only fueled Ron’s attempts to have an exorcism performed on his wife, but even has Lara convinced that she is not well and may have to listen to his demands in order to rid her of her ailment. 

Encouraged by one of the congregation, Barbara (Rosie Traynor – Lake Mungo), Ron dismisses the warnings of Lara’s psychiatrist (Eliza Matengu), who firmly believes that the trauma has brought about the onset of schizophrenia, he calls upon the help of an extreme exorcist, Daniel James King (Tim Pocock – Red Billabong). King is a man of his own world, and bends to his own rules outside of the Catholic system; a red flag if ever there was one. Once he has been invited into Ron and Lara’s world, there is no stopping him from ridding Lara of three demonic spirits that he is convinced has consumed her soul, but at what cost?

The Prognosis:

Director Nick Kozakis takes the bull by its horns for his sophomore outing, creates an anarchic approach to the subject matter, which belies the hindrance usually associated with a low budget feature. While it takes some turn for the cogs of damnation to turn, the heart of the film lies with Eyers’ portrayal of Lara. Throughout the narrative, Kozakis deliberately twists and turns the audience journey, manipulating our own speculations of Lara’s plight. Is she really possessed or has her mind snapped under the pains of a truly traumatic ordeal, forcing her to fight internally with the strain of her psychosis? He also slowly turns up the dial, making for uncomfortable viewing and guiding the viewer to be forced into a painful process, led by the strangled beliefs and views of all those involved. 

Yes, there are flaws, but the gritty, portrayal of these characters’ blindly driving to cure Lara from her plight, hooks you in and refuses to let go until the deed is done.

  • Saul Muerte

Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism is currently streaming on ShudderANZ.

Movie review: Perpertrator (2023)

28 Monday Aug 2023

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Quite rightfully Jennifer Reeder is taking great, confident strides in her directorial role following the Holy Hell segment in V/H/S/94’ and Night’s End. In her latest outing behind the lens, Perpetrator, Reeder takes a bold approach in the realms of a patriarchal dominated society through the eyes of female suppression. She combines this with a coming-of-age tale where as a young woman, Jonny Baptiste (Kiah McKirnan – Mare of Easttown) finds a road to empowerment and the ability to change her proceedings.

When Jonny is taken in by her estranged Aunt Hildie (Alicia Silverstone – The Lodge) she has to adapt to a new way of life; one that is tempered by a strange school run by an overzealous principal (Chris Lowell – My Best Friend’s Exorcism, Promising Young Woman) who insists on forcing the girls in the school to undertake self protection classes and extreme drill practises that allow him to dress up as a masked vigilante, running amok in the classrooms and hallways, hunting them down. This is a fucked up world, that is painted so deeply in a male-controlled domain, even the local enforcement is run by an equally screwed up officer, Sterlin (Josh Bywater – Utopia).
The girls in the school are being forced to conform to a certain way of life, even the idolisation of school heartthrob Kirk (Sasha Kuznetsov) is an expected ritualisation for them to have made out with. All of which goes against the grain of Jonny’s own beliefs and with the disappearance of girls in the area, she feels that she must root out the evil within. 

As with any reaching maturity tale, with a supernatural twist, Jonny has to go through her own form of metamorphosis that challenges her own perceptions of needing to fit in and not necessarily meeting her own wellbeing. In her search for answers, she finds that support comes from the curious form of her Aunt Hildie and what she describes as the Forevering; one that will transport Jonny into a journey of discovery, self-regulation, and enhancing her female spirituality.

The Prognosis:

Jennifer Reeder’s focus on the stifling of female empowerment through the gaze of a young lady’s transformation into adulthood is carefully scrutinised with a supernatural element. With an awakening of femininity comes a presage of advocacy, which slowly transcends throughout the movie. The energy from which it ascends is a murky one however, and the message gets a little lost in the myriad of imagery and impedimenta.

  • Saul Muerte

Perpertrator is streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ from Friday 1st Sept.

Movie review: Malum (2023)

20 Sunday Aug 2023

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There is something suitably eerie in the way Antony Diblasi (Dread) unravels his psychologically disturbing portrayal of trauma and isolation. Set in a police station run by a skeleton staff, Malum draws comparisons to John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 with a supernatural Manson-esque occultist, hellbent on bringing all who come into their wake to ruin. 

When rookie police officer Jessica Loren (Jessica Siula – Split) takes up the graveyard shift at the afore-mentioned, decommissioned police station, she does so in search of answers to her father’s brutal demise and its connection to a vicious cult who undertook a suicide pact within its walls a few years ago.

Upon arrival however, Jessica soon realises that not only does she get a frosty reception from her supervisor, but throughout the night she may not be alone. Diblasi plays out an evening filled with tension where the audience is left guessing whether or not the demons of the past have culminated in tormenting all those whole encounter the police station, hanging in the air and projecting a world of horror into the fold; or figments of a traumatised mind.

The Prognosis:

Diblasi does well to carve out a warped world within the confines of an isolated space. Jessica Siula does well to portray the victimised protagonist which is essential as the narrative rests solely on her shoulders. There are however, too many questions left unanswered and you can’t help but feel that more time could have been invested in the universe to draw out the tense-riddled paranormal instead of the few jump scares that we’re provided with. Yes, there are some strange occurrences that lay groundwork to the atmosphere that has been generated, but considering Malum is a re-working of Diblasi’s previous feature, Last Shift, you’d think that he would have been able to develop something a lot more intrinsic and with a lot more depth.

  • Saul Muerte

Malum is currently streaming on ShudderANZ.

Movie review: Bad Things (2023)

13 Sunday Aug 2023

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It’s fairly obvious from its setting that inspiration is drawn from The Shining and the subject of trauma is at the heart of this feature with promise of disturbing reflection on the impact that this has on all who come into its path. The slow, meandering start to this movie however leaves one a little misguided by what is about to unfold. There is a lot of time spent on the quartet of female characters who are all going through various stages of turmoil and are leaning into a false desire to reach enlightenment. So embroiled are they though in their embittered lives that they neglect to remedy their own healing. 

Pulling them deeper into their conflict is the narratives’ protagonist (Gayle Rankin – Men) who has inherited a snowy resort from her Grandmother. There is however a continuing threat from her mother (Molly Ringwald – Cut) who may or may not be unhinged, but definitely is the bearer of some traumatic psychological scars. 

These ongoing conflicts between the group and their own demons play a part in the web of confusion as the labyrinth of the resort surrounds them and consumes their fears, only to spew it back out upon them. An indicator that they can not seem to deal with their suffering. 

It’s a shame though that the story too gets lost and the intentions of the characters are too murky for the audience to bear any commonality with nor find solace in their plight.

The Prognosis:

The elements embedded in Bad Things are a clear homage to The Shining, but where Stanley Kubrick embarked in a deeply psychological and traumatic narrative, helmed by the depth of character that Jack Torrance embodied and wonderfully portrayed by Jack Nicholson, the realms of insanity on display here are thwarted by a shallow interpretation of persona.

Stewart Thorndike does attempt to steer the inspiration into a new direction with an avenue of intrigue and entropy, but her characters are already lost at the start and without hope of resolving their internal conflict.

  • Saul Muerte

Bad Things is streaming in Shudder from Fri 18th August.