Category Archives: Movie review

Movie review: Project Wolf Hunting (2022)

08 Saturday Oct 2022

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I can just picture myself now, sitting in the room when this movie was pitched.

“Okay, so picture the worst criminal degenerates known to humankind, being transported from Manilla in the Philippines to Busan in South Korea on a boat”

:So,,, an aquatic equivalent to Con Air?”

“Yeah… yeah! Only bloodier… and bigger. These crims are seriously fucked”

“Okay. sure. What else have you got?”

“Well these guys turn the tables and take command of the vessel…”
“So, a bit like Under Siege?”

“Kind of, but don’t forget, it’s gory as hell. So, anyway, just when you think things can’t get more fucked up, the passengers find out that there is something much darker and disturbed lurking in the ships bowels. Human experimentation of epic proportions on a war veteran that made him superhuman and relatively indestructible”

“So, something like Universal Soldier meets Resident Evil”

“Will you stop with the movie references and remember? This movie is gonna be bloody violent and pushed to the extremes of sensationalism purely for the entertainment value.”

“Yeah I get it. Sounds perfect for the midnight crowd wanting to be pushed to the edge. I’ll buy it.”

That’s essentially Project Wolf Hunting in a nutshell. It’s extreme because it can be. And it doesn’t hold back on going beyond the realms of reality for the sake of balls to the wall action. There are those that may find the nonsense approach to ramped up storytelling, a huge turn off. But then again, they’re probably not the right audience for this kind of film.

With supposedly 2.5 tons of blood used in the production of the movie, you can cement a picture in your mind of the tone that director Hongsun Kim was aiming for and he definitely doesn’t hold back. 

The film doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the characters involved either, with most of them blacker than black, crooked or corrupt and willing to bend the rules to gain the upper hand in this volatile world. Even those with slightly redeeming characteristics aren’t spared the grace of survival, leaving one to question just who or what deserves to thrive in this landscape?

When push comes to shove though, this is immaterial as only the fittest and the smartest will rise out of the quagmire of fury and even then, their chances of living to tell the tale is slim. The audience will care little for this though, as it is the relentless action that they would have paid money to see, and this is where the director doesn’t fail to produce.

The Prognosis:

Strap yourself in for a bloody, insane and gory ride on a boat filled with criminals on a war path to destruction and damnation.

This film is jam-packed with mindless fun with kills coming from every direction.

I’m a sucker for insane action flicks and Project Wolf Hunting is ridiculous to the extreme without falling short of pleasure on every level.

The adrenaline will propel you to the film’s conclusion and is the most entertained I’ve been in some time. 

  • Saul Muerte

Project Wolf Hunting is due for theatrical release in Australia from Oct 13th courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

Movie review: Dark Glasses (2022)

08 Saturday Oct 2022

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Movie review: Dark Glasses

There has been a 10 year absence since “The Master of Horror” Dario Argento stepped behind the camera to call the shots. That feature was the much maligned adaptation to Bram Stoker’s gothic masterpiece, Dracula… in this case in the 3D variety.

Apparently stirred into action when Argento’s daughter Asia discovered the script, Dark Glasses bears a lot of the hallmarks to what made this directing auteur great. Tapping into the giallo scene that built his name, Argento weaves a narrative around Italian escort Diana (Ilenia Pastorelli) who is attacked and pursued by a serial killer. She manages to escape but in her flight she is involved in a car crash, resulting in her loss of sight and the death of two of the occupants in the other car. They were the parents of Chin, who manages to survive the wreck and becomes the subject of Diana’s guilt and road to recovery. 

At first Chin is reluctant to receive her care but soon warms to her maternal protection. The issue and conflict arises with the serial killer still on the loose and hellbent on finishing off what he started,

The Prognosis:

Dark Glasses imbues the heightened sexuality and psychological trauma that is oft’ a part of Argento’s cinematic playground. 

Pastorelli produces a compelling and sensual-yet-damaged protagonist in distress, but the narrative falls in numerous places and loses structure as result. 

This patchwork of Argento’s formative years has moments of success and is still visually arresting at times, but it struggles to string together a cohesiveness worthy enough to allow these notes to sing.

  • Saul Muerte

Dark Glasses will be streaming on Shudder Anz from Thurs 13th October.

Movie review: Monstrous (2022)

06 Thursday Oct 2022

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Christina Ricci will always have a close association with the horror genre, namely for her child role as Wednesday from The Addams Family. Sleepy Hollow, and Cursed. As her roles matured, it would be inevitable that she would take on more maternal roles and this is where Ricci finds herself in her latest feature. Here she takes on troubled mother Laura, who is escaping with her son, Cody (Santino Bernard) from an abusive relationship. 

Monstrous is set in 1950s America at a time that comes with all the trappings of a ‘housewife’, so when Laura tries to take up a new life in a lakeside town in California, she has to overcome all the obstacles that a male-dominated world would bring.

To make matters worse, Cody is struggling to fit into this new life and is ostracised from his school peers. Laura does her best to push Cody out of his comfort zone, but with little effect. 

What director Chris Sivertson adds to the fold however is a much darker layer, lurking beneath the facade of Laura’s troubled woes. One that she has subconsciously buried to hide the ‘monstrous’ truth. And when some unknown entity starts to make its presence felt from the lake, Laura must find a way to protect her family or lose it all.

The Prognosis:

The trouble with Monstrous is that it falls too easily into predictability with the supposed reveal, all too easy to spot. 

The narrative is a little too dry as well and feels flat, especially considering the subject matter.

On a positive note however, Ricci still proves she has the A game and adds plenty of weight to a deeply troubled character. 

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Deadstream (2022)

03 Monday Oct 2022

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Deadstream is more than your average found footage horror film, as it is packed to the punch with so much energy, zest and macabre humour that it’s no wonder that it has been likened to something from The Evil Dead franchise.

It also tackles and in my humble opinion succeeds in making its unlikeable lead protagonist likeable.

The guy in question is Shawn Ruddy (Joseph Winter), a disgraced internet personality from his online prank show, Wrath of Shawn. Shawn tries to reanimate his audience and draw them back into his life by challenging himself to spend the night in a haunted house and livestream the whole event. Unfortunately he ends up royally pissing off a vengeful spirit and must do all he can to escape and survive the night.

The low budget aesthetics is part of the features appeal, utilising real effects to capitalise on the gritty realism of the supernatural and paranormal events that unfold. Keeping the location to a minimum, primarily at said haunted house, essentially a dilapidated building is also a smart move, allowing the creativity to run loose without being tied down to constantly having to relocate. It also allows time for the ambience to build and have fun when unleashing their vision.

The Prognosis:

The writing is witty and clever in that it plays it straight, so when the macabre mayhem unfolds, it is pure joy to watch.

Winter also writes and directs alongside his partner Vanessa, which indicates not only do they have a firm grasp of the material, so when delivered feels flawless, but this is clearly a labour of love for them and this oozes through every scene.

  • Saul Muerte

Deadstream is currently streaming on Shudder ANZ.

Movie review: My Best Friend’s Exorcism

03 Monday Oct 2022

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Grady Hendrix has made a name for himself in the teen horror novel genre and added his penmanship to recent features for Mohawk and Satanic Panic. His popular novel My Best Friend’s Exorcism has received a feature treatment and is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Marked, rightfully as The Exorcist meets Heathers, MBFE utilises the nostalgic feels of the 80s through music, American high school issues, and the verbal language and cusses that wouldn’t see the light of day if set in current times. It’s excellently handled by director Damon Thomas, combined with the cinematography by Rob Givens who offer a film that looks retro whilst still resonating with a modern audience.

Part of its appeal comes from the friendship between Abby (Elsie Fisher – Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)) and Gretchen (Amiah Miller – Lights Out), a tighter than tight unity where they laugh at each others jokes, the love for Boy George, The Thorn Birds and ET, cookies and cream frozen yoghurt and all the small things that bind them are put to the test. 

Once the scene is set, addressing Abby’s awkwardness against Gretchen’s confidence in an angsty environment, where outsiders are treated with contempt; our lead protagonists venture into an abandoned summer house under the influence of LSD, get separated when Gretchen gets violated and consumed by a demonic presence. 

Now Abby must find her own confidence in the face of adversity and tackle the turmoil of high school trauma and address conflicts both inward and outward and rescue her best friend along the way. This all comes with a test on her own presence, where both friends must exorcise different kinds of demons to reach a well fought out conclusion.

The Prognosis:

The 80s nostalgic vibe with nods to the horror elements of the time deserve high praise and hook you into the narrative with relative ease. It’s not groundbreaking stuff but the fun elements outweigh any concerns here, My Best Friend’s Exorcism is an enjoyable teen horror that will appeal to a wide audience.

  • Saul Muerte

My Best Friend’s Exorcism is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Movie review: Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2022)

02 Sunday Oct 2022

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Halina Reijns’ follow up feature to her confrontational drama Instinct taps into the darker comedic vein and delivers a modern equivalent to the vacuous nature of Bret Easton Ellis’ Less Than Zero mixed with some serious slasher vibes. Like the 1980s novel, the screenplay to Bodies, Bodies, Bodies by Sarah DeLappe  flirts with the hollow void of the youth, searching for something to fill their lives through sex and drugs, but finding the emptiness still resides. Here the narrative sets the group of misguided adolescents buker down together in a mansion during a hurricane (itself a metaphor for the turmoil that surrounds them the outside world forcing them to look inside themselves) and play a murder game similar to wink murder, but with drastic consequences.

At first it all feels typical of a party where rules are inconsequential; the liquor flows and the lines of illicit consumption begins, plus the dalliance of emotions ripple beneath the surface as old friends play out familiar roles to settle in for the night. 

New to the group is Bee (Maria Bakalova), introduced by her girlfriend Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and at first struggles to find the comfort spot amongst an already tight batch. What may seem a united camaraderie soon comes unstuck however when the secrets or quashed emotions rise to the surface and the true feelings bubble over amounting to a sea of carnage and mistrust. 

The shift in tone amounts when David (Peter Davidson), who lives in the mansion and is a childhood friend to Sophie is found dead with a slash to his throat caused by a kukri, All eyes turn on each other, starting with Greg (Lee Pace) the boyfriend to Alice (Rachel Sennott) and like Bee an outsider to the collective. Suspicions soo escalate further among them as old wounds are addressed and the body count rises. 

The Prognosis:

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies is another strong delivery from A24 Films, which delicately plays with a murder mystery in an incestuous minefield of youthful emotions. Rejin constantly questions the role that the Gen Z have in finding their place in the world. Where do loyalties lie? And what happens when trust is no longer apparent?

It’s a fun and enjoyable ride, which may not necessarily tread new territory in the realms of horror but don’t let that deter you.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Raven’s Hollow (2022)

22 Thursday Sep 2022

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For the first 20 minutes Raven’s Hollow falls dangerously into made for tv territory, but not in a high standard way. Then it shifts into something that is something of note. Yes, the standard isn’t high and the CGI suffers a little, but beneath the surface is an interesting concept with solid performances to support this idea.

The fictionalised account of writer, poet Edgar Allan Poe’s military career as he leads a quartet of cadets through upstate New York when they encounter an isolated  community harbouring a  paganistic secret. These visions and events will eventually inspire his writing profession down the track. 

Poe (William Moseley – The Chronicles of Narnia) and the cadets are drawn to the strange titular town when they find a man that appears to have been sacrificed by some occult. Cue lots of witchery, cult-like behaviour, combined with a raven-like creature that appears to have a strong hold over the settlement.

Poe soon takes on an investigative role to uncover the truth about the mysterious happenings of Raven’s Hollow and in doing so, ignites the narrative a little, drawing the audience in. 

The array of townsfolk on display from the talents of Melanie Zanetti, David Hayman, and Kate Dickie add strength to the mix and along with it, an air of mystery that surrounds them. 

As the bodies start to pile up, so does the pressure to solve the case and end the curse.

The Prognosis:

The premise is enough of a hook for a movie which admittedly suffers under a shaky execution. This is more down to budget restraints though than poor production. The story holds true with enough twists and turns, supported by an able cast that bring about intrigue and supernatural elements to tie you to the story’s end.

  • Saul Muerte

Raven’s Hollow is currently streaming on Shudder.  

Movie review: Shapeless (2022)

22 Thursday Sep 2022

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Shapeless is a movie that strides to tackle an important and quintessential topic in society and tell that tale through a horror narrative. The subject is eating disorders and the physical and psychological impact it has on a person.

Our focus is through protagonist Ivy (Kelly Murtagh – Bingo Hell), a singer in the underground New Orleans scene. The pressures of keeping on track with her day job and juggling this with her passion starts to take its toll and Ivy starts to turn inward, focusing on her image and emotional attachment to achieving the ‘perfect’ lifestyle.

It’s clear that the topic is something that Director Samantha Aldana feels close to and pays due time and attention that it deserves. This tied in with Murtagh’s writing attributes equal ties in with the dedication that she has to showing her take on the theme.

The visuals provided by cinematographer Natalie Kingston (The Wolf of Snow Hollow) are also stunning and effective to project the ambience and tone throughout the film.
The issue is that there is a lot of marinating going on with little effect or substance to keep the audience hooked, and as a result, we’re left wilting as a result.

The Prognosis:

While this isn’t an out and out horror, the real life issue that plays centre stage is given due attention. Eating disorders are often left out of the popular conversation and thought of as taboo, so it is a testament to both Aldana and Murtagh to produce a film that takes this on and brings to the fore. What it lacks though is enough validity for it to have a grounding impact. Some more time and attention on this would have made a solid movie, instead it stills a little in mediocre-ville.

  • Saul Muerte

Shapeless is currently available on VOD (Google TV, Apple TV and Microsoft Store).

Movie review: Goodnight Mommy (2022)

15 Thursday Sep 2022

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Horror cinephiles would be deeply aware of the Austrian psychological trauma film released back in 2014 that made a significant impact on the genre. For those not in the know on why such a ripple was made, it’s hard to discuss without talking about the specific shift in narrative, that puts a completely different spin on our initial perception. It is this combined with the unsettling tension imbued throughout that resonates after viewing and lifts it out of the quagmire of predictability.

So in the throes of continuing remakes of European films that have struck a chord in the outer ridges of the popular mainstream, Goodnight Mommy gets its own turn in the limelight. 

Charged with carrying out this vision is Director Matt Sobel who also has the luxury of Naomi Watts as his lead. Apparently this is her 9th film which is a remake. I’ll have to cross check that one though as I can only think of The Ring off the tip of my head.

What I can say about Goodnight Mommy though is that the film centres on two twins, Elias and Lucas (Cameron and Nicholas Crovettii) who return back to their mothers care. At this stage it is not known why they have been absent but there’s enough uncertainty there to instil a sense of doubt about their mother and one the audience harbours along with them. It doesn’t help that their mother is predominantly masked due to recovering from surgery. A haunting image that evokes fear, tantalising playing with our emotional responses to the situation as it unfolds.  The mystery and mounting tension escalates to the point of desperation to seek the truth about what happened but Elias and Lucas’ pursuit will come at a price. 

The Prognosis:

It treads a similar line to the original but utilises all of its strengths to provide a decent psychological flick. Naomi Watts is particularly solid, playing a convoluted mother with juxtaposing positions, swinging between neglectful and cold, with loving and protective.

The dalliance of drifting towards the unknown and being fearful of the truth is pitched well from beginning to end, delivering a well paced story, playing with perspectives from all sides.

  • Saul Muerte

Goodnight Mommy is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Movie review Saloum (2022)

11 Sunday Sep 2022

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Hats off to Shudder in building a platform that showcases the global lens of the horror genre. With The Sadness; On The 3rd Day; Good Madam; and Moloch all depicting a wide variety of voices to vent their individual plights. The latest offering on the Exclusive and Original platform , Saloum sets the scene predominantly in the East African countries of Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Guinea Bissau. 

The story itself centres on a trio of legendary mercenaries known as the Bangui Hyenas – Chaka, Rafa, and Midnight. The symbolism of the number three holds strong throughout human history, bringing harmony, wisdom and understanding together. United the Bangui Hyenas present a strong front, and must lay low after extracting a drug lord out of the country. It is the breaking of the three that presents their greatest plight however, when it is revealed that Chaka harbours a secret of his own, that may or may not bring them to ruin. One that ties in with the mysticism that surrounds their choice of sanctuary; and will unleash an entity that will consume all in its path.

The Prognosis:

There is a lot to get your head around in this flick from Director Jean Luc Herbuot, as he switches up genres with the same pace that he enacts his vision. The frenetic energy combined with the beautiful landscape shots lie in contrast to the dark residual energy that lies beneath the surface; one that fuels the East African history and sees the mercenaries carrying the mental and physical scars that their land has ingrained in them through the past, present and possible future, 

The weight is certainly felt, but not to the detriment of the narrative. With strong performances from all the cast, Saloum both lulls you into a sense of calm whilst ripping you up through its core as the turmoil is unshackled, so that the healing can begin.

  • Saul Muerte

Saloum is currently screening on Shudder ANZ.