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Surgeons of Horror

~ Dissecting horror films

Surgeons of Horror

Tag Archives: horror

Movie review: Dario Argento Panico

03 Saturday Feb 2024

Posted by surgeons of horror in Movie review

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asia argento, dario argento, dario argento panico, film, gaspar noe, giallo, guillermo del toro, horror, nicholas winding refn, shudder, shudder australia, simone scafidi

One could argue that no one has crafted such an impact on the horror genre nor weaved a unique style into the fold than Italian Maestro, Dario Argento. Director Simone Scafidi attempts to fashion a visual insight into the auteur’s life and work through a series of archival footage and mixture of interviews from industry admirers such as Guilermo Del Toro; Nicholas Winding Refn, and Gasper Noe; long-time collaborators, Michele Soavi and Lamberto Bava; and family members such as his sister Floriana and daughters Asia and Fiore. All of whom offer their own take on what made Argento such a remarkable talent. That’s not to say that Scafidi isn’t willing to look deeper into Argento’s character, skirting around some of the less than desirable attributes that can be carried by gifted and driven disposition. It’s an area that sparks the potential to venture into the lengths that an individual may go to in order to create their vision. This issue is that Scafidi merely dangles this observation before the viewer, little willing to venture below the surface of Argento’s veneer.

That being said, there is plenty to stoke the fire of creativity on show, and Dario Argento Panico produces a window into a remarkable career, including moments with the man himself, talking through his own observations and reasonings across a multitude of highs and lows, starting with his impactful beginnings and the animal trilogy, The Bird With The Crystal Plumage; The Cat O’Nine Tails; and Four Flies on Grey Velvet, including the Three Mothers trilogy, Suspiria, Inferno, and The Mother of Tears. Just the tip of the iceberg, but one that we can gracefully skate across an absorbing collection of works.

The Prognosis:

Dario Argento Panico is a documentary that testifies to the remarkable talent that the director has provided in the celluloid world. It will no doubt grip cinephiles and fans of Argento’s work, but there is lost potential here, where the director is all too willing to skim the surface, neglecting the urge to cut deeper into the character, and the balance between greatness and the sacrifice one makes to achieve high standards, damning all that may fall between. There are moments that Scafidi dalliances with the heart of an auteur and one can only wonder how far he would have pushed the knife, to cut open and dissect the things that maketh the man.

  • Saul Muerte

Dario Argento Panico is currently streaming on Shudder.

Movie Review: Hellhounds (2024)

25 Thursday Jan 2024

Posted by surgeons of horror in Movie review

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film, hellhounds, horror, Horror movie, Horror movies, lycanthrope, movies, robert conway, Werewolf, werewolf movie

Hell hath no fury like a woman and a biker scorned.

On paper Hellhounds is the stuff of a second rate horror novelists dream, building on a tried formula of werewolves and bikers. Throw in the mix a group of bounty hunters and some questionable members of the constituency and you’ve got a potboiler of a film.

Where one pack of werewolves bearing the films’ titular name, they are pitted against a fanatical order of werewolf hunters known as… wait for it… Silver Bullets. It’s comic genius.

That there though ends the line of fantasy and the reality when it sets in sadly lacks in meeting up to the premises potential. Not that you can squarely judge this on the dreams and aspirations writer, director Robert Conway places on his vision, but the budget and the effects are left wanting and the acting is too complacent to attach oneself to the films’ plot.

There are some moments of brutal exposition that can put the hairs on the end and the encounters albeit few and far between take some of the scenes and push them to the boundaries of what was possible given the restrictions. Ultimately though, this is a middle of the road affair without any real known destination.

The Prognosis:

This could have been so much more with a bit more thought and action placed behind it and admittedly some more bucks and better talent in front of the screen.

There are little to no scares and one can’t help but hope and wish that some practical fx were placed to rally up the lycanthrope factor.

  • Saul Muerte

Hellhounds is currently available on PRIME from to rent or buy.

Movie review: Suitable Flesh (2024)

24 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by surgeons of horror in Movie review

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barbara crampton, bruce davison, heather graham, horror, hp lovecraft, joe lynch, johnathon schaech, shudder, shudder australia

Music in film achieves a number of things: it establishes setting; it creates atmosphere; it calls attention to elements; it reinforces or foreshadleaningsows narrative developments; it gives meaning to a character’s actions or translates their thoughts; and it creates emotion.

(K. Kalinak, 2024)

Such is the weight that music has in films that to find the right balance is imperative in delivering the right intonation or mood to a piece. If it’s off kilter in any way, then you risk thrusting your audience out of the narrative and falling into an abyss of disconnection.  Unfortunately, this becomes common place during Joe Lynch’s latest offering from the directorial chair. It feels intentional but the choice to mix up the erotic ambience with mystery and intrigue, ends up feeling like a late night straight to tv from the 80s. 

One might argue that Suitable Flesh is aiming to present itself in this field, tipped as a successor to Stuart Gordon’s Lovecraftian classics, From Beyond and Re-Animator, it even boasts one of stars from both of these features, Barbara Crampton. And thank God as she is head and shoulders, one of the most interesting components to the film.

There is plenty to praise on the basis of its premise alone, but its execution gets too muddled through amplifying different genres with a hazy mix of confusion. Another example of how the composition never hits the right note throughout. 

When psychiatrist, Dr. Elizabeth Derby (Heather Graham) becomes involved and obsessed with one of her clients, Asa White (Judah Lewis – The Babysitter) she soon becomes entangled in an ancient curse; one with octopedal ramifications, another of Lovecraft’s signature themes arises. 

The first and second act hinges on this lustful interaction, accompanied by murderous deeds, and psychological leanings. So embroiled in this component that Lynch neglects to add any depth to the proceedings and skates along the surface hoping that the intrigue is salvageable enough to keep the plot afloat.

The supporting roles from Johnathon Schaech (Quarantine) and Bruce Davison (X-Men) are woefully underused, with the exception of Crampton who plays Derby’s confidante and lifelong friend, Dr. Daniella Upton, this is Graham’s picture to deliver, but too often she is trapped in a two-note affair, struggling to break out of her fixed portrayal of a woman in crisis.

Suitable Flesh’s saving grace comes in the final act, when Lynch finally decides to dial up the tension and leans heavily into a gripping climax, with a disappointing and predictable final reveal.

The Prognosis:

What promised to be a reawakening of Lovecraftian themes brought to light in the 80s, Suitable Flesh leaves you floundering, in search of something to grip onto, waiting all too late in the final act to serve up anything remotely appealing to its audience.

  • Saul Muerte

Suitable Flesh is available on Shudder from Fri 26th Jan. 

Kalinak, Kathryn, ‘What does film music do?’, Film Music: A Very Short Introduction, 1st edn (New York, 2010; online edn, Oxford Academic, 24 Sept. 2013), https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780195370874.003.0001, accessed 24 Jan. 2024.

Movie Review: Mad God

16 Thursday Jun 2022

Posted by surgeons of horror in Movie review

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dystopia, horror, phil tippett, stop animation

Described as the world’s pre-eminent stop motion animator, Phil Tippett has been harnessing his craft through such fine works as the original Star Wars trilogy; Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; Robocop; and Dragonslayer. 

Such is the talent that he brings to his craft, a long dormant vision, 30 years in the making, has finally come to fruition, thanks in part to a kickstarter campaign to aid in the funding.

Mad God is a beautifully bleak dystopian tale filled with a blend of industry, machine-like creatures, in tune with the organic infestations that embody the landscape.

This outlook is something straight out of the insane mind of Dr. Frankenstein, with some of these creatures born out of assembled body parts, adding to its appeal.

Whilst I do love the artform of stop animation, it can deter in places and feel fragmented as a result. Mad God can feel like this at times when viewing which can be due to the production time frame. 

Weaving together these surreal images is The Assassin, shrouded in a jacket and a gas mark, who is charged with a mission to destroy the world as we know it. His journey of descent into an inferno of lust, power, greed, and the destruction of life is a cyclical and hellish one. It bears a light on the shadowy side of humanity, forcing the viewer to face its brutality.

The Prognosis:

Through all its fragments and destruction, is beauty and evolution at its core.
Director Phil Tippet is a master of his craft and his labour of love is a must see for all fans of stop animation. 

The dystopian landscape is a visually striking and harrowing masterpiece that captures the dark heart of humanity in a way that this style of art form and an auteur of his field can truly supply.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: X (2022)

22 Tuesday Mar 2022

Posted by surgeons of horror in Movie review

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Tags

brittany snow, horror, horror films, Horror movies, jenny ortega, kid cudi, martin henderson, mia goth, mumblegore, slasher films, slasher horror, ti west

Last week I joined up with fellow Surgeon Myles Davies to watch Ti West’s latest turn behind the camera with his seventies inspired horror slasher flick, X.

A couple of days later, my colleague fired up the following tweet to cast his judgement before the world.

I went to a screening of this awesome new slasher last night and holy moly if this is not the best horror of 2022 then it’ll probably be it’s sequel – due out later in the year… fans of horror, this is a must-see!! https://t.co/Lg2tkRvyZD

— Myles Davies (@mylesdavies) March 18, 2022

But what prompted this response from our slasher surgeon guru?

What compelled him to go Cujo frothing crazy?

Was he merely spouting foreign tongue, possessed by Satan’s work?

Or was there a method to the madness and perhaps people should sit up and take note of his prophecy?

Well, let’s throw the beast onto the mortician’s slab and dissect the film to get to the heart of it.

It’s been about six years since West sat in the directors chair for a feature length movie, and his subject of choice is a love song to the late sixties and early seventies with the infusion of sex and slasher horror.

There are obvious nods to the porno scene that had infiltrated the movie Plex with films such as Debbie Does Dallas, opening to dorr for adventurous and risky filmmakers to make their mark with cheap, low budget, guerrilla style approach to the medium.

Similarly the slasher scene was starting to raise its head, notably through The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, directed by Tobe Hooper and from which West draws the bulk of his inspiration from.

West is clearly a man who knows his field though with suitable nods to Hitchcock’s Psycho, Kubrick’s The Shining, and even early 80s horror flick Alligator. 

X follows a group of young filmmakers intent on making an adult movie that could launch them to stardom; whether it was through escapism, to be famous, or for the money. Leading the stakes with that certain X factor is Maxine Minx (Mia Goth), a stripper and pornographic film actress. Joining her on their filming expedition is her boyfriend and producer Wayne (Martin Henderson), fellow actors Bobby Lynne (Brittany Snow), and Jackson Hole (Kid Cudi), Director RJ (Owen Capbell), and his girlfriend Lorraine (Jenny Ortega). 

Their choice of location happens to be a farmhouse in Texas (of course) and much like its inspiration, there’s more than meets the eye from its occupants, but not necessarily how you would expect… an elderly couple. Pearl (also Goth) is unwilling to let go of her sexuality just because of her age; and Howard (Stephen Ure) who will stop at nothing to satisfy her needs, but time may not be on his side. 

There is a fine line between pleasure and pain, and all it takes is one simple flip to turn our intrepid pioneers in filmmaking to be pushed into a world where they may not return from. Once the characters and setting take hold, West then lets loose with a slasher frenzy of delight, painting his celluloid brush with the artistic style and grace that the genre lends its name from, dabbing from a palette of iconic horror visuals to stimulate the audience with.

X is more than a homage to films of yester-year though as West immediately lures us in with the style from the era, both visually and auditorily, scintillating the senses. As he subjects us to the charm of the movie, West then pulls us in further with rich characterisation, who on face value appear to be stereotypes of the decade, but beneath the surface are more than their appearance depicts.
In fact, West’s masterstroke is in forcing the viewer to look beneath the surface of these characters, delving deep into their personalities and forcing their true selves to the fore.
The biggest component that Wast dapples with is the social stigma that age has on society, and how sex can diminish when time plays its part on us all. Does age damage the psyche? When we are left with our souls, and our body begins to fail us, what makes us worthy then when we aren’t able to let go of our sensuality?

The Prognosis:

So what is the conclusion?
Is this as Myles states, a potential contender for horror film of the year?

Ti West serves up a beautifully shot movie that sparks nostalgia and awakening to the slasher genre. The performances, especially from Mia Goth in her dual role are an absolute delight.
And the slow burn tension that flicks with humour and horror is perfectly balanced throughout the film. Plus the use of age and fear of ageism in the wake of losing one’s sexuality as the central theme is a bold but rewarding one.

West has always proved to be a quiet achiever from the mumblegore movement, but deserves more praise for his efforts.

X has just elevated his profile further and with the promise of turning the movie into a trilogy and a prequel called Pearl due later in the year, West could very well have made the best horror film of the year. Stay tuned 2022.

  • Saul Muerte

Retrospective: The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (1971)

08 Sunday Aug 2021

Posted by surgeons of horror in retrospective

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giallo, horror, italian horror

Another Giallo horror film marks a milestone this year with Emilio Miraglia’s The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave celebrating 50 years since its initial release. 

At its heart the film is a tale that depicts how the wealthy are inescapable of punishment, free to carry out their wims. Where it gets slightly complex is through the unhinged mind of its central character Alan (Anthony Steffen) who is mentally scarred when he finds his wife making love to a man. It’s a bender that sends him into an institution, but upon release his unstable condition is all too apparent when he hires red-haired prostitutes that remind him of his wife, to enact tortuous and murderous acts upon them as a form of warped revenge.

The twist in the tale however, comes when Alan attends a séance where the medium makes contact with Evelyn sending Alan spiralling downwards. It is here that Alan’s cousin George moves into the mansion to take care of him, but does he have an ulterior motive?

To add more oddity to the fold, Alan then meets Gladys (Marina Malfatti) he instantly falls for her charms (maybe a little too easily) and it is not long that they are wed and Gladys too moves into the mansion. Then the sinister nature of the movie takes hold again as Gladys begins to experience some further goings on at the mansion when she meets Evelyn’s brother and his invalid Aunt, who instantly take a dislike to Alan’s new bride. Gladys is convinced that Evelyn may have faked her own death, and is still alive haunting the mansion and sending Alan further into repression.

There are further twists and turns throughout the narrative like most giallos’ of the era before a conclusion is reached. As it unravels, the madness of the piece is on show and its convoluted plot never really awakens in the mind of this writer and leaves me a little unsatisfied as a result. Not nearly as clever or complex as other films in the Giallo genre, and a little more gratuitous for the sake of it. The ending tries to be smart and shocking but instead, it just leaves you feeling cold.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Suspiria (2018)

27 Saturday Oct 2018

Posted by surgeons of horror in Movie review

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Tags

chloe grace moretz, dakota johnson, horror, Horror movies, Suspiria, thom yorke, tilda swinton

At the time of writing this article Halloween has made over $106 million dollars in Box Office sales and taken the second-best ever opening weekend of October and has become the best-ever film starring a lead actress over 55 years old.
It’s director David Gordon Green must be riding an all-time high at the moment, which is interesting as he was the original choice to direct the Suspiria remake which would have starred Isabelle Huppert, but due to a confliction of interests this vision fell through.
One can only wonder how his operatic nod to Dario Argento’s classic would have looked like. Instead Italian director Luca Guadagnino, who turned heads last year with his film Call Me By Your Name, picked up the mantle and collaborated once more with actress Tilda Swinton with his homage.

Now, a lot of people would have balked at the very idea of someone attempting to recreate a much-loved horror film, especially as Suspiria was so unique in style and content.
And yet, it’s because of this that you could argue that there is room to revisit the storyline and create something different for a new generation.
And with the trailer’s release earlier in the year, you could tell that Guadagnino was aiming to do jus that and develop a movie with the look and feel of it’s time and setting, 1977, Berlin.

It’s a fascinating time in German history as it was going through a huge discord and anarchy through political unrest, driving far-left militant organization, Red Army Faction (RAF) also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group to drastic measure involving bombing, kidnapping, and assassinations.
The climate was ripe for a dark evil to erupt, and in this instance it resides with a coven of witches in The Markos Dance Company, which too was going through a split faction between Helena Markos, the self-proclaimed Mother of Sighs and the company director, Madame Blanc, (both played by Swinton).

The story evolves through a series of Acts that opens with an unhinged Patricia Hingle (Chloe Grace Moretz) discloses to her psychiatrist Jozef Klemperer (another Swinton performance as the elderly Gent, a performance that sometimes amazes in just how powerful an actress she is, but on occasion distracts through the times that her character slips a little) about the secret sect.
Hingle quickly disappears from the scene, allegedly involved with the RAF movement. This opens the door for when our story truly begins, when American, Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) arrives at the dance company and quickly rises as Blanc’s protégé.

All the while, the dancers are unaware of what truly lurks behind the mirrored walls and beneath the dance floor and Professor Klemperer continues on his quest to find the missing Hingle (an effort that masks his own failings in never finding his wife during the outbreak of the second world war).

There are so many layers to this film that it’s easy to get lost in the narrative and fall under the spell that is cast with powerful performances from all the actors driving you deeper into the world as you spiral into the hypnosis.
This is strengthened further by the musical score supplied Thom Yorke, something of a masterpiece in his delivery and trance-like songs that perfectly accompany the atmosphere and direction of the movie.

Equally effective are the dance pieces that closely pull from the Martha Graham technique, using a psychoanalytical viewpoint on the medium depicting human struggles through every contorted and distorted action from the performer.
It’s a perfect accompaniment to the films narrative and proves a central tool to evoke the darkness beyond the known world.

American writer David Kajganich who wrote the screenplay for Suspiria openly admits that he is not a fan of horror movies and prefers to keep the drama grounded in reality. It’s a curious choice to take for a horror film, but one that speaks volumes to the final product on show.
There are some great moments in the movie that drive the drama forward in a fairly slow pace towards a fevered conclusion.
One moment that I found compelling was when the coven congregates around the dining table, providing small talk, but in the same instance offer a small window into their world and the synergy between them all.

The problem is the choice taken pulls as far from a horror as you could get with the exception of an absolutely phenomenal sequence when one of the dancers, Olga has her body twisted and contorted in a gruesome fashion that is so relentless on the screen, that you can’t help but squirm in your seat.
The timing of this delivery is hopeful too and leads you on a hopeful journey that the movie is going to go dark and harrowing, but it never comes.
By the time the finale arises, the left-of-centre change in direction is a little jarring and feels remiss and leaves any horror fan wanting.

 

The Diagnosis:

It’s a slow-burn movie that grinds its way to a stumbled conclusion.
The drama is gritty and realistic with some stunning performances and dramatic dance sequences that hook you in, but rather than set you ablaze in a fury of emotion, it peeters out to a mere whimper.

 

– Saul Muerte

 

 

 

 

 

Movie review: Summer of ’84

24 Wednesday Oct 2018

Posted by surgeons of horror in Movie review

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

horror, horror films, summer of 84

Summer of ‘84 is one of those movies that tries to tap into the whole 80s nostalgia thing. Think Stranger Things, The Burbs, and Stephen King all wrapped into a neat All-American thriller where four boys believe that one of their neighbours is a notorious serial killer.

The trouble is it strives so hard to emanate the decade and all its glory, (wicked soundtrack included) that it struggles to form a unique identity of its own. That is until the final 20 WTF!!! Minutes of the movie that shakes up your preconceptions and messes with your heard.
By this stage, you would have lost some of the audience, waiting for something to seperate Summer of ‘84 from the pack, and the other half of the audience barely hanging on.
This is a shame because the trailer teased and tantalised an epic feature, but if you can stick it out to the end, the pay off is definitely worth it.

The premise follows Davey Armstrong, the son of a journalist, who suspects neighbour Mackey a well-respected police officer to be the Cape May Slayer, who has murdered of 13 teenage boys in the county area.

At first his friends, Woody, Curtis, and Eats, all find Davey’s story too far-fetched. That is until Davey claims to have seen the latest missing kid at Mackey’s House. Cue espionage style tactics from the kids as they try every spy trick in the book to uncover the truth from tracking his every move, going through his trash and finally breaking and entering.
Is Mackey the murderer, (I mean, there is something a little off about his mannerisms, expertly played by Mad Men’s Rich Sommer) or is it the wild imaginations of a young mind?

The kids are all likeable enough to keep you wondering and caring when they fall into precarious situations, with plenty of decent back story to most of them.
There’s even room for a love interest in old friend and crush, Nikki, who also seems a little unhinged and leaves you wondering if this is a result of her parents separating or is there something darker going on underneath her sweet demeanour.

Directors Simard, Whissell, and Whissell certainly tick all the boxes and it’s only when we are feeling secure that they decide to whip the carpet of safety from under our feet and throw a massive curveball into the midst.

From a political point of view, when Reagan was in power, it’s as if the creatives wanted to make a sweeping statement that American life would never be the same again and that ‘home life’ as we knew it would be totally broken apart and everything that we could rely upon would leave us questioning our faith in everything that our society is built upon.
There is no sanctuary. Not anymore.

The Diagnosis:

Summer of 84 nearly falls prey to standard thriller territory until it sucker punches you in the gut for the climax of the movie, leaving you feeling unnerved and a huge talking point.

 

  • Saul Muerte

 

Movie review: Attack of the Killer Donuts

20 Saturday Oct 2018

Posted by surgeons of horror in Movie review

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b movie, c thomas howell, horror

Forty years ago Attack of the Killer Tomatoes entered the horror arena and marked itself as the B movie of all B movies.

Since then we’ve had a plethora of killer fruits and vegetables coming out of the wake to replicate the crazed, low grade antics of their predecessor.

Now it’s the turn of delectable sugary snacks in Attack of the Killer Donuts.

When crazed Uncle Luther performs a wild experiment on his pet rat, he is able to reanimate the beast and believes he’s on a massive scientific breakthrough .

One trip to the local donut store though and the formula is leaked in the kitchen and contaminates and entire batch that go on a killer frenzy throughout the local town.

The only people to stop the sweet rampage are the deadbeat employees of said store, Johnny (Justin Ray), his potential love interest Michelle (Kayla Compton), and his best friend Howard who just so happens to be sleeping with Johnny’s Mum.

Director Scott Wheeler cut his teeth in visual effects with previous films such as Avalanche Sharks and Martian Land and here he makes a decent stab at bring the killer donuts to life and look menacing enough… well as menacing as they can be. It’s not exactly going to turn heads, it is a low budget, straight to dvd feature, so what do you expect. It does exactly what it says on the tin.

If there was a criticism to be thrown at the feature, it would be that on occasion there is too much dialogue, particularly at the end of the movie, when the dust has settled, it feels like it takes a hell of a long time to actually rest with unnecessary storylines being tied up. Sometimes, you don’t need to explain every last detail. Especially not in a film like this.

AotKD does boast C.Thomas Howell (The Outsiders, The Hitcher) in its cast as one two bumbling cops, (it’s a film about killer donuts, you have to have cops right?) which was refreshing to see.

Plus it heralds some hilarious killer death scenes that will satiate your appetite.

 

The Diagnosis:

It’s a B Movie that is as farcical as it sounds, but in keeping with similar films of yester-year.

It’s watchable without rotting your brain too much and fans of this kind of sub-genre will find it entertaining… just maybe play it safe and stick to popcorn as your movie snack. Popcorn’s hardly going to come back and bite you, right? Right?

 

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Bonehill Road

25 Saturday Aug 2018

Posted by surgeons of horror in Movie review

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

bonehill road, horror, horror films, Horror movies, linnea quigley, todd sheets, Werewolf, Werewolf movies

When director Todd Sheets set about fulfilling his dream passion project of filming a practical effects werewolf movie (that was reminiscent of the classic movies of yesteryear such as The Howling or An American Werewolf in London) via an Indiegogo crowd funding, he hardly expected it to gain the massive traction that it finally generated.
The interest and backing from like-minded individuals keen to see a film produced similar to the ones they grew up loving with an old school mentality approach even gained interest from Indiegogo, citing the campaign as a benchmark in crowd sourcing.
The movie is ultimately a B-movie horror, but that term isn’t necessarily something to look down upon, as Bonehill Road is elevated by Sheets’ choice as both writer and director.
The creature effects are impressive and trigger the perfect amount of nostalgia along the way, but it’s the heart of the story that is it’s strongest point and the journey that our two leads, Emily and her daughter Eden are forced to go through in their fight for survival.
They flee from an abusive husband/father only to jump out with the pan and into the fire when they encounter a murderous psychopath who has a number of women tied up in his home. In this one moment, Bonehill Road turns from your typical werewolf flick to a story about female empowerment. A genius stroke from Sheets as it makes the movie not only contemporary and relevant in todays climate, but also cuts to the pointy end of sexual oppression that is so often overlooked in the news and media. The women must bond together in their suffering and rise up against the constant wave of male dominance in order to survive. It’s a shame then that the Gramps character has to make an entrance to help initiate a rescue. It may have been cool to have a gender swap here to and have Granny coming in to aid, and leverage off the classic wolf story, Little Red Riding Hood a touch. Then again, that road has already been travelled to a degree with Neil Jordan’s A Company of Wolves, so who am I to judge?

When the werewolves do come and they do as a pack, as our victims are hold up inside the house, they attack from every where, heightening that feeling of societies judgement and vitriol towards victims of sexual and domestic violence comes crashing through the walls with no direction or safety on the apparent horizon.

Throw in the casting of a name in the horror circuit with Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead) as one of the fellow kidnapped victims and Sheets provides some further leverage in bringing in a wider fan base to Bonehill Road, proving that not only is he one of the most likeable directors in the business but also one of the smartest.

 

The Diagnosis:

Todd Sheets brings a bout of old school werewolf horror to the B movie scene packed with practical effects, and offers a strong heart that beats with purpose offering a fresh take on a tried and tested genre.

 

  • Saul Muerte
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