Film Reviews by NP

I enjoy obscure stories and have no problem with open-ended narratives. To spend nearly two hours in the company of such a charming cast of characters however, I would have liked to have some kind of payoff or even a partial explanation as to what it is I’ve just spent 112 minutes watching.

This is some kind of coming-of-age fantasy set in a world within a world removed from reality but filmed in huge and beautiful locations. The characters are predominately female (“There are no boys here,” someone points out to newcomer Iris - Zoé Auclair – at one stage). Set in an isolated girl’s school, newcomers arrive in coffins, to emerge blurry-eyed and are warmly greeted by their new associates.

One of the very few male characters, who is nameless and faceless, is a male voice from the audience at one of the girls’ dancing performances, who throws down a rose to Bianca (Bérangère Haubruge) as a reward for being ‘the prettiest.’

I felt a bit uncomfortable watching certain scenes which seemed to exploit the burgeoning sexuality of the young girls – perhaps that was the point. Certainly, toward the end, young Bianca seems happy with the attentions of the first male she meets – but so much is conveyed without words (and so much is deliberately not conveyed) that it’s difficult to imagine what it all means. The best way to enjoy this is to simply go with it, to enjoy the fairly-tale idyll in which much of the running time is spent and absorb the scary and uncertain notion the pupils must face when leaving. My score would be 6 out of 10.

“They’re best when they’re fresh” – and you just know they’re not just talking about the croissants.

‘Child Eater’ is a decent low-budget shocker that emulates the kind of slasher film you’ve probably seen before, with some appealing characters and a memorable but unspectacular Jeepers-Creepers-style steampunk villain.

The titular child, Lucas, is played by Colin Critchley. Juvenile actors can make or break a story such as this. Mercifully, Lucas is one of the most likeable characters and Critchley plays him convincingly. Cait Bliss plays Helen convincingly too. Other characters don’t come across so well.

On the evidence of Erlingur Thoroddsen’s story, Robert Bowery, our antagonist, is far from limited to eating children. People of all ages are subject to his nicely conveyed, gruesome attention. There’s little that is new here, but what we’re given is enjoyable enough. My score is 6 out of 10.

Despite a terrific performance from Belén Rueda as Julia, who is in virtually every scene, and some very nice cinematic camera work, ‘Julia’s Eyes’ is overlong and not as good as I had hoped it would be. There are many moments of tension, but a lack of variety can make them rather dull.

Julia is pushed from one horrific set-piece to another, and there’s an inedibility to her plight that nevertheless makes the finale a low-key heartbreaker. Somehow, however, the momentum can drag, the lack of a satisfying conclusion or interesting antagonist seems to let things down after such a protracted build-up. My score is 4 out of 10.

Giuseppe Tornatore’s film is so intense that it requires attention throughout. At two hours of running time, that can be a challenge. There is so much going on, so many richly directed scenes and beautifully acted characters, that it’s not easy to look away – and if perhaps 10-15 minutes had been shaved from the film’s length, that might aid the concentration.

As it is, the story of Irena’s struggles, her mission and the extraordinary lengths her enemies go to in order to condemn her, is a true rollercoaster. I would single out Kseniya Rappoport for her amazing performance, but the truth is, everyone here plays their part perfectly. Perhaps mention should go to Michele Placido for ensuring the vile Muffa is as horrible as possible, and Clara Dossena for her appealing performance as Thea.

At times, Ennio Morricone’s score is a little overbearing. It’s everywhere, in every scene, either in the background or pushed to the fore. Ultimately, though, it helps make ‘An Unknown Woman’ what it is – a brutal, heart-breaking, and at times challenging experience that, by the end, guaranteed that this viewer’s bottom lip was trembling a little. My score is 8 out of 10.

A superbly photographed and richly atmospheric take on the legend of lycanthropy. Murmurs of people being attacked by a wild animal, some impressively gory bites and injuries and a very occasionally glimpsed, surprisingly un-hirsute ‘thing’. Sean Ellis has directed, produced and written this, so clearly has some great interest in suggested werewolfery.

The acting is clipped and stoical, with characters only occasionally given to hysteria. The dialogue is unfrilled, with only the occasional anachronistic Americanism creeping into the 19th Century French setting.

Steeped in chill mist, there is a grand old-fashioned fairy-tale darkness about this tale, and Robin Foster’s score does much to convey the various levels of impending doom. Not only do the flaming torches and chilled misty woodlands constantly remind us there is something most definitely ‘out there’, but also casts welcome shadows of the more impressive Hammer films.

The acting is terrific across the board, with Kelly Reilly as Isabelle deserving a special mention as the glue that holds everyone together as panic and bloodshed kick in. CGI only occasionally threatens to dislodge the magic but is used sparingly and mostly to great effect. My score is 8 out of 10.

Kieran Parker, the producer of the two previous ‘Outpost’ films, here directs the third and, it seems, the final part of the story. A prequel, this is more of an action/horror than previous instalments, a mix of ‘Saw’ and 2011’s relentless ‘The Raid’ – with more than a smattering of Nazis and an uprising of the living dead battling the Russian Spetsnaz.

The cast is fine, although the character development comes a distant second to the often very effective set pieces. The locations have a heavily washed-out look which can sometimes prove to be dull visually, often coming across as virtually monochrome. The contrast between action inside the clammy, sweaty underground bunker and the cold and frosty-looking woodland above is very effective, however.

A fast-moving, brutal horror, this is a powerful end – if it really is the end – to the Outpost series. It’s ended on a high. My score is 7 out of 10.

This is the kind of rich, expensive, epic, matinee horror thriller from Columbia that belongs very much in the 1950s when it was made. That's not to say it has dated, or is in any way a relic, but that the meticulously measured performances ad intelligent writing tells an adult tale without ever stooping to gratuity of any kind. You think you'd get that now, especially in a big budget production?

Stewart Grainger plays Stephen Lowry, an initially sympathetic character. The audience's goodwill dissipates rapidly however, when he maltreats the family cat: some things a hero should never do. He is guilty of even worse, too, but that's not for this review. Suffice it to say that he meets his match and it's then that things become really interesting. Jean Simmons is Lily Watkins, another character who holds our sympathies - but should she? Such is the nature of this terrifically twisting plot that you never really know.

The intrigue takes on a darker turn and thus provides the thrust of the story. All this in a richly furnished, luxurious house that quickly becomes cold and unfriendly - a terrific setting for the bleak drama, all furnished with a host of well-known faces like Victor Maddern, Bill Travers, Peter Bull and the original Doctor Who, William Hartnell. My score is 8 out of 10.

This is exactly the kind of horror film I love. We are given a cast of realistic, very individual characters - the kind of people you might actually meet instead of quick-talking catwalk models - in a location you can identify with. Mulberry Street is in the throes of being destroyed, swept away by Manhattan developers who want to make the lived-in community extinct and make everything clean, new and faceless.

Director Jim Mickle, who worked on 2010’s ‘Stake Land’ invites us to spend the film's running time living in this location relishing in details of garbage-littered walkways, weathered, run-down apartment blocks ... and a flourishing infection, causing humans to develop into blood-thirsty rat creatures.

As is often the case in less prosperous communities, there is a dark and occasionally brutal humour prevalent here. The characters are endearing partly because of this, and when the gruesome transformations kick in, we care about what happens to them.

Bleak, uncompromising and with a genuine sense of spreading horror; my score is 9 out of 10.

Director and co-writer Jordan Downey's film sticks a couple of fingers up at those who complain about low-budget productions. Big Christopher Rygh plays the unnamed father, Viking warrior for a distant power and head-hunter of the title. Off he goes when summoned, to fight the most fearsome, monstrous foes - and we never see them. The story makes a virtue of sending him off on his way, and then seeing him return bloodied and battered, with only a dismembered head as evidence there was any monster at all (all the work of Downey, for whom this was clearly a labour of love).

Everything else about this production is visually superb. The locations, cinematography and sense of isolation. Only the warrior's daughter shares the spotlight with him, and she clearly has her own story to tell. The air is thick with Gaelic atmosphere, the dialogue is virtually non-existent - 'Head Hunter' is a film that, for 72 minutes, the viewer is encouraged to live inside, if you'll allow it.

An Australian found-footage horror, steeped inevitably in the trappings of 1999's 'Blair Witch Project', where we, the viewers, are invited to become the sixth member of a group of five bloggers. The group is filming a ghost hunt and, as we are, hope for some spooky manifestations. When the name of 'the butcher' is mentioned, they appear to get their wish.

The characters here are likeable (which is not always the case in such films) and naturalistically played, so when 'bad' things happen, we're given reason to care. Only physicist Shannon comes across as 'acting', and that is mainly because she is given spurious academic dialogue to help explain away the phenomena. A very good found-footage entry; my score is 9 out of 10.

When you have the same person writing, directing and starring in a production such as this, it can often be an unrefined ego project, with no one on board to reign in the excesses of the ubiquitous creator. Occasionally, a very personal and very successful outcome can occur, such as is the case here.

Jeremy Gardner plays Ben, outwardly a stoner and a bit of a layabout, and inwardly - especially when the chips are down - a methodical thinker and unlikely to panic in frightening situations. In 'The Battery', frightening situations are the name of the game, and Ben is the kind of person you need around. That's not to say he's entirely successful in evading the mass hordes of the living dead who inhabit the world following some kind of apocalyptic zombie holocaust.

This film examines the often unspectacular, grinding reality of such an occurrence. It does so without frills and is all the more effective for that. Ben and Mickey have been thrown together and their relationship produces moments of bleak humour. This is tested throughout, but never more so than during the last act, when the resilience of the marauding antagonists is exploited in a gruelling manner.

2018’s ‘The Bad Nun’ gets a sequel, again produced, directed and written by the extraordinarily prolific Scott Jeffrey and featuring a return for Becca Hirani’s character Aesha Wadia. We don’t have to hang around long before shadowy, habit-shrouded shapes start appearing in doorways and windows. Politely, our antagonist always knocks first, which is a creepy courtesy – we know the faceless creature is likely to come in anyway.

This is a considerable step up from the first film – the pacing is sharper, the dialogue more natural and the Nun is genuinely creepy. It’s not a stellar production, but it features some good shots, a nicely isolated location and some fairly likeable leads. Also, the story is a good one, with convincing reasons given for the murders. The twist at the end is signposted, but in a way that doesn’t necessarily reveal anything too early.

Jeffrey’s schedule is mind-boggling. According to IMDB, he’s produced 144 films in eight years, and I happen to have seen quite a few of the more horror-infused ones. Technically, they have become more impressive and the stories more engaging over time. His 2023 offering has received more notoriety than most because its subject matter, ‘Winnie the Pooh’ has been given a slasher makeover. His upcoming ‘Bambi: the Reckoning’ suggest the theme might become a recurring one. My score is 8 out of 10.

Director Riccardo Paoletti has managed to weave a dark fairy-tale out of Manuela Cacciamani and Carlo Longo stark and tragic horror story that is hugely enjoyable. We're given a selection of characters, some of whom appear to be 'good' and others 'bad'. However, we're not given to judge them, simply to go along with their actions and interactions and make up our own minds. The ending is bittersweet, and it's up to the audience to decide whether the outcome is the correct one.

I love films that challenge us in this way, rather than hand every emotion to us on a plate. It's also beautifully photographed and convincingly acted. It's a slow story that gives us the chance to get to know the characters as events slowly spiral into more twisted, demented places. The plot isn't entirely watertight, but the holes only occur after the credits have finished rolling - for the duration, you are captivated and intrigued - and horrified - enough by the story not to let such things distract.

My score is 9 out of 10.

Steve Lawson delivers once more an intelligent, dialogue-heavy, atmospheric period piece – this time with a twist on ‘The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ novella.

Michael McKell is very good as the titular character (and sings the excellent closing theme too – a very talented individual). My only gripe is probably a very personal one; during moments of humour – and there is a handful amidst this grim tale – we are treated to strains of ‘comedy music’. Plink plonks accompany each sideward glance and awkward smile. It’s unnecessary – don’t do it (this is general advice, not exclusive to this production)!

The fairly sizable tweaks that have been made to the classic original story seem mainly to allow the low budget to adequately convey events (shades of early Hammer classic adaptions). Therefore, there are many scenes, especially near the end, where characters spend a great deal of time explaining the plot and gloating over their cleverness. An interesting spin – not perfect of course, but a production given the care and attention that’s become associated with Steve Lawson’s projects. My score is 7 out of 10.

‘Ditched’ is an interesting and unusual Canadian horror story with a unique directorial style and a truly superb electronic soundtrack by Clayton Worbeck (I wish it was available to buy – can’t find it anywhere).

At the centre of this lies a storyline that is not unfamiliar. The twist at the end places the tale in familiar territory, but where this succeeds is in the way the tale is told. We begin at a point where the action has already started and the cast of characters attempts to piece events together alongside the audience. The dialogue is sometimes irritating (too much of the ‘we can *do* this’ grandstanding).

The cinematography is unusual and striking, with key moments and characters often obscured by sickly yellow/red lighting. Viewers should be warned that the continual flashing of lights might induce additional discomfort – but although overused, it works very well ensuring that nothing appears to be quite real.

The third act is when the increasingly confusing narrative becomes a mix of lengthy exposition and events that ask too much of the audience. Far too much talking deadens the atmosphere, which is a shame. A definite case of the journey proving more enjoyable than the destination, in my view. My score is 5 out of 10.