Film Reviews by NP

This is a very good, intelligently scripted film. The cast comprises three people mainly and contains many long conversations. For such unrelenting dialogue, most of it one-note, nearly 100 minutes is far too long. Shorn of twenty minutes, things would be so much more effective.

Having said that, the acting on display is excellent, with the intruder suggesting a number of possibilities that remain largely unexplored, leaving the implications to the audience. The ending, for example, is largely open to question.

Filmed in cold black and white, and featuring some memorable haunted-house imagery, often beautifully lit, ‘The Righteous’ is unquestionably a fine film, and although the attention wandered a little once or twice, I ended up enjoying it a lot. My score is 7 out of 10.

… the ‘original’ living vampire, not this pasty-faced newcomer ‘Morbius (2022)!’ From Asylum films, this ‘mockbuster’ set in designer-Victorian times, takes its title from the original Marvel Morbius comic strips, always subtitled, ‘The living vampire.’

There are some atmospheric recreations of Gothic castles and general Victorian-looking panoramas. I couldn’t work out if they were model work, enhanced actual cityscapes or CGI, which is the whole point, I’m sure.

The historical accuracy is loose at best but looks good, and the actors do a fair job of getting their tongues around some very olde-world dialogue - and fangs - and some very interesting things are done with many characters from the original novel – different genders, different sexual preferences and different beliefs. The result is very talky a lot of the time but features occasional effects that are pretty impressive, and ultimately, I enjoyed this.

Charlie Steeds, who has brought us ‘The Barge People’ and ‘Winterskin (2018)’, brings forth Victorian-era England, and with it, a selection of characters so eccentric, I pictured them being played by bawdy UK series ‘Carry On’ performers. It’s not a bad mix. The humour is of the coarse – sometimes perhaps too coarse - bodily-function variety and delivered with a raw, knowing twinkle.

It looks good throughout – some subtle effects give the sets and locations a rich period ambience, and the werewolves during the brief periods when we witness them, are surprisingly effective, although their choreography is a little peculiar (perhaps this is deliberate?).

A mix of raw humour and genuine horror, this is an acquired taste – as Steeds’ films often are – but I enjoyed it.

This is a British found footage film and, as such, is similar to the template set out by the phenomenally successful ‘Blair Witch Project’.

The three characters take time to like. Raz (Parry Glasspool), the sole male, is a cocky, good-looking lad who will say inappropriate things for ‘a laugh’; Lucy-Jane Quinlan plays Charlie, who spends most of the first half of the film frowning at Raz’s antics, and Lydia Orange plays Jess, possibly the ‘nicest’ of the trio – while their very patient teacher Mark is played by TJ Herbert. He is openly ridiculed by Raz, particularly for his ‘four stripe’ trainers – a detail that is worth remembering during the closing shots.

It takes too long to get going, but during that time, I warmed to the three youngsters. Raz is a bit of a twit, no question, but he’s often genuinely funny, if foolhardy.

The third act is where the scares finally come along, with the kind of stumbling confusion and terror synonymous with the found footage genre. The descent into dark, isolated tunnels is creepy and unsettling, and the final scene serves us with a good twist.

This is a Welsh-language rural folk horror which, as the title suggests, focuses on the (very) slow build-up to, and commencement of a much-anticipated dinner.

Annes Elwy stars as the central character Cadi, and yet she spends most of the first three thirds of the film very much on the periphery. Her humble, freckled features are markedly different from rest of the sleek, chatty ensemble. Much is made of the atmospheric sense of isolation of the house, but any suggestions of horror are few and far between. My advice would be to stick with it, because things become surprisingly nasty as they progress – with the finale jarringly uncharacteristic of the previous 93 minutes - but we have to wait for it!

Some nice ideas are mostly squandered by repetition and an incomprehensible story. The characters are fine, the actors fine, but nothing can really rescue this messy production. It’s a shame because some of the direction is imaginative and the fleetingly seen monster is enigmatic and effective (it reminds me of the depiction of the titular creature from 2005’s ‘Reeker’). When it dawns on you – as it did to me – about halfway through that things aren’t going to progress much further, then the rest of the film becomes a little flat, I’m sorry to say.

A mixed bag, with more that is bad than good. The dialogue through the last half hour seems to comprise of the name ‘Rachel.’ And lots of screaming, of course. My score is 5 out of 10.

This is the debut film for Peter Benson and Andy Thompson, and is infused with enough directorial touches to keep things entertaining.

It isn’t perfect. The male characters are not only grotesque but one-note grotesque. Endless sex-bragging and leery pub jokes ensure that none of them will win the sympathy of the audience. The supposed good guy of the group, for example, is more than happy to betray his partner for a quick fumble in the hay. It’s difficult to know how the audience is supposed to react to these people – are they intended to be funny? Is the intention that we long for their death? Are they supposed to represent real people?

This is a shame because with a lightness of touch sadly missing, they might have been people we believe in, which would have improved things. As it is, I enjoyed this as a slightly unusual hybrid combining a Hammer-esque horror feel in places with the video nasties of the ‘80s. The gore is impressive and convincing for a low-budget venture such as this.

The three female characters are rather better realised and well-played. The temptation could have been to overact, but that’s not the case here. There are some mild sex scenes which curiously fail to carry any kind of erotic charge. My score is 6 out of 10.

“First you call Priscilla a bitch, then you question me.”

This is a fairly dire experience, with lacklustre acting and absolutely no atmosphere or pacing. It doesn’t help that the pretty Mom is completely unaware of her daughter’s ridiculous change of personality, her attention sapped by attempting to seduce the equally pretty, and wooden, local doctor.

Mom’s not the only one who doesn’t notice anything strange about the girl’s demeanour, despite the actress trying her best to be ‘well creepy.’ The scenes where characters chat cheerfully with this unblinking, somnambulist are laughable. Only the vicar asks ‘Is something wrong?’

As the story rolls on, it gets less convincing, almost as if the cast and crew are themselves becoming demoralised by how half-hearted this all is, and how juvenile the scares are, although the music does its best to unsettle us.

When the plotline is spelt out so very blatantly to the audience, only for the characters to constantly lag several steps behind is deeply frustrating and sadly the whole thing is workmanlike and distinctly lacking as a horror.

Events echo some of those in The Exorcist but are played by (excepting mom) uninspired actors who behave very illogically. My score is 5 out of 10.

It's not always easy to empathise with the alleged heroes in giallo films. Take Enrico - he's a married teacher, and he's first scene trying to have sex with the student with whom he's having an affair. When she's distracted by what appears to be a murder taking place, he gets angry. That's your central character, folks!

We're so preoccupied with Enrico (Fabio Testi)and his wife Herta (Karin Baal), and the subsequent murders of course, that it escapes our notice that the titular character Solange does not make an appearance until a large proportion of the film has taken place.

Giallo films - described by Wikipedia as '‘20th-century Italian slasher genre of literature and film, usually with mystery elements and often with either supernatural horror or crime fiction elements’ - is a fairly broad and far-reaching genre, usually involving a killer dressed in black wielding a serrated knife or somesuch. There's a lot more to that set-up here, and at the centre of it, a grim and upsetting story.

Before this film is even ten minutes into its running time, we have had naked vampires, sex, gore and two 'You've got to be f****** kidding me's. I'm surprised at how much I like it. The initially dreaded 'group of friends go on a road trip' is as unpromising as these things often are: 'crazy' kids tearing up the countryside to the soundtrack of rock music never fills me with a desire for anything other than to skip forward. The characters are given the first names of characters from the John Hughes teen flick 'The Breakfast Club (1985)'. The results are oddly American names for a very British collective, this decision hardly adding to their already scant credibility. Outwitting and out-glaring each other at every opportunity, it isn't long before they are accosted by a raving man at a petrol station - this brief scene actually explains the main thrust of the story: angels have been rejected from Heaven because of extreme sexual desires and apparently frequent the nearby woodlands. Problem is, this is all relayed so briefly and in the form of such extreme ranting, that the details are very easy to overlook.

The rest of the film plays out in a series of repetitive attacks and naked seductions that won't please everyone - but I found myself becoming entranced by this world within a world where creatures of the night rule.

There's an appearance from horror author Shaun Hutson which continues the rest of the film's run of unconvincing acting but is an interesting way to end nonetheless.

Michael J Murphy was a prolific, mostly unknown writer and director who died quite suddenly in April 2015.

He leaves behind a film legacy contained here in what must surely be its entirety. 26 films on 10 discs, together with a plethora of extras.

The first thing that grabs you when watching is that the 'micro budget' label on the cover is painfully true - you cannot help but be thrown by the DIY quality of many of the productions; it's also very interesting to see how they progress technically and professionalism over the years. Very cheaply made to the end - Murphy talks about at length in the interviews - they are nevertheless engaging in terms of story and situation. There are more twists, turns and revelations than you might imagine, and that - for me - outweighs the deficiencies in budget.

My preference is for the thriller/horror featured here rather than the sword and sorcery efforts (although the three visitations to the story of 'Tristan' are very strong and surprisingly touching). Perhaps 'Torment' is my favourite - a twisted story that balances the brutality of celebrity culture with full-on horror - although 'Death Run', 'Moonchild' and the last film 'The Return of Alan Strange' all come a close second. It's difficult to place them in order.

I knew nothing about Michael J Murphy, but I'm really glad I took the plunge with this set. His repertoire of actors became his close friends, their fondness for him evident in the interviews. The only question that remains after watching, is 'what could he have achieved if he had a budget?'

One thing virtually guaranteed with Irish horror films such as this is that the locations are stunning. Beautiful landscapes, lush countryside and ancient buildings that, if directed with care (as is the case here - Corin Hardy takes full advantage of the surroundings), could possibly house hidden horrors.

Conservationist Adam Hitchins (Joseph Mawle) isn't easy to empathise with. His wife Claire (Bojana Novakovic) is being menaced by intimidating local Colm (Michael McElhatton) and takes umbrage when she suggests leaving. His decisions serve to further and thicken the plot but hardly mark him out as likeable.

At the centre of this is baby Finn, whose cuteness is played upon too much for my tastes. Others may disagree, but there's only so much a cutesie kid can deliver without becoming saccharine.

Other than that, this is a very effective folk-type horror. The performances are savvy enough not to allow the characters to be stereotyped in any way, and Hardy knows exactly to ramp up the tension and give us a scare.

A leisurely-paced ghost story set in broken-down locations; this features understated performances which take precedence over special effects. We get to know the characters and are given good reason to care about them once they are in danger. Carmen (Elarica Johnson) appears initially cold and distant; Timmy (Clem Tibber) is a vulnerable loner trapped in a volatile life; his father Mark (Shaun Dingwell) forever chasing the elusive dream and never quite reaching it. Timmy's mum Sarah (Lyndsey Marshal) is either insane or saner than anyone. They are a fascinating combination, and their twisting, turning story, is embellished with minimal, mostly monosyllabic communication - as if they don't really want to speak at all.

The sound design is equally minimal - little more than a consistent low moan of night winds lurking through decaying corridors. Very effective and very spooky.

An accident robs January (Amy Manson) of her senses, and she and her boyfriend Callum (Simon Quarterman) travel to January's family home, which turns out to be a very bad decision indeed ...

Director Adam Levins plays with audience expectations and the dark teases scattered over initial scenes become less subtle and deadlier as the story rolls on. James Cosmo is excellent as the towering Albert. Repressed Katherine (Nora-Jane Noone), sneaky sniggering brother Laurence (James Lance) and mother Marilyn (Eileen Nicholas) complete the family ensemble, and a brutal, deadly mixture they are. The butler Thomas (Craig Conway) may be the only sympathetic character involved, and we're not sure we can trust even him ...

A highly recommended, extremely dark film ...

Journalist Alicia (Sabrina Ramos) is investigating the disappearance of local children, and travels to an Argentinian orphanage called Limbo. Limbo houses a group of youngsters with rare diseases. Just what these diseases are and how they manifest, provides the thrust for this film.

Iván Noel, who writes and directs, has delivered a horror story that manages to do something different with the vampire theme, and as such, should be applauded. Some performances from the younger cast members are typically a little awkward, but this doesn't detract from the unusual power that exists in Limbo.