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Spoiler-Free Reviews: AN TAIBHSE (THE GHOST) and BROKEN BIRD (Pigeon Shrine FrightFest)

AN TAIBHSE (THE GHOST) Writer/director John Farrelly’s excellent Irish chiller An Taibhse (The Ghost; 2024) — the first horror film in the Irish language — has echoes of The Shining and classic haunted house stories in its tale of Éamon Finegan (Tom Kerrisk) and his daughter Máire (Livvy Hill), who have been hired on as maintenance workers for a large mansion in need of repair. The proceedings take place during a great famine in the winter of 1852, and the pair will be the only people there for most of the winter. Máire believes that a ghost haunted her at their previous home, and it seems that it has either followed her or that she has new specters with which to deal. Éamon injures himself and turns to the bottle, becoming increasingly unhinged. Coollattin House, County Wicklow, which has been uninhabited for 25 years, makes for a superbly eerie setting, and cinematographers Farrelly and Ross Power maximize the atmosphere of

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Aug 29, 2024

Neo Noir Thriller ‘The Other Laurens’ Now in Theaters

Yellow Veil Pictures‘ critically acclaimed French neo-noir The Other Laurens is heading your way. The stylish and darkly comedic neo-noir thriller opens in theaters today. Claude Schmitz directed the French film starring Olivier Rabourdin. It follows a down-on-his-luck private investigator mistaken for his criminal twin brother. The P.I. is drawn deep into a dangerous underworld. He must confront his own identity and the blurred lines between reality and illusion. The Other Laurens has garnered praise from critics worldwide, with comparisons to the work of David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino. The film’s blend of noir aesthetics, dark humor, and unexpected twists has captivated audiences worldwide. The film made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. It continued on to make its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest, winning the Grand Prix and Best Actor Prize for Olivier Rabourdin. Don’t miss your chance to experience this cinematic gem. The Other Laurens will be released on the big screen on August 23

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Kelli Marchman McNeely
Aug 23, 2024

The Sinister Six: A Half-Dozen Horrors Recommended for Pigeon Shrine FrightFest

London’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest kicks off on Thursday, August 22 and runs through Monday, August 26, with 69 features from around the globe on tap. With chillers, thrillers, documentaries, and other genre fare scheduled, the festival presents a wealth of cinematic riches. Horror Fuel has selected six films that we are greatly looking forward to, including a few that we have already been lucky enough to have an advance look at (but we can’t say anything until the embargoes lift!). Check out the official festival descriptions below and then the links for more information, including trailers when available. The Monster Beneath Us Windswept Yorkshire, 1898. A grieving woman and her son move back to the unoccupied house of her ex-husband, who was recently found dead in mysterious circumstances. However, they soon discover they are not alone inside the icy house in a slow-burn horror, exploring the themes of isolation, otherness and loss. The house is home to a Boggart, an

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Aug 21, 2024

Movie Review: High Crime (1973) – Blue Underground 4K/Blu-ray/CD combo

After losing the chief suspect in an extensive drug deal (following an absolutely batshit chase sequence that begins with a footrace and ends with a real bang… but more on that later), hot-headed and hard-assed Police Vice-Commissioner Belli (Franco Nero, 1966’s Django) tries to deduce who the new player in Gangland is… a player that does as they please without honor. Additionally the idea of upstart rivals for his business goes over like a fart in a submarine with old school mob boss Cafiero (Fernando Rey, The French Connection), but it’s only a matter of time before there’s a full on Mafia war going on all over town with gangsters getting offed left and right… in increasingly violent fashion. While the bad guy body-count rises, Belli continues to butt heads with his boss, Chief Commissioner Aldo Scavino (James Whitmore, The Shawshank Redemption) while caring for his young daughter, Anita (Stefania Girolami Goodwin, daughter of the picture’s director Enzo G. Castellari)

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DanXIII
Aug 15, 2024

Movie Review: Demons and Demons 2 – Synapse 4K

Somethin’ monstrous is going down at the Metropol, a renovated theater holding a screening of a fright film involving a curse and the body of Nostradamus, and Cheryl (Natasha Hovey) and Kathy (Paola Cozzo) get caught up in the mask-based mayhem right quick! See the picture in question features a mask… a mask worn by a mysterious man (Michele Soavi, who directed 1989’s The Church, which was intended to be Demons 3) handing out tickets to the film in the “real world”, and the very same mask that scratches the hand of local prostitute/cinema enthusiast Rosemary (Rats: Night of Terror‘s Geretta Geretta) delivering some sort of bizarre infection that turns her into a pus-spewing, sharp-toothed demon… and she wastes no time infecting others! Soon Cheryl and company are up to their popcorn in murderous monsters, and the infection may soon spread to the city beyond! Directed and co-written by Lamberto Bava (along with co-writers Dario Argento (who also produced), Dardano

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Aug 13, 2024

Box Set Review: Danza Macabra Vol. 3 – Severin Blu-ray

Remember way back to like last week (approx.) when I put a revoltin’ review upon Severin’s second collection of Italian Gothic fright flicks, Danza Macabra Volume 2? Well, it took so long for my arcane as to talk about that set, that a whole new third volume has been conjured forth… this time with a change of scenery as we’re going to Spain baby! First up, Disc One contains 1971’s Necrophagus… Aristocrat Michael Sherrington (Bill Curran) heads back to the town in which his wife Elizabeth has expired after an emergency cesarean to remove her dead fetus… seems wholesome enough so far… Once there he goes sleuthin’ around the place seeking answers about just how his wife died… but beyond the basics, the whole town seems rather tight-lipped (and downright sinister) about the whole, sordid affair… especially family physician Dr. Lexter (Frank Braña) and cemetery caretaker Mr. Fowles (Víctor Israel), as well as Michael’s in-laws and his mother, Lady Anne

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Aug 3, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: ELECTROPHILIA and ASTRO NOTS (Fantasia 2024)

Electrophilia (Los Impactados) Argentinian feature Electrophilia touches on body horror and eroticism involving electricity but never goes full-on with these themes, instead feeling more like a character study of its protagonist, veterinarian Amanda (Mariana Di Girólamo). The young woman is struck by lightning and after she recovers from a six-week coma, she begins to feel changes that have happened to her mind and now-scarred body. She falls in with a group of lightning-strike survivors under the care of Juan (Germán Palacios), a doctor who uses unorthodox methods to treat those under his care, and begins an affair with him. Amanda develops sexual kinks related to electrical charges and shocks, worrying her significant other Jano (Guillermo Pfening). Director Lucía Puenzo, who cowrote the screenplay with Lorean Ventimigila, leaves viewers hanging with plot points that seem to have no resolution, such as Jano secretly going into Juan’s office and finding the doctor’s file on Amanda but then that scene not being addressed

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 27, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: DARKEST MIRIAM and THE OLD MAN AND THE DEMON SWORD (Fantasia 2024)

Darkest Miriam Canadian feature Darkest Miriam is a slow-burn thriller that follows thirtysomething librarian Miriam (Britt Lower), who is grieving over the loss of her father. She spends her days at work following routine— including dealing with an eccentric clientele — until an accident while she rides her bicycle jolts her out of the ordinary. She begins a relationship with foreign taxi driver Janko (Tom Mercier) but also starts receiving mysterious, ominous letters written in the voice of Italian opera character Rigoletto — who sheltered his daughter from the outside world until she was killed. Director Naomi Jaye has fashioned an intriguing character study that deals in genre elements while exploring themes of love and loss. A dreamlike feel pervades the film. Lower is fantastic as the complex title character, and Jank offers fine work in his costarring role. There’s an eccentricity to Darkest Miriam, but it is by no means an inaccessible one. Jaye ultimately aims to inspire, and

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 24, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: The Cursed Land and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

The Cursed Land Thai horror The Cursed Land is an ambitious work that perhaps takes on too much in its attempt to deliver a fear-fare tale involving djinn while addressing issues involving the largely Muslim Malay community in Thailand. Mit (Ananda Everingham) is wracked by guilt over not being able to save his wife, who died in an accident. He moves with his teen daughter (Jennis Oprasert) to a large house — in disrepair and with talismans placed around it — in a Muslim residential area near Bangkok. Mit removes the talismans and diabolical supernatural events ensue. In trying to find solutions to his newfound bedevilment, Mit learns about the tragic past of the region. Director Panu Aree, who cowrote the screenplay with Kong Rithdee, offers much in the way of eerie atmosphere and is assisted by strong performances from his cast members. The pacing is often slow, sometimes because of plentiful flashbacks, and the running time of 131 minutes

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 22, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: The Tenants, Tenement, Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary, and Respati

Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary South Korea’s ultracompetitive education system is world-renowned. Students spend years studying for an exam so important that it has the potential to determine their entire future. Imagine being such a hopeless student that your parents and teachers urge you to guess the answers, believing you have a better chance of stumbling upon the correct choice than through any logical reasoning. This is the predicament faced by the protagonists of KIM Min-ha’s horror comedy Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary. We meet Jiyeon (played by Son Joo-yeon), an aspiring film director and avid cinephile; her devoted camerawoman Hyun-jung (Kim Do-yeon), and the budding actress Eun-byul (Jung Da-eun) — three high school seniors with big dreams but an even bigger problem: their abysmal grades and test scores. Success hinges on gaining admission to a prestigious university, which, in turn, requires stellar test scores. However, with the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) fast approaching, these

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 21, 2024

More from Foreign

Spoiler-Free Reviews: AN TAIBHSE (THE GHOST) and BROKEN BIRD (Pigeon Shrine FrightFest)

AN TAIBHSE (THE GHOST) Writer/director John Farrelly’s excellent Irish chiller An Taibhse (The Ghost; 2024) — the first horror film in the Irish language — has echoes of The Shining and classic haunted house stories in its tale of Éamon Finegan (Tom Kerrisk) and his daughter Máire (Livvy Hill), who have been hired on as maintenance workers for a large mansion in need of repair. The proceedings take place during a great famine in the winter of 1852, and the pair will be the only people there for most of the winter. Máire believes that a ghost haunted her at their previous home, and it seems that it has either followed her or that she has new specters with which to deal. Éamon injures himself and turns to the bottle, becoming increasingly unhinged. Coollattin House, County Wicklow, which has been uninhabited for 25 years, makes for a superbly eerie setting, and cinematographers Farrelly and Ross Power maximize the atmosphere of

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Aug 29, 2024

Neo Noir Thriller ‘The Other Laurens’ Now in Theaters

Yellow Veil Pictures‘ critically acclaimed French neo-noir The Other Laurens is heading your way. The stylish and darkly comedic neo-noir thriller opens in theaters today. Claude Schmitz directed the French film starring Olivier Rabourdin. It follows a down-on-his-luck private investigator mistaken for his criminal twin brother. The P.I. is drawn deep into a dangerous underworld. He must confront his own identity and the blurred lines between reality and illusion. The Other Laurens has garnered praise from critics worldwide, with comparisons to the work of David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino. The film’s blend of noir aesthetics, dark humor, and unexpected twists has captivated audiences worldwide. The film made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. It continued on to make its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest, winning the Grand Prix and Best Actor Prize for Olivier Rabourdin. Don’t miss your chance to experience this cinematic gem. The Other Laurens will be released on the big screen on August 23

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Aug 23, 2024

The Sinister Six: A Half-Dozen Horrors Recommended for Pigeon Shrine FrightFest

London’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest kicks off on Thursday, August 22 and runs through Monday, August 26, with 69 features from around the globe on tap. With chillers, thrillers, documentaries, and other genre fare scheduled, the festival presents a wealth of cinematic riches. Horror Fuel has selected six films that we are greatly looking forward to, including a few that we have already been lucky enough to have an advance look at (but we can’t say anything until the embargoes lift!). Check out the official festival descriptions below and then the links for more information, including trailers when available. The Monster Beneath Us Windswept Yorkshire, 1898. A grieving woman and her son move back to the unoccupied house of her ex-husband, who was recently found dead in mysterious circumstances. However, they soon discover they are not alone inside the icy house in a slow-burn horror, exploring the themes of isolation, otherness and loss. The house is home to a Boggart, an

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Aug 21, 2024

Movie Review: High Crime (1973) – Blue Underground 4K/Blu-ray/CD combo

After losing the chief suspect in an extensive drug deal (following an absolutely batshit chase sequence that begins with a footrace and ends with a real bang… but more on that later), hot-headed and hard-assed Police Vice-Commissioner Belli (Franco Nero, 1966’s Django) tries to deduce who the new player in Gangland is… a player that does as they please without honor. Additionally the idea of upstart rivals for his business goes over like a fart in a submarine with old school mob boss Cafiero (Fernando Rey, The French Connection), but it’s only a matter of time before there’s a full on Mafia war going on all over town with gangsters getting offed left and right… in increasingly violent fashion. While the bad guy body-count rises, Belli continues to butt heads with his boss, Chief Commissioner Aldo Scavino (James Whitmore, The Shawshank Redemption) while caring for his young daughter, Anita (Stefania Girolami Goodwin, daughter of the picture’s director Enzo G. Castellari)

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Aug 15, 2024

Movie Review: Demons and Demons 2 – Synapse 4K

Somethin’ monstrous is going down at the Metropol, a renovated theater holding a screening of a fright film involving a curse and the body of Nostradamus, and Cheryl (Natasha Hovey) and Kathy (Paola Cozzo) get caught up in the mask-based mayhem right quick! See the picture in question features a mask… a mask worn by a mysterious man (Michele Soavi, who directed 1989’s The Church, which was intended to be Demons 3) handing out tickets to the film in the “real world”, and the very same mask that scratches the hand of local prostitute/cinema enthusiast Rosemary (Rats: Night of Terror‘s Geretta Geretta) delivering some sort of bizarre infection that turns her into a pus-spewing, sharp-toothed demon… and she wastes no time infecting others! Soon Cheryl and company are up to their popcorn in murderous monsters, and the infection may soon spread to the city beyond! Directed and co-written by Lamberto Bava (along with co-writers Dario Argento (who also produced), Dardano

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Aug 13, 2024

Box Set Review: Danza Macabra Vol. 3 – Severin Blu-ray

Remember way back to like last week (approx.) when I put a revoltin’ review upon Severin’s second collection of Italian Gothic fright flicks, Danza Macabra Volume 2? Well, it took so long for my arcane as to talk about that set, that a whole new third volume has been conjured forth… this time with a change of scenery as we’re going to Spain baby! First up, Disc One contains 1971’s Necrophagus… Aristocrat Michael Sherrington (Bill Curran) heads back to the town in which his wife Elizabeth has expired after an emergency cesarean to remove her dead fetus… seems wholesome enough so far… Once there he goes sleuthin’ around the place seeking answers about just how his wife died… but beyond the basics, the whole town seems rather tight-lipped (and downright sinister) about the whole, sordid affair… especially family physician Dr. Lexter (Frank Braña) and cemetery caretaker Mr. Fowles (Víctor Israel), as well as Michael’s in-laws and his mother, Lady Anne

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Aug 3, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: ELECTROPHILIA and ASTRO NOTS (Fantasia 2024)

Electrophilia (Los Impactados) Argentinian feature Electrophilia touches on body horror and eroticism involving electricity but never goes full-on with these themes, instead feeling more like a character study of its protagonist, veterinarian Amanda (Mariana Di Girólamo). The young woman is struck by lightning and after she recovers from a six-week coma, she begins to feel changes that have happened to her mind and now-scarred body. She falls in with a group of lightning-strike survivors under the care of Juan (Germán Palacios), a doctor who uses unorthodox methods to treat those under his care, and begins an affair with him. Amanda develops sexual kinks related to electrical charges and shocks, worrying her significant other Jano (Guillermo Pfening). Director Lucía Puenzo, who cowrote the screenplay with Lorean Ventimigila, leaves viewers hanging with plot points that seem to have no resolution, such as Jano secretly going into Juan’s office and finding the doctor’s file on Amanda but then that scene not being addressed

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 27, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: DARKEST MIRIAM and THE OLD MAN AND THE DEMON SWORD (Fantasia 2024)

Darkest Miriam Canadian feature Darkest Miriam is a slow-burn thriller that follows thirtysomething librarian Miriam (Britt Lower), who is grieving over the loss of her father. She spends her days at work following routine— including dealing with an eccentric clientele — until an accident while she rides her bicycle jolts her out of the ordinary. She begins a relationship with foreign taxi driver Janko (Tom Mercier) but also starts receiving mysterious, ominous letters written in the voice of Italian opera character Rigoletto — who sheltered his daughter from the outside world until she was killed. Director Naomi Jaye has fashioned an intriguing character study that deals in genre elements while exploring themes of love and loss. A dreamlike feel pervades the film. Lower is fantastic as the complex title character, and Jank offers fine work in his costarring role. There’s an eccentricity to Darkest Miriam, but it is by no means an inaccessible one. Jaye ultimately aims to inspire, and

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 24, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: The Cursed Land and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

The Cursed Land Thai horror The Cursed Land is an ambitious work that perhaps takes on too much in its attempt to deliver a fear-fare tale involving djinn while addressing issues involving the largely Muslim Malay community in Thailand. Mit (Ananda Everingham) is wracked by guilt over not being able to save his wife, who died in an accident. He moves with his teen daughter (Jennis Oprasert) to a large house — in disrepair and with talismans placed around it — in a Muslim residential area near Bangkok. Mit removes the talismans and diabolical supernatural events ensue. In trying to find solutions to his newfound bedevilment, Mit learns about the tragic past of the region. Director Panu Aree, who cowrote the screenplay with Kong Rithdee, offers much in the way of eerie atmosphere and is assisted by strong performances from his cast members. The pacing is often slow, sometimes because of plentiful flashbacks, and the running time of 131 minutes

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 22, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: The Tenants, Tenement, Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary, and Respati

Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary South Korea’s ultracompetitive education system is world-renowned. Students spend years studying for an exam so important that it has the potential to determine their entire future. Imagine being such a hopeless student that your parents and teachers urge you to guess the answers, believing you have a better chance of stumbling upon the correct choice than through any logical reasoning. This is the predicament faced by the protagonists of KIM Min-ha’s horror comedy Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary. We meet Jiyeon (played by Son Joo-yeon), an aspiring film director and avid cinephile; her devoted camerawoman Hyun-jung (Kim Do-yeon), and the budding actress Eun-byul (Jung Da-eun) — three high school seniors with big dreams but an even bigger problem: their abysmal grades and test scores. Success hinges on gaining admission to a prestigious university, which, in turn, requires stellar test scores. However, with the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) fast approaching, these

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 21, 2024
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