Author: David Jenkins

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Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer’s Curse (2015, USA) Review

David Jenkins

Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse (2015, USA) Review

Dragonheart: A New Beginning was released in 2000 and for 15 years it was the last Dragonheart. Probably because it didn’t do as well as the original – it no longer had Sean Connery as the voice of the dragon, Draco – and the story elements were too similar. Another possibility for the long delay is because storywise Dragonheart: A New Beginning was about the very last dragon, so it left little room for a sequel. However, there have now been three direct to DVD/streaming prequels produced for the Dragonheart series in the last five years. Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer’s Curse is a prequel to the original film.

“Gone are the days when good men ruled.”

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10 Reasons Why You Should Watch Altered Carbon

David Jenkins

10 Reasons Why You Should Watch Altered Carbon

I’m hooked on the Netflix sci-fi series Altered Carbon. I’m trying to watch more sci-fi and find myself preferring ‘soft’ sci-fi, where the world isn’t too far removed from our own. The premise of Altered Carbon is simple: how would humans cope with immortality? It’s ‘hard’ sci-fi, but I decided to give it a go…

“No body lives forever.”

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The Howling II Triple Threat: 1979 Book vs. 1985 Film vs. 2017 Comic Book

David Jenkins

The Howling II Triple Threat: 1979 Book vs. 1985 Film vs. 2017 Comic Book

The Howling is rightly seen as one of the best werewolf novels and one of the best eighties’ horror film adaptations. However, it also spawned a series of sequels which have awful review scores, and just a few years ago another sequel to the original film was published in the comic book format. But, how does the comic book series compare to one of the strangest and most disappointing sequels ever made? And what about the novel?

“The rocking, shocking, new wave of horror!”

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Examining Superhero Films Pre-The Avengers (2012)

David Jenkins

Examining Superhero Films Pre-The Avengers (2012)

More superhero films now hit our cinema screens after the success of The Avengers (2012), and financially most of them make a killing. However, they are not without their detractors, pointing out how they are formulaic and lacking depth. But what about the superhero films before the post-2012 boom?

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

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Four Horrific Decades of Monster Movies (1980s-2010s)

David Jenkins

Four Horrific Decades of Monster Movies (1980s-2010s)

Whilst the 2010s are probably my least favourite decade for creature features, it got me thinking about my favourite monster movies. I’ve focused on the big two horror creatures – vampires and zombies – and then various other monsters…

“There are some very good reasons to be afraid of the dark.”

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Anna and the Apocalypse (2017, UK) Review

David Jenkins

Anna and the Apocalypse (2017, UK) Review

A Zombie Christmas Musical… Anna and the Apocalypse has it all, and no doubt that’s why it took 6 years to make after the release of the short film Zombie Musical. Sadly one of the writers (Ryan McHenry) died before this 2017 Scottish film was released and it never received a UK cinema run. So unless you are a fan of the genre who travels to independent festivals you may never have heard of it. But, you should do. The zombies and special effects are great with plenty of gore and some really interesting fight scenes; particularly in the bowling alley which is where my favourite kill takes place.

“She’ll Slash. She’ll Stab. She’ll Sing.”

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The Dead of Night Film Festival (Sunday 13th October 2019)

David Jenkins

The Dead of Night Film Festival (Sunday 13th October 2019)

The Dead of Night Film Festival returned to Liverpool and this time there were more short films (and a quiz too!), all for the low price of £12 for the day. In total there were three feature films and nine shorts screening on Sunday 13th October.

“Made for horror fans by horror fans.”

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Dead Celebrities (2018, UK) Review

David Jenkins

Dead Celebrities (2018, UK)

Meet Mick, he’s a psychopath who wants to be famous and he’s found a way of achieving his dream – but Mick is no ordinary killer, he knows a secret. A secret he shares with Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Judy Garland, and other dead celebrities.

Dead Celebrities is misleading, with the narrator Mick seeming like he has a fetish for dead celebrities, or at the least, a conspiracy theorist with his tales of a get famous quick scheme. However, as the story unfolds there are attempts to make his tale seem credible.

“Who doesn’t want to be famous?”

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Liverpool Horror Festival (Saturday 17th August 2019)

David Jenkins

Liverpool Horror Festival (Saturday 17th August 2019)

Liverpool Horror Club brought back their horror fest to Seaforth on the 17th August and it was still a bargain. Like last year’s Liverpool Horror Festival there was a small selection of stalls, but there were several new ones boasting some unique artwork.

“A full day celebration of all things horror!”

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X-Men: Dark Phoenix and the Future of the X-Men Films

David Jenkins

X-Men: Dark Phoenix and the Future of the X-Men Films

Last month saw the release of X-Men: Dark Phoenix, the latest instalment in the X-Men franchise, to largely negative reviews. Most focused on the underdeveloped characters, the villains, and the fact that it didn’t bring anything new to the genre. X-Men meh sums it up. Now, after a few weeks, I think it’s time to look at some of the good points of the film, where it ultimately failed, and what’s needed to make the X-Men stand out in the saturated superhero film genre. The X-Men comics are about discrimination – about being different – and this needs to be referenced…

“Every hero has a dark side.”

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The Haunting of Hill House Triple Threat: 1959 Book vs. 1963 Film vs. 2018 Netflix Series

David Jenkins

The Haunting of Hill House Triple Threat

I needed to know for myself how far Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House had diverged from the 1959 book and if it had actually improved on it. So I read the book first and then watched the 1963 film, The Haunting, which I’d heard was a classic. I must admit I enjoyed both of them – and found them very different from one another – so I decided that so I decided that all three needed to be compared.

“You may not believe in ghosts but you cannot deny terror!”

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Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018, USA / UK) Review

David Jenkins

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)

It’s rare that I write a review of a film I really hated, but Goosebumps 2: Happy Halloween held such promise I’ll make an exception. The first film had a fair few faults of its own, such as straying from the source material. But for the most part, the original stayed true to the tone of the books and had some good comedy moments. The second film however has fewer comedic parts that made me laugh, but at least does feel true to the tone of the books – more so than the TV series – with the main plot being similar to Night of the Living Dummy.

“Halloween comes to life.”

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