TENTACLES Available on Blu-ray from 88 Films (12 June)
Something has been disturbed, something that’s out for blood but no-one realises just how dangerous it is: there are worse things in the sea than sharks…
PG (BBFC)
COME BACK LUCY: THE COMPLETE SERIES Available on DVD from Network (17 October)
The present becomes strangely entangled with the past when Lucy’s aunt dies and she must leave the peaceful countryside to live with trendy relatives in London. In the attic of her cousins’ old Victorian house she is confronted by Alice, a girl from the past, and discovers that time has rolled back a hundred years.
“The ghost in the mirror wants young Lucy to stay with her in the past…forever!”
BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE Available on Blu-ray from Nucleus Films (25 April)
Produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman, directed by Henry Cass, and written by notorious Hammer scribe Jimmy Sangster, this long-awaited UK Blu-ray premiere of Blood of the Vampire from Nucleus Films has been remastered from original vault elements and is packed with bonus features.
“No woman alive is safe from the most frightening fiend in the history of horror!”
Mark L. Lester’s TRUCK STOP WOMEN & STEEL ARENA Available on Blu-ray from 88 Films (UK / 5 April)
Mark L. Lester’s Truck Stop Women is an exploitation feature that treats sex, violence, and sensationalism with love and affection. And Steel Arena is an interesting look at small-town America, where people will risk their lives for entertainment.
“Double-clutchin’… gear-jammin’ mamas who like a lot of hi-jackin’ by day… a lot of heavy truckin’ by night!”
The Films That Made Me: Rear Window (1954, USA)
Rear Window was the movie that introduced the young Ren to the perverse genius of Alfred Hitchcock. I remember as a child, being irresistibly drawn into the voyeuristic position of his protagonist and fascinated by the goings-on in the windows he was observing. Hitchcock claimed not to care about the subject, morality or message in his movies, but only about the manner in which his stories were told, but his attraction to the psychological was one of his most obvious storytelling strengths.
“Through his rear window and the eye of his powerful camera he watched a great city tell on itself, expose its cheating ways…and murder!”
White Zombie (1932, USA) Review
In White Zombie, death feels inescapably omnipresent with images of crosses, cemeteries and headstones filling every scene. In one of the most unnerving shots of early horror cinema, we see a pair of pervasive eyes peering across the landscape. What’s so discomforting about the eyes is their vacancy and the troubling inevitability that they are undoubtedly watching us. Recognising these eyes from the film’s iconic poster we are instantly pulled in by the power and symbolism they represent.
“WITH THESE ZOMBIE EYES he rendered her powerless. WITH THIS ZOMBIE GRIP he made her perform his every desire!”
Dracula (1931, USA) Review
Universal Studios had delved into horror filmmaking with silent films The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925), but Dracula (1931) was Universal’s first “talking picture” in the horror genre. Directed by Tod Browning and an uncredited Karl Freund, Dracula was based on the 1924 stage play by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston; adapted from the 1897 novel of the same name by Bram Stoker. After Carl Laemmle, Jr. was able to legally secure the novel’s film rights, screenwriter Garrett Fort began work on adapting Dracula for the movie theater.
“Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make.”
Chinese Animated Box Office Sensation NE ZHA Released in IMAX 3D and UK & ROI Cinemas from 30th August
CMC Pictures in association with Trinity / Cine Asia is proud to release the Chinese animated box office hit, Ne Zha, in IMAX 3D from 30th August and UK & ROI cinemas from 6th September 2019.
The director Jiao Zi spent two years refining the story. Along with its great script, Ne Zha’s incredible special effects and computer-generated visuals took over 20 animation studios, 1600 animators in China and years in the making.
“I Am the Destiny.”
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018, USA / UK) Review
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.”
Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned (1980, Japan)
I heard of this anime film years ago but heard such bad things it put me off, then last week I found a good review on it that mentioned the plot and I thought I’d give it a go. Firstly like many other reviewers I must admit this is probably the craziest Dracula plot ever. It’s based of Tomb of Dracula issues 40-75 and as such there’s a lot going on…
Overall this film is very true to the comic and has a good storyline but it’s too rushed. The visuals in part are faithful to the comic but frequently seem low budget. If you liked Tomb of Dracula I’d definitely recommend this. If you’re looking for a different Dracula film you should enjoy it.
“Darling, I want to tell you about the man I used to be before I became the cursed slave of Satan.”
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957, USA)
In a picturesque Sicilian fishing village all is peaceful and serene. Fishermen are out on the boats bringing in the catch of the day. However, they catch more than they bargain for when a secret US spaceship crash-lands just off shore after meteorite struck. Did anybody or anything survive the crash if so what havoc would be unleashed on humanity?
In this ground-breaking film with special-effects by the great Ray Harryhausen, we see inept scientist and military officials run around Italy after something that is perfectly harmless unless provoked.
