Circle, dot, circle, dot now you've got a Cooties shot.  If only life was that simple, sadly for the us it's just not that easy to get protection from the dreaded playground disease, which is a good thing as it would have meant that this film would have been a lot less enjoyable than it is.  

Horror and comedy has never been a genre that has a had a huge amount of success for every classic like Evil Dead II there are hundreds of unfunny or totally not scary films.  You would think that this would be an easy genre of film to make as both horror and comedy have roots in the same dark place of your brain, so why does Cooties work when most other attempts at comedy horror fail?...

Ascension (2013)

Dir: James Hart

Writer: Dave Jeffrey (based on his short story)

I'd like to confess something to you all, here; I often feel an almost crushing sense of guilt. A kind of paralysing anxiousness that there is so much amazing stuff out there, and I'll never get to read or see it all. This sharpens when I happen to be friends with someone online, or when I've interacted with them. I feel that I should be at least knowledgeable of even one tiny story of theirs. It's a burden. But to give you an example; I've got, roughly speaking, around six hundred unread books in my house, and I'm always buying more. I have at least the same in unwatched films/TV shows. And I truly wish I could read/watch them all; at the very least, I wish I could read faster. It's why I don't often accept items specifically for review, and why I read what I want to read, rather than what I 'have' to.

Harbinger Down is a sci-fi / horror movie written and directed by Alec Gillis, famed Practical FX creator and founder of Amalgamated Dynamics Studios. He has been part of the creature magic on every Alien movie but the first one as well as such projects as Odd Thomas, Death Becomes Her, X-Men and Ender’s Game and even some great creature feature oldies like Leviathan and Invaders from Mars. His Practical FX game is at the top of the heap and yet this movie, Harbinger Down, was made, essentially, to vindicate the continuing value of Practical FX compared to CGI only endeavors. Here’s basically why. 

The Truth is Known To All But One 

This movie is an exquisite gem; full of dark, mystifying patterns pulling us into its bewitching depths. Some films grab you by the throat and won’t let go, while others firmly grip your hand and lead you gently into the wild fairy forest, but the result is the same: you cannot turn back and indeed you do not want to. 

When Animals Dream has many nuances to its storyline but at heart it is a coming of age tale that is both tragic and comic. There is much suffering and numerous trials for our main character Marie, played exceptionally well by Sonia Suhl. Marie’s father and partner in suffering is Thor, actor Lars Mikkelson, a phenomenal performer with much experience, including playing an outstandingly despicable villain on an episode of the Sherlock Holmes TV series. Marie’s mother, Mor, we learn right away has some malady that requires routine injections and keeps her bound to a wheel chair, unable to do anything for herself. Together, Marie and her father must do everything for Mor; feed her, bathe her, and dress her. 

They say don't sleep with dogs in case you catch fleas.  If only someone had reminded Dawn (played by Joanne Mitchell).   Dawn and Bex ( played by Victoria Smurfit) run a small cafe situated in an indoor market, in-between fighting of the unwanted comments and lecherous advances of the male market stall owners, they dream of owning their own proper bricks and mortar coffee shop.  

It is a pity that they only have half of the capital required to see their dreams come true.  The banks won't lend them the money, and with each passing interview with a bank manager their dreams of owning their own shop drift ever further away.  

Enter Jeremy (Jonathan Slinger), a charming local business man who takes a shine to Dawn, and after a bedroom dalliance he offers to put up the remaining capital. Dawn is obviously over the moon about this and when she tells Bex, they agree to meet Jeremy and see their dreams come true.  Jeremy's terms and conditions however are rather extreme  and it is not long until Bex, true to her nature sends Jeremy on his way with more than just a flea in his ear,  but not before he leaves them a little parting gift of "pay me £10,000 in administration fees or face the consequences".  It's not long before Dawn and Bex realise that he means business and their world  descends into an ever decreasing circle of hell.   

This movie has been placed in the horror genre but it’s really a cross genre masterpiece. Though the premise is catastrophic sci-fi and much of how the people of Perth Australia respond to the news that asteroids have struck the earth in the north Atlantic is horrifying or tragic, this movie is also romantic in that the essence of humanity put on display for the viewer and man’s potential to rise above his own weaknesses and limitations during crisis to act with courage and love is remarkably profound to say the least.  

Blood Moon is a werewolf horror movie by writer, Alan Wightman, and director, Tom Wooding. Both have extensive experience in TV productions but this is their first feature length foray into the horror genre. Nearly the entire cast have extensive acting experience and it certainly makes a difference in the quality of performances. The main character, Calhoun, played by Shaun Dooley, has appeared in The Woman in Black, The Awakening and Eden Lake as well as the TV series Broadchurch. The Bank Robber, Hank Norton, was Agent Clay in Hellboy. 

'Black Eyed Children: Let Me In' is a film weighted down with a wide variety of problems. 1st of all is that of identity, this is attempting to be, as stated by the filmmaker, a documentary. As a documentary this is somewhat lacking in credibility as it is largely obvious that many of the interviewees lack a sense of subject matter which would be essential to lend any kind of credence to their claims.

Sometimes the best horror films are not what most traditionalists would class as horror.  Rather than having some sort of monster running amok killing people the horror comes from a more subtle place, where the horror results from a persons decent into madness and loss of self control.  Where we the viewer begins to feel like a  tawdry voyeur, one that is unable to tear their eyes from the screen.