Speak No Evil

A Danish family visits a Dutch family they met on a holiday. What was supposed to be an idyllic weekend slowly starts unraveling as the Danes try to stay polite in the face of unpleasantness.

Release date: 17 March 2022 (Denmark)
Director: Christian Tafdrup

A Horror Movie Review by Hope Madden

There’s little as uncomfortable as a good horror of manners—like a comedy of manners, but the social discomfort makes way for grim, horrifying death. Michael Haneke did it best with Funny Games (either version). Just last month, Shudder released the lighter but no less bloody Who Invited Them.

Denmark comes knocking with co-writer/director Christian Tafdrup’s Speak No Evil, a terribly polite tale of Danes and Dutchmen that veers slowly but relentlessly toward something sinister.

Bjørn (Morten Burian) is facing a crisis of masculinity. He’s too polite to articulate it, which only exacerbates that strangling sensation.

It’s a testament to Burian’s performance that he remains sympathetic throughout the film, however selfish and weak his actions. Playing his wife, Sidsel Siem Koch easily embodies the proper but awkward and easily cowed Louise.

Their adversaries? The good-looking, fun-loving, demonstrative Dutch couple Patrick (Fedja van Huêt) and Karin (Karina Smulders). The two families — each with a youngster in tow — run into each other on holiday and become pals. Sometime later, when Bjørn & Louise receive a postcard inviting their family to visit, Bjørn is anxious to go.

It takes some quiet, polite maneuvering, but before long, he, Louise and little Agnes (Liva Forsberg) are face to face with their hosts and the escalating tension grows almost unendurable. Speak No Evil quickly becomes a sociological experiment that questions our tendency to act against our own instincts, side with the cool kids, and lose who we are.

Van Huêt ably maneuvers Patrick’s manipulations, his about-faces, and his indefatigable charisma.

Sune Kølster’s score works deliriously against cinematographer Erik Molberg Hansen’s beautiful images to create dissonance (again, in much the same way Haneke did, but if you’re going to copy someone, he’s as good a place to start as any).

Tafdrup’s script, co-written with Mads Tafdrup, is sneaky in the way it treads on social anxiety, etiquette, politeness. You see how easily gaslighting alters the trajectory of a conversation, the course of action.
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There is a resignation that feels unearned, even contemptuous. But actions throughout are believable enough, each couple’s interactions authentic enough, and the tensions palpable enough to forgive slight lapses. Speak No Evil is a grim trip, but there is no question that it’s well made.

An upstanding pastor uncovers a dark and twisted underworld as he searches for answers surrounding his daughter's brutal murder. A high-octane original soundtrack and cameos from some of the biggest names in rock music set the tone as this horror-thriller reveals a game of revenge played using a new set of rules.
 
Release date: 14 September 2022 (United Kingdom)
Directors: Michael Lombardi, Bridget Smith, Samuel Gonzalez Jr.
Production company: Better Noise Films
Music composed by: Michael Stein, Kyle Dixon
Producers: Michael Lombardi, Allen Kovac, Michael Walsh

 
The Retaliators will be in Cinemas worldwide from 14th September. Tickets on sale now https://www.retaliatorsmovie.com

We live in a society now where social media and the near-constant ability to be online allows us to take revenge on anyone for the merest of slights against us, but how far would you go to get revenge for a heinous act of violence against your child? Will, our mild-mannered religious man, turn the other cheek, or will he go full righteous wrath of God on her killer and those who stand in his? That's the dilemma faced by a New Jersey pastor (Lombardi) when a local crime boss brutally murders his daughter.  


Well, of course, he does. Otherwise, the film would be really short, and I would be here writing this review, and you wouldn't be here reading it before deciding whether or not you should make the trip to the cinema to watch it. (Spoiler alert, you should be quick about it as it is only showing in cinemas for one night; you can buy tickets from the link above or keep reading and use the link at the end of the review). 


The Retaliators is a slight slow burner of a film, with the initial segment of the film being a somewhat sombre meditation of loss and grief; full credit must be given to Michael Lombardi, as during the quieter moments, the film is carried mainly on his shoulders, something which he pulls of with great success. His transformation from mild-mannered priest to full-on avenging angel is a performance filled with both nuance and a god to honest maniacal energy often lacking in these sorts of films. 


Joseph Gatt, as the film's main villain, also excels at turning his character Ram Kady into one that we can all get behind in the hope that he gets the comeuppance he rightly deserves. Such as the detective who helps our priest and the biker gang who are also hell-bent on getting revenge on Gatt. I say the main villain, as there is a brilliant layer of grey in this film sandwiched between the black and morality of the main narrative thread of the film. This lends the film a perfect down-and-dirty feel, which suits these sorts of revenge thrillers perfectly. This isn't some sanitised, Liam Neeson Hollywood blockbuster; this is a gritty, bloody, and brutal film that will leave you feeling that you have just swam through the waste pipe of your local abattoir, which is precisely how you should feel with these sort of films. 


Thankfully the filmmakers decided to stick with practical effects; the number of horror movies that I have watched lately with a similar budget range that resort to using CGI blood is deeply distressing. Blood and body parts should always be wet and physical; we gore hounds demand this, so thank the production team for keeping it real.  


The film also boasts a lot of cameos and bit parts from many heavy metal singers, but as someone who stopped listening to heavy metal when Limp Bizkit blundered onto the scene, so most of the Easter Eggs went right over my head. This brings me to the first of my two gripes about this otherwise excellent horror movie. The soundtrack, this isn't so much a matter of taste, as the songs used here in many ways do compliment the film; hard, heavy, unrelenting songs should be the perfect match, whether or not you like the bands, however, their mixing into the audiotracks is just too much. They intrude on the film like a loudmouth drunk uncle at your granny's funeral. It got so bad that I ended up muting it at a couple of points in the movie. However, your mileage might differ, and I might be too old for these bands.  


My second gripe of the film is that it is a tad too long; a few unnecessary scenes could have easily been excised from the final cut without having any effect on the film. In the case of one scene, cutting it would have significantly improved your overall enjoyment of the film, as it is so heavy-handed that it is somewhat cringeworthy. This is a pity; if they had been done better, the thematic thread where Bishop battles his faith would have added an excellent emotional depth to the film.  


However, these gripes aside, The Retaliators is a highly enjoyable film. That once the action gets going, it doesn't shy away from taking the viewers on an aggressively bloody journey of revenge. By the time you reach the batshit crazy final act (no spoilers here, but some of you might be reminded of a gimp suit were nutjob film), you will be fully invested in this inventive unrelenting horror revenge movie. ​

 
The Retaliators will be in Cinemas worldwide from 14th September. Tickets on sale now https://www.retaliatorsmovie.com

When the Screaming Starts (2021)
Written by Conor Boru and Ed Hartland
Directed by Conor Boru
Review by: Mark Walker

​When Norman Graysmith is invited into the home of aspiring serial killer, Aidan Mendle, he believes he has the subject for the documentary that will make his career.
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When the Screaming Starts (WTSS) is a mockumentary following the rise of the David Brent of aspiring serial killers, Aiden Mendle (Ed Hartland). Aiden invites success-hungry Norman Graysmith (Jared Rogers), the WISH version of Louis Theroux, to document his journey as he attempts to start a “family” modelled on Charles Manson’s.

WTSS is the comedy version of Man Bites Dog mixed with a hint of Natural Born Killers and touches of Creep and What we do in the Shadows thrown in for good measure; the poster itself is an obvious nod to Shadows. But, just to be clear, WTSS is its own beast; while its influences are clear, it is not a simple knock-off.

WTSS opens with Aiden discussing his desire to become a famous serial killer with Norman, who plans to document Aiden’s rise to notoriety and win ALL the accolades. With the help of his disturbed girlfriend Claire (Kaitlin Raynell) Aiden interviews a strange group of prospective “family” members.

Eventually, Aiden and Claire put together a team that is, to be generous, “eclectic.” They are joined by creepy Twins, Viktoria and Veronica (Vår Haugholt and Ronja Haugholt) who are there for the murder and orgies, dodgy “deli” owner, Jack (Yasen Atour), Amy (Octavia Gilmore) who has her own agenda, and the hapless Masoud (Kavé Niku) who thought he was signing up for Yoga and speaks very little English. This is Aiden’s Family who will help him to join the Hall of Fame of serial-killers.

At least that was the plan.

It soon becomes apparent that Aiden is very much in the Charles Manson camp of serial killing and lets his Family do everything for him. He doesn’t get his hands dirty but still claims the kills as his own, being the ‘mastermind’ and head of the Family. This doesn’t go down well, and the Family soon falls apart leaving Aiden’s dreams and relationship in tatters and Norman’s plan for fame vanishing down the toilet.

Like Man Bites Dog and Natural Born Killers, WTSS touches on the issues around a documentary crew following a serial killer and how they will, inevitably, become involved in the depravity and murder, it just takes a slightly less serious approach than those other films. However, while played for laughs, WTSS doesn’t shy away from the violence! When the killing starts it is still tinged with a comedic edge, and the first foray of Aiden’s Family is pretty brutal.

As the film moves away from the funny set-up and into the consequences of starting a serial killer family, the ramifications for everyone involved take the story in another direction. While largely predictable if you are familiar with Dog and Killers (in relation to the impacts exposure to this much violence has on Norman) the film doesn’t quite end where I expected it to, and the final scenes are tinged with sadness and sympathy for characters that I wasn’t expecting. As to whether anyone deserves this sympathy is up for the audience to decide!

The big issue for me with WTSS is the humour. All films are subjective and, once you throw comedy into the mix, you add another complex layer of subjectivity at the audience. My sense of humour isn’t quite in tune with WTSS, so I didn’t find myself guffawing at the jokes. The film IS funny, don’t get me wrong, I just found some of it a little forced and more humorous than hilarious. This may be down to the mockumentary style and structure which often feels a bit too staged for my liking but may well appeal to others. Don’t take this as a negative, it is a personal observation. The film is funny. How funny will depend on the individuals watching it.

Having said that, the collection of characters in WTSS is great. The team have done an excellent job of bringing together an unhinged group of comedy killers. Well, apart from Masoud, who really should have made a run for it once it became patently clear that he hadn’t signed up for yoga! Although that would have meant missing out on the running gag of Aiden misinterpreting everything Masoud says throughout the film. As the lead Aiden comes across as a bit of a dick at the start of the film, but sympathy grows over the course of the movie and, while he doesn’t really change as a protagonist, we do learn more about him and the motivations behind his desire to build a family. Reading between the lines, this is more than just a simple desire to murder.

I am beginning to think I need to start rating films using the “watch method.” I think stars and percentages are far too subjective and arbitrary. For me it feels more informative to think about the number of times I looked at my watch during a film. This tells me whether I was bored senseless, or completely distracted and engaged! During WTSS I only remember looking at my watch once, so I guess I was pretty well engaged for the 88-minute run-time, a perfect length for this kind of film.

If you like daft films with silly humour, but with a human touch underneath the jokes, then When the Screaming Starts will definitely keep you amused. Not all the humour landed for me, but it is a fun film, I just wish there had been more of Mickey (Rob Tofield), a family wannabe who failed the interview first time around but presents as a perfect emotional reflection of Aiden himself.

A couple of beers and a double bill with Man Bites Dog, and you have a ‘fun’ evening’s entertainment.

For five days between the 25th and 29th of August 2022, Leicester Square Cineworld and the nearby Prince Charles Cinema hosted Frightfest, one of the most prestigious genre events in the world. Thousands of horror fans flocked to see a selection of UK and Worldwide Premieres, and to see a curated array of short films from talents from around the globe. After last year’s somewhat subdued event – that saw a reduced number of guests due to the proximity to the Pandemic - this year it was back in style. More than 70 screenings across two cinemas and five screens; long and short horror movies, documentaries – and a variety of special guests.

It's the second Frightfest for Tara and myself (our exploits at our first can be found here) and this would be one that would come with some very special surprises, more of which later. Our train arrived in London on the Thursday afternoon and after checking into our hotel, we headed to the regular meeting spot for Frightfesters – The Imperial Pub. There we caught up with a few old faces, as the gravitational pull of the place drags in all passers-by.

Incidentally, our hotel - Zedwell Piccadilly – was excellently located, being a two-minute walk from the Leicester Square Cineworld, but somewhat odd. The rooms are windowless boxes; tidy and clean, but soulless. There’s something odd about switching off the lights in a room and being submerged in complete darkness where you have no idea what time it is outside your cocoon or what weather it is. It’s a little like kipping in a sensory deprivation tank.

Festival tickets buy you a guaranteed (and fixed) seat in the huge IMAX screen. Last year we were at the very back, this year we were at the very front – it’s a little quieter up front but more of a strain on the neck, but we had particularly good seating neighbours. (One thing about the festival; it’s good to make friends with the people sitting near you, because you’re going to see them a lot, so helps if they’re lovely – as ours were).
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Neil Marshall opened the festival appearing on stage to present the World Premiere of his new movie, “The Lair.”

A full screen, and nerves were taut – not just at the horror to come, but with memories of last year. Frightfest 2021 also kicked off with a movie with lofty expectations from a director called Neil; Neil Blomkamp with his movie “Demonic” (which can now be found haunting Supermarket bargain bins) – that movie was risible (with a great many “tense” scenes causing laughter with the audience), so we were hoping there wouldn’t be a repeat of that.

We needn’t have worried. Ably redeeming himself after his mediocre take on “Hellboy,” “The Lair” is a fun military versus monster melee with echoes of Neil’s “Dog Soldiers” that chugs along nicely. When an RAF Fighter Pilot (Lieutenant Kate Sinclair) is downed over Afghanistan, she is forced to take cover in a long abandoned Soviet Research station – waking up something that should have been left undiscovered.

Whereas much of the humour in the similarly themed “Dog Soldiers” comes from the entertaining notion of squaddies versus werewolves, the laughs in this come from the interactions between the ragtag soldiers that Kate finds herself amongst – American marines, Welsh squaddies, they’re all here.

The monster designs are interesting. There’s a final act reveal which doesn’t seem to get built up further or go anywhere – and some decidedly dodgy decisions from some of the soldiers – but it’s got all the fun and gore you’d want from a Frightfest film.

It’s tagged as “Dirty Dozen meets The Thing” but I never really picked up that vibe from it – tonally, it’s way more “Aliens” than “The Thing,” especially as the monsters are clearly a man in a suit. It’s not as smart or as character driven as “Dog Soldiers,” but it kept me thoroughly entertained for its ninety-minute runtime.
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Rating: 6/10

I really enjoyed “Scare Package” – I’m a sucker for an anthology at any rate, and the first movie was genuinely funny and clearly made by fans with an absolute love for the genre. It was a love-letter to the schlock and gore of the VHS era, and so there was considerable excitement for the sequel.

Directors and stars alike introduced the film – this one had four segments and a wraparound story, with one of the tales – “Special Edition” – directed by none other than Jed Shepherd (of “Host” fame) and featuring many of the cast from that pandemic-released Internet-séance-gone-bad movie.

“Scare Package 2” started well, with a well-observed spoof of the changing role of the Final Girl in nineties cinema but went downhill quickly. The short films themselves were all good – even though Jed’s “Special Edition” felt like it belonged in a different movie – but the surrounding storyline linking the tales together failed to entertain, coming across with the same level of low-hanging-fruit humour as the “Scary Movie” franchise. It felt like it had been thrown together with extraordinarily little care or finesse. Expectations were a little unrealistically high, so this was a real disappointment – and I’ll admit to not being overly excited by the prospect of a third film in the series.

I’ll give it this though – great poster.
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Rating: 4/10

Last year it was the more thoughtful and poignant movies that struck a chord, and this year’s Frightfest was no exception. Gore is all very well and good – and there certainly was plenty of that – but it’s interesting to see genre pieces with a little more actual heart as opposed to grue. “Slapface” and “Evie” stood out last year as truly original and entertaining pieces of fiction, and “Next Exit” was, for me, one of this years’ standout movies.

How would the world change if the existence of the paranormal was proven? If scientists proved, beyond any doubt, that there was life after death? What effect would that have on our culture, on our civilisation?

Directed by Danny Elfman’s daughter Mali, “Next Exit” confronts that premise head-on. Rahul Kohli (Sheriff Hassan from “Midnight Mass”) stars as Teddy, and Katie Parker (from “The Haunting of Hill House) is Rose – both two disparate individuals trying to travel across America to meet at the Life Beyond Institute. Thrown together through a problem with a car booking at Charon Cars – appropriately named after the Hades Ferryman – these two troubled souls are forced to share a car on a journey that will force them to confront their own issues.

It's a road movie, but with two characters hurtling towards their own deaths. The Life Beyond Institute offering them a chance to pass on from this life and be pioneers in exploring the afterlife. Teddy wants this so he can finally have achieved something in his sorry existence, and Rose has her own personal reasons (and demons).

The relationship between these two quite different people is brilliantly conveyed – it’s funny without ever feeling forced, and you’ll come to genuinely care about these two individuals. It could be argued that it’s not entirely unpredictable, but it’s a journey worth watching – with a destination that’ll stay with you. Kohli and Parker were brilliant, as were the cast of damaged or uplifting characters that they meet enroute. Loved every moment of it, and I cried some ugly tears in that cinema – and from the number of sniffles and shiny cheeks of my fellow cinemagoers on the way out, I wasn’t alone.
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Rating: 9/10

Frightfest has always been a big advocate of supporting up and coming talent, and nothing is a greater example of this than the several short film showcases throughout the festivals five days. I was lucky enough to get tickets for all three such events and can safely say – based on the sheer quality and variety of the short cinematic experiences offered us – that the genre is in fine hands.

Whereas the next two showcases would concentrate on homegrown talent, this first collection of eleven films were from international contributors, from the US, Norway, Canada, Lebanon, France, the Republic of Korea, and Spain.

“Guts” from US director Chris McInroy kicked off proceedings, an everyday tale of an office worker cursed with having his intestines hanging out of his body. Hilarious and bloody, this went down an absolute storm with the festival crowd – as did “Meat Friend” that followed. Film lengths and styles varied dramatically, from short pieces building to jump scares to experimental ambiguous science fiction. Highlights were the aforementioned two pieces, and “The Living” - a charming little funny vampire tale starring genre stalwart Brad Dourif, and “Cicada” – a powerful piece that scooped a Cinéfondation Competition Cannes award. “Skin & Bone” is also worth seeking out; a short and atmospheric horror tale about a drifter who turns up looking for work on a farm, featuring Amanda Seyfried (of “Jennifer’s Body” fame).
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Rating: 8/10

Liam Regan’s 2015 debut film, “My Bloody Banjo”, was a statement. Here was a young man who knew exactly what kind of films he wanted to make, made no apologies for it and his hard work and patience paid off.

Liam says that “Eating Miss Campbell” is a sequel of sorts (some recurring characters from MBB), but I would be more inclined to say it’s more a shared universe, like Troma movies, clearly an enormous inspiration to Liam and his filmmaking. In fact, “Eating Miss Campbell” is a bona fide Troma production and has everyone’s favourite creepy kindly crazy uncle Lloyd Kaufman in it in a short cameo that provoked a huge, shocked intake of breath before gales of laughter.

Beth Conner (Lyndsey Craine) is a 17-year-old vegan goth misfit at Hennenlotter High School with parent issues and a death wish. She wants to die but cannot bring herself to take her own life. When Miss Campbell (Lala Barlow), a new English teacher, arrives at the school, Beth falls head over heels for her and they soon become romantically involved. Just one thing; Miss Campbell has a taste for human flesh.

With lots of nineties high school movie references (the Heathers/Mean Girls are called Melissa, Clarissa, and Joan), its firmly tongue-in-cheek, with Beth breaking the fourth wall from time to time. 

It’s hard to know what to write without spoiling it all. Suffice to say horror stalwart and “My Bloody Banjo” alumnus Laurence R Harvey could give you another meaning for biting off more than you can chew.

I really loved this film: it’s funny, shocking (some tasteless gags in here, but if you know Troma, you know what you’re letting yourself in for). I’m so pleased for Liam that he he’s found proper backing and a friendship with Kaufman. Hopefully, this will lead to more people seeing this goofball film and Liam making more films.
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Rating: 7/10

There was a lot of festival buzz around this one, and unsurprisingly so. Since Moorhead and Benson burst onto the scene with “Resolution” in 2012, they’ve been quite the talents to watch. They’ve been busy since, releasing several more films as well as working on Jordan Peele’s “Twilight Zone” reboot, “Moon Knight,” and the forthcoming season 2 of “Loki”.

“Something in the Dirt” is a story of two disparate personalities, driven together by a supernatural encounter that they both endeavour to document and justify. This sends them both down a rabbit hole of conflicting conspiracy theories and will ultimately end in great tragedy.

It was one of the highlights of the festival and is their best work yet – it’s certainly more intimate than “The Endless,” but yet somehow feels bigger in scope. Ginger Nuts of Horror was lucky enough to bag an interview with Aaron, Justin, and producer Dave, so a full review (and that self-same interview) will feature on this site nearer the film’s official UK release date of 4th of November 2022.
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Rating: 9/10

A real surprise this one; it was one we hadn’t planned to see but went simply because we had some free time to kill and didn’t want to spend it in the pub – again. If anything, it’s instilled upon us that next year we really should pop out of our comfort zone and watch movies where the blurb doesn’t necessarily appeal – because we’ll end up seeing some absolute gems, like “Candyland”

Written and directed by John Swab, “Candyland” stars Eden (daughter of Josh) Brolin as Riley, one of several sex workers who live (and work) at an American Truck Stop. When a young girl is expelled from a nearby religious cult, the “lot lizards” take her under their wing, unaware of the danger her very presence will bring.

It’s an uncompromising and unflattering look at a slice of Americana that we’ve never seen before. It’s a cynical existence fraught with danger where any innocence is quickly stripped away, and it’s quite telling that – apart from the “Lot Lizards” – there are very few sympathetic characters. The local Madame is more concerned with where her money is coming from than the children under her care, and even the local visiting priest makes for one of the creepiest moments in the film.

It's unflinchingly brutal and violent. Sexual assault is commonplace, and that’s without even bringing the local weird religious cult into it. There are few moments of tenderness and joy, so the few fleeting instances in this grim reality stand out. “Candyland” is a powerful and impressive movie with a bloody and nihilistic conclusion you won’t see coming.
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Rating: 8/10

How to describe The Duke Mitchell Film Club without using the words “nuts” or “bonkers.”  Picture the scene, a cinema screen in the Prince Charles cinema, just off Leicester Square, packed with horror fans armed with alcohol. Most of these fine folk knew what they were letting themselves in for. This reviewer did not. Almost two hours of weird, bizarre, extreme clips of films chosen by our hosts Evrim and Alex as well as FrightFest attendees as well as some of the directors who had films screening at FrightFest (Moorhead and Benson’s contribution is an absolute treat).

Evrim is an extremely charismatic host who doesn’t care what he says, who he upsets or who he annoys, and this setting is perfect for him. With competitions and giveaways of sweets, as well as those who contributed their film and short ideas getting a shot of whiskey or rum (Evrim drinks a shot of that each time one of the contributors does), it certainly makes for an hilarious and unexpected night to spend with other horror fans. It returned after a hiatus and proved as popular as ever, and is apparently always the hot ticket. Where else can you share your favourite weird clips with a load of people? I, for one, will never be able to look at Winnie the Pooh and his pop gun the same way again.
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Rating: 8/10

The second short film showcase of the festival (and third) are dedicated to the UK side of things, so it was nice to see so many of the directors (and cast) at the start of the showing introducing themselves and their work.

Again, a variety of themes and lengths. Tales of missing teeth, sisterly squabbles, haunted film reels, holding your breath for an agonizingly long time, and terrifying alien entities. All good, but there were four absolute standouts from this batch of shorts worthy of elaborating.

“Everyone Forgot” (directed by Theo Kai Marlow) started innocently enough, with protagonist Lily bemoaning the fact that everybody seems to have forgotten her birthday. It’s only when she hires a handyman solely for his company on this special anniversary, that things begin to take a very dark turn.

“The Microscope” (directed by Elliot Vick) is a short tale about a microscopist and his deadly unexpected encounter with the macroscopic. A tour-de-force from sole star Johnny Vivash, it’s an enthralling one-man show – bloody, gruesome, and quite beautiful. Worth keeping an eye out for.

“Bleep” (Ben S. Hyland) looks on the surface to be a tale of a squabbling couple interrupted by a mysterious bleep, but ends up in quite unexpected territory. This got one of the biggest laughs and rounds of applause from any film at the festival this year – genuinely hilarious, and quite unpredictable.

“Legs” (Celine Cotran) was one of my very favourites, starring Laura Carmichael of “Downton Abbey” fame. Laura plays Joy, a woman desperately trying for a baby who ends up developing a taste for flies after accidentally swallowing a spider in her sleep. What could have been quite a silly tale was surprisingly poignant, and the tale had one of my favourite pieces of visual comedy in a long time – a straight-faced doctor handing Joy an official NHS leaflet titled “You’ve swallowed a spider.”
So many hits in this one, it was my favourite of the three.
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Rating: 8.5/10

I, Tara, see myself as a fierce intersectional trans inclusive feminist who stands up for women’s rights whenever and wherever I can. I am also a huge fan of saucy 1960s and 1970s films, such as the “Carry On” and “Confessions Of” series of films.  I’m a walking contradiction, my favourite “Carry On” film is “Carry On Girls” which is about a beauty contest being interrupted by stereotypical “feminists”.  I don’t know what attracts me so to these films, but I can’t get enough of them. So when I discovered a book years ago called “Keeping the British End Up” by Simon Sheridan, I knew I had to read it. And now, after what started out being a 90-minute film about this genre of film, “Keeping the British End Up” has been expanded into a documentary series over four hours which will be shown over four episodes. At FrightFest, Simon had selected scenes to show us, such as a section about the Dirty Mac Brigade and the role of women in British Sex comedies which, looking on now, were very much the predators and the cougars to the inept and clueless men with which they were paired.

The series will explore what happened to Mary Millington, star of Come Play with Me and also has interviews with lots of familiar bottoms, boobs, and faces (Robin Askwith, Sue Longhurst, Linzi Drew and others) discussing how they broke into the saucy film industry and how it affected them overall. It looks like a really fun romp, and I absolutely cannot wait until we see it in its full (morning) glory.
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Rating: 6/10

Starring Vinny Curran (who you may recall from Moorhead and Benson’s “Resolution”) as Alfred Costella, a narcissistic and egotistical director. “Everybody Dies by the End” follows a documentary camera crew as they follow the making of his latest masterpiece – and all the trials and tribulations that such an undertaking involves. Costella is determined to make this one film the one he’s remembered for – and he will go to any lengths to achieve precisely that goal. If you think Tippi Hedren suffered at the hands of Hitchcock, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

The deliberately unambiguous title may give away both plot and conclusion, but it’s a lively plot held together by Curran’s sheer exuberance and talent. He’s perfectly cast as the maniacal director, and this one was a lot of fun. I was lucky enough to interview the creators, so a full feature will appear on the pages of Ginger Nuts of Horror in due course – but this one comes thoroughly recommended.
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Rating: 7.5/10

A love letter to the video cassette, this Kickstarter-funded documentary (introduced and created by Rob Preciado) is a 70-minute blast-from-the-past for anybody, like me, who grew up in the era of the video cassette. These clunky top-loading video recorders the size of a small family car changed film forever, suddenly making it possible for us to watch cinema films within the confines of our own home – repeatedly.

With interviews with movie directors and videotape collectors alike, it’s a fascinating – and surprisingly in-depth – look at an era that seems so long ago now, in this age of streaming where physical media is dwindling in importance daily.
It’s hard to understate the importance of the video shop back in the eighties – these places were the temples of genre fans, walls of lurid covers beckoning us in. Now it’s all too easy to switch off a terrible film (after you’ve spent three hours browsing streaming services to pick one) – in those days you’d gone to the trouble of travelling away from home to pay to rent it, so you were going to watch it, regardless of how bad it was. Also, no film about the VHS would be complete without mentioning the days of the video nasty, and this is also touched upon.

It was a format that changed the world, and that inspired generations of moviemakers. And it’s great to see that such an entertaining subject has an equally worthy documentary.

Now we just need the follow-on movie – “Cult of Betamax.” It’ll only be three minutes long, at most.
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Rating: 8.5/10

Dominic Brunt (who you might know as Paddy from Emmerdale) is no stranger to Frightfest, having premiered a few of his movies here (“Until Dawn,” “Bait,” and “Attack of the Adult Babies”). One of my highlights of Frightfest 2021 was “Evie”, directed by Brunt and Jamie Lundy – it’s yet to see proper release, but hopefully soon to see the light of day.

Introduced by Dominic and the movies (surprisingly eloquent) hairy lycanthrope star, “Wolf Manor” is a movie that proves that there isn’t a genre that he’s not afraid to have a go at – here, it’s horror comedy.

Based around the filming of a vampire movie in an old remote manor house, this follows the exploits of the film crew, lead actor and levee Oliver Lawrence (Lawrence Olivier, geddit?) and a local werewolf. He’s riffing heavily on “American Werewolf in London” here and those familiar with that seminal classic will see the humour in the various references, Easter Eggs, and pointers to that source material.

An odd one this; it starts strongly with a very amusing satire on the “Slaughtered Lamb” scene from “American Werewolf in London.” It’s good to see John Henshaw running a pub again after the closure of The Grapes in 2004 (“Early Doors”, one of the best sitcoms ever produced), and it sets the scene well. It’s letting you exactly the type of movie it will be, with a knowing wink to the audience – and should have found an ideal home in front of a group of avid horror fans.

Sadly, it's good but not great. There are some odd self-serving character decisions – one in particular – that seem to spring from nowhere, and it feels more driven by gags than by a plot. Characters are given little back story, so you care equally little for their fates – and the most interesting piece of plot development and story comes in a post-credit sequence featuring Rula Lenska.

Still, it passes the comedy test in providing some laughs – which is more than can be said for “Scare Package 2”. It’s a film you won’t feel that you’ve wasted any time watching, but it’ll be forgotten before the end credits have finished rolling.
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Rating: 6.5/10

Another turnout for the UK directors and cast in this, the last of the three short film showcases.

The talent on display in these short showcases is nothing short of incredible, both behind and in front of the camera. There were a few in this that left me a little cold – nothing against them, just not to my particular taste – but again, a solid selection of horror titbits.

One of the standouts of this final showcase were the opening film “Eric” (director: David Yorke), a short film about a girl (Jemma Moore, “Host”), her dog – the titular Eric – and her new boyfriend. Joshua learns – the hard way - that one should never come between a dog and her owner.

“A Little Death,” directed by and starring Maria Pawilkowska, looks to be a straightforward tale of succubine shenanigans, but ended with a poignant – and quite wry – ending that I didn’t see coming (no pun intended).

“Who am I?” (Christopher Newberry) was a haunting and slow-burning tale of a seemingly innocent game between a mother and her daughter, ending on a truly chilling note.

“Crafty Witch” (Laura Beth-Crowley) was one of the few animations of the festival – short, sweet and with a distinctive animation style – and with an absolutely inspired ending.

Shelagh Rowan-Legg did an amazing job in all three showcases of gathering a truly eclectic and excellent selection of films; there were many standouts this year, and very, very few duds.
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Rating: 7.5/10

As someone who has been Chucky at Halloween a couple of times (I have the hair for it, why not?) this was on my must watch list. I’ll admit to not being the biggest of fans of the Child’s Play franchise, but as a documentary lover I was invested. “Living With Chucky” is written and directed by Kyra Gardener whom, we learn through the film, has effectively grown up with Chucky as her dad, Tony Gardner, who is a special effects guru. He many horror hits under his belt (including “Return of The Living Dead”). He took on the SFX from 2004’s “Seed of Chucky”.

This film is definitely a family affair, we meet with Brad Dourif who plays the deadly doll of death alongside his daughter Fiona, who appeared in “Cult of Chucky.”  We learn about how they worked together for the first time and how proud Brad is of Fiona.

We also meet fellow cast members, Alex Vincent (Andy Barclay in “Child Play” and “Child’s Play 2”) Jennifer Tilly (Tiffany, Chucky’s main squeeze), as well as Billy Boyd (Glen/Glenda from “Seed of Chucky”). Everyone shares stories of how they got along on set and how they all stay connected and how it’s very much one big family.

From a demonic doll grows a genuine friendship and family of sorts with all of those who have worked on the franchise, with Chucky’s creator, Don Mancini, at its very warm heart. This film is a delight.
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Rating: 8/10

I was never lucky/unlucky enough to see director Tyler Cornack’s “Butt Boy” (2019) – delete as applicable – so when the audience of “Tiny Cinema” were warned it was like six Butt Boys, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Preceded by an excellent horror short (“Our First Priority,” a short tale of medical gaslighting) “Tiny Cinema” is an anthology film comprised of six individual unrelated shorts.

I’ve expressed my love for anthology films several times on the hallowed pages of Ginger Nuts of Horror, and this film reminds me why I so adore them – especially when they offer a selection of different bums in the director’s chair and writers. I’m no fan of gross-out humour – but I’ll admit I can see the appeal and entertainment in the shock value. Some of the tales here are quite smart and go in unexpected directions, and some are simply crude for the sake of crudeness. The joy is that with six tales, none of them outstay their welcome – so everybody is happy.

The standout segments here were “Game Night,” which sees a twist on the old “That’s what she said” gag taken to extremes, and “Edna,” a tale of finding love in strange places. “Daddies home” is the last good one to finish off the film, a tale of unusual body horror and snorting the ashes of one’s deceased relatives – and why no good can come of it.

Your mileage may vary, but I was entertained throughout – even the weaker pieces held my interest long enough to see them through.
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Rating: 5.5/10

Our friend Art the Clown returns in this lengthy sequel to the 2016 hit “Terrifier”, his third outing after first appearing in director Damien Leone’s anthology movie “All Hallows Eve” (2013). Played brilliantly by David Howard Thornton, Art the Clown is sinister and funny as well as horrifying with mime skills that could put Marcel Marceau to shame.

Art is back in his trademark black and white outfit, complete with tiny top hat. This time though he’s terrorising Sienna and her brother Jonathan. It’s a year since the events of last Halloween when Art the Clown went on his killing spree, with a very inventive use of a saw that made this reviewer wince and sit cross legged for an AWFULLY long time.

We learn that Sienna and Jonathan lost their dad, and they live with their mom. It’s Halloween, and Sienna’s working hard on making a costume based on a character her late father drew especially for her. Jonathan had planned to go as our friend Art the Clown, but Sienna and their mom have other ideas.

As bloody and as gory as Terrifier, with some creative kills and a “blink and you’ll miss her” cameo from Ms “Sleepaway Camp” herself, Felissa Rose, “Terrifier 2” is a whole heap of gore-soaked fun with some decent scares. Personally, the run time was a little long for me and some scenes were clearly added in just to bump up the run time. 

With imaginative dream sequences and a catchy song that will never leave your brain EVER (Food’s a little funny at the Clown Café), Terrifier 2 sees Art the Clown AND writer and director Damien Leone’s star on the rise. I will leave you with two words though that I heard repeated as I left the cinema; “MAGIC SWORD?!”
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Rating: 7/10

​I – David – am both terrified of heights and a massive claustrophobe, so expected this film to have the same effect on me as Neil Marshall’s 2005 “The Descent”. Every frame of that film makes my skin crawl, so it works very well as a horror for me. It could be argued that “Fall” isn’t a horror film, but it certainly is for me, my friend.

Introduced by Writer/Director Scott Mann and co-writer Jonathan Frank, “Fall” was to be the last film of the festival. The IMAX screen was packed to the rafters – like last year’s “The Sadness” – and this was to be the movies European premiere.

Whereas “The Descent” took us deep underground into uncharted caves, “Fall” takes us up, up and away to the heights of an abandoned 2000-foot-tall radio tower. Whereas “The Descents” hero Sarah is mourning her husband, “Fall” sees Becky doing the same after hers was lost in a climbing accident.

Encouraged to grab life by the horns, friend Hunter (all push-up bra and attitude) encourages Becky to join her on this epic climb, but obviously – this being a movie – things do not go according to plan.

It’s hard to impress upon you how effective this looks on a three-storey tall IMAX screen – from the vertiginous opening scenes to its lingering and continued peril at high altitude, it’s dizzyingly good. The makers insisted that the audience treated it like a fairground ride, and it’s the ideal attitude to approach this film.

The plot will offer few surprises along the way – except for one major one that really knocked me for six – but it hardly matters, in the grand scheme of things. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a thrill-ride and it does that very, very well. Just enough characterization and character development to keep you happy, but what it really wants to do is remind you how damn high up you are.

I doubt how impactful this will be on your TV – unless you’re rich enough to have a really, really big television – so this is a film that demands to be seen at the cinema. I didn’t find myself wanting to shout at any of the characters for doing anything silly or illogical, and the plot itself moves along nicely and with a profound sense of tension. It’s the sort of film where you’ll have to remind yourself to keep breathing.

Overall, a fantastic way to end a great festival. 

Rating: 7.5/10

So, another Frightfest draws to a close. I’ll keep going to them until they no longer exist or until I pop my clogs, and – if you’ve never been – I’d recommend you do the same. There’s something quite joyous about spending a prolonged period of time in the company of people with similar interests, and you’ll definitely make firm friends for live. Roll on Frightfest 2023!

David Court is a short story author and novelist, whose works have appeared in over a dozen venues including Tales to Terrify, StarShipSofa, Visions from the Void, Fear’s Accomplice and The Voices Within. Whilst primarily a horror writer, he also writes science fiction, poetry, and satire. He’s also a freelance writer for Slash Film, and has a weekly Film radio show on Noisebox Radio – Court on Film - about Film Soundtracks.

His last collection, “Contents May Unsettle,” was released in 2021. As well as writing, David works as a Software Developer and lives in Coventry with his wife, Aslan the cat and an ever-growing beard. David’s wife once asked him if he’d write about how great she was. David replied that he would because he specialized in short fiction. Despite that, they are still married.
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Follow David on Twitter at @DavidJCourt

​Tara Court is the narrator of the horror audiobook “What Good Girls Do” by Jonathan Butcher. She is also the co-host of The Killening Podcast (@Killening) – an irreverent and sweary look at horror. She also hosts a Sunday night radio show on Noisebox Radio – the Weekend Immune System.


Follow Tara on Twitter at @TheBluestStar

I appreciate this adds tension (and anyone with a fear of heights will enjoy that leap) but there are a few moments like this where I just struggled with my suspension of disbelief. How could these too experienced climbers be so foolish when it came to… climbing?

I’m maybe being a bit harsh as Fall is really about making the audience tense and unsettled, putting the fear of falling in you and dragging you along for the ride. And it does that very well. I just personally struggled with a few of the decisions they made. I can accept people doing daft things like climbing a rusty old tower, as I said, people do this stuff in real life. I just struggled to suspend my disbelief when experienced climbers seem to forget they are experienced climbers.

Then again, I have never been stuck on a platform 2000ft above the ground with no apparent chance of rescue so it’s easy for me to be smart!

Fall is a fairly predictable romp that follows a well-worn path for such films, but that is not always a terrible thing and there are still surprises along the way. There will be a number of comparisons made to 47 Meters Down which comes from the same producers and follows a similar pattern (maybe too similar in one sense), but which will still leave you fairly unsure as to the friends’ fate until the end of the movie.

The cast is small, and we obviously spend the majority of the running time in the company of Becky and Hunter, most other characters, even Becky’s father, being fairly incidental to the overall plot. But Grace and Virginia do a great job of the heavy lifting for the movie’s run time. I felt it would have been a bit tighter if it had been closer to 90 minutes, but that may well be nit-picking at this point.

Ultimately, Fall is a tense adventure that will get you on the edge of your seat, especially if you have any kind of fear of heights. However, it suffers a little from the familiar structure of the story and from some of the foolish decisions that the two leads make. I’m probably being a bit harsh as I am reviewing the movie but, if you are prepared to forgive it its flaws, Fall will entertain.

Oh, and I need to find out what mobile phone Becky uses; the battery on that thing is a beast!
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FALL is exclusive to cinemas in the UK from September 2nd, 2022

Orphan: First Kill (2022)
Written by David Coggeshall (screenplay by), David Leslie Johnson McGoldrick (story by), Alex Mace (story by)
Directed by William Brent Bell​

After orchestrating a brilliant escape from an Estonian psychiatric facility, Esther travels to America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family. (IMDB)

Review by: Mark Walker

Creepy Esther is back! Well, technically she isn’t ‘back’ as this is a prequel to the 2009 twisted horror, Orphan, starring Isabelle Fuhrman as the titular, parent-less psycho. And, thinking about it, this isn’t her first kill either, but hey, who needs to argue semantics when there is a killer on the loose!?

Orphan: First Kill takes us back before the first film and, although not quite an origin story, it explores the events that led up to Esther ending up in an orphanage and adopted by the Colemans.

First Kill opens with Leena (not yet Esther) in the Saarne Institute where she is introduced as the 30-year-old, dangerous killer that we all know her to be. The cat was definitely let out of the bag in the first film so there is no need for First Kill to play coy when it comes to who Leena/Esther really is.

Anyway, after using her “skills” to manipulate a guard with slightly less than savoury intentions, Leena escapes the institute and weasels her way into Tricia (Julia Styles) and Allen Albright’s (Rossif Sutherland) home, pretending to be their daughter, Esther, who has been missing for 4 years. The cat is back in the bag now, and we are on familiar ground with Leena pretending to be Esther and setting her sights on Allen as the ‘daddy’ of the family, in much the same way that she did in Orphan.

Esther/Leena clearly just wants to be loved…

In the original Orphan, Esther also found herself with two new younger siblings that she could manipulate. In First Kill, she finds she has an ‘older’ brother in the form of Gunner (Matthew Finlan) and he is definitely not overjoyed at his sister’s return. Tricia also appears suspicious of Esther and is not convinced by her therapist visits. She also shows some concern over Esther’s growing attachment to Allen.

So, all kinds of familiar up to this point.

And that was always going to be the problem for a prequel to a film that had a pretty killer twist. Whether you saw it coming or not, it was pretty demented and certainly left a bad taste in the audience’s mouth. However, with First Kill, we all know the secret and I was concerned that the First Kill crew wouldn’t be able to pull off anything to match Orphan.

While I don’t think they quite manage it, First Kill does take some unexpected turns which are fairly self-aware and counter the absurdity of the whole Leena/Esther deception. While there needed to be a slightly higher than normal suspension of disbelief it does, ultimately, work so we are not left with an identikit re-tread of the first film. And things unravel pretty quickly in the final act until we end up with Esther looking like she has got away with everything and is on her way to the orphanage.

The fact that I don’t really see that last sentence as a spoiler, highlights the other main problem for First Kill; there is little suspense when it comes to Esther. We know she is going to show up again in Orphan, so we know she isn’t going to die, and we know, from Orphan, that the family she was with all perished so, again, there is a lack of tension.

However, the film does a good job of making the journey entertaining and bloody. Esther is a monster, and we get to see her at her best (?) as she fights for survival.

I was slightly confused with the name of the family in First Kill being different from the name mentioned in Orphan when the Coleman’s were being told about Esther’s previous family, even though the outcome was similar for both. Whether this was just a cock-up or opens the potential for Esther’s return to destroy another family, I guess we will need to wait and see.

There aren’t many sympathetic characters in First Kill. Most of the characters you might have sympathy for are killed off early on in the film, so you don’t get too attached and they don’t get much chance to develop. But the main family unit surrounding Esther is complex and mildly crazy itself, so they are entertaining, even if you don’t care about them.

In a weird way, and I suspect the director is just messing with your head, you may end up rooting for Esther.

The cast here are all great and Isabelle Furhman is suitably creepy again as Esther, although I guess it must be getting a little harder for her to play 10. I wonder if the next Orphan film will be a true origin story and we will go back a bit further to see Leena in her 20s developing her love of mayhem and murder, and realising the potential in her condition?
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Who knows? But I’d be up for a third. I don’t think First Kill is quite as good as Orphan, but then it was always going to struggle when its main twist has already been revealed and we know that Esther is in no real danger. However, First Kill does a decent job of taking us somewhere new with Esther and, by introducing its own twist, has a good stab at doing something different.

Glorious opens with Wes (Ryan Kwanten) pulling into a roadside rest stop with a car full of belongings and a bagful of regret. It appears that he is running from a difficult split from his girlfriend, Brenda. A run-in with a dodgy vending machine and then a bottle of bourbon and a fire pit leave him lying in the dirt, trouser-less and feeling pretty sorry for himself.

Waking the following morning with the need to vomit and purge himself of the bourbon, Wes bursts into the rest room for a ‘glorious’ evacuation as a mysterious stranger (J. K. Simmons) in the next stall begins a conversation with him through a glory (see what they did there?) hole.

I’m not sure I would have stuck around at this point, but what starts out as a bit weird takes a more sinister and then dramatic turn as Wes’ Glorious Purpose is revealed, and he discovers that the fate of the Universe may well hang upon his downtrodden shoulders. Will Wes come through for the Universe?

Well, you are going to have to watch Glorious to find out.

Glorious has a run time of 80 minutes and this was the perfect length for the film. When you have a movie that is largely a two-hander (with only half the ensemble onscreen) confined to a tiny rest stop bathroom, you need to be frugal and make the best of the time. It is always a danger with contained thrillers/horrors like this that the setting will restrict the effectiveness of the film; two people talking at each other for 80 minutes in one room always runs the risk of being dull. This is not the case with Glorious, and McKendry has directed a really tight little movie that doesn’t once drag. The location is used well and the conversation between Wes and whatever the hell it is in stall two never, well… stalls.

It is a lot to ask of an actor, but Kwanten does a great job as Wes, carrying the weight of the world (and the film) on his shoulders. Simmons is offscreen throughout the film, with just his glorious voice floating out from the toilet stall; I think I could listen to him read the phone book and still enjoy it.

There are a couple of satellite characters who pop up; Tordy Clark as Sharon, a mysterious woman who helps Wes with the vending machine at the start of the film, Sylvia Grace Crim who plays Brenda in a series of flashbacks and André Lamar as Gary, the rest stop manager. Seeing how things end for Gary, Sharon did the right thing by leaving in the first few minutes of the film!

There is plenty of gore in Glorious for those who want it, in between the philosophising and angst from Wes, and the special effects are nicely done. I particularly liked a sequence where Simmons’ character Ghat, explains his story through animated hallucinations on the toilet walls.

And there is humour in Glorious as well as horror. It’s not a comedy as such, but there are a couple of funny moments that break up the tension a little and did make me chuckle to myself; you can’t have a set up like this and not do a gag involving the glory hole!
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Glorious is a well-written and directed film that is lean, fun, and gory. It has half a foot in some serious moral themes but doesn’t get bogged down trying to be too clever. It knows what it is, plays to those strengths and is a glorious example of what you can do with a contained horror

Review​

I like a movie to leave me off my guard. I don’t want to know what happens; I don’t even want an inkling. Movies that have me shitting my pants in surprise, you know? Bring Him Back Dead was a little bit predictable. I suppose it’s going to be seeing as it follows an overpopulated plot line. Reservoir Dogs spring to mind. They both examine the greed and desperation of the main characters. 

People under pressure do idiotic things. The desolated cabin in the woods is the backdrop for the internal fighting, no one can hear you scream whilst you bleed out and it’s easy to escape with the goods when it all goes tits up. 

A movie that does what it says on the tin. High adrenaline, high octane thrill ride. You can’t trust anyone when black shadows are creeping at every junction. A brilliant examination of the human condition and it’s hunger for money and violence. 

Hi there, I’m Yvonne.Book Reviewer/ General all-round Nerd
Well, what can i say about me? I’m a 32 year old married woman and mum to 3 crazy boys, aged 12,5 and 3. My eldest has a genetic condition that causes a visual impairment so as you can imagine life can be very chaotic and provides many challenges along the way but I would 100% never change any of them. They fulfil my life beyond measure.
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I Adore Books – I adore shouting about books! I’m a reviewer of all genres, whether that be Epic Fantasy, Gothic Horror, a historical romance or a race-to-the-end thriller. I will read them all.

I had a bit of a tough time with Josiah and what he saw. On the one hand we have some impressive performances from the main cast; Robert Patrick chews the scenery as the over-bearing, drunken father, Scott Haze as the youngest, troubled son and Nick Stahl and Kelli Garner as his equally troubled older twin siblings. Matched with the slow burn direction and the oppressive, southern gothic atmosphere, Josiah builds up the tension between the family carefully and deliberately over the 2-hour running time.

On the other hand, I got a little distracted.

Josiah is built like an anthology and divided into three parts. We start with an introduction to Josiah himself (Patrick) and his younger son Thomas (Haze). They live on an old, run-down family farm, away from town and away from other people; Thomas, legally obliged to do so through a restraining order from his ex-wife. Josiah and Thomas have a difficult relationship, strained further when Josiah begins to see visions of his dead wife who took her own life when the kids were younger.

Meanwhile, an oil company is buying up land around the town and their farm is one of the last plots they are trying to get their hands on. Writing to Thomas and his siblings, Eli and Mary (Stahl and Garner) with an offer they can’t refuse, the firm unwittingly draws the family together opening old wounds and revealing secrets from a past life everyone is trying to escape.

I liked this set-up, it draws you into the world of Josiah and Thomas, where things are not quite right. However, the film then takes a big turn when it introduces us to his brother Eli and then sister Mary in two chapters that leave Thomas and Josiah completely behind for a good hour of the film. While I understand the reasoning behind this, setting up both siblings, their lives and backstory, the film moved away from the heart of the story for too long and my attention wandered.

Much of what we learn in that central hour of the film could have been condensed and delivered faster; the whole film (in my opinion) could have easily coped with having thirty minutes cut from its runtime. The film focusses on sins of the past, the trauma and events of the three kids’ childhood and they would have had more time to confront those demons and explore their fears, the sooner they were all thrown together on the farm: the childhood home where all that trauma was created.

And, as soon as they were all back together, just 30 minutes before the end of the film, it drew me back in. Revelations come flooding out and the realisation of what happened in the past and the relationships between the family are both unsettling and horrific. They are not entirely clear either, the narrators not being the most reliable of people; do we really get the whole truth and nothing but it? There are multiple interpretations of what Josiah saw and none of them are particularly pleasant, but the film works best when focussing on them.

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