We are honoured to bring you a brand new collaboration between Ginger Nuts of Horror and Caleb Watches Movies, Caleb will be  reviewing some of the films that we receive on his excellent You Tube Channel, with us hosting a review on the site linking back to Caleb Watches Movies.  If you enjoy these videos please subscribe to his You Tube channel and his other social media streams 

Caleb grew up all over the Midwest of the United States, but eventually settled on calling Saginaw, MI his home.  His earliest memories are of watching movies ranging from Tim Burton’s Batman to Back to the Future; which some would consider to be a horror film (his mom wants to sleep with him – come on).

He spent his time in undergrad at Saginaw Valley State University where he study the craft of acting.  He starred in over 20 productions there including Pippin, The Crucible, The Andrews Brothers, and One for the Pot.  He also received the award for Outstanding Theatre Major during his senior year.

Caleb decided to continue his theatrical education by attending grad school at Eastern Michigan University, where he received an MA in theatre performance.  There he developed his love for teaching and furthered his love of movie watching.  Caleb is currently an Adjunct Instructor at SVSU, where he teaches theatre to non-theatre majors and education majors.
 
In 2017, Caleb decided to develop his own creative outlet that would fulfill his desire to perform and his desire to watch movies.  So, he launched his YouTube channel called Caleb Watches Movies, where he randomly selects films that he owns from all genres and produces a review from the average person’s perceptive.  It is a great mixture of humor, performance, realness, and honesty.  The channel has seen tremendous growth in a short amount of time, and it is also Caleb’s catalyst to etch his legacy in a recorded medium.

He currently resides in Kalamazoo, MI with his wife, cat-sons and cat-daughters.
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/CalebWatchesMovies
 
https://www.facebook.com/CalebWatchesMovies
 
https://twitter.com/Calebwatchmovie
 
www.instagram.com/calebwatchesmovies/
 

 
A sleeper hit at festivals worldwide (including Berlin, Fantasia and Fantaspoa), LUZ is an astounding debut feature from director Tilman Singer, all the more so considering it was shot entirely on 16mm as a film school graduation project. Aesthetically the film is a throwback to 80's horror, and nowhere is this more evident than in its incredibly tense and atmospheric synth soundtrack, released on vinyl by Death Waltz Records/ Mondo Music.

Synopsis:
 
A dazed, young cab driver drags herself into a rundown police station late one night.
Across town, a psychiatrist is striking up a strange conversation with a lady in a bar, when he is paged by the police station to come in to counsel the cab driver. When he arrives, the cab driver begins an eerie and surreal confession that endangers all who cross her path. 
 
Directed by: Tilman Singer
Screenplay by: Tilman Singer
Cast:  Luana Velis, Johannes Benecke, Jan Bluthardt

A graduate of the Academy of Media Art, Cologne, Singer's debut feature LUZ was his senior thesis film. Following the acclaim and reception of the film, Singer was signed to Thirty Three Management.

Genre: Horror, thriller | Year: 2018 | Cert: 15 | Country: Germany
Language: German, Spanish | Subtitles: English | Running Time: 70 mins

Sharp Teeth Films brings a taste of the unusual to UK audiences with a carefully selected line-up of standout stories that are both provocative and fascinating.
Releases include New York sub-culture documentary RUBBLE KINGS (highlighting the true story behind cult classic THE WARRIORS), YOU ARE NOT ALONE, a first-person POV slasher horror, and French-Lebanese arthouse drama TRAMONTANE.

The short film, This Way Out uses some mockumentary elements to follow a euthanasia clinic that has 10 days to get 10 clients or they’ll be shutdown. The two that run the clinic are having a difficult time getting people that wish to kill themselves, until an unfortunate incident sparks a moment of inspiration.

This Way Out was a festival success and would lay the foundation for Staten Cousins Roe’s feature A Serial Killer’s Guide to Life, which brought back Poppy Roe and Katie Brayben in similar roles, with many of the same locations and other cast members trickling over.

Since this is a short film there is truly little to discuss in terms of plot, as it feels more like a promotional video used to highlight a business. However, it works to its benefit and brings out the ripe black comedy, that’s established Cousins Roe’s style and placed him as one of the filmmakers to watch. But we can’t forget the acting which is sold by Roe and Brayben with complete conviction. The 17 minutes used are just as much a showcase of their talent as it is for Staten’s directorial ability.

As I mentioned in my review on A Serial Killer’s Guide to Life, the tone might make limit the number of eyes that are viewing this short. But I am speaking from an American’s perspective, where black comedy and “British” comedy is considered a niche audience. I will argue that the short is more accessible than its feature counterpart since the subject matter tackled (while still dark) does not have two characters going on a cross-country murder spree.

I may be a biased critic, as I’ve been very vocal about my love for their feature and that brand of humor, but ultimately what it comes down to is This Way Out is an incredible short that is passionately made from someone who has a distinct artistic voice. And I’ll stand by that any day of the week. I guess you could say I drank the lemonade.
 
5 out of 5
 
The short is available to watch for free at 

https://vimeo.com/417014573?fbclid=IwAR0khAIuruvPwFR68aAjaWVmp2lBA60EFNTplU5Ft41rkItFwXUX2VU52JA
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Some films are deep, introspective treatises on the darkness at the heart of man, meant to be pondered and interpreted and dissected. And some films are meant to put a great big silly grin on your face all the way through. To me, Why Don’t You Just Die! falls firmly in the latter camp and is best watched with as big a bag of popcorn as you can manage. It’s only a horror film in the sense that it’s drenched in blood, sprinkled in gore and involves the characters doing horrific things to each other. There are no scares to be found here, just good old-fashioned bloody high-octane fun.
 
We meet Matvey (Aleksandr Kuznetsov) as he’s psyching himself up outside his girlfriend’s father’s flat. Fair enough, you might think, we’ve all wanted to make a positive impression on our partner’s parents. But it becomes quickly apparent by the hammer clutched tightly behind Matvey’s back that all is not as it seems. Sure enough when Andrey (Vitaliy Khaev) invites the young man in and reveals himself to be a tough-as-nails detective with secrets of his own, what starts as a bit of macho dick-measuring quickly escalates into a full-on brawl and a power struggle that threatens to destroy everyone involved.
 
This brawl is the moment the grinning starts, and it barely lets up from there. Director Kirill Sokolov adopts a throw-everything-and-the-kitchen-sink style to the visuals, with gorgeous shots of  epic sweeping slo-mo, crazy tilting dutch angles and sharp jagged cuts all working overtime to enhance the cartoonish violence. It’s very reminiscent of early Guy Ritchie films, and like those films the shot choices hit more often than they miss. I especially enjoyed the spaghetti western closeups of the characters’ eyes, complete with soaring Morricone-a-like music, though it got too repetitive towards the end. It’s beautiful to watch, though, and it’s clear that Sokolov is having a whale of a time with the stylist choices.
 
When I say the violence is ‘cartoonish’ I mean that in the best possible way. It may not have the comical physical contortions of Kung Fu Hustle but it shares that film’s sense of anarchic glee in the fight scenes. It just happens to throw buckets of blood around a hell of a lot more. There’s a healthy dose of slapstick in and around the fight scenes, enough to make you laugh at the silliness but not so much that it feels childish. There is one tonally jarring moment where the violence (involving a hand drill) gets a little too real, a little too nasty, and it doesn’t sit right with the rest of the film. That said, this obviously isn’t a light and fluffy film so your mileage may vary on how appropriately dark it gets. The motivation that Matvey’s girlfriend Olya (Evgeniya Kregzhde) gives him for going to her father’s flat is super dark and again just a little too far for me. But the rest of the film keeps its tongue firmly in its cheek (or, in one memorably gross moment, down the bath plughole).
 
The actors are all brilliant, equally believable with the weighty emotional bits as they are with throwing each other around and smashing furniture over each others heads. Vitaliy Khaev is the standout here, dominating the screen with his macho swagger and looming presence. The violence and danger works because he makes you believe with 100% conviction that Andrey would kill you and bury you with barely a moment’s remorse – but he gets a couple of tender moments with his daughter that show he can be emotional when he wants to be. He may be a bad man, but he’s a family man. Aleksandr Kuznetsov is also excellent, making you root for what could easily have been a one-dimensional thug of a character. The wringer that he’s put through certainly helps, and he takes every blow and wound gamely.
 
Why Don’t You Just Die! is a nasty little film, but it’s the fun kind of nasty, the kind where you howl with laughter and instantly feel just a little bit guilty for it. It’s silly and bloody and beautifully put together. It demands to be watched with beers and popcorn and mates who are just the same level of sick as you are.  Ура!

Review by Sam Kurd 

Sea Fever tells the tale of graduate student, Siobhan (Hermione Corfield), who is forced by her professor to join the tight-knit crew of a trawler (fishing boat) in West Ireland, because of her inability to connect with people. However, after the ship’s captains (Connie Nielson and Dougray Scott) change course to venture into a Coast Guard-restricted area for more fish, they find themselves grabbed by an unknown squid-like species, which infects the ship with its larva. Soon paranoia and hysteria set in as the crew tries to rid their vessel and themselves of the parasites before they return to shore. 

It’s going to come up, so I’d rather get it out of the way now. Hardiman must have had a crystal ball when writing/directing Sea Fever, its themes are perfectly connected to our current fears as a society, thanks to COVID-19. Yet, this was written and made before this pandemic took the world by storm (Hardiman actually hinted at its connection to Greta Thunberg). This coincidental timing provides the story with a weight that feels like a sucker-punch to the gut. However, will this prove to be misfortune, as the film may never be able to sever the link between its story and the current situation, leading audiences to avoid the film since it “hits too close to home?” This theme is sledgehammered in as the film’s major debate revolves around the argument of Siobhan believing that they should wait 36 hours to make sure they too aren’t infected before returning to shore. But she faces backlash as the crew members that consider themselves a family wish to get home to a hospital. Unlike the current predicament where some people want the quarantine to be lifted so they can get their hair done and dine in at Chick-fil-a, the actors and Hardiman execute a masterful job of having the audience empathize with the complexities on both sides of the argument.

Since this is another issue brought up, I’d like to veer off the path for a second. There are tons of movies based off, inspired by, or mirroring some classic and people don’t mind. Somehow when you have an isolated crew in tight corridors facing another life form, then it’s instantly ragged on for having similarities to a 40-year-old movie (Alien and The Thing). For the majority of films that share these plot devices it is a dumb and lazy criticism. By the way, Alien is not the first to use those devices either. Sea Fever is not an exception to the majority. Hardiman provides a unique artistic voice that didn’t have me thinking about another movie until I happened to come across the online reviews when I was adding the Blu-ray to my cart immediately after the credits rolled… If that gives any indication of if I liked it or not.

As hinted above, the strength of Sea Fever lies in the characters and actors’ portrayals. Within the short runtime and limited histories of each crew member, we feel for these characters and their struggles. Hardiman does it in a way that’s tight, where the story constantly moves forward without “filler.” We are also provided with twists and turns that don’t throw you completely off but do trail from the beaten path. Within the first 15 minutes we are given the idea that we’re just getting a creature feature, then the creature quickly let’s go of their ship and we are left with the aftermath of the incident, which one finds is much more devastating. The only criticism I have on the matter is it’s one of the rare times in a movie where I wish there was an extra 10 minutes to make the build of dread that much sweeter.
​
Yes, I have seen films like it and I’ll probably see many more. Also, as someone who doesn’t really go out of my way for aquatic horror flicks unless I’m recommended it, I loved it and it’s easily made my top 10 of the year so far. Sea Fever is a pinnacle example that no matter the budget, spectacle, creature design, or effects, if we feel for the characters then nothing else matters.
 
5 out of 5

Review by Craig Draheim 

 
You cannot have a film title like Swallow without the plot being consumed around the consumption of something… You could but where’s the fun in that. The focus of the story is around Hunter (Haley Bennett), who’s in an emotionally distant marriage with her husband, Richie (Austin Stowell) and his wealthy family. After she finds out she’s pregnant, Hunter develops pica, a psychological disorder characterized by the appetite of non-nutritive substances. What follows is the family tightening their control of Hunter while she struggles with her own identity.

From this synopsis or if you’ve seen the trailer, there’s a good chance you’ll know what the story is about. It’s a common theme, most popularly tracing back to 1879 with Henrik Ibsen’s stage play A Doll’s House, where a woman claims her independence in an environment where she’s treated like an object. With that said, any idea can be reused with a unique perspective and a strong artistic voice, and fortunately Swallow has that in strides. From the production design, which is stylish yet grounded, to Bennett’s heartbreaking and anxiety-raising performance, it’s a piece that engages in an elegant character study over thriller plot devices. Aligning itself with the body horror found in David Cronenberg’s more nuanced work (Dead Ringers and Crash), it is destined to become polarizing. Some will greatly enjoy it and others will find a meandering arthouse flick, criticizing its lack of “story” or thriller elements. I’m sure it’s clear where I stand. However, no matter what camp you fall into, there is no denying that this is an extraordinary feature debut from Mirabella-Davis.

Much of the conflict comes from Hunter trying to keep up appearances as the stereotypical 1950s housewife in modern day. Throughout the film her husband and in-laws uncover her past and suppressed trauma that she has yet to confront, lending the pica plot device as a spot-on metaphor. There is the potential of the characterization to be a little too on-the-nose with its housewife stereotype, but Bennett’s portrayal brings an authenticity that saves it from becoming a cliché.

The 94-minute runtime does incredible favors for a film of this nature, making any of the meandering points mentioned prior, seem purposeful and not filler. But it is the second half where Hunter’s internal struggle comes to the surface that Mirabella-Davis pushes the aesthetic and gorgeous cinematography to the back and allows the writing and directing to really shine. A major highlight is an exchange between Hunter and her biological father that brings with it two performances buried in emotional tension and culmination of anxiety building to that moment. This allows Swallow to cross the threshold from a “pretty” but shallow movie to something of substance. As we begin to see her unravel and pushing back against her controllers, it’s engaging, flies by, and showcases Bennett in a way that has you wondering why she isn’t more broadly recognized.

As I stated in the beginning, if you watch the trailer, read the synopsis, or even this review, you will have a general idea of how this film will go. And I admit even my own preconceived notions impacted my viewing during the first 15 minutes. Beyond that, Swallow is a well-honed character-study, delicately dissecting the psyche of the protagonist and earning its place in the artistry of cinematic storytelling. 

 
A stillborn baby girl is brought back to life by an electrical storm before being abducted from hospital by a morgue attendant. On her sixteenth birthday, empowered with the gift to manipulate electricity, she escapes her captor and sets out to find her birth mother leaving a trail of destruction behind her.
 
Marketed as Carrie meets Firestarter (and a dose of Tobe Hooper’s Spontaneous Combustion), Reborn will be endearing to horror fans, because it’s primarily made for them.
Thanks to the success of You’re Next and We Are Still Here, Barbara Crampton has earned a much-deserved rebirth (pun intended) over the last several years. These more recent roles have allowed her to showcase a maturity that highlights what a talent she is. It’s only fitting that she’d end up playing an actress who gained cult success when she was younger and is now attempting to revitalize her career. Don’t get me wrong, Crampton certainly brings a depth to the role that allows it to standout from the many horror movies while dealing with someone in the entertainment industry.

However, at the end of the day any story elements enter territory of a “greatest hits” horror movie. That term is being used to describe movies, especially lately, that feel like they base their premise around, “Did you like that cult classic movie(s)? We sure did, which is why we’re providing you with references and similar plot devices galore to show our horror love.” Yes, I eat it up as a horror fan, but I can’t deny the part of me that wishes I just watched the film(s) they’re paying homage to. I give credit to everyone involved for doing the best they could with the material, but ultimately the movie lacks a personal artistic vision to beat out the oversaturation of content in today’s world.

What I respect though is their attempts to go “big,” with a “high concept” despite the obvious small budget. It’s more likely with that kind of budget for people to settle for a plot that’s in one location, four actors, lots of ambiguity, and all atmosphere. Reborn gives us a more effects-driven plot, and for the most part it works if you’re not a digital effects snob. Again, most of this success is because of the scenes that focus on the emotional arc between Crampton and Kayleigh Gilbert, which makes you wonder what would happen if more time was spent on their relationship. If all the spectacle was condensed to a few instances that they could really build upon, maybe we as viewers could connect more. That’s where the frustration comes in, as it’s one of many projects where the potential for something memorable is within reach, yet the nearest and safest ingredient was grabbed instead. It’s not the budget or cast or the technical aspects that lacks flavor, but rather the creative core.
Still, I enjoyed myself. It was a fun little movie that would possibly be more enjoyable if I was surrounded by like-minded friends, who would also throw out the Spontaneous Combustion reference. Then again, it may be doomed to be one of those middle ground movies that’s neither good nor bad enough to remember, until it is reborn in a different incarnation. Hopefully it’s one willing to tell its own story.

2 1/2 out of 5

​Review by Craig Draheim 

I don’t know about you, but all these COVID-19 developments and enforced quarantines and social isolations are really starting to get to me. So I figured I’d relax by putting on a nice soothing alien invasion movie called… Alien Outbreak?
 
Aw beans, I did it again.
 
Alien Outbreak is the second feature film from writer/director Neil Rowe, the VFX specialist who brought us Robot World. The film follows Zoe (Katherine Drake) a Police Sergeant who recently transferred from Canada to a sleepy British village where nothing ever happens… until an alien invasion threatens to change her life forever. It starts with a rash of suicides and violent attacks, and it’s quickly made clear that alien robot drones are running around injecting people with stuff and generally causing mayhem. An Armed Response Vehicle is on the way but the phones are disrupted, the village is cut off and they’re running out of time...
 
The first thing that’s immediately apparent as the film starts is that it’s fallen into the trap of poor audio quality like so many other low budget films. It’s tough to make out what people say sometimes, and this is exacerbated when Zoe speaks on the police radio. There’s a scene when she speaks to fellow copper Patrick (Ritchie Crane) who’s holed up in the station and he’s whispering over the radio to her about the situation there and it’s just so mumbly it’s impossible to hear. I often found myself straining to make out what was going on.
 
The sound quality does pick up for long stretches of the film, but sadly that just draws attention the film’s biggest weakness: the acting. Most line deliveries are flat and lifeless, and it rarely feels like the characters are reacting naturally to the peril they’re in. I really wanted to like Drake as Zoe, she seemed like a fun proactive character, but there was no spark there, nothing that made her interesting to follow. It was the same with everyone, they were just sort of there. It was difficult to root for them when they’re struggling to emote and react naturally. When Zoe first sees a robot drone, she might as well have seen a cat knocking something off a table. Mind you, when she’s first confronted with the possibility of a hostile encounter she grabs a shotgun she’d taken as evidence from a double suicide and goes full commando – did no one tell her that’s not how we do things over here? In fact, is it even possible for a police officer to transfer from Canada to the UK? Is that a thing? My suspension of disbelief took a bit of a blow there.
 
The film looks good, though – it’s slick and shiny and Rowe clearly knows how to stage a creepy scene. There are a couple of moments where Zoe is in the dark, lit only by her flashlight, with a robot skittering about unseen. Very effective stuff! It’s let down a little when she spots the creature, fires at it and sort of jogs away, with the enemy strolling after her practically whistling in nonchalance. I exaggerate there, but that’s what it feels like because there’s no strong musical accompaniment to highlight the danger, underpin the urgency and get your blood-pressure up. It’s a vital part of building tension, and while Rowe gets the visuals of it right, the sound mustn’t be neglected either. The shaky cam put me off initially, but it’s used appropriately here as it does create an intimacy that works well for the story; it sells the small-town isolation feel and provides Dutch angles aplenty to unsettle us. The special effects are mostly very good too; sometimes the robots don’t quite feel like there’s weight to them, like they’re present in the room (which of course they’re not), but that’s par for the course with most low-budget films. Rowe decided not to keep his enemies in the shadows, which would have dramatically upped their threat status. But they look fine, and the spaceships look brilliant.
 
The story is mostly fine, moving along at a steady pace as things go from bad to worse. People get infected and turn on their friends and themselves, and the inevitable march of the robots goes on. Yes, I keep saying robots instead of aliens. The thing is, for the majority of the film, the threat comes from the robot drones and their lightning-quick syringe strikes. We don’t see an actual alien until well past midpoint. Well, that’s not entirely true – we see them standing ominously, surrounding the police station like it’s Assault on Precinct 13. When we do finally see one up close, it’s in the best scene in the film. I’ll not spoil it for you, but suffice to say it’s a dark scene, tough to watch, and of course it leaves you wondering who the true monsters are. It’s just a bit disappointing that in a film called Alien Outbreak we mostly get robots. Feels like a bit of a cheat.
 
Speaking of not spoiling things, I really want to complain about the ending but, you know, can’t really without ruining it. Suffice to say it disappointed me with a twist from nowhere that really should have been seeded and foreshadowed throughout. Then again, perhaps it was and I missed it because it was in one of the mumbly bits. I didn’t see it coming, but then I didn’t even have the chance to. A great twist should feel like a piece falling into place and the whole puzzle finally making sense.
 
In all, Alien Outbreak is a bit limp but it’s clearly made with passion, which is the important thing really. One thing it’s certainly not is lazy, and you have to admire what’s been done with the budget it had. Perhaps with better acting and a twist with coherent roots in the story, this could have been a great little gem. As it is, it just about hits ok.
 
2 ginger biscuits out of 5

Review by Sam Kurd