When it comes to short horror films you never quite know what you are going to get, and to be brutally honest, many of the submissions we get at Ginger Nuts towers are extremely dull and hardly worth a mention. That’s not the case here.

James Morris presented us with three links, however, I would say on a technicality there are four episodes in the series thus far, as ‘Lethal Repair’ was from what I can tell, (and I’m sure they’ll correct me if I am wrong,) the progenitor, a kind of ‘episode zero’. Conceived, shot, edited, and delivered in forty-eight hours as Witching Season Films’ submission to the Salt Lake City 48 Hour Film Festival in 2014. I found it on YouTube and was glad to have done so.
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Shot in 4K, ‘Lethal Repair’ is slick and minimalist. Clocking in at 7 ½ minutes it is the story of a repairman who gets a rather unusual call out to fix a rather unusual typewriter. I have watched hundreds of short films that have taken far longer to produce with less pleasing results. What appears to be their first tentative step into horror filmmaking has just the right amount of story without being over-the-top. Check it out at the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_yvkSpCQq4

Now that is out of the way, onwards to the review as requested, which is in episode order.


The first episode is 

As with ‘Lethal Repair’, ‘Killer on the Loose’, has high production values. It is clear from the outset that there is a very John Carpenter vibe about the production as a whole. It is something of a familiar theme, with, as the title suggests, a killer on the loose. The intros (used for all of their titles) are very clean, the score somewhat reminiscent of the Halloween movies, and the short itself is gorgeous to look at, mainly as the lighting and camera work is expertly handled. In my opinion, it is very well acted and could easily be shown in regular cinemas before a main feature. For me there is only one drawback, which is the twist ending. It has been done before, but then again, most things have. As with any slasher movie you know what to expect, but the fun is in going along for the ride. At around twelve minutes without titles and credits. It will not take up too much of your time and is good fun. You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNSGeEewbc8
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​This is my favourite of the three episodes proper; it concerns an apparently single mother with a young daughter called Jamie, a house move and a box of toys left behind by the previous tenants. This is not the usual creepy dolls story, it is actually more a ‘fluffy bunny’ story. You will understand that when you watch it. As with the previous episode it has the Halloween intro setting up brand, the same high production values et cetera. It is clear watching this that Witching Season as a production company is not a one trick pony, and that they are determined in offering quality viewing. One thing I can definitely approve of is that because they are not aiming at a television market each film is as long as it needs to be, so not poorly edited down or padded out. The difference is only a few minutes here and there but is exactly what makes a difference. There’s even a comedy infomercial inserted for good measure, looks like it would have been great fun to film. Of particular note in ‘Princess’ is the little girl ‘Jamie’ (played by Emily Broschinsky,) she does an excellent job, her overall innocence shining through, making the ending a double whammy that is truly effective. Follow the link to see for yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5Wv_Jeo44U

Something a little different with the third episode as ‘Not Alone’ is an alien abduction story. Kyle awakens from one sort of nightmare, finding himself confronted by a much worse one. The initial radio voice-over has a fun little reference to ‘Princess’, which turns to static as Kyle’s bedroom starts shaking. What the hell is that thing standing in the corner of the room? Kyle is about to find out in an extremely clever twist of expectations. It actually made me laugh aloud, but then the atmosphere changed... It is around seven minutes without titles, well worth watching, so here it is:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNULNivoRbs
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Described by James Morris as something like “Goosebumps for adults,” I can see Witching Season productions becoming very popular, and with episodes four and five in the pipeline I am looking forward to seeing what they will come up with next.

There is a history of films that for one reason or another decide to take a stylistic and tonal left turn partway  through their running time.  Sometimes it works and keeps in with the overall theme of the film, however in too many cases it ends up failing miserably.  These left hand down moments tend to come across as though those involved with the movie had no idea what to do next and decided to listen to someone who had no business being involved with the film at all.  

Even Lambs Have Teeth is a film that takes a rather odd shift in tonality, from at first glance looks like a typical rape-revenge thriller, to a more comedic sassy girls get even in lots of funny ways type film.   It is a film that despite a rather heavy-handed approach to filmmaking sort of works. ​

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Spirits, serial killers and secrets should, in theory, make for an entertaining film.  Throw in a feisty disgruntled radio DJ and a mysterious psychic and you really should be onto a winner.  

Opening with a masked killer killing a young woman, the film then cuts to the heroine of the film,  the strapped for cash  Kate (Joanna Ignaczewska), who must be the victim of the world's worst debt collectors.  Why they decide to take a small cheap television, instead of taking her flashy laptop, is one of the first signs that this film may well be in trouble.  Of course, we need the laptop as it is required to set up the relationship that Kate has with the very nice Ben, who just happens to be the technician for the feisty radio presenter. Her boyfriend then enters and gets angry about her use of Facetime to chat up nice Welsh bloke, and manages to convince her to accompany him to rob one of his clients.  Who conveniently lives on an isolated farm in the heart of the Welsh countryside.  One quick, pointless twist later and a totally wasted cameo from James Cosmo and we are thrust  into horror country, where serial killers and vengeful ghosts, compete for film's attention.  ​

When it comes to horror, as a fan,  have my limits, and they dictate what I will watch and read, but as a reviewer, you have to try and put these aside so that you can look at the product with an unbiased view.  

I knew going into watching "We are Monsters" that this would be a hard watch that would push the limits of what I think is acceptable to the boundaries of my personal taste.  The tagline was simple and conveyed the sense of the film "Three Men, One Woman.  No chance of escape". The plot of the movie is as basic as you could get ​

I don’t often get excited about horror films anymore. It’s a shame but since writing horror for a living, I find most films to be a let down. The jump-scares are so obvious you see them coming a mile off, the premise has been done to death, there are twists that are obvious from the start of the film and so on, so fourth. I still go and watch them though in the hope I am going to be surprised and actually enjoy the film. It’s a shame then that the last decent “horror” film I watched was Krampus over Christmas time and that I only really enjoyed because it reminded me of my childhood and films such as Gremlins and Critters. Whilst the concept might not have been original, it was still a fun film with some great effects thrown in there too. Gone was CGI and back was practical effects! Hoorah! But this review isn’t about Krampus. This review is about another film I genuinely got excited about when I first saw the trailer. This review is about The Boy. ​

Life is full of disappointments. From opening up a bar of your favourite chocolate, only to discover that it has shrunk overnight from a regular size to what you would describe as a fun-sized version, to finally getting to watch a film that you have been excited about watching, only to find that the film is a complete mess. 

Since watching the trailer to David Keating's Cherry Tree last year, I was intrigued by the concept - folk horror witchcraft in a Modern Irish setting, that mixed magic, death, and sex with creepy crawlies into what looked like a very interesting film.  Sadly this was not to be the case, instead, Chery Tree ended up being a confused, and cliched coven of bad ideas. 

The death of Jamie Marks is little more than a reason to try and avoid class for most of the people at his school. He was a nobody with no discernible friends and nothing really going for him.

Adam, a boy who goes to the same school visits the place where Jamie was found and meets Gracie, the girl who found the body. The two of them start a tentative relationship, but when Jamie's ghost turns up, Adam starts to become obsessed with finding out the cause of Jamie's death. In doing so he sets himself on a path away from the living and into a world of the dead.

Cameron Monaghan's Adam is a young boy confused. He wants a relationship with Gracie, but doesn't know how to react when she blows hot then cold. He doesn't understand why his mother, Liv Tyler, forms a friendship with the woman who put her in a wheelchair, Judy Greer. And he doesn't understand why Jamie is dead, or why his ghost forms an attachment to him.

Noah Silver plays the deceased Jamie Marks as a creepy, almost stalker-like individual. At times it felt uncomfortable watching as he interacted with Adam. Like spying on an intimate couple at sometimes, whilst at other it was like watching an abusive and manipulative relationship.

Gracie, played by Morgan Saylor, is the girl who found Jamie's body, whilst out collecting rocks. She is also the person who inadvertently introduces Adam to Jamie's Ghost, something she tries to rectify throughout the film. Gracie is portrayed as knowing about the ghosts, but it's never fully explained how much or even why.

The film has some good ideas; the use of words to feed/sustain Jamie's Ghost,  Frances another ghost trapped in a perpetual nightmare loop who becomes jealous of Jamie and Adam's relationship. But the ideas are never fully explored and are left feeling halfhearted and inconclusive, never truly hitting their mark.
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All in all the film is more a coming of age self discovery story with creepy undertones rather than a horror. The ending gives enough to make watching seem worthwhile, but not enough to make it an excellent watch.
 
Rating 6.5/10
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We are pleased to reveal the first trailer and poster for TANK 432 (A.K.A Belly of the Bulldog) - screening at Marché du Film Festival de Cannes and coming to UK DVD 22nd August 2016.

From director Nick Gillespie and executive producer Ben Wheatley (Director Kill List, High Rise), comes this knife-edged thriller about a band of mercenary soldiers battling to escape a mysterious, unseen enemy.

On the run and with nowhere to hide, a group of soldiers and their two prisoners take cover from a mysterious enemy inside an abandoned military war tank. Whilst they try to keep the forces outside at bay, secrets are uncovered and little do they realise the real enemy is already among them, locked inside Tank 432.