The Amityville Asylum – also known as The Nesting 2: Amityville Asylum – is a 2013 direct-to-video horror film written and directed by Andrew Jones. It stars Lee Bane, Sarah Louise Madison, Eileen Daly, Kenton Hall, Sophia Del Pizzo, Matthew Batte, Paul Kelleher, Jared Morgan, Judith Haley, Robert Graham, Andy Evason.

It is the eleventh film based around the 1977 novel The Amityville Horror and follows the trend of the sequels having little to nothing to do with the events in the book only using the location and the DeFeo murders as a plot point.

Plot teaser:

Lisa Templeton begins a new job as a cleaner at High Hopes Hospital, a mental institution in Amityville, Long Island. Initially delighted to get the job, Lisa soon realises that all is not as it seems. Intimidated by staff and the psychotic ramblings of the patients, she is further unnerved by apparent super natural occurrences on the night shift. To preserve her sanity, Lisa must uncover the mysterious history of the institution and its inmates. But the truth is far more terrifying than she could ever imagine…

Buy on DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

‘While not a direct sequel to any of the films (was there ever one?) this eleventh (or so) entry in this series does nothing to boost the Amityville legend. If anything, it fortifies its reputation for being one of the worst franchises in the genre. The violence is below television caliber, it’s void of jump scares or creepiness, and in all honestly you’d never know it was tied into the Amityville story if the actors hadn’t repeatedly delved into the past to discuss its history.’ John Marrone, Bloody Disgusting

‘The so-called ‘creepy’ bits pass harmlessly by and the parts that are meant to be shocking twists are about as harrowing as getting the hiccups. Incredibly, it also has the balls to try the tired “you’re telling me X? But that can’t be true because Y” twist – the oldest trick in the book – twice in the space of twenty minutes.’ That Was a Bit Mental

‘The thing that I hated most about this film is that it takes forever getting to it’s point. And while you’re waiting, you’re bored to tears. It’s entirely too slow and you’re stuck watching characters you don’t give a damn about, doing nothing important. This is one of those movies like ones I’ve mentioned before, where you can get up, use the bathroom, get a snack and drink, text, and come back in the room without having hit pause and still understand everything going on.’ Grimm Reviewz

Cast:

• Sophia Del Pizzo as Lisa Templeton
• Sarah Louise Madison as Allison
• Eileen Daly as Sadie Krenwinkel
• Kenton Hall as Pemberton
• Lee Bane as Delaney
• Matthew Batte as Dennis Palmer
• Paul Kelleher as Hardcastle
• Jared Morgan as Doctor Elliot Mixter
• Andy Evason as Atkins
• Liam Hobbs as Inmate #3
• Robert Graham as Asylum Doctor #1
• Sean Robinson as Asylum Inmate
• Carwyn John as Inmate #2
• Judith Haley as Mrs. Hardesty
• Ina Marie Smith as Nancy

Wikipedia | IMDb

Poltergeist II: The Other Side is a 1986 supernatural horror film directed by Brian Gibson from a screenplay by producers Michael Grais and Mark Victor. A sequel to Poltergeist, it features the return of the original family, who are once again confronted by a spirit trying to harm their daughter, Carol Anne.

It stars Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke, Julian Beck, Oliver Robins (Don’t Go to Sleep), Will Sampson (Orca) and Zelda Rubinstein (Anguish; Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon). Prolific genre composer Jerry Goldsmith (Planet of the Apes; Alien; The Omen films) provided the film’s score.

The film received mixed reviews from critics and did not gross as much at the box office as its predecessor, although it was still financially successful, taking over $40 million in the US against a $19 million (estimated) production budget. It was followed in 1988 by Poltergeist III. A novelization was written by James Kahn and published by Ballantine Books in 1986.

Buy Poltergeist II on Blu-ray from Amazon.com

Plot teaser:

A year after the events of Poltergeist, Cuesta Verde, the Freelings’ neighborhood, is being evacuated and turned into an archeological paranormal dig, centered around the spot where the Freelings’ home stood before it imploded. The excavation leads to the discovery of an underground cave. Its existence is revealed to psychic Tangina Barrons (Zelda Rubinstein), who tells a friend of hers, Taylor (Will Sampson), a Native American shaman. After investigating the cave for himself, Taylor realizes that Kane (Julian Beck), a deceased, insane preacher, has located Carol Anne and goes to defend her…

Buy on Blu-ray with Poltergeist III from Amazon.com

Reviews:

‘This sequel, sans Spielberg but obedient to his spirit, simply fails to regenerate the original’s gut-grinding fears that make you dread ever scratching a spot again. And the contribution of Giger‘s design work has only added one near-unwatchable sequence.’ Derek Adams, Time Out

‘There are also a few times in the film where some editing (rumor has it that nearly 40 minutes were cut from the film) is painfully obvious … By themselves, it doesn’t mean much, but altogether, it’s very distracting. Plus a lot of things seem very abrupt, such as the battle with the worm-monster, and the “Other Side” sequence. You’d think that the section of the film that dealt with the film’s subtitle would last more than 75 seconds, but you’d be wrong!’ Brian Collins, Horror Movie a Day

‘Seems like a string of special effects held together by a far-fetched story line with an unsatisfying sticky-sweet ending.’ Nina Darnton, New York Times

Ghanian hand drawn poster

Cast:

• Craig T. Nelson as Steve Freeling
• JoBeth Williams as Diane Freeling
• Heather O’Rourke as Carol Anne Freeling
• Oliver Robins as Robbie Freeling
• Zelda Rubinstein as Tangina Barrons
• Will Sampson as Taylor
• Julian Beck as Rev. Henry Kane
• Geraldine Fitzgerald as Jessica Wilson

Filming locations:

California; Arizona

Wikipedia | IMDb

World War Z 2 – expect a title tweak! – is a 2017 American post-apocalyptic action horror movie directed by Juan Antonia Bayona (The Orphanage; Penny Dreadful) from a screenplay by Steven Knight. It is obviously a sequel to Paramount Pictures 2013 $190 million blockbuster World War Z.

Despite mainly negative reviews, the first film took $540 million at the box office, before residual sales such as Blu-ray, DVD, VOD. Brad Pitt is returning to star. The sequel will apparently focus on new characters and plot points taken from Max Brooks’ original storylines.

The film is currently set to be released on the June 9, 2017, the same day as 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four sequel, though media commentators suggest that this is likely to change.

IMDb

‘No one dumps on The Bronx… and lives’

Bloodmarsh Krackoon is a 2014 American comedy horror film written and directed by Jerry Landi. It is a sequel to Landi’s 2010 movie Krackoon.

The film stars Sal Amore, Scott Barile, Anthony Bisciello, Bob Connelly, Joseph Ferri, Cindy Guyer, Alfonzo Hollis, Gina Di Salvatore Longarzo, Robert Lil Bob McCall, Rosario Russo, Martin Vanihel.

Plot teaser:

It is one day after the events of Krackoon, in which Redeye, a crack-addicted mutant raccoon, administered righteous revenge to crooked Bronx politicians and the abusive parents of his only human friend, Tommy Caputo (Joseph Ferri).

On the night of the murders, two workers from Balzone Industries (Anthony Landi, Joe Brynne) illegally dump toxic waste in the Locust Point marshlands and stumble upon the massacre inflicted by Redeye and Tommy. They escape the marsh and two baby raccoons ingest the waste, which causes them to mutate.

The next day, police chief Patton (Bob Connelly) and deputy mayor Peter Rabbit (Sal Amore) visit the scene of the murders and are shocked to discover that mayor Karl Denham was among the victims. Rabbit is the only person alive besides Tommy who knows that Redeye is behind the mayhem…

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“Landi definitely develops a lot in terms of cutting out the slow bits, offering up more of a story, and developing some of the characters in the sequel. There are also a lot better effects in the sequel, with a full body transformation into a man-sized raccoon towards the end and CG raccoons incorporated which are practically animated, but a lot of fun.” Ain’t It Cool News

“The plot itself is the only redeeming factor of this entire mess. My heart goes out to those that were coerced to be involved in a project that will most likely be discarded to the depths of YouTube, someday to be unearthed by a youthful stoner and then quickly fizzle away, like the last of my brain cells as the credits rolled on this film. I literally recommend any other film in the history of cinema to cleanse your pallet of Bloodmarsh Krackoon.” Jersey John, Horror Talk

“The effects include practical and CGI blood, which is a nice break from all-CGI flicks. The practical stuff goes from the totally goofy (Red-eye the krackoon often appears to be nothing but a puppet on a stick) to the slightly above average (some of the post-attack gore is pretty good, though not great). Fans of throwback creature features will appreciate seeing the practical gore. The CGI stuff looks pretty terrible, but that’s to be expected, and actually adds to the cheesy vibe that Landi is obviously going for.” Gordon Sullivan, DVD Verdict

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House IV – also known as House IV: The Repossession and House 4 – is a 1992 direct-to-video comedy horror film. It was directed by Lewis Abernathy (DeepStar Six storyline), produced by Sean S. Cunningham (Friday the 13th) and Debbie Hayn-Cass and written by Geoff Miller and Deidre Higgins. Director Jim Wynorski co-contributed the storyline.

The film is the third and final entry in the House series consisting of House, House II and House IV. House III: The Horror Show was not a direct sequel, only being loosely connected to the other films through the sharing some of some crew members and the killer haunting a house premise. The film sees the return of Roger Cobb from the original House, but the film otherwise does not connect its storyline to the first film. Harry Manfredini provided the score.

Cast:

Terri Treas, William Katt, Scott Burkholder, Denny Dillon, Melissa Clayton, Dabbs Greer, Ned Romero, Ned Bellamy. Kane Hodder (Jason Vorhees in several Friday the 13th films) was the stunt coordinator on the film.

Plot teaser:

Roger Cobb (William Katt) is now married to Kelly (Terri Treas), has a daughter, Laurel (Melissa Clayton), and lives in the old Cobb family house that is located on a deserted and desolate shoreline. Roger’s cynical step-brother Burke (Scott Burkholder) has been pestering him to sell the family mansion to some seedy Mafia real estate developers, without any success. Roger is soon killed in a car accident that leaves Laurel requiring a wheelchair, and Burke is unable to convince Kelly to sell the house.

Various supernatural events start occurring in the house, and after Kelly consults with a native American spiritual guide, she learns that the spirit of Roger and some Indians have been trying to warn Kelly that Roger’s tragic car accident was in fact cold-blooded murder and that Burke is trying to sell the land to the Mafia so that it can be used for the illegal dumping of toxic waste…

Reviews:

“Since the house both attacks and protects Kelly and Laurel, the themes of the film get mixed up into a mess of ideas about houses and protection of property and Indian curses, none of which really make sense when the film boils down. House IV is ultimately a disappointing conclusion to a series of successful horror comedies, a destitute house that should be condemned rather than displayed for open house.” Ryne Barber, HorrorNews.net

“House IV is garbage, if you really can’t find something else to watch then you might find it’s clichéd cheesiness entertaining as it does at least have the feel of a low budget 80s horror movie which gives it something. It does have some very weird moments that may just be worth seeing but that don’t make them any good.” Games, Brrraaains & a Head-Banging Life

“Yep, that face underneath all that cheese is Friday the 13th and Hatchet actor Kane Hodder. I don’t know about a lot of people, but this scene down right scared me to death when I first saw it. What’s scarier than a pizza with a human face?! Trust me, you’ll never look at Pizza Hut the same way again…” Stay Still Reviews

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Evil gets an upgrade’

Jason X is a 2001 Canadian-American science fiction slasher film directed by Jim Isaac from a screenplay by actor/writer Todd Farmer (My Bloody Valentine, 2009). It is the tenth instalment in the Friday the 13th film series and stars Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees. Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg (Shivers; The Dead Zone; The Fly) has a cameo role.

The film took $16,951,798 worldwide at the box office against a budget of $11 million.

Plot teaser:

In 2008, (five years after Freddy vs. Jason) Jason Voorhees (Kane Hodder) is captured by the United States government and held at the Crystal Lake Research Facility.

In 2010, a government scientist decides to place Jason in frozen stasis after several failed attempts to kill him. While Private Samuel Johnson (Jeff Geddis) places a blanket on Jason, Dr. Wimmer (David Cronenberg), Sergeant Marcus (Markus Parilo), and a few soldiers hope to further research Jason’s rapid cellular regeneration and try to take Jason. They pull off the blanket covering his body, but find Johnson dead, instead. Having broken free of his restraints, Jason kills the soldiers and Wimmer. Rowan (Lexa Doig) lures Jason into an “ice” pod and activates it. Jason then ruptures the pod with his machete and stabs Rowan in the abdomen, spilling ice fluid into the sealed room and freezing them both.

Over 445 years later, in 2455, Earth has become too polluted to support life and humans have moved to a new planet, Earth Two. Three students, Tsunaron (Chuck Campbell), Janessa (Melyssa Ade), and Azrael (Dov Tiefenbach), are on a field trip led by Professor Braithwaite Lowe (Jonathan Potts), who is accompanied by an Android robot, KM-14 (Lisa Ryder). They enter the Crystal Lake facility and find the still-frozen Jason and Rowan, whom they bring to their spaceship…

Reviews:

“Jason X is well-paced, provides plenty of kills, has enough camp to make it enjoyable, and provides an interesting transformation for our antagonist in its final third. It’s nowhere near scary, and it’s because of that fact that the Alien comparison can only be taken so far, but it’s a slasher movie set in space and it takes a character who has been the villain for eight previous movies in a place and time he hasn’t previously had to deal with. That’s a go-for-broke approach and I have to commend the filmmakers for it.”  Marter, The Escapist

” … there’s a legitimately fine comic sequence in which the surviving crew members, in an attempt to distract Jason, put him in a virtual-reality sim of Camp Crystal Lake. For a brief moment, new-school splatterpunk steps aside for old-school slash, and the sequence, prankish as it is (the sim comes complete with a couple of giggling, topless girls in sleeping bags), points up what’s fundamentally wrong with Jason X: It just isn’t the same when Jason stalks the sterile halls of a spaceship.” Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

“Wittily scripted, smartly directed and well-played by an unfamiliar cast, this is a real treat for all those who have suffered through the story so far.” Kim Newman, Empire

“This sucks on so many levels. — dialogue from Jason X. Rare for a movie to so frankly describe itself. Jason X sucks on the levels of storytelling, character development, suspense, special effects, originality, punctuation, neatness and aptness of thought. Only its title works.” RogerEbert.com

“It’s crazy that it took until the tenth film in the series for someone to say “you know something, we should have a proper laugh with this”, but finally someone did and it’s all the better for it. As a serious horror film it’s a failure in every respect. It isn’t scary, it doesn’t build much tension and it just takes the piss at every opportunity. But it’s because of this third point that Jason X entertains – it knows it’s shit and it’s proud.” Chris Scullion, That Was a Bit Mental

“Jason X is one of those films that gets laughed at before it’s even mentioned. A good group of society just doesn’t like the flick. Truth be told I was kind of put off by it at first too. Uber-Jason? Come on now. But upon further viewings I’ve realized I actually have a blast with the flick! Maybe you should give it a go.” Jared Pacheco, Arrow in the Head

Choice dialogue:

Professor Lowe: “Guys, it’s okay! He just wanted his machete back!”

Cast:

Lexa Doig as Rowan LaFontaine
Lisa Ryder as Kay-Em 14
Chuck Campbell as Tsunaron
Jonathan Potts as Professor Brandon Lowe
Peter Mensah as Sergeant Brodski
Melyssa Ade as Janessa
Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees
Melody Johnson as Kinsa
Phillip Williams as Crutch
Derwin Jordan as Waylander
Dov Tiefenbach as Azrael
Amanda Brugel as Geko
Kristi Angus as Adrienne Thomas
Yani Gellman as Stoney
Todd Farmer as Dallas
David Cronenberg as Dr. Wimmer
Robert A. Silverman as Dieter Perez
Marcus Parilo as Sgt. Marcus

Wikipedia | IMDb

Ouija 2 is a forthcoming 2016 supernatural horror film directed by genre specialist Mike Flanagan (Abstentia; Before I Wake; Oculus) from a screenplay co-written with Jeff Howard (also announced as the co-scripter of the 2016 remake of I Know What You Did Last Summer).

Oculus actress Annalise Basso (also in Ghost Image; Dark House; and TV series Bones) is the first cast member to be announced.

Although it received largely negative reviews, Ouija went on to earn $102.5 million worldwide against a budget of $5 million. For the sequel, a host of producers are on board: Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form are representing Platinum Dunes (The Unborn; The Purge 3; Friday the 13th 2016 reboot) while Jason Blum will produce for Blumhouse Productions (they also produced Flanagan’s horror hit Oculus).

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Meanwhile, ouija board manufacturers Hasbro are represented by producers Brian Goldner and Stephen Davis, whilst Flanagan’s frequent collaborator, Trevor Macy, is on board for Intrepid Pictures. Sara Scott, Universal’s director of development, is also along for the ride.

Buy: Amazon.com

IMDb

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Related: Biggest earning horror films

Alien: Paradise Lost – formerly titled Prometheus 2 – is a forthcoming 2017 science fiction-horror film being directed by Ridley Scott (Alien; Blade Runner; Hannibal) from a screenplay by Jack Paglen (Transcendence), Michael Green (Green Lantern).

The cast announced so far are: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and (in negotiations) Rik Barnett.

In an online interview, Ridley Scott told HeyUGuys.com:

“It’s not going to be Prometheus 2. You know the poem [by John Milton]? It sounds intellectual, but there’s a similarity to it.”

“We’re heading back to why and how and when the [Alien] beast was invented,” he further explained later. “We’ll go back into the back door of the very first Alien.”

IMDb

WH

I Spit On Your Grave: Deja Vu is a forthcoming 2016 horror thriller written and directed by Meir Zarchi.

Press Release:

37 years after the release of the controversial 1978 cult classic I Spit On Your Grave, Camille Keaton has reunited with director Meir Zarchi to reprise her role of Jennifer Hills in its direct sequel, I Spit On Your Grave: Deja Vu.

I Spit On Your Grave: Deja Vu is the only sequel that shares characters as well as continuity with the original 1978 motion picture Day of the Woman aka I Spit On Your Grave.

Following her brutal rape, Jennifer wrote a best-selling account of her ordeal and of the controversial trial in which she was accused of taking the law into her own hands and ruthlessly killing her assailants. In the small town where the rape and revenge took place, the relatives of the four rapists she killed are furious that the court declared her not guilty and resolve to take justice into their own hands.

The original I Spit On Your Grave was inspired by Meir Zarchi’s experience with a victim of rape. After stumbling upon a teenage girl in a park in the aftermath of a violent assault, Zarchi began to imagine how a woman in this situation might fantasize about revenge. Moreover, he wanted to depict to the audience the real horrors of rape.

In this new chapter, Jennifer Hills is joined by her daughter Christy (Jamie Bernadette) as well as a variety of new characters, including Maria Olsen who plays the role of Johnny’s wife, the gas station attendant Jennifer castrated; Jim Tavare in the role of Herman, whose son Matthew was hung by Jennifer, as well as by actors Jonathan Peacy, Jeremy Ferdman, Holgie Forrester, Roy Allen and Alexandra Kenworthy.

“I always envisioned Camille Keaton returning to continue the saga of Jennifer Hills,” said Zarchi. “Getting together with Camille to film the sequel was a surreal, deja-vu-like experience”.

Produced by Terry Zarchi and Jan O’Connell, I Spit On Your Grave: Deja Vu is currently in post production.

IMDb | Image thanks: Horror Domain

Related: I Spit on Your Grave (1978) | I Spit on Your Grave 2 | I Spit on Your Grave: Vengeance is Mine

‘Date. Mate. Re-animate.’

Bride of Re-Animator – also known as plafuk  – is a 1990 American science fiction horror film produced and directed by Brian Yuzna (Society; Return of the Living Dead III); Necronomicon; The Dentist and sequel) from a screenplay written by Yuzna, Rick Fry and Woody Keith.

Bride of Re-Animator is the sequel to Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator (1985) and was belatedly followed by Beyond Re-Animator (2003). Richard Band supplied a playful musical score that was a slight variation on his previous Re-Animator soundtrack.

Cast: 

Bruce Abbott, Claude Earl Jones, Fabiana Udenio, David Gale, Kathleen Kinmont, Jeffrey Combs.

Plot:

Eight months after the events of Re-Animator, doctors Herbert West and Dan Cain are working as medics in the middle of a bloody Peruvian civil war. In the chaos of battle and with plenty of casualties to work on, they are free to experiment with West’s re-animation reagent. However, when their medical tent is stormed by the enemy troops, West and Cain return home to Arkham, Massachusetts.

The pair resume their former jobs as doctors at Miskatonic University Hospital, and West returns to the basement laboratory of Cain’s house to continue his research…

Reviews:

“The over-the-top acting that Gordon encouraged in Re-Animator is continued here with Combs particularly adept at the darkly comic throwaway line. Overabundance of gore … will turn off mainstream viewers, however. Tall actress Kathleen Kinmont is a good choice for the monster, with her stitched together, see-through torso.” Variety

“The black humor is a bit cloying this time (”I don’t want to gamble with Meg’s heart” is meant all too literally), and the gore feels like bloody business as usual. Where the first film’s script was cut to the bone, Bride is overstuffed with silly tangents, like an awkward subplot involving a zombie cop.” Ty Burr, Entertainment Weekly

“Bride of Re-Animator is a silly film that is fun solely for the fevered performance of Jeffrey Combs. Unlike the original Re-Animator, Bride‍ ’​s script really suffers from a lack of cohesiveness and undeterminable character motivation.” Andrew Migliore and John Strysik, Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H. P. Lovecraft

“… a pointless and forgettable sequel” Peter Dendle, The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia

Cast and characters:

• Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Herbert West
• Bruce Abbott as Dr. Dan Cain
• Claude Earl Jones as Lt. Leslie Chapham
• Fabiana Udenio as Francesca Danelli
• David Gale as Dr. Carl Hill
• Kathleen Kinmont as Gloria
• Mel Stewart as Dr. Graves
• Irene Forrest as Nurse Shelley
• Michael Strasser as Ernest
• Mary Sheldon as Meg Halsey

Choice dialogue:

Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs): “Don’t let the little head rule the big head, Dan.”

Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs): “My God, they’re using tools.”

US trailer:

Australian trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘A city screams in terror!’

The Creature Walks Among Us is a 1956 science fiction horror film. It is the third and final instalment of the Creature from the Black Lagoon horror film series from Universal-International, following 1955’s Revenge of the Creature.

The film was directed by John Sherwood (The Monolith Monsters), a longtime assistant director, from a screenplay by Arthur A. Ross (Creature from the Black Lagoon; Satan’s School for Girls) .

Main cast:

Jeff Morrow (This Island Earth; The Giant Claw; Octaman), Rex Reason (This Island Earth), Leigh Snowden, Gregg Palmer (Scream).

Plot:

Following the Gill-man’s escape from Ocean Harbour, Florida, a team of scientists led by the deranged and cold-hearted Dr. William Barton (Jeff Morrow) aboard theVagabondia III. to capture the creature in the Everglades.

Barton is mentally unstable and apparently abusive husband to his wife Marcia (Leigh Snowden), as he becomes very jealous and paranoid when Marcia is with other men. Their guide Jed Grant (Gregg Palmer) makes numerous passes on Marcia, with Barton becoming paranoid about the two.

Marcia accompanies Jed and Dr. Tom Morgan (Rex Reason) on their initial dive to look for the Gill-man, despite her husband’s fierce objections. During the dive, Marcia swims too deep and is overcome with the “raptures of the deep,” temporarily losing her mind, removing all her scuba gear. This forces Jed and Tom to abandon their hunt for the Gill Man to swim back and save her.

During the capture, the creature is badly burned in a fire leading to a surgical transformation…

Buy: Amazon.com

Reviews:

“Without question the weakest film of the series, The Creature Walks Among Us isn’t entirely terrible – the early scenes of the Creature in the swamp are as effective as any in the earlier films (admittedly, some of them may well be lifted from the earlier films), and his final rebellion is impressive, though brief. But the remodelling of the Creature is frankly unforgiveable, leaving him looking more like Tor Johnson than the classic Gill Man.

It’s interesting to make him a sympathetic character (Barton is the real monster here), but we don’t get to see enough of him to really relate to him as a character, or to understand why he is so easily domesticated.

The cast do their best with what they have, but this sort of cinema was definitely on the way out by the time the film was released, and compared to what was being made elsewhere – not just by Hammer, but on films like Les Diaboliques – it must have seemed pretty hokey stuff. Nostalgia improves it somewhat, and fans of 1950s monster movies will probably find enough here to make it passable.” David Flint, Strange Things Are Happening

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

“All in all, it’s an interesting idea for a film, but also a rather desperate one, and that desperation is part of the movie’s undoing. The creature’s transformation is too far-fetched to leave so largely unexplained (or rather, to leave supported by so many muddled, inconclusive, mutually contradictory explanations) as The Creature Walks Among Us does.” Scott Ashlin, 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting

“For a film that runs at 78 minutes The Creature Walks Among Us is all over the place when it comes to pacing, with around 35 minutes dedicated to the chase through the Everglades (which recycles a lot of underwater footage from the first movie) and the bulk of the rest concerning itself with Dr. Barton chastising his wife for nearly getting raped (twice) by the menacing Jed.” Gary Collinson, Flickering Myth

“This one’s better than Revenge but that’s not a hard thing to be…and it’s a difference of degrees. If you’d like to see a once-promising horror franchise run itself down like an old watch The Creature Walks Among Us is defiantly your film. Everyone else: skip back to the original. Or do what I do and jump forward to one of the many, many, many other aquatic monster movies it inspired.” David DeMoss, And You Thought It Was… Safe (?)

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Cast and characters:

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image thanks: Wrong Side of the Art!

‘Evil awaits’

Wrong Turn 2: Dead End is a 2007 American horror film directed by former actor Joe Lynch (Chillerama) from a screenplay by Turi Meyer and Al Septien (writing credits for both: Leprechaun 2; SleepStalker; Candyman: Day of the Dead).

The film is a sequel to the 2003 film Wrong Turn and the second entry in the Wrong Turn film series.

It was released on DVD on October 9, 2007 and was commercially successful while receiving a generally positive response from critics.

Buy for £6.99 from Amazon.co.uk

Cast:

Erica Leerhsen (Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; Haunted Traxx), Henry Rollins (Psychic Murders; Feast; He Never Died), Texas Battle (Final Destination 3; Hydra; Boggy Creek), Kimberly Caldwell (The Ring Two; The Veil), Crystal Lowe (Hood of Horror; The Hills Have Eyes II; The Collector), Steve Braun (Pterodactyl); Matthew Currie Holmes (The Fog; Demon Legacy).

Plot:

Reality show contestant Kimberly is driving through the West Virginia back country searching for the location of her next project. While driving, she accidentally hits a teenager. She stops to check on him, but the teenager is revealed to be Brother, a cannibal, who bites her lips off.

She attempts to escape, but runs into Three Finger, who splits her in half vertically with an axe. He and Brother drag her halves away…

Reviews:

“Yeah, it has its shortcomings, but then again so do the movies that inspired it. Only a horror fan could have delivered a movie this much fun. A movie that knows exactly what it wants to be and revels in it … Wrong Turn 2 is a love letter to the genre that’s been scrawled in gore.” Steve Barton, Dread Central

” … a far more satisfying experience than its pedigree would suggest. While it won’t gain entry into the halls of classic horror, it will make slasher-film fans happy for a couple of hours.” Ian Visser, DVD Verdict

“what could have been a cheap and lazy cash-in turned out to be one of the year’s better genre offerings”. Brian Collins, Bloody Disgusting

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“Joe Lynch just goes for it in this maxed-out mutant sequel, sating the errant appetites of gorehounds everywhere.” Anton Bitel, Film4

“A fast-paced and completely unapologetic love-letter to the old-school ’80s splatter sequels like Friday the 13th Part 2 and Texas Chainsaw 2. (Gory, too!)” Scott Weinberg, FEARnet

Cast and characters:

• Erica Leerhsen as Nina Papas
• Texas Battle as Jake Washington
• Henry Rollins as Colonel Dale Murphy
• Daniella Alonso as Amber Williams
• Steve Braun as Matt “Jonesy” Jones
• Crystal Lowe as Elena
• Matthew Currie Holmes as Michael “M” Epstein
• Aleksa Palladino as Mara Stone
• Wayne Robson as Old Man
• Kimberly Caldwell as Kimberly
• Ken Kirzinger as Pa
• Ashlea Earl as Ma
• Clint Carleton as Brother
• Rorelee Tio as Sister
• Jeff Scrutton as Three Finger
• Cedric De Souza as Neil
• John Stewart as Wojo
• Bro Gilbert as Chris
• Patton Oswalt as Tommy (voice)

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the bathroom…’

Ghoulies II – aka Ghoulies 2 – is a 1988 American supernatural comedy horror film directed by producer Charles Band‘s father, veteran Albert Band (I Bury the Living; Zoltan, Hound of Dracula; Doctor Mordrid). The screenplay by Dennis Paoli (Re-Animator; From Beyond; The Dentist) was based on a story by Charlie Dolan.

Main cast:

Damon Martin (Freddy’s Nightmares; Amityville: It’s About Time), Royal Dano (Messiah of Evil; House II; The Dark Half), Phil Fondacaro (Hard Rock Zombies; Monster High; Night Angel), J. Downing and Kerry Remsen (Appointment with Fear; Pumpkinhead; After Midnight).

Plot:

The ghoulies from the first film escape the manor and end up hiding in an amusement park funhouse called “Satan’s Den” which becomes a smash hit when visitors believe the little demons are part of the attraction – that is until people start falling victim to the evil creatures…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Reviews:

“Ghoulies II‘s sense of humor is equal parts diabolical and campy … The sense of community among the carnies is a blast when they take the fight to the creatures, and the Evil Dead II-style cure-is-worse-than-the-disease climax is right up my alley.” Adam Tyner, DVD Talk

“This movie is a ton of fun, encapsulating everything that makes ‘80s horror so endearing. First off, the ghoulies are back and indeed better than ever. Buechler’s FX are more refined, with increased movement and better sculpting evident on ghoulies new and old. The use of stop-motion in a few key scenes also allows for a greater range of activity and mischief.” Anthony Arrigo, Dread Central

“Ghoulies II takes itself less serious and really finds its stride in its last act. As soon as the little creatures take over the carnival and its rides, deadly mischief and mayhem unfold and hilarity ensues. I found the sequel more entertaining and lighthearted because it seemed like it wasn’t taking itself as serious as the original did.” Eric Shirey, Moviepilot

” … more problematic than the ghoulies being so inert is how much time they spend on pointless “character development” for the supporting characters. The two main heroes – fine. But random other circus folk, some of whom we only see in said moments? Who the fuck cares? And none of it is particularly interesting anyway; its only purpose is to pad the film to an acceptable running time.” Horror Movie a Day

“Ghoulies II is an improvement on just about every level, including a soundtrack that features “Scream Until You like It” by W.A.S.P. OK, so “improvement” might not be the right word — it’s still quite bad — but at least it’s self-aware enough to be entertaining in its badness.” Adam Frazier, Geeks of Doom

” …production values alone do not a great movie make and the truth is that Ghoulies II shows very little sign of life until around an hour in… Peter Manoogian, Empire of the ‘B’s: The Mad Movie World of Charles Band

Buy Empire of the ‘B’s from Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Filming locations:

Empire Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Trailer:

“Rats” clip:

Toilet clip:

IMDb

Saw: Legacy is a 2017 American horror film in development by Lionsgate. It will be the eighth entry in the Saw franchise that began in 2004, the most recent being Saw 3D in 2010.

The new film is being scripted by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger, the writing team behind Sorority Row; Piranha 3D and Piranha 3DD.

Original Saw helmer, James Wan, who went on to direct Insidious and The Conjuring, will executive produce along with original Saw star and scripter James Whannell (Insidious: Chapter 3).

The Purge: Election Year is a 2016 American horror film written and directed by James DeMonaco, who also helmed the first two (and wrote Skinwalkers), and produced by Blumhouse Productions and Platinum Dunes.

Frank Grillo reprises his role from The Purge: Anarchy, joined by Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost), Mykelti Williamson, Edwin Hodge and Kyle Secor.

The Purge: Election Year, the third film in The Purge franchise, will open on July 1, 2016, via Universal.

Plot:

It’s been two years since Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) stopped himself from a regrettable act of revenge on Purge Night. Now serving as head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), his mission is to protect her in a run for president and survive the annual ritual that targets the poor and innocent.

But when a betrayal forces them onto the streets of D.C. on the one night when no help is available, they must stay alive until dawn…or both be sacrificed for their sins against the state.

• Frank Grillo as Sergeant
• Elizabeth Mitchell as Charlene ‘Charlie’ Roan
• Mykelti Williamson
• Betty Gabriel
• Edwin Hodge as The Stranger
• Kyle Secor
• Joseph Julian Soria
• Liza Colón-Zayas

Trailer:

TV spot:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Karma has no deadline’

Boogeyman: Reincarnation is a 2016 American horror film co-produced and directed by Ulli Lommel (The Boogey Man (1980); Zombie Nation; The Raven) from a screenplay co-written with Colin McCracken and co-producer David Bond.

Main cast:

Skylar Radzion (Red Hollow), John Blackport,  (The Editor; Human Centipede III; Frankenstein Created Bikers), Myles Montpetit, Andreea Boyer, Eric Wigston, Amy Burks, Tristan Risk (American Mary; House of Manson; Save Yourself), Ulli Lommel, Nathan MacDonald,  Manda Manuel, Samantha Marcellin, Ashley Laventure.

Plot:

While babysitting a young boy in his parent’s hotel on Halloween night, Jenny reluctantly hosts a party which sees a group of friends get together and take advantage of the place. Little do they know that ghosts are real, and this one’s got a plan for them all…

Teaser trailer:

IMDb

‘Angrier. Deadlier. Sexier.’

American Psycho 2 – aka American Psycho II: All American Girl – is a 2002 black comedy slasher horror film sequel to American Psycho (2000) directed by Morgan J. Freeman from a screenplay by Alex Sanger and Karen Craig. It stars Mila Kunis (Black Swan) and William Shatner (Incubus; The Devil’s Rain; A Christmas Horror Story).

The film was adapted from a script titled The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die, and was originally conceived as a thriller with no association with American Psycho. It was not until production began that the film’s script was altered with the incorporation of the Patrick Bateman subplot.

In 2005, Kunis expressed embarrassment over the film, and spoke out against the idea of a sequel. “Please — somebody stop this,” she said. “Write a petition. When I did the second one, I didn’t know it would be ’American Psycho II.’ It was supposed to be a different project, and it was re-edited, but, ooh … I don’t know. Bad.”

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Plot:

A 12-year-old girl is being looked after a babysitter who is on a date with serial killer Patrick Bateman. After Bateman kills and starts to dissect her babysitter, the girl stabs him with an ice pick.

Fast forward to the present day and the girl, who is named Rachael Newman, is now a college student studying criminology under Professor Starkman, a former FBI agent. Rachael aspires to join the FBI and is determined to get the teaching assistant position under Starkman, which would make her a shoe-in for the FBI training program.

Tough competition for the position stands in her way, and Rachael proceeds to kill off classmates one by one…

Reviews:

“Well, let’s face it; the screenplay, directing and the film’s bravery are not up to par with the original “American Psycho”. But as a stand alone, kitschy, more conventional slasher…it worked. It’s tacky, easy on the eyes/ears and pleasant enough to peek under its skirt to witness the goods.” Arrow in the Head

“Kundis does a good job as Newman, blending sexuality with a sharp performance, although there are often telltale signs of the film’s breakneck 20-day shoot. The ‘Two Years Later’ coda is also ludicrous. But what would be a slasher sequel be without one of those? Despite its critical panning, American Psycho 2 could have been far worse.” Slasherama.com

” … a mixture of dumbed-down irony, groan-inducing black comedy, and gratuitous bloodshed. Like the original film, Psycho 2 treats mass murder as a joke, with society’s indifference as the punchline, but the gag isn’t fresh or funny this time around. Freeman and his screenwriters mistake misogyny and misanthropy for satire and sociological insight…” Nathan Rabin, A.V. Club

Cast and characters:

• Mila Kunis as Rachael Newman, the serial killer, and a student of Professor Starkman’s class, seeking to learn everything she can about serial killers.
• William Shatner as Robert Starkman, a college professor and former FBI agent. He teaches in the Behavioral and Social Sciences department and is Rachael’s professor.
• Kim Schraner as Elizabeth McGuire, Starkman’s assistant
• Geraint Wyn Davies as Eric Daniels, the school psychiatrist
• Michael Kremko as Patrick Bateman, the killer (in the original, Bateman was played by Christian Bale) in this film, the character exists only in Rachael’s memories.
• Robin Dunne as Brian Leads, one of Rachael’s classmates; he is choked to death with a condom by her.
• Kim Poirier as Barbara Brown, a student in Starkman’s class who is hoping for a good grade, only to be set aside due to the professor’s affair with Cassandra Blaire.
• Lindy Booth as Cassandra Blaire, a student in Starkman’s class with whom he is having an affair.
• Charles Officer as Keith Lawson
• Shoshana Sperling as Gertrude Fleck
• Lynne Deragon as Mrs. Newman
• Philip Williams as Mr. Newman
• Kay Hawtrey as Mrs. Daniels

Choice dialogue:

Rachael Newman: “My mother drives me crazy. Now I know that sounds pretty clichéd but how many people actually envision carving into their mother’s neck and yanking out her vocal chords?”

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Monsters come in many forms’

10 Cloverfield Lane is a 2016 American science fiction thriller film, directed by Dan Trachtenberg, in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Josh Campbell, Matthew Stucken and Damien Chazelle. It stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman (C.H.U.D.; Arachnophobia; Monsters University) and John Gallagher, Jr.

The film was picked up from a script titled The Cellar, but during production under Bad Robot Productions, it was developed by J.J. Abrams as a spiritual successor of the 2008 film Cloverfield.

Plot:

Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) packs her things and leaves her apartment, angry over a dispute with her partner Ben (Bradley Cooper). While driving away she turns on the radio; it claims that there are numerous blackouts in major cities. Michelle becomes distracted after Ben calls her, and her car crashes and goes off the road from the distraction, flipping upside down.

When she awakens, she discovers she is chained to the wall in an unknown location. After reaching her phone only to receive no signal, a man named Howard (John Goodman) enters the room and tells her he saved her life and the world outside is now uninhabitable due to the nuclear or chemical fallout from “an attack.”…

Reviews:

“It is talky, psychological and consistently engrossing, but for a movie set way beneath the earth, it rarely scratches the surface and seems more content  to play with our expectations of the genre.” Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood

” … a delightful ride, full of amusing scary bits and actors who are interesting to watch. Ultimately the biggest problem with 10 Cloverfield Lane was its sham of a marketing campaign.” Annalee Newitz, ars technica

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb | Twitter

Buppha Ratree: Haunting in Japan is a 2016 Thai comedy horror film written and directed by Yuthlert Sippapak (Rahtree: Flower of the Night; Buppah Rahtree Phase 2: Rahtree Returns; Rahtree Reborn and Rahtree Revenge).

Plot:

A Thai rock band travel to Japan to shoot a new snow-bound music video. Unfortunately, the band discover that the house they have rented for the shoot is haunted by a female ghost. So, they call in an exorcist…

Trailer:

Source: Twitch

Halloween [expect an addition to the title] is a 2017 American reboot of the slasher horror film series that began in 1978 and which has generated a total of nearly $400 million in worldwide box office.

[Update 25/05/16]: Bloody Disgusting has posted the news that two genre-friendly directors – Mike Flanagan (Absentia; Hush; Oculus; Ouija 2) and Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way to Die; You’re Next; The Guest; The Woods) – are apparently in the offing for the taking on the directorial chores.

This new project replaces Halloween Returns, which had been announced for 2016 by Dimension Films and was due to be directed by Marcus Dunstan (Feast and sequels; The Collector; The Collection).

The 2017 film will be a joint production between Blumhouse, Miramax, and Trancas International Films, with Blumhouse’s Jason Blum and Trancas’ Malek Akkad (Halloween: Resurrection; Halloween [2007) and Halloween II [2009]) acting as producers.

Update: Bloody Disgusting has posted the news that two genre-friendly directors – Mike Flanagan (Absentia; Hush; Oculus; Ouija 2) and Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way to Die; You’re Next; The Guest; The Woods) – are apparently in the offing for the taking on the directorial chores.

Announcing the new movie to the press, executive producer John Carpenter said: “Thirty-eight years after the original Halloween I’m going to help to try to make the tenth sequel the scariest of them all.”

Jason Blum added: “Halloween is one of those milestone films that inspired everyone at our company to get into the world of scary movies. The great Malek Akkad and John Carpenter have a special place in the hearts of all genre fans and we are so excited that Miramax brought us together. We cannot wait to find and collaborate with the right filmmaker to give Halloween fans the movie they deserve.”

Source: The Wrap