Unlike some other film genres, 2017 was another pretty good one for horror fans. “IT” busted box-offices all around the world to become one of the biggest horror movies ever. “Get Out” was one of the best reviewed films (regardless of genre) in ages, and is on track to win a bundle of industry awards. And lower-budget fun films like “Happy Death Day” quietly made a whole heap of money and profit for studios like Blumhouse. Happily, 2018 looks to be just as lively and as interesting to horror fans as the previous year. So here are our picks for the ones that we’re looking forward to catching during the next 12 months. Of course, there will always be sleeper hits and currently unannounced movi
Get Out (Directed by Jordan Peele) Hands-down one of the best critically reviewed films of the year, and one of the most highly regarded. Not to mention one of the most profitable movies, that kicked off another superlative year of genre for Blumhouse productions. It was rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes for a while, and the only person who seemingly had a bad word to say about it was Samuel L. Jackson (who whinged about another Brit actor in the lead role of a US film). The directorial debut of comedian Peele, so it was a surprise to find “Get Out” was such a confident and well-crafted horror film. Although sometimes oddly described as a comedy/horror (it has some gallows humour and some funny
MOTHER! (Directed by Darren Aronofsky) Well, alright, alright, alright… as a certain Mr McConaughey might say. We’re well aware that a sizable chunk of people and critics regard this as a genuine masterpiece and a great piece of unconventional cinema. We’re just not in that group. We also know that opinions are subjective, everyone is entitled to theirs, and this film was deliberately made to get one definite reaction or another. We also recognise that this is a well-made film with real talent both in front of the camera and behind it… We just didn’t like it, is all. The (shrouded in mystery) plot shows a mismatched couple's relationship being tested when uninvited guests invade their perfec
It was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse. Well… apart from a slightly overweight old guy with a beard, breaking into your house to eat your mince pies. Don’t worry though he leaves gifts! Christmas is supposed to be a time for peace on earth and goodwill to all men but all this festive cheer can become overbearing. This got me wondering, is there a dark side to any of these time honoured traditions? Don’t get me wrong I’m no scrooge, I love Christmas especially now I have kids of my own. But as a horror fan I thought I would take a light-hearted view of Christmas from a more sinister angle including examples of horror films tha
A retrospective of the “Child’s Play” franchise (1988 – 2017) Introduction “Wanna play?” One of the YGROY team has a custom-printed T-shirt called “Slasher Icons”. Alongside the shadowy profiles of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers - in the words of “Sesame Street” - one of these things is not like the others. A tousled-hair freckle-faced little scamp brandishes a huge knife and sinister smile. So how did the freaky love-child of a Cabbage Patch Kid and Carrot Top manage to become the star of a franchise that refused to die, and has steadily evolved into an inventive and bloody series of films? In keeping with our annual December retrospectives of popular genre franchises, we
Another year, another mid-season finale. I repeat myself all too often but the “artsy” shots the Directors routinely indulge in were grating before the opening credits even rolled. I really hope they move past this particular pretension after this series. The episode improved but my confusion intensified. After praising that show for re-establishing Rick’s over-arching intentions and game plans in a much more coherent way over the last few episodes, last night’s episode was rather troubling. When did the Saviours escape their compound? At what point in this very compact story-arc did they organise themselves to such a degree they managed to pick off Rick’s group off at every location with re
INTEGRATION OF THEME Spoilers: Get Out (of course!) After considerable delay (sorry), I’m going to conclude my three-part analysis of Get Out (written by Jordan Peele) by discussing the use of theme. The movie has been widely praised for its exploration of race relations in America. It’s unusual to hear people talk about theme in a genre movie. We typically think commentary on social issues as being the opposite of entertainment. But Get Out uses racial issues and tension to provide a context for the dramatic horror story events. This allows Peele to both make more sophisticated comments on race relations and to use those relations to deliver twists and thrills for the main horror plot. T
Empire Magazine once called SIMON RUMLEY 'one of the most important and intelligent British Directors working today.' And it isn't hard to see why. Capable of switching between drama and thriller, Rumley is also responsible for a selection of impressive horror flicks, including The Living and the Dead (2006), Red White & Blue(2010) and a segment of The ABC's of Death (2012). Rumley's newest feature, Johnny Frank Garrett's Last Word will also get it's UK premiere at this year's Frightfest festival in a couple of week's time. Here he talks about his memories of 60's mystery horror...'Carnival of Souls' (1963). It's almost impossible to chose an all time favourite horror film and my selection c
Best known for the noir slasher Rites of Spring (2011), PADRAIG REYNOLD'S latest genre offering The Devil's Dolls will be released later this year. Reynolds describes the movie as 'a down and dirty detective story filled with voodoo curses and bloody violence' . What's not to like? Here he talks about his love (and initial terror!) of one of the most famous slasher movies of all time...Friday 13th (1980) FRIDAY THE 13TH is the scariest fucking movie of all time. Let me tell you why. My Dad took me to FRIDAY THE 13TH opening weekend at Halls Ferry 8 cinema in St. Louis Missouri. I knew nothing about the film and wanted to see THE LONG RIDERS instead. By the first frame with the campers si
Although perhaps best known for 2013's Nailbiter, prolific film-maker PATRICK REA saw his latest genre effort - wilderness horror Enclosure - received its UK premiere at this year's Frightfest festival. And word is that it's rather good. Here he talks about his love of surely the scariest PG rated film of all time...Poltergeist (1982) When asked to pick my favorite horror film of all time, I found myself at a crossroads. Do I pick my favorite horror film that may be more of a guilty pleasure, or do I pick the one that I think affects me the most emotionally on every level, and maybe isn’t a film I watch on a monthly basis? It came down to a stand off between the original “Friday the 13th” wh
Eugene fully commits to his role as a Saviour in this week’s episode. I never wanted to believe Eugene could turn on Rick, but it isn’t so surprising. This series revels in moral grey areas and Eugene is no different. His journey to becoming Negan’s right-hand man has been a slow and natural process, only helped along by Negan’s trademark manipulation. Not only does he struggle with the morality of every situation, he is a character who is intelligent enough to identify weaknesses in any plan; he considers every possible failure. He is rarely hot headed and however misguided or maddening his plans are, they are always well-considered. And Josh McDermitt (who plays Eugene) manages to evoke a
For most people, the chance to get away from home and spend a few nights in a hotel is something to look forward to, something to enjoy. Crisp fresh bedding, a mini bar and one of those chairs in the corner of the room that no one really uses! However here are ten places that you might probably want to avoid next time you're planning a little break somewhere... The Overlook Hotel The Shining (1980) It may be have gorgeous views of the Rocky Mountains but there are other places you might wanna check into if you are after an escape from city life. Inspired by the Stanley Hotel in Colorado (where King himself stayed prior to writing the novel), the Overlook has a rather ominous and complicated
