Wrecker (2015)

Very much a redux/tribute to the classic Spielberg 1971 film "Duel" - two girls on a road trip are suddenly, without motivation, threatened by a wrecking truck that follows them across the wastelands.

It's a simple film, but not without it's charm. I do like the way that it stays faithful to Duel in so much as you don't get to see who is behind the wheel of the big bad truck - therefore making it mysterious, and the attacks are without reason. Just pure senseless terrorising.

Summed up, there's not much more to this than the visual aspect, but there really doesn't need to be. And that's just fine.

6/10 Masks

The Diabolical (2015)

While not groundbreaking territory, The Diabolical is one of those films that has to be admired for its sense of mystery, suspense and above all - trying to create an original concept.

In a market flooded by cookie-cutter found footage, when something a bit different comes along it's sometimes hard to know which way to receive it.

Ali Larter stars as a mother looking after her two children - the family is haunted by three nightmarish ghosts that appear at random intervals round the house and generally go round being all scary until they vanish again. One of which is a mutilated, charred corpse that drags itself around on its stumps. That one's my favourite.

It seems that the family has on the most part learned to see this as just some sort of inconvenience in their day to day and react by either ignoring them until they go away, or fighting them. However, when they engage the spooks, that's when things start to take a turn for the worse.

Now, there is a twist, and some substance to the plot. In fact it's either a great plot or one that will have you groaning.

Not mind blowing but by no means a bad movie - not your typical scare-fest.

5/10 Masks

Visions (2015)

Right, I'll get to the film in a minute - but please people, casting choices! It was bad enough seeing Jay from Inbetweeners in The Pyramid but casting Jim Parsons in a horror? Sheldon Cooper! BAZINGA! It's all you can think about.

Right - so for a movie it's a bit like something M Night Shyamalan forgot to write. Isla Fisher moves to a house and starts experiencing all these visions, she believes that the place is haunted, all her friends believe that she's lost it.

Turns out that the previous occupants of the house had the same experiences, which she then starts to investigate, driving everyone mad at the same time.

There's a reason - no spoilers.

OK, so it's not a bad concept in the slightest, they've tried to do something a bit different and for the most part it works.

Big budget, bit too polished but worth a watch on a rainy day.

5/10 Masks

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)

The only thing missing from The Ghost Dimension is the ghost of the dead horse that this somehow still very popular found footage franchise is flogging.

This at least concludes the bunch....maybe. Probably not, they'll probably find another take, cave paintings or viewfinders or something.

What annoys me is the amount of dumb people in these films that seem to keep finding video cameras or projectors just laying around the place...constantly.

The Ghost Dimension goes one step further and sometimes even seems to forget who the "third person" filming the damn thing is!

Maybe it's a ghost, who knows.

Anyway in this film, some soon-to-be-dead numbskull finds ANOTHER video camera but this one can film the ghost dimension, he also finds tapes from one of the older films (they all blend into one in the end) of the two sisters and their mentor.

There's some spooky stuff, ghosts and that, things go "rah-boo!" In fact this one has the greatest number of jump-scares but other than that it's just.....these films, give up already!

3/10 Masks

"As soon as I see it's one of those f***ing found footage films I turn it off"

Ash vs The Evil Dead (TV 2015)

I don't like a lot of re-boots or making a TV show from a beloved movie franchise. Seems TV has been proving me wrong, first with the Scream TV show and now this...Ash vs The Evil Dead.

Three words, and they're all "WOW!".

The debut of this last night sees Bruce Campbell and Sam Rami team up to have Ash, 30 years on and all but washed up, once again haunted by the evil dead all because he decided to read a bit of the Necronomicon in order to impress a girl.

Not going to drop any spoilers in here but just....amazing. I hope the rest of the show keeps up this high bar from the pilot.

Mercy (2015)

Not to be confused with the 2014 Stephen King film, Mercy is a indy short by Canadian couple Jodi & Victor Cooper that follows serial killer Mercy Noble.

For a low-budget short, Mercy really is a fine piece of art, ironically so as Mercy Noble is known as "The Artist".

She realises that in the small town she lives there are a lot of depressed people who are considering suicide. Using a website where these people share their thoughts she tracks them down and helps them along to their final resting place.

Afterwards she paints a grizzly scenario in their blood. Hence, The Artist.

For such a short piece there is a lot to take out of it. I for one watched it twice in a row and still there are unanswered questions - which is why I found this such a great short and describe it, in itself as "art".

Kirsten Wight as Mercy Noble is the true star and I would not be surprised to see her again after this, as both anti-hero and posthumous narrator of Mercy she glides into the role like she was born for it.

Well put together and well thought out, although filled with glorious brutal violence it begs more of you than just enjoying the gore. I would love to see this team continue in the same vein.

8/10 Masks

The Sand (2015)

The floor is lava? Remember that game? Jumping from sofa to chair to bed to the cat because "THE FLOOR IS LAVA!"

OK, that's basically what The Sand is - a big game of Off-Ground Touch.

The premise, not bad and straight into B-Movie land. A group of scantily clad teens are on a beach, if they touch the sand they die....something about aliens that eat flesh or some what-not.

The saving grace(s) of this movie are:

•  That it starts off looking like a "found footage" but it isn't. 
• There are boobs. 
• There is a fat bloke with a crudely drawn wang on his face.

Sadly that all happens in the first ten minutes leaving you the rest of this stinker. Sequel? Kick The Can? What's The Time Mr.Wolf (with a werewolf!)?

2/10 Masks.

#thesand #thesand2015 #horror2015 #horrorreview

Nige Sez

Always wanting to mix things up a bit, every now and again we'll get a "Nige Sez" comment from Hot Radio 102.8 DJ and the man who can eat the pasta faster than a rasta - Nigel Rouine.

Check out his reaction to Green Inferno - Here 

Nigel hosts the Saturday show on Hot Radio 102.8 - visit his Twitter @Niggles66

(Honourable Mention) Bone Tomahawk (2015)

I'm not going to give this a review properly, because no matter how you spin it, it's just not a horror film.

It is however an excellent Western - that just happens to have cannibals in it at the end. The rest of the film is great, don't get me wrong I really enjoyed it. Yet it is not a horror.

Although - it does contain some of the most gruesome and graphic gore that even this seasoned veteran of the sick had to have a little wince - a man being hacked in half from the groin and Kurt Russell being cut open and having a red hot hip flask inserted into him - top stuff.

No masks for review as it's not a horror, but as a movie it's up there in the high rankers.

Howl (2015)

One thing our American cousins do better is the Hollywood Blockbuster - and we Brits have the corner on quirky character based comedy - relatable situations etc.

Every now and again we have a go at transporting one into the other and sometimes it even pays off - albeit usually under the radar (Dog House, Severance, anyone?)

Howl comes from this school of a very British movie, a group of people who would normally not speak to each other are thrown together on a broken down train - Howl has the recipe for a heartfelt "getting to know you" movie but hey, chuck a few werewolves in there and we're talking business.

Tense and creepy with typical satirical humour, mocking social observations and the odd bit of being ripped to shreds by a howling lycanthrope - score.

Not one you'd watch over and over but one you need to watch.

6/10 Masks