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.