Dead Heat

"Dead Heat" (1988, Mark Goldblatt, New World Pictures) is a horror comedy.

Detectives Roger Mortis (Treat Williams) and Doug Bigelow (Joe Piscopo) are investigating an unusual robbery at a jewellery store where two of the robbers, having been killed by police, are found to be people who had already had autopsies completed on them previously... by the same police morgue coroner.

Following the chemical clues from the bodies, the Detectives find themselves involved in a science fiction plot where one of them will become the living dead! In a race against time to decomposition, the team must try to take down the evil corporation bringing the dead back to life.

A fun, daft film which doesn't try to be more than what it is and enjoys a lot of pseudoscience, cheesy fight scenes (including the oddest fight scene involving freshly butchered animal carcasses ever) and a small cameo from Vincent Price.

[Image: New World Pictures]

Hani

Malevolent

"Malevolent" (2018, Olaf de Fleur Johannesson, Netflix) is a haunted house film set in Scotland.

Angela (Florence Pugh) and Jackson (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) are an American brother and sister team who, along with their respective boyfriend and girlfriend, Elliot (Scott Chambers) and Beth (Georgina Bevan), 'investigate' paranormal cases in Scotland using their University's equipment. Their work is a scam and they know it, but things begin to get weird when Angela begins to see actual paranormal phenomenon. Scared that she might be losing her mind, like her mother, Angela has to be pushed into taking one last case by her brother. The case is that of Mrs. Green (Celia Imrie) who claims that her large country home is haunted by the spirits of the little girls her deranged son murdered while under her care.

During the investigation, however, the team begin to unravel the mystery and come to suspect that, not only is the house truly haunted, but that there may be more to the story than they have been told.

A film that has received reviews claiming that it's boring, but really it is just standard low-ish budget horror fare. The effects are passable and the plot, once it gets going, is serviceable, if a little predictable. Celia Imrie, in particular, gives a pretty disturbing performance as the mysterious and stern Mrs. Green. The largest flaws are probably the meandering pacing of the story telling paired with some slightly goofy plot points and the fact that the story is set in the 80s with very few period efforts made to set the scene outside of some cars and a distinct lack of mobile phones, but on the whole I found it to be entertaining.

[Image: Netflix]

Hani

Bird Box

"Bird Box" (2018, Netflix, Susanne Bier) is a dystopian, post-apocalyptic film based on the novel by Josh Malerman.

The world as we know it ends when mysterious creatures descend upon Earth which take the appearance of the worst fear or regret of anyone who looks upon them and drive that viewer to immediate suicide.

We follow Malorie (Sandra Bullock), who was heavily pregnant when the creatures struck, as she fights to survive in this horrifying new world where you cannot look outside without risking immediate death. We follow her through two timelines; the immediate aftermath of the creatures' arrival and 5 years later...

A very tense, very effective film that is particularly scary due to what it doesn't show you, rather than what it does. The victims see the worst thing they can imagine and the fact that we only see the impact on them rather than the vision in front of them is very, very effective.

Stellar, emotional performances from the whole cast really bring the horror of the situation to life and Bullock's distant, smart, shell-shocked lead character is both relatable and difficult at times to watch as she desperately chastises the children in order to ensure their safety and hide her own feelings. Each character is its own short study whether they are angry and cut off, brave and self-sacrificing or scared and foolish.

Truly a suspenseful and emotional ride which is more about the journey than the destination or, in this case, the answers to the mystery.

[Image: Netflix]

Hani