Aftershock

"Aftershock" (2012, Nicolás López, Eli Roth, Cross Creek Pictures, Dragonfly Entertainment, sobras.com Productions, Vertebra Films) is a Natural Disaster movie with some twists and turns in there. 

A visually shocking and exciting film, it starts in a way similar to "Hostel" (which isn't surprising when you consider that Eli Roth plays a large part in both writing and acting in this film), where Gringo (Eli Roth) is currently in Chile with two Chilean friends, Ariel (Ariel Levy) and Pollo (Nicolás López) enjoying the underground nightclubs, vineyards and pretty young women, in particular the company of Kylie (Lorenza Izzo), Irina (Natasha Yarovenko) and Kylie's uptight, straight lace, half-Hungarian half-sister, Monica (Andrea Osvárt).

All the fun comes to an abrupt end, however, when an earthquake hits while they're partying. Soon they're fighting for their lives, but they've yet to learn that the earthquake may not be the total of their troubles!

The film starts off like a completely different kind of film, which as much as this is becoming the horror norm these days, I actually really enjoyed, the characters, although not entirely likeable, were nicely built up and the scene was set. I quite enjoyed the repartee between the characters and they reminded me very much of some of the kinds of people you meet on holiday. 

When the horror begins it's pretty brutal and the disaster scenes are edgy and realistic. The panic on display is also pretty lifelike, and seeing this on the big screen definitely adds to the feeling. 

There's a lot going on and, like all horror movies, you could easily over analyse the plot into rags, but that's not part of the amusement!

An effective, bloody film with enough to keep you watching. However, as a warning, there are rape scenes (because what else would you do while an earthquake is destroying your home?!).

Hani

The Bay

"The Bay" (2012, Barry Levinson) is a found footage 'mock-umentary' about the ecological side-effects the human race is having on the globe, and is pretty much a nature-bites-back-film.

Based in a small American Seaside town called Chesapeake during their 4th of July celebrations, we watch through the confiscated found footage of the inhabitants and a small student news blog as the town falls into chaos when a terrifying menace begins threatening the lives of the townspeople.

I'm not usually fan of found-footage, but I'm happy to report that "The Bay" is a winner for me. It was gross, scary and had a plot. While it's evidently a platform for Levinson to preach a little about global pollution and governmental transparency, it does so with style and excellent effects.

Some good old jump scares keep the pace, while we also get a lot of disturbing visuals and an engaging and almost 'mystery'-like slow reveal of the true cause of the panic and deaths.

While it's certainly no "Jaws", it's a really good yarn. Hey, and Kirsten Connolly from "Cabin In The Woods" is in it!

Hani

The ABCs of Death

"The ABCs of Death" (2012, Nacho Vigalondo, Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, Marcel Sarmiento, Angela Bettis, Noboru Iguchi, Andrew Traucki, Thomas Malling, Jorge Michel Grau, Yûdai Yamaguchi, Anders Morgenthaler, Timo Tjahjanto, Ti West, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Bruno Forzani, Héléne Cattet, Simon Rumley, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Srdjan Spasojevic, Jake West, Lee Hardcastle, Ben Wheatley, Kaare Andrews, Jon Schnepp, Xavier Gens, Jason Eisener, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Drafthouse Films, Magnet Releasing).

"The ABCs of Death" is a 26-short anthology film, featuring a mini-film each from the above directors (or directive pair in some cases) based around one of the 26 letters of the alphabet. The film is 2hrs long-ish, and to be fair, it doesn't feel anywhere near this long as each short runs quickly onto the next in succession. It is, however, riddled with terrible mini-films which sadly overshadow some of the few really excellent shorts in the collection.

The film starts with a high point or two, but it's a severely mixed bag, and by the end I was glad to see the credits.

Some of the inspirational shorts are creative, violent, spooky, different and could be progressed easily into a full scale film. Some of the good, but maybe more average shorts are pretty standard and could really be thrown in with the likes seen in the latter day "Creepshow" films. Unfortunately there are also a majority of uninspired shorts which verge on the depraved (and not in the good way) and often jump the line into the simply stupid category. As much as the film moves quickly past these short little efforts, they unfortunately stick more in my mind than some of the good attempts.

Lots of toilet humour (although the claymation short was hilarious!), murders, vampires, paedophiles, animals, boobs and randomness. Some good, some terrible. The peaks certainly jump whole-heartedly into the troughs, but a cinematic experience to be had, for sure! Guaranteed you haven't seen anything like this before!

[Image: Drafthouse Films]

Hani

Bring Me The Head of Machine Gun Woman

"Bring Me The Head of Machine Gun Woman" (2012, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, LatinXploitation, Ronnoc Entertainment) is a Grindhouse-esque Spanish language movie about an Argentinian gangster who is trying to kill the sexy, half-naked, female mercenary (Fernanda Urrejola) who wants his head. When a young video game loving DJ named Santiago (Matías Oviedo) accidentally overhears a private converstation, the gangster forces the boy to go after the Machine Gun Woman.

Paying homage to the Grindhouse 'classics' and with some nicely tinted camera work, I found "..Machine Gun Woman" to be everything I wanted it to be; bloody, violent, filled with fight scenes and dodgy gangster types, with a semi-naked gun toting chick and a shed load of rapidly worded Spanish conversations.

It's based on a Grand Theft Auto-type game, and as our young hero attempts to go through each stage of his mission, we get a nice loading screen telling us whether he's completed the level or not. Although, admittedly this does lose its charm after a while.

It's not clever and it knows it, and it's certainly not everyone's cup of Pisco. But it's exactly as it's marketed to be and no more. Definitely a must see for Grindhouse aficionados.

Detention of the Dead

"Detention of the Dead" (2012, Alex Craig Mann, Gala Films) is a high school comedy zombie movie.

The term 'comedy' is used loosely, in that this shallow attempt at yet another zombie comedy falls pretty much on its face.

It's detention time at high school and 6 misfit teens are ready to spend it together. We have all the standard teen characters: goth chick, nerd, cheerleader, stoner, popular dude, varsity jacket dude.

Unfortunately for all of these unfortunate teens, the school has become infected by a zombie virus and even more unfortunately, someone in detention also has it. It isn't long until they're haring around the school trying to survive and find a means of escape.

Now, all that doesn't sound too awful, does it? But it's just so uninspired. From the half-assed Buffy references to the fact that the popular teen couple are called Brad and Janet just rung hollow to me. Maybe it was just that out of a day of pretty good horrors this attempt came last and it was 1am and I was out of wine, but I just didn't feel it.

Overdone, under-funny and nothing new, this film will doubtlessly land in the humongous boiling pot with all the other thousands of zombie comedy films out there. My advice? Stick on Shaun of The Dead, Wasting Away or Zombieland and enjoy some creativity.

[Image: Gala Films]

Hani

Byzantium

"Byzantium" (2012, Neil Jordan) is a vampire film with a difference, but also still a very classic feel.

Neil Jordan has brought classical vampirism to us before in the form of "Interview with a Vampire" and he was also behind "High Spirits", a ghost comedy based in Ireland, that I still love.

The film follows a mother and daughter vampire duo who are constantly forced to move home to avoid detection. They are also on the run from the male orientated vampire 'brotherhood', who do not wish for them to live. They find refuge in a seaside town and try to set up life there, but it isn't long before everything begins to unravel.

An artful film, this slow burner focuses well on the difficult situation that eternal teenager, Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) has to face in school and in her lonely life. This character is interesting and I really thought Ronan's performance was excellent. Also, at the Q&A session afterwards she was very charming and very happy to give her own insight into the character. Eleanor seeks companionship, and wants to tell her story. She is more of an Angel of Death than a killer.

Her 'sister', actually her mother, is also the eternally young and beautiful Clara (Gemma Arterton) who was forced into the life of a whore as a young girl before becoming one of the undead, and seems to have been unable to shake the lifestyle. She provides for her daughter, but is much too stuck in her dark lifestyle to make Eleanor happy.

The film challenges the general modern day lore for vampires; no fangs and daylight is not an issue, but don't worry, it's not Twilight-y, the vampires are actually a little scary. The film hints at females being able to reproduce, whereas vampires are otherwise selected by the Brotherhood and are created at an ancient site inside a stone hut, where houses, what I expect to be the mother of all vampires.

I found the film arty but a little dull, and while it has a lot of charms, it didn't quite do as well as "Let The Right One In" did. Worthwhile watching, but not one I'd probably watch again.

Hani

The Lords of Salem

"The Lords of Salem" (2012, Rob Zombie, Alliance Films, Automatik Entertainment, Haunted Films, IM Global, Blumhouse Productions) is the film I was most excited for at Glasgow Fright Fest 2013.

As a fan of Rob Zombie's music and his films, I was waiting in anticipation for this film and it was one of the first main attractions for going to the festival (not that I wouldn't have gone had it not been showing!).

I'm pleased to say I was not disappointed, and while Lords isn't quite in the same style as "House of 1000 Corpses" or "The Devil's Rejects", it is really enjoyable! I felt it was well put together, and had the feeling of a Hammer Horror (such as "The Devil Rides Out") mixed with a touch of "Rosemary's Baby", there was also some classic 70s horror weirdness in there, especially any scenes with the Beast himself in them.

Heidi (Sheri Moon Zombie) is a radio DJ on Salem's local radio station. She co-hosts a show with her sometimes lover, Herman "Whitey" Salvador (Jeff Daniel Phillips) and also Herman Jackson (Ernest Lee Thomas).

One day, Heidi receives a strange record by a band called "The Lords" in a creepy wooden box. After a drunken night in with Whitey, they stick on the record and it behaves strangely, trying to play backwards. When it finally starts playing Heidi begins to feel strange and see odd visions. She kicks Whitey out and heads to bed where she dreams strange dreams.

Regardless, they play the record on the show and it becomes a hit with the listeners. The Lords also announce a gig in Salem and provide free tickets to anyone who wants them. But are The Lords all that they appear? Or is there something more sinister going on? And is the sweet little old landlady and her sisters really all that sweet?

An atmospheric film which is both slow burning and also quite trippy, The Lords of Salem is enjoyable and weird. Good visuals and a fitting soundtrack give the desired effect. Although, it's not for everyone, and is certainly no gore fest.

Several notable scream queens are present in this film including:

• Magenta from Rocky Horror, Patricia Quinn
• Meg Foster (she was in John Carpenter's "They Live")
• Barbara Crampton ("Re-Animator")
• María Conchita Alonso ("Predator 2", "The Running Man")
• Dee Wallace ("E.T.", "The Howling", "The Hills Have Eyes", "Cujo")

 The coven scenes are excellent, if you can handle that much naked old lady, and really hark back to the glory days of witch horror, when Vincent Price was hunting them down and Joan Fontaine was losing her mind to witchcraft!

I actually liked the end which sped up and delved back into the Zombie we know and love and, for me, brought all the craziness to a head.

Good, different, but not gory, this film may be a point of contention amongst fans, but is a bold move by the ever talented Rob Zombie.

[Image: Haunted Films]

Hani