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

Cam

"Cam" (2018, Daniel Goldhaber, Divide/Conquer, Blumhouse Productions, Gunpowder & Sky, Seer Capital) is a technology-driven cautionary tale about identity theft online.

Alice (Madeline Brewer) is a camgirl working under the moniker Lola_Lola is on her way to her goal of reaching the top 50 girls on her porn website when her channel is suddenly hijacked by an unnerving doppelganger. Alice begins to dig deeper into this mystery, uncovering some disturbing findings...

A really interesting concept, we follow Alice as she starts to take her channel to new levels in her bid to improve her status and then watch as her carefully built empire and fanbase is taken over and taken out of her control.

A fun thriller that will pique the interests of any fan of "Black Mirror" or "Inside No. 9". "Cam" delivers an engaging story and a few twists with strong performances and an ambiguous, but not unsuitable, ending.

Currently on Netflix, it's definitely worth checking out.

[Image: Blumhouse Productions, et al]

Hani

The Hands of Orlac

"The Hands of Orlac" aka "Orlacs Hände" (1924, Robert Wiene, Pan-Film, Berolina-Film, Aywon Film Corporation) is a silent Expressionist film.

My husband and I enjoyed an opportunity to watch this restored silent film with a live orchestra last night.

Famous concert pianist, Paul Orlac (Conrad Veidt), is the victim of a terrible train wreck and loses his hands. His wife, Yvonne (Alexandra Sorina), implores a surgeon to save her husband's hands. When he can't, he decides to perform a risky transplant, using the hands of a recently executed murderer named Vasseur. Orlac mourns the loss of his skilled hands but becomes convinced that the murderous replacements are still possessed with a drive to kill...

A fun plot that has been remade and reworked several times over the years. Being an Expressionist piece, modern audiences may find the styling quite overt and jarring, but the film is very charming. Veidt sells the torment of Orlac with gusto and Sorina's desperation is often palpable.

The film has a run time just shy of 2 hours, and its ponderous pacing does sometimes make for difficult viewing. The film pales in comparison to Wiene's superior "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", however, it's certainly still a classic piece of Expressionist film and a piece of history.

[Image: Pan-Film, et al]

Hani

A Better Life

"A Better Life" is a horror novel by Kyle M. Scott (2018).

A group of desperate people kidnap a child in an attempt to get hold of enough money to end their problems. But, they've gotten much more than they bargained for...

We follow Jess and her husband, Curt, who, together with Curt's kind and matronly sister, Lisa, and the dangerous ruffian, Pete, have kidnapped a quiet young girl called Emily from her senator father. They take Emily to an abandoned and secluded house in the middle of the Mojave desert.

Jess feels extremely conflicted about what they've done. On one hand, she feels horrible for taking the young girl from her home, but on the other hand she knows that she and Curt are in a desperate situation with very few remaining options. She takes a shine to the strange child who is beautiful but stoic beyond her years in a disconcerting manner. Jess feels both protective of her and scared of her.

The story is told from the characters' perspectives with a tendency to focus on our main protagonist, Jess. Through the eyes of each character we learn more about them and their motives. And we find that they have shades of grey.... Some much greyer than others.

Tensions begin to rise when Curt and Pete find that Emily's parents may not be interested in getting her back, and Pete's violent side rises to the surface. Meanwhile, Jess begins to get close to Emily and sees an unnerving peak behind the pretty little girl's eyes... For Emily, we find, is more than just a lonely little rich girl who likes comic books. She has a chilling talent.

The subject matter is pretty terrifying. Having the kind of power that Emily wields is scary enough, but the fact that Emily chooses to use her powers based on her own childlike grasp of right and wrong (where shades of grey are not acceptable) is the truly scary thought. Emily may seem calm and unperturbed by her situation, but she knows that her tantrums can be deadly. Equally, however, she is a child and naturally wins some of the readers' sympathy.

Kyle M. Scott paints a terrifying portrait of this little girl and also of the kidnappers themselves. They all have dark secrets and taking Emily has sealed their fates. Scott describes with fantastic gusto the gory and violent scenes the characters face, creating a clear disturbing image in the reader's mind and some scenes that didn't leave my thoughts for a few days.

A truly chilling ending leaves the reader with a sense of dread and a thirst to know more about the fate of this strange and powerful child.

Available now on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle editions

Halloween (2018)

"Halloween" (2018, David Gordon Green, Miramax, Blumhouse Productions, Trancas International Films, Rough House Pictures, Universal Pictures) is a direct sequel to John Carpenter's original 1978 classic slasher, "Halloween". The film is set in present day and ignores all other sequels existing in the series.

We catch back up with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) who has lived a life of seclusion and paranoia with PTSD after the events of Halloween night 40 years previously in Haddonfield. She is estranged from her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer) and her family, but her granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak) is keen to reconnect with her.

Concurrently, we learn of the fate of Michael Myers (Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney) through the investigations of Aaron (Jefferson Hall) and Dana (Rhian Rees) who are researching him for their true-crime podcast. He has spent the last 4 decades in a high security sanitarium. When being transferred to a high security prison, however, Michael manages to escape and heads for home to celebrate Halloween in the only way he knows how: by murdering a bunch of innocent bystanders...

Seeing the film on opening night was definitely a good experience. The crowd were good fun, but not rowdy enough to ruin the tense scenes in the film. The film plays out a little more like an action movie than a horror, but pays good homage to the original in so many ways without feeling like it's treading old ground. Where the original is a study in tense pacing, this film packs in a lot of action and some very effective gore. There are also bursts of humour that I felt added to the plot (I particularly loved the scenes with sassy kid, Julian (Jibrail Nantambu), who seemed to be the most sensible person in the movie).

Jamie Lee Curtis gives us an emotionally charged, but feisty return performance as Laurie; a woman who has been through a lot and not been able to move on. And both Karen's and Allyson's actions and feelings are understandable. The women are all strong characters but are not infallible. Their humanity is in great contrast to the Shape's lack of it.

A strange turn of events reminiscent to Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers does present itself, but does not derail the overall plot. All in all, I really enjoyed this sequel and, while it's certainly not perfect, I felt that it both slotted in as a continuation and updated the franchise effectively; bringing back Michael Myers once again to his ominous glory.

[Image: Blumhouse Productions, et al]

Hani