Frankenstein was released on 21 November 1931 in the USA. It wasn’t the first adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel since a silent version was released in 1910. Yet James Whale’s black-and-white version reversed the ailing fortunes of Universal and kickstart a wave of horror production. It also turned its Monster, played by Boris Karloff, into […]
cinema discussions
Bone Tomahawk – horror or Western?
With the success of The Hateful Eight and The Revenant, it was good to see Bone Tomahawk finally make its way onto UK screens, even if I had to go to my local independent cinema to see it. It was described to me as a weird Western, although I’d disagree with that designation. Weird Westerns generally involve an air of the […]
Does The Revenant score points for the Western?
You’d think I’d have been over the moon to see Leonardo DiCaprio in a Western, and I had really high hopes that The Revenant would be phenomenal. The trailers certainly promised as much. But sadly… The Revenant is BRUTAL It’s not an enjoyable film, it’s an endurance test. I’ve seen other reviewers toss around the […]
Is The Hateful Eight a Tarantino Triumph?
It’s taken a while for The Hateful Eight to see its UK release, compared to the US release, but by God, it’s definitely been worth the wait! After the relative disappointment that was Django Unchained (for me, at least), I was half-hesitant and half-excited to see Tarantino do another Western, but thankfully I was not let down. […]
Is Crimson Peak a ghost story?
Tom Hiddleston in a Gothic horror film directed by Guillermo del Toro about a haunted house? Sounds like someone delved into my head and cherrypicked what they found to make the ideal film for me. But did Crimson Peak live up to my expectations? Well, in truth…yes and no. Edith (Mia Wasikowska) wants to be a […]
3 Zombie Films That Don’t Involve Brains
I’m continuing my Halloween season with a focus on zombie films. Zombies have become something of a cultural icon in a way that few movie monsters have, but a lot of the contemporary depictions of the zombie are rooted in George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968), which conveniently ignores the folklore roots of the zombie, and […]
