'Salem's Lot

Me. 11. Sneaking downstairs to watch a horror on ITV. The film was 'Salem's Lot. A classmate had told me it was deadly. Then all of a sudden a vampiric Danny Glick was floating outside Mark Petrie's bedroom window pleading with him to open it and let him in to feed and this young Tipperary boy thought fear was going to make his head explode. Last night, 31 years later I watched it again and it's still as creepy as ever.

There's a 'Salem's Lot remake coming. I'm not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand it's based on what could quite possibly be the scariest book ever written but on the other hand there's far too much story here for a film unless it's at least 3 hours long. A film will inevitably gut the story and it's rich tapestry of characters. It might be split in two like the It adaptions from a couple of years back but it's unlikely. It's not an easy story to carve in two because the vast majority of what draws a horror crowd to a horror film happens in the second half.

It's the tale of a man coming home. Ben Mears has returned to Maine after decades away to write a book about the town he grew up in. He has plans to buy a house that has haunted his dreams since childhood and is dismayed to find out a pair of businessmen called Kurt Barlow and Richard Straker have just snapped it up before him. He decides to stay on after he meets a woman by the name of Susan Norton but the mysterious disappearance of a child kicks off a series of horrifying events that turn the town on it's head.

The book is magnificently written. It does what too few books do these days, it takes it's time. It slowly introduces us to the town of Salem's Lot through the eyes of the returning Ben Mears. We get a sense of the place and of the people populating it. The rhythms of the town are slowly shaken out and we seen how the people there interact with each other. The people who run the place like sleazy business owner Larry Crockett & hotel owner Eva Miller & Sheriff Parkins Gillispie. Then there's the downtrodden and forgotten like the alcoholic Weasel Craig and Dud Rogers, the hunchbacked custodian of the town dump. Slowly we learn enough about them to have our favourites and the ones we hate. All the while the town's atmosphere grows more oppressive and before we realise it Anywhere USA has turned into a Transylvanian horror show. A horror show made scarier by the fact that writer Stephen King has made us care about the characters caught up in the whole mess. It's a superb, thoroughly affecting and totally unsettling read.

In 1979 Tobe Hooper (of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame) directed a mini series based on the book. It's a series that looks dated in places but it's still scarily effective. Due to network TV censorship constraints the grittier aspects of the story had to be scaled back along with it's violence. In place of this shadow and suggestion are cleverly used meaning a scary story becomes a creepy one and it's that kind of slowburn creep that gets under your skin far more effectively than a gallon of gore. It's why the miniseries is still remembered 40 years after it was first shown. That and it's rat like take on the vampire Kurt Barlow. It's far from perfect now, don't get me wrong. Even at 3 hours long it lost a lot of story and quite a few characters had to be amalgamated to streamline the plot. A supporting cast of dozens just wouldn't work in a miniseries and some plot lines got jumbled and silly as a result. But as a horror it worked. Gravedigger Mike Ryerson opening the coffin of a child vampire. That first jail cell appearance of a hissing Barlow. The crawling dead slowly moving towards Ben and Mark when they make their final move. Barlow's attack on the Petrie's and of course that infamous bedroom window moment. Nightmare fuel created in King's imagination and brought to life brilliantly by Tobe Hooper.

Then in 2004 the powers that be decided a new version was needed. This new version had a superb cast full of actors like Rob Lowe, Andre Braugher, Rutger Hauer, Samantha Mathis & Donald Sutherland. More of the supporting cast from the book appears too and this time the take on the vampire Barlow skews far closer the book than the previous adaption.........but it's not one bit scary at all. None of it works. Plotlines are needlessly changed (the horrible opening for example, Matt Burke's sexuality), there's no bit of atmosphere and the "scarier" scenes are augmented with cheap and shoddy looking CGI. The practical fx of the 1979 version look far superior. It's a pity. It could have built on the older version but it fails at nearly every hurdle apart from Rutger Hauer's Barlow. He's far removed from the 1979 creature with his take being a far more sophisticated and urbane monster. This time he could talk too and some of King's beautiful dialogue sounds great coming from him. He's far better than the miniseries deserved.

After a failed adaption like this you'd assume that it would be time to move onto something new. King has a tonne of stuff that hasn't been adapted yet but nope, we're heading back to the Lot again it seems. The success of the new version of 'It' has reminded the big studios of the $$$$$ potential of a well made Stephen King adaption. There's a glimmer of hope though. This time around James Wan is involved. Not as a director unfortunately but as a producer. A man with plenty of horror experience behind him. The fella behind The Conjuring movies, a series that's been critically bashed but a series that's genuinely enjoyable and actually unnerving. In his mitts Salem's Lot could conceivably work out fine, hitting both on the book's horror and it's dark, dark comedy. Director Gary Dauberman (who co-wrote the new versions of It) is promising a return to truly scary vampire cinema, not the romanticised versions so prevalent in the last few decades. No sparkling or gliding, but ripping, tearing, snarling, primal evil. William Sadler will be taking the role of Kurt Barlow. He's an interesting choice. In the picture above you'll recognise him from The Shawshank Redemption and the Bill And Ted trilogy. We'll see what happens. I'm not one bit confident but if it turns out good then happy days. 

And if it's shit we'll always have the book.

16 films on TV this week that you might enjoy

The Exorcist   Sat   30/10   BBC2 @ 22.40

Young Regan hasn't been feeling well lately and her mother is worried. Is her condition physical or psychological or is it anything to do with those weird noises in the attic? The Exorcist is 48 years old and it is still a petrifyingly effective watch. Committed performances from Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller and Max Von Sydow keep the whole enterprise grounded even when it threatens to spin off the planet.

Escape From Alcatraz   Sat   30/10   TG4 @ 23.05

In 1962 a prisoner called Frank Morris was sitting in his prison cell on Alcatraz island and he had itchy feet. He had a plan but was it a clever one or a one way ticket to a watery death. Don Siegel's 1979 thriller is an entertaining watch, lean, taut, tense and darkly humorous in places. Patrick McGoohan's prison warden is a vile piece of work and Clint Eastwood as Frank does his cool as a cucumber routine to fine effect.

The Hole In The Ground   Sat   30/10   RTE2 @ 23.20

Trauma has shaped her past and Sarah wants to build herself a new future. Now she's living a quiet rural existence with her son Chris but lately he's been acting differently and an encounter with her strange neighbour puts the fear of god into her. Irish horror films are a rare breed and this 2019 is a fine example of them. A suspenseful and quite unnerving story powered by a fine turn from Seana Kerslake. 

Widows   Sun   31/10   CH4 @ 21.00

After a bank robbery planned and carried out by their husbands goes disastrously wrong a group of women in debt up to their eyeballs decided to try crime themselves. But factions on both sides of the law are putting them in danger. Steve McQueen's blend of action, tension and social anxiety is a bit silly in places but when it gets going it REALLY gets going. Viola Davis, Colin Farrell, Elizabeth Debicki, Carrie Coon and Daniel Kaluuya lead a truly stacked cast.

What We Do In The Shadows   Sun   31/10   BBC2 @ 22.45

A documentary crew films the lives of a group of vampires in a house share in Wellington, New Zealand. Sounds odd right? It is but it's also so much fun. A laugh out loud comedy in parts that's sprinkled with some surprisingly bloody horror, a touch of commentary on modern life and even a smidge of pathos. Jermaine Clemant and Taika Waititi (also the director) are perfect as two of the main vamps. Give this a go.

Halloween III   Sun   31/10   Film4 @ 23.15

Silver Shamrock masks are the must have item for kids all over America this Halloween but there's something very sinister about them and Daniel Challis is on a journey to figure out what. The third part of the Halloween franchise took a sharp left turn away from the usual stalk and slash rigmarole and it's all the better for it. A bizarre, violent, creepy watch with a dash of celtic mysticism for flavouring. Tom Atkins and Ireland's own Dan O'Herlihy have fun here.

Let The Right One In   Mon   1/11   BBC2 @ 00.05

Stockholm, 1982. A boy called Oskar is having a tough time with bullies. He makes friends with a new neighbour called Eli, a quiet and peculiar girl. They build a close bond but she doesn't come out during the day. Ever. A magnificent horror film from director Tomas Alfredson with a climax that might possibly stay with you forever. Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson are an affecting duo. BTW if you aren't a fan of cats, you might want to avoid this one.

Marnie   Mon   1/11   TCM @ 23.45

One of Alfred Hitchcock's darkest tales here in the story of a woman who can't quit her habit of stealing and lying & her husband who tries to cure her of her ways. A troubling film that hasn't aged well in places but it's still absolutely compulsive viewing that all the requisite what's?? and huh's?? that you'd expect from Hitchcock. Tippi Hedren in the lead role of Marnie is superb as is Sean Connery who took a break from Bond to make this. 

His Girl Friday   Tues   2/11   Film4 @ 11.00

Hildy's a reporter. Walter's her boss. Hildy wants a divorce from her husband. Her husband Walter. Hildy wants to remarry. Walter is appalled at the idea. This is fantastic fun, a classic from the Golden Era of Hollywood that's filled with imminently quotable dialogue, stellar turns from Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant and it all moves so fast you won't be able to look away from the screen for a second.

Warrior   Tues   2/11   Great! Movies @ 21.00

Two estranged brothers torn apart by their broken family find themselves on a collision course in a mixed martial arts tournament. Gavin O'Connor's family drama is a pulverising watch, packing a punch as strong as anything thrown in the excellent fight scenes. The acting is top notch too with Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton in fine form. Plus it's always a treat to see Nick Nolte on screen as the father who let them both down.

Darling Lili   Wed   3/11   Talking Pictures TV @ 00.05

Lili Smith, singer extraordinaire. Beloved by the English troops she inspires during World War One. Little do they know she's also a rather successful German spy, not above using her feminine wiles to gather information from the diplomats she meets. A big, broad, brash, bizarre hybrid of war film, thriller and musical that's not always successful but it's always interesting. Julie Andrews and Rock Hudson work well together.

We Own The Night   Wed   3/11   TCM @ 21.00

Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. 1988. Two brothers on either side of the law find their lives changed for the worse by their dealings with the Russian mafia. James Mangold's crime drama is in my opinion one of the most underrated crime dramas of this century. A nail biting thriller and an intense family tale and all based on an (almost unbelievably) true story. Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Robert Duvall and Eva Mendes are firing on all cylinders here.

Jackie   Thur   4/11   Film4 @ 21.00

Jackie Kennedy finds her dream of Camelot shattered on a November Day in Dallas and it's everything she can do to stay upright afterwards. Natalie Portman is on fire as the personification of dignity in the aftermath of trauma. Not a watch for everyone but it's impeccable filmmaking. Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup and the mighty John Hurt (in his last non posthumous performance) all do powerful work.

Vertigo   Fri   5/11   Film4 @ 16.20

An intense story of obsession sees a detective hired to investigate a woman who he soon becomes consumed by. One of Alfred Hitchcock's many masterworks and maybe even the best of them. It's wonderfully brought to life by Kim Novak & James Stewart with assured direction from the man himself and full of complexity and twist and turns. 16.20 is an odd time for it though, this is a film for a dark evening with a glass of something strong.

For A Few Dollars More   Fri   5/11   TG4 @ 21.05

A bounty hunter by the name of Manco is chasing a gang lead by El Indio, a vicious bandit. He teams up with another hunter called Mortimer. Manco's out for money but Mortimer has his own reasons. The second film in Sergio Leone's Man With No Name trilogy is a masterpiece. A quirky, darkly humorous and surprisingly vicious spaghetti western. Clint Eastwood does his laconic thing well while Lee Van Cleef creates something iconic.

Piercing   Fri   5/11   The Horror Channel @ 23.00

Reed is off on a business trip. Well that's what his family think anyway. He's really out to murder someone and the sex worker coming to his hotel room seems like the ideal victim. Only she's no victim and he's ....... to say more would take away from this brilliantly crafted, stylish slice of Dario Argento inspired madness. It's not for the faint of heart but man it's a satisfying watch. Mia Wasikowska and Christopher Abbott do wicked work here.

As always retweets are appreciated i you've found an old fave or something new has caught your eye.

Last Night In Soho

There's a quite a bit of filler in Edgar Wright's new psychological horror, especially in it's second half and for a moment you might fear it's going to end in a very unsatisfactory manner but then it clicks, everything becomes clear, previous scenes make sense and you'll remember why you'd enjoyed his earlier films. Forget the bombast and bluster of the godawful Scott Pilgrim Vs The World or the cloying try hardness of The World's End. No, this is the work of someone playing in a sandbox they love. It shows.

Eloise Turner (Thomasin McKenzie) has hit London with a plan. She wants to design clothes and has travelled across England to make a name for herself. London though, it takes it toll , she was warned and it's coming true rapidly. Not fitting in with student life she rents a bedsit in Soho from Mrs Collins (Diana Rigg in her final role) and the room starts getting under her skin when her night time dreams transport her back to the swinging sixties of London. In her dreams her avatar is Sandy (Anya Taylor Joy), a would be singing starlet looking for fame. She takes up with Jack (Matt Smith), a manager who promises her the world but delivers her into the sordid underworld of celebrity instead. Soon Eloise's dreamworld starts to bleed into her reality and it's only a matter of time before it starts getting dangerous.

Yup, that's the stuff. Wright has fully moved away from comedy and here delivers a dark, twisting, surprisingly vicious look at the dark side of stardom, at male violence in it's myriad forms and how both too often intertwine. It's at it's best in it's first half, setting the stage, laying on the alienation (Synnøve Karlsen as Jocasta, her first roommate is a hateful creation), making Eloise the perfect conduit for all ghostly goings on.....or are they ghostly. We know she's troubled, there's mental illness in her past, things are ambiguous, purposefully so, there's shades of Polanski's Repulsion here, tinges of giallo and then full on eurohorror takes centre stage. It starts to get messy, a bit too repetitive and padded as messages get hammered home but as things start to come together near the end you'll be too busy gawping at the gaudily coloured chaos on screen to care.

There's a neon sign outside Eloise's bedroom window and it bathes her room in deep blues and reds throughout the film. It belongs to a French bistro but may as well say DARIO ARGENTO in huge flashing letters. Wright's never been shy with his homages but this one is hilariously on the nose, speaking to a love of the horror genre that gets a real run out as Sandy's 60's life goes from glamorous to horrifying courtesy of a nightmarish escape through the bowels of a venue that feels like the stuff of fever dreams. It's here the first half of the film's glorious evocation of 60's London flips and we see the worms beneath, the truth of the place, not the version that only ever existed on the silver screen. A place where flesh was a commodity, indulged in by sweating, leering creeps. Until one night.......a night that's seared into Eloise's retinas. To see her go from bright eyed and bushy tailed to buoyed by confidence created by dream inspirations to a screaming wreck is tough going but Thomasin McKenzie sells it perfectly.

It's her film but it's Anya Taylor-Joy's Sandy that has the biggest impact. She's brilliant. The embodiment of old school glamour kicked off with a wicked dancefloor routine in a smoky club that just oozes dangerous cool. Like Eloise, Wright's love for the time period is apparent and to really lay it on thick screen icons of the time like Terence Stamp, Rita Tushingham and Diana Rigg all play a big part in proceedings. Rigg especially, in her final screen appearance really plays a memorable part in it all. The lady had presence. She'll be missed but goddamn what a way to go.

Last Night In Soho is out now. It's too long, it's messy and it repeats itself but if you let it this surreal and beautiful looking hybrid of psychological horror and shrieking melodrama will grip you tight. 

Oh and the soundtrack is just *chef's kiss*

Broaden the aul horizons

Sitting here looking up at the map above the desk wondering how many countries I've seen films from? 20 maybe? 30 at a push? I can count the films I've seen from Africa on one hand ffs. I'm letting the side down. Time to push past the aul reliables of China, France and Spain and head further afield.

Ok Indonesia. Let's see what you have to offer. Google tells me I've seen at least 4 martial arts films from here (The Raid 1&2, Headshot and The Night Comes For Us. Fuck. Ok. Somewhere different

Algeria. Let's be having ya. 

https://www.milleworld.com/best-algerian-films-to-watch/ 

This site promises 5 iconic Algerian films and Rachida sounds good. 

Once again Youtube saves the day. 

Chile. I've always wanted to go there. Fuck you Covid and fuck you lack of cash. Chilean films are as close as I'll ever get.

The Battle Of Chile sounds interesting. A documentary about the overthrow of Salvador Allende's government in the days before Augusto Pinochet took control. Once again the www takes care of business.

Youtube is a godsend. A way to dip your toes into international waters without breaking the bank.

Video nasty rewatch part 35 - Snuff

The story behind the 35th film on the video nasty list is infinitely more interesting than the film itself. Snuff is trash. Actual trash. 80 minutes that feel like 1000. But it's genesis is the stuff of legend.

In 1971 husband and wife duo Michael and Roberta Findlay went to Argentina to exploit recent Hollywood horror. The Tate/LaBianca killings committed by the Manson family were still sending shivers down the spine of Tinseltown and they wanted to cash in so decided to make a film called Slaughter about a pregnant actress called Terry and her producer scouting locations in South America when they run afoul of a cult ran by a man called Satán. Well I say cult when I mean cast offs from a Russ Meyer flick being under the spell of the worst actor in the world. It's a painfully dull affair (although it's Spanish guitar soundtrack is actually nice) laced with horrible dubbing and punctuated with a ketchupy killing every 10 minutes or so. It's a nonsensical story that would try the patience of a saint and it seems the Findlays thought so too with the film being left unfinished to rot on a shelf.

Then in the mid 70's rumours began to leak out of South America about real life murders being filmed and sold to collectors who called them snuff films. No one knew if this was true and the only people who had seen them were friends of friends of acquaintances. Truth mattered not a jot to the man who produced Slaughter, Allan Shackleton, and a plan began to form in his head. A plan involving a 70 minute long unfinished film taking up shelf space. Slaughter was dug out, a new ending was filmed and the movie was released under a new name - Snuff. 

All hell broke loose.

Slaughter, like the infamous killings it was based on, ended with a massacre. It's final shot was of Terry, about to be stabbed in bed, just like Sharon Tate had been 6 years before. But then the film cuts, we're in a film studio, the woman in bed is an actress, she's surrounded by a film crew. One of the crew, a woman is approached by another crew member, her boyfriend. He talks her into a kiss and a cuddle which she's uncomfortable about as the crew is still around but she acquiesces. Then she notices she's being filmed and starts to panic. Things get worse when she's held down by others and her fella stabs her in the shoulder. Then her finger gets snipped off. An electric saw appears and her right hand is cut off. Finally she's disembowelled and the film ends as her internal organs are pulled out and held aloft.

It's not real of course. It doesn't look remotely real. It's patently obvious it's a shock ending designed to look like someone has been murdered on camera. But Shackleton had a plan. He hired protestors to picket cinemas showing the film. It worked. Crowds flocked to see what all the controversy was about. Then it worked too well. Real protestors starting really picketing cinemas showing it. Cinemas in California, Pennsylvania and Minnesota were shut down by city officials. Protestors were arrested for causing criminal damage to cinemas. Owners were prosecuted for displaying obscene films. The Attorney General of New York state got involved and thankfully it was here the hoax was uncovered. But no matter, the film had made it's name. 

A name that travelled across the pond. There was no way this was going to be shown in British cinemas. A release wasn't even attempted. When home video came to town in the early 80's a distributor called Astra had an official release set up but cancelled at the last minute. Bootleg copies from Europe flooded the unregulated market and the alarm went off at BBFC headquarters on Soho Square. It was the time of the Video Nasty and Snuff may as well have had a bullseye on it. In 1983 it was prosecuted for obscenity and took it's place on the Director of Public Prosecutions infamous list of 39 banned films. Even though it was a godawful piece of shit every horror fan had to see it and it's stature grew ever more. In 2003 it was offered up to the BBFC again for classification and this time it's shoddiness was apparent to all and it was given an uncut release. But for some strange reason it never got released. Maybe people realised a legal release took away all it's power? To quote The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - "When the legend becomes fact...print the legend."

Did it deserve it's place on the nasty list? Questionable, the icky aspects of the nasties are absent here but that ending, even with it's dire special effects was never getting past the censors back then.

Is it worth a watch? No. Don't. Really don't. Watch number 36 on the nasties list instead.

What is 36? It's Tenebrae and I cannot wait to rewatch this horror classic.

Edit - Shit. Tenebrae is number 37. 36 is SS Experiment Camp. More shite to wade through. Waaaahhh.

Dune

I liked it. It looked great and it was easy to follow.

But I was pissed when I watched it so can't really say more than that.

17 great films on TV this week

The Hustler   Sat   23/10   Talking Pictures TV @ 20.40

Fast Eddie Felson knows his way around a pool table and it's how he makes his living. But he's cocky and it backfires on him hugely. Now he has to start all over again and it's a task easier said than done. Paul Newman is magnetic as the lead of this dark drama from 1960. The support he gets from Piper Laurie, Jackie Gleason and George C. Scott is some of the best acting you'll ever see onscreen.

The Ritual   Sat   23/10   Film4 @ 23.45

A year after a terrible tragedy a group of lifelong friends go hiking into the Scandinavian wilderness and come across something no-one should ever have to encounter. A story that catches you off guard from the start and ultimately ends up rather silly but it's one that stays gripping throughout due to well sketched characters brought to life by a nice cast that includes Sam Troughton, Arsher Ali and an effective Rafe Spall. You'll stay away from the woods for a while after this.

Capricorn One   Sun   24/10   Virgin Media 3 @ 01.15

Three astronauts are pulled from a rocket to Mars minutes before it takes off as the trip could kill them. The US government then decide to fake the mission against the wishes of the astronauts. Peter Hyam's 1977 conspiracy thriller has been fuelling the minds of tin hat loonies since it's release but it doesn't take from what is an exciting watch. Elliot Gould, Karen Black, Hal Holbrook and James Brolin all add to this one.

The 4th Act   Sun   24/10   Virgin Media Two @ 02/05

The Ballymun flats were built in the 1960's by the Irish government to alleviate a housing crisis in Dublin. 1000's of people in flats with no amenities. They'd been sold a pup by the state, left in limbo. But the people there built a community. That was again failed by the state when time came to regenerate. This 2018 documentary from director Turlough Kelly is a maddening but compelling look at a state's neglect of it's people. 

Dead Ringers   Sun   24/10   The Horror Channel @ 21.00

Elliot and Beverley Mantle. Twin brothers working as gynaecologists in Toronto. No one can tell them apart and they share everything with each other. Everything. David Cronenberg's film is a truly creepy look into the minds of two people who really should be one. Jeremy Irons plays both parts perfectly and Geneviève Bujold nails the part of the woman whose appearance turns their well ordered world upside down.

The Edge   Sun   24/10   Great! Movies @ 21.00

On the way to a model's photo shoot in the wilderness a plane crashes. On board are the pilot, the photographer and the model's husband. He knows about the affair between the model and the photographer. He wants revenge. But nature has other things in mind. A ludicrous but highly entertaining slice of melodrama powered by an exceedingly hammy performance from Anthony Hopkins.

Eighth Grade   Sun   24/10   BBC2 @ 22.45

It's Elsie's last week in junior high. High school is next and the prospect is both appealing and petrifying. She's a quiet teen who's only outlet is her youtube channel. Her father wants to be part of her life but doesn't know how. Bo Burnham's 2019 drama is an affecting one that will ring true to many viewers. Elsie Fisher is an accomplished lead in a film that may be rated 15 but it's one younger teenagers will take a lot from.

Interview With The Vampire   Mon   25/10   BBC1 @ 00.05

A grieving widower in the Antebellum South gets his wish of death. But unfortunately for him he's still above ground in the form of a vampire. The man who bit him is Lestat, a real nasty piece of work. Neil Jordan's 1994 gothic horror has aged superbly. A bloody, eerie, darkly amusing and sprawling look at how a man spends his couple of hundred years on earth. Brad Pitt is an effective lead but Tom Cruise robs this film. A baby faced Kirsten Dunst has fun too.

The Aviator   Mon   25/10   TG4 @ 21.15

Howard Hughes was an odd fellow. A real life mythical figure, broken at birth by an overbearing mother, who went on to become one of the richest people to have ever lived. But a mere door handle could fell him. Martin Scorsese's biopic is a fantastic period piece, laden with both huge and minute details of a life lived both in the public eye and and far from it as possible. Leonardo DiCaprio does magnificent work as Hughes and the supporting cast is just packed with talent.

Murder At The Gallop   Tues   26/10   TCM @ 13.30

Mr Enderby is dead, seemingly scared to death by his cat. Most are willing to accept this but Miss Marple is having none of it and sets out to prove that his death was not accidental, it was murder most foul. Margaret Rutherford's appearances in Agatha Christie adaptions are always enjoyable and this is one of her best. It's a well crafted murder mystery, you might get to the conclusion before the people onscreen but that doesn't stop it being a fun watch.

Manhunter   Tues   26/10   ITV4 @ 21.00

There's a serial killer called the Tooth Fairy murdering entire families and an ex FBI profiler called Will Graham is out to stop him. But he needs help from another killer he once jailed. A man called Lektor. Michael Mann's 1986 film is arguably the best adaption of Thomas Harris's books. It eschews the hamminess of the later films and goes straight for the jugular with an unerring aim. William Petersen, Brian Cox & Tom Noonan do mighty work here.

Pili   Wed   27/10   Film4 @ 02.00

Pili breaks her back every day in the fields of Tanzania to feed her kids. She's offered a chance to better her life but a secret she's keeping regarding her health could bring her new found opportunity crashing down around her. An upsetting but deeply humane film about hardships most of us could never imagine. But also a film that thankfully never revels in the misery of it's situation, instead zoning in on the strength mustered onscreen. Bello Rashid as Pili is mesmerising.

Sinister   Wed   27/10   The Horror Channel @ 21.00

While researching a serial killer for a new book which may kick-start his failing career a writer discovers a box of home movies. Home movies with a bit of an edge to them. Ethan Hawke always does well when he dips into genre movies and this one is no exception. It's a film that starts off chilling and ends up truly unsettling. It's horror that gets the job done. Juliet Rylance & James Ransone do well in support.

Wildlife   Wed   27/10   BBC2 @ 23.15

A young boy growing up in 1950's Montana bears witness to the dysfunctional relationship between his mother and father and has to deal with the fallout when work forces his father to move away leaving him with a mother who's falling apart. It's not a fun watch as you can imagine but it's a tender look at how people in crisis deal with a situation as best as they can. Carey Mulligan is excellent as Mam while Jake Gyllenhaal does strong work as Dad.

Don't Look Now   Thur   28/10   BBC4 @ 21.00

After they suffer an unimaginable tragedy, a married couple go to Venice to grieve and to try and repair the many cracks in their relationship. But things get strange. Really really strange. Not a horror film exactly but this Nicholas Roeg film is flat out terrifying in places. A dark, haunting, eerie yet beautiful film that will stay with you long after you finish it. Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland fit together wonderfully.

Greta   Fri   29/10   RTE2 @ 22.00

Frances is trying to make her way in NYC but a family loss is making life tough for her. One day on the train she finds a bag that leads her to an older woman called Greta. A fast friendship is formed but is it all that it seems? Neil Jordan channels Alfred Hitchcock in a silly but fast paced and absorbing look at the terrors of obsession. Chloe Grace Moretz does well as the lead but it's Isabelle Huppert as the titular character who owns the film.

Zodiac   Fri   29/10   BBC1 @ 23.25

Someone is killing people in the bay area around San Francisco and three men become obsessed with finding out who. An obsession that became all consuming and unending. Forget Fight Club, this is  David Fincher's masterpiece. A meticulously put together story built of darkness that still manages to find time for some much needed light. Robert Downey Jr, Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo put in career best turns here. #Hurdygurdy 

Retweets are always appreciated if you find this guide helpful. Thank you.

And relax

Went to a friend's gaff for beer and films tonight. Sometimes you don't realise you need to unclench your jaw until you get a chance to do it. Old friends, alcohol, chats and laughs - great medicine. 

An education

My secondary school was a kip. But it had a decent library and in that library was a book that had a genuine effect on me. Kim Newman's Nightmare Movies.

For a young lad who's only access to movies was late night RTE1 and Network 2 and the crappy selection in Xtravision it was mindblowing. Suspiria? What the hell was Suspiria? Who the hell was Dario Argento? Why the hell weren't his films on the shelves instead of Hook and Nightmare On Elm Street part 5? By the time I finally had money and could afford a multiregion Dvd player I knew as much as you could about Suspiria with Dark Side Magazine filling in the bits this book couldn't. Thankfully the film lived up to the hype. So many others didn't but Suspiria was a mindblower.

Chapters on Lucio Fulci films were amazing too. If Argento was off the beaten path then Fulci was at the top of a mountain. His films were so far out of reach it felt like we'd never get to see them. God bless CH4 and Mark Kermode though. The Banned season, laying on the films denied to us by law. Zombie Flesh Eaters was showing at 2am and it was worth waiting up for. Even shorn of the gruesome moments spoken about in Nightmare Movies it grabbed teenage me and shook me awake. My love of film switched from gangster and western to horror instantly. 

Stuff like Blue Sunshine, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Flesh For Frankenstein stayed resolutely out of reach but the book had planted the seed in my head. I had to see them all. More film books followed. Lists of films were made. Massive lists. The internet arrived. So did jobs and money. Full wages packets were spent buying films from Play247, cdwow and ebay. My god the money I spent. No regrets though.

On the last day of secondary school i walked into the library to borrow the book "permanently" but someone had already had the same idea. The bastard. I hope they still love films as much as I do.

Arracht

There's a strange smell in the air. One so bad the sea winds can't keep it at bay. It's the stench of potato blight, the stench of death. Life in 19th century Connemara was always tough and now the one crop the people living there can rely on is rotting in the rocky fields where they live. Doubling down on the misery are the rent increases the Anglo-Irish landlords are demanding. Colmán Sharkey (Dónall Ó Héalaí) has had it. Without potatoes he can't feed his wife Margaret (Elaine O'Dwyer) and son or make poitín to sell for his rent. After a shaky run in with a debt collector he heads inland with his brother Sean (Eóin Ó Dubhghaill) and an ex soldier called Patsy (Dara Devaney) to try to reason with the man demanding his money. He's willing to negotiate but Patsy, having spent some time in the British army, has nothing but contempt for the man in the big house. Things don't go well. 

Arracht finally hits Irish cinema screens after two years on the shelf and it was definitely worth the wait. Even if bad memories of schooldays ruined your grá for the mother tongue there's something powerful about hearing it and seeing it on the big screen, especially in this context. You might go into this expecting a revenge flick laden with righteous fury à la Black 47 but Arracht is a more considered piece of work. The vast majority of the story takes place in the aftermath of violence. Colmán's on the run now, he has been for two years. Life as he knew it is gone. His pillow is a rock and his shelter is the damp cave where he used to brew his poitín. At night he's lulled to sleep by the lapping of waves and then haunted by that faithful night and what happened since. It's tough going and it's longueurs may have you wondering whether the film has lost it's way already.

But then one day on secretive trip back to the mainland for fuel he comes across a sick young child called Kitty (Saise Ní Chuinn) and his life takes a sidestep and so does the story. It slowly turns from darkness to light as these two lost souls come to depend on each other, growing to like each other. In him she sees survival and in her he sees redemption. Starvation is ever present so skills Bear Grylls would baulk at are needed to stay alive and the story swerves again into a survival story, becoming paean to the strength of human resilence, of our resilience. But in Ireland of the 1840's hunger wasn't the only spectre stalking the land. The Brits were too. They were always it sure.

To director Tom Sullivan's credit though, he never makes them into a pantomime boogeyman, well mostly. The Lieutenant landlord (Michael McElhatton) isn't one of the absentee landlords we were all taught about, he knows his tenants names and situations, even their hobbies but like the landed gentry tended to be he was clueless about their suffering. He skillfully plays a complex part that adds a layer of ambiguity to what happens in the house that night. Peter Coonan's turn as a British land agent looking for Colman near the end though, that's the broad brit villain we all know, and with him comes an ending that verges on silliness but thankfully he appears too late in the day to really rock the boat much.

Arracht is in cinemas now. It's a powerful story of anger, regret and redemption lead by a towering turn from a commited Dónall Ó Héalaí. Don't let the subtitles or the language scare you away. It's a deeply Irish story but a universal tale.

The Last Duel

The Last Duel seems to have died a death at the international box office making $9 million worldwide in it's first week against a budget of $100 million. Despite great turns from Matt Damon, Jodie Comer and Adam Driver and super direction by Ridley Scott it's a hell of a tough sell. Based on truth it's a muddy, bloody, two and a half hour long story about the rape of a woman and it's after effects told in the style of Akira Kurasowa's Rashomon. It's a fine film but audience indifference to it is going to be yet another nail in the coffin of this type of big budget adult film making.

France. 1386. Jean de Carrouges (Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Driver) are two squires fighting in the One Hundred year war against England. Count Pierre d'Alençon (Ben Affleck rocking an N'Sync haircut and a nu metal beard) has been named their overlord by King Charles VI and a wedge is driven between Jean and Jacques when Pierre takes a liking to Jacques. War taxes are levied on landowners and Jacques is tasked with collecting them, leaving Jean in a precarious state financially. To acquire more wealth he enters into a marriage with Marguerite de Thibouville (Jodie Comer), collecting a large dowry from her father as a wedding gift. With his finances back in order and a new wife at hand he sets about fathering a son but is once again forced to fight for his country. On his return Margeurite informs him that she has been raped by Jacques and now the only way he can get justice is a trial by combat. Because god says the righteous can never lose.....

He can get justice. Not her. Him. It's all about him. His pain. His disgrace. His name tarnished. In the 14th century women existed to create sons for men like him. Weddings were transactional, wives were property and Ridley Scott's new film never ever shies from the horrors of medieval life for women. It's a story told in three acts, the same story from each viewpoint. The first is the truth according to Jean, then Jacques and finally Margeurite. There's subtle and not so subtle differences between all three but every difference is telling, each speaking to the mindset of the point of view we are seeing them through. Scott flits through the timelines ensuring we rarely have the see the same things repeatedly, except the pivotal moment itself, the rape scene, a gruelling act of violence we see perpetrated on Margeurite twice. It's not exploited but it's tough going each time and thankfully it's never played ambiguously, it's a violation. In the eyes of Jacques though it's only a violation of property.

Each chapter was written respectively by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Nicole Holofcener and it's her chapter that really gets to the crux of the story, toxic masculinity and the problems it breeds regarding expectation and privilege. Earlier moments shown to be charming are really shown to be predatory, facts become lies and embellishment, glances bring fear not enjoyment. A trial where the victim is painted as a harlot and a seductress shows how far society has not come in 700 years in regards to it's treatment of women. Now we have politicians, priests and respected members of the community lining up to shake a rapist's hand. Back then the victim could be burned at the stake if the accused was found not guilty. We'll watch this and shake our heads at the horror of it all while knowing that not much has changed at all. #Metoo

The duel of the title? It certainly lives up to it's name and reminds us of how good Scott has always been at depicting the crunching physicality of medieval warfare. People will complain that it's gruelling, graphic brutality pushes Comer out of the way in the film's final act but it once again proves the film's ultimate point - to it's detriment, society will always care more about the plight of "wronged" men than anyone else. It was true 700 years ago and painfully, it's still true now.

The Last Duel is in cinemas now. It's a powerful watch but jesus it's tough going. Be warned.

Midnight Mass

A couple of weeks back twitter was buzzing with talk of Mike Flanagan's latest horror series for Netflix. I had watched a few episodes of his Haunting Of Hill House show a few years back and hated it so had no interest in watching this at all. Of course twitter being twitter the spoilers were flying and eventually I'd heard so much about the show I didn't feel the need to watch it.

At 7pm this evening I got the urge to watch something creepy and realising my failing brain had forgotten the spoilers I'd read I popped on ep1 of Midnight Mass, fully expecting to nope out after 20 minutes.

As always with the best TV I come in way behind the pack.

4 and a half hours later its still on. It's fantastic stuff. A story about a small island community and two men who arrive on the same day. One a disgraced prodigal son returned after 4 years in jail for vehicular manslaughter and the other, a new catholic priest sent by the diocese to cover for the regular PP who's fallen ill. It's a strange place, insular, everyone knows everyone else and their business. There's secrets, there's grudges, there's some very very religious folk who look down their noses at others. And now there's something else, something odd, something that really doesn't like the feral community of cats on the island.

It's great stuff, slowburning with a horrible sense of dread and carried by fantastic acting from familiar faces like Annabeth Gish, Zach Gilford, Kristin Lehman and Elliot himself, ET's best buddy, Henry Thomas, as some of the inhabitants of the town we get to know. If you've read much Stephen King you might get a familiar feel as Flanagan lets us get to know the town, how it's people live and interact, some of the everyday darkness lurking underneath before he pulls the rug out from under us ever so slowly.......

The only problem now is being able to turn it off and not watching it until 3am. Hmmmm.

Halloween Kills (your spirit)

 #Evildiestonight

Halloween's new hashtag.

Ya, but it doesn't though does it. The fact that we know there's another film coming renders that hashtag pointless.

Michael Myers has survived again. Quelle surprise.

He leaves the fiery trap that the last film ended on and walks out into a garden full of firemen who he decimates with a prying bar and a consaw. 

Everyone thinks that the Fast and Furious franchise heading into space was the stupidest thing you'll see in a film all year.

Ha.

That was a sad ha by the way. 

The 11th Halloween film will make you sad. In so many ways.

Sad at the waste of talent.

Sad at the dearth of originality in mainstream horror cinema.

Sad about the fact that series figurehead Jamie Lee Curtis spends 50% of the film unconscious and most of the rest of the time lying in bed talking sadly to the dude from Armageddon.

Sad that an interesting director like David Gordon Green has been reduced to this.

Sad that Donald Pleasance's corpse has been dug up once again.

Sad that John Carpenter's masterpiece is once again being pissed on from a great height.

Sad that Michael Myers definitely has carpal tunnel syndrome from all the stabbing he's done over the past 43 years.

Sad that the writers of this film think so little of their audience.

Sad that that Jim Cummings who wrote Thunder Road and The Wolf Of Snow Hollow gets wiped out after 30 seconds of screentime.

Sad that it's shamelessly crowbarred in attempt at social commentary will make you want to punch yourself in the face repeatedly.

Sad that a film that calls itself horror isn't remotely scary.

Sad that idiots being gutted left, right and centre has somehow become boring.

Sad that you had to read this.

Sad that I wasted time writing it.

Sad.

Loads of people get murdered. Some with axes, others with the old reliable kitchen knife, others with bulbs, one even gets his eyes gouged out. It earns it's 18 cert easily. But at the end of it nothing has changed. Except your self respect.

Ugh.

 

16 films on TV this week that you need in your eyes

Mona Lisa   Sat   16/10   Talking Pictures TV @ 21.00

An ex criminal gets work driving a call girl from job to job and finds himself swiftly disgusted by the sordid things he sees playing out in London's black underbelly. Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson are fantastic in a dark blend of love story and crime drama and surprisingly enough there's even a few laughs in here too to leaven the harshness. It's well directed by Neil Jordan as always and a chance to see the vile side of Michael Caine.

Bobby   Sat   16/10   TG4 @ 21.40

June the 5th, 1968. Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy is about to give a speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after being selected to run for president. His night doesn't end well. This ensemble piece from director Emilio Estevez is all about the people working in the hotel that night and it's a well put together history lesson packed with famous faces like Helen Hunt, Laurence Fishburne, Anthony Hopkins, Freddy Rodriguez, Sharon Stone and many more.

Crawl   Sat   16/10   Film4 @ 23.20

Florida's about to get hit with a massive hurricane and Haley's father still hasn't left his house. She goes to find him but find him but instead finds their town flooded and the floodwaters full of alligators. Hungry alligators. Alexandre Aja's 2019 creature feature is massively over the top but it's also hugely entertaining as woman takes on nature in a battle to the death. Kaya Scodelario does well as our heroine.

Stanley & Iris   Sun   17/10   RTE1 @ 01.45

Tragedy has made Iris decide to never love again. Stanley is a bloke who's never taken a chance with love. Can you see where it's all is headed? A cliched plotline aside it's a nice, warm, gentle, intimate watch that doesn't condescend to it's audience or rely on mawkish drama. Jane Fonda and Robert De Niro are perfect as a mismatched pair tiptoeing around each other. Record and keep for the long, dark nights ahead.

Bronson   Sun   17/10   Great! Movies Action @ 22.55

Charles Bronson. No not that Charles Bronson. This Charles Bronson was once Britain's most dangerous prisoner and he liked nothing better than taking prison guards hostage in his cell. Here is his story. Before Tom Hardy became Hollywood's king of mumbles he used to make interesting films and this gripping crime drama from 2008 was one of them. It's a unique look at a very unique individual.

Young Ahmed   Sun   17/10   BBC4 @ 23.30

A young Belgian teen finds himself under the influence of a man preaching religious extremism. Soon he's keeping family and friends at arms length and eventually comes up with a plan that may ruin his life. In 85 minutes the Dardenne brothers weave a captivating and quite terrifying story about the horrors of modern day life. Idir Ben Addi is a magnificent lead.

Enemy Mine   Mon   18/10   Talking Pictures TV @ 02.40

After a battle in the dodgy end of the galaxy two soldiers find themselves stranded on a hostile planet. One of them is a man. The other is an alien. Both are mortal enemies. A diverting slice of 80's sci-fi here and one that eschews cheesiness and bombast (mostly). It tells a touching story and carries a hopeful message about trust and friendship. Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett Jr are both excellent in their parts.

Inside Man   Mon   18/10   TG4 @ 21.30

When a so called perfect bank robbery goes sideways, a cop, the robber and a power broker have to negotiate a way out of the problem to save lives. Spike Lee's twisty, turny thriller is an immensely enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours. Nothing is what it seems and if you haven't seen it before you won't have a clue how it will all end. Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen all hit the spot.

The Guilty   Tues   19/10   CH4 @ 01.55

Asger's job is to dispatch help to those who need it, be it an ambulance or a cop car or a fire brigade but the latest call he's answered will see him fighting against time to help the voice on the other end of the line all by himself. Remade recently and effectively for Netflix, this claustophobic thriller might have way more talk than action but you'll still be absolutely glued to it. Jakob Cedergren is a hell of an effective lead.

The Last King Of Scotland   Tues   19/10   Film4 @ 23.20

A young Scottish doctor played by James McEvoy finds himself wildly out of his depth when he begins working in Uganda and enters into a friendship with the infamous Idi Amin and suddenly his loyalties and principles are pushed to their breaking points. Forest Whitaker is masterful as Amin with his deservedly Oscar winning performance driving a film that's exciting, disgusting, funny and tense as hell. 

Ghost Stories   Wed   20/10   BBC2 @ 23.15

Professor Philip Goodman is skeptical about the supernatural and now he has three cases involving ghouls and ghosts to solve. Record this and keep it for Halloween night. A very potent trilogy of terror, especially for anyone who grew up in the 80's. A film that makes the mundane seem terrifying and the terrifying seem truly outlandish and one that's all cleverly tied together. Andy Nyman and Paul Whitehouse do strong work.

Men Of War   Thur   21/10   Great! Movies Action @ 00.40

A group of mercenaries are hired to clear an island full of precious resources of its natives so it can be strip mined. That's the plan anyway. From 1994 comes an action thriller written by the great John Sayles that was all but ignored on release but it's a film that deserves re-evaluation being full of nicely crafted bloody action and intriguing asides on human nature. Dolph Lundgren, Charlotte Lewis, BD Wong and Tiny Lister lead a decent cast.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes   Thur   21/10   Film4 @ 14.55

Lorelei and Dorothy are a pair of showgirls looking for love but only on their terms. They're on their way to Paris to be lusted over but someone's on Lorelei's tail, someone suspicious of her motives. A fun bit of screwball escapism that would have been considered surprisingly racy on release back in 1953. Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell and director Howard Hawks weave some memorable magic together.

Halloween   Thur   21/10   BBC4 @ 23.00

Michael Myers has escaped the psychiatric hospital he's spent his life in and he's heading home to finish what he started as a child. Laurie Strode is a babysitter who's night is about to get scary. John Carpenter's best known film is still a brilliantly effective watch 43 years after it's release. There's some serious suspense and some very effective scares here without the need to rub your face in blood and guts. Jamie Lee Curtis nails the part of Laurie, modern horror cinema's first scream queen.

Ulzana's Raid   Fri   22/10   TG4 @ 21.30

Ulzana, sick of mistreatment by the US government, has escaped from his reservation and him & his gang are murdering their way across the state of Arizona. Army Scout McIntosh is tasked with stopping him. Part of the raft of brutally dark Westerns made in the early 70's and influenced heavily by the Vietnam war this isn't easy going stuff but fine performances from Joaquín Martínez & Burt Lancaster will keep you watching until the credits roll.

Mom and Dad   Fri   22/10   The Horror Channel @ 22.50

Life in America is hard for kids and gets even harder when parents across the country start turning on them in a murderous rage and the Ryan family are about to have one of those days they might never forget. Nicholas Cage's manic performance rules the roost in a deliciously dark comedy horror that definitely will not be to the taste of most people but catch it in the right mood and you'll have a fun time. Selma Blair as Mrs Ryan adds to the chaos wonderfully.

Retweets are always appreciated. Thank you.

Venom : Let There Be Carnage

Venom : Let There Be Carnage is more entertaining than it's dull predecessor but that's the definition of damning something with weak praise. It's a fitfully funny watch driven by an entertainingly gonzo Tom Hardy performance but it's best actor (Michelle Williams) is once again painfully underused, it's bombastic ending is something you'll forget 30 minutes after you leave the cinema and worst of all it's PG-13 rating (a very very baffling 15 cert here) means it's title is an absolute lie. Carnage? Pah. Let There Be Mild Violence And One Use Of Strong Language more like.

Eddie Brock (Hardy), a San Francisco reporter, and Venom (Andy Serkis), the symbiotic alien living inside him are an odd couple. Eddie wants to lead a normal life but it's proving hard to do when you've a brain craving visitor from outer space sharing your body. Things are getting tense in this shared sack of meat and they get worse when a visit to a serial killer called Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), who's crimes are being investigated by Eddie, goes wrong and Cletus gets infected by a drop of Venom's blood. Now he's got his own symbiote called Carnage and both have some scores to settle.

The first Venom had some memorable moments (lobsters) but it's final act was mess, reeking of recutting and studio interference. That ain't the case here, with a nice low stakes story designed to fit into a 90 minute running time. Yup, 90 minutes, a comic book movie that for once won't give you a literal pain in the hoop. In those 90 minutes we get two love stories, one platonic (?) between Eddie and Venom and the other romantic, between Cletus and his life long amour Frances (Naomie Harris) who he breaks out of prison to reunite with. Surprisingly both relationships give to the film instead of taking from it, one adding domestic chaos, bonkers humour and some priceless internal monologuing, while the other manages to create an odd feeling of pathos for two psychopaths courtesy of a eerily animated slice of backstory.

All love stories need a bit of tension and this sequel gets it when Eddie and Venom part ways during after a particularly crazy scuffle and it's here we get the opportunity to spend a bit of time with the symbiote off doing his own thing, jumping from host to host, gatecrashing a party, becoming a hit on the underground scene. He's a fun creation to spend time with and yet another CGI character given life by wonderful voice work from Andy Serkis. This poor hulking alien carnivore, he's just misunderstood god help him.  Unlike Carnage. Carnage sucks. His motivations are never explained. He's fierce dull for an alien beastie who can shred a prison in seconds. He's yet another CGI bad guy in a field riddled with them. At least when he's Cletus you can laugh at his hair.

There's a lot to like about this film. Chickens called Sonny and Cher who started as a potential food source but became loved. Eddie and Venom's deal with local shopkeeper Mrs Chen (Peggy Lu) to keep them supplied with a vital resource. Hardy's face every time Venom goes off on a rant only he can hear is the kind of thing that would never not be funny. But so much of it is squandered too. That bleugh climax. The aforementioned Michelle Williams gets maybe 5 minutes of screentime as Eddie's ex Anne and only 30 seconds of those are worthwhile. Naomie Harris is almost equally underused. Venom himself, while fun, deserves a film where the character can really cut loose, his signature move is biting off bad guys heads after all. He needs a film away from the restraints of a family friendly rating. Deadpool got that freedom, so did Logan. Look at the box office megabucks they raked in. Why not Venom? Could it be about to tie into something even more family friendly..... stay in your seat to find out.

Venom : Let There Be Carnage is out in cinemas everywhere from today. 

Normality

There's 4 new films out in the cinema this Friday. Halloween Kills. Arracht. The Last Duel. Venom 2. It's been literally years since this happened.

Huge sci-fi makes a return next Friday with Denis Villeneuve's adaption of Dune.

The new Edgar Wright film Last Night In Soho comes out the 29th of October as well as the long awaited Antlers.

Then Marvel returns on the 5th of November with The Eternals which is always a sign of confidence in cinemas.

A NEW CLINT EASTWOOD WESTERN - CRY MACHO. Cannot fucking wait for the 12th of November.

Then more Marvel with Spiderman and then the new Matrix film in December.

I dunno folks, it's starting to feel like things are coming back to normal in the world of movies. Blockbuster movies at least.

It's not much in the bigger scale of things but it's enough to give you a much needed buzz.

Leave it in the past

I'm watching a vampire comedy film on youtube called Love At First Bite starring George Hamilton as Dracula. Years ago I taped this off the TV and me and my brother watched it over and over again and loved it so as part of the #31daysofhorror viewing challenge for October (which I'm failing miserably at btw) I decided to revisit it.

The films you love as a child are, with rare exceptions, shite. This one ain't an exception. I've somehow blocked out all the badness and turned one funny moment into my entire memory of the film. It's so bad I can't stop watching it. 

Help me.