Reviews

'Saw VI', in my opinion, is incredibly underrated. It's basically a two-parter with 'Saw V', and, like every good two-parter, everything comes to an exciting boil here, aided by Kevin Greutert's solid direction and enjoyable plotting from Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton.

The story is fast-paced and the "game" at the centre serves as a compelling, mini revenge narrative in itself - John Kramer enacting retribution from beyond the grave. The traps are all creative and relevant to the game's main player, and the flashbacks add weight to proceedings.

All the stuff with Mark Hoffman and his attempts to finish Jigsaw's master plan make for entertaining viewing as well. The noose tightens gradually as he receives mysterious threats and the investigation makes a breakthrough, with the audiolab voice unscrambling scene a series highlight as Hoffman slaughters those who discover his identity in savage fashion.

Then we hit the final 10 minutes and are greeted by what is essentially a triple twist; the rug being pulled from under us multiple times before we even get a chance to stand back up! The flashbacks with Amanda and Hoffman, Jill armed with a modified reverse bear trap, the "it's not my game"... all awesome to watch unfold, and the cross-cutting between them is expertly done. I'd argue that the ending of 'Saw VI' is as good as the first one for shock value and dramatic impact, and the editing of the final reel with the iconic music playing is just masterful; gives me chills every time.

Overall, I love 'Saw VI'. I'm a huge fan of the series in general, but this instalment is immensely satisfying, triggering some of the same joys and thrills that the original one provided. Hoffman screaming with half is jaw hanging off after cleverly escaping that modified reverse bear trap is one heck of an image to conclude on.

9/10.

By coming in at just under two hours, you knew 'Saw X' would change up the formula somewhat. Previous entries have had a story (and unlike most, I actually enjoy them) - and no matter how convoluted they may seem or get, by this point I've rewatched them to the point I have an encyclopaedic knowledge - but this one is more character-focused and straightforwardly structured.

I liked the revenge angle. John Kramer may have a demented philosophy in the way he "rehabilitates" bad people, but underneath all the engineering and gore is a worthy goal at least. Here Jigsaw is the victim, and goes to extreme lengths to make those people pay. It was a neat idea to make the traps relevant to the victims in some way whilst also keeping them medically linked. Each trap had purpose - and was appropriately gruesome.

Tobin Bell puts in a great performance. He has the most screen time here than in any of the other Saw films, but he holds himself admirably even in some of the most demanding physical and emotional moments. Having Amanda by his side worked well, fleshing out their working relationship and showcasing a bond that has grown between them.

And of course there's a trademark twist ending to wrap everything up. I didn't see it coming so was pleasantly surprised, and the iconic theme music is always welcome. Overall, this proved a worthy addition to the franchise. The focus on a purposeful story was good, the production design is yet again faultless, and there's enough gleefully nasty gory bits to satisfy longtime fans. Make sure you stay for an awesome mid-credits scene too!

8/10.

James Wan's debut film - and first of many collaborations with writer/supporting actor Leigh Whannell - is an expertly assembled horror puzzle that has a compelling mystery, creative traps, and excellent editing.

Charlie Clouser's masterfully varied soundscape ranges from dark and grungy to creepy and atmospheric, before he unleashes one of cinema's most iconic compositions right at the end.

The story lures you down an intricately designed path then stings you with one of the all-time great movie twists, culminating with a montage that's just as memorable as the music that fuels it. The door slam and "GAME OVER" followed by those agonising screams going into the credits is such a satisfying conclusion I won't soon forget.

'Saw' is brutal, but in a way it's the suggestion of violence and off-screen mutilation that makes it seem worse than it is, closely following in David Fincher's 'Seven' in that regard, because it's not nearly as gory as it's reputation would suggest - it's the tone that lends the movie its power. Even so, the traps are original and the focus on a ticking clock builds tension and sustains it nicely.

Overall, 'Saw' proves that time has not diluted its edge. James Wan shows some real skill for an upcoming filmmaker with many great shot choices, whilst Leigh Whannell demonstrates his talent for storytelling with a cleverly constructed mystery that has exhilarating and chilling payoffs. Definitely top tier horror that remains a favourite.

9/10.

Do people become evil? Or are they always just evil? 'Halloween Ends' might not thoroughly explore everything it brings up, but at least it poses interesting questions. Plus I liked how this final film in the trilogy actually focused on themes like trauma, guilt, obsession, and transformation, and wasn't just an exercise in mindless violence.

The focus on a new character like Corey might polarise some viewers, but I actually thought it was well done. In the title credits sequence, attentive viewers will notice the pumpkin transforming (and not without purpose), like a mask hiding something underneath; something with layers. This hints at what's to come...

Corey's dark path leads him to a weakened Michael Myers, and I liked how it shows that killing seemingly gives the notoriously unstoppable "shape" his power. Murder strengthens him, fuels his bloodlust, and makes him close to immortal when up against guns and blades. This at least makes the previous entry, 'Halloween Kills', seem a little more purposeful, considering most of that runtime consisted of gratuitous violence.

'Halloween Ends' is methodically paced to the point that the iconic villain isn't seen for most of the first half, nor is there much gory spectacle until the final act, but I think it's balanced quite nicely, allowing the story to engage with themes it could easily and miserably skipped over in favour of giving gorehounds what they came for.

Overall, some savage deaths, a pleasing synth score from Carpenter, and a satisfactory ending help make this 'Halloween' a worthwhile watch.

7/10.

Lot 36:

Brutally underrated in my opinion. Great performances, impeccable production design, and a chilling finale help make this a strong start to Guillermo del Toro's horror anthology series.

8.5/10

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Graveyard Rats:

Anyone who's played the video game 'A Plague Tale' will know that hordes of rats can be scary, so it's no surprise that getting stuck in rodent-made tunnels under a cemetery is ripe material for a horror story.

It soon becomes a case of throwing anything at the canvas and seeing what sticks in the latter half, but 'Graveyard Rats' doesn't outstay its welcome, there's a sprinkling of dark humour here and there, and the protagonist's tenacity is admirable in the face of all the crazy, disturbing stuff that unfolds, overall making this highly entertaining.

8/10.

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The Autopsy:

Mysterious, well-crafted, and chilling, 'The Autopsy' patiently builds towards the most horrifying depiction of cosmic horror I think I've ever seen. Excellent episode.

9/10

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The Outside:

Splice a bit of 'Videodrome', 'The Stuff', and 'The Neon Demon' together and this is near enough the result. The message is clear, I just wasn't a fan of the direction this went about two thirds in. Great central performance though.

6/10

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Pickman's Model:

Ben Barnes and Crispin Glover star in this Lovecraftian tale that's based on one of the author's short stories. Barnes is particularly impressive as an artist fighting madness while the paintings are fantastic for their dark and chilling detail of otherworldly horrors.

7.5/10.

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Dreams in the Witch House:

This short story adaptation lacks any kind of scares or atmosphere, and crucially misses the Lovecraftian essence necessary to make the narrative work as it seems determined to veer away from the source material. It's saved by good production design so it's at least nice to look at, while it's good to see Rupert Grint in a different kind of role, but this is definitely the weakest episode so far.

5.5/10

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The Viewing:

Give Panos Cosmatos an hour to play with and he'll revel in every second of bringing his distinct style to the screen. His pacing won't be to everyone's tastes, but when his aesthetic choices are this good it's difficult to have anything but admiration for the pleasurable sights and sounds within. Suffice to say, 'The Viewing' is Lovecraft via psychedelia, full of entrancing darksynth soundscapes and gorgeous otherworldly visuals heightened by saturated colours and dreamlike camera filters before dishing out gore and death.

8.5/10

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The Murmuring:

Andrew Lincoln and Essie Davis deliver terrific, sympathetic performances as a grieving, bird-watching couple in this solid ghost story. Offers nothing original, but it's well-told and thematically engaging.

8/10

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Overall, this has been a very good anthology series. The production design has been of a consistent high standard, many great directors were involved, and I've liked Guillermo del Toro's introductions to each episode.

Bringing back original characters was logical given Haddonfield's history, and having them rally a vigilante mob to stop Michael Myers' reign of terror once and for all is a worthy direction to take the narrative. But the chaos that evolves from their hearty cries of "EVIL DIES TONIGHT!" is somewhat unconvincing. It all feels rushed and shallow and lacking palpable emotion to drive it onwards.

The flashbacks failed to justify their existence, particularly as they revolved around an unimportant side character and served to highlight the common mistake of letting Myers live when the chance is there to kill him. The structure was unusual, especially at the beginning, and incorporating these scenes from the past with a fake Donald Pleasance didn't add anything of value to the present story.

This brings us to the legendary villain himself... Michael Myers has always been ruthless, stalking with precision and murdering with chilling apathy. But here he displays an appetite for sadistic slaughter and creating gruesome tableaus from corpses that don't fit his character. In a trashy slasher sequel from the 80s, these kills would be gloriously brutal and most welcome, but in the middle chapter of a Halloween revival they just feel bloodthirsty for the sake of it when story and character should be taking priority. The idea that Michael is "transcending" with each kill he commits and is gaining some kind of immortal power is an interesting one, but we'll have to wait and see if this is followed up on - and pays off - in Halloween Ends.

Overall, Halloween Kills is a mixed bag of good and poor. A better execution of the ideas and less of the dumb decision-making from characters in danger or in advantageous positions might have made it a good horror film, but, as typically befalls a modern slasher, there's too many eye-rolling moments and not enough satisfying ones. The revamped/upgraded score from John Carpenter and co. Was probably the best part of this gory sequel.

5.8/10.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a very misguided slasher sequel that splatters the screen with blood and guts while paving the way for a host of idiotic moves.

It was such an unnecessary and ill-advised decision to bring back the original film's protagonist, Sally Hardesty. The filmmakers clearly attempted what the recent Halloween "requel" did - but failed miserably. They end up turning a resilient survivor into a stupid, vengeful hillbilly who apparently had been waiting 50 years for a chance at payback? Leatherface has been doing bugger all (apparently) for decades, so you're best chance is probably to catch him off guard when he's not pissed off while his trusty chainsaw is buried behind his bedroom wall...

Also, one of the female characters has a poorly handled arc: a victim of a school shooting who understandably shudders at the mere touch of a gun suddenly (within the space of half hour) begins wielding one! Just do away with the pointless backstory. It served no purpose.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is filled with messy moments like this - from characterisation to storytelling - and it's frustrating and lazy in equal measure. Like how characters receive fatal injuries and inexplicably revive 10 minutes later (cue eye roll) only to die a few minutes after that. I'm disappointed to see the likes of Fede Álvarez involved here. He's proven he's way better than this.

Finally, the bus bloodbath is a glorious bit of chainsaw savagery when taken as an individual scene (and forgetting the lame attempt to incorporate some social media commentary), but it's an example of why this film is all gore and no horror. The original has barely any on-screen violence and is terrifying for its simplicity, but this is often sadistic for the sake of it, and severely lacking in imagination where true horror is concerned - a typical modern slasher that's a far cry from the subgenre's glory days.

4/10.

Third act problems curtail the likeablility of this French film; which is a shame, because it gets into a good, confident stride in the early stages with its well-drawn characters and plausible story developments before it stumbles at the end.

It's primarily a drama that skirts the fringes of horror for the majority of the runtime, but it couldn't resist plunging into full-on horror territory in the last third, rushing the lead character's arc into a corner that holds no redemption (feeding a dog to hungry insects out of desperation and greed is not okay).

Plus the behaviour of the locusts was questionable in the latter stages as well. I'm no expert, but how the swarm acted didn't seem right (drunk on blood or not) so it all felt a bit hokey once they escaped.

Overall, the first hour or so was great in its construction and pacing, but the writers became too eager to deliver typical horror thrills rather than let things play out more organically once the threat was established.

6/10.

Sam Peckinpah's 'Straw Dogs' functions as a robust, well-paced thriller, but as a character study, I honestly believe it's a fascinating and calculated masterpiece. It develops an air of dread from the off and then expertly applies tension between characters before exploding into a violent and cathartic final act.

Dustin Hoffman puts in an incredible, layered performance as David Sumner: an American who's moved to an unwelcoming English countryside village with his wife Amy. I feel you could analyse everything he says, all his mannerisms, and even his minor actions, and later understand that his transformative outburst at the end wasn't shocking, but inevitable; a simmering rage that was always there, but further stoked by the locals as well as occasional frustrations with Amy.

A lot can be gained from the subtext or in the insinuating glances between characters. You watch intently, and you get rewarded come the conclusion. And it's often the little things that have big impacts - the ones easy to miss or overlook - like when Amy is being attacked by the mentally deficient Henry and screams for "Charlie" (ex-boyfriend and recent rapist) instead of her husband... or when David is in a scuffle with the last villain on the stairs after just killing Charlie with the bear trap, and you can't quite be sure whether Amy is going to shoot David or the bad guy...

There's many more moments worth dissecting, including the complicated rape scene(s), but I'll leave it there. Overall, 'Straw Dogs' is a meticulously crafted psychological thriller and an excellent piece of filmmaking in general; a movie that gently accelerates into a rising storm and doesn't look back. A must watch.

10/10.