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marc-hollis
Reviews
The Black Gloves (2017)
Black and White triumph!!
From the opening titles, filmed in black and white, this film grabs you by your scary bone and never lets it go. More psychological and inferred scares than out and out in your face jumps and shocks, it slowly builds to a gut-wrenching finale where we a re re-introduced (or introduced for the first time, as it is kind of a prequel) to our friend The Owlman, a creature of such dread and horror, he will surely go down in the annals of monsters in fims in years to come. With his clawed hands, and otherworldly appearance, he stalks the stately home in the remote Scottish highlands, and no doubt the future dreams of all who watch this, and its unchronological sequel, Lord Of Tears. He pops up in shadow, and out of the corners of the eyes of our protagonists, and never fully reveals the true horror of his dread purpose and appearance until almost the end of the film. But it is worth the wait. Featuring the wonderful talents of Lexi Hulme and Jamie Scott Gordon (who was so powerful and haunting in Brewster and Daly's last film The Unkindness Of Ravens) and set in Baldurrock House in the Scottish Highlands, the remote setting and claustrophobic feel created by the black & white photography, really add to the all-pervading feel of doom and dread through which our Owlman prowls with sinister intent. Macarena Gomez, stars as the dememnted ballet teacher, trying to rebuild the confidence and career of a prima ballerina (Huime), somewhat over zealously. Hulme shows such innocence and fragility in one moment, and is boistrous and coquettish the next, it is hard to determine who out of the two is most damaged. Into this mix comes Gordon's psychologist, fresh from his own version of hell, after losing a patient at the hands of her deranged uncle, he sets out to redeem himself by trying to cure Elisa (Hulme) of her stage fright. Little by little, the madness that is inherant in the very walls of the house spreads to all concerned, bringing murder, decapitation and the aforementioned Owlman to a masterful and bloody conclusion. Dircted with panache and a real feel for the noire films that this draws so heavily upon by Lawrie Brewster, and with a soundtrack so evocative and creepy contributed by Joni Fuller, what you have here is a throwback to an age when scares were more in the mind and just out of view of the eye, rather than full-on total blood-bath crazy of todays horror movies. A welcome change to sit through and an immensely enjoyable trip back in time. Don't miss this. It is a real feast for the senses.
The Unkindness of Ravens (2016)
The Unkindness of Ravens is greatness of Ravens.
I knew what to expect, having seen teaser trailers of this film on the Kickstarter page, to which l pledged my money and got my frights. I also did the same with these guys first film "Lord Of Tears" and second time around they have really notched up the terror tenfold. The images come thick and fast like a nightmare you cannot wake from, and the unease that pervades the whole film is testament to the craft and skill of Lawrie and Sarah in the choice of actors and brilliant script, and the settings, costumes and effects all add to the feeling of doom they were surely going for. The ravens morph into man-sized denizens of evil and torment our hero almost to death. I do not want to give anything away in case some people have not seen this and want to (l highly recommend you do by the way) but suffice it to say it was the most unsettling film l have seen all year, and will ever see l think. Fans of good psychological horror films will love this and rightly so. It is a tour-de-force, and l cannot wait for film 3 from Hex Media.
Lord of Tears (2013)
Lord Of Tears: A film of originality and real dread
I saved watching this DVD (I pledged and got an advance copy, wrapped beautifully in black rafia paper with a single, solitary owl feather (the reference will become clear later) a real Gothic halloween present!) until I was alone and in a suitably dimly lit bedroom, as this is the most optimum atmosphere in which to immerse oneself in this glorious slice of dark horror. I had heard of the plans to make this film, through Sarah Daly (singer/songwriter of Metaphorest fame) and Lawrie Brewster, her partner in all things and their need for pledgers to help fund it. This seems the way to go for independent film makers these days, and I must say it works well, as pledgers get to see the finished film before any cinema release and plus get some cool collectors items into the bargain, like T-Shirts, soundtrack CD's as part of a double pack combi (my own particular purchase) and downloads of production booklets, chronicling the day to day making of the film and interviews/ photographs and storyboards. Well worth my money and patience. And I was not disappointed!
The story revolves around James, a haunted schoolteacher, who underwent some very traumatic events in his childhood, which resulted in his separation from his Mother and his family home. Upon his Mother's death, he inherits the old family home, a brooding mansion in the Scottish highlands, the scene of his childhood trauma. A letter from his departed Mother warns him: "Do not return there" which, after a few tortured dreams in preceding nights, he chooses to ignore. He takes leave from his teaching position and travels there to try to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding his childhood and the dreams he is now having, of a tall, Owl-Headed man with elongated arms and claws for hands. When he arrives, he meets Evie (beautifully portrayed by Lexy Hulme) an American with wanderlust who dreams of living in Paris, and regales him of words in French that there are no English translations for. The pair quickly become friends, and she sets out to help him in his investigations into his past saying "I love a good mystery". She lives in the converted stables adjacent to the mansion, but more and more she seems to take up residence in the mansion with him, and in a couple of dream sequences, comes to his room, scantily clad, sits upon his bed and after uttering "Let me take care of you", morphs into the aforementioned Owlman. James' dreams become more and more tortuous and some of them even spill over into his waking life, as he slowly starts to unravel, seeing the Owlman everywhere, and hearing his voice all the time. He cannot decide if it is a dream or real, and this starts to unhinge him, making him question his sanity. Alongside this story is the tale of Allen, whose Father is dying, and who sometimes pops up in James' vividly horrific dreams. And with the mysterious Evie still helping and beguiling in equal measure (one particular sequence where she dances very coquettishly while James sits in a chair, watching and unwittingly part of the dance, was a real joy to behold, and another in a swimming pool where she flounces in, all Dita Von Teese-like and joins James in a play water fight) the mystery deepens and finally comes to a gloriously strange and frightening conclusion, when it turns out that Evie is not who she says she is and a new nightmare for James begins.
I don't want to give too much away for those who have not seen it, and wish to do so, but suffice to say, that plot development, and the final twist, make this film uncommon amongst bigger budgeted American so- called "Horror" films in that the dread and suspense, the cutting of the dream sequences in particular, and the soundtrack music (ably and beautifully supplied by writer Sarah Daly) all combine to make it a most lavish and truly frightening cinematic experience.
It goes on release on October 25th at the Bram Stoker International Film Festival and I would urge you to try and see it. I can only see it snowballing and gathering pace to become a true cult classic. Alternatively you can buy it on DVD and Blu-Ray at lordoftears.com and also purchase T-shirts depicting the Owlman in a great range of suitably Gothic colours.
Finally I must say that this is a film that will stay with me long after it has ended, and its echoes will follow me down many sleepy tunnels, fueling nightmares of my own, and to me, that is its biggest compliment, as I do not scare easily.
Bravo Sarah, Lawrie and HEX Media for producing a real gem of contemporary British Horror