Saturday, September 27, 2025

Clown in a Cornfield(2025) Movie Review



Trailer here.

Clown in a Cornfield is a 2025 horror movie directed by Eli Craig and starring Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Will Sasso and Kevin Durand.

The film begins in 1991 with a girl who is playing with a jack in the box. A clown pops out. She runs into the cornfield and gets attacked by something. Her boyfriend follows her and sees her bleeding. He gets killed by a clown. Cut to present day in Kettle Springs. Dr. Glenn Maybrook(Abrams) is moving to Kettle Springs with his daughter Quinn(Douglas). He is the new doctor in the town. There is an old creepy factory called the Baymen Corn Syrup Company which got burned down. A teen called Rust meets Quinn. He is a local and he is a little odd. He walks her to school where she meets the cool kids. They are Janet,Tucker, Matt, Ronnie and Cole(Carson MacCormac). She slots into their friend ground easily.


It's Founders Day in Kettle Springs. The group have a YouTube channel about a killer clown, Frendo.  Glenn meets the local Sheriff Dunne(Sasso). Quinn heads off to hang out with the cool gang. We discover that Quinn's mother died of an overdose and that is why they moved away.  Cole confesses that his sister died too and then they kiss. Glenn isn't happy about it. Tucker sees a clown at the front door. He sees a jack in the box in his house. The clown kills him. Cole's dad, Arthur(Durand) is the mayor of the town. He makes a speech at the Founder's Day parade. Someone wrecks the parade. Sheriff Dunne thinks that Cole and his gang did it. He throws them in jail. Matt is the next to find a jack in the box. The clown comes for him next.


Cole gives Quinn a jack in the box. They meet Rust who is hunting. He warns Quinn to be careful.  Cole takes her to a party where they meet Janet and Ronnie. They wonder where Matt and Tucker are. Cole and Quinn are getting closer but it doesn't happen. Something is up with Cole. A girl comes out of the cornfield. She is covered in blood. Everyone thinks that it is a gag. Matt's head comes flying out of the corn. They all realise that it is no joke. Frendo is coming for them all. Rust shoots at the clown and hits him. Quinn goes to take his mask off to see who it is. There are more than one. Lots of clowns emerge from the cornfield.


It seems as if all the adults in town are in on it. The doctor sees that Quinn is not at homeand he searches for her. The others are hiding from the clowns. Glenn gets caught by the clowns and they want him to help with the clown who was shot.  Rust meets the gang and he sets up a trap for the clowns. The group are going to call the police. They flag down a police car. Sheriff Dunne arrests Cole. The three girls have to reach a house with a phone. The clowns are after them. Janet gets killed by one of them. Glenn stabs one of the clowns in the neck. Quinn and Cole get caught by the clowns.  Mayor Hill is the leader of the clown gang. He tells them that he wants to keep the town old style. He hates the new generation. He will kill his own son. He reveals that he burned down the factory. He wants Cole gone. Glenn drives in and kills two clowns. The Sheriff is after Quinn. She ends up killing him. Rust saves Cole and they kiss. It turns out that they are gay(where did that come from?). The clowns are dead except one and they hit that with the car as they are driving away. The movie ends with Quinn leaving for college. There is a jack in the box in her car, but she tosses it away.

I was disappointed with this film. It didn't deliver. It was obvious that the town were in on it and it just felt silly when I heard their motive for the killings. The kids in it were obnoxious and I didn't care if they lived or died. It just wasn't anything special and I felt let down by it. I was looking forward to it but I wouldn't watch it again. I will give it a 4/10.

Friday, September 19, 2025

Orca (1977) Movie Review




Trailer here.

Orca is a 1977 thriller directed by Michael Anderson and starring Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson, Bo Derek and Robert Carradine.

A ship is at sea. They spot a shark and they want to capture it A diver falls into the water and a shark is coming. An orca kills it. A woman called Rachel Bedford(Rampling) is giving a lecture on the orca.She is an expert on them. In Newfoundland, a man called Nolan(Harris) is trying to catch an orca. He shoots a female and catches it but they end up killing it and it was pregnant. The male is upset. They throw the baby into the sea. The male orca is after them. It hits the boat. The crew try to move the dead female into the sea. The orca kills one of Nolan's crew. The other orcas mourn the dead female. Nolan contacts Rachel and she tells him that the orca has followed him.


A man called Jacob(Sampson) shows up. He is a hunter. He tells Nolan that the whale will remember what he did to the female. The orca sinks a boat. The local fishermen aren't happy. The fish are being scared away. Rachel tells Nolan that the orca wants to fight him in the sea. Nolan tries to draw it in. He says that he understands the whale's pain. He lost his wife and baby when they died in a drunk driver accident. The orca causes more destruction. The locals want Nolan to kill it. He decides to face it. Rachel warns him not to do it.


The orca is waiting. Orca destroys Nolan's house. It bites off the leg of his friend. Nolan is ready to fight. Rachel goes with him and Jacob does too. The orca is ready to go. It leads them to a certain spot where there is ice. Everyone is nervous. One of the crew gets knocked into the water and killed. Nolan hits it with a harpoon. Jacob is the next to die as ice falls on him. The ship hits an iceberg and starts to sink. The orca strands Nolan on a piece of ice. Nolan slips into the water and the orca kills him. Rachel is left and the orca goes on its way, having satisfied its revenge.


This was a fun film with an impressive cast. I was actually on the side of the orca here. It was right to want vengeance! There were some good scenes in this one and creature 
features are always enjoyable! This is entertaining and well worth your time. I will give it a 5/10.

Saturday, September 6, 2025

Brainscan Movie Review




Trailer here.

Brainscan is a 1994 horror/sci-fi movie directed by John Flynn and starring Edward Furlong, Frank Langella, T. Ryder Smith and Amy Hargreaves.

Michael(Furlong) is a teen who lives on his own when his father is away for work. His mother died in a car crash and his leg was mangled. He has nightmares about it. He likes loud music, horror movies and video games. He gets into trouble at school for showing his horror movies to others in a group so the principal tells him that if he wants to show anything in the future, he will have to give it to him and he will see if it is suitable. Michael has a best friend called Kyle(Jamie Marsh) and he tells Michael about a new game called Brainscan. Michael doesn't think that it will be anything great but he orders it.

 
Michael spends his time spying on his neighour, Kimberly(Hargreaves). She knows that he is watching her. Kyle wants to play Brainscan but Michael insists on trying it first. He has to call a number to get the game. Meanwhile, there is a murder in the neighbourhood. Michael sees the police there, led by Detective Hayden(Langella). He tells Michael to go home and stop looking at the crime scene. Michael receives the first disc of the game. He starts it. The first stage is that he has to think like a killer and see a murder. He is instructed by a voice which tells him that he has to break into a house and kill a man. He is told to take the guys foot as a trophy. Michael wakes up from the game and thinks that it was intense. 


He tells Kyle about it. Michael finds out that there was a murder for real and it is exactly the same as the killing in the game. He goes to the crime scene and meets Detective Hayden again. The cop sends him away. Michael searches for the severed foot and he finds it in the fridge, He calls the Brainscan phone number but it isn't available. The game calls him. He asks the person on the phone what it going on. A man comes out of the game. He is called the Trickster(Smith). He tells Michael that he committed the crime himself. He tells him that there was a witness and he has to kill them. Michael takes the foot into the woods and tries to bury it. A dog discovers it and runs off with it. Michael gets it back and buries it.


Kyle calls to see him and he wants the Brainscan game. Michael refuses. The Trickster appears again. He wants him to play the second disc. Michael says that he is going to the police but he ends up playing the game again. This time, he films himself. He wakes up and he watches the video. He sees himself leaving and he finds a bloody trophy in the fridge once again. Kim calls to see if he is ok. The Trickster comes back and tells him that Kyle knew things about him and he could have been dangerous. Mike is upset as he has killed his best friend. Hayden calls to see him. He is suspicious. The Trickster gives him another cd and tells him to watch it and find a clue that he missed.


Hayden finds some burnt stuff in the fireplace and he takes it with him. Michael plays the game again. He goes to the crime scene to find something that he left behind. The police are there and Trickster diverts them so that Michael can look. The principal catches Michael and he is going to get the police but he gets killed before that can happen. Michael runs off. The Trickster wants him to kill Kimberly next. Michael doesn't want to. He decides to turn himself in but doesn't. He goes to Kimberly but can't kill her. Trickster shows up and he tries to stab him. Trickster swallows Michael. He becomes evil and he is going to kill Kimberly when she tells him that she loves him and that she has been watching him too. Trickster comes out of him. Hayden shows up and shoots Michael.

Michael wakes up. The game wasn't real. He meets Kyle and they go to a party. He looks for Kimberly and he asks her out. She says maybe. They kiss. Michael goes to see the principal at school. He gives him Brainscan so he can look at it. Trickster appears and he laughs. The film ends with the dog bringing the severed foot from earlier to Michael's house.
This film was okay. I didn't think that it was very good really. Furlong didn't show any acting skills at all. The whole thing just didn't work for me. The idea was pretty good but the execution was not. I was disappointed. I will give this a 4/10.

Friday, August 29, 2025

Who Saw Her Die?Movie Review



Trailer here.

Who Saw Her Die? is a 1972 giallo movie directed by Aldo Lado and starring George Lazenby and Anita Strindberg.

The film begins in France in 1968. A child wanders off on her own into the woods. A figure takes her and kills her. She is buried in the snow. Someone in a black veil murdered her. Cut to Venice in 1972.  A father is waiting for his daughter, Roberta. She is arriving in Venice. Her father is Franco(Lazenby) and her mother is Elizabeth(Strindberg). Franco is a sculptor. A black veiled person is watching Roberta. A man called Serafian(Adolfo Celi) sells Franco's pieces for him. He gives Roberta a present of a necklace. The mysterious black veiled person is watching. Franco meets a woman called Gabriella and he leaves Roberta outside with the other children. He has sex and forgets his daughter. She is left alone when the other kids disappear. The killer approaches her. 


Franco goes looking her her. He asks the locals if they have seen her. He asks one of the kids who have her necklace. He asks the local priest, Father James(
Alessandro Haber) but he doesn't know. Franco geos to the police. Roberta's body is found in the river. Franco and Elizabeth have a funeral. The Inspector is on the case. Franco blames himself. They end up talking to the father of another dead child but he isn't interested in talking about it. Franco asks around but there isn't much information. Franco finds a woman who might be able to help, but she is killed. 


Franco talks to a man who points him in the direction of Serafian. The inspector talks to him. The killer is dispatching anyone who might have information. Franco wants to talk to Serafian and he looks for him. He finds him dead. The killer is after Elizabeth. She has a letter that could incriminate him. Elizabeth runs to the church to Father James. Franco realises who the killer is. Elizabeth looks at the letter and also realises who it is. The killer is Father James. Franco turns up and he fights the priest. Somehow the priest ends up on fire and he falls out of the window. The case has been solved. Father James was not a priest at all.  Franco and Elizabeth head off together, glad that they have found who killed their daughter. 


This film reminded me of Don't Look Now and dealt with some similar themes. This isn't as good as that movie, but it is a good film. I liked the many suspects and the twists and turns that this had. It is a decent whodunit. I enjoyed it and I give it a 6/10.

Friday, August 22, 2025

#Missing Couple Movie Review



Trailer here.

Missing Couple is a 2024 found footage horror movie directed by Jacques Edeline and Oliver Mauldin.

The film revolves around an internet couple who have a blog online showing their lives and stuff like that. They are Austin and Janna and they have their dog with them. They are relocating to a house in the middle of nowhere. It is surrounded by woods and is very remote.We see them posting all of their moments in the house and the beauty of the area in which they are. They explore their new land and everything seems fine. Austin puts up cameras around the property. We discover that Austin and Janna have gone missing and nobody has heard anything from them. Cut to an internet investigator who has a show called Found Persons Report. He tells his viewers that Austin and Janna are friends of his and he is going to go up to their house to look for clues to their disappearance.


We follow him as he drives up there and goes to their house. He looks around the area and he wonders what is going on. Their vehicle is still there and all of their belongings are present. The house looks as if someone were living in it. There is no sign of foul play or blood. The investigator decides to camp out in the woods. He doesn't like it. He thinks that someone was watching the couple and that whoever that person was is responsible for their disappearance. Strange things happen. We see videos of Austin and Janna as they receive a gift in a box. It is Janna's toothbrush. She freaks out and wants to leave as this means that someone was in their house.


Things get stranger from there. There are weird dark figures on the camera that is outside. Austin can't explain what they are. They look around and find out that the area was the scene of a tragedy and they think it might have something to do with the odd occurences. Janna talks to some of the locals and she wants to look into it more but Austin doesn't want to. The investigator looks at their videos and sees the strange things too. It becomes apparent that he is no friend of theirs. He is a stalker who loves Janna. The couple open up and they tell their viewers that the person has been stalking them and that is why they moved to somewhere remote. 


He found out where they are and he has decided to come and look for them. He is a sick man. The weird creatures prowl around at night and frighten him. He isn't sure what is going on. There is a weird dark pond thing on the property and he approaches it and gets knocked into it. The weird creatures are there or are they the couple? The ending isn't very clear to me. I suppose you can draw your own conclusions.

This is a fun film. The couple could be anyone you see on the internet. It's an interesting story though, because at first, you think that the investigator is their friend, but after a while, you can notice little things that point to him as a stalker. I liked that. The ending was so so . I felt like they could have kept it as a straight stalker movie and the couple could have lured him there to kill him. I didn't think that the supernatural part was necessary but I can let that go because I did enjoy this. It was a surprise to me. I didn't expect much but I found it entertaining. I will give it a 5/10.

Friday, August 15, 2025

Dr.Jekyll and Sister Hyde Movie Review



Trailer here.


Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde is a 1971 horror movie directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Ralph Bates, Martine Beswick, Gerald Sim and Susan Brodrick.

Dr. Henry Jekyll(Bates) is writing his life story. It begins with him being visited by Professor Robertson(Sim). Jekyll is working on an elixir of life. He is watched by a neighbour called Susan(Brodrick). She likes him. Jekyll seeks bodies for his experiments. He ends up making a deal with two bodysnatchers, Burke and Hare. They bring him a female corpse. He is worried about how they got her. They murdered her. Susan introduces herself to Jekyll and she invites him to join her and her family for dinner, but he refuses. He decides to drink the elixir. It changes him into a woman. Susan hears strange noises and her brother, Howard(Lewis Fiander) checks on him and he finds a woman. Susan is upset by this news.


Jekyll changes back to himself. He runs into Susan and informs her that the woman is his sister. Susan brings him some food. He kills a prostitute after Burke and Hare are caught. He runs into a blind man and gets blood on his cane. The police find the body and call in Professor Robertson. The professor tells them that killer was skilled. Susan drops in to see Jekyll but he throws her out as he is changing. Edwina Hyde(Beswick) makes a dress for herself. She meets Howard. Jekyll is killing women and hoping that the police think it is someone else like Jack the Ripper. Robertson is suspicious.


Edwina goes out and is spotted by Robertson and the police, who are watching the house.  She picks up a drunk woman and she kills her. Jekyll can't control her. She is starting to take over. Robertson calls to see Jekyll but ends up meeting Edwina instead. He talks to her about Jekyll and she seduces him and kills him. Jekyll is horrified when he realises what she has done. Edwina says that she wants him gone. She meets Howard and they become close. Jekyll tells Susan to stay away from Edwina. He says that she could get hurt. Susan goes out alone and Edwina follows her. She wants to kill her. Jekyll stops her. The blind man tells the police about a doctor who carves up bodies just like the ripper. The police know that it is Jekyll. He runs away from them but ends up changing into Edwina and falling to his death.


This is a good film. It is strange because Jekyll's alter ego is a woman. It is also a Hammer movie, so you know it will be worth watching. I think the cast were good and the story keeps you entertained. I definitely recommend this one. I will give it a 6/10.

Friday, August 1, 2025

Land Shark Movie Review



Trailer here.

Land Shark is a 2017 horror/ Sci-Fi movie directed by Mark Polonia and starring Sarah French and Peter Baldo.

The film begins with a woman who is walking on the beach. She notices a shark but goes sunbathing. It attacks her on the beach. Cut to MALCO Oceanic Research facility. A worker called Lucinda(French) talks to Dr. Foster(Baldo) about strange things happening with their sharks. He tells her that it isn't possible. He speaks to his boss, Dr. Lorca(Kathryn Sue Young) about it. They are involved in some plan together. They are experimenting with sharks. Lucinda notices that a shark is missing. Foster tells her that he has it. The shark claims more victims. This is a shark that can survive on land. How can that be?????


Lucinda and Foster find the body of a worker at the centre. Dr. Foster won't allow her to report it. He tells her that she has to help him cover it up or lose her job. She has no choice. They talk to Lorca and she threatens Lucinda. Foster informs her that they are trying to make sharks to adapt to living on land so that they can be used by the military. Three of their sharks are on the loose. Lorca tells them that they have to find the sharks and kill them all. When Lucinda is out of the room, she tells Foster that he has to take care of Lucinda when the sharks are dead. Foster and Lucinda head off to find the sharks.


They have a tracker to trace the sharks. Foster has a laser gun. They meet a homeless guy who says that he saw a land shark. They split up to search. They find one. They shoot it and they burn it. Two fishermen get another one and kill it. There is one left. It kills the homeless guy. Lucinda and Foster arrive at an old house where the tracker says the last shark is. They find it and he comes after them. They shoot at it. The shark goes into the river and they manage to get it out and electrocute it. Foster has been bitten and he feels unwell. He tells her that they have gotten all the sharks. He injects himself with the same serum that he used on the sharks. He turns into some sort of man shark hybrid. Lucinda tries to kill him. She ends up doing it but he tells her that there are other experiments. The movie ends with a shark jumping up in the water.


This film is cheap and silly. I mean, when you have a title like Land Shark, it can't be taken seriously. This was fun but the film was just too cheap. The shark was obviously rubber and the special effects were dire. The acting was bad but I still think that there is fun to be had here. If you know what you are getting, then you won't be disappointed. Just be warned. I give this a 3/10.

Friday, July 25, 2025

The Murder Mansion Movie Review



Trailer here.

The Murder Mansion is a 1972 horror/thriller directed by Francisco Lara Polop and starring Analia Gade, Ida Galli and Andres Resino.

Fred(Resino) is on his motorbike driving along. He stops at a pub and he meets a girl called Laura(Lisa Leonardi) and she decides to go along with him. There is a woman- Elsa(Gade) who is also at the pub. She is waiting for her cheating husband, Ernest(Alberto Dalbes). Elsa is supposed to pick him up so they can sign some document. There is a couple who want it. Elsa ends up veering off the road. Fred and Laura meet a stranger on the road who gives them directions to a village. Elsa is wandering around and she sees shadows in the fog. She is scared and she runs. Fred and Laura end up crashing too. Elsa meets them and she says that someone is after her. The group seek shelter and come upon a large house. A lawyer and his wife are there along with another man who they had met on the road earlier.


Everyone is stranded there. A woman appears. She is Martha Clinton(Galli). It turns out that they are in an abandoned village. There is a weird chauffeur hanging around. Martha's aunt owned the house and left it to her. She tells them that there was a chauffeur working there but he died, along with the aunt. Elsa realises that she saw them in the cemetery. They hear a noise in the cellar and Fred wants to investigate. They all do and see scratches on the door.  People start to die . Fred goes down to the cellar and Laura joins him. He tells her that he found a crypt. Elsa wakes up and sees Martha who has changed into the old aunt and the chauffeur is outside. Are they ghosts?


Elsa runs down to the cellar and discovers dead bodies. Fred and Laura see Martha and the chauffeur. There is a fire in the cellar and everyone sees a dead body. Elsa is rescued by Fred. He wats to go to Milan but ends up creeping around outside instead. Elsa and Laura see the head of a dead woman and then they see Martha. There is something going on. Martha has been pretending to be her aunt. Fred gets hurt by the 'ghost' chauffeur. They have a fight. The chauffeur is in on the plan.  A man appears and shoots the baddies. He is Ernest who was in on the plan too. He wanted to drive Elsa insane. She already had a nervous breakdown and he wanted to send her back to the brink of insanity and get her money.Fred and Laura run for help. Elsa is left and she grabs the gun and shoots Ernest dead.


This was a weird movie, but there were plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. I like a good mystery film and this one will keep you entertained if you don't mind the weirdness. I recommend it and I will give it a 5/10.

Friday, July 18, 2025

Ouija: A New Beginning Movie Review



Trailer here.

Ouija: A New Beginning is a 2025 horror movie directed by Jason Hawkins and starring Elissa Downing.

A woman called Molly Price(Downing) and her two daughters, Avery and Penny are moving to a new house. Molly's step dad is going on holiday for a month and they are going to look after his house while he has gone. They have nowhere else to go. Roger(David Mitchum Brown) is the owner of the house and he lets them in. He's a strange guy and he likes everything just so. Molly's husband died and she is taking care of her two daughters alone.
The two teens have to go to school. Penny meets the school weirdo, Harper. She is a goth and some of the girls tease her. Avery makes friends straight away. Penny is walking home when she sees a garage sale at a house. She talks to the lady who is selling everything and she ends up getting a Ouija board.


There is something weird about the house. A priest is looking around inside. Penny decides to try out the Ouija board. She wants to contact her dad. She asks Harper to join her. A dead body of a girl is found. Someone nails a dead cat to the house in which they are staying. The sheriff calls and asks some questions. Molly is freaked out. Harper tells Penny that the house where the garage sale took place is strange. An old lady lived there and she was found dead. Her two kids disappeared. Harper. Penny and Avery use the Ouija board to contact the dad. Molly calls her sister looking for help, but her sister doesn't want anything to do with her. The Ouija board goes crazy. The three girls see a figure of a girl. They talk to the sheriff about a girl who suddenly appeared. She is one of the two kids who disappeared at the old lady's house.



Penny starts messing around with the ouija board alone and the dad talks to her. He asks her to let him in. Something appears and attacks Penny. Later, she has changed. She is acting weird. The girl from the house dies. Penny seems to have powers and she gets her revenge on two mean girls at school. She puts a curse on them and they start to bleed. Penny and Harper are at the board again when Penny changes. Harper screams. It turns out that Molly has lied to her daughters about their father. He isn't dead. Molly has been on the run with her daughters. The dad has been looking for his children for a long time. Molly lied and told the sheriff that he abused her. The sheriff calls CPS. Avery spots Penny outside, staring into space. She is possessed by a witch called Esara. Molly loses her sanity and goes after the two girls with a knife. The sheriff and the dad come to the house and find the two girls but no Molly. She emerges from the darkness and tries to attack the sheriff, who shoots her dead. The film ends with the two girls moving in with their dad and his new wife. Penny is still possessed. She still uses the ouija board.


This film isn't very good. The acting is ropey and there just isn't enough in it to keep you entertained. Some of the characters are laughable, like the sheriff. The story isn't that bad, but there aren't many scares or a lot of tension. It could have been a lot better. I don't think that this is releated to the Ouija movies. I think that it just uses the name. It reminds me of all those Amityville sequels that have little or nothing to do with the original movie. I think that this could fit into that category. I will give it a 3/10.


Friday, July 11, 2025

Mark of the Devil Movie Review



Trailer here.

Mark of the Devil is a 1970 horror movie directed by Michael Armstrong and starring Herbert Lom, Udo Kier and Olivera Katarina.

The film begins with a witch burning. A man called Albino(Reggie Nalder) is a witch hunter who has taken it upon himself to accuse innocent women of witchcraft. He is told that a resepected witch hunter called Lord Cumberland(Lom) is coming to his village. He has an apprentice called Count Christian(Kier) who is in the village. An executioner, Wilkins(Herbert Fux)will be arriving also. Albino likes a local woman called Vanessa(Katarina). He harasses her but she spits at him. He tries to attack her and she ends up injuring him. He announces that she is a witch. She tells him that he is the devil. Count Christian sees what he is doing and he demands proof of what Albino is saying. There isn't any. Christian and Vanessa talk. Soldiers arrive to help Lord Cumberland.


Albino is jeaous of Christian and Vanessa. He wants her declared as a witch. Christian and Vanessa become close and they kiss. Lord Cumberland arrives in the village. Albino catches Vanessa and he whips her. She is brought in as a witch. The Count states that she is innocent. Cumberland doesn't agree. There is a lot of torture occuring in the village. People are being targeted. A baron is brought in and he is promised freedom if he signs over his estate to the church. Albino is leading his men into people's houses and getting them to do his bidding with the locals. Christian is beginning to lose his faith in Cumberland as he sees all the pain and suffering that he is inflicting on people. He realises that it is corrupt.


Vanessa is in custody and Christian can't get her out. Albino gets into trouble for his deeds and he ends up dead when Cumberland strangles him. Christian witnesses it and this makes him doubt Cumberland. Christian confronts him about it and asks him to spare a family but he won't. This pushes Christian to free Vanessa. He does so and goes back to free more prisoners, but gets caught himself. Vanessa gathers the locals and she tells them that they should get the witch hunters. Lord Cumberland tells his soldiers to kill everyone. The locals come and storm the castle. They free the prisoners. Christian is freed. Cumberland tries to escape. He gets into his coach and he drives off. Christian isn't so lucky. The locals catch him and kill him. Vanessa tries to stop them but she can't. She holds his dead body as the locals go home.


This film is kind of like Witchfinder General but it has more torture scenes and blood in it. The cast are good. The story is interesting and the ending is brutal. You know what you are getting here, but there is actually a story so it isn't just torture scenes. I liked it and I am giving it a 5/10.

Friday, July 4, 2025

The House on Straw Hill Movie Review

Trailer here.

The House on Straw Hill is a 1976 thriller directed by James Kenelm and starring Udo Kier, Linda Hayden and Fiona Richmond.

A woman called Linda(Hayden) is employed as a secretary by an author, Paul Martin(Kier). He is staying in Straw Hill. He has gruesome hallucinations. He is obsessed with locking the windows and doors. His girlfriend is called Suzanne(Richmond) and she leaves him. Paul sees himself bleeding. Linda arrives and is met by Paul at the station. Two locals are after Linda. They harrass her and Paul. He beats them up. Paul tells Linda about his routine. She has a picture of Paul and another man in her suitcase so she isn't all she seems. Linda goes outside exploring and runs into the two locals who rape her. They have a gun. She gets it and shoots both of them dead. Paul hears the gunshot. One of the locals isn't dead yet. He disappears from the field where he was shot.


The housekeeper gets killed.  Paul comes onto Linda but she rejects him. He calls Suzanne and asks her to come back. She arrives and Linda tries to seduce her. Paul catches them.  He ends up crashing his car into the river. Suzanne finds the dead housekeeper. She tries to call the police but someone unplugs the phone. She ends up dying next. Paul returns to the house and Linda is there. She wants to kill Paul as he stole a book from her husband and pretendeed that he wrote it. Her husband killed himself when he realised what Paul did to him. Linda is going to shoot him when she is stabbed by the local guy who was lingering int he field, half dead. He and Linda both die as Paul is left by himself.


This wasn't a great film. There wasn't much in the way of scares or thrills. It was interesting in some parts, but there wasn't enough to keep you entertained. The acting wasn't bad but to be honest, nothing much happens. I will give it a 4/10.


Friday, June 27, 2025

The Flesh and the Fiends Movie Review



Trailer here.

The Flesh and the Fiends is a 1960 horror movie directed by John Gilling and starring Peter Cushing, Donald Pleasence and June Laverick.

The film takes place in 1928, in Edinburgh at a medical school. A woman called Martha(Laverick) comes to the school. Her uncle is Dr. Knox(Cushing). She meets Knox's assistant, Dr. Mitchell(Dermot Walsh). A body arrives for Dr. Knox. The body has been dug up. One of Dr. Knox's students, Jackson(John Cairney) knows about the bodies being delivered by unlawful means. Jackson meets a local prostitute called Mary(Billie Whitelaw) and he likes her. Two grave robbers called Burke(George Rose) and Hare(Pleasence) are responsible for getting the corpses for Dr. Knox. He doesn't care where they come from as long as they are delivered to the school.


Martha and Dr. Mitchell become romantically involved. Mary and Jackson meet them and Mary thinks that Jackson is ashamed of her because of her profession. Burke and Hare take an old drunk lady back to Burke's boarding house and they kill her. She is the next body to be delivered to Knox. Jackson asks Mary to marry him but she says no. An old man is looking for a room in the boarding house. Burke and Hare decide he will be the next corpse. Dr. Mitchell spots the two bringing in the body. He realises that the man did not die of natural causes. He was murdered. He questions them. Knox comes along and he gives them their money. Mitchell doesn't approve. He thinks that the man was murdered. Knox doesn't care.


Mary and Jackson fall out. She meets Burke and Hare and they kill her. Jackson sees her body at the school. He realises what happened to her. He goes out looking for Burke and Hare. Hare stabs him in the back. They get rid of his body. The police find him. There is a witness to the crime. Burke and Hare kill him. A friend of Mary's goes to the police and she tells them about Burke and Hare and Knox. The locals are not happy about what has been going on and they want to catch the two murderers. They are caught. Dr. Mitchell tells Knox that they have been caught. Burke is found guilty. Hare testified against him and he got off, but the locals catch him and punish him. Burke is hanged. Knox has to meet with his peers and they aren't happy about his behaviour. He feels remorse for his part in it. He knew that some of the people were murdered. Knox seems to redeem himself and he goes back to teaching. 


This is a good film. It is an interesting take on the Burke and Hare story. The cast is impressive. Cushing plays his part well. The character is not really that likeable but Cushing is great in the role. Donald Pleasence plays Hare and he is suitably evil. It is good to see these two horror legends in a film together and an early film for both. I like these old films and John Gilling directs this one. He did some fun films for Hammer. All in all, this is a good film and the cast are very watchable. I will give it a 5/10.

Friday, June 20, 2025

These are the Damned Movie Review



Trailer here.

These are the Damned is a 1962 Sci-Fi/horror film directed by Joseph Losey and starring Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field, Oliver Reed and Alexander Knox.

A man called Simon Wells(Carey) meets a young girl called Joan(Field). She leads him to a motorcycle gang, led by her brother, King(Reed). They beat him up. He is brought to a restaurant to recover. A man called Bernard(Knox) is working on experiments in the area. He has a lover called Freya(Viveca Lindfors) who wants to know what is working on. He won't tell her anything. Joan visits Simon and she tells him that her brother beats up anyone who shows interest in her. She jumps onto his boat. The gang are watching. Bernard meets with scientists and army personnel. There are children being kept in a secret facility. Bernard speaks to them. They want to leave.


Simon takes Joan ashore and they end up at Bernard's house. There is nobody there. They kiss. Freya also shows up at the house. King follows. He destroys a sculpture she has made. She is upset. The gang find Simon and Joan and they are after them. They end up at the facility and end up meeting the children. They tell Simon about their teachers.
 These children are not normal. They are fascinated by the warmth of Simon and Joan. The two talk to the children.  King is there too. He is scared by the children. A man in a radioactive suit arrives to see the children. King isn't feeling well. Bernard knows that the children have three people with them. He tells them that they will get sick if they stay. They decide to leave.


King, Joan and Simon decide to help the children escape. Bernard sends men to get them.
King knocks one out and shoots one. Simon gets the other one. Simon realises that the children are radioactive. He is disgusted by the experiment. Bernard and a military man called Captain Gregory try to stop them from leaving. Freya sees something happening and so does a local man called Sid(Kenneth Cope). Some of the children get recaptured. One of them goes with King, while Joan and Simon are caught but allowed to leave. Bernard tells Freya about the kids. Their parents were exposed to radiation and that is why the children are affected. He thinks that they will be able to survive a nuclear disaster. Bernard thinks Simon and Joan will die before long. King is killed as he tries to escape with the kid. Joan and Simon try to escape on the boat but a helicopter follows them and waits for them to die. Bernard kills Freya after she refuses to be a part of his plan. The film ends with the children back in captivity, shouting for help as the people on the beach enjoy their holidays. 


This was a good film. I liked the cast and the story was interesting too. It kind of reminds me of Village of the Damned, but the kids aren't evil in his one. I liked Oliver Reed in this. He plays a good villain. This is actually a Hammer film and it does have a good cast. I definitely recommend it and I will give it a 6/10.