HCF Review - Atomo-Vision

MATINEE (1993)

It often goes without saying that a passion project is less than likely to be a commercially viable venture. Joe Dante, known best for the likes of Gremlins and The Howling, has of course done plenty of genre mash-ups that are pretty eccentric. But this is something a little different; a story about the experience of movie going itself. It's set during very specific era of his childhood, and the result is a nostalgic look into the past where double features played against news reels about the Cold War. It's also a story about escapism and the lure of watching a creature feature at a time when the threat of real life catastrophes was all too plausible.

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Horror Bites - The Perfect Number

SILVER SHAMROCK

It's almost time! If you've ever seen Halloween III: Season of the Witch I'm afraid a certain commercial theme tune is probably starting to surface in your memory as you skim past this one. A cold sweat is probably forming as you realise it won't go away all day now, or maybe it will stay there even longer. This will be a bit of a Tom Atkins double feature so I'll also be covering Maniac Cop, but for now it's all about rubber masks, microchips and secret Stonehenge plots that make about as much sense as the title of the movie. Sometimes you've just got to give into the musically induced madness I suppose, even if you end up sitting there rocking in front of the screen by the end.

Review Roundup - Love and Robots

I AM MOTHER (2019)

With so much action schlock out there in the realm of science fiction it's nice to see a small scale production once in a while; something that has only a handful of sets but just enough interesting ideas. It might have pinched a few visual elements from the video-game Portal, but under the surface it's a suspense movie first before branching into post apocalyptic drama. It worked for 10 Cloverfield Lane and the same is true here despite a much smaller human presence. Of course this kind of storyline is only as strong as its third act reveal where the film tries to expand outside of the bunker and things can get a little shaky. Fortunately there's a plan in place that may or may not have sinister implications for the protagonist.

Horror Bites - This is the Girl

AUDITION (1999)

Time for a soap opera. I'm being glib but I suppose in some ways it's true, at least for a while. Takashi Miike's monolithic body of work is known for the extreme horror scenes, as well as its melodramatic moments. Some of it's even family friendly after all. However nothing quite mixes these two modes together like this story of lonely widowers and troubled ballet students. Which at least on the surface is a fair synopsis. This is a film that aims to shock after all, so if you're not familiar with it I'll try and avoid too many details. Like some of the moments in Gozu or Visitor Q this is tale of sudden gear shifts and strange goings on, with are always best enjoyed fresh. Well I say enjoyed, perhaps that's the wrong word. It's an experience. But it's certainly an unforgettable one.

Scorecard

JANUARY

FILM OF THE MONTH: Boy ☆☆☆☆