Horror sequels are much maligned. Mostly, deservingly so! There’re plenty of reasons to dismiss an arm of exploitation cinema that typically undermines a genuinely original idea by running it into the ground. Witness, for instance, how Freddy Krueger’s oneiric menace was eroded into wisecracking mediocrity by a string of undercooked, underbudgeted imitators. And, yet, many…
Haunted doll Annabelle is a beacon for spirits, so strap in for a whole bunch of ghouls and ghosts once she’s unleashed.
This is a film about mega-monsters wreaking havoc at a catastrophic scale, but there’s no weight to this thing; it’s limp and incoherent.
Like Non-Stop, The Commuter twists absurd action around an Agatha-Christie-esque closed-room mystery.
James Wan’s haunted house oeuvre is a well-oiled machine. Creaky floorboards and fearsome presences roll off the production line like clockwork; creepy, broken, grandfather clockwork. And, although The Conjuring 2 is bound by formula, when the scares are this good, I’m happy to buckle my seatbelt and enjoy the ride. Wan’s recent good form (Insidious et al) is…
The Conjuring feels very old-fashioned. That’s not surprising, given the 1971 setting and accompanying huge sideburns, but (aside from some obvious J-horror influences) this is a film that could have been produced decades ago, with the personality and pacing of classic horror. Director James Wan has commendable patience, slowly developing an ominous atmosphere before breaking…
Watch the first half hour of Orphan, and you could be forgiven for thinking you’re watching a family film about a mother overcoming a miscarriage through the adoption of a nine year-old orphan girl. Early scenes are brightly light, full of primary colours. The titular orphan, Esther, seems perfect – bright, talented, friendly – if…
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