Late Night with the Devil sees the excellent David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy, a 1970s host of the late night chat show, Night Owls. Desperate to gain viewers back after a tragedy in his personal life, Jack themes his latest episode around occultism, however, the broadcast goes horribly wrong when a possessed guest unleashes a world of hell.
The directing duo, Colin and Cameron Cairnes delivers a menacing and mischievous feast brimming with hocus pocus trickery that constantly deceives and takes the viewer on a rollercoaster of havoc as we see a talk show spectacle turn into a cinematic rendition of satanic-panic-like mayhem. Late Night with the Devil’s wacky, yet utterly malicious narrative takes shape due to its clever filmic development; the film immerses itself into its vintage layout, with the frame taking on a surprising found footage arrangement, but not how one would generally expect it to. In other words, instead of a small handheld camera capturing POV’s, the found footage lens is of a ‘lost tape’ that has been discovered by a group of current documentary filmmakers. It’s a unique breaking of found footage codes, shaking colloquial storytelling and providing a level of exciting mystery.
Shadowing the film’s fresh take on the diegetic lens is its meta-esque feel, thanks to the late night lost tape appearing as a live broadcast. Immediately, bells ring to the likes of Ghostwatch (1992), WNUF Halloween Special (2013) and Haunted Ulster Live (2023) all of which utilise an almost forbidden feel, watching realist-coded footage gone wrong. Late Night with the Devil joins these witty displays of interactive filmmaking that have created an intriguing and entertaining cinematic discussion surrounding participatory viewership.
Whilst it is certain to say that presenting the moving image as an unplanned, charged, live piece aids in the fright factor and immediacy of it all, what is not to be underestimated is how the film’s performances equally contribute to the overwhelming impact of it all. Dastmalchian shines on screen, taking the already fantastically written character and making the role come to life with his portrayal of a broken man attempting to redeem some form of oomph back into his career, only for it to all come crashing down in a great calamity. Further to this is the film’s ability to conjure a scare or two. It is also worth mentioning how the film does not solely rely on brief and rapid ineffective jumpscares to entice a shriek, instead, the scenes are crafted in a way that allows for slowburn reveals that act to chill rather than shout ‘boo!’.
Since the film’s premiere at 2023’s South by Southwest Film Festival, reviewers have raved about Late Night with the Devil, commending its distinctive atmosphere and novel style, yet there has been some commentary regarding its use of CGI. Despite the beloved (and deserved) reputation of practical effects, the use of computer-generated imagery is not the devil, it can in fact be an effective tool. However, there are some pretty obvious, and poor uses of it within Late Night with the Devil, particularly involving scenes featuring lightning, which feels quite out of place and inauthentic when compared to the rest of the film’s stylisation.
In short, Late Night with the Devil oozes appeal, whether that be through its enthusiastic medium that the exciting story is told, or through its riveting storyline that unfolds, convulses, twists and turns until it reaches an almighty, and showstopping revelation – whichever way, Late Night with the Devil is a must-see horror.
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In the world of remakes and sequels, few franchises (if any) have escaped their fair share of criticism, many of which comments involve leaving the ‘original’ entry alone and stopping with the rambling continuations. One series in particular whose successors have fallen flat is The Omen. With a talented cast including Ralph Ineson, Bill Nighy and Nell Tiger Free, along with a generous budget and an adequate storyline, it seemed that The First Omen had everything in its favour. However, does the sixth instalment in the franchise live up to its grave potential…
The First Omen introduces us to Margaret (Tiger Free), a young novitiate who begins her probation before becoming a church sister. She travels to Rome to begin her service at an orphanage. During her quest, a series of events unfold, leaving her in the middle of a conspiracy between the church and the Antichrist. With the film encompassing Margaret’s discoveries and the subsequent chaotic journey of truth-seeking regarding a colossal conspiracy, the entire narrative situates itself around her both psychically and emotionally.
This prolonged exposure to a character requires a fully dimensional persona to be written, which writers Tim Smith, Keith Thomas, and director Arkasha Stevenson brilliantly do. Margaret’s complexity is where the figurativeness of the film shines. It captures a level of humanness which makes character study-based films excel. Take, for example, Saint Maud (2019) and Pearl (2022), both of which utilise emotional resonance to conjure a complex study of how a tainted psyche escalates situations. The First Omen joins the likes of nuanced horror films, capturing the intricacies that develop when one is in duress. Margaret is not written as a prop for which jumpscares thrive; she is a ‘real’ person whom we can imagine a backstory of, sympathise with her journey and feel the full force of terror when it comes her way.
With this being said, it is worth tipping the hat to Tiger Free’s formidable performance, with her execution of a troubled, fearful, yet powerful young woman being a cinematic delight. Further to the film’s benefit is the scoring orchestrated by Mark Koven, whose previous soundtrack credits include The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse(2019). The score is grim and foreboding, with harsh crescendos which jolt the senses without replicating a clashing metallic sound. This delicate balance of sinister atmospheric strings, along with the softer moments of choir vocals showcasing a blend of baritone lows and alto highs, is what makes The First Omen’s haunting aura swell.
In all of the film’s prominence, one thing must be said: the narrative is rather predictable. Foreseeing every story beat, big or small, can have quite a negative effect due to its revelation of transparent twists, which, more often than not, will be guessed by many viewers by the time the first chapter has ceased. This does not necessarily take away from the film’s magnitude and evident prowess, but it does mean that allure and a sense of heightened suspense are stripped back. Due to its prequel nature, meaning that we already know of the following events, and considering the film’s association with countless films it was an easy pitfall for The First Omen to tumble into.
Concluding on a positive note, Stevenson’s directorial capabilities must not be overlooked by any means. With all of its merit, it is easy to forget that this film was a feature debut from the director, with her background being in television, namely season three of the anthology series Channel Zero (2018). Stevenson’s vision stands tall against the rest, executing some pretty graphic scenes (warning for those with sensitive eyes come ‘the birthing scene’!). It is this precise flare of intensity that horror fans will truly appreciate, particularly considering how many mainstream scares tend to censor gory potentials due to a barrage of rules and regulations. The First Omen breathes fresh air into the lungs of 2024’s horror, notably because of some of the releases this side of the year has seen. Is this prequel as good as Richard Donner’s The Omen (1976)? Not a chance. But is it a great standalone film incorporating a plethora of fantastic filmmaking elements? Indeed it is!
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Believe it or not, it was a whole twenty moons ago that one of the best horror comedies graced the screen—(yes, 2004 really was that long ago). Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead is a bonafide classic whose edgy humour, offensive charm, and bloodied zombie mayhem have cemented its zealous reputation all these years later.
Wright’s prized status began in the early 2000s thanks to his directorial efforts in Spaced, a British comedy series starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Jessica Hynes, all of whom feature in Shaun of the Dead. It was from Spaced where Wright and Pegg conceived the idea of their soon-to-be horror hit. It is based on an episode titled ‘Art’, which features Pegg’s character hallucinating a zombie invasion after a prolonged session playing Resident Evil 2. With the pair both being major appreciators of the genre, the duo took their idea of hilarious zombie antics to Film4 before the studio eventually overly condensed the budget and, therefore, broke down certain crucial plot points. With a dream in mind, Wright refused to quit his zombie feature and pursued various studios over a two-year period before Working Title Films finally invested.
The project soon gained traction, casting major names in comedy from television series such as Black Books and The Office. Actors included Peter Serafinowicz, Dylan Moran, Tamsin Greig, Martin Freeman and Lucy Davis, alongside major names in feature films such as Penelope Wilton and Bill Nighy. The star-studded lineup also included a mass of extras playing the ghouls, nearly all of whom were part of fan communities for Spaced that were contacted on their online threads to be a part of a production from the makers of their favourite TV show. With a solid cast and crew, the nine-week filming process began before wrapping up and premiering at a whopping 367 cinemas and staying in the box office top ten for a total of five whole weeks.
It’s safe to say that audiences went wild for this raucous zombie flick, with its reputation only growing stronger yearly. As it nears its twentieth anniversary, Shaun of the Dead is still making waves, dominating the discourse of satirical horror and creating conversations in the landscape of cinema. In the world of scholarly research and film readings, Shaun of the Dead has dipped its toes into many analytical waters. A popular take is how the film joins the barrage of apocalypse-themed releases from the mid-2000s in response to world events that were becoming frequent in the home with the increasing access to media and news.
Others suggest that the film is a poetic example of transnational cinema which is commonly found within the UK. The leading players of zombie cinema primarily originated from across the pond, with the likes of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968) dictating the direction that zombie media followed for years. On the flip side, in Britain, there has been a constant ode to men in comedy who can’t help but make a fool of themselves as they go about gallivanting and making a ruddy nuance of situations – think the likes of Monty Python, Dad’s Army, Only Fools and Horses etc. The combination of Americanised scares and dramatic monstrous ghouls with two-bit but still chucklesome characters makes Shaun of the Dead attract an admiration that many budding filmmakers admire to achieve one day.
Stepping away from the formalities, Shaun of the Dead thrives in its thematics and ideologies. Shaun of the Dead has a monotonous, gritty quality that takes a slice-of-life approach to an apocalyptic situation, reminiscent of the ‘Keep Calm and Carry on’ motto burned through the British mindset. It was through this niche characteristic that the film’s lampoon-like comedy was able to shine through. As a case in point, whilst writing the script, Wright took inspiration from his own sardonic attitude at times; after having his own late-night gaming session being immersed in the world of horror video games, he took to going for an early morning walk where it could be imagined that half of the public was either coming home dazed from a late night out, or exhaustively treading along, gearing up for the morning shift at work. It’s a scene of mundanity at its finest. With Wright’s brilliant, dry humour at hand, he couldn’t help but think how on Earth Britain would, with all of its chaos and caustic disposition, react if their early morning shenanigans were interrupted by a plague of flesh-hungry undead creatures.
Discussing Shaun of the Dead without mentioning a certain dessert-named cinematic series would be criminal. This zom-com is the first entry into the acclaimed and fantastically named ‘The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy’, followed by the ‘great er good’ Hot Fuzz (2007) and the sci-fi-esque The World’s End (2013). Ironically, the coining of the Cornetto only came to fruition long after Shaun of the Dead’s release; It was during the promotional stages of Hot Fuzz, where Cornetto’s were given as an aperitif, that led to Pegg and Wright wanting to include the beloved ice cream treat into further films. It may seem akin to a superficial, silly joke, yet the rambunctious nature of developing inside jokes led to the trilogy, particularly Shaun of the Dead, retrospectively developing an intriguing interpretation. The films are all comprised of out of their depth individuals tackling a massive issue at hand and growing as people, but not necessarily (and comedically deliberate) maturing in their adolescent-like ways.
The development of Shaun of the Dead includes a comic strip titled ‘There’s Something About Mary’ for 2000 AD, the applauded comic magazine. Following this was IDW Publishing’s several-issue adaptation of the horror, with drawings from Zack Howard and writings by Chris Ryall. That’s not to mention the various special edition physical media releases and collectable action figures. Alongside this was Clark Collis’ book ‘You’ve Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead Was Brought to Life’ (2021), which details interviews with cast and crew, storyboards and behind-the-scenes insights.
Even just a few years back, the humble humour of Shaun of the Dead shone once again during the lockdown periods in the UK, with Shaun’s iconic ‘plan’ becoming somewhat of a motto for folks at home. For reminder’s sake, Shaun comes up with a simple action plan to tackle the ole zombie issue: “Take car. Go to Mum’s. Kill Phil-“Sorry”-grab Liz, go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over”. The short, snappy and quintessentially British dialogue resurfaced via Pegg and Frost themselves as they put a modern spin on the plan by putting emphasis on staying home (avoiding the Winchester this time).
Shaun of the Dead’s legacy speaks for itself, with nearly every ‘best of horror’ list devoting a spot to this must-see film. This immeasurably hilarious take on a monster movie still garners a laugh-a-minute reaction from viewers, no matter how many times they’ve pressed play on this unmissable, culturally significant, and pivotal piece of cinema.
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Spring’s new psychological horror feature ‘Immaculate’ sees Sydney Sweeney star as Sister Cecelia, a devout nun who finds herself trapped in a secluded convent in the Italian countryside. Fighting for her life, Sister Cecelia finds herself subjected to experiments orchestrated by the church in an attempt to bring about the second coming.
‘Immaculate’ explores themes of isolation, misplaced faith, and the duplicitous nature of the seemingly beautiful. Sweeney provides an electric performance that encapsulates the tipping point between sheer terror and blind rage, carrying the audience with her through a dark and at times gruesome journey of Sister Cecelia’s self discovery and relationship with her faith.
Sister Cecelia, a young, fresh faced religious girl, embarks on a new chapter of her life as she travels to Italy to work as a carer providing end of life care for old, sick nuns. She found her faith after a near death experience in her childhood; she now follows God as she believes that he saved her that day to serve a purpose, but she is yet to discover what that purpose may be. Upon arrival in Italy, Sister Cecelia detects an unsettling atmosphere which shrouds the convent.
After blacking out on her first night she soon discovers that she has become pregnant through a seemingly Immaculate conception. Sister Cecelia was guided to the convent by her faith in God and was consequently expected to put her trust into his representatives on earth. However, after it is discovered that she is the subject of a cruel and inhumane experiment, it is clear that Sister Cecelia’s faith was misplaced, not with God, but with those who follow him and twist their beliefs to justify their own heinous agendas.
(Variety 2024)
We learn early on that Father Tedeschi – the Priest who summoned Cecelia to the convent in the first place – devoted two decades of his life to the field of biology before he found his own place amongst the church. It isn’t until later that we discover Father Tedeschi was shunned from the profession due to conducting unethical experiments.
Once we learn the truth behind Sister Cecelia’s pregnancy it is clear that the purpose which Father Tedeschi and the rest of the convent serve is not in fact God’s but their own. They attempt, in the name of God, to engineer a biologically perfect replication of Christ and believe that he will be their saviour and wash away their sins. The convent firmly believes what they’re doing is for the greater good because, as stated by the Cardinal, “If this is not the will of God, why does he not stop us?”.
Yet, the fact that Father Tedeschi uses eugenics to force the creation of a Messiah opposes the Christian belief that Christ will rise again at the right time. We can also then see how the title, ‘Immaculate’ serves two meanings: firstly, it denotes the idea of an immaculate conception and secondly, it represents the attempt to design a genetically perfect foetus carried by the perfect vessel – Sister Cecelia – destined to become a faultless religious figure.
(Screenrant, 2024)
The setting of ‘Immaculate’ is another important element of the film as it embodies one of the main motifs – darkness masked by beauty. We are provided with a plethora of shots both inside and outside of the convent, depicting both the architectural and natural beauty of the Italian scenery. These shots however are lengthy and linger in certain rooms and corridors. This gives us the foreboding impression that there is something lurking in the convent, a malevolent force or motive hiding amongst the picturesque dressing of this religious building.
Similarly, when Sister Cecelia first arrives at the convent she is sweet, innocent and devout. However, once under threat she is capable of embracing the darkness emanated by the convent and doing whatever it takes in order to survive. Finally, a bible quote hidden on the wall of Sister Cecelia’s bedroom – “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” – foreshadows the duplicitous nature of Sister Cecelia’s baby suggesting that it has the potential to be a force of evil, disguised as a miracle.
(Discussing Film, 2024)
‘Immaculate’ provides a thrilling cinematic experience bringing audiences along for a ride full of gut wrenching twists and abhorrent revelations. The film emphasises the idea that a person’s faith is uniquely their own; a relationship with God should be an individual experience, not dictated by anyone or by an alternative motive. Sydney Sweeney perfectly captures Sister Cecelia’s journey in discovering that God’s purpose for her is to choose her own path. ‘Immaculate’ is a must-see new horror flick and a perfect combination of a harrowing conspiracy and the prevail of a person’s faith in themself.
Hope Lelliott-Stevens
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British horror cinema continuously delivers fantastic films and filmmakers alike, with countless classics rising from home soil; whether that’s folkloric nightmares, Hammer Horrors, gritty zombie fests, satiric parodies or creature features, Britain is a motherland of talent. One of these standout contributors to the genre is director Rob Savage. In the past couple of years, Savage’s work has traversed the land of short films, indie features, and major Hollywood debuts, with each picture delivering a unique, distinctive slice of terror for audiences to devour.
Savage’s efforts to captivate his audiences can be traced back to his pure passion for filmmaking, which began early in the award-winning director’s journey when he made his first short film at the young age of 13. For a budding teen, his debut short, Sex Scene (2009), tackled quite the earnest storyline of two young individuals trying to navigate the world of intimacy. Following his first taste of creation, Savage continued to wield a camera and direct, edit and write a bundle of independent short stories such as Act (2010), Sit in Silence (2011), and I Am (2012).
By the time Savage hit the later years of adolescence, it was clear that the young man with a movie camera would be bound to a career within the industry. Throughout the following years, Savage’s hard graft and drive for creation would yield significant results, being a testament to contemporary horror cinema.
Strings (2012)
Savage’s first feature-length film was a pure grassroots venture, and the filmmaker has since expressed the opportune nature of its production. Straight out of school, Savage used all his university savings to create a film, which he made off a borrowed camera and was filmed at his college. However, just like many great directors, Savage did not need the expensive thrills to produce a standout debut.
String’s warm reception is mainly owed to Savage’s emotive take on a tender yet dramatic coming-of-age story following four teenagers who vow to spend their last summer together before venturing into adulthood. The film is thematically reminiscent of the series Skins (2007) and visually remindful of the likes of Fish Tank(2009), with the film’s microbudget adding to the close, personal feel where the narrative is given the chance to hone in on the character dynamics.
The film went on to win the Raindance Award at the British Independent Film Awards before being procured by Vertigo Films for distribution. Upon this triumph, Savage went on to create a streak of short films, one of which, Dawn of the Deaf (2016), co-written by Jed Shepherd, would foreshadow the pair’s success in the horror genre.
Host (2020)
Savage’s second feature is the sensational Host, an unforgettable film that not only catered to many horror hounds’ frightful tastes but also invited an influx of new fans to the genre due to its rapid, viral success. Much of Host’s achievements come from how the film weaponizes its desktop setting to initially familiarize, drag the viewer in, and then torment them for long after watching. Its authentic coding also spoke to the film’s timely release.
Filmed and distributed during lockdown was Savage’s full-length version of a prank gone array. Savage revealed in an exclusive interview with Dead Northern that he kept up with social outings during lockdown via Zoom meetings to catch up with friends; however, when he began hearing strange noises in his attic, he knew that he could play the ultimate joke on the unsuspecting crowd. With the idea of a laugh in mind, Savage arranged a call with pals to provide emotional support as he scoped out his supposedly haunted attic, only for him to edit the live call and insert a jumpscare of a zombie lurching out from the dark from the Spanish found footage movie Rec (2007). The subsequent screams and panics got the viral treatment from the internet, making studios desperate for Savage to extend his one-minute idea into a feature-length desktop horror.
With Shudder eventually pinning the release, Host became the most talked about film of 2020, and to this day, Host still holds a 99% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes against a whopping 99 reviews!
Host’s stellar outcome is largely owed to its gritty natural tone, where the character’s actions do not feel forced but genuine, forcing the fear to become palpable. The film’s immersive structural format is a consequence of how the entire cast and crew knew each other prior to filming and were only given loose scripts and action commands by Savage, along with co-writers Shepherd and Gemma Hurley. Host is far from rigid. It feels as if the footage from this haunted Zoom meeting really was just happened upon. It would be easy to compare Host to the likes of fellow desktop features such as Unfriended (2014) and Searching (2018), but instead, Host is a film unlike any other.
Dashcam (2021)
After the victory that was Host, the rumour mill reported that Savage had entered into a deal with Blumhouse Productions to create three features under their wing. The first entry to stem from this exciting collaboration was Dashcam, a screen-life horror surrounding the contentious musician Annie (Annie Hardy) as she treks through one hell of a wild night. The found footage boom is undoubtedly alive and well throughout the film, with the firsthand footage originating from dashcams, live streams and phones.
What ensues for the next 76 minutes is a bundle of mania, including but not limited to MAGA-endorsing protagonists, lockdown conspiracies, possessed elderly women, abandoned amusement parks, car wrecks, chase scenes, occult symbols, stabbings, and an oddly entertaining but rather vulgar spew of songs carolled from Annie as she goes about this disastrous night.
The rambunctious expedition, joyously accompanied by all of the conundrums and quirks is what makes Dashcam feel like a hazardous fever dream, where you will most definitely be left thinking ‘what on earth have I just witnessed?’ But nevertheless, in the best way possible. Dashcam is a valiant film from Savage and returning co-writers Shepherd and Hurley. It is not a movie that has been previously accomplished, and it is unlikely that cinema will get a film as provocative and brilliantly feral any time soon.
The Boogeyman (2023)
Savage’s latest film, The Boogeyman, saw the director take an alternative approach to horror than his previous feats, with the film taking a more traditional filming approach and swaying away from found footage altogether.
The Boogeyman comes from a 1973 short story of the same name from the one and only Stephen King, which chronicles a grieving family tormented by the Boogeyman. The film’s primary forte is the deadening atmosphere that trickles through every ounce of the film, covering the screen in a dreary, raw, and authentic mood where the sombre emotions of grief washes over every moment, alongside the peaks of haunting scares provided by the titular antagonising force.
The film wields a commendable balance of brief ‘got ya!’ scares amidst its layers of more sincere horror which comes from both the stunning performances from Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, and Vivien Lyra Blair and the film’s aesthetics. The final act is brimming with these scenes of great visual capacity, where giallo-esque lighting and colourful hues fuse with the horrific imagery and the omnipresent vibe, providing a feeling that urges you to believe that evil really does lurk.
The cinematic cherry on top, if you will, is The Boogeyman’s official seal of approval from the King of Horror, with Savage describing that King had openly praised the film and stated how it lingered with him after watching, just as a horror film should.
Savage’s next move in his booming career is a further step into the land of horror, with it being confirmed that he is to adapt the graphic horror novel Night of the Ghoul, which follows a father and son duo as they search for the truth surrounding a long-lost horror film. However, as they unearth the secrets, they discover that this cursed film was left hidden away from the masses for good reason. What propels Savage to be one of the contemporary greats is how his love for the genre is palpable within his filmography. Horror fans make the best horror movies, and Savage’s works precisely proves this time and time again.
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Sinister has a brilliant and justifiable setup for many jumpscares to ensue, with Ethan Hawke’s character discovering a box of Super 8 films revealing a plethora of families’ grisly deaths. Many of these evil tapes are shown, showcasing drownings, hangings, and a string of other cruel fates. However, one tape, in particular, is still wedged in the back of many viewers’ minds twelve years on. The lawnmower tape displays an unknown person (later revealed to be a child!) grabbing a red lawnmower from a dark shed before mowing over grass in the pitch-black night, with the only morsel of light coming from the glow of the recording flash. Sounds of white-noise-like fuzziness play ominously over the confusing scene before the camera’s warm glow shows a person bound to the ground as the mower lashes over them with a fierce suddenness accompanied by an ear-drum bursting screech. The scene is an exercise of the classic jumpscare, brimming with brutally loud sounds and a terrifying image, yet it does not feel archetypal and expected; instead, the setup combined with the payoff is exactly how a quick jumpscare should be done.
2- Clown mask – Hell House LLC (Stephen Cognetti, 2015)
Is Hell House LLC one of the best horror films of the last decade? It might be a bold statement considering all of the fantastic films to come from this period. Yet, many a contemporary horror fan would state that Stephen Cognetti’s contributions are undeniably superb, mainly thanks to his filmography’s ability to turn every morsel of screentime into a bone-chilling expedition of great extremes. A scene in testament to this is the ‘What’re you looking at?’ scare, where a member of the haunted house comes across a demonic figure, believing it to be his friend dressed up in an eerily creepy clown suit. The true horror of the scene comes from the audience’s knowledge that this figure is not a friendly familiar but a hellish being donned in a black and white fairground suit and mask. We feel the tension bloom as the cast member comfortably stands beside his supposed friend and casually talks to it. It is not a scene where loud screams blare, or a monster leaps out. It is a simple setup with an excellent culmination to the terrifying film.
3- Camera closeup – Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (Jung Bum-shik, 2018)
The South Korean footage horror entered screens with immediate success, coming in first at the box office on the same day of its release. Its ‘must-see’ reputation grows yearly, with the film now being one of the highest-grossing films in the country, just behind the classic A Tale of Two Sisters (2003). Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is somewhat of a slow burn, taking its time to build trepidation before unleashing its ferocious force onto the unsuspecting viewer. There are countless incidences where you will find yourself watching the screen between peaked fingers over the eyes, but the one scene that continuously creeps up on jumpscare compilations is the ‘ultra-close up shot’. In traditional found footage fashion, the firsthand camera, in this instance, comes from the fisheye lens on a GoPro, which is mounted to the head of its user. The user in question experiences possession by a malicious spirit, turning her mouth into a menacing grim, complete with black irises and an air of pure wickedness. The intensity of the fright primarily originates from the twisted complexion that the fisheye lens provides; it’s an image straight from the uncanny valley, especially when paired with the unhuman odd squealing noise that the character makes.
4- The first appearance – I Am a Ghost (H.P. Mendoza, 2012)
I Am a Ghost remains criminally underrated despite its truly nightmarish conclusion. Describing the film can come across as a disservice. Nothing happens for the majority of the film. There are no grand acts of terror, and a monotonous routine takes precedence for the most part. However, this stagnantness is where the horror excellence shines. I Am a Ghost follows a woman from an indeterminable era in a large Victorian house, all by herself, as she goes about her daily routine of waking up, making breakfast, walking around the house, and so forth. However, something is off, a stringent atmosphere become apparent, but the force of strain is revealed ever so delicately and subtley. Yet, when the clock strikes and the realisation hits, we are met with an ungodly reign of terror in the form of a chilling creature-like demon whose appearance is a psychical shock in terms of its sheer spectacle but also an emotional jolt due to the sudden interruption into the banal, mundane tone that was at play for the majority of the film.
5- Night vision – The Descent (Neil Marshall, 2005)
The Descent’s unbreakable reputation still stands today due to Neil Marshall’s impeccable timing of frights, scares and gore galore. The night vision scene occurs deep under an unknown cave system amidst columns of sharp, pointed stalactites and hundreds of animal bones. Darkness prevails, and panic sets in for the spelunking group, who are becoming increasingly aware of their entrapment. Their access to night vision only provides a feeble attempt of sight, but what it does pick up is a daunting image of the humanoid creature known as a ‘Crawler’ standing over them, waiting to catch their prey. Upon discovery, all hell breaks loose, and the group’s tortuous journey to their gruesome deaths begins. It’s everything one could wish for in a jumpscare – disquieting tension, limited vision, an almighty scream and a powerful scare.
6- Car window – Smile (Parker Finn, 2022)
A common conception about contemporary horror cinema is that they are predictable with one too many jumpscares. And whilst that sentiment may ring slightly true, there are plenty of films which exercise an abundance of jumpscares with brilliance—an example of this being Smile. Parker Finn’s feature debut’s standout scene, which took many by surprise, is the ‘car window’ snippet. The jolting clip shows a woman running to a car window, only for her torso to fill the car window, and her neck to seemingly contort and hang low, pushing her twisted expression into the glass and showcasing an awfully horrid smile.
7- ‘The Mother’ – Barbarian (Zach Cregger, 2022)
The payoff from Barbarian’s ‘big’ jumpscare is all in the buildup, which takes up the majority of the first half of the film. Whilst details will be kept sparse, throughout Barbarian we are unsure as to who or what will go wrong, who to trust and when the horror will unfold. Meaning that the grand reveal of the mysterious titular creature behind all the terror is all the more effective. What also propels this particular Barbarian scare to gold status is how it changes the film’s method of horror. The likes of Smile and Sinister use quick scares to retrieve a response. Meanwhile, Barbarian and I Am a Ghost utilise a general sense of devilment to entice a reaction. Barbarian often employs atmospheric dread to create fear, making this unforeseen monstrous appearance all the more frantic.
8- I Saw Her Face – The Ring (Gore Verbinski, 2002)
Gore Verbinski’s adaption of the Japanese classic Ringu (1998) is an example of a remake done right. There are countless instances where the film takes us on a frightening ride, but there is one scene that stands out amongst them all – the infamous ‘I Saw Her Face’ extract. During a somber funeral service for a young girl hit by the tragedy of The Ring’s lore, the victim’s mother tells of her heartbreak and sudden death of her daughter. The scene is one of solemn and tenderness, mourning the sadness of a life lost, however, in an attack of complete sporadicalness the camera cuts to the girl hunched dead inside a closet, mouth gaping open, eyes drooped and bruised skin. Brutal, bold and beyond bone-chilling.
9- The Haunting of Hill House (Mike Flanagan, 2018)
Mike Flanagan is the ultimate horror connisseur, what with being a known avid horror fan, which continuously shows through his extensive filmography. Although The Haunting of Hill House is not a film but mini-series, it truly is a cinematic masterpiece. The show as a collective nails the art of a jumpscare. It features scenes of brief, sudden thwacks with booming sounds providing plenty of nerve jolting attacks to the senses. On the flip side, there is an equal amount of long, dreary, shocks that unnerve as much as they panic. Whilst there are too many scenes to pin the precise focal point, a few masterly frights include every appearance of the Bent Neck Lady and the ‘car scare’.
10- Hide and Clap – The Conjuring (James Wan, 2013)
To set the scene, a mother and child are playing the hide and clap game, which is akin to a Marco-Polo, hide and seek activity. In an attempt to locate the hider, the seeker (the mother) follows the claps, leading her to the entryway of the basement. Now in complete darkness with only a small glow lighting up her face, she waits for the next clap, only for the silence to be broken by a clap from right behind her. Loud screams and panic ensues, but the real reaction comes from the slow buildup, shivering in anticipation waiting for a clap to appear out from knowhere and cut the unbeliviably thick tension.
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Imaginary is Jeff Wadlow’s latest collaboration with Blumhouse Productions, following from their previous combined projects, Fantasy Island (2020) and Truth or Dare (2018). Like every production house, there are filmic expectations, whether that be the dizzyingly raucous films from Troma Entertainment or the moody existentialist slow-burners from A24. And whilst Blumhouse has produced some utterly fantastic horrors such as The Bay (2012), Creep (2014), Get Out (2018), and Soft and Quiet (2022), the studio has more often than not come under fire for spewing out banal, cliched movies that lack any air of originality. Unfortunately, their latest venture, Imaginary, has hit screens with an overwhelmingly negative response thanks to its underdeveloped, muddled storyline and humdrum attempts to scare.
Generically, Imaginary follows Jessica (DeWanda Wise), a children’s author who returns to her childhood home with her stepdaughters, Alice (Pyper Braun) and Taylor (Taegen Burns). However, chaos ensues when Alice discovers a stuffed teddy bear named Chauncey.
With this in mind, the narrative has ample potential to be something eerie and dark, a tale of childhood frights and how they seep into the psyche. Yet, one of the film’s significant downfalls is how the ‘could-be-great’ capabilities are lost in all of the hullabaloo. In a nutshell, Jessica’s repressed childhood has unknowingly clouded most of her life and affected her more than she could have ever imagined; there is an unnecessary backstory surrounding Alice and Taylor’s troubled mother, which is joined by yet another subplot of this underground-like world called the ‘Never Ever’ that Chauncey unleashes. The story is further complicated by the fact that Chauncey’s physical materiality is a fabrication of Jessica and Alice’s minds, making frequent appearances to others somewhat confusing. Imaginary really outdoes itself because it cannot make up its mind, with underplots, lore, secondary storylines and tangled conclusions all fighting for attention for the entire film.
The oversaturation is not offbeat or theatrical, where the excessiveness plays off as humorous or loveable enough to create a fanbase, as seen in the likes of 2023’s M3gan. Alternatively, Imaginary’s capacity to grasp its gratuitous plot and develop any sense of charm is completely missed.
Furthering the vapidness is the almost nonsensical dialogue that features throughout. The lead actors, particularly Wise, are equipped with all the tools to make the film excel, yet the robotic script dulls any sparkle and makes not just the character’s physical actions confusing but also makes every monologue and essential piece of exposition fail. Take the character of Gloria (Betty Buckley), Jessica’s neighbour, whose sole purpose is to be an exposition provider. It is not uncommon for films to dedicate a scene for the lead to decipher the origins that are plaguing their situation. However, Gloria’s delivery of the backstory is akin to that of a wiki article. It’s a monotonous speech that reels off a PowerPoint presentation to Chauncey’s motives.
The singular hook that barely keeps Imaginary in the loop is the creature design of Chauncey when he enters beast-mode. His small teddy bear frame becomes towering, with his eyes shedding the shiny plastic beads, becoming bright red, and his sewn-shut mouth ripping open to reveal gnarly fangs. What makes this all the more impressive is that Chauncey’s form was created mainly using practical effects and animatronic tricks. These effects were created by none other than Spectral Motion, an effects design team that is known for their brilliant work on the likes of Stranger Things (2016-). If Imaginary had featured more of Chauncey’s dark side and beastly form, then the film’s overall themeatics would have had the opportunity to materialise.
The film could have utilised its undertones and portrayed the manipulation of reality, how psychological illusions and repression lead to the destruction of the self. Chauncey’s villainy could have propelled the film away from its continuous jumpscare tactics and led the way with a more piercing take on the human condition if the script had been stripped back and allowed the effectiveness of its story beats and antagonist to shine.
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Bumps in the dark and strange creatures are brilliant devices used by many filmmakers. Nevertheless, it is often rare that there comes about a film that employs these facets with such power that it will leave you not just fully engrossed in the on-screen magic but also enthralled by the sheer capacity to frighten. Dutch Marich’s Horror in the High Desert (2021) and its equally haunting sequel Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva (2023) is an exercise in visceral found footage cinema that deserves to be registered as one of the greats.
The first entry chronicles the disappearance of hiker Gary Hinge (Eric Mencis), who went missing in the summer of 2017 after hiking in the Great Basin Desert, Nevada. For the first time since the tragedy, family and friends are interviewed, recalling the horrific events and the terrifying conclusion of what happened in the high desert.
At first glance, Horror in the High Desert’s stylistic choices may seem to emulate the found footage storytelling device as seen countless times before. However, the complexity Marich exerts throughout propels the aspect of the first-hand camera into new and exciting territory that imposes an awfully stringent omnipotent force. The film takes inspiration from the authenticity of documentary filmmaking, featuring interviews and archival footage, and presents its facts on screen as if learnt in real-time whilst editing a supposedly real documentary on a genuine case. It is an intoxicatingly fascinating approach to horror that has been excellently handed in the likes of The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Lake Mungo (2008), with the product having an undictated tonality, where the events unravel in real time, making the finished content much more authentically coded and therefore tenfolds more terrifying.
With all these hyperrealist intentions, exploring the film’s visual aesthetics is crucial. Night vision is a potent aspect that Marich amalgamates to extradite a deeply intrinsic fear held within us. What we can’t see is always scarier; the dark figures hiding behind pillars and the whispers of entities are more often than not more startling than the constant exposure of the antagonising force. Marich heavily enlists this ‘less is more approach’ during the film’s final act, which shows the last footage from Gary shoots on his camcorder. Supposedly alone in the dark heights of the isolated desert, Gary captures a deserted cabin surrounded by sparse trees, all washed in total darkness, naked to the human eye, except for the camera’s night vision capabilities.
Fear is survival. It is a preservation instinct that keeps us alive. We become near defenceless when we are denied light and are steeped in the darkness, unable to see the predatory threats. Horror in the High Desert, throughout its conclusion, calls upon this evolutionary cycle to enhance our senses and thus force us to look at the screen, taking in every frame to see where the monstrousness lies, pay audible attention to every branch stepped on to determine how close menace is to our surroundings and ultimately force us to watch on as the gruelling events unfold. In tandem, the close bond developed by the first-hand diegetic camera thrusts our perspective to be at one with Gary, fully and brutally immersing us in his position throughout this bone-chilling sequence.
Identifying an immersed spectatorial experience and the discharge of all-consuming darkness that entices a haptic touch towards the film translates to Horror in the High Desert’s corpus that stimulates folkloric-based rhetoric. This idea of lore and mystery is presented heavily throughout the sequel, Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva. Featuring a similar outline and based in the same context, is a secondary disappearance story focusing on the geological researcher Minerva Sound (Solveig Helene), who relocated to a rural trailer amidst the desert where she documented a string of strange occurrences. Accompanying this are various subplots of other people’s experiences with the ominous area, including the case of the young mother, Ameliana Brasher (Brooke Bradshaw), who goes missing along Highway 50. This is followed by the bodycam footage of Luke Wells (David Nichols Jr.), an EMT who was part of the initial search party for Ameliana.
Minerva’s story unravels slowly, featuring video calls between herself and loved ones concerning the discoveries she has made inside the trailer, such as discarded home video tapes featuring chilling visuals that play out as stalker-like footage, reminiscent of the recordings in The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007), but with a more covert, suspenseful tone. However, the most macabre discovery is of an unidentified person creeping around the trailer, breathing sluggishly and grunting, “he’s comin’ in..” and “I got one for ya”. It is an eerie sequence enough on its own, yet the true bite comes from its suggestion that whatever wreaks havoc among the high desert is something that is far more sinister than a lone wolf, a night stalker, but instead, an uncanny force that is bigger than us all.
Deepening this are the performances above from the likes of Ameliana and Luke, whose experiences with the land are both utterly perplexing and strikingly frightening. After driving from Las Vegas, Ameliana’s car breaks down, but not to fear; her family has a strategy for this long abandoned stretch of highway; if they do not get home at the specified time, the stranded must wait outside the car until rescue appears. Marich makes brilliant use of the surveillance style of found footage by inserting clips from Ameliana’s dashcam. Details will be spared to avoid spoiling the unforgettable (and frankly nightmare-fueled) surprise. What can be noted is how Marich bravely takes the time not to rush the sequence of Ameliana’s fate. It’s a torturous slow burn that makes the viewer wait in pure fear and trepidation, knowing that Ameliana’s blisteringly gruesome fate will occur at any given moment.
One final punch to the gut is Luke’s bodycam footage, which is an extract that horror filmmakers spend their entire careers learning how to craft, as Marich has done. Again, specifics will be spared in a bid to ‘keep mum’ on the finale. By this process, take heed of this: Luke enters a stranded mining facility in the pitch darkness, having broken his flashlight, unable to see that he is always nearly mere feet away from bumping into a disfigured, unexplainable figure capable of ungodly terror.
Marich has discussed Horror in the High Desert becoming a multi-entried horror series, with the film’s official website confirming that the third edition, Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch, is coming soon. Given the excellence of the original and its equally distinctive sequel, Marich is certainly becoming a signature figure in the found footage world, causing waves and creating overwhelmingly smashing cinema.
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Friday the 13th – genre-defining, monumental, and dare it be said, ‘totally iconic’. These are just some of the descriptors denoted to this mammoth of a horror franchise. With 12 entries to the series name, it can be challenging to define all of the films; however, amongst all of the slasherific and certainly unique films, there does seem to be an entry that repeatedly stands out. Joseph Zito’s Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984).
A group of teens travel to Camp Crystal Lake for a weekend of debaucheries, but things soon go array when Jason Voorhees shows up to his stomping grounds to cause chaos. With this traditional storyline comes a shed of archetypal bloodshed where graphic kills and splatter-filled jumpscares dominate the screen. The Final Chapter is a bonafide classic, but it very nearly ceased to exist as Friday the 13th Part III (1982) was due to complete the Jason trilogy. That was until producer Frank Mancuso, Jr. became hellbent on killing off Jason once and for all. Mancuso worked on both Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Part III, where it was widely reported that he felt his complex and crucial inputs as a production assistant and then producer were not taken seriously enough. In response to this, he recruited Zito, director of the 1981 slasher The Prowler to end the series under his terms. With this, Zito along with Manuso’s backing ended up conjuring one of Friday the 13th’s best films.
Complicit in this reputation is the film’s exceptional imagery that was made at the hands of legendary effects artist, Tom Savini. In The Final Chapter, Savini (known within the Friday the 13th universe for his visceral creation of Jason in the first film), tackled the likes of macheted necks, head twisting, pitchfork stabbings, crucifixion, meat-cleaver hackings and smashed faces. All of these were done with such vivid brutality that elevates the chaotic wildness of it all into genuinely intense, skin-crawling displays of pure depravity that show the brutish capabilities of Jason. Interestingly enough, the film’s evidential flare for the creativity of these depictions goes far beyond the surface, with the film’s primary protagonist having a spiritual tie to Savini.
Although The Final Chapter chronicles the aforementioned quintessential motley crew of youngsters dying at the hands of slasher’s favourite boogeyman, the film has an interwoven secondary line of narrative following the Jarvis family. Residing next door to the teens is Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman), his sister Trish (Kimberly Beck), and their mother (Joan Freeman), all of whom must face the wrath of Jason. Tommy’s ability to think on the spot and get inside the mind of Jason has allowed him to become somewhat of a staple member of the franchise, with his character starring in a total of three Friday the 13th films. Throughout his first appearance, Tommy makes quite the impression thanks to his eclectic personality. Tommy has an affinity for all things practical effects, making masks and prosthetics out of anything he could get his hands on, just as it is documented Savini did during his younger years.
Tommy’s blossoming artistry and innovation is what beckons the film’s applauded conclusion. After copious events unfold, a hammer wielding Jason breaks into the Jarvis’, but just as he’s about to land a fatal blow on the terrified Trish, Tommy saves the day. It transpires that Tommy has found old newspaper clippings detailing Jason’s disfigured face and the horrid past that led to his vengeance. In a quick attempt to stir the psyche of the beast, Tommy hastily shaves his head, resembling a young Jason. Despite the grave risk, his plan roars triumphantly as Jason is captured and almost immediately gravitates with a childlike innocence towards Tommy, seeing his younger self alive and well. However, Jason’s fever dream is quickly interrupted as Trish brings down the machete to his head, knocking off his infamous hockey mask to reveal a horribly warped face before he stumbles to the ground as Tommy seemingly reaches madness and further pummels him into oblivion.
Tommy undergoes a terribly traumatic transformation to save the day. Essentially, he becomes one with the monster, which is only exaggerated by his rampant attack, overkill even, on Jason after the villain’s lifeless body flops to the floor. Prior to this scene Tommy discovers the tragic backstory that catalysed Jason’s descent; seeing this paired with his transformation of embodying the monster and then relishing in the demise all unleashes a beast hidden deep within Tommy that may have otherwise remained locked up.
The film’s finale sees Tommy stare blankly into the camera with a chilling coldness that mirrors Jason’s exact dispassion for human existence. The figurative expression towards Jason and Tommy’s symbiosis opens the film up to a world of possibilities that rings familiar to the first Friday the 13th’s retrospective analysis with all of its discussion about the horrors of maternal devotion. The Final Chapter is steeped in a seriousness that is not easy to craft as efficiently and naturally Zito has. The film still has that primitive nastiness to it that has horror hounds howling at the screen, yet the film is not one long novelty act that aims to solely appease the senses. It does not over extend its analytical gravity to the point of pretentiousness, but it is not afraid of baring its teeth and taking a bite into the critical details.
Even from a retrospective point of view, the film exercises a balance that is notoriously difficult to achieve; it creates a world of lore and backstory without over complicating and propelling the film away from its slasher roots that everyone has come to know and love. As of this year, The Final Chapter completes its 40th year around the sun, and yet, the film seems to have only gotten better. It has been a solid 15 years since the last Friday the 13th film was released. Considering that the next entry would be the ‘13th’ number, a possibly brilliant jumping step would be taking inspiration from the absolute fan favourite classic that is Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter…
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‘Thing’: the detailed, unearthly, alien-like conundrum of a creature is not simply one of the horror genre’s most iconic beings, but one of cinema’s itself. Instantly recognisable and synonymous with John Carpenter’s grandiose auteurism is this hybrid, shapeshifting brute whose physical capacities include mutating into an array of phobia-inducing monsters including mutated huskies and gargantuan arachnids with talking heads (props to the Kafkaesque composition). The Thing’s stellar reputation is largely owed to special effects artist Rob Bottin who primarily conjured the horrid creatures throughout the entire film. It can confidently be stated that Bottin’s originality and sheer ingenuity have created the ultimate blueprint for movie monsters.
2- The Monsters – Feast (John Gulager, 2005)
Whilst the Feast trilogy establishes that these apex predators are indeed deadly carnivores with an appetite for pure destruction to accompany their fleshy cravings, what is left undecided is their exact alien-like origin. However, forgoing whether they are innate earthly dwellers or not, what is noteworthy is how savage, beastly and ultimately gnarly these cosmic creatures truly are. Feast’s resident critters are responsible for some extremely gruesome antics such as eye gouging, head smashing, throat slashing and plenty of glimpses of archetypal sci-fi green goo and generous close-up shots of an array of slimy fluids. Further tearing into the response system of the viewer is the creature’s cruel, grotesquely evil actions that include assaulting their female victims in the most violent of manners. Feast certainly dares to shock the audience in every way possible.
3- The classic green Martian – Signs (M. Night Shyamalan, 2002)
One particular scene in M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs has garnered quite a reputation over the years, and for a very good reason as this single moment manages to conjure such a spine-tingling, nail-biting, pure burst of alarming fright. Of course, the scene in question is the ‘birthday party scene’. Supporting lead, Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) is shown watching the news, trying to seek out the strange alien happenings going on in the world. However, during the broadcast, a clip is aired of a birthday party that is suddenly interrupted by a gangly green alien striding across the screen. It’s a moment of such simplicity and plainness that somehow manages to reach out from the fictional world of Signs and physically affect the viewer. The graininess of the shot paired with the sudden startle aids in the ‘realness’ of that moment, giving a raw, realist agency to the scene that is usually difficult to achieve amongst all the fantasticality displayed within the sci-fi genre.
4- Jean Jacket – Nope (Jordan Peele, 2022)
Briefly steering away from the visceral excess of horror beasts is a slightly more subtle take on extraterrestrial life that still manages to dedicate its screentime to amplifying the fear factor. Nope’s antagonist is known as ‘Jean Jacket’, a colossal UFO that takes on the shape of a biblically accurate angel with its expanding, curtained edges that flutter during its consumption and round off afterwards revealing a design that can only be described as a smoothed cowboy hat… Specific descriptions aside, what allows Jean Jacket a spot on this list is its omnipotent vibe that exemplifies mystery to harbour intense fears of the unknown and the uncanny. However, amidst all of Jean Jacket’s subtle ways, what would be a dishonour to not give credit is that scene involving Jean practically inhaling a sea of people, inducing intense feelings of brutal claustrophobia that is sure to stay with the viewer for long after watching.
5- The Long One – Slither (James Gunn, 2006)
Known as The Long One is Slither’s force of destruction. The Long One’s parasitic origins are responsible for its multitude of transfigurations across the film. Director James Gunn inventively displays these evolutions in the most absurd yet gorily creative ways possible. For instance, one of the more memorable parasitic forms exhibited in the film is when the leech-like creatures inhabit the body of Brenda (Brenda James), making her body expand into a mammoth fleshy sphere complete with protruding veins and puddled in a pit of merlot-tinted rot that emphasises the abnormally stretched beyond belief skin.
6- Xenomorph – Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
No extraterrestrial list would be complete without the undeniably infamous Alien. Ridley Scott’s 1979 tale on the powerful forces that exceed Earth is responsible for the one and only Xenomorph, an endoparasitoid species complete with a spiny tale, tubular skull and a hive mentality that makes for optimum domination over its prey. What makes the Xenomorph incredibly celebrated in the genre is its utter ruthlessness and its invasive potential. In the presence of Xenomorphs, no one is safe.
7- Shapeshifting parasites – The Faculty (Robert Rodriguez, 1998)
This late 1990s teen scream takes inspiration from the horror classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 [and its 1978 remake]) by placing the terror of the alien creature in its ability to shapeshift into a human, disguising and conniving before unleashing hell in its true form. Whilst The Faculty does an excellent job in the effects department when showing the creature in its full innate form, what remains the most foreboding aspect of the film is how these beasts transform into everyday people. It’s the fear of evil hiding where you’d least expect it, waiting and lurking in the shadows.
8- Death Angels – A Quiet Place (John Krasinski, 2018)
Hyper-evolved beings that possess the power of super hearing to the point that a loud breath is perceived as a scream is an utterly terrifying premise. These creatures, officially known in their world as ‘Death Angels’ are horror reincarnated, prepared to rip you into a million tiny pieces within seconds – as wickedly revealed during the film’s bitterly harsh opening sequence. These immense monsters are entirely blind, solely relying on their hearing to catch prey. And as discovered in the film’s sequel (A Quiet Place Part II [2020]), the Death Angels managed to achieve world domination – apocalypse style – within hours.
9- The ‘gorilla-wolf’ aliens – Attack the Block (Joe Cornish, 2011)
Described in the film as “big alien gorilla wolf motherf*****” are Attack the Block’s resident predators. This laugh-out-loud horror comedy may be equipped with a joke-a-minute coat, but underneath the humour are some pretty gruesome beasts that have the capability to instil enormous heaps of fright as the fuzzy, glowing creatures rapidly swarm down dark halls in their furry squads.
Psycho Goreman, also known as ‘PG’, is a self-proclaimed deadly, ferocious warrior who becomes trapped on planet Earth. PG’s death-lord ways see him destroy nearly everything in his path from murdering civilians to wrecking whole towns. However, PG does have an off-kilter charm that infuses the narrative and his persona with a warmth that can only be explained if one has seen the brilliantly wild and weird film itself. Throughout PG’s various rampages, his character becomes so emboldened with personality that it can be easy to overlook his barbarity. But one aspect that is impossible to escape is how exhaustively detailed the alien design is throughout the film. PG’s mottled skin with its constant crimson glow, coupled with a mountainous structure is a visual behemoth that both commands attention and adds to the horrifically majestical overarching tone of the entire film.
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