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Review – Opus (2025)


Mark Anthony Green, a previous high-ranking editor for the prized GQ magazine was no stranger to penning pieces ranging from articles on couture Tom Ford fashion to write-ups of interviews with elite celebrities on their success, discography and upcoming projects. Green’s passion for journalism was and is still clear, but after years of honing his craft and gaining such raw experiences in the world of celebrity culture and headlining antics, he noticed a pattern.

The world of fame was like a cult, with people almost worshipping these people that they do not really know. Where there is fame, money and success, there are problems; problems that have the potential to be quite terrifying when thought through. This philosophy is what instigated a fire within Green to take his years of experience and catalyse the madness of fame into a horror film that is akin to a fever dream and kaleidoscopic nightmare into the underbelly of celebrity culture. 

Opus follows Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri), a journalist who is hungry for the next big-piece but contemplative enough to see past the smoke and mirrors. Ariel is spotlighted to travel to the compound of the eclectic Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich), a pop phenomenon who retired from the public eye nearly three decades ago. Along with a team of her fellow writers, she embarks on a journey to the popstar’s commune to be witness to his brand new album. 

Laying the foundations of what works well in Opus are the performances by leads Edebiri and Malkovich who fuse together their shared ability to get lost into a role, amplifying the film’s chaotic and surreal tonality. Whilst the actors equally dress the scenes with a form of magnetism that draws you in and holds your attention, leaving you wondering what happens next, they also bring contrasting elements that create a layered experience. Edebiri has finessed the nuanced approach to performing, enacting perfect comedic timing and knowing how to subtly balance the emotional shifts of the story. Whereas Malkovich’s intensive talents lend to his character’s cryptic flamboyant manner, amalgamating charm with a cold and menacing undertone. 

Opus is an evolving, layered-like story that works hard to create a textually mysterious environment where something innately feels off with the situation, but exactly where the horror originates from is not revealed until the final act. The feeling is emulative of emotionally similar films such as Get Out (2017), The Menu (2022) and Blink Twice (2024), where a slow-burn approach is employed, gradually building an unsettling aura until the penny finally drops and every obscure, elusive ploy forms to create a catastrophe. One caveat to this type of film is whether or not the grand reveal can match the tight tension that brews for well over an hour. In the case of Opus, the answer is a lukewarm ‘kindof’.

When the credits roll, the viewer is met with equal confusion and satisfaction, due to the film’s bold take on the tribalism of celebrity cults. If Opus would have pushed harder on the gas and implemented a more significantly extreme finale then it would have hit the mark with feverishly exciting but still disturbing payoff, rather than a conclusion that is not equivalent to what it promises throughout the first half of the film. 

Despite the slightly deflated revelations, Opus is brilliant at stirring the pot. In today’s day and age, the whole idea of major figures and key players in the entertainment industry harbouring rings filled with all sorts of sordid deeds is not a secret. It goes without explanation that the premise of private islands and taboo (or to be frank, inhumane) tastes have been at the central focus of tabloid media for a while.

Green has been open about his experience as a journalist and his beliefs regarding putting these people who we do not know personally on a pedestal, which can be a dangerous game. Opus toys with this open secret and develops a film that stands to respond and play with this truth. Whilst the brutality of the situation could have been more hardcore, Opus is a feature that is a piece of its time and feeds into a spark of horror that thrives on the real seediness that lies in front of us everytime we turn on the television or radio, read the papers, admiring the lives of others that we do not know. 

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Unmissable horror and thriller movies on streaming platforms (March 2025)


The Gorge
(Directed by Scott Derrickson) – Apple TV+

Horror director, Scott Derrickson (“The Exorcism of Emily Rose” [2005], “Sinister” [2012] “The Black Phone” [2021]), turns to the sci-fi genre with The Gorge, a straight to Apple TV+ production starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy. The film follows two highly skilled snipers who are tasked with a mission to watch over and guard with their lives, a seemingly bottomless gorge. Although the assignment is shrouded in mystery, they soon discover what unearthly secret dwells in the pit. The Gorge is booming with high-impact, exhilarating twists and turns, with the action factor being pumped up throughout the entire film, yet there is also a unique tenderness played out by Teller and Taylor-Joy. As such, the film becomes this unmissable, multidimensional piece that is a standout release in Apple’s streaming catalogue. 

Severance – season 2 (Directed by Ben Stiller) – Apple TV+

The widely acclaimed and Emmy nominated dystopian thriller meets psychological horror hybrid, Severance, is back for a second season. Taking place in an atmospherically uncanny office, Severance follows a unit of office employees who have undergone a company-warranted surgery where their memories have been altered to not remember their working days whilst off the clock, and to not recall their personal lives when on duty. The recently premiered second season manages to be as surreally creepy as its first, with the storylines initiated from the previous episodes becoming even darker and more entrenched in that terrifying, yet monotonous aura that was established in the very first episode. 

Rumours (Directed by Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson, Guy Maddin) – Paramount Plus 

Working on the same level as satirical, but also all too real films such as “The Belko Experiment” (2016) and “The Hunt” (2020) is Rumours, now streaming on Paramount Plus. Rumours sees a cast of some of the most wealthy democracies become lost in the forest as they draft a joint statement on a major crisis. Rumours thrives on its own sporadic story where satire and black comedy meet with peculiar, erratic, creature horror to create a film that can be described as a viewing experience, rather than just a quick watch. The eclectic storyline is made all the more appealing thanks to the ensemble cast which includes, Cate Blanchett, Roy Dupuis, Denis Ménochet, Charles Dance, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Alicia Vikander. 

Control Freak (Directed by Shal Ngo) – Disney+

The itchingly affective horror Control Freak might have only just premiered on Disney+, yet this monstrous feat already has viewers itching. Control Freak follows Val (Kelly Marie Tran), a very successful and high-achieving motivational speaker who begins experiencing an uncomfortable itch on her head that soon takes control over her entire being. Creepy crawlies, body trauma and anxiety-inducing scenes all take centre stage in this so gross, yet oh-so-moorish series. 

Alien: Romulus (Directed by Fede Álvarez) – Disney+

When it is announced that a major franchise is receiving a ninth release, it can be easy for eyes to roll, with audiences often craving new, original storylines. However, Alien: Romulus’ effective, truly nerve-gripping sci-fi feature was a sure-fire crowd-pleaser from day one. Originally released in cinemas last year, the latest Alien film has finally been released on Disney’s streaming platform for all to witness this intense fight for survival. 

Nightbitch (Directed by Marielle Heller) – Disney+

Based on Rachel Yodder’s 2021 novel of the same name is Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch, a gutsy horror following a stay-at-home mother (Amy Adams), who is becoming increasingly frustrated at her life as she waits at home all day maintaining the idyllic housewife lifestyle; however, all of her frustrations take a turn for the worse as she begins to experience a feral, canine transformation. Adams gives an ambitious performance that helps to align the entire character-study element of the film, in turn providing an abundant amount of tension and ferocity to every inch of this monstrous and complex horror.

The Calendar Killer (Directed by Adolfo J. Kolmerer) – Prime Video

This German horror follows Klara (Luise Heyer), a woman who has been given an ultimatum by The infamous ‘The Calendar Killer’: murder her husband or die. Terrified, Klara calls an emergency helpline, reaching Jules (Sabin Tambrea), together they must do the impossible and get to the bottom of the case before it is too late. The Calendar Killer has all the tools for a stellar, gripping ride of pure intensity, with the film being highly dramatic, rich in its storytelling techniques and aesthetically thrilling. Although this horror has seen a steady rise on the streaming charts, this film is still highly underrated and certainly unmissable.

Little Bites (Directed by Spider One) – Shudder

This gruesome horror from the mind of Spider One, the brother of Rob Zombie, sees a family tormented by a sinister, gory demon. Little Bites plays with impactful family dynamics, with the narrative showcasing complex facets such as generational trauma within the ties that bind us. Whilst the film demonstrates such matters with impressive value, where the film shines the most is in the practical effects, with Little Bites creature design being seriously effective throughout. 

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Directed by Ariana Louis-Seize) – Shudder 

The brilliantly titled Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, follows Sasha (Sara Montpetit), a sensitive vampire who after a traumatic childhood incident, sees killing for feed as inhumane. Although years have passed, Sasha remains appalled with the concept of vampirism until she meets Paul (Felix-Antoine Benard), a suicidal young man. With similar strains of humour to the likes of “What We Do in the Shadows” (2014) and “When the Screaming Starts” (2021) is Humanist Vampire’s sense of quirky, dark comedy where the surrealist quality of the cinematic events sparks an outlandish, yet delightfully funny tone. 

Delicious (Directed by Nele Mueller-Stöfen) – Netflix 

Since its premiere on Netflix early this March, Delicious has garnered quite a contentious reception, with audiences either loving the satirical, ill-natured horror or strongly disliking this take on the ‘eat the rich’ genre of cinema. Either way, Delicious is quickly catching attention. No matter which side is taken, Delicious is extremely well filmed, with the film’s atmosphere being increasingly sinister with each scene, alongside the brilliant cinematography that captures the stark social divide that the film aims to tackle. 

Demon City (Directed by Seiji Tanaka) – Netflix 

Based on the Oni Horoshi (2020-2024) comics is Demon City, a Japanese dark thriller following a hitman who is on a path of vengeance after demon-masked killers murder his family and frame the unforgivable crime on him. The revenge element combined with the moody lighting and melancholic, almost gothic feel will remind viewers of “The Crow” (1994), but with an even bloodier and callous punch of violence as this merciless thriller refuses to mellow. 

The Line (Directed by Ethan Berger) – Now TV/Sky Cinema 

For many of us overseas, the fraternity culture of American colleges is only something that has been captured on screen. However, Ethan Berger’s The Line rips away any cinematic divide as this first-time feature director fully immerses the viewer in the chaotic and devastating world of collegiate organizations at their worst. The Line stars Alex Wolff as Tom, who is seduced by the lifestyle of the Kappa Nu Alpha (KNA) fraternity. The film takes on the bold subject with an air of rawness that puts on a show of how hazing rituals and masculinity exercises can be truly terrifying. 

I Saw the TV Glow (Directed by Jane Schoenbrun) – Now TV/Sky Cinema 

I Saw the TV Glow received tremendous acclaim upon its release, praised for its personal nature and haunting aura that hypnotises as much as it startles. The film follows shy teenager Owen (Justice Smith), who in 1996 meets the quiet and distant Maddy (Jack Haven), who introduces him to a TV show titled ‘The Pink Opaque’; together the pair become entranced by this mysterious show. I Saw the TV Glow follows their journey of obsession and delusion over the years as The Pink Opaque takes over their sense of being. Utterly enthralling and entirely bewitching, this horror will sink its teeth into you and not let go. 

Get Away (Directed by Steffan Hars) – Now TV/Sky Cinema 

Nick Frost and Aisling Bea lead this hilarious and unexpectedly brutal horror, playing parents Richard and Susan as they take their two teenagers, Sam (Sebastian Croft) and Jessie (Maisie Ayres), on a family holiday to the Swedish island of Svalta. What begins as a quaint trip to the lakeside town ends up as an absolute bloodbath. The film excels at the hands of Frost and Bea’s incredible comedic timing, complete with realistic, hilarious dialogue that turns even the most mundane of moments into gory laugh-fests. The excellent script, also written by Frost, is not afraid to take a few grisly detours, with the film adding in just enough subplots to create an interesting buildup to the shocking third act. 

Coming soon: 

Happy Face (Created by Jennifer Cacicio) – Paramount Plus – 20th March 

In March of 1995, Melissa G. Moore found out that her father, Keith Hunter Jesperson, was the ‘Happy Face Killer’, the previously unidentified serial killer who had murdered eight women, although the number is said to be in the hundreds. Moore’s brave resilience in speaking about the hidden signs and revelations of her father sparked books, Lifetime Movies, documentaries, podcasts and now a Paramount Plus produced TV series. Dennis Quaid plays the father/murderer, with Annaleigh Ashford starring as Moore. Although not yet released, the show has been met with critical praise, with reviews speaking of the film’s integrity to not create an idealised portrayal of a sensitive and true story, instead opting for an honest, necessarily brutal and authentic account of a horrific tragedy. 

Holland (Directed by Mimi Cave) – Prime Video – 27th March 

Nicole Kidman stars in this Mimi Cave directed psychological thriller which follows suburban mum, Nancy Vandergroot (Kidman), whose picture-perfect life comes shattering down when she and her friend Dave (Gael García Bernal) discover that a disturbing secret lies amongst them. From the released teasers and images, Holland is set to be just as devilish and dark as Cave’s previous feature “Fresh” (2022), with the film blending the juxtaposed worlds of quaintness and sickness together to create a layered mystery that gets more distressing each and every scene. 

The Rule of Jenny Pen (Directed by James Ashcroft) – Shudder – 28th March 

The Rule of Jenny Pen, based on Owen Marshall’s short story of the same name, follows former judge and now retiree, Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) who finds himself in a care facility after becoming partially paralysed. Stefan’s dismay at the home is made all the more immediate by fellow tenant, Dave Crealy (John Lithgow), an elder man who is seemingly pleasant enough. However, Dave is a secret sadist who enjoys the torture of others, as he uses his glove therapy puppet, nicknamed Jenny Pen, to reign terror over the residents. The film is set to be a genuine fright, with the premise itself being enough to catalyse an array of doll-themed nightmares. If that wasn’t enough, the film is complete with the talents of Rush and Lithgow whose screentime amplifies the impact of this upcoming fright.

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2025 Horror Anniversaries: Part Two

The Descent (Directed by Neil Marshall, 2005) 

Very rarely does a film like The Descent come around, with the horror being comparable to one hundred minutes of pure fright. This British film comes from the mind of horror auteur Neil Marshall, who delivers an experience that is known for managing to scare the wits out of even the most hardened of viewers. The Descent follows six lifelong friends who have made a habit of going on adrenaline-fuelled trips. For their latest excursion, they embark on a caving adventure, however, once inside the uncharted cave they discover an army of humanoid creatures who they must battle against to survive.

Every box is ticked: gnarly creatures, the dark, twisted group dynamics, betrayals, heights and injuries all make an appearance. Yet, there is one element that surpasses the rest, the claustrophobic caves. The film showcases tight caves, where the women have to squeeze themselves through the tiniest of gaps just to get to another narrow tunnel. It’s a seemingly neverending cycle of torture that still daunts, intimidates, wrecks, shocks and scares stiff twenty years on. 

Final Destination (Directed by James Wong, 2000) 

The franchise responsible for making people terrified of log trucks, alongside pretty much every potentially dangerous concept such as bridges, planes, race tracks and so forth is soon to have six films to its name, but it all began twenty-five years ago with the original Final Destination. The premise follows a group of teens who cheat death after experiencing a catastrophic premonition before they are due to take off on a plane. However, rather than remaining unscathed from the incident, death begins coming after them one by one.

Prior to writing the script with fellow writer Glen Morgan and eventual director James Wong, Jeffrey Reddick conceived the premise as an unsolicited idea for an episode of the TV series ‘The X-Files‘. However, rather than being submitted to the network, Reddick was convinced to develop the forty-five minute episode into a feature-length film. The result of the script is extremely theatrical, very seriously toned, and alert to its own sternness of a subject matter, yet at the same time, its melodramatic flair makes it somewhat of a comfort watch, where the predictable, formulaic nature of death chasing down each character makes for great repeat viewing. 

Ginger Snaps (Directed by John Fawcett, 2000) 

The matter of lycanthropy has never been so angsty in John Fawcett’s Ginger Snaps. This werewolf tale follows Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and her sister Bridgette (Emily Perkins), who together have a strange obsession with death, often photographing themselves as they stage various methods of killing. Their curiosity about the macabre soon becomes a reality after Ginger is bitten by a werewolf on the night of a full moon. Soon, Ginger becomes more than a hormonal teenager as she sports a growing tail, sprouts hair and develops a ferocious appetite for violence.

Ginger Snaps possesses the capacity to be analytically torn apart and devoured as a piece of metaphorical heavy cinema, with the film often being written about by many academics, namely Barbara Creed in her Monstrous Feminine theory. Creed posits that Ginger Snaps can be read as a recreation of the adolescent woman as an animal, akin to a feral beast equipped with all the bodily changes for a monstrous affair. Whether you absorb the film as an interpretive experience, or as pure entertainment, Ginger Snaps is a killer horror through and through. 

Scary Movie (Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2000) 

Although the iconic satirical slasher Scary Movie is due to turn twenty-five years old this summer, the Wayans brother production is largely, minus a few dated moments, still as hilarious today as it was at the start of the millennium. The two decades before Scary Movie was inundated with slasher films, to the point where metafictional cinema and media had pulled reign and both celebrated and parodied the influx, with Scary Movie being a key example of such cinema. Just a few pieces that are spoofed throughout the film include ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’, ‘Scream’, ‘The Shining’, ‘Friday the 13th’, ‘Halloween‘, ‘The Matrix’ and ‘The Blair Witch Project’.

Unlike many horror films, Scary Movie solely thrives on its humour rather than the scares, with every scene brimming with raunchy, vulgar moments of shockingly daring, slapstick-like and at times crude laughs. This bold take was seen as a bit too tasteless for some of the bigger news outlets reviewing the film upon its release, yet for many, the obscenity is what makes the film excel. The film ended up spawning five sequels, the latter of which was only recently announced, but the anticipation is already making waves, particularly as the Wayans are set to return and write the screenplay. 

Misery (Directed by Rob Reiner, 1990) 

Misery, an adaption of Stephen King’s novel of the same name (1987), is said to be one of King’s favourite cinematic recreations of his many books. The reasons as to why this is the case are countless, as Misery well and truly flourishes in every category. Firstly, the acting is excellent, with Kathy Bates winning the Academy Award for Best Actress, which is a feat in itself when one considers that the Oscars is renowned for commonly overlooking the horror genre in its selection. One of the many other reasons for its golden reputation is that the film is genuinely suspenseful, with Reiner actively creating scenes awash with nail-bitingly tense moments of sheer fright, terror and blinding anticipation.

A pivotal example of Misery’s brilliance is when Bates’ character, Annie Wilkes, who has been holding novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) restrained and hostage, takes a sledgehammer to her captive’s ankles, smashing them to smithereens. The snapshot of Sheldon’s ankles making a ninety-degree angle is shown, but the moment is deliberately and incredibly brief, with Reiner focusing on showing the raw reactions of both the characters instead of the gore. Ultimately, it is Misery’s adept ability to convey strong emotional tension that makes it still a supreme classic horror film thirty-five years on. 

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (Jack Sholder, 1985) 

Wes Craven’s original A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is an obvious, undefeated champ, and commonly agreed upon as the best entry in the lengthy franchise, yet its sequel ‘Freddy’s Revenge’ does have its gleaming moments that have led to its contemporary cult status forty years on. The second telling of Freddy Kreuger (Robert Englund) follows teenager Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton), who has recently moved into the former property of Nancy Thompson, who years prior suffered a disastrous fate at the hands of the ‘Springwood Slasher’ himself. Soon, Jesse begins to experience horrific nightmares of Krueger, leading to a deadly fight for survival.

Upon its release, reviews were in the grey, with the film being continuously compared to its predecessor. Despite the initial murky critical reception, Freddy’s Revenge has become a glorified entry in the Elm Street series, with the film’s surrounding dialogue revolving around matters such as homoeroticism, sexuality and repressed desires. 

The Changeling (Directed by Peter Medak, 1980) 

The Changeling follows John Russell (George C. Scott), a New York composer whose car becomes stuck in the snow whilst travelling in the mountains. Whilst calling for help in a nearby phone booth, he witnesses a truck collide with his wife and daughter, brutally killing them both. Grieving from the loss of his family, he moves to Seattle, renting a grand mansion that has been supposedly vacant for over a decade. Although John is all alone, he begins to experience strange phenomena as the house reveals itself to be haunted.

The Changeling is known to be quite the terrifying feature, with the film being the quintessential ghost story. Creaky doors, loud sudden noises and supernatural apparitions all make themselves known throughout, with each act becoming embroiled with layers of haunting lore. Yet, the archetypal spooky elements are far from being monotonous, as The Changeling is filmed in such an atmospherically captivating way, with some truly mystifying cinematography, detailed sound design and a commendable, believable performance from Scott. 

Peeping Tom (Directed by Michael Powell, 1960) 

Carol Boehm plays Mark Lewis, a serial killer whose modus operandi is unsuspecting women who he murders using a concealed blade hidden in his camera equipment, filming his victims as he murders them. In Peeping Tom, the camera that Lewis uses becomes a weapon, capturing the look of pure fear in a person’s eye as they realise that the man before them is actually a savage and a sadistic killer.

It is incidents such as these that led to the film becoming harshly received upon its release sixty-five years ago. Various countries sought for the film to be censored and reprimanded due to the shocking nature of the film. One of these restrictions lasted for twenty-one years, with Finland outright banning the film. Peeping Tom’s historical legacy is rich with explorations surrounding the film’s portrayal of voyeurism, which is used as a lens, traversing issues such as the human psyche, alongside the voyeuristic gaze that cinema itself withholds. 

Psycho (Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) 


One of the most iconic horror films of all time turns sixty-five years old this Autumn. Psycho is a lesson in suspense, particularly in thanks to the filmmaker behind the camera, the one and only Sir Alfred Hitchcock. The film’s direction, unnerving legendary score, unsettling set design, stark lighting and tremendous performances have helped propel Psycho to its acclaimed position and cement the tropes that still linger in the genre to this day.

The film’s uncanny ability to startle does not simply lie in its technical elements, with Psycho additionally taking heed of its dark atmospheric aura and tone to draw viewers in only to cruelly punish them at the hands of its anxiety-inducing plot. For instance, the film makes use of its psychological motives, both through the narrative itself, and through the way Hitchcock pulls off some of the greatest plot twists of all time.

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Review – The Monkey (2025)

The Monkey makes an array of promises. It vows to shock at the audacity of its plot, urges a repulsive affective response at some of the more gnarly moments, and most importantly, it demands that every viewer is grinning from ear to ear at the bombastic ludicrousness of it all. Conceived originally as a short story from horror darling Stephen King was ‘The Monkey’ (1980), which followed a man and his lifelong plague of terror caused by a toy monkey that would cause utter destruction. It is a somber tale of trauma and generational guilt all bundled up with a string of dread and doom. Indeed, in its contemporary adaptation, such commentary is explored, however, the new wildly ambitious feature is far from a melancholic woe. 

Originally, the rights for King’s story was owned by Frank Darabont, legendary director of ‘ The Shawshank Redemption‘ (1994) and ‘The Walking Dead’ (2010-11), only for his plans to vanquish after prioritising other projects. After sitting on the shelf, James Wan, under the banner ‘Atomic Monster’, acquired the rights, with filmmaker Osgood ‘Oz’ Perkins brought on to write and direct. Originally, producers aimed to imitate that same foreboding aura that King’s penned short conjured, yet, Perkins insisted that the sporadic nature of the narrative’s various plays of death spoke to the utter disregard that death has. The subject can of course be mysterious, chilling and scary, just as Perkin’s previous feature ‘Longlegs’ (2024) demonstrates, but more than that, it can be entirely random, unbiased and determined by a string of unfortunate coincidences.

You see, Perkins faced his own tragedy at the hands of his parents’ deaths. The 18 year old Oz was just on the cusp of adulthood when his father, Anthony Hopkins (aka Psycho’s [1960] Norman Bates), died in 1992 of AIDS-related pneumonia. A few years later, his mother, actress and model Berry Berenson, was a passenger on Flight 11 when it crashed into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. This fate is gut-wrenchingly terrifying to face, with the thought of loved ones departing in the most painful of ways becoming a whole-heartedly catastrophic event to even imagine, and yet Perkins has managed to channel this hurt into his work. He interprets these awful events into something that is horrific in itself, creating a vision, an exhibition and a vessel to explore and therefore externalise the internal. Such analogy has not been pulled out of thin air, as Perkins himself has incorporated this anguish into the promotional material of The Monkey

“Death does not care about your feelings” is essentially the core value that The Monkey pertains, in fact, an actual advertisement for the film included a poster quoting “The hard truth is that everybody dies, and that’s fucked up. But at least now you can enjoy death with your friends and loved ones”. 

With this notion of the brutal, yet somehow cathartic and dare it be said peaceful analogy of death and its lingering shadow, grief, The Monkey aims to portray its philosophy in the most daring of ways. Forgive the second quoting, but as Perkins states, the film shows a series of “decapitations, eviscerations, electrocutions, impalements, disembowelments, infestations, immolations, conflagrations, exsanguination and a defenestration”. As one can imagine, the copious acts of violences on display are so rambunctious and vivacious that it genuinely makes the grim-reaper sequences of deaths in the Final Destination franchise seem like child’s play as we witness one unfortunate circumstance after another throughout this berserk and entertaining film. 

Whilst it is clear that full throttle, pedal to the metal frenziedness was the goal, The Monkey manages to pace itself nicely, and rather steadily, taking its time to unravel the madness, additionally enveloping a decent backstory into the meat of the film. With this also comes an ensemble of superb performances from a truly stellar list of actors including, Tatiana Maslany, Colin O’Brien, Rogan Campbell, Sarah Levy, Adam Scott, Elijah Woods and last but not least Christian Convery and Theo James, who both put their acting talents to the test, genuinely bringing their A-game at every step.

Whilst it is sure to force a good handful of viewers to raise their brow at some of the more gratuitously gory, almost ‘pulled out of the hat’ kind of scenes, The Monkey equally has the gall to enforce a good chuckle and giggle at the mere fun of it all.

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Review – Companion (2025) spoiler-free

Basked in the cruelty of the human nature, blasting deep truths, whilst being equally entrenched in glimmeringly stunning imagery is Drew Hancock’s Companion

The trending Companion follows an unconventional love story that challenges and startles as we see the likes of Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lucas Gage, Rupert Friend, Megan Suri and Harvey Guillén navigate this disturbingly complex tale, presenting an original take on a dark, unnerving romance.

Companion was set to be directed by ’Barbarian’ director Zach Cregger; however, unlike the marketing for Barbarian that kept the crucial twist tightly under lock, letting the film deliver its full, intended shocking fate, Companion’s marketing essentially handed the film’s events on a silver platter in the ‘spoilerific’ trailer. This expression has somewhat tainted the buzz of Companion, yet, Hancock’s innovative approach to this dark comedy is so fine tuned that the spoilt details become long forgotten after actually watching this superb feat. 

Throughout, Companion dances with the subject of toxicity, particularly the kind that appears subtle and contained at first, bubbling under the surface until it boils over and spews venom. It is this kind of thoughtful, cinematic prose that propels Hancock’s story to be more than a one-dimensional piece of malignancy in relationships. The film delivers an emboldened  contraption of reality when it comes to scenes of abuse, focusing on how this can be outwardly presented as subdued, but behind closed doors, the matter is profoundly intense. 

Where Companion’s distinctive flair peaks resides in the performances, particularly those from Quaid and Thatcher, who together form a wildly dark powerhouse, elevating the project as they both balance moments of vulnerability and contrasting terror with an air of raw intensity. 

Beyond the stellar performances and the intriguing, dauntingly ominous experience that the film presents, Companion, weaponises it’s cinematic prowess to deliver an atmospherically striking feature. The cinematography, sound design and setting all build an immersive, harsh peak into the film’s world, making even the most seemingly mundane moments become eerie and sharp. 

Companion is not a film to be missed, nor a film to be underestimated. It’s a gripping and provocative picture that stands tall as a solid entry into 2025’s already fantastic line of theatrical releases. 

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Review – Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121

Serpil Altin’s ‘Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121’ is an ominous tale with sparks of surreal comedy that acts as a bold and honest take on both the familial regime under pressure and the horror that arises from fears of the future. 

In the year 2121, planet Earth has broken down from years of climate damage, leading to a treacherous famine, ultimately leaving behind an uninhabitable, barren landscape. Those who did survive now live underground in confined concrete spaces and communities, ruled under the dictatorship of the irreverent ‘Young Administration’ whose power and authority leads to a disastrous fate for a particular family living in the ‘new world’. 

Striking themes of existentialism, authoritarian reign and destruction to the family unit are all tackled throughout in a pragmatically cold and shameless way, owing credence to the film’s overt testimony to topics such as climatology and scarcity threats.  Altin has been open about her intentions in conveying the thematics of the film, with the director expressing how the film tackles a global issue.

In fact, Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121 belongs to a budding trilogy, with the other future narratives being ‘Young Revolution: 2071’ and ‘Heavenly World: 2222’. As such, 2121’ marks itself as being ambitious and certainly not afraid to delve into its storytelling-world-building-plot. For instance, the main characters are incredibly well fleshed-out, with the film fully diving deep into the relationships between the characters, allowing for the family dynamics on display to be compelling and emotional, in turn heightening the stakes to an extremely tense level. 

The film’s complexity is further established by the dystopian atmosphere. By trade, the structure of a desolate world governed by a totalitarian state is a claustrophobic and brutalised place, which Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121 brilliantly recreates. The film utilises aspects of industrial architecture, consisting of cold concrete and harsh spaces, complete with a form of controlled symmetry via the lack of individual personalisation to form a grim terrain for the terror to ensue. As the characters descend deeper into the story and come to terms with what the Young Administration’s direction means to them, the film becomes darker, both through its allegorical tone and its setting, with the final act dressing itself as a somber and eccentric buffer for the series to progress. 

Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121’s intriguing world-building setting, complete with its dramatic flair and eccentricity has proven to be a success, with the film dominating the award scene. To name a few, the film has won the ‘Best Feature Award’ at both the 2023 London Sci-Fi Film Festival and the 2023 Phoenix International Horror and Sci-fi Film Festival. Further to this was the multiple wins at the Fantasporto event (2023), Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin (2023) and Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival (2024). 

Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121 is an exciting sci-fi thriller that is not only the first Turkish sci-fi film directed by a woman, but it is also the first of its kind to be released in cinemas across America. 

There is a lot to be said about a film that can be daunting and rather frightening in its premise and portrayal of particular ideals, but that simultaneously peppers an odd, quirky humour that speaks to the uncomfortableness of the situation. In other words, this film manages to be disconcerting, formidable and rather wacky in its intentions, leading to a truly refreshing viewing experience that is not often happened upon. 

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Review – Presence (Spoiler-free)

Unlike anything many have ever seen before, convolutedly excellent, with a slow burn-like atmosphere is precisely what makes Presence the cinematic enigma that it is. This film is not simply genre bending, it is a complete malformation of categorisation, which has left a slew of mixed reviews in its wake. However, forgoing the ruse stirred by the clever marketing and trickery, Presence is precisely the provocatively dense and thoughtfully crafted film that will beremembered for long to come. 

Presence follows itself; a ghostly apparition, spirit, a higher being, as it weaves in and out of a family home witnessing the everyday. The family in question is made up of the hardworking, power-hungry matriarch Rebecca (Lucy Liu) and her comparatively gentle husband Chris (Chris Sullivan). Together they have two teenagers, Tyler (Eddy Madday), who seems to take after his mother’s harshness, and Chloe (Callina Liang), an alert young adolescent who is in the midst of heartbreak after her best friend recently died. 

The film is shot entirely from the perspective of the ‘presence’, with the point of view angle goading the presence’s autonomy to belong almost entirely to the family dynamic. As such, we only see the household through the eyes of this phantom character. Whilst details are saved for spoilers sake, the mute presence can only show the audience what it is a witness to, in turn forming a puzzle-like story of what is exactly going on. 

This idea of a spectre granting us a gaze into the cinematic world is a large part of Presences’ charm. The fresh and innovative take on a traditional ghost story, using this contemporary lens – both figuratively and literally – allows for a raw, authentic boost to be thrust onto the entire film. Just as the ‘presence’ itself takes in the actions of the family it watches, we too are granted this immediate, concentrated peek into the doings of the film’s subjects. 

Presence’s tactical experience is made all the more rich by the applaudable performances from all. Liu excels as a powerhouse mother whose complex coldness is enacted with a sense of integrity and believability. Following this is the role of Chris, portrayed by Sullivan, whom perfectly compliments Liu’s emotive tonality. Lastly is the onscreen parent’s kin, Tyler and Chloe, which are both played with a level of maturity that should be far beyond both the young actor’s abilities, but the pair have proven that their acting chops are akin to that of actors with decades upon decades of experience. 

Whilst Presence disturbs and disconcerts, particularly through the final act, the film is not overtly ‘horror-coded’, with the ghostly entity not serving its predicted, expected purpose. In a sense, the film weaponizes the presence itself as a filmmaking device to tell the story, rather than material, or even a means to simply frighten. Ghosts by nature are indeed eerie, but in Presence, the matter of the spirit is much more dimensional that what the subject typically provides.

It is this continuous toying of expectations that speaks to director Steven Soderbergh and writer, David Koepp’s, unique talents. Presence is not simple, instead, its alert to its own emotional hue, its revelations are thought-provoking and it certainly requires more than a single screening to digest the intense complexity of it all.

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Review – Wolf Man (2025)

Leigh Whannell is somewhat contemporary horror royalty, belonging to projects such as Saw (2004), Dead Silence (2007), Insidious (2010), Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), Upgrade (2018), The Invisible Man (2020) and now Wolf Man (2025). Regardless of opinion, Whannell is a seasoned horror creator, but is his extensive experience enough to make the long-awaited Wolf Man a film that has a decent bite? 

Wolf Man follows Blake (Christopher Abbott), a family man who along with his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) travel to the remote wilderness of Oregan from the bustling San Francisco after Grady (Sam Jaeger) Blake’s estranged father dies, leaving his estate to his only son. In hopes of repairing their fractious marriage, the family head to the “Beaver State”, however, en route they are attacked by an unseen creature, leaving Blake with a gushing, troubling scratch by the howling beast. 

Werewolves are colloquially known as furred giants, gnarling their prey like a rabid frothing dog and unleashing havoc at the sheer warning of a full moon. Wolf Man internalises the essence of the unsightly brutes and spits out a powerful reengineering of the beloved movie creature that is tonally deep and seething with a whole new lease of emotionality. Wolf Man is just as much of a family drama as it is a creature feature, which should be conflicting and over complicated, except Whannell manages to tiptoe the two thematic halves and creates a film that gives equal credence to both components. 

Firstly, the transformation element (i.e. the backbone of any good werewolf film) is unique and unexpected, but in the most pleasant of ways as we see Blake go from an unextraordinary man to a strange species. A monster whose personhood experiences a metamorphoses just as much as his appearance.

During the promotional tour, Whannell has been open about the film’s potentially controversial lyncathrophic transformation, with the director speculating that the Wolf Man’s appearance will not be traditional, opting for similar approach to David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986), where the meanings behind the ‘changing’ will take presidency over the gore-factor. That being said, the film does still include the frequent nasty body horror that one would expect from a werewolf feature. 

As such, the few sequences of gross-out visuals are met with an even more haunting feeling manifested by the strict, continuous facets of tragedy that are woven in and out of this complex horror. The film delves into Blake’s relationship with his father and Blake’s own fears and anxieties about his capabilities to be a better patriarchal figure in Ginger’s life.

Amplifying the narrative’s emotive trepidations and woes is Blake’s transformation. Throughout his change, he not only sprouts hairs and gains speed, his core capacities and senses also begin to fragment into that of lycanthropy. No longer can he clearly hear exactly as he once could, with his wife and daughter’s speech becoming strange muttering. Every portion of his sensibility is lost. He is now forever haunted and lost. 

Wolf Man is entrenched in a layer of darkness that aims to move, which in a cruel twist of fate makes the film not as traditionally ‘scary’ as it could be. Not every horror film has to frighten, just as not every horror has to be a metaphorical allegory. On the basis of pure fear factor, the kind that will linger and cause the worst kind of nightmares, Wolf Man is somewhat toothless. Nevertheless, audiences should stay for the melancholic portrayal of man versus beast that aims to unravel the psyche more than it does shudder in sheer horror. 

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A Tribute to David Lynch

The great David Lynch, filmmaker, musician, artist and actor, recently passed away on the 15th January, 2025, leaving behind an extensive legacy as one of cinema’s finest auteurs. 

Over the years, Lynch had become a forger for all things strange, dark and fantastical, with even his surname become synonymous with surrealism within the arts. His eclectic views of the world are often shown throughout his work like a beacon, with each of his efforts, whether that be in film or various other strains of media, exuding tremendous amounts of creativity and emotion, harbouring a unique sense of absurdity and magical realism throughout every piece. 

The roots of his art formed from his youth where he grew up in quite a middle class environment, the picture-perfect idea of the ‘American Dream’. However, it was during this period where he noticed that behind the veiled harmony was a darkness in everything and everybody, with Lynch often using a nature-themed metaphor to describe his analogies. Although he was surrounded by lush greens, trees with ripe fruit and sunny rays reflecting onto the scraping paths of grass, the ground underneath was still littered with biting red ants, the dropped fruit would often rot and the cruelness of life still wormed its way into the quaint territory. 

This harsh and deep method of thought would follow his career, spanning countless short films, features, music videos and more. 

The Shorts: Part I

Having harnessed his admiration for a career in the arts, Lynch enrolled at the ‘Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts’. It was here where the soon-to-be director would make his first short film titled ‘Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times)’ (1967). The short was just as esoteric as the name suggests, with the film showcasing six distorted figures kinetically regurgitating on screen to the sound of high-pitched visceral noises. The film screened at his art school’s annual exhibition, where he won joint first place. In attendance at the exhibit was H. Barton Wasserman, a wealthier student who offered him a sum to direct another film to be screened at Wasserman’s home. Lynch proceeded to spend half the fee on a camera in hopes of progressing from amateur to a semi-professional level of practise, however, the end result of his project was essentially a blurred mess. 

Despite the initial result, Wasserman waived the project and let Lynch use the remaining money to create whatever the budding creator wished, leading to the short horror film, ‘The Alphabet’ (1968). This mixed media project used both animation and live action, following a young woman singing ‘The Alphabet’, complete with a visual rendition of what can only be described as the wretched confused messes one experiences in the most horrid of night terrors. 

At the time, the now infamous ‘American Film Institute’ (AFI) was still finding its feet, offering small grants to filmmakers, in turn helping the organisation grow. As such, Lynch submitted The Alphabet, along with a script for his future short ‘The Grandmother’(1970), his longest project at the time, spanning 33 minutes of runtime. Successful in his application, Lynch began production on The Grandmother, which would follow a young child who plants a seed, eventually growing a grandmother as an escape from his parents abuse. Once again combining a mix of live action and animation, the short baffles, with even the AFI openly informing Lynch, that although brilliant, the short cannot be categorised and defines the idea of ‘form’ itself. 

Prompted by his mentors at the AFI, Lynch was urged to apply to the organisation’s ‘Center for Adavnced Film Studies‘, to which Lynch would once again successfully gain a place at the prestigious conservatory. Now in L.A at the conservatory, he wrote the script for ‘Gardenback’, another short based on a painting of his, but due to continuous interference by the school over the outcome of the film, Lynch would make a defiant step and leave his scholarship behind. In a bid to save who they believed was their best student, the AFI dean pleaded with Lynch to stay, to which he agreed, but only if he could make a film that was his and his alone, no interfering or shenanigans. This project would be ‘Eraserhead’

Eraserhead (1977)

Just as any viewer of the classic hit would expect, Lynch’s feature debut was based on a daydream that he once had. Further influenced by Franz Kafka’s daring insect novella, The Metamorphosis (1915) and Nikolai Gogol’s short piece ‘The Nose’ (1836), this daydream turned feature would become Lynch’s ‘big break’ that would forever put him on the map. 

The film follows factory worker Henry (Jack Nance), whose bleak life in an industrialised barren land spirals after he discovers that his depressive girlfriend Mary (Charlotte Stewart), has given birth to a dysmorphic being. Eraserhead is torturous in its ways of unsettling, as the film refuses to comply with any form of normality, opting to defy logic at every corner. The extremely surreal landscape and turn of events is met with some of Lynch’s most disturbed imagery, particularly in the sequence where Henry decides to ‘unswaddle’ his newborn, revealing an array of visuals that can only be described as a hybrid between mashed roadkill and alien-like substances. 

The torrid displays are met with a layered emotive texture that figuratively captures the anxieties of fatherhood in a time of disarray. Although difficult to confirm, it is rumoured that the film’s central thesis concerns Lynch’s own anxieties about being a young father to his daughter, Jennifer, particularly whilst residing in a squalid neighbourhood. Lynch took inspiration from his time living in downtown Philadelphia with a young family when writing Eraserhead. Lynch has often commented on that time as being genuinely scary, with the high crime and drug rates making time outside, or sometimes even in, his apartment a dangerous environment. This idea of unneasy atmospheres combined with a unique tinge of body horror/anxieties towards otherness is a premise that continued long after Eraserhead into the rest of Lynch’s career, particularly in his following feature ‘The Elephant Man’. 

The Elephant Man (1980)

Before reaching mainstream success, Eraserhead soared in the underground circuit, generating masses of attention, leading to a screening at the BFI London Film Festival (1978). Having seen the trippy exploration into madness, Stuart Cornfeld, an executive associate for the legendary actor, director and writer Mel Brooks, urged Lynch to collaborate on his next project. Lynch originally put forth the idea for the unfinished film ‘Ronnie Rocket’, but after realising that the film was not financially viable, he opted to directly ‘The Elephant Man’, a film written by Chris de Vore and Eric Bergen, telling the true story of Joseph Merrick. The study of Merrick proved to be an emotional one, with the man’s story being one of utter heartache and injustice. 

The Elephant Man follows Merrick, who as a child was injured and left with facial disfigurements. Twenty or so years on and in Victorian London, Merrick has been the central attraction in a circus called ‘The Elephant Man’, showcasing Merrick’s injuries as a cruel sideshow. What begins as a tale of shock becomes a heartfelt exploration into the depths of humanity, revealing Merrick’s merits that were stripped from him for so long. The film, whilst certainly being a classic tearjerker, is a marvellous experience that captures the oddity of human beings, not necessarily through Merrick, but through the actions of those around him. To no surprise, the film was an abundant success, winning the hearts of critics and viewers, even receiving a whopping eight Academy award nominations. 

The Elephant Man continued the pattern that Lynch often earned himself. Upon the success of his direction, the film’s buzz caught the attention of studios who would offer him future projects. His potential next step could have been ‘Return of the Jedi’ (1983), which George Lucas urged Lynch to take. However, Lynch openly declared his lack of interest. The offers continued to role in, with one particular offer peaking his interest, an adaption of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel ‘Dune’ (1965). 

Dune (1984) 

The 1965 novel had been in developmental hell for nine years, unable to reach production. Just as the film rights were about to expire, producer Dino De Laurentiis and his business partner/daughter Raffaella De Laurentiis had decided that they finally found who would bring Dune to the big screen. Upon contact, Lynch admitted to never having even hearing of the book, but after reading the novel, he admitted his new found adoration for the sci-fi story. 

The film takes place in the late future, circa 10191 in the desert planet Arrakis, where the spice ‘Melange’ is the most treasured commodity. In a bid to prevent the forces who seek to control Dune’s resources, young heir Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan) leads a treacherous rebellion to save the planet. Dune is a tricky film in the sense that it is baffling, which quite famously left many viewers downright confused as to what on earth they just watched. It seemed that despite the large budget of $42 million and the credentials of Lynch, Dune would be the first commercial downfall that Lynch experienced. 

Prior to filming, the script had gone through several redrafts, with the reported number of final drafts being seven. Alongside this, the producers would also excise numerous scenes and add new sequences, leading to the final product being the convoluted project that audiences complained of. As with many rocklily received films, Dune did find itself with a small but strong cult fan base who have defended the film for years, keeping it in the spotlight all this time. Despite the niche status, Lynch has expressed his continued dislike for the film himself. In interviews over the years, he has commented that he felt that Dune was a ‘studio film’, one where his signature creative touch became lost. Admitting that he saw the film as a commercial opportunity to get his further ideas financed, Lynch has said that he ‘sold out’ on his intentions, letting the studio condense the plot into whatever they saw fit. 

Although Dune could be viewed as the sore spot in Lynch’s otherwise stellar filmography, the film has seen a contemporary rise in interest, mostly due to the recent revival of the Dune world in the Denis Villeneuve directed adaptions. 

Blue Velvet (1986)

Frustrated by the result of Dune and feeling like his cinematic roots had become tied to the commodification of commercial filmmaking, Lynch wanted to make a story that was personal and tied to his passion of surrealist cinema. The result of this call back to his early days was Blue Velvet. Similarly strained by the financial loss of Dune, the De Laurentiis Entertainment grouped decided to go forth with Lynch once again and make a film styled to the art of cinema rather than the economy of it. 

The production of Blue Velvet resembled a playground for Lynch where he was left unsupervised and was able to let his imagination soar, creating a film so entrenched in experimentalism and bold absurdity that the effects of its madness are still felt to this day. The writings on Blue Velvet are continuously evolving with the film spawning countless essays and books on the film’s stunning yet mysteriously horrific story. Much of the dialogue concerns how the film is akin to one large dream that Lynch manifested onto screen, with the thematics ranging from critiques over middle class America, the damage left behind from the ‘Oedipal’ family, and the treatment of mental illness. 

At first, Blue Velvet received a mixed reception, with many reporting outrage over the film’s provocative manner of emotion, particularly in the visceral sense and how it got under the skin and triggered an unprecedented level of uncomfortability. Ironically, this is the precise statement that also made others love the maddening narrative of Blue Velvet. Regardless of what side audiences sat, the buzz about the film made Lynch and his cinematic style a household name. 

Amongst all of its various readings, a sentiment that remains as important now as it was upon its initial release, is the film’s use of music. On various occasions, Blue Velvet uses diegetic music against the backdrop of particularly violent scenes, where the characters are shown almost experiencing a musical interlude in between the chaos. For example, one scene shows the sadistic Frank (Dennis Hopper), kidnapping nightclub singer Dorothy (Isabella Rossellini), and college student Jeffrey (Kyle MacLachian), taking them to Ben (Dean Stockwell), one of his criminal associates. However, before the violent hurrah ensued, Ben performs an impromptu lip-syncing rendition of ‘In Dreams’ by the great Roy Orbinson. The scene takes itself seriously, being careful to not interrupt the sporadic tension of it all by parodying the preposterousness of it all. 

The general mixed reactions of either love or hatred over Blue Velvet’s theatricality was not what was important, what mattered was that Lynch’s frankly bonkers approach to cinematic life was now back! 

Twin Peaks (1990-2017)

Television producer Mark Frost had met Lynch for coffee, meandering over ideas for potential projects. They discussed the premise of a body washing up on a lakeshore, comprising the very first stages of a project titled ‘Northwest Passage’, which would soon become Lynch’s arguably most famous piece, ‘Twin Peaks’. 

Twin Peaks follows the investigation led by FBI agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) who is sent to Twin Peaks, a small Washington town to uncover who murdered local homecoming queen, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). 

Although the central plot surrounds the mystery of Laura Palmer’s demise, Twin Peaks was conceived as a partial soap opera where once the lives of the Twin Peaks residents were unravelled, the story would evolve into exploring the troubles of the townsfolk, just as much as uncovering Laura’s death. It was this idea of the ominous surroundings of Twin Peaks itself that granted the series its successful pitching to ABC Network. In fact, in expressing their idea to the network, they ran the pitch with just an overt idea and an image, rather than a fully fleshed out dissection of the narrative. The almost whimsical hope placed onto a simple idea was enough to titillate the executives and aid the envision of this uncanny, niche, disturbed drama that is beyond haunting. 

The pilot episode was almost a film within itself, totalling a runtime of ninety-four minutes. The rest of the series took a similar approach with each episode being on average forty-five minutes long, which proved enough time to develop a deep lore surrounding the inhabitants of Twin Peaks. The first season ran for eight episodes, which is a stark difference between the second season which ran for twenty-two episodes, followed by a full length feature that acted as a prequel ‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me’ (1992), and lastly a long-awaited third season that premiered in 2017 with eighteen episodes. 

The legacy of Twin Peaks is just as potent now as it was thirty-five years ago, with the series part of the cultural framings for surrealist media. Although the practice is standard for most television series today, Twin Peaks was one of the first shows that presented itself as a cinematic piece akin to a feature film. Much of this is owed to Lynch, along with Frost‘s specialisation in exhibiting the inner turmoil of the characters in an outward, expressive and eccentric way. Throughout the series, Special Agent Cooper experiences surreal dreams which are displayed as part of the narrative, leading to some truly strange and unnerving sequences that can only be done with such efficacy thanks to Lynch’s talents. 

Wild at Heart (1990) 

Whilst working on the first season of Twin Peaks, Lynch was gifted a copy of Barry Gifford’s Wild at Heart: The Story of Sailor and Lula (1990) by Monty Montgomery, a producer who wanted Lynch involved in his adaption of the book. However, rather than Montgomery behind the camera and Lynch producing, the roles were reversed, with Lynch once again being inspired to create something dark, passioned and zealous with life. 

Wild at Heart follows Sailor (Nicolas Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern), a pair of star-crossed lovers who set out on a journey of violence and lust in an attempt to escape those who fight to keep them apart. Dingy motels, a 1965 Ford Thunderbird convertible and a killer soundtrack complete with Cage singing Elvis Presley songs is what makes Wild at Heart the beloved road movie that it is. There is a feverish zest to the film that is certainly in clear ode to Lynch’s ability to create the most dimensional of characters. Whilst the audience understand the ludicrousness of the love between Sailor and Lula, there is a quality so vigorous and infectious to their sprightly nature that it is impossible not to get lost in the wild journey they find themselves on. 

The maddening hour or so we spent with the pair is one of the film’s most award worthy factors, with the jurors at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival also falling for Sailor and Lula, with the film receiving the prestigious Palme d’Or. Wild at Heart marked the first collaboration between Lynch and novelist Gifford, with the pair later creating ’Lost Highway’.

Lost Highway (1997) 

Lost Highway, although not originally a Gifford novel itself, the writer used the intriguing term in his book ‘Night People‘ (1992). This phrase sparked something in Lynch, a feeling strong enough for him to contact Gifford and suggest that they write a screenplay together for a film titled ‘Lost Highway’. 

The film chronicles a saxophonist (Bill Pullman) who begins receiving anonymous videotapes on his porch of him and his wife (Patricia Arquette). Soon after the strange occurrences, he is convicted of murder. Whilst incarcerated he goes missing and is replaced by a younger man (Balthazar Getty). 

Describing the film as anything less than totally wacky, weird and quite creepy would be a disservice to the truly outlandish plot, with the film weighing heavy on the almost psychedelic side of filmmaking. The at times unexplainable plot has been advanced many times in scholarly literature, however, in accordance to Lynch’s statements about the film’s interpretation, Lost Highway is slightly void of full explanation. Lynch has expressed the film’s connections to themes of identity, but has ultimately commented that the film is flexible, abstract, a media installation that can be consumed without analysis. 

The Straight Story (1999)

Unlike any other Lynch project is The Straight Story, a tale of determination and strength in light of hardship. It is not uncommon for even strong Lynch fans to not realise that this G-rated, Walt Disney Pictures film comes from the same mind as Eraserhead. Nevertheless, The Straight Story remains a testament to Lynch’s ability to create a complex, gripping and compelling film. 

Written, edited and produced by Mary Sweeney, a longtime collaborator and once wife to Lynch. The film was based on Alvin Straight’s two hundred and forty mile journey from Iowa to Wisconsin in 1994, which was completed all on a lawnmower. Whilst the film is alien-like in Lynch’s filmography, this element becomes null and void when considering the beauty of The Straight Story. Every shot is akin to a dedicated photograph, with the heartiness of the story being permeated into each scene, whether that’s due to the exceptionally written characters or the stunning visuals that exemplify the beauty of the open road. The Straight Story really is a one of a kind. 

Mulholland Drive (2001) 

In the same year that The Straight Story was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews, Lynch’s idea for a new drama series for ABC titled ‘Mulholland Drive’ was rejected after disputes over the runtime. However, StudioCanal saw the potential that the show’s two-and-a-half hour pilot had, investing $7 million for Lynch to turn his television idea into a feature length film. 

Similarly to Lost Highway, Lynch has expressed his willingness for the film to be interpreted as whatever the viewer sees, a rare suggestion from filmmakers who are usually seriously passioned regarding the meaning of their films. Yet, in typical Lynch fashion, anything is possible. 

This open-ended film follows a newbie actress (Naomi Watts), who jets to L.A., where she befriends a peculiar woman who is suffering from memory loss after a car collision. What follows is a long string of vignettes involving a director (Justin Theroux) in the height of an industry conspiracy and a nightclub where seemingly nothing is as it seems. The most memorable aspect of the film, and possibly one of the most startling frights from all of Lynch’s work is the famous ‘Winkie’s Diner’ scene, where a man tells an acquaintance an urban-legend-like tale of a recurring nightmare where a sinister figure lurks in an alley waiting to kill. The pair decide to investigate and debunk the dream by venturing out into the alley, only to find that this frightening being really does exist. 

The sequence is seemingly completely out of place and random, yet this startling moment encapsulates the entire motives of Mulholland Drive – nothing is as it seems. 

The Shorts: Part II

Intent on creating, Lynch decided to return to his roots and create a series of short films on his own website davidlynch.com, one of the first entries being a mini animated series titled Dumbland (2002), complete with eight episodes all animated using a computer mouse and the basic Microsoft Paint package. Dumbland has a deliberately amateurish design, with the narrative following the monotonous routines of a dim witted man going about his daily rituals. 

In the same year Lynch released Rabbits, another short that premiered on his website. Rabbits is one of Lynch’s more studied short series, with the eight episode web films showcasing a group of humanoid rabbits in their home. Rabbits takes the shape of a sitcom, but with an unbelievably horrifying twist.

Inland Empire (2006) 

The three-hour-long Inland Empire would be Lynch’s last feature film. The retrospectively acclaimed film follows the transformation that a Hollywood actress (Laura Dern) undergoes for a role. 

Inland Empire has all of the traditonalities of a Lynch film, from the dreamlike story to a familiar cast, however, the film marks a series of firsts for the director. Rather than being filmed on Lynch’s preferred mode of film stock, Inland Empire was filmed using a handheld camcorder. The film also underwent production before the script had even been completed, let alone finalised and signed off, alongside this, the scenes were shot in chronological order. As a result, the film exercises its own motivations on the strangeness and ritualistic-like quality of filmmaking. 

Much of the film explores the meta-like quality that performers go through in portraying a role, particularly the process of having to experience a fictional character, but nonetheless still having to express the character with an air of realism and authenticity. Although now nineteen-years old, Lynch’s final feature is an exemplary feat that is still as prominent today as it was years ago.

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Review – Nosferatu (2024)

From the same mind that conjured The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019) is the long-awaited tale of Nosferatu by the brilliant Robert Eggers. 

Nosferatu, a remake of the F. W. Murnau silent German Expressionist film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922), follows Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), who in her youth pledged her devotion to the ancient vampiric creature, Nosferatu, also known as Count Orlock (Bill Skarsgård). Years pass and Ellen is now married to Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), however, soon, the deed she once made with the malevolent nobleman is rekindled; leaving indescribable anguish in its wake. 

Eggers has expressed his struggle with ‘decontaminating’ the vampiric vision that lives in his mind after years of reading tales of Dracula and yonks of watching the bloodthirsty creatures on screen. Therefore, when the rights had been secured and pen had to meet paper, Eggers had to forgo the tropes and write a true, heinously evil depiction of an archaic creature that does not sparkle or tease, but kills and infests with brutal force. As such, Nosferatu oozes a profound darkness that mimics the grandiose shadow made infamous from Murnau’s classic 103 years ago. The infamous shot of the rat-like vampire’s shadow creeping up the stairs, with its clawed fingernails casting a blackened silhouette on the wall, emitting a villainous energy that has stood the test of time, is precisely what the entirety of Eggers’ Nosferatu does.

It negotiates an unspoken contract between dread and fear that rouses a foreboding, omniscient sense of wickedness, that like a spell lures the viewer in with its cinematic, engaging beauty and emotionally taunts them through a spate of daringly rich and nefarious sequences. Essentially, the film emulates a vampire, seducing its prey and punishing them for their willingness of terror. 

Nosferatu would not possess all of its power without the truly applaudable performances by all. Depp as the tortured soul and Nosferatu’s fixation is simply excellent, baring her acting chops and helping contextualise her character like no one else has done before. Throughout the reign of Nosferatu media, the character of Ellen has often been seen as just an object of desire and hysteria, with nothing more of a personality other than the standard flesh and bones anyone written into a script may possess. However, the ‘new Ellen’ is emotionally complex, with an enriched agency to her motives. Her actions and desires are not easy to understand and are daunting when manifested, yet, it is this aspect of nuance, trickery and intricacy that make her the most important cog in the machine. 

Depp’s haunting work is joined by the talents of Hoult, who as per usual delivers both vulnerability and rawness with a touch of passion and strength that makes him the ideal casting as Ellen’s partner. What’s more is Willem Defoe’s role as the occult-specialising scientist, Professor Von Franz, who acts as a catalyst in understanding the mysteries behind the masterfully deceitful vampire who is closing in on Ellen and everyone she holds dear.

The titular Nosferatu himself, portrayed eerily by Skarsgård is the proverbial pièce de résistance that coats the entire film with an unholy aura. Skarsgård is said to have trained with an operatic vocal coach to master Nosferatu’s dramatically deep tone and drawling cadence, the results of which manage to unnerve any time the ‘dark lord’ utters his hypnotic rhetorics. This commanding presence that Skarsgård infuses into his character is not necessarily enchanting in the traditional vampiric sense by lieu of sensuality and appeal; instead, the magnetism comes from a place of otherness, where one can’t help be drawn to something so inexplicable and inhuman.

Further playing a pivotal role in the transcendental film is the design, which with all of its candlelit chamber sticks and sconce’s remains incredibly dark. The atmosphere is bleak and dire, yet opulently grand, mainly due to its castle setting, which is every bit the epitome of gothic tonalities that the film aims to be. Nosferatu has everything a promising viewer would expect, themes of lust and violence, romanticism, displays of gothic architecture and performances that bring a welcomed oomph, and yet, the film still manages to go above and beyond every one of these positive expectations and deliver a horror that has the capacity to last as well as its source material did all those years ago.

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