Phenomena (aka Creepers) (1985)
Phenomena remains one of Dario Argento’s most controversial films. Arriving in 1985, it sits on the cusp of the period when most viewers feel his directorial career went into terminal decline, and yet it arrived only three years after the masterful Tenebrae, his elegant and stylish return to the giallo - the genre he helped to define more than any other director. Mainly remembered for featuring a very young Jennifer Connelly in the lead role, Phenomena remains something of a mixed bag, but generally scores more hits than misses. Read more
Phantasm (1979)
Viewed at the time of its release as among the better of the slew of low-budget horrors to emerge in the late 1970s, Phantasm continues to attract a cult following. If you’ve got £80 or so to spare you too could own one of Tall Man’s butchering orbs, surely one of the happier consequences of the current strong £:$ rate. But is it deserving of such accolades? Read more
Return of the Evil Dead (1973)
Confusingly, Return of the Evil Dead has nothing to do with Sam Raimi’s trilogy of horror movies. Instead, it’s the rather odd english title given to Spanish director Amando De Ossorio’s follow up to his blind-zombies-on-horseback magnum opus Tombs of the Blind Dead. Made two years later, it’s a rather less original effort than its predecessor; nevertheless, it ups the pace of Tombs and is actually a lot of fun. Read more
The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist is that rare beast - a genre film that becomes a genuine cinematic and cultural touchpoint. A controversial phenomenon on its release - and banned in the UK until the late 90s - it achieves its unique power through William Friedkin’s deliberate, un-flashy direction and author / screenwriter William Peter Blatty’s absolutely rigid plotting and pacing. Read more
Junk (1999)
The rise of the J-horror industry earlier this century was a natural reaction to the stagnation of progressive stagnation of Western horror over the course of the 1990s. But an unavoidable consequence of the rush to ransack Asia’s cinematic riches is the lionisation of films that simply don’t deserve the scrutiny. Atsushi Muroga’s 1999 effort, Junk, is one of the most widely available Japanese zombie movies in Britain; but those searching for something more taxing than the Resident Evil movies will be disappointed by not only how bad it is, but also by how little it has in common with its fellow countrymen. Read more