fatfil-414-451797 Reviews

Fear (I) (2023)

Disappointing

[4/10 · 12 May 2024]

Nothing frustrates me more than a horror movie that has so much potential but fails to deliver. Fear would be fairly high on that list.

A man takes his girlfriend away for a surprise birthday weekend and has arranged for a group of their friends to be at the old lodge in the middle of nowhere. This happens to coincide with the outbreak of a Covid like pandemic, forcing them to remain isolated at the lodge.

There are several things in this movie that just don't make sense, but it is hard to go into them without giving away spoilers. A great deal stems from the lack proper back story. A few morsels of history are thrown in, but not enough to make sense.

The first half of the movie relies heavily on the paranoia caused by Covid as its premise. The slightest cough or sniffle has people turning against each other.

Early on, the characters decide to share their greatest fears, and of course that comes back to bite them on the bum.

The acting is okay, with a couple of weak links, but the script leaves a little to be desired at times.

All the elements are there to make a good, if not great horror movie, but lack of details renders the story a bit muddled and confusing.

Oh, and the ending sucks big time.

Late Night with the Devil (2023)

Refreshingly Different

[8/10 · 27 April 2024]

A lot of my reviews start off with this phrase, but this movie will not be for everyone. It is definitely a movie of three parts. The struggling late night TV host. The sceptic and the possessed girl. Then the ending. There is clearly a very pointed dig at the exclusivity of Bohemian Grove, if you are unfamiliar there are several really good documentaries out there regarding the very secret and exclusive society, whose members include presidents, actors and various people of power. The first half is a very well paced slow burn, setting the scene and back stories. The middle section shocks and surprises. Then the ending, at least for me, came out of left field and I was not expecting it. I will have to watch this again, as I'm sure there are several easter eggs scattered through the first half of the film indicating the direction it will take.

My Wife, My Abuser: The Secret Footage (2024)

A Frightening Insight Into The Mind Of A Psycho Woman

[9/10 · 22 March 2024]

I knew nothing about this case when I started watching the documentary, and by the end of it, I was so angry the wife only got 4 years in prison. If this and been reversed, and it was a man attacking a woman over 20 years, I'm sure the sentence would have been harsher. She was purely evil, a calculated, angry, evil piece of work. I'm no shrinking violet, but some of the things she said and did were so beyond just domestic abuse, especially in front of the young children was just shocking. I was genuinely horrified by her behavior, the attack on him with a wine bottle could have been fatal. It was heartbreaking to watch, and the fact that he knew some violence was coming and he went to change his clothes to keep his decent stuff was so sad. He had normalised all this horrific behaviour, and never wanted to fight back. But it was the secret footage where she was physically and mentally abusing him I found the most upsetting. She had absolutely no thought of her kids as they watched this horrific scene unfurl.

X-Men '97 (2024– )

Okay, But Could Have Been Better.

[7/10 · 21 March 2024]

I have been a fan of, and collected Marvel comics since the late 70s, and in particular the X-Men, and I loved the original animated series. One of the reasons I loved it, was because, even though they did deviate slightly from the comics storyline, particularly in the later series, they mostly stayed fairly true to the original, albeit missing out large chunks.

So, I was really looking forward to this new incarnation, and continuation of the original. However, X-Men '97, although continuing where the original left off, seems to carve its own storyline. And some of the voice actors don't fit the characters, or are just too overdramatic, particularly Storm. This is often not helped by the cheesy dialogue.

Having said all that, I di enjoy it, but not as muh as I was hoping.

Beware the Boogeyman (2024)

Predictable and Amateurish

[2/10 · 10 March 2024]

I don't really know why I was expecting anything from this movie. I watched it mostly just because I love supernatural/paranormal themed horror films.

It is clearly trying to cash in on the success of the recent Stephen King movie, Boogeyman, but fails badly.

The set up is that a doctor goes to a psychiatric establishment, hoping to secure a position on the staff. During her meeting with one of the resident doctors, she discovers the centre has some patients, all with the same delusion, they are afraid of the Boogeyman. She proceeds to read through their case histories, and so the movie unfolds into a series of backstories, showing how each patient came to be there.

The acting is pretty average at best, and all the stories are predictable and unoriginal. And as for the "twist" ending, I had two in mind, and this was one of them. As for the titular Boogeyman, I've seen better Halloween costumes made by an eight year old.

Blur (2022)

Better Than I was Expecting

[7/10 · 10 March 2024]

This was a curious little movie, which had some really original and interesting ideas, and for the most part executed them really well. Considering it is an independent movie, with a smaller budget, the effects are fairly convincing and the acting was pretty good from all concerned, and very believable.

It is a slow burner, but does ramp up in the second half, and has some great scenes.

The Storyline is a little confused at the beginning, by which I mean it is not explained very well. Basically, an Archaeologist/museum curator finds an old statue in the deserts around Iran, and when she returns to Australia, strange things start to happen.

The only real criticism I have is that it was almost like two separate stories, the initial one with the archaeologist, and then the second part with her friend Also They seemed to make a big deal about the soldier who was accompanying the archaeologist in the beginning, but then he sort of disappears and is not involved again.. There were a few plot points which either didn't quite make sense or remained unexplained, but I would definitely recommend this to lovers of supernatural horror.

Something in the Dirt (2022)

Too Weird, Even For These Guys.

[3/10 · 8 March 2024]

I really tried to enjoy this movie. It starts of okay, two new neighbours bond over cigarettes and when they share an unexplainable event in one of their apartments, they become obsessed with trying to document the unexplained. But it is so disjointed, and lacking continuity it becomes a mess. There are bits of old footage inserted which seem irrelevant, and some apparent sub plots which go nowhere. I have no idea how I would categorise this movie. It is not horror or drama, maybe part fantasy, part Sci-Fi, part vanity project. There are long scenes of dialogue between the main characters which ultimately go nowhere. It chops and changes so much I really lost interest by the end, as there could be no logical conclusion, and there wasn't. And with a run time of almost two hours, it is way too long. It felt like a short story that should have been trilogy of novels, with time enough to explain everything.

The Bannocking (2023– )

Nothing Really Happens

[1/10 · 5 March 2024]

This series originally intrigued me as it was quite high on the downloaded series chart.

But for the life of me I can't see why. There are six ten minute episodes, and nothing really happens. There is very little in the way of story development throughout, and no explanation or background to the events.

Apart from the main female lead, the characters are either unmemorable or just plain annoying and the acting is amateur.

It comes off as a badly made pilot episode of a Walking Dead / Last of Us rip off series that no-one would ever watch, and would never get commissioned. Don't waste your time.

Carnifex (2022)

An Interesting Idea, but not fulfilled.

[3/10 · 3 March 2024]

This is an Australian movie, and follows two conservationists and a reporter/photographer, who travel into the depths of the Australian outback to survey all the indigenous animals that have been displaced by the recent (at the time) devastating bush fires. During their journey they start to realise there may be something more than the usual species that have been forced out of hiding by the fire.

Now, if anyone has read any of my previous reviews, they will know I am a fan of the slow burner horror movie. I don't need to see heads exploding in the first five minutes of the film. However, this one is such a slow burner it barely raises above room temperature.

The first hour of the movie is just the main characters travelling around collecting trail cams, camping and not a lot else. And when it does finally start to ramp up, it does so in a very Limited way. The acting by the three leads is pretty good throughout, but they are let down by the slow pace, and considering this is slated as a "creature feature" the creature only appears on screen for five minutes or less. And the re is very little in the way of story, and what there is, is predictable anddisappointing.

Cabin Girl (2023)

Messy

[3/10 · 1 March 2024]

So, the premise of the movie is a woman who runs a blog from her camper van takes up residence in a cabin, and becomes obsessed with the story of a local girl who took her own life close to the cabin.

My main issue with this movie was that there are so many jarring moments and changes in direction, that make the whole thing feel disjointed, like three or four stories going on at the same time, and it leaps from one narrative to another.

Yes, there is an underlying story, but it is lost in the confusion of trying to distract the viewer away from the truth. If I was to watch the opening and closing scenes side by side, it would be hard to believe they were from the same movie.

Project Almanac (2015)

Some People Have Taken This Way Too Seriously.

[6/10 · 24 February 2024]

I'm not sure what people were expecting going into this film. It is not an in depth scientific investigation into time travel. Basically it is a teen movie with time travel as a back drop.

A Science buff in high school, finds his fathers plans for a machine that can travel back in time, and successfully builds it. Of course, after some trials, they try and use it for their own gain, but it has a limited range. As the movie progresses, things escalate and the teens become more reckless, fulfilling their own wishes. Of course, travelling back in time has consequences. Paradoxes and the butterfly effect.

The actors are all pretty good and likeable, but the shaky and off kilter camera work is a bit annoying at times.

Also, some of the things that happen, that the cast never think are odd, even knowing they have access to time travel and don't make the connection.

Despite its faults, I did enjoy this movie, but I did deduct a star for the unsatisfying ending. So 6 stars.

Eli (I) (2019)

A Pleasant Surprise

[7/10 · 24 February 2024]

This movie had been on my "To Watch" list for a while, and I finally got round to it. It was not at all what I expected, and definitely takes you places you are not expecting.

A young boy, named Eli is hyper allergic, and lives in a plastic bubble, or rarely ventures out in a hazmat type suit, or he will die from extreme allergic reactions. His parents discover a scientist who claims to be able to cure Eli, so they scrape together the money, and move into her hermetically sealed clinic. Here Eli can move around unhindered by protective suits. Things start to get a bit weird, and Eli begins to question everything.

I would have rated this a bit higher, but I did question some of the scenes and how people did or didn't react. I also found the boy playing the lead a bit unconvincing at times.

But all in all a very decent movie, with a few scares and lots of twists and turns. Definitely worth a look.

The Black Gloves (2017)

This Might Be The Only Genuine Review Currently On Here

[2/10 · 23 February 2024]

I cant believe there are so many 8-9 star reviews on here. They must have watched a different movie. With all the raving about Moloch the Owl Man, he barely features in the movie at all. The overacting is so hammy and overwrought it was hard to watch. There are also some outrageously bad accents from the two leads, one Scottish, and the other, well I'm not quite sure what it was supposed to be. This definitely had a 50s B movie feel about it, but very little in the way of horror. The use of black and white only serves to highlight the inadequacies in the direction and effects. There is little in the way of storyline, apart from the a very basic one, and even that is disjointed and poorly delivered. All in all an extremely underwhelming effort.

Devoured (2012)

Should Have Been a TV Episode.

[4/10 · 20 February 2024]

The basic story is a Hispanic woman is working in the US to raise money for an operation to save her sons life. Her son is with her mother back in their home country. She works as a cleaner/Waitress in a small restaurant, where her boss and the chef are relentless unpleasant to her for some reason. A few weird things start to happen around the workplace. Things moving on their own, things glimpsed out the corner of her eye, the usual fare. Every night she calls her mother and speaks with her mum, although her mother becomes reluctant to let her.

Their are really only 3 actors, the main one being on screen for 95% of the movie. Thankfully she does a convincing job. The other 2 are the owner manager lady and the chef are decent enough.

My main issue with the movie is it is very repetitive. Lady goes to work, staff are mean to her, something weird happens, she calls her mum, then goes home and dreams. This happens 3 or 4 times in the movie and never advances the story much further.

There is, of course, a twist at the end, but if you don't see it coming you really need to watch more horror movies.

If they could edit out all the crap and repeated scenes, it would have made a fairly decent half hour TV episode.

The Haunting in Rosemary Lane (2024)

Just Awful. Minus One Star

[1/10 · 18 January 2024]

Ignoring the ten and nine star reviews from those involved in this atrocity, its real score should be -1 star. It is obviously just two unemployed guys with nothing better to do, who got drunk together and decided to make a movie.

From the dialogue and slurred speech it sounds like they remained drunk throughout the making of this. At 58 minutes run time, it is 59 minutes too long, and looks like it took 60 minutes to make. It sounds like most of the dialogue, when understandable, was improvised, which was a mistake, as they just repeat the same phrases over and over again as they stumble through the woods.

Avoid at all costs.

No One Will Save You (2023)

Close Encounters of the Unfriendly Kind

[7/10 · 8 January 2024]

Well, that was different, and not what I was expecting. A deeply strange movie, in more ways than one, and I loved it!

It does take a little while to get going, setting the atmosphere and back story. However the directors decision to have minimal dialogue in the film, (and when I say minimal, I can only recall a handful of words throughout) rather hinders that objective.

Without wanting to give too much away, the main character, Brynn, lives alone in a large house in the middle of nowhere. She is apparently a pariah in her local town, and it is believed she had something to do with the death of her best friend when they were 12.

Come forward 10 years, and one evening an alien enters her house and a cat and mouse pursuit begins. Needless to say it escalates from here quite dramatically. I did get some serious Close Encounters vibes, particularly when the aliens were trying to break into the house.

Unfortunately it seemed to lose its way towards the end. What started as a Si-Fi horror, ended up a bit mawkish and sentimental. If I'm honest, I really didn't understand the ending and it managed to out weird the rest of the film.

I was going to give 8*, but the ending just jarred with the rest of the movie, so a solid 7*.

The Midnight Man (III) (2016)

A Decent Entry In The Summoning Game Horror Genre

[7/10 · 24 December 2023]

This was another movie I just stumbled across on Amazon. It is very much in the same genre as Candyman, Bloody Mary, Queen of Spades and The Elevator Game. A young woman is looking after her dementia afflicted grandmother, and while exploring the old house, finds a game in an old trunk, which is reported to summon the Midnight Man. There are certain rules that have to be followed while playing the game and it lasts until 3.33 am.

It is a surprisingly graphic movie, lots of blood and gore, if you're into that sort of thing. I really enjoyed this, kept me engaged and guessing right until the end.

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

More Enjoyable Than Expected.

[6/10 · 24 December 2023]

I went into this movie with some trepidation. The whole premise just seemed a bit lame. However, as it evolved, I engaged with the characters and began to get involved with the story. The basic story is a down on his luck guy, who is caring for his much younger sister, is desperate for a job. He gets employed as a night guard at an abandoned theme restaurant, which used life size animatronic figures. He also has some history with a local female police officer, who checks up on the place. There have been some missing children over the years, and they begin to suspect Freddy's is somehow involved.

Without wanting to give away too much, I enjoyed the way the story evolved, and there were some interesting twists and turns along the way.

The Exorcist: Believer (2023)

Disappointing

[3/10 · 22 November 2023]

The Exorcist is my favourite film ever, and I can't count the number of times I've watched it. I originally heard this was going to be a remake, which horrified me, it would have been like trying to repaint the Mona Lisa. But in some ways, this was worse. They tried so hard to recapture the spirit of the original, but that is obviously impossible and glaringly obvious. All throughout the movie, there were little homages to the original, The dogs fighting in the park, in the Exorcist there were dogs fighting in the desert near the beginning. The was also some discordant banging, echoing the scenes in the market place from The Exorcist. The original succeeded so well due to the slow build up, noises in the attic, Reagan having an invisible friend, the medical tests etc etc. With this, it was like the abridged version, condense all that drama into 5 minutes and then hit the possession.

Ultimately, the lack of proper back story, the lack of build up and a painfully obvious and over complicated story line was a fail. The only connection it had to the original was the inclusion of .Ellen Burstyn, by a tenuous link which had no real bearing on the story.

A no from me.

Dampyr (2022)

A Pleasant Surprise

[8/10 · 17 November 2023]

I rarely watch Subtitled movies, as I tend to multi task and miss bits. But this was a bit special, and had my attention all the way through. For me it had echoes of John Carpenters Vampires, 30 Days of Night and another Russian movie, Night Watch. The acting is top notch, and I liked the way the story developed. A few people have commented it is a bit slow, and lacks bite. But for me, the character and story development helps build the atmosphere. I have watched a lot of Vampire movies, and this is definitely up there. The cinematography was superb, with lots of atmospheric scenes, dark woods and swirling fog. All in all a very enjoyable watch.

The Changeling (2023– )

Big Ideas, Badly Executed

[3/10 · 25 October 2023]

This series really didn't seem to know what it wanted to be. It goes through so many different themes, post natal depression, AIDS, racial inequality, madness and the supernatural.

I have to agree with many of the reviews on here, for me there were three major issues with this series.

1. The pacing, particularly in the first half of the series, is slow. I mean really slow. I am a big fan of slow burners, and character and plot development, but this just seems to repeat itself , with no real advance in the story for at least 3 episodes.

2. At least for me, is the constant switching back and forth between timelines. I have never been a fan of flashbacks, and this takes it to a whole new level. It is also confusing as there are no onscreen subs saying "NYC 1977" it just switches, sometimes quite jarringly, and frequently.

3. The last three episodes just go off the rails, and had a scattergun feel to them, with little structure. The storyline, such as it is, dissolves in the mire of weird musical interludes and flowery voiceovers that sound like they where written by an angst ridden fourteen year old.

In all, this was pretty disappointing, and felt like they tried to cram too much story into eight episodes, and left out some critical plot details. In retrospect, I think the biggest issue I had with this was that it never explains itself. There is a lot of fantasy and weirdness, but you just have to accept it as it is.

Despite all the story overlaying and backstory in the first few episodes, the main weirdness, is never addressed. Perhaps a more concise bit of storytelling at the beginning may have freed up an episode to explain what the hell happened in the last 2 1/2 episodes.

I was also curious that the first seven episodes are all 45 - 50 minutes long, but episode eight was only 30 mins. Either it was cut short due to funding, or it was set as nine episodes.

The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)

Another Classic Adaptation...or not

[5/10 · 22 October 2023]

At least Flanagan is consistent. He completely re-wrote the classic Haunting of Hill House, and now The Fall of the House of Usher. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a bad series, as was the Haunting of Hill House.

But if you're going to name a show after a real classic story, at least include some of the source material. Perhaps giving them a different name, with the caveat that it was inspired by the original.

The acting was mostly excellent, but the story was sluggish at times, and predictable. The final episode, towards the end became a bit of a moralistic rant and if I'm honest, I was glad when it had finished. On the upside, at least there won't be a second series.

Zombeavers (2014)

Classic Horror Comedy

[7/10 · 21 October 2023]

I just want to put out there that, as a rule, I am not a fan of horror/comedy movies. Generally they are neither funny or horrific. There are a few exceptions, Shaun of The Dead, Sharknado, Dale and Tucker vs Evil, Piranha 3D, to name a few. But now I'd like to add Zombeavers to that list.

This movie had been on my radar for awhile, but had never got round to watching it. As I stated, not a huge fan of horror/comedy. But I was just in the mood one afternoon. And f#(k I had such a good time with it!

The Zombie Beavers were suitably naff, the gore was ever present, but in a comic book sort of way. There was the right balance of comedy and gore, and some truly hilarious scenes. Not wanting to give anything away, but the "Whack-A-Mole" scene is a classic.

If you watch a movie called Zombeavers, you shouldn't be in any doubts as to what to expect, and it doesn't disappoint.

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (2023)

Better Than Some Would Have You Believe

[7/10 · 21 October 2023]

I approached this movie with some trepidation. Being a life long Stephen King fan, his movies had suffered badly from appalling, cash in sequels. A Return To Salem's Lot is a classic example.

But taken on it's own merits, I actually enjoyed this. It was generally well acted, the story was interesting, if not original. I disagree that the characters were unlikeable, I found my self really rooting for the people. I liked the pace that the story unfolded, revealing the history and background in satisfying doses. Also, it did not focus on the "Semetary" too much. Although building on the Pet Sematary mythos, it does stand as separate to the main franchise. SO if you view it with this in mind, I think you will enjoy.

The Haunting of Hell Hole Mine (2023)

Just Awful

[1/10 · 3 October 2023]

I have written many reviews on IMDB, and think I have only given 1 star once, or possibly twice before. And I don't think I have ever given up on movie so early.

But I honestly cannot think of one redeeming quality to save this. The acting is painful and cringe worthy from the first second to the last, and from every cast member without exception. I actually felt awkward watching it was so bad.

The dialogue does nothing to help, it is so stilted and unnatural. After the first 20 minutes, I watched the rest at double speed, just in case things improved, slowing down every now and then just to check it was still awful. It was.