Bookworm (2024)

The new film from Ant Timpson, director of 2019's COME TO DADDY and producer of THE ABCS OF DEATH movies, gets a digital release from Signature Entertainment.

The bookworm of the title is precious, fiercely intelligent and extremely well-read 11 year old Mildred. When her mother suffers an electric shock from a malfunctioning toaster and ends up in a coma, Mildred's long-absent father Strawn (Elijah Wood) turns up. Disappointed that Mildred appears unimpressed with her father's career as a second rate TV magician, Strawn agrees to accompany her into the wilds of New Zealand on a hunt for the legendary Canterbury Panther. It's not long before the two of them are enjoying adventures and undergoing hardships neither of them could have predicted.

COME TO DADDY was a deserved hit on 2019's horror festival circuit and while BOOKWORM might not sound like an obvious follow-up, we're not long into the running time before this very much feels like another Timpson picture, filled with quirky charm and clever wit, engaging performances from all concerned and, this time around, some stunning location photography. Nell Fisher is excellent and likeable as Mildred, and the always reliable Elijah Wood adds yet another eccentrically appealing character to his CV in this highly entertaining piece. Great stuff. Here's a trailer:

Ant Timpson's BOOKWORM is out on digital from Signature Entertainment on Monday 11th November 2024

Advent (2024)

 

After its premiere at Halloween Frightfest, writer-director Airell Anthony Hayes' pseudo documentary-cum found footage picture gets a digital release from Miracle Media.

Hayley (Rasina Pavlova) has a YouTube channel (which is where the found footage angle comes in) and wrote her university thesis on urban legends. She buys a 'Krampus calendar' online, which turns out to be a Christmas-tree shaped wooden box with 24 doors. Each time you open one it presents you with a challenge. Get to the end and Krampus steals your soul and ensures your body ends up in a messy suicide.

And that's the main problem with ADVENT. It's never adequately explained why Hayley would want to go through the various trials (which range from walking around your Christmas tree three times to staying up all night to sitting naked in front of an open fire - audiences of 'sophisticated' cinema should not get worked up about this, however) just to end up dead and consigned to hell.

It's a very low budget homemade-feeling endeavour with the standout performance being Nicolas Vince who is required to spout a lot of background dialogue and is presented to us as an expert filmed from the same two camera angles over and over, filling us in on information at regular intervals throughout the film. ADVENT is not scary, it's not especially involving and ultimately it's not worth its admittedly brief (77 minutes) running time. Here's the trailer:

Advent will be released on UK Digital (iTunes, Amazon, Google Play) by Miracle Media on 25th November 2024 

Magpie (2024)

Following its premiere at Halloween Frightfest last weekend, Sam Yates' thriller featuring a cast of familiar faces gets a digital release from Signature.

Ben (Shazad Latif from Penny Dreadful and Star Trek: Discovery) and Annette (Daisy Ridley from the trio of Disney Star Wars movie sequels) are thrilled when their young daughter is cast in a costume drama. However, when author Ben gets to meet star Alicia (Mathilda Lutz from Coraline Fargeat's REVENGE) he immediately becomes a bit too enamoured and the frequent trips to the studio lead to pancakes at her place, and we all know what that means.

And that's one of MAGPIE's key strengths - letting you think you know what's going on when perhaps you don't. Much is made of Ben and Annette's rocky relationship, with Annette's career seemingly on hold while they raise their two children. A business meeting between Annette and former boss Richard (Alistair Petrie from decent gothics EIGHT FOR SILVER and VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN) becomes excruciating due to the presence of Annette's baby son Lucas and there's the suggestion Annette may be on medication for depression.

The thing that carries MAGPIE through to its satisfying conclusion, though, is the acting, which is just the right side of melodrama to keep the whole thing believable, at least for the running time of the movie. A perfectly entertaining adultery-themed thriller for a winter's evening. Here's the trailer:

MAGPIE is out on Digital from Signature Entertainment on Monday 11th November 2024

The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee (2024)

 

Currently showing on Sky Arts (after its UK premiere at London's Frightfest back in August), here we have a very well put together biographical documentary on one of the world's most famous film stars, and one whom horror film fans hold in a special place in their hearts.

Hosted by Lee "himself" (actually a marionette voiced quite convincingly by Peter Serafinowicz) we are led through the man's entire life, touching on his wartime exploits, his early years treading the boards and getting bit parts in movies, to his success at Hammer and beyond. 

With any Christopher Lee documentary there's always the question of how much of the running time should be devoted to his horror films (and especially his portrayal of Dracula). Writer-director Jon Spira manages a very good balancing act here, with a potted history of Lee's start at Hammer, his move to Europe in the early 1960s, and then his return to the UK. Aside from trailers, the only actual footage from a Dracula movie is SCARS OF DRACULA, presumably because that property is owned by Studio Canal and most of the others by Warners. It's enough though, and allows a decent amount of time to be devoted to Lee's subsequent 1970s Hollywood career, as well as his later starring roles in JINNAH, LORD OF THE RINGS, and the STAR WARS franchise and beyond. They even manage to fit in his Fu Manchu films and working with Jess Franco, meaning my only personal quibble would be omission of his involvement with Richard Lester's Musketeers movies, but you can't have everything. 

The film includes contributions from film directors Joe Dante, John Landis and Peter Jackson, producer Paul Maslansky, actors Caroline Munro and Harriet Walter (Lee's niece) and biographer Jonathan Rigby. Rather than a superficial puff piece (as they used to be called) THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF CHRISTOPHER LEE  comes across as a meticulously researched, well thought through piece of work that provides a fitting testament to an extremely talented man. Here's the trailer:

THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF CHRISTOPHER LEE premiered on Sky Arts on 24th October 2024

Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters (2024)

 

To commemorate the 90th anniversary of Hammer Films, and following its big screen premiere at London's Cineworld in Leicester Square, HAMMER: HEROES, LEGENDS AND MONSTERS, a brand new documentary about one of the world's most famous film production companies, will be screened on Sky Arts, Freeview Channel 36 and Now on October 31st 2024.

Narrated by Charles Dance (a good choice), there won't be anything here that Hammer obsessives don't already know, but nevertheless, this is a well-presented history of Hammer Films with lots of interviews that include Hammer cast regulars Martine Beswick, Caroline Munro, and Madeline Smith. In a change from many documentaries Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, while mentioned, get less discussion time here to allow for profiles and anecdotes on more of the behind the scenes artists like Terence Fisher, Brian Clemens,  James Bernard, Jimmy Sangster, Anthony Hinds and Michael Carreras, the latter two to some extent via interview footage from previous BBC documentaries.

It's also great to see acknowledged Hammer experts Jonathan Rigby, Wayne Kinsey and David Pirie giving their thoughts, while the presence of Sarah Appleton will be a reminder to some of us that her late father (and another eminent author on British genre subjects), Denis Meikle, is sadly missing from this lineup of genre luminaries. Meanwhile, John Carpenter, John Landis, Joe Dante and Tim Burton (but no Martin Scorsese although I expect he was asked) are the directors who get to pay tribute to the studio. 

Quibbles? Well, the TV series Hammer House of Horror is only mentioned in passing, and Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense doesn't rate a mention at all. These may not have represented the pinnacle of Hammer production quality but they are important, not least because many of the people watching this will still be able to remember them. If there was a limited running time perhaps some of the stuff about the very early days could have been cut to make way for it. There's a very odd (and misjudged) bit of AI at the end that has justifiably put many people's backs up. All I can suggest is that you close your eyes when the tarot dealer takes off their hood

All in all, though, it's rather a delight to see HAMMER: HEROES, LEGENDS AND MONSTERS finding a place on a major TV broadcaster's schedule, not just because of its content but because it suggests that Hammer is very much a going concern and still in the public eye after all these years. It's a lovely way for fans old and new to spend just over 90 minutes.

HAMMER: HEROES, LEGENDS and MONSTERS will premiere on Sky Arts on Thursday 31st October 2024 

J Horror Rising (1999 - 2007)

 

Arrow is releasing an extremely welcome, extras-packed set of Japanese horror films from the turn of the millennium that aren't JU-ON or RINGU (you'll have to get Arrow's other excellent sets for those). There are seven films here that most  viewers won't be especially familiar with, spread over four discs. So let's take a look at what we get:

Disc One

Shikoku (1999)

The set kicks off with a ghost story set on the real island of Shikoku whose 88 temples also play a part. When Hirato (Yui Natsukawa) returns from Tokyo after having left as a child she learns that her childhood friend Sayori (Chiaki Kuriyama) who once saved her from drowning, has died. Meanwhile Sayori's mother has embarked on a pilgrimage of the temples and Sayori's ex-boyfriend Fumiya (Michitaka Tsutsui) declares he has the hots for Hirato. Can a long-haired ghost girl be far from appearing?

SHIKOKU offers a number of interesting elements (Sayori's destiny was to be become a priestess but fought against it) and drip-feeds clues as to what is going on over its first hour. It then goes in a far gentler direction than, say, Lucio Fulci would have taken it (which isn't surprising, but watch the film to see why one might think of Fulci at all) but it does the job nicely in the atmosphere and mood department.

The best extra here is a talking head piece by Tom Mes who discussed the rise and fall of J-Horror in a succinct 23 minutes, talking about many of the titles in the set into the bargain. Mes returns to provide a commentary track for the film, and there's a new interview with director Shinuchi Nagasaki (also 23 minutes). You also get archival interviews with the director and the two leads (just a couple of minutes each), three minutes of on-set footage, plus the usual trailers and stills.

Isola - Multiple Personality Girl (2000)

A girl who can read everyone's thoughts encounters a teenager with thirteen different personalities in a film that's a little bit too overstuffed with ideas for its own good. The best of these, and the one that's actually what the film is all about, offers a science fiction explanation for the iconic figure of the Japanese ghost girl, complete with why she's wet and why she's white. It's actually rather clever and ISOLA is an ambitious, extremely watchable piece of J-horror although it might have you wondering quite where it's going at first. 

Extras include a commentary track from Jasper Sharp and Amber T, with the two bouncing off each other very well. There are two tiny archival interviews of about a minute each, three minutes of behind the scenes footage, and a trailer and still gallery.

Disc Two

Inugami (2001)

This tale of the trials and tribulations of a family of paper makers in a small Japanese village feels less like a horror film and more a family drama with fantastical elements. In his piece on disc one Tom Mes says that INUGAMI was not financially successful and it's not difficult to see why. Despite being well shot and acted, this one feels a world away from the films that were all making a mark internationally during this era of Japanese horror cinema.

Extras include a commentary track from Jonathan Clements, the author of 'A Brief History of Japan', and he provides fascinating information on both the film and much of the practices we see in it. There's also a 30 minute interview with director Masato Harada and a still gallery.

St John's Wort (2001)

A pseudo-Dogme '95 photographic style of grainy digital video probably wasn't the right choice for this tale of a young woman who inherits a mansion that she then visits with an ex-boyfriend, only to discover a dark secret about her deceased artist father. Apparently based on a video game, ST JOHN'S WORT suffers from a confusing opening, an uneventful 50 minutes that follow (out of a total runtime of 85), and a baffling conclusion. And that's a shame because when something does eventually happen we get a core idea that could have yielded an excellent haunted house picture. Sadly this isn't it.

Extras include an archival 22 minute making of and 45 minutes of interviews with the four main cast members. A new commentary track from Amber T is well presented, enthusiastic and extremely helpful in explaining the film's video game origins, although you probably still need to be familiar with the games she references to fully appreciate it. Even so it's still more enjoyable than the film. 

Disc Three

Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman (2007)

The myth of a woman with a Joker-like slit mouth who asks people if she's pretty and woe betide them if they give the wrong answer gets a 21st century update by director Koji Shiraishi, and a very good film it is, too. Here the titular character can possess any woman and then use them to abduct children, whom she then ties up in the basement of her old house. 

       There are elements of Freddy Krueger (the sharp shears she torments and tortures the children with) and Candyman (an urban myth made real) that suggest that under the right financial conditions the character could have run to a franchise. Don't expect an American remake anytime soon, though, or ever, because there's far too much violence against children. Shiraishi conjures a fine sense of atmosphere, the slit-mouthed woman is a terrifying creation, and the whole film is paced very well indeed. A highlight of the set.

Extras include a commentary track from Zack Davisson (he starts talking at about 80 seconds in for those who might think the audio isn't working on their disc) and he goes into a lot more detail about the folklore surrounding the title character. There's a 19 minute interview with the director and an excellent 17 minute piece from Lindsay Nelson about both this and some of Shiraishi's other movies.

Persona (2000)

A bullied teenager at a high school starts wearing a mask, claiming it allows him to be a different and more confident person. Soon others are wearing masks for the same reason. It's not long before mask fever seems to grip the nation, quickly followed by mask-wearers getting into fights with non mask-wearers. This intriguing premise which has the potential for plenty of discussion about social dynamics and the nature of identity then disappointingly degenerates into a not terribly interesting crime plot about the identity of the person ultimately responsible for all the mask mayhem. The first half of PERSONA is intriguing and filled with arresting imagery, but the second half will have you questioning if, like at least one other film in this set, this is actually a horror film at all.

The sole extra for this one is a 17 minute interview with director Takashi Komatsu.

Disc Four

Noroi: The Curse (2005)

A great film to finish the set with, and another from SLIT-MOUTHED WOMAN director Koji Shiraishi. It's difficult to say too much about NOROI without spoiling it, suffice to say it uses found footage to tell the tale of a psychic investigator who discovers that a missing child, a village submerged beneath a reservoir, and a ritual to keep a demon subdued may all be linked.

Extras kick off with a new commentary track from film critic Julian Singleton, who suggests that NOROI acted as the gateway into the next wave of Japanese horror cinema. There are new interviews with director Shiraishi (25 minutes) and producer Taka Ichise (18 minutes). There are academic contributions from Lindsay Nelson (22 minutes) and Amber T(21 minutes) who argues the case for Shiraishi being a significant creative force in cosmic horror.

How to Protect Yourself from Curses is an entertaining 14 minutes of William Castle-style ballyhoo, and there's also Urgent Report! Chasing Down the Truth Behind Kagutaba, a 38 minute 'documentary' in the style of 'In Search Of...' and other TV shows. Finally, there are 13 deleted scenes adding up to a good half an hour's worth of extra footage, TV spots and image galleries.

The Bottom Line: Unless you are familiar with Japanese horror it can seem quite the daunting field and while everyone might be familiar with RINGU and JU-ON there's a lot more worthy of discovery. Overall Arrow's box set J Horror Rising is an impressive collection of films and, especially where the many excellent extras are concerned, an extremely valuable overview of an important period in horror cinema and the talents involved. Worth picking up. 

J HORROR RISING is out from Arrow Films in a four disc 

Blu-ray set on Monday 28th October 2024