Bone Lake
A couple book a romantic getaway in a lavish country house next to a lake in the middle of nowhere. Another couple turns up claiming they have also booked the venue. Mind games ensue. EuroHorror obsessives will likely be ahead of things at every step here, but for everyone else this has plenty of twists and turns that I'm certainly not going to spoil, suffice to say it all gets pleasingly bloody during the final act.
Heresy
In a grim, dank, medieval Dutch village a woman cannot conceive and so naturally the townsfolk accuse her of being possessed by the devil. When she goes into the nearby forest from which No-one Returns Unscathed she has an encounter with something that isn't the devil but which is certainly very supernatural indeed. Director Didier Konings' folk horror piece offers a slight story even for its brief (61 minute) running time, but it's worth watching for one night shot when we see the spirits of the forest at a distance.
The Occupant of the Room
Algernon Blackwood is one of the greats, and one of those classic authors whose work is difficult to film because so much of what goes on in his stories (often inspired by his own adventures) takes place in the lead character's mind. Full marks, then, to writer-director Kier-La Janisse whose THE OCCUPANT OF THE ROOM feels more like the 1970s BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas than that channel's own recent attempts at reviving the format. Minturn (Don McKellar from Cronenberg's EXISTENZ and CRIMES OF THE FUTURE) desperately needs to spend a snowbound night at a remote inn. All the rooms are taken, but one of them has not seen its occupant for a couple of days after she set off up the mountain. He takes it, of course, and comes to regret his decision, of course. The story is told neatly, atmospherically and economically over 30 minutes and benefits from some disquieting animation towards the end. Produced by Severin Films and an excellent companion piece to their just as good TO FIRE YOU COME AT LAST, directed by Sean Hogan.
Portal to Hell
Dunn (Trey Holland) discovers a portal to hell in a local laundromat. His neighbour Keith David is dying of cancer and Dunn just happens to waylay the demon come to collect David's soul. Unfortunately the demon wants three other souls to replace it, so Dunn has to find three 'deserving' cases he can send to hell through a washing machine. It all sounds very silly and it is, but PORTAL TO HELL manages to be far more charming and touching than you might expect and is worth checking out even if you're not a fan of comedy with your horror.
Dead by Dawn
Giallo meets Lovecraft (sort of) in this Polish horror that doesn't live up to the potential of that premise. After some encouraging mentions of olde Lovecraftian favourite books like De Vermis Mysteriis, Cultes Des Ghouls and the Pnakotic Manuscripts, we join a bunch of actors employed to rehearse a play in a theatre at midnight. It's all for a ritual, you see, as is the bumping off of each of them by a killer wearing the mask on the poster. Unfortunately this is all executed with the storytelling expertise of hitting you over the head with a hammer wrapped in the screenplay. Loud music, flashing lights and shaking camerawork, not to mention the muddy photography, serve to render some scenes difficult to follow. The undemanding may enjoy the references to OPERA, the remake of SUSPIRIA and other 'nods to' (or possibly steals from) better films, but it's all a pretty unsatisfying experience.
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