2019 Director: Ari Aster Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter, Ellora Torchia Words – Carly Stevenson Set amidst a solstice festival that occurs every 90 years, Midsommar follows a group of anthropology students as they embark upon a ‘research trip’ to rural Sweden at the invitation of Pelle, a…
Tag: cult
Battle Royale
2000 Director: Kinji Fukasaku Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto, Takeshi Kitano Words: Katherine Guest Battle Royale, a Japanese dystopian thriller, is a film in which violence is made into a spectator sport. More specifically, it is about children on children violence as a result of government legislation. In the nineteen years since its…
Oldboy
Director: Park Chan-wook Starring: Choi Min-sik, Kang Hye-jung, Yoo Ji-tae, Oh Dal-Su, Ji Dae-han Words – Nathan Scatcherd Oldboy has – in the fifteen years since its release – become one of the prime examples of ‘extreme’ Asian cinema to really be embraced by Western audiences. Part two of director Chan-wook’s ‘vengeance trilogy’ (preceded by…
Suspiria (2018)
2018 Director: Luca Guadagnino Starring: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jessica Harper Words – Carly Stevenson Luca Guadagnino’s bold reimagining of the 1977 cult classic is a strange beast. Equal parts gorgeous and grotesque, Suspiria (2018) takes the bare bones of Argento’s original film and adds new layers of flesh. The…
Suspiria (1977)
1977 Director: Dario Argento Starring: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Alida Valli, Joan Bennett, Flavio Bulci, Miguel Bosé, Udo Kier Words – Nathan Scatcherd It’s generally agreed that Suspiria is something of a touchstone in horror cinema, and with the fortuitous timing of Luca Guadagnino’s impending ‘reimagining’, it’s a good time to creep yourself out with…
Mandy
2018 Director: Panos Cosmatos Starring: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy, Olwen Fouéré, Richard Brake, Bill Duke. Words – Nathan Scatcherd Mandy is probably not the film you think it is. The trailer seems to promise an all-out, balls to the wall, grand opera Cage-ocalypse; a B-movie thrill ride with perhaps not a…
Cult Corner: Beyond The Black Rainbow
2010 Director: Panos Cosmatos Starring: Michael Rogers, Eva Allan, Scott Hylands, Marilyn Norry, Rondel Reynoldson Words – Nathan Scatcherd To celebrate the release of the beautifully insane-looking Mandy on October 12th, this instalment of Cult Corner is looking at director Panos Cosmatos’ previous film, the bewitching and bewildering Beyond the Black Rainbow. A trancey, druggy…
Cult Corner: Friday The 13th
1980 – 2009 Words: Oliver Innocent Comprising eight films between 1980 and 1989 (and a further four entries in the decades that followed), Friday the 13th is one of the defining franchises of the ‘80s. Rivalled in popularity only by the Nightmare on Elm Street series, the Friday movies perfectly encapsulate ‘80s horror with teen-friendly…
Cult Corner: Friday The 13th (2)
1980 – 2009 Words: Oliver Innocent Released the year following Friday the 13th, Part 2 is the movie where Jason Voorhees takes centre stage as the killer in question. He’s not, however, the same Jason we would come to know and love. Part 2 sees Jason finding his feet as the series’ central icon. In…
Cult Corner: Friday The 13th (3)
1980 – 2009 Words: Oliver Innocent Often seen as the nadir of the series, Friday the 13th Part V enraged long time fans as – Spoiler alert – Jason isn’t actually the one doing the killing this time round. In one of the most disappointing denouements in horror movie history, it turns out the guy…
