kimberley hurst

I honestly cant believe how good this was. *SPOILER FREE* I went in expecting gore, chaos & a predictable plot, especially from a sequel this far down the line. But 28 years later completely flipped that expectation on its head. It ended up being my favourite film of the year so far. From the first scene, I was GRIPPED & locked in - no messing around, no slow burn - you are thrown into this world within the first few minutes. That feeling didn’t let up. It’s tense, graphic & shocking in the best way. What surprised me the most was how emotional & grounded it all felt. This isn’t just horror, it’s a thriller, a drama & an incredibly raw story about survival, grief & humanity. I actually cried in the cinema (🙃) which I did NOT see coming! The cinematography is stunning. It’s gritty, chaotic & so immersive that I felt like I was IN it, not just watching it. And as for the cast? No notes. Every single one of them felt like they were their characters. No one felt out of place. The performances had such depth and emotion which just added to the realism & tension. The hate this film is getting is so unjustified. It’s brutal but beautiful & deeply affecting. If you’re going in expecting a basic zombie flick, prepare to be completely blindsided in the best way.

As an avid fan of the horror genre, Longlegs was one of my most anticipated films this year & wow, did it deliver! The negative reviews are questionable as this film had everything you could want from the genre - an engaging & unique storyline, credible acting, suspense & jump scares (a few of which really got me). From the opening scene til the end credits, I had goosebumps & feel genuinely unsettled hours after leaving the screening. An instant classic which comfortably sits in my personal top 10. Also - Nicholas Cage gave an incredible performance.

*SPOILER FREE* If you enjoyed movies such as 'Drag Me To Hell' & 'It Follows', this is one for you. With a similar vibe, 'Smile' has a lot of unsettling moments, a few jump scares & keeps you hooked from the opening titles. The cast do brilliantly at carrying the plot without making ridiclous & unbelievable choices. Although some of the CGI is questionable, the majority of gore scenes were realistic & very well done. Unfortunately, as I find with a lot of supernatural horrors, once the monster/entity is revealed, it loses its spark, detracts from the unknown terror & becomes almost comical - 'Smile' fell victim to the same problem for me, forcing it into the stereotypical horrors we see often. Does it live up to the creepy promo campaigns & hype? Not quite. Will it terrify you? If you're an avid horror fan, probably not. But it will make you look over your shoulder an hour after the credits roll. A solid 3/5.

* SPOILER FREE* After thoroughly enjoying Sinister, i was excited for another Scott Derrickson/Ethan Hawke combo in The Black Phone. Whilst it doesn't have the jump scares & fits more into the thriller/drama genre, it does create the feeling of dread & Ethan Hawkes character 'the grabber' is well acted & terrifying. The storyline is unique & the young actors all casted brilliantly for their parts, especially the leads. It is an impactful production by Blumhouse which is well written & directed. Watch out for the easter eggs & nods to Stephen Kings IT due to the involvement of his son in the original short book. Whilst this is an entertaining watch, my 4 stars comes purely for the anti climactic ending. With a little bit more development & back story to the grabber & his motive, I have no doubt this couldve been one of my top films of the year.

*SPOILER FREE* Still on the fence after seeing this yesterday. In some aspects, it was masterful - unique & creative concept, visually stunning & tense (as I expect from Jordan Peele). I found myself engrossed & loved the moral questions it raised & have pretty much thought about that since I left the cinema. Sci Fi isn't my favourite genre but I did enjoy Nope more than other UFO type movies I've watched. (And I totally disagree with negative comments about the CGI/UFO design - that's one of the parts I think was very well done!) Saying this, something about the film as a whole has left me unsatisfied & I can't quite put my finger on it. Some problems I have include - 1) The run time (it felt long & unnecessary towards the end, which deflated the edge of your seat feeling) 2) The inability to connect with some of the lead characters - especially Daniel Kaluuya - i GET what they were going for with his character but it just didn't work. No emotional investment due to a lack of character development. l'm really shocked to see other reviewers screaming for Oscar nominations because it wasn't at that level. All the characters were cliche's, the complicated/moody one, the comic relief, the unhinged obsessive one... 3) The characters actions & motivations which were in parts damn right confusing. 4) The climaxes felt like they had zero payoff. 5) The ending/final showdown I can see why Nope has so many mixed reviews - It shouldn't be praised as the greatest film of the year but it's also not a bad movie, which has led me to a comfortable 3 stars. It doesn't exceed Peeles previous work but, no one is making films like this at the moment & that's what makes it stand out. I really have an appreciation for Peeles style of directing/writing/producing but wont pretend this is his greatest work. It had potential, but it never got there. Id still recommend seeing it so you can decide for yourselves as amongst my gripes, there are some wonderful moments.

I am not a die hard Marvel fan however this is one of my favourite films this year. Christian Bale especially gives an outstanding performance as Gorr which I found truly chilling. I didn't even realise it was him until I saw the credits! Ignore the critics reviews & go see the movie!

What a fantastic directorial debut by Uziel. A clever thriller with hints of dark comedy, Shimmer Lake revolves around a Bank heist in a small town. Because we see the events that unfold backwards, the film keeps you guessing & I really couldn't tell what was coming next. Thoroughly enjoyed it & all the cast gave a convincing and powerful performance.

This sinister thriller holds its own despite the low ratings with elements of Escape Room (2019) Nerve (2016) & 13 Sins (2014). The cast do a decent job of drawing us in to the storyline & whilst the plot may not be the most original, the short run time definitely works in this films favour keeping it fast paced & gripping. Props to the casting crew for enlisting Robert Englund (the original Freddy Krueger) to play a small role in this film which will be a welcome surprise for classic horror fans. The minimal gore was also well done but don't go in thinking it's a film that will leave you awake at night! Overall an enjoyable ride, not worthy of its bad reviews & definitely one to add to your Netflix list if you've loved the films mentioned above.

This film agitated me. It starts off as a slow burn getting to know the characters & their back stories which I don't mind at all since I like dramas, although that part really did drag on a tad. The storm sequence was short but relatively good although it would've been better if we saw more. The big problem I have is that the storm was built up throughout the first half of the film to be devastating and yet all of the main characters survived? Heck, one of them was even outside on a quad when it happened and he didn't die? At this point, the film was completely ruined for me paired with the cliche happy ending. There is no chance in hell the majority of characters would have survived. It was going moderately OK for a realistic movie until it all fell apart in the last third.

This movie is very underrated. I'm a fan of Eli Roth's other works so no surprise I enjoyed this film too. The gore is realistic and shocking, the acting is convincing from all the cast. The storyline is gripping, playing on the social issues of taking away natives land. To my surprise, I found out later that the tribe are an actual tribe staring in this film!