torture

Skeleton Crew (REVIEW)

Submitted by Todd on Tuesday, Jul 21st 2009

It's times like these that I wonder why I even bother with straight-to-video, shot-on-digital horror films at all. Tommi Lepola and Tero Molin's 2009 institutionalized horror outing "Skeleton Crew" is, simply put, more mentally and physically taxing than a root canal performed by a one-armed, lazy-eyed dentist with a penchant for heavy drooling. Although the film lasts a mere 90 minutes, it took me roughly two hours to complete the viewing, due in part to the film's complete inability to hold my attention.

Blackout (REVIEW)

Submitted by Todd on Tuesday, Jun 2nd 2009

If anyone on the planet expects their gimmicky one-location motion picture to work properly, they'd better make sure it comes equipped with solid direction, great writing, and a smart, likeable cast. Otherwise, you're just going to irritate everyone, and that's never a good thing.

Win "Mum & Dad" DVD's!

Submitted by Eric on Tuesday, Apr 14th 2009

If you follow the foreign horror scene, you've probably heard of Steven Sheil's feature "Mum & Dad". It's the latest UK sickie to hit US shores, and our writer Todd recently chimed in with his own thoughts.

If nothing else, it proves that British productions are on the forefront of the genre, tackling themes and scenarios that other countries wouldn’t dare touch. “Mum & Dad” definitely pushes this type of subgenre in an exciting new direction.

"Skeleton Crew" Trailer Makes Me Laugh

Submitted by Eric on Monday, Apr 6th 2009

Haha... I'm not saying I would actually watch this film, I'm just saying I was incredibly amused by the trailer. And hell, I'm sure there are some of you out there willing to brave this kind of low budget stuff. For what it appears to have been shot on, it's definitely an impressive production.

Although I'm hearing British accents here, the internet tells me this is actually a Finnish horror film, something we've been seeing an awful lot of lately. "Skeleton Crew" will hit DVD in the States July 21st, courtesy of Lightning Media.

Martyrs (REVIEW)

Submitted by John Shelton on Monday, Mar 16th 2009

Fairly or not, when future horror historians look back on this decade there's going to be a lot of discussion of “torture porn”. The label may or may not be fair, but there is no denying that the themes of torture, sadism and captivity have been touched on by many horror films of the 2000s. The problem with most of these films is that while ostensibly the filmmakers are condemning the acts it's apparent that the audience is supposed to wallow in delight at the splatter and desperation, and sometimes are even meant to identify more with the torturer than the victim.

Mum & Dad (REVIEW)

Submitted by Todd on Tuesday, Mar 10th 2009

Generally speaking, horror movies don't scare me anymore. Having watched a plethora of genre films during my 31 years on this crazy little planet, I've become somewhat desensitized to ghosts, jump scares, and gore, a fact which has caused me to question why, exactly, I spend so much of my free time consuming pictures that have absolutely no effect on me whatsoever. Locating a production that can get under my skin is an almost impossible task; were it not for films such as "Inside", "Frontier(s)", and "Eden Lake", my faith in the genre would be at an all time low.