Nosferatu: The Real Story - Film Review

 

With the release of the latest version of Nosferatu about to hit the big screens it feels like there has never been as much interest in this unique piece of cinema history. Yes, we had the 100th anniversary of the film only a few years ago, but that was only something that caught the attention of those already aware of the film. The new adaptation from the hugely popular Robert Eggers has ignited an interest in the iconic character, and with the release only a few weeks away now's the perfect time to five into the history of one of the first icons of horror cinema.

Nosferatu: The Real Story is a new documentary film from New Wave Pictures that brings together a number of experts on the topic, including authors, cinema historians, and horror aficionados, to provide important insight on the topic. The film begins before Nosferatu, giving the viewer some much needed background on German cinema at the time, as well as the history and personal lives of the people chiefly responsible for its creation.

This part of the film was somewhat unexpected, and I was surprised when the movie veered away from Nosferatu to discuss German expressionist films and early horror movies, as well as figures like the notorious Alistair Crowley. However, I soon forgot that I was watching a documentary about Nosferatu, and found myself becoming absorbed in the wider topic. It was incredibly interesting to learn about German cinema of the time, and seeing some of the footage from these films was eye opening for how unique they looked. It's easy to slip into the black and white films of the 1950's when you're asked to think about old movies, films that didn't really try anything special in terms of cinematography or effects, but the films show here feel more daring and advanced than many of them despite being from decades before. It makes you want to go out and find some of these other movies, and makes you lament somewhat that cinema went much more realistic instead of following this more expressionistic approach.

After some stage setting the film moves onto the main event, and it begins to discuss the 1922 film and its production. For those coming to Nosferatu without knowing much of the history this part of the film will be packed with surprises, with even the most well known piece of trivia about the movie, that it was basically a knock-off version of Dracula that tried to get around copyright laws, is handled in such a way that it's not expected that you would know that, and the facts are covered in such a way to still be interesting for those that do. 

One piece of information that was the most surprising for me when it came to Nosferatu was that it was the origin of sunlight causing the death of vampires, something that I wasn't aware of despite being more knowledgeable of the film that the average moviegoer. It's the small things like this, the tiny titbits of information that are thrown in by the people who know this topic better than anyone else that makes the movie the most enjoyable. The film also discusses the impact of the movie, how it went on to inspire other films, how it ran into trouble with the Stoker estate and was nearly permanently lost to time, and how it had remakes in later years. 

The film is packed with footage from the various versions of Nosferatu, as well as other movies from the era, all of which are presented in great quality. It seems like the documentary went out of its way top try and find the best looking versions of the films to include here, and the footage used throughout might be the best looking 1920's German expressionist cinema clips I've ever seen. There's an attention to detail and quality throughout that shows effort was put into presenting the topic in the best way possible.

Whether you're coming to this film as a fan of the original film, or as someone checking it out for the first time thanks to your interest being piqued by the upcoming Eggers version, Nosferatu: The Real Story is a film that will inform and entertain in equal measure, making you want to go out and watch several of the films that it references.

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Pay the Piper by George A. Romero & Daniel Kraus - Book Review

 

'In 2020, while sifting through University of Pittsburgh Library’s System’s George A. Romero Archival Collection, novelist Daniel Kraus turned up a a half-finished novel called Pay the Piper, a project few had ever heard of. In the years since, Kraus has worked with Romero’s estate to bring this unfinished masterwork to light.

'Alligator Point, Louisiana, population 141: Young Renée Pontiac has heard stories of “the Piper”—a murderous swamp entity haunting the bayou—her entire life. But now the legend feels horrifically real: children are being taken and gruesomely slain. To resist, Pontiac and the town’s desperate denizens will need to acknowledge the sins of their ancestors—the infamous slave traders, the Pirates Lafitte. If they don’t... it’s time to pay the piper.'

George A. Romero is without a doubt the father of the modern zombie genre, with his Night of the Living Dead and it's subsequent sequels setting the framework for what people expect of the genre. From changing the way zombies work, to incorporating social commentary, and quirky groups of survivors that end up being as big a threat to each other and the monsters, he created many of the things that we all take for granted now. When Romero died it was thought that he'd had his final word on the zombie genre, but in 2020 writer Daniel Kraus released The Living Dead, Romero's final zombie story. Using hundreds of pages of notes and drafts, Kraus delivered Romero's final statement on the genre he pioneered. But it turns out that this would not be the final work from Romero. Now a new story, Pay the Piper offers readers a chance to see Romero take a stab at a very different kind of horror story.

Pay The Piper takes readers to the tiny town of Alligator Point, a settlement of 141 people deep in the Louisiana swamp. The town has long been home to stories of The Piper, a mysterious entity that lives out in the swamp and lures children away to their death. Most people think that it's nothing but a folk tale, a story passed down through the generations, but when children in Alligator Point begin to go missing, only to turn up dead in horrific ways, the 'sheriff' Pete Roosevelt, begins to think that perhaps there's some truth in the old tales.

One of the things that will immediately jump out to those who pick up Pay the Piper is that the book is absolutely packed with colourful and quirky characters. The town might be small, but it seems like Romero and Klaus went out of their way to give everyone in it something unique, some kind of character trait that makes them distinct. The already mentioned Pete quotes John Wayne all the time, Miss Ward the schoolteacher who sings at her students, the grouchy town doctor, and Gerald, the young boy with the obsession with marbles. It often feels like you could pluck any character out of the crowd in Alligator Point and make them the focus of their own story.

One of the main focuses for us, however, is Renée Pontiac, a nine-year-old girl with a sharp mind and a head full of knowledge. She's young, but comes across as much older, one of those kids who can argue down a fair few adults. Renée is an incredibly caring young girl, something we see in how she deals with her father's alcoholism, but it's when she loses her best friend to the monster in the swamp that we really see the depth to her care and love. Having a child being one of the central characters in a story and them not being a McGuffin in need of rescue and just having them be a regular protagonist is a difficult line to walk, and whilst there are times where Pay the Piper does stumble a little it manages to pull it off well for the most part.

'But where are the zombies?' I hear you ask. This is Romero after all. Well, that's where the book stands on its own from the rest of Romero's work. There's not a single zombie to be found within the pages of Pay the Pipe. Instead we get ancient octopus monster able to take on different forms to lure in it's victims. To that point it's a little like Stephen King's IT in places, but only in the vaguest sense. Romero and Klaus are able to make the Piper feel different enough from Pennywise that you don't really think about it beyond the most basic comparison. It also helps that the book tries to incorporate some interesting history and themes. The book touches upon piracy, the slave trade, colonialism, and racism, both in history and in its impact on the modern day. 

Pay the Piper is an interesting book, and whilst there are times when you can kind of feel the two authors, where it feels that perhaps Klaus had to go a little bit alone, or maybe Romero's idea needed a bit more work, the book is overall an interesting and engaging read. With some very dark moments, and buckets of gore, it's a book that will likely surprise you until you remember its the product of the man who put people being ripped apart whilst still alive in most of his films. 

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Creep - Blu-ray Review

 

I first became aware of the work of Mark Duplass thanks to his sitcom series The League, a show that I was a little unsure of as it was relatively unknown in the UK and it was about American Fantasy Football, yet I soon fell in love with the series thanks to the witty writing and great central cast. As such, I'm always interested whenever I see any of the main cast appear in something else, so when I learned that I'd missed out on a found footage horror film written by and starring Duplass I knew that I had to check it out. And luckily, Second Sight have just released a new limited edition Blu-ray of the movie.

Creep follows Aaron (Patrick Brice), a videographer who's struggling with work and answers an online advert to craft a video diary for Josef (Mark Duplass), a man who's dying of an inoperable brain tumour but wants to leave a video record behind for his unborn son. Travelling to a remote cabin in the woods, Aaron meets the odd and often manic Josef, and the two of them spend the day together, hiking in the woods and hanging out at Josef's cabin. Josef is strange, but seems somewhat harmless, but as the day turns to night and Aaron tries to leave he begins to realise that Josef is not what he seems.

It's hard to talk about Creep too much without spoiling a lot of it. There's a lot of the movie that's best learned as you go, and going beyond the central premise feels like too much information. That being said, this is a horror film, so of course you know things are likely to go wrong for Aaron at some point.

In light of being unable to talk about the plot much I will instead switch to talking about the cast. Duplass is utterly mesmerising as Josef. Creep is a film about two people, and one of them is often holding the camera and is not on screen, leaving Duplass to be the main focus of the movie. Because of this, much of the film is carried by him, by his performance and energy that are keeping your attention and driving things forward. Much of this is thanks to the film being shot in a found footage perspective.

Found footage movies are often a cheap way for filmmakers to save money, to keep things largely off camera and rely on low budget limitations rather than being hampered by them. Whether or not it always works is up for debate, but it seems like Duplass and Brice really lean into the benefits of the format, especially in how they approach Josef. There are a lot of times when Josef feels like he's talking directly to the audience, looking straight down the camera at you in a way that makes you feel incredibly uncomfortable. It's done well, and it really does put you into Aaron's shoes in a way that I've found lacking in most found footage movies.

What's absolutely delightful about Creep is that much of the movie is improvisation, with Brice and Duplass developing the film as they went, filming a few scenes and showing them to friends, reworking them and reshooting with the feedback they're given. You can feel a little of this in the finished movie, and there are times when reactions end up being incredibly genuine because they likely are. It might not be to everyone's tastes, but it feels fresh and different, and showcases the comedic improvisational skills of the creators.

Alongside the movie the new release comes with a pair of audio commentaries, an archival one with Brice and Duplass, alongside a brand new commentary with Duplass, Brice, and editor Christopher Donlon. The three of them also provide new interviews, and a 10 years Q&A. There's also a couple of alternate scenes, including alternate endings, which came about thanks to the improv nature of the movie leading to multiple possible conclusions to the film. The commentaries, interviews, and alternate scenes add a lot to the viewing experience, and for those that enjoy the movie they feel like a great companion piece as we get a peek behind the curtain for how this strange and unique piece of cinema came about. 

The special edition version also comes with six new art cards, as well as a 70 page booklet with a number of new essays about the movie from industry experts such as Kat Ellinger, David Kittredge, and Sarah Appleton.

For those tired of the same old found footage horror films Creep is a great twist on the format that offers viewers something very different. Often odd, sometimes funny, and mostly strangely disturbing, it's a brilliant example of what a couple of talent people can produce with a great idea and relatively little money. Just be careful of what adverts you end up answering. 

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Come Home - Film Review

 

Sometimes I think that you hear the word horror and you expect a certain kind of movie, especially when ghosts are mentioned alongside it. Over the years there has been an ever increasing prevalence of ghost themed horror films that have used jump scares, loud noises, and ghastly figures appearing out of the dark to frighten the viewer. But before this ghost stories would often rely on atmosphere, on using the sense of the unnerving to leave people feeling uncomfortable, if not outright frightened. This is the kind of approach that Come Home uses, and tells a much quieter kind of horror story.

Come Home tells the story of two New York couples, Ike (Chinaza Uche) and Mel (Caitlin Zoz), and Arjun (Sathya Sridharan) and Taylor (Paton Ashbrook), who travel into the Adriondack 
Mountains to get away from things for a bit. Mel's family have a cabin up on a lake out in the woods, so the two couples head up to spend time in the quiet of nature. However, Mel tells the group a story around their campfire about a woman many years ago, who fell in love with someone from outside the community. When he vanished in the woods she waited for him to return, eventually vanishing herself. Now it's said that her spirit haunts the area.

The others laugh off the story, believing it to be nothing but local superstition, but when strange things begin to happen around them, and one of the group vanishes in the middle of the night, they can't deny that there's something otherworldly happening at the lake, and that it's set its sights on the four of them.

Come Home is a fairly short film, sitting at just over an hour long, and as such it doesn't spend too long in getting into its story. The film skips long introductions and gets into things pretty quickly, and I found it to be a decision that's something of a mixed bag. On the one hand it cuts to the chase, getting the audience into the setting quickly and introducing the ghost story that's the focus of the film, but on the other there's not a huge connection to the characters. The short length means that there's not a huge number of scenes where we get to know these people before the strange and sinister things begins to happen to them. 

The two that we spend the most time with are the men, Ike and Arjun, and we do get a couple of personality traits for them. Ike is the quieter guy whilst Arjun is the talkative one, and Arjun really likes the idea of moving up to the lake permanently. But that's about it. Their partners barely get any kind of personality to them, and they feel the least fleshed out of the movie. Ike makes friends with a local woman, Sam (Audrey Elaine Hailes), and she has more personality than Mel and Taylor put together to the point where she may as well be the third character of the movie. 

This is a shame, as Mel and Taylor and what happens to them is an important component of the film, and their lack of development or character does the entire thing a disservice. Some of this might be down to Caitlin Zoz being the film's co-director, and Paton Ashbrook being one of the writers, so the two of them ended up being more involved behind the scenes than in front of the camera, but it does leave their characters feeling the least developed of the film and I found that to be a shame.

Despite these flaws in character development or screen time there's a lot to enjoy about Come Home. The film looks really good for what's a fairly low budget movie. The outdoor environments look great, and the camera spends a lot of time lingering on the expansive shots of nature, just soaking in the beauty of the surroundings. The music is pretty decent too, and matches the scenes well, complimenting what you're seeing. This might seem like simple things to praise, but with so many small productions being let down in both the audio and visuals it's wonderful to see a film like this do them so well.

As far as the plot goes, I did enjoy it. As I mentioned in the introduction, this isn't a more overt horror film. There's no jump scares, and many of the scenes aren't in the least frightening. Instead, the film fits into an uneasy sense of dread, one where you're not quite sure what's going to come next, and you start to question what's going on. To this point, there will likely be a few questions come the end, as the film doesn't outright explain everything, though it does provide a lot of the details in more subtle ways. One of the things that I picked up on was that the film deals with racism and interracial relationships, though I did have to go back and check a small detail in a previous scene to confirm this. There are subtle details and themes here that might be missed by some, and I probably didn't catch them all, but for those willing to be a bit more eagle-eyed and willing to think about the story there's more here than you might first think.

Come Home is a flawed movie, but one that really tries and has some great ideas; and because of that I can't describe it as a bad film. It's trying, it's got a clear idea of the kind of story it wants to tell and is taking some big swings to do so. The film looks great, and with so many horror films throwing monsters at the camera and using jump scares to frighten viewers it's nice to see a more relaxed, perhaps even intellectual approach to the genre. 

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The Hollow and the Haunted by Camilla Raines - Book Review

 

'Sixteen-year-old Miles Warren hails from a long line of psychics. Resigned to a life in the (not especially profitable) family business, Miles is perfectly happy, thank you very much―except for the part where he's constantly exhausted from long nights digging up graves, hiding his sexuality from his family, and unable to fulfil his dream of going to art school one day. Perfectly happy.

'But Miles' comfortable routine is interrupted when has a premonition of a violent supernatural murder. He soon discovers that the victim is none other than Gabriel Hawthorne, whose family have a mysterious, decades-long feud with Miles' own. Gabriel is everything Miles expects from a Hawthorne―rude, snobbish, and irritatingly good-looking―but Miles isn't just going to stand by and let someone murder him. The two form an uneasy alliance, trying to solve Gabriel's murder and prevent it from taking place.

'The odds are against them; death premonitions are notoriously hard to alter. As they uncover secrets about their families' feud and dark magic swirls around the pair, Miles is horrified to realize that he doesn't hate Gabriel as much as he's supposed to. He might even like him. Too bad Gabriel is almost certainly going to die.'

Miles Warren is part of a very special family, one where those born into the family have psychic gifts. In fact, a few of the people in his town do, with various families using them to help others and build a stronger community. His family help people with supernatural problems, things such as hauntings, demonic possession, or cursed objects that need dealing with. There's one family in town however, the Hawthornes, who have used their gifts to make themselves rich, and the Warrens and Hawthornes do not get on; even if Miles isn't exactly sure why.

When Miles gets a death premonition, a vision that shows him how someone will die, about Gabriel Hawthorne he's put in a troubling situation. The families don't get on, so he's worried about going to his parents for help, but at the same time he can't just sit back and let something as terrible as murder happen to Gabriel, no matter how bad the family feud is. So, Miles sets out to find out who wants to kill Garbriel and stop it, something that's far from easy as most death premonitions cannot be altered. Thus begins a series of events that will bring Miles and Gabriel closer than he could have ever imagined.

The Hollow and the Haunted is a rather fun and easy to read rivals to lovers supernatural romance novel designed for younger readers. It's got a lot of tropes in it, almost to the point where you can tick them off a list, but manages to be so well crafted and delightful a read that you don't really care how familiar the book feels. 

A lot of the enjoyment of the book comes from the two leads, Miles and Gabriel. Miles is a very likable protagonist, and you very quickly come to enjoy spending time with him. He's part of a life that he doesn't really enjoy (we meet him literally digging up a grave) yet does so to help his family out and to not rock the boat. He has psychic gifts that he doesn't particularly like, yet uses them to help others because he knows it's the right thing to do. He's also hiding a secret, that he's gay. Having seen a number of rivals to lovers books for teens before I realised whilst reading this that I don't think I've read any with queer characters, and as such this was a delightful twist on the trope.

Miles' relationship with Gabriel is a main focus of the book, and is a fun one too as they don't exactly get off on the best foot. Raines injects a ton of character and humour into these scenes, as the two of them argue and snark at each other in equal measure. Over time the two of them begin to work together better, and you can see that their very different personalities compliment each other well, with Gabriel being the one to keep Miles focused, for example. 

The Hollow and the Haunted ends on a cliff-hanger, meaning that there will be more to come with these characters, and by the way things end you'll be wanting to read the next part straight away.

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Gunner - Film Review

 

Low budget action films have been a staple of Hollywood since the early days. Get a larger than life personality to throw a punch or two, or fire off a gun whilst explosions go off behind them, and you've got a recipe for success even if it's not going to be Oscar worthy stuff. There have been a lot of stars loved around the world not because they're great actors, but because they managed to entertain with some ridiculous action movies. And with the resurgence of 80's nostalgia it would seem like this might be the perfect time ton go back to those schlocky, fun-loving movies; and this is what Gunner seems to be trying.

Gunner stars Luke Hemsworth, the eldest and lesser known of the Hemsworth brothers, as Lee Gunner, a decorated US Marine who's trying to put his home life back together after a year of him being missing; a year in which his eldest son died. Despite having won the Medal of Honor and being recognised as a hero, he's struggling to reintegrate into his family, trying to rebuild his relationship with his two surviving sons. Gunner decides to take the two of them camping in order to bond, and to help straighten out his eldest son Travis (Connor DeWolfe), who he finds in a post drug haze in his girlfriends bed.

Despite Travis being unwilling to go camping, a quick parachute drop out of a plane and some ATV driving starts to bring the family together a little bit. However, when they stumble upon a remote drugs lab in the forest and their uncle is killed by the criminals, things go terribly wrong. With Gunner's sons taken hostage he's given a deal by their leader, Dobbs (Mykel Shannon Jenkins), steal their drugs back from the authorities, and Gunner gets his sons back. Instead, Gunner decides to hatch a plan to break Dobbs' father, played by Morgan Freeman, out of prison to trade for his sons.

Gunner has a ridiculous plot, but one that feels no more silly than half of the action revenge movies of the 1980's that made people like Arnold Schwarzenegger a star. The military veteran caught up in a world of crime and having to save a family member is such a common trope that it's basically it's own genre now. What lets Gunner down isn't necessarily the plot or the writing, which is also quite cliched, but the lack of budget and the lacklustre effects.

Low budget doesn't have to be a bad thing for action films, and you can do a lot with less, but Gunner seems to have spent its money in some odd places, and made some unusual choices in the action scenes. There are a number of times in the film that the action is broken up by long slow motion shots as new enemies walk onto the screen and Gunner sizes them up. This, coupled with some rather slow feeling punches and physical action makes the fight scenes feel sluggish and bored. The film also employs a lot of digital effects for muzzle flashes and blood spray, but doesn't exclusively use them, leading to scenes where you're never sure when the practical affects are going to suddenly change to digital.

When an action films action leads you to feeling bored there's not a whole lot that the film has going for it at that point. The inclusion of Morgan Freeman does mean there are a few scenes in the film that feel a little bit classier, as he brings a gravitas to the film that it probably doesn't deserve, but with him being in the film for all of ten minutes it's too little to save things. It also leads me to wonder how much of the small budget went to paying for a star name, and led to cheaper effects being used elsewhere.

Another part of the film that felt odd to me, and immediately jumped out was the use of subtitles. Now, this wasn't done because people were talking another language, these subtitles were used when an Asian henchman was speaking English. The subtitles were also large and filled half the frame, presented in a 'artistic' way rather than the traditional method. The man speaking was perfectly understandable, and whilst his voice was accented it never prevented me from being able to know what he was saying. This choice instead smacks of casual racism that I've seen done in American media before where perfectly understandable people with accents are given subtitles.

Gunner is a low budget, paint by numbers action movie that could have been a lot better. With some tighter, more exciting action, or a bigger inclusion of Freeman the film would likely have been more entertaining than it was. As it is, this is a movie that is fine if there's literally nothing else to watch and you don't really want to be challenged to think, as even hardcore action fans might struggle their way through this one.

Gunner is released digitally in the UK on 9th December 2024.

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Wolves, Pigs & Men - Blu-ray Review

 

Kinji Fukasaka is considered one of the masters of the yakuza genre, and his 1964 film Wolves, Pigs & Men is a stark, often brutal look at the violence within the yakuza, as well as the bonds of brotherhood that are found there.

The film follows three brothers, Kuroki (Rentarô Mikuni), Jirô (Ken Takakura), and Sabu (Kin'ya Kitaôji) , and charts their escape from their world of poverty into the the violent world of organised crime. Each of them grew up dreaming of escaping their world, of making more of themselves. The eldest of the siblings, Kuroki, is the first of them to escape the slums that they've called home, leaving behind his siblings and ailing mother to join the Iwasaki yakuza gang. A number of years later Jirô follows suit, leaving home and entering a life of petty crime. Jirô ends up working alongside another criminal named Mizuhara (Murota Hideo), and the two of them achieve some success. When Jirô catches the attention of the yakuza bosses, however, his operation is destroyed, and he finds himself in prison for several years. 

All of this happens in the films opening sequence, despite being enough for a film itself. Once the film begins in earnest, Jirô returns home from prison, where he learns of his mothers death. This brings him back into contact with his youngest brother, Sabu, who was left alone to care for her in her final years. Wanting to escape his home and start a new life Jirô plans a daring heist, knowing the time and location of an upcoming drugs shipment. He hires his brother Sabu and his friends to help him, an offer that he intends to go back on. However, the drugs belong to the Iwasaki yakuza, where their eldest brother Kuroki has become a leader, and the plan looks set to bring the three brothers on a collision course with disaster. 

Despite being recognised as a master of the genre, this particular release from Fukasaka was somewhat overlooked in its original release, thanks in part to its stark and brutal nature being in contrast with the image that Japan was pushing for itself in the build up to their first Olympic games. Despite this, the film has found something of a following over the years, and the new 60th anniversary release makes for a perfect opportunity for fans to rediscover it.

The film presents a stark, often bleak look at the world of Japanese organised crime, and where often a story about three brothers would have them working together within that world Fukasaka makes the bolder choice to have them all walk their separate paths, ones that end up crossing each other and bringing them into conflict instead. It at times feels more like the three lead characters are doomed, that perhaps they're cursed by the world of crime, drawn in against their will into these terrible circumstances. The film is brutal, and even nihilistic at times, and whilst it's an entertain watch it's far from a fun one. It shines a spotlight on the darker side of Japanese life, and human nature, in a way that would become a signature for the director.

The film has been restored from the original Toei prints, and looks great in HD. There are some elements that are weaker than others, such some parts of the film looking perhaps a little too dark, and some of the outdoor scenes lose a bit of quality over the interior shoots; but this is more due to the filming limitations and equipment at the time and isn't far removed from what you'd find from other film of the era.

Alongside the restoration there's a new audio commentary track by Jasper Sharp, an expert on Japanese cinema who goes into the life and careers of the cast and crew, as well as discusses the impact of the film both at the time and over the years. As with other Eureka releases, this kind of commentary track is incredibly interesting and informative, and is a wonderful accompaniment for the film. There are also interviews with screenwriter Satō Jun'ya, and producer Yoshida Toru, both sitting at around 20 minutes each. There's also a short interview with Fukasaku's biographer, Yamane Sadao.

As one of the important films in Fukasaku's career Wolves, Pigs & Men makes for a culturally interesting piece, as well as a damn good movie in its own right. It's a bleak, dark, and often violent affair, one that won't exactly have you coming away from it feeling particularly cheerful, but as a piece of Japanese film history it's not to be missed. 

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The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister - Book Review

 

'Since time immemorial, the Haddesley family has tended the cranberry bog. In exchange, the bog sustains them. The staunch seasons of their lives are governed by a strict covenant that is renewed each generation with the ritual sacrifice of their patriarch, and in return, the bog produces a “bog-wife.” Brought to life from vegetation, this woman is meant to carry on the family line. But when the bog fails—or refuses—to honour the bargain, the Haddesleys, a group of discordant siblings still grieving the mother who mysteriously disappeared years earlier, face an unknown future.

'Middle child Wenna, summoned back to the dilapidated family manor just as her marriage is collapsing, believes the Haddesleys must abandon their patrimony. Her siblings are not so easily persuaded. Eldest daughter Eda, de facto head of the household, seeks to salvage the compact by desecrating it. Younger son Percy retreats into the wilderness in a dangerous bid to summon his own bog-wife. And as youngest daughter Nora takes desperate measures to keep her warring siblings together, fledgling patriarch Charlie uncovers a disturbing secret that casts doubt over everything the family has ever believed about itself.'

The Appalachian mountains is an area of the United States that seems to come up in horror a lot. It's remote setting, the ancient feel of the land, and almost sinister beauty that it possesses makes it a great setting for the unsettling and horrific. Kay Chronister's The Bog Wife taps into this beautifully, but moves away from the more common forest setting that Appalachian horror tends to set itself in, and takes readers instead into an ancient bog.

The Haddesley family have lived on the bog for generations, tending to the cranberries there. But the Haddesley's aren't a normal family, and their lineage holds unique history. Generations ago, a member of the family was cast into the bog as punishment for a crime, rocks loaded into his pockets. He sank beneath the surface, and was gone forever; but it seems that he made a deal with the bog as he died. Emerging from the bog was a woman, made from peat, and sticks, and swamp waste. This bog wife married the eldest son, the next patriarch of the family, and together they created the next generation. When it was time for that patriarch to die his body was fed to the bog, and a new bog wife was created for the new heir.

This is how the Haddesley family has operated for as long as they can remember, isolated from the outside world, living in this ancient, mystical tradition. However, as the Haddesley children, Charlie, Wenna, Eda, Percy, and Nora, gather to feed their dying father to the bog their lives are changed forever when the bog fails to provide them with a new bog wife. Now, with their father gone and their future uncertain, the Haddesley siblings must try to find a new path.

The Bog Wife is an interesting type of horror story, in that a lot of it almost doesn't feel like it is one. When the bog fails to produce a new bog wife part of me questioned if perhaps the stories were untrue, that the siblings had been raised to believe a lie. None of them can remember their own mother that well, her having gone years before, so was she not a bog wife as told, but perhaps a normal human? The story continues this way for much of the book, with no overt signs of the supernatural or paranormal, leaving the reader to try to decide for themselves what might be happening. There are answers by the end, but the unsettling journey to them is what made me really enjoy this book.

Instead, a lot of the book is unsettling instead of outright horror, and much of that comes down to the characters. The Haddesley siblings have been raised in something of a cult-like setting, listening to stories from their father telling them how they're special, how they have a connection to the bog, and how the bog itself will provide for them. It's disturbing at times as I came to feel bad for them, and I could see the trauma that they'd been through even if them themselves were unaware of it.

Their isolated upbringing is also reflected somewhat in their characterisation. The siblings are all adults, with Wenna having moved away from the family and set up a life for herself in the normal world. But they all read as somewhat younger than they should be. They act more like teenagers or children at times, and whilst this at first felt a little odd to me I came to the realisation it was because of how they were raised. They'd been isolated, taught by a single father, brought up to believe some strange things, and as such their emotional maturity was somewhat stunted as they'd not had the kind of interactions and growth they'd need to become regular adults.

Each of the siblings also reacts to the sudden shift in their fortunes in different ways. Charlie, the eldest son kind of gives up, doesn't do much, and becomes disengaged from things. Eda, the eldest daughter, steps into the role of head of the family, and tries to keep things together as best she can. Percy intends to make sure the bog and the Haddesley's continue on as they always have, and retreats into the bog itself to try to find a solution. Each of them displays a very different reaction to their world view coming into heavy challenge, and with Chronister splitting the book into various point of views we're able to really get into their heads and see how they're handling it.

The Bog Wife is an eerie book, one filled with suspense and thought provoking characters. The setting also feels wonderfully unique, and Chronister brings the bog to life in ways that serve the story perfectly. For those looking for a slower burn horror story with a creeping sense of dread and lots of characters to get your teeth into The Bog Wife makes for a perfect read. 

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Laurel & Hardy: The Silent Years (1927) - Blu-ray Review

 

It might be because I'm British, but Laurel and Hardy were two entertainers that I was aware of as far back as I could remember, but had never seen a single thing they'd been in. They were iconic, and even having not seen any of their films I knew them by sight enough to be able to identify them in some rather shoddy looking merchandise. They're giants of cinema, and I always wanted to try out something of theirs. The Eureka Masters of Cinema release, Laurel & Hardy: The Silent Years - 1927 presented me with my first opportunity to do so. 

The release brings together fifteen silent shorts, from their very first film together on to the 'official' birth of their partnership. As such, this is a perfect place for anyone like myself to start their Laurel and Hardy experience, as well as a great addition to collections for long time fans.

The first film in the set is The Lucky Dog, and sees Stan Laurel taking the centre stage as a young man down on his luck and facing a number of personal woes. Most of these are physical in nature, such as when he's almost hit by a pair of moving trams, or when his landlady swings her broom at his head. However, things begin to look up for him when he catches the eye of a young woman; but her jealous boyfriend and a mugger, played by Hardy, means it'll be anything but easy for him. I'd heard that silent movies were stunt filled and packed with spectacle, and this film demonstrates that, opening with Laurel taking a dive into the street. It also uses some on screen animation and extra graphics here and there that give things a bit of extra flair. It's a fun introduction to the genre, and the characters themselves. 

45 Minutes From Hollywood is the pair's second film together, and they're still not the headliners that they'd become, with both of them playing supporting parts here. The film is fun enough, but does stand out as something a little unexpected as the two men you've bought the set to see never even appear in the same frame together. It's hard to really say this is a Laurel and Hardy movie, and it's more a film they both happen to be in, but as a piece of their history it's decent to have along. The next film, Duck Soup, feels more like what I've come to understand their movies to be, as the two of them are actually paired on screen for the first time in a substantial way. The two of them are acting in the ways I expect, with Laurel displaying his iconic grin, whilst Hardy slips into the role of the more physical one of the two. It's early days still, and it's not quite there yet, but this really feels like the genesis of what they'll become known for.

As the films progress, we see this pattern, with the two of them briefly coming together before another movie has them doing other things. You can tell that the winning formula hasn't quite been seen yet, and the times when they're together in the earlier movies feel more coincidence than planned, but as you work your way through the films there's a definite shift to the iconic duo we know, and by the end it's a Laurel and Hardy that most people would recognise.

The films collected here showcase a decent range of what silent movies had to offer, and many of them are still as humorous and entertaining as they were back in the day, with the practical stunts and effects being incredibly charming despite how basic some are simply because this was the early days of filmmaking, and you can see the craftsmanship and experimentation on screen in front of you. Even separate from Laurel and Hardy themselves, this set offers an enjoyable look at what films of the 1920's were offering audiences. 

Considering that the films here are almost 100 years old they're presented really well. Most are in black and white, though a few have a slightly different tone to them depending on what filter was used at the time. Because of the age there are times when there are dips in visual quality, and some films can alter from scene to scene, but considering the age and technology from the time none of them are too bad, nor is anything here unwatchable. It's likely the best versions of a lot of these films that most people will have seen. The discs do include some new audio for the films, however, with the music having been newly created for this release; which considering most films of the time had live music in theatres rather than a soundtrack isn't too surprising an addition here.

Each of the films also comes with an audio commentary featuring experts on film of the era, as well as Laurel and Hardy in particular. These were informative and entertaining, and offered me a decent amount of insight into each of the films as well as their backgrounds. There's also a bunch of other features, including interviews with experts on silent movies, alongside archival interviews and recordings.

Having come to this set fresh, with no history with these entertainers I was unsure how much it would grab me or entertain, but the films are presented so well, with tons of extra context and information, that it made for an educational and enjoyable experience. But for fans of the actors it's likely going to be a must buy. Yes, you've probably already seen these movies before, but you'll not have seen them looking this good.

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The Contestant - Film Review

 

I'm not sure when the first time was that I heard about Tomoaki Hamatsu and his remarkable claim to fame, but it was one of those schoolyard rumours that I'd heard people talking about; a man, stripped naked, and surviving off nothing but competition winnings inside a small apartment as part of a Japanese gameshow. I knew little else about it, and having seen some of the extreme things that happen on Japanese television I made some big assumptions about this, namely that Tomoaki had entered into this situation willingly. The new documentary film The Contestant, that charts this dramatic story, reveals a much darker truth, and presents a story that feels more like a horror film than I could have first imagined.

For those not in the know, the Japanese television show Susunu! Denpa Shōnen was looking for a new reality segment for their series. Having become well known for it's reality based challenges and travel segments, but television executive Toshio Tsuchiya came up with a new idea, to see how long it would take someone to reach a goal of  ¥1 million in magazine prizes with nothing else to live off. To this end he hosted an audition with a number of people, one of whom was picked for the role. This is how Tomoaki Hamatsu became involved in Life in Prizes. The documentary reveals, however, that Tomoaki did not know that he was going to be on television.

Taken straight from the audition, he was blindfolded and taken to an empty apartment where Tsuchiya ordered him to strip naked. He was told that he needed to win prizes to earn his freedom, and was left alone with a stack of magazines and postcards. Unknown to Tomoaki, his every move was being recorded, and broadcast on Susunu! Denpa Shōnen, becoming the shows most popular segment. 

Whilst this situation sounds incredible, it's relayed to viewers here with such mater of fact bluntness that you find yourself shocked and appalled by events. Tsuchiya talks about the idea behind his 'show' as if it's simply some kind of thought exercise and not the very real torture of another human being. He shows little regret or compassion throughout most of the movie, and that coupled with the decreasing health and sanity of Tomoaki, who the show mockingly named Nasubi, meaning Eggplant, because of the shape of his head, makes this a surprisingly chilling experience.

The Contestant charts Tomoaki's journey across 335 days, where he was naked and alone, trying to win his freedom. Whilst he was first given a few crackers each day so that he didn't starve to death, those were soon taken from him and Tomoaki was reduced to eating raw rice and dog food to survive. The film intercuts this footage of Tomoaki with details of the world outside, one where people are tuning in to watch his progress with a sense of glee, where people are laughing at him as he does his best to simply not die. We also hear from his family, who had no idea what had happened to him or where he'd gone, until they saw him naked, starving, and somewhat crazed on their televisions. 

It's somewhat amazing to see the two sides of this event, one where the public are being swept up into a fervour, where they see entertainment and comedy in the situation and they don't want it to end because it's part of their Friday night viewing for almost a year. On the flip side, there's a man who's going through some of the worst psychological torture imaginable. It's heart breaking to watch at times. Especially when you find out what comes next. 

Having finally reached his goal, Tomoaki is awoken in the middle of the night by Tsuchiya, who gives him his clothes back, now hanging off his thin frame, and takes him on a flight. Tomoaki is taken to Korea, where he's treated to a nice meal, and Tsuchiya buys him a gift. Tomoaki thinks this is part of his prize before he gets to go home, that is until Tsuchiya takes him to another apartment, forces him to strip, and makes him go through it all again; but this time in Korea, where Tomoaki doesn't read the language, so has to learn Korean whilst winning prizes. You might ask why he'd go along with this, why he'd not just leave, but by this point Tomoaki's spirit is completely broken, and you can see it. The footage of Tsuchiya convincing Tomoaki to go through this again is horrifying, because it shows how a man has been so broken and his will destroyed by what is frankly a sadistic and cruel TV executive who doesn't want to lose his cash cow. 

Thankfully, Tomoaki's torture couldn't last forever, and he eventually 'won' the show. But as you can imagine, fifteen months of this life had an extreme toll on Tomoaki's life. The documentary takes some tome to go into this, detailing his recovery from his ordeal. Whilst the show made him something of a household name in Japan, with more than 17 million viewers watching him real fame never really came from this. Instead, Tomoaki became a fierce advocate for this home of Fukashima, and would go on to do some incredible things for them. As a result, the film ends on something of a high note (literally), as we see Tomoaki achieve the incredible; but not because of Life in Prizes, in spite of it. 

Tomoaki Hamatsu's story is an incredible one, one that is shocking, horrific, sad, and in some ways inspiring too. He's a man who was exploited and abused for entertainment. He was put on television, naked and almost dying, without his knowledge, his diaries he wrote during this time that chronicled his declining mental state were published by the broadcasters and became best sellers. Everything about him became a product for almost a year and a half, he wasn't a man, but a thing to be used. He was worn down and destroyed, but he also came back with a strength that most people would fail to find.

The Contestant is a film that has to be seen to be believed. The story it tells is one of the most shocking in the modern era, one that shows how terrible the entertainment industry can be. But it's also one that will make you think about the things you watch, will make you question how many reality or documentary shows are actually simply just exploiting people, and how they might be appealing to the worst parts of your own nature. People seem quick to forget others humanity, especially if it benefits them. Tomoaki Hamatsu is one of the best examples of this we have.

The Contestant is released in UK cinemas on the 27th November 2024. 

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2 Dumb Dinos - Graphic Novel Review

 

The newspaper-style comic strip has been around for a very long time, and it's a format that doesn't really seem to be going away even in an age where fewer and fewer people are actually engaging in print news; to the point where it looks like many publications may soon be as extinct as the pre-historic stars of this new graphic novel. Despite this, the format of silly, topical, and even bizarre comic strips continues in online spaces, often appearing on people's social media. And this is likely where most people will have met Scumbag and Dingus, the two titular dumb dinos.

Created by Nathan Hamill, son of the Star Wars mega star and talented creator in his own right, and Eric Filipkowski, who's worked on and off screen in a number of comedy shows including South Park and Drunk History, 2 Dumb Dinos collects together the first 36 strips into a small, hardcover volume. Partially inspired by the comic strips of old, the two creators make nods to current affairs, referencing elections and political figures, as well as having completely odd adventures that make little to no sense at times.

One of my biggest take aways from reading the book (a quick experience that took less than thirty minutes all told), was that I don't really know who this humour is for. Much of 2 Dumb Dinos is stuff happening for no real reason, and with no explanation, and it's perhaps more akin to the online comedy style of Gen Z. Now, this is where I'm going to sound old, and I kind of hate that, but because of this I just didn't really gel well with the book. There's a strip where Dingus convinces Scumbag to buy shoes for his hands, and Scumbag then can't get into a Pringles tube and assumes it's a plot by his friend to steal his new hand shoes. Another has one of the dinos dressing as different sub cultures each week, such as goth or as a Harry Potter fan, only for the last panel to reveal he'd been caught on To Catch a Predator, but don't worry, it's not a paedophile thing. If this is supposed to be comedy it didn't work for me as I failed to even crack a smile. 

Many of the strips are like this, with almost disconnected things happening, leading to a punchline that's either got nothing to do with the rest of the strip, or just kind of peters out into nothing. Yes, I know that this is essentially Gen Z humour, where things are either random and weird, or they're funny by not being funny, but I'm not Gen Z, I'm old and boring (I guess), and so there was very little about the writing of the book that I actually liked. One of the strips even succinctly summed up why I didn't really click with it, with one of the dinos saying 'I think the fans are happy just watching us talk in profile in this featureless room that could really just be anywhere…We’ll just stick with what works: jokes that don’t make any sense or even have a punchline.'

But, comics aren't just about writing, they're also art, and the art can be a hugely important part of the final product. So, what's the art on 2 Dumb Dinos like? Well, the front cover is about as colourful as it gets. The purple and green of Dingus and Scumbag on the cover of the book is the only time you're going to get the characters looking like that. The interior of the book is very, very brown. There are two colours, a light brown that's pretty much everything, and a darker brown that's used for shadows and highlights. As such, the book is very dull looking, and mixed with the flat comedy, it led to a reading experience that felt devoid of much enjoyment. If the book was coloured normally, with the lead characters being bright and colourful, and the items and costumes used for their gags having some character, then perhaps the book would have landed better for me; but as it is it's two dull looking characters in a dull brown void that was thoroughly visually unappealing. Hamill has colourist listed amongst his credits, but little of that seems to be on show here.

This seems like a pretty negative review, and I'm disappointed that it comes across that way because I wanted to like the book. I like this kind of format of short funny comics, but I think this boils down to me not being the target audience. There will absolutely be people out there who love this, who find it funny and will get the humour. I'm just not one of them. So I'm not going to say it's bad, I'm not going to say it's a book you shouldn't try out, because it could very well be a hit for you. If you like weird and random humour, if you're Gen Z and grew up on odd internet memes and shows like Spongebob Squarepants then you should definitely give 2 Dumb Dinos a look.

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Marginal by Tom Carlisle - Book Review

 

'When Rob receives a call in the middle of the night, he knows it must be bad news. But he isn't quite prepared for what he hears; his brother, Marcus, has died on the Systematics compound in Scotland, where the two of them grew up. The place Rob managed to escape with his sanity barely intact, the place that hollowed out his parents and his brother.

'Rob is determined to go up north to the compound to see Marcus laid to rest, but more importantly, to get to the bottom of what killed him. Because Rob has been waiting for the Systematics to make a mistake, for their charismatic leader Bjorn Thrissell to show his true colours so that Rob can make their crimes public and bring them down for good.

'But when Rob arrives at the compound with his producer Lucy in tow, they discover a group of people coming apart at the seams and paranoia seeping through the community. Mutiny is in the air and worse still… there is something lurking under the surface, something monstrous and murderous, something that has been biding its time in the margins…

'Trapped and isolated, Rob and Lucy are going to have to put their trust in the community they have come to ruin if any of them are going to have any hope of survival.'

Cults are a ripe ground for horror stories. They're a very real horror that exists within our world, one where we can see how far people can be abused and broken by corrupt leaders, as well as showcasing the extremes that people are willing to go to for their beliefs. Some of the most frightening things people have done throughout history have been because of religion, and modern day cults are usually reflective of this. As such, Marginal is able to tap into some very dark ideas and horror that feels very grounded with its story set around a remote cult in remote Scotland. However, it's not afraid to dive into the realm of the fantastical too.

The story follows Rob, a man who was raised as a member of the Systematics cult, but who managed to escape from it a number of years earlier; an experience that still has a number of psychological scars that he's living with. When Rob is awoken in the middle of the night with a phone call telling him that his brother, Marcus, who remained in Systematics, has died, Rob knows that he's going to have to face the terrible events of his past.

Rob is determined to be there for his brother's funeral, being held within the Systematics compound in Scotland, and wants to find out exactly how and why his brother died so suddenly. Lucy, a young podcaster who wants to get a story about Systematics, accompanies him north, hoping to get the big scoop that will make her career. The two of them arrive at the compound and meet with the leader of the cult, the charismatic Bjorn Thrissell, hoping that they'll be able to learn the truth. Unfortunately, neither of them could ever expect what they find.

In some ways Marginal feels like a book of two halves, with half the book being very grounded in reality, dealing with the Systematics cult, and their affect on Rob and his brother. It's got some dark moments, as all stories about cults tend to do, but it's geared more towards character drama and mystery as to how Marcus died than anything else. 

Rob is something of an unlikeable protagonist in some regards. He's clearly a man with a lot of demons and a lot of trauma in his past, and this is all being dragged up to the fore thanks to the loss of his brother and having to return to the Systematics compound. But, because of this there are times where he's somewhat overly aggressive, he snaps at people, he's surly and withdrawn. His journey throughout Marginal, and the way it affects Rob emotionally is one of the main aspects of the book, and it's interesting to see the journey he goes through, but there are also times where I kind of wanted to yell at Rob. This isn't a bad thing, and having an imperfect lead character can be a lot of fun, but I can see how this might be challenging for some readers, and why not everyone might gel well with him.

The supporting characters are kind of similar too, thanks in no small part to most of them being cult members. A lot of people in the book are self serving, or liars, or simply untrustworthy, and it leads to a situation where as a reader I was never sure if I could trust what people were saying or doing, or if I should want to see them come out the other side. It created this somewhat grey narrative, one where I found myself challenged in a lot of ways.

Marginal is a story about a cult, but it's also more than that, as there's a shift in the narrative part of the way through that turns this from a grounded, realistic cult horror story, into something much, much more frightening. I will not say much about it, as going in knowing as little as possible about the book is definitely the best approach, but this shift introduces some wild new elements to the book, and comes with some extreme violence, gore, and body horror that is sure to shock the reader. 

Overall, I had a pretty decent time with Marginal, it had some cool ideas and some flawed characters that I think will likely challenge some readers. But it was also at times a hard read thanks to its darker tone and more depressing story. Marginal will appeal to a lot of horror fans, but it might not be to everyone's tastes.

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