Category Archives: Movie Reviews

The Northleach Horror (2016) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]

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Somewhere in the UK, a scientist and his assistant run odd experiments that have bizarre, weird, and scary results.

Directed by David Cairns who co-wrote with Alex Livingstone, The Northleach Horror is a comedic take on the wartime insane scientist scenario. They take something that has been done before and breathe fresh air into it with a sense of humor that can only be from the UK. This sense of humor makes the film as it’s dark, it’s inappropriate, yet it’s so funny. The way the humor works is perfectly paired with the film’s darkness while it also balances it out. The entire film is soaked in this humor and riddled with inappropriate jokes that work perfectly. Of course, this is for someone who has a similar sense of humor and some might not find it to their taste, but horror fans should be quite pleased.

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The Honeymoon (2017) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]

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A very religious couple books a room in a quaint B&B for their honeymoon and to finally consummate their marriage. Once arrived there, things are a bit more extreme than they expected.

Written and directed by Ruth Pickett, The Honeymoon is anything but subtle and that works for it. The sex den these newly wed land into is just perfect and hilarious given their expectations. The way she uses these newlyweds in comparison with the lady who keeps the B&B works on the humor side and also as a bit of a message on society’s divide in terms of sexuality and many other subjects. Here she uses this mostly for laughs but it works on many other levels. The film’s subject is a bit ridiculous, but the humor makes it quite something. The humor here is rather in your face and uses sex a lot for laughs, but as people living a society where sex is taboo still, this works to bring the funny and make the film quite entertaining.

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Sandman (2017) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]

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A woman wakes up in the middle of the night and as she tries to push away a nightmare, she finds something much worse lurking in the dark.

This short by Liam Banks is one truly creepy one that uses a story from most people’s childhood and cranks it to eleven. The way the creepy thing is introduced is great and how it comes closer and closer to the lead is chilling. This short takes something most people were raised into being scared of and uses it against the lead which creates an effect on the viewer. This short uses simple methods to bring the creepiness forth and make it powerful.

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Nightlight (2017) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]

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A young boy keeps having to turn on his nightlight to read as something is turning it off every. single. time.

Director Kyle Daly takes this simple premise and makes it both a little scary and funny at the same time. This short works well by repetition and by showing the viewer just enough until it’s time to show much more and make the film truly memorable. His sense of timing and how the story is developed are what make the film truly work. It’s short short and it’s absolutely worth seeing if possible as it doesn’t take itself seriously, yet works like a charm.

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The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille (2017)

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Cecil B. DeMille’s first foray into Biblical spectacle was his 1923 epic “The Ten Commandments,” which features a recreation of ancient Egypt – complete with 20 sphinxes and four massive statues of Ramses – built on the beaches of the town of Guadalupe in California’s Santa Barbara County. When production was completed, DeMille worried that his massive sets would be commandeered by rival filmmakers, so he had them buried in the sands.

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Un ciel bleu presque parfait (A Nearly Perfect Blue Sky) (2016) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]

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Following an accident, a brother takes care of his paraplegic sister while preparing for the arrival of other beings.

This film by artist Quarxx is one of those that must be seen. The story is well-developed and done in just about the perfect way. The way the story approaches multiple issues including gun violence, disability, the burden of taking care of a loved one, and others is tactful and done with care. The script approaches these issues in respectful ways while also given them the room to be properly shown and have their effects be clear. The writing and directing brings these to the forefront while still letting the film be about the people and how these things affect them.

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Transmission (2017) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]

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A man is kept captive; his captor both tortures him and spoils him. What does he want? Why is he doing this?

Written and directed by Tom Hancock and Varun Raman, this short has more questions than it gives answers, creating an odd mystery as it entertains with its proceedings. The two leads are used as nemesis in a way and the story unfolds as an odd game of captor/captive that seems to be going to a definite ending but turns out to be something else entirely. The film’s story keeps most of its action in one location and uses this location to its maximum potential. The small cast actually helps the story in creating a sort of intimate chaos.

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