‘Curiosity can be a killer…’

Splintered is a 2010 British horror film directed by Simeon Halligan (The Blood Lands; Habit) from a screenplay co-written with Stephen Trimingham. Although the film is set in Wales, it was filmed in Lancashire.

Cast:

Stephen Walters (Hannibal Rising; Dracula [2013]), Holly Weston, Sacha Dhawan, Sadie Pickering, Jonathan Readwin, Sol Heras, Colin Tierney, James Roach.

Plot:

Sophie (Holly Weston) is a troubled young girl haunted by the abuse she suffered as a child and harbouring a deep fascination with the unexplained.

In the hope of satiating her obsession with the latter, our heroine instigates a trip to the Welsh countryside with four friends, aimed at tracking down the legendary Beast of Bodmin. It seems the mythical creature – often thought to be a large wildcat or fox – has caught the public’s attention once more thanks to a spate of attacks on livestock and one local farmer.

It is an opportunity Sophie has decided is not to be missed and, armed with a video camera and a case of beer, the group head off into the woods. However, they soon uncover much more than they bargained for, with the female lead falling foul of a mysterious madman who locks her away in an apparent attempt to protect her from some unnamed terror…

Reviews:

” … while the plot might be a little disjointed, the movie barrels forward adroitly with refreshing panache. Images can’t help but tell a story, the power of film making is when those images are compelling enough to illicit emotions that bring you closer to the experience. This is something that Splintered is keenly capable of and delivers on.” Sean Becktel, HorrorNews.net

” … this feels more like an episode of Hollyoaks: when faced with actors with little talent, simply have them argue constantly, so these dead-eyed, bland beauties will at least register as living creatures. Of course, the trouble with this is that they quickly become immensely irritating…” Phelim O’Neill, The Guardian

” … the movie is pretty good. I like when a horror film takes a generic setup (in this case, five kids going into the woods) and ultimately applies it to a different type of movie, and does things differently to boot. Regardless of the killer’s archetype, you assume that the obvious Final Girl will be left alone for the bulk of the film while her friends die one by one after scattering for whatever reason. But nope…” Horror Movie a Day

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“Splintered is definitely a worthwhile experience. The acting is thoroughly professional, it’s handsomely photographed, and the story sails along at a tidy clip. So why did I feel so underwhelmed at the end? Maybe because the movie turned out more like a gothy episode of Law & Order: SVU than the mind-blowing terror that I eternally crave.” Horrific Flicks

Trailer:

IMDb

The Ghost Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore is a 2016 British portmanteau horror play, bringing to the theatre the flavour of vintage Amicus film anthologies such as Tales from the Crypt and Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors. The Bad Bat production, produced by Ellen Gallagher and Steve Jordan, is presented from 7 – 19 March at the Tristan Bates Theatre, London.

The play features segments written by authors Christopher Fowler, Stephen Gallagher, Kim Newman, Robert Shearman, Lynda E. Rucker and Lisa Tuttle, alongside a wraparound story by director Sean Hogan.

Plot:

Five people are invited to a fancy dress party on a vintage steam train. The guests are told to come in costume as their favourite monster… and every monster has a story to tell…

The hostess is Jenny Runacre. The monsters are: Claire Louise Amias as the Vampire, Jamie Birkett as the Broken Doll, Billy Clarke as the Frankenstein Monster, Jonathan Rigby as the Devil andJames Swanton as the Ghost, with Grace Ker as the Ticket Inspector.

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‘The horror of a twisted mind!’

Persecution is a 1973 (released 1974) British psychological horror film directed by Don Chaffey (One Million Years B.C.; Creatures the World Forgot) from a story and screenplay by actor Robert B. Hutton and Rosemary Wootten. It was produced by Kevin Francis for Tyburn Films (Legend of the Werewolf; The Ghoul).

The film was also released as Sheba and The Terror of Sheba and subsequently re-titled The Graveyard for VHS release in the 1980s.

Main cast:

Lana Turner – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) | Witches’ Brew
Ralph Bates – Horror of Frankenstein | Lust for a Vampire
Olga Georges-Picot – The Man Who Haunted Himself
Suzan Farmer – Die! Monster, Die! | Dracula, Prince of Darkness
Patrick Allen – Night Creatures
Trevor Howard – The Night Visitor | Craze | The Unholy

Plot:

Carrie Masters (Lana Turner) is a crippled, wealthy, bitter woman who takes pleasure in tormenting her young son David (Mark Weavers). She blames him for her crippled leg and, in bizarre and horrifying ways, extracts her revenge by dominating him.

Years later, 24-year-old David (Ralph Bates) returns home with his wife Janie (Suzan Farmer) and their newborn child, but he is still subject to his mother’s evil influence.

When she is involved in two terrifying deaths, David’s mind snaps; although he is already mentally twisted by Carrie’s treatment, David becomes completely insane and swears vengeance on his mother for his years of hate and resentment…

Reviews:

“The old-fashioned meller is riddled with ho-hum and sometimes laughably trite scripting. Also, very tame in the shock horror department. Under the circumstances, Turner’s performance has reasonable poise. There isn’t much animation to Ralph Bates as the grown-up edition of the tormented son”. Variety

” … a tawdry and tedious psycho-drama, and as repulsive as most movies exploiting Hollywood’s fading ladies … Ken Talbot’s photography is commendably glowing, but Ralph Bates is glum and Don Chaffey’s direction uninspired.” Geoff Brown, BFI Monthly Film Bulletin

“Although Turner’s presence lifts the film and Talbot’s cinematography is excellent, the script is so contrived that Chaffey appears to have given up any hope of breathing life into the silly psychodrama.” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

“Turner hams it up and she and Ralph Bates have fun playing games with one another. Don Chaffey’s pace is slow moving, despite occasionally inventive photography and some offbeat editing. The story is confusing … The catty premise is not terribly interesting and the script trades in some unconvincingly histrionic psychology.”Richard Schleib, Moria

“In many ways disturbing and repulsive, mostly in undertone, the films is let down by Don Chaffey’s stately direction, which allows things to unwind at a leisurely pace and does not really exploit the shocks and nastiness lurking in the script …Still for all that, a fascinating movie.”Andy Boot, Fragments of Fear

“Director Don Chaffey tries hard to make the action sinister and succeeds in promoting a few chills. Adding to the entertainment value is an experienced support cast that includes British stalwart Trevor Howard.” Tom Hutchinson, Radio Times

“Turner gives a good performance, far better than the film merits. Her star presence is the sole reason for watching and seems to have been the major motivation for making the film in the first place.” Gary A. Smith, Uneasy Dreams

“Routine attempt at a psychological thriller, given more weight than it deserves by good performance from Ralph Bates as the pawn in his pathologically domineering mother’s game.” Verina Glaessner, Time Out

“Rich but not engrossing nonsense, somewhat a la Baby Jane, with hazy script and stolid production.” Leslie Halliwell, Halliwell’s Film Guide

“A stilted and overblown melodrama that’s all atmosphere and no direction.” John Elliot, Elliot’s Guide to Films on Video

Cast and characters:

• Lana Turner as Carrie Masters
• Ralph Bates as David Masters
• Trevor Howard as Paul Bellamy
• Olga Georges-Picot as Monique Kalfon
• Suzan Farmer as Janie Masters
• Mark Weavers as Young David
• Patrick Allen as Robert Masters
• Jennifer Guy as Waitress
• Shelagh Fraser as Mrs. Banks
• Ronald Howard as Dr. Ross
• John Ryan as Gardener
• Catherine Brandon as Mrs. Deacon

Filming locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire
Denham Place, Denham Village in Buckinghamshire

Wikipedia
IMDb

Related: Fear of Felines! Cats in Horror Films – article by David Flint

‘There’s no place like home’

Estranged is a 2015 British mystery thriller directed by Adam Levins from a story and screenplay by producer William Borthwick and Simon Fantauzzo.

Main cast:

Craig Conway (The Descent), James Cosmo, Bob Duff,  James Lance, Amy Manson (Being Human), Faye McLoughlin, Eileen Nicholas, Nora-Jane Noone (The Descent), Simon Quarterman (The Devil Inside), Joy Sanders.

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Plot:

Due to a near-fatal accident that has left her incapacitated and depleted of her long-term memory, a temporarily wheelchair-bound young woman named January returns home after being abroad for six years. She is accompanied by her bohemian boyfriend Callum, the apparent cause of the accident.

Unable to remember her family or her own childhood, she sets out, with the help of her boyfriend, to find the reason for her leaving all those years ago and quickly discovers her relatives may not be as loving as she’d thought…

Reviews:

“Estranged is not a horror film that relies on jump scares, gore or a mass body count to entertain. It focusses instead on the drama of broken families and broken bodies. Estranged is particularly brilliant at wringing tension and casting doubts in the viewer’s mind, making it a great cerebral and thrilling horror.” Kat Hughes, The Hollywood News

” … delves into psychological terror with slow-burning poise and an absolutely terrific performance from Amy Manson. It’s a slow movie (maybe too slow for some), but it’s in that creeping crawl of a story that the film finds its pulse, allowing it to create tension and atmosphere that feels earned, not forced.” The Missing Reel

“… for the most part is a powerful, emotional roller coaster ride into the evil that lurks within family secrets. While the pangs and jump out of your seat moments may not be plentiful, the character interaction by far makes up for it. While the duration of the overall picture at 101 minutes may seem a little over indulgent, some viewers may become restless but the payoff is more than worth the gradual pace.” Dave Gammon, HorrorNews.net

“The movie is simplistic, the tension is gripping, and the supporting cast all give off performances that range in between “I’d like to punch one of them” to “please don’t ever let me get stuck in a room with one of these fruit-loops.” Matt Boiselle, Dread Central

Trailer:

IMDb

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