Author Archives: Daniel King

Film Review: The Nameless (1999)

Posted on 05/26/2013 by Daniel King
The-Nameless

SYNOPSIS:

A bereaved mother, struggling to come to terms with the murder of her daughter, begins to suspect that a depraved secret cult may have been involved.

REVIEW:

Adapted from Ramsey Capmbell’s 1981 novel, this Spanish thriller is intriguingly plotted but slackly directed by Jaume Balaguero and never really develops the requisite sense of dread or evil.

When this film passed across my desk for review I pondered whether I had already … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Crush (2013)

Posted on 05/17/2013 by Daniel King
Crush-2013-Movie-1

SYNOPSIS:

A secret admirer develops a murderous crush on a high school soccer star.

REVIEW:

A thoroughly professional thriller that draws good performances from its cast and delivers a winning blend of mystery, suspense and teenage romance.

Scott (Lucas Till) has it all: not only is he the star of his high-school soccer team, he’s bright, popular and a hit with the girls.  His world comes to a juddering halt, however, when … Continue reading →

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Film Review: The Cloth (2012)

Posted on 05/14/2013 by Daniel King
The-Cloth-2012-Movie-7

SYNOPSIS:

A headstrong young man reluctantly joins a religious order that is locked in combat with the forces of darkness.

REVIEW:

Some impressive visuals and a decent script are undermined by weak acting and a desperately unoriginal story in this lively but unsatisfying tale of priests and demons.

In a rehash of one of the most famous sequences from William Friedkin’s horror classic THE EXORCIST, this film opens with two priests – Fathers … Continue reading →

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The Doctor Who Project: The Edge of Destruction

Posted on 04/30/2013 by Daniel King
PDVD_015

Original broadcast date: 8 February – 15 February 1964

Story Arc #003: 2 episodes: The Edge of Destruction / The Brink of Disaster

Synopsis:  On leaving Skaro, the Doctor programs the TARDIS for its onward journey but as the ship departs there is an explosion on board which knocks out the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara.  Sometime later as the occupants come round they exhibit signs of amnesia and disorientation.  The team gradually become aware … Continue reading →

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Film Review: The Dark Dealer (1995)

Posted on 04/30/2013 by Daniel King
The-Dark-Dealer-1995-movie-2

SYNOPSIS:

A demonic card-dealer allows three dead men to play a hand of blackjack for possession of their souls.

REVIEW:

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Film Review: Modus Anomali (2012)

Posted on 04/24/2013 by Daniel King
Modus_Anomali-2012-Movie-2

SYNOPSIS:

In the middle of a lush forest, a man bursts out of a shallow grave, panting for breath. He has no knowledge of who he is or how he got there. Dazed, he makes his way to a nearby cabin only to find his wife dead, his two children missing and somebody trying to kill him.

REVIEW:

An excellent psychological horror-thriller that sets up a baffling premise, then consistently wrong-foots the audience … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Coffin Baby (2013)

Posted on 04/14/2013 by Daniel King
Coffin-Baby-2013-Movie-1

SYNOPSIS:

A serial killer kidnaps a young woman and forces her to witness his crimes.

REVIEW:

A gruelling bloodbath, COFFIN BABY has some interesting ideas but they are swamped by a tidal wave of sadism, brutality and gore. On top of that there are numerous signs of a troubled production leading to a jumbled mess of a story.

In Hollywood, California a young woman is brutally murdered in her apartment by … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Comedown (2012)

Posted on 04/09/2013 by Daniel King
ComeDown-2012-Movie-3

SYNOPSIS:

Six inner city youths break into a derelict tower block to set up a pirate radio mast but soon realise they are not the only occupants when they find themselves being picked off one by one

REVIEW:

Another week, another tower block movie. This one treads much the same ground as its contemporaries and despite being competently made has little to distinguish itself from the rest. Lloyd (Jacob Anderson) has just been … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Entity (2012)

Posted on 04/09/2013 by Daniel King
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SYNOPSIS:

A documentary film team take a psychically gifted woman to a former Soviet research facility where horrific experiments were carried out on people suspected of possessing extra-sensory abilities.

REVIEW:

Competent direction and good acting aren’t quite enough to save this decent little movie from drowning in the ocean of similarly-themed recent horror films. In other words, there isn’t anything wrong with it other than the fact that it comes so late in … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Curandero: Dawn of the Demon (2005)

Posted on 04/08/2013 by Daniel King
Curandero-Dawn-of-the-Demon-(2013)-movie-poster

SYNOPSIS:

A Mexican curandero – a kind of spiritual troubleshooter – helps a detective to track down a vicious gang leader who dabbles in black magic.

REVIEW:

Unusual but incomprehensible, this horror / action movie scores high on originality but low on execution, marred as it is by a mangled narrative and flat performances. Carlos Gutierrez (Carlos Gallardo) is a curandero, an important figure in Mexican communities. Blessed with the gift of foresight, … Continue reading →

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The Doctor Who Project: The Daleks

Posted on 03/30/2013 by Daniel King
PDVD_006

Original broadcast date: 21 December 1963 – 1 February 1964

Story Arc #002: 7 episodes: The Dead Planet / The Survivors / The Escape / The Ambush / The Expedition / The Ordeal / The Rescue

Synopsis: The TARDIS, having hurriedly departed Stone Age Earth at the end of the previous episode, is flung randomly through space and time before landing.  Venturing outside into a petrified forest, Ian and Barbara quickly realise they have not … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Repligator (1996)

Posted on 03/26/2013 by Daniel King
repligator-1996-movie-1

SYNOPSIS:

At a top secret military research facility scientists working on rival projects find that their work, when combined, turns soldiers first into sex-mad women and then into walking alligators.

REVIEW:

An ultra-low budget sci-fi comedy this cheerfully inept movie makes a virtue of its trashiness by setting its standards incredibly low and whenever the plot, such as it is, begins to flag throws in some gratuitous nudity to keep your attention. Featuring … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Tower Block (2012)

Posted on 03/11/2013 by Daniel King
Tower-Block-2012-Movie-7

SYNOPSIS:

The last few residents on the top floor of a condemned high-rise apartment block are threatened by a sniper. As they are picked off one by one, the residents make an increasingly desperate series of attempts to escape.

REVIEW:

This is a good example of what I call a ‘dirty vest’ movie, namely a film where the heroine is really put through the wringer, gradually removing her clothes until, … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Bath Salt Zombies (2013)

Posted on 03/08/2013 by Daniel King
Bath-Salt-zombies-2013-Movie-4

SYNOPSIS:

A new illegal drug – manufactured from stolen weapons-grade chemicals – turns addicts into mindless flesh-eaters.

REVIEW:

This ultra-low budget effort from one-man film industry Dustin Wayde Mills (who not only writes, directs and acts but shoots and edits too) sticks pretty close to the bargain basement holy trinity of sex, violence and loud music.  However, it does boast a better than average script and some incredibly imaginative solutions to get around … Continue reading →

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Film Review: CrocZilla (2012)

Posted on 03/08/2013 by Daniel King
CrocZilla-Million-Dollar-Crocodile-2012-Movie-2

SYNOPSIS:

Xiao, befriends Amao a 36 foot crocodile, who lives on his fathers croc sanctuary. Xiao’s father is forced to sell his crocodiles to a gangster who plans to use them for high priced meals. Before Amao is due to be slaughtered, he escapes, slaying his captors in the process. Amongst the chaos, Amao accidentally swallows a bag with $1 million dollars inside. When rumor’s of this spread, the town locals are split … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Behind the Cross (2012)

Posted on 02/28/2013 by Daniel King
Behind-The-Cross-2012-Movie-8

SYNOPSIS:

A depraved priest and his gimp assistant abduct young women before torturing and killing them.

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The Doctor Who Project: An Unearthly Child

Posted on 02/28/2013 by Daniel King
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Original broadcast date: 23 November – 14 December 1963

STORY ARC #001: 4 episodes: An Unearthly Child / The Cave of Skulls / The Forest of Fear / The Firemaker

Synopsis: Two teachers at Coal Hill School who are concerned for the welfare of one of their pupils – a precocious but artless girl called Susan – follow her after school to her home address, which turns out to be a run-down scrapyard.  Inside the … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Vamp U (2013)

Posted on 02/21/2013 by Daniel King
Vamp_u_2013-movie-3

SYNOPSIS:

An ancient vampire who has renounced drinking human blood since killing his one true love finds his passion reawakened when the woman’s double enrols at the university where he teaches history.

REVIEW:

Also released under the terrible title DR LIMPTOOTH this movie turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve had for quite some time. An out-and-out comedy, rather than a horror-comedy hybrid, this mines a rich vein of … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Hansel and Gretel Get Baked (2013)

Posted on 02/20/2013 by Daniel King
HanselandGretal-Get-Baked-2013-movie-1

SYNOPSIS:

A brother and sister team up against a witch who has been luring the local teens to her house by selling super-strength weed.

REVIEW:

One of a number of Hansel and Gretel movies that are doing the rounds at the moment, this is a marked improvement on The Asylum’s HANSEL AND GRETEL: WARRIORS OF WITCHCRAFT (reviewed elsewhere on horrornews.net) which … Continue reading →

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