The Wicker Man: a satire on religious bigotry and fanaticism
Robin Hardy “The Wicker Man” (1973) In spite of a small budget and the set-backs it suffered during filming and the post-production process, this short movie…
Horror
British Films, North American Films
Equus: a psychodrama of outstanding performances and troubling philosophical questions about individuality and creativity
Sidney Lumet, “Equus” (1977) He never won an individual Academy Award for Best Movie or Best Director but surely Sidney Lumet is one of the greatest…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Innocent Prey: lightweight slasher film with an improbable soap opera plot and hammy acting
Colin Eggleston, “Innocent Prey” (1983) Maybe the problem is her southern Texan drawl or the overly bouffant permed hair but Cathy (P J Soles) does seem…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Kadaicha: a forgettable teen horror flick from the late 1980s
James Bogle, “Kadaicha” (1988) From the early 1970s to the late 1980s, thanks to increased Federal government investment in the Australian film industry, there was truly…
Over Your Dead Body: an extreme, almost cartoon-ish horror ghost film homage where life imitates art
Takashi Miike, “Over Your Dead Body” (2014) From the incredibly prolific director Takashi Miike, who never met a film genre he couldn’t make an insanely extreme…
Kuroneko: an ordinary ghost horror story saved by expressionist cinematography and social commentary
Kaneto Shindo, “Kuroneko” (1968) A companion piece to his earlier classic “Onibaba”, Shindo’s “Kuroneko” explores vengeance and human desires for love in the setting of a…
Real-life horror movie treatment of patients in “Brainwashed: The Secret CIA Experiments in Canada” which the Canadian government refuses to acknowledge and apologise for
Harvey Cashore, “Brainwashed: The Secret CIA Experiments in Canada” (The Fifth Estate, December 2017) As The Fifth Estate’s website post on this documentary says, the scenario…
The Quatermass Xperiment: an outdated science fiction / horror film that still has the power to terrify
Val Guest, “The Quatermass Xperiment” (1955) Filmed well over 60 years ago (at this time of writing), this film of alien-human possession remains a timeless inspiration…
The Andromeda Strain: a lesson in how situations and the clash of characters generate drama and tension
Robert Wise, “The Andromeda Strain” (1971) Although made over 45 years ago, this science fiction film about a team of scientists battling to identify and contain…
“Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks” – a futuristic setting for a police-state society beset by political rivalries
Charles Norton, “Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks” (animated version, 2016) Originally filmed in live action in 1966, this Doctor Who adventure was the first…