Keeper (2025)

Trailers don't usually have me intrigued but Keeper did which I suppose is the sign of a good trailer. Liz was in quote marks whereas Malcolm wasn't so I was curious as to why Liz’s name was put up the way it was. The set up is Liz and Malcolm go to a cabin in the woods which was always going to end badly and shortly after arriving things start to go weird. 

Even though this essentially features two main characters, Tatiana Maslany is really the star of the film as she goes through the wringer in. The scene where she is in the basement with the multi-faced woman was terrifying because of how Liz reacted to it. At first I was confused why Liz and Malcolm would be together because there seemed to be tension from the very beginning. Rossif Sutherland is ok as Malcolm. I never found myself thinking that he was sinister even when the twist happens. Birkett Turton is ok as Darren even though he has about three scenes in total that amount to less than five minutes and then there is Eden Weiss as Minka who probably has about five lines and then dies behind a tree. The film only really has five characters and one of those is on the phone.  

The revelation that Malcolm bought Liz to be killed by the creatures so that he and his brother could live forever was something I wasn't expecting. It worked in the context of this film although it was a slightly risky bringing someone who looked like the woman who started it all to be sacrificed. The fact that they chose not to kill her and ask her to stay thus making Malcolm turn old and Darren killed was an amusing way to end the film. The film ends with Malcolm having his head dunked in some goo. Even though Liz has been consumed by the evil spirit the film tries to make you happy that Malcolm got his comeuppance and to the film's credit I was satisfied with the outcome.  The sacrificing of people for selfish gain did remind me of Ready or Not and that is a compliment. I think this film pulls it off better because its more creative but I was thinking that when the revelation happened.

The isolated setting is something that I really liked about this film. Apart from a scene at the beginning and the occasional moment in the woods, the entirety of the film takes place in this cabin which looks so strange and I honestly couldn’t imagine anyone enjoying themselves while they were there. The lack of curtains would put me off straight away. Even when the story moves outside the film still feels claustrophobic. It never feels like the vast openness that you would expect from the woods. 

I was slightly disappointed with The Monkey but this felt like a return to form. It felt like it took a while to get going but once it did it felt like some of Osgood Perkins’ early stuff. Keeper is a good horror film that works well in the sense that it's a very stripped back horror film that uses its setting well. Oh and this is the second time this year that a poster has spoiled the twists. Luckily I didn’t look too closely at the poster but Liz’s eyes are glossed over which happens at the end. The other film was Companion. Can the marketing people at the film studios STOP SPOILING THINGS. The poster would work just as well with normal eyes. 

Shelby Oaks (2024)

Anyone who is prepared to go from critic to film maker deserves praise for putting their money where their mouth is and Chris Stuckmann goes from YouTube film critic to movie maker. He might have gone off the boil quality wise but not wanting to give negative reviews equating it to bashing a film maker, but I am prepared to be honest cause that is what people who review films do. Negative reviews can be constructive. Not sure if my negative comments are constructive but I don't mean them to knock Chris Stuckmann but they are just my honest opinion. The set up of the film is that we follow Mia as she attempts to find her sister who disappeared whilst filming some paranormal YouTube show having disappeared in 2008.

The performances were surpassingly good. Camille Sullivan plays Mia who drives the story forward and there is a determination in Mia to find her sister when it's clear that the police have pretty much given up. There is a likeable vibe coming from Sullivan’s performance even though the story doesn't quite allow her to show what she can do. Keith David pops up for an easy payday. He is in it for less than five minutes but sits in a chair to deliver exposition. 

The film suffers from pacing issues and also from the fact that the film doesn't seem to know what sort of horror film it wants to be. There are musical cues which make it feel like a big bombastic and there are jump scares which feel a little bit lazy. I dont mind jump scares but they have to be earnt and it felt like they were being thrown in there just to make something happen.

There are things to like about the film. The film does a good job of setting things up. The film seems to suggest that it's a found footage film but there isn’t very much beyond the opening part of the film. I do think that this film might have worked better as a found footage film so there is something commendable to try and tell the story in a different and less obvious way. There are some shots that are rather well done. The scenes inside the prison are well done and I also liked the portion of the film that takes place in the crazy woman’s house. It was clear from the very beginning that something wasn't quite right about her and there was a nice amount of atmosphere and tension although it was briefly undermined by the floating nonsense. The twist at the very end that the evil force was after Mia and not Riley was quite well done and some people might have seen it coming but I didn’t so that was well done. 

As a first attempt I think that this is a solid effort. Hopefully it does well enough for Stuckmann to get another crack at the genre. I get the feeling that most people will probably wait for this to come onto streaming which is probably where most people will enjoy it because it is better than most stuff you would find on Tubi or Shudder. Decent first effort.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

The first part of the Cornetto Trilogy is an ‘homage’ to the horror films that were made by George Romero. Having not seen the ‘of the dead’ series of films all the references that are littered throughout this film are lost on me. The setup of the film is that Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his friends are trying to survive a Zombie Apocalypse and get his girlfriend back who has recently dumped him. 

The film is funny because the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are plenty of references to George Romero films that most people would get and that is perhaps another reason why people would like this film. Having not seen these films, I still find the film entertaining and that shows why this film is so good. 

The performances are really good with Simon Pegg being a notable highlight. Even though he isnt the most successful person in the world. There is a likeable quality about Shaun, he does try to do the right thing but just seems to find being next to Nick Frost’s character as the easy approach. Nick Frost is funny in this film but he is one of those people that can be annoying at times. His character is suppose to be a stoner waste of space and yet becomes quite useful as the film progresses. When he turns into a Zombie it is handled quite well and nobody plays a monkey as well as Nick Frost. The other performances are all work and no one lets the film down.

Shaun of the Dead is a funny and entertaining film. Whether it’s the best film in the trilogy is something that is open for debate. Personally I think that Hot Fuzz is the better film but this is still a great film with great performances and shows that you can do horror comedies well. Admittedly the film hasn’t aged that well in some respects but in terms of humour and pacing, this film continues to be an entertaining film.

Frankenstein (2025)

Normally I wouldn’t go and see anything at the cinema if it’s made by Netflix but it felt like if anyone was going to make me break this rule then it would be Guillermo del Toro. I wasn’t sure how many people would share my viewpoint on this but there were about 30 on a Friday night which showed that a great director like del Toro deserves to have his films seen on the big screen. This version follows the basic plot of Mary Shelley’s original but there are a few differences which is how it should be when you are making the latest remake. The film starts off at the end with the creature encountering a ship stuck in the ice and also Victor Frankenstein. After seeing off the creature, Victor tells his story about growing up to make the creature and then we hear what happens to the creature after the house/castle is destroyed.

Even knowing there were going to be some changes to the story, the main reason why I wanted to go to the cinema to watch something that will be on Netflix in a few weeks is because of how it looks. Just from the trailer it looked stunning and it's fair to say that this is one of the most stunning films of the year. I don't know if GDT is capable of making an ugly film and I don't know what the budget was for this film but it can't have been cheap and this is the sort of film that Netflix should be doing instead of giving Adam Sandler money to make rubbish. 

The performances are really good. Oscar Isaac delivers a stunning version of Victor Frankenstein. You buy that he is a mad genius and I thought it was made better when he was acting alongside Jacob Elordi’s Creature. This version of the creature is not like previous ones as it is more melancholy than before and it works as it makes him more human than a big brute that we get in other versions. Don't go into this film expecting a Boris Karloff version cause you will be disappointed. Mia Goth seems to have become the go-to horror queen after starring in the X trilogy with Pearl being the best and her best performance but there is something that I don't think anyone else could have pulled off. There isn't very much to the character of Elizabeth but Mia Goth makes that character seem important and her death is quite sad. Charles Dance is in the film briefly as…..well Charles Dance. It did have the vibe of Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones but toned down a little. Christoph Waltz is great which isn't a shocking statement because you know when he is appearing in something that he is going to be great in it and he is the one who funds Frankenstein’s work. 

This is my new film of the year althoughthere is very little in terms of enjoyment between that film and this one. Netflix’s quality control is a bit up and down but this has to be one of their best ones and it shows what happens when you let someone like Guillermo del Toro do what he is very good at. I’m not sure I will always relax my Netflix rule but if I think that I am going to get my money's worth with a visually stunning film then I don't mind spending that money.