Barbarian – Film Review

Posted on October 29, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Zach Cregger

Writer: Zach Cregger

Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long

Rating: ★★★★

Barbarian, which is written and directed by Zach Cregger, has finally arrived in the UK. It’s one of the most talked about horror films of the year, and doesn’t disappoint at all. It takes a simple idea, and adds some of the most messed up things you can imagine, and the result is something completely unnerving and as ‘out-there’ as possible. It’s filled with great performances, excellent effects, and genuine terror. There’s also a great use of the word ‘nope’, rivalling the use in Jordan Peele’s film earlier this year.

The film begins with Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) arriving at a house she’s booked on Airbnb, only to find out that it’s already occupied by Keith (Bill Skarsgård). Not knowing what to do, and unable to contact the rental agency, they agree to share the house and claim a refund later. At first there’s a tension between them, as neither one can trust the other, but as they get to know each other they start to become friends, but there are more secrets to uncover.  

This is the kind of film that’s best to go into without knowing anything about the plot. Even the trailer doesn’t give much away, which feels like a rarity these days. It’s a full-on horror that’s both incredibly unsettling and downright scary at points. The first half of the film masterfully builds an incredible atmosphere that has you on the edge of your seat, dreading what’s coming next. Just the idea of booking an Airbnb and someone else already being there is scary enough, but there’s so much more going on and it’s downright nightmarish. Thankfully, it doesn’t always push the horror, with plenty of respite between the more tense scenes. Even so, you know the characters aren’t safe.  

While the first half is all about building up tension, with one hell of a scary scene as the pay off, the second half shift gears into something a little different. The horror is there, but now that the cats out of the bag it’s much more in your face. Not just with the obvious horror, but with some social commentary on toxic masculinity, a reminder that the world is full of real horrors. More surprisingly, in the tonal shift of the second half is the moments of comedy, which really eases up on the tension before everything gets going again. One of the best things about the film is the score by Anna Drubich, it’s incredibly unnerving and adds to the horror of everything, woven into every scene.

Barbarian is scary, funny, and gross. It has an incredible tense build up in the first half, and while the second half isn’t quite as scary, it’s very unsettling right through to the end. One of the best horror films of the year for sure.  

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Prey for the Devil – Film Review

Posted on October 28, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Daniel Stamm

Writer: Robert Zappia

Starring: Jacqueline Byers, Posy Taylor, Colin Salmon, Christian Navarro, Lisa Palfrey, Nicholas Ralph, Ben Cross, and Virginia Madsen

Rating: ★★★

Prey for the Devil is directed by Daniel Stamm, who also directed the 2010 film The Last Exorcism. It’s a fairly standard exorcism story that’s entertaining and has some good scares, even if it’s predictable and doesn’t bring anything new to the much loved horror sub-genre. Jacqueline Byers plays Sister Ann, who after suffering abuse as a child, has grown up to become a nun focusing her life on helping the possessed, believing that is what had happened to her mother. When Natalie (Posy Taylor), a young girl, is showing signs of possession, Ann stops at nothing to save her.

From the first moment this film lets you know that it’s not about whether possession is real or not. While there is a character that tries to explain things scientifically, that’s such a small part of the plot. By not having there be any doubt that what’s happening is real, it does allow the horror to get going straight away. There are some really creepy and unsettling moments in the story, especially in the early moments where you don’t know what to expect. There’s a few jump-scares that you’ll be expecting, so they don’t quite work, but there’s still a creepy atmosphere that’s really well created.

There is some light subtext to give the film some extra weight, such as Sister Ann being the first female exorcist in centuries. There’s on-screen text at the beginning explaining the history of exorcism, and how it is exclusive to priests while nuns act as nurses. Then Sister Ann is allowed to observe the exorcist class. While the social commentary is not subtle, it doesn’t distract from the horror. More interesting is the look at child abuse. The scenes showing Ann’s childhood, where she is played by Debora Zhecheva, are really unsettling and down right terrifying. Her mother combs her hair, which gets violent, and just seeing that comb later on is enough to send a chill down your spine.

The horror is undone slightly by an overreliance on flashy effects and CGI. It all looks great, but the scariest moments are when it’s quieter and you’re waiting for something to happen. The possessed Natalie just isn’t as scary as she could be. Sadly, the final act isn’t scary at all, with a big face-off between Sister Ann and the devil that would seems like something out of a comic book film. The visuals are great, it’s just a shame there’s no tension or terror. Worse is the twist, that’s so obvious that at the first hint you’ll know it’s coming.  

Prey for the Devil is pretty much exactly what you expect. A by-the-numbers exorcist horror film. It has some good scares that’ll keep you entertained, and it’s well made, even if it’s not that special.

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Zom 100 – Volume 7 – Manga Review

Posted on October 27, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Akira and co. are back again in the next volume of Zom 100, and the series is just as fun as it was in the first volume. While trying to complete a Spartathlon (a 246KM marathon) to reach the most northern point in Japan, the group come across a hotel that’s not only still has electricity and a fence that blocks out the zombies, but is also completely self-efficient and run by robots with advanced A.I. They’re wined and dined at no costs, since the robots know that money has no value anymore, and everything seems to good to be true. Which is because it is, as things take an unsurprisingly dark twist.

Much like the previous volumes the latest volume is full of fun and wacky adventures. The characters are brilliant, and we do get some good character development in this volume. There are loads of moments that had me laughing out loud, and I raced through it wanting to see what happens next. The story in this one is pretty much self-contained with only a couple of callbacks to previous events, and would be a good jumping on point, although it would be best to go back to the beginning if you haven’t read this series so far. It’s a light-hearted story for the most part, and very easy to read. The art by Kotaro Takata is brilliant and very easy to follow.

While it’s a lot of fun throughout the story, there is a few deeper themes touched upon. Most notably the use of automation in the workplace, and what people will do for work when automation starts replacing more and more jobs. It’s an interesting side to the manga, which has from day one had a focus on the work/life balance. The bonus manga, which crosses over with Haro Aso’s other manga Alice in Borderland, also touches upon this idea with Akira working incredibly long hours, and seeing a literal torture chamber as a happy alternative. I’ve not read Alice in Borderland, but I will be picking it up soon based on that 10 page short alone.

Zom 100 is one of my favourite ongoing mangas, every volume has been a blast to read and they go by so fast. I love the characters, the wacky humour, and the more serious elements. While the story arcs are quite short, none of them feel rushed at all. There’s a live-action Netflix adaptation in the works, which could either be really good or really bad, either way the manga is brilliant and I think everyone should try it out.

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Lights Out – Film Review

Posted on October 26, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: David F. Sandberg

Writer: Eric Heisserer

Starring: Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Billy Burke, and Maria Bello

Rating: ★★★½

Lights Out is the directorial debut from David F. Sandberg, who has gone on to direct the two Shazam films as well as Annabelle: Creation. It is an adaption of the excellent three-minute short film of the same name by Sandberg, that has currently amassed almost seventeen million views on YouTube.

After his dad dies, Martin (Gabriel Bateman) is having trouble sleeping. His mother, Sophie (Maria Bello) is talking to something in the shadows, and Martin feels like the house is haunted. After falling asleep in school Martin is picked up by his half-sister Rebecca (Teresa Palmer), who also experienced strange things while growing up.

The ‘monster’ hiding in the shadows is Diana an angry spirit that wants to keep Sophie to herself. Diana is very visible from the first scene. While you don’t know what she is, you can see her straight away. You’d think that would take away from the terror, but it doesn’t. Right from that creepy opening the film is very unsettling and tense. As it goes on there is a good amount of jump scares, which are overused, but still effective. Diana is a good villain, and one that will make you check the corners of your bedroom before you go to sleep.

There are so many creative ideas that the characters have to find a way to keep the lights on, from wind-up torches to unlocking the car door so the lights flash. It’s really inventive, but at the same time, you know most of us wouldn’t be able to think of them in the same timeframe and would more than likely end up dead in seconds.

The film is let down by some clunky dialogue as well as some underbaked themes. There’s an undercurrent of Sophie dealing with depression, but it never does anything meaningful with this idea, which is a shame, it’s also probably why the film received some criticism when it first came out that it glorified suicide. Which is a shame because it doesn’t, yet after watching it you can definitely see why people would think that. It’s more about sacrifice and doing anything to help the ones you love.

Even though there’s an overreliance on jump scares Lights Out is still a creepy and unsettling film. The ghost of Diana lives in the shadows, but you’re always aware it’s there and it’s often visible. David F. Sandberg does a great job at creating fear. There’s a sequel that’s been in the works since 2016, hopefully it will be bigger and better. 

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The Banshees of the Inisherin – Film Review

Posted on October 25, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Martin McDonagh

Writer: Martin McDonagh

Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan

Rating: ★★★★★

The Banshees of the Inisherin is Marin McDonagh’s follow-up to his excellent 2017 film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. It follows Pádraic (Colin Farrell) who is dealing with his best friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson) not wanting to speak to him anymore. It’s a twisted comedy that deals with heavy themes of existentialism, death, and friendship. To convince Pádraic to stop speaking to him, Colm threatens to cut off his fingers, one at a time, which will stop him from creating music. Not knowing if he’s bluffing or not, Pádraic tests the waters to see if he’s able to fix their friendship.

Colin Farrell is incredible, as is the rest of the cast. You can really feel his pain as he struggles with the loss of his friend. Everything about his performance is full of emotion. Brendan Gleeson is also great, and really drives home Colm’s sense of despair. He cuts off his friend in order to create music that will outlive him, out of a desire to be remembered. The fear of death is very real and relatable. Kerry Condon gives an amazing performance as Pádraic’s sister, Siobhán, who is dealing with her own isolation on the island, wanting to make something out of her life. Barry Keoghan gives an incredibly performance as Dominic, the island’s idiot, who is deeply struggling with issues in his life. He may come across as foolish, but he’s perceptive of the others on the island.

There is a deep sense of isolation and loneliness running throughout all of the characters, that comes across really strongly making for an emotional rollercoaster of a film. At points you’re laughing and at others your close to tears, and it works on both levels. The premise is absurd and almost like something out of a fairy tale, at the same time it’s poetically crafted with excellent dialogue, shocking violence, and a darkness that sits in on every moment. It’s also a stunningly beautiful portrayal of a small island off the coast of Ireland, with stunning cinematography with McDonagh’s usual collaborator, Ben Davis. It’s breath-taking to look at, and at the same time melancholic.

This is a story about the effects our actions can have on others. Pádraic is a happy-go-lucky person until Colm decides that he doesn’t want to be friends anymore, and this leads him on a dark path that escalates and escalates until it’s out of control. It’s Colm’s cold-heartedness that causes his pain, while there’s another character that tries to be nice, but it also causes pain. It doesn’t matter what people’s intentions are, actions can cause joy and sorrow in others without meaning to.

At the same time this is a film about time running out. Over the small community is a dark cloud of the civil war on the mainland that’s a constant reminder of inevitable death. The bombs and shots going off echo across the island. It’s not subtle that the characters are grappling with the notion that their lives may not add up to much in the grand scheme of things and the looming threat of war underlines it. Despite this, it still has more laughs than most feel-good comedies.

Marin McDonagh has outdone himself with his best film to date. Another instant classic that is sure to be up for a lot of awards in the upcoming months. It’s heartfelt, funny, dark, depressing, and completely compelling from the opening frame to the end of the credits.

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