28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

This is a direct sequel to last year's 28 Years Later (and was shot back-to-back). It is still set in a post-apocalyptic Britain where many mindless, "infected", cannibalistic humans roam ferally, usually led by one giant Alpha individual.

The story follows directly on from the final scene of the previous film where, after losing his whole family to illness and to "the infected", Spike (Alfie Williams) runs into a band of violent fanatics who all dress like Jimmy Savile with blonde flowing wigs and gold chains worn over different coloured tracksuits. He is addressed by their apparent leader who introduces himself as Satanist "Sir Lord" Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell), adorned with the most chains and a prominent inverted crucifix.

Spike is a virtual prisoner within this cult which, including the leader, numbers seven disciples known as his "Fingers", all called Jimmy "something". In what looks like an initiation ceremony in the empty pool of a long-abandoned water park, Spike is forced into a knife fight with Jimmy Shite (Connor Newell). The young, diminutive newcomer is totally terrified, but the gang member's cockiness leads him to let his guard down, allowing Spike to fatally cut his leg artery. Over the still-warm corpse, Crystal promotes Spike to become the replacement "Finger" and immediately gives him his new name: "Jimmy".

Meanwhile, Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), still living alone, is continuing the dutiful guardianship of the "Bone Temple", a hilltop memorial of piled-up, bleached human remains he has found over the years. However, he now seems to be fascinated with a nearby 6'7" Alpha male he has christened Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), whom, during their latest encounter, he has skilfully sedated with a blowpipe. In his dream-like state, Samson seems to be showing signs of some sentient brain activity. Could this be a sign that the terrible infection that has devastated the land for a generation could be cured?

The main core of the plot here, however, follows the path of the "Jimmy" cult and their fanatic leader, the self-proclaimed son of "Old Nick". He leads his "disciples" in a reign of terror across the land; they are actually more of a threat to any "uninfected" humans just trying to survive the best they can. Spike is obviously the thread that runs through both of these films, and as he seems to get closer to one of the young females in the cult, Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman), things take a surprising turn. The countryside again looks fabulously unmanicured and can definitely be seen as another character in this nightmarish world.

The "18" certificate is definitely warranted here, as this is much more gory than the previous film in the series. It includes graphic scenes of disembowelment, mutilation and overt cannibalistic behaviour. It can be a tough watch, but thankfully it's not relentless. There is some respite in the scenes where Ralph Fiennes has a much bigger part and shows us some quite animated exuberance. Indeed, his involvement in the third act is quite a feast for the eyes and ears! The runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes flies by, and there is another end scene that links to the third film in the trilogy, where we are met with a familiar face from the original 2002 film.

Bring Her Back (2025)

Following the apparent success of Talk to Me (2022) which I have yet to see, the Philippou brothers have returned with this Australian horror. It is not an easy watch and certainly not for the faint-hearted. It is an intense, shocking horror with blood-chilling scenes and a dark, sinister atmosphere that leaves the viewer wide-eyed!

Sally Hawkins plays a foster mother, Laura. She's scary and weird in the role - a horribly manipulative woman becoming a mentally unwell one as the film goes on because of the grief she is suffering. She claims that an 'angel' visited her, promising the return of her drowned daughter, Cathy, who had a visually impairment. In reality, she has invited a nasty supernatural 'demon' into her house - so none of that is hallucinatory, the story tells us that it's actually a thing!

Piper and Andy come to stay on placement for 3 months as their dad/step-dad had recently died, collapsing in the shower and they're not old enough to go it alone. They don't want to be there, but have no choice. Sora Wong is fabulous as Piper, also visually impaired, and pretty much steals the show from the equally convincing Hawkins. But it's close! Piper is young and easily navigates life despite her impairment, throwing off the need for, for example, using a white stick.

Andy is her step-brother and played beautifully by Billy Barratt. His dad, who just died, it comes out, used to beat him. But he never talked to Piper about it, rather presenting the world to her as rosily as he could. It is clear from (especially) the early scenes that the caring/loving bond between them is incredibly strong. When they get there and meet Laura, there's also another little boy there, a self-destructive one who doesn't speak, in her care, called Ollie. Jonah Wren Phillips plays this part and does so amazingly well too. In fact, all the players are top-notch.

We become aware that there is a white line around the house, which is tied up with some footage which Laura often watches on old VHS tapes depicting some kind or 'rituals' looking like there are 'rules' for stuff that happens inside the lines which are different to outside. Some sort of voodoo-type 'spiritual' barrier, it would seem. On the tapes we also see acts of violence between people, blood, guts and gore as people are ritualistically abused by others. Turns out that Laura is trying to find some way of bringing back her much-loved Cathy through supernatural means.

We get stuck into some gruesome scenes of body-horror violence, particularly relating to young Ollie. There's no jump-scare horror here but certainly one scene which involved the young boy had me taking a sharp intake of breath and turning my head from the screen! Brilliantly filmed and horrifically, shockingly presented. Watch out!

All this leads to a breathtaking finale where the threads of the story and characters are drawn together, making for a somewhat shocking conclusion in and around the swimming pool where Cathy had drowned. This really is good stuff! The photography has real impact as we spend a lot of time in the dour, grey house and when outside, usually in the rain. The sounds are recorded so very well too, accompanying the terror step-in-step. As you can tell by now, I was bowled over by this film - not a thing I often say - so very highly recommended.

PodHubUK Podcasts for the Month of January 2026

  

...a roundup of our month of podcasting. Links to the team, communities and podcast homes on the net at the foot, so scroll down!

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 878 - PSC 2025 Awards

Monday 5th January

Joe and I are joined by Jeremy Harpham this week as we natter about what stuff he's been using since he was last on the show, last year, and his app suggestions amongst other stuff. We all three declare our phones of the year for 2025, based on differing criteria, we natter about batteries, pub meets, far-east, near-west(!), wobbly zoom rings and Steve pops in to give us his take on the new Clicks products. Available now from the usual places, so do get stuck in!

Whatever Works

Episode 236 - Astronomia Man Flu!
Wednesday 7th January

Aidan and I return with another show packed with stuff that works - and doesn't! We're shaving spokes but not chins, Looming around Fruit, slicing apples in hot spa tubs, burning lights with Midnight Oil from Dusk to Dawn and even have time to plug Aidan's new website. So do join us for the January offering and blow a raspberry with us to brats who spread colds!

Projector Room

Episode 201 - Curious Plur1bus
Wednesday 7th January

Gareth and I are here for the first time without Allan, but the show must go on, eh! Our 2026 shows start out with a couple of new sections, so do let us know what your think. News and Fandom Focus. Other than that, it's business as usual as we say Goodbye June during an Amber Alert, Wake Up Dead having been Sleepless in Seattle, wonder why King Kong seems to have Eyes Without a Face - and Dick Van Dyke scores 100, Plur1bus 100%. Plenty more as always, so do enjoy.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 879 - Beyond the Slab

Monday 12th January

Joe and I are joined again by Jim Fowl as promised with this sneaky extra show to focus on all things QWERTY, BigMe, E-Ink, Titan, Clicks, Keyboards, TCL NxtPaper and oodles more besides! So grab a Grolsch and tag along!

The Camera Creations Podcast

Episode 14 - Why we Moved from Phone to Camera

Thursday 15th January

Joe, Ian and Charlie join me this time as we ponder on this big question - and come up with some interesting pros/cons for both and examples to demo. Time also to take a look at plenty of other photos from the team and even a snippet of (expensive-looking) news! Available now in the usual places, so do join us.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 880 - Intelligence for Nothing!

Monday 19th January

Joe and I welcome Mark Mochan back to the show and find out what devices he's been using since he was last on - and what he's been doing with them! We take a dive into Gemini Personal Intelligence, chat about pros/cons of cameras in phones and catch the latest news. Joe has hands-on with one of those flippin' Motos and I've extended my love/hate from Samsung to Nothing! Available now in the usual places, so do join us!

Projector Room

Episode 202 - Predators and Dragons
Wednesday 21st January

Gareth and I are here again with our thoughts (and yours) on stuff we've all been recently watching in film, cinema and TV. We go headlong into Predator assisted by Chad Dixon, learn How to Train Your Dragon and other Dangerous Animals, focus on Ray Liotta - and I Swear there's even time to go Downrange with Marty Supreme in Hunting Season! Available now in the usual places, so join us!

The Camera Creations Podcast

Episode 15 - Fame in the Frame

Thursday 29th January

The gang takes a slightly different approach this time as we mostly focus on famous photographers, past and present, dead and alive, who have wow'd and inspired us in our approach. There will be loads of links to those in your podcatcher, so be sure to use one if you want them! Some brief news, rumours and catchup with the panel too, so do enjoy!

The Podcasts (PodHubUK)

Phones Show Chat (PSC) - Whatever Works - Chewing Gum for the Ears - Projector Room - Tech Addicts - Camera Creations

The MeWe Community Groups (follow the links to join up)
Phones Show Chat (PSC) - Whatever Works - Chewing Gum for the Ears - Projector Room - PSC Photos - PSC Videos - PSC Classifieds - PSC Health - Coffee Time - Camera Creations - Tech Addicts

The Team
Ted Salmon - Steve Litchfield - Aidan Bell - Gareth Myles - Joe Hickey - Chris Clayton - Ian Bundey - Charlie Winston

H is for Hawk (2025) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

This is a cinema released drama based on the memoir of the same name by Naturalist Helen Macdonald. It is directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Emma Donoghue. Starting in the autumn of 2007, Claire Foy plays in the lead role as a fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, teaching the history and philosophy of science.

She has a good relationship with her immediate family, however it's apparent she is much closer to her photojournalist father, Alistair Macdonald (Brendan Gleeson), who through her life has taught her all she knows about the natural world.

At home one evening with her visiting good friend and fellow academic, Christina (Denise Gough), Helen receives a devastating phone call from her mother saying that her dad has collapsed on a work trip to London. The loss she feels is instantly profound and even though she has a good relationship with both her Mother (Lindsay Duncan) and Brother (Josh Dylan), who both live close by, she finds it hard to accept this big change in her life.

One evening, looking a old photos of her taken by her father, she remembers her fascination for small birds of prey. She then decides in the desperate need to fill the chasm left by her father and with the help of an old family friend, Stuart (Sam Spruell), who is a falconer, she makes the big decision to acquire a fully-grown but inexperienced goshawk. However, in embracing the training of this hunting bird, it leads to her becoming withdrawn from her work, friends and even family.

Mabel is the name given to her goshawk and from the moment we first see this magnificent bird of prey, it becomes the real star of the film - as we see her on Helen's arm walking through the dreamy spires of Cambridge, then eventually flying in the beautifully-filmed golden hours of the English countryside. All the humans are fairly solid, however Foy gives a consistently superb performance of a previously-organised woman whose life changes out of all proportion as she tries to deal with the abject grief that can come with the loss of a parent. The runtime of 1 hour 55 minutes felt about right for this straightforwardly-told adaptation.

Little Bites (2024)

Directed by Spider One, this is a slow-burner of a horror film which is often confusing and full of atmosphere, mystery, and surprises - yet very entertaining! We start out with Mindy (Krsy Fox), a widow who lives a lonely and quiet life in a lovely house with a cellar. She has a daughter, Alice, who is currently away staying with Mindy’s mother.

We soon find out why Mindy wants Alice out of the way for a spell as early on in the 1 hour 45 minute runtime, we are introduced to Agyar, the 'monster' in the cellar, who rings a dinner bell when he is 'hungry'. Mindy has realised that in order to protect Alice from the monster, she has to comply with its demands by letting it eat her flesh. It prefers arms, but when they get too damaged, it moves to her legs or other areas - but only Little Bites! No spoilers so far, as most of that is pretty clear from the film’s poster!

We are led to wonder if all this is actually in Mindy’s head rather than reality, as we only see the creature when she is around. Mindy’s mum, who is looking after Alice, is on the phone now and again telling Mindy that she’s useless and needs to pull herself together, take Alice back, and behave like a mum. Mindy becomes physically and mentally defeated as the film progresses, until eventually she tries to strike a deal with Agyar.

She goes out and finds an equally lonely man, drugs him and drags him down to the cellar for Agyar to consume instead of her, allowing her to recover. But this man, the creature says, "tastes like despair" so he is no good! Mindy bumps into someone she knows in the supermarket who is concerned enough by Mindy’s appearance to call Child Protection Services. They send round someone to assess the home and meet Alice (who is still away). So, perhaps she’ll do instead, Mindy thinks!

Mindy later bumps into a woman in the park who convinces her that when bringing up children, one has to stand beside them and face life’s challenges together - she can’t hide Alice forever, Mindy muses. Mindy calls her mother, who brings Alice back. Her mother is also a strange-looking person, incidentally, adding to the tease and mystery of the characters. When Alice arrives and Mindy shows her the cellar, there isn’t a trace of any 'monster', further convincing the viewer that it is all in Mindy’s head. Which it might be!

We eventually reach the finale, which is quite surprising in many ways. We find out what is real, what is imagined or hallucinated and what exists in people’s minds as a result of trauma and maternal abuse. That’s all you’re getting from me - no more spoilers! You can jolly well work out the deeper meanings for yourself (it’s on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and others in the UK), originally a Shudder production.

It can be gory at times, but not excessively so. The tension, atmosphere and the expectation of what’s round the corner provide much of the entertainment’s strength. It is very well acted, especially by Krsy Fox, and beautifully shot with interesting cinematography throughout. The set is perfect for the job - a creaky, old-style house with old-fashioned decor and furnishings. It all comes together very nicely - just don't get up too soon, as there are some mid-credits scenes which further tease and explain the plot! Enjoy.

The Lure (2015)

I don't think I have ever been quite so confused, lost or surprised by a film as I was while watching this one! Apparently, it is a "Mermaid Horror Musical" - and a Polish one at that. I had no idea it was a musical at the outset, but I got stuck in anyway, with my only option being English subtitles to try and keep up. Perhaps I would have fared better with a dubbed version, though the original songs have a haunting quality that might have been lost, I guess.

The film is totally surreal. The story begins with two mermaid sisters popping out of the water in 1980s Warsaw while a rock band (which ends up feeling more like punk to me) is playing on the beach. Fascinated by the scene and tired of the dark, cold water, they are drawn to the 'human' world they discover there.

The sisters are named Golden and Silver. They both seem to fall for the band's bassist, Mietek, and follow the group to a nightclub/strip joint. They are eventually hired as a novelty act after the owners discover that contact with water gives them each a massive tail. When they dry off, the tails disappear (unless they purposely keep them wet) and they appear to have human legs. Curiously, they lack genitalia or bums, even when their 'legs' are visible.

But these are certainly not My Little Mermaid creatures! They are nasty predators - presumably what kept them alive in the sea. They are human-eaters (anthropophagous - I had to look that up) with vampire-like sharp teeth and a craving for blood. However, they find themselves in conflict because they want to mix with, and eventually become, humans rather than eat them. Well, at least for the time being! While Silver falls in love with Mietek and dreams of a human life with him, the cynical Golden sticks to her nature. Irritated that her sister is drifting away, Golden wanders about bumping off and eating the odd human here and there!

Then comes the catch - the mythical law of the sea dictates that if a mermaid falls in love with a human and that human marries someone else, the mermaid must eat him by dawn or she will turn into sea foam! Furthermore, if a mermaid has her tail surgically removed, she loses her voice. It is all very complicated - thank goodness for the research of others, from whom I could learn and verify these details!

Spoilers ahead now

Silver undergoes gruesome surgery to replace her tail with human legs, using a donor who happened to die in a local hospital. However, after all that trouble, Mietek rejects her anyway as he can't stop seeing her as a fish rather than a woman - even with her new legs. He legs it (pun intended) and swiftly marries someone else! So now we can guess what's going to happen - the aforementioned law comes into play and Silver must eat him or turn to sea foam!

Throughout this, Golden lurks in the background, trying to convince Silver to eat Mietek to save her own life and return to the sea with her. Silver refuses because she is so head-over-heels in love with him, regardless of his treatment of her. As you might imagine, the outcome is tragic - Silver dissolves into sea foam in Mietek's arms during a final embrace on his wedding night. Enraged, Golden rips his throat out anyway before heading back to the waves alone!

Director Agnieszka Smoczyńska apparently used the mermaids as a metaphor for immigrants, outsiders, and the female experience in 1980s Poland. Just before the fall of Communism, these figures were exploited for their bodies in nightclubs and controlled by powerful men, expected to change themselves just to fit in. This reflected the director's own childhood, growing up amidst similar backdrops.

It made me wonder though whether or not a mermaid be a cannibal. Apparently they are not actually mermaids but Sirens from Slavic and Greek mythology, who were often bloodthirsty. So by eating humans, they aren't committing cannibalism in a biological sense (as they aren't human), but they represent the predatory nature of desire. They consume what they love. The hunger - physical, sexual and emotional - is ever-present. The film throws out Disney ideals and reminds the viewer that in original folklore, these creatures were maneaters!

The music leaps between genres - head-banging rock, punk and orchestral arrangements. It plays out like a classic musical, with characters frequently breaking into song left, right and centre - reminiscent of The Sound of Music, but with far more posturing and grunge. It feels like a rock-horror (maybe in the vein of The Rocky Horror Picture Show) and is, in that respect, an ambitious project. I do wish I understood Polish, as I think I may have connected with it better - or perhaps a well-executed English dub would have helped.

Ultimately, I quite enjoyed it. The gruesome violence was striking and there is a fair amount of nudity, as Golden and Silver are bare-chested whenever their tails are present. There are a few sex scenes, but the focus remains primarily on the blood and gore. It is a truly interesting watch. Hopefully my notes and research here will help you avoid getting as lost as I was at the outset and during most of it!

Spring (2014)

This is one interesting film which I only just got round to seeing. It's hard to lock down the genre really, as there's so much going on in there! I'll start with romance, then horror, body horror, thriller, and finally drama, I think! It's probably going to be hard to write this without spoilers, so I suggest you watch it first then see if you agree!

It’s easy to get lost in the film because the central mystery is well hidden for quite a long time. In fact, it starts really slowly as we get to know Evan, a young American man, at home, caring for his mum in her last days with cancer. We stay with him through a short but moving scene as she passes away. Cut to the wake, where Evan is goaded by a local lout and ends up attacking him. He's filled with grief, having also lost his dad previously, and is now being hounded by the cops (presumably for GBH), so he does a runner! He gets on a plane, quick, and heads away from the USA. He doesn't care where, but it happens to be Italy.

When he gets there, a coastal resort, he buddies up with some British louts, gets drunk a lot, and behaves obnoxiously with them, but eventually they head for Holland, so he's there alone. During this time, he bumps into the pretty Louise. He chases her. She's coy - doesn't much want to get involved - but he's insistent and driven. So she dates him. And sleeps with him.

She's a genetics student, free-spirited, open-minded and he can feel himself falling for her very quickly in the week we spend with the pair - whirlwind romantic stuff aplenty. However, all is not quite what it seems, as Evan finds a syringe on her bathroom floor and assumes that maybe she's a junkie. He confronts her. She explains it away, saying that she has a skin condition which makes it hard for her to be in the sun - and this serum helps her to get round it, basically. I guess you can see where this is going already!

Spoilers from here!

We start to see Louise acting strangely. She injects herself with this mysterious chemical, her skin kind of shifts and cracks - and she disappears at night to prey on local animals (and on one occasion, a tourist)! Eventually, Evan walks in on her mid-transformation into some octopus-like monster/creature with tentacles and tails. When he's (very quickly) put two and two together (instead of legging it and never returning), he gives her one of her injections (which is lying around on the floor). She recovers (returns to a human form) and he starts to quiz her as to WTF is going on. As you would. If you hadn't legged it!

This is honestly where I got a bit lost as to what Louise is. It seems that she's about 2,000 years old, born in the Roman era, but not a vampire (though she behaves like one sometimes, drinking blood), nor a werewolf (though she behaves like one sometimes, transforming like something from the set of An American Werewolf in London), but apparently she's an "immortal evolutionary anomaly". Turns out that, when she eventually explains herself to Evan, every 20 years her body undergoes some sort of violent 'reset' as her cells mutate uncontrollably, mimicking various stages of evolution (claws, tentacles, scales, etc.). It's all very imaginative!

In order to survive this mutation and another 20 years, she must get herself pregnant. Her body then uses the embryonic stem cells to regenerate her organs and skin. However, this process usually results in her 'birthing' herself and losing her previous identity or simply consuming the genetic material to restart. Yes, I had to look all this up as, by this stage, I was even more lost!

The finale of the film involves a dilemma for her, as she knows that she can stay semi-immortal and remain a monster but can't really love anyone or change. However, if she falls in love (which she never has done up to now, avoiding it), she can become mortal again and live out a life from 20 naturally. So you can imagine what the ending is going to be like. She either falls in love with Evan and does the latter, or doesn't, transforms, and consumes him! I won't spoil the outcome of that for you!

It's all good fun with Justin Benson (Resolution) in charge of the very capable, engaging and convincing Lou Taylor Pucci (Evan) and Nadia Hilker (Louise). The scenery looks after and speaks for itself - gorgeous land and seascapes of a lovely, culturally-rich Italian village and bay. The special effects are sparse in relation to the runtime of nearly two hours, but when they come, they are done very well, as I watched a little wider-eyed than I had been! The story is clearly bonkers, but it's injected with some humour here and there and holds together very nicely. Well worth a watch if you haven't beaten me to it.