Trap House (2025)

If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if a gritty DEA thriller had a head-on collision with a Disney Channel movie or an episode of Scooby Doo, Trap House is your answer. It is a film that desperately wants the gravity of a prestige crime drama but possesses the intellectual depth of a Saturday morning cartoon.

Spoilers ahead...

The film kicks off with an assault on the eardrums - thumping, obnoxious music that introduces our "macho-cop" protagonists. We are presented with a world of tattoos and biceps, led by Dave Bautista and Bobby Cannavale. The disparity in talent here is jarring. Cannavale is, as expected, entirely convincing; he outclasses every other person on screen, delivering a performance that belongs in a much better movie.

On the other hand, Bautista is a massive letdown. Playing the "action-man" father, he comes across less like a seasoned professional and more like a bewildered, tattooed gorilla. He mutters his lines with a lack of conviction that makes it impossible to buy into his emotional stakes. Even worse is his portrayal of a DEA agent; his character is wildly unprofessional, easily goaded by prisoners and lacking any semblance of tactical restraint. Joining the disappointment is Tony Dalton. After his legendary, menacing turn as Lalo in Better Call Saul, seeing him wasted here is a tragedy. Whether it’s poor directing or a paper-thin script, his "villainy" feels toothless and recycled.

The film’s primary failure is its obsession with its teenage cast. We are forced to endure tedious scenes of American school life and "spunky" kids on a mission to save their friend. The tone shifts violently from a drug raid to a "kids on an adventure" flick, complete with 1980s-style music that feels utterly out of place.

The premise is, frankly, absurd. We are asked to believe that a group of teenagers - armed only with Tasers and an overabundance of "main character energy" - can casually rob a trap house. It is far-fetched, unrealistic and frankly, dumb. These kids behave with an exaggerated stupidity that the film tries to frame as "bravery", taking any shred of realism and throwing it out of the window.

The only saving grace among the younger cast is Inde Navarrette as Teresa. She is a surprise package who almost rescues the film from its own mediocrity. She is sharp, capable and arguably should have been the focus of the entire story. Instead, she’s stuck navigating a script that prioritises "weepy" backstories and a heavy-handed message about how "everything is repairable" in dysfunctional families.

If the plot doesn't distract you, the product placement will. It is impossible not to notice that every character is brandishing a Google Pixel. It feels less like a cinematic choice and more like a 100-minute tech commercial.

The internal logic of the film collapses entirely in the finale. The sequence is an exercise in chaotic nonsense, exacerbated by the "professionals" (the parents) covering up the crimes of their children. The height of this absurdity is seeing an 18-year-old outsider wandering freely through a DEA command centre and active crime scenes throughout. It’s imaginative, sure, but only in the sense that the writers clearly imagined a world where laws and protocols don't exist.

Trap House is a confused mess. It tries to stay in PG territory while tackling subjects that require a much grittier 18-rated edge. By trying to be a serious film while leaning on daft plot points, it succeeds at being neither a thriller nor a family drama. It is a sterile, unimaginative outing that treats the audience like they’re as "dumb" as the characters on screen.

Unless you’re a die-hard fan of Bobby Cannavale or you really, really like looking at Google Pixels, this is one house you shouldn't bother visiting!

Hallow Road (2025): A Masterclass in High-Stakes Claustrophobia

Just as an experiment, I got Gemini to turn my review into a "Blog Post or IMDb Review". Here's what she did with it...

Hallow Road: A Masterclass in High-Stakes Claustrophobia
Rating: ★★★★☆

Directed by Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow), Hallow Road is a taut, 80-minute psychological thriller that skirts the edges of folk horror. Taking place almost entirely within the confines of a car, the film joins the ranks of "single-location" gems like Locke and The Guilty, proving that you don't need a sprawling map to create immense scale—you just need a phone line and a ticking clock.

The Premise

The story ignites at 2:00 am when Maddie (Rosamund Pike) and Frank (Matthew Rhys) are jolted awake by their daughter, Alice. In a drug-fuelled panic, Alice reveals she has stolen Frank’s car and struck a young woman on a remote stretch of forest road.

What follows is a desperate 40-minute dash to the scene. Maddie, drawing on her skills as a paramedic, attempts to talk Alice through life-saving CPR over the phone. When a sickening "crack" signals a failed attempt and a broken rib, the moral compass of the family begins to spin. To protect Alice’s future and her university ambitions, the parents concoct a plan to hide the body—only for their scheme to be derailed by a mysterious, interfering couple who stumble upon the scene.

Technical Brilliance

The production is a fascinating blend of international craft. Despite being set in the South East of England, the film was shot across Ireland and Czech Republic studios. This "displaced" filming lends the woods an uncanny, slightly "off" atmosphere that perfectly complements the hints of ancient pagan worship associated with Hallow Road.

The sensory experience is elevated by two key factors:

• The Score: Composed by Lorne Balfe and Peter Adams, the music is a superb mix of orchestral weight and ghostly choral sounds. It feels massive, contrasting the smallness of the car with the elemental gravity of the situation.

• The Cinematography: Kit Fraser utilizes an extreme close-up style to devastating effect. By dwelling on the micro-expressions of Pike and Rhys—and at one point, a hauntingly tight shot of Maddie’s eye—the camera traps us in their internal panic. The shallow depth of field ensures the world outside is a blur, making the car an emotional pressure cooker.

The Performances

The film rests on the shoulders of its two leads. Matthew Rhys is excellent as the frantic, protective father, but it is Rosamund Pike who truly shines. Her ability to convey mounting anxiety and grief through her voice and face is totally convincing. She wrings every drop of emotion from the script, making the "trapped" nature of the family dynamics feel visceral.

Verdict

At a concise 80 minutes, Hallow Road doesn't overstay its welcome. It is a haunting exploration of the lengths parents will go to "shield" their children from the consequences of life. Whether you read the ending as a literal supernatural encounter or a psychological breakdown, it is a film that lingers long after the credits roll.

Highly recommended.

Hallow Road (2025)

Directed by Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow), this film is a claustrophobic psychological thriller that leans into folk horror, depending on one’s interpretation. Much of the film takes place inside a car - reminiscent of Locke (2013), The Guilty (2018) or The Guilty (2021) - where two parents are rushing to the scene of their daughter's accident.

Maddie (Rosamund Pike) and Frank (Matthew Rhys) are jolted awake at 2am by a phone call from their daughter, Alice, who is in a state of tearful panic. As Maddie attempts to calm her and piece together the situation, Frank spirals into a panic of his own. They eventually discover that Alice has taken Frank's car without permission and headed to a familiar forest to get high - seeking an escape from their judgement regarding her pregnancy with her Czech boyfriend.

While under the influence, Alice reveals she has struck a girl her own age, crashing the car into a ditch. It transpires that Maddie possesses paramedic skills and is experienced in handling high-pressure medical emergencies. The couple leaps into Maddie’s car for what should be a 40-minute drive to the forest. En route, Maddie talks Alice through CPR after Alice claims the victim is dead. The attempt fails; a sickening ‘crack’ is heard, leading us to conclude that Alice has broken the girl’s ribs.

To prevent Alice’s arrest and protect her future - ambitions largely driven by the parents - they concoct a plan to ensure she isn't ‘caught’. They continue the journey, offering supportive dialogue over the phone. However, just as a plan is solidified, an interfering woman and her husband stumble upon the scene. They refuse to leave Alice alone and eventually begin to deduce what has happened - all of which is broadcast to the travelling parents via the open phone line.

Throughout the ordeal, no one calls the police or an ambulance. Instead, they decide it is better to handle the situation themselves by moving the body into the woods. That's all the setup you need really - perhaps even too much! As expected, not everything is as it seems and the film offers several twists and turns to keep the audience guessing - compounded by the presence of drugs and the suggestion of something supernatural. We learn that Hallow Road is a site of ancient pagan worship, hinting that something enchanted may be at play.

The film creates edge-of-the-seat tension, trapping the audience in the car with the frantic parents. It is a poignant exploration of parenting and the lengths to which people will go to protect their children - or prevent them from repeating the mistakes of their own pasts. The car serves as a metaphor for the family’s emotional entrapment within their own dynamics.

Though set in the South East of England, the film was a joint production shot in Irish locations and Czech studios. The music is a standout feature, involving Lorne Balfe (a protégé of Hans Zimmer known for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning and The Crown) and Peter Adams. The score is a superb blend of orchestral movements and ghostly choral sounds.

The cinematography is equally wonderful; Kit Fraser frequently employs extreme close-ups for maximum psychological impact. The two central performances are engaging and beautifully executed, particularly by Pike. Her talent shines convincingly as the tension rises, with panic and anxiety wrung from her voice and expressions. At a concise 80 minutes, the film flies by. It comes highly recommended - see how you interpret the events and outcomes!

Pretty Lethal (2026)

This bonkers film follows five American ballerinas - Bones (the tough leader), Princess (the ‘token rich annoying girl’), Grace (the religious one) and sisters Zoe and Chloe (Millicent Simmonds) - who are on a bus headed to a prestigious competition in Budapest. When their bus breaks down in the Hungarian woods, they seek refuge at the ‘Teremok Inn’, a bizarre, Gothic-themed hotel.

Spoilers throughout.

The inn is run by Devora Kasimer (Uma Thurman), a legendary prima ballerina whose career ended in tragedy. The girls’ instructor, Thorna, accidentally witnesses Devora and a group of local mobsters (led by the bumbling, greasy Pasha) torturing a man. When Thorna tries to intervene, Pasha panics and shoots her dead, leaving the five girls as the only witnesses!

Instead of descending into standard horror, the film turns into a slapstick survival comedy, I reckon! The girls spend the second act darting through the corridors, rooms, nooks and crannies of the inn, hiding in dumbwaiters and using their athletic flexibility to squeeze into vents, while the Hungarian mobsters - portrayed as incompetent thugs - crash into walls and trip over furniture. Think 101 Dalmatians with Cruella de Vil and her dopey sidekicks!

In one of the dafter moments, Grace (the religious, green and gullible one) takes a psychedelic drug pushed on her by one of the thugs and spends much of the rest of the film tripping out. She sees 7ft-tall Nutcrackers, satanic red-eyed hoodlums and patterned items dancing before her eyes. The five girls end up running around the building much like one would expect in a Carry On film or a Benny Hill Special to evade the chasing Hungarians!

The film’s 'Pretty Lethal' title finally pays off in the third act when Bones (Maddie Ziegler) convinces the girls to stop running and ‘weaponise the dance’ - resulting in ludicrously staged, fully choreographed routines to take down the mobsters. They literally attach razor blades to the tips of their fingers and pointe shoes, using fouetté turns to slice the thugs’ throats and grand jetés to deliver flying kicks! It’s set to a high-energy orchestral remix that feels more like a music video than a fight!

While the other girls are fighting, Chloe (Simmonds, A Quiet Place) uses her lack of hearing (as both character and actress) to her advantage. While the mobsters are distracted by a blaring alarm she cannot hear, she silently sneaks behind them to set traps! It turns out Devora (Thurman) wasn't just a bystander - she invited the girls there as bait for the mob boss, Lothar (Pasha’s father). Lothar was the one who originally cut off Devora’s leg years ago because of a debt, ending her career (she reveals a prosthetic leg in the final act).

In the end, Devora doesn't actually do much fighting (or acting, for that matter - an easy payday for Thurman, though her Hungarian accent was fun), she simply traps Lothar and his men in the inn and sets off a massive amount of explosives, blowing herself and the mobsters to smithereens while the five girls escape in the mob's vehicles.

The film ends with the five girls - now bonded by blood and sequins - absurdly arriving at their competition just in time and performing a routine that incorporates their new ‘combat ballet’ style, winning the trophy while still covered in a suspicious amount of ‘theatrical’ red stains! All very silly, but good fun. Most of the film was set inside the inn, and here and there the cinematography was thoughtful and well-executed. British director Vicky Jewson (Lady Godiva) held it all together nicely.

The girls did a good enough job, clearly in on the fun and frolics of it all. By the end of the film, daft as it was, you’re kind of on board with them, rooting for them to win the day - which, of course, was never in question! There is some blood and gore here and there, but nothing that’s going to make anyone cringe. It feels very much like an X-rated St Trinian’s outing in Hungary. A must-see. Side-splitting laughs ahead!

Red Plague (2025)

The film opens in the aftermath of a viral outbreak - the Red Plague - which causes victims to suffer from skin lesions and a slow, catatonic decline rather than a typical zombie frenzy. The slow-burn pace is established immediately; long, lingering shots show Carter, an unassuming man (played with grit by Chad Sellers), navigating a world in which everything seems to have just, well, stopped.

In a harrowing flashback, we see Carter’s wife giving birth to their daughter amidst the rising chaos. As the "plagued" begin to invade - acting with a mindless, predatory drive - the parents encourage a friend to take the newborn to safety. Tragically, Carter’s wife dies in the escape, and he loses track of both his friend and the child. Believing his daughter lost to the void of the collapse, Carter flees to the desert where risks are minimised, beginning a cycle of survival that lasts for years.

Now living a lonesome existence in a shack somewhere in the American Southwest, Carter survives through a dispersed network of contacts, bartering for essentials like tobacco and alcohol. His isolation is shattered when a young woman, Daisy (played convincingly by Gaia Brooks), arrives at his door. She claims to be from a northern commune, separated from her group and her friend Emma after an attack by "hoodlums." Carter takes her in reluctantly - at gunpoint - eventually agreeing to escort her to a rendezvous point two hours away with her friends, pre-arranged in case anyone got lost.

The journey transforms the film from a survival horror into more of a Western. As they travel on foot, stopping at remote outposts to trade for ammunition, a bond forms. It is during these quiet moments that the weight of Carter’s past emerges, which I'll leave you to discover as it's vital to the plot. The slow pace makes the film feel meditative; the script is delivered with heavy silence and long pauses between lines. Carter adopts the persona of a weary gunslinger, a tone reinforced by the film's reliance on non-professional and theatre actors. While the faces are unfamiliar, the performances are strong and convincing. The music matches this atmosphere, shifting between moving orchestral swells and a simple acoustic guitar, sometimes played by Carter himself.

Interestingly, this laid-back feel extends to the violence. The action isn't cinematic in the traditional sense; it feels clumsy and unchoreographed, reflecting how real people, rather than Hollywood action heroes, might fumble through a life-or-death struggle. This realism sets it apart from high-octane action films, though it has led to some confusion regarding the film's ending - with rumours of different cuts existing to avoid comparisons with The Last of Us.

In the version I saw, the climax is not a shootout, but a reflective and moving reflection. Director Gio Ursino crafted a poignant piece of cinema here, using his own family property and private funding to bring the story to life. The "For Mum and Dad" dedication in the credits adds a layer of sincerity to this story of parental reflection. While the plot’s implications are dense, Red Plague is a thoughtful, rewarding watch for those who can track it down.

Motorola Edge 60 Neo - the arrival of Android 16

I recently reviewed the Edge 60 Neo here on my blog with all the drill-down, nitty-gritty, but it was still on Android 15. I think it's worth revisiting a few weeks later now, as Android 16 just arrived for it. I had already seen Android 16 running on a Moto as depicted in my other, recent Motorola Signature review. As I said at the time, the Signature is indeed a bit of a step-up from the Edge 60 Neo, but it's dinky little brother does have some benefits of its own, despite the price being significantly less.

The Android 16 OTA download today was 2.14GB and seems to have installed nicely with February Google Security Patches hiking it from January's. Thankfully nothing has changed with the excellent Always on Display after Android 16 - the first thing I look for! It's truly 'always on' (unlike some far-east OEM's definition of the term)! It remains the best AoD you can get on a phone at the moment. It’s nice and big and bright (and doesn’t even kick-down a notch like the Razr phones, making them just in second place for me) when it thinks it’s not needed. And the cherry on the cake is that Peek Display remains, in tandem, also with an Icon Tap for a pop-up window as Notifications come in. So yes - the big clock, hollow when ‘at rest’ and solid when new stuff is waiting - remains. Date, day, month. Weather icon with a splash of colour for a brief look, nice big battery % in figures (and an icon) underneath. The aforementioned Notifications icons - it’s simply the best (as Tina Turner might have said)!

One of the benefits of the Neo over the Signature is a longer-lasting battery. Not that the Signature's 5,200mAh battery performs badly - it's just that it has more to do. More screen to drive, faster chipset to serve, more RAM and so on - so it's bound to have more impact on everyday use. Furthermore, the Signature's battery is a Si-C one, whereas the Edge 60 Neo's is not, thereby demonstrating very clearly to me that, even with the same mAh capacity of 5,200, the little phone is likely to do better. Si-C or not. And it does.

The battery performance under Android 16 has been tested now and I think it can retain its 'champ' status. There's no significant difference that I can see in performance, either with my screen-on 10% Reading Test nor average daily use. Figures remain staggeringly good, dropping only to 99% (and 49% from 50% start) after about 52 minutes. My previous record was the Pixel 9 with 44 minutes. I keep retesting that and it doesn’t shift - almost exactly the same 52 minutes each time I do it, even now with Android 16. I can get well into Day 2 before charging again - but no, certainly not Day 3 like some of those Moto 'Power' models - and now, no doubt the giant Si-C units being put into phones from the far-east.

I am aware of some reviewers suggesting that TurboPower with the 68W brick takes significantly longer to work with the phone since Android 16, but I really haven't detected that here - so your mileage may vary on that one. I don't actually have a 68W Moto charger but I do have a 125W one and a UGreen 100W GaN brick and they seem to work for me just as they did before. If there's something that needs fixing there I'm sure that Moto will be onto it with upcoming updates in due course!

It's quite hard to detect incremental adjustments and improvements often, particularly when one had no complaints before, but maybe across the UI things feel a bit more snappy - animations more fluid, but maybe I'm looking for it too! The optical fingerprint scanner seems to work as it did before - so no, not as well as the Signature's ultrasonic one, but, as I said in my Edge 60 Neo review, a little better than the 50 Neo's.

There are some 'core' changes which come with Android 16, baked into the system by Google which all devices running the OS will get. Notification Cooldown, for example, which prevents one's phone from making a noise and jumping around when receiving a barrage of messages! Be careful with that one as it's on by default - though to be fair you do get a warning and link to turn it off. Advanced Protection is there for anti-phishing, theft detection and spam filtering, though Moto's own Security suite has for a long time now been robust.

I like the fact that Moto have, somehow, gone their own way and rejected some of the Material 3 Expressive elements that Google have been pushing out. I don't want my battery percentage in a battery icon thank you - so great that Moto have kept the option as it was. I don't want an Apple style Control Centre - I like the (more) traditional way that the Notification Shade swipe-down works, though for those who want it, it can be turned on. They call it "Modern style". I guess even Moto think that Apple is 'modern'! I like how HelloUI looked. We don't need change for change's sake and Moto have done well here leaving stuff out and offering options. The way Android was supposed to be.

So why does the Edge 60 Neo hold Pole Position for me when I have so many other options to choose from? Well, physically, it's the perfect balance of size and weight for viewing, using one-handed, popping in a pocket and it's also robust with IP68/IP69/MIL-STD-810H. The P-OLED screen is bright, colourful and vibrant. It gets 5 OS Updates and 5 years of security (although there is now some question, which needs clarity, about the 5 years of security actually being 4). There's plenty of storage (for most people), loads of RAM and as far as I'm concerned a perfectly good camera setup - with "macro" too. The speakers' output is great with a decent soundstage too, the fingerprint scanner is good enough, improved over the 50 Neo and when used in tandem with face unlock and lift to wake isn't needed much of the time anyway. A nice big battery, well-performing, with Qi Charging and fast wired if needed. And to top it all off, full access to the Smart Connect system. Oh and did I mention that it has the best AoD there is, on any phone?! Take all that into account and actually, on some counts, even the flagship Signature can't beat it.

I do love my little Neo (and the one before it). It might not be as powerful and capable as many out there, but for the price and for me, the feature set and benefits are unique. And haven't been ruined by this Android 16 update, unlike some!

The Scent of Green Papaya (1993)

I always meant to see this film during my 1990s 'arthouse' phase but somehow never got round to it. So now, 33 years later, I finally have! It is a beautifully quiet observation of young Mui, a poor ten-year-old girl from the Vietnamese countryside who travels far to secure work as a servant for a wealthy family of textile merchants in Saigon.

It is a true slow-burn regarding the domestic situation she finds herself in and how she connects with nature and food. She takes on her duties under the wing of an older, more experienced servant. The atmosphere is hot and humid; the climate and heat profile impact almost everything that occurs in the house, dictating the lazy tempo of the film.

The house is more like a compound, with a bustling business on part of the premises, yet it retains the cultural style of the period. The cinematography is exquisite; we meander in and out of rooms with the characters, often through open screens and doorways. Mui is fascinated by the courtyard at the centre where papaya grows amongst frogs, beetles and other wildlife. She discovers the world through her chores - watching the 'milk' of the green papaya, handling insects with curiosity and learning the rhythmic preparation of food.

The household is run rigidly and the matriarch is well-organised. Unfortunately, her husband is a philanderer who periodically disappears with the family savings, forcing her to start from scratch repeatedly. She has three sons of different ages, one of whom teases and torments Mui as she works. There is an older woman living upstairs who never comes down, whom the family serves. She is the philandering husband's mother and the grandmother of a deceased child who would have been the parents' fourth. She blames the mother (her daughter-in-law) for this death, claiming she did not take proper care of the child. The girl would have been Mui’s age - a fact not missed by the mother or grandmother, which becomes significant later in the film.

All this unfolds against a backdrop of sirens and curfews due to the First Indochina War (1946–1954) - the struggle for independence against French colonial rule, apparently. We never leave the confines of the domestic setting, so while the war provides a backdrop, it only fleetingly gains significance, primarily through the atmosphere. The family fluctuates between hard times, struggling to put rice on the table, and periods of prosperity when sales are high.

The story then suddenly leaps forward ten years to 1961. Mui is now a beautiful twenty-year-old, and the tone shifts as the family is forced to let her go. They send her to work at another house where they believe she will earn a better, more secure wage. The grandmother is distraught, but off Mui goes to the home of a young, handsome man who composes at his piano, regularly interrupted by his fiancée, a loud socialite.

The film becomes subtly erotically charged at this point; it is clear that Mui is drawn to the man and he to her, complicated by the presence of the fiancée. The camera lingers on her, and the focus softens as we see her sponging herself down with soapy water. There is no nudity, just a heightened sensuality. In the final act, life changes for Mui once and for all. The film charts her move up the 'pecking order' from a poor girl with nothing to something much more, achieved through hard work, knuckling under and perhaps a final stroke of luck.

Food and music are vital themes. While the film is beautifully shot throughout, particular care is given to any scene where food is prepared, presented or eaten. It is a mouth-watering motif that fits the atmosphere perfectly. The music evolves alongside the story: traditional stringed instruments dominate the first half, replaced by the lovely, melancholic tone of the solo piano in the second.

It really is a lovely film that requires the right mood to soak up its mellow flow. It is beautifully acted by the entire cast, especially the young Mui, played by Man San Lu. The imagery is paramount; it is a visual feast where every frame has been executed with passion. A superb film, highly recommended - even if it took me 33 years to get there!

Cure (1997)

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Japanese masterpiece is a real mixed bag that I'm not entirely sure I completely understood! Armed with notes from other reviewers, I think I might have just about got there. It’s a creepy 'horror' about hypnosis that works on two levels. As we follow the story, we find ourselves sucked in as an audience - it feels as though Kurosawa is hypnotising us, too!

Some Spoilers ahead - but not too many!

Horror it might be, but daft jump-scares there are not. Instead, the film relies on a slow-burn tension with shocks scattered throughout. The characters succumb to the will of a 19th-century 'mesmerism' that has been passed down, lurking inside human carriers and vessels to stay alive. We know almost from the beginning who the current 'carrier' is - an unsuspecting, kindly family finds him wandering on a beach, seemingly lost with no memory of who he is. They take him in to help, only to become his first victims.

The strength of the storytelling lies in how the mystery unfolds, feeding us small pieces of information at a perfect pace. Our carrier is the enigmatic Mr Mamiya and Detective Takabe is hot on his trail from early on. Takabe fails to realise the danger he is in as Mamiya hypnotises various people into committing grizzly, violent crimes against poor, unsuspecting innocent folk.

Takabe’s own life is falling apart at the seams. His wife suffers from severe mental health problems - and the more this case gets under his skin, the more irrational and anxious he becomes. While he struggles to care for his wife at home, he is baffled by how Mamiya operates - especially when the man is locked in a cell! He persists, and alongside his colleagues, begins to unpick the mystery - though the body count rises faster than they can find answers.

The hypnotised killers carry out gruesome murders but have no memory of their actions. This makes the investigation exceptionally difficult for Takabe. Since the killers don’t hide their deeds and are easily caught, they have nothing to tell him, causing the detective further frustration. The only consistency is a large "X" carved into the victims' upper torsos - a chilling calling card!

Mamiya, a former psychology student, appears to have only sketchy knowledge of his own actions, at least in the first half of the film, displaying genuine amnesia. The mesmerism makes use of repetitive sounds - water droplets or the rhythmic flicking of a cigarette lighter - which form a core part of the soundtrack, effectively getting under the viewers' skins as well.

The film serves as a kind of commentary on the thin skin of modern civilisation. It suggests that the "cure" Mamiya offers is actually a release from the suffocating politeness and repressed rage of everyday life. By stripping away his victims' identities, Mamiya isn't just killing people, he is "freeing" them from the burden of being human. This philosophical dread lingers long after the credits roll, making the mundane sounds of the city feel suddenly threatening. (Clever Gemma's summary!)

That is probably enough spoilers for now, leaving enough unsaid to enjoy the rest of the film's near 2 hour runtime, but that is the flavour of the setup. Kōji Yakusho is excellent as Takabe - convincing as the man falling apart, Masato Hagiwara is chillingly portrayed and well detached as Mamiya and the supporting cast playing the ordinary people who suddenly turn to violence are believable too.

Dark, surreal and eerily shot, the cinematography keeps us on our toes, blurring the lines between what is real and what is imagined. As you would expect, the finale is shocking and well worth the wait. In terms of atmosphere and style, the film feels like a blend of Se7en (1995) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991), probably more so the former for the slow-burn and a couple of other reasons! It is a real treat - track it down.

Bone Lake (2025)

This is an attempt by Mercedes Bryce Morgan to create a dark thriller that ends up being more of a slasher-survival romp, in which she hasn't quite been able to put a huge amount of meat onto that lake's bones!

Sage and Diego, played by Maddie Hasson (Mr Mercedes) and Marco Pigossi, turn up at a lovely house which they've rented for the weekend next to Bone Lake. It's an idyllic situation and they're looking forward immensely to their romantic getaway, during which Diego plans to 'pop the question' to Sage, ring at the ready. Diego is an aspiring writer, currently teaching to make ends meet and financially supported by Sage, who is quietly becoming a little weary of the burden.

It all gets a bit complicated when, shortly after their arrival (and an initiation ceremony on the rug), another couple turns up. Will and Cin, played by Alex Roe and Andra Nechita. It becomes apparent that there's been a double-booking by the agency. Awkward exchanges take place on the porch as they try to work out a solution. The nearest hotel is 50 miles away, so after much conversation, they figure the house is large enough for them all to have their own space. Besides, they reason that even if they went to a hotel, they’d still be amongst strangers, so they decide to press on together.

As they explore the house, they find three padlocked doors but, otherwise, everything they could need. Will is a talented cook and they have plenty of booze. We spend some time with the four of them - sometimes the two women, sometimes the two men, and sometimes the full group - as they soon realise their plan for staying separate has gone out the window and they're actually enjoying the foursome.

However, all is not quite as it seems, and it's difficult to go any further into the plot without throwing in spoilers. But that is the setup. They do discover the location is called Bone Lake for a reason - in the past, a serial killer had been dumping bodies in the water, and one day, many of them washed up on the shore! Still, the history doesn't seem to unduly spook them enough to stop enjoying their stay.

The story unfolds at a good pace as reveals emerge regarding the characters' backgrounds and the house’s secrets. It feels as though it’s intended to be something of an erotic thriller, but it doesn’t dwell on that for long - that becomes more of a side issue. There's a mounting anxiety as tension builds over the 90-minute runtime however, moving from the cosy, safe, friendly early stages into frantic thrills later on.

The four players do a decent enough job of portraying their characters convincingly, especially Hasson as the lead. The 'off the grid' setting adds to the feeling of claustrophobia, limiting escape routes for anyone wanting to flee and the direction creates a moody, dark atmosphere. The cinematography is effective too - the camera often follows characters voyeuristically through the long corridors and the exterior shots of the lakeside location are excellent.

There is some gore later on - that's as close as I'll get to spoilers - but the plot does weave through some twists and turns that you’ll probably see coming. Refreshingly, there aren’t any silly jump-scares to shatter the audience's nerves. It's a stylish, capable piece of entertainment, and I enjoyed the ride. It’s available now in the UK on several streaming services.

Friday the 13th (1980)

I remember seeing this film at the cinema in the early 80s and being thrilled and chilled by it - especially the finale, when the entire audience jumped out of their skins! I was only about twenty then, so perhaps I was more shockable or simply more open to being easily thrilled. I was certainly more forgiving of poor production values! I am sure that what I am about to write won't go down well with the dedicated fanbase!

It is now more than 45 years later, and I do think we have been spoilt by much better special effects, acting, sets, continuity and, well, pretty much everything since then. In order to appreciate and enjoy this now, you would have to be a die-hard fan of the franchise or a bit of a horror nerd. Yes, revisiting Sean S Cunningham’s slasher felt nothing like what I experienced in the cinema that day. I accept that it began one of cinema's coolest franchises, but viewing it through today's eyes reveals a production that is, frankly, falling apart at the seams. The script is diabolical and the performances wooden - it had me laughing rather than screaming!

The premise is the usual-now cliché we’ve grown to groan about. A group of dappy, spunky teenagers heads to a remote camp by a lake which, of course, has a dark and sinister past. On the way, we drop in on locals for directions, only to be met with 'sharp intakes of breath' and a stumble into the local ‘oddball’ chappie. Once they arrive, we settle down to watch frightfully chirpy American teens enjoying the freedom to do as they like - exchanging bodily fluids at will and indulging in risky behaviour without a watchful adult eye in sight. And then the chaos unfolds!

But sadly, the script is paper-thin, serving mostly as a setup for the next kill, and the dialogue is stilted and unrealistic. The characters make typically genre-dumb decisions like wandering into dark rooms, walking toward strange noises and isolating themselves at the worst possible moments for their health (though best for the story)! A 2026 audience really won't give a hoot about any of them - there's no character development and most of their roles are thankfully short-lived!

A young Kevin Bacon was horribly underused, even before his character copped it. When he actually had lines, his performance was pedestrian and anaemic. Furthermore, the whole cast seemed largely uninterested - except, perhaps, for the lead girl and Princess Di lookalike, Alice (played by Adrienne King). The rest were clearly just going through the paces for a pay packet. Apart from her, the only other convincing character was Jason’s mum, played by Betsy Palmer. She apparently admitted she only accepted the role to buy a new car! She was totally over-the-top, but she brought a sinister edge to the proceedings, talking to herself like a maniac.

Regarding the gore, the use of prosthetics was obvious. Even when actors were used for post-gore sequences, they could occasionally be seen moving! If the special effects felt realistic to us in 1980 - and from memory, they did - they have certainly not aged gracefully! The blood is a shade of bright, neon red that looks exactly like the paint it clearly was. It is a shame, as some of the kills were quite inventive - Kevin Bacon’s exit and the aforementioned mother’s end are worth a look! But it all feels like 'fun' now. Or rather, funny.

I reckon the star of the show was actually the music. The score by Harry Manfredini is nicely delivered and tries hard to create atmosphere - to compensate for the rest of the film's failings. It tries to tell you that something scary is happening, even when what we see with our eyes proves it wrong!

The film is an interesting venture but seems to have been made on a tight budget with a 'that’ll do nicely' and 'let's get it done and out' attitude toward quality. The whole Jason stuff is intriguing though - and perhaps I shall plough on to the sequels in the hope that they get better rather than worse (as we know well, they often can in the film franchise world)! I was patient, and the last twenty minutes were fun, but it isn't scary and it isn't well-made. However, it is quite funny! If you watch it on a Friday night after the pub with some mates - perhaps even on a Friday the 13th - you can have a grand time taking the piss!