Thank you.

Every home should have one. :lol:

I bought two myself, I need to pick up more tea lights tomorrow I only have 4 left :o

30 Days of Unseen Horror

Day 14

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After a Priest is brutally murdered in France a whole string of other deaths within the church happen all across Europe. Sister Irene is asked by the churche to go and investigate theses strange deaths as she is the only one that has faced evil before and destroyed it or has she.

I wasn't a fan of the first Nun film it started out great but soon went back to the jump scares which I can't stand so I lost interest and I was pretty disappointed with the strong start it had so I didn't have much high hopes for this. Just like the first one The Nun II gets off to a strong start it has the creepy look and some great death scenes and plenty of tension but I expected that to fade just like the first film but luckily it didnt and The Nun II seemed to have learned from the mistakes of the previous entry. The jump scares were definitely a lot less and this time around they relied more of what was lurking in the shadows and sounds rather than something jumping at the screen every two seconds. Obviously with a film about nuns and the church there was plenty of religious imagery old statues stained glass windows depicting things you wouldn't normally see in a church and an old abandoned wing of the chrurch with the old creepy bell tower it all looks great and keeps that creepy atmosphere going strong.

The Nun II isn't a bad film but it isn't a great film it's definitely interesting and watchable there is a fantastic goat scene which will definitely stick with me for how fantastic it looked. There is nothing new here but it was a vast improvement on the first entry I'm sure the series will continue for better or worse only time will tell.

30 Days Of Unseen Horror

Day 15

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A salvage ship off the coast of Ireland discovers a giant lizard creature while exploring an old wreck. Taking damage to their ship they take some life boats to a small fishing village on a small island but they are not made feel very welcome by the locals. Soon it becomes apparent that the head of the village knows of the presence of the monster but it protects his waters from outsiders coming to take the riches that lay beneath the sea. The captain of the salvage ship hatches a plan to capture the monster and take it to London and make a fortune exhibiting the monster. All seems to be going well until mammy comes back to discover her child has been taken looks like mammy is taking that long awaited weekend in London finally.

What a fun time this is start to finish it's a blast. The underwater scenes look brilliant the settling of the small fishing village looks beautiful. The monsters themselves are wonderful yeah it's obvious it's a big rubber suit but who cares it looks great emerging from the sea or when the mother is coming down the Thames with all the iconic London skyline behind her. My only complaint is something that drives me absolutely mental and that fake Irish accents there are some Irish accents but so many fake one no one here in any part of the country sounds like 1930s Boston cops on the beat on the payroll of Top Cat :lol:

This might just be my favourite monster movie I have ever seen.

Bloody English comin over here stealing our prehistoric monsters :lol:

"faith and big 'orror"

Meg 2: The Trench. 2023.

Stath returns as Jonas who seems to take on a green peace motion along with Cliff Curtis and a second father to Sophia Cai. We are introdiced to a Meg in captivity that some big hotshot thinks they can be controlled and escapes into the big ocean to join other fish....bit of Deep Blue Sea there and then you got another team blasting rocks and generally being the bad guys. This was good but not as good as the previous film, there is a few refrences to the Jaws movies being mentioned and some comical moments but something was a miss. There is great cinematography with the underwater scenes, but seems to lack any tense or suspenseful moments.

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The new version apparently has been shelved by Warner Bros after the release date was changed and nothing has been mentioned of a new release date. Both 1979 and 2004 version were adapted as a 2 part tv series yet this new one has a running time limit of 2 hours almost, so looks like a few bits maybe missed out.

The Cleansing Hour. 2019.

A bunch of wannabes from actors and special effects create a show about exorcisms and end up battling a real demon. Something of B grade film that I have watched about 3 times...maybe 4 now and yeah it doesn't get better with more viewings but still entertaining. The acting isn't the best and nobody will win a award but guess the actors just go with what they can. The effects are nothing new and the CGI effects are a bit of a laugh especially with the revelation of the so called demon that looks like something out of a comic book.

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The Crazies. 2010.

George Romero's 1973 film gets a re-vamp of a small town's water supply gets posioned and turns the inhabitants a bit loopy and start going homicidal on each other and those who haven't been infected.

The film wastes little time building up to the first outbreak of insanity and then chillingly portrays how the town's social fabric is obliterated at break neck speed. There is an abundance of scary moments, inventive gore, and even some very black humor. Some moments are so intensely suspenseful that time seems to practically stand still. All the cast play their parts well, including Timothy Olyphant as the town sheriff, Joe Anderson as his deputy, and Radha Mitchell as the town doctor.

The film is peppered with a number of suitably tense set-pieces, particularly one involving a pitchfork, a scene in a car wash and the ending with a bomb getting ready to be detonated while our two main leads try to bail out with the timer clocking down. This was a remake that was done right IMHO.

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I really enjoyed this when it came out it's been a while since I last seen it must give it a rewatch after reading this.

Its not one i view a lot, but when i do its still enjoyable.

It's a remake that was worth doing because Romero's original is naff. I should probably give it a rewatch myself.

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I watched Romero's original during the first lockdown and it really hit me different than any other time I seen it I went from liking it to loving it.

Maybe it's worth a reappraisal. I only watched it the once donkeys ears ago and thought it was awful.

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WHAT LIES BELOW – If your mum’s new boyfriend invites you down into his red-lit cellar to view his lamprey collection, try not to menstruate in his boat. That might be the lesson in store for Liberty, bookish teenager (though played by relative croc Ema Horvath) at the heart of the fishy goings on in ‘What Lies Below’. We meet her on an outing to the family lakeside retreat, where mum’s new romantic acquisition will be unveiled; it’s hunky scientist John (Trey Tucker), who doesn’t seem to think it’s a big deal that he wanders around with nothing on (and that he breeds lampreys). He’s a biologist investigating the dynamics of freshwater organisms, or so he says – there’s something about his general demeanour that sparks thoughts of ‘possible alien involved in fish breeding colonisation weirdness that ends badly for everyone present’, but I’ll let you find out for yourselves. What’s interesting about ‘What Lies Below’ is that its hackneyed set-up finds room for some genuinely strange and uncomfortable moments, most of them focussing on the grubby attraction between John and Liberty. An array of fairly creeped-out scenes dominates the movie’s mid-section and charts the progression of scientist guy’s freaky boundary-pushing behaviour, which ranges from a heckle-raising bathroom visitation to a scene on a boat where he basically ends up licking menstrual blood(!) The ending is a bit of a blur, a whirl of multicoloured fragments, fishy bits and lots of running around by a lake, but before then ‘What Lies Below’ stays its course with some evocative imagery such as John‘s immersion in waters that pulsate with an otherworldly radiance. I liked it; it seems to have attracted mostly mediocre or bad reviews, maybe because frankly it’s all a bit of a downer.

I like the sound of this. No UK release at all but there is a German Blu which is off interest.

Streamed it on Prime. Not sure it's one I'd bother to buy, even though apparently I enjoyed it much more than most reviewers.

Another round up then ...

The Creeping Flesh (Freddie Francis)

What a horrible wee tale. Sibling rivalry and oneupmanship being the main concerns ahem. Hadn't seen this since a rather faded looking print on the Beeb. It looks somewhat clearer now. Will revisit this one shortly. :nod:


The Curse Of Frankenstein (Terence Fisher)

The cornerstone. What can I say here? As long as I don't say it's a remake cough cough ...
Cushing casually wiping blood onto his lapel (that'll never come out ;)) must have been quite the thing back in the day, seeing as most of it reminds me of if Gainsborough had made more colour flicks ahem. " ...pass the marmalade".


The Mummy (Terence Fisher)

This one always bored me rigid as a callow yoof. Silly Demon. It looks so lavish now. Sigh. White men plunder another culture to stave off their base desires for cricket and high tea :laugh:
A cost is paid though ....

The Last Voyage Of The Demeter. 2023.

A ship bound to London from Bulgaria with boxes of dirt and a small crew encounter something evil and sinister on board the 4 week jorney.

Taken from Dracula's novel charting the Captain's Log and why the boat arrived derelict and empty, most Dracula movies have never really shown the voyage except the 1992 version that has a small scene with Anthony Hopkins doing the voice over as Captain Eliot.

Liam Cunningham plays the old sea ferryman and planning on his retirement and hopefully of a peaceful journey but we know that will never happen. Completley set in, around and under the ship certainly draws in the no place is safe scenario. Javier Botet plays the Count and the makers look like they have used a darker tone of make up and re-created the same Max Schrek Nosferatu appearance, very nice homage. This was actually a decent entry into the Dracula tale and certainly best watched in the dark due to the tone of the film.

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I'm glad that's good, I have it lined up for this weekend with my friend :lol:

Is it already on Netflix for free? Must be shit.

No, it’s not streaming lol :)

Actually hit UK cinemas then? I thought it may have missed them with it flopping badly in the US.

I don’t think it has been on UK screens, I don’t really check these days since the local Odeon is a crèche for badly behaved teenagers.

It’s out on disc and digital rentals in America which means it’s available worldwide for viewing if you know where to look etc…

October 15th
 

Dragonwyck (1946)

A lush Gothic melodrama starring Gene Tierney, Vincent Price and Walter Huston that focuses on social class and the stark differences between the wealthy and the poor in nineteenth century New York State as young Gene Tierney is enlisted to work as a child minder at the Dragonwyck mansion.

Dragonwyck the house is a fantastic Gothic chateau and is one of the films more memorable aspects along with the radiant Tierney, whilst Vincent Price, still in the early stage of his career oozes a proto-menace, hinting at what is to come years down the line but at the time of Dragonwyck isn't quite there yet, as he festers and then succumbs to a breakdown in a marvelously overwrought horror-lite finale.

Around the two thirds point there was a tremendous scene which showcased Gothic cinema in all it's glory. A dark and stormy night, lightning crashing, the camera in long shot slowly zooms in on the mansion, before highlighting Price sternly gazing through the window from outside. It's haunting, it's brooding and quite wonderful.

Although really a costume melodrama Dragonwyck's final twenty minutes aren't a million miles away from the events of The Fall of the House of Usher as Price descends into madness and murder.

Blood Rage

A boy kills a Teenager at a Drive-In but is able to frame his Brother, who is sent to a Mental Institution. However 10 years later, he escapes which allows his Brother to resume killing.

Originally, I thought that this was unobtainable in the UK and that I'd have to get a Spanish DVD (With Spanish Title) however I was shocked that Arrow had released it (When they released this type of stuff before the type of product they do now and it was a Blu-Ray/DVD Combo) so I picked it up in the HMV Sale and it was as advertised, Bloody and the F/X was good (For 1983 standards) but the script and acting left a lot to be desired but at under 83 minutes, it didn't outstay it's welcome.

It's not fancy but as I said, it delivered on what was expected.


A Nightmare On Elm Street Part II: Freddy's Revenge

A new family moves in to Elm Street and Freddy terrorizes the eldest Son. I feel that this is a much maligned Sequel as other than mentions, Nancy isn't in this and if Dream Warriors was the 2nd Film in the Franchise and this is the 3rd, then I believe that this would be looked upon more fondly.

It's short, has some good kills and is quite entertaining especially the Pool Party Scene.

October 15th (2)
 

The Hollow (2004)

Coming some five years after the classic that was the similarly named Sleepy Hollow this had to be something a bit different to stand any chance of being remembered. So using the general ideas from Washington Irvine's story and bringing them kicking and screaming into the modern day works well, sort of.

The story involves a high school student (Kevin Zegers) and his discovery that he's a descendant of the legendary Ichabod Crane from Irvine's story and the newly resurrected Headless Horseman has come back from the dead once more to collect his head.

Part teen high school movie but thanks to some likable characters - Zegers does really well in the lead role and Kaley Cuoco - who always seems like someone you could talk to - (If anyone's interested she suits her cheerleader outfit quite nicely) meaning you have a couple of leads to root for rather than wish dead from the opening minutes. The film also benefits from a couple of veteran stars namely Stacy Keach and Judge Reinhold who both have significant screen time, especially Keach as the grizzled old timer / fountain of knowledge of all things Washington Irvine.

The Hollow is probably too much of a teen movie early doors to be viewed as any sort of essential Halloween viewing but as it progresses and we go on a haunted hay ride things take a turn for the creepy and Halloween traditions and Irvine's story are carefully examined.

As for the headless horseman? Well there's no real comparison to Tim Burton's brilliant thunder hoofed Headless Horseman and there's not much in the way of gore as the film was originally made for ABC's Family Channel (It was cut when shown) but everything has been re-inserted for this dvd including heads getting lopped off, brief nudity (with a literal idea of 'giving head') and gory remains.

Fun and one i often revisit at this time of year but not essential.

Hell House LLC III. 2019.

This one is set 9 years after the Haunted House disaster and entrepreneur Russell Wynn purchasing the Abaddon Hotel for his own walk through version of Faust. This is a interesting installment that does get a bit better on viewing a few times, but its not one I can watch over and over. Some of the characters can be annoying or be a bit OTT on the acting. It doesn't have much jump scares but can hold your attention as to what the main character is trying to plan with the hotel. Be interesting to see what the next installment Will be like.

30 Days of Unseen Horror

Day 16

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Julias life is left in shambles after her parents and their housekeep are killed in a car crash and with no where left to go Julia moves in with her aunt and her family. Rachel Julia's cousin tries to make her new home as comfortable as possible and introduce her to her friends but something doesn't feel right about Julia but Rachel is the only one that seems to feel that way and she is largely ignored apart from one of her professors who specialises in the occult. As time goes on Rachel discovers more and more signs that her cousin may be a witch in league with the supernatural.

After reading an interview with Linda Blair yesterday I decided to seek out some of her early films luckily this one was on YouTube and seeing that Wes Craven directed this made for TV film I was extremely intrigued.

The majority of the film is building the characters and the tension between Rachel and Julia what starts as suspicion soon turns to hatered with blazing arguements between them both becoming more and more regular but Julia seems to have the family wrapped around her little finger even stealing Rachels boyfriend. Although it's a slow build I really enjoyed the film there isn't a creepy atmosphere or anything thing just an increasing feeling of annoyance with Julia and eventually I was thinking what a complete bitch :lol:

There was one scene towards the end that had me in stitches and even today in work when I think about it I can't help but laugh I wish I could say something but it's too close to the end :pound:

It does feel more like a family drama for the most part but I really liked it and the ending was fun too. I think it's worth the watch.

SOCIETY – Bill is a suburban teenage nihilist facing the prospect of growing up and joining the ‘real world’ of his posh family and wider neighbourhood. From where he’s standing, turning into an adult doesn’t look like it’s going to be all that, and suddenly questions arise – is the world I’m about to enter full of good intentions? Or is it all a front for some polymorphous blob orgy conspiracy? ‘Society’ is one answer, and it’s a good one if you happen to be into polymorphous blob orgy conspiracies. I always used to feel a bit disappointed after seeing ‘Society’, but I like it more now. Back then, I thought I’d be in for ninety minutes of prosthetically enhanced gunk a la ‘The Thing’, only to find that the film was teasing its Screaming Mad George-facilitated money shot all the way till the end. But even though I never think Brian Yuzna has the deftest touch when it comes to narrative, the ‘slow simmer’ approach works better for me these days; ‘Society’ unfolds in the manner of the classic weird tale, where odd details accumulate layer on layer until the final flowering of the uncanny, and it’s to Yuzna’s credit that before he bares all with an outlandish punchline that tells you all you need to know about what really goes on in those golf club back rooms, he takes care to cultivate a pulsating atmosphere of surreal noir and thereby fashions ‘Society’ as a film that’s as much about build as it is pay-off. The whole ‘Beverley Hills 90210: the body horror remix’ thing feels more intriguing than it did, maybe just because of the changing landscape (both horror and otherwise), and the way the nineties look on film nowadays – nostalgia for the woes of entitled brats in oversized jeans has its rewards when it’s as squishy as this. ‘Society’ has a kind of satirical obviousness that you couldn’t really get away with in the present times, but it’s still probably Brian Yuzna’s best film and remains a high point of that late-eighties / early nineties era of horror.

October 16th
 

Night of the Demons (2009)

A remake of Kevin Tenney's eighties classic. Although this slicker take has a bigger budget and a better cast it doesn't have that film's charm and get's lost in running around in indistinguishable darkness during it's last twenty minutes and yet again i was willing it to end.

Up to then it had been good fun. Essentially it's the same story as the original in which Angela (Shannon Elizabeth) hosts a Halloween night party at an old mansion and once there becomes a demon who kills or transforms the guests into other demons.

This has a cracking soundtrack from the likes of Wednesday 13, Goatwhore 45 Grave and best of all Type O' Negative whose Black No. 1 plays as Shannon Elizabeth gets it on with Bobbi Sue Luther.

The film proves another nail in the acting coffin of Edward Furlong but genre stalwarts Tiffany Shepis and Linnea Quigley, who once again flashes her tutu'd cheeks, have brief cameos.

Bloody Disgusting on the dvd cover say the film is "Loud, brash, sexy and gory" which it is. It's also a little bit shit too.

Dr. Phibes Rises Again (Robert Fuest)

Yes, it's not a patch on the first film, but I just love the endless cameos from various stalwarts.
Our vocally challenged fiend sods off to Egypt to further his aims with the plod eventually on his trail. It still looks like no other film from the period.
:nod:

October 16th (2)
 

Inferno (1980)

The story follows a young man's (Leigh McCloskey) investigation of his sister's disappearance from her New York apartment, an apartment that was allegedly home to an ancient witch, one of the three mothers, Mater Tenebrarum (the other two being Mater Lachrymarum and Mater Suspiriorum ).

Inferno has everything you'd want in a Dario Argento film. There's the trademark gore, shot as stylishly as ever, like watching a painting created out of blood, together with a terrific score from rock legend Keith Emerson and there's the colours.

Prior film Suspiria (1977) is rightly lauded for it's use of colour. Reds that prove so vibrant that they are integral to the film's aura, yet Inferno is very much the same with a powerful use of bright pinks and blues, often in the same shot and are every bit as stylish as anything Suspiria offers up, even more so perhaps as i think the colour palettes work even better here so much so that even dark night time scenes have a day-glo vibrancy to them. It's not so much a stylish Gothic horror as a stylish Art Deco horror and it's utterly mesmeric.

As a whole the film is a hypnotic nightmarish descent into hell, perfectly encapsulated by the opening scenes as Irene Miracle's Rose takes a swim in a water filled basement trying to reach her keys and coming across a putrefying corpse in the submerged cellar. It's unnerving and highly claustrophobic and sets the scene of the terrors to come.

Round-up AGAIN
 

I'm so shit at this :lol: Here's another round-up post!

Fri 13th Oct
Freddy Vs Jason (2003)

Honestly, why did I do this to myself, it literally ranks dead last in my Jason rankings. Oh, I know why, it's because you lot were all banging on about how much you enjoyed it haha. I do like some bits (cornfield rave and the stealing the dream drug from the hospital), not many, and I hate the teenage cast members. That dude at the beginning being like bitch, now, don't make me ask twice... I was thinking ugh I hate that guy so thankfully he meets his demise very quickly. UGH.

Sat 14th Oct
Satan's Blood (1978)

Spanish horror films are unlike any other films, they are off the charts. Like who in the right mind thinks, when meeting a total stranger on the street, well he says he knows me from school so I guess I can follow him an hour out of the city down some dodgy looking dirt tracks to his Satanic Cult Mansion because his wife did say, don't worry we have some wine and cheese. Sure... Boobs and dicks ahoy :lol: I liked it :lol:

Sat 14th Oct
Zombi Holocaust (1980)

Well I guess it's OK, didn't really get the story. Mad doctor (butcher) in the jungle experimenting on natives, but in the next scene the natives have kidnapped the lead lady and painted daisies on her. People die, get bits chopped off, get munched on, then the zombies come and kill the natives, then the zombies get blown up. Also a room of upside down tribes people, literally a row of dicks because of the camera angle, boy I've chosen them this week :lol: Didn't love it, but not terrible.

Sun 15th Oct
Stephen King on Screen (2023)

I saw this in the shop on Bluray and I was going to buy it, then I checked online and I could rent a stream for 99p so did that and I'm glad I did because I wont watch it again. Basically this is a bunch of guys who have directed a film based of Stephen King. Frank Darabont, Mick Garris, Mike Flannigan etc there are loads of them, and they all have interesting stories to tell about King. However, the editing is awful, clips with dialogue are played over the interviewees talking, and the background music was so loud all of the way through. I liked it, but as I said a one time watch.

Mon 16th Oct
The Stalls of Barchester (1971) & Lost Hearts (1973)

Yes, I know it's not Christmas, but nether of these two stories, and in fact Lost Hearts takes place in October! I was planning to watch my new Bluray remaster of these last Christmas when it came out, I was so excited, I was taking it with me to Edinburgh where I was staying for 3 weeks, only when I got on the train I remembered that I had left it on the table, next to my house keys so I wouldn't forget it :lol:

Anyway, you've all seen these, they are spooky and scary and very atmospheric, highly recommended.

Tue 17th Oct
Damien: Omen II (1978)

One of those films I've seen a few times but can never remember what happens apart from some of the key death scenes, like the crow lady and the horrific trapped under ice man. Turns out that it's actually a bit boring, has no tension and is not remotely scary. I did like Damien freaking out after reading the bible and knowing instantly that he has to look for the mark of the devil on his head and finding it :lol: I've never seen the 3rd film, which I'm going to watch soon, but not until after the rest of October is finished!

What do the blu rays look like Justin?

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They are really good, a little bit of print damage which has not been fixed, but it's what you'd expect from 50 year old negatives from the BBC, the company who recorded over their video taped shows :lol:

Loads of natural film grain, so if you don't like that beware, but to me that's great, the detail is the grain! Sound quality is excellent as well.

Ah, I may well hold off. The dvds look great and i have to admit I'm not a big fan of film grain. Much as i appreciate why it's there.

12. Grandmother’s House

first time watch - low budget, low impact, but a bit of fun. Don’t want to give away any spoilers, but the twist at the end was fairly f**ked up.


13. Guest House Paradiso

I felt in need of a break from all the grue and gore so went back to Guest House Paradiso, one of my all time favourite slightly horror dark comedies. Hilarity ensues at this nightmarish Fawtly Towers-esque hotel when radioactive fish is fed to the guests. Wonderful stuff. I’m very much looking forward to the upcoming blu ray release teased by Indicator, and assume they will be using the Vinegar Syndrome remaster and special features.


14. Paranorman

one with the kids. This is a really fantastic animated film about a wee boy who can see ghosts. Considering its a kids film it is genuinely scary in parts. My kids have always enjoyed (age appropriate) horror stuff but when they were younger this was the one film that really frightened them - In particular the part where the ghost of Norman’s uncle comes out the toilet!


15. The Curse of Bridge Hollow

Netflix - Not bad, not great, but the kids enjoyed the fast paced dialogue and jokes.


16. Sick

NowTV - from the writers of Scream. As one Letterbox’d reviewer gave it - “they’ve swapped ‘what’s your favourite scary movie?’ for ‘where’s your mask?’” This was good fun, set around the beginning of the covid pandemic, and starts with a guy following the one way arrows around a supermarket before agreeing to go to a party with a stranger who invited him via text. The stranger follows up by asking what his testing status is and that’s where the trouble begins. Good fun, and a bit of a send up for the panic and paranoia.


17. Critters 2

first time watch. Good stupid movie and was able to watch it with the kids.


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Itsy Bitsy. 2019.

Bruce Davison is the old collector of rare antiquities and proud of his new rare vase that has a legend of a goddess. Elizabeth Roberts is the new carer for the old guy who is troubled and trying to cope with two young children. When the new vase is broken and something has escaped and takes the form of a spider. This is never going to be spectacular, it has a decent premise of a chilling horror even for those who are arachnophobe. The old guy telling the young boy about the back story of the goddess like a dark jackanory story, it has some good suspense moments but due to some questionable writing/directing that isnt played out well.

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THE NEON DEMON – At its heart lies a classic tale of the unravelling of an ingenue who sides with the corruption around her, but Winding-Refn’s ‘The Neon Demon’ convinces more as an exploitation movie decked out like a perfume ad. It’s about Jesse (played by Elle Fanning), a small-town girl barely out of high school, now in LA with hopes of making it on the catwalk. She meets a trio of fashion victims and begins a descent into a glam world full of all the poisonous peacockery and angst we civilians love to lap up from the safe distance offered by the queue in Primark. But the gist isn’t so much a loss of innocence fable as a darkside revel – Winding Refn wastes no opportunity in bringing on a slew of macabre gewgaws, including occultic ‘Demon Seed’-esque prism imagery, blood baths and randomly errant panthers; even if ‘Neon Demon’ makes as if to critique commodification and objectification, it feels more like a feint that allows Refn to serve up scenes of cannibalism and necrophilia. All this seems more important than the ‘human’ side of the story, and it should be – why tell us what we already know? The culture industry is commonly acknowledged to be a mean and shallow place, at least in films like this. So I’m all for baroque eye candy over heart-on-sleeve, and Winding Refn really does let go with the excess ornamentation, often pretty much stopping the film to say “hey, this looks really cool, no?” before dissolving the image in a plane of diabolically pretty wallpaper, or some slow motion neon pulsation straight out of J’Adore by Argento. This might make ‘Neon Demon’ as spiritually vacant as its characters, but it’s beautifully done. It’s a mesmerising film that captures a true feeling of a dark enchantment, and no matter how outré ‘Neon Demon’ seems in places, you almost want to believe it’s not all that different from what goes on in the shadows backstage at one of these shows. Just as a quick aside, all the performances hit the right chilly tone, but I was particularly taken with Keanu Reeves. He plays a sleazy rooming house owner and isn’t in it all that much, but I just really like his intro scene – we start off by looking at this sinister silhouette behind a grotty sex hotel door, then it flies open, and – Keanu! Wasn’t expecting you to drop in!