Irish film update (5 March)

Big Irish film update today. Let's crack on...

At the IFI in Dublin, this month's Ireland on Sunday screening (on Sunday 8th, i.e. this weekend) is the documentary WHAT AM I DOING HERE? by Trish McAdam which I am not familiar with at all (this is the world premiere after all) so head over to the Irish Film Institute to find out more.

Also at the IFI, this month's archive screening is the vintage DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE (which I've just heard is going to be introduced by Jim Sheridan). At the risk of destroying my credibility... I've never seen this.

Declared by me to be the joint best film of 2008, Declan Recks's EDEN has just been released on DVD in the USA so for those of you who are either in America (ooh, a wee Irish film pun there) or have multi-region DVD players, buy a copy. Still no sign of it appearing in the UK despite picking up a distributor. Admittedly it's the same distributor who picked up KINGS and I'm still waiting for that to get any kind of a UK release.

While we're talking about DVDs, Lance Daly's excellent KISSES is released to buy on DVD tomorrow, but only in Ireland. I've heard nothing about it getting a UK distributor yet and certainly nothing's been submitted to the BBFC as I write this, so this might be your best bet to see it if you haven't already done so.

Two Irish films are on release in Ireland at the moment. The Liam Neeson/James Nesbitt drama dealing with the legacy of the troubles, FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN, is playing at all of four cinemas (as far as I know). I've been too lazy to look up any reviews but it won a couple of awards at Sundance. Looks interesting, so if any of you are in Dublin, Dundrum, Cork or Galway why not go and see it. I'd hope that Neeson and Nesbitt coupled with the fact that it's directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel should be enough of interest to get it some kind of UK release, but I've heard nothing so far and the fact that its release in Ireland is so limited doesn't seem like a great sign - unless it's testing the water before a major release. If anyone know anything about a UK release let me know.

Slightly less likely to get a UK release I fear (although I hope I'm wrong) is the Irish animated romp THE SECRET OF KELLS, which played well at JDIFF last month. It's had some cracking reviews so if you've seen it let me know.

I suppose I could just organise a day trip at the weekend - fly over to Ireland first thing in the morning, see THE SECRET OF KELLS and FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN, pop into the shops to buy a copy of KISSES and then fly home again but even my love of Irish cinema doesn't stretch to such lengths. Actually that's a lie, my love of Irish cinema does... but my bank balance doesn't.

Belfast Film Festival recently announced its programme. There's a lot of Irish feature films playing, including John T Davis's documentary TAILWIND which I've missed at a couple of festivals. I mention this one specifically because it was on BBC NI a few days ago and I forgot to mention it here. I think that was an edited down version though, so if you get the chance go and see the full length version of this documentary about the Northern Irish contribution to World War II.

Their programme of Irish shorts features a whole heap of short films and no less than 14 of them have been covered here on this blog, most of them favourably, so why not go along and see some of them. I'm not going myself. I was tempted, particularly since I have never been there (and I believe my ancestors came from there so I could do the whole stereotypical tourist thing) but I'm reserving my holidays for the various other film festivals that I've still got planned for the year, including many more Irish ones. If there had been some really cheap flights I might still have been tempted with a last minute thing, mind you.

If you go to over to Youtube, the festival has posted a whole bunch of trailers showing at the festival, split into features and documentaries.

Going back to the subject of BBC NI, and to make up for not mentioning TAILWIND, a similar subject (this time American soldiers in Northern Ireland) is covered in OVER HERE which airs on BBC NI next week (9th March, 9pm). If, like me, you live elsewhere in the UK, you can get the regional variations of BBC on Sky Digital and such services.

Just to prove I'm not totally limited to this part of the world, I'll mention that there are a few Irish film festivals in American this month. San Francisco started today and is on tomorrow as well; Seattle is shortly after that; most significant is the Chicago Irish Film Festival. This runs from the 6th to the 11th of this month - features include classics and new films, such as THE INFORMER and KISSES. They'll also be showing a bunch of shorts, including Conor Ferguson's ATLANTIC which you'll recall I declared the fourth best film of 2008. So if you happen to be reading this in Chicago - first of all, hello from Scotland, and secondly, go and see some Irish films. Especially ATLANTIC.

Finally, Irish films are represented at this year's London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. Neasa Ni Chianain's FAIRYTALE OF KATHMANDU, covered in this blog back during the Edinburgh film fest, is playing on 6th and 7th of April (paired with SPOTLIGHT: GAY PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, a short film about gays in Ulster). Short films at the festival also include the Irish films MAN HUGS by Aoife Sullivan (26th March) and JAMES by Connor Clements (6th April), the latter also having been covered in this blog.

Horrorthon'08: MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN (2008)

This was very disappointing.

It's been so long since I read any Clive Barker that I can't even remember if I ever read the original story or not, so I've no idea how many misgivings about the story are his fault and how many are the fault of the film. Either way, I can't remember the last time I rolled my eyes and thought "that's just stupid" as many times as I did during this one.

I don't like CGI being used for gore as it just doesn't look right, but fair play, I have to admit that the gore in this film is at least very creative and imaginative. If you're going to have CG gore then I'm at least happy to see heads exploding and eyeballs popping out in gratuitous slow motion instead of shaky-cam, hyper-edit, too-dark-to-see-anything kind of stuff. Sadly that's about all the film had going for it.

Bland characters, daft story, and despite being required to do nothing except look mean and not say anything, Vinnie Jones still fails to convince me that he's an actor.

To be fair, I quite liked the ending (but not the final scene - too laboured) but I'd have liked it a lot more if I hadn't stopped caring about an hour earlier.

And that's my Horrorthon coverage at an end!

Horrorthon'08: JAWS 2 (1978)

Directed by some guy whose name I can't even remember, this sequel certainly doesn't scale the heights of Spielberg's classic original.

Although Roy Scheider's back and as reliable as ever, the rest of the cast in this retread of the original offer nothing. Gone is the focus on Scheider, instead giving far more time to annoying kids and teen romance. It's almost a foreshadowing of the formula that would dominate 80s movies - and there's even a nasty property developer, surely the mainstay villain of all 80s films.

As if that wasn't enough of a mis-step, there's also the scenes of the shark attacks, equally botched. Spielberg knew exactly what to show and what not to show - his successor here unfortunately shows no such knowledge. We are shown far too much of the dodgy-looking shark, not enough of the hapless victims and all in all it ends up being depressingly dull for a film that should be all about sharks eating people.

A real misfire that only serves to illustrate how good the original film was.

Horrorthon'08: DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)

It's many years since I saw Romero's classic zombie film and to be honest I couldn't tell you which cut we even saw at the IFI, but it's always nice to see something like this again anyway, especially with a like-minded audience.

The first of the sequels to the seminal NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, this is the logical progression as the zombies are now overrunning the living and it's all about surviving. For one band of refugees, that means making themselves a base in the local shopping centre, allowing Romero to both spin a yarn about consumerism while also allowing Tom Savini to demonstrate some interesting ways of being killed or maimed.

The film is certainly a satisfactory outing and one of the best of the zombie genre but I'm not sure I'd elevate it to quite the same heights as many others do. I still think that parts of the film - particularly in the middle - are too slow-moving, and some scenes of dispatching zombies begin to get repetitive. After an entertaining opening, it's not really until the finale that we see Romero and his flesh-eating hoards really cut loose for all their worth once again.

It's still a classic though. You can't beat some flesh-eating zombie action, though I'm more of a Fulci man.

Horrorthon'08: PLAGUE TOWN (2008)

This Irish-set horror was actually filmed in America but to be honest it actually does actually just about pass for the Emerald Isle, one out-of-place bus aside.

Like a number of other horror films of late, both at Horrorthon and elsewhere, the film doesn't really offer anything new but at least manages it in a mostly-entertaining way. Americans run into a town of inbred crazies, nasty things happen, etc. but there are some memorable moments and the ugly locals are presented via some reasonably effective make-up effects.

I should applaud the film for trying to develop the characters first - a dysfunctional American family tracing their roots in Ireland - since many other films fail miserably to do so, but in the end this is also a flaw of the film. It's not that it slows the film down, but rather that it does almost too good a job of introducing them. The opening parts of the movie, with all the family members (plus one guest) getting at each others' throats is frequently hilarious and actually far more enjoyable than the by-the-numbers horror that follows it.

I don't see it getting a cinema release but its worth giving it a spin when it hits DVD.

Horrorthon'08: GNAW (2008)

GNAW is yet another new British indie horror and unfortunately, like the others on show this weekend, it was poor.

The tired old story concerns a group of kids straying into the country where - stop me if you've heard this - they meet a horrible fate. There's not a sympathetic character in the entire film, there seems to be a competition between them to see who can act in the most stupid way possible and despite one or two decent shocks the whole thing is just a yawn-fest. Well, apart from the bits where you're too busy laughing (and not in a good way).

Applause followed the film, but it was mainly sarcastic. Avoid.

Horrorthon'08: MARTYRS (2008)

French horror MARTYRS is a somewhat hot title on the festival circuit at the moment, having built up a reputation for being one of the more shocking horror films of recent years.

It's certainly unpleasant, I'll give you that, but since most modern horror films labour under the misapprehension that making something as unpleasant and tortuous as possible means it's great horror it's not exactly breaking new ground in the genre. Truth be told, once you immunise yourself to the unpleasant effects of a woman getting spectacularly beaten up, there's not much else to it.

The plot initially concerns a young woman taking revenge on a family that she claimed subjected her to horrific torture as a child. What we end up with is the first half of the film being a variation on fellow French shocker HAUTE TENSION, followed by a second half in which a woman is beaten and tortured.

The reason for all this is revealed eventually but unfortunately it's limited to a couple of throwaway lines quickly spun out to justify the gruelling torment that preceded it. It's a real shame because, despite probably being a little tasteless, the reason is an interesting one. Unfortunately the filmmakers clearly thought that further investigation of this wouldn't be as interesting as seeing a woman being beaten up some more.

I should confess however that after being left a little cold by it to begin with, it did grow on me slightly in the days following it. However, it's not the masterpiece its being heralded as and if you're a hardened gore-monger there are probably a few scenes to make you squirm but mainly a feeling of "so what".

Horrorthon'08: SURVEILLANCE (2008)

Nasty goings on in small town America; sharp-suited FBI agents; weird rumblings on the soundtrack; lots of characters who seem a little bit kooky; it can only be a David Lynch film.

Except it's not, it's by his daughter Jennifer and, once you get past the above, it's actually a fairly straightforward though well-made thriller.

A horrific incident sees two FBI agents arrive in town to investigate what happened. The remaining eye witnesses are all grilled simultaneously, while Bill Pullman observes them all via a security camera.

Don't let the title full you though. The camera's a gimmick really; the film is basically a bunch of people lying about what happened, while the audience slowly gets shown the real story. There are hints of RASHOMON, of course, but it differs slightly in so far as it shows the audience more than the characters are telling.

There are moments of unpleasantness and overall it's a rather bleak and cynical film; even the good guys are hard to like. It is entertaining though and delivers a neat little story with a satisfying wrap up that will certainly leave people discussing it after the titles roll.

A very good film.

Horrorthon'08: DRACULA (1992)

Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA seemed like an odd choice for a screening since, firstly, it's more of a romantic take than the traditional Dracula films and secondly, it's not exactly the best-reviewed version of the story either.

That said, I really enjoyed it, this being the first time I'd ever seen it. There are undoubtedly low points - Tom Waits as a lacklustre Renfield, Anthony Hopkins as a Van Helsing who can't seem to decide if he's a serious nemesis or comic relief, and of course anything involving Keanu Reeves.

Kick that lot out the way though and you're left with a decent film. Winona Ryder's surprisingly good, the various supporting men are stupid but entertaining, the score is certainly ominous and dramatic enough and the old-fashioned set design is just a work of art. On top of all that, Gary Oldman, who we already know is one of the best actors alive, is superb as the title character.

I still prefer the Hammer and Universal versions, but I was surprised by how good this film is.

Horrorthon'08: DEMONS 2 (1986)

Last year's screening of DEMONS was a highlight so it was a delight to see the sequel getting an outing this year.

Of course, it's a stupid film, and the stupidity is only amplified (as is so often the case) by the hilarious dubbing on the English language version.

Gone is the first film's cinema setting (although the original is referred to in a nonsensical sub-plot), this time replaced with a modern skyscraper. It doesn't really matter, the end result is the same: lots of people being attacked and killed by crazy zombie-demon-type-things.

Mad monsters, hilarious dubbing, gruesome deaths and a barmy plot, all wrapped up in some delightful visuals and a typically wonderful electronic score. It's exactly what you expect the film to deliver, and it's exactly what you want it to deliver. A great big stupid ninety minutes of fun.

Horrorthon'08: NIGHT OF THE CREEPS (1986)

Once again the new Irish horror (GHOSTWOOD) got ditched for 80s nostalgia as I went to see NIGHT OF THE CREEPS, a fondly remembered zombie-ish teen horror that was every bit as stupid and entertaining as I remember it.

Interestingly, the showing here was thought to be a premiere of sorts. The film never received a cinema release in the UK or Ireland - many people discovered the film either through video or, like me, late night BBC screenings - so this was a special occasion, particularly since it's not available on DVD yet either. It was made all the more special by the fact that the print they showed was absolutely pristine.

The plot essentially boils down to alien parasites turning people into zombies while a bunch of teenagers worry about drinking, getting laid and playing frat pranks. Hilarity ensues. Much of it is genuinely, intentionally funny while parts of it are more funny because of how dated it is. Have you ever noticed that 80s films actually seem to have dated more than most films from the 60s or 70s?

The real star of the show however is stalwart character actor Tom Atkins, who plays the police officer in charge of the case. Having lost his (unfaithful) girlfriend in an unfortunate incident involving a serial killer, an axe and a crashed UFO, he's a washed up, miserable man who gets all the best lines and delivers them with deadpan aplomb, whether he's answering the phone ("Thrill me!") or displaying a real weapons fetish.

Gore, pretty ladies, alien parasites and a bitter but hilarious cop all add up to an immensely enjoyable cinema experience. Thrill me indeed.

Horrorthon coverage to be continued soon...

Horrorthon'08: NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD (2008)

Or NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF OZPLOITATION! to give it its full title.

While Peter Weir and his ilk were turning the newly emerging Australian film industry into the darlings of the arthouse film world, a new breed of Aussie filmmakers were ensuring that the country would also leave its mark on the exploitation map. This documentary tells the story of Australian exploitation cinema and is as entertaining as many of the films featured.

The film covers the early days of racist comedy and low-brow sex movies through the more famous films such as MAD MAX, STONE and PATRICK to horror films like RAZORBACK and neglected classics like LONG WEEKEND (one of my personal favourites), eventually ending with a look at how these films that went before have influenced the new generation of directors who have given us films like UNDEAD, WOLF CREEK and the smash hit SAW.

There are interviews with far too many people for me to list here, but they include filmmakers (George Miller, Russell Mulcahy, the late Richard Franklin), critics (Bob Ellis rather amusingly seems to hate everyone), home-grown stars (George Lazenby, Rod Taylor) and those who came to the industry from abroad (Jamie Lee Curtis, Dennis Hopper). And of course it couldn't be a film about cult movies without Quentin Tarantino waxing lyrical about how brilliant they are. These are just a handful of examples of those who are interviewed but there are many, many more.

It's essential viewing for any fan of cult films and is sure to open your eyes to a world of films that you never knew existed.

It'll also open your eyes in other ways. The most entertaining, and yet terrifying, strand of the movie is the story of how the films were made with scant regard for anyone's safety. Although they once again point out that, contrary to popular myth, that guy in MAD MAX that gets hit by the bike was not killed, other films weren't so lucky. People were killed on some sets; George Lazenby got set on fire (one of the funnier stories in the film); Dennis Hopper was, well, Dennis Hopper; and just listen to Steve Railsback describing his time on TURKEY SHOOT.

Not horror per se, but a highlight of the festival and one which every film lover should see as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Horrorthon'08: CHILD'S PLAY (1988)

More 80s horror, and more dated but fun nostalgia. This one I did at least manage to see nearer the time it was released, just before one of its sequels was wrongly used as campaign fodder by one of the UK's more dangerous press institutions and effectively buried.

I can't say if it's the film that's dated or my tastes that have evolved (perhaps a little of both) but this time round the film just seems to have lost something. I'm not one to let Britain's tabloids tell me what to think, so that's not it. But what is it?

Could it be the fact that Brad Dourif, once so menacing, has now been coloured by some of the absolute dross he's been in since then? Could it be that the horror that once seemed so over the top to my young, impressionable eyes is actually pretty tame when watched again nowadays? Or is it the special effects? Chucky certainly doesn't look quite so menacing as he once did.

That said, there's still much to enjoy. Chucky still has his moments, some of the slapstick violence is pretty funny and there's something simultaneously disturbing and hilarious about watching a small boy violently fighting a psychopathic toy.

Not the horror classic that its maligned UK reputation would normally suggest but still fun all the same.

Horrorthon'08: THE DISAPPEARED (2008)

A teenager returns home after time away following the disappearance and, it is assumed, murder of his younger brother for which he attracts much of the blame. Then he begins to hear the boy's voice on tape recordings...

Acting (including, in the lead role, Harry Treadaway, currently being seen in CITY OF EMBER) ranges from acceptable to bad; the plot throws up twists that are so obvious it's hard to see that they were even envisaged as "twists" to begin with; and the film is populated entirely by annoying teenagers calling each other "bro" or miserable adults who seem to exist just to make things hard for the kids.

The bland run-down housing estate is a setting with great potential for a horror flick, but despite some nice photography and obvious effort the film never maximises the spooky potential.

The whole affair is depressing, by-the-numbers stuff that I was glad to see the back of. It certainly wasn't the worst film on offer but certainly doesn't give me much hope for British indie horror when allied with some of the other dross I saw over the weekend.

Horrorthon'08: THE HUNGER (1983)

I first saw this film in 2004 so I can't use the excuse that I'm looking back with nostalgia towards the 1980s when I say that it's not as good as I remember it.

An interesting attempt to do something different with the vampire film, it was directed by Tony Scott (TOP GUN and other high-octane nonsense) so it's a surprise in many ways. What we have is a story of addiction and doomed romance, with Catherine Deneuve still looking totally hot and David Bowie being surprisingly watchable. It's beautifully shot and boasts some rather haunting music (whether it be the raucous opening courtesy of Bauhaus or the more melancholy classical choices), and really does create a sense of loneliness and sadness amidst all the blood-drinking and lesbian vamp action.

Unfortunately it also has some badly dated fashions and some over-showy direction. Together with the occasional clunker in the script department (try to watch Susan Sarandon spill her drink down her blouse without roaring with laughter) it's not exactly the masterpiece I remember.

As vampire films go it's one of the more interesting attempts and a decent example of 80s horror, but time has not been kind to every aspect of the production.

Fascinating trivia: this is apparently the 300th time I've posted to this blog. How exciting.

Horrorthon'08: NIGHT OF THE LEPUS (1972)

Well what can I say about this "classic" 70s horror film? If I wasn't covering it as part of my Horrorthon stuff, it would almost certainly have made it in here in my Gobsmacking Cinema series of oddities. I just had to pick this one over the Irish horror film SEER which was on at the same time (and, I've heard, wasn't very good).

It's one of those nature-strikes-back films that were so popular in the 1970s, whether it be through classics like JAWS or insanely stupid (but simultaneously brilliant) trash like GRIZZLY.

NIGHT OF THE LEPUS definitely belongs in the latter category - like GRIZZLY at last year's Horrorthon, this definitely needs to be seen with a late night audience. If nothing else, the very concept is too barmy for words. Giant killer rabbits.

Yes, giant killer rabbits. This opens up the floodgates for all manner of classic exploitation moments, whether it be the rather unpleasant archive footage of a rabbit cull while a reporter tells us how much of a threat they are, or a combination of (unconvincing) trick photography and men in rabbit suits.

There's some great grizzly death-by-rabbit action but full marks must go to the human cast as well.

Boasting a cast that includes Rory Calhoun (MOTEL HELL), Janet Leigh (PSYCHO), STUART WHITMAN (lots of cult movies) and DeForest Kelley (Bones McCoy himself), it reads like a who's who of cult. What's so brilliant however is the utterly straight-faced way in which they perform despite being in the most ludicrous of movies.

The moment when NIGHT OF THE LEPUS's wonder is best summed up comes as a policeman gets out his megaphone at a packed drive-in and tells everyone to calmly drive away as there is a herd of killer rabbits heading their way. And they do it! No fuss, no argument! They just accept the fact, without question, that there is a herd of killer rabbits coming their way. Ask yourself how you would react in such a situation.

Totally mad, totally crap, and totally and undeniably a must-see cult classic.

Horrorthon coverage continues tomorrow night...

Horrorthon'08: MINDFLESH (2008)

MINDFLESH is a low-budget British horror about a troubled taxi driver who sees a ghostly woman while out on his rounds (he never seems to actually take any fares though) and begins to get into deep trouble as he investigates.

This film is an absolute turd. Bad acting, dialogue that I can't believe was read with a straight face and generally just lots of weirdness. That's about all I can say really. In fact, it's all I want to say, since this film was so bad that reliving it just makes me angry.

The only time it ever becomes watchable (which is really saying something, given the gratuitous nudity) is when Christopher Fairbank (Moxey from AUF WIEDERSEHEN PET) shows up as a mad scientist. Well, he's not really mad, but Fairbank overacts with such delight that he pretty much feels totally insane.

MINDFLESH screened with the short film INTO THE MIRROR which certainly demonstrated promise and potential from a filmmaking perspective. It was strikingly shot on what one assumes was some very cheap equipment and while there are serious issues with the dialogue the rest of the sound design is impressive. It did however leave me wondering what the hell it was all about. It was certainly a great deal better than the shite it was paired up with.

Actually, you can make up your own mind, as I've just discovered that INTO THE MIRROR is available for viewing on YouTube - click here to see it. While you're there you can also search for a couple of MINDFLESH-related clips/trailers but frankly I wouldn't waste your time.

Horrorthon'08: SAW V (2008)

Have you seen the first four SAW movies? Do you know them off by heart? Do you have a degree in SAWology?

If not, you might do well to revisit them on DVD before you watch this one, as the story becomes ever more reliant on the audience remembering who the hell everyone is and what they're doing.

It's not like other long-running horror franchises in this respect - you can enjoy teenagers getting carved up no matter which FRIDAY THE 13TH movie you see - but at the same time the makers of the SAW films should be applauded for still putting a bit of thought into their movies, elevating them far above the other pointless torture-horror trend that it pretty much started.

I really enjoyed it, despite really struggling to remember who people were on occasion, but it's not really for casual viewers.

If on the other hand you're familiar with the series, you like some quality gore and you haven't already been bored by the other sequels, then this film is definitely worth your money.

Horrorthon'08: EVIL DEAD II (1987)

I don't know if it's because they couldn't find a print or whatever, but Sam Raimi's comedy horror sequel was screened from what appeared to be a DVD source or something like that, and on top of that the projectionist was clearly having some issues getting it in the right aspect ratio.

Technical issues aside however, it was great fun. You just can't go wrong with this one. Regarded as better than the original in most quarters, EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN made it into the top 50 of Empire's top 500 films of all time recently, such is its staying power. Okay, so Empire's top 500 films was a puddle of pish in many ways, but for a gory horror to be held in such high regard by so many still speaks volumes.

After a brief intro which basically remakes the original film (no continuity knowledge required here!) Bruce Campbell and friends get terrorised by evil spirits in a cabin in the middle of the woods.

And that's about it really. However, there's endless entertainment in the presentation, from stooge-style slapstick to gross-out gore, stop-motion magic mixing with hilarious Campbell overacting. It's an absolute hoot from start to finish, and possibly the only time I've ever heard a cinema audience spontaneously applaud and cheer the word "groovy."

Horrorthon'08: THE FUNHOUSE (1981)

I'd never seen this old slasher movie before so it was nice to witness it for the first time on the big screen.

Directed by Tobe Hooper, the guy that maybe directed POLTERGEIST depending on who you listen to, it's a very dated film but it's dated in that lovable way that all quintessentially 80s films have dated. While you can't be nostalgic about a film you've never seen, there's still an air of nostalgia for the era and that comes shining through in THE FUNHOUSE.

That's not to say that it doesn't have its moments. The concept of an inbred crazy in a Frankenstein mask stalking youngsters in a deserted funhouse is certainly a winner for a start. It is, of course, all stuff we've seen before though and really it's only the odd moment that elevates it beyond the wasteland of countless other 80s horrors that aren't so fondly remembered. The creature is really cool though.