Review: The Last Days of Jack Sparks

The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An absolutely chilling story! Hands down the scariest book I've ever read!

I've always had this idea of going investigating the paranormal as an atheist and writing about findings. I would visit known haunted houses and go on ghost hunts with paranormal investigators just to see if I can be swayed into believing. Now I've read The Last Days of Jack Sparks that idea can go fuck off.

If anyone is looking for a scary book to read this is the book I will be recommending.

Well done Jason Arnopp you have succeeded in terrifying me.

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Grimmfest 2017: Best Bits!

What a festival Grimmfest was this year! This was my sixth year attending the festival and I can easily say that this year had the best overall selection of movies out of them all! Last year I struggled to put a top 5 list of movies that I liked together due to there not being 5 movies that I liked. This year I'm struggling to whittle it down to just 5! You know it's been a good festival when you ask other people what their top 5 were and they all give you different movies. I know you can only show what has been made and that is out of the control of the festival organisers but I left the festival this year feeling positive about the future of the genre.

It has been a funny year for horror with the bullshit phrase "Post Horror" being created, the new IT movie breaking all kind of records and proving it's possible to make a decent adaptation of a Stephen King novel and then two of the largest and most popular franchise of the genre having a straight to digital release. I'm talking about the new Child's Play and Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies which was brazenly pirated before their release. Self proclaimed fans would be on Twitter having the cheek to criticise the films they have just stolen as they hadn't been released yet. Anyway this brings me to the first of my top 5 movies from Grimmfest.

Leatherface

I called Leatherface a remake of The Beginning which it isn't. It's a whole different story and a different take on the Leatherface's origin. As a Texas Chainsaw movie I don't think it works, it leaves you asking more questions than answers like the absence of certain characters from the original but as a standalone film I think it's very good. It has similarities to the origin story part of Rob Zombie's Halloween and quite a good twist towards the end.

I mentioned earlier that festivals can only show what is available... well with Grimmfest it helps when one of their organisers is a filmmaker! Next on my list is Habit.

Habit

A very bleak cannibal movie with great performances set in the streets of my wonderful city Manchester. It's full of broken characters who have no hygiene standards when it comes to meal time.

If Habit is too grimm for you then you will find a more light hearted film in Double Date

Double Date

Alex wants to help his best friend lose his virginity before he turns 30 and thinks they are on to a sure thing when they meet sisters Kitty and Lulu only these siblings are more into human sacrifices than partying. This is a very funny movie with characters that you really care about.

If you like last years Beyond The Gate then you will love Game Of Death

Game Of Death

Drunken teenagers find a board game they all agree to play only to find out once they started that rules are kill or be killed before the clock runs out. Another good horror comedy with over the top special FX.

If you are looking for something completely different then Borley Rectory is what you need.

Borley Rectory

The story of the hauntings of Borley Rectory and paranormal investigator Harry Price are brought alive in this visually compelling movie. It's not a traditional haunted house movie and you won't find it scary but you will find the techniques used mesmerizing.

Well that's my top five but there are many more movies you should keep an eye open for such as Dave Made A Maze, Replace, Freehold and Poor Agnes.

I want to thank all the organisers at Grimmfest and all the festival goers who make this such a great festival to attend year after year. Also to all the filmmakers who put all their effort in to making these movies and all they ask in return is that we don't steal from them.

Grimmfest 2017 : Borley Rectory Movie Review

Borley Rectory is unlike anything you have ever seen before!

The movie is the story of the hauntings at the Borley Rectory known as the most haunted house in Britain which inspired The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and The Legend Of Hell House by Richard Matheson.

If I'm honest I have never heard of the Borley Rectory or it's hauntings before watching this movie. So the way the movie combines different filmmaking techniques you are immersed in an atmospheric story that grips you from the start. With all the different techniques there is so much going on on-screen at the same time that you can't take your eyes of it and that's not even to mention the excellent cast who guide you through the story.

After watching this I was definitely educated on the Borley Rectory and awestruck by the amount of hard work that must have gone into this project! It isn't a scary movie but it is a thing of beauty with subtle humour and not to be missed!

Grimmfest 2017: Dave Made A Maze

The title explains it all! Dave has made a cheap but impressive looking maze out of cardboard boxes in his living room. When his girlfriend arrives home and finds that Dave is inside the maze and that he doesn't know his way out and claims that the maze is much bigger on the inside. She gathers some of his friends and they enter the maze to try and bring Dave out. Unfortunately there are also lots of traps and a minotaur to cause them lots of harm.

I definitely recommend this movie. If you have read the book The House Of Leaves you will notice a lot of similarities only this movie has a lot of humour. It is a really fun movie which never takes itself seriously. It is filmed brilliantly with lots of imagination and even has a fantastic puppet scene when the actors are turned in cardboard characters of themselves.

Grimmfest 2017 : TAG movie review

After watching the trailer TAG was a movie I was looking forward to watching at Grimmfest this year. Unfortunately the trailer was very misleading.

The trailer had a voice over that implied that some kind of government or agency had a grudge against girls and was killing them off. What we actually got was the main character visiting various stages of her life while all the girls around her get massacred in random extraordinary ways including a mysterious wind that cuts everything in half to teachers gunning down their classes.

The movie blends art house and horror. The opening scene is a must see along with other set pieces and all the actresses who play the main character throughout her life all do a great job. Unfortunately the story at the end that tie the movie together is a let down and could have been much better but it is still a fucking crazy movie with some pretty cool effects.

Grimmfest 2017 : Habit Movie Review

Well Grimmfest 2017 has kicked off and what a way to start a horror festival in Manchester by showing a horror film set in Manchester which happens to be directed by one of the co directors of the Festival!

The movie tells the story of Michael who befriends Lee down at the Job Centre who introduces him to a life of cannibalism at a seedy brothel.

The movie looks great and sounds great. It is full of broken characters who are all played great by the cast with a stand out performance by Sally Carmen. The story is really grimm which is fitting for the festival it's nice to see Manchester on the big screen and quite worrying to know I have to walk these streets back home.

Grimmfest 2017: Not Long Now

As you may know already I have attended Grimmfest for the last five years and I intend to see as much as I can this year too!

If you are not familiar with Grimmfest I'll give you a quick update; it is Manchester's biggest horror festival and takes place on the first weekend in October. If you want to know the calibre of movies that have played at previous festivals then please read my past posts on the festival.

This year the festival is showing many films I am excited to see. You can find the full lineup here along with trailers but I just want to say which films I am most excited to see.

Thursday is the opening night and this year has the world premier of Habit which is set in Manchester and is directed by Simeon Halligan who also happens to be the Co-Director of the festival so no pressure Simeon! Following Habit is Ruin Me set at an extreme horror themed camping site where the events turn from fun to deadly.

Due to work I will be unable to attend the majority of screenings on Friday but I do hope to get there for Better Watch Out as everyone loves a Christmas themed horror movie. Also the trailer for Tag has my attention.

On Saturday the movies I'm most excited about is Double Date due to the humour that I love in a British horror movie, Leatherface which is a remake of Texas Chainsaw The Beginning. I know it's not a remake but if you think about it it kinda is. I'm also looking forward to Fake Blood.

Sunday showings I'm looking forward to are Dave Made A Maze, Borley Rectory which is the movie I'm looking forward to the most at this years festival and Attack Of The Adult Babies which sounds fucking crazy!

These are just a few of the movies that are playing at this years festival there are plenty more to see over the four days which I'm sure will be great. I'm really looking forward to this year, if you don't have plans over the these four days you should definitely try and pop in and catch a film or two. Hopefully see you there!