The Ritual Review

Following the death of their friend Robert in a violent burglary, a group of friends continue with their plans to go for a lads’ weekend hiking through the Swedish Mountains to honour his memory. Among them, Luke (an as usual-convincing Rafe Spall) shoulders the guilt of Robert's death and is paranoid that the others blame him. But when they suffer an injury, they exchange their mountainous trek for an apparently shorter one through the shadowy forests in the valley, where group dynamics become the least of their worries. A malevolent presence soon makes itself known, and one-by-one, as is the case in this neck of the woods within the bleak horror-verse, the friends are hunted and mutilated.

Blade Runner 2049 Review

Set 30 years after the original, Ryan Gosling’s Officer Kay – a blade runner - unearths a secret that, if exposed, will change the world and put replicants ahead of humans as the dominant species, so his only hope is to locate ex-blade runner Office Deckard (Harrison Ford) before it’s too late.

My All-Time Favourite Spine-Tinglers (Part 2)...

The unofficial “Halloween weekend” might be almost over, but the scariest night of the year is still yet to come. So as promised, here’s the list that completes my top ten scariest horror films of all time. After reading, you might want to stay well away from caves, forests, trick or treaters in general, and probably your own house. Might just be best to stay under the covers and not move until Wednesday then…

My All-Time Favourite Spine-Tinglers (Part I)...

What are your favourite scary movies? Maybe it’s those ones about deranged, masked serial killers, or maybe it’s those about the less-visible terrors, like the featureless shapes that lurk in the dark, or the ones you hear but never see. In short, the answer is that different things scare different people. 

The Mountain Between Us

Two strangers meet at an airport when they learn that their mutual flight has been cancelled. With Alex (Winslet) due to marry the next day, and Ben (Elba), a neurosurgeon, due to operate at the same time, they decide to hire out a private plane to get them home in time. But when the pilot experiences a stroke mid-flight, their plane crashes into the mountains, killing the pilot and leaving both Alex and Ben injured and alone on the snowy peaks, with nothing but each other – and the pilot’s nameless dog - to survive the elements.  

The Lego Ninjago Movie

The Lego franchise has exploded in recent years much like an angry kid putting his foot through the Ghostbusters Fire Station after finding that a single brick is missing. The evidence is everywhere, from countless video games including the hugely-popular Lego Dimensions to the very reason behind this review.

Grabbing The Terror Dog By The Horns

If you’ve made it this far through my blog, it’s quite obvious I’m a huge geek. Even more obvious is the fact that I’m a lifelong Ghostbusters fan – especially after my recent post where I shared with you the blurb for my very own fanfiction novel. But what does Ghostbusters have to do with my love for writing? It was some time in the very early nineties, I think – I must have been six or seven – when my mum bought me a tie-in novel for the first movie. I loved it, and it was this that led me into reading, but also into writing fanfiction as a hobby.

Flash Reviews: Kingsman - The Golden Circle, American Assassin & Flatliners

Here are my latest flash film reviews which you may have also heard on Swindon 105.5 last week, having been asked to become their weekly film critic! Don’t worry if you missed it as I’ll keep you updated with upcoming slots through the Curious Rookie Facebook page, and will even share with you the audio files when and where possible – but only if you’re curious…

mother!

Jenifer Lawrence plays the loving wife to Javier Bardem’s older poet who’s suffering from writer’s block. While Lawrence works hard at turning their very remote home into an idyllic setting, or a “paradise” if you will, a mysterious stranger (Ed Harris) turns up at their door, followed closely by his wife (Michelle Pfeiffer), both of whom Bardem’s seemingly-oblivious character welcomes with open arms - despite his wife’s understandable protests. But as more guests inexplicably begin to swarm Lawrence’s home, the film descends into brutal and unforgiving chaos that is as arresting as it is repellent. 

Why Snowdonia Is Our Very Own British Columbia

After greedily spending three months travelling the world this year on our honeymoon, where we explored the real Middle-Earth that is the mighty New Zealand, the beautifully-rugged islands of Hawai’i, and the rich mountainous landscape of the Canadian Rockies, naturally there was an element of worry that, upon returning to the UK, all of that epic scenery would render our home country’s great outdoors underwhelming, even if Snowdonia has always been one of our favourite places in the country. Honest!