HCF Reviews
Terrifier 3 (2024)
TERRIFIER 3 Directed by Damien Leone It’s a very Art the clown Christmas! Terrifier is back and it’s bloodier than ever. By now, you’ll know the formula. Art goes on a killing spree, chopping people […]
Articles by david.s.smith
HCF Reviews
Joker: Folie à Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux Directed by Todd Phillips Roll up, roll up – it’s the trial of the century. After donning the colourful clown garb and killing a popular TV host, among others, Arthur Fleck […]
News
FrightFest (2024): Ranked
That’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest done for another year, but rest assured the dark heart of cinema is still beating furiously. There have been as many FrightFests as there are Halloweens and Friday the 13ths combined, […]
Events
FrightFest (2024) Day five: The last cold substance
And with that, another Pigeon Shrine FrightFest comes to an end. After four days of horror flicks, we reach bank holiday Monday. Still, the festival promises to go out on a bang with the most […]
Events
FrightFest (2024) Day 4: Playing never have I ever with an angel, a saint and an invader
Day four is upon us! And after a solid Saturday, can it keep up the standard? I have four movies to watch today at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest – I would have done the full five, […]
Events
FrightFest (2024) Day 3: On board for mail, trauma and strangeness
Day three and we’re getting into the swing of things. With the weekend beginning, many of the biggest and movies are due to screen and the buzz I’m getting suggests festival-goers are having a great […]
Events
FrightFest (2024) Day 2: Books, ghosts and oaks go off without a hitch(er)
Day two of Pigeon Shrine FrightFest! It’s a hot sweltering day in central London and everyone is in high spirits from last night’s triple whammy. Today looks set to continue in a similar vein: we […]
Events
FrightFest (2024) Day 1: Broken Bird, Test Screening and The Invisible Raptor
The dark heart of cinema beats once more! Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024 is back. A quarter of a century after Alan Jones, Paul McEvoy, Ian Rattray (later joined by Greg Day) launched the festival it’s […]
HCF Reviews
Trap (2024)
TRAP Directed by M Night Shyamalan, Part of M Night Shyamalan’s enduring appeal as a filmmaker is you never know what you’re going to get: it could be a blend of family drama and ghost […]
HCF Reviews
In A Violent Nature (2024)
IN A VIOLENT NATURE Directed by Chris Nash Imagine Friday the 13th from Jason’s perspective, and you got this one – a slasher film that’s literally about the slasher. Across 90 minutes, we see them […]
HCF Reviews
Longlegs (2024)
LONGLEGS Directed by Oz Perkins At last, it’s here: following months of build-up and numerous claims that it’s among the scariest films of the decade, Oz Perkins’s fourth movie, Longlegs, has hit the cinema. And, […]
Features
Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024: Lineup revealed!
You can’t say this festival is getting lazy with sequels: Pigeon Shrine FrightFest is back and bigger than ever! This year the UK’s No.1 horror & fantasy film festival, will, for the first time, present […]
HCF Reviews
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE Directed by Michael Sarnoski You’ve probably heard, but A Quiet Place: Day One is out now and raking in the big bucks. Writer/director Michael Sarnoski (best known for Pig) takes […]
HCF Reviews
The Watched (2024)
THE WATCHED Directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan Like father, like daughter. After directing episodes of her dad’s show, Servant, Ishana Night Shyamalan makes her feature-length debut with this twisty, supernatural thriller that takes an intriguing […]
HCF Reviews
The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024)
THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1 Directed by Renny Harlin Bryan Bertino’s instantly iconic 2008 hit The Strangers is a simple but effective horror: the stuff of nightmares. Basically, a couple gets tormented and later killed (not […]
HCF Reviews
Dream Scenario (2023)
DREAM SCENARIO Directed by Kristoffer Borgli Nicolas Cage is the man of everyone’s dreams in this high-concept black comedy. Here, he plays Paul, an aging family man and professor who has long since lost his […]
HCF Reviews
The Coffee Table (2022)
THE COFFEE TABLE Directed by Caye Casas A reviewer’s nightmare: an excellent film, but you can’t say what the heck happens in it without giving the game away. It’s difficult to describe The Coffee Table […]
HCF Reviews
Abigail (2024)
ABIGAIL Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett Abigail is the latest film from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, aka Radio Silence. Having done two Scream films, they return to what they did with Ready […]