HCF Reviews
The Columnist (2019)
THE COLUMNIST Directed by Ivo van Aart As much as I love our dear readers, I feel a bit of anxiety on the rare occasions an email comes in saying someone has commented on one […]
Articles by david.s.smith
HCF Reviews
Broil (2020)
BROIL Directed by Edward Drake It feels like a long time since I saw a traditional vampire story. Over the years it’s become increasingly common to treat them as romantic protagonists, rather than just threats, […]
Features
HELLRAISER: JUDGMENT DIRECTOR GARY J. TUNNICLIFFE’S TOP 5 SPECIAL EFFECTS CREATIONS
From the depths of hell, horror legend Pinhead returns in the latest chilling chapter of the bloodcurdling Hellraiser franchise, created by master storyteller Clive Barker. With long-time SFX artist Gary J. Tunnicliffe at the helm, […]
HCF Reviews
Wrong Turn (2021)
WRONG TURN Directed by Mike P. Nelson You ever see someone with a Wrong Turn shirt or tattoo? How about even an avatar? Me neither. It’s one of those franchises, like Amityville Horror, Children of […]
HCF Reviews
SIGHTLESS (2020)
SIGHTLESS Directed by Cooper Karl Sensory horror strikes back. That is to say, movies in which the victim, or in the case of Don’t Breathe the killer, lacks at least one sense. The list is […]
HCF Reviews
LET IT SNOW (2020)
LET IT SNOW Directed by Stanislav Kapralov Drawing first blood this year, having the honours of being the first new film I’ve seen, is Let It Snow. From writer/ director Stanislav Kapralov, this horror-thriller takes […]
Features
David’s top 15 of 2020
Look, I think this year’s been shit – I’m sure that’ll surprise nobody. It’s sucked. Still, in terms of horror films, I’d say it’s been brilliant. Superb scares, big belly laughs and some of the […]
HCF Reviews
Concrete Plans (2020)
CONCRETE PLANS Directed by Will Jewell Renovation work can be murder. In this horror-thriller, from Wales, five builders are bought together to do up a grotty farmhouse in the arse-end of nowhere. Among them are […]
HCF Reviews
Death of Me (2020)
DEATH OF ME Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman Available On DVD and Digital I reckon almost everyone reading this will have spent many a fuzzy morning trying to remember the specifics of what happened the […]
HCF Reviews
Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula (2020)
TRAIN TO BUSAN PRESENTS: PENINSULA Directed by Sang-ho Yeon Regular visitors of this site may know I love Train To Busan. From the moment I first saw it at FrightFest, to my semi-regular watches at […]
Features
FrightFest Halloween (2020): Films ranked
One last thing, before I go, and retire that pumpkin image for good. I have the tough job of ranking each and every film I’ve seen across the past five days. This time it’s been […]
Features
FrightFest Halloween (2020) Day 5: Slaxx, caveats and other stylish things
This the end, beautiful friends. The closing night of FrightFest Halloween, and the last of 13 dedicated days the guys have given us – across three different festivals. 2020 has been a hell of a […]
Features
FrightFest Halloween (2020) Day 4: Let’s host a bloody harvest in Redwood
Day 4 is upon us, and it’s full of exciting films to pick from. Fortunately, the PR teams were very good to me this year, and I got around some of the clashes. To save […]
HCF Reviews
RELIC (2020) Review – Arrow FrightFest Halloween 2020
RELIC (2020) Directed by Natalie Erika James I was going to cover this one as part of my usual diaries, but Day 4 was getting too full – thanks to some generous pr teams giving […]
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FrightFest Halloween (2020): Alien On Stage
ALIEN ON STAGE Directed by Lucy Harvey & Danielle Kummer This documentary was originally going to be part of my FrightFest diaries. Though, as per Relic, the Day 4 entry was fast filling up, and […]
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FrightFest Halloween (2020) Day 3: Don’t tailgate the owners
Day three! And what a mixed one it looks like – let it never be said horror isn’t a diverse genre. There’s a high-octane chase movie, a home invasion with a twist and what’ll hopefully […]
Features
FrightFest Halloween (2020) Day 2: The Banishing, and other strange things
Day 2 is here, with more exciting horrors on offer. Compared to the August event, it looks like the FrightFest guys have the online format down to a T, and it’s pleasantly surprising to watch […]
Features
FrightFest Halloween (2020) Day 1: Held by some sinners
It’s time for a home-invasion sequel. After situations dictated that they cancel their annual Halloween night, the FrightFest team have put together something extraordinary: a second online event that spans not just one, but five […]