Unworldly Views: Cult Film Reviews and all that Jazz

In Fabric / Little Joe

Martin Plumbridge movies, reviews March 21, 2020

IN FABRIC Peter Strickland’s follow-up to the excellent Duke Of Burgundy is a bumpier ride, but you get to enjoy that after a while. Apparently it’s set in 1993 – I read this on the Sight and Sound letters page – but it seems ...Read More

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Horrors Of The London Film Festival 2019

Martin Plumbridge movies, reviews February 22, 2020

DEERSKIN Horror films have fielded some unlikely ‘monsters’ over the years and director Quentin Dupieux has already supplied a notable one with 2010’s Rubber, whose ‘villain’ was a spare tyre. His new film explores the malign potential of a jacket. Filling it out, and ...Read More

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Burke And Hare (1971)

Martin Plumbridge movies, reviews January 26, 2020

This is director Vernon Sewell’s last film and there’s something fitting about that: after two ventures into the more fantastical side of horror (The Blood Beast Terror and The Curse Of The Crimson Altar from 1966 and 1968 respectively) neither of which went out ...Read More

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The Angry Red Planet (1960)

Martin Plumbridge movies, reviews January 26, 2020

There’s often a sense in SF films, especially those of the 50’s, that the real subjects of interest are not giant mantises or bug-eyed aliens but women. This is made explicit in director Robert Gordon’s 1955 film It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955) ...Read More

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LFF 2019: Queen Of Diamonds (1991) / Krabi 2562

Martin Plumbridge movies, reviews January 26, 2020

QUEEN OF DIAMONDS (1991) Showing in the ‘Treasures From The Archive’ section at the LFF, Nina Menkes’ Queen of Diamonds features her sister Tinka playing a character who, in the director’s words, ‘hasn’t learned to say hello’. In keeping with her air of diffidence, ...Read More

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London Film Festival 2019: Tremors / La Llorona

Martin Plumbridge movies, reviews January 19, 2020

TREMORS According to writer-director Jayro Bustamente only about four films are made in Guatemala per year. I have now seen two, which pretty much makes me an expert in Guatemalan cinema. I could probably write a book on it. Not to be confused with ...Read More

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London Film Festival 2019: Vivarium / Scales (and End Of The Century)

Martin Plumbridge movies, reviews January 5, 2020

VIVARIUM Director Lorcan Finnegan and writer Garrett Shanley’s second film sadly doesn’t manage to fulfil the promise of their previous feature, 2016’s Without Name. The LFF brochure compares it to The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror but while it could pass for one of ...Read More

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Enlightened Horror, The Backlash – The Cabinet of Caligari (1962)

Martin Plumbridge movies, reviews December 15, 2019

Ever since I coined the term ‘enlightened horror’ three seconds ago there has been, I expect, a massive reaction on the internet, most of it negative (‘Enlightened horror? – enfeebled horror more like!’) and I can quite understand. The idea of a form of ...Read More

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Koko-Di-Koko-Da / Swallow

Martin Plumbridge movies, reviews December 15, 2019

KOKO-DI-KOKO-DA (LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 2019) Johannes Nyholm’s film starts with a mother, Erin (Ylva Gallon) suffering a bout of food poisoning which leaves her face swollen so that she looks, as her husband Tobias (Leif Edlund Johansson) jests, like Freddy Kruger. The comic overtones ...Read More

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Frightfest 2019 Part Three

Martin Plumbridge movies, reviews October 26, 2019

DEPRAVED In 1991’s No Telling, Larry Fessenden’s first take on the Frankenstein story – and first film, in fact – the mad scientist has, by the end of it, managed to weld a Border collie and a calf together, which would only have made ...Read More

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