Harry Bradshaw (Jake Waring) has never been in a worse position in his life. He’s trying to get over a relationship that ended and he’s also caught in a bad situation at work which could end up with him going to prison. He frequently visits his local pub to try and forget his problems, but a friendly barman named Geoff (Grahame Edwards) helps him to realise that his problems have easier solutions if he’s willing to look for them.
Orchid Moon is an introspective drama written and directed by Lewis William Robinson. Shot in black and white, it sets the mood for the kind of drama which is meant to be mulled over and thought about, perhaps putting the audience in Harry’s shoes.
Perhaps not the kind of film you would want to watch if you were recovering from a break up, nonetheless, Orchid Moon does its best to show that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. It also does it whilst portraying a side of grief which is perhaps not often shown so tenderly.
However, there are issues with Orchid Moon besides its cryptic title. The film feels like it wants to tell an uplifting story about a man finding life after loss, but it also feels like it doesn’t want to tug at the heart strings too hard.
Whereas this could make the film feel more realistic, instead it may make the audience wonder if there was anything they missed. At a relatively short time of just over an hour, Orchid Moon may do what it sets out to do, but the audience may find themselves connecting some of the dots themselves.
All the cast do well, it’s beautifully shot and even a surprise cameo may even pique some viewers interests. It’s just a shame that Orchid Moon feels like the kind of film that wants to be more crowd pleasing, but may not want the limelight just yet.
Waring delivers a good performance that makes the audience feel for Harry, but the overall product doesn’t quite have the emotional weight that it needs to succeed.
HOW THE OTHERS USED OTHER HORROR CLASSICS TO MAKE A HIT
Creepy horror classic THE OTHERS, starring Nicole Kidman, is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed horror films of all time – Empire called it “a haunting, imaginative shocker which is likely to rattle around in your brain for days after”.
To celebrate its release on 4K UHD, Blu-ray & DVD on 2nd October, here’s a look at the seven vital ingredients director Alejandro Amenábar combined from other hit horrors to come up with his own unique, terrifying success.
CHOOSE A GHOSTLY SETTING
In Robert Wise’s film ghostly masterpiece The Haunting (1963), the oppressive mansion Hill House is a star of that film as much as the actors, where all manner of scares lurk in the nooks and crannies. For family estate in THE OTHERS, where Nicole Kidman is the governess, Amenábar used a suitably spooky Spanish mansion for the exterior of the house, shrouded in mist and filled with foreboding.
USE CHILD ACTORS
There’s nothing like putting a child actor in your film to crank up the unsettling atmosphere – for example, the brilliantly cast Harvey Stephens in The Omen ensured that film gave the audience sleepless nights, and made it a huge box office hit. In THE OTHERS, Alakina Man and James Bentley play pivotal roles as Kidman’s children, and are central to the film’s most terrifying moment.
HAVE A STRONG LITERARY INFLUENCE
When The Exorcist (1973) burst onto the scene and changed the horror landscape forever, it did so with the solid foundation of a superb book, William Peter Blatty’s brilliant novel about demonic possession. Although not an actual adaptation, THE OTHERS drew heavily on Henry James’ classic novella The Turn of the Screw, about a governess, plagued by strange goings on in a large house, who has a fear of “The others”.
GUARANTEE SOLID SCARES
For his undisputed horror masterwork Psycho (1960), director Alfred Hitchock worked painstakingly – using 78 camera set ups and 52 edits – to make the celebrated shower sequence just right, so that it delivered shock after shock and became instantly unforgettable. In possibly the scariest scene in THE OTHERS, where the two children are hiding in a wardrobe, Amenábar expertly builds the tension to breaking point, and then unleashes a shock moment to end them all. Hitch would’ve been proud!
ADD MEMORABLE MUSIC
Steven Speilberg knew that his meg-hit monster movie Jaws (1976) needed some spine-tingling music to make it more than just another creature feature, and so he enlisted composer John Williams, who would win an Oscar for his memorable and much-imitated score. For THE OTHERS, director Amenábar himself composed the score, a wonderfully evocative soundtrack filled with lush strings and ethereal voices, ensuring immediate goosebumps.
UTILISE STAR POWER
M. Night Shyamalan managed to persuade A-list megastar Bruce Willis to take a break from action thrillers to star in what would become a box office sensation – The Sixth Sense (1999). Willis got audiences into the cinema, and the film kept them glued to their seats! For THE OTHERS, Amenábar got Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman to star, which proved a tremendous boost for its box office. It nearly wasn’t to be – Kidman is rumoured to have wanted to quit the film, as she was so disturbed by the script (after all, she’d just completed the jaunty and colourful musical Moulin Rouge!).
HAVE AN AMAZING TWIST ENDING
If you haven’t already seen the film, the less said about this perhaps the better, but suffice to say, like the cult horror classic The Wicker Man (1999), the film pulls the rug out from under the audience in the final reel. It meant it was hard to properly discuss the film without spoiling it for others, but it ensured people flocked to the cinema to find out what all the fuss was about.
THE OTHERS IS RELEASED ON 4K UHD, BLU-RAY AND DVD 2nd OCTOBER
Martha (Eline Schumacher) works as a cleaner in a local factory and she is very much alone. The men at her work all look down at her, not only because of her position, but because she’s a woman. One man, Luc (Pierre Nisse) takes pleasure in tormenting her and one day he takes it too far as he sexually assaults her.
The only man in her life that she can turn to is her brother, Félix, (Benjamin Ramon) but once she learns sees a different side of him, their relationship changes and even brings them a little closer.
Megalomaniac is a highly disturbing horror written and directed by Karim Ouelhaj. A film that never lets the audience get a moments peace as it hammers home just how vile and thought provoking it can truly be.
At the centre of the film is Martha and Schumacher’s performance is as profound as the film itself. As her life gets worse and she goes deeper into self-hatred, the audience can see Martha becoming broken and for some that may lead to pity and to others it may lead to fear.
However, Megalomaniac’s dark nature is not merely to shock its audience, but to also expose them a side of life that they may find uncomfortable. So uncomfortable in fact that it’s hard to watch, but also hard to look away.
Just when the audience may think that they’ve seen everything that the film can give them, Megalomaniac goes further, only to ensure that the audience gets the point. Misogyny and the patriarchy can be a difficult subject to tackle, with some finding it easier to appease the male audience. However, it feels like director Ouelhaj wants to drive the message home and does it unflinchingly.
Possibly one of the best horrors if not one of the best films of the year, Megalomaniac will stay with you long after the credits roll. Visually striking and truly mind-breaking in a way that cleverly spells out everything it wants to say, Megalomaniac feels like it will come for you in the middle of the night and stay in your head forever.
Starting off your movie with people kneeling side-by-side in line, as they get beheaded one after another is one of the best and boldest ways to instantly grab an audience’s attention. You’re already left questioning so much about the scene, such as who are these people? Why are they getting beheaded? And why does the photography look so good?
The religion as horror movie Deliver Us has more on its mind than beheadings, namely the origins of good and evil, justified murder, taking your faith in God too far, and hot people getting it on. Let’s talk about it.
Written by Lee Roy Kunz and Kane Kunz (A Beer Tale), and directed by Cru Ennis (in his directorial debut) and Lee Roy Kunz (A Beer Tale, Delirium), Deliver Us follows Sister Yulia, played by Maria Vera Ratti (Miss Marx), a Catholic nun who becomes pregnant with twin boys through immaculate conception in a Russian convent.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Russo, played by Alexander Siddig (Skylines, 21 Bridges), the head of the diocese, accompanies Father Fox, played by Lee Roy Kunz (Boys of Abu Ghraib, Mr. Sadman), a priest who’s on the verge of leaving the priesthood after he falls in love and impregnates a businesswoman named Laura, played by Jaune Kimmel (Kids of the Night), to investigate her claims.
However, the pair discover a secret order of priests (the one doing all the beheadings) who believe an ancient prophecy that one of Sister Yulia’s children is the Messiah and the other is Anti-Christ. They are tasked with killing one of her babies, but which one?
Although it takes place in the snowy landscapes of Russia and Estonia, Deliver Us is a hot movie. It’s just sexy! Set aside the religious iconography, all of the actors are hot and they have steamy dreams about having sex with each other. Plus, there’s something naughty about priests and nuns going at it that intensifies the eroticism.
In addition, the filmmaking craft is on point and very impressive with stunning imagery and thoughtful framing from scene-to-scene. There’s a pair of keen eyes behind the camera, while the editing is sharp and meaningful. While the film is over-the-top with blood, gore, and sex, Deliver Us is smart, as it’s oozing with atmosphere, intensity, and suspense. It’s a very visceral movie.
It’s a film with a lot on its mind when it comes to Christianity, faith, and starting an unconventional family. Since Father Fox is about to leave the priesthood because he wants to start a family in Edmonton, Canada with his lover, there’s an idea of what it means to be a good Christian instead of being a bad priest that is poignant and well-considered.
All in all, Deliver Us is not for the squeamish or the faint of heart — especially with its subject matter and manner of brutal filmmaking — but if you’re on board with the religious horror sub-genre, then they’re a lot to enjoy and takeaway. It will stay with you long after the movie ends.
Willow Song (Valerie Tian) hasn’t had the greatest life and addiction has led her down a dangerous path. Living in poverty, she has to do what she can and she’s helped along by her best friend, Flea (Ingrid Nilson). However, their relationship is becoming increasingly toxic. Willow also has to do what she can to make ends meet and that means making deals with shady men like Wolf (Adam Lolacher) in order to get money.
Then one day it feels like her life comes crashing down around her. She loses her job and her home and soon ends up turning to her life long friend, Dani (Elfina Luk) for advice. Giving her a place to stay, Dani treats her like family, but eventually Willow’s past is going to catch up with her.
The Curse of Willow Song is a supernatural drama written and directed by Karen Lam. Shot in black and white, the movie is given an almost arthouse feel, but the realistic portrayal of a recovering addict is what grounds it.
As Willow goes from place to place, person to person in order to straighten her life out, it feels like nothing is going her way. Nobody believes her when she says she’s still clean and a particularly unsettling job interview puts her into a tight situation.
However, as everything comes to a climax, this is where the supernatural horror elements kick in. Something which some audience members may find unnecessary whilst others will enjoy the surprise.
Thankfully, the meld of the special effects and the artistic cinematography seem to work well. The trouble is that the themes of the everyday and the other worldly seem out of place. There could have been something deeper in Willow’s addiction mirrored with her powers, but they only seem to be there for an exciting finale.
This unfortunately makes The Curse of Willow Song feel like a story which is on a surface level. Whilst not trying to evoke something such as Stephen King’s Carrie, it unfortunately may leave the audience feeling cold as they may not know what it all means.
