Author: BRWC

While it could be said that there is a bit of an over saturation of ghosts with films like Insidious and The Conjuring, the success of The Woman in Black shows a hunger for the classic British ghost stories. Blackwood is a film that is taking it’s lead from that mould but with it’s own modern twist.

After both personal and professional trouble, history professor Ben Marshall (Ed Stoppard) takes at a job at a smaller university and moves with his family (Sophia Myles and Isaac Andrews) into Blackwood House. Before too long, strange and unexplainable occurrences start to haunt Marshall, all hinting towards some horrible crime in the house’s past. As Marshall investigates and becomes more embroiled in the mystery, he must either solve this crime or lose his mind.

The first thing to say is that it wears it’s influences on its sleeve in the best possible way. Though it might fall into cattle-prod territory occasionally, the Gothic architecture and creeping shadows shows the nods to classic English ghost films like Whistle and I’ll Come to You and The Innocents. Unfortunately for me as a reviewer, the main unique, modernised parts are in the last 20 or so minutes so I can’t talk about them. What I can say is that it while it doesn’t do anything truly new, it is completely satisfying and worthwhile.

While Paul Kaye and Russell Tovey are definite highlights as the suspects, bringing a real eeriness and grand performances, there is a problem with Ed Stoppard’s performance, who I’ve liked very much previously in past roles like Henryk in The Pianist. He is still very good but it’s more a really great Coronation Street performance where you can see the strings of him acting, making it hard to remain engaged.

The thing I found most impressive is it doesn’t just go for the literal ghosts as some of the latest fare has but ghosts as scars; the more meta-physical ghosts of regret, war and mental illness that haunt us personally and as a society.

While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the classics it hopes to revise or break any new ground, it is still an intelligent and atmospheric ghost story.

EDIT – In advance of the release on DVD on 23rd February, the film’s director, Adam Wimpenny, has  prepared a small little taster of the film featuring interviews with some of the cast.

From Director Josh Johnson comes a cheeky documentary about the magic of VHS. It focuses on a small number of quirky people who collect the video tapes that people now deem useless. A lot of fun, this documentary is a nostalgic look at people’s experience with videos. Interesting characters enthusiastically retell their experiences, and these little personal interviews are mixed up with old clips of videos, making it visually entertaining.

If you have ever gone to a cafe just to sit and people-watch, you should watch this documentary. These people are from all walks of life, they are young, old, middle-aged, and I was much more fascinated than I thought I would be. They collect videos like they’re antiques, and there are specific tapes that are rare and collectors favourites, and they compete for them. The strangest things is the video collectors are not what you’d expect at all, but you’ll have to watch to find out why!

The documentary is filmed in a similar way to it being a video, it crackles and jumps and those familiar multi-coloured lines appear on the screen, and the documentary as a whole recreates how the collectors feel. I had the same nostalgia they describe, when I saw the familiar video quirks of my childhood.

Not that i’ll be throwing out my dvd player any time soon, this documentary did jog my memory for all the joy I got out of VHS in the past. For a documentary about VHS collectors that should be verging on dull, this breaks the mould and shows a whole new perspective to VHS in today’s high-tech society. You can buy the documentary on VHS too, which is a lovely little touch.

Have you ever wondered where some of the most famous and most terrifying urban legends originated from? No? Well then why the hell are you reading this review, go do something more productive. If you have wondered though, you should seriously check out Killer Legends.

This excellent documentary from Joshua Zeman (the man who brought us the terrifying Cropsey back in 2009), investigates the true crimes that over time grew to be legendary stories that almost everyone has heard at one time or another. Turns out that the truth is a lot more disturbing than the fiction. Joshua and his filmmaking partner Rachel Mills travel from town to town all over America looking into cases going back decades.

Over the course of the proceedings the duo examine killer clowns, the candyman, when a stranger calls and the bloody hook in the car door. Its interesting to see how these crimes shaped the towns and people around them and how time blurs the details and the tale crosses over into fiction territory. Its a fascinating case study on how time warps our perception of past events, the facts change and we trick ourselves into believing falsities and chinese whispers. Check out the movie on VOD sites and its due for a DVD release later in the year.

7/10

Encompassing both the chills and wit that made him an international star, Theatre of Blood is one of Vincent Price’s finest films in both content and performance, coming in second only to Witchfinder General.

When snubbed and shamed Shakespearian actor Edward Lionhart returns from his supposed grave, his new life is focused on one thing; taking revenge on the Critic’s Circle who denied him the Best Actor award with his own particular Shakespearian flare.

While certainly owing a debt to Prince’s Phibes roles, to think that this is a rip-off or in some way not it’s own film would be foolish. The balance of the humour and horror is spot on, Douglas Hickox direction is superb and Michael J Lewis’ score is essential to it all, but the era plays as essential a part of any of the cast or crew. It’s a film that encompasses a particular brand of grittiness and sleaze that can only be found in films from the 1970’s. There is just something about the cinematography, the production methods and general brown-ness of the 70’s that has so much more impact than if they were made now.

While it features a cast of great British character actors like Ian Hendry, Arthur Lowe and Michael Hordern to name but 3, Price is the real attraction. He sends up his hammy persona to utter perfection while also pulling off one of his finest screen performances, portraying the pathos and humour of Lionheart with ease and charisma. Even during his more unpleasant critic dispatches, you find yourself rooting for him.

This is an impressive and entertaining gem that has stood the test of time. One of the best British films of the 70’s and one of my personal favourites. For those with the MGM DVD release wondering whether it is worth paying out for this Blu-Ray release, it most certainly is. It looks and sounds like never before and will hopefully bring a whole new audience to this classic while giving it’s loyal followers another reason to tread the bloodied boards.

Bonus Features

Everything you get here is essential viewing for fans of the film and Price. The League of Gentlemen commentary is an entertaining and informative companion. A Priceless Potboiler with Victoria Price is an intriguing look at Price personally, while A Fearful Thespian with David De Latte takes a more professional stance. Staged Reaction with Madeline Smith is an insightful conversation about the film from one of it’s actors and A Harmony of Horror with Micheal J Lewis is a charismatic look at the score’s inception and Lewis’ larger career. As well as this, we still have the original theatrical trailer.

The accompanying booklet was unavailable for this review.

Available now