Reviews by James Gracey

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  12 (2009)

  Review preview for 12

  Exhibiting self-assured flair and a penchant for creating breathtakingly choreographed fight scenes, Cheung has concocted a high-octane and bloody romp that blends melodrama with martial arts.

  Twelve fighters are brought together for an underground torment. There's £500,000 at stake... if they can survive.
• 
  8.5 Hours (2008)

  Review preview for 8.5 Hours

  Lally must be given credit for his singular vision – his story unfurls in the throes of dark melodrama and with every revelation, proceedings become increasingly grim, constantly upping the ante.

  An eventful day throws the lives of four employees of a successful Dublin-based computer programming company into chaos.
• 
  Autumnal (2008)

  Review preview for Autumnal

  Guaranteed to fuel the debate of what differentiates a short film from a visual installation, Nyerges’ film freely pushes the boundaries of experimentalism.

  Abstract short considers life in flux.
• 
  The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970)

  Review preview for The Bird With The Crystal Plumage

  One of Argento’s most accessible, compelling films.

  After a man witnesses an attempted murder, he soon finds himself the next killer's next target
• 
  Bitten (2023)

  Review preview for Bitten

  Writer-director Romain de Saint-Blanquat sets the story in an in-between space, reflecting the threshold Françoise stands upon, but despite her intentions, seems hesitant to cross.

  1967, Mardi Gras. Françoise is a 17-year-old boarder in an all-girls  Catholic high school. Convinced that she has only one night left before her death, she sneaks out with her friend Delphine to attend a costume party and live the night as if it was her last.
• 
  The Beast Stalker (2008)

  Review preview for The Beast Stalker

  Hurtles along to a satisfying climax, with well-sustained tension and audacious plot twists that will keep your jaw on the floor.

  A cop responsible for a child's death, recklessly tangles with a kidnapper despite the possible consequences.
• 
  Crazy Heart (2009)

  Review preview for Crazy Heart

  Effective because it is so restrained.

  A washed up country singer forms an unexpected relationship with a journalist.
• 
  Connected (2008)

  Review preview for Connected

  A high-octane thriller full of exhilarating chase scenes, fight sequences and edge of seat suspense, Connected also takes time to explore the dynamics between its various characters.

  A single father receives a telephone call from a stranger who says she has been kidnapped.
• 
  Cradle Will Fall (2008)

  Review preview for Cradle Will Fall

  A no-holds-barred, tightly-wound slasher movie that consistently ups the ante and the shock-factor with sadistic relish.

  Mummy's mad.
• 
  Diary For My Children (1984)

  Review preview for Diary For My Children

  The film delicately and daringly places a specific time and place in history under the microscope.

  An orphan returns to her native Hungary.
• 
  Don't Go In The House (1980)

  Review preview for Don't Go In The House

  Despite the low budget, uneven performances and buckets of sleaze, Don’t Go In The House still wields the power to disturb.

  An unhinged man has a burning desire for women...
• 
  Eight For Silver (2021)

  Review preview for Eight For Silver

  A compelling story, effectively told.

  In the late 1800s, a man arrives in a remote country village to investigate an attack by a wild animal but discovers a much deeper, sinister force that has both the manor and the townspeople in its grip.
• 
  For Night Will Come (2023)

  Review preview for For Night Will Come

  Philémon is a very sympathetic character, and Hammond brings a real sense of vulnerability to the role.

  The day they move into a new neighbourhood, the Feral family plans to look as normal and friendly as possible. But their son, Philemon, is no ordinary teenager. When he gets closer to his new neighbor, Camila, his thirst for blood grows and his difference becomes impossible to hide…
• 
  Fréwaka (2024)

  Review preview for Fréwaka

  Clarke’s utilisation of eerie Irish lore and the supernatural to explore very real horror, and the lifelong lingering aftermath of a single, damning moment, is a potent and unsettling brew.

  A troubled home carer finds her grip on reality starts to slip after she goes to help an elderly agoraphobic.
• 
  Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

  Review preview for Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

  Rachel Talalay’s attempts to give Freddy’s Dead a darker, grittier edge are lost beneath the clownish Freddy shenanigans and ridiculous death scenes.

  Freddy haunts the dreams of his daughter and Springwood's last surviving teenager.
• 
  The Gay Bed And Breakfast Of Terror (2007)

  Review preview for The Gay Bed And Breakfast Of Terror

  While all of the characters might be gay, they are still every bit as generic, obnoxious, vapid and thinly drawn as their usual heterosexual slasher-fodder counterparts.

  Homophobic homicidal bed and breakfast owners set about picking off their gay guests.
• 
  Heaven (Fully Flared Intro Video Remix) (2008)

  Review preview for Heaven (Fully Flared Intro Video Remix)

  A powerful and emotive meditation on the skill and art involved in skating.

  Skateboarding inflected pop video.
• 
  Hungerford: Symphony Of A London Bridge (2008)

  Review preview for Hungerford: Symphony Of A London Bridge

  Exquisitely photographed.

  An abstract journey over the bridge.
• 
  The Horseman (2008)

  Review preview for The Horseman

  The latest in a line of powerful and extreme Australian genre pictures. At times it feels like the bastard offspring of Shane Meadows and Greg Mclean.

  A grief-mad father tracks down the men responsible for his daughter’s death and discovers more about his daughter than a father should ever know.
• 
  Lizard In A Woman's Skin (1971)

  Review preview for Lizard In A Woman's Skin

  A provocative and visually arresting giallo, with an eerily sensual atmosphere bubbling with sexual deviancy and decadence.

  A rich socialite is accused of the violent sexual murder of her nymphomaniac neighbour, but has she been framed by her scheming husband?
• 
  Looking Back (2008)

  Review preview for Looking Back

  A poignant and thoughtful five and a half minutes.

  Documentary about a man struggling to come to terms with memories of war and his addictions in a community of homeless veterans
• 
  Malice In Wonderland (2009)

  Review preview for Malice In Wonderland

  The off-kilter predicaments at times feel like increasingly disconnected sketches and the narrative, for the most part, just wanders along as wide-eyed and disorientated as Alice herself.

  Lewis Carrol's Alice gets a gangster makeover.
• 
  Mega Piranha (2010)

  Review preview for Mega Piranha

  Cheap CGI, copious explosions, absurd pseudo-science, baffling technical jargon, Eighties popstress Tiffany and much mindless entertainment ensues.

  Giant piranha munch their way towards Florida.
• 
  My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? (2009)

  Review preview for My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?

  Events are lent an almost reverend gravitas thanks to the astoundingly atmospheric score courtesy of acclaimed cellist Ernst Reijseger.

  Two detectives try to work out how a young man came to kill his mother with a sword.
• 
  A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

  Review preview for A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

  Dreams Warriors is not only one of the better entries in the series, it is also a thrilling fantasy-horror film in its own right.

  Survivors of Freddy learn to take control of their dreams to fight back.
• 
  A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: Dream Master (1988)

  Review preview for A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: Dream Master

  While impressively warped dream logic often prevails, tension is completely absent as Freddy exudes none of the menace he used to; the emphasis is now firmly on pun-tastic entertainment.

  A young woman with surprising powers takes on the dream killer.
• 
  A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)

  Review preview for A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

  A haphazard, mishmash of ideas and tones.

  Freddy uses the dreams of a woman's unborn child to get to her.
• 
  The Nightmare On Elm Street Collection

  Review preview for The Nightmare On Elm Street Collection

  The franchise that brought one of cinema's iconic bad guys to life

  Seven films from the Kreuger franchise.
• 
  A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

  Review preview for A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge

  An unexpected and interesting aspect of Freddy’s Revenge is a subtext hinting at homosexual anxiety and repression.

  The new tenant of a house on Elm Street begins to have uncomfortable dreams.
• 
  A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

  Review preview for A Nightmare On Elm Street

  A Nightmare On Elm Street remains an atmospheric and genuinely unsettling film with a chilling, universally relatable central motif: sleep gets everyone in the end.

  A child molester killed by vigilantes seeks revenge on their children through their dreams.
• 
  No. 3 (1997)

  Review preview for No. 3

  A long-winded, overly complex and at times rather plodding gangster flick.

  A young gangster attempts to rise through the ranks.
• 
  Paranormal Entity (2009)

  Review preview for Paranormal Entity

  Mistakes tension for tedium, and slow-burning terror for crass jump shocks and this film becomes repetitious and predictable much too early on.

  A woman is plagued by a poltergeist.
• 
  Paranormal Activity (2007)

  Review preview for Paranormal Activity

  Could very well do for your own home what Blair Witch did for camping.

  A couple's new home turns into a nightmare.
• 
  Poltergeist (1982)

  Review preview for Poltergeist

  As well as the corrupting influence of television, Poltergeist provides a sly commentary on the tribulations of suburban life, colonialism, the ill-treatment of Native Americans, the break-down of the nuclear family unit, and the damaging excesses of capi

  Story of spooks in suburbia gets a silver anniversary DVD release.
• 
  Psychosis (2010)

  Review preview for Psychosis

  Director Reg Traviss attempts to evoke twisted classic chillers from British cinema past, combining an off-kilter and edgy energy reminiscent of more contemporary horror fare with a classic British sensibility which draws on the old ‘Hammer House of Horro

  A US horror writer moves to Britain after a nervous breakdown, but becomes plagued by horrific visions.
• 
  Pusher (2010)

  Review preview for Pusher

  The film’s gritty, frenetic style lends it a very realistic tone.

  Asian pusher has one week to find the money he owes a ruthless London drugs lord.
• 
  Redwoods (2009)

  Review preview for Redwoods

  The over-zealous earnestness of proceedings renders the film a rather cheesy affair, and some of the exchanges between characters – while supposed to be tender and honest – come across as cornball and drippy.

  The arrival of a struggling writer sparks change for a gay man stuck in a passion-free relationship.
• 
  Requiem For Billy The Kid (2006)

  Review preview for Requiem For Billy The Kid

  A treatise on the American Old West, Requiem drips with a kind of nostalgic pathos, richly enhanced by the breathtakingly beautiful photography courtesy of Patrick Ghiringhelli.

  Documentary examining the myth surrounding the death of Billy the Kid.
• 
  Rogue (2007)

  Review preview for Rogue

  McLean eases us into the story and straight away begins to slowly crank up the tension and muster an unshakable air of sickening foreboding.

  Snappy creature feature sees croc go wild in the outback.
• 
  The Reason I Collect (2008)

  Review preview for The Reason I Collect

  Overflows with an abundance of lively and eclectic imagery.

  Animation about a compulsive collector.
• 
  Sexy Killer: You'll Die For Her (2008)

  Review preview for Sexy Killer: You'll Die For Her

  Peppered with loving references to other genre classics the film is flamboyant, kinky, kitsch and irresistibly irreverent.

  A promising Spanish university student is also a psychotic killer.
• 
  Shank (2009)

  Review preview for Shank

  The insular world of inner-city gangs is evoked quite successfully with the unshakable sense that these young people are trapped in vicious circles of perpetuating ignorance.

  Bristol-set coming of age drama.
• 
  Skare (2007)

  Review preview for Skare

  Despite the distinct lack of budget and grainy VHS aesthetics, its sordid enthusiasm shines through.

  There's a lot more to a country club cook than meets the eye...
• 
  The Shining (1980)

  Review preview for The Shining

  A masterpiece of horror cinema, it features a bleak atmosphere, striking visuals, frenzied performances, and an utterly unshakable, creeping sense of dread.

  After moving his family to a remote hotel with a troubled past, a writer gradually loses his mind.
• 
  Summoning The Spirit (2023)

  Review preview for Summoning The Spirit

  The languorous pace and pensive tone, enhanced by lush cinematography and an eerily tranquil score, help create a sense of unease.

  When a couple relocate to a home in a forest, they discover a cult of sasquatch worshippers.
• 
  SUS (2010)

  Review preview for SUS

  We are plunged into the dark, dank realms of institutionalised racism and all the blood-boiling fury it conjures.

  Two racist cops conduct an interrogation on the eve of Margaret Thatcher's election.
• 
  Tenebrae (1982)

  Review preview for Tenebrae

  Unfolding as a cunningly reflexive critique of the Italian giallo, as well as Dario Argento’s own distinct body of work, Tenebrae directly addresses the accusations of misogyny often hurled at the director.

  A thriller writer goes on the hunt for a killer who claims to be taking inspiration from his latest book.
• 
  Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl (2009)

  Review preview for Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl

  Cartoonish scenes of violence are fed through a deranged Manga ethos to create a film that is uber-kitsch and heavily saturated in post-modern sensibilities.

  Two schoolgirls fight over a boy - using supernatural powers and extreme violence.
• 
  The Vourdalak (2023)

  Review preview for The Vourdalak

  An immensely dark, macabre and unsettling work.

  Historic vampire tale, adapted from a Tolstoy novella.
• 
  Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

  Review preview for Wes Craven's New Nightmare

  A thoroughly intelligent and provocative post-modern horror that eclipses the whole Elm Street series with its foreboding atmosphere and chilling implications.

  An evil entity uses Kreuger as a gateway to the world.