Take From Me is a gripping thriller that follows the life of John, a grieving local man, as he finds solace and intrigue in a mysterious young woman who purchases his old farmhouse… who is much more than she seems.
Take From Me (originally reviewed as Love Dogs) went in a very different direction than I expected it to and I enjoyed it. I don’t want to say too much, as it this movie could be very easily spoiled. It’s very well shot, the performances from the lead actors are compelling and the characters feel real and believable. I wasn’t a huge fan of one of the design choices (deliberately vague!), but it was something different than other movies in the sub-genre. Go watch it – you’ll know what I’m talking about then!
I was genuinely surprised to discover that this is a debut feature from director and writer West Eldredge – I’m looking forward to seeing what he does next!
Take From Me will be available on digital in March.
I love going to film festivals and am planning to attend as many as I can, this year. But I can’t physically get to them all, so was really pleased to be able to remote review for Horror on Sea, an annual horror film festival held in Southend-on-Sea. Hopefully I’ll make it some day, but attending from the comfort of home is a privilege too! I’ll be sharing my thoughts on some of the movies showing at the festival (which runs Friday 10th January – Sunday 12th January, and Friday 17th January – Sunday 19th January) here, along with trailers and artwork, where I can!
USA , 57m, 2024, Directed by Dale Fabrigar
Seven tales of terror that include a ballerina, a retiring hit-man, a mysterious package, a deadly nightmare, an insightful fortune teller and an actor who would kill to get a part.
Horror on Sea opened with Very Frightening Tales, directed by Dale Fabrigar. At just 57 minutes, this anthology movie whizzes through 7 separate tales with a very small cast, some of whom play multiple roles.
The film opens strong, with a very fun and silly intro (“Show Open”), which I’d hoped would set the tone for the rest of the movie. I love anthologies and appreciate the mix of stories and visuals, but was disappointed each tale didn’t have the same campy vibe as the opening. That said, though, there were some effective stories, a stand-out being “Fortune”.
Two women visit a fortune teller, played by Sally Struthers (one of two more recognisable faces), who warns them if one of them doesn’t admit to a terrible secret, they will die that night. The story was well-paced and had some great creature and prop design – definitely my favourite of the tales. The others either had an interesting story that I feel wasn’t explored fully in the short run time, or went on for a little long for the amount of plot. There were definitely some really interesting ideas (especially with “The Delivery” and “Brave”) that I think could have been more effective with a longer run time. But that’s the nature of shorts, sometimes, I guess.
Overall, it was a fun watch that I’d recommend to fans of indie anthologies.
The latest In Search of Darkness installment, 1990-1994, is 6 hours of nostalgia, fascinating interviews and iconic movies. It’s an absolute delight and I loved every nerdy second 🖤📼🔪🩸
I could listen to people like Mike Flanagan, Mick Garris, Heather Langankamp, Frank Henenlotter and Brian Yuzna talk all day. Six hours just isn’t long enough! Everyone is super interesting and I have so many movies I need to check out.
In Search of Darkness 1990-1994 is available now (Affiliate link). The digital bundle is $29.99 and includes the soundtrack by New Retro Wave, score by Dream Invaders and a rad PDF mini-booklet. Treat yourself and spend the Christmas holidays in a beautiful little bubble of 90s horror nostalgia. Thank you so much to Creator VC for the screener and link 🖤
Nosferatu – The Real Story is a new documentary from Robin Bextor and Reel 2 Reel Films available for digital download today. This fascinating documentary got me even more excited for Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu and I learned so much about the history of Count Orlok in film.
I had no idea Aleister Crowley was a “major contributor to the philosophy behind Nosferatu”, nor did I know the fact that we nearly never got to see Nosferatu as Bram Stoker’s widow, Florence Balcombe, ordered all copies be destroyed. It’s hard to imagine what horror cinema would be today, without the influence of Murnau’s masterpiece. I also really appreciated that FW Murnau’s queerness wasn’t shied away from, or omitted.
The documentary has an atmospheric score, beautiful visuals and interesting interviews and if you love documentaries and learning your horror history, like me, I really recommend it. Thank you to Aim Publicity for sending me a preview.
Nosferatu – The Real Story on digital 16 December from Reel 2 Reel Films.
Interview With the Vampire is just perfection 😍 I am so very late to the party with this show, but as the season 1 and 2 boxset has just been released from AMC Networks and Acorn DVD, it was the perfect time to watch it.
I am obsessed. The incredibly beautiful cast, the costuming, the score, the accents, the sets, the blood and gore, the queer love story at its’ heart – just everything is the perfect romantic vampire dream. I’ve never delved into the Anne Rice novels, but I am choosing to believe this is the definitive portrayal of Rice’s vampires. I have fallen deeply in love with Louis, Lestat and Claudia in season one and I still have another two series to come 🙌🏻 The final episode of the first season is so heartbreakingly, exquisitely beautiful and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
The show perfectly balances period drama, supernatural horror and gothic romance, as well as fully committing to the queer subtext of the novels and showing a loving (if not problematic) relationship between Lestat and Louis. The show also addresses race and being set in New Orleans in the early 20th century, these choices bring such a depth to the characters and their world.
The season one disk also includes the 2022 San Diego Comic Con panel, which is fascinating, delightful and so full of heart.
Sam Munster | Horror Hyperfixations 