Trouble Every Day (2001)

When it comes to Claire Denis, the word I think of is “elliptical.” The opening of Trouble Every Day (2001) begins with a couple kissing in a car at night, a couple who are not even characters in the film. We also see the Seine river at night, the water lapping under street light. A […]

The Old Dark House (1932)

All I knew about The Old Dark House (1932) was its director, James Whale, and star Boris Karloff, were together again after the success of Frankenstein. Based on a novel by J.B. Priestley, the story concerns two parties of debonair British people – one group is a married couple (Raymond Massey and Gloria Stuart – […]

Night Train To Terror (1985)

“Is there anything else I can get for you, Mr. Satan?” Night Train To Terror (1985) was on Mubi for a long time and I always passed it by, until it left Mubi. When I finally wanted to watch it for the spooky movie season, it was only available on Tubi (using the US settings). […]

Slumber Party Massacre II (1987)

While the first Slumber Party Massacre held a light satirical bent, with the phallic power drill wielded by the male serial killer, it also gave horror fans what they wanted: nudity and violence. With the sequel, Slumber Party Massacre II (1987), it feels like a parody with how everything is heightened, right down to the […]

Séance (2000)

Kiyoshi Kurosawa knows how to make a ghost an eerie presence within a frame. Simple and effective in design. A blur where a face should be. An identifying colour in their clothing. Something that registers the eye eventually as they emerge from a shadow or appear in the visual dimension. They don’t seem aggressive in […]