Sunday 22 May 2016

DARK WEB: AN ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CREEPYPASTA – PART 13: THE HOLDERS

PLEASE NOTE, THIS FEATURE FIRST APPEARED AT UK HORROR SCENE HERE. ALL SUBSEQUENT CHAPTERS WILL APPEAR AT UKHS FIRST. 

In my last feature on Creepypastas, I looked at the mysterious, otherworldly entity Zalgo, a web horror adopted by thousands of Internet users around the world.
This week we turn our attention to an equally mysterious and unsettling series of tales about a number of diabolical artefacts with hidden but devastating properties.
This week, I look at The Holders.





The exact origin of The Holders series is difficult to ascertain, although the (somewhat damning) Encycyclopedia Dramatica entry on the series claims the posts originated on the /x/board at 7chan.
However, the wiki for the Protectors of the Plot Continuum (PPC) states that the initial 13 stories were ‘Originally conceived by someone on 4chan's /x/ board (or possibly /b/, or /tg/, no-one really remembers exactly)'.
Either way the oldest post I’ve found online is one on the 4chanarchive that was originally submitted to the /b/ board on 1 January 2007.
But what are The Holders?
Much can be discerned from the first story of the series, as it introduced numerous elements that would become a mainstay in the series.
That story, The Holder of the End, follows in its entirety below.


In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself in to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of the End". Should a look of child-like fear come over the workers face, you will then be taken to a cell in the building. It will be in a deep hidden section of the building. All you will hear is the sound of someone talking to themselves echo the halls. It is in a language that you will not understand, but your very soul will feel unspeakable fear.

Should the talking stop at any time, STOP and QUICKLY say aloud "I'm just passing through, I wish to talk." If you still hear silence, flee. Leave, do not stop for anything, do not go home, don't stay at an inn, just keep moving, and sleep where your body drops. You will know in the morning if you've escaped.
If the voice in the hall comes back after you utter those words continue on. Upon reaching the cell all you will see is a windowless room with a person in the corner, speaking an unknown language, and cradling something. The person will only respond to one question. "What happens when they all come together?"
The person will then stare into your eyes and answer your question in horrifying detail. Many go mad in that very cell, some disappear soon after the meeting, and a few end their lives. But most do the worst thing, and look upon the object in the person's hands. You will want to as well. Be warned that if you do, your death will be one of cruelty and unrelenting horror.
Your death will be in that room, by that person's hands.
That object is 1 of 538. They must never come together. Never.



This story, the original (and what I feel is one of the best) sets up much of what is to follow.
Each of the Holders series focuses on one of a number of items (at first 538, although in later entries that figure increases to 2538, albeit with the caveat that 2000 are lost).
It details the manner in which you are to locate one of the Objects.
To this end it details a specific location (often: In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself in to). A key phrase is then uttered to gain access to a hidden part of the institution, whereupon the seeker will face a test of their bravery, wits, sanity or any combination of the above. This often involves direct contact with the Object’s guardian (the Holders), a mystical and dangerous entity. The encounter inevitably involves asking an important question, just the asking of which sheds light on the Objects themselves.
The final line reveals a key detail about the Objects, furthering the mythos.
It’s a nice take on the growing modern genre of urban fantasy, a la Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, in that it establishes the framework for a pretty epic series of tales (at least 538!), yet it doesn’t bog the reader down with much in the way of intricately plotted characters and history.
No, the Holder of the End is so clever because it shows just enough creativity to capture the attention but remains vague and mysterious enough to spark the imagination of the reader. It works by mentioning that most terrifying of intangibles — the unknown — and encouraging us to think about the horrors that the story simply hints at. It’s a tried and tested technique in creating strong fiction and it works. Our own imagination is far more powerful in evoking a mood than even the strongest prose.
And spark the imagination it has, for the first few Holders stories were soon spread throughout the web, with fans penning their own entries in the series. The Holder of the End can be found on the usual big Creepypasta sites, while there are numerous Holders story readings on YouTube, in multiple languages to boot.
It even turned up on various message boards with people asking whether the story could possibly be real!
Eventually The Holders became so popular that on 22 December 2007 the website theholders.org was created, to collect and catalogue each of the Holder’s stories.


Not only does it include a tale for each and every one of the Holders Objects (yep, that’s over 500 stories of varying quality. And yes, I read every single one as research for this feature. Every. Single. One.), it even includes spinoff stories about the Seekers, those brave or foolish individuals who have made it their life’s work to track down and collect these infamous Objects, whether it be to see that they are reunited, to prevent this reunion or for personal gain.
As some of the items impart special powers and skills to those who collect them (such as the Cloak yielded by the Holder of Hate or a newfound agility that comes from besting the Holder of the Speed), this means that accomplished Seekers themselves can become extremely powerful. They can also become corrupted and something more, or possibly less, than human. There are a series of stories about the monstrous Jack Empty, something somewhere between a Seeker and a Holder, the hateful Mr Filth or even worse abominations such as Edo Edi Essum, a demonic entity that features in a series of tales based in the Holders universe.
However, it is key elements suggested from the original Holders mythos that has led to the creation of some of its most enduring sublegends.
Chief among these is Legion. As early as the story of the Holder of Deception, it is stated that the number of Objects is not as it seems. It was from this that the idea of more Objects beyond the 538 exist, which leads us to the now widely accepted figure of 2538.
This story comes from that of Legion. He was said to be a fantastic seeker, one who sought and confronted Holders for fun and accumulated no fewer than 2000 of the Objects. However, he has since disappeared and with him, so have those Objects. But stories persist that Legion is not truly gone, nor are his accumulated Objects…
The other great mystery of the series is that of Him. A demonic entity (perhaps Legion, probably Satan but possibly even God himself), He ruled and (as is stated in the story of The Holder of the Past), when the Objects are reunited, He will reign again. It is His blood in the vessel mentioned in The Holder of the Grail, while The Holder of Cruelty claims that it is Him that you will be guided to when all has Blackened (itself a reference to the disease that serves as the Object in The Holder of the Afterlife). Perhaps most terrifying of all, it is stated that, eventually, He will triumph (unsurprisingly in The Holder of Triumph).


This is some pretty deep and rich material here, right?
Of course, the primary mystery, THE one thing all readers will end up wondering is WHAT exactly are the Objects?
Having read through the entire Holders series (Every. Single. One.), that question still remains unanswered.
The nature of the objects is intangible — some are actual physical items that can be held and touched, some are without physical form and others don’t even exist until the very act of Seeking brings about their creation.
We are also able to piece together some key facts about their history and eventual destiny. It seems they were once alive and together, possibly in a single form. They were once peaceful and benevolent, but something happened, causing them to become corrupted. It seems this something is certainly the work of Him. Even now they are tied to Him, some still seem loyal to Him, while some of the Holders are certainly His servants.
When this happened a terrible atrocity ripped through existence, leading to the slaughter and obliteration of thousands of innocents.
Following this cataclysm the Objects suffered, having been burnt, tortured and frozen. Now they are beginning to thaw, but they have missed the predestined date at which they were to be reunited so now they yearn to be together again. What’s more they have become angry and full of hate, so, even though many of them will bequeath fantastic powers to Seekers who gather them, they are not to be trusted and many require a cruel sacrifice.
As for the gathering, the series contradicts itself somewhat with this. At different times the stories state that this reunion is inevitable, that the Seekers will determine if they ever come together AND is destined to be thwarted by somebody, possibly a special child created of the objects.
One thing that is certainly a lot clearer, however, what will happen should the Objects be together once again. In this case we face to complete and utter destruction of all existence. The End of Days.


Reading between the lines it’s easy to formulate theories about the series. My favourite addresses the decidedly biblical nature of the stories (especially the various references to demons surrounding the Objects), claiming that the Objects are fallen angels, He is Lucifer, their corrupter, the cataclysm was the war in Heaven that saw them cast out and stating that when the Fallen are gathered together under His leadership we shall see the final battle that will end it all. That the birth of a special Saviour shall play a major role in these events only strengthens this claim.


This is certainly as sound a theory as any, but even this has its faults. The references to Them throughout the series seems to be about the collective consciousness of the Objects, but could just as easily be referring to something else. If so, what are They and what role do they play?
What’s more, this theory ignores the Lovecraftian Edo Edi Essum and his allies and servants. It also ignores some of his sworn enemies, including the powerful entity Balance, an individual tasked with maintaining order and preventing the chaos that would allow the Objects to reunite. It also forgets the references to the Black King, the White King, Yochanan and, well, the scores of other characters introduced in the various spin-off stories.
Of course, the main reason that it’s so tough to come up with any definitive coherent theory for the series is because there is no one individual guiding it or creating it. Much like the story of the Rake, this is a collaborative endeavour, with each individual adding their own mark to the story, layering on new and exciting pieces of the mythos.
THIS is the true strength of the Holders. It’s an imaginative tale of a mythical quest about heroic but flawed characters, corrupted villains and mystical, unknowable powerful artefacts… and it belongs to us all. Anybody can contribute, anybody can adapt the mythos for their own ends and anybody can play a part in continuing to spread the story.
The Holders allows the writer a deal of creativity, whether it be in spinning off a complex story arc of your own or even in the way that a Holder’s tale can be told. Not all are told using the traditional format, with some being told from the point of view of the Holder, the Seeker or even the Object itself. They can be relatively self contained or include multiple references to other stories, whether it be an Object that requires a Seeker to hold other Objects to obtain it or one that requires direct contact with one of the expanding cast of characters on the fringes of the mythology. There have even been a number of parodies of the series (such as the hilarious Holder of Dick). The only limit is the storyteller’s imagination.
Ultimately, these stories are OUR stories, the stories of the fans.


Every. Single. One.


If you haven’t already, do please check out and Like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House @HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

Wednesday 11 May 2016

DARK WEB: AN ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CREEPYPASTA – PART 12: ZALGO

PLEASE NOTE, THIS FEATURE FIRST APPEARED AT UK HORROR SCENE HERE. ALL SUBSEQUENT CHAPTERS WILL APPEAR AT UKHS FIRST.

When I last wrote about Creepypasta, I covered the story of The Rake and how H.P. Lovecraft’s influences can be felt in Brian Somerville’s creepy backstory for the monster.
This week we turn to another online horror reminiscent of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos — the legend of Zalgo.

Zalgo is one of the oldest Creepypasta memes, first appearing in a post by Something Awful user Shmorky (Flash animator and artist Dave Kelly) on 27 July 2004. He uploaded a number of modified classic comic strips to his blog. Among these (one a Nancy strip, the other Archie) two featured references to Zalgo.



However, it was some time later before the meme really took off. On 2 December 2008, the Lovecraft and dark fiction blog Grim Reviews posted a feature on the Zalgo phenomenon. Noting that (at the time) Zalgo was ‘confined to a few select off beat forums and image boards’, it featured Zalgo-fied strips from the ever-popular Garfield and web comic Ctrl+Alt+Del. 


To invoke the hive-mind representing chaos.
Invoking the feeling of chaos.
With out order.
The Nezperdian hive-mind of chaos.
Zalgo!

Just over a month later, on 21 March 2009, Zalgo first appeared on 4chan’s /b/ board in the shape of a corrupted Calvin & Hobbes image.
On 6 April Zalgo spread to that other great breeding ground of Creepypastas and memes, Reddit, in a post that simply read: Zalgo. What is it and why is it coming?
Soon afterwards the meme developed further, when somebody took an image of Catie Wayne’s online character Boxxy (another 4chan sensation) and edited it, giving the picture bloody, black eye-sockets (something that became a huge part of the ongoing mythos) and supposedly used the image and disturbing, corrupted text as part of a Chatroulette prank. The image proof of this was uploaded to the subreddit r/pics on Christmas Day 2010 and became a massive hit.


The corrupted text was adopted by the various creators of Zalgo fan art and became a key part of the mythos, often including the phrases ‘he comes’ and ‘he waits behind the wall’. The corrupted text is created using an abuse of a Unicode feature, although those without the necessary technical know-how can create their own ‘Zalgofied’ text by using the Zalgo Text Generator, a tool set-up online specifically to create the stylised corrupted text associated with Shmorky’s dark deity.

T̫̺̳o̬̜ ì̬͎̲̟nv̖̗̻̣̹̕o͖̗̠̜̤k͍͚̹͖̼e̦̗̪͍̪͍ ̬ͅt̕h̠͙̮͕͓e̱̜̗͙̭ ̥͔̫͙̪͍̣͝ḥi̼̦͈̼v҉̩̟͚̞͎e͈̟̻͙̦̤-m̷̘̝̱í͚̞̦̳n̝̲̯̙̮͞d̴̺̦͕̫ ̗̭̘͎͖r̞͎̜̜͖͎̫͢ep͇r̝̯̝͖͉͎̺e̴s̥e̵̖̳͉͍̩̗n̢͓̪͕̜̰̠̦t̺̞̰i͟n҉̮̦̖̟g̮͍̱̻͍̜̳ ̳c̖̮̙̣̰̠̩h̷̗͍̖͙̭͇͈a̧͎̯̹̲̺̫ó̭̞̜̣̯͕s̶̤̮̩̘.̨̻̪̖͔
̳̭̦̭̭̦̞́I̠͍̮n͇̹̪̬v̴͖̭̗̖o̸k҉̬̤͓͚̠͍i͜n̛̩̹͉̘̹g͙ ̠̥ͅt̰͖͞h̫̼̪e̟̩̝ ̭̠̲̫͔fe̤͇̝̱e͖̮̠̹̭͖͕l͖̲̘͖̠̪i̢̖͎̮̗̯͓̩n̸̰g̙̱̘̗͚̬ͅ ͍o͍͍̩̮͢f̖͓̦̥ ̘͘c̵̫̱̗͚͓̦h͝a̝͍͍̳̣͖͉o͙̟s̤̞.̙̝̭̣̳̼͟
̢̻͖͓̬̞̰̦W̮̲̝̼̩̝͖i͖͖͡ͅt̘̯͘h̷̬̖̞̙̰̭̳ ̭̪̕o̥̤̺̝̼̰̯͟ṳ̞̭̤t̨͚̥̗ ̟̺̫̩̤̳̩o̟̰̩̖ͅr̞̘̫̩̼d̡͍̬͎̪̺͚͔e͓͖̝̙r̰͖̲̲̻̠.̺̝̺̟͈
̣̭T̪̩̼h̥̫̪͔̀e̫̯͜ ̨N̟e҉͔̤zp̮̭͈̟é͉͈ṛ̹̜̺̭͕d̺̪̜͇͓i̞á͕̹̣̻n͉͘ ̗͔̭͡h̲͖̣̺̺i͔̣̖̤͎̯v̠̯̘͖̭̱̯e̡̥͕-m͖̭̣̬̦͈i͖n̞̩͕̟̼̺͜d̘͉ ̯o̷͇̹͕̦f̰̱ ̝͓͉̱̪̪c͈̲̜̺h̘͚a̞͔̭̰̯̗̝o̙͍s͍͇̱͓.̵͕̰͙͈ͅ ̯̞͈̞̱̖Z̯̮̺̤̥̪̕a͏̺̗̼̬̗ḻg͢o̥̱̼.̺̜͇͡ͅ ̴͓͖̭̩͎̗
̧̪͈̱̹̳͖͙H̵̰̤̰͕̖e̛ ͚͉̗̼̞w̶̩̥͉̮h̩̺̪̩͘ͅọ͎͉̟ ̜̩͔̦̘ͅW̪̫̩̣̲͔̳a͏͔̳͖i͖͜t͓̤̠͓͙s̘̰̩̥̙̝ͅ ̲̠̬̥Be̡̙̫̦h̰̩i̛̫͙͔̭̤̗̲n̳͞d̸ ͎̻͘T̛͇̝̲̹̠̗ͅh̫̦̝ͅe̩̫͟ ͓͖̼W͕̳͎͚̙̥ą̙l̘͚̺͔͞ͅl̳͍̙̤̤̮̳.̢
̟̺̜̙͉Z̤̲̙̙͎̥̝A͎̣͔̙͘L̥̻̗̳̻̳̳͢G͉̖̯͓̞̩̦O̹̹̺!̙͈͎̞̬ *

Shmorky himself returned to his creation on 23 October 2011 with a VERY disturbing Flash animation that he posted to the Something Awful forums. Much like the corrupted comicstrips that birthed the Zalgo phenomenon, Shmorky this time took familiar children’s cartoons and included references to his creation, complete with graphic gore and shadowy tentacled apparitions.
To date Zalgo has appeared in countless DeviantArt images and shows no signs of going away anytime soon.
Videos have appeared on also YouTube — many of which featuring the now ubiquitous black, bloody eye sockets and corrupted text — but now adding scrambled audio as another trademark of Zalgo.
This popularity is curious, but certainly understandable. The otherworldly horrors it represents are mysterious and evocative, encouraging the audience to use their imagination, sparking creative thoughts by suggesting an epic and spectacular backstory, but in turn, by keeping things so simple and not bogging us down in OTT exposition and details, the story can be one that entirely follows your own plot.
In a post to the SomethingAwful forums on 22 August 2009, Shmorky wrote:

I like how people who try to figure out the origin of the “meme” don’t even know where it came from originally. I’ll tell you where it came from. From me. I just made it up. Zalgo is something horrible. Zalgo is something that’s coming. It’s coming soon. It has nothing to do with Lovecraft. I’m not nerdy enough to make those kind of references. Seeing it become a meme kinda killed doing further Zalgo edits in the future (for me anyway) but maybe I’ll do one when you least expect it.

Shmorky may say it has nothing to do with Lovecraft, but even though it does not directly reference any of the author’s works, the basic premise, the idea behind Zalgo, is the sort of thing that the great man popularised.
There are few things we fear as much as that which we do not understand. That there is something out there, beyond our view of the world, something powerful, destructive and malevolent is a deeply frightening concept. And if there’s anything we horror fans know, there are few things that capture the imagination and attention as much as a superbly delivered fright.
Returning to Shmorky, he has since returned to Zalgo, but even if he were to never choose to create another Zalgo piece again, there are enough followers out there happy to continue his legacy.
He waits beyond the wall… and the internet keeps spreading his word.

If you haven’t already, do please check out and Like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House @HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

Sunday 8 May 2016

RAW REVIEW: GREEN ROOM

One of the biggest hits on the festival circuit so far this year is punk rock thriller, Green Room.
It blew audiences away and was quickly snapped up for international distribution, due to appear at UK cinemas from Friday 13 May.
I was lucky enough to be invited to a preview screening in London by the good folks at Fetch Publicity to help spread the word about a film that the studio is clearly pretty confident about. 
So, did it rock my socks off?
Or did it hit a bum note?
Read on...

GREEN ROOM (2015)



Dir: Jeremey Saulnier
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner, David W. Thompson, Macon Blair, Imogen Poots, Brent Werner, Eric Edelstein, Mark Webber, Kai Lennox, Patrick Stewart

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: I'll try not to spoil too much here but continue at your own risk.

Down on their luck indie punk band 'The Ain't Rights', are travelling across the United States on tour that is seeing them play a series of gigs for just a few dollars in front of apathetic crowds. After one last disastrous gig, band members shy Pat (Yelchin), sassy Sam (Shaukat), tough-guy Reece (Cole) and posturing frontman Tiger (Turner) decide that it's time to call it a day.
Local radio host Tad (Thompson), who feels guilty about the crap gig he organised, decides to arrange something a little better to help pay for their petrol to get home — a gig at an out of town roadhouse.
Upon arrival the band is escorted inside by bouncer Gabe (Blair) where they soon realise that the bar is the haunt of a hardcore group of neo-nazi skinheads. It seems a pretty rough establishment, but they need the money so the band performs, winning over the initially hostile crowd with their music.
After the gig they take their cash, but realise they've left a mobile phone in the green room and scoot back in to collect it — only to stumble across the body of a dead girl, her distraught friend Amber (Poots) and the clearly disturbed bar regular Werm (Werner).
Before things can get out of hand Gabe and fellow bouncer Big Justin (Edelstein) herd the band into the green room and take their phones.
Gabe, panicking, contacts the bars owner — skinhead gang leader Darcy (Stewart), who decides that the band have seen too much and must be taken care of accordingly.
However, the band and Amber, realising that something is wrong, are able to turn the tables on Big Justin, taking him hostage and locking the green room door.
What follows is a tense game of cat and mouse as The Ain't Rights try to work out how to get away from the confines of the green room before Darcy's thugs are able to make their own way in...



THE BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): It's pretty tough to pick any one major strength for Green Room because, honestly, so much of it is absolutely great. Director Saulnier, who also helmed the cool as hell thriller Blue Ruin, just nails it. The film looks great, it oozes a kind of grungy punk coolness without ever feeling as if it's trying to be hip, while the pacing of his story ramps up the tension to almost unbearable levels.
It's almost a punk rock Assault on Precinct 13, but I think an argument can be made that this thriller may even top John Carpenter's siege masterpiece. I'm one of Carpenter's biggest fans, so trust me when I say that's an accolade that I'm not prepared to dispense freely!
The visuals have a striking, muted palette with bright neons that really pop from the dusty greens throughout. Cinematographer Sean Porter absolutely matches the tone of Saulnier's script making this a superb pairing.
This script is also one of the film's biggest strengths, with smart, sharp dialogue from our leads (with plenty of in-depth references to both punk rock and skinhead culture that may fly over the heads of some viewers) and some well-worked humour at times. However, this is not a story about laughs, it is one about tension and some quite visceral violence and horror.
The effects work when things gets bloody is absolutely topnotch and, while I don't want to spoil any of these moments, rest assured when the gore and violence does come it hits HARD. This is a film that is genuinely shocking at times, yet these moments never feel gratuitous, instead delivering intense payoffs to the mounting and often unbearable tension of the storyline. In truth, Green Room is not a horror film (not in the strictest sense), but the moments of gore in it are every bit as powerful, if not mores, then several so-called 'extreme' horror flicks.
Part of the reason that the violence hits so hard and that the dialogue resonates so well, is because Saulnier has assembled an absolutely topnotch cast. Yeltsin is wonderful and brings his character's arc to life superbly without it ever feeling forced or far-fetched.
Poots also delivers as the disturbed, tough survivor. The pair also have great chemistry and their interactions make for some of the finest scenes in the film.
Yeltsin's bandmates are also uniformly excellent, with each bringing a naturalistic delivery that totally had me buying into their performances.
On the other side of the green room door we have the national treasure that is the great Patrick Stewart, playing against type in role that exudes cold menace. While the burly, tattooed, jack-booted upstarts he has at his command are definitely intimidating (especially the seriously frightening Werner), it is his icy, no-nonsense control and ruthless, remorseless willingness to make terrible decisions that really chill the bones. He's excellent.
However, the skinheads aren't a simple gang of faceless stock villains — no, unlike the dangerous bikers in the aforementioned Assault of Precinct 13, these are actual characters with realistic motives. The likes of Blair and Webber effectively portray the confusion and doubt that comes with characters who are finally realising exactly what membership to organisations such as that run by Darcy REALLY means. There's some nuance to the plot, even if it is often difficult to pick up on thanks to the pulse-pounding thrills and action occurring onscreen.
If the intention of thriller is purely to thrill, then Green Room delivers tenfold.


THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): As I said earlier Green Room is not a horror film. It seems to have been lumped in with the horror genre, thanks in no small part to its own marketing, but it is a THRILLER. If you want jump scares, sadistic torture and all the other trappings of the genre, be warned that Green Room is NOT that sort of film.
What it does deliver however, is plenty of gore and intensity. Perhaps that is why the film is struggling to be labelled, it's certainly far more intense and bloody than most thrillers, but never quite goes far enough to tip over into full-fledged horror.
A number of reviews have said that as visceral an experience as Green Room is, it doesn't have the emotional impact to match. I think this is true, as several characters don't really have enough to do before meeting their sudden and shockingly bloody ends, but then again, I don't think that was what Saulnier and his crew were aiming for.
It seems pretty clear that this film was meant to be a swift jolt of adrenaline, a rough, rocking slap around the face to get the heart thumping. This is absolutely what it achieves.
That's not to say that the film is soulless (far from it, there are some wonderful personal moments in among the stabbings, beatings and mutilations), but this is not Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Be warned.
Finally, I've heard some complaints about Stewart's role in the film. Sure, I can see how some people might be distracted by this larger, recognisable star among a sea of realistic performances, but I think that is doing a huge disservice to his performance. As a lot of skinhead culture originated here in Britain, I think taking an ageing Brit and making him the leader of the gang was a superb choice. This is no miscasting faux pas as I'm concerned.


THE VERDICT: When I write my 'best films of 2016' feature in December, I'm 100% sure that I'm going to be including Green Room. Cool, cruel and breathtakingly tense, THIS is what a thriller is meant to be. I wholeheartedly urge you to check it out when it's released next weekend.
In the meantime, you can visit the film's official Facebook page here.

If you haven’t already, do please check out and Like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House @HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.