SLASHER HOUSE 3: REBOOTED (2024)

Regular HHoH readers will certainly be familiar with my love for Mycho, the independent cinematic slasher universe created by microbudget maestro MJ Dixon.

Originally launched with 2012's Slasher House, which saw the enigmatic Red battle her way through a facility filled with diabolical murderers, the ever-expanding universe fleshed out the backstory of her monstrous foes, leading to phase 2's quite fantastic Slasher House II, which further expanded on Red's story and her ongoing battle with her monstrous father.

Now, with a veritable rogue's gallery of villains that would make Batman balk hot on Red's tail, and the bitter struggle between vengeful daughter and demonic parent as personal as ever, we come to the grand finale, Mychoverse's own Endgame...

Ahead of its premiere at the 2024 Horror-On-Sea Festival, Dixon and co offered me a chance to look at a movie I've been eagerly anticipating for more than a decade.

Could Mycho really deliver the goods and offer a satisfying conclusion to one of indie horror's most impressive achievements?

Read on...


SLASHER HOUSE 3: REBOOTED (2024)

Dir: MJ Dixon

Stars: Redd Nicholson, Carly Halse, Paris Rivers, Luna Wolf, Grant Kempster, Cy Henty, Lewis Cooper, Adam Lezemore, Richard Fysh, Eileen Daly, Pauline Peart, Nicholas Vince, Dani Thompson, Martin W Payne, William Marshall, Sam Cullingworth, Matthew Baunsgard, Tony Mardon, Dean Sills, Peter Mahoney, Adam Dillon, Will Metheringham, Tiana Rogers, Lara Davis, Joe O'Connor, Wellington Grosvenor, David Hon Ma Chu, Paul Rogers, Jack Glanville, Michael Higham, MJ Dixon, Anna Dixon, Aaron Jackson, Haider Abdullah, Mark Smith, Natalie Chisholm, Moray Binfield


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

Finally, killer of killers Red (newcomer to the series Nicholson) is at the heart of the shadowy H.E.X.A.G.O.N's base of operations and she is given a first-hand view of the endgame her sinister father (Kempster) has been working towards for years... along with a shocking reveal about the nature of the Slasher House.

After reuniting with treacherous former comrade Luse (Halse) and crossing paths with the Thorn series' Eric (Rivers) - who has infiltrated H.E.X.A.G.O.N on his own mission of revenge - Red finds herself hunted by a new wave of cybernetically enhanced maniacal murderers, led by the psychotic Burny Man (Henty) as she herself moves towards her inevitable final confrontation with the Crimson Demon.

This is it everyone...

THE BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Well, where to begin? After more than a decade, the story started in Slasher House reaches its conclusion. Along the way, Mycho has produced nine movies and numerous short films in this franchise, and now MJ Dixon has tasked himself with tying all of this content up into one neat little bow. It's an impressive task to undertake... and even more impressive that he has managed to pull it off!

Slasher House 3 is tightly plotted, with barely an ounce of fat on its lean mean runtime, and the various threads that have been produced along the way are cleverly interwoven. There a plenty of fan-pleasing moments involving this cinematic universe's most popular inhabitant, so bravo for giving those long-term followers exactly what they want!

It's difficult to discuss the plot of the movie at risk of sharing spoilers, but suffice it to say that even after all this time, the Mycho gang are able to pull off some impressive surprises. There were moments that prompted gasps and plenty of smiles along the way. If this is to be the end of Red's story (and of course, I can't possibly comment either way) she's going out with a bang.

As well as the clever twists and turns, Dixon's script also features all of the imagination I've come to expect from a Mycho flick. The new villains (and there are plenty) are quite excellent, with several crying out for their own spin-off movies much like their predecessors Thorn and Cleaver have spawned. Ranging from clever homages to iconic horror monsters of yesteryear to new and frightening creations, the rogue's gallery in this movie is one that gives Mycho plenty of fresh and interesting directions in which to go in the future.

The script also features a whole lot of action and the series' trademark wry humour. The wisecracks come thick and fast, with special mention going to the fourth-wall-breaking Prankster who is consistently hilarious throughout. The movie is also pretty much a steady series of escalating fight scenes and they never fail to deliver. Whether it be Red vs H.E.X.A.G.O.N's heavily armed goons or maniacal monster-on-monster smackdowns, these action set pieces are always fun, thrilling, and shot perfectly.

I've often praised Mycho's clever way of working around their budgetary limitations, as well as Dixon's own striking visual style, and Slasher House 3 is no exception. From the artful, Argento-esque colour palette to the clever use of quick cuts and framing, the movie looks like one with a budget far, far higher than the resourceful Mycho crew was able to work with. Well done to all involved!

Of course, a good-looking film can still fall flat if the audience doesn't care about the protagonists. Coming at the end of a string of films that have helped to flesh out these characters certainly doesn't hurt, but Dixon's clever script and dialogue ensure you are invested, as do the performers themselves.

Nicholson is the third actress to portray Red in as many movies, but she soon makes the role her own. She brings the toughness we come to expect of the character and adds some much-needed subtle vulnerability for the film's more emotional scenes in the final act. I was not familiar with her work before but I'm very much looking forward to seeing more of her.

Halse also takes up a role previously inhabited by another actress, and she also excels. Hers is not a simple impersonation of what came before - she gives Luse plenty of personality, making her another character that lights up the screen in every scene.

I've long been an admirer of Paris Rivers and his portrayal of Eric and I was delighted to see him getting a substantial role in this movie. He's likeable, charming, and very much somebody I hope to see continue working with Mycho.

Of course, indie horror fans will be familiar with Luna Wolf, who makes up the final component of the Mychoverse's new 'Core four'. She has decidedly less screen time here than in the previous Slasher House movie, but her role here is more complex and shows a considerable amount of range. Needless to say, she smashes it once again.

Other returning faces include a host of Mycho stalwarts such as Payne, and Marshall, all of whom are as reliable and fun to watch as ever. Well done gang, your hard work has not gone overlooked here.

The newcomers to the series also impress, with special credit for Henty's deranged Burny Man. He is menacing, yet somehow even sympathetic, oozing a palpable menace that makes his every scene a real thrill. Impressive indeed.

Elsewhere the Prankster, as brought to life physically by Lezemore and voiced with droll relish by Fysh is a consistent scene stealer. The recurring jokes about a Slaypril Fool's Day movie from Mycho are a long-running source of amusement, but can we please, please, get one now? Pretty please?

Equally impressive in this movie is the shockingly good special effects. Low-budget indie horror often suffers in this regard, as realistic gore and paranormal activity rarely come cheap. Somehow Dixon and his crew have given us some seriously nifty practical effects, and a couple of exceptional CG moments, especially those involving the stupendously creepy Mirror Man. There's one spin-off I'm dying to see.

THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): I'll open with my usual caveat when reviewing indie horror - as impressive as Slasher House 3 is, it was very much created using a far smaller budget than your typical big studio (or even small studio) Hollywood horror movie.

Slasher House 3 really does look quite spectacular for a film with such humble resources - but it is still a low-budget film. This means that at times it can become a little rough around the edges. Please do adjust your expectations accordingly- it’s very much worth it.

Perhaps one criticism that could be leveled at the Mycho crew is that, if anything, the movie may have been too ambitious an undertaking. With production derailed by the COVID pandemic and a heinous robbery, Dixon et al have made no secret of the challenges they faced creating the movie. For the most part, I think these challenges were overcome with the typical ingenuity you might expect from this group of filmmakers.

However, there are a couple of rougher looking moments (perhaps caused by having to resource costumes that were stolen and recast roles following sudden departures from the production), but thankfully these are few and far between.

On a related note, as much as I admire the dedication to providing such a huge rogue's gallery for this movie, sadly it feels like several get short shrift in terms of screen time. Of course, if budget and time were no issue I'm sure we'd have got an epic two-part finale a la Infinity War/Endgame, but this is not the case. It means that some of the more familiar faces are reduced to extended cameos with an understandable focus on the Core Four, Harley, and the new faces. Ultimately I suppose this is a testimony to the longevity and enduring popularity of Dixon’s characters - I wanted even more!

THE VERDICT: Year after year Mycho have provided thrilling, fun, horror movies that I have gladly endorsed to you, the readers of HHoH.

Sadly, there comes a day when every streak, no matter how great, comes to an end.

Today is not that day.

Slasher House 3 was everything I wanted from the concluding chapter of what, no matter how you look it, is a legitimately impressive feat of Indie filmmaking and a thrilling final chapter/new beginning for this homegrown cinematic.

Yes, I listed some minor faults, but ultimately the film is simply exceptional. This is a shining example of what ingenuity, passion, and sheer daring can achieve on film. Put simply, it's a bona fide UK indie horror classic that deserves to be applauded.

Congratulations MJ, Anna, and everyone else involved in every step of the creation of not just Slasher House 3, but each and every other Mycho movie along the way to this point. You did it. Be proud.

Slasher House 3 will premiere at Horror on Sea on 21 January. You can buy tickets for the event here.

In the meantime, why not read more about the movie at its official Facebook page. Or better yet, hit up the Mycho Patreon and help them create more quality indie horror.

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.

RAW REVIEW: MASK OF THORN

Anybody looking at Universal Studios' continued woes bringing its Dark Universe to fruition could be forgiven for thinking that it is extremely difficult creating an expanded cinematic universe in our beloved horror genre.
But those of you familiar with the work of British indie production company Mycho Entertainment would also know that this is certainly not true. As auteur MJ Dixon has proven since the release of the stellar Slasher House back in 2012, all that is required is a singular vision, careful planning and a whole lot of effort.
Fans of Dixon will be aware that some of the first seeds of the Mychoverse were sewn back in the short-film Thorn, when the titular hulking, masked slasher monster made his first appearance.
Since then Thorn has gone on to steal the show in Slasher House, then expand on his mysterious backstory in the movie's first sequel, 2014's Legacy of Thorn. It was in this film that we learnt the monstrous Thorn re-emerges in the small town of Avondale every leap year on 29th February.
So with four years nearly up, it's time for Dixon's masked maniac to re-emerge — he's back in the soon to be released Mask of Thorn, a prequel to Legacy.
So do Mycho have another micro budget masterpiece on their hands?
Read on...

MASK OF THORN (2017)

Dir: MJ Dixon
Stars: Eve Kathryn Oliver, Sophie Bryant, Maria Lee Metherington, Lydia Cashman, Martin W. Payne, Tracey Chatterley, William Marshall, Michael Batty, Eduardo Cupi, George Horn, Clarke Tribe, Atticus Machiavellian

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

Mask of Thorn opens with a superb sequence in Avondale General Hospital in the early Seventies. A mysterious patient, Mina (Metherington) who vanished some time ago, is admitted in a terrible state, desperately holding her newborn daughter close.
As the confused night skeleton shift try to tend to their charges, an unexpected power outage heralds the arrival of a colossal masked man who proceeds to butcher all in his way. Yet, as deadly as he is in his own right, it soon becomes apparent that the monstrous Thorn may not be acting alone.

Flash forward to the mid-Eighties and we meet sweet Bethany (Oliver), who is about to celebrate her sixteenth birthday, despite the reservations of her strict and uptight parents, Derek (Payne) and Joyce (Chatterley). As her parents leave to prepare for Bethany's party, they instruct her that somebody will come to collect her later that evening.
However, they reckoned without the influence of Bethany's bad-girl best friend Olivia (Bryant) and her group of rebellious pals who whisk Bethany away for a surprise party in the now empty high school building.
As the youngsters party, they are blissfully unaware that Thorn is once again stalking the streets of Avondale seeking prey... but he has a dogged adversary of his own.

THE BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Regular readers of this blog will know I've got a real soft spot for Mycho's output, even ranking Hollower among my favourite films of 2016 and penning this glowing review for Slasher House II. The feats that Dixon and his crew achieve with such modest budgets are truly bewildering, and I'm delighted to say that Mask of Thorn continues Mycho's run of indie classics.
Needless to say, a familiarity with the previous entries in the Mychoverse will be rewarded (with a couple of familiar, albeit younger, characters making a return)  but perhaps the greatest achievement that Dixon manages is to make this story strong enough to stand on its own two feet. There will be no confused head-scratching from first time Mychoers here.
Dixon's script is intelligent and full of references to classic horror movies, especially the Halloween franchise. I  couldn't help but laugh at fellow critics who came down hard on Mycho's Cleaver as a mere Halloween rip-off. They had clearly missed the point — that the killer clown tale was actually an intelligent and well-intentioned homage to the grandfather (and arguably the very greatest) of slasher flicks. This continues (albeit more subtly) in Mask of Thorn — from the Halloween II-esque hospital opening sequence (which was among my favourites in the movie) right through to the black robed cultists of the later sequels.
However, that's not to say that Mask of Thorn does not deliver in its own right. While the story skips the intricate flashforward/flashback structure of Legacy of Thorn, it's still very intelligent and delivers some superb spooky moments.
The film looks great, and I was genuinely shocked to hear that it cost about half of the budget assigned to Legacy — this is a movie that looks polished far beyond its means, from clever Eighties set aesthetics (and costumes), right down to some shockingly gruesome gore effects. Let us not forget, that despite its more complex mythology, Mask of Thorn is a slasher movie first and foremost, and slashers NEED to deliver a bodycount.
This is certainly on hand in this latest Mychoverse offering, with Thorn rending helpless victims left, right and centre with his trademark over-sized machetes, or his bare hands. There's a sizeable cast of suitable cannon-fodder, which the bad guy makes short work of.
However, there are also plenty of well-rounded characters who give the viewer more than enough to root for.
Of course, a character is only as good as the actor or actress that brings them to life, and Mask of Thorn boasts a quartet of exceptional actresses in key roles. 
Oliver brings a sweet naivety to our heroine Bethany. She's cute, likeable and portrays the character with a vulnerability that is key to gaining audience sympathy. She's certainly one to watch.
So too is the excellent young Bryant, who gives a real nuanced performance as Olivia, capturing her character's tough but loyal qualities brilliantly. Bravo, young miss!
Elsewhere the spiky Cashman (who Mycho fans might recognise from the spine-chilling short, In Tents) plays the baddest of bad girls Julia with plenty of attitude. She's clearly having a ball with her role and so did I! This is a fun character brought to life fantastically through a fun performance.
Finally, the exceptional Metherington is given plenty to do in her role and she is more than up to the task. She is absolutely great, and shows her full range throughout the film.
But it's not just the girls who deliver the goods here, there are some great performances fro  the guys too. I particularly liked Tribe's snarling tough guy act, while the icy buttoned-up work from Payne was also very impressive.
A lot of people seem to think that the role of silent slasher villain doesn't offer much of a challenge, but there are plenty of subtle touches required to make a memorable monster. Just look at how beloved Kane Hodder is with genre fans for his portrayal of archetypal boogeyman Jason Voorhees. These subtleties are not lost on Machiavellian who brings Thorn to life with a barely contained seething rage. He clearly gets how to do horror. 
I've always loved the character design for Thorn, and with his hulking frame, cruelly grinning skull face and otherworldly glowing blue eyes, Thorn looks as badass as ever here.
The final thing I want to single out for praise is the awesome Eighties-style end credit track by HockeyMask Heroes. Bringing to mind power rock anthems such as Dream Warriors by Dokken, He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask) by Alice Cooper or Shocker by The Dudes of Wrath, it's not just a great theme, it's a cool track in its own right. There are a few faux Eighties tracks on the movies soundtrack and, to a child of the Eighties, all are quite excellent. Top work gents!

THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Mask of Thorn is an exceptional low-budget slasher movie. However, it IS a low-budget slasher movie. Movie accustomed to the glossy production values of Blumhouse's cinematic blockbusters may find the more rough and ready feel of most of Mycho's works a little jarring. This is a great movie, a top-notch slasher, but do please adjust expectations accordingly.
For the most part Mask of Thorn overcomes any budgetary constraints but every now and then there is the odd, very minor lapse.
The same came be said of the cast — while the standouts mentioned above really are quite wonderful, some of the other actors don't quite hit their lofty standards. There are no consistently poor performances, but every now and then some line deliveries feel a little stilted or wooden. Still, this is very much a rare occurrence and certainly does not serve to provide any severe hindrance to enjoyment of the movie.
Finally, while the movie certainly expands on the mythos of Thorn, it still leaves plenty of unanswered questions, and isn't really the origin story that some fans may be expecting. Here's hoping in four years time we'll be seeing Dixon's metal-masked monster return once more — I'd certainly be down with a Birth of Thorn or Cult of Thorn tale!

THE VERDICT: In the past I've said that I'd love to see a studio throw a big budget at MJ Dixon to see what he could do with those sorts of resources. Well now I've changed my mind.

Mask of Thorn is the latest in a long line of exceptional fright flicks from Mycho that show Dixon and co don't need an astronomical budget to deliver. I don't want studio executives getting in Dixon's ear telling him what to do, I want more of this talented director's work on his own terms. I want the much needed follow-up to Cleaver, I want to see Mychoverse: Phase Two featuring Slasher House II's villains, and, most of all, I want to see Red and the Demon settle their long-standing feud once and for all.

In Mask of Thorn we see everything that has made Mycho a genre fan-favourite. It's a throwback slasher with modern attitude, blood and guts with brains, and one of the very finest UK indie horrors in years. Highly, highly recommended.

Mask of Thorn will be released in 2018. Until then, why not keep up with any news over at the film's official Facebook page, which you can find here. Give it a like while you're there too, I'm sure the guys and gals at Mycho would appreciate it.

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.

LET'S MAKE ANNIVERSARY!

The House is a big fan of Jason Vail, loving his turns in Valley of the Sasquatch, Crowhand, Dollface (AKA Dorchester's Revenge: The Return of Crinoline Head 2), Family Possessions and The Cabin.

Well now the multi-talented Vail is looking to produce, direct and star in an adaptation of Arylias Nova's chilling short story, Anniversary.

And this is where you guys come in!

Vail and Nova have launched a Kickstarter to raise funds for the film and are already halfway to their very modest target. But what they need is one last push to get there, so check it out!

There are number of very cool perks available, including signed DVDs and posters which can be mailed to anywhere in the world (including here in the UK).

So come on guys, let's do this!

YOU CAN SUPPORT ANNIVERSARY 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.

RAW REVIEW: CAGE

Longterm readers of Hickey's House of Horrors may well remember my coverage of Brit chiller, The Cutting Room, back in May 2015. I imagine quite of few of you will in fact, as that review is my second most popular post here of all time!

So when the talented director of that film, Warren Dudley, asked if I'd like to take a look at his latest movie, Cage, which reunited him with Cutting Room star Lucy-Jane Quinlan, I was very quick to agree!  

More of a psychological thriller than an out-and-out horror flick, would Cage build on the tremendous potential on display in The Cutting Room? Or would it leave me wanting to Dudley behind bars?

Read on...

CAGE (2017)

Dir: Warren Dudley
Stars: Lucy-Jane Quinlan, Patrick Bergin, Jake Unsworth, Sharon Drain, Andy Costello

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

Gracie (Quinlan) is a down on her luck mother, desperate to regain custody of her child. With little in the way of income, Gracie has taken a job on a chat line to raise funds.  
While this pays the bills, it isn't enough to help in her legal battle.
All seems lost, until one of her clients (Bergin) offers to pay her handsomely for a special, 'one-night only' personal visit. At her wits' end, Gracie reluctantly travels to the meeting point... only to later wake up trapped in a cage in a large industrial building. With only her phone for company (albeit with the warning that any attempt to notify the authorities to her predicament will result in severe punishment), Gracie is chained and incarcerated, without a clue as to location.
As her mother (Drain) and worried boyfriend Eddy (Unsworth) try to work out where she is, Gracie finds herself at the mercy of the whims of her abductor...

THE BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): With just a single character onscreen, in what is essentially a single setting, Cage is a daring film. With what could be perceived as 'limited' scope, it would be very easy for an audience to lose patience and for attentions to drift if the film were to falter or stumble.
Thankfully, Dudley is more than up to the task. His story unfolds slowly and steadily, carefully deep-feeding the audience with its reveals and taking its time. That's not to say that it is dull, instead each revelation is given proper time to breathe and for the audience to process and feel its impact.
There are quiet moments in the film that have such emotional weight they hit far harder than any flashy big budget action sequences. I'll try to avoid spoiling them here (doing so really would rob the viewer of a lot of the enjoyment to be taken from the movie), but suffice to say one major reveal that was cleverly foreshadowed throughout the preceding scenes hits with a real gut-punch.
Of course, this story more than any other is VERY heavily reliant on its star delivering the goods. As the only face we see, Quinlan is asked to shoulder a massive responsibility to provide a compelling performance.
In my review of The Cutting Room, I wrote: She is quite the talent, handling some charged and challenging scenes with aplomb. She is definitely one to watch!
It seems that my words have been proven right. Quinlan is excellent in Cage, giving her character a natural likability and emoting impressively throughout the heavier scenes — no easy task when you remember that she has no other actor to hand with whom to bounce her performance off. She gives Gracie a flawed vulnerability, imbuing her with the quiet desperation that is so important to understanding some of the decidedly reckless acts she commits, and more importantly, she does a great job of getting the viewer to actually care what happens to her.
What's more, she even manages a pretty damn good American accent throughout the film too!
The voice talent also delivers the goods admirably, especially Drain's increasingly frantic mother and the cold, calculating kidnapper voiced by recognisable Hollywood talent, Bergin.
Drain provides emotional stimulus for Gracie's character, adding a more sympathetic, human counterpart for our lead to interact with. Voice acting is difficult to get right, often sounding somewhat stilted, but that's no problem here.
The impressive Unsworth is also very good, and gets the opportunity to deliver quite a range of emotions, a task with which he is more than up to the job.
Back to Bergin, we are given the villain of our movie, a character who is mysterious and clearly unhinged, even if he is able to remain deceptively calm and even charming. Exactly what this man's motives are is one of the puzzles of Dudley's clever puzzle box of a script, and Bergin is able to carry that across in subtle intonation and flawless timing. This is a talented, experienced actor and he shows that in spades with such simple but exceptionally smart delivery.
This focus on dialogue may make it sound like Cage is a static or listless visual spectacle. I'm pleased to say this is not the case.
Clever editing and camerawork ensure that the movie never feels stagnant, keeping the viewer's attention pinned to the screen. Dudley proved an accomplished filmmaker with The Cutting Room, but he was aided somewhat by the Found Footage style of that movie, a device that restricts ambition for the sake of authenticity. He has no such constraints here and, I'm very pleased to say, he more than matches the potential hinted at with his previous effort. Once again, Warren Dudley proves to be a director to watch out for.

THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Perhaps the most important point to stress is that Cage is very much a psychological thriller, not an out-and-out horror movie, per se. If you're expecting a substantial bodycount and gallons of gore, this slower, more intimate and personal story may not be for you.
Of course, one of the issues of any movie that presents you with a hypothetical conundrum (a 'what-if-that-happened-to-me?' scenario) is that it encourages you to put yourself in the lead's shoes and to formulate your own escape plan. It also encourages you to forensically nitpick that same lead's own efforts to free herself and, in Cage, there are a couple of moments when Gracie's behaviour may extract some weary sighs and eye-rolls. Very early on she starts to work her way through the potential padlock combinations on the chain that keeps her bound to the bed, but this is something she then regularly abandons, before coming back to it intermittently. As pretty much the ONLY way she could hope to free herself, this does beggar belief somewhat. I suppose this can be written away by the fact that Gracie, a woman who is already unravelling under the pressures and stresses of her life, is not thinking clearly. She has been abducted and has a number of fears relating to events on the outside of the cage, so perhaps she is struggling with rational thought? It's a strong enough reason to explain some of her less intelligent decisions, so perhaps we should just roll with that.
Furthermore, the titular cage itself is not as sturdy a structure as I imagine was envisioned during the writing of the movie. Sure, it's a decent size, but the bars do appear pretty breakable. Perhaps this is just a result of budget constraints, and I do need to remember that young Ms Quinlan is certainly not a 6ft 3, 15-stone lump like this humble reviewer, so she'd certainly struggle more to escape!
Back to those budget constraints. It's worth mentioning that Cage is clearly a lower budget movie than some of the big, shiny crowd-pleasers you're going to see at your local cinema. Dudley has very cleverly stretched his budget as far as it will go, utilising a stripped back cast and set to mask any shortfalls, but if you're more used to the likes of Jason Blumhouse's shiny horror flicks or glossy Hollywood thrillers, you may need to lower your expectations somewhat.

THE VERDICT: Cage is not a flawless thriller, but it is a very, very good one. Some minor grumbles aside, the intelligent plotting, skilled direction and a stand-out performance from a talented young lead make it a movie that is more than worth your time. 
Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give Cage is that it actually managed to raise the already high levels of esteem with which I already regarded its director and its star. I do hope these two continue to collaborate, because I cannot wait to see what they do next!

Cage is available to buy on DVD at Amazon here.
You can check out the movie'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.

RAW REVIEWS: GETTING SCHOOLED

There has been a real resurgence in nostalgia-tinted, Eighties throwback horror movies as of late.

And when you're talking Eighties Horror, was there any sub-genre more indicative of the time than the slasher movie?

One of the latest movies to join the swelling ranks of retro-slashers is Chuck Norfolk’s Getting Schooled. I was alerted to the film by Circus of the Dead director ‘Bloody’ Bill Pon (did I mention that you can catch CotD on iTunes now and that the DVD/Blu-ray is available for pre-order? Just checking…) and after doing a little research, was pretty hyped to see it.

After voicing my interest, the very cool guys over at Lucky Chucky Productions were kind enough to send a screener my way.

So is this a slasher that's too cool for school?

Or would I have to mark this one an ‘F’?

Read on…

GETTING SCHOOLED (2017)

Dir: Chuck Norfolk

Stars: Mayra Leal, Tom Long, Roland Ruiz, Jake Byrd, Susan Ly, Morgal Tyler, Ron Jeremy, Nick W. Nicholson

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

The year is 1983 and a ragtag group of High School students are put into Saturday morning detention, including spoiled princess Hillary (Tyler), knife-packing delinquent Rusty (Ruiz), smart nerd Shelly (Ly), strapping jock Mike (Byrd) and social misfit Julie (Leal). When new substitute teacher Mr Roker (Long) enters the classroom, the wheelchair-bound Vietnam vet makes it clear that he’ll take no shit from any of them.

As the group uneasily settle in with each other an accident occurs, rendering the teacher unconscious. The students panic and try to revive the man, however, when Roker comes to he experiences violent flashbacks to his war days and proceeds to attack the teens with ruthless and ferocious abandon.

Barely able to subdue him, they lock Roker in a supply closet and try to work out what to do next.

However, little do they know that Roker is former Black Ops and now, in a state of paranoid delusion, he has mistaken them for Viet Cong adversaries and he is prepared to use every last trick he learned in combat to take each and every one of them down…

THE BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): When creating a throwback horror movie, one of the most important aspects is nailing the feel of the era. This is something that Getting Schooled manages admirably.

It’s not just in the fashions and soundtrack, the characterisation and dialogue is straight out of some long-lost John Hughes Bratpack movie. This is only fitting for a film that plays out like some kind of bastard offspring of The Breakfast Club and Friday the 13th — with a little Full Metal Jacket thrown in for good measure.

This might sound like a bizarre mix, but it really runs with the premise, delivering a fun and at times frightening product.

The writing by director Norfolk, as well as Steven Scott Norfolk and Tim Norfolk is sharp, clever and, most importantly, feels like a real love-letter to the multitude of slasher flicks that packed the shelves of video stores back in the Eighties.

The dialogue sounds authentic, while the characterisation manages to conjure recognisable genre stereotypes (jocks, badboys and brainiacs among their number), but still make them individuals that you actually care about by the time the blood starts flowing.  

Of course, it helps that the film has collected a fine cast of very good actors, including adult film star Ron Jeremy in a very humorous turn as the school's cynical janitor.

At its core the movie is anchored by a trinity of sterling performances.

First, the very pretty Leal is a perfect fit for her character. She’s likeable and manages to give Julie a fine mix of toughness and vulnerability. She has a number of horror credits to her name already and I’m going to be sure to look up more of this talented actress’ genre work.

Second, Ruiz is clearly having a ball as badboy Rusty, which makes his performance all the more enjoyable for us, the audience. He nails the bravado and swagger of iconic slasher tough guys like A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Rod. It's hard work balancing the dickishness of such a character without just making him utterly unlikeable. To his credit, Ruiz pulls it off.

The final part of this successful and important triumvirate is Long’s barking mad Roker. This is a very tough role as Long is faced with the unenviable task of making a character who is unable to walk seem a legitimate threat to a cast of young characters depicted as being in their physical prime. However, much like the immense Stephen Lang in Don’t Breathe, Long delivers such a ferocious, no-nonsense performance that soon any and all doubts about the danger he might lose are soon dismissed.

He plays the role pre-breakdown like a tough teacher who is clearly not one to take any shit. Post-breakdown he becomes utterly unhinged, a savage, violent monster without mercy or morals.

In short, Long is utterly brilliant.

Of course, the cast are only as good as the material with which they work, and the plot of Getting Schooled, while very simple, delivers a solid, no-frills thriller, with a surprising amount of heart. The set-pieces are pretty nail-biting, while the gory kills are shockingly violent and often particularly gruesome, for those of you who like a horror to boast some splatter (and who doesn’t appreciate a little bloodshed in their slashers?).

It is in each of these scenes that we are also treated to a demonstration of cinematographer John Hale’s skills, as he and Norfolk show some real flair in bringing the horrific to life in a visually striking manner. The colour palette accurately reflects the films of the era to which Getting Schooled so clearly pays homage, but it also creates a captivating look for the movie in its own right, especially during the climactic moments.  

Yet as good as the film looks, I keep returning to its heart. The closing moments of the movie are surprisingly poignant, and may even elicit the odd tear.

I know, genuine emotion in a throwback slasher! Who’d’ve thunk it!?

THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): As great as Getting Schooled looks, it is worth reiterating that this is a lower budget indie movie. If you’re used to slick, polished, Blumhouse-style wide-release horror movies, you may need to adjust your expectations accordingly.

These budgetary constraints, on very rare occasions, affect the production values of the film, hampering some effects shots for example, but they also have a knock-on effect throughout the movie. 
For example, some of the cast are relatively inexperienced, which means that some line delivery can be a little rough around the edges. Take into account that budget restrictions often also come with time constraints and you can see how how some scenes may not hit as hard as others. It’s clear that the cast are all very much invested in their parts, it’s just that sometimes one or two of them slightly misjudge moments. Luckily these moments are few and far between and only add to the throwback Eighties Slasher feel.

However, I do want to add that the team behind Getting Schooled have clearly worked very hard to get this movie as slick as it can possibly be and they have done a pretty damn good job with the movie.

It is that throwback feel that works as both a blessing and a curse to the movie. In short, if you never enjoyed Slasher movies during their heyday, I very much doubt Getting Schooled is going to convert you to the cause. However, if (like me) you are a child of the Eighties (and in particular, a fan of Eighties horror movies) I’m pretty sure you’ll love it.

THE VERDICT: What a pleasant surprise Getting Schooled turned out to be! It manages to be a familiar homage to the slasher classics of yesteryear, while still displaying some imagination of its own. But perhaps more importantly, it’s fun and frightening, with some tremendous performances and real emotional weight and pathos.

Pardon the pun, but Getting Schooled is a real ‘class’ act!

If you want to check the movie out, it’s currently on Amazon Prime here; Vimeo here; Vudu here or on Googleplay or iTunes. So what are you waiting for?

You can read more about Getting Schooled over at its official Facebook page here. Give it a like while you're there too, these guys deserve it!

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.