RAW REVIEW: THE GALLOWS

One of the best horror trailers I've seen in recent months was that for Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing's The Gallows. You may have seen it — the long setpiece in which a terrified girl cowers in a room lit only by a red light as a menacing hooded figure slowly approaches, unseen, by his prospective victim.
I loved the look and the tension of the scene and it really piqued my interest — then came the reviews.
Many panned the film as a clear example of everything that's wrong with modern horror. I'll be honest, the backlash I read was SO strong, it put me off watching the film for a while. 
Ultimately, however, I decided that I had to at least give it a chance.
Now, with the film receiving a UK DVD release this Monday 16th November, I'm finally penning my review. Is this one as ropy as critics have suggested? Or was it worth hanging around for?
Read on…

THE GALLOWS (2015)

Dir: Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing
Starring: Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos, Cassidy Gifford, Alexis Scheider, Price T Morgan, Theo Burkhardt, Melissa Bratton

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

In 1983 tragedy struck Beatrice High School when an accident on the set of the school play, The Gallows, saw a student, Charlie Grimille, die onstage in front of a live audience.

Now, 20 years later, the school drama department looks to pay tribute to that fateful night by performing the play once again. 

Among those involved in the production are brash jock Ryan (Shoos) and his football team-mate Reese (Mishler). As Ryan documents the proceedings via his video camera (and makes his sarcastic disdain for the project quite clear) we come to see Reese's reason for signing up — his costar Pfeifer (Brown). The precociously talented and irrepressibly enthusiastic Pfeifer has landed the female lead role while Reese has been cast opposite her as the male lead — and he hopes to use this to get close to the object of his affection.

However, there's one small hitch — Reese isn't much of an actor and he's struggling with his lines, something Ryan is quick to mock.

Finally, on the eve of the performance Ryan convinces Reese that he's destined to blow it, so the two hatch a plan.

Later that night the pair, along with Ryan's cheerleader girlfriend Cassidy sneak into the school auditorium through a broken side door, intent on vandalising the set to prevent the play from taking place. However, as they set about their task they are interrupted by Pfeifer who wants to do some last minute rehearsing.

Things look pretty bleak for Reese when Pfeifer discovers his true intentions but that becomes the least of his problems when the youngsters realise they are now trapped in the building... and they are not alone. Somebody (or something) is prowling the school hallways, eager for revenge...

THE BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): The Gallows is a teen-friendly Found Footage flick, but I'm not one of those people to whom this instantly equates crap. I believe that any sub-genre can entertain, provided it is executed well. And for the most part, The Gallows is executed very well indeed.

It's quite difficult to make a Found Footage film that appears visually stylish, by their nature they are rough-and-ready in their presentation, supposedly capturing real events as they happen, and with that eliminating a lot of the cinematography tricks that would take us out of the moment. The Gallows manages to make a strong visual impact without betraying its premise by utilising a striking colour palette. The scenes in which the hooded spectre stalks the hapless teens are often bathed in intense burning reds or ethereal greens. What's more directors Cluff and Lothing and their cinematographer Edd Lukas make good use of light and shadow, the spotlights and deep shadows heightening the sense of isolation for our beleaguered leads. 

This sense of creepy dread is an area in which the film is a tremendous success. At times it is unbearably tense, the set-pieces exquisitely executed, varying from disorienting and frenetic to eerily still and silent. The hooded figure doesn't make a huge number of appearances but, when he does, each and every one counts. I must say that Cluff and Lothing deserve plenty of praise for the way in which they craft their scares. 

A major part of the creepiness also comes from the exquisite production design from Stephanie Hass, Mark Hatwig and Jennifer Sullivan, especially in a number of decidedly unnerving sets (especially that fantastically frightening prop/costume room) and props (the crackling TV in one scene is used to marvellous effect).

The story told by Cluff and Lothing (who penned, as well as directed the film) is a simple one, taking the age-old trope of revenge from beyond the grave, but with a clever twist. However, it is the manner in which the story is told that really works. The pair are obviously assured and capable directors, with a decent eye for camerawork and a top notch ability to get what they need from their youthful cast.

Of the four youngsters it was Brown who most impressed, a believable and interesting character brought to life through a flawless performance. A scaled back, real-world version of Glee's Rachel Berry, she manages to give what could have been a very irritating character a level of cute charm. It's very nice work indeed.

The striking young Gifford (daughter of the famous Kathie Lee) also does a great job, giving her character a mischievous toughness that soon turns to terrified vulnerability. Should she choose to stick with the genre, I could see her become a fine Scream Queen.

Elsewhere Mishler does a fine job with a character that is probably the least exciting of the group. He may not have the spiciest lines, but he gets to play lovelorn puppy, easily-influenced jock and a mid-movie reveal gives him a weighty issue to wrestle with before stepping up to become the braver hero we want him to be. It's quite the arc and the boyishly handsome Mishler handles it admirably. 

Finally the character that looms largest over the film is definitely that of Shoos's Ryan. Of course as the main 'cameraman' his voice is most likely to be heard, but it's also a voice that does not stop. He's cocky, loud, obnoxious, oh, and did I mention that he's loud? He's the character that you just KNOW is going to end up with some of that arrogance knocked out of him come the end of the film and Shoos is superb in the role.
Now, the next part is quite difficult to discuss without spoilers, so if you are averse to that sort of thing, you may wish to skip ahead.
Sure you want to read on?
Ok.
**********SPOILERS**********
I really liked the film's boogeyman, the hooded and vengeful spectre of Charlie Grimille. A silent and spooky slasher style antagonist, he's a menacing figure and his weapon of choice, the noose, makes for a nice change. The scenes in which Charlie's unwitting victims find themselves suddenly choked by an invisible noose or abruptly snatched up into the air to be hanged from a phantasmagorical gallows are unnerving and at the centre of some of the best jump scares in the film. Oddly (or not) I've not been able to find out the name of the actor beneath the hood, but whoever this mystery man is he does a superb job of appearing legitimately threatening during his short screen appearances.
Also his plan, while not entirely transparent, leads to a couple of very cool reveals during the film.
**********SPOILERS END**********

THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Right, let's address the elephant in the room — The Gallows is Blumhouse Found Footage movie. As I said before, I don't mind a good FF-flick, but I know some people out there will read those two words and their stomach will turn. Sadly, I do think the film could have worked just as well without the Found Footage gimmick. On the other hand, I understand that it was done as a cost-cutting measure for a micro-budget genre flick by a pair of first-time feature directors. With this in mind I think it was a pretty good idea in the end and certainly didn't ruin my enjoyment of the film. However, those of you who've had your fair share of shaky cam chillers may find this entry in the rapidly growing genre a bit too much to take.

Unfortunately, what I found too much to take was Shoos' overbearing Ryan. It's not the actor's fault — sadly the character is just too much of a dickhead to tolerate. I get that the character is meant to be annoying, but in this case I found myself hoping that he'd end up at the wrong end of a noose long before the killing started. Perhaps scaling him back a bit would have helped — as things were I found him irritating and extremely unsympathetic.

One area in which I have seen some negative feedback towards the film is in its comparative bloodlessness. Inexplicably given the dreaded R rating in the States, I absolutely cannot understand what it was that the film board saw that was so upsetting? Perhaps a film in which high school-age teens end up hanged was seen to be too much, because it certainly wasn't down to any violence or gore on display. By its very nature a noose is a weapon that does away with any serious splatter, so gorehounds should be aware that if you're looking for bloodshed, The Gallows is not the film for you.

Finally, I need to get a little spoilery again, so you may wish to skip this next section until after you've viewed the film.

**********SPOILERS**********

The plot is sadly missing a few key details that would really help the audience and flesh out the story. Perhaps Cluff and Lothing were hoping for a sequel to expand upon their tale?

First, what exactly was Grimille's motivation? We see that he targets Reese because his father was meant to be on stage in his place on the fateful night in 1983. So why did Reese's father miss the play? Was there something more suspicious about the 'accident'? Or is Grimille merely so vengeful that he plans to exact his revenge for something that was purely down to poor luck? Is he just striking down anybody involved in the now cursed play, in which case, why does it matter that Reese's dad should have been onstage in the first place?

And finally, the ending very much suggests that Pfeifer is actually the daughter of Grimille. Well, if that's the case and the play was last performed 20 years ago, that makes her a 19-year-old high school student. Hmmmm...

**********SPOILERS END**********

THE VERDICT: The Gallows may be a shiny, teen-oriented Blumhouse Found Footager, but I still enjoyed it. Sure, it has its flaws (what horror movie doesn't?) but it's extremely well executed and provides excellent atmospheric visuals, some top-drawer frights and a very cool, enigmatic cinematic boogeyman. This is a film that I certainly advise you all to make up your own mind about.
To me, Cluff and Lothing are clearly filmmakers to look out for and should their next effort be a return to Beatrice to flesh out the story they've already started, I'll definitely be there to check it out — whatever the reviews might say.

The Gallows will be released on DVD and Blu-ray this Monday 16th November. Buy it at Amazon here.

In the meantime, check out The Gallows' official Facebook page. Why not give it a Like while you're too, I'm sure the filmmakers 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.

RAW REVIEW: THE HALLOW

One of the most anticipated films to hit the festival circuit recently has been Corin Hardy's The Hallow. Known for his dark but intriguing visual flair (that is more than a little reminiscent of the great Guillermo del Toro) and long-standing appreciation of monster movies, The Hallow sees Hardy return to the folklore of his native Ireland. I was fortunate enough to catch the film at the recent FDA Showcase event in London.
So, is this a movie that can stand up to the serious weight of expectation upon its shoulders?
Read on...

THE HALLOW (2015)

Dir: Corin Hardy
Starring: Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, Gary Lydon, Michael Smiley, Stuart Graham

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

As the growing economic crisis in Ireland forces the government to sell off swathes of its ancient woodland to the highest bidders, large companies move in, much to the chagrin of the local people.
London-based arborologist Adam (Mawle) is sent to check the woods before the deforestation crews can move in. With his young wife Clare (Novakovic) and their newborn son Finn in tow, Adam spends his days roaming out into the forest and exploring, documenting any and all flora and fauna that he comes across.
It is on one such excursion with Finn strapped to his chest and the family dog beside them that Adam discovers a curious black fungus growing deep in the woods. However, it soon becomes clear that the family have more pressing matters, not least the local hostility towards them, especially from their closest neighbour, Colm Donnelly (McElhatton). A simple farmer whose daughter disappeared in mysterious circumstances, Donnelly is quick to offer the pair strong warnings about disturbing whatever it is that lurks in the dark heart of the forest.
Adam is rather dismissive of the simple locals while the lonely Clare keeps herself busy by removing the clunky iron bars from the windows of their new (but very old) mill house home. But when an unexpected and frightening event late one night leaves the couple shaken, Adam finds himself on a collision course with an insidious threat. 
Are Donnelly and the locals doing their best to drive out the young family? Or is there something ancient and deadly lurking within the woods, waiting to strike?

THE BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): As you might expect from the supremely talented Hardy, The Hallow looks incredible. Bringing the bleak but beautiful dark Irish landscape to life with exquisitely framed and shot camerawork, the film effortlessly transports the viewer into the world that it conjures. The deep greens of the woodland contrast with the cold grey skies, heightening the sense of isolation for the characters. They are shot in a way that makes them seem both beautiful and dangerous. It's certainly easy to see why the film was originally going to be titled The Woods.
What's more, Hardy and his cinematographer Martijn Van Broekhuizen make superb use of light and shade, especially during the climactic scenes and the numerous thrilling setpieces along the way. I cannot stress this enough, The Hallow is a real feast for the eyes.
Those aforementioned set-pieces are arguably the strongest parts of the film. The story (written by Hardy and Olga Barreneche) is rather slow moving, leading the viewer by the hand down several interesting and entirely viable cul-de-sacs before finally revealing the truth behind the film's various bumps in the night. As such the more thrilling scenes scattered throughout serve to keep the audience engaged, all while affording us some hints at what the true threat is.
From the scene in which Adam finds himself locked in his own car boot while unseen assailants terrify young Finn, to that where the whole family cower behind Adam's shotgun while a group of diabolical home-invaders ransack the mill house, these are excellently executed exercises in tension. As well as having a real talent for eye-catching visuals, Hardy can certainly wring a scene for every single drop of drama, plus there are a number of nice visual references to some classic horror movies that have gone before, showing that the director is a real fan and student of the genre. The 'scary' scenes more than manage to hit the spot and Hardy proves to be a skilled horror storyteller.
However, as impressive as the frights and the general look of the film are, the finest visual element is one that I don't really want to spoil here (even though plenty of other reviewers and even the poster are doing precisely that). Suffice it to say that the production design of a certain element introduced and shown in full late on in the film is absolutely fantastic. I do wish I could rave about The Hallows more here, but it's worth witnessing this superb work for yourself.
Of course a movie needs to do so much more than merely look pretty to truly captivate an audience. It's also necessary to give us some characters that can hold our interest and this is an area in which The Hallow's topnotch cast certainly helps the cause.
Mawle is extremely realistic in his portrayal of an idealist whose ongoing work can lead him to think that he is above the simple local folk and their customs. He's a well-educated Londoner and he sees the various references to Irish folklore and superstitions as silly attempts to get him to abandon his post. He isn't neglectful towards his family — in fact a couple of key scenes show that he is extremely protective of them — but his failure to assign a suitable level of importance to the grim warnings that come his way is a tragic character flaw. Mawle's character arc is compelling and events transpire that give him ample opportunity to show multiple facets to his character. It's very good work indeed.
Novakovic's Clare is the more sympathetic of the two leads. She's a new mother who has given up her friends and family to follow her husband's career. She is quicker to accept that there's something wrong in their seemingly idyllic home and she does a great job of portraying the fear that her character is feeling. Her character has a less pronounced arc than that of Adam, but she's still able to show some decent range throughout the film.

Elsewhere McElhatton impresses with his somewhat limited screentime as does the always excellent Smiley in what amounts to an interesting (if brief) cameo which delivers plenty of eerie foreshadowing. McElhatton is given a bit more to do, his down-to-earth, simple and deeply sad Donnelly serving as a nice foil to Mawle's more cultured, arguably pretentious and carefree character. 

One thing that I loved about the surprisingly straightforward storyline was the fact that it was prepared to not only take its time with its mysteries but to also steer clear of explaining each and every detail, granting it a little more mystique and encouraging the viewer to pay attention to get all of its intricacies. By refusing to give us a standard Hollywood exposition dump, Hardy and his crew utterly succeed in evoking the feel of the grim Gaelic fairy tales at its heart — and frightening us silly along the way.

THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): As I stated before, The Hallow is a film that is prepared to take its time. Unfortunately, at times it may just be a little too slow for the less patient among you. This is not helped by the repetitive and cyclical nature of a large part of the film whereby the young family are terrorised by night by an unseen assailant, but hide without incident, and then the following day Adam travels into the local village where numerous unkempt locals glare at him knowingly.

This would perhaps be less of a problem if the characters to whom these encounters were happening gave us a little more to invest in, but all the leads are quite thinly sketched archetypes.

Clare is the isolated and lost new mother, Adam the doomed and superior sceptic, with very little more discernible personality. 

Horror has long thrived on using character tropes (in fact the doomed sceptical scholar is at the centre of some of the genre's finest literary works), but for us to truly sympathise with their plight our leads need to be at least a little bit likeable. Unfortunately the couple come across as a little too smug, a pair of Guardian-reading, middle-class, thirty-something, M&S/Gap shopping would-be hipsters. I understand that their assumed superiority is a large part of the moral behind the tale: for all their airs and graces, in the end it is they, not the supposedly less-educated locals, who are unprepared for the truth of The Hallows, but they veer dangerously close to irritating. Thankfully Hardy directs their plight in such a way that we do have to sympathise with them towards the end of the film, but it is certainly a little touch and go for a while.

Finally, on a more personal note, while I found the vast majority of the effects work absolutely fantastic, the rather daft and decidedly ropy CG depicting the black fungus as viewed through a microscope was disappointing. In a film filled with visual flair, this is the one image that stands out as an absolute clunker.

THE VERDICT: The Hallow is not a perfect film, but for a debut feature it is astonishing. It looks beautiful, boasts some amazing effects work and overcomes a couple of plot shortfalls by effortlessly drifting from sub-genre to sub-genre as it tells its tale, keeping the audience guessing even as they jump out of their seats at the numerous superbly executed scare sequences. 

A gorgeous but terrifying work, The Hallow proves that Corin Hardy is a name to watch out for in the years ahead.

The Hallow will be released in UK cinemas this Friday, 13th November.

For more information, why not check out the film's official Facebook page. Give it a Like while you're there too, I'm sure they'd 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.

RAW REVIEW: HOUSE OF... 2

Or to give this film it's full, NSFW title — House of Whores 2: The Second Cumming.

Not exactly subtle, is it? But then, those of you who read my review of Tom Komisar, Daniel Murphy and Paul Arnone's first film in the sadistic, perverted home-invading clowns series know that they weren't softly-softly with their approach there.

So you can imagine my slightly nervous delight upon being granted the chance to be one of the first UK reviewers to get a look at the film. Why nervous? Because HM&M Films, the folks behind HoW2 claim it's even more extreme than a predecessor that I said  'punches you in the face, then kicks you in the balls'!

Fasten your seat belts, folks, I think we're gonna need them...

HOUSE OF WHORES 2: THE SECOND CUMMING (2015)

Dir: Tom Komisar, Daniel Murphy
Starring: AC McCray, Montana Skylar, Cheyenne Summer, Tom Komisar, Daniel Murphy, Riley Grey, Lindsey McIntyre, Vergena Fields, Linda Schrader, Peter Barnone, Craig Lemons, Tiffany Smith, Eric Reaume, Kaleigh Loemer, Frankie V, Nurse Hatchet

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

HoW2 opens with the return of the still disturbingly sexy Nurse Hatchet, instructing a clown-masked surgeon, Sluggo (McCray) and his nurse, Naughty Nina (Fields) to take a hapless young woman (McIntyre) and make her 'like them'. After a brief bit of genital-destroying surgery with an electric whisk, the girl is fitted with a sex-doll like mask and becomes the latest member of the sadistic home invader/entertainment team, Skanko.
The rest of the movie follows the twisted exploits of the perpetually furious Slasho (Komisar), British sleaze Shago (Murphy) and their cameraman/hulking violent psycho Smasho (Barnone), along with their new recruit.
The clowns host their own online show in which they humiliate, violate and ultimately mutilate victims for the viewing pleasure of their baying audience.
This time, the focus of their attentions is a hypocritical televangelist, Father Nelson (McCray again) and the two vapid and promiscuous girls he took in as a part of his charitable work for Teens With Abusive Tendencies: Mandy (Skylar) and Candy (Summer). 
With a couple of interludes along the way featuring adult film star Riley Grey and an unfortunate young mother (Loemer), Nurse Hatchet's crew are all set to make their next body-fluid soaked masterpiece...

THE BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Hooooo boy... Murphy, Komisar and co have done it again. Taking all the insanity of the previous film, then building on it, House of Whores 2 ratchets up the madness with gleeful abandon.
Everything that worked in the first film is back — the sterling work of Komisar and Murphy has really found its groove now, with both slipping straight back into the skin of their twisted characters. Komisar's seething, gruff delivery is flawless, while the frenetic physical acting of Murphy is once again on point. The iconic Nurse Hatchet is also back, and this time she's given lots more to do. Revealed as the terrifying mastermind behind the clowns, she maintains her aura of mystery, yet giving her character a purpose makes her all the more frightening.
Elsewhere in the cast the new additions impress, especially the superb McCray in his dual role of Sluggo (the Q to Slasho, Shago and Smasho's 00 agents) and the seedily insincere Father Nelson. He's so good in both roles that I honestly didn't realise it was the same guy underneath that creepy clown mask, even with his distinctive physique. 

The very attractive Summer and Skylar also deliver the goods, playing the young (and decidedly slutty) objects of the clowns' (and Father Nelson's) attention with a tongue-in-cheek charm. The pair also bravely hold their own during a couple of more gruelling scenes late on. Credit must also go to Grey and Loemer for how gamely they go along for this deeply disturbing ride too.
Another welcome return for this film is the kick-ass music of Mixtress Demonatrix that runs throughout. From the sleazy, saxy theme to the pounding dance track used during Nurse Hatchet's gory, raunchy Blood Dance and Necromance, the score is absolutely awesome.
However, the best and brightest thing to return for HoW2 is the sick, black sense of humour that runs throughout the film. Little touches that worked so well last time, such as the clown-penned subtitles, wacky 'boink'-style sound effects to accompany a claw-hammer to the skull and the brilliant flickering silent-movie interlude, are back, but there's also a lot more humour in the writing. There's no way anybody should be able to find something to laugh at in a scene in which a young mother pushing a pram is abducted and violated before her screaming baby is shot and her breast milk expressed for Shago to savour, but the HoW boys manage it. Heaven help me, I actually laughed out loud at what was happening on screen.
There's a real talent in taking the most deplorable and reprehensible acts and making them entertaining — Komisar and the jolly nice Murphy have this talent in spades.
Much like the original film, this is a micro-budget flick (the IMDB estimates it was made for just $1000!), but this is something that the filmmakers use to their advantage. The rough-around-the-edges look just adds to the realism of the footage, as if it's some horrifying Dark Web show created for (and by) the most depraved of browsers. The violence and gore effects never seem to suffer as a result of what must have been some pretty tough budgetary constraints, while the remarkably swift time in which this film was produced since the first instalment doesn't indicate a drop in quality in the script or plot. 

The film boasts more of the same — but more, more, more! It features some hideously vile set pieces, a larger cast and even more laughs and a whole new level of nudity (you thought Nurse Hatchet's bloody striptease was a bit strong in the first movie? Just WAIT until you see what she does this time!) 

My kudos gentlemen, for what is a legitimately impressive (and repulsive) achievement.

THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Just as everything that worked in House of Whores is back in this sequel, so too are the areas that I found less impressive.

Much like the first, I feel it's entirely necessary to warn potential viewers that this is an EXTREME film. It willfully pushes the envelope — we have plenty of sordid and sadistic events here and if you're the type of casual horror fan that enjoys sitting down at the cinema with the latest Lionsgate or Blumhouse big budget teen horror flick, House of Whores 2: The Second Cumming is going to smash you over the head with a beer bottle and piss all over any squeamish qualms you may have. Rape, necrophilia and any number of body excretions are present here — you have been warned.

Also, if you are used to more polished fare, the decidedly low-budget look may be a negative factor for some of you. Ok, so it's not a Michael Bay blockbuster — but you get a gun that squirts shit down a man's gullet, that seems like a fair trade-off to me!

Once again, the film is a little on the short side — it clocks in at significantly longer than its predecessor but I watched the Limited Edition extended cut of the film and it's still under 90 minutes. What's more, just like last time, an extended section of that runtime consists of Nurse Hatchet's interlude. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching this very sexy dance (and, erm, other things) but this runs for over quarter of an hour and seems to be made up of only about five minutes worth of footage edited, looped and repeated. 

Just like the first film, the story is once again ludicrously simple. Sure, there are lots more characters (including a welcome expansion to our troup of villains) but once again the film consists of a series of events and set-pieces rather than any real arc. Obviously that isn't what the House of Whores series is about, but if you aren't familiar with the previous movie you should know not to expect too much in the way of compelling characterisation and intricate, thought-provoking storytelling.

Instead HoW2 is a visceral experience, built around provoking a series of physical responses: laughter; disgust and even arousal. On this front it certainly delivers.

Finally (and I can't believe I'm saying this about a film in which a teenage girl is smothered with a plunger before her corpse is raped), but I actually think House of Whores 2 is a little less gruelling and mean-spirited than the first film. To be fair, I'm not sure I could have handled much more than the first movie threw my way, but by focusing more on the humour and less on the suffering of the clowns' victims, it feels a little less hard-hitting. I'm not saying this is a weakness per se, as I'm sure some viewers will be relieved to hear this, but the Guinea Pig fans may wish this was a little more sadistic. It's all a matter of taste.

THE VERDICT: House of Whores 2 is a vulgar and vicious work of depravity — and I loved every side-splitting second of it. I don't know how the supremely talented Murphy, Komisar et al do it, but once again they've taken something that nobody outside of a mental institution should like and made it HUGELY entertaining. 

If you've seen House of Whores (and if you haven't you can buy it direct from the folks at HM&M Films and Average At Best Films right here) and you dug it, you should need very little encouragement to pick up this more than worthy sequel. If you saw the first and weren't too keen, I'd still recommend giving the sequel a whirl — this time the guys ensure that we're in on their sick joke from the outset.

To conclude, those of you who stick around right to the very end of the credits will see a hint that Slasho, Shago, Smasho, Skanko, Sluggo, Swallo, Nina and Nurse Hatchet will return again. And God help me, I'll be one of the very first in line, eagerly anticipating even more boundary-blurring violation when they do.

If you want to buy House of Whores 2: The Second Cumming, you can preorder the DVD direct from HM&M Films and Average At Best Films here.

In the meantime, check out the film's official Facebook page here. Give it a Like while you're there, show some love!

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: PAY THE GHOST

Of all the actors to turn away from a very successful mainstream Hollywood career to take on genre projects, Nicolas Cage is far and away one of the most talented.
Sure, his work in the ill-advised Wicker Man remake was the subject of plenty of internet jokes, but this is the same man who starred in the fantastic Raising Arizona and scooped a host of acting awards for Leaving Las Vegas, before reinventing himself as an action hero in three of the biggest (and best) Hollywood action films of the late Nineties: The Rock; Face/Off; and Con Air.
Hollywood's loss has become our gain, and we've had strong outings in the likes of Ghostrider and Drive Angry in recent years, which have both been daft but great fun.
Now Cage returns to horror with Uli Edel's Pay The Ghost, a creepy story that emerged just in time to tie in with its Halloween setting.

PAY THE GHOST (2015)

Dir: Uli Edel
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Jack Fulton, Lyriq Bent, Veronica Ferres, Stephen McHattie, Lauren Beatty, Kalie Hunter

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

Mike Lawford (Cage) is a university lecturer who works all hours in an effort to secure a promotion that will provide a significant payrise, affording a far more comfortable life to Mike, his wife Kristen (Callies) and their young son Charlie (Fulton).

However, the increased workload means that Mike is often forced to miss key family occasions, leaving Charlie regularly disappointed.

After the latest of these sees Mike get home too late to go trick or treating with Kristen and Charlie, he instead offers to take his son to a nearby Halloween parade.

The two head into the bustling crowd and, after seeing an ominous cloaked figure and circling buzzards, Charlie whispers: 'Can we pay the ghost?', before promptly disappearing into the ether.

Frantic, Mike desperately dashes around the parade to find his son, but to no avail. Later a policeman informs Mike that most missing children cases are resolved within 24 hours.

One year later, Charlie is still missing. 
Mike and Kristen's relationship has crumbled, with her blaming him for the loss of their child. Mike has recently returned to work under the careful guidance of friend and colleague Hannah (Ferres), but he spends most of his time researching missing children cases, reporting his findings to decent but stumped police detective Jordan (Bent) and roaming the streets of the New York, pinning up missing person posters.

All seems to be lost, until one such outing leads him to an abandoned building with the phrase 'Pay the ghost' daubed on the walls. A meeting with an enigmatic blind man (McHattie) among the small homeless community sheltering within leads him to a dingy tunnel in which the disembodied voice of a weeping woman can be heard.

From here Mike's investigation takes a new tack, and spurred on by visions of Charlie and something darker and more terrifying, he looks to uncover the haunting secret behind the raft of unsolved disappearances around on Halloween each year in the city.

Can he discover the truth? Can he save his son and, with it, his marriage? Or will Mike pay the ghost?

THE BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Aside from a sterling cast of faces that will be familiar to genre fans, the strongest thing about Pay the Ghost is a surprisingly deep and emotional storyline. As a father to a young son I was probably more susceptible to sympathise with Cage's Mike, but even viewers with no such emotional baggage will be hard-pressed to remain unmoved by the character's plight.

The story (by Dan Kay, adapting Tim Lebbon's novella) feels that little bit richer with emotional weight and clearly defined characters, as is so often the case with literary adaptations.

What's more, the clever and assured camerawork ensures that the tension of each scene is fully realised. Mike's desperate search for Charlie is especially powerful, hitting you straight in the gut and making his fear palpable. 

The clever camerawork is also useful during some of the scarier scenes and contributes to a couple of well-worked jumps. 

But back to that strong cast — Cage plays Mike in a far more restrained manner than some may be expecting. You could be forgiven for assuming that Mike's desperate search for Charlie will be portrayed with Cage's trademark bug-eyed manic fervour. Instead he plays Mike as a broken man — a quiet academic robbed of all joy along with his son. It's interesting to see Cage rein it in and, for the most part, it works.

Besides Cage, the Walking Dead's Callies also impresses. She does a strong line in sympathetic, vulnerable women and this a role in which she definitely plays to her strengths. She's also given a strong arc and it's easy to root for Kristen and Mike to rediscover their relationship along with their missing son.

As you might have guessed, young Fulton doesn't have a huge amount of screentime, but he's a talented young actor and doesn't put a foot wrong while he is on camera. 

Elsewhere genre veteran character actor McHattie (who has one of those 'oh, HIM! I've seen him before!' faces) is great in what amounts to little more than an extended (but very cool) cameo, while German superstar Ferres lends some strong and capable support in her role as Mike's confidante and occasional exposition-spouter.

Finally, the film delivers some decent scares. It's not just the aforementioned jumpscares, there's a lot of atmosphere, presented beautifully by cinematographer Sharone Meir. With a seedy, rundown urban feel à la Candyman, there are also some creatively spooky flourishes along the way. Rows of grinning pumpkins sit on doorsteps and in windows, the shadowy religious iconography is presented by firelight and the grim-looking buzzards make for a very nice touch, while the tattered and burnt phantom at the heart of proceedings provides some decent chills.

With a story that takes in witchcraft and the practice of pagan rituals that date back to long before the birth of the city that currently bears their curse, it's a heady and spooky tale full of Halloween seasonal atmosphere. I very much expect it to become a TV regular in late October in the years ahead.

THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Sadly, while I enjoyed the cast of Pay the Ghost, not all of them were given much to work with. 

The super-talented Ferres is pretty much wasted in a role which is, ultimately, close to pointless.

So too was Bent, which left his character Jordan feeling like little more than a cliché used to forward a couple of minor plot points.

While Cage's Mike was far more well-rounded, I'm still not entirely sure his quieter performance was the right move. If a horror film throws some of the things at you that this one does, you have to think that it's trying to have a little fun. Cage is incredibly downbeat in his performance. I'm not saying that I feel this was a half-arsed effort on his part (unlike some critics I've read), but I think that some scenes could have benefited from his usual, more-lively screen persona.
Finally, as I was watching Pay the Ghost, I found myself thinking: 'Wow, this is a surprisingly personal little genre film. I'm digging this!'... and then that came to a screeching halt.

I don't want to spoil the ending here, but suffice to say the climax absolutely missed the spot for me.

With a superb 'ticking-clock' plot device and following on from a genuinely unnerving set piece involving scores of supernaturally abducted children, I was really buying into it. Then, for some reason that I simply cannot fathom, the scene devolves into a massive mess of poorly executed CG that robbed the closing moments of all the drama and tension that had been built during the preceding minutes.

What makes this even more galling is that I can see a practical way in which exactly the same outcome could have been delivered (one that made good use of the aforementioned spooky kids).

That the ropy CG was then followed by an eye-rolling action movie cliché — that actually provoked laughter from the crowd with whom I watched the film — was adding insult to injury.

The denouement itself was rather pleasant, but sadly my enjoyment of the film was soured somewhat by the finale.

THE VERDICT: Iffy climax aside, Pay the Ghost is a fun film that offers some nice characterisation, plenty of atmosphere and a good few frights along the way. It's not likely to top too many critics' -end-of-year 'best of…' lists, but if you're in the mood for a scary story on a quiet night in, you could do a lot worse than choosing Mr Cage for company. 
Give it a try and do let me know your thoughts in the comments below — I expect this one could prove polarising!
If you want to give Pay the Ghost a chance, you can buy it through Amazon here at a knockdown price!

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: SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

Confession time — long before I was a horror blogger, read by literally thousands of discerning genre fans around the globe each and every week, I was a Cub Scout. That's right: dib dib dib, badges and woggles, the full shebang.

It wasn't to last forever, but for a few years I was a part of camping trips, good deeds for the day and even more badges.

Which probably means I was a little more susceptible to the charms of Christopher Landon's Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse than most. 

A zomcom that pits scouts vs the ravenous undead — surely this was worthy of a badge of merit? Or would it be best dead and buried?

Read on...

SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE (2015)

Dir: Christopher Landon

Starring: Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, Sarah Dumont, David Koechner, Halston Sage, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Lucas Gage, Niki Koss, Cloris Leachman

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

Ben (Sheridan) and Carter (Miller) are two teenagers who are part of a tiny and unpopular scout troop, led by Scout Leader Rogers (Anchorman's Koechner). Long term members, they have lost interest in the scouts, instead finding themselves more into the opposite sex than wreath knots and sheepshanks.

Ben has a serious unrequited crush on Carter's older sister Kendall (Sage) while his buddy has plenty of lust towards her vacuous best pal Chloe (Koss).

But — despite their misgivings — the two boys have felt unable to quit the troop due to their friendship with earnest fellow scout Augie (Morgan) who has thrown himself into scouting since the death of his father a couple of years ago.
However, on the day that the three boys are set to go camping to celebrate Augie earning his coveted Condor patch, the other two receive an invite to the secret seniors party that Kendall and her friends will be attending that evening.
Jubilant, Ben and Carter stop on the way to the camp to obtain alcohol and, after Ben helps stunning strip club cocktail waitress Denise (Dumont), she fetches beer for them.
That evening things don't go exactly to plan when first Scout Leader Rogers doesn't show (having fallen victim to a shuffling undead attacker, an infected doctor from a nearby research laboratory), then Augie catches the pair attempting to ditch him. Heartbroken, he tells them to leave.
Ben and Carter head into town, but on the way they notice that the intimidating bouncer has abandoned his post outside the strip club and Carter demands that they sneak in. However, soon their youthful exuberance turns to terror when they come face to face with a ravenous zombie stripper and the undead bouncer.
Meanwhile, Augie heads to Scout Leader Rogers' Dolly Parton themed home and comes face to ghoulish face with his former idol.
As a deadly virus rips through the town, all three boys find their survival skills pushed to the limit. Can the town be saved? Will Ben and Carter reach the party? And will the boys mend their friendship before it's too late? 

BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): In case you couldn't tell, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is the latest entry in the growing zomcom sub-genre. Now, unlike some horror comedies that forget to actually be funny, Scouts Guide… is absolutely hilarious.
From the opening scene in which a bungling cleaner mimes and dirty dances along to Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora's Black Widow to some sidesplitting dialogue and some truly horrible grossout humour, this is a film that brings the laughs by the bucketload. The aforementioned Azalea/Ora collaboration isn't the only great musical choice in the film — an impromptu rendition of Britney Spears' Hit Me Baby One More Time and a particularly hard-hitting confrontation with a relentless zombie assailant playing out to the strains of Dolly Parton's country classic 9 to 5 both had me in stitches.
Having a veteran funnyman in the form of Koechner certainly doesn't harm the film's comedy-cred, but it's not just the Anchorman star who delivers. The three young leads are all excellent, each capturing the essence of the character (Sheridan's Ben is the nice, decent one, Miller's Carter is the smart-mouthed horn dog, while Morgan's Augie is the overly earnest, nerdy one). Sheridan is a good-looking young man and should have a long and successful career, while Miller shows excellent comic timing, reminding me a lot of long-term Kevin Smith collaborator Jason Lee. Morgan also brings some some excellent comedy delivery and could well prove a break out star in comedy flicks. Watch this space.
Each is absolutely superb and all three are given their moments to shine, especially during the macho, gung-ho splatterfest climax of the film.
What's more, the striking Dumont shows acting chops to match her good-looks as she delivers a strong performance as the no-nonsense ass-kicker that saves the boys' skins on a regular basis.
Elsewhere the wonderful Leachman ratchets up the laughs with a memorable turn as Carter's crotchety cat-lady neighbour.

Of course the cast are only as funny as the material they're given to work with and, thankfully, the writing team of director Landon, Emi Mochizuki and Carrie Evans, scripting Lona Williams' story, do a fantastic job, coming up with some disgustingly delightful set pieces. That so many of these involve body parts, of both living and undead characters, may well divide audiences. Personally, I found the scene in which Ben is forced to desperately cling onto something decidedly unsavoury to avoid falling into a horde of zombies side-splittingly funny.

However, the script isn't so shallow as to just give us a series of jokes — it also boasts some nice moments of real heart, most notably in the scenes exploring the friendship between the three male leads. Sure, there's a little romance along the way, but ultimately it is the bond between Ben, Carter and Augie that provides the real emotional hook for the film.

That Landon and his cinematographer Brandon Trost keeps the footage of the boys' antics so eye-popping throughout is a real bonus, especially during the aforementioned kick-ass climactic battle (in which the lads show off some seriously impressive home-made zombie-slaughtering hardware) and some surprisingly frenetic chase sequences as the fast-moving zombies (yep, we get running zombies again) mercilessly pursue our heroes. This is an area in which many horror-comedies fall short, but Scouts Guide... keeps the action exciting and, as is so important in the post Walking Dead zombie-movie landscape, the effects work is top notch, giving us some memorably horrific zombies along the way, plus provides some moments of stunning gore that would make the great Tom Savini proud. I'm loathe to spoil the finest moments here but suffice to say one zombie with a particularly gruesome facial injury at the heart of a hideous (and hilarious) set piece late on in the movie was especially memorable, while the reveal that the virus is not limited to humans provides another couple of great moments.

Credit really must go to Jared Baker's crew, the folks at Atomic Fiction and everybody else who delivered the fantastic effects of the film. Well done!

THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Like so many comedies, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is only as strong as its humour. There are few decisions as subjective as whether something is funny. With as many gags as this one spits at us, it's only natural that some may miss the mark, but for the most part, I found the humour was spot on.

I found the film highly amusing, but I know there are plenty of people out there who will find the gratuitous T&A, toilet humour and bawdier elements puerile. If you enjoyed the likes of American Pie, you'll probably dig this. If however, gross-out teen comedies à la the Farrelly Brothers are not your cup of tea, you may want to keep on walking.

Also, if you've come here expecting serious scares (and God alone knows why you'd pick a film with this title if that really were the case), despite some visceral moments in the film, this is a zomcom that focuses firmly on laughs rather than frights. Be warned.

From a story standpoint, I've heard some complaints about a lack of definitive rules, with the zombies' behaviour changing to match the necessities of the story. Personally, I don't take too much offence at this — when a film is setting out to make me laugh, I'm prepared to cut it a little slack when it comes to universe-building. Once again, I point out that we have running zombies, so if you're one of the disgruntled few who wants their undead shuffling and decidedly brainless, Scouts Guides' zombies are likely to cause a little disappointment, even with the awesome make-up used to bring them to, erm, unlife.
Elsewhere, as much as I loved Dumont's role in the film, ultimately her character is kind of extraneous to proceedings. She doesn't really have much of an arc and, a couple of key interventions at desperate times aside, she doesn't play a huge role in the script. Although sometimes characters can exist just to add a little flavour to a film, and in this regard she more than does the job. Recently cast members Miller, Morgan and Dumont hinted that there are ideas for a sequel should this film be a success, so here's hoping that if that should prove the case, Dumont will be given something a little weightier to do.
Finally, Koechner (arguably the funniest man in the film) plays a character who loses his power of speech far too early on. When you have a man who has such a wonderful talent for delivering gags, it seems a bit daft to do this, but thankfully, he shows an equally fun aptitude for physical comedy, so it's not a total waste.

THE VERDICT: Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is great fun — think Superbad meets Zombieland. It's a film that will appeal to anybody who doesn't take their horror-comedies too seriously and combines a talented cast with some superb visuals and plenty of laugh-out-loud gross-out humour. It may not quite hit the heights of zomcom classics like Shaun of the Dead and the aforementioned Zombieland, but it is still a fine movie and one that is well worth your time. It's already in US cinemas and will arrive on the big screen on this side of the pond this weekend. Check it out!

In the meantime, head over to the film's official Facebook page here. Why not give it a Like while you're there too?

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.