Sinister 2

Ciaron Foy (2015)

Modern horror sequels are often failures. I thought that as the first film wasn't great that I wouldn't be as disappointed if this film turned out to be bad. I was wrong, Compared to this, the first instalment was a masterpiece and this made me realise how it was successful at achieving its goals sometimes.

'Sinister 2' was quite scary in places. No doubt, the cinema playing the film super loud helped elevate the jump scares though. The creepy depictions of murder in the first film were crazily overdone in this.

The screenplay was terrible. The main story was stale and predictable and the characters were unsympathetic and cold.

The performances were poor all over this film in particularly the ghost children seemed like they were performing a rubbish school pantomime.

Overall, I can't be too surprised with what I thought of this film but, sadly, I can see sequels for this being churned out more and more in the future.

Creep

Patrick Brice (2014)

Not to be confused with the 2004 British slasher set in Charing Cross Underground Station, 'Creep' is an American Handheld horror movie about a film-maker who answers an advert to film a dying man to leave something for his unborn child.

The screenplay and performances are not very good but the film's over reliance on annoying jump scares make some scenes fill with tension. The film tries to bring up connections with 'The Blair Witch Project' but fails to be anywhere near as good due to the fact that it is poorly executed and has unsympathetic characters.

It has a silly ending to top it all off but it leaves quite a resonating impact.

The Guest

Adam Wingard (2014)

'The Guest' is a surprisingly fun throwback to 1980s horror. It boasts a thumping soundtrack and quick cuts that really fit into the theme of the film. The exaggerated scenes of violence and gore may be a bit too strange for those who do not appreciate the sentimentality and nostalgia of the movie.

The narrative is very straightforward and follows Dan Stevens, an ex-soldier, as he returns to his friend's family's house as a dying wish. He protects and helps them through their individual problems but all is not what it seems. The film does lose it's way slightly towards the end as it tries to drastically remind audiences that the film is meant to be over-the-top when it was already doing a subtly good job.

Dan Stevens is very good in the main role. From the trailer, it looked like it would be a rip-off of Nicolas Winding Refn's 'Drive' but Stevens adds a very unique coldness to his powerful persona.

Nightcrawler

Dan Gilroy (2014)

'Nightcrawler' is a neo noir thriller starring a very impressive (and thin) Jake Gyllenhaal which cleverly satirises the media industry's obsession with horror and violence.

The poster's correlation with Nicolas Winding Refn's 'Drive' is a very clear choice because they are very similar in how they're made in terms of themes and even soundtrack. The film is also very similar to Martin Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver' and David Fincher's 'Seven' as the cinematography is very bleak and dark.

The story is disturbingly gripping as the audience view Lou Bloom's rise as an amateur journalist who seems to do anything to get the best footage of horrific crime scenes. What's more shocking are the news channels that purchase his work claiming "if it bleeds, it leads!".

Jake Gyllenhaal is brilliant in the starring role as he seems creepy but also powerful and shrewd.