Behind the Couch

For this month’s Audiodrome - my music in film column over at Paracinema - I spin Michelle DiBucci's score for Wendigo (2001). Weaving together creepy Native American folklore, childhood fantasy, and nods to Algernon Blackwood’s weird tales of cosmic/elemental terror, Wendigo is an unsettling psychological tale with dark fairy tale subtext. It tells of a family beset by a chain of tragic events which may or may not be presided over by an ancient, dark force of nature that skulks through the forests surrounding their cabin in Upstate New York.  The suitably atmospheric score, courtesy of Michelle DiBucci, combines Native American percussion, chanting, flutes, strings and a children’s choir to highlight the tragic aspects of the story. DuBucci said she wanted to create a collage of sound worlds that would “ fade in and out of one another like a reoccurring dream whose images are never far from the surface of the imagination .” Head over to Paracine...

2009 Dir. Paul Synnott A woman hurts herself in the bathroom, but seems to show no signs of pain. How long will it take before the damage catches up with her? Shot on Super-8 film, Paul Synnott’s short film is a haunting and quietly upsetting rumination on the horror of human psychology. While the narrative is akin to peering into someone else’s nightmare, it is vaguely linear in form, and as it progresses, feelings of dread and unease reach out from dark, dank depths... Up close and personal camerawork proves very unsettling, disarming even, as we’re privy to a very private and painful moment. The lasting effect is a lingering, creepy one, as though we’ve intruded somewhere we shouldn’t have. Shades of early Polanski (think Repulsion ) and even a touch of Hooper (some of the editing calls to mind the opening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre ) hint at Synnott’s influences, while the Super 8 film gives it the look and feel of something we shouldn’t be witnessing. Something un...

2013 Dir. Hideo Nakata The Complex sees Hideo Nakata ( Ring, Ring 2, Dark Water ) return to familiar territory with an intriguingly structured ghost story which tells of a young woman who discovers her apartment building is haunted by former residents. Unfurling in a slow-burning fashion typical of Nakata’s work, it promises much – an engrossing story, a creepy atmosphere, nightmarish imagery, a plot full of twists and turns and carefully maintained tension – but sadly it never veers too far from a well-trodden path that’s all too familiar to fans of Japanese horror cinema. Head over to Exquisite Terror to read my full review .

2004 Dir. Kevin Connor Mary Shelley’s classic Gothic novel Frankenstein tells of a scientist who plays God by creating life from death, and the dire consequences that befall him as a result. Its potent themes of science, religion and morality have ensured its relevance to this day, and, with a plethora of adaptations throughout the years, it has become a permanent fixture of horror cinema. This rather lacklustre TV adaptation comes courtesy of Kevin Connor, the man behind titles such as Amicus anthology From Beyond the Grave, The Land that Time Forgot and schlocky backwoods slasher Motel Hell. It comes as something of a surprise then, that this version of the classic chiller is so weak and uninspired. Head over to Exquisite Terror to read my full review .

British director Ian Powell is to revive the legend of Jack the Ripper in Razors , a new horror film which will begin filming in London's oldest former asylum in February 2014. Intended as the first in a new horror franchise centring on the discovery of the knives used by Jack the Ripper, Razors tells of Ruth Walker, a young screenwriter who is invited to stay at London’s oldest asylum and compete with five others to write the ultimate horror film. The recently discovered knives believed to be used by The Ripper have come into Ruth’s possession and she brings them with her, hoping they’ll provide morbid inspiration. When the knives go missing, the Ripper returns to haunt the corridors of the ancient building and the young screenwriters must unlock bloody secrets and unravel mysteries from their own dark pasts if they are to survive. The film will be the latest feature from production company Magic Mask Pictures, who specialise in visually striking high concept fantasy-horro...