Behind the Couch

Maya and her boyfriend Ryan are driving across the country so she can attend a job interview. When they stop off in a small town, their car breaks down and they’re forced to stay the night at an Air B&B in the surrounding woods. After dark they are menaced and brutalised by three masked strangers.  A reboot in the form of a prequel that could also be a remake, The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the first in a new trilogy of films set to follow the exploits of the three titular antagonists. Taking its lead from Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street Trilogy , the films have been shot back to back and are set for release in fairly quick succession. As the first instalment, Chapter 1 sets the scene and unfolds in an enjoyable if perfunctory way (it's very much a re-tread of the original 2008 film). The main issue is, it sticks too closely to the blueprint of the first film (hence it feeling like a remake), and when a number of moments from the original are replicated, they just don't muster t...

When Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.) reunite the severed hand and skeletal remains of the witch Sarah Fier in an attempt save Deena’s ex-girlfriend Sam (Olivia Scott Welch), Deena experiences a vision which reveals the origins of the curse that has plagued her town for centuries.  After introducing audiences to the doomed residents of the cursed town of Shadyside ( Part 1 ) and exploring fragments of the town’s grisly curse in more detail ( Part 2 ), director Leigh Janiak and her co-writers Phil Graziadei and Kate Trefry, now take a deep dive into the origins of the curse, flashing back to 1666 and introducing us to the alleged instigator, the witch Sarah Fier. As with the previous films, viewers can expect twists and revelations – and, finally, some answers – regarding the dark history of Shadyside. Many of the actors from the previous two films return to portray characters from the town’s past, direct ancestors of the characters they previously played. Rather...

1996 Dir. Alan Smithee 2127. A scientist onboard a space station attempts to complete the task began by his ancestor centuries ago; to destroy the puzzle box that, when solved and opened, allows the demonic entities known as Cenobites to enter our world and cause havoc and untold suffering in the name of pleasure. Written by Peter Atkins, with Clive Barker serving as executive producer, Bloodline is the centuries-spanning origin story of the puzzle box that featured throughout all the Hellraiser films up until this point - and the sequels which followed. Acting as a doorway to hell itself, the box, an amalgamation of alchemy and science, grants demons access to our world. Director Kevin Yagher disowned the film when the studio began re-editing it, ordering re-writes and re-shoots, and generally interfering with his grand vision. And what a vision this could have been. The tale of a family plagued for generations by demons who wish to create a permanent doorway into our world;...