kevin_crighton

When their young son is injured in a fall, mysterious and terrifying events start to happen to a young family...

Horror films, especially recent films from America have become obsessed with violence and gore. The so-called 'torture-porn' horror. There is also an obsession with remaking or 're-booting' films to try and make money from the horror film franchises, like the recent Nightmare On Elm Street. However, what Insidious proves, is that by writing something clever and serious, you can make a new and scary horror film.

The key to the success of Insidious is that on the whole the cast play it straight. The cast led by Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are all good. It helps that the script, written by Leigh Whannell, while in truth not the most original, taking elements from films such as Poltergeist, it does enough with these elements to work on it's on level. It also helps having James Wan directing. Although still best known for making the first (and best) Saw film, he has made some interesting films since, Death Sentence being one, and Dead Silence which has a similar feel to Insidious.

While Wan may not be a high profile director, he does an excellent job here. He creates an atmosphere of tension throughout, including some excellent scares in daylight, a rare feat indeed! And while he does use the 'jump' scare technique, it works very well. Even at the climax of the film, which is a little predictable, he stages a chilling ending.

There are faults. The ending does go a bit overboard, loosening the tension created up till that point, and a couple of paranormal investigators bring some unwanted comic relief.

But these are minor issues. Whannell and Wan have created a truly unsettling horror film, and one that pretty much succeeds on every level. It takes a lot to scare me when I go see a film. The only ones that can, are those that create the right atmosphere. Most films don't manage that. This does easily. And it did scare me.

This is easily one of the best recent horror films I've seen and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys being scared.

Suzy Bannion, a young American dancer, arrives at a school in Germany to complete her studies. However, she soon gets caught up in some strange events as the truth about the school is revealed...

Suspiria has so many things going for it, it's hard to know where to start. Jessica Harper brings the right amount of innocence and charm to the lead role. It's key that her character works as for the most part she's on screen. And Harper gives an excellent performance. She's giving strong support from the rest of the cast.

The look of the film is stunning. The use of colours, especially the reds, is incredible. It makes the film, while without doubt a horror film, seem almost like a fairy tale. In fact if you consider the opening voice-over during the credits, it does give the feel of an adult fairytale.

But then we get to the two most important things about Suspiria. The soundtrack and Argento himself. The music by the band Goblin, with a credit for Argento is stunning. Even without the images and listening to it on it's own is an unsettling feeling. But put together with the images Argento puts on screen? Then you get a truly nightmare feel.

For me this is Argento at the height of his power. The opening twelve minutes of the film are amongst the most stunning put in any film I've seen, not just horror films. And while the rest of the film doesn't quite match the start, it comes close, right up to the unsettling ending.

Although not known at the time, Suspiria became the first film of what is knowing as the 'Three Mothers' trilogy. But on it's own or as part of the trilogy, this is easily one of the best horror films made, and a one of my all-time favourites.

Two knights, having turned their backs on the Crusades, are recruited to take a young girl to a monastery to see if she is the witch responsible for the plague sweeping through the country....

I really enjoy films with medieval settings, and if they have a horror- ish element to them, then even better. And the story by Bragi F. Schut isn't that bad. The direction by Dominic Sena is for the most part pretty good, staging some good atmospheric scenes (the attack by the wolves at night being one), and a great scene involving an old bridge, which is very tense.

However, some of the CGI doesn't work as well as you hope it does, especially towards the climax of the film. Also, I get the impression the film could never decide what it wanted to be. I mention this as when the trailer first appeared for this film, it looked like a gripping medieval horror type of film. Then the film was pulled from the release date and months later, a new trailer appeared showing scenes from massive battles, which seemed at odds with the rest of the film. Having seen the film the battle scenes are okay, and do make sense in the context of the tale. But you do get the feeling the film has been re- edited, and possibly other scenes re-shot after it was originally done. There is a bit of a disjointed feel to some scenes, and perhaps this is the reason for it.

The cast it must be said are all good, if not great. Ron Perlman and Nicolas Cage are good as the knights, and seem to be having fun. There has been criticism of them both for using their own accents instead of trying an 'English' accent which seems to be the usual requirement for a film like this. But to me this isn't a problem. I'd rather actors, well, act to their best than trying to put on an accent that either doesn't sound right or gets in the way of their performance. There is great support from the other cast members, especially Stephen Campbell Moore. Claire Foy as the girl who may or may not be a witch is very good, keeping you guessing through-out.

While it may not be regarded as a great film, and seems to have slipped out without much fanfare, I have to say Season Of The Witch is never dull, very entertaining, and well worth watching.