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I found Follow Me Outside for 1 EUR in the local second-hand store. It's a movie from the year 2000, a magical time when just about every movie was released on DVD. The box features the logo of Carrefour, a French hypermarket chain. I suspect that this film was back in the days in the budget bin waiting as a bargain to be picked up by buyers of a 1st DVD player.

The movie? Interesting to view. Actually it is not a very good film and certainly not commercial. The main story is a crime romance: a successful HR recruiter leaves her fiancé for an ex-musician/criminal. That ex-musician, in turn, abandons his girlfriend. In the bar where she works, 2 hitmen soon appear looking for the ex-musician and the bartender decides to join them in looking for him.

The film is strongest in the first half hour: a treasure hunt that promises to be exciting. Unfortunately, absurd situations happen afterwards and the film from then on leans more towards dark comedy without ever becoming really funny. There are loose ends and the whole thing is not believable. It's a bit of a David Lynch 's Wild At Heart homage but not quite as good.

Still, I kept watching and it was quite fun. The characters have a story and are well portrayed by otherwise unknown actors. And the film style in particular has something to it. It's grunge, America in the late 90s. We see businessmen in New York City and workers in rusted cars in the countryside. It is unbelievable but at the same time a beautiful example of artistry. Low budget that achieves a lot with little effort and not even that much originality. Interesting and therefore a tight 7.

The plot of An Occasional Hell can be summarized as follows:

Dewalt is a former police detective and has, after an arrest gone wrong, become a crime novelist and university guest professor. Just before Christmass, he's asked Italian-American Mrs Laughton to investigate the murder of her husband and the disappearance of his mistress. He soon discovers that the murder weapon is a stolen Civil War musket. But who is the perpetrator and what is the motive?

In the local thrift store I could buy An Occasional Hell from 1996 for EUR 1.50. A film with only a score of 4.8/10 and mostly negative reviews. Is it really a bad movie?

To be honest, no. Although I follow most of the criticisms of other reviews (the plot is a bit weak, the acting is a bit mediocre, there are continuity errors such as cars changing color, holes in the story...) I still have to say that I think the film is a success as a mystery thriller. Find. Yes, this direct to video low budget film rightly didn't win any awards, but I did like it! Now I admit that 90s movies have reached a point where they evoke nostalgia, which certainly helps to soften my mood. But without contradiction, this film is beautifully filmed (especially for the limited budget!), the Southern atmosphere comes into its own, the characters are interesting and everything is sufficiently deep not to become too cliché. The ending is satisfying, though a bit out of the blue.

In short, if you like 90s TV thrillers, An Occasional Hell is a fun movie.

Plot of this film: Fiona, journalism student and daughter of a police inspector, is stalked by a psychopath. She investigates, discovers gruesome murders that are connected and her own role in the whole.

Choose is a 2011 TV thriller/B-movie that mixes a bit of gore into a crimes story to appeal to horror fans. It's somewhat reminiscent of Seven, but don't expect too much. I have to admit that the initial storyline is quite strong for this type of film. There are holes in the plot, but not as many as I expected. The whole thing is logical, exciting and even interesting.

The acting and camera work are good, there is tension building... The film was for an hour on its way to make me give it a higher score. But the last 15 minutes seemed as if all the money had suddenly run out. No big climax, no exciting confrontation of good and evil. But just a cheap, 'easy' ending that leaves me a bit unsatisfied. Shame.