FRC Feature – GRIMMFEST – The Round-Up Part 1

Manchester’s premier Horror film festival Grimmfest came to a gruesome conclusion last night, here are Tom’s thoughts on more of the films he saw:

Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut

It has taken over twenty years for Nightbreed to appear on-screen resembling Clive Barker’s original vision as the studios involved butchered the film during its initial release, and the additional footage was thought lost forever. Whilst the reassembled cut is unlikely to entertain anyone other than die-hard fans of Barker’s work under its current guise, the legion of devoted fans out there are certain to be impressed by this labour of love that has restored the film to make it the perfect companion piece to Cliver Barker’s novel, Cabal.

The additional footage fleshes out the story by focusing more on the relationships between key characters, introduces a short clip of a never seen before creature, and features many more clips of the underworld denizens of Midian.  There will be a full review of the film up on Front Room Cinema in the very near future, but for those fans who are eager to find out my thoughts on the cut, I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed.

3.5/5

Grabbers

This Irish comedy is a clever invasion movie where the bloodsucking creatures who take on an isolated village appear to have a strange weakness, much to the chagrin of the local barman, who joins forces with the local constabulary to defend off their attack. For a feature with a small budget, the creature effects team have done a fantastic job of creating a menacing tentacled life form that doesn’t have to rely on CGI.

As the story centres around the villagers gathering in the local bar for protection, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments as drinks are downed hurriedly to prevent the blood-sucking creatures from taking their lives. Original, and very funny, Grabbers is a great monster movie that will certainly please fans of the genre.

3.5/5

The Devil Rides Out

Said to be one of Hammer Horror’s quintessential films, it is obvious from the start that The Devil Rides out is a product of the sixties, but it is not without its charms. A reunion between three friends comes to a hurried conclusion when it is discovered that one of them is hosting a mysterious gathering and is involved in the occult. The young and rash Simon is then kidnapped by his friends the Duc de Richleau and Rex to prevent him from coming to harm, unwittingly starting a chain of events that puts their very lives in danger.

Based on the Dennis Wheatley book of the same name, and adapted into a screenplay by Richard Matheson, The Devil Rides Out is a fascinating portrayal of satanism and cults, even if it has not dated well. Those involved in the restoration of the picture have done an excellent job of improving the transfer and those who enjoyed it the first time round are likely to find it just as fun on a repeat viewing

2.5/5

Next up will be my thoughts on Attack of the Werewolves and Stitches. Be sure to watch this space!