The Phoenix Incident mixes shaky found footage material (supposedly footage showing four young men having an unpleasant close encounter in the desert) with mockumentary interludes as not-terribly-convincing actors play loved ones, whistleblowers, experts and other interested parties commenting on the action. Taking as its inspiration the much documented sighting of mysterious lights in the night … Continue reading
Occasionally, it’s still possible to stumble across a film that defies any expectations you may have had of it and any attempts to make any logical sense of what it might be, Russell Kern’s The Spirits of Jupiter (aka Planet Gone Mad) being a prime example. It’s frequently labelled a horror film, and it certainly … Continue reading
There’s a standard, site-wide spoiler warning in operation here at The EOFFTV Review but in the case of Paul Wendkos’ small screen fantasy it probably needs something a bit more specific – there’s a twist in the evocatively titled Haunts of the Very Rich that is revealed about two thirds of the way through, a twist … Continue reading
A rather stodgy plot that simply recycles The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) and some of the least interesting characters seen in any 50s science fiction film tends to scupper Robert Gordon’s It Came from Beneath the Sea, despite another cracking Ray Harryhausen monster, a giant octopus (famously deprived of two tentacles by budgetary restrictions) … Continue reading
Phil Tucker’s legendarily awful Robot Monster (it’s the one where the Earth is invaded by a race of aliens who suspiciously look like gorillas in diving helmets) is terrible in almost every respect – lousy acting, dreadful effects, a nonsensical script, ham-fisted direction – yet it has a charm all its own and it’s certainly … Continue reading
The oft-used stock footage of V2 missiles at launch and in flight (a staple of the lower end of the American science fiction films of the 50s) get things off to a tired start in Monster from Green Hell, a late-in-the-day addition to the giant insect cycle that had started just four years before with … Continue reading
Scott Derrickson’s slick chiller – a step up from his lacklustre Hellraiser sequel Inferno (2000), exorcism drama The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) and his terrible The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) remake – benefits from solid performances and a few small wrinkles in well-worn ideas. It was successful enough to warrant a sequel, … Continue reading
