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Scream 4 - (2011)
Eleven years on from the 'far too serious' third chapter of what started as a brilliant satirical take on slasher films, the fourth chapter comes along - and the down-time between sequels has completely rejuvenated the formula. This time, the film begins with a double fake-out, and from that time on we know we're in for some of the fun we once had with the first film. A new generation of film nerds take up the mantel, but the old classic characters come back and we get that precious taste of nostalgia also. The pattern is firmly established now - the new young characters are basically murder-fodder in these films while the old classics usually make it through (definitely not unscathed!) Wes Craven's last go at this franchise is an enthusiastic update - all that's new in the world of horror, and in general, gives this a certain freshness. The murders are brutal, the surprise twist a genuine surprise, and screenplay clever enough to put the second and third films to shame. Scream officially breaks free of the 90s.
7.5/10
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Scream - (2022)
Another eleven years pass before we get our fifth entry in the Scream series of films, and this time - despite the modern update - things feel much more formulaic. It might be making a comment on "requels", but the general rehash feels like a...general rehash. It gets serious enough to do the unthinkable and kill off one of the original characters, but the third act was so underwhelming I felt somewhat let down. This movie suffers from the fact that the first and fourth in the series set such a high bar there's a necessity for something new and interesting in this for it to live up to it's predecessors. There's no problem with the performances or horror - it's not a bad movie per se, it just doesn't make enough of a satirical comment, or provide any new kind of motive for the killers. It's all a little too familiar.
6/10
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La Terra Trema - (1948)
Poor Sicilian fishermen break their backs and risk their lives working to the point of exhaustion, while the wholesalers on land fix prices so they can barely earn enough to survive. The Valastro family try to change this by mortgaging their house and starting their own enterprise - before learning that the system is rigged, and disaster awaits them. Great Italian neorealist film from Luchino Visconti. Review here, in my watchlist thread.
8/10
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Atroz - (2015)
Horrifying Mexican gorefest that will test your stomach and mind to their limit - only the hardiest of horror film buffs will be able to take this film, which veers into being in bad taste and is genuinely shocking. Pure torture porn, with a scanty story and flaccid late set-up and twist to finish things off. Review here, in my watchlist thread.
3/10
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The Butcher (Le boucher) - (1970)
A butcher and a school mistress meet at a wedding and become close, but a serial killer is on the loose and it's not long before suspicions wreak havoc on their growing affection for each other. A searching, bright and beautiful look at love and what it means to lack inner peace. Review here, in my watchlist thread.
8/10
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