Oddity, Hell Hole, Magpie & Alien Country

A couple of Horror/Genre Movies I’ve seen recently, quickly reviewed. These are ones I either saw at the Frightfest Halloween event, or on Shudder.

ODDITY (dir. Damian McCarthy, 2024)

We’ll start off with a really good one. I saw this on Sunday night and I was thoroughly impressed by it. This Irish supernatural murder-mystery chiller was atmospheric and absorbing, with some really strong performances and tightly directed. There’s a creepy pagan atmosphere throughout, though it never goes full folk-horror. I’d like to say it’s reminiscent of an M.R.James ghost story, but truth be told, it’s probably more like an EC Comics tale. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. A great little gem of a movie. 8/10

HELL HOLE (dir. John Adams & Toby Poser, 2024)

I love a good creature feature with a side helping of body horror, and the poster for this one promised a lot. Sadly it’s utter garbage and almost unwatchable. There’s a gem of a good idea in here and in the right hands, the creature concept at its heart could have provided some fun. But it’s so crushingly ineptly made, with some of the worst writing, acting and editing I’ve ever seen in a movie, that it never had a chance. Avoid like the literal plague 2/10

MAGPIE (dir. Sam Yates, 2024)

The film that opened the 2024 Halloween Frightfest event in London. This was a well-crafted intimate dramatic thriller about a wife trapped in a toxic relationship, slowly losing her mind. Daisy Ridley is great in the central role and gives an intense, committed performance. The whole thing feels reminiscent of one of Roald Dahl’s TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED, with a darkly humorous streak emerging as the story (and the lead character) twists and turns. Stick with it to the end – it does pay off magnificently! 8/10

ALIEN COUNTRY (dir. Boston McConnaughey and Renny Grames, 2024)

Another Frightfest Hallloween flick. Light and entertaining sci-fi-horror-comedy with Critters/Tremors/attack the block vibes. A very likeable cast with good chemistry and some great comic timing and at a tight 96 minutes it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Decent visual effects too on the creatures – which I discovered, later on when I met the director, were partly done by him when he fell out with his VFX company. I have mad respect for any director willing to get their hands dirty and learn Blender! 7/10