A taut, yet slow moving thriller, this film is Xavier Gens most recent effort after his mainstream breakthrough, Hitman. Set in the not too distant future in France, the streets are overrun with violence. A group of small-time crooks use the riots to setup a heist; but when things go sour; the gang splits up and arranges to meet up at a seedy hotel on the French border. Unknown to the crooks is that the hotel is run by a bunch of neo-Nazi cannibals who have an agenda of their own involving torture, mutilation, murder and making new additions to the “family”.

An acceptable companion to the recent wave of French horror movies, Frontier(s) is more so a thriller than a horror movie, it just happens to feature some brutally violent scenes. As the group of crooks settles into the hotel, the sense of dread is always looming, with a couple of honey traps used as bait to lure the two male leads to their fate, we begin to realise the family’s motives. The female gang member, who we know from the opening credits, is with child, becomes the focus of attention for the duration of the movie; the other guys unfortunately cop the brunt of the family’s nastiness.

Torture seems to be the popular theme for recent horror movies, with some succeeding, Captivity & Martyrs, and some failing miserably, Hostel 2, Saw franchise, thus falling into the “gorno” category. Sure there are some savage scenes, with the bolt-cutters to Achilles tendons and a guy stuck in a compression chamber a standout, however it does take about half an hour for the blood to spill. For the rest of the film things play out smooth enough, but the main let down is the musical score, coming across a bit heavy handed in some scenes and not really suiting the pace of the film. Some great gore scenes and well some well shot chases, as well as a claustrophobic tunnel scene, but as I said earlier this is more so a thriller than a horror movie.

As the body count rises and the satisfactory finale peaks, I wonder if it was really worth purchasing.  Some high points and some low points, mainly the clunky musical score, and the unnecessary reliance on everything to be shot in the dark, Xavier Gens is definitely a stylish director, as anyone who has seen Hitman will know, he has an eye for tricky aerial camera work, but his execution of some scenes is a bit clumsy. So maybe horror isn’t his thing, but this is a good enough way to pass time on a Sunday afternoon.

Available now from: jbhifionline.com.au

Written by ‘Los Skullptor’ © Copyright 2009 Fright Sniper Entertainment, All Rights Reserved.

Norway. Home to black metal, the most extreme form of underground music on the planet and birthplace to some of the most creative minds of recent times, be it music, literature or the arts. So it’s about time they took a stab at the horror genre, and they should be commended on their effort. Everything about this film has cult written all over it, I mean honestly, who can resist a zombie Third Reich? This film created quite a stir at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, earning rave reviews for first time director Tommy Wirkola and his band of merry men. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more of this guy in years to come.

Opening with a painfully catchy orchestral piece by Edvard Grieg, you’d think you were watching a Tim Burton film. But it does not take long for this films true colours to show. A genre film at heart, we get the usual setup: a band of friends off trekking through the mountains for a weekend retreat at an isolated cabin (Cabin Fever anyone?) Each of the lead actors fill their roles satisfyingly enough, with some very sharp dialogue that manages to drop reference to the classic Sam Raimi films of the 80’s, as well as poke fun at Mr. Schwarzenegger. Cue the late night door knock and a visit by an old man with a creepy story to tell. It’s like an old pirate story about stolen treasure with the pirates in this case, being Nazi soldiers on the run, who after the war fled to the hills with their stolen bounty. Things unfold at a brisk pace with some very cool original music by some unknown metal bands as well as a solid orchestral score which gives atmosphere to the more jumpy moments.

The gore isn’t over the top like recent fare such as The Hills Have Eyes, Wrong Turn & Saw franchises, but still manages to be suitably nasty, with a variety of weapons used as tools of destruction, much like the games Dead Rising & left 4 Dead, and there are some well thought out action set pieces ably back by great makeup effects that don’t rely too heavily on cgi. The film is very well shot, with some fantastic cinematic shots of the beautiful Norwegian countryside and not to mention a downright dirty sex scene, credit also has to be given to the sound mix, with every gust of wind, creaking floor board and zombie groan heard perfectly if your lounge room is equipped for Dolby audio.

It’s not the most original film you’ll watch, but as far as the zombie genre goes, it’s a breath of fresh air from the straight to dvd nonsense we’re subjected to each month (yes Lionsgate, I’m talking to you!) This film should find its way to our stores soon enough, so if you fancy a Friday night movie to kickback and crack a few beers to, this will be sure to suffice, just make sure your  common sense is elsewhere at the time.

Written by ‘Los Skullptor’ © Copyright 2009 Fright Sniper Entertainment, All Rights Reserved.

Sang-hyun, a priest working for a hospital, selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project intended to eradicate a deadly virus. However, the virus eventually takes over the priest. He nearly dies, but makes a miraculous recovery by an accidental transfusion of vampire blood. He realizes his sole reason for living: the pleasures of the flesh.

GENRE: Horror/Thriller RELEASE DATE: Unreleased

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.thirstmovie.com

French horror has been pushing the boundaries for some time now. High Tension (2003), Sheitan (2006) or Inside (2007), and newest in line is Martyrs (2008), hyped up to take it all a little further. And it did just that! It’s just that it doesn’t belong in the same list as the films mentioned before. Martyrs goes above and beyond. In terms of storyline, the less you know about Martyrs the better, because it unravels in a way that keeps the guessing game going til the final curtain. What’s worth knowing is that after being tortured, Lucie escapes and takes up refuge in a children’s home where she befriends another troubled girl, Anna, who Lucie relies on for protection.

Those expecting another fun, bloody, gory, insane horror flick (Hostel 2, The Hills Have Eyes 2, and Wrong Turn 2) can just give up, because Martyrs isn’t like that. It’s more like a hammer to the head! The first half of the film keeps balancing on borderline horror, keeping its crude and dark exterior, but never crossing any boundaries. A Grudge-like ghost is added to the film, but (Director) Pascal Laugier stays close to the drama and never allows the film to become a mere horror flick. Things take a turn for the worse around halfway through, where the torture theme of the film is given even more power as Anna, Lucie’s guardian, discovers the truth about the torture/kidnap story of the past.

From that moment on, the film becomes really uncomfortable to watch and crosses over to the realm of Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. We are witness of cold and painful torture scenes, driven to very unpleasant extremes nearing the end. The film follows the methods of the people who torture, which are based on repetition and endurance, making it all the harder to sit through.

Visually, the film is well shot, bleak and dark, adding a unclean feeling to what we are witnessing. The make-up deserves praise, same as the leading ladies who play their parts with conviction and depth. Don’t watch Martyrs to get a little horror kick, or to indulge in silly gore fests. This film will not deliver the fun thrills of regular horror movies, on the contrary. It’s a bleak, depressive but all the more impressive look in the darker depths of the human condition, it will leave you cringing in your seat and it will make you want to look away. And it does so without ever numbing you down. Refrain from taking toilet breaks and ride this bad boy from start to finish, it’s unlikely you’ll want to watch it again anytime soon!

Written by ‘Los Skullptor’ © Copyright 2009 Fright Sniper Entertainment, All Rights Reserved.

It has been just 15 minutes after authorities lost contact with the people locked in the building under quarantine. Nobody knows what happens inside. Outside is chaosa SWAT unit enters the interior of the house to monitor the situation and determine what is happening. A seemingly quick and easy task. But everyone knows. Sometimes appearances can be deceiving.

GENRE: Horror RELEASE DATE (NZ): 13.11.09

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.rec2movie.com