1. // Abigail
Abigail is the latest movie from Radio Silence Productions, the team behind Ready Or Not (2019) and the recent two reboot / sequels in the Scream franchise. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the film unashamedly pays homage to a number of classic Vampire-flicks from the 80s and 90s, most notably taking inspiration from the likes of Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys (1987) and the Quentin Tarantino written and Robert Rodriguez directed From Dusk Till Dawn (1995). Abigail very much aims to provide the tone and feel of these beloved vampire flicks from the last 30-40 years, while providing a thoroughly tongue-in-cheek sense of humour, to accompany the gory kill sequences.
The movie begins as somewhat of a crime caper, in which an ensemble gang including Frank (Dan Stevens – Godzilla x Kong), Joey (Melissa Barrera – Scream VI) Sammy (Kathryn Newton – Freaky) and Peter (Kevin Durand – The Strain) kidnap Abigail (Alisha Weir – Matilda) – the daughter of a local crime boss. They are tasked with keeping watch over Abigail in a country home, while their employer arranges the payment of her ransom. But all is not as it seems, as it transpires Abigail is indeed a vampire, and the whole escapade has been a set up in order to provide Abigail with food to play with. All hell soon breaks loose as she begins to feed, and the gang become trapped in the house as a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues. KZ
2. // The First Omen
From the gruesome opening scene with Ralph Ineson (The Witch) as Father Brennan, and the incredibly creepy Charles Dance (Gosford Park) as Father Harris – The First Omen is a movie which perfectly captures the tone and feel of the classic 1976 religious chiller. A legacy prequel which absolutely delivers on all fronts, it provides an intriguing backstory into the origins of Damien Thorn – the child Anti-Christ – as seen through the eyes of Margaret (Nell Tiger Free – Game Of Thrones), a young Nun in training who has been assigned to an orphanage in 1970s Rome. Initially she is taken under the wing of her roommate – the wild Luz (Maria Caballero) – who in stark contrast to their pending vows, secretly takes her out drinking and dancing in bars.
Margaret is perplexed by her surroundings and many of the people in and around the orphanage, but begins to bond with a young troubled girl named Carlita (Nicole Spence). She begins to receive warnings from Father Brennan about Carlita, and is told of a conspiracy to birth the Anti-Christ in order to propel the next generation of society back into the Catholic Church. The puppet-masters of the Catholic faith being self aware that the Church is losing its grasp on society. Within this interesting narrative and back-story to The Omen, there are also some shocking scenes of Body-Horror, and some nasty gruesome kill sequences – many of which pay loving tribute to the original Supernatural-Horror classic. KZ
3. // Late Night With The Devil
Late Night With The Devil is an intriguing concept directed by Australian brothers Cameron and Colin Cairnes (Scare Campaign) – in which the film plays out in the vein of a found footage feature. Where the audience is shown what happened one fateful Halloween night in 1977, when the Jack Delroy hosted Night Owls talk show broadcasted a spooky live special. David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad) plays television host Jack, a year on from the death of his wife, who hopes that his unique live Halloween event will turn around the fortunes of his ailing show.
The occult themed live TV event features a host of guest characters, including the self-proclaimed psychic medium Christou (Fayssal Bazzi). The supernatural sceptic and magician Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss), and the parapsychologist June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon – Saw V). June is joined by the teenager Lilly (Ingrid Torelli), the subject of her latest book exploring the mass suicide of a Satanic cult – of which Lilly was the sole survivor. Strange phenomena begin to take over the show which also teases at events in Jack’s tragic past catching up with him. And Late Night With The Devil certainly takes inspiration from movies such as The Exorcist (1974), as it hurtles towards its tragic climax. KZ
4. // Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
In 2015 Australian director George Miller (The Witches Of Eastwick) returned to the franchise in which he made his name – with the release of Mad Max: Fury Road. The film was the fourth instalment in his post-apocalyptic adventure series, and his first in 30 years since Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome released in 1985. It would also mark the first time that a new actor – Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) would take on the title role made famous by Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon), while also introducing a new hero in Furiosa – played by Charlize Theron (Prometheus). Miller always had plans to film Furiosa’s origin story, and nearly ten years later he is finally able to deliver his movie.
Although titled as a Mad Max Saga, Furiosa does not feature the titular anti-hero, and due to a prolonged period of development hell, Charlize Theron took the decision not to return to the role she made famous almost a decade before. Instead, actress Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) steps into the adult version of the character, as we discover her history as a child kidnapped into slavery by the tyrannical warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth – Thor). The story charts Furiosa’s tragic tale of survival, escape and eventual revenge, in a typically bizarre and action packed bloody movie. Full of impressive practical FX and mesmerising stunt work. KZ
5. // Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver
Part two of Zack Snyder’s space saga, Rebel Moon, landed on Netflix four months after he first introduced the world to his vision of a Star Wars / Dune esq universe. And while his Sci-Fi opus has come in for some heavy criticism due to often clunky dialogue and an abundance of clichés in both the narrative and its characters, Rebel Moon is certainly not without its charm. Scargiver was touted as being the concluding chapter in a two part series, with the understanding that both movies are also going to be re-released as R-rated ‘Director Cut’ versions. A clear strategy undertaken to mimic and capitalise on the hype previously seen around the release of his Justice League – ‘Snyder-Cut’ (2019).
However by the end of the movie it is apparent that this is far from intended to be the final part in the tale, with the story very much left open-ended and setting up at least one further chapter. Scargiver naturally picks up where Part One: A Child Of Fire left off, with Kora (Sofia Boutella) having created a gang of freedom fighters to help defend her adopted farming village on the planet of Veld, from the oppressive invading Motherworld army. Snyder is nothing if not an auteur director as he conveys his vision and style across the two movies, creating an aesthetic uniqueness – with the final act providing an absolute visual spectacle. He unashamedly borrows from existing Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Western genres to world build and construct his story. Which all feels very familiar, but not always in a bad way. KZ
6. // Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
A new Ghostbusters movie is always going to be an event. The original 1984 film is an absolute classic, a near perfect blockbuster which blended Comedy with Sci-Fi and the supernatural. And it is one of the quintessential and best loved films of the now vintage movie decade. The franchise would go on spawn a wildly popular market in toys, and a long-running children’s cartoon series – as well as the often underrated Ghostbusters II (1989). Nearly 30 years later an audacious attempt to reboot the title came with Ghostbusters (2016), and a brand new female cast of comediennes which was met with a mixed response. Before a second reboot came with Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), ignoring the 2016 film completely and acting as a next generational legacy sequel to the original two movies.
And now three years later, we have been delivered a sequel to Afterlife with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Continuing the story of Egon Spendler’s daughter Callie (Carrie Coon), her children Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (McKenna Grace), and her new partner Guy Grooberson (Paul Rudd – Ant-Man) – following them as they relocate to New York to take on the ‘family business.’ The move to the Big Apple and the return of the disused fire station as their home and base provides all sorts of nostalgic feelings, while the remaining original cast members – Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray (Dan Akroyd) and Winston (Ernie Hudson) all play a far greater part than they did in Afterlife. Slimer the iconic green ghoul also returns, while the films main plot involving the demon Garraka bringing about a new Ice Age … is actually pretty good! KZ
Words by Mark Bates
kult-zilla.com 
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