One, two, Freddy's coming for you...

And now to the huge news of the day (for me anyway). The first trailer has appeared for the much talked about re-do of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and you can watch it in all it's glory below, if you are so inclined...



I know I'm a sucker but this looks awesome. Iconography and creepy moments from the known classic, mental new pace and cool new moments, a great actor in the legendary role. The one let down is the abysmal looking make up. Still though this filled me with giddy glee, roll on next year.

MM

Big News Day

Hi all.
A few tidbits have emerged today that I felt I might share with you in bullet point, breaking news format:

- Danny Trejo has officially announced his involvement (unsurprisingly) in the Nimrod Antal directed, Robert Rodriguez produced Predators

- Interested in reading reviews from several known and unknown horror (and the recent Fantastic Fest). Scope 'em here.

- Romero could be back on form (at last!) as Survival of the Dead garners some praise.

Be back soon...

MM

Rec 2: First Review

Hey gang.
A glut of reviews have started emerging for upcoming and newly or recently released horrors. Whilst I'm not planning on sharing them all (check the usual sites if you are interested though) I wanted to link to a review by Massawyrm on AICN. Mainly because I'm super hyped for this film, even more so now. The piece is what I would call spoiler-free as it gives no specifics or detail but you may wish to avoid it if you do want to come to this film with absolutely untainted, fresh eyes. If not, and I do recommend this, check it out here.

MM

The Blair Witch Project - An Alternative Opinion

Has it really been 10 years since The Blair Witch Project? Seems scary doesn't it? Scarier than anything presented in the film itself. First up let me say that I do not disagree with Mr Butterscotch per se, nor is this piece intended as any kind of rebuttal of his previous post, argument against it or anything like that, merely a different opinion from a different horror fan. Whilst I try and be subjective in my reviews this one will be more about what it means to me as I truly believe it's one of those "Marmite" films which will leave you feeling like either Mr B or myself do. If you haven't seen the film both are legitimate views, but I can't promise which side of the fence you'll be on.
Let me also say that I think The Blair Witch Project is less an example of a great film, more a great marketing campaign. In this respect I'm reminded of The Exorcist, though that at least has a truly disturbing plot idea, great visual effects work, stand-out disgusting and shocking moments and is justifiably iconic (like that one shot in The Blair Witch Project which is shown above). It's this idea that was sold, of the film not being a film at all, which is admittedly ingenious and frustrating to a film geek, but gives the piece it's atmosphere and to an extent as a modern day filmic version of those old ghost stories told around the campfire it's quite good. I'll admit I got suckered in by this and on first watching the film I was too scared to watch past about an hour, expecting that the hype must meant something truly disturbing would hapen or be seen. Imagine my disappointment when I finished the film and just found it boring. I'm not usually one for extreme horror, don't get me wrong, but on rewwatches, divorced from cultural context, this is a poor effort. I commend the film for it's marketing, mostly the reason for it's success I feel, and for pioneering it's shooting style and new sub-genre, as Mr B touched upon. The problem is, divorcing it from this you are left with a piece where directions are already set, with no room for flair, acting that's abysmal except when it's natural and a good tale attempting to hold it all together, and coming off somewhat flimsy.
The ending is genius, like most of the writing itself, with a truly great visual image, but not if you are expecting terror to make you scream. Effective chills, a good little ghost story and a trend setter but unforgivably dull for a horror movie, definitely worth catching for its effect and cultural context but not one you'll necessarily rave too much about. I can never forgive it also for unleashing the truly, indescribably dreadful sequel Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows on the world. Now that one really isn't worth your time. As for the original, for me...

** (2/5)

MM

Something to cheer us all up.

Hello again.
Saw this on the BBC's Mock The Week last Thursday and it made me think of the blog. Well on the back of recent events, the b**tards grinding down, the state of the country and the problems that dog us I decided to go ahead and post it, we all need a laugh sometimes and I think fans will get a bit of a kick out of it. I know I did, thus recinfirming that I must be something of a horror fan boy after all. I will warn that the material is somewhat sensitive from the outset and may offend, the piece contains some strong language and is copyright the BBC. That said I hope you all enjoy and it brightens your day that little bit,



Love the whole thing but my personal fave has got to be the "Freddy's satnav" gag...

MM

Harper's Island Wrap-up.

Hi again to the few I'm reliably informed are visiting the site. Well it wasn't unexpected and yes I have finally decided to admit defeat and will not be watching the remaining episodes of Harper's Island. A lot of stuff happens in a life that makes you take stock but in this case basically the thought of slogging on, having given 4 episodes a try, simply depressed me, especially when I thought of the other and better things I haven't done or could be doing. I did actually cave in and read spoilers courtesy of the wikipedia page link I submitted in my preview piece. They merely confirmed what I had already discovered, the show is a soap opera with minor horror trappings. It seems like it might be attempting to be a tv version of Scream with it's slasher and whodunnit elements but clearly this format could not sustain a tv show's length. As such the thing became less horror the more it went along, despite introducing cliches like the psychic little girl and the resurrected villain. In short if you are still enjoying it fair play, I really wanted to as it seemed so brave, but ultimately wasn't what I'd hoped. An intriguing experiment but a failure. Like so much horror tv.

MM

Universal Studios - Halloween Horror Nights

Check out these great horror shorts and vote for your favourites, from the Scary Good film competition.

The Blair Witch Project - A Retrospective

I'm sure if you're here then you've seen The Blair Witch Project. If not, then this retrospective might give you information enough to help you decide you need to see it. And, as a horror fan, I do insist this is need and not want.

The Blair Witch Project was released in 1999, but prior to being screened a documentary was shown on the Sci-Fi channel (Curse of the Blair Witch), that sold the film as being completely real, true and factual. The legend was thus created for this documentary-style horror film (which is of course completely fictional).

The concept story behind the movie is that some tape reels were found - effectively the film - that show the disappearance of three teens who were making a film on a local legend, the eponymous 'Blair Witch'.

The film starts off with the kids mouching around, talking to locals, planning their trip into the Pine Barrens etc. Then, they go... And all manner of high strangeness starts taking place before one of the most iconic, terrifying finale sequences of any film.

It's been noted by many critics that there are a few reasons why the film is so successful in creating a high tension atmosphere:
1) It's filmed as if it's really happening directly in front of you
2) The DV-style handheld footage adds to the intimate feel, likewise the frequence pieces directly to the camera
3) The way in which the three leads gradually lose all sense of human spirit as their fear increases steadily
4) There's a definite play on the idea that things are 'out there' in the wild - unknown, unknowable things

There's no doubt that The Blair Witch project is not for everybody. You really do have to invest heavily, unlike perhaps a lot of 'popcorn' films when you can just sit there and let it wash over you. Take the time and emotional investment though and you'll receive great rewards in the form of a film that is really unlike anything else.

Everything from [REC] to Cloverfield and the upcoming Paranormal Activity (I'm sure this will be bloody brilliant!) owe a big debt to The Blair Witch Project and I can say that I'm a big fan.

**** 4/5

Paranormal Activity - Trailer

This is one scary movie that I'm really, really looking forward to. Paranormal Activity looks like a cross between The Blair Witch project (it's low budget and uses a lot of handheld cams) and Poltergeist. Suffice to say, I really enjoyed both films so I'm looking forward to the high terror that is glimpsed in the trailer of Paranormal Activity.

Interestingly, I was once told a story of a very similar paranormal problem - a friend of mine had a friend who thought his house was haunted. Only, it was him that was being haunted, not the house...

Harper's Island Eps 3 and 4 - Review

A couple of warnings firstly BEWARE OF SPOILERS again, obviously. Secondly these reviews will be getting briefer and maybe ending as the show is really struggling to keep me watching, or caring.

Ep 3 is the reason for this. The whole thing was so tedious and like a bad "Days of Our Lives" type soap (right down to even the killing by measly shotgun) that I couldn't really focus. I'm sure there were elements of "who slept with whom", "who loves their ex", "who is missing the love of their life" which seem important but honestly at this point just tell me the killer and then go play out your vacuous plot lives like you're remaking bleedin' Dynasty, STOP calling yourself or advertising yourself as horror. It's hard to be more specific as that was really all there was to see, consequently I did everything from wash the dishes to play with my phone to avoid watching. I seriously thought of turning the t.v off, but didn't. Still one of the worst episodes of t.v I've forced myself to endure though.

(0/5)

By Ep 4 I was ready to give up, seeing how the show was a failure in the U.S. I remembered reading that the eps are titled after the methods of death so I looked on the programme guide to make sure there was something to see. This ep was entitled "Bang". Irony is alive and well, but I guess a gun doesn't make a feeble farting sound, which would have summed it up better. Still no horror to really speak of outside of that you'd find in extreme daytime soap or drama, even the deaths have become lame. The whole thing was a slight improvement due to the reappearance of Jimmy and his connection to Abby and a whole "Shallow Grave" style plot which is a slight improvement on the who's shagging who stuff. This part also gets points for introducing a supernatural element which, on the back of what has come so far, seems like the most shocking and brave move,... but probably isn't. Could have gained more credence for shocking us by killing off a main player in the tiresome soap at the end, but bottled it. I'm off to go look up the killer online I reckon so I don't have to force myself through 9 more eps of this.

** (2/5)

MM

Saw 4 - Review

As mentioned in my previous blog entry I was inspired to watch this by checking out the advance publicity for the next in the series, it was one of those DVD's that I had bought and left on the shelf, to watch someday. It got forgotten when I gave up on the franchise after watching number 3, and as I grew increasingly weary of the assembly-line release of still more films, as the tagline says "you think it is over, but the games have just begun." Finally motivated to watch it I slipped the disc in on a lonely night this Saturday and was quite surprised, but pleasantly. The movie was nowhere near as bad as I feared, actually holding my attention quite well and not seeming at all like the waste of time I'd expected, half poised to switch off before the end. Don't get me wrong there are flaws (I'll get to that) and this is far from a great or classic movie, and to be honest if you aren't a Saw fan then you might as well take a star off my eventual score, likewise if you haven't seen any of the movies then take away 2, this is not the place to start. That said I quite enjoyed it.
(SPOILER ALERT – If you haven’t seen Saw 4 and ever plan on coming to it fresh then stop reading right now!).
Let's start with the problems, the films now seem increasingly reliant on gore and torture leading to new ways of showing blood, guts, body parts etc at the expense of plot. There is more attention to the "Eurgh" response which annoys me as a viewer who likes at least some plot to back it up. From an opening autopsy scene which actually had me shouting to get on with it to traps so ridiculous and jarring they hold up to no analysis and seem designed for pure shock value only. Similarly while the plot is good in some ways, that I shall mention, the same flaws are still present that I mentioned in my Saw 2 review, even 2 films later. These include inescapable traps, nonsenscial motivations, and shocks and surprises which contradict and confound. Anyone wanting to pick the plot of this apart has an easy job.
Despite that though it has more of a plot thread than I was expecting. This time we follow SWAT Commander Rigg in his personal test (not dissimilar to how the whole of Saw 2 was ultimately a test for Detective Matthews (who makes a welcome and fairly cool return). Along the way we cleverly but not bafflingly follow various non-linear strands including the investigation of an apparent accomplice to the now deceased Jigsaw and Amanda, and crucially and brilliantly John Kramer's motivation for becoming the serial killer Jigsaw and his very first trap (it has a purpose, this is all stuff that was touched upon or detailed in the graphic novel spun off from the earlier films but so cool to see, actual character stuff I was not expecting).
The traps themselves do the job they are there for I guess, naturally some ennui has set in by now so some fall short while others seem to border on genius (I loved the woman being connected to her husband by steel rods through his major arteries but not hers so she held his fate in her hands, that's the kind of poetic justice that makes the villain so much more interesting than the hack, slash, gore factor). To be avoided are traps like the opening one where two people are pitted against one another, in this case deprived of different senses, but one has to die.
As things conclude it's jarring but great when we see cameos from people across all previous movies in the flashback pieces, until eventually we see that these events are playing out simultaneously with those from the third movie (the only way they can make sense really). That said the final reveal of Detective Hoffman as the heir to the legacy and our new villain seems like an attempt to replicate the effect of the same reveals of Jigsaw in the first movie and Amanda in the second, it fals short and is a bit confusing (though I read this is cleared up in the next film, which I do plan to buy and watch, being quite psyched for the next 2 now). It reeks of wanting to keep the franchise running despite killing off the guy who made it, thus emphasising how dumb this was!
Overall an enjoyable piece if you don't overthink it, better if you've been following all the films and paying attention but for me...

*** (3/5)

MM

Twitter Round-Up

Hey there readers. If you're not folowing the site on Twitter then seriously it's worth doing, at least check it out, we are now following and being followed by various horror alumni, both famous and not so, just follow the link here.
If you haven't been following the tweet feed then there were a couple of short news items you may have missed, they were as follows:

Next Resident Evil sequel to be "Batman Begins" style reboot. Isn't everything these days?

Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine 2009) to replace Rob Zombie and helm next installment of the Halloween franchise... in 3-D!

First reviews of "Zombieland" and "Jennifer's Body" are hitting the web (scoped some on AICN), apologies I haven't read them yet.

I'd also like to give a special mention to Lion's Gate Horror, who sought out and added OUR page, through them I got a lot of sneak peeks at the next Saw movie (the sixth!), which really surprised me how much it whet my appetite and reinvigorated my interest in that franchise, a great page well worth your time, access it here. You might want to also head over to the Saw Facebook page if you have an account there, it's chock full of Saw related goodness including first shots of posters, trailers, quotes, talkbacks, and killer competitions (excuse the pun). Find that here. I'm not a sell-out I promise, just sharing something I enjoyed and that some of you might too, that said the shameless promotion is officially over for now. Look out for related upcoming blog posts though.

MM

Solomon Kane - New Trailer

BD (Bloody Disgusting) has the new trailer for action/adventure/horror/genre blender Solomon Kane (the titular character is played by James Purefoy). Looking like it borrows from a variety of films including The Lord of the Rings, this looks to be one action packed visual feast.

Watch the trailer for Solomon Kane

The Box - Questions?

The trailer for The Box raises a lot of questions. Firstly, just what the hell is going on? When I read some of the early release info, it didn't seem to suggest that there'd be supernatural element - more that it's in fact a thriller. However, having watched the trailer repeatedly, there's clearly some very funky stuff going on. I'm very much looking forward to seeing this.

Stay in touch!

Hi guys, MM here. IF you're a fan of the site and want to follow up to the minute breaking news or find out when a new post is up, or just find a new, easy way to interact and communicate with us, you can now follow us in a different way. Yes we've finally come into the 21st century (well, I have, but comments or questions for Mr B will be passed on). So, if you do the social networking thing follow us on Twitter at the link below...

http://twitter.com/thursdaythe12th

MM

Harper's Island Eps 1 and 2 - Review

Part 1: Oh boy was this a slog. It starts off well with an early, very gruesome murder which seems to set the tone nicely then sadly devolves into a slasher equivalent of the bad teen dramas you try and avoid that are constantly on E4, kind of like a Halloween 90210. This, sadly, seems necessary to setting up characters, motivations etc for the murder mystery part of the narrative. We do successfully meet the main players and their relation to each other (I won't repeat them all here, watch the episode if you care). The cast are a mixed bag but Elaine Cassidy as Abby (already set up as our "final girl" with a plot identical to that of Neve Campbell's protagonist in Scream) doing an admirable job of carrying the show in these early stages. Also it has to be said that the show did pull off a genuine shock in the episode's second death, killing off a guy who had been firmly set up as a suspect for the murders. Not great, I almost did turn off during the Dawson's Creek moments at the party but thankfully worth getting through, and does get much more engaging than here too but not until...

Part 2: Much improved, THREE really grisly deaths again, much more intriguing development as this viewer, for one, tries to now get a handle on potential killers (my early money: nice guy ex Jimmy who is just far too likeable or the charming English fop with a glimpsed dark side who's dating the flirt, who just happens to have a thing for serial killers). The soap elements are much better handled as we ease into knowing and liking at least one group of characters in my case (those surrounding the groom being much more interesting than the bride's side). Another truly surprising set up of potential murderer, whom you then grow to care for, only to have her bizarrely killed off (off screen though, tut tut, its a god job you're a whodunnit). It is becoming slightly ludicrous that nobody has yet noticed people begin to be murdered on an island with history but that's a minor criticism as no doubt this will have to be addressed next week, suffice to say I'm already hooked, contemplating theories, avoiding spoilers so be warned and eagerly anticipating the third part. I'm loving playing along and really getting into even the soap like parts so if anyone cares to discuss it and is also avoiding looking up the answers online feel free to comment, check me out on Facebook or Twitter or e-mail wils1_uk@hotmail.com. Failing that I may do an investigative piece on the suspects after a couple more eps...

Ep 1: ** (2/5)
Ep 2: **** (4/5)

MM

The Grudge 3 - Review

SPOILER WARNING This movie is basically the story of one family still living in the Chicago apartment block that, as of the last sequel, is now infected with the curse (in this movie named for the first time in the american franchise as a ju-on). The players are our "final girl/heroine" type, a teenage girl named Lisa who is about to move to New York with her boyfriend on a fashion fellowship, her elder brother Max, left in charge of the family and the building since their parents died and young 8 year old Rose, who suffers from some kind of terminal disease which is affecting her breathing (but oddly goes unnamed). I mention this because this film completely abandons the non-linear narrative and spooky investigative elements of the previous two pictures in favour of a plain kitchen-sink drama narrative involving these 3, whom the horror unfolds around, sort of like the american remake of Dark Water. Other characters are introduced (a total of 6: Jake (survivor from the last film, his psychiatrist Dr Sullivan (Saw's Shawnee Smith, the kindly neighbour Gretchen (Star Trek TNG's Marina Sirtis, and to a lesser degree Lisa's boyfriend and Max's boss but all of these are merely fodder to be introduced and then as quickly dispatched by Kayako/Toshio/the curse. We do however also meet Naoko, the sister of Kayako who, it conveniently turns out, knows a ritual to stop her siblings curse and is only now having nightmares compelling her to do so, tied into memories of the God awful "demon feeding" plot line from movie 2.
Let's get this straight: this is a bad movie, or more accurately a bad horror movie, as a drama there are times when it really seems to work, but that's not what I wanted to watch. There are literally 3 worthy scares, all quite effective but as before all rip-offs of effectively scary or creepy moments from previous or other films. We see Kayako emerge from a painting to murder Gretchen and trap Dr Sullivan in a maze of her own hospital rooms, both good enough with top class terrified acting from both genre queens, but frustratingly brief and off set by a couple of deaths which actually occur OFF-SCREEN!!! A cardinal sin for a horror film, if that's how this can be classified.
The plot, as it stands, is nonsensical and ridiculous. Naoko only now shows up to cleanse a house in a different country, several victims and a continent later? Even the little moments such as giving Gretchen arthritis and similar character traits are rendered pointless and leave you wondering why they bothered at all, she could just as easily have been a tap dancing albanian clown for all the effect it has on anything! It's quite nice seeing the glimpses of the story's history but here it's flogged to absolute death in a straight drama which I already don't care for, the little scenes will keep ardent fans very slightly placated, but ultimately wanting. The frustrating thing is there is a good sequel horror somewhere in this turgid mess, some ideas could be slightly altered or furthered, replacing bad ones to make a much better overall film, in fact that's just it, this feels like a first draft that was rushed into production and filmed.
The end was so bizarre and confusing I had to look up what it meant, not the stupid but well presented scene as the murdered Naoko becomes a new Kayako style apparition (baffling though this is within the continuity of how Kayako came to be) but the scene at the end which shows Rose, having drank Kayako's blood to stop her (no, really), now appear to be her, the implication being that she is now carrying her and all the evil spirits SHE had inside, at this point the whole thing collapses like a house of cards, assuming anyone cares enough after a looong hour and a half to question it. Special mention too to the attrocious special effects on the villains, painting them a near flourescent blue and yet having people act like they just saw a normal boy on the stairs. Did Lisa think he had some odd disease, or was just really, really cold? Dull on a criminal level, frustratingly not scary enough with too much emphasis on a terrible plot and not enough on actual horror! Sorry guys, catch it if you're desperate for a couple of nice jumps and scares that you properly have to fight for and work to get through to but otherwise take my advice and avoid it like the plague, there are much better horrors out there...

* (1/5)

MM

Finding Horror

A short one this, but sometimes you see a film and then kinda forget about it. Good or bad, it sort of drifts into your subconscious, only to be remembered when someone makes a throwaway remark, or indeed remake as I originally typed accidentally.

This brings me to a film that recently resurfaced in my memories - The Exorcist 3. Released in 1990, the film stars Brad Dourif (genre favourite and also star of The Lord of the Rings) as 'The Gemini Killer'.

The movie is superior in almost every way to the bizzare sequel to the original film and it provides numerous shocks as well as a great atmosphere of dread. So, why can't I buy the damn thing on DVD at the moment? It looks as though I'll have to get either a box set of 1-4 or buy an american region 1. Damn it!

I'm sure this won't be the last time that this happens to me either, knowing my penchant for remembering weird horror that I saw a while ago but now want to rewatch...

The Unborn - Some Comments

Man, was I hoping for this film to be great. The box art sets the scene, a girl with a pair of tight fitting white pants, being stared at by a creepy kid imposed in such a way that he's actually in the position of you, the person holding the DVD. Weird fact - but a good one. Luckily, there's more positive stuff to say about the film than Odette Yustman's behind, though possibly not a huge amount.

Look out - spoiler alert!
Sometimes the soul of a dead person has been so tainted with evil that it is denied entrance to heaven. It must endlessly wander the borderlands between worlds, desperately searching for a new body to inhabit. And sometimes it actually succeeds.

Writer/Director David Goyer (Blade: Trinity, The Invisible, Batman Begins) gives a terrifying glimpse into the life of the undead in The Unborn, a supernatural thriller that follows a young woman pulled into a world of nightmares when a demonic spirit haunts her and threatens everyone she loves.

Casey Bell (Odette Yustman) hated her mother for leaving her as a child. But when inexplicable things start to happen, Casey begins to understand why she left. Plagued by merciless dreams and a tortured ghost that haunts her waking hours, she must turn to the only spiritual advisor, Sendak (Gary Oldman), who can make it stop.

With Sendak's help, Casey uncovers the source of a family curse dating back to Nazi Germany - a creature with the ability to inhabit anyone or anything that is getting stronger with each possession. with the curse unleashed, her only chance at survival is to shut a doorway from beyond our world that has been pried open by someone who was never born.
Spoiler alert over

Now that we've got the story out of the way (this is one of the few instances where I'll actually reveal what it is as the film does it quite quickly anyway), I'll get to the positives. The acting is on the whole ok, with Yustman looking nicely shocked (if believing the whole thing quite readily).

The special effects when used where pretty good and the shocks reasonably, well, shocking. Tropes of the genre such as an 'old religious text' turning up are all welcome to the fan as they lend some grounding. As a fan of the possession sub-genre The Unborn is a decent film.

Now for the bad. Which unfortunately is rather larger list than the good. Oldman is just bizzare, I mean really bizzare in this role. Not that he's bad - just why did he do it? I can't see why they couldn't get any half-ok jobbing actor to do it. Bringing in someone with his acting credentials really left me wanting more.

Meagan Good's character was laughable - going from one moment a true believer to another of completely disbelieving the very evidence in front of her face. Some of her scenes were unintentionally shout-at-the-screen bad - though I'd suggest this was largely a scripting issue than anything else.

Finally, and this is an apt word, the final part of the film is a waste of time. The demon apparently wanted to possess the body of Odette Yustman's Casey (sounds like an interesting idea) and yet in the final 20 minutes or so seemed far more intent on simply strangling her to death. Seriously, WTF guys?

Subtlety is how this film starts off - with strange dream sequences that hold messages for the unknowing Casey. I just wish the film had been far more subtle throughout and I feel it would have been much more successful. Rarely can you, after all, provide shocks and a creeping atmosphere all at the same time.

Harper's Island - Starts Tonight

... on BBC 3. If you missed me previously trailing this then just click on the key word below. The first 2 episodes will be shown together as a double bill twice tonight at both 9pm and 11.05pm. I will be watching and giving the show a go and will hopefully be posting something on here with my thoughts at some point in the not too distant future, if the cold I'm suffering from ever improves any. Likewise apologies for the lack of material on my part but stress, illness and the tendency for life to alter any potential plans has conspired to lead me to watch a bit less horror and not feel up to writing much. I do, however, have The Grudge 3 sat in my front room waiting to be watched and the japanese Grudge 2 due in the post any day now so with a bit of luck you should look out for something on those too. In the meantime drop me a line if there's anything you want to see whilst the site is up and idle, I'm in this for you guys. Bye for now...
MM

Hostel - One Line Text Msg Review

Hi all. Don't say that this blog doesn't give you naturalism from horror fanboys and their normal conversations, I lent Mr B my DVD copy of Hostel recently and received the following text on my cell phone mobile telephone:

"Yeah man, Hostel was good but I rememebered why I didn't get on with it, I just don't care for any of the characters".

In the absence of any posts from busy Mr B himself I think this review should suffice for now: clear, concise and to the point.

MM