Mr_Frontispiece
Joined Apr 2004
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Reviews4
Mr_Frontispiece's rating
I have been following the directorial career of John Williams keenly. As such, I was eager to sample his latest offering 'Tales of the Creeping Death'. Clearly influenced by the Hammer and Amicus horror anthologies of the 60's and 70's (a sub-genre I used to love as a child), Williams conjures up four diverse stories, plus the obligatory wraparound story.
The wraparound story sets the mood very well. Goose (Michael Socha), is a hitman hired by wheelchair bound eccentric Harold (Andrew Readman). His contract is not to kill someone, but to ensure that Harold stays alive until 3 o'clock on the night in question, with no further explanation provided (up until the film's chilling conclusion that is). To pass the time, Harold proceeds to tell Goose the aforementioned four stories. The wraparound proves an effective narrative devise, and ties it up quite nicely at the end (a satisfied nod and "aaaaah" from this reviewer on first viewing). Also of note, the chemistry between the two works really well throughout.
Taking place on Halloween, the first story follows the zombie costumed Billy (Billy Cook) as he finds himself unexpectedly attending a black tie party with a couple friends, only to quickly discover that all is not what it seems. For my money, this stands out as the best story of the four, and features some fantastic, and very convincing, make up effects from Special Make Up Artist Gary Pollard.
The second story provides a snapshot into the life of Kev (Dean Ackerman). Dean plays his character so well (standout performance in the film in my opinion). It is hard not to smile as you see him going about his business, making friends, and organising events for his Super Smooth Gang. Ricky Tomlinson guest stars as Dad, and gives a typical, but very enjoyable performance in the limited screen time he has (you know what you get with Ricky). What the story lacks in chills, it certainly makes up for in laughs. Very funny, but still well worth its inclusion in a horror anthology film.
Story three is a tale about three work colleagues on a team building exercise in a rural hotel in Wales. Following a detour on route (a local cave network tourist attraction), they are subjected to a series of strange occurancies, leading to the hotel being deserted upon their arrival. As the story reaches its conclusion there are clear nods in the direction of a certain well known film from the late 70's, but it remains interesting and well executed non-the-less. That being said, it probably didn't grab me quite as much as the other three offerings.
The fourth story depicts the aftermath of the brutal murder of the parents of bingo caller Shane (Darren McAree) by an unseen creature. This story again showcases the talents of Gary Pollard, who provided the awesome creature design, and copious amounts of gore in the frenetic conclusion. Enjoyable romp to end on.
Overall, a very enjoyable entry into John Williams' catalogue. Well worth a look.
The wraparound story sets the mood very well. Goose (Michael Socha), is a hitman hired by wheelchair bound eccentric Harold (Andrew Readman). His contract is not to kill someone, but to ensure that Harold stays alive until 3 o'clock on the night in question, with no further explanation provided (up until the film's chilling conclusion that is). To pass the time, Harold proceeds to tell Goose the aforementioned four stories. The wraparound proves an effective narrative devise, and ties it up quite nicely at the end (a satisfied nod and "aaaaah" from this reviewer on first viewing). Also of note, the chemistry between the two works really well throughout.
Taking place on Halloween, the first story follows the zombie costumed Billy (Billy Cook) as he finds himself unexpectedly attending a black tie party with a couple friends, only to quickly discover that all is not what it seems. For my money, this stands out as the best story of the four, and features some fantastic, and very convincing, make up effects from Special Make Up Artist Gary Pollard.
The second story provides a snapshot into the life of Kev (Dean Ackerman). Dean plays his character so well (standout performance in the film in my opinion). It is hard not to smile as you see him going about his business, making friends, and organising events for his Super Smooth Gang. Ricky Tomlinson guest stars as Dad, and gives a typical, but very enjoyable performance in the limited screen time he has (you know what you get with Ricky). What the story lacks in chills, it certainly makes up for in laughs. Very funny, but still well worth its inclusion in a horror anthology film.
Story three is a tale about three work colleagues on a team building exercise in a rural hotel in Wales. Following a detour on route (a local cave network tourist attraction), they are subjected to a series of strange occurancies, leading to the hotel being deserted upon their arrival. As the story reaches its conclusion there are clear nods in the direction of a certain well known film from the late 70's, but it remains interesting and well executed non-the-less. That being said, it probably didn't grab me quite as much as the other three offerings.
The fourth story depicts the aftermath of the brutal murder of the parents of bingo caller Shane (Darren McAree) by an unseen creature. This story again showcases the talents of Gary Pollard, who provided the awesome creature design, and copious amounts of gore in the frenetic conclusion. Enjoyable romp to end on.
Overall, a very enjoyable entry into John Williams' catalogue. Well worth a look.
Had the pleasure of attending the premier of John Williams' third feature film, following on from last year's hugely enjoyable 'The Slayers'.
The film charts the resurrection of an evil clown, Crispy (played with enthusiasm and energy by Daniel Cubley), bent on revenge against all those that have wronged him. This is another enjoyable offering, and further proof of Williams' ability to put all the necessary ingredients together with such a small budget. Give him a budget of note and watch this guy fly.
The film isn't without its flaws though. It feels a bit cluttered at times, in as far as some characters appear to perform the same narrative function as others. Also, some of the victims seem to, on the face of it, have no connection to Crispy's vengeful mission. As a consequence, the film seems to lack a little focus and direction at times.
Don't let these minor quibbles put you off though, the film is very funny at times (though it didn't tickle me quite as much as 'The Slayers'), the red stuff (of which there is plenty) accompanies an inventive series of deaths, and there are a couple of stand out performances from the cast. Both Darren McAree as Alon Baptiste and Wes Martin as Pope completely nail their characters and provide a lot of the film's funniest moments. Once again the film is full to the brim of familiar faces from John's previous two films, and a couple of celebrity performances from former Big Brother winner Pete Bennett (who also returns) and Derek Acorah (a fun cameo where he shows he is quite happy to have a bit of fun at his own expense). I also loved a great little 'Slayers' Easter Egg ... Hilarious (if you have already seen The Slayers' that is, otherwise it won't make any sense whatsoever).
I look forward to seeing what Williams has up his sleeve next time out.
Check it out if you have chance.
The film charts the resurrection of an evil clown, Crispy (played with enthusiasm and energy by Daniel Cubley), bent on revenge against all those that have wronged him. This is another enjoyable offering, and further proof of Williams' ability to put all the necessary ingredients together with such a small budget. Give him a budget of note and watch this guy fly.
The film isn't without its flaws though. It feels a bit cluttered at times, in as far as some characters appear to perform the same narrative function as others. Also, some of the victims seem to, on the face of it, have no connection to Crispy's vengeful mission. As a consequence, the film seems to lack a little focus and direction at times.
Don't let these minor quibbles put you off though, the film is very funny at times (though it didn't tickle me quite as much as 'The Slayers'), the red stuff (of which there is plenty) accompanies an inventive series of deaths, and there are a couple of stand out performances from the cast. Both Darren McAree as Alon Baptiste and Wes Martin as Pope completely nail their characters and provide a lot of the film's funniest moments. Once again the film is full to the brim of familiar faces from John's previous two films, and a couple of celebrity performances from former Big Brother winner Pete Bennett (who also returns) and Derek Acorah (a fun cameo where he shows he is quite happy to have a bit of fun at his own expense). I also loved a great little 'Slayers' Easter Egg ... Hilarious (if you have already seen The Slayers' that is, otherwise it won't make any sense whatsoever).
I look forward to seeing what Williams has up his sleeve next time out.
Check it out if you have chance.
A fantastic second outing from John Williams, after last year's 'The Mothertown'. What is immediately obvious is a sharp contrast in the production values. An improved budget, and lessons learnt, have enabled John to build on the first film's highly promising potential, to deliver in spades this time around.
Full of invention and laugh out loud moments (the funniest film I've seen in a long time). Great performances from the two leads, who attack their roles with such gusto that you can't help but immediately warm to their characters. They are ably assisted by a great supporting cast, and though there is a distinct lack of Scottish accents (with the exception of the pub landlord) during the scenes set in Scotland, this doesn't detract from the thoroughly enjoyable yarn.
Add a great soundtrack, a wonderful use of locations and animated sequences and you're left with a little gem of a film.
Catch this film if you can, you won't be disappointed.
Full of invention and laugh out loud moments (the funniest film I've seen in a long time). Great performances from the two leads, who attack their roles with such gusto that you can't help but immediately warm to their characters. They are ably assisted by a great supporting cast, and though there is a distinct lack of Scottish accents (with the exception of the pub landlord) during the scenes set in Scotland, this doesn't detract from the thoroughly enjoyable yarn.
Add a great soundtrack, a wonderful use of locations and animated sequences and you're left with a little gem of a film.
Catch this film if you can, you won't be disappointed.