Reviews Archives - Dead Northern | Page 2

British director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland compelled the masses with their triumphant ‘28 Days Later’ (2002); as their twisted visions of enraged creatures ripping society apart limb by limb came to life in the most terrifying of circumstances. Although fans were treated with a sequel ‘28 Weeks Later’ – directed this time by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo – that itch for the same chaotic, horrific energy that 28 Days Later was not necessarily scratched (despite the sequel’s terrific opening scene). However, after all these years (23 to be exact), Boyle and Garland return to the plagueborn lands of infected, mutated monsters with the brand new ‘28 Years Later’.

Leigh Whannell is somewhat contemporary horror royalty, belonging to projects such as Saw (2004), Dead Silence (2007), Insidious (2010), Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), Upgrade (2018), The Invisible Man (2020) and now Wolf Man (2025). Regardless of opinion, Whannell is a seasoned horror creator, but is his extensive experience enough to make ...

In 2022 M3GAN dominated screens and for the most part, created a cult fanbase who seemingly could not get enough of the film’s titular android-robot-sentient-psychopath. The film situated around M3GAN (brilliantly voiced by Jenna Davis) and her chaotically violent, albeit humous advancements, which were in itself enjoyable to watch and fostered an irreverent feature that was enjoyable, camp and silly all at once. However, the positive reception to the deliberate ludicrousness of M3GAN does not necessarily allow its sequel M3GAN 2.0 to have the creative license to be as preposterous and overdone as it can be for the sake of it.

Amy (Hannah Deale) barely scrapes by; working two thankless jobs whilst simultaneously caring for her drug-addict mother, Debra (Jennifer Herzog). The hope of a brighter future for the hardworking young woman is on the horizon, with the prospects of exciting scholarships looming, however, her aspirations and entire selfhood are ripped to shreds when she unexpectedly falls pregnant.

The Descent (Directed by Neil Marshall, 2005)  Very rarely does a film like The Descent come around, with the horror being comparable to one hundred minutes of pure fright. This British film comes from the mind of horror auteur Neil Marshall, who delivers an experience that is known for managing to scare the wits out ...

The Witch (Directed by Robert Eggers, 2015)  Robert Eggers has become a prodigy in contemporary gothic horror, creating films that ooze a rich, dramatic aura that presents historical, period-based tales of folklore and mythology. One film in particular that kickstarted his now cemented reputation as a historical-fiction director is The Witch (stylised as The VVitch). ...

The Monkey makes an array of promises. It vows to shock at the audacity of its plot, urges a repulsive affective response at some of the more gnarly moments, and most importantly, it demands that every viewer is grinning from ear to ear at the bombastic ludicrousness of it all. Conceived originally as a short ...

Basked in the cruelty of the human nature, blasting deep truths, whilst being equally entrenched in glimmeringly stunning imagery is Drew Hancock’s Companion.  The trending Companion follows an unconventional love story that challenges and startles as we see the likes of Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lucas Gage, Rupert Friend, Megan Suri and Harvey Guillén navigate ...

Serpil Altin’s ‘Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121’ is an ominous tale with sparks of surreal comedy that acts as a bold and honest take on both the familial regime under pressure and the horror that arises from fears of the future.  In the year 2121, planet Earth has broken down from years ...

Unlike anything many have ever seen before, convolutedly excellent, with a slow burn-like atmosphere is precisely what makes Presence the cinematic enigma that it is. This film is not simply genre bending, it is a complete malformation of categorisation, which has left a slew of mixed reviews in its wake. However, forgoing the ruse stirred ...

From the same mind that conjured The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019) is the long-awaited tale of Nosferatu by the brilliant Robert Eggers.  Nosferatu, a remake of the F. W. Murnau silent German Expressionist film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922), follows Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), who in her youth pledged her devotion to the ...

Presence (Directed by Steven Soderbergh)  Expected release date: 24th January  This upcoming atmospheric chiller comes from the mind of the great Steven Soderbergh, whose previous award-winning credits include hits such as Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989), Erin Brockovich (2000), and more recently, Unsane (2018). Presence takes place from the perspective of a ‘ghost’, as the ...