Return to Silent Hill - The scoop and digest

Christophe Gans directs and co-writes screenplay with Sandra Vo-Anh and Will Schneider to loosely adapt Silent Hill 2 (2001).

Jeremy Irvine - James Sunderland

Hannah Emily Anderson - Mary Crane

Evie Templeton - Laura

Robert Strange - Pyramid Head

Pearse Egan - Eddie

Templeton also performed motion capture and voiced Laura in Bloober Team's acclaimed 2024 remake.

John Passarella's official novelization is released on 27 January.

Summary

At some point in the past, painter James Sunderland narrowly avoids crashing into a log truck and has a chance meeting with Mary Crane, who misses her bus back to Silent Hill.  Romance blossoms, and they eventually move in together.

What a strange choice, as this completely recontextualizes town.

In the present, James returns to his apartment and finds a letter from Mary, begging him to come back to Silent Hill as something's happened.

One big cemetery

At the beginning, a drunk James wakes from a nightmare in a bar and is subsequently thrown into the trash outside.

What a perfect analogy.

It starts promising enough, with nice scenery and iconic camera angles from the game.

Having said that, green screen does all the heavy lifting.

We visit the meat of locations, such as Heavens Night, Brookhaven Hospital, Rosewater Park and Lakeview Hotel. 

Irvine does his level best, but largely just runs and/or gives chase.

At Brookhaven (whose grounds is packed with beds and trolleys for some reason), Laura locks James inside Room 318 and he encounters Moth Mary (changed from Lakeview in remake).  It's later revealed that James mercy kills Mary by smothering her with a pillow at 3:18am.

But that's all the positives I can muster, because the rest is rather abysmal.

Apart from killing Maria, Pyramid Head's only other purpose is to pummel a spider mannequin to death.

To be fair, at least he doesn't have a sword fight like in Silent Hill: Revelation (2012).

Lying Figures, Creepers and Bubble Head Nurses are just here to tick boxes and CG looked better 20 years ago.

Shit, even Abstract Daddy doesn't really do anything.

Narrative contains no psychological trauma and pacing sucks.

Nearly every fucking time James enters a new area, we're needlessly subjected to glimpses of his relationship with Mary.

Eddie (and his wig) are horrible, but James's beard during a flashback is on another level of cheapness, as it's literally stuck on.

Bach's Air on the G String plays on several occasions and just made me wish I was watching Seven.

There's no iconic graffiti and forget about Mary saying: "In my restless dreams".

When James is talking to Laura about Mary giving her a doll (actually an undead baby), he inexplicably blurts out Mary 'Trane'.

HA HA HA!

Changes

Mary Angela Laura Crane (born October 12 1991) are fragments of Mary's personality created by James's imagination.

Maria is a doppelganger of Mary.

Her father Joseph poisoning Mary since she was a child causing terminal illness ties to The Order and The Brethren from 2006 film.

References

Or rip offs?

Title card rises, like err, Evil Dead Rise (2023).

Candyman (1992)

James: "It's her, it's always been her."

Candyman: "It was always you, Helen."

The Shining (1980)

James: "I'm here, I'll always be here."

Delbert Grady: "I've always been here."

Ending

On the roof of Lakeview, James apologies to Moth Mary and it transforms back into Mary's body.

He places her body in the car and apparently commits suicide by driving into Tolcua Lake, but suddenly wakes up at the moment they met.  However, he doesn't drive her to Silent Hill, confirming he's stuck in a time loop and town is giving him another chance.

Although it's awesome to hear a slice of Akira Yamaoka, 'hopeful' conclusion left me even more confused.

He's Watching You - The scoop and digest

Known as Black Spines at film festivals, teen slasher is written and directed by Jordon Foss and apparently inspired by true events.

Jan Luis Castellanos - Cameron

Tiana Le - Kathryn

Elizabeth Yu - Shawn

Vanessa Rubio - Grace

Casey Mills - Derringer

Gilbert Owuor - Andy

Kevin Porter - Sheriff Phillips

Summary

A serial killer known as The Pill is terrorising Page Hollow.

Rumour has it that he's ancient, older than the town itself, and earned nickname because he gives medicine to anybody who acts up.

At the centre of mystery is reclouse school photographer Cameron, who after finding a collection of VHS tapes, learns the truth is closer than he could possibly imagine.

Dormant until everyone forgets

"Something lurks within our Hollow.

Will you hide or will you follow?"

Straight-faced Scream is nothing original, but brutal kills are well executed.

Ignoring beginning, the first half takes place one week earlier, with the rest soon after.

Characters have enough personality for us to care about them and given the situation, performances are believable.

The Pill (Henry Frost III) is revealed to be Cam's father and rather appropriately, his daughter Kathryn bludgeons him to death with a toolbox.

Catacombs of Coincidence - Part 1

First came:

https://nukesandknives.blogspot.com/2023/05/caverns-of-coincidence.html

Then:

https://nukesandknives.blogspot.com/2024/03/chasms-of-coincidence.html

And now, the dramatic conclusion begins.

Miscellany

The Destroyer From Jail (1991)

STARS?

So this is where Capcom lifted S.T.A.R.S. from.

(Laughs).

Mad Motor (1989)
Billboard of Robocop 2 is impossible to miss. 

Sequel wasn't released until 1990.

A keen eye is needed to appreciate this one.

The Ringmaster aka Finale (2018)

Søren Juul Petersen's Danish torture porn horror is based on the novel All the Things She Wished She Didn't Understand by Steen Langstrup.

About 1h 15m deep:

Channels include BlisterBitch, <DirtyQwerty>, Cr33p and LargeLard.
Oh, and NotSoLaLaLand, whose link is interesting to say the least.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077533/ returns Faces of Death (1978). 

Happy accident?

Probably.

End credits state 8 cockroaches were unfortunately harmed during shooting.

And we needed to know that because?

Cruel Jaws, aka Jaws 5: Cruel Jaws and The Beast is a notorious 1995 Italian English-language piss take from Bruno Mattei (under the pseudonym of William Snyder), which used unauthorized footage from the Jaws series, The Last Shark and Deep Blood.

Ten years later...

Family Guy - The Family, The Son, & the Holy Fonz (S4 E18)
Peter watches a clip of Jaws 5: Fire Island.

Ingrid Bergman died on her birthday (29 August), aged 67 and mobster Joe "Crazy Joe" Gallo was shot and killed celebrating his 43rd birthday on 7 April 1972.

But has anybody died the same age as the number of their home address?

Robert Shaw died aged 51 on 28 August 1978.

Cinema legend was born on 9 August 1927 at 51 King Street in Westhoughton, Lancashire.

Dennis the Menace (UK) vs (US)

Both debuted in 1951 and there's no evidence that either creator was aware of each other's work.

Art the Clown¹ vs Shang Tsung's Bang Bang² fatality - Mortal Kombat (2011)

¹Before Terrifier, sadistic bastard debuted in All Hallows Eve (2013).

²Originated from the family friendly Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (2008).

Finalizer - Super Transformation (1985) vs BBC Mirror Globe - 1969-74

Err, yeah.

The Fly (1986) vs Dan O'Bannon sketch (1977) 

Shit gets worse.

The Taking of Deborah Morgan (2014) - Deborah vs Left 4 Dead 2 (2009) - Spitter

Creed III (2023) - Adonis vs Damian vs The Final Round (1988)

Dead Space (2008) - Leaper vs In the Mouth of Madness (1994) - Wall of Monsters painting

Hmmm.

Léon: The Professional (1994) vs The Walking Dead - issue 1 (September 1989) 

Altogether now.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

The Savage Sword of Conan issue 211 (July 1993) - Alfredo Alcala vs Fatal Fury 2 (1992) - Tung Fu Rue special

The principle is there for all to see.

Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (October 1974) vs Ezra Cobb (Roberts Blossom) - Deranged (February 1974) 

Both were inspired by the gruesome crimes of grave robber and suspected serial killer Ed Gein, who after his arrest in November 1957, was declared legally insane and spent the rest of his life at Mendota Mental Health Institute, dying from respiratory failure due to lung cancer in July 1984.

Anyway, dinner is served.

Was Tobe Hooper a bit naughty?

We'll never know.

Primarily active in the 1980s, the late Bob Wakelin is a national treasure among gamers.

The Horse Soldiers (1959) - 1998 VHS vs Cabal (1989) - home computers

Well shit.

Final part to follow.

Killer Whale - The scoop and digest

Jo-Anne Brechin directs and co-writes natural horror with Katharine E. McPhee.

Virginia Gardner - Maddie

Mel Jarnson - Trish

Mitchell Hope - Josh

Isaac Crawley - Chad

Summary

At the World of Orca, famous killer whale Ceto eats an animal trainer.

One year after her boyfriend Chad was hit by a car and killed following a robbery, Maddie is persuaded by best friend Trish to go on a trip.

Andaman Sea Islands, Thailand.

They meet Josh and sneak into the theme park, where Maddie sees a dead body floating in Ceto's 'fish tank'.  

The next day, they jetski to a remote atoll and a seriously pissed off Ceto (apparently dumped back into the ocean) kills Josh, leaving Maddie and Trish in a bit of a bind.

Come hell or high water

While plot is preposterous, captive orcas have been responsible for several non-fatal and fatal attacks on humans since the 1960s.

Maddie empathises and concludes Ceto thinks she's still in captivity, even though highly intelligent animal would sense otherwise.

Anyway, this was exceptionally dull, blatantly ripping off Fall (which also starred Gardner), The Shallows and I guess, Orca aka Orca the Killer Whale.

Rather than building fear or delivering tension, green screen bore fest chews poorly written gristle, with Trish admitting she arranged the robbery because of money problems.

Formation Effects did a fantastic job with the great white in Beast of War, but the same can't be said here, as Ceto is a mediocre mix of CG, puppetry and adorable blue eyes.

Why make your monster cute?

Lagoon isn't deep enough for a shark, let alone a killer whale.  Also, after eating Josh, Ceto spouts blood from blowhole, which is fucking BULLSHIT.

Here's how things pan out.

Trish swims to the perimiter, but Ceto eats her leg and she bleeds out on the beach.

Ceto charges Maddie, but is stabbed by cellist's bow, forcing mammal to retreat.  A chopper notices SOS in the sand and rescues her.

The last scene of Maddie in concert sums up a complete waste of time.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple - The scoop and digest

Alex Garland returns to write Part 2 (shot back-to-back with predecessor) and Nia DaCosta replaces Danny Boyle as director.

Ralph Fiennes - Dr. Ian Kelson

Jack O'Connell - Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal

Alfie Williams - Spike

Erin Kellyman - Jimmy Ink/Kelly

Chi Lewis-Parry - Samson

Emma Laird - Jimmima

Sam Locke - Jimmy Fox

Summary

After Spike kills Jimmy Shite by severing an artery in his leg, wee lad officially becomes a 'Finger' in Sir Lord Jimmy's cult.

Charismatic psychopath believes his father Old Nick (Satan in Christian tradition) is telling him to unleash wrath upon the world by giving 'charity' to unsuspecting souls. 

Meanwhile, Samson has become addicted to the morphine inside Kelson's tranquilizer darts, so seeks the good doctor to get his fix.  Over time, an unlikely relationship forms.

Dark radiance blackens even sunlight

The Jimmys are no longer acrobats (probably a creative decision), how they met and managed to survive is never explained, Spike doesn't get much to say or do, most of the previous film is completely ignored and the infected may as well not be here, but I still had a blast.

Jimmy tells Kelson he was eight during the initial outbreak in 2002, making him 35 or 36 in 2030.

O'Connell is 35 in real life and will be 36 in August.

Pretty cool, right?

Jimmy oversees sadistic torture with demented glee, and while he was more terrifying as Brett in Eden Lake, unhinged performance was still brilliant.

Howzat!

Not to be outdone, Fiennes chews up perilous landscape like never before.

Oh, from Duran Duran to Radiohead, great music collection btw.

18 certificate is entirely justified and Hildur Guðnadóttir's brooding score knocks things out of the park.

Climax

Fucked up fever dream is set up by Jimmy threatening to feed Kelson his own intestines if he didn't pretend to be Satan.

The following night, the Jimmys arrive at the Bone Temple and Kelson blows hallucinogenic dust into their faces.  Host then belts out a pyrotechnic-filled mimed performance of Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast.

Spectacular sequence is nuttier than squirrel shit.

Jimmy fatally stabs Kelson and Ink kills the remaining Jimmys.  In the confusion, Spike stabs Jimmy and Ink knocks him out.  They comfort Kelson as he dies and Ink carries out his final command by crucifying Jimmy off-screen on an inverted cross.  As Samson carries Kelson's body away, Jimmy views hulking brute as Satan before an infected appears, presumably killing him.

Wow!

Ending

Jim (Cillian Murphy) is homeschooling his daughter, Sam.  Hearing screaming outside, they see Spike and Kelly fleeing the infected, grab rifles and make haste to help.

Primate - The scoop and digest

Johannes Roberts directs and co-writes natural horror with 47 Meters Down collaborator Ernest Riera.

Johnny Sequoyah - Lucy

Jessica Alexander - Hannah

Troy Kotsur - Adam

Victoria Wyant - Kate

Gia Hunter - Erin

Benjamin Cheng - Nick

Summary

In Hawaii, Doctor Lambert enters an enclosure and is killed when a chimp rips his face off.

36 hours before.

After spending years away, college student Lucy with friends Kate, Nick and frenemy Hannah drive to Lucy's lavish house.

The chimp from the beginning is family pet Ben, who freaks out at the sight of infinity pool.

Lucy's father Adam discovers a mongoose bit Ben and corpse later tests positive for rabies.

Suffice to say, Ben goes fucking ape shit.

Donkey Kong is freakishly strong

Premise is spectacularly simple, but gory kills are satisfying and brutal, as Ben bludgeons victims and tears off jaws.

Heck, we even get a generous dollop of tension once aquatic safe space is left.

Ben is a combination of practical effects and movement specialist Miguel Torres Umba wearing a suit.

Strategy kicks ass.

Humans spend a lot of time in water, as they know Ben won't entertain taking a dip.

Contrary to popular belief, apes can swim, but don't because of body structure, fear of drowning and predators hiding beneath.

Hawaii is one of the few places in the world where rabies doesn't exist and owning a pet chimp is illegal.

Let's assume that filmmakers didn't know and/or care.

Not that he could deny it, but Roberts admits idea came from Cujo (novel and film), and Adam's character (a famous author), is probably a nod to Stephen King.

Adam plunges a shattered wine bottle into Ben's chest, but goose is finally cooked when he attacks and sends Lucy over the balcony.  While Adam and Erin save her, Ben is fatally impaled on a broken table leg.

Two-part death adapts:

1. Cujo (1983) - St. Bernard is impaled in the stomach with a broken baseball bat.

2. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) - Peyton is pushed out of the attic window, and falls on the picket fence below.

Or maybe I've got too much imagination.

Hamnet - The scoop and digest

Chloé Zhao directs and co-writes screenplay with Maggie O'Farrell, whose novel film is based on.

Jessie Buckley - Agnes Shakespeare

Paul Mescal - William Shakespeare

Emily Watson - Mary Shakespeare

Jacobi Jupe - Hamnet Shakespeare

Noah Jupe - Hamlet

El Simons - Ophelia

Summary

Hamnet and Hamlet are in fact the same name, interchangeable in Stratford records in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.

- The Death of Hamnet and the Making of Hamlet

Latin tutor William Shakespeare meets Agnes (Anne Hathaway), said to be the daughter of a forest witch, and impresses her with the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Amidst family politics, Agnes bears three children: Susanna, Hamnet and Judith.

When Hamnet tragically dies aged only eleven, grief inspires William to write Hamlet.

Totus mundus agit histrionem

So this is the primary source, right?

But I'm led to believe that play and/or hero stemmed from the Nordic legend of Amleth, which is an anagram of Hamlet.

For some reason, Robert Eggers' 2022 action epic The Northman might be relevant.

Anyway, this didn't live up to obscene hype and universal acclaim.

Sure it's well constructed and Jessie Buckley in particular is superb, but I found the whole thing quite boring.

Climax is designed to make audience break down in floods of tears, but cheat code didn't have that effect on me, especially since they settled on Max Richter's On the Nature of Daylight.

How original.

Tacky yes, but All of Us Strangers using Frankie Goes To Hollywood's The Power of Love was more effective, which also starred Mescal.

Wormtown - The scoop and digest

Title is taken from a nickname long associated with Worcester, Massachusetts.

Anyway, body horror is written and co-produced by Andrew James Myers and directed by Sergio Pinheiro.

Caitlin McWethy - Jess

Emily Soppe - Rose

Rachel Ryu - Kara

Maggie Lou Rader - Alice

Madison Murrah - Susanna

Jordan Mullins - The Rancher

A. J. Baldwin - The Dudette

Jim Azelvandre - Mayor Joshua

Louie Kurtzman - Hans

Milo McDonald - Tommy

Summary

A year after the residents of Ashland were infected with parasitic brain worms, cult leader Mayor Joshua preaches over radio and commands Ranchers to bring more to the hive.

Jess, Rose and Kara live inside a bunker to avoid the 'Nightcrawlers' above, and Jess experiments on creatures to learn more about them.

One day, Rose takes worms from the ravaged body of a boy called Tommy, inciting the wrath of his mother Alice.

During a patrol, the Rancher brings Kara before Alice, who gets infected, leading to a bunch of random shit, including authoritarianism, betrayal, grief and the Amish.

Keepers of the True Light

Practical effects would impress David Cronenberg and Roy Rossovich's excellent cinematography ensure abandoned streets are bathed in melancholy, but toxic brain chemistry didn't really make much sense.

When Jess locates Rose's brother (Hans) and sister (Susanna), wormageddon becomes comedic, as bizarre references to Bill & Ted and even Mad Max demonstrate.

This will definitely get under your skin, but perhaps not as intended.

We Bury the Dead - The scoop and digest

Australian horror thriller is written and directed by Zak Hilditch.

Daisy Ridley - Ava

Brenton Thwaits - Clay

Mark Coles Smith - Riley

Matt Whelan - Mitch

Summary

An unnamed experimental weapon accidentally deployed off the coast of Tasmania has instantly caused the neural failure of all living things.

Most victims stay dead, but those with unfinished business come back 'online'.

One week later, Ava and motorcycle enthusiast Clay depart for Hobart to find her husband Mitch.

You Only Die Twice

Rather than focusing on action (which is extremely sparse), character study is driven by loss and grief.

Cinematography is gorgeous, but the same can't be said about the sound of zombies grinding their teeth - which is deliciously unpleasant.

While digging a grave for himself and others, a zombie slowly turns its head to Ava (surely a cheeky nod to Resident Evil) and nonchalantly carries on.  She helps him bury the bodies and allows her to batter him to death with the shovel.

Has a zombie ever 'died' in a dignified way before?

Don't think so.

Ava reaches the hotel and finds Mitch offline, discovering he was cheating on her.

After Clay conveniently arrives, they drink and smoke the night away.  During which, Ava kills a random male zombie.

The next day, they place Mitch's body in a motorboat and set it on fire, giving him a burial at sea.

Riley's wife gives birth and dies, but her newborn is entirely healthy, causing Ava to cry with tears of joy.

My interpretation of ending:

No matter how shit things get; there's always something worth living for.

Albums, Posters and Cover Art - Battle Royale V

Tyler, The Creator - Cherry Bomb (2015) vs Madonna - Like a Prayer (1989)

Leona Lewis - Glassheart (Deluxe Edition) (2012) vs Natalie Imbruglia - Left of the Middle (1997)

 

D:Ream - Do It Anyway (2025) vs The Killers - Rebel Diamonds (2023)

Magnum - Evolution (2011) vs Super Furry Animals - Rings Around the World (2001)

The Damned - Darkadelic (2023) vs The Cure - Pornography (1982)

Dayseeker - Creature in The Black Night (2025) vs This Is The Kit - Careful of Your Keepers (2023)

Tears for Fears - Songs for a Nervous Planet (2024) vs Falling in Reverse - Coming Home (2017) 

Born of Osiris - Through Shadows (2025) vs Korn - Korn (1994)

Laufey - A Matter of Time (2025) vs Kylie Minogue - Step Back In Time: The Definitives Collection (2019)

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (1977) vs Sparks - Big Beat (1976)

Everything Everything - Mountainhead (2024) vs Royal Blood - Royal Blood (2014)

Sad Night Dynamite - Welcome the Night (27 September 2024) vs Becky Hill - Believe Me Now (31 May 2024)

'Surfing' principle remains.

Now things get really exciting.

Michael Jackson - Thriller (30 November 1982) vs Lionel Richie - You Are¹ (1982)

¹Exact release date of 7" vinyl single is unclear, but logically before...

SeeYouSpaceCowboy - Coup de Grãce (2024) vs Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses (1993)

And.

Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (1985)

Adele - 21 (2011) vs The Very Best of... Sting & The Police² (2002 edition)

²Compilation album was initially released in 1997 with a different cover.

The above recycles:

Sting - ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987)

But hold the phone boys and girls.

Billy Joel - Greatest Hits - Volume I & Volume II (1985)

Nuff said.

Miscellany

Selena Gomez - Revival (2015) vs Striptease (1996)

Contra³ - Songs About Feelings (2004) vs Prom Night (1980)

³Also a 2010 album by Vampire Weekend.

Speaking of which.

Ann Kirsten Kennis sued XL Recordings and band for using the photo without permission.
In 2011, lawsuit was dropped after she was paid an undisclosed fee.

Porridge Radio - Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me (2024) vs The Possession (2012)

You see it too, right?

Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988) vs Fright Night (1985) 

Fright Night Part II⁴ (1988)
Apart from some superficial differences (building and the eyes of vampiric face), poster for Tommy Lee Wallace's muddled sequel is virtually the same, meaning artist Peter Mueller didn't have much to do.

⁴ntbcw Fright Night 2: New Blood (2013).

Wanna know something weird?

Great.

Fright Night: The Arcade Game
Amiga exclusive placed you in the role of Jerry Dandrige (surname spelled as Dandridge in other sources), who must turn victims into vampires before sunrise.

Whether coincidental or not, cover art used the same yellow moon as film sequel.

Amusingly, game and Part II were both released in December 1988.

Iron Maiden - Brave New World (2000)

Title of twelfth album is a direct nod to Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel of same name, which itself is derived from Miranda's speech in Act V, Scene I of William Shakespeare's The Tempest.

"O wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here!

How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,

That has such people in 't."

The upper half was created by band's perennial figure Derek Riggs, with the bottom half by digital artist Steve Stone.

While this iteration of "Eddie" is the same idea as Fright Night and/or Part II, what's more incredible is how ghostly face was 'discreetly' stolen.

Well SHIT.