STACK #191 Sep 2020

FILM REVIEWS

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THE WRETCHED

SATANIC PANIC

YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT

PSYCHO: 60TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

RELEASE DATE: 02/09/20 FORMAT:

RELEASE DATE: 16/09/20 FORMAT:

RELEASE DATE: 23/09/20 FORMAT:

RELEASE DATE: 23/09/20 FORMAT:

This accomplished and highly atmospheric indie horror-thriller had the distinction of being the number one film in the US for five weeks, after playing drive- ins during the early stage of the pandemic. While spending the summer with his recently separated father, 17-year-old Ben (John-Paul Howard) takes to spying on his neighbours and discovers something sinister has moved into the house next door. This second feature from The Pierce Brothers ( Deadheads ) boasts a cool '80s flavour – think Fright Night , albeit with an ancient swamp witch instead of a vampire, and you'll have a good idea what to expect here. AC

Pizza delivery gal Sam (Hayley Griffith) gets more than a tip when she drops off dinner at a gated mansion, where a satanic ritual is taking place. With the original virgin sacrifice now ineligible, Sam is the perfect substitute... If you've seen Ready or Not , you'll already know that the rich have a tendency to dabble in the diabolical, and Satanic Panic delivers similar over the top hijinks with a gonzo sense of humour, plenty of gruesome practical effects, and a devilishly wicked performance from Rebecca Romijn ( X-Men ) as the red-robed leader of the coven. Bloody good fun from popular horror brand Fangoria. BS

Those foolish enough to remain in a haunted house ultimately wish they'd heeded the titular warning. But is the isolated property in rural Wales that's rented by married couple Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried (with their young daughter) really haunted, or are the mysterious shadows, lost hours and weird shifting geometry all in Bacon's mind? Writer-director David Koepp (whose screenwriting credits include Jurassic Park ) revisits a genre both he and Bacon explored in the underrated 1999 thriller Stir of Echoes , and the result is a moody psychological nightmare that plays out in a masterfully designed house of horrors. This family definitely should have left! AC

Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece turns 60 this year and to celebrate, Universal has released a Special Edition that includes an extended, uncut version. This is the version of Psycho seen in theaters in 1960, exactly as intended by Hitchcock, with the additional footage available for the very first time on Blu-ray. Fortunately, the film suffered fewer cuts than Janet Leigh in the shower and among the extra bits are a racy-for-1960 shot of Leigh in her underwear, more blood on Norman's hands, and an addition to Arbogast's murder. The disc also includes the home entertainment version that we all know and love, along with The Making of Psycho , Hitchcock's Legacy, and more. SH

24 SEPTEMBER 2020

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