A young boy and his grandmother have a run-in with a coven of witches and their leader. The peril is mild in this gorgeous but soulless remake, even though the future of all the world’s children is at stake. The Witches 2.0(20) didn’t cast its spell on me, though for children who haven’t seen Nicolas… The Witches (2020) Read More
Spells and sparkles in The Craft: Legacy trailer
24 years after The Craft, there’s a new coven in town. The synopsis: In Blumhouse’s continuation of the cult hit The Craft, an eclectic foursome of aspiring teenage witches get more than they bargained for as they lean into their newfound powers. Here’s what we can see in the trailer. Hannah (Cailee Spaeny) arrives at a… Spells and sparkles in The Craft: Legacy trailer Read More
Judy & Punch 4 stars
Brazen, bouncy and hugely entertaining, this is part fairytale and part Punch and Judy origins story – and like many fairytales it has become sanitised in its journey to what we know as a Punch and Judy show today. Our modern Mr Punch, by now fading even as a children’s entertainment, is *only* a wife… Judy & Punch Read More
The Witches 4 stars
A young boy stumbles onto a witch convention and must stop them, even after he has been turned into a mouse. Its nearly three decades since this film came out. Watching it now – and yes I know that viewing old films through modern eyes can be as problematic as the “issues” that have, in… The Witches Read More
The Witches (kids’ review!) 5 stars
I don’t believe in witches and I don’t believe in ghosts. The Tooth Fairy is real though. People say she uses the children’s teeth to build a castle of teeth but I don’t think that. The witches in this film have horrible toes so they have to wear horrible shoes and they are bald with… The Witches (kids’ review!) Read More
Suspiria (2018) (London Film Festival) 3.5 stars
*** Read my review of the 1977 Suspiria *** Suspiria is a feminist film, if you use the 1970s definition that it’s a movement dedicated to the liberation of women – a dance academy, run entirely by women (the often ignored older women, to boot), with only female students, its roots going back to prehistory. Though… Suspiria (2018) (London Film Festival) Read More
Witch, The 4 stars
A missing baby, an evil woman lurking in the woods… as a straight-up horror film about witchcraft The Witch is frighteningly effective; though it’s also about the descent into psychological warfare within a previously loving family. Even with its living breathing monsters, it can still be interpreted as solely an allegory birthed from over-fertile imaginations; though whichever view… Witch, The Read More