Wicked Watch – The Hallow 2015

Hello my Video Nasties,

Another day, another horror film review. This time I’m going to be talking about the 2015 supernatural horror The Hallow.

Pretty cool poster design.

Directed by Corin Hardy, the film centres on conservationist Adam and his wife Claire, who move to a remote village in Ireland with their baby son, Finn. They take up residence in an old mill house, surrounded by a forest, the very forest Adam will be spending most of his time working in.

This is something he continues to do despite a distinctly frosty reception from the locals and repeated warnings from their nearest neighbour, Colm Donnelly. As a brief aside: it genuinely infuriates me how often Colm is mispronounced. It’s Cuh-lum. NOT Kolm. But that’s not the point of this post, but please take it as a learning moment ha!

Ignoring every red flag being waved directly in his face, Adam presses on with his work in the forest, collecting samples of fungi and plants. At one point he’s doing this with baby Finn strapped to his back, because of course he is. I get it, sometimes there’s no other choice than to take the baby with you but…Come on Adam, the spooky forest, really?!

Take your baby to work in a creepy ass forest day.

His dog, Iggy, draws his attention to an abandoned building where Adam discovers an animal carcass riddled with some very dodgy looking fungal growth. Now, the building could very well be full of asbestos, and he has absolutely no idea what that fungus is, but aye, by all means, have a wee poke about while your infant is strapped to you. I don’t think he’s going to win any father of the year awards for that!

Aye, nothing says good parenting like poking a carcass with your baby in tow, lad.

Meanwhile, back at the house, Claire is busy removing the iron slats from the windows (solid choice), when Colm pays yet another visit. He warns her that the forest isn’t good for Adam or “the little one”. Understandably shaken, Claire brushes it off and carries on with her day.

From here, things start to escalate. Finn’s bedroom window is smashed while the baby is sleeping. The Garda are called, and the couple voice their suspicions that they think Colm is to blame. The officer assures them that it was probably just a bird. Before leaving, Garda Davey fills them in on the legend of the forest: “The Hallow” a breed of creatures including faeries, banshees, and, delightfully, baby stealers.

Adam, naturally, dismisses this entirely. And as with most horror films, this is the exact moment where everything ramps up another notch and then keeps going until the bitter end.

Overall, it’s a solid film with some great tension and striking imagery. The practical effects are well done, and it’s a good example of how smart shooting can make a limited budget work in your favour. For a small-budget production, it’s impressively executed.

That said, it is mildly infuriating that Claire has little to no personality beyond being “the wife” and “the mother,” while Adam is, at times, spectacularly dense opting for a kind of pseudo-macho stubbornness over the safety of his family. BUT if you can look past that, you’ve got yourself a tidy little folk horror with some genuinely creative creature design.

This one gets 3.5 skulls out of 5 from me and is definitely worth a watch if you’re looking for inspiration on how to do low-budget horror relatively well.

Got a different take? I’d love to hear it so drop a comment below.

Stay spooky!
👻SG👻

Wicked Watch – American Gothic 1988

Greetings Gorehounds,

I’m back again with another film review. This time we’ll be looking at 1988 Slasher film “American Gothic” I mean, look at this poster.

The tagline for the film was “The family that slays together stays together.” Incredible!

After the trauma of losing her baby, Cynthia decides to take a vacation with five of her friends: Jeff, Rob, Lynn, Paul, and Terri. They charter a plane from Seattle, but engine trouble forces them to make an emergency landing on an island in Puget Sound.

At first, they believe they’re completely alone. After spending the night and realising there’s no way to fix the plane, they decide to explore the island further and stumble across a large cottage hidden deep in the woods.After fooling around inside (as everyone seems to do in ’80s films, playing with shit that isn’t theirs), in walk Ma and Pa, the cottage’s owners. They seem pretty chill at first, but you instantly get those inbred, cut-off-from-civilisation, “no room for any of this newfangled nonsense” vibes. And those vibes only intensify.

Not gonna lie, it felt a bit shitty of the group to sit down and share a meal with Ma and Pa while completely forgetting about Paul, who they left behind at their makeshift camp to watch the plane. Guess he’ll just crack open some beans or something.

Just beans for you, Paul lad!

Believing Ma and Pa are the only ones living there, you can hardly blame the group for being shocked when they’re slowly introduced to their “children.” Enter Fanny, Woody, and Teddy all seemingly in their late 40s or early 50s, yet dressed and behaving like children. Albeit children with deeply unsettling habits and facial expressions.

I won’t go into too much detail, but needless to say, the bodies start piling up. It’s campy, and some of the acting is undeniably cringey at times, but there’s still something weirdly enjoyable about this one. It low-key gave me Tourist Trap vibes.

Some of the best moments come whenever Yvonne De Carlo (Ma) is on screen, and the same goes for Rod Steiger (Pa). You can tell they took the material seriously, which makes their delivery feel genuinely creepy rather than unintentionally funny. Cynthia is also an interesting protagonist she’s already a bit unhinged, so what unfolds with her feels… inevitable.

Yvonne De Carlo as Ma.

It’s not the best slasher I’ve ever seen, but as a huge lover of ’80s slashers, this one didn’t disappoint. I’m giving American Gothic 3.5 skulls out of 5.

Have you seen this one? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so drop a comment below.

Stay spooky!
👻SG👻

Dusting Off the Cobwebs

Hello Ghoul Friends,

Well, it’s certainly been a while. I think they’re churning out Five Nights at Freddy’s and 28 Years Later films faster than I’ve been updating this blog, and for that, I do apologise for my silence.

I’ve had a rough time and sadly lost not one, but four members of my family in the space of less than two years. As you can imagine, that would impact anyone. I’m not looking for sympathy, but I hope it helps explain my absence.

Without sounding like one of those “New Year, New Me” people for the first few weeks of January, I do fully intend to update this blog a lot more in the coming year. It’ll be much of the same: all things spooky and horror-related.

Expect film, book, and game reviews, with the first of what will hopefully be many posts landing this Friday. If there’s anything you’d like me to check out and review, feel free to leave a comment.

Me returning to my blog after a long time.

In the meantime, I wish you all a suitably spooky day and a belated very best for 2026.

Stay spooky!
👻LWG👻 

Wicked Watch – Super Dark Times 2017

Hello my fiendish followers,

I hope you’ve all been keeping well? I must apologise for my silence in recent months. You know how it is when life gets in the way, I’ve been super busy with work and as the Festive Season approaches, I find myself cleaning, prepping, shopping and repeating…When will it end?

Luckily I’ve had some down time to watch some more spooky films, so that’s why I’m here with a review of my recent Wicked Watch which is “Super Dark Times” a 2017 psychological thriller and with Kevin Phillips in his directorial debut.

Set in the 1990’s in Upstate New York it follows the story of two friends Zach and Josh as they manouevre High School, developing hormones and crushes and all the awkwardness and uncertainty that comes with it. But, as the title suggests, things take a dark turn when Josh gets into a fight and someone winds up dead, the tension really kicks in.

I won’t give away much more about the storyline but needless to say Charlie Tahan (who plays Josh) gives an incredible performance as a tormented and dangerous young man, whose taste for blood seems to be increasing.

Nicely shot and set during Autumn/Winter gave this a nice sombre tone that grew colder as the film progressed. Definitely worth a watch.

4 out of 5 Skulls for me.

Stay Spooky!

👻LWG👻

Wicked Watch – White Girl 2019

Hello fiendish followers,

Apologies for my silence in recent weeks, I had quite a busy time starting my new job and travelled back home to see family. I hope you’ve been keeping well? I’m back again with another Wicked Watch review.

This one may not be as long in length as some of the other entries as this was a Horror Short I watched on Shudder called “White Girl” Written by Omar El-Khairy and directed by Nadia Latif, White Girl follows the story of Beth. A thirteen year old white girl who seems to be wandering lost through the streets of East London. 

She seeks out help from strangers but as the night progresses her interactions take a darker turn. The film is shown from Beth’s POV and there are great moments of unease created during her encounters with the locals of East London. But the ending will leave you reeling.

Creepy and well made, the writer and director have created a film that will make you question your own narratives on race and subverting audience expectations. It’s a great piece of work with a great message on social commentary and experiences of white feminism and the way it impacts people of colour.

Very short, very well made. It gets 4 out of 5 skulls for me. Have you seen this? I’d love to know your thoughts, so why not comment below.

Stay Spooky!
👻LWG👻

Everybody Hates Ray

Hello Sunflowers,

The weather has been changing here all day, we’ve gone from clear blue skies and sun, to overcast, to drizzly and windy! I’m hoping the weather clears for the weekend as I want to go for a walk along the beach. 

I’m here again with another book review and this time it’s with another book by Jack Ketchum called The Lost.  It follows the story of Ray who coldly shoots two girls dead with his two friends Tim and Jennifer, assisting him. So when I say the book starts off with a bang, I mean it. 

The book then moves to years later, with Ray still roaming free and no charges against him, despite one cop knowing in his stomach it was Ray who did it. We learn more about Ray, by all means an arrogant, egotist with short man syndrome. He’s really unlikeable so it makes the desire for him to be exposed and caught, all the more believable. 

I won’t sit here and say that all the characters are fully formed, likeable or particularly memorable, but the story still packs something of a punch. Though I did find the ending a little flat.

I’d say I preferred Off Season more than this, but there’s no denying that Jack Ketchum wrote Ray as someone to be hated and that comes off the page loud and clear.

Have you read this? I’d love to know your thoughts, so why not leave a comment below.

Stay Spooky!

👻LWG👻

Coffee and Carrie

Hello my sunflowers,

How are you all feeling? Well, I hope?! Today is one of those days where I really appreciate coffee. I currently have a mug in front of me and just the smell is giving me the energy I need to get through the day. I think we all get a little sluggish sometimes, so take this as a reminder to do something that perks you up and make sure you’re taking screen breaks from your work! That’s what I’m doing right now!

Well, not strictly taking a screen break but I am taking a break from work, I’ve been a little guilty recently of working right through and not even taking a proper lunch break. And I need to stop! So here I am taking a moment to write up a review about one of my recent reads, as it’s something I find enjoyable.

If you’re not familiar with the film Carrie or have never seen it, it’s still one of those things that has become part of popular culture. The name instantly brings to mind the image of a wide eyed girl covered in pigs blood at her prom. And  if it didn’t before, it probably does now.

I’ve always been someone who likes to read the book before the film, but Carrie is one of the few cases where this didn’t happen. I bought this with some book vouchers I got for my birthday. I really fell in love with the cover and thankfully the content didn’t disappoint.

This wasn’t my first journey into reading Stephen King, having read The Shining and  Salem’s Lot previously. I have to say, I really enjoyed Carrie. I really feel that I got better understanding of Carrie and the relationship with her mum and her treatment at school. Early in the book, I really found myself empathizing with her and just wanting to befriend her. As the story progresses we see Carrie building her strength as she becomes more aware and familiar with and of, her powers.

It’s hard to sit here and say she was right to cause so much destruction and death, but I can understand why she ended up doing what she does. Even if it was, dare I say, overdramatic? Overkill? Either way I didn’t finish the book hating her, if anything I liked her. And I think that’s what makes this book, one of Stephen King’s best in my opinion. Of course, looking at his body of work, I have barely even scratched the surface, so who knows?!

I really did enjoy this and devoured it in pretty much one night (I started reading late and got too tired, this time sleep won) so it’s also a good one if you’re looking for a classic horror to get yourself out of a reading slump.

Have you read this? Or is there a better title by Stephen King I should read? Please leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.

Stay Spooky!
👻 LWG👻 

A Haunting Read

Hello my little book lovers,

As I write this the sun is shining outside and the air feels different. The process of seasonal change, is hinted very subtly on the air. The smells of freshly cut grass and BBQ as people move outdoors to feel warmth on their skin after so much cold.

My reading bug has well and truly returned and I find myself falling into stories whenever I have a spare moment, so allow me to share my thoughts with you on Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. I think I bought this novel as it appeared on someone’s list of disturbing reads and I was intrigued.

The story starts when seventeen individuals decide to attend a secret writers retreat similar to the infamous Villa Diodati retreat. However they find themselves locked inside an abandoned theatre by the retreats organizer Mr Whittier, informing them they have three months to write the greatest work of their writing careers. What follows is 23 short stories, told by the various individuals that all tie back into the main story in some way.

The characters believe that to make their stories more interesting they need to up the stakes, so pretty soon they start sabotaging their survival by destroying food and utilities. And the acts become more depraved and desperate. If you’re looking for something that’s well written as an introduction to a “dark” read, this may be for you.

For some reason, one of the stories that stuck out for me and still stays with me, is a story told by Saint Gut-Free (all the characters have nicknames, I don’t think we actually learn their real names) about an incident involving a pool filter. The thought of it makes me feel sick. This book is not for those with weak stomachs, you’ve been warned!

If you’ve read it and know what I’m talking about, I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below. Did the same story stay with you? Or was it another one?

Stay Spooky!
👻 LWG👻 

Quick Horror Gore

Hello my flourishing leaves,

How are you all feeling?

I’m in good spirits and back with another book review. This one is very different from my previous entry and I will give you a heads up that if you’re squeamish, this one may not be for you.

Off Season by Jack Ketchum is about an editor from Maine who hires a remote cabin in the woods to edit her latest assignment. The peace and quiet the seemingly idyllic setting for her to do her work. But, there’s something lurking in the woods.

Cuddled in an Oodie with a book = Bliss!

A hidden cave by the ocean is home to a primitive family of humans who hunt and feed on other humans. When the editor is visited by her sister, boyfriend and some friends, she thinks it will be a weekend of drinking by the fire and catching up. But pretty soon, they are being taunted and  hunted like animals.

This book isn’t particularly unpredictable, you realise very early on what’s likely to happen, but what Ketchum does so brilliantly is build the tension. And then he savagely attacks you with disturbing imagery and moments that will make your stomach turn. Personally, I had to put the book down at one point and physically squirmed. As I said, it’s not for those with sensitive stomachs.

The ending left me feeling exhausted, as I was hoping for a different outcome for the hunted, but I think that’s what makes this a good book for horror/gore horror fans. There’s blood on everyones hands.

If you’ve read this before, I’d love to know your thoughts, so please leave a comment below. 

Stay Spooky!
👻LWG👻

Hellish Nell

Hello my pumpkins,

I hope this post finds you in a chunky knit sweater as Autumn (or Fall, for my American readers) settles itself around you. If I were to say the name Hellish Nell to you, would it mean anything? What if I was to tell you, she was the last person to be charged with Witchcraft in the UK? Sound interesting? Then settle back, get cosy and ignore what you think is the sound of creaking floorboards.

Victoria Helen McCrae Duncan was a Scottish medium born in 1897. She earned the nickname Hellish Nell in childhood due to her bolshie behaviour and dire prophecies. She married a man named Henry Duncan and was a mother to six children. Her husband was supportive of her supposed clarivoyancy and from the year of 1928 she progressed from clairvoyant to physical medium by offering seances.

Helen Duncan

Nell claimed that she was able to permit spirits to enter her body and materialise them as ectoplasm. And pretty soon she was holding seances on a regular basis. Arthur Conan Doyle who created Sherlock Holmes, even spoke highly of her abilities. As the years passed, people questioned her ability and in 1931 the London Spiritualist Alliance examined her method. They even conducted tests on the ectoplasm she materialised. 

It was this, that proved to be the start of her undoing. They found that the ectoplasm was actually cheesecloth mixed with egg whites, that Nell would swallow and later regurgitate during the seances. Despite reports of her being a fraud, the world would soon be at war. World War II would carry an unbelievable amount of casualties and due to this, people fled to mediums to hear from their loved ones, one last time. Nell was one of them.

In November of 1941 she held a séance in Portsmouth and claimed to be visited by the spirit of a sailor who told her of the sinking of a battleship named the HMS Barham. The news of this soon made Nell a person of interest to the Navy, because the sinking of the ship wasn’t made public knowledge, only the families of the casualties had been informed. In fact, the sinking wasn’t announced publicly until late January of 1942. 

Hellish Nell producing ectoplasm.

In 1944 as the pressure and casualties of the war mounted, people were desperate for an end in sight and for that to happen, the British had to be smart and keep everything top secret. Two Lieutenants attended a séance of Nell’s undercover and were shocked and disgusted by what they saw, so they reported her to the police. In late January of the same year, Nell was arrested (along with her ectoplasm) and charged under the Vagrancy Act of 1824. However the authorities regarded this a more serious crime and so charged her with Section 4 of the Witchcraft Act 1734.

Whilst not on trial for being a “witch” she was accused, and found guilty of “pretending to exercise or use human conjuration” The case had numerous defence witnesses and the trial was a media sensation at the time. Grotesque cartoons of witches on broomsticks, dotted the newspapers.

Helen Duncan during the trial

She was found guilty and sentenced to nine months in Holloway Prison. Being that the Witchcraft Act wasn’t repealed until 1951, Helen Duncan was the last known woman to be imprisoned under it’s terms.

Cheesecloth ecotplasm aside, there were people who claimed they had attended numerous seances held by Nell, and found her skills both believable and impressive. And don’t forget, she did know about the sinking of the HMS Burham despite it not being public knowledge.

By all accounts she was quite popular in prison and even held seances for her cellmates. And despite her promise on her release from prison in 1945, that she wouldn’t do them anymore, she continued to carry out seances until her death in 1956. Relatives of Helen are still ongoing in their campaign to have her posthumously pardoned of witchcraft charges.

It’s hard to know for sure if Hellish Nell was a fraud who preyed on the poor during a time of immeasurable loss? Or if she was someone who used parlour tricks to accentuate her true talents with Clairvoyancy? 

It’s really interesting and kind of mind blowing to me how it was only 70 years ago that the Witchraft Act was repealed. And that a woman served prison time because of it. Was it fear of men? Or fear of something bigger?

I’d love to hear your comments on this, so please free to leave one below.

Stay spooky!

👻LWG👻