Nick Bartlett

Freelance Writer

Revisiting The Little Stranger (2018) - Horrified

The opening narration of The Devil’s Backbone establishes the central premise of the film with this question. A haunting and often philosophical exploration into what constitutes a ghost, Del Toro’s film features ghosts in different roles, as ominous harbingers of things to come, of protectors of the weak, and as avenging spirits. However, while the ghosts in Del Toro’s film do subvert expectations, they still fit with our preconceived ideas of what makes a ghost.

Does a horror film have to be scary? Revisiting The Awakening (2011) - Horrified

The Awakening (UK, Nick Murphy, 2011) has all the traits of a traditional ghost story: a ghostly child, a huge empty house, and a protagonist with a troubled past. Even the setting, just after World War One, is ideal territory for a chilling tale. However, unusually for a ghost story, the film actually suffers a little from the inclusion of genre tropes and is much more interesting when it digs a little deeper into the psychology of its characters.

Genuine Horror in Shaun of the Dead (2004) - Horrified

One of the first horror movie experiences of my life was sitting with my dad and watching the iconic An American Werewolf In London (John Landis, 1981) when I was far too young.I remember thinking how funny the opening was, how likeable both David and Jack were. They aren’t your typical heroes; they’re dorky, likeable and genuinely funny. I was utterly shaken by the suddenness and brutality of the first attack, and much of this is due to actually liking the characters.

From Beyond The Grave (1974) – Horrified

Amicus has always been a crueller studio than Hammer. I consumed so much horror in my youth and nothing gave me the unsettling feeling that Amicus did. Hammer Horror has some beautifully subversive, blackly comic moments, but by and large, they follow fairly traditional narrative beats. By the end, evil has been vanquished, (be it Dracula or Frankenstein) and some form of order has been restored.Amicus films are different. Especially in the portmanteau horror films, there is a gleeful malevolenc...

I Know Where I'm Going! Review (Criterion Collection)

It’s odd that one of the most understated Powell & Pressburger films is also one of their most timeless. The directing partnership is responsible for some of British cinema’s most indelible, visually striking films, but while their most famous films like The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus have an operatic, almost mythic detached quality to them, I Know Where I’m Going! is more personal, more playful, and infinitely more relatable.

Nightmare Alley Review (Criterion Collection)

Del Toro’s fascination with deception, storytelling, and performance is evident throughout the film. There are layers of cons at play – plans within plans – and he delights in depicting the art of the grift, from the showmanship of harmless illusions to the cruelty and emotional manipulation of “the spook show.” What del Toro repeatedly demonstrates is that the trick itself is less important than the presentation and patter that surrounds it. This is apparent in Pete’s demonstration of the mind-...
Critical popcorn •

Martyrs 4K UHD review: Dir. Pascal Laugier [Masters Of Cinema]

There’s a Halloween tradition within my friend group. Every year we meet up and watch a horror double bill – one schlocky fun horror, and one genuinely disturbing film. After one year when my disturbing pick was deemed “not scary enough” I was determined to pick something that would shake him to his core. As such, the next year I massively overcorrected and selected Pascal Laugier’s seminal horror masterpiece, Martyrs.
Critical popcorn •

The Man in the White Suit Blu-ray Review: Dir. Alexander Mackendrick [StudioCanal]

The films of Ealing Studios, especially their comedies, represent some of the very best of British cinema. Today the studio is most well known for it’s subversive, blacker than pitch comedies. The Ladykillers and Kind Hearts And Coronets are possibly the most celebrated films of the studio (and I’ve written elsewhere about Denis Price’s incredible performance in the latter) but The Man In The White Suit is one of their most quietly iconoclastic films.
Critical popcorn •

Trouble Every Day Blu-ray review: Dir. Claire Denis [Masters Of Cinema]

I’ve been wanting to see Trouble Every Day ever since I was a teenager first discovering international cinema. The film’s iconic promotional image – Béatrice Dalle, her mouth smeared with blood and viscera – seared itself into my brain and has never let go. Unavailable in the UK for a long time, Trouble Every Day has now received a Blu-ray release from Eureka films, and after years of anticipation it did not disappoint – though it is very much an acquired taste.
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