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Olivia (played by Holly Kenney, who also wrote this) and her friends go on vacation, mainly to allow Olivia some respite after an apparent suicide attempt. They're a fairly likeable bunch, although liable to be annoying from time to time, but they mean well. The problem is, that although her friends think she tried to end her own life, Olivia believes someone attacked her.

This is a fairly low-budget venture. It doesn't try to revolutionise cinema as we know it. It does, however, present a solid and mainly well-played thriller/horror, with some convincing moments of jeopardy and a nice, subtly signposted twist at the end. Kenney is talented both as a writer and an actress; Adam Newacheck impresses as director too - there are some nice scene-setting flourishes and the tension is certainly ramped up.

Once again, there are several online reviews attacking this film for not being a higher-budgeted venture, which is a depressingly common occurrence. I'm not sure what some people want from a film that hasn't had multi-million dollars spent on it. I had a great time with 'Stranger in the Woods', and my score is 7 out of 10.

This 1970 film is one of many from that period I have only just got around to seeing. On reflection, there's a chance I might have watched it a few years ago and put it out of my mind. It's a meandering, overlong, frequently incomprehensible, disjointed jumble with one saving grace - Alfred Marks as Detective Supt. Bellaver.

Apparently, Marks added a few ad-libs throughout many of his scenes, raising the interest level with his witticisms. Probably better remembered as a comedian, he steals the show here, his character providing the glue that brings the many varied set pieces together. Despite this, it's near impossible to get swept up in this.

Securing the talents of Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and various other well-known faces, the characters they play only feature sporadically, as if they were only available for a day or so for shooting.

Although it has its moments, I can't really recommend this. It's a time-filler rather than delivering the goods and puts me in mind of the hastily made 'Doctor Phibes Rises Again' from a couple of years later. The thread running through this barely qualifies as a storyline and, despite Marks, seems to last a lot longer than its 95-minute runtime.

You may think your Blu-ray has skipped to the halfway mark of this zippy and atmospheric Mexican horror film, for the first scene dives headlong into a sea of horrors involving a blank-eyed woman and her violent ward who set upon a group of travellers. After the credits have rolled, we only then focus on the origins of the characters, all shot in splendidly stark monochrome.

The story is simple. Married couple Amelia (Rosita Arenas) and Jaime (Abel Salazar) travel to a vast country house owned by Selma (Rita Macedo), Amelia's aunt. Selma is a witch who uses the couple to resurrect 'la Llorona' (the crying woman). That's all you need to know.

This is a good, solid, spooky film, very carefully made and impressive, especially for its time. Horror and destruction come to an impressively realised head toward the climactic moments, and director Rafael Baledón is in no rush to spare the audience a moment.

My score is 7 out of 10.

Very much in the style of its time, this 1972 production - very much in the style of a TV Movie although it did have a cinematic release - features Patty Duke as Francesca, a very appealing lead and Rosemary Murphy as the dreaded mother-in-law. Richard Thomas, famous as John-Boy from wholesome American TV series 'The Waltons' is effective as Kenny. Completing the quartet of central actors is familiar '70s television actor Sian Barbara Allen as Kathleen. What a family they turn out to be.

The story is a somewhat silly one, and it's difficult to explain why without including spoilers. That Francesca is heavily pregnant from the outset is a strong indicator that a baby will feature somewhere in this story. It's the infant's implausibly exemplary behaviour that allows the tale to roll on and remains a major stumbling point in going along with it.

But it's worth your time. The acting is terrific, and the production displays much of the style of television drama we really don't see these days. My score is 7 out of 10.

This plays as a Polish fusion of David Lynch and Guillermo del Toro; it starts weird and stays there. The ending succeeds in being quite touching despite the bizarre run of events leading up to it, but the one-note eccentricities and the endless musical pieces soon become a series of more of the same unorthodox story-telling - although the soundtrack is very good.

Robert Bolesto's plot is adult fairy-tale and wafer-thin, but as is the way with art films of this nature, the visuals and the direction are key; Agnieszka Smoczynska ensures the production looks lavish and epic throughout. Set in the 1980's, it's a real case of style over content - events rarely draw you in, but are pleasing on a superficial scale. My score is 6 out of 10.

This sumptuous film has received mixed reviews. The grievances viewers have is that it is set up as a horror film and fails to deliver. I'd respectfully disagree. I think it delivers in spades, but not in jump scares or special effects, but in atmosphere, and the crushing desperation of loneliness.

I can understand why some have been frustrated by this - the location, atmosphere, and superbly cold direction have all the hallmarks of a horror film, but it's much more about the relationship between a mother and daughter, both played by the wonderful Tilda Swindon. I adored this.

I'll go further - so low-key is the production, I almost feel as if the twist at the end is too obvious. But it's beautifully done, and again, the acting shines.

The small cast is laden with superlative performances, especially from Carly-Sophia Davies as the abrasive and apparently tactless unnamed Hotel Receptionist. Louis the dog is top-billed Tilda Swinton's dog.

John Le Care's not-so-simple love story concerns washed-up writer/publisher Barley Blair and Russian book editor Katya Orlova, set amidst a backdrop of political types falling over themselves to double-cross each other. When you have a cast of this calibre, it's difficult initially to separate well-known actors such as Sean Connery and Michele Pfeiffer from the characters - but the performances ensure that doesn't last long.

Fred Schepisi's adaption is a languid affair. There could be more tension here, but ultimately, the story shines through. What emerges is a gradually heart-warming production set amidst magnificent but grey surroundings. It's impossible to resist the two leads, and the ever-flustered officials tracking their every move (including Roy Scheider, Ken Russell, Martin Clunes and John Mahoney) are compelling in lesser roles. Two disheartened human beings amid the machinations of cold manipulation - irresistible.

Pfeiffer has a scene - possibly a contractual obligation - where she is in full glamorous make-up and looks customarily stunning; for me, she works better when Orlova is dressed down and unassuming, because the character is more real, and it is easier to appreciate her actual acting.

My previous and first experience of this story is a 1995 audio version, produced for BBC Radio 4, starring Tom Baker and Valentina Yakunina, which is excellent. Of the two (different) endings, I prefer this filmed version. My score is 9 out of 10.

This remains a curious horror piece. After watching, it impresses as a fairly gruelling, mean-spirited showcase from director/writer Brian Bertino - but when you are actually watching, it is apparent that not a lot happens.

Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman play Kristen and James, an inexplicably annoying couple who are both awkward and unhappy when we first meet them (Kristen has just turned down James' wedding proposal). A small group of nameless masked characters invade their home and subject them to torture. That fills the 85-minute runtime.

Locations are all bathed in a uniform washed-out beige throughout, making the film a rather bland affair visually. Kristen is sullen and needy, while James does everything with a swagger, and I found it hard to warm to them. His friend, equally self-assured Mike (Glenn Howerton) joins the luckless ensemble for a time.

We get to know nothing about the aggressors, which is fine, not even what they really look like. "Next time will be easier," they say toward the climax, and that's as much explanation as we get.

Thinking back over the film as the final credits roll, I found that I quite enjoyed 'The Strangers', and I can't quite work out why. It's slickly made and features some moderately gory moments, but doesn't do anything other home invasion films haven't done. It became a sleeper hit and earned a sequel 'Prey at Night' ten years later and a film trilogy that began in 2024.

Mike Flanagan partly raised the finance for this 2001 film via Kickstarter, and each contributor is name-checked in the end credits. Such commitment to a project should be applauded - Flanagan clearly has a passion for the story he chooses to tell. The results are low-key and doubly effective for that.

I love horror films that make the ordinary appear extraordinary. An underpass, much like those at the end of any street or town, slowly becomes foreboding; to be avoided - somewhere you'd choose not to walk down. This is due to the lighting, the direction, and of course, the eerie things that go on within those walls.

Courtney Bell, actually seven months pregnant during the shoot, plays Tricia, is coming to terms with the fact that her partner has disappeared and may not be coming back. Her sister Callie comes to visit. Both are 'unreliable' narrators when it comes to the strange happenings they claim are happening; Tricia is suffering from loss and we soon discover Callie was, until recently, a drug addict - indeed, we're not convinced she's truly kicked the habit. So when they claim to see shambling, half-dead people ... should they be believed?

A familiar-sounding format this may be, but it isn't long before Flanagan plays tricks with us. Our expectations are regularly confounded and the film morphs into something even more interesting than we may have been led to believe. With only a smattering of special effects, this moody piece becomes genuinely unsettling at times. My score is 8 out of 10.

Richard John Taylor is a prolific filmmaker of modestly budgeted films that seem to veer between gangster yarns and horror stories. They're a mixed bag. That is to say, some I like, some I don't so much.

Despite an arresting beginning, 'A New Breed of Criminal' is a bit of a mess; Steve Wraith's story sprawls over its 88 minutes running time. It's as if the project was filmed in chunks whenever actors became available, and veteran TV hardman Nicholas Ball has been drafted in to narrate throughout, in a bid to tie the many plot strands together.

Events just roll on and on and ... lots of swearing, mixed acting, interesting direction, but no drama, a distinct lack of pace and too many characters and loose ends. My score is 4 out of 10.

An initially quiet and extraordinary film, which relies very much on its central performance. A true horror on all kinds of levels, bereft of special effects and spectacle. Made in 2006, but set 40 years earlier; Hans-Christian Schmid directs in a way that lets the actors do their thing, which allows us to soak up the chilly atmosphere both outside, and in the titular Michaela's bleak family environment. You could spread the bleakness like butter. Michaela played by Sandra Hüller is an astonishing central performance.

Based on a true story, the names have been changed - and also the ending. Whilst 'Requiem' ends in the middle of a scene, offering, until the end credits summarize her fate, an uncertain future for our heroine (in keeping with the non-judgemental style of the film throughout), in reality, the young student died of exhaustion and malnutrition as the result of - get ready for this - twice-daily exorcisms for a year: a more horrifying notion than anything presented even here. The resulting trial of her parents and priests formed, very loosely, the basis for 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose', a far more visceral and sensationalist recreation of events than here.

'Requiem' remains a tragic, heartbreaking, devastating story. We're never entirely sure as to the nature of Michaela's malady, although it seems a combination of mental instability, epilepsy, peer pressure, a truly monstrous mother (who does repent later) and the dangerously misplaced kindness of her father.

The no-frills nature of the production gives it a raw, emotional charge. We're as concerned for the nervous onlookers during the exorcism as we are the unfortunate central figure, and the results are compellingly sad. My score is 9 out of 10.

Before watching this, I broke the cardinal rule and read a bunch of online reviews that generally labelled Lawrence Fowler's project as 'watchable but hardly outstanding or scary'. On the whole, I'd agree, although I did find the depiction of the titular character was pretty unnerving at times.

There have been several 'demon in a box' movies released in recent years, where the protagonists are at pains to destroy the villain before it completes some killing cycle or other, usually in an unspecified period of time until it hibernates for a while before beginning the pattern over again.

The acting is decent and keeps the viewer engaged. Ethan Taylor plays Casey, swapping his native UK accent for something approaching Canadian; Lucy-Jane Quinlan, allowed to keep her native British accent, is Lisa. Both are young museum curators and have the misfortune to stumble across a malevolent-looking doll that has a touch of Pennywise about him. Go on, you know the drill - 'and then, bad things start happening.'

But don't be put off by the familiar premise. This is a good ride, and occasionally ascends to the depths of real chills. My score is 7 out of 10.

I'm going to roll out my regular observation that there were so many horror films released in the early '70s that I am still seeing some for the first time over fifty years later. What a time to be alive for a genre fan.

The story is loosely based on Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy's novel 'The Family of the Vourdalak.' Almost ten years before this film's release, the tale was adapted as part of Mario Bava's excellent 'Black Sabbath' anthology. Here, though, the story is explored further, the characters become more familiar to us, and the scares are more plentiful.

And what scares they are! Aside from the wonderfully grisly special effects, many of which the camera cannot help but return to time and again (courtesy of artist Carlo Rambaldi who went on to work on 'Alien' and 'ET' among many others), there's a thick sense of foreboding atmosphere that hasn't been diminished by Raro Video's (a label to keep an eye on) excellent clean-up job.

The story unfolds slowly, which may not appeal to some, but is highly rewarding and becomes truly unsettling on more than one occasion. If you like horror and you're unfamiliar with this jewel, it is highly recommended. 9 out of 10.

'The Violent Professionals' - originally known in its native Italy as 'Milano trema: la polizia vuole giustizia' - is a riot from start to finish. After a frenzied first few minutes, in which characters either dispatch or are dispatched with shocking regularity, you can hardly blame smouldering 'tec Giorgio (Luc Merenda) for wanting to walk away. Except he doesn't - he becomes one of those maverick cops who doesn't play by the rules. You know the type. But he does it with a scowl and a pout that makes his journey irresistible.

The pace doesn't slacken; each set piece is meticulously orchestrated and directed (by ever-reliable Sergio Martino). If it occurs to you that some parts of this twisting, complex story might be a little improbable, the violence and car chases make it easy just to go with it: it's one heck of a ride, and I had a lot of fun for the entire 95 minutes. Terrific. My score is 8 out of 10.

Vampira is a boring film that without its terrific cast would likely be unwatchable. For a horror/comedy, there's nothing remotely creepy about any of the set pieces and only a smattering of lukewarm jokes.

David Niven injects a lot of charm into the character of Dracula, scurrying through his lines, and Teresa Graves is beguiling as his resurrected wife Vampira. That the subsequent merriment is based on the fact that Vampira has become non-Caucasian as a result of a blood mix-up, the results could have been a lot more awkward. Whilst the humour is always treading water (except at the end), it is never mean-spirited, just not very funny.

And that's the problem. Events roll on and on, with only a familiar face cropping up every so often to sustain any interest. Written by Jeremy Lloyd, who with David Croft co-wrote many successful UK sitcoms, 'Vampira' suggests that Croft might have been the funny one. My score is 3 out of 10.

As I write these words, 'Cool it, Carol!', directed by Pete Walker who is perhaps better known for his horror films, is close to its silver anniversary. It's sobering to remember that 25 years before the film came out, World War 2 had just come to an end.

A lot changes in 25 years. This story, sometimes known as 'The Dirtiest Girl I Ever Met' stars Janet Lynn as the titular strumpet - and she isn't a strumpet at all. Demure, shy even, she tells her wannabe boyfriend Joe (Robin Asquith) that she just doesn't see sex as a big deal. This comes in handy when the two of them try to make their fortune in London. In other circumstances, Joe becoming her pimp and managing her earnings might portray him as a bit of a git, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

We're never really witnesses to the various sex acts, but rather Joe's reaction as a number of old men disappear into the bedroom with Carol. When she wanders out after it's over for a nice cup of tea, she's not remotely fazed by the ordeal.

Based on real-life events, this slice of exploitation is both naïve and eye-watering in its depiction of the ambitions of these young people, both of whom are well portrayed.

While Askwith became a household name with a series of bawdy comedies, Lynn settled down to a life of domesticity away from the cameras. Jess Conrad, Stubby Kaye and DJ Pete Murray bolster the cast with a series of cameos.

I found this an enjoyable slice of what is now 'period drama'. My score is 7 out of 10.

This film has a less-than-stellar reputation. Paganini is portrayed by Klaus Kinski in his final film; after failing to persuade his best 'fiend' Werner Herzog to direct, Kinsi did the job himself, electing to use only natural lighting. The resulting scenes are often obscured because of this. Kinski energetically mimes to the frenzied violin playing of Paganini, with his right hand. In close-ups of the genuine player that are spliced in, the instrument is being played with the left hand. These things, the meandering story, and the tasteless sex scenes between the titular character and a series of underage girls, have been used to berate the film. They don't bother me that much, particularly the latter, because that was an undeniable element of the character.

What sets my teeth on edge is the consistent use of screeching, choppy violin 'music' throughout the 81-minute runtime. Of course that was the sound Paganini was known for. Of course it represents his genius and torment (traits Kinski seized upon when he made the film, probably because of the similarities between them both). But it's present all the time, as a backdrop to all the varied emotional moments. What makes Paganini's final, and very powerful, scenes so effective is the comparative silence in which they are represented.

By this time in his life, as the Blu-ray extras attest at length, Kinski felt he was spent, that he 'did not exist', and this exacerbated his extreme behaviour (one commentator tells how every morning, after checking his make-up, the star would smash the mirror, explaining the reflection only has the right to see his image once). I'm not sure whether no one wanted to work with him at this stage, or he wouldn't listen to advice anyway. Whatever, this film cries out for additional eyes during production, a more restrained voice.

'Paganini', or 'Kinski Paganini' has many fine moments. Much of the superb location is well captured, the period and settings are well realised, many of the performances are very good (Kinski's son Nikolai in particular) and there's no denying that Klaus the actor was a force of nature, and delivers a final bombastic performance. It could just have benefitted from a less grating soundtrack. My score is 6 out of 10.

Also known as 'High Tension', this is a violent French slasher directed by Alexandre Aja. Two appealing best mates Marie (Cecile De France) and Alex (Maiwenn Le Besco) are visiting Alex's parents who live in the remote countryside. It's not a complete surprise when people start getting carved up in some graphic and impressively staged set pieces. That's the story for most of the film.

For such subject matter, I found the relentless 'going through the motions' of such a genre film tough going after a while, and the antagonist is somewhat underwhelming, both in terms of presence and physicality. Just an ordinary, middle-aged man, really.

When filmmakers (or writers of fiction in general) choose to plant a big twist toward the end of a story, it presents a huge risk. For the biggest misfire I'm aware of, we have to travel all the way back to 1935's 'Mark of the Vampire', where all the carefully layered and staged elements that made the viewing experience so delightfully gothic were all undone when a giant revelation ripped the ground from under the audience and destroyed the atmosphere. As far as twists go, I either love them or hate them.

Except for here. The reveal is expertly done, and very well played. And yet as soon as it happens, I wasn't sure whether it actually made sense or undermined much of what we'd seen thus far. Ultimately, I recommend just going with it. The twist may not stand up to scrutiny, but is undeniably entertaining, and answers as many questions as it poses. My score is 7 out of 10.

Mark Topping plays a hesitantly spoken chauvinistic Van Helsing, and Hannaj Bang Bendz is a resilient, modern-looking Mina Harker in this wordy adaption of Bram Stoker's most famous story. The project is helmed by prolific writer/director Steve Lawson, the man behind the equally dialogue-driven 'Jekyll and Hyde', 'Ripper Untold' and 'Mummy Resurrection' among others, all released over the last few years. He specialises in modestly budgeted productions, alongside Creativ Studios who maintain that the limited number of sets and locations look good.

Films like this are an acquired taste. Some reviewers seem offended by the static style of such productions, but they are obviously successful enough to continue. I rather like them - they are invariably well-acted and the stories are interestingly told. This is an adaption that creates an even bigger enemy than Sean Cronin's bullet-headed Count - sexism against women. Mina, always glamorous and confident, interrupts her vampire hunting, where she's hoping to rescue Dean Marshall's wet hubby Harker, to explain how able women generally are, and how the world seems designed to undermine them, often with a raised eyebrow; Van Helsing can only bow his head in quiet agreement.

Some of the action sequences don't work, but other than that, this is up to the usual standard of Steve Lawson's productions. It won't appeal to everyone. But what it does, it does well. The performances are very good (there's a real sense of menace and power from Cronin's Dracula) and the adaption is thoughtfully told. Interestingly, a series of out-takes play under the end credits. My score is 7 out of 10.

'Here Comes the Devil', or to give it its Mexican title 'Ahí va el diablo', is a splendidly disturbing story about a couple who manage to lose their adolescent children Sara (Michele Garcia) and Adolfo (Alan Martinez). This comes after a prologue where a serial killer disappears amidst a body of caves, exactly where the siblings go missing.

What follows is a slow-moving chiller that grows more uneasy as it goes. There are few obvious scares, but when they come, they are surprisingly gory. The deliberately erratic camerawork and pulsing, ambient incidental score both contribute to this, giving the film a real sense of its own identity, despite comparisons with various other 'possessed children' tales.

Perfectly normal landscapes and locations look increasingly sinister, and the entrance to the cave has an almost vulva-like appearance, which is fitting given the suggested sexual flavour this possession has.

It takes verve to helm a sequel/reboot to a film so horrific and controversial that it was banned for over 10 years in the UK. To match it in terms of reputation, you might have to risk making something so frightening that it runs the risk of being banned for a further 10 years. Either that or offer something new to the franchise.

David Gordon Green, who directed the recent Halloween Trilogy, has bitten the bullet and gone with this. At the time of writing, any hopes he had of handling a further planned trilogy - or if there will be a trilogy at all - are up in the air; Exorcist Believer has met with hostile reviews and disappointing box office receipts.

Making a mainstream film that genuinely shocks people is, in my view, near impossible these days, when people are encouraged to be offended by so many things. Also, a big company like Universal would doubtless like as wide a demographic as possible for this, so nothing too hostile has been allowed. In other words, the project was doomed before it started. Nothing compares to the original. Even as far back as 1977, and the first ill-fated sequel, something entirely different was produced. At least, if you'll forgive me, that had balls; this doesn't really.

We go through familiar Exorcist beats here. The concept has been the subject of many possession films over the years, some a good deal worse than this, and others rather better. It's a mixed bag to be sure. The two girls at the centre of it all play their roles as well as they can be expected to do, but their progressive make-up is increasingly silly, and we cease to know them in the way we got to know Regan all these decades ago. Equally, there's something vaguely comical when we have them both going through the throes of their possession, all tongues and grimacing, like a pair of gurning cabbage patch kids. That said, often in these kinds of chillers, 'troubled' children come across as petulant and pandered to - at least we're spared that.

Of the two families, widower Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) isn't easy to warm to. Not very neighbourly, and not very considerate to anyone other than his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett), it's only through his suffering do we have any empathy for him. The second girl, Katherine West (Olivia O'Neill) is less central to things, and her parents are virtually superfluous to events.

Things begin promisingly as the two youngsters venture into a forest to perform a séance to contact Angela's dead mother, and are not seen for three days. When they do turn up, they display increasing symptoms of possession. After this, things lose their way a bit as more characters are introduced - including Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) from the original, who has a sticky time of it, mainly due to Victor's extraordinary decision to allow the 90-year-old woman to face the horrors alone. The resultant exorcism is drawn out and follows the beats of the original, but far less effectively.

I don't think this production is anywhere as near as bad as some say; neither is it particularly good. There's a chance that, like the Halloween Trilogy, future instalments would add elements to make this Chapter One of a far more fulfilling experience, but as a standalone film, Exorcist: Believer is a victim, not of demonic possession, but of mainstream cinema's apparent inability to make anything truly unnerving for fear upsetting people in today's fragile world.

Paul Morrissey, best known for his association with notorious pop artist Andy Warhol, writes and directs this adaption of Mary Shelley's famous monster yarn. Arguably, the monster in this version is the driven Baron Von Frankenstein, played by the excellent Udo Kier. He wants to create an artificial couple to mate and produce an army that will obey his commands. Nothing understated there then, and that includes Kier's performance which is rich, wide-eyed and convincingly insane. In an interview, Kier admitted his command of English was shaky at the time; he wasn't aware of what a gall bladder was - the most famous line in the film 'to know life, you first have to **** death in the gall bladder' no longer quite has the same impact!

Meant to shock as a priority, the film's release was originally released in 3D, hence much is made of bloody body parts appearing to pour out of the screen. Some moments are revolting, and the mix of sex, death, dissection and necrophilia is heady. The open-ended finale is frustrating - especially for Srdjan Zelenovic!

Acting is variable. Monique van Vooren is effective as Baroness Katrin Frankenstein, as is writer, model and actress Dalila Di Lazzaro as the nameless silent female 'monster'. The Baron's two children witness much of the gore, especially in the latter stages of the story; I'm sure that such a thing wouldn't happen nowadays. Surely someone somewhere would be offended on behalf of the juveniles. It didn't do young Nicoletta Elmi (Monica) any harm. Elmi appeared in many Mario Bava and Dario Argentino thrillers throughout the '70s and '80s and was a familiar face even here, at the age of 9.

Frequently grotesque and surprisingly dull in places, but featuring a musical score (by Claudio Gizzi) that is often breathtakingly gorgeous, Flesh for Frankenstein is nevertheless a must-see if you are a horror film fan. My score is 7 out of 10.

I love the classic idea of vampires, the grand, cape-swirling children of the night. But I also really enjoy films that suggest that vampires are perfectly ordinary people you would pass in the street.

This Swedish vampire story deals with two sisters who make the mistake of killing and draining a key member of a biker gang (which could easily be seen as self defence as he was trying to rape one of them at the time). Suddenly our sympathies are with Vanja and Vera and the remaining bikers - the ordinary people - are very much the aggressors as they follow them relentlessly through streets and town centres.

This isn't an eventful film, but I get the impression it is deliberately low-key. It's just one event in the day-to-day (or night-to-night) existence of two vampires in the modern world, and as such it it worth watching - not least for the performances, which are excellent, and the night-time filming, which really puts over the loneliness and desolation the two sisters have to deal with.

Sometimes when watching slasher films, it's difficult to sympathise with the teen heroes/cyphers, who are depicted as writers think teens always are - either horny, drunk or stoners. In this one, they're all three and more besides. Any attempt to make this bunch likeable has been left firmly at the door. So with that in mind, it's easier to sit back and enjoy the fun when this group stumble across an abandoned house in the middle of the desert. The house has a history; there's a very good reason it's been abandoned.

From here on in, 'Raised by Wolves' is a good, satisfying example of its type. Retired adult film star Jenna Haze is top-billed on some of the promotional material, but her appearance is little more than a cameo. The rest of the film is occasionally effectively spooky, and you do get a sense of 'something' playing with these pretty irredeemable characters. My score is 7 out of 10.

I'm not sure the phrase 'you've been had' is quite as apt as it is with this film. And rarely has it been so enjoyable to be on the receiving end of such a big tease. Director and co-writer Andrew Weiner has assembled a fine cast and crew to helm this found-footage extravaganza which takes in extensive location filming in Canada, although the end credits state filming in Alaska. Another little tease?

We spend much time with a group of filmmakers eager to capture the sight of the legendary Frankenstein Monster, rumoured to be hiding in the showy wastes. It's wonderful to believe the poor Creature has indeed made a home for himself far from humankind and is relatively happy. Entrepreneur Jonathan Venkenheim (Kris Lemche) isn't interested in the Monster's contentment; he wants to make a name for himself. The crew he gathers around him are caught up in his dreams, but become increasingly - and understandably - despondent. All are very well cast and share many moments of amusing camaraderie - or not.

So good is their company, that I almost forgot what I watched this for, and it's just as well because we have to wait an inordinately long time before we set eyes on the furious focus of Venkenheim's obsession. You may feel cheated by the outcome, or you may thoroughly enjoy this venture. I did.