Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

With some striking cinematography by Gerry Lively and the sort of inventive production design the series had become known for at this point, Hellraiser III is a reminder of how great mainstream horror movies looked before the blandness of Scream and its teen horror clones took over in the second half of the '90s. Review

While it's never remotely as gripping as its predecessor, Hellbound captivates as a relic of a time when special effects artists were rock stars in the pages of Fangoria, and it makes today's mainstream horrors of the Waniverse and Blumhouse stable seem entirely devoid of imagination by comparison. Review

For the most part, Hellraiser is a gritty, kitchen sink thriller with a very British aesthetic. Review

If the dynamic between the two characters never quite works as effectively as the film would like, the blame can't be levelled at Rock or Cowan. Both are excellent in their roles. Review

Any film that revolves around a single character will ultimately succeed or fail on the strength of the performer occupying that role. Sullivan is magnificent as The Interviewer, evolving from cocksure and confident to paranoid, nervous wreck as the mystery overwhelms her and seems intent on wrapping her up in its enigmatic tentacles. Review

But while the writing is rough around the edges (some of this may be down to translation), Tejpal's filmmaking is tense and enthralling. It's not always a smooth blend, but Stolen is a rare movie that combines righteous social rage with exhilarating thrills. Review

Most of us demand such things as story, plot, character, suspense etc from our horror movies. Review

This Halloween howler is definitely more trick than treat. Review

Stahl brilliantly conveys this duality, swapping back and forth between sweaty desperation and professional pride. Review

As Beate, Stangenberg is a terrifying presence, one of the great villains of recent cinema. Review

At close to 3.5 hours, Killers of the Flower Moon never fails to justify its running time. It moves rapidly from one devious scheme to another, all the while propelled by a Ry Cooder-esque score by the late Robbie Robertson that ticks away like a malevolent metronome. Review

Haar is a tender tale of a tough woman. With its protagonist traversing a scenic European city, it has the feel of Linklater's Before Sunrise, but instead of asking the audience if two protagonists might fall in love, it proffers the question of whether one woman might learn to love herself. Review

Of course, if you're a seasoned horror fan you'll have learned to shrug off such inconsistencies and settle in for the thrills, of which there are just about enough here to make It Lives Inside an entertaining teen horror. Review

Christensen puts together some effective sequences and for two thirds at least The Puppetman is an involving little chiller. It runs into trouble in its final act when the film struggles to make sense of its own mythology. Review

With its cold corporate sheen, Fair Play might be mistaken for a product of the late '80 or early '90s, a time when an adult oriented water cooler movie like this would have been released in cinemas rather than buried on Netflix. Review

In that respect Totally Killer is a poor cousin of Landon's similar films, but as a comedy it's a winner thanks largely to the talents of a young cast, all of whom are too young to remember the '80s yet nail the vibe regardless. Review

Bloodlines pales in comparison to the sort of films it's attemping to evoke, and never manages to generate the sort of ticking clock tension such films thrive on. Review

Such details take us out of the film at key points, which is a shame as Unmoored is an otherwise tense and paranoid thriller with a protagonist we can sympathise with if not entirely condone. Review

In its home stretch, The Exorcist: Believer comes up against the problem of trying to present an exorcism in a novel fashion. At this point it's like trying to make a shark movie. Review

Like the worst superhero movies, much of When Evil Lurks seems more interested in laying down a path for possible further instalments than in keeping focus on telling its own story. That said, now that the rules have been established, perhaps a sequel could be better able to focus on the sort of outlandishly violent thrills that make up the highlights of Rugna's frustrating film. Review

While two of the segments are unremarkable, none of them could be considered duds and two are among the series' best offerings. Review

The Creator looks impressive but has a cavity in its chest where a human heart should be beating. Review

If you're already onboard with the unique delights of Italian genre cinema of this era you'll embrace the madness on display here. Review

It all leads to a rather convenient and clichéd climax, and by that point you'll have had to suspend a lot of disbelief to stay onboard with Saturn Bowling's frustrating narrative. Review