All posts by Phil Taberner:


10 Cloverfield Lane came as a bit of a surprise to everyone. There had been whispers of a follow-up to J.J Abrams’ alien disasterfest Cloverfield for a long time, but nothing concrete ever surfaced…until the trailer landed in early 2016, a mere eight weeks before the film’s actual release date, and everyone collectively exploded. After [...]


Regular Gorepress readers may have noticed my propensity for simple, ghosty horror movies, and 1408, an adaptation of a Stephen King short story, is no exception. It follows Mike Enslin (John Cusack), a jaded author who has built a living on documenting alleged haunted buildings with little success. Increasingly cynical and pessimistic, when he receives [...]


As 2014 enters its death throes, we use the opportunity to look back with nostalgia – not to mention a little nausea – at the state of the year. As with every year, it’s had its highs – we landed a space probe on a comet – and lows – ISIS, Ebola, continued evidence of [...]


So, 2016, right? It’s been a crazy year for everyone, regardless of where your affiliations lie. Political upheavals left, right and centre (pun very much intended), celebrity deaths all over the place, One Direction splitting up… But despite all that, we’ve had our usual steady flow of horror movies to keep us distracted from the [...]


2018 has been a really strong year for both Gorepress and the horror genre in general, with a slew of great original films released both in cinema and on streaming services. On the other hand, however, The Open House was released…but we don’t talk about that. In no particular order, however, here are Phil’s top [...]


Okay. We hold our hands up. Short horror films are rather underrepresented here at Gorepress. Six years of writing reviews and articles, and there are still only a handful of short films rated here on the site. It’s not a good state of affairs, especially considering how many horror directors, writers and producers start their [...]


A Tale of Two Sisters (also known as Janghwa, Hongreyon) is, simply put, a wonderful film. Loosely based on an old Korean folk tale, it follows the story of two sisters, Su-mi and Su-yeon, who arrive home after being discharged from a psychiatric hospital to stay with their father and his new wife, Eun-Joo. Although [...]


Developer: Frictional Games Platforms: Windows, Mac OSX, Linux Okay, I have a confession to make. Despite being a huge fan of horror films, horror games have always scared the living crap out of me. I’m not sure I’ve ever been able to play one right through to the end. There’s just something about them that [...]


Developer: FromSoftware Platforms: PlayStation 4 You awaken, bleary-eyed, your blood-induced sleep plagued by nightmares of lupine beasts and ghostly figures, to a run-down back room littered with books and medical equipment. A single hand-written note gives you the only hint to your purpose in the game; “Seek Paleblood to transcend the hunt”. Thus opens From [...]


“Why do you write strong female characters?” “Because you’re still asking me that question.” Twenty years ago, in 1992, a film was released that had a slightly different slant on the horror idiom. The cute blonde school girl was not the victim. As the website-breaking title suggests, she turned out, once she had accepted her [...]


Zalgo. The Rake. Slenderman. To the uninitiated, these names may just sound like a crappy version of the Avengers, but to the initiated they, along with countless other characters, movies and images, all have a particular significance. They have one thing in common…they are all examples of creepypasta. “But Phil,” I hear you cry. “what [...]


Now I can’t proclaim to be the biggest fan of the Death Note anime – it was only when I realised that Netflix was picking it up to reboot as a feature film that I decided I’d sit down and force myself through it – but, that being said, it’s hard to disassociate one from [...]


Genre: Action/Adventure Developer: Arkane Studios Platform: PS3, Windows, Xbox 360 Release Date: October 2012 Version Reviewed: PS3 Following the release of an absolutely stunning debut trailer in April of last year, I’d had my eye on Arkane Studio’s Dishonored for quite some time; so when Christmas of 2012 rolled around and I found myself with [...]


Developer: id Software Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows Back in 2004, I picked up Doom 3 and couldn’t have been more excited. I’d grown up playing Doom and Doom 2 on my old Windows 95 computer, and couldn’t wait to see what the game looked like with glorious 2004-era graphics. However, I came away [...]


This week, returning as if from the dead from their (significant) hiatus, Sarah and Phil take a look at Adam Wingard’s Blair Witch, as well as discussing a screening of The Blair Witch Project they both went to out in the woods. Spooky… -Sarah & Phil


This week, your intrepid hosts are joined by the one and only Rosie; in today’s episode of Radio Gorepress, Sarah, Phil and Rosie delve into Jeremy Saulnier’s naziriffic Green Room, mourn the sad passing of Anton Yelchin, and tear into some rather interesting reviews of the film. Enjoy! – Sarah, Phil & Rosie


After last podcast’s silliness, we thought we’d put on our Serious Hats this time and instead turn our eyes to a slightly more sombre film; Rodrigo Gudiño‘s The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh. We’d heard good things, but will it live up to expectations? You’ll just have to find out for yourself! – [...]


With love hanging sickeningly in the air, we here at Radio Gorepress thought we’d treat you to something a little special this week; a Valentine’s Day-themed podcast! And what better film to look at than the granddaddy of all Valentine’s-themed horror movies; My Bloody Valentine… So what do you think of our pick? Are we [...]


In a first (and depending on what we think of the film in question, possibly the last…) for Radio Gorepress, we take a suggestion from a listener; 2003′s Blood Reaper! – S&P&R


We’ve had a history here at Radio Gorepress of focussing on films that perhaps aren’t as recent as they could be, so for this episode we thought we’d turn to 2016′s Beyond the Gates after having been super stoked by the trailer. But did it live up to the hype, or was it a bit [...]


We’re down a presenter this week; due to an unexpected illness, Sarah and Phil are without the faithful assistance of Rosie…which in all honesty threw our plans into complete disarray. Abandoning our previously planned choice of film, we’ve instead played a game of Netflix roulette and settled on The Rezort for this podcast! Enjoy… -S&P


With Rosie back and fighting fit this episode, we decide to play another game of VOD-roulette and eventually settle on The Culling, a NowTV-certified one-star film. Yikes. -SP&R


Rosie and Phil are flying solo this week; with their planned movie scuppered they instead turn to Netflix roulette to decide what to watch, and settle on 2015′s The Unfolding! And no, it’s not a film about origami…much to their disappointment. Enjoy! -R&P


With the distinct absence of Rosie this week, Sarah and Phil take a different tack and instead throwback to the Radio Gorepress of yesteryear, and discuss the various horror films they’ve been watching over the time they’ve been gone. No, this is definitely not a filler episode. -S&P


With the gang back together once more, Sarah, Phil and Rosie turn their sights on horror classic, A Nightmare on Elm Street! It’s a fresh watch for Rosie, so how will her opinion differ from horror veteran Sarah? -S&P&R


Radio Gorepress are sans Rosie again this week, so as is beginning to become customary, Sarah and Phil once again play a game of Netflix Roulette, and settle on 2015′s Visions! Spoiler alert: it’s terrible. -S&P


Fulfilling their promise from last episode, Sarah and Phil – bereft of a Rosie – leave it to Netflix roulette to decide their film for them this week, and settle on Oren Peli’s sci-fi found footage Area 51! -S&P


With Rosie back this week, e decided to watch Eli Roth’s Knock Knock. Spoiler alert: it broke us… -S&P&R


Sarah, Rosie and Phil are reunited once again to discuss horror movies; this week, they took a look at The Black Room in all its terrible, terrible glory. Enjoy! -S&P&R


After the debacle of last episode, Phil, Sarah and Rosie played it a little safer this week by choosing a Gorepress favourite; Adam Green’s Hatchet! Enjoy! -S&P&R


Another year draws to a close, and to honour the occasion, Sarah, Rosie and Phil take a look back through the year and discuss their standout films and TV shows! -S&R&P


In Radio Gorepress’ first podcast of 2018, Sarah, Rosie and Phil turn their gaze to recent Netflix original, The Open House. It’s – spoiler alert – not actually that good at all, so expect tangents galore. Even moreso than usual, I mean… -S&P&R


In what might possibly be our most tangentful (IT’S A WORD, SHUT UP) podcast yet, Sarah Phil and Rosie take a look at Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark in an effort to do their bit for Women in Horror Month! – S&P&R


Better late that never, huh? We’re back with another episode of Radio Gorepress; this time, in what might be out most tangential podcast yet – which is saying something – we’re discussing 1985′s Return of the Living Dead! -S&P&R


Bloody hell, Instagram. The one time we let you decide what we watch and this is what you pick? You’re on thin ice, guys. This episode, we talk about 2017′s Land of Smiles. And we hate every second of it. THANKS, Instagram. -S&R&P


In the latest – and probably most alcohol-fuelled (certainly in a long while, anyway) – podcast, we take inspiration from last week’s trailer chat and turn our attention to Dario Argento’s Suspiria, ready for the imminent release of the remake. -S&P&R


Bereft of a Sarah, Rosie and Phil take the reins of the episode this week. Taking a gamble at the wealth of movies on Amazon Prime, they settle on the 1-star-rated Haunted…but will it live up (or down, rather) to its reputation? -R&P


I think we’ve gotta come clean this episode…we’re pretty sure that this episode is more tangent than Actual Genuine Content. Well as long as it’s entertaining, right? This week, Sarah, Phil and Rosie talk – reluctantly – about 2015′s Starleaf. -S&P&R


In our first (proper) attempt at turning the power over to you guys, bereft of a Rosie, we give 1989′s Puppet Master a watch! We also spend some time chatting about the TV and films we’ve been watching, as well as discussing how disgusting the concept of sweaty puppets is. Enjoy! -S&P


Instagram has spoken once more; this week you guys wanted us to watch an 80′s B-movie, so after some (read: very little) deliberation, we settled on 1983′s The Deadly Spawn! -S&P&R


You voted; we listened! Clowns won out this week in our Instagram poll, so what better movie to watch than 1988′s Killer Klowns from Outer Space. And just so you know, despite all the tangents this episode we did actually enjoy it… …promise! – S&R&P


With the sequel fast approaching later this year, we thought we’d use the opportunity to take a look at the slasher that started all slashers (well…arguably, anyway), John Carpenter’s original 1978 classic, Halloween! -S&P&R


With Rosie struck down by the lurgy, Sarah and Phil go rogue and disregard our Instagram poll completely, instead choosing to take a look at 1973′s Don’t Look Now…and in doing so, stay surprisingly on track…setting aside an anti-Terrifier rant that was perhaps a little too passionate… -S&P


Since we’ve clearly been taking it in turns to catch the lurgy in recent episodes, it’s Sarah’s turn this week…so in her absence, Rosie and Phil take a look at Spanish-language mindbending horror noir, The Similars! -P&R


It’s Radio Gorepress’ fiftieth episode today, and to celebrate, Sarah, Rosie and Phil all decided to not be ill and to actually present an episode all together, for the first time in what seems like forever. Taking the results of our earlier Instagram post, we honor the year’s spookiest celebration by turning our attention to [...]


In our not-at-all rigged poll this week, we decided that we’d been having far too much fun recently and that we should be brought thoroughly down a peg or two. To that end, we decided that Ari Aster’s Hereditary would be a fantastic choice. Way to go, us. -S&P&R


In our first podcast of the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Nineteen, Sarah, Phil and Rosie return after their Christmas hiatus to have a chat about all the films we watched over the break, before tackling Adam Wingard’s You’re Next! -S&P&R


Hey intrepid Gorepress fam! Rosie, Sarah and Phil are back to take you on a tour of our first ever listener suggestion; lost 1989 b-movie Demon Wind. In true Radio Gorepress fashion there are many tangents along the way including but not limited to the MCU, the noise that doves may or may not make [...]


Hey intrepid podcast fans, this week Phil and Sarah discuss not one, but two films in Episode 59. Taking time to discuss 2009′s The Hole in depth, they also shift focus to a worthy companion piece in the form of 1987′s The Gate. Along the way, they also have a chat about Nick Broomfield, A [...]


In this 61st episode of The Gorepress Gorecast, your fearless hosts sink pointed, rabid teeth into a frank discussion of Neil Jordan’s lycanthropic cautionary tale The Company Of Wolves. Did they love it or loathe it? Did it leave a lasting impression heralded by a full-moon-inspired change? Can the lead actress really be only twelve?! [...]


Following their leave of absence, Sarah and Phil are back with a vengeance – with two vengeances no less – to cast their collective gaze over James Gunn’s homage to all things body-horror, Slither! Nodding its tentacle-bedecked head at films from Night of the Creeps to A Nightmare on Elm Street, does it manage to [...]


I’ve always been of the opinion that Evil Dead II is the best of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead trilogy, so when I was given the chance to review it in Stunning High Definition™ on blu-ray, I jumped at the chance. The Film A sequel to 1981’s Evil Dead, Evil Dead II (known in some circles [...]


Before I get into the main chunk of the review, let me preface it somewhat beforehand. Dominic Burns’ Cut has the distinction of being the world’s first single continuous-shot horror movie; a very impressive accomplishment by all means. Having had some experience in film-making, I can only imagine the logistical nightmare it must have been [...]


There’s no point beating about the bush. Friend Request is a very derivative movie. The obvious parallel is 2014’s Unfriended (which, to be fair, whilst telling its story in quite an inventive, intriguing way, wasn’t hugely original in itself); both use social media as the vehicle for the horror, both involve the ghostly goings-on following [...]


If you’re of a certain age, I’m sure Goosebumps holds quite a special place in your heart. The series of books – totalling over sixty individual stories – sold over 350 million copies worldwide…so adapting it into a film was always going to be a risky move, liable to upset a great deal of people [...]


I’m not really sure how I feel about Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise, even after a full day of thinking about it. That’s probably not the first thing you’d want to read when you start a review, but hopefully by the end of it you’ll understand more what I mean. High-Rise, an adaptation of a J.G. Ballard [...]


Sadly, as much as I love horror and wish I could fill each and every day with it, my work for Gorepress is merely moonlighting – my actual, real-life, normal-person job is to produce video content for miDrive, a UK-based company who have created a mobile app that helps learner drivers out by providing them [...]


It’s a shame, really. On paper, this film has an interesting concept. Famous and eccentric bajillionaire amusement park tycoon Stephen Price (har-de-har-har) invites a handful of strangers to spend the night in an abandoned insane asylum, with the incentive of a million dollars if they can survive until daybreak. He hands them loaded guns and [...]


[Review contains spoilers] Landmine Goes Click starts off fairly promisingly. We’re introduced to three backpackers (Chris, Alicia and Daniel; the latter two of which are a couple) trekking across rural Georgia – that’s Georgia the country, not Georgia the state – when one of the trio accidentally steps on a landmine. Terrified of detonating the [...]


Type: Platformer Developer: Playdead Platform: Windows, Mac OSX, Xbox 360, PS3, Linux Release Date: July 2010 Version Reviewed: Windows A nameless boy, merely a silhouette against a ghostly background, awakens, eyes aglow, in a nightmarish, hostile world, unarmed and helpless; and you are equipped with nothing but the knowledge that the boy is courageously trying [...]


After young couple Scott and Penny retreat to the woods to film a nature documentary, they get more than they bargain for when they stumble across a number of mysterious rudimentary statues, the work of the famous yet reclusive and equally mysterious artist, Mr. Jones. Deciding to change their course a little, they instead choose [...]


It was surprising enough that a sequel to 2014’s Ouija was greenlit. What’s even more surprising is that the sequel is actually better. WIth Oculus’ Mike Flanagan at the helm, what could have been yet another by-the-numbers spookfest becomes a genuinely solid horror movie. Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. Ouija: Origin of Evil follows [...]


I’m sure if you were to ask a range of people of a certain age which horror films they remember growing up with, Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist will make more than a few appearances. And, if I’m honest, it’s easy to see why…if only because it’s been parodied and referenced in a so many other films [...]


The Gorepress Gorecast is dead! Long live the Gorepress Gorecast! Not ones to be discouraged by the death of a former podcast however, your intrepid heroes Sarah and Phil battle on in hopes of regaining your trust and loyal ears! Thus, Radio Gorepress is here to entertain, inform and help expand your canon of versatile [...]


For their tenth episode, Sarah and Phil direct their gaze towards a Gorepress favourite, in the form of Tod Browning’s 1932 masterpiece of terror Freaks. Once they get over the fact that the film is a massive 82 years old this year, they pick apart the sensitive issue of using real circus performers and give [...]


It’s been a while since Phil & Sarah affected their best radio voices and waxed lyrical on the subject of movies, for a variety of reasons that we won’t bore you with here. Itching to get back into our podcasting seats though, we’re back with Episode 12, reviewing 1987′s classic Joel Schumacher‘s The Lost Boys! [...]


With the Radio Gorepress train firmly back on track, episode 13 of our little podcast has finally arrived…and what better film to choose to mark this infamous number than 2012′s witchy The Lords of Salem? Join us as we talk about our favourite occult films of recent years, lament the downfall of Dario Argento, and [...]


With the Radio Gorepress train firmly back on tracks for the millionth time, Sarah and Phil use the opportunity to catch up with anything and everything they’ve been watching and doing since their last podcast at the end of 2014, as well as everything they’re looking forward to, including chatting about The Conjuring 2 and [...]


Hot on the heels (…ish) of their previous podcast, Phil and Sarah return once more, this time a little more focussed than the last! In this week’s episode, they discuss their recent watches – including the urban legend-centric documentary Killer Legends – and the films and TV shows they’re looking forward to, before tackling 2014′s [...]


Demonstrating that they might actually be – worryingly – demonstrating some form of actual consistency, Sarah and Phil return for a third fortnight running with the latest episode of Radio Gorepress. This week, they tackle Irish sci-fi comedy, Grabbers…but not before their usual chat about what they’ve been watching recently, the endless potential of Gorepress [...]


In this week’s episode, Sarah and Phil lead you to the end of the world in 2013′s apocalyptic These Final Hours. Taking a little time beforehand to discuss their recent watches – including the similarly themed The World’s End, the antastic Ant-Man and the less-than-whelming When the Lights Go Out – join them as they [...]


You know what we realised recently here at Radio Gorepress? We’ve been too easy on ourselves. After a string of podcasts on some pretty decent films, we’ve finally decided to buck the trend and dig out the worst-looking film we possible could find. There were a few films in the running, but it wasn’t long [...]


This time around, Phil and Sarah take the Gorepress train to South Korea to chat about the hugely successful monster flick The Host. They muster through hayfever, the misunderstanding of dubstep, and general confusion to pick apart the socio-political commentary and get critical of the CGI effects. No Gorepress show would be complete without a [...]


In order to celebrate Halloween this year in true Gorepress style, Sarah, Matt and I found ourselves at Canterbury’s Gulbenkian Cinema, watching a double bill of Stanley Kubrick’s seminal The Shining and 2012’s documentary on the film, Room 237. Sarah has talked at great length about The Shining here so I’ve been lumbered – did [...]


Lesson of the day, folks: never trust Netflix’s ratings system. After having seen 2016’s Satanic pop up with a rating of 4.5 / 5, my interest was certainly piqued, so I decided to give it a bash. It follows the story of four college kids – Chloe, David, Seth and Elise – who stop off [...]


You’ve heard the story before. Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy has to defeat girl’s seven evil exes in a series of intense, incredibly stylised fights in order to win her heart. …wait, you haven’t heard that before? Well that’s the general gist of Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. [...]


Imagine this: a ragtag group of men, each with their own personal demons, voluntarily isolating themselves from the rest of society in order to de-asbestos an abandoned New England insane asylum; the home of all sorts of barbaric treatments performed in the name of mental health. And, one by one, they gradually get picked off. [...]


Hoboy. Where do I start? Well conceptually speaking, The ABCs of Death is an anthology movie featuring 26 different directors, each fielding a short film inspired by a word (any word) starting with their given letter of the alphabet. As a concept, this is a great idea; the short film is a wonderful way in [...]


It was with great trepidation (not to mention, as naïve as it may have been, the littlest bit of anticipation) that I sat down to watch the sequel to 2012′s massively underwhelming The ABCs of Death – the very imaginatively named The ABCs of Death 2. Following the same structure as its predecessor, The ABCs [...]


Following the success of his previous film, the horror comedy Troll Hunter – a Gorepress favourite – Norwegian director André Øvredal sets his sights on breaking more into the mainstream by releasing his first feature-length English-language film, The Autopsy of Jane Doe…and boy, am I glad he did. After the body of an anonymous young [...]


“In October of 1994, three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while shooting a documentary. A year later their footage was found.” …thus begins The Blair Witch Project, comparatively one of the most successful horror films of all time. Chances are you’ve heard the plot; three aspiring filmmakers venture into the Burkittsville [...]


Oh, M. Night Shyamalan, where did it all go wrong? Audiences and critics alike were almost entirely unified in their praise for The Sixth Sense (and deservedly so) but ever since you’ve continued to divide opinion with every new film you release…until this one. And, unfortunately, I don’t mean that in a good way. After [...]


Obviously, any horror film that can consistently send chills up your spine throughout its runtime is a horror film worth watching. But when a film that is almost fifty years old accomplishes the same feat without ever seeming dated, it’s practically a must-see for any horror fan. In an adaptation of Henry James’ The Turn [...]


Anna Biller must have been one very busy woman. Not only did she direct her film The Love Witch, she produced, wrote, composed for, designed (art, set, costume and production) and edited it as well…so I think it’s fair to say that it’s a film that she must have poured a lot of herself into. [...]


After her brother is killed by the son of a Yakuza mob boss, Ami Hyuga (Minase Yashiro, in her film debut) loses her lower arm after trying to avenge him. Escaping the clutches of the Yakuza clan, Ami ends up in the capable hands of a mechanic and his wife. The three then naturally come [...]


Whatever you say about Clive Barker, you can’t argue that he hasn’t had a profound effect upon horror. You’re unlikely to find someone who doesn’t recognise the pointy head of the sadistic Pinhead, and no self-respecting slasher fan would be caught dead without having seen Candyman. Hell, even legendary horror author Stephen King hailed Barker [...]


I probably should learn not to trust the opinions of people I don’t know. Going only on a few throwaway remarks I’d read online about a particular sequence in this movie being the most unnerving the authors had ever seen, I leapt onto the interwebs to read into it. The plot seemed intriguing enough. Two [...]


So I guess if you have to blame any film for Hollywood’s obsession with remaking Asian horror movies, it’s this one. It certainly seemed to start the whole thing rolling – The Grudge came soon after, along with Dark Water, One Missed Call, The Uninvited and a whole host of increasingly crappier and crappier films. [...]


It must be difficult being a vengeful ghost-child with a penchant for home video. Sure, it’s all very well and good when you’re Uwe Boll-ing the fuck out of everyone’s video collections, but what happens when you decide you’re tired of being the killing type and you just want some affection? What happens if you [...]


Arthur Kriticos (Tony Shalhoub) is a little down on his luck. After losing his wife and most of his possessions in a devastating house fire, he finds himself in dire financial straits until a creepy lawyer shows up with a message from Arthur’s late uncle, Cyrus (F. Murray Abraham). It appears that Arthur is the [...]


I’m not sure which is more rare; a film that so overtly celebrates womanhood both on- and off-camera, or a horror anthology film which is actually so, for the most part at least, consistently good. XX – nodding to the chromosome combination, for those of you at the back not paying attention – is a [...]