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On this page: DON'T LET THE CAT OUT | WHERE IS JUAN MOCTEZUMA? | YOUR HOST

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 25.Aug.25

Don’t Let the Cat Out
Review by Rich Cline | 2.53/5

dir Tim Cruz
prd Anthony Del Negro
scr Anthony Del Negro, Tim Cruz
with Anthony Del Negro, Cerina Vincent, Jordan James Smith, Edy Ganem, Brittany Cavaco, Sterling Sulieman, Ashton Leigh, Tom O'Connell, Sophie Hill, Jeremy Ambler, Julia Pemberton
release UK Aug.25 frf
25/US 1h25

Is it streaming?

Atmospheric and extremely tactile, this freak-out thriller traces a night that spirals into bizarre nastiness. Director Tim Cruz, who wrote the script with actor-producer Anthony Del Negro, cranks up the tension from the start, keeping the audience as disoriented as the lead character because everything feels so random and inexplicable. So while none of this makes much sense, there are enjoyably yucky moments scattered through the narrative.

To earn some cash, Charlie (Del Negro) is cat-sitting for a wealthy couple (Vincent and Smith) on Halloween night, so he'll miss going out ghost hunting with his pal Travis (Sulieman). But Charlie begins hearing strange noises in this house, the cat-care instructions are confusing, and he begins to have a panicky allergic reaction. Then after Travis arrives to help, things quickly turn scarily violent. Now Charlie finds himself trapped in a feline playroom with the demanding kitten Hazel (Cavaco). And as this frightening situation escalates exponentially, remembering the house rules becomes vitally important.

Characters are deliberately undefined; the only back-story element is that it's been a year since Charlie's dad died. From knickknacks and pictures around the house, it's clear that the homeowners are cat-obsessed far beyond reason, and the story takes this to an outrageous extreme that involves crazed supernatural rituals in rooms that look like they're in Frankenstein's castle rather than a suburban McMansion. So when things go off the rails, we wonder if anyone will survive this night.

Del Negro is likeable as Charlie, a seemingly fragile guy who perpetually in physical pain. Generally, Charlie isn't much more than a sympathetic victim, although he does fight back when he can muster the strength. Sulieman's Travis brings some superb throwaway sass, and things liven up when the no-nonsense Gamen turns up as his girlfriend, boldly snooping around. But it's Vincent and Smith who steal the show as a camp couple who are up to something truly insane.

While the film looks terrific, with skilful cinematography and production design, there are several key moments that remain rather perplexing due to confusing editing, undercooked writing and jarring continuity errors. Everything about this movie is utterly bonkers, and it builds to a final series of grisly confrontations that are superbly over-the-top. Then a witty epilog almost makes up for any lapses. So while it might not be terribly scary, this movie is just about nutty enough to be a guilty pleasure for genre fans.

themes, language, violence 22.Aug.25

Where Is Juan Moctezuma?
Review by Rich Cline | 3/5

dir-scr Alaric S Rocha
prd Rana Joy Glickman, Alaric S Rocha
with Alaric S Rocha, Erin Hughes, Miguel Nunez, Gabriela Mayorga, Elliott Lonsdale, Christian Anthony Chavez, Arturo Ripstein, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Brian Yuzna, Isaac Ezban, Paul London, Alvaro Rodriguez
release UK Aug.25 frf
25/US 1h37

Is it streaming?

Diving into the mystery surrounding an iconic 1970s Mexican horror auteur, this lively movie embraces the cheesy sensibility of filmmaker Juan F Moctezuma II. Appearing on-screen to narrate the story, writer-director Alaric S Rocha has fun with colourful period movies and comments from his extra-sparky interviewees. So there's plenty of ramshackle energy, mixing a wide range of hilariously outrageous material. But it could have been even funnier than this.

Produced by Roger Corman, 1000 Paths of Death was directed by Moctezuma in 1977 but never released, because the director disappeared with the footage, which was discovered in an abandoned cinema in 2014. After a noted career in Mexico, this was Moctezuma's first project in Hollywood. But his disappearance has remained a mystery, with rumours connected to his ongoing clashes with lucha culture, most notably the luchador El Escorpion, who appeared in one of his films and married Lisa de la Luna, the actress Moctezuma loved. Indeed, his obsession with Lisa drove his entire career.

Opening with an extended reconstructed scene from 1000 Paths of Death, this documentary leaps forward with a brisk flurry of clips and interviews that feel even more heightened than Moctezuma's wonderfully over-the-top movies. And the dodgy makeup and acting quickly make it clear that we're watching a mock-doc, even though it's played dead straight. And it's a wonderful rollercoaster ride as Rocha traces Moctezuma's career film by film, including his experience with El Escorpion on A Priceless Woman (1961), the political commentary hiding in Las Fieras (1969) and his reunion with Lisa for Demonoid (1971), which angered both El Escorpion and a drug cartel.

As narrated here, Moctezuma's story becomes increasingly crazed, leading to Rocha's dramatic recreation of a climactic lucha event. Through a series of discoveries and revelations, the saga twists and turns its way to a years-later epilog. The pastiche here is knowing and very broad, but it becomes an entertaining celebration of the excesses of B-movies from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. And it's a yearning cry for aspiring filmmakers to pick up a camera and make their passion project, no matter how corny it might be. As Moctezuma was known to say, "A horror movie is a beautiful place to go when reality is too hard to take."

themes, language, violence 21.Aug.25

Your Host
Review by Rich Cline | 3.5/5

dir DW Medoff
scr Joey Miller
prd Sara Sometti Michaels, Seth Michaels
with Jackie Earle Haley, Ella-Rae Smith, Jamie Flatters, David Angland, Joelle Rae, Tom Claxton, Eve Austin, Seth Michaels, Sara Sometti Michaels, Gerald Lepkowski, Courtney Mirelle, Laura Perselli
release UK Aug.25 frf
25/Italy 1h29

Is it streaming?

Opening with gleeful grisliness, this horror thriller quickly sets up characters before launching them into a freak-out situation. Taking inspiration from the Saw movies, director DW Medoff and writer Joey Miller clearly enjoy devising the most sadistic nastiness they can think of while keeping everything both jaunty and sharply pointed. But the grubby production design is a bit tired and, even with comical asides, it's almost overwhelmingly hideous.

Swaggering alpha male James (Flatters) invites his friends Matthew (Angland) and Melissa (Rae) for a holiday at his family's gorgeous villa, and they bring their friend Anita (Smith). Amid the lively enjoyable antics, tension begins to rise between them. Then one morning, they wake up chained to a wall in a concrete bunker, where a creepy half-masked game show host (Haley) puts them through a series of rounds that involve brutal psychological and physical torture. With the continual threat of sudden death, they begin to discover how they are connected to what's happening here.

Along the way, these four "contestants" are forced to confess the worst thing they've ever done and repeatedly face the violent infliction of pain and probable death. Each new bit of nastiness unfolds in a way that's squirm-inducingly awful, drawn out for maximum anticipation before playing out with astonishingly grotesque practical effects. And even though the excessive gore makes us feel sick to the stomach, all of this is skilfully shot and edited, and vividly performed by a superb ensemble cast.

Haley expertly balances the chirpy TV host persona with something unspeakably darker. His manic energy is unnerving, but it might have been scarier if we knew earlier why he was doing this. The charismatic Flatters is so believable as the narcissistic bully James that he's never likeable, which allows Smith, Angland and Rae to create more sympathetic characters we can root for. But even their harsh truths are revealed, and they are pushed to do both horrible and heroic things.

Indeed, the only underlying theme seems to be that everyone has both good and bad inside them, jostling for position. But there are also pointed comments about how wealthy people avoid justice, and the script provocatively touches on the toxic culture of handsy men who abuse positions of power, and the true ugliness that exists inside them. But any real resonance is drowned out by the bloodletting.

themes, language, violence 20.Aug.25

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL