Another fantastic year for horror, whether it be mammoth documentaries covering a decade, thoughtful character pieces or practical effects laden absurdities, 2021 had it all, here are some of what we thought were the best.
Category: Features
The B-Movie VHS Vault – Die Sister Die (1978)
Some films never make it to DVD, Blu-Ray or digital or if they did, their prints are long gone. This series wants to look back at those films, that almost slipped through our B-Movie grubby little fingers.
Horror films to watch: Letter N Part 2
The letter N just had too many good horror films, so we venture into part 2 of 3. With a broad range of films here, there is something for any genre fans.
Horror films to watch: Letter B Part 2
A look back at horror films to watch beginning with the letter B. Part 2 as there was just too many to contain in one post!
McLintock! (1963) ★★★ 1/2 – John Wayne series
In memory of my dad who passed away in December, we take a look at some films of his favourite actor. John Wayne. First up is 1963’s McLintock!
Horror films to watch: Letter N
We move onto the letter N in our A-Z of horror films we think you should watch. This is part 1 of 3.
Death of a Gunfighter ★★★- The Films of Alan Smithee
We look at the films of “director” Alan Smithee, the renowned pseudonym when a director has left the project mid film. His first was Death of a Gunfighter.
Horror films to watch: Letter M (part 3)
We continue our Horror film series by finishing off the letter M with some underseen classics, some 80s horror comedies to some early cinema masterpieces.
Akira (1988) ★★★★★ – 50 Mondays of Sci-Fi
We return to our 50 Mondays of Sci-Fi series with the anime of the 80s Katsuhiro Otomo’s astounding and influential Akira (1988)
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) – ★★★★ 1/2 Silent Sundays
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari is a visually astounding picture that was as influential as they come to the future of the horror genre and cinema itself.
Academy Awards 2021 Nomination Predictions
The Academy Awards are coming hell or high water in April and with the majority of the releases out or at least seen, we have now got a pretty good guesstimate on who will be nominated for what. So without further ado (as this is going to be a long
Horror films to watch: Letter M – Part 2
Last time out we left you with the first part of our trilogy for horror films beginning with the letter M. We continue on with our middle installment that has some modern classics, a wonderful 30s film and some under appreciated flicks. Lets get into it shall we? The Midnight
Highest Grossing film of the year : 1925 – The Big Parade ★★★★
It has been a while for this series and we now enter 1925 where two big releases jostled for the top spot. Ben Hur missed out by a few million to King Vidor’s trailblazing WWI film The Big Parade, which grossed a quite astonishing $22 million at the box office.
Horror films to watch – Letter M
We are back and have gotten all the way to the letter M! Not only does M have some classics, we are also having the joy of having multiple parts in here. How many parts? Well we are going for the trilogy, so do not be sad if a favourite
The Cameraman’s Revenge – 1912 ★★★★★
Mest Kinematograficheskogo Operatora (The Revenge Of A Kinematograph Cameraman or The Cameraman’s Revenge). Today we go back a mere 108 years to Wladyslaw Starewicz’s The Cameraman’s Revenge, a terrific 13-minute piece of stop-motion. Synopsis Mr Beetle seeks companionship from a statuesque dragonfly dancer. Unaware that her ex-boyfriend, a slender grasshopper
Horror films to watch: Letter L
Horror films. The letter L. The ride continues! Let’s check out what we have today! This little series has gotten quite far and has been a joy to look back into, with a lot of films coming up that has made me quite nostalgic to the genre. This is a
Highest Grossing Film of the year: 1924 – The Sea Hawk – ★★★★
1924 was an odd year with not too many memorable films and the box office was also a tad quieter. The two biggest films of the year were Douglas Fairbanks expensive epic The Thief of Baghdad and then our largest grosser Frank Lloyds adaption of Rafael Sabatini’s novel The Sea
Horror films to watch – Letter K
Welcome back to another edition of Horror films to watch. This time we truck along to the letter K and we have a right little mix of horror films ready for you. Shall we? Kwaidan (1964) One of the best, if not the best anthology horror films ever made. Rarely
Filmography lookback: Lillian Gish
For Tuesdays, we thought it would be interesting to select a few films from specific actors or directors’ filmography and suggest which ones you should watch. For those of you who have been following the blog for a while, you will know that we recently started watching silent films, but
Tokyo Story (1953) ★★★★★
What makes cinema such a special medium is that no matter the language we can relate to a story. This week on our World Cinema journey we look back to Japan and to a masterpiece of a film and one that everyone who loves cinema needs to watch Yasujiro Ozu’s
Horror films to watch – Letter J
Another week, another letter filled with horror films. This time out we move onto J and we are getting close to halfway through our list! This week we have an awful lot of under-appreciated or just plain forgotten horrors from years gone by, so let’s just get right into it!
Highest grossing film of each year: The Covered Wagon (1923) ★★★
This time out in our series of reviewing the highest-grossing film of every year since 1915 to present-day we reach 1923 and it’s top grosser the long-forgotten The Covered Wagon. Let’s get into it, shall we? Synopsis Multiple wagon caravans join together in the desert heartland of American to push
Horror films to watch starting with I – Part 2
We return for our sequel to Horror movies to watch beginning with I. Is this a better sequel? Who knows, It depends on your horror flavour! We have some classics in store for you though, so let’s get into our second part! Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) What type
Horror films to watch starting with I – Part 1
Last time out we had a trilogy of posts with the letter H, this time we venture into horror films beginning with I, and again it is a bumper letter with us going for a double bill with the later coming out next week. The horror genre loves sequels so
50 Mondays of Sci-Fi: Moon (2009) ★★★★★
On Mondays, we look back at 50 great science fiction films. So far we have looked back at Alien, The Thing and Sunshine. This time out we look at Duncan Jones 2009 debut feature, Moon. Synopsis Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is nearing the end of a three-year contract in solitude
Silent Sunday: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) review ★★★★★
Sunrise is a simple story, but it is exceptional on every level possible. It is a warm-hearted film that would still connect with audiences today.
B-Movie Saturday – Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) ★★★
On Saturdays, we pick the best (or worst) films to watch for that night. We do not go for some classic thoughtful film, oh no, no no, we go for the B-movie! So far we have come across The Blob, an Italian cannibal film and Rubber a sentient tyre that
Vitalina Varela (2019) review ★★★★★
On Fridays we look at films from elsewhere in the world and usually, we go for a film that is a tad older. This week however we are going very current, so we go to Pedro Costa unforgettable Vitalina Varela. After multiple decades a Cape Verdean woman finally makes her
Highest-grossing Film of the Year: 1922 – Robin Hood ★★★
This time out in our series of reviewing the highest-grossing film of every year since 1915 to present-day we reach 1922 and it’s top grosser Douglas Fairbanks classic, Robin Hood or in its full title Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood (well he did produce, write and star in it, so
Horror films to watch starting with H: Part 3
We finally come to the end of our trilogy through horror films that you should watch that begin with H, what a ride… With that said we have some classic horror films in the list today. Let’s get into it! Hush (2016) One of the standout reasons to love Hush
Highest Grossing Films of each year: 1921 – The Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse ★★★
Last time out we had to skip 1919 as The Miracle Man is now a lost film so we moved onto 1920’s Way Down East. This time we head to an anti-war WWI film in 1921s highest-grossing film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Synopsis An Argentinian landowner Madariaga’s two
Horror films to watch starting with H: Part 2
Last time out it was decided that H was just too much of a monster of a letter in horror to have one post. So we split it into three! This week we present part two of this bumper letter. Let’s have a look at what we have today. Hellraiser
Horror films to watch starting with H: Part 1
This week we could have had a mammoth post, but I have decided to split H, not into 2, but 3 posts! Yes, H is filled! I could have added more, but these were my favourites. This week’s post will be from Ha to He just to simplify and make
50 Mondays of Sci-Fi – Sunshine (2007) ★★★ 1/2
We have now reached week 3 of our 50 Mondays of Science Fiction films and we return to space with Danny Boyles bold Sunshine. Shall we? A spaceship named Icarus II has been sent to reignite the Sun that is dying at a faster rate than expected using the last
Silent Film Sundays: The Mothering Heart (1913) ★★★★★
A true tour de force performance from Lillian Gish in one of DW Griffiths best two-reel films. Welcome to Silent Film Sunday! This week we are in for a short two-reel (under 25-minute film) as I was on a bit of a deep dive of trying to watch all of
B-Movie Saturday: The Blob (1958) review
Welcome back to another Saturday Night B-Movie review. Last time out we reviewed Rubber, a film about a sentient car tyre… Yep. This time out we lock at Irvin S Yeaworth Jr’s The Blob (1958). When teenagers Steve Andrews (Steve McQueen) and Jane Martin (Aneta Corsaut) witness what they think
World Cinema Friday: Let The Right One In (2008)
Every Friday we venture into world cinema and this week we are heading back to Scandinavia and specifically to Sweden for Let the Right One In, a modern classic adaption of the book from the same name. Shall we? Synopsis Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a lonely boy dealing with the
Highest Grossing Films: 1920 Way Down East
This week should have been 1919. But alas the highest-grossing film of 1919 The Miracle Man has been lost to us and only 2 minutes of footage remains. It is a bit difficult to review that. So we have had to move on to 1920 and we are now officially
Horror films to watch starting with G
Welcome back to my series of effectively a massive list of horror films to watch. Last time out we got to the F’s in our ABC’s and now we move on to G! Fun times. Without further ado, here are 14 horror films to watch beginning with the letter G.
50 Mondays of Sci-Fi: The Thing (1982) review
Every Monday we look back at a classic science fiction film. Last week we looked back at Ridley Scott’s influential Alien. Our second Monday of sci-fi films brings us to John Carpenters The Thing (1982). The Thing has resonated with me from an early age. I would have been around
Silent Sundays: The General (1927) review
Sundays are the perfect time to sit relax and watch something from back in the day. I am used to watching older films every Sunday with my dad and although they weren’t silent films (more Westerns, WW2 films or Roger Corman films). So, I thought it was best to look
Saturday Night B-Movie Review: Rubber (2010)
Welcome back to another Saturday Night B-Movie review. Last time out we reviewed Umberto Lenzi’s cannibal film Eaten Alive! This time out we review Quentin Dupieux’s Rubber. A film about a homicidal car tyre. Yep, we went there! Yes, this film is all about a sentient car tyre that decides
World Cinema Friday – Utøya: 22 July review
Last time out we looked back at Shoplifters. This week for we go to Norway and to the controversial film, Utøya: 22 July that asks the moral question, should a film show the events of a massacre? There will be a very select few films more difficult or harrowing to
Reviewing the highest-grossing film of the year (1918): Mickey
We move onto 1918 in our series of reviewing the highest-grossing film of each year. Last week we looked at Cecil B DeMille’s and Mary Pickford’s A Romance of the Redwoods. This week we move onto Mickey starring Mabel Normand. Due to only just watching more silent films this is
Horror films to watch starting with F
Welcome back to my series of effectively a massive list of horror films to watch. Last time out we got to the E’s in our ABC’s and now we move on to F! Fun times. Without further ado, here are 13 horror films to watch beginning with the letter F.
Soundtrack Tuesday – Godzilla: King of Monsters (2019) review
Last week on Soundtrack Tuesday we looked back at the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. And Kaiju believe it we have gone bigger this week (sorry for the terrible pun). This week we look back at Bear McCreary’s soundtrack for Godzilla:
50 Mondays of Sci-Fi: Alien (1979)
For the next 50 Mondays we are going to be looking back at 50 science fictions that I love or maybe have missed. To start us off I thought it would be apt to look back at one of the best ever and one of my favourite ever films, Ridley
Silent Sundays – The Circus (1928)
Sundays are the perfect time to sit relax and watch something from back in the day. I am used to watching older films every Sunday with my dad and although they weren’t silent films (more Westerns, WW2 films or Roger Corman films). So, I thought it was best to look
Saturday Night B-Movie – Eaten Alive! (1980)
Every Saturday we are going to look back at classic or not so classic B-Movies, because let’s face it, what night is better to watch a B-Movie than a Saturday right? To start us off we are going to look at Umberto Lenzi’s Eaten Alive! (or Mangiati Vivi! Doomed to
World Cinema Friday – Shoplifters (2018)
Every Friday we will aim to show you some of our top choices in world cinema. This week we review Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters. For those who are still on a high from Parasite, then Shoplifters is the perfect film for you. A stunning Japanese drama that will captivate and ask
Reviewing the highest-grossing film of the year (1917): A Romance of the Redwoods
Welcome back to our new series, where we take a look back at the highest-grossing films of each year. The last time out we reviewed the 1916 classic, Stuart Paton’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. This time we return to our old friend Mary Pickford and in one of only
Horror films to watch starting with E
Welcome back to my series of effectively a massive list of horror films to watch. Last time out we got to the D’s in our ABC’s and now we move on to E! Fun times. Without further ado, here are 10 horror films to watch beginning with the letter E.
Soundtrack Tuesdays: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford review
Welcome to Soundtrack Tuesdays here at Upcoming on Screen. Every Tuesday we will review a soundtrack of a film in the past (hopefully we will get to review future soundtracks when films start coming out in cinemas again). But for now, we are going back in time. This week we
Reviewing the highest-grossing film of the year (1916): 20000 Leagues Under the Sea
Welcome back to our new series, where we take a look back at the highest-grossing films of each year. Sadly for us last time out we had to talk about A Birth of a Nation, which was 1915’s highest-grossing film. Today we turn to Stuart Paton’s 20000 Leagues Under The
Horror films to watch starting with D
Welcome back to my series of effectively a massive list of horror films to watch. Last time out I did my A B C’s and now we move on to D! Fun times. Without further ado, here are 13 horror films to watch beginning with the letter D. Dark Water
Tales from a former cinema employee: The Joys of being a manager
Welcome to another edition of tales from a former cinema employee, today is a few tales about what it is like to be a manager or supervisor in a cinema. Sure you don’t have to do as much of the donkey work, but there are things you would trade down
Reviewing the highest-grossing film of every year: 1915 – The Birth of a Nation
When I had the intention of writing a review of the highest-grossing films of a year, I thought that it would be a fun exercise into looking films of over 100 years ago and also, a pretty lengthy feature. It all seemed grand and then I followed through with the
Tales of a former cinema employee: The rota
Welcome to another edition of the tales of a former cinema employee, today we are going to talk about one of the most stressful jobs as a manager or supervisor and that is when you are given the duty of organising the weekly rota. Yes, it is that post. When
Horror films to watch starting with C
Welcome back to my series of effectively a massive list of horror films to watch. Last time out I wisely followed up A with B and now we come to C! Funny how that works! Without further ado, here are 13 horror films to watch beginning with the letter C.
Tales of a former cinema employee: The day time shift
Welcome back to another couple of stories from working in a cinema! Please have a look back at the previous posts about drunk customers, the food, turning away customers and of course when customers get a little too close… Today we are going to chat about the joys of the midweek day shift
Horror films to watch starting with B: Part 1
Welcome back to my series of effectively a massive list of horror films to watch. Last time out I wisely started with the letter A, so it makes all the sense that today B would be next. Funny how that works! Without further ado, here are 13 horror films to
In defence of: The Thing (2011)
With news that Universal is going to delve into The Thing franchise again (wisely going to the books this time) I thought it was a good opportunity to revisit the wrongly maligned prequel to 1982s The Thing… poorly titled, The Thing. For the purposes of this article, I am going
Horror films to watch: Letter A
I love a good horror film and thought that it would be a great idea to make a horror film list, but not just any horror film a list how about an ABC list? Granted this has become a lot more daunting than I imagined, but I think I have
Tales of a former cinema employee: The drunk patrons part one
Welcome back to another part in our series of tales of working in a cinema. Today we want to talk about having to deal with drunk patrons in a cinema. Not the best situation for cinema staff if we are honest. Why you ask? Sometimes alcohol and films that last
Backseat writer, how to fix: Alien Covenant
We recently looked at how close Prometheus came to being a classic science fiction film and had a few solutions on what needed or could have been done to make it a truly great film. In this occasion of Backseat writer, we are looking at Alien: Covenant. Which sadly needs
Backseat writer, how to fix… Prometheus
In this series, we will be looking at films that if some things were changed then it could have been a truly great piece of cinema. First up was a film that I was so excited for and although I went home happy as I was willing and able to
Whats out in January (UK)
Welcome to a new month, a new year and a new decade of cinema. Will any of these films be remembered 10 years from now? Who knows, but we have some Oscar contenders to look at as we stride further into awards season. Let’s have a look at what’s out
Tales from a former cinema employee: Turning away customers
Hello again! Today is a return to the tales of an ex cinema employee series. You. Are. Welcome. We have gone through the world of people getting intimate in a cinema screen and a brief dip into the world of food in a cinema. This time I will tell you
Tales of a former cinema employee: Food
Welcome back to another part of my series where I talk about my experiences of working in a cinema. Last time I told you about when customers forget where they are. This week it is the turn of food to be highlighted, I promise not to be as gross this
Tales of a former cinema employee
Follow my blog with Bloglovin Working in a retail/entertainment sector is not easy and working in a cinema can be even more trying to your mind, body, and soul. My last cinema job was nice, so I won’t mention anything from that one… Yet, but I thought it would