White Chamber (2018)

In war-torn Britain, a woman is held in an environmentally controlled white prison cell, where she is tortured for information. Gradually, we peel back the layers to understanding. Honestly, the story would have been better served by concealing the mystery for longer and sticking to the central conceit.

2 wet-bulb temperatures out of 5

FILTH [2013]

Cass director John S. Baird adapts Irvine Welsh's crime novel Filth for the screen with James McAvoy playing the lead role with a grimy, enthusiastic unpleasantness that is difficult not to enjoy.
Like Welsh's other works, the dialogue is filled with Scottish slang and a thick accent to boot, making it difficult to decipher, so if you don't have the patience for that then this isnae th' movie fur ye, ye fuckin' boot.
McAvoy carries the weight of the film on his shoulders but never once does he let it show, with a savagely suffocating and hilariously disturbing performance that barely leaves room for Eddie Marsan, Jamie Bell and Imogen Poots to shine as well.  With it's sickly dark humor and deeply unsettling subject matter, Filth sometimes has trouble finding the right balance of both without feeling a little bit forced at times.

3½ of the same rules that apply of out of 5

THE DESCENT: PART II [2009]

I avoided this film for as long as I could because I loved the first one so much and knew a sequel would just bugger things up. Early last year curiosity got the best of me and with lowered expectations I was surprised to find I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would.
Picking up right where the American version of The Descent ended, Part II takes no time with character development and sends us right back into those caves with a bunch of people we couldn't give a toss about.
The claustrophobic atmosphere isn't as intense this time, the tension between characters is silly and the monsters are seen way too early to really be a threat. With that said, it's a fast-paced thrill ride that goes by pretty fast and leaves no bad aftertaste.

2½ Baths In Monster Waste out of 5

THE DESCENT [2005]

Going into this film I had very low expectations but felt it'd be a good way to pass a Sunday evening. Coming out of the film I was left completely astounded and disturbed by the merciless brutal tones of this frightening cinematic experience.
I'm not claustrophobic but Neil Marshall's The Descent made me feel like I was. He cleverly builds up the tension and dread with perfect pacing. The disorienting edits and camera angles are wonderfully executed so that by the time you almost grow comfortable with the unbalanced surroundings he introduces a whole new wave of terror into the mix.
The all female cast have some believable characters to work with but don't always perform as well as they could be. It's not entirely original but it's the mood, setting and ruthless attitude that cements it as one of my favorite horror films of all time and one of the scariest of the new millennium.

4 Werewolf heads out of 5