STACK January 2016 Issue 135

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The second half of Peter Capaldi's sophomore season
sees the return of those sucker-laden shapeshifters
the Zygons in two-parter The Zygon Invasion and The
Zygon Inversion, which also placates fan outrage over
the "death" of UNIT's bespectacled geek Osgood (yes,
she's back). Standalone ep Sleep No More sees Who
using the found-footage format (to good effect) to
introduce some truly terrifying new monsters, spawned
from experiments in sleep deprivation – a great way
to convince kids to go to sleep! And it's no secret that
this is the final season for longtime companion Clara Oswald (Jenna
Coleman), whose departure and its consequences drive the final three
episodes – Face the Raven, Heaven Sent and Hell Bent – which also
feature the return of Maisie Williams's immortal Ashildr/Me.
Zygons, Sandmen and Clara's farewell.
DOCTOR WHO: SERIES 9, PART 2
Mr. Boogie is back! Also known
as Buhguul, this pagan entity
that feeds on the corruption
of innocence made life hell for
Ethan Hawke and family in 2012's
Sinister, and is now stalking single
mum Shannyn Sossamon and
her twin boys. Scott Derrickson
returns as writer and producer for
this sequel, which rehashes the,
well, sinister occurrences of the
first film – Super 8 snuff movies
and bloody scrawls on the walls
– and adds a group of ghostly
children and a backstory involving
domestic violence. It's not as
scary as the original but the sound
design is guaranteed to have you
on edge, and Buhguul remains an
incredibly creepy boogeyman.
SINISTER 2
Release Date:
20/01/16
Format:
The title tells you what to expect
in this latest scarefest from
producer James Wan (Insidious
and The Conjuring). A group of
young ghosthunters foolishly
hold a seance in a Louisiana
murder house, with predictably
diabolical results. Investigating
the aftermath, a detective (Frank
Grillo) and his psychologist
girlfriend (Maria Bello) must piece
together what really happened
from corrupted video footage, and
its connection to a massacre that
occurred 20 years earlier. This type
of horror film has now become
generic, although the involvement
of Wan and stars Bello and Grillo
give this one some weight, and
the jump scares are effective.
DEMONIC
Release Date:
06/01/16
Format:
Release Date: 13/01/16 Format:
The first installment of HBO's True Detective was so
awe-inspiring that a follow-up was always on a hiding
to nothing, and it’s not surprising that season two
has attracted a fair amount of flak from the critics.
But while it’s not quite in the same league as the
first series, there is much to admire about creator Nic
Pizzolatto’s second chapter, which boasts a completely
new set of characters and a compelling story that
takes its cues from the dark, twisted thrillers of James
Ellroy. This time around crooked cop Colin Farrell and
his mobster boss Vince Vaughn – together with dogged detective
Rachel McAdams and motorcycle patrolman Taylor Kitsch – are
drawn into a labyrinth of vice, corruption and greed following a bizarre
murder. Still a class above most TV crime offerings.
LA confidential.
TRUE DETECTIVE: SEASON 2
The third film in this gleefully
gruesome Spanish zombie series
took a different approach, with
a fresh group of characters and
a jokier tone. The latest entry,
Apocalypse, returns to the
franchise's roots, picking up the
action where the second film
ended. TV reporter Manuela
Velasco awakens aboard a ship,
where a team of scientists are
trying to find a cure to the virus.
But when one of the diseased
monkeys escapes and infects the
ship’s chef, all hell breaks loose
again. Director Jaume Balagueró
ditches the found-footage device
of the earlier films, but retains
their gory excess and energy. A
hugely entertaining zombie fest.
[REC] 4:
APOCALYPSE
Release Date:
20/01/16
Format:
Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays
a casino worker and father
who needs big bucks to cover
his daughter's medical bills.
But when his gangster boss
(Robert De Niro) turns him
down, he plots an inside job
to rip off laundered money
with bouncer co-worker Dave
Bautista (Guardians of the
Galaxy). Needless to say their
plan goes pear-shaped, leading
to a hostage situation aboard a
moving bus. More complicated
than it really needs to be, but
never dull, this fast-paced mash-
up of Ocean's Eleven and Speed
will satisfy heist movie fans. And
De Niro adds some A-list star
power to the B-movie hijinks.
BUS 657
Release Date:
13/01/16
Format:
Release Date: 06/01/16 Format:
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