Movie of the week – Night of the Demon
The Irish Film Institute continues its season of folk horror with another three classics this week. On Saturday you can catch 1971’s Blood on Satan’s Claw, a creepy and atmospheric period horror in which a malevolent force possesses the children of a rural English hamlet. Sunday offers the 1968 Hammer production The Devil Rides Out, one of the studio’s best and featuring a great Christopher Lee performance in an effective tale of witchcraft. The best of the three is 1957’s Night of the Demon, which screens on Wednesday. Based on a short story by MR James, it’s one of the greatest horror movies ever made, skillfully directed by Jacques Tourneur, who ramps up the atmosphere throughout. Catch all three if you can.
Jurassic Park
If less subtle scares are more your thing, the Lighthouse is bringing Steven Spielberg’s classic Jurassic Park back to the screen on Saturday and Wednesday. I doubt there’s anyone reading this who hasn’t seen it, but you should take the chance to see those dinosaurs on the big screen.
The BFG
Spielberg actually has a new movie out this week, but unfortunately it’s not one to celebrate. His adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s novel The BFG is one of the director’s least interesting movies, a lifeless affair that stretches the material out to almost two hours and fails to deliver the sort of thrills and wonder we expect from the director.
Star Trek Beyond
This week’s obligatory sequel is Star Trek Beyond, which might be the final nail in the coffin of the rebooted franchise. The script for this one was cobbled together at the last minute, and boy does it show. Star Trek has never been so dumb; this one makes The Voyage Home look like 2001: A Space Odyssey. With a lack of chemistry between its cast, a completely generic villain and headache inducing set-pieces, this one boldly goes nowhere.
Babe
You wouldn’t expect the man responsible for Mad Max to deliver a great kids’ movie, but that’s just what director George Miller did with his charming farmyard tale Babe, which plays at the Lighthouse on Monday. This one’s an absolute delight. You’ll never eat a rasher again!
By Eric Hillis of themoviewaffler.com
