Lord of Tears

"Lord of Tears" (2013) is a haunting new horror movie that takes place in a crumbling old country mansion in the misty Scottish Highlands, starring David Schofield, Alexandra “Lexy” Hulme, Jamie Scott Gordon & Euan Douglas from writer Sarah Daly and director Lawrie Brewster.

 

 James “Jamie” Findlay (Euan Douglas) is a school teacher who inherits his family’s ancestral estate, Baldurrock House, in the remote Scottish Highlands when his estranged mother dies.  She also leaves him a letter reminding him of the reason he left the home and why he must never return there.  Upon reading the letter, Jamie’s subconscious memories start to surface and he is once again being haunted by his past.

 

James discusses his mother’s death and his growing concern about his past with his childhood friend and coworker, Allen Milton (Jamie Gordon) who assures him he is just going through the grief of losing his mother.  We also discover Allen is going through his own trials with the illness of his father. 

To discover what is behind his long lasting terror, James returns to his childhood home, a large, old mansion in the remote Scottish countryside.  Upon his arrival he meets Eve “Evie” Turner (Lexy Hulme), a beautiful young American woman who has been staying on the estate.  Evie is quite striking and extremely friendly and she quickly attracts the adoration of the lonely and increasingly terrified Jamie.  She helps him with his investigation to get to the root of his terror.

                           

Lurking on the estate is a tall, eerie, quite dapperly attired figure with an oversized owl head and long talons for its fingers.  What is the significance of this creature that Jamie knows he has seen in his childhood and adult nightmares?  The depth of his terror builds as he uncovers the truth of what happened at Baldurrock House and what is yet to happen.   

 

Director, Lawrie Brewster, has endeavored to make his film "Lord of Tears" in the vein of classic British chillers like "The Wicker Man", "The Haunting" and "The Innocents".  The multi-talented, Sarah Daly not only penned the screenplay, she also wrote and performed some of the hauntingly beautiful vocal pieces on the soundtrack as musical artist Metaphorest.

 

Lawrie Brewster - Director

After working hard to make a polished horror film that created a unique and uncanny antagonist, the Owl Man, which drew inspiration from classic mythology and lore, ancient history and modern legends, the dynamic duo of Lawrie Brewster and Sarah Daly have been working overtime over the last year to get this film released.  They conducted a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, found additional funding and formed their new production company, Hex Media and along with producing partner, Dark Dunes Productions, successfully released the film this month.

Sarah Daly - Writer

Certain scenes from “Lord of Tears” will remain with you long after first viewing.  The wonderfully talented and beautiful Lexy Hume steals the show in some of her scenes especially her scene where Evie is performing an extravagant dance for Jamie in the main room.  Evie’s classic beauty is featured most in the scene where Jamie is in the swimming pool and she enters down the spiral staircase to join him – with the haunting melodies and vocals that Sara Daly (Metaphorest) has provided, the scene really shines.  The scenes of Moloch, the Owl Man, are truly eerie and the first time Jamie sees him appear in the forest brought chills down my spine. 

 

“Lord of Tears” is a supernatural and psychological thriller that knows how to build suspense and terror.  With very little blood, lots of uncanny imagery, characters we care about and a house that is a character in itself, the filmmakers were able to craft a very scary film which reminds me of the atmospheric horror chillers of my youth that I have always enjoyed the most in the horror genre.  

 

If you enjoy classic horror movies that immerse you into eerie atmosphere and build an uncanny sense of suspense, check out “Lord of Tears” – you won’t be disappointed.

 

"Lord of Tears" had its World Premiere on 10/25/2013 at the Bram Stoker International Film Festival. You can order the special collector’s edition DVD or Bluray, soundtrack CD and other Owl Man goodies direct from the Hex Media's website.

"Lord of Tears" trailer

Dolls

"Dolls" (1987) is a campy horror movie starring Ian Patrick Williams, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon & Carrie Lorraine about two groups of travelers who get stranded during a storm and end up at the mansion of an elderly doll maker and his wife.

Young Judy is traveling with her father and stepmother through the English countryside.  The stepmother is played by Carolyn Purdy-Gordon and she is delightfully cold and evil to her sweet stepdaughter.  They seek refuge from the storm at the Hartwicke's mansion and discover the elderly couple is very eccentric but welcoming and that every room is filled with handmade dolls and toys made by the man.  Judy is very intrigued by all the toys but the dolls of course are more than they seem.

Shortly thereafter, three more people arrive, mild-mannered Ralph and the two British punk rock girls that he picked up hitchhiking in the storm.  Everyone gets a meal and a room and they all settle in for the night.  The night is when everything starts coming alive, including all the dolls in the house and they aren't nice innocent dolls either, they are filled with evil!

I really enjoyed this movie!  It is campy and fun.  The Gothic English mansion is nice and eerie and having everyone end up wandering the huge house at night brings the requisite scares.  The toys are eerie and scary too.

6 Souls

"6 Souls" (2010) starring Julianne Moore, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jeffrey DeMunn  is a supernatural horror thriller about a forensic psychiatrist investigating a man with multiple personalities.

Cara Harding (Moore) is a forensic psychiatrist who is also a devout Christian.  She is able to balance the sometimes conflicting beliefs well in her life even though she is put to the test being a single mother to her young daughter after her husband was murdered.  Her father Dr. Harding (Demunn) is also a psychiatrist and calls her in to consult on one of his patients.  

Cara meets the patient David (Rhys Meyers) who is wheelchair bound and after conducting some tests doesn't find anything wrong with him.  While watching through the window, her father calls him and he answers and after violently convulsing, he is Adam.  Cara digs deeper into his files and is soon deep into an investigation that will lead to discovering more of his personalities.  

She discovers his personalities are actually based on real people that are dead.  She will discover that maybe it isn't just a shattered mind in this patient's body but something that will put her scientific and religious beliefs to the test.  

"6 Souls" is a pretty good supernatural thriller.   It has its creepy moments.  Jonathan Rhys Meyers is excellent playing the multiple personalities including some sinister characters.  Julianne Moore plays a smart woman in jeopardy who will do what she can to save herself and her family.  It's a good movie to rent for the evening.

Beautiful Creatures

"Beautiful Creatures" (2012) starring Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson and Viola Davis   is supernatural romantic drama about witches in the South.

Teenager Ethan Wate (Ehrenreich) has always lived in the small town of Gatlin, South Carolina.  He yearns to get out of the town that stifles his creativity and bans all the books he finds interesting.  When new student Lena Duchannes (Englert) arrives to town, things start to get interesting.  Lena lives with her reclusive and very eccentric Uncle Macon (Irons) in a mansion just outside of town.  The townsfolk imagine all kinds of strange, un-Christian goings-on at the mansion and that attitude immediately reflects on Lena who has a hard time fitting in at school.  Of course Ethan, even though he is popular at school, feels like he is an outsider and immediately falls for Lena.

He soon discovers Lena isn't the usual girl next door!  She is a witch, or as they like to be called in this film - a caster, who is trying to learn to control  formidable powers.  Lena will soon turn 16 and on her sixteenth birthday her true nature will come out and her powers will thereafter be used for the light (good) or dark (evil).  All her extended family is coming to town for a caster holiday and they are a very eclectic bunch.

Ethan soon discovers from family friend Amma (Davis) that his family and Lena's are connected in the past and a curse from that past may soon affect Ethan and Lena.  They must race to find a solution to this curse or Lena may inevitably go toward the dark.

"Beautiful Creatures" is a visually appealing movie with lush settings and eclectic characters.  It has lots of supernatural powers, interesting characters (including Emma Thompson playing a local religious woman who tries to direct the townsfolk against Lena and her family) and teen romance.  If you like the "Twilight" movies, you'll probably enjoy this movie too.