Review of 31 (2016) by Harry W — 10 Dec 2016

Veering harshly from the artsy and experimental Lords of Salem and the pitch black, gothic H2, Zombie crafts 31 from yet again another new branch of cinema, a more "fun" kind of horror. There is really nothing serious here at all and not much at all to get our teeth into, I'd say it's more a great film to watch on Halloween with a few drinks, not that you need alcohol to enjoy it, unlike perhaps House of 1000 Corpses.

Sheri Moon Zombie is once again the main staple and holds the film together with probably her best performance to date. Richard Brake is absolutely fantastic and is really terrifying as Doom Head, the titular centre-frame of the poster villain.

The heroes of the flick are far more compelling than the villains (not sure if I'm disappointed or happy with that). I would really like to have seen some actual investigation into the clowns and the ringleaders, there's literally no motive and no explanation into the game of "31".

There's alot of good supporting performances for example from Meg Foster, Elizabeth Daly and Jeff Daniel Phillips, but Malcolm McDowell and Judy Geeson are completely wasted. Music is as always good, as is expected from a Zombie film.