When I first saw the marketing for Longlegs, it was love at first sight.

An artsy trailer about a murder mystery with heavy hints of the ‘ol satanic panic. The PR boxes with secret codes. The phone number with creepy messages.

Horror fans flocked to any glimpse of the film, namely – what Nicholas Cage would look like. My expectations were set high.

The movie follows Lee Harker – a young, detached FBI agent – tackling her first case. The case being to track down an occultist serial killer who goes by the name Longlegs.

The film spends a nice chunk of time setting up Lee and the case. As expected, it’s a murder mystery fanatics dream.

The mystery lies in how Longlegs could manipulate numerous fathers to murder their families and themselves.
With no evidence that a killer ever entered their homes, they could’ve been mistaken for murder-suicides. But then there’s the cryptic messages left at each scene. And the fact that each family had a daughter born on the 14th.

The unravelling of the mystery took on an interesting and somewhat erratic pace. Lee solves clues incredibly fast, due to the narrative aid of her psychic abilities.

The visual style and sound design were masterful, and carried a lot of the movie. With lingering shots – I would’ve raved about in film school – and harrowing flash cuts, I was engrossed.

The third act is when the movie started going downhill for me.

Instead of offering something fresh and gritty, the last half hour reduces the film to cliche and the over-used theme of a possessed doll.

Even worse, they completely disregard the main reason that Longlegs was never caught. Spoiler alert, there was someone in the house.

So much time had been spent setting up this creepy, odd-ball occultist killer, just to have the answers feel so subpar. Especially for avid horror fans who were expecting a little bit more pizazz.

Overall, I rate this movie pretty high, despite its narrative flaws.

Nicholas Cage gave a goofy yet eerie performance. The film was crafted beautifully and delivered a high level of suspense.

It was a fresh take on the genre, but was let down in the end by using cheap cliche. It just didn’t quite find its feet – or should I say legs?

But hey, at least the movie is split into parts so you can easily track where the movie started to go downhill.

The post Longlegs (Neon – 2024) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – Horror awaits an American nun in an Italian convent.

Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney), a woman of devout faith, is warmly welcomed to the picture-perfect Italian countryside where she is offered a new role at an illustrious convent.

But it becomes clear to Cecilia that her new home harbours dark and horrifying secrets.

A dark, creepy thrill ride of a film, Immaculate releases to cinema’s on the 21st March 2024.

Thanks to our mates at Neon, STG Play has FIVE double passes to giveaway.

To enter in the draw for a Double Pass to Immaculate, you need to answer this question correctly:

Tell us what you think has been the creepiest horror film you’ve watched. There is no wrong or right answer, but keep it brief.

You can give us your answer by placing a comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email.

Important stuff: Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / DM / Email in accordance to the above Question. Winner(s) will receive a single Double Pass for the film Immaculate. Immaculate is age rated R in New Zealand. Competition ends on the 17th of March 2024. Only New Zealand entries are accepted for this promotion.

The post Be in to Win a Double Pass to IMMACULATE appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

With a narrative driven film, characters and acting are going to play a very important part in executing the story and script.

For Little Woods, the film was able to get two Hollywood actresses Tessa Thompson and Lily James who have certainly made a name for themselves in such films as Thor Ragnarok and Baby Driver.

In Little Woods, Thompson and James play sisters who struggle to pay back their recently passed Mother’s mortgage. With drug selling and unwanted pregnancy involved, Little Woods soon becomes your typical small-town indie drama, but that doesn’t mean to say it isn’t gripping enough to keep you interested throughout the film.

The leading ladies worked well with the script, but I will admit that I wasn’t always interested in what they were doing on screen or have an emotional connection with the characters. It’s always a bit hard to see ‘big’ actors working on smaller, straight to DVD projects after the blockbusters because you expect great things from their future projects and image them in big productions from then on out. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great seeing actors work on smaller films and helping bring smaller productions out into the spotlight. I’m not going to deny, I wanted to watch Little Woods purely because its starred Lily James and Tessa Thompson. Most actors that have ‘made it’ though, have tended to say that they do this because they can afford to choose whatever role they want as money is no longer an issue.

Pacing was something I struggled with whilst watching Little Woods and often found it a tad boring at places. It made me think that if all the unnecessary moments were taken out, Little Woods could easily make a pretty decent short film.

The themes explored were heavy and would hit home for a lot of people, but I felt as though we only got a mere glimpse into how deep one could dive into these themes. As I always say though, a film under two hours can feel limiting, but as mentioned earlier, a lot of Little Woods’ content dragged on and felt unnecessary so perhaps better decisions could have been made with the script and prioritizing.

Fans of Lily James and Tessa Thompson will enjoy seeing more of their work as actors but may come out the other end disappointed and bored.

Despite seasoned actors, Little Woods didn’t push them enough to have any real impact on the viewer and ultimately leave the audience wanting more.

The post Little Woods (Defiant Films / Neon – 2019) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Today Traxmaster Software revealed to us here at STG that the upcoming 2.5D combat platformer, Exception, will launch on PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on August 13th, 2019.

To mark the occasion, the one man indie developer today released a gameplay trailer (above) showcasing the unique Level shifting mechanic, which combines two-dimensional action with a three-dimensional world, that offers that oomph platforming fans are looking for.

“As an avid gamer myself I’ve found that platforming games have gradually become more and more difficult, so I decided to create something new for the genre – Exception gives players the opportunity to choose your own play style and reward you for it,” said Will Traxler, Founder of Traxmaster Software. “I am really looking forward to the release and hope everyone will enjoy this fresh twist on the platforming genre!”

In Exception an old woman’s computer has been taken over by ‘Titan’, a totalitarian virus set to destroy the operating system. Players take on the role of a hero who must vanquish the malicious invader that is crippling the system before it crashes. Using easy controls, traverse through timed byte-sized levels, overcome various obstacles and enemies as quickly as possible to secure a place on one of the online leaderboards catered to different playstyles.

Whether the player chooses an evasion tactic or straight up combat, Exception’s classic platforming experience features an innovative level shifting mechanic, which spices up the gameplay and reveals secret pathways and collectables.

Wishlist Exception on Steam or preorder the game on Nintendo Switch and Xbox One.

The post Exception Launch Date Announced appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The future may not be now, but it sure is close.

Strap yourself in for a brand new breed of extreme sports, because FutureGrind is about to launch.

Taking the form of an arcade stunt-racer that’s all about tricks, skill, and speed, jump into a futuristic, two-wheeled bike and rack up huge combos as you hunt for the perfect line, matching your coloured wheels with each track’s fiendish layout of rails.

This isn’t just about highscores, though. It’s the future, and this extreme sport comes complete with a robust story mode (and potential plot twists)! Take on the role of a newly-sponsored rider, keen to make your mark on the pro circuit as you compete on some of the most mind-bending tracks known to man. As you continue to fight for your sponsor’s favour, discover the true nature or your new job and the implications it could have on the world around you…

Featuring a story mode with over 30 unique tracks that’ll have you testing the depths of your reflexes, 5 unlockable bikes offering multiple styles of play, and score attack mode, there’s no shortage of ways to show off your style. Compete for the highest score with a deep combo system that rewards creativity and will have you restarting tracks over and over to nail that perfect line.

Tying this all together is a thumping original soundtrack full of synths and saw waves by bignic.

FutureGrind slides onto Nintendo Switch, PC, and PS4 on January 22, 2019.

The post Grinding the Neon appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

It’s a brighter, bigger world of TV and movies with online streaming service NEON, launching on PlayStation 4 (PS4) and PlayStation 4 Pro (PS4 Pro) consoles today in New Zealand.

The NEON app is available now to download from PlayStation®Store (PS Store) and will give NEON customers on PS4, a seamless experience of streaming on the big screen through the console they already know and love.

For those looking for an innovative new way to watch NEON’s streaming content, they can do so through PlayStation VR (PS VR), the virtual reality system powered by PlayStation 4.  By embracing this new technology, NEON viewers can use PS VR’s cinematic mode to immerse themselves in a journey through the seven kingdoms of Westeros in Game of Thrones, experience the A.I populated futuristic western-themed park in Westworld or the epic battle between former allies, Captain America and Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War.

NEON GM, Cuan Gray commented, “What better way to expand NEON’s reach than to partner up with the most popular gaming console in New Zealand. Our content is the perfect accompaniment to PS4 with series like Fargo, Big Little Lies, The Walking Dead and Catastrophe, plus the much awaited Twin Peaks coming express in May. NEON also has an impressive selection of big blockbuster movies like X-Men Apocalypse, Independence Day: Resurgence and Warcraft and the upcoming Superman Returns.”

Krister Robinson, Head of Marketing, Sony Interactive Entertainment New Zealand said, “PlayStation 4 is not only the best place to play great games, it is also the best place to be entertained and building on the strong suite of entertainment services available on PS4 is a priority for us. With thousands of hours of content and a line-up of great new shows, we are thrilled to introduce the NEON app to New Zealand’s favourite current generation home console.”

For a free 30 day free trial head to neontv.co.nz to register then download the NEON app from the PlayStation Store now.

The post NEON Launched on PlayStation 4 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.