Viewings: March 2026

Back from Hell like Run D.M.C.

John Waters's Cecil B. Demented may be a step down from his previous efforts, but its biting satire on a creatively bankrupt film industry, underground cinephiles and puritanical general audience is just as cutting today as it was decades ago. The tattoo scene is a personal highlight as it validates my own opinion that H.G. Lewis, the godfather of gore, is worthy of being amongst the great auteurs of cinema.

Film:

Curse of the Devil (Carlos Aured, 1973)

Carry On Emmanuelle (Gerald Thomas, 1978)

Cecil B. Demented (John Waters, 2000)

Marty Supreme (Josh Safdie, 2025)

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Nia DaCosta, 2026)

Cold Storage (Jonny Campbell, 2026)

Primate (Johannes Roberts, 2026)

Scream 7 (Kevin Williamson, 2026)

Send Help (Sam Raimi, 2026)

Whistle (Corin Hardy, 2026)

Television:

Mastermind - Episodes 23-28 (Various, 2025 / 2026)

 

Dada Debaser Notes:

• Always knew Carry On Emmanuelle was a terrible film, but seeing it all the way through, for the very first time, was legitimately shocking. The worst effort in the entire franchise.
• Marty Supreme was nothing but ugly looking characters shouting at one another. A gruelling viewing experience, thanks to its laborious run time.
• Whistle's haunted maze scene is a great sequence from what's otherwise a derivative and predictable mash-up of the Final Destination and Smile films.
• The best moments in Sam Raimi's Send Help are when he's completely off his leash and gets to deliver his over-the-top style, such as Rachel MacAddams hunting a terribly CGI rendered wild boar.
• Glad someone was savvy enough to realise that the most entertaining moments from Jordan Peele's overrated Nope (2022) was the killer chimp. Thus, we have Primate. Unfortunately, it's ridden with the most dumbest and boring collective of Gen Z teens which make this surprisingly gory effort a real drag sit through.
• Hats off to Nia DaCosta for getting two fantastic performances out of Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and still managing to deliver only a conventionally  passable sequel. This latest instalment lacks the creativity, eccentricity and world-building of its predecessor, as well as it feeling like a side-story than the second act in a trilogy. The Iron Maiden scene is admittedly great, however:

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple | Iron Maiden Scene

Nia DaCosta | 2026