Dave Ball R.I.P. [1959 - 2025]

Dave Ball, legendary keyboard player and producer of Soft Cell has died at the age of 66.

His fellow band member, Marc Almond paid tribute: “He was a wonderfully brilliant musical genius … Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the music you gave me. I wouldn’t be where I am without you”.

Soft Cell’s debut album Non Stop Erotic Cabaret was a favourite of mine for many, many years. I must have devoured every song, album, 12” remix and remix collection a dozen times and never tired of their sleazy, dark and emotional synth pop music. They were pioneers in so many ways and to say they were an influence on both members of Freudstein would be an understatement. While Marc Almond may have been the front man, Dave Ball’s songwriting, production and analogue synthesis skills meant than no one else sounded like Soft Cell. And they never will.

In a strange twist of fate, the duo recently completed a new Soft Cell album entitled Danceteria days before Ball’s death, and is due for release in 2026.

Rest In Peace and thanks for all the music.

Top 10 Animal Horror Films Of All Time

Welcome to that time of year where we look back at another horror sub genre for Halloween. This year we will be uncaging Animal Horror and considering the long and lost history of man versus nature classics.

So sit down beside the fireplace with your dead childhood pets and reminisce about burying them in the back garden. Just dont flush that baby crocodile down the toilet when your're bored of looking after it. They only come back bigger.

Watch the Top 10 animal horror movies below.

In descending order of greatness:

10. Willard [1971]

This creepy low budget B movie focuses on a sweet natured teenage boy, Willard, who uses his psychic powers to control hoardes of rampaging rats to wreak revenge on the adults who bullied him and made his life a misery.

Starring Bruce Davison and Elsa Lanchester, this film is a slow burning study of teenage rebellion which never fails to surprise with the delicious depths of the main characters’ penchant for violence. This film is easily confused with the very similar Ben movie due to an identical rat premise but I’ve always found Willard to be a darker and more biting affair.

Willard was remade in 2003 starring the excellent Crispin Glover in the title role.

9. Cocaine Bear [2023]

Cocaine Bear is perhaps the most famous of recent animal horror films, and despite being critically panned, this rabid Paddington Bear CGI monstrosity deserves a special mention for it’s black humour and surprisingly blood soaked scenery.

The film is based on the true story of a bear discovering a cache of cocaine in Oregan and going on a wild rampage. That’s about it. But the film never takes itself too seriously and features some stand out scenes of hilarity. It was also famously directed by the actress Elizabeth Banks.

None of this makes a lot of sense when you consider all the random elements that had to come together to make this bizarre film - but savour the fact it exists at all.

8. Razorback [1984]

I remember watching this under appreciated low budget Australian horror when it first came out on VHS. Like Jaws, it somehow took rare animal attacks and turned them into an everday possibility. Especially when Razorback centres on a rampaging wild boar - basically a killer pig -in the Australian outback which was unlikely to happen in your local suburban town.

I still have vivid images of the climax in the canning factory at the finale which made this low budget classic look like a million dollar Hollywood production.

7.Lake Placcid [1999]

Any animal horror film list needs to include Lake Placcid purely because it is completely tongue in cheek and intentionally bad - but that’s half the fun. The black humour and bad acting carry this classic across the line when the film opens with an animal attack at a lake in Maine. This event leads to the local sheriff calling in New York paleontologists when a dinosaur tooth is discovered and a giant crocodile is suspected to be on the loose.

This movie has a famous Hollywood cast starring Brendan Gleeson as Sheriff Hank Keough, Bill Pullman and Bridget Fonda, and Oliver Platt, all doing their best to overdramatise the situtation. It proved so popular that it birthed a further two sequels which I’ve never bothered to watch.

6. Piranha [1978]

Literally following in the watery wake of Jaws, Roger Corman’s low budget B movie classic cashes in and retreads the danger at sea / lake premise. It features some terrifying underwater scenes of rampant pirhana attacks, but whereas Jaws only alluded to the horror (and left it to the audience’s imagination) Corman revelled in the sea change of blood red waters. Ferocious attacks leave bodies picked clean of their flesh with skeletons left floating to the bottom of the ocean. A horror B movie classic.

5. Alligator [1980]

I’m not sure which came first, Alligator the film, or Alligator the urban myth. Some people may remember an urban myth circulating around the Big Apple for many years where Alligators lived in the sewers of New York city after children flushed their pet baby alligator down the toilet.

This gritty film features an early starring role for the Oscar nominated actor, Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) and is the logical conclusion of urban myth into reality. A Hollywood cash-in.

The film climaxes in a flood when the alligators burst through the drain covers to attack New York citizens. Or perhaps I imagined it? Maybe it’s another part of the myth. Either way this horror classic deserves to live on in people’s imaginations and fears.

4. Cujo [1983]

Famously based on one of Stephen King’s worst books, Cujo is a simple affair about a family dog that contracts rabies and turns against its owners. The film is surprisingly well made and isn’t that unrealistic when you consider XL Bully dog attacks kill owners every day.

King cleverly took something ordinary and elevated it into every parent’s worst nightmare - the family pet - but then sadly didn’t take the premise much further until Pet Cemetary. Despite the narrative shortcomings, Cujo is a gruesome and intense classic because of Dee Wallace’s emotionally committed performance as a mother trying to protect her children from the relentless St Bernard dog attacks. Perhaps owning pets that are larger than you isn’t such a good idea.

Fun fact: Cujo was an allegory for King’s personal nemesis, alcoholism, and he had no memory of writing it.

3. Food Of The Gods [1976]

This 1970’s Canadian classic plays it straight and throws every cute furry animal known to man at the audience. No animal is spared. While some films had a single giant shark or crocodile, the Food Of The Goods upped the ante and delivered thousands of giant killer rats and giant killer bunnies. It’s cheap, it’s low budget, it’s fantastic.

This man versus nature film features a committed performance from Marjoe Gortner, a classic 1970s ubiquitous actor who appeared in every B movie from Starcrash to Earthquake, trying to shepherd his family to safety. But the practical in camera effects really are the star of the show - the giant attacking furry paws and toy furry faces maybe less so.

2. Jaws [1975]

Let’s get this out of the way. Everyone loves Jaws. It’s a great film based on a novel by Peter Benchley, but controversially, it’s not my favourite animal horror film. But is it even a horror film?

There is very little blood or gore on display but Jaws proved that a horror film could leave everything to the audience’s imagination and its impact upon society changed the way people viewed the seaside, and even the local swimming pool. It meant noone was safe. In fact, it’s interesting how we misremember its key scenes of horror - which are few and far between - when we consider it was rated a PG.

Steven Spielberg famously had a terrible time shooting Jaws due to the constant mechanical failure of Bruce the shark which rendered much of the footage unuseable. He nearly abandonded the project but then Verna Fields, a relatively unknown film editor, changed the course of Spielberg’s career and deliberately ommited the shark footage to build tension and fear. It’s limited screen time made it more impactful, and her contribution made Jaws one of the most suspenseful horror movies of all time.

1. The Birds[1963]

Alfred Hitchcock invented the man versus nature premise of Animal Horror when he made The Birds.

Originally taken from a story by the British author, Daphne du Maurier, this film wedged in my brain for years as I tried to comprehend why the birds attacked humans? The film provides no explanation or inciting incident as the birds begin to flock together and attack in ever larger numbers. Ultimately, it’s irrelevant.

The narrative follows Melanie Daniels, played by Tippi Hedren, as a San Francisco socialite who pursues her boyfriend, Rod Taylor, to Bodega Bay where she is randomly struck by a seagull, foreshadowing the attack on the townsfolk. But it’s the films climatic scenes where Hitchcock employs a masterstroke of building tension as the birds gather outside a local schoolhouse. The indoor scenes are intercut with growing numbers of birds outside the building, poised to the attack the children when they leave. Hitchcock even adopts a birds eye view of the local town’s destruction when the birds attack - a technique used in Jaws underwater point of view shots.

The Birds is a triumph of horror and tension which heavily influenced the next generation of filmmakers. It is certainly the bleakest of Hitchcock’s films and reflects the growing pessimism at the heart of the 1960’s that would later flourish in the cinema of the 1970s.

And now a word from our host, Alfred Hitchcock…

The Changeling [1980]

I recently had the pleasure watching the cult horror 1980s classic, The Changeling, on the big screen.

The film’s premise is simple but soon develops into a compelling narrative when John Russell (George C Scott) loses his wife and child in a tragic accident. He retreats to New England to start a new life and rents a local haunted house, only to discover a mysterious child entity called Joseph can sense his grief and refuses to rest until Russell uncovers the truth of the boy’s death.

The Changeling is one of those films that sounds familiar and employs so many traditional haunted house film tropes that you may even think you have seen it before. The film initally seems straightforward but soon takes a left turn into the dark and delirious, supernatural and intense, with echoes of The Omen, The Haunting, and other 1970s classics.

Highly recommended.

Watch The Changeling trailer here:

The Keeper Trailer 2025]

The horror film director, Osgood Perkins, is building a reputation for writing and directing unhinged and dark humoured low budget modern horror films. His last two films, Longslegs starring Nicholas Cage and The Monkey starring Theo James, were critical and commercial successes, especially with hardcore horror fans. Now Osgood returns with his latest creeping nightmare, The Keeper.

The Keeper’s narrative is somewhat of a mystery but judging by the trailer’s cabin in the woods horror trope backdrop we’re in for an unpleasant surprise when a couple retreat to the forest for a romantic anniversary.

Fun fact: The director, Osgood Perkins, is the son of actor Anthony Perkins from Psycho infamy.

The Keeper is released on November 14th, 2025.

Watch The Keeper trailer below:

Almost Free Audio Plugins - Purafied Audio Everything Bundle

Purafied Audio, founded by producer & mix engineer Sam Pura, are offering their entire catalogue of professional audio plugins for a ridiculously measly retail price. The Everything Bundle has a retail value of $473 but is currently available for £2.00 for a limited time only. Yes, that’s £2.00. Not £200.

I’ll let Purafied Audio explain from here : "A remedy for your well-founded FOMO. Let’s be clear, this is every last plugin we’ve ever made. Not only did we save you the time inevitably adding each one to your cart, but we accidentally made it cheaper too. Our accountant still doesn’t know."

The Everything Bundle includes:

8 hardware compressor models, from invisible to nuclear
50 bowel-shaking room responses with absurd versatility
2 kick-ass amp models from a kick-ass album
the last tone shaper you’ll ever use
500+ explosive snare samples from the plugin that started it all
70+ knobs, if you’re into that
over 25 years of experience making records

https://purafied.com/products/the-everything-bundle

Adam Curtis and Ari Aster Interview [2025]

Read an interview with Adam Curtis, the revered documentary maker of Shifty, HyperNormalisation and Can’t Get You Out Of My Head and Ari Aster, the horror film director of Eddington, Hereditary and Midsommar, in conversation. Both filmmakers attempt to make sense of some of the biggest political and social problems in an age of nostalgia and disconnection.

You can read the recent interview here:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/aug/08/adam-curtis-ari-aster-eddington-interview-covid-politics

Dead Talents Society [2025]

Dead Talents Society is a whole lot of spooky fun in the afterlife as dead people compete to scare the living and become urban legends.

This wacky Taiwanese comedy horror riffs on Ringu and Beetlejuice and really should have found a larger audience. It’s dead good so don’t miss it.

Dead Talents Society is available on video on demand now.

Watch the trailer below:

Adam Curtis Gets ‘Shifty’ Documentary [2025]

Adam Curtis returns in 2025 with another mind blowing documentary series called ‘Shifty’.

From what I understand, ‘Shifty’ focuses on the financial decisions that led to the erosion of Truth and belief in authoritarism in our society and media courtesy of Silvio Berlusconi, Boris Johnson and Donald Trump who reeked havoc with lies and propoganda, leaving people with nothing left to believe in except a vacuum where mistrust breeds conspiracy, and ultimately control.

You can read a new Adam Curtis interview about the themes of his new series here:

https://www.frieze.com/article/adam-curtis-interview-2025

Personally, I think we are witnessing the slow painful death of the Fourth Estate in a world where checks and balances are removed and truth is now a subjective digital currency of the disinformation age.

Shifty is available to watch on the BBC iPlayer now.

Watch the Shifty trailer trailer below:

Free Soft Synth - Universal Audio PolyMAX Synth

Universal Audio are offering their PolyMAX synth, which usually retails at $99, as a free download. Although deceptively simple, this free synth is capable of analogue Juno inspired sounds through the use of two oscillators and a variety of tape delay and vintage spring reverb effects.

Check out the press release :

"The PolyMAX is our vintage-inspired synth that gives producers, sound designers, and musicians fat analog tones from the golden age of polysynthesis. PolyMAX's warm, analog-modeled oscillators and filters, professional UA effects, and curated presets easily fit into any genre — with album‑ready sounds instantly."

This download will be available until the end of June so download it while you can.

https://www.uaudio.com/products/polymax-synth

Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke Collaboration - Tall Tales LP [2025]

The new Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke Tall Tales collaboration LP is shaping up to be a glorious demented piece of art and music. The pair have previously worked together on the Beautiful People track together, but Tall Tales marks their first full length LP, which has been years in the making.

The insane music videos by Jonathan Zawada are taken from the upcoming short film and will be screened in independent cinemas across the country on May 8th. Find a participating cinema using the link below.

The Tall Tales LP is be available to buy on May 9th.

http://tall-tales.info/

Messiah Of Evil [1974]

Long considered a cult gem, Messiah Of Evil, is an atmospheric zombie B movie classic that has recently been restored to its former glory with a remaster and inclusion of its original electronic soundtrack.

The story concerns a young girl (Marianna Hill) in search of her missing father in a town at the end of the world where she descended into madness. Or was it an encounter with an evil soon to overcome the world? Although this slow burning classic is bereft of gore and almost entirely bloodless, it's ominous tone, powerful imagery and unique premise make this worth watching in a saturated genre.

Starring Marianna Hill as Arletty and Anitra Ford as the mesmerising Laura, it also features a cameo by Elisha B Cook as a spooky and wise drunken vagrant. It's also worth noting that the appearance of zombie shoppers predates George Romero's Dawn Of The Dead satire on consumerism by at least four years.

Watch the full film on Youtube now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkyLGNX-7Rk

Black Mirror Returns [2025]

After a two year wait, Netflix has finally announced the return of Black Mirror in April 2025.

Series seven of Charlie Brooker’s seminal techno horror TV anthology show returns with brand new episodes and hints at revisiting two of its most revered episodes - USS Callister from series four, and the Bandersnatch interactive special featuring Will Poulter.

Series six maintained a meta heavy focus that saw Black Mirror looking inward with horror narratives playing out on the fictional Streamberry TV platform in a parody of Netflix. Although not entirely successful, there were memorable episodes, especially the show’s finale Demon 79 episode which ramped up the horror with a more conventional story as part of Brooker’s Red Mirror flirtation with supernatural storylines.

Whatever happens, Black Mirror Series Seven will be nothing less than shocking, prescient, entertaining and horrorific must watch television. Prepare to see your future on April 10th 2025.

Watch the new Black Mirror trailer below:

Hammer Horror’s Ithaqua [2025]

Hammer Horror are back from the dead. Having released Doctor Jekyll [2023] they have finally announced their latest film production, Ithaqua.

Ithaqua will be directed by Casey Walker who has previous form as director of the excellent The Void [2016] HP Lovecraft inspired tale of cults and inter-dimensional gateways to evil.

I'm a fan of Hammer's classic Abominable Snowman [1957] starring Peter Cushing so I have high hopes for this similar release. According to the Hammer Horror press release : "Set in the brutal wilderness of 1800s Canada, the fur trade is in decline and a remote outpost is starving. A mercenary fights to unite the survivors against the cold, the hunger… and something far worse. A dark force is watching. Waiting. And those who fall into its grasp are cursed with an insatiable hunger for flesh.

Hammer Horror’s legacy continues with Ithaqua, now in production, starring Luke Hemsworth, Kevin Durand, Michael Pitt, Craig Lauzon & Leenah Robinson, and directed by Casey Walker.

This is horror as it was meant to be: terrifying and utterly unforgettable."

Aphex Twin - Music From The Merch Desk (2016 - 2023) LP [2025]

Honestly, you wait nine years for a new Aphex Twin album, then he surprises everyone by dropping a new 38 track LP, Music From The Merch Desk (2016 - 2023) overnight.

Music From The Merch Desk (2016 - 2023) collects rare 12” records sold exclusively at Aphex Twin gigs on the merchandise stall - the only problem was that they sold out before most people could buy one. The compilation is a treasure trove of 38 playful tracks and experiments, classic AFX acid, idiosyncratic beats, and unexpected highlights. My favourite so far is “01-015-Aphex Twin-T165 MADMA with nastya [London 030617]” which echoes classic Selected Ambient Works riffing over Analord beats.

The album has been officially compiled with a truly terrible album cover that pays homage to a meme of an unofficial Aphex Twin t-shirt sold by an enterprising rascal on Bubble or Etsy.

Music From The Merch Desk (2016 - 2023) is available on Warp Records and digital download now.

https://bleep.com