Indie
[Fantasia ’15 Review] ‘The Demolisher’: A Beautiful, Unconventional Vigilante Study
Revenge never goes out of style. It’s one of cinema’s benchmark themes and as far as reliabilities go, it’s hard not to root for the vigilante. In his new film The Demolisher, Canadian filmmaker Gabriel Carrer takes the vigilante motif and turns it on its head. The story plays with our sympathies and jostles around genre conventions until our moral compass is a bleeding pulp. With sparse dialogue and even slimmer exposition, The Demolisher is a strongly singular genre film that’s as gorgeous as it is remarkable.
Bruce (Ry Barrett) is an Internet repairman by day and riot gear-adorned vigilante by night. What turned him towards a life of revenge was the horrible assault on his wife, Samantha (Tianna Nori), a former cop now confined to a wheelchair. The gang that assaulted Samantha wears giant gorilla faces on their clothing, which is a huge help for Bruce, whose obsession with vengeance begins to consume his life to the point of a complete mental breakdown. Soon his reality and relationship with his wife begin to crumble, leading him to target possibly innocent people on his warpath.
With a slim amount of dialogue, Barrett manages to display the traumatizing thirst for retribution that consumes Bruce. When he’s in his riot gear, Bruce is a god. Without the helmet, Kevlar, and baton, he’s a tortured, broken man that finds no comfort in everyday life. Paralleling his story is Marie (Jessica Vano), a young woman who’s experienced her own fair share of trauma. When their paths cross, Bruce channels his fury on Marie and they begin a devastating cat-and-mouse chase through Toronto.
One of the only moments in a revenge film that I can recall succinctly examining the psychological damage that vigilantism enacts is that scene in Death Wish where Charles Bronson swings the sock full of quarters around in a dizzying rage. The Demolisher is like that scene but 90 minutes long and fucking beautiful. Carrer’s approach to the theme of revenge is astute and wicked visual. Some of the shots (particularly the night ones) are downright stunning and the juxtaposition of a man decked out in riot gear walking down a peaceful, quiet street is jarring. But despite its title, The Demolisher isn’t interested in violence. The moments of brutality are scant, so when they do occur, they’re wicked effective. The film is much more concerned with violence’s consequences and the toll they take on the people.
Almost dream-like in its visuals, The Demolisher is a powerful, jolting entry in the vigilant genre. It’s an unconventional character study that challenges its audience to take sides. We will inevitably root for Marie to escape Bruce’s misplaced rage, of course, but what of the delusional vigilante who the world has stomped all over?
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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