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[Nightmares Film Festival ’16] Day Four Recap & Awards

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In many ways, this was a quieter day, but one no less eventful. The final day of Nightmares Film Festival showcased 4 narrative features, one documentary feature, and almost 30 short films.  The day began with an excellent block of shorts with quite a few standouts. such as Vessel and Mauvaises Tetes (aka Bad Heads).

Next came Diary of a Deadbeat. A documentary centered around the life and career of unique genre filmmaker Jim Van Bebber, it was a fascinating look behind the curtain on a cult figure within the industry. Best known for his films Deadbeat at Dawn (1988) and The Manson Family (2003), Van Bebber’s career has seen many a peak and valley ever since he first picked up a camera. Diary was not only my favorite film of the day, but perhaps of the entire festival. It also did the best thing that any biographical documentary can do: it has me wanting to revisit its subject’s work.

The rest of the features continued the festival’s habit of showcasing wildly different films. Frankenstein Created Bikers was a massive slice o’ exploitation throwback cinema, whereas Rhyme Slaya was a far more modern, hip hop-infused take on slasher and whodunit cinema. While I unfortunately had to miss out on both Vile Prey and Cannibillies, I can only imagine they continued to push the fest’s programming into new and interesting directions as the night closed out.

Back on the short film front, the second block of the day was just as memorable as all of the others across the weekend. In addition to finally seeing the much-raved about Gwilliam, there was a lot of fun to be had. From the sweetness of Big Boy to the eeriness of Innsmouth to the gooeyness of The Backpage, it was a fitting final block of short-form storytelling in what has been a great time at the movies for me.

As I said at the start of these daily reports, it has been a rollercoaster ride of an experience. Have I loved everything I watched across with three days at the festival? Of course not. Again, as I said back at the start of all of this, variety is the spice of life, especially when it comes to horror. After all, just because I wasn’t digging what was on the screen, it doesn’t mean that others weren’t. Not a screening went by where part of the audience was reacting joyously to what unfolded. There was never a dull moment across any of the screenings I attended.

Part of that has to do with the filmmaking, but a well-planned festival and an utterly game audience were equally as important. There really is nothing like watching a bunch of features and shorts with a room full of horror fans. The laughs, the gasps, and even the occasional dead silence all add to the experience. In the end, the community that an event like this fosters is just as integral as the films themselves. As far as I am concerned, Gateway Film Center’s Nightmares Film Festival is off to a great start and I look forward to returning to Columbus and attending again next year.

There will be some more film specific coverage of the festival rolling out in the coming days, so keep your eyes peeled. You can find my recaps for the other days I attended here and here. Below, in addition to Day Four’s slate, you will also find a list of the festivals award winners. If you’re looking for suggestions of what to seek out (outside of my own tastes), look no further…

Day Four – Sunday, October 23rd
Thriller Shorts A
Diary of a Deadbeat
Frankenstein Created Bikers
Midnight Shorts A
Rhyme Slaya
Vile Prey
Cannibillies

Nightmares1

The Film From Hell (Best of the Festival) – The Night of the Virgin (aka La Noche del Virgen)

Esprit de Gore – Bridget Oliver

Feature Film Awards
Best Overall Feature – Family Possessions
night-mareBest Horror Feature – The Barn
Best Thriller Feature – Chicago Rot
Best Midnight Feature – Night of Something Strange
Best Director – She Was So Pretty
Best Cinematography – Pitchfork
Best Screenplay – Quad X
Best Actor – Ryan LaPlante (Holy Hell)
Best Actress – Ellie Church (Plank Face)

Short Film Awards
Best Overall Short – Cauchemar Capitonné
Best Horror Short – The Babysitter Murders
Best Thriller Short – North Austin Thriller
Best Midnight Short – The Law of Sodom
Best Director – Vessel
Best Cinematography – John the Carpenter
Best Screenplay – Night of the Slasher
Best Actor – Lukas Hassel (Into the Dark)
Best Actress – Najarra Townsend (The Stylist)
Best Horror Comedy – Chomp
Best Ohio Film – Killer Deal

 

Devourer of film and disciple of all things horror. Freelance writer at Bloody Disgusting, DVD Active, Cult Spark, AndersonVision, Forbes, Blumhouse, etc. Owner/operator at The Schlocketeer.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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