Editorials
The Best and Worst Horror Films at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival!
Film festivals are a hectic time for both the critics covering them and the readers reading about them. It can be alienating for readers to read a non-stop barrage of reviews for films that they themselves are unable to see and may not be able to see for months. It can also be easy to lose track of these films in the months following a festival’s end. So rather than have you track down all of the different reviews for these films, we’ve put them all in one handy article for you to bookmark. The following 10 films were all of the horror films present at the SXSW Film Festival this year, and they have been ranked from worst to best.
The Worst
10. Blood Fest
It’s a shame that the meta horror comedy Blood Fest doesn’t work nearly as well as it should because the premise is so great. In the film, teenage Dax (Robbie Kay) sneak into Blood Fest, a horror lover’s wet dream of an event in which several acres of land are divided into sub-genres for guests to traverse like a haunted house, with his friends. Once there, the gates are locked and electrified as the emcee (the film’s writer/director, Owen Egerton) announces that the guests will all be murdered by Blood Fest’s costumed employees by sunrise.
From my review:
“Unfortunately, nothing about Blood Fest is witty. You can practically feel the film winking at you every time a character utters a one-liner or makes a comment about the rules of horror. Watching it, you imagine Egerton and Co. patting themselves on the backs after every take…There is a passion behind Blood Fest that is somewhat endearing, and you can’t help but admire Egerton for his efforts. If only the movie wasn’t a complete failure at what it tries to do: be fun. “
Blood Fest will be released on Rooster Teeth. No release date has been set.
9. The Ranger
How do you make a slasher movie about a psychotic park ranger killing a bunch of punks boring? Look no further than The Ranger, which manages to do exactly that.
From my review:
“The Ranger is ultimately a missed opportunity for the punk horror sub-genre. It may seem like I’m criticizing it for not being what I wanted it to be, but I would be okay with it being something different if it was good. What could have either been a ridiculously fun time or a suspense-filled slasher is instead reduced to a boring slog of a film. Filled with obnoxious characters and an unmemorable villain, there isn’t much to recommend about The Ranger. Fans of ’80s slashers might want to check it out if it gets distribution, but all others need not apply.”
I may not have liked The Ranger very much, but our own Justin Yandell offered up a more positive take on the film, writing:
“The Ranger isn’t going to be for everyone. But it’s not trying to be. At all. It’s an unapologetic movie fully confident in its own identity and central themes of self-acceptance and empowerment. This probably isn’t the correct nomenclature but, in that way, The Ranger is one of the most punk horror movies that has ever punked. It’s like a hot pink mohawk – if you’re not into it, it’s not meant for you anyway.”
The Ranger is currently seeking distribution. No release date has been set.
The Good
8. Upgrade
Upgrade is more of a sci-fi thriller than a straightforward horror film, but the fact that it is written and directed by Saw and Insidious scribe Leigh Whannell immediately makes it eligible for coverage. In this highly entertaining combination of Her and The Stepford Wives, a tetraplegic named Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green) is offered an experimental paralysis cure in the form of an implanted computer chip called STEM. Grey soon finds that the chip has a voice and a mind of its own.
From Meredith Border’s review:
“Upgrade is more fun to watch than a lot of low-budget sci-fi movies we see in festival or VOD settings. It’s really visually interesting, with warm and colorful tech replacing the sterile blues and greys typical of films like this. Upgrade looks more expensive than it almost definitely is, and that’s to Whannell’s credit. He does a lot with a little and crafts a really cool look at the near future. It’s a good-natured film that will never bore you, but don’t enter into it thinking you’re about to find a thoughtful, mature treatise on the dangers of over-reliance on technology. Upgrade is not that movie – even though it might think it is.”
I actually liked Upgrade more than Meredith did (it’s a 4/5 for me), but to each their own!
Blumhouse Tilt will release Upgrade on June 1, 2018.
7. What Keeps You Alive
Colin Minihan’s (Grave Encounters, It Stains the Sand Red) next feature is a tense and sometimes humorous survival horror film about a couple (Jigsaw‘s Hannah Emily Anderson and Brittany Allen) who learn some harsh truths about each other during a vacation to a remote cabin in the woods.
From my review:
“What Keeps You Alive is a solid thriller that works more often than it doesn’t thanks to the performances of Anderson and Allen. Those, combined with Minihan’s skilled direction, make for one of the better survival horror films to come out recently. Just don’t watch it with your spouse as it may plant a few seeds of doubt about who they really are.”
What Keeps You Alive is currently seeking distribution. No release date has been set.
6. Wildling
Word of advice: don’t watch the trailer for Wildling before you see it as it pretty much gives away the big reveal. Just wait a few weeks for IFC Midnight to release it, because it’s best watched knowing as little as possible.
From my review:
“Wildling is a solid debut feature for Böhm and features a magnetic performance from Bel Powley as well as some excellent creature and gore effects. The film loses its way a bit towards the end, but its heart is in the right place, making for a rather endearing viewing experience. If anything, the film leave you with a strong desire to see Böhm’s next film, whatever that may be.”
IFC Midnight will release Wildling in theaters and VOD on April 13, 2018.
The Best
5. Unfriended: Dark Web
Viewers who found the characters in the first Unfriended to be too insufferable will want to give its sequel Unfriended: Dark Web a chance, as the characters are much more likable this time around. In the film, a 20-something (Colin Woodell, Unsane) finds a cache of hidden files on his new laptop and is thrust into the deep waters of the dark web. Just like the first Unfriended, this thriller unravels in real-time, entirely on a computer screen.
From my review:
“Unfriended: Dark Web manages to simultaneously address and fix a lot of the problems that Unfriended had while still managing to have some problems of its own. Flaws aside, this is a sequel that is better than anyone could have hoped for and practically demands to be seen with a crowd. This isn’t high art, but it is a clever little sequel that aims to do more than just duplicate the original.”
Unfriended: Dark Web will be distributed by Universal Pictures. No release date has been set.
4. Ghost Stories
Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman adapt their stage play of the same name with Ghost Stories, a horror anthology that centers on Professor Phillip Goodman, who covers three incidents of supernatural ghost sightings. These include a night watchman in an old factory, a teenage driver whose car breaks down and a businessman who is awaiting the birth of his child
From Meredith Border’s review:
“Ultimately, Ghost Stories examines what’s behind our fear, the ways that our history and emotional makeup condition us to be afraid – and what’s behind our cynicism, our fierce determination to believe that the world is black and white and mundane. There are some serious jump-scares in here, but none of them feel cheap, despite the fact that “cheapness” is sort of the defining characteristic of a jump-scare. Instead, Ghost Stories is playing with our expectations and instincts, revealing a little more of what’s behind its clever curtain with every fright.”
IFC Midnight will release Ghost Stories in theaters and VOD on April 20, 2018.
3. Profile
In Timur Bekmambetov’s (Night Watch, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) Profile, freelance journalist Amy Whittaker creates a fake Facebook profile of a Muslim convert in order toto investigate the recruitment techniques used by ISIS to lure women into Syria as Jihadi brides. When an ISIS recruiter contacts her online character, Amy comes across an opportunity to experience the process first hand.
From Ari Drew’s review:
“Profile taps into very real fears tied up in technology, terrorism, and the unknown in novel ways. Moreover, Bekmambetov’s ability to elicit nail-biting tension simply via alerts, keystrokes, and clicks while simultaneously maintaining an engaging, character-centric story on a computer screen makes Profile especially noteworthy for a film of its ilk. Ultimately, Profile is proof that the truth can indeed be far more terrifying than the fiction we create.”
Profile is currently seeking distribution. No release date has been set.
2. A Quiet Place
John Krasinski proves himself to be adept at directing a horror film with A Quiet Place, a mostly silent film that will have viewers jumping out of their seats (or at least that’s what happened at the screening at SXSW). The film follows a family fighting to survive in a future where blind creatures hunt using sound.
From Ari Drew’s review:
“While audiences may be drawn in by the promise of monster-filled mayhem–which A Quiet Place no doubt delivers–many are sure to be pleasantly surprised by the genuine emotional beats the film hits amidst the scares. Ultimately, A Quiet Place succeeds because it transcends its core premise of a family struggling to simply survive, emerging instead as an equally engaging story of a family working every day to salvage meaning and hope in one another in a world where such concepts are all but lost.”
Paramount Pictures will release A Quiet Place in theaters nationwide on April 6, 2018.
1. Hereditary
What more can be said about Ari Aster’s debut feature Hereditary that hasn’t already been said? There’s no doubt about it: it was the best horror film screened at SXSW this year. Rather than hype the film up even more than it already has been, I’ll just leave you with this tidbit from my review:
“I can’t get the damn thing out of my head. Images from the film frequently pop up in my mind. I can’t stop hearing one particular sound effect from the final act (you’ll know it when you hear it). I’m seeing things in the shadows. I didn’t think the film had scared me, but I was very, very wrong. Hereditary will stick with you long after you’ve left the theater. You will want to talk about it. You will want to see it again (I most certainly do). It is a film that will no doubt reward the viewer on repeat viewings, that is if you can stomach it.”
A24 will release Hereditary in theaters nationwide on June 8, 2018.
College kids, strippers and vampires—those were Donald P. Borchers’ only requirements when he approached Richard Wenk about writing and directing a movie for New World Pictures. As requested, Wenk cooked up Vamp (1986), a tailor-made blend of the decade’s teen movie craze as well as its horror boom.
Grim and earnest stories were still very much a part of the ’80s horror landscape, yet Vamp is something of a comedy. One difference between it and, say, Saturday the 14th, though, is the former avoids using schtick. Wenk’s movie proves that horror comedies also don’t have to subtract thrills from their recipes. Of course, it takes a minute before reaching that point; college antics and culture shocks preface this one macabre misadventure.
Vamp‘s initial setup is apt for a typical college-set, sex-driven comedy; to bribe their way into a fraternity house, two pledges (Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler) go looking for some adult entertainment. Without wasting time on any further exposition, the characters embark on an all-in-one-night trip that quickly detours into terror.
To procure their elusive MacGuffin—a stripper willing to gyrate for some frat boys—Keith (Makepeace) and AJ (Rusler), plus a third wheel named Duncan (Gedee Watanabe), trade the safety of their remote college campus for the seediness of some unnamed city. The setting is recognizably L.A. by day, but as soon as night falls, downtown, along with the characters, slips into a kind of surreal universe. Director of photography Elliot Davis gave this early entry on his prolific résumé an unusual yet distinctive look; that Mario Bava-esque, magenta-green lighting is omnipresent, so much so that it’s almost its own character.
Chris Makepeace and Robert Rusler in Vamp
The faint comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s After Hours are merited, although not just because of Vamp’s distinguishing nighttime aesthetic. Save for the primary characters, the supporting roles in Wenk’s movie are also quite colorful and transactional in their behavior. The difference here, though, is the additional urge to ruin Keith and his friends at every turn. Some of that harm is humorous and tolerable enough, whereas the moment Vamp dishes out its first fatality, it’s abundantly clear how this movie qualifies as horror.
Vamp falls into that category of horror movie that reveals its genre with a scream rather than a series of whispers. The opening scene can function as a hint of what lies ahead—things are not at all what they appear to be—but otherwise, Wenk is more than happy to hold off on the horror. When that time does come, though, it catches the viewer off guard. In addition to the pure shock value is that sudden decision to upend the movie’s foremost feature. Or so it would seem.
If afraid of major spoilage, those new to Vamp would be wise to stop reading here. There’s just no skirting around the fact that the central fellowship in this buddy movie hits a serious snag when AJ is killed. That development causes the story to become more of a “long, bad night” journey for Keith and his romantic interest. So while Wenk scores points for subverting expectations, there is also a touch of sadness in his decision. Because if Vamp does anything well, it’s making the characters likable.
Something that comes easily to Vamp—and other teen horror movies from this same era—is its ability to invent young characters worth caring about, or at the very least, are interesting and not so immediately off-putting. More impressive is how Wenk did all this without actually fleshing out those characters. Still and all, Keith and his kind are a grade above cookie-cutter, and in some cases, aren’t completely devoid of growth.
Grace Jones in Vamp
Vamp appeals with an assorted cast of characters. No two are the same, nor are they operating on the same wavelength. The cinematically extroverted AJ, whose actor conveyed charm and vulnerability in near equal amounts, comes alive when he’s at his most undead. Makepeace then makes the chronically cautious Keith a sympathetic fellow, even as he’s more and more affected by the night’s bizarre events. Meanwhile, Duncan is indeed the designated loser of the whole bunch, but Watanabe still manages to humanize him. As a bonus, the role didn’t require him to pull a Long Duk Dong.
As for Dedee Pfeiffer, she is plain adorable as the mysterious After Dark server nicknamed “Amaretto”. She spends all night fixing her dress strap while at the same time trying to get Keith to remember how he knows her. As their offbeat romance grows, it becomes another highlight of this movie. Whether or not Pfeiffer’s character is really a vampire also creates some welcome tension in the story.
Like a lot of its contemporaries, Vamp went on to become a bit of a cult classic. That current status is determined by several factors, but without a doubt, the casting of Grace Jones is the most considerable. The image of her writhing on that unique-looking chair, a Keith Haring original, springs to mind whenever this movie is brought up.
Chris Makepeace, Billy Drago and Paunita Nichols in Vamp
Prior to that first display of unequivocal horror, local vampire queen Katrina (Jones) took to the stage and delivered a strip show like no other. One would expect nothing less from that renowned model and performance artist. By now reports of Jones’ tardiness on set are no secret, yet it’s also hard to deny her commitment to the part of Katrina. It was, in fact, Jones who took charge of her character’s appearance—on top of Haring painting her body and that now-iconic chair, she had Andy Warhol handle her costuming. And not too many actors could seize a room’s attention without saying a single line of dialogue.
In 2022, Vamp received a retrospective novelization from Encyclopocalypse. This literary union of preexisting source material—Wenk’s original screenplay—and new ideas from author Christian Francis amounts to a more comprehensive visit to the After Dark Club. The basic story there is no different than what’s shown on screen; however, Francis gets creative with the characters’ origins and designs, and he enhances a number of key scenes.
The novelization expands on the urban and social decay of the main setting, and supplies a background for the After Dark Club. Sandy Baron’s character, Katrina’s emcee and familiar, is given ample motivation for sticking around; up until the fiery end, he is loyal to his friend and former business partner “Squeak”, who looks like he was “fed through a combine harvester, and left as nothing more than a heap of mangled remains”. Then there is Billy Drago’s character Snow, the leader of a street gang called The Dragons. His reason for menacing Keith and AJ is more altruistic than in the movie; he and his peers act tough to scare off any potential food for the vampires.
Lisa Lyon in Vamp
If not for all the backstories, Francis’ Vamp would be a hell of a lot shorter. Instead, this tie-in read dives into how AJ met Keith—the orphaned Anthony Joseph hailed from a broken home back in Brooklyn—and how their friendship flourished over the years. Keith’s archership is no longer just an assumed part of his entire being; it’s a confidence-building extracurricular for a boy who got picked on before coming into the protection of the new kid in town. These supplemental, in-depth looks at the protagonists, plus their close connection, are maybe unnecessary. The movie already did a fair and concise job of addressing their platonic intimacy without the need for flashbacks and insights, specifically in that scene where AJ lays it all out as he sacrifices himself.
Where the novelization gets off course is its approach to the minor characters. Intermittently backstorying the likes of Katrina’s indentured servants, Seko (Leila Hee Olsen) and Vlad (Brad Logan), ends up disturbing the flow of the writing. Was it absolutely essential that readers know Vlad was the Grand Duke of the House of Romanov, or how Snow’s accomplice Maven (Paunita Nichols) became so dentally challenged? No, not really. However, one’s mileage with these random biographies may vary.
The novelization is a more substantial experience, but for a movie like Vamp, less is more. And as plentiful as they are, it never simply coasts on its campy charms, either. The character work sits comfortably in that realm between cursory and meticulous, the script is sharper than first realized, and Greg Cannom’s vampire makeup is straightforward yet effective. Most of all, the movie didn’t squander its out-of-the-box concept. Richard Wenk made his vision of a “comic nightmare in which just about anything that can go wrong does” come true, and it is very enjoyable.
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