I had the pleasure of being invited to a few festivals this year. They were mainly horror/genre fests – nothing major like Sundance or Cannes. But the ones I attended were intimate, made for fans by fans. And that’s the way it should be.
I saw a ton of awesome movies at these festivals and many of them found well-deserved distribution. And while I saw a ton of unreleased stuff, there’s still LOADS of worthy films I’ve yet to see. Isn’t that what makes being a horror fan so exciting? There’s always more work to seek out.
Here’s a look at 10 festival flicks that rocked my world, that I can’t wait for everyone else to check out!
10. TIME LAPSE
This clever little chamber play takes typical roommate tension and elevates it into a reality-bending thriller, complete with time paradoxes and enough twists and turns to confuse the most advanced GPS. Driven by a great, young cast, this bad boy is one fun flick that vibes like a 90 minute Twilight Zone episode, with some bursts of the macabre and violence along the way. Time Lapse is a rock solid piece of entertainment.
9. PRESERVATION
Preservation is one of those films you go into expecting the expected. A stalk and slash film in the woods in which an innocent girls faces off against masked assailants – seen it before. But with Denham’s new film, he manages to appropriate tropes from the survival genre and deliver his own bloody beast. It’s a wholly satisfying and chilling thriller that says something about society without shoving its message in our face. A violent and beautiful film, Preservation proves Denham is one to watch.
8. THAT GUY DICK MILLER
That Guy Dick Miller does a remarkable job spotlighting one of film’s great character actors. And it’s about time. Director Elijah Drenner (American Grindhouse) gathers an impressive line up of filmmakers, family, friends, and actors (even Corey Feldman) who talk about Miller’s career and personal life. After 90 minutes of listening to them, it’s tough not to argue that Dick Miller is the man.
7. BLOODY KNUCKLES
Bloody Knuckles is the outrageous debut feature film from writer/director Matt O’Mahoney. Consider it Idle Hands for the indie horror crowd, who like their violence bold and bloody and their humor vulgar. It’s an assured debut with a remarkably talented cast (despite their inexperience). Though rough around the edges, Bloody Knuckles is definitely one of the crowd pleasers coming out of Fantasia.
6. BLACK MOUNTAIN SIDE
Black Mountain Side is the debut feature from Calgary native Nick Szostakiwskyj. While it’s sure to draw (much deserved) comparisons to The Thing, this Canadian paranoid horror flick is a beast all its own. It’s a psycho-thriller that taps into Native mythology, archaic archaeology, and even the traditional parlor mystery to establish a strong feeling of existential anxiety that practically drips off the screen, leaving a mess all over your lap.
5. THE MAN IN THE ORANGE JACKET
On the surface it’s a simple tale of violent justice in the slasher vein, but it quickly evolves into a haunting nightmare of paranoia and domestic terror. It’s like High Tension sifted through Lars Von Trier’s filter. If that comparison doesn’t have you excited, might want to check that pulse. Also, it’s apparently the first horror film from Latvia! Welcome to the party, Latvia!
4. LOST SOUL: THE DOOMED JOURNEY OF RICHARD STANLEY’S ‘ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU’
Lost Soul is a severely engaging and entertaining documentary that provides loads of insight about the studio system and its biblical clashes with artists. It also reinforces a lot of garbage we already know about them. I could listen to Stanley talk for hours – the man is deeply enthralling, well-spoken, and has a brilliant artistic mind. The fact that he still hasn’t made a feature film (he has done docs and anthology segments) since the Moreau incident is genuinely depressing.
3. BLOOD PUNCH
Darkly comedic with a seriously warped set of sensibilities, Blood Punch takes us down the road to hell, which here is paved with blood and meth (with some peyote as a stiff chaser). It’s fun as hell and smart enough to pull all the right moves without rubbing its twists in your face. It’s like a supernatural film noir on meth, with heaps of dark humor and a madcap edge that cuts deep. And as its name suggests, Blood Punch is a very, very bloody affair.
2. FAULTS
If Elmore Leonard had written a story about cults, it might resemble Riley Stearns’ debut comedy-thriller Faults. Well, the first half at least. What begins as a hilarious tale concerning a cult expert attempting to “deprogram” a young woman quickly shifts into a contemplative look at faith, exploitation, and skepticism in the face of witnessing the impossible. Don’t sweat the heavy stuff though. Even when Faults gets serious, it manages to maintain its comedic tone. Driven with strong performances and Stearns’ propulsive direction, Faults is a darkly fascinating and biting tale that marks the arrival of a gifted filmmaker.
1. THE EDITOR
I can’t get enough of this movie.
Over the past few years, the Canadian collective known as Astron-6 has churned out a couple films that became certified cult classics: Father’s Day and Manborg. For their latest, The Editor, writers-directors-stars Adam Brooks and Matthew Kennedy have raised their own bar with a giallo homage that’s easily their best work to date.
The Editor nails the classic giallo tone – infused with gruesome murders, the occult, and, of course, plenty of sex – while also crafting a brilliant comedy that could stand as an entry into the very genre it’s homaging. The familiar themes of madness, paranoia, and sexual obsession are all there. Scene after scene, bit after bit are filled with details harkening back to the ’60s and 70s. From the bold music cues to the stylish fluorescent lighting, The Editor is a riotous feast for diehard giallo fans and laymen alike.
And simply put, The Editor is just a hilarious movie.
