Indie
[Sundance Review] ‘The Lure’ – Killer Mermaids From Poland!
Just when you think monster movies have run out of new twists, we get a killer mermaid movie. Vampires and werewolves will always be eternal and relatable struggles to overcome, but it’s quite refreshing to see a legendary creature given a horrific twist.
Golden (Michalina Olszanska)and Silver (Marta Mazurek) are sister mermaids. The names are misnomers because Golden is brunette and Silver is blonde. They are introduced singing a siren song, and one hell of a scream implies the violence they commit off camera.
The mermaids end up at a nightclub as backup singers and dancers. It’s a fun novelty act but make sure they don’t eat the customers. By the way, this is also a musical and it’s got a variety of musical styles from pop rock and power ballads to heavy metal and techno. I want the soundtrack even though I don’t speak Polish. I’ll have to memorize the subtitles for future listening.
The Lure builds up the mythology of the mermaids effectively. The girls have no sexual organs and even their butts have no hole, yet clearly they are still sexualized. I really hope the actors are at least 20 but they look young and that’s saying something about the mermaid fantasy, or just sexualizing young girls in general.
The rules of mermaid life feel straight out of a fairy tale. If you fall in love and he marries anyone else, you’ll turn to seafoam. Given the statistics on marriage rates, she’s really got no choice but to eat the dude.
There’s a bit of body horror as we see their slimy tails morph into existence, and I’mSilver picks off her scales at one point. There’s even naked lesbian mermaid sex. This movie has everything!
The kills remain implied at first. Golden shows up with blood on her lip and we don’t know where she’s been. By the third act we get some graphic throat bites and dismemberment.
The Lure had me at any one of its genres: musical, magical realism or monster movie. That it does all three well is awesome and I hope makes it an easy sell.
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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