by Martin Unsworth

A sailor (Davide Tucci) has some shore leave in a small Greek town to look for his father, who walked out on him when he was a child. He becomes friendly with Aliki (Daphne Alexander), who waits tables in the local café bar. His visit coincides with an attack on the village by some strange sea creatures.

Konstantinos Koutsoliotas’ film is a fun monster romp with a Lovecraftian feel with some genuinely likeable characters. Koutsoliotas isn’t afraid to take his time getting to the action, but this is to its favour as we’re introduced to everyone properly and we get a feel for the vibe of the village. If you had to liken Minore to anything, it would be a Mediterranean version of the 2012 Irish film Grabbers, with the occupants of the small village banding together to defeat a monstrous foe.

Minore manages humour and horror perfectly, even having some quirky animation to illustrate an old woman’s story (which has a fantastic pay-off). The rudimental effects add to the charm (there’s a face-off moment that’s particularly fun!). It’s a modern Euroshocker that has the feel of yesteryear. An off-beat winner.

Minore had its European premiere at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest on August 26th.