MOM [FrightFest Glasgow 2024]

Meredith (Emily Hampshire) and her husband Jared (François Arnaud) have just come home with their new son, Alex. As they attempt to get into a routine, Meredith finds the constant need for attention too much, and her collapsing mental state results in a horrific tragedy. With her family and friends all but deserting her, she descends further into madness.

A disturbing psychological study, Mom is a compelling and difficult film and one that sticks with you long after you’ve seen it. It opens with the camera exploring a dilapidated house accompanied by an oppressive drone, a fleeting glimpse of a young child, and a shocking reveal. It’s a gut-punch moment that puts the viewer on edge from the start. The sound design and visuals amplify the postpartum depression and anxiety Meredith is experiencing. Hampshire is brilliantly disturbing in the lead role, expressing emotions that are not often spoken about. The baby’s incessant screaming brings to mind the child from Eraserhead, while Mom’s first third builds up a disorienting atmosphere in which Meredith questions her reality, if the house is haunted, and even if she is capable of being a mother.

Director Adam O’Brien builds up a terrifying picture of a mother’s struggle to cope with the changes childbirth brings, although we hope the rest is not a familiar situation for people.

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MOM screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Glasgow.

KILL YOUR LOVER [FrightFest Glasgow 2024]

Dakota (Paige Gilmore) is desperate to break up with her boyfriend, Axel (Shane Quigley-Murphy). Through a series of flashbacks, we see how she was once an edgy, individualistic wild child who played in a rock band, Final Girls. Over the few years they’ve been together, Axel has moulded Dakota into what he wants as the perfect girlfriend and her resentment has grown too much. However, on the day she has vowed to break it to him, he returns home with a strange ailment that has him throwing up and growing progressive markings on his skin, making his touch acidic. Despite the ailment, Axel won’t let her go without a fight.

A spot-on reflection and allegory of toxic relationships, directors Alix Austin and Keir Siewert’s debut feature is both powerful and disturbing. The leads – relative newcomers – are superb, with Quigley-Murphy being particularly effective as the possessive Axel. Coming across as cool and pleasant in their earlier meetings, his manipulative nature will undoubtedly ring alarm bells to many and would likely be very triggering. Shot in one apartment, we feel as trapped as Dakota, particularly when things become fraught between the pair. Kill Your Lover is a well-made, claustrophobic horror film if you can stomach everything – and things get particularly horrific towards the final act.

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KILL YOUR LOVER was screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Glasgow.

 

 

WAKE UP [FrightFest Glasgow 2024]

A group of activists hides out in an IKEA-like DIY store in the hopes of spending the night causing some mayhem to further their cause and spread the message about the destruction of the rainforest. Unfortunately for them, Jack (Aidan O’Hare) and his hulking brother Kevin (Turlough Convery), a hardcore primitive hunting nut who’s been pushed one step too far, are on security duty.

The filmmaking collective RKSS (comprising François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell), is best known for Turbo Kid and Summer of 84. Here, they take the generic fight-for-survival formula but with an accidental psychopath as the antagonist. None of the activists are particularly likeable, so it’s not hard to end up rooting for killer who’s picking them off in inventive ways (using his hunting know-how to fabricate traps from the everyday objects in the store. Even with the lack of empathy with the youngsters, there’s still plenty of tension built and some very brutal deaths. While the teens are less fleshed-out than the ‘adults’, the cast shows some admirable acting chops in what is essentially a trailer park version of The Most Dangerous Game.

While it may not have the crowd-pleasing qualities of the collective’s other films, it’s very well-made and boasts a gloriously cruel but satisfactory payoff.

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WAKE UP screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Glasgow on March 8th.

THE INVISIBLE RAPTOR [FrightFest 2024]

Sometimes, a film’s title can mislead you. Director Mike Hermosa’s film gives the impression that it’s going to be cheesy, Asylum-like nonsense. Instead, we get a movie that’s clever, gory, and a lot of fun.

Dr Grant Walker (Mike Capes} is stuck working at a low-rent amusement park attempting to teach kids about dinosaurs. With a hapless security officer, Denny (David Shackelford), in a rubbish costume as a raptor, things couldn’t get worse for him. However, he gets to put his knowledge to good use when he discovers an invisible raptor has escaped from a secret lab where it was being developed as a weapon. With the help of the guard and his ex, Gloria (Grace Demarco), Grant tracks the unseen beast as it leaves a bloody trail of destruction in its wake.

The Invisible Raptor punches well above its weight with likeable characters and some genuinely entertaining gore. It isn’t afraid to delve into some bad taste areas (no one is safe from the raptor’s fury, even kids!). Far from being a cop-out, the invisible aspect is well-handled and allows for some great gags. Sean Astin (Stranger Things) appears briefly as one of the scientists working on the project but is quickly dispatched (although make sure you stick around through the end credits). Loser but well-meaning security guard Denny’s sad backstory is emotionally tragic and is rounded up in a horribly humiliating moment, but despite everything, he’s an amiable character who essentially just wants a friend. There’s also a scene-stealing turn from Sandy Martin as the straight-talking owner of the local chicken farm.

The Invisible Raptor is a pleasant surprise that will become a cult favourite in the coming years.

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THE INVISIBLE RAPTOR was screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest. 

IMAGINARY

When Jessica (DeWanda Wise) decides to return to her childhood home, she soon uncovers that Chauncey, a bear she left behind called is really not happy with that decision. As it feeds on the mind of her daughter Alice and many others around it, the movie dives into a hellish ride through the endless possibilities of imagination.

With a big lean on practical effects, writer/director Jeff Wadlow (Fantasy Island) clearly wants to ensure that Imaginary feels as realistic as possible and this show throughout. His seamless transitions from reality into a terrifying realm are quite impressive. The complicated dynamic within the family comes across as natural, and their tough backstories bring a crucial balance. Outside of the main cast and a superb leading performance from DeWanda Wise is an appearance from horror legend Betty Buckley, who really brings something quite special to the foundations of the picture. It’s most welcome when there are layers to the supporting cast.

Something else that really adds to a horror movie is its soundtrack, and within Imaginary, they went all out with it thanks to the addition of composer Bear McCreary (Godzilla). You can tell that an immense amount of work has gone into it, and ultimately it brings a crucial element to a horror movie like this. Although, and unfortunately, the movie can feel somewhat very similar to what horror audiences have already seen before, Imaginary is still a worthy addition to a horror icon category that includes the likes of Chucky and M3GAN. With a focus on imagination, then a sequel is easily plausible.

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IMAGINARY is in cinemas now.

TIL DEATH DO US PART

til death do us part

Weddings don’t always go without a hitch. However, this particular wedding, between a pair of co-workers (Ser’Darius Blain and Natalie Burn), is set for disaster as the Bride has had second thoughts and decides to flee. She not only wants out of the nuptial but also the business she and her now ex-husband-to-be are part of. Through an alternate narrative (the couple are on their honeymoon; is it a flash-forward? A dream? Wait and see!), we learn that ‘The University’ that employs them didn’t take kindly to them being together, but they certainly won’t let the Bride walk away. The groomsmen track her down to a remote hideaway, and a fierce fight breaks out as she doesn’t want to come back peacefully.

A hybrid of John Wick and Tarantino, Til Death Us Do Part, the latest feature from director Timothy Woodward Jr (The Call) is an exhilarating, tense ride peppered with some black humour and a very resilient bride. As the story unfolds and the nature of The University’s business becomes clear (it won’t take you long to guess), the action becomes brutal. Natalie Burn excels in these scenes, high-kicking and rolling with the best of them, her white bridal gown becoming increasingly blood-spattered. As she spars with the various Goonsmen, sorry, Groomsmen, we see how adept she is at handling herself, but she gets a few knocks too and isn’t unrealistically super-powered.

The film is full of knowing moments. At one point, Jason Patric (The Lost Boys) gives a monologue that’s clearly a homage to Robert Shaw’s legendary speech in Jaws, which is just as intense, if for totally different reasons. Likewise, the classic songs on the soundtrack are queued up by the smarmy, overly confident Best Man (Cam Gigandet, Violent Night), who gives his best Travolta/Mr Blonde moves. There are plenty of comedic elements to be found with the diminutive Groomsman, T-Bone (Pancho Moler, 3 from Hell), providing some chainsaw-wielding highlights as he displays the ultimate in ‘little man syndrome’.

There isn’t a weak link in the cast, and Til Death Us Do Part is definitely an entertaining movie, but if we were to make one negative note, it would be that at 110mins, it’s a little too long. Some scenes play out longer than they should, and – no matter how entertaining they are – Gigandet’s dancing gets a bit repetitive. This is a small quibble, though, and it’s well worth checking out.

Til Death Do Us Part is released on digital platforms in the UK from April 8th. 

ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH [FrightFest Glasgow 2024]

Writer/director Paul Duane’s Irish folk horror delves into the world of unheard but deadly song from the past of the Emerald Isle.

Anna (Simone Collins) and Aleks (Charlie Maher) are attempting to document and gather archaic folk songs that have been passed down over generations, so they can sell them to collectors. They get a lead about a woman, Rita (Olwen Fouéré), who knows a notoriously rare song passed down from her mother. When they get to Rita’s home, their tutor Agnes (Catherine Siggins) is already there. Strictly forbidding them to record the tune and ordering Aleks out of the room. Unbeknownst to Rita and Anna, Agnes is surreptitiously recording Rita singing, and by doing so and allowing Aleks to listen to the tape, the trio’s whole world is turned upside down with deadly consequences.

The movie enigmatically opens with a quote, “Love is a knife with a blade for a handle”, which we later discover is the title of the ditty that should never be shared. It also gives an inkling as to the danger the recording will bring them. It’s a gender-specific song that speaks of betrayal and vengeance that offers a curse of its own.

Duane creates a menacing atmosphere throughout All You Need is Death, which is often disorienting and doesn’t fall prey to modern horror tropes. Like the archaic Irish songs that form the backbone of the narrative, there’s a sense that the story itself is taking place in another time. As well as the traditional Irish tunes, there’s an imposing, threatening score from Ian Lynch.

All You Need is Death is an unorthodox folk horror that burrows into the mind and assaults the senses in ways many modern tales of terror can only wish.

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ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest.

LOVE LIES BLEEDING

katy o'brian and kristen stewart in love lies bleeding by director rose glass

Lou (Kristen Stewart, never better), sporting a greasy mullet and greasier tank top, spends her days unclogging toilets and working the desk at a gym in the middle of a lawless, scorched-earth, gun-worshipping town in ‘80s New Mexico. Jackie (Katy O’Brian, a revelation) is a fearless bodybuilder sleeping rough and hitchhiking her way to Las Vegas for a competition that could change her life. When the latter breezes into Lou’s gym, the connection between two lost souls on the fringes of Americana is immediate, dizzying, and scorchingly hot.  

It takes no time at all for these two to drag each other into a vortex of throbbing desire, steroid-addled mania, haunting familial trauma (courtesy of Ed Harris as Lou’s hideously coiffed, bug-eating, gun-running father), bone-crunching violence and a yonic canyon bloated with a mounting number of corpses.   

kristen stewart as Lou and katy o'brian as Jackie in Love Lies Bleeding

The bones of writer-director and Saint Maud filmmaker Rose Glass’s second feature are deceptively basic. Much like a tornado that gathers strength from destruction, Love Lies Bleeding amasses a multitude of genres, themes, and emotions into an unstoppable force. Wildly swinging from small-town crime caper to neo-noir thriller, from magical realism to sapphic eroticism, from body horror to situational comedy – even when all the pieces don’t quite connect, you cannot help but be swept up in the slyly funny, horny, frantic, dirty, and plain-fucking-weird potency of this unmissable film.  

One piece of advice: do your best to see this one with an audience. It’s a real bonding experience.  

Love Lies Bleeding releases in US cinemas from March 8th, and UK cinemas from May 3rd, 2024. Watch the trailer here.

THE LIST (LA LISTA)

The List (La Lista)

Before its impact was diluted by repetitive sequels, and an unnecessary two-season TV series, The Purge impressed as a thrilling execution of an inspired idea. The horrifying concept of a single night of the year when all crimes could be committed without fear of prosecution drove the plot of an edgy and violent neighbourhood siege flick. The politics of The Purge were left open to interpretation, but it was difficult to ignore the contrast between the lives of the privileged and those of the marginalised on which the film’s morality pivoted. Paraguayan-Argentine vengeance thriller The List gives this same notion a clearer social conscience.

In Gran Chaco, after an oppressive regime is removed from office, a jubilant population is invited to vote in a poll that will decide which members of the old order will pay for their crimes against the people. During a twelve-hour window, generals, politicians, money launderers, and secret policemen are all fair game for marauding street gangs. Several of the regime’s inner circle seek sanctuary in a college annexe, but a group of students led by their professor track them down and are determined to evict them to exact summary justice.

Written, produced, and directed by Michael J. Hardy, The List was shot in a mixture of English and Spanish on a tiny budget. The patchy acting talents of the small ensemble, the uneven pacing, and the over-reliance on static dialogue all reduce the impact of the promising premise. Hardy does deserve credit though for pursuing a much sharper political perspective than The Purge ever adopted, and for being unapologetic about where his audience’s loyalties should lie.

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THE LIST (LA LISTA) will be released on streaming platforms in the UK

LISA FRANKENSTEIN

If you 2024 was going exactly how you thought, then it’s time to throw the switch, because Zelda Williams’ feature length directorial debut is here, and it’s a creation with…LIFE!!

Set in 1989, the film sees the outcast Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton), who constantly finds her most inner peace when she visits the grave of a Victorian man, at an unkept graveyard, envisioning just what life would be like with the man of her dreams. However, one party and a freaky storm later and she comes to work on it, as the man beneath the soil is re-animated and, piece by piece, Lisa makes her dreams a reality!

Mary Shelley’s story of Frankenstein is re-energised with empowered punch in this ‘80s throwback jolt of horror comedy, that is far more than just stitched together parts of films you have seen before. 

Lisa Frankenstein wears its many influences proudly of course, and so visibly loves them, from the Universal monsters the studio was built upon to Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, but it owns its own feisty story with confidence. You can of course see the likes of Weird Science and Heathers in its spliced DNA but unlike so many born of such plentiful horror, teen comedy and monster entertainment that is revered today, this film has a bloody good chance of being ranked with the classics it adores.  

A story of grief, and coming out of the other side of the time-devouring darkness it can cast on your life, this gothic romance is also a film about finding the right companionship, that will speak to a select audience, who will likely love every inch of inch of its undead frame. More than that though, Diablo Cody’s (Juno, Jennifer’s Body) screenplay will grasp the hearts of those of us who have ever felt alone (or still do), those of us left behind by a world that encourages moving on and forgetting the people we cared for, and burying our feelings to “just be sane”. Themes all carefully wrapped in a campy, horror-ific experience that has such Rocky Horror spirit.

Kathryn Newton is an absolute revelation as Lisa, in a performance that is poignant, charismatic and barnstorming! You cannot take your eyes off her electric eccentricity, just as you cannot help but feel the pain behind her persistence to survive and live (even though she is only just about to start doing that second part again). While Cole Sprouse’s very physical performance as ‘The Creature’ is evocative of early Depp and an endearing portrayal of life after death, that creates a cracking big screen duo. 

Even as the film threatens to go over the edge in its last act, you end up loving its demented quirks all the more by the end. As its stylish flights of cinematic fancy throughout, dark themed laughs and undying spark all combine to create a riotously entertaining big screen delight, that will be hell of a “from the director of” calling card for Williams in what should be a promising filmmaking career ahead.

Lisa Frankenstein is a wickedly funny, endlessly rewatchable and dead set to be a future cult classic.

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Lisa Frankenstein is in cinemas Now!