Review Category: Movie

Siblings Nathan (Nathan Wallace) and Mirra (Jenna Sander) return to their family farm following the suicide of their father. The pair have long-standing troubles; Nathan is a sober addict who is lured into his old ways, particularly when old friend Greg (Samuel Dunning) turns up. He’s also having vivid nightmares and after looking into the farm’s past, is convinced the workers who have stayed on, spellbinding sisters Scarlett (Estelle Girard Parks) and Alice (writer/director Elise Finnerty), are related to the land’s original owners, who could have been witches and their father may have gained the land illicitly.

The Ones You Didn’t Burn is a brooding, simmering and thoughtful film rather than out-and-out horror. It’s well acted by all involved. Nathan Wallace, in particular, represents the character’s turmoil honestly and as he goes deeper into the rabbit hole of land ownership and his lapse back into drug use. Elise Finnerty has crafted a dream-like quality at times for her debut feature and while it’s only around 70 minutes long, it doesn’t zip along faster than it needs to be. Brett Phillips’ cinematography is evocative of a modern western, with the expansive farmland given its own character. It’s a thoughtful film that builds up the fraught atmosphere to the nightmarish climax.

In 2015, indie filmmaker Liam Regan released his twisted debut, My Bloody Banjo (formally just Banjo), fast forward seven years and we’re back in the same universe, with this follow-up/not sequel.

Beth (Lyndsey Craine) is a vegan Goth trying to make her way through high school and yet another low-budget horror film. Unfortunately, Henenlotter High isn’t like other schools, rather than focus on their curriculum, they are keen to promote mass shootings. The highlight of the year: an ‘All You Can Eat Massacre’. Whoever wins gets the chance to either go on a spree or shoot themselves. Beth is hoping to win for the latter, particularly since she’s often bullied by the clique of clichéd girls (named Melissa, Clarissa, and Sabrina). When a new teacher, Miss Campbell (Lala Barlow) arrives, Beth develops a new urge: to eat human flesh.

Regan has teamed up with the Troma guys and it’s clear why it’s a match made in gooey heaven. Almost every taboo is broken, no gag is too risqué to pull, and while not everything lands on the first watch (it is a film that requires another run-through to fully appreciate), there’s a lot to enjoy if you’re in the same frame of mind. While it goes without saying that Eating Miss Campbell won’t be for everyone, there’s plenty to enjoy.

As well as being a spot-on satire on American high school life (as depicted in the films, at least), there’s plenty of social commentary, dished out with a ladle rather than a spoon. The aesthetic is very much in the Troma mould (Uncle Lloyd makes his obligatory, welcome appearance) but that’s not to say it’s sloppy. Far from it. It’s well acted; Lyndsey Craine is fabulous as the fourth-wall-breaking Beth and Laurence R. Harvey is at his creepy best, and everybody does their OTT best. It’s also very well shot by Hamish Saks and the team has excelled at making the low-budget look anything but.

If you want to be bombarded with almost constant bad taste dialogue and situations, you can’t go wrong with Eating Miss Campbell.

This anthology, directed by Tyler Cornack (best known for Butt Boy), is a twisted mishmash of tales that won’t be for everyone but does provide some fun.

Hosted by Paul Ford (The Field Guide to Evil), who, as he says is “A pretty weird choice for a host”. He sets the tone for what’s to come as he ushers in the first story, in which a husband becomes obsessed with finding out who ‘she’ is in the expression “that’s what she said”. A lonely woman who develops a relationship with a corpse she finds one day displays the type of irreverence the film has.

Cornack’s film could be considered a perverse Twilight Zone (apparently a TV series is in development) and won’t be for everyone, but those with a dark streak (OK, most of us, then!) will find something to enjoy. Re-Animator-eque moments, the lengths friends will go to, and mobster stereotypes all come into the mix, and fans of Butt Boy will be glad to know Cornack hasn’t forgotten the bad-taste-meter as there’s plenty of sick humour.

Each section is well-filmed and doesn’t overstay its welcome, although as with all portmanteau films, some stories are stronger than others and the pay-offs are hit-and-miss. Ford’s deadpan host is one of the highlights, though, and it’ll likely gain a cult following.

Jean Rollin is a filmmaker who is often forgotten when one looks back at horror and fantasy cinema and those who have influenced others. However, Dime Ballin and Kat Ellinger’s documentary corrects that discrepancy with a thoughtful and discerning look at the French director’s work and life.

Rather than fill the screen with the usual subjects delivering their opinions, we have a range of people who either knew or worked with Rollin, and the result is a much more personal approach. The more recognisable names included are Brigitte Lahaie, who appeared in several of Jean’s films, including one of his most popular, Fascination (1979). No one can forget that iconic image of Brigitte brandishing a scythe in the promotional stills even if they never saw the film. The still-effervescent Françoise Pascal talks about the director fondly from her time making arguably one of his most beautiful films, La Rose de fer (The Iron Rose, 1973). Another rare talking head is Nigel Wingrove, head honcho of Redemption Films, who released many of Rollin’s films on VHS in the UK in the ‘80s.

Orchestrator of Storms gives a glorious appraisal and understanding of Jean Rollin’s movies and life and if you haven’t sampled any of his output, this documentary will inspire you to check them out, and for those of us already converted to the cause, it’s a fascinating and engaging insight.

All-girl rock band Pussycake has been booked to play a gig that involves them travelling overnight in a cramped van, which breaks down a few miles from the venue. When they get there, the promoter is nowhere to be seen. Checking on his house, there’s blood everywhere and they find someone on the floor – not moving and with gunk coming from his mouth. It turns out the whole town has been infected by a parasitic alien that turns the victims into flesh-craving, puking maniacs.

This infectious Argentinian sci-fi splatterfest is directed by the prolific Pablo Parés and shifts tone several times, blending a lighter, Troma-esque tone with occasionally powerful emotional moments. It’s a zippy film, getting everything done within 80 minutes. The female leads are a mixed group, some are stronger than others but none are played as victims or kill fodder, which is refreshing to see. With the parasite pitting the girls against each other, there’s plenty of bloody action that make this a fun group watch. Google the title at your own discretion.

A trio of friends meet up in Paris for a blow-out as one of them is heading for the army. When a friend of Sonia’s (Sofia Lesaffe) promises them a day they will never forget, they go along with it. Ramy (Joseph Olivennes) takes them down into the subterranean world under the streets of the city: the parts of the catacombs they don’t take you to on the tours (so not the ossuary). They soon find themselves lost and worst still, in mortal danger as they discover a fabled Nazi bunker.

Despite being wonderfully shot, Grégory Beghin’s film has a few issues. The opening caption states that the film takes place in Paris in the eighties, yet the camera footage is all date stamped as 1991, which may sound like a small quibble, but it’s that sort of attention to detail that can derail the viewing experience. That said, Deep Fear has moments of genuine anxiety, and the claustrophobic amongst the audience will have a hard time throughout. The problem is that none of the characters are particularly likeable. We really don’t care if they never get out of the endless tunnels of the underground world. We, as an audience, want out as the atmosphere created is palpable, though. It’s a frustrating film as it works on such levels yet never really pushes further. Too many questions are left unanswered. That said, when the gore comes it’s impressively handled and although we might not have warmed to the characters, they are played believably enough.