dir. Matthew John Lawrence. Judy (Chet Siegel) is having a tough time. Despite quitting her job to go on tour with band mates Max (Jeff Riddle) and Mel (Ruby McCollister) she can’t get the local promoter to listen to their demo, and before they can even leave town their van is repossessed. Desperate – andContinue reading “REVIEW: Uncle Peckerhead (2020)”
Author Archives: Tim Coleman
REVIEW: Hail to the Deadites (2020) – Fantasia International Film Festival and FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition
dir. Steve Villeneuve. The story of how Sam Raimi – barely out of his teens – made Evil Dead (1981) a grindhouse classic is the stuff of legend. With Evil Dead 2 (1987) and Army of Darkness (1992) also garnering respective cult followings a documentary about the fandom surrounding such a revered franchise had theContinue reading “REVIEW: Hail to the Deadites (2020) – Fantasia International Film Festival and FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition”
REVIEW: AV The Hunt (2020) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition
dir. Emre Akay. In our hellish political landscape it is often remarked upon how Hulu’s adaption of The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-) is less dystopia, more current affairs. Perhaps not surprising, as Atwood herself confirmed that her novel was based on historical real-life events such as the Salem witch trials. So too here director Akay takesContinue reading “REVIEW: AV The Hunt (2020) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition”
REVIEW: Dark Stories (2019) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition
dir. François Descraques & Guillaume Lubrano. Taken hostage by a homicidal doll, Christine (Kristanna Loken) tries to bide her time by telling scary stories. As a set up for a horror anthology it’s a cracker, the framing device as freaky as the five tales within, whilst directors Descraques and Lubrano ensure a good spread ofContinue reading “REVIEW: Dark Stories (2019) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition”
REVIEW: Two Heads Creek (2019) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition
dir. Jesse O’Brien. Opening in a British council estate, the signs of ugly nationalism are immediately evident. From St George flags to flyers exhorting “Immigrants Go Home” it’s an amped up tableaux emblematic of the toxicity that continues to blight our national discourse. In the middle of this maelstrom of hate is Norman (Jordan Waller),Continue reading “REVIEW: Two Heads Creek (2019) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition”
REVIEW: The Swerve (2018) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition
dir. Dean Kapsalis. Holly (Azura Skye) is alone. Not physically you understand, since she shares a home with her selfish husband and their mono-syllabic children, but in all the ways that matter. Seen only in terms of social capital by those around her (a wife to share a bed; a mother to make the meals)Continue reading “REVIEW: The Swerve (2018) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition”
REVIEW: Blinders (2020) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition
dir. Tyler Savage. There’s a scene around the half-way mark of Blinders where a murder is committed. It’s a typical street, a killer’s inside the house, and when he strikes his victim screams. Cut to outside, and a passerby walks her dog, distracted by her phone. This idea of distraction – particularly by technology andContinue reading “REVIEW: Blinders (2020) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition”
REVIEW: Aquaslash (2019) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition
dir. Renaud Gauthier. Aquaslash is a film built around a singular image: a water slide with blades built in that shred the riders like some fancy kitchen gadget dicing root vegetables. So focused is director Renaud Gauthier on this – admittedly – compelling concept that the rest of the film only functions as a preludeContinue reading “REVIEW: Aquaslash (2019) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition”
REVIEW: A Ghost Waits (2020) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition
dir. Adam Stovall. Romantic love is, perhaps, one of the hardest thing to capture on screen, too often reduced to airbrushed swoon, comedic fumbling or saccharine cheese. But real connection – the meeting of two hearts and minds – is rare. So when it happens, it’s magic. Writer / director Adam Stovall has captured justContinue reading “REVIEW: A Ghost Waits (2020) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition”
REVIEW: Skull – The Mask (2020) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition
dir. Armando Fonesca & Kapel Furman. When a mask belonging pre-Colombian civilisation is unearthed, it quickly falls into the hands of a shadowy cabal who appear to have designs on harnessing its power. The mask however has other ideas and, after being roused to life by black magic, attaches itself to the nearest unfortunate toContinue reading “REVIEW: Skull – The Mask (2020) – FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition”
