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Abertoir · 2022

Abertoir 2022

Features

Programme

31 films · 19 reviews

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The Beast Must Die

Review preview for The Beast Must Die

A real oddity, one of those curiosities which become landmarks in cinematic history.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A wealthy game hunter invites a group of people to his remote mansion, suspecting one of them to be a werewolf. What follows is part action thriller, part Gothic whodunnit.

(Country: UK; Year: 1974; Director: Paul Annett; Writer: Michael Winder and Paul Annett, based on a short story by James Blish; Stars: Calvin Lockhart, Peter Cushing, Marlene Clark, Michael Gambon, Charles Gray, Ciaran Madden, Anton Diffring, Tom Chadbon)

Full review

Blacula

In the late 18th century, Prince Mamuwalde travels from Africa to Transylvania to seek Count Dracula’s help in ending the transatlantic slave trade. Instead of helping, Dracula condemns Mamuwalde to eternal life as a vampire. When, a few centuries later, a pair of unwitting interior designers uncover his bones, the streets of 1972 Los Angeles won’t know peace until Blacula has his revenge.

(Country: US; Year: 1972; Director: William Crain; Stars: William Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas, Thalmus Rasulala)

Blood Flower

Iqbal and his mother have a special talent for seeing things that others cannot. Together with his father, who doesn’t share their sight, they work as exorcists until one day his mother meets a tragic end, saving Iqbal from an attack by a particularly malevolent spirit.

(Country: Malaysia; Year: 2022; Director: Dain Said)

Bones

The time is 1979. Jimmy Bones is respected and loved as the neighbourhood protector. When he is betrayed and brutally murdered by a corrupt cop, Bones’ elegant brownstone becomes his tomb. 22 years later, the neighbourhood has become a ghetto and his home a Gothic ruin. Four teens renovate it as an afterhours nightclub, unknowingly releasing Jimmy’s tortured spirit.

(Country: US; Year: 2001; Director: Ernest Dickerson; Stars: Snoop Dogg, Pam Grier, Bianca Lawson)

Cerebrum

Review preview for Cerebrum

Though it shifts its focus into something much darker towards the end, the meat of it is in the father-son relationship, in their interactions and the ways that they observe each other.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
After waking up from a year-long coma, an insecure young man must fight his controlling father in order to discover what really happened to his seemingly absent mother, as the true consequences of his past actions unravel before him.

(Country: UK; Year: 2022; Director: Sébastien Blanc; Writer: Francesco Cinquemani, Loris Curci, Andy Edwards, Barry Keating, Mark Thompson-Ashworth; Stars: Tobi King Bakare, Ramona Von Pusch, Steve Oram, Davide Marangoni)

Full review See: Interview with Steve Oram about Cerebrum

Dark Nature

Review preview for Dark Nature

Brady knows the landscape well and makes effective use of it.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Members of a therapy group are forced to confront the monsters of their past when an isolated weekend retreat tests their emotional resilience and ability to survive.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2022; Director: Berkley Brady; Writer: Berkley Brady, Tim Cairo; Stars: Hannah Emily Anderson, Roseanne Supernault, Kyra Harper, Griffin Cork, Madison Walsh)

Full review See: Interview with Berkley Brady about Dark Nature

Dracula A.D. 1972

Johnny Alucard raises Count Dracula from the dead in London in 1972. The Count goes after the descendants of Van Helsing.

(Country: UK; Year: 1972; Director: Alan Gibson; Writer: Don Houghton; Stars: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Stephanie Beacham, Christopher Neame, Michael Coles, Marsha A Hunt, Caroline Munro)

The Elderly (Viejos)

Review preview for The Elderly

Cerezo and Gómez remind us that we are living through some of the strangest days our world has known right now.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
An octogenarian, who enters into a state of dementia after the sudden suicide of his wife, sparks a series of paranormal events that will put his family's lives at risk.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2022; Director: Raúl Cerezo, Fernando González Gómez; Writer: Raúl Cerezo, Rubén Sánchez Trigos, Javier Trigales; Stars: Irene Anula, Zorion Eguileor, Josele Román, Gustavo Salmerón, Paula Gallego)

Full review

Evil Eye

Luna is sick and no treatment seems to work. Her desperate parents take her to the Mexican countryside to seek an alternative treatment, where they leave Luna and her older sister Nala in the care of Josefa, their grandmother. Nala becomes convinced that something is after them.

(Country: Mexico; Year: 2022; Director: Isaac Ezban)

Gwaed Ar Y Sêr

Review preview for Gwaed Ar Y Sêr

A little horror film with a lot of ambition.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
A group of celebrities are scheduled to appear at a concert in a village hall. An elderly man and his choir of schoolchildren, fearing that the celebrities will steal their limelight, take drastic measures to stop their appearance…by murdering them.

(Country: UK; Year: 1975; Director: Wil Aaron; Writer: Wil Aaron, Dafydd Huw Williams; Stars: Grey Evans, Dyfan Roberts, Stewart Jones, Dafydd Iwan)

Full review

The Harbinger

Review preview for The Harbinger

Skilfully crafted, The Harbinger is a rightly distressing, melancholy take on the events of the recent past and the troubles we still live with today.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A woman leaves her family quarantine to help a friend who's suffering from terrible nightmares - but she learns too late that the bad dreams are contagious, along with the demon behind them.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Andy Mitton; Writer: Andy Mitton; Stars: Raymond Anthony Thomas, Gabby Beans, Stephanie Roth Haberle, Emily Davis, Laura Heisler, Cody Braverman)

Full review See: Interview with Andy Mitton about The Harbinger

Hypochondriac

Review preview for Hypochondriac

The struggle which follows is, in places, difficult to watch, especially for viewers who have been affected by such issues in their own lives, so Heimann sensibly leavens it with humour.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
When his bipolar mother walks back into his life, a young gay man is forced to contend with his family history of mental illness.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Addison Heimann; Writer: Addison Heimann; Stars: Zach Villa, Devon Graye, Madeline Zima, Yumarie Morales, Marlene Forte, Chris Doubek, Paget Brewster, Adam Busch, Michael Cassidy, Peter Mensah, Debra Wilson)

Full review See: Interview with Addison Heimann about Hypochondriac

Inferno Rosso: Joe D'Amato On The Road Of Excess (Inferno Rosso: Joe D'Amato Sulla Via Dell'Eccesso)

Review preview for Inferno Rosso: Joe D'Amato On The Road Of Excess

A fascinating study of a man whose talent was never really recognised by the mainstream.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A documentary portrait of the famous film director.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2021; Director: Manlio Gomarasca, Massimiliano Zanin; Writer: Manlio Gomarasca, Massimiliano Zanin; Stars: Lamberto Bava, Tinto Brass, Manlio Cersosimo, Joe D'Amato, Ruggero Depdato, Giuliana Gamba, Luigi Montefiori)

Full review

I Walked With A Zombie

Review preview for I Walked With A Zombie

A melancholic and gothic-inflected tale that is haunting in the best sense of word.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
A Canadian nurse heads to the Caribbean to care for a woman and tries to find a cure for her even though she is falling for the woman's husband

(Country: US; Year: 1943; Director: Jacques Tourneur; Writer: Curt Siodmak, Ardel Wray, based on the article by Inez Wallace; Stars: James Ellison, Frances Dee, Tom Conway, Edith Barrett, James Bell, Christine Gordon, Theresa Harris, Sir Lancelot, Darby Jones, Jeni Le Gon, Richard Abrams, Doris Ake, Rita Christiani, Vivian Dandridge, Alan Edmiston)

Full review

Jethica

Review preview for Jethica

Much of the film is concerned with loneliness.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
When Jessica's stalker surprises her in New Mexico, she must seek help from beyond the grave to get rid of him for good.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Pete Ohs; Writer: Andy Faulkner, Callie Hernandez, Will Madden; Stars: Callie Hernandez, Ashley Denise Robinson, Andy Faulkner, Will Madden, Stephanie Hunt)

Full review See: Interview with Pete Ohs, Andy Faulkner, Ashley Denise Robinson, Callie Hernandez and Will Madden about Jethica

L'Inhumain

Mathieu is a brilliant neurosurgeon whose perfect life is falling apart. Impending divorce, job loss, substance abuse, and a mid-life crisis are all factors that can cause him to go off the rails. The sudden death of his father forces him to return home to Anishiinabe territory, a place he has tried to avoid since his youth. The break away from the city promises to be a nice getaway until his pilgrimage quickly becomes an unimaginable nightmare.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2022; Director: Jason Bnrennan; Stars: Samian, Véronique Beaudet, Jeanne Roux-Cote)

The Menu

Review preview for The Menu

This may become a cult movie.

Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
A couple travels to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Mark Mylod; Writer: Seth Reiss, Will Tracy; Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Ralph Fiennes)

Full review

Nosferatu (Nosferatu eine Symphonie des Grauens, Nosferatu - A Symphony Of Horrors)

Review preview for Nosferatu

The movie's two main strengths are Max Schreck's compelling performance, as the eerily inhuman vampire, and Murnau's unparallelled ability to blend naturalistic and expressionistic elements.

Keith Hennessey Brown · 4 out of 5
F W Murnau's silent adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

(Country: Germany; Year: 1922; Director: FW Murnau; Writer: Henrik Galeen; Stars: Max Schreck, Gustav Von Wangenheim, Greta Schroder, Georg Heinrich Schnell, Ruth Landshoff, Gustav Botz, Alexander Granach, John Gottowt)

Full review

The Offering (Abyzou)

Review preview for The Offering

Corduner is on exceptional form and imbues the early part of the film with warmth and hope.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Saul works as the undertaker for the local Hasidic community, and a corpse carries a Jewish demon with plans for his unborn child. His family must dive into Kabbalah lore to ward off the entity and protect their future.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Oliver Park; Writer: Hank Hoffman, Jonathan Yunger; Stars: Paul Kaye, Nick Blood, Emily Wiseman, Allan Korduner)

Full review See: Interview with Oliver Park about The Offering

The Revelation (De Openbaring)

Jacob, anxious and recently unemployed, moves in with his widowed mother at the start of the first lockdown, determined to protect her from the virus. Yet as his sister Magda looks on in disbelief as Jacob falls under the influence of an internet conspiracy-theorist, it becomes clear that his obsessive behaviour may be a greater threat to his mother than the virus itself.

(Country: Netherlands; Year: 2022; Director: Chris Mitchell; Stars: Victor Löw, Leny Breederveld, Monic Hendrickx, Peter Bolhuis)

Satanic Hispanics

Review preview for Satanic Hispanics

Although multiple directors were involved, it maintains impressive consistency in both style and tone, each of them adding their own quirks and flourishes without anything jarring.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
An anthology of short horror films.

(Country: USA, Mexico, Argentina; Year: 2022; Director: Mike Mendez, Demian Rugna, Eduardo Sanchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Alejandro Brugues; Writer: Pete Barnstrom, Alejandro Mendez, Lino K. Villa; Stars: Efren Ramirez, Jonah Ray, Hemky Madera, Patricia Velasquez, Greg Grunberg)

Full review

Skinamarink

Review preview for Skinamarink

Films like this come along once in a generation.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
Two children wake up in the middle of the night to find that their father is missing and all the windows and doors in their home have vanished.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2022; Director: Kyle Edward Ball; Writer: Kyle Edward Ball; Stars: Lucas Paul, Dali Rose Tetreault, Jaime Hill, Ross Paul)

Full review See: Interview with Kyle Edward Ball about Skinamarink

Slash/Back

Review preview for Slash/Back

If you only see two films about young indigenous women fighting aliens this year, make sure that this is one of them.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A group of teenage girls living in the sleepy hamlet of Pangnirtung, Nunavut, discover an impending alien invasion and set out to defend their homeland.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2021; Director: Nyla Innuksuk; Writer: Nyla Innuksuk, Ryan Cavan; Stars: Tasiana Shirley, Alexis Wolfe, Chelsea Prusky, Frankie Vincent-Wolfe, Nalajoss Ellsworth)

Full review

Sugar Hill

When a black nightclub entrepreneur gets taken out by the mob, his girlfriend, Sugar Hill, calls upon the voodoo high priest Baron Samedi to summon up the undead to carry out an unholy plan for revenge.

(Country: US; Year: 1974; Director: Paul Maslansky; Stars: Marki Bey, Robert Quarry, Don Pedro Colley, Larry D Johnson)

Tombs Of The Blind Dead (La Noche Del Terror Ciego)

Review preview for Tombs Of The Blind Dead

Though aspects of its story stretch credulity even within the bounds of fantasy and it is at times spectacularly silly, it is delivered with rare style and panache.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A group of people accidentally stumble upon the graves of 13th Century Templars, who quested for eternal life by drinking human blood and committing sacrifices.

(Country: Spain, Portugal; Year: 1972; Director: Amando de Ossorio; Writer: Jesús Navarro Carrión, Amando de Ossorio; Stars: Lone Fleming, César Burner, María Elena Arpón, José Thelman)

Full review

Venus

Horror invades the concrete corridors of a cursed apartment complex on the outskirts of Madrid.

(Country: US, Spain; Year: 2022; Director: Jaume Balagueró; Writer: Fernando Navarro; Stars: Ester Expósito, Ángela Cremonte, Fernando Valdivielso, Federico Aguaro)

Voyage Of The Rock Aliens

A group of aliens in a guitar shaped spaceship on the hunt to find the true source of rock n’ roll meet two teenagers who are competing to be the most popular rockers in their town.

(Country: US; Year: 1984; Director: James Fargo; Stars: Pia Zadora, Craig Sheffer, Tom Nolan, Alison La Placa)

What Is Buried Must Remain

When a group of young filmmakers set out to make a documentary about a haunted house, they encounter otherworldly forces engaged in an ancient war for the soul of the land.

(Country: Lebanon; Year: 2022; Director: Elias Matar; Writer: Elias Matar, Edward E Romero, Israa Samman; Stars: Dahlia Nemlich, sAhmad Khreta, Farouk Zaroura, Asma Jamaa, Nour Al Zahab)

The Whip And The Body

Review preview for The Whip And The Body

Here you will find that combination of style, charisma and viciousness which made Lee unforgettable as Hammer’s Dracula, but several shades darker.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
The ghost of a sadistic nobleman attempts to rekindle his romance with his terrorised, masochistic former lover, who is unwillingly engaged to his brother.

(Country: Italy; Year: 1965; Director: Mario Bava; Writer: Ernesto Gastaldi, Ugo Guerra, Luciano Martino; Stars: Christopher Lee, Daliah Lavi, Tony Kendall, Ida Galli)

Full review

Wolf Manor (Scream Of The Wolf)

Review preview for Wolf Manor

The wolf cam POV shots are a charming if somewhat over-familiar device, accompanied by growling, and this helps to alleviate what is always the biggest difficulty for werewolf films: showing too much of the monster.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
Shooting a vampire movie in an old abandoned house should have worked like a dream. However, with the full moon, the nightmare begins. The body count rises as the cast and crew encounter the mansion's resident werewolf.

(Country: UK; Year: 2022; Director: Dominic Brunt; Writer: Joel Ferrari, Pete Wild; Stars: James Fleet, John Henshaw, Nicky Evans, Jay Taylor, Sade Malone, Shaune Harrison)

Full review

XXXholic

Watanuki is a lonely high school student who wishes to rid himself of the ability to see spirits and lead a normal life. One day, a butterfly leads him into a peculiar shop where he meets a mysterious owner, Yuko, who promises to grant his wish in exchange for 'the most precious thing' from him. As Watanuki grows closer to his new classmates, and tries to figure out what that might be to him, the demonic hands of spirits close in on him.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2022; Director: Mika Ninagawa; Stars: Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Ko Shibasaki, Tina Tamashiro, Hokuto Matsumura)