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Chattanooga Film Festival · 2020

Chattanooga Film Festival 2020

Features

Programme

25 films · 9 reviews

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The Antenna (The Night Bulletin)

In a dystopian Turkey, a government is installing new TV antennas across the country... and a building superintendent finds himself standing against a menacing broadcast.

(Country: Turkey; Year: 2018; Director: Orcun Behram; Stars: Ihsan Önal, Ihsan Önal)

Attack Of The Demons

When a small Colorado town is overrun by a legion of mutating demons, three non-demon hunter friends are the last hope for humanity.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Eric Power; Writer: Andreas Petersen; Stars: James Hill, Lauren Hill, Katie Maguire)

The Beach House

Review preview for The Beach House

All this is held together by an impressive performance from Liberato.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A romantic getaway for two troubled college sweethearts turns into a struggle for survival when unexpected guests - and the surrounding environment - exhibit signs of a mysterious infection.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Jeffrey A Brown; Writer: Jeffrey A Brown; Stars: Liana Liberato, Noah Le Gros, Jake Weber, Maryanne Nagel)

Full review

Being Natural

The life of a gentle, happy-go-lucky man is turned upside down when his uncle dies.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2018; Director: Tadashi Nagayama; Writer: Tadashi Nagayama, Yuriko Suzuki; Stars: Yota Kawase, Kanji Tsuda, Natsuki Mieda)

Berserker

Six people renting a cabin in the woods of Utah run afoul of a legendary viking warrior who dons the claws and mouth of a bear.

(Country: US; Year: 1987; Director: Jefferson Richard; Writer: Jefferson Richard, Joseph Kaufman; Stars: Joseph Alan Johnson, Greg Dawson, Valerie Sheldon, Shannon Engemann, Beth Toussaint, Rodney Montague, Mike Riley)

Climate Of The Hunter

Review preview for Climate Of The Hunter

Climate of The Hunter is a joyous exercise in filmmaking for fun, made with no apparent concern for bank books or balance sheets.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Two sisters vie for the affections of a man who may or may not be a vampire.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Mickey Reece; Writer: Mickey Reece, John Selvidge; Stars: Ginger Gilmartin, Mary Buss, Ben Hall)

Full review See: Interview with Mickey Reece about Climate Of The Hunter

Dementer

Review preview for Dementer

Very different in tone from the average horror film, Dementer prompts questions about how we measure mental capacity, social functioning and even individuality.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A woman who has recently fled a cult takes a job as a carer and becomes convinced that her charge is in danger from devils.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Chad Crawford Kinkle; Writer: Chad Crawford Kinkle; Stars: Katie Groshong, Stephanie Kinkle, Larry Fessenden, Scott Hodges)

Full review

Dirty God

Review preview for Dirty God

Ever cursed to wear a half-sealed translucent franju-esque mask that makes her scars even more visible, Jade is a single mother and an acid attack survivor.

Georgiana Musat · 4 out of 5
Jade is a young mother in the prime of her life when an acid attack leaves her severely burned. While her face has been reconstructed, her beauty is lost beneath the scars. Descending a self-destructive path with relationships crumbling, Jade must take drastic action to reclaim her life.

(Country: Netherlands, UK, Belgium, Ireland; Year: 2019; Director: Sacha Polak; Writer: Susie Farrell, Sacha Polak; Stars: Katherine Kelly, Kerry Norton, Luke White, Tachia Newall, Frieda Thiel, Michael John Treanor, Wendy Albiston, Matthew Faucher, Karl Jackson, Melissa Hartzel, Rebecca Stone, Matt Tyzack, Alys Metcalf, Bluey Robinson, Vicky Knight)

Full review

Eat Brains Love

The good news: Jake's dream girl, Amanda, finally knows his name. The bad? It's because they both contracted a sexually transmitted mysterious zombie virus and devoured the brains of half their senior class. Now both are on the run

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Rodman Flender; Stars: Jake Cannavale, Angelique Rivera, Sarah Yarkin, Alex Stage)

Fulci For Fake

The first biopic about Lucio Fulci, with never seen before footage, photos and interviews.

(Country: UK, Italy; Year: 2019; Director: Simone Scafidi; Writer: Simone Scafidi; Stars: Sandro Bitetto, Fabio Frizzi, Antonella Fulci)

Hell Riders

A woman whose car breaks down in the desert and who is attacked by bikers finds her way to a small town, where the residents live in fear of the motorcycle gang.

(Country: US; Year: 1984; Director: James Bryan; Writer: James Bryan, Renee Harmon, Ricco Mancini, Diane Miller, Dan Bradley; Stars: Tina Louise, Adam West, Russ Alexander, Renee Harmon, Dan Bradley)

Hollywood Horror House (Savage Intruder)

An ageing actress living in her Hollywood mansion with a retinue of elderly servants employs a new, mentally disturbed, personal assistant who schemes to take over the large estate.

(Country: US; Year: 1970; Director: Donald Wolfe; Writer: Donald Wolfe; Stars: Miriam Hopkins, David Garfield, Gale Sondergaard, Virginia Wing, Florence Lake)

Homewrecker

Review preview for Homewrecker

Flitting between the agonies of trying to be socially appropriate, real violence and frantic comedy, Homewrecker is a fast paced, character-driven film that will follow you around until you give it all of your attention.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A woman asks a stranger she meets at a yoga class to redecorate her home, then refuses to let her leave.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Zack Gayne; Writer: Zack Gayne; Stars: Alex Essoe, Precious Chong)

Full review

Jumbo

Review preview for Jumbo

It's a far from perfect film, but it's a lot better than the critical consensus suggests, and at the heart of it is a fascinating character study.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Jeanne, a shy young woman, works in an amusement park. Fascinated by carousels, she still lives at home with her mother. That’s when Jeanne meets Jumbo, the park’s new flagship attraction...

(Country: France, Luxembourg, Belgium; Year: 2020; Director: Zoé Wittock; Writer: Zoé Wittock; Stars: Noémie Merlant, Emmanuelle Bercot, Sam Louwyck)

Full review

Killer Queen

A young woman released from a mental hospital is drawn to a drug dealer she sees at the cinema they both frequent... the only problem is her compulsion to kill.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Ramin Fahrenheit; Writer: Ramin Fahrenheit; Stars: Ramin Fahrenheit, Bruce Hayward, Aleksandra Maslennikova, Fatima Maziani, Emma O'Neill, Jessie Yang)

Koko-di Koko-da

Review preview for Koko-di Koko-da

We don't see the much of the immediate aftermath of death here, but instead are treated to the way grief can linger, catching anger and guilt in its wake

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
As a couple goes on a trip to find their way back to each other, a sideshow artist and his shady entourage emerge from the woods, terrorsing them, luring them deeper and deeper into a maelstrom of psychological terror.

(Country: Sweden, Denmark; Year: 2019; Director: Johannes Nyholm; Writer: Johannes Nyholm; Stars: Leif Edlund, Ylva Gallon, Peter Belli, Katarina Jacobson)

Full review

The Pandemic Anthology

15 short films made under lockdown on the theme of pandemics.

(Year: 2020; Director: Fabrício Bittar, Martín Blousson, Guillermo Carbonell, Giordano Gio, Karl Holt, Andreas Kyriacou, Junior Larethian)

Red, White & Wasted

A look at Florida’s redneck mudding culture. Video Pat is a mudding enthusiast who must question his passion—and maybe his entire way of life—when the last mudhole in Orlando is shut down.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Sam Jones, Andrei Bowden Schwartz)

The Ringing Bell

A young man who dreams while he's still awake finds himself drawn into a nefarious scheme.

(Country: US; Year: 2020; Director: Casey T Malone; Stars: Brandon Cole, Anieya Walker, Joelyn Dormady, Rebecca Sue Button)

Scare Package

A comedic horror anthology.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Baron Vaugjm, Courtney Andujar, Hillary Andujar, Anthony Cousins, Emily Hagins, Aaron Koontz, Chris McInroy, Noah Segan; Stars: Jeremy King, Noah Segan, Toni Trucks)

Skull: The Mask

Review preview for Skull: The Mask

It's brazen, bloody and completely committed, almost operatic in style.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
An ancient mask used in a military experiment possesses a body and starts to carry out sacrifices to avenge a murdered god.

(Country: Brazil, US; Year: 2020; Director: Armando Fonseca, Kapel Furman; Writer: Armando Fonseca, Kapel Furman; Stars: Natallia Rodrigues, Wilton Andrade, Rurik Jr)

Full review

The Vice Guide To Bigfoot

A hopeless reporter makes an unexpected discovery after following a prominent cryptozoologist into the Appalachian foothills.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Zach Lamplugh; Stars: Brian Emond, Jenna Kanell, Virginia Kirby, Zach Lamplugh)

The Wanting Mare

Review preview for The Wanting Mare

Thematically, it's a hugely ambitious effort.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
In Whithren, a line of women pass a recurring dream through multiple generations.

(Country: US; Year: 2020; Director: Nicholas Ashe Bateman; Writer: Nicholas Ashe Bateman; Stars: Jordan Monaghan, Josh Clark, Yasamin Keshtkar, Edmond Cofie)

Full review See: Interview with Nicholas Ashe Bateman about The Wanting Mare, part 2 , Interview with Nicholas Ashe Bateman about The Wanting Mare

The Wave

An insurance lawyer goes out on the town to celebrate an upcoming promotion with his co-worker, Jeff, but their night takes a turns bizarre when he ingests a hallucinogen that completely alters his perception of the world.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Gille Klabin; Writer: Carl W Lucas; Stars: Tommy Flanagan, Justin Long, Donald Faison)

The Yellow Night (A Noite Amarela)

A group of friends travels to a beach house on an island to celebrate the end of high school, but their partying is cut short by the feeling that the place shelters an unfathomable horror.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2019; Director: Ramon Porto Mota; Writer: Ramon Porto Mota, Jhésus Tribuzi; Stars: Marina Alencar, Servílio de Holanda, Felipe Espindola)