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FrightFest · 2010

FrightFest 2010

Full line-up

Programme

34 films · 17 reviews

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13 Hours (13Hrs)

An isolated house proves a scary place to spend the night, when something nasty comes looking for prey.

(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Jonathan Glendening; Writer: Adam Phillips; Stars: Isabella Calthorpe, Tom Felton, Gemma Atkinson, Joshua Bowman, Gabriel Thomson, Peter Gadiot, Antony De Liseo, Sue Scadding, John Lynch, Cornelius Clarke, Simon MacCorkindale)

Amer (Bitter)

Review preview for Amer

A totally idiosyncratic creation, something that deserves to be relished for its bravado refusal to play by the rules.

David Graham · 4.5 out of 5
A surreal look at three stages of a woman's life, drawing heavily on the giallo tradition.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2009; Director: Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani; Stars: Marie Bos, Delphine Brual, Harry Cleven, Bianca Maria D'Amato, Cassandra Forêt, Charlotte Eugène Guibeaud, Bernard Marbaix, Jean-Michel Vovk) , Official site

Full review

After.Life

When a woman wakes in a funeral parlour the owner tells her she's dead. She has other ideas.

(Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo; Writer: Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo, Paul Vosloo, Jakub Korolczuk; Stars: Christina Ricci, Liam Neeson, Justin Long, Chandler Canterbury, Josh Charles, Celia Weston, Shuler Hensley, Laurel Bryce, Laurie Cole, Mark Gerrard, Anna Kuchma, Malachy McCourt, Rosemary Murphy, Bill Perkins, Luz Alexandra Ramos) , Official site

Aliens Vs. Ninjas

Does what it says on the tin.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2010; Director: Seiji Chiba; Writer: Seiji Chiba; Stars: Mika Hijii, Shuuji Kashiwabara, Ben Hiura, Yûki Ogoe, Masanori Mimoto, Donpei Tsuchihira)

Burning Bright

Review preview for Burning Bright

The tiger here is no CG or animatronic confection, but a living, breathing predator (or, more exactly, three of them playing one), brought into proximity with the actors through seamless compositing.

Anton Bitel · 3.5 out of 5
Tiger terror.

(Country: US; Year: 2010; Director: Carlos Brooks; Writer: Christine Coyle Johnson and Julie Prendiville Roux, from a story by Christine Coyle Johnson, Julie Prendiville Roux and David Higgins; Stars: Briana Evigan, Charlie Tahan, Garret Dillahunt, Meatloaf, Preston Bailey, Mary Rachel Dudley, Peggy Sheffield)

Full review

Cherry Tree Lane

Review preview for Cherry Tree Lane

It boils down to an exercise in horror and endurance. It's rare you see a film which will elicit such a guttural reaction from its audience

James Benefield · 4 out of 5
Urban horror about a culture-clash between an upper-crust couple, and trouble with local boys.

(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Paul Andrew Williams; Writer: Paul Andrew Williams; Stars: Rachael Blake, Jennie Jacques, Tom Butcher, Sonny Muslim, Jumayn Hunter, Ashley Chin, Kieran Dooner, Corinne Douglas)

Full review

Christopher Roth

A horror writer finds its hard to resist the 'thrill' of a real-life 'case' when his path crosses that of a serial killer.

(Country: Belgium, Italy; Year: 2010; Director: Maxime Alexandre; Writer: Maxime Alexandre; Stars: Joaquim de Almeida, Anna Galiena, Ben Gazzara, Nathalie Rapti Gomez, Francesco Guzzo, Inigo Placido, Jessica Bonanni) , Official site

The Clinic

An abducted pregnant woman is abducted and, after waking to find her baby has been removed, begins a deadly game of survival.

(Country: US; Year: 2010; Director: Nathaniel Neko Senpai Meador, Evan Helms; Writer: Evan Helms, Nathaniel Neko Senpai Meador; Stars: Leslie Luna Lilly Gray, Evan Helms, Randy Kilgore, Nathaniel Neko Senpai Meador)

The Dead

After a living-dead virus has struck most of the population a crash-landed pilot battles for survival.

(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Howard J Ford, Jonathan Ford; Writer: Howard J Ford, Jonathan Ford; Stars: Rob Freeman, Glenn Salvage, Dan Morgan, Benjamin James Elliot, Prince David Oseia, David Dontoh, Amir Moallemi, Nelson E. Ward, Ofuya Elias, Mark Loberg, Julia Scott-Russell, Basil Senior, John Reilly, Kerry Moallemi, Edward Bruce) , Official site

Dead Cert

Review preview for Dead Cert

Far too straight-laced and uptight to appeal to fans of either genre.

Jennie Kermode · 1.5 out of 5
London hard-men discover business has bite, after the businessmen who offer to buy their nightclub turn out to be vampires.

(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Steven Lawson; Writer: Ben Shillito, Steven Lawson, Nick Onsloe, Jonathan Sothcott, Garry Charles; Stars: Jason Flemyng, Dave Legeno, Danny Dyer, Dexter Fletcher, Billy Murray, Craig Fairbrass, Steven Berkoff, Andrew Tiernan, Janet Montgomery, Lucinda Rhodes-Flaherty, Perry Benson, Ian Virgo, Joe Egan, Ciaran Griffiths, Danny Midwinter)

Full review

Dream Home (Wai dor lei ah yut ho)

Review preview for Dream Home

It's pretty torturous stuff.

James Benefield · 1.5 out of 5
Trying to get your ideal home can be murder.

(Country: Hong Kong; Year: 2010; Director: Pang Ho-Cheung; Writer: Pang Ho-Cheung, Kwok Cheung Tsang, Wan Chi-Man; Stars: Josie Ho, Eason Chan, Derek Tsang, Lawrence Chou, Juno Mak) , Trailer

Full review

Eggshells

Hooper's first film is a celebration of peace and love as seen through a group of hippies sharing a house.

(Country: US; Year: 1969; Director: Tobe Hooper; Writer: Tobe Hooper; Stars: Ron Barnhart, Pamela Craig, Allen Danziger, Sharon Danziger, Mahlon Foreman, Kim Henkel, Amy Lester, David Noll, Jim Schulman)

F

Review preview for F

It's a shame that it ends up running round the corridors instead of making something of the various opportunities it has to throw in twists or add depth to its storyline.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
School may be out for the day... but violence is in, as a group of hooded hooligans terrorises a school after hours.

(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Johannes Roberts; Writer: Johannes Roberts; Stars: David Schofield, Eliza Bennett, Ruth Gemmell, Juliet Aubrey, Emma Cleasby, Finlay Robertson, Roxanne McKee, Tom Mannion, Max Fowler, Mike Burnside, Christopher Adamson, Jamie Kenna, Tina Barnes, Alexander Ellis, Ian Cullen) , Trailer

Full review

Fan Boys

Star Wars fan boys aim for the ultimate badge of honour - stealing an early copy of Phantom Menace.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Kyle Newman; Stars: Sam Huntington, Kristen Bell, Dan Fogler, Chris Marquette, Jay Baruchel)

Finale

A family descend into paranoia after their son's death is labelled a 'suicide'.

(Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: John Michael Elfers; Writer: John Michael Elfers; Stars: Carolyn Hauck, Suthi Picotte, Elizabeth Holmes, Steven Nieport, James Johnson, Brad Barnes, Warren Bryson, Maria Jenkins, Domiziano Arcangeli, Regina Ashkinadze, Michelle Aston, Natasha Blasick, Geoff Burkman, Cream Cabahug, Shuo Chen) , Official site

Hatchet II

Victory Crowley sharpens his axe for a slasher sequel.

(Country: US; Year: 2010; Director: Adam Green; Writer: Adam Green; Stars: Danielle Harris, Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Tom Holland, R.A. Mihailoff, Parry Shen, AJ Bowen, Alexis Peters, Ed Ackerman, Colton Dunn, David Foy, Rick McCallum, John Carl Buechler, Erika Hamilton, Kathryn Fiore)

Higanjima: Escape From Vampire Island

A brother goes in search of his sibling to an island from which no one has returned.

(Country: South Korea, Japan; Year: 2009; Director: Kim Tae-gyun; Writer: Kôji Matsumoto, Tetsuya Ôishi; Stars: Dai Watanabe, Asami Mizukawa, Kôji Yamamoto, Hideo Ishiguro, Miori Takimoto, Tomohisa Yuge) , Official site

Isle Of Dogs

A small-time hood finds he must kill or be killed after crossing a gangland boss.

(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Tammi Sutton; Writer: Sean Hogan; Stars: Barbara Nedeljakova, Edward Hogg, Andrew Howard, Gwilym Lee, Laura Pyper, Stuart McQuarrie, Del Synnott, Dennis Smith, Steff Edwards) , Official site

I Spit on Your Grave

Remake of the 1979 exploitation flick sees a city girl turn the tables on her red neck tormentors.

(Year: 2010; Director: Steven R Monroe; Stars: Daniel Franzese, Chad Lindberg, Tracey Walter, Sarah Butler, Jeff Branson, Andrew Howard, Rodney Eastman, Saxon Sharbino, Mollie Milligan, Amber Dawn Landrum) , Official site

Kaboom

Review preview for Kaboom

Squarely aimed at a student demographic, the entire affair plays out like an episode of Scooby Doo on acid with the added fuel of frequent sex.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
Sexual awakening and conspiracy in southern California.

(Country: US, France; Year: 2010; Director: Gregg Araki; Writer: Gregg Araki; Stars: Thomas Dekker, Juno Temple, Haley Bennett, Chris Zylka, Roxane Mesquida. Nicole LaLiberte) , Official site

Full review

The Last Exorcism

Review preview for The Last Exorcism

On one level the film is pretty simple, though nicely put together - but what makes it more interesting are its moral and philosophical twists and turns.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
An evangelical preacher sets out to debunk myths of exorcism with a documentary crew... only to be faced with the real deal.

(Country: US; Year: 2010; Director: Daniel Stamm; Writer: Huck Botko, Andrew Gurland; Stars: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Louis Herthum, Iris Bahr, Caleb Landry Jones, Tony Bentley, Becky Fly, Shanna Forrestall, Denise Lee, Logan Craig Reid, Cy Fahrenholtz, Geraldine Glenn, Cynthia LeBlanc, Elton LeBlanc, Ace LeBleu) , Official site , Trailer

Full review See: A bloody good time at FrightFest , Interview with Daniel Stamm about The Last Exorcism

The Loved Ones

Review preview for The Loved Ones

A joyous genre mash-up of John Hughes-style adolescent anxieties and drill-bit depravities (call it 'torture prom'), all married in McLeavy's wonderfully unhinged turn as a pretty-in-pink princess of perversion.

Anton Bitel · 4 out of 5
The father of teenager Lola will go to any lengths to get her the boy of her dreams... including kidnap and torture. Plus read our with Robin McLeavy.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2009; Director: Sean Byrne; Writer: Sean Byrne; Stars: Xavier Samuel, Jessica McNamee, Richard Wilson, Victoria Thaine, Robin McLeavy, John Brumpton, Fred Whitlock, Eden Porter) , Official site

Full review

Monsters

Review preview for Monsters

If this is what the British director can achieve on a shoestring, one can only look forward to what a bigger budget may bring with monster expectation.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
A human/extra-terrestrial love story cum road movie.

(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Gareth Edwards; Writer: Gareth Edwards; Stars: Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy)

Full review

Outcast

Review preview for Outcast

For much of its runtime, Outcast may be the best British horror film since The Descent.

Scott Macdonald · 4 out of 5
Beasties, romance, black magic, comedy and horror - sounds like it's got it all!?

(Country: UK, Ireland; Year: 2010; Director: Colm McCarthy; Writer: Colm McCarthy, Tom K. McCarthy, Tom McCarthy; Stars: Therese Bradley, Niall Bruton, Claire Catterson, James Cosmo, Kate Dickie, Christopher Downie, Karen Gillan, Andrew Martin, Sean McCarthy, Ciarán McMenamin, James Nesbitt, Daniel Porter, Hanna Stanbridge, Christine Tremarco, Wendy Wason)

Full review

The Pack (La meute)

Review preview for The Pack

Everything from the appearance of the creatures to the often surprisingly visceral gore is shot in quite a straightforward way, which somehow gets under your skin.

David Graham · 3.5 out of 5
A woman finds herself caught up in ritual sacrifice.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2010; Director: Franck Richard; Writer: Franck Richard; Stars: Yolande Moreau, Émilie Dequenne, Eric Godon, Philippe Nahon, Benjamin Biolay, Brice Fournier)

Full review

Primal

Ozploitation film sees a camping trip go south after friends turn predatory.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2009; Director: Josh Reed; Writer: Nigel Christensen, Josh Reed; Stars: Krew Boylan, Ch'aska Cuba de Reed, Santiago Cuba de Reed, Lindsay Farris, Rebekah Foord, Damien Freeleagus, Stephen Shanahan, Wil Traval, Zoe Tuckwell-Smith) , Official site

Red Hill

Review preview for Red Hill

For the first half an hour, the tension bubbles along nicely... but the further into the runtime we ride, the more the cliches stack up.

Amber Wilkinson · 2.5 out of 5
Life proves tough for a young police officer in a small town, as he begins to wonder if he'll make it through his first day alive.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2010; Director: Patrick Hughes; Writer: Patrick Hughes; Stars: Ryan Kwanten, Steve Bisley, Tommy Lewis, Claire van der Boom, Christopher Davis, Kevin Harrington)

Full review

Red White & Blue

Review preview for Red White & Blue

This isn't just blood and guts mayhem; this is about the mental repercussions of bodily violence.

David Graham · 4 out of 5
A damaged woman strikes up a tentative bond with an Iraq veteran in this psychological horror.

(Country: UK, US; Year: 2010; Director: Simon Rumley; Writer: Simon Rumley; Stars: Noah Taylor, Amanda Fuller, Marc Senter, Nick Ashy Holden, Patrick Crovo, Jon Michael Davis, Sally Jackson, Lauren Schneider, Julian Haddad, Kevin LaVoie, Pete O. Partida, Eryn Brooke, Mary Mathews, Matteson Claus, Laurie Foxx) , Official site

Full review See: Interview with Simon Rumley about Red White & Blue

A Serbian Film (Srpski Film)

Review preview for A Serbian Film

The whole point of A Serbian Film is to sicken and offend the viewer.

Anton Bitel · 2.5 out of 5
Controversial film about a porn star's descent into depravity.

(Country: Serbia; Year: 2009; Director: Srdjan Spasojevic; Writer: Aleksandar Radivojevic, Srdjan Spasojevic; Stars: Srdjan Todorovic, Sergej Trifunovic, Jelena Gavrilovic, Katarina Zutic, Slobodan Bestic, Ana Sakic, Lena Bogdanovic, Luka Mijatovic, Andjela Nenadovic, Nenad Herakovic, Carni Djeric, Miodrag Krcmarik,Lidija Pletl, Tanja Divnic, Marina Savic)

Full review See: Srdjan Spasojevic interview about A Serbian Film

The Tortured

After their only child is kidnapped and killed a couple become obssessed with seeking justice the tough way.

(Country: US, Canada; Year: 2010; Director: Robert Lieberman; Writer: Marek Posival; Stars: Erika Christensen, Jesse Metcalfe, Bill Moseley, Chelah Horsdal, Aaron Pearl, Viv Leacock, Yee Jee Tso, Fulvio Cecere, Stephen Park, Samantha Gutstadt, Bill Lippincott, Jessie Rusu, Kurt Max Runte, Sheila Shah, Alfonso Quijada)

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)

Review preview for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Hooper infects characters and viewers alike with the thrill of a madness from which there can be no real escape.

Anton Bitel · 5 out of 5
A tragedy that befalls five youths in the Texas outback takes horror to a new dimension.

(Country: US; Year: 1974; Director: Tobe Hooper; Writer: Tobe Hooper, Kim Henkel; Stars: Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Paul A Partain, Allen Danziger, Edwin Neal, William Vail, Terri McMinn, Jim Siedow)

Full review See: Interview with Alexandre O Philippe about Chain Reactions

Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship And Video Tape

Documentary charting the history of "video nasties".

(Year: 2010; Director: Jake West)

We Are What We Are (Somos lo que hay)

Review preview for We Are What We Are

We Are What We Are deploys some well-defined horror tropes to dramatise much broader humanistic concerns about survival, continuity and love.

Anton Bitel · 4 out of 5
A sinister family face tough times after their "breadwinner" dies.

(Country: Mexico; Year: 2010; Director: Jorge Michel Grau; Writer: Jorge Michel Grau; Stars: Francisco Barreiro, Alan Chávez, Paulina Gaitan, Carmen Beato, Jorge Zárate, Esteban Soberanes, Humberto Yáñez) , Official site

Full review

Wound

Tale of possession and obsession, involving retribution from beyond the grave.

(Year: 2010; Director: David Blyth; Stars: Kate O'Rourke, Sandy Lowe, Brendan Gregory, Maggie Tarver, Omar Al-Sobky, Andy Sophocleous, Te Kaea Beri, Campbell Cooley, Ian Mune)