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FrightFest · 2012

FrightFest 2012

Showing at Frightfest

Programme

24 films · 14 reviews

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After

Two bus crash survivors awake to discover they are the only people left alive.

(Year: 2012; Director: Ryan Smith; Writer: Jason Parrish, Ryan Smith; Stars: Steven Strait, Karolina Wydra, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Ric Reitz, Jackson Walker)

American Mary

Review preview for American Mary

An entertaining, intelligent film about how our choices influence our lives.

Lindis Kipp · 5 out of 5
A disenfranchised medical student goes AWOL into the lucrative underworld of unnecessary surgery.

(Country: US, Canada; Year: 2012; Director: Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska; Writer: Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska; Stars: Katharine Isabelle, Julia Maxwell, Antonio Cupo, Connor Stanhope, Paul Anthony, Sierra Pitkin, Paula Lindberg, John Emmet Tracy, Rikki Gagne, Jen Soska, David Lovgren, Twan Holliday, Sylvia Soska, Nelson Wong, Sean Amsing)

Full review

Berberian Sound Studio

Review preview for Berberian Sound Studio

If you're a fan of gialli and horror all'italiana you'll enjoy playing spot the homage. If you're not a lot of the imagery and dialogue will simply go past you.

Keith Hennessey Brown · 4 out of 5
In the 1970s, a British sound technician is brought to Italy to work on the sound effects for a gruesome horror film where his nightmarish task slowly takes over his psyche.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Peter Strickland; Writer: Peter Strickland; Stars: Toby Jones, Cosimo Fusco, Antonio Mancino, Fatma Mohamed, Salvatore LI Causi, Chiara D'Anna, Tonia Sotiropoulou, Eugenia Caruso, Susanna Cappellaro, Guido Adorni, Lara Parmiani, Jozef Cseres, Pal Toth, Katalin Ladik, Jean-Michael van Schouwburg)

Full review

Chained

Taxi-driver serial killer's reluctant protege must make a choice...

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Jennifer Chambers Lynch; Writer: Jennifer Chambers Lynch, Damian O'Donnell; Stars: Vincent D'Onofrio, Eamon Farren, Julia Ormond, Gina Philips, Jake Weber, Conor Leslie, Evan Bird, Shannon Jardine, Amy Matysio, Jodi Sadowsky)

Cockneys Vs Zombies

Review preview for Cockneys Vs Zombies

The real comedic heart of the film is with the still-kicking Brit-veteran oldies.

David Graham · 3.5 out of 5
Bank robbers fight their way out of zombie-infested London.

(Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Matthias Hoene; Writer: James Moran, Lucas Roche; Stars: Michelle Ryan, Georgia King, Alan Ford, Lee Asquith-Coe, Harry Treadaway, Honor Blackman, Richard Briers, Rasmus Hardiker, Dudley Sutton, Dominic Burns, Tony Gardner, Tony Selby, Jack Doolan, Ashley Bashy Thomas, Lee Nicholas Harris)

Full review

Dead Sushi (Deddo sushi)

Review preview for Dead Sushi

I was crying with laughter 20 minutes into the film and would not stop until the credits rolled

Lindis Kipp · 5 out of 5
Attack of the killer mutant sushi! (from Mars?)

(Country: Japan; Year: 2012; Director: Noboru Iguchi; Writer: Makiko Iguchi, Noboru Iguchi, Jun Tsugita; Stars: Asami, Jiji Bû, Yasuhiko Fukuda, Hiyori Hachiya, Aiko Hashiuchi, Miho Hoshino, Nao Ibaraki, Yûya Ishikawa, Kentaro Kishi, Marin., Shigeru Matsuzaki, Maaya Morinaga, Hiroaki Murakami, Yui Murata, Takashi Nishina)

Full review

Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s

Documentary about violent 1970s Italian police procedural trash.

(Country: US, Italy, France; Year: 2012; Director: Mike Malloy; Writer: Mike Malloy; Stars: Salvatore Borghese, Mario Caiano, Enzo G. Castellari, Joe Dallesandro, Ottaviano Dell'Acqua, John P. Dulaney, Michael Forest, Claudio Fragasso, Richard Harrison, Nicoletta Machiavelli, Leonard Mann, Luc Merenda, Christopher Mitchum, Franco Nero, Ted Rusoff)

Grabbers

Review preview for Grabbers

Grabbers is a thoroughly charming and welcome blend of terror and blarney.

Scott Macdonald · 4 out of 5
A small island community is terrorised by monsters from the sea.

(Country: Ireland, UK; Year: 2012; Director: Jon Wright; Writer: Kevin Lehane; Stars: Richard Coyle, Ruth Bradley, Russell Tovey, Lalor Roddy, David Pearse, Bronagh Gallagher, Pascal Scott, Clelia Murphy, Louis Dempsey, Micheál O'Gruagain, Ned Dennehy, Stuart Graham, Killian Coyle, Michael Hough, Jonathan Ryan) , Official site

Full review

Hidden In The Woods (En las afueras de la ciudad)

South American horror about two sisters raised in isolation by a psychotic father. A drug lord's minions drop in.

(Country: Chile; Year: 2012; Director: Patricio Valladares; Writer: Andrea Cavaletto, Patricio Valladares, Patricio Valladares; Stars: Agustin Aguero, Daniel Antivilo, Eric Bustos, Yuri Caceres, Daniel Candia, Gonzalo Cordova, Cristian Cuentrejo, Emilia Cárdenas, Carolina Escobar, Luis Aguirre España, Vittorio Farfan, Luis Vitalino Grandón, Domingo Guzmán, José Hernandez, Siboney Lo)

Maniac

Review preview for Maniac

It’s flashy and glossy where the original was fetid and grubby, winking at the audience where Lustig wallowed in the misery to memorable effect.

David Graham · 3 out of 5
First-person perspective chiller about a serial killer with a fetish for scalping.

(Country: France, US; Year: 2012; Director: Franck Khalfoun; Writer: Alexandre Aja, Grégory Levasseur, C.A. Rosenberg, Joe Spinell; Stars: Elijah Wood, Liane Balaban, Nora Arnezeder, America Olivo, Morgane Slemp, Genevieve Alexandra, Sammi Rotibi, Sal Landi, Megan Duffy, Freedom, Jan Broberg, Brian Ames, Davis Neves, Steffinnie Phrommany, Akbar Kurtha)

Full review

Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut

Restored version of Clive Barker's controversial 1990 film.

(Year: 2012; Director: Russell Cherrington; Writer: Clive Barker; Stars: Craig Sheffer, Anne Bobby, Doug Bradley, Simon Bamford, Oliver Parker, Nick Vince, Hugh Ross, David Cronenberg)

Outpost: Black Sun (Outpost 2, Outpost II)

Review preview for Outpost: Black Sun

The film's biggest asset is Steadman, who approaches her character in a much more rounded way that we are used to seeing in films of this sort.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
The daughter of a Nazi hunter is looking for revenge and stumbles across an undead Nazi army.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Steve Barker; Writer: Steve Barker, Rae Brunton; Stars: Clive Russell, Richard Coyle, Michael Byrne, Catherine Steadman, Nick Nevern, Julian Wadham, Daniel Caltagirone, Paul Birchard, David Gant, Alice da Cunha, Gary McDonald, John Kazek, Ali Craig, Johnny Meres, Vivien Taylor)

Full review

Paura 3D

Three young musicians stay at a villa on the outskirts of Rome. They are not alone.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2012; Director: Antonio Manetti, Marco Manetti; Writer: Antonio Manetti, Marco Manetti, Giampiero Rigosi, Michele Cogo; Stars: Peppe Servillo, Francesca Cuttica, Lorenzo Pedrotti, Domenico Diele, Claudio Di Biagio)

The Possession

Review preview for The Possession

This represents a new nadir for an increasingly nose-diving genre.

David Graham · 1.5 out of 5
An antique box unleashes doom on a young girl.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Ole Bornedal; Writer: Juliet Snowden, Stiles White; Stars: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Madison Davenport, Natasha Calis, Agam Darshi, Grant Show, Matisyahu, Quinn Lord, Amanda Dyar, Rob LaBelle, John Cassini, Erin Simms, Nana Gbewonyo, Jim Thorburn, Anna Hagan)

Full review

[REC]³ GÉNESIS (Rec 3, [REC]3 Genesis, [REC] 3)

Review preview for [REC]³ GÉNESIS

There are images here that will be forever etched in genre lore.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A wedding goes awry when the guests inexplicably start snacking on each other.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2012; Director: Paco Plaza; Writer: Luiso Berdejo, Paco Plaza; Stars: Leticia Dolera, Àlex Monner, Diego Martín, Javier Botet, Ismael Martínez, Jose Mellinas, Carla Nieto, Mireia Ros, Ana Isabel Velásquez, Carmen Contreras, Aitor Legardón, Claire Baschet, Paco Moreno, Blai Llopis, Xavier Ruano)

Full review

The Seasoning House

Review preview for The Seasoning House

One of the grimmest 'horror' films of the year.

David Graham · 3.5 out of 5
Girls kidnapped by soldiers in war-torn zones are prostituted to the military.

(Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Paul Hyett; Writer: Paul Hyett, Conal Palmer, Adrian Rigelsford, Helen Solomon; Stars: Sean Cronin, Sean Pertwee, Anna Walton, Jemma Powell, Adrian Bouchet, Chris Cowlin, Ryan Oliva, Rosie Day, Katie Allen, Kevin Howarth, Christopher Rithin, Paul Blackwell, Shaun Lucas, Alec Utgoff, Laurence Saunders)

Full review

Sleep Tight (Mientras duermes)

Unassuming janitor holds dark fantasies.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2011; Director: Jaume Balagueró; Writer: Alberto Marini; Stars: Luis Tosar, Marta Etura, Alberto San Juan, Petra Martínez, Iris Almeida, Carlos Lasarte, Amparo Fernández, Roger Morilla, Pep Tosar, Margarita Rosed, Rubèn Ametllé, Manel Dueso, Tony Corvillo, Ricard Sadurní, Xavier Pujolràs)

Sinister

Review preview for Sinister

You could be forgiven for wondering if Sinister is based on a true story.

Chris · 3.5 out of 5
A ghost story and found footage meet a hackneyed true-crime novelist.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Scott Derrickson; Writer: C Robert Cargill, Scott Derrickson; Stars: Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, James Ransone, Clare Foley, Fred Dalton Thompson, Michael Hall D'Addario, Juliet Rylance, Danielle Kotch, Nicholas King, Victoria Leigh, Cameron Ocasio, Blake Mizrahi, Rachel Konstantin, Ethan Haberfield)

Full review

The Thompsons

Battle between two warring vampire clans in a proto-sequel to The Hamiltons.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: The Butcher Brothers; Stars: Cory Knauf, Samuel Child, Elizabeth Henstridge, Daniel O'Meara, Mackenzie Firgens)

Tower Block

Review preview for Tower Block

Skins star Jack O'Connell burns up the screen as an initially reprehensible chav terror, all wide-boy grimaces and in-your-face intensity, his gradual evolution into honorable pack-leader etched with care and nuance where it could have been clumsy and cli

David Graham · 3 out of 5
The life and times of the last occupants of Tower Block 31.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: James Nunn, Ronnie Thompson; Writer: James Moran; Stars: Sheridan Smith, Jack O'Connell, Ralph Brown, Russell Tovey, Jamie Thomas King, Julie Graham, Steven Cree, Montserrat Lombard, Christopher Fulford, Loui Batley, Michael Legge, Jill Baker, Nabil Elouahabi, Kane Robinson, Tony Jayawardena)

Full review

Tulpa

Highly driven and highly strung professional seeks dangerous and erotic thrills...

(Country: Italy; Year: 2012; Director: Federico Zampaglione; Writer: Federico Zampaglione, Giacomo Gensini, Dardano Sacchetti; Stars: Nuot Arquint, Laurence Belgrave, Michela Cescon, Ivan Franek, Claudia Gerini, Pierpaolo Lovino, Michele Placido, Crisula Stafida, Gianmarco Tognazzi)

Under the Bed

Something under the bed. Kids' stories, right?

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Steven C. Miller; Writer: Eric Stolze; Stars: Jonny Weston, Gattlin Griffith, Peter Holden, Musetta Vander, Kelcie Stranahan, Ivan Djurovic, Bryan Rasmussen, Nikki Griffin, Ron Roggé, Griffin Kohout, Garrett Jones, Walter Miranda, Travis Berens, Mario E. Garcia, Stephanie Hernandez)

The Victim

Review preview for The Victim

It's a film with significant problems but as a first time effort it doesn't do too badly, and there are moments when it shines.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
A wary loner gets a shock when a young woman turns up on his doorstep begging for help.

(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Michael Biehn; Writer: Michael Biehn, Reed Lackey; Stars: Michael Biehn, Jennifer Blanc, Ryan Honey, Danielle Harris, Denny Kirkwood)

Full review

V/H/S

Review preview for V/H/S

The movie hits some nasty sweet spots but also falls foul of numerous genre cliches, both old and new.

Neil Mitchell · 2.5 out of 5
A horror anthology based around the theft of an old video tape.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, Radio Silence; Writer: Simon Barrett, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence; Stars: Joe Swanberg, Calvin Reeder, Adam Wingard, Sophia Takal, Kate Lyn Sheil)

Full review